iStock/Thinkstock(BROOMFIELD, Colo.) -- The Boy Scouts of America has found a new unit for the 11-year-old boy who was booted from his den after engaging in a tense exchange with a Colorado state senator, the organization told ABC News in a statement.



Ames Mayfield was kicked out of his den last week after an Oct. 9 discussion with Sen. Vicki Marble hosted by his Cub Scout den in Broomfield, Colorado, his mother, Lori Mayfield, told ABC Denver affiliate KMGH-TV.



Lori Mayfield recorded the exchanged between her son and Marble and later posted the videos to YouTube. At one point, Ames asked the senator about controversial remarks she reportedly made at a legislative meeting on poverty at the Colorado State Capitol Building in 2013, when she was discussing the life expectancy of black people.



"I was astonished that you blamed black people for poor health and poverty because of all the chicken and barbecue they eat," Ames said.



Marble responded to the fifth-grader in a quiet, measured tone.



I didnt; that was made up by the media, she said. So, you want to believe it? You believe it. But thats not how it went down. I didnt do that. That was false. Get both sides of the story.



Marble did not immediately respond to ABC News' request on Friday for comment.



In 2013, Marble said, "When you look at life expectancy, there are problems in the black race. Sickle-cell anemia is something that comes up. Diabetes is something that's prevalent in the genetic makeup, and you just can't help it," according to KMGH-TV.



At the time, Marble continued, "Although I've got to say, I've never had better barbecue and better chicken and ate better in my life than when you go down South and you, I mean, I love it. Everybody loves it.



While Ames' den leader kicked him out of the program a few days after the meeting, he still remained part of the Cub Scout pack, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement to ABC News. The organization said Friday that it worked closely with the Mayfield family to identify a new unit for Ames to join.



The organization is pleased that the matter has been resolved, a spokesman said, adding that it is a "wholly non-partisan organization and does not promote any one political position, candidate or philosophy.



"The Boy Scouts of America and the Denver Area Council are pleased that the family will continue their participation in Scouting," the spokesman said. "We are committed to working with families to find local units that best fit their needs."



ABC News has reached out to Lori Mayfield for additional comment.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
On Saturday, October 14, 2017, on the heels of President Trump's remarks the previous day to the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., Steve Bannon, in a speech to the same group, fired the official opening salvos toward Mitch McConnell in a gathering epic confrontation between the multinational corporations on one side (and their congressional politicians, to whom they have lavishly contributed) and the newly emerging Republican Party of the Little People on the other  the forgotten working class, championed by Donald Trump in his successful presidential run.

It is a crucial struggle, where, as stated best by Sundance of The Conservative Treehouse, "trillions of dollars are at stake." It is a battle that will determine who controls the future wealth of the United States, where the manufacturing sector and portions of the service industry sector of the U.S. economy have been eroded, stripped from the United States and moved to cheap-labor countries, leaving behind a massive loss of jobs and wealth.

Steve Bannon is banking on a reversal of this trend with the enactment of the Trump agenda. He is confident these new policies, once voted into law, will generate an economic renaissance with a dramatic infusion of wealth for middle-class workers. And he rejects the notion that the demise of U.S. manufacturing is inevitable and irreversible.

The leader of this political-economic revolution is President Trump, a man who amassed his vast fortune by constructing real buildings with real workers rather than through the manipulation of Wall Street financial derivatives. He is a man who has an intimate knowledge of manufacturing and who relates to, and understands, the concerns of its workers. At the 2016 Republican convention, Jerry Falwell, Jr. described Trump as "America's blue-collar billionaire," a "true patriot," a "down-to-earth" leader and one who "loves America and the American people," a "champion of the common man."

Falwell's sentiments were echoed by noted author, columnist, American classicist, military historian, and farmer Victor Davis Hanson in a speech given in May of this year for Hillsdale College at the Kirby Center in Washington. Mr. Hanson observed that President Trump has succeeded in turning the Republican Party into more of a populist, empathetic party, attuned to a frustrated, worried working class that saw its future declining under the Democratic Party of Barack Obama and his chosen third-term successor, Hillary Clinton.

Here's how Hanson answered the question of how a billionaire could possibly be a populist leader: "you can be a populist and be a trillionaire and you can be dead broke and be an elitist." Hanson recalled a conversation he had with a New York developer who knew Trump: "I watched from my [mid-town Manhattan skyscraper] tower and I see Donald Trump ... when he gets out of his limo and he goes and talks to cement people and I see people clapping who are on construction sites."

This ability to naturally relate to construction workers stands in stark contrast, noted Hanson, to Hillary Clinton's admonitions to coal miners that they "have to learn how to build solar panels." This populist bent, Bannon explained at the Values Voter Summit, is authentic. Bannon told the audience that concern for the American worker and the deleterious impact on their wealth from the globalists' machinations has always been Trump's mantra, that President Trump has had these ideas "for thirty to forty years," that "he didn't come to this party late."

In drawing the battle lines of this populist revolt, Bannon focused his ire on the leadership of the Republican Party, who, in his view, are throwing constant, intentional roadblocks in the path of the Trump agenda while continually supporting establishment candidates in Republican primary elections. Even though the Republican establishment is bankrolled with unending corporate dollars, Bannon is undeterred, for, in this struggle for the soul of the Republican Party, he feels that money is no longer an important ingredient to success.

He pointed to the $30 million in highly negative ads aimed at Roy Moore in the recent Alabama primary, paid for by Mitch McConnell and his cohorts, that was negated by counter-information freely available on the internet. As Bannon put it, a good candidate with good ideas and people to back him up "can beat any amount of money." He added, "The most powerful thing is an authentic candidate ... with good people going door to door ... and telling people, with passion, 'this is who you ought to vote for.'" Evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics provided the foot soldiers in Moore's successful effort. Bannon credited Barack Obama with showing how effective this type of get-out-the-vote campaign can be.

Building on the Moore success, Bannon shared his strategy to rebuild the populist Republican Party. He plans to "primary out" the corrupt, bought off, unrepentant Republicans up for re-election in 2018, followed by a blowout re-election win for Trump in 2020. Completing the transformation of the Republican Party, he warned, could take decades.

Democrats, on the other hand, appear hell-bent on maintaining their Obama strategy of seeing the world through the warped lens of divisive personal destruction. In a recent article in The Hill, Brent Budowsky, a former aide to Senator Lloyd Benson, saw Bannon's Values speech in typical Democratic terms, painting Bannon as power-hungry and waging a war to purge the Republican Party of moderates, centrists, center-right conservatives, and bipartisan members in favor of fringe and far right candidates (whatever "far right" means).

Budowsky either doesn't see or won't acknowledge the fact that the Bernie Sanders left and the Donald Trump right movements were mirror images of anti-establishment reactions to globalist corruption of both parties. He welcomes the Bannon "purge" as an opening for Democrats to retake the House and Senate in 2018.

Bannon is gearing up for a major battle in the 2018 Republican primaries. It is here that the establishment anticipates that Bannon's efforts will fall short. The opposition has reason to feel hopeful. Sundance of The Conservative Treehouse quoted Fox News Research revealing the astounding increase in lobbyist greasing of congressional lawmakers' palms to keep them on the reservation.

In 1986, average lawmaker payments were $113,700. In 2016, this average grew to $5,800,000  a fifty-onefold increase.

The globalists are also confidently relying on historical trends to blunt efforts to remove incumbents in primaries. It has been remarkably difficult over the years to remove incumbents from office, especially in primaries. Incumbents know they can rely on:

very low voter turnout,

very high lobbyist-provided campaign financing,

low to very low name recognition and policy positions of primary opponents,

multiple candidates who divide the oppositional vote,

very high campaign costs, and

always available media exposure opportunities.

So much will depend in 2018 on how quickly and how well organized this MAGA movement can evolve, the strength of the MAGA candidates, and their effectiveness at reaching motivated populist voters. New websites are emerging in this fight, such as Adam Gingrich's MAGAcoalition and Bill Mitchell's YourVoiceAmerica.

And as enormous as the economic rewards of this realignment of the political and business powers will be, Bannon has a deeper long-term concern, what he describes as "the convergence of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, the computer chip. There are going to be decisions in front of mankind in the next twenty years that man has never had to face before."

"And if you think," he concluded, "that the elites that got the world into this situation it's in today are going to make the right judgments twenty years from now, you're sadly mistaken."

Bannon believes that if we are to revitalize our moribund Obama economy and safeguard our future against the implications of profound technological advancements coming over the horizon, this economic and political reformation is essential. Corruption through bribery of our political class by multinationals must be stopped. Macro-level decisions concerning our national wealth must include the workers who build it and whose very future is at stake.

Bannon asked what's more powerful: "the money of the corporatists or the muscle of the people"? His bet is on the people.

As he puts it, "the Hobbits are going door to door in the Shire."
Here are a few questions for Loretta Lynch that reporters, Democrats and many Republicans are afraid to ask because they won't like the answers:

Why did you threaten the FBI informant on the uranium deal with jail if he told Congress and the public what he knew?

Should Eric Holder, Hillary and the Obama administration have approved the uranium deal to Russia knowing that they were under Federal investigation for corruption and kickbacks? Mueller was involved in the investigation, so do you think he should be investigating the supposed Russian collusion today?

Is there any way that Bill Clinton should have been allowed to accept $500,000 from Russia for a speech and meet with Putin while Hillary was Secretary of State? Doesn't over $100 Million in donations to the Clinton Foundation after the uranium deal was completed have all the appearances of kickbacks? What else could they be?

Is there any way that a FISA warrant should have been attained based on the obvious fake Russian dossier trashing Trump?

If the Obama Administration, CIA, FBI and others were actually worried about Russian collusion in the election, wouldn't they have also spied on Hillary and her team because of their many Russian connections?

Why did Obama change the rules right at the end of his term to make it easier to unmask people? Weren't there any inadvertent conversations between Democrats and Russian officials picked up if the targets of the recordings actually Russian officials and not Trump people?

Isn't it a great threat to democracy when a President and his supposedly independent justice department clearly targets their political opponents, before and after the election?

Was there ever any actual evidence of collusion on the election?

Do you truly think it is even plausible that your meeting with Bill Clinton on the tarmac was a coincidence? Have you had any other examples where you met someone on the tarmac, especially when their spouse was supposedly under investigation?

Why did Comey decide before the interview with Hillary to exonerate her? Did you or the President give him that message especially when you said to refer to it as a matter instead of an investigation?

Hillary wasn't interviewed under oath nor were there notes. How often does that happen in an actual investigation?

Why should the public believe the Justice Department is independent and gives equal justice for all when they see Hillary skate despite obvious continuing violations of clear law and she obviously had the intent to violate the law although that is not even required?
An invitation to make Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a "goodwill ambassador" for the World Health Organization has been rescinded after international outrage scuttled the idea.

Reuters:

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus named Mugabe to the largely ceremonial post at a high-level WHO meeting on chronic diseases, attended by both men, in Uruguay on Wednesday.

At the time, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all.

But Tedros said in a statement that he had listened to those expressing concerns and heard the different issues raised.

Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment, Tedros said.

I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization, he added.

Several former and current WHO staff had said privately they were appalled at the poor judgment and miscalculation by Tedros, elected the first African head of WHO in May.

Mugabe was head of the African Union (AU) when the bloc endorsed Tedros - a former health and foreign minister of Ethiopia - over other African candidates for the top post, without any real regional contest or debate, they said.

Mugabe, 93, is blamed in the West for destroying Zimbabwes economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.
I must give Ken Stern, the former CEO of National Public Radio, great credit for having the courage to leave the comforting company of fellow urban elite liberals, and engaging in an odyssey through red America. Writing in the New York Post (where the people who really need to read him wont be found  they are reading the Times), he lays out his research:

Spurred by a fear that red and blue America were drifting irrevocably apart, I decided to venture out from my overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhood and engage Republicans where they live, work and pray. For an entire year, I embedded myself with the other side, standing in pit row at a NASCAR race, hanging out at Tea Party meetings and sitting in on Steve Bannons radio show. I found an America far different from the one depicted in the press and imagined by presidents (cling to guns or religion) and presidential candidates (basket of deplorables) alike. I spent many Sundays in evangelical churches and hung out with 15,000 evangelical youth at the Urbana conference. I wasnt sure what to expect among thousands of college-age evangelicals, but I certainly didnt expect the intense discussion of racial equity and refugee issues  how to help them, not how to keep them out  but that is what I got.

Urbana Conference

To the surprise of very few AT readers, he discovered that the caricatures common on newsrooms throughout the media is utterly false. His long essay drips with sincerity.

But I dont know how all the angry leftists he left behind will be able to listen to him, for he is far too threatening to their self-esteem, based as it is on sneering down on others.
Former President Jimmy Carter says he has talked with Donald Trump's national security advisor H.R. McMaster about going to North Korea to negotiate a solution to the crisis with Kim Jong-un's regime.

Carter is lobbying for the job because he thinks that Kim has "now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland.

And we're going to trust the most incompetent president of the 20th century to sit down with North Korea to avoid a nuclear war?

The Hill:

Carter also said he's let Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster know that he is "available" if they need a diplomatic envoy to North Korea. I told him that I was available if they ever need me, Carter told the paper. Carter's comments come weeks after it was reported by a South Korean newspaper that he had volunteered to meet with Kim Jong-un. Should former President Carter be able to visit North Korea, he would like to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and discuss a peace treaty between the United States and the North and a complete denuclearization of North Korea, a University of Georgia professor who spoke with Carter told the paper.

I can think of worse choices as a mediator between the US and North Korea. Jesse Jackson springs to mind. Oliver Stone and Sean Penn wouldn't be far behind in the "most likely to give away the store" sweepstakes in negotiating with Kim.

But this is truly pathetic. Jimmy Carter might be seen as a good guy for building houses for homeless people and raising money for charity. But as a negotiator for US interests, he has zero respect. It's almost like a cry in the wilderness with Carter trying to return to the grand stage but falling hopelessly short because no one thinks he has it in him to represent American interests.

Carter is almost certainly worried about his "legacy." But any accomplishment during Carter's presidency have long since been superceded by reality. No American president in recent history - including President Obama - failed so miserably on so many levels to achieve anything of note during his tenure.

Best that he stays forgotten.
Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) generally keeps a low profile. After all, she is about as safe as any Democrat running for anything.

Back in 2010, she was forced to repay up to $20,000 in 15 scholarships to two grandsons, two great-nephews, and aide Rod Givens's children between 2005 and 2008.

It's cool to be a Democrat in a minority district! My guess is that any other politician would have been forced to resign for such disgraceful corruption.

Not Eddie Bernice Johnson. She represents the 30th district, just south of Dallas.

A few days ago, Mrs. Johnson reacted this way to the recent Weinstein story:

"I grew up in a time when it was as much the woman's responsibility as the man's  how you were dressed, what your behavior was, the Dallas Democrat said in an interview with KXAS-TV (NBC5) on the recent sexual assault allegations brought against film producer Harvey Weinstein. "Many times, men get away with this because they are allowed to get away with it by the women," she added.

Yesterday, Representative Johnson walked it back with a statement clarifying that she does not condone sexual assault "and that perpetrators are responsible for their actions and should be held accountable."

The whole story speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of Democrat women and especially the feminists who want Representative Johnson's vote for Planned Parenthood.

What if Sarah Palin had made that statement? Or a GOP woman in the U.S. Senate or House? Or any Fox News female host?

The outrage would have gone beyond issuing a retraction. The feminists would have demanded the resignation of such a member of the U.S. Congress. They would have organized a boycott by calling advertisers and so on.

No such thing happened with Representative Johnson. She was allowed to take it back and continue as a reliable vote for the issues that matter to the left.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
The force-feeding of transgenderism into American society by cultural, corporate, and governmental elites is one of the wonders of the history of social engineering. The fantasy that one can choose a sex, and that anything other than full-fledged support of and catering to that fantasy is hateful bigotry has been enforced in every corner of America.

There is always a cost when social and governmental enforcement mechanisms impose a fantasy on the public. In the case of transgenderism, many of those costs are being paid by innocent children. Consider this, from the Daily Wire:

The trial for a Wyoming transsexual accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in a bathroom began on Monday, reports the Billings Gazette. Miguel Martinez, a biological male who identifies as a woman and goes by the name Michelle, allegedly "invited" the 10-year-old into a bathroom on March 23, where he proceeded to grope her breasts and genitals and penetrate her. As noted by the Gazette, "Nurses at the Wyoming Medical Center completed a sexual assault exam and found redness and abrasions on the girl's genitalia." Martinez was allowed into the girls bathroom solely because he claimed to be a female, despite possessing a Y-chromosome in every cell of his body.

A friend comments:

Because no one could have possibly foreseen that pedophiles claiming to identify as women would take advantage of gender-neutral bathrooms.

So the price of adult leftist virtual signaling is paid by 10-year-old girls.
President Trump announced yesterday that he would be releasing the remaining documents in the National Archives relating to the JFK assassination.

Congress passed a law in 1992 mandating the release over the next 25 years of millions of documents on the assassination. But several thousand documents had been withheld by the CIA and FBI citing national security concerns.

Trump said he would release those documents "subject to the receipt of further information." The deadline set by congress in 1992 for the release of all documents was October 26 of this year, which gives the CIA and other intelligence agencies in the government just a few days to make a case why some documents should not be revealed.

CNN:

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump said, appearing to leave open the possibility that some documents could still be withheld. A White House official told reporters Saturday: "The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise." The White House said in a statement to Politico earlier this week that the White House was working "to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public" by next week's deadline. Trump himself is no stranger to the controversies and conspiracy theories that have long swirled around the assassination of the 35th president. During the 2016 campaign, Trump made the unfounded claim that the father of GOP rival Sen. Ted Cruz was associated with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, a claim he has never reneged nor apologized for. Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone, who helped launch Trump's campaign for president, is also an avid conspiracy theorist who wrote a book about the wild claim that President Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's vice president, was involved in Kennedy's assassination.

Anyone looking for new information that proves, or disproves, a conspiracy in the assassination is going to be disappointed. At one time, there may have been a compelling reason to keep some of the documents secret because they would have revealed "sources and methods" used by our intelligence agencies. But outside of a few documents generated since 1992, it is likely that those concerns are no longer valid.

Still, there appears to be resistance from the CIA:

Its great news that the president is focused on this and that hes trying to demonstrate transparency. But the question remains whether he will open the library in full  every word in every document, as the law requires, Shenon said. And my understanding is that he wont without infuriating people at the CIA and elsewhere who are determined to keep at least some of the information secret, especially in documents created in the 1990s. Jefferson Morley, a former Post reporter who has studied the Kennedy assassination records for years, said the last tranche of material is also intriguing because it contains files on senior CIA officials from the 1960s  officers well aware of Oswalds activities in the days before the assassination.

Some intelligence officials have expressed concern that the documents will embarrass Mexico, given Oswald's trip to that country in September of 1963 and his meetings with Soviet and Cuban embassy officials. There has been much speculation about what Oswald discussed with our enemies but Soviet and Cuban officials who say there were present during meetings with Oswald claim the American never mentioned wanting to kill Kennedy.

For historians and avid amateurs, this release will no doubt be of great interest. It remains to be seen just how many documents - if any - Trump will withhold at the request of our intelligence agencies.
Of all the candidates for utopia, Stockton, California would be on the bottom of my list. But a 27-year-old mayor, with the backing of a foundation, is trying for utopia, as seen by supporters of the Mommy State: Universal Basic Income. Futurism.com writes:

Stockton, California, is about to become the first city to test government-supported universal basic income in the U.S. The program is the idea of the city's 27-year-old mayor and will be primarily funded by the basic income advocacy group Economic Security Project. The idea of a guaranteed income for all citizens regardless of their social and economic standing is called universal basic income (UBI), and its been floating around for centuries. Thomas Paine wrote about it back in the 1790s, and in 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed his support for a universal basic income in the U.S. Now, Stockton, California, mayor Michael Tubbs is keen on implementing such a system in his city. To test out the idea, Tubbs is planning to launch an experiment hes calling the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED). When the project kicks off next year, it will be the first trial for universal basic income in the U.S. to receive government support. Most of the financing for SEED will come from basic income advocacy group the Economic Security Project (ESP), which pledged $1 million to launch the program. The plan is to select a yet undisclosed number of recipients from among Stocktons 315,000 citizens to receive a fixed $500 monthly income  or $6,000 a year  for the duration of SEED, which Tubbs hope will last three years.

Stockton is a wreck, but a least it returned to solvency in 2015, having gone bankrupt in 2007. John Huston's 1972 film Fat City paints an indelible portrait of a hard luck town that hasn't gotten any better. It consistently appears on worst places to live lists, ranking #13 on the most recent one.

> Population: 305,650

> Median home value: $224,300

> Poverty rate: 21.8%

> Pct. with at least a bachelors degree: 17.8% There were 1,352 violent crimes per 100,000 Stockton residents in 2015, more than three times the national violent crime rate of 373 incidents per 100,000 Americans. In addition to a high crime rate, Stockton suffers from heavy air pollution. San Joaquin County has good air quality just 331 days out of the year on average, less than most U.S. counties.

I give the utopians credit for taking on a hard case. When you start at the bottom, the only way is up. But the dreams are utopian -- that is, contrary to human nature:

Solving current poverty is just one potential benefit of UBI. Many experts believe such a system could effectively curb the unemployment surge expected to follow the rise of intelligent automation, in which machines will replace greater and greater numbers of human workers, both those employed in minimum wage jobs as well as those in industries like finance and information technology. Some experts also think UBI could provide an alternative to todays social welfare programs.

Hat tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian
[] Always remember this, Sepharad.

Make the bridges of dialogue secure

and try to understand and love

the reasons and diverse tongues of your children.

May the rain fall gently onto the sown fields

and may the air pass like a soft, very benign hand

that stretches out over the wide fields.

May Sepharad live eternally

in order and in peace, in work,

in the hard, well-deserved freedom.

Salvador Espriu La pell de brau (The bull hide, 1960)

Forty years after Catalonias Generalitat was restored, the last few hours have sent us decades back in time with sad, unfortunate insistence. One might think that it is Spains fate, but despite the validity of many of the demonstrators chants, the revival of songs from the 1970s and the persistence of a poem written fifty-seven years ago we know that we are not inevitably stuck in a fatal time loop. Just like it was not obvious for president Tarradellas to agree to restoring the Generalitat with Adolfo Suarez, a bright young man that had risen through the ranks of Francos regime, it was not inevitable to order a cavalry charge on Catalonias institutions and terminate them.

The darkest Spain is a political choice. Spain could have learnt to coexist with Catalonia without the urge to flatten it, but it is not able to. Many people and many decisions have brought us to this situation, but on Saturday the Spanish PM announced perhaps unbeknownst to him his great historic defeat. Who knows if he will manage to keep Spain united for some time, but there is a limit to the use of force and a substantial portion of Catalonia has become dissident. With every day that goes by, more people are distancing themselves from Spain and Mariano Rajoy is becoming more authoritarian and, deep down, ever more powerless. Even Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, seemed to understand better than Rajoy the aspirations of many Catalans when he addressed the Spanish PM and King Felipe on the subject of freedom and truth at the Princesa de Asturias awards ceremony. Once again, the Spanish regime has shown that it is sick and a Catalonia deprived of self-rule is, inevitably, the final nail in the coffin of the political system of the last decades.

By triggering Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, Spains Partido Popular government intends to obliterate Catalonias institutions and free speech. But the Spanish government and their acolytes cannot begin to imagine how widespread the indignation caused by this move will be and the difficulties they will encounter to rule Catalonia from Madrid. It might fuel Spanish nationalism, but it will not weaken the resolve of a people that is used to starting anew.

The PPs abuse of power means it is solely responsible with its accessories in the PSOE and Ciudadanos for what might be coming. Despite the pervasive civic-mindedness and democratic feeling that drives Catalonias independence bid, this is the time to emphasise that the main protest instrument is and has been civic-mindedness and that the level of Madrids provocations against our institutions and elected officials seems limitless.

Today a new political phase begins in Catalonia. A new period with duties and opportunities for all. We cannot hand over our institutions and, from now on, the rage and frustration of independence supporters should not prevent them from asking themselves what progress they will attain every time they are faced with a decision. Those who believe that a democratic longing can be contained make us sick to the stomach. Only a very solid social majority can stand up to someone who thinks they can jail the leaders of a peaceful movement, and smear and humiliate a loyal servant of law enforcement, the prosecutors office and the courts of law, such as the Commissioner of the Mossos dEsquadra. They believe that they can shut down a democratically elected parliament and threaten the Catalan president and his cabinet with a thirty-year jail sentence. The list of powers which Madrid wants to strip of the Generalitat is so brutal that it deserves to be read twice. Few could have imagined how enraged Spanish nationalists would become, much in the same way as few could have anticipated the police crackdown on October 1, for no other reason than taking primitive revenge on peaceful members of the public. When the ballot boxes turned up, the humiliation prompted an abusive, violent response (I killed her because she was mine). It was the blind, authoritarian persuasion of those who believe that free will does not exist and freedom has a landlord.

In this day and age, the thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets on Saturday are not prepared to negotiate the existence of Catalonias institutions, as arent those who feel represented by Nuria Parlons resignation in the PSOE and Xavier Domenechs despair.

Rajoy will fail to prevent Catalans from voting. The challenge at hand is huge and no bombs will rain on Catalonia, but they will continue to rattle our economy and they will prolong the uncertainty that can be so potentially harmful to an economy that has only recovered with blood, sweat and tears. This is a time to stay firm, but also prudent and united. Unless we all row in the same direction, we can find ourselves leaping forty years back in time. Neither our grandparents nor our children deserve a regression like that.
Over 100 caregivers based in western Wisconsin gathered at 29 Pines in the town of Wheaton on Wednesday evening. After dinner, the nurses, educators, doctors, CNAs and home caregivers listened to three speakers, one of whom was former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin Martin Schreiber.

Schreiber has become an activist for those affected by Alzheimers disease, especially the victims caregivers.

Speaker Moira Kneer, community outreach coordinator at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, said average caretakers in Wisconsin are 50 years old, female, nonprofessional and unpaid family members.

Every caregiver is hit with what I call an Oz moment, Kneer said. We say, What was your tornado? An illness, a fall, a death?

Kneer addressed the unique needs of being a caregiver, and the emotional toll an illness can take on people who care for the sick.

Were not good at crying in the Midwest, Kneer said to laughter from the room. Were strong.

Kneer recommended caregivers take time for themselves, practice journaling or meditation and realize caregiving doesnt necessarily mean constant activity. When was the last time you just sat down and held your (charges) hand, she said.

Inspiring the Caregivers Soul was held at 29 Pines in Eau Claire on Wednesday, hosted by HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital-Eau Claire.
The results have been announced in a new poll conducted by Total Film Magazine which also includes another of his character Han Solo.

London: There have been thousands of great characters in the history of cinema, but only one can be the best.

Now, according to a new poll conducted by Total Film Magazine, people have voted Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones the Greatest Movie Character of All Time, reports express.co.uk.

The 75-year-old actor will be reprising the part in a fifth outing directed by Steven Spielberg, set for release in 2020.

The poll also features another iconic Harrison Ford character, with Han Solo at the third place.

DC Comics superhero Batman, who has been portrayed by six different actors with Ben Affleck, the man in possession of the cape and cowl in the DC Extended Universe franchise, came second.

The first female character on the list is Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley from the 'Alien' franchise, who was placed fourth.

Rounding out the top five is the iconic MI6 spy, James Bond.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Robert De Niro's 'Taxi Driver' anti-hero Travis Bickle, Sir Anthony Hopkins' cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter, who he first played in 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Lord of the Rings' wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), Batman's arch nemesis The Joker and Princess Leia, portrayed by late Carrie Fisher.

To celebrate Total Film's Greatest Movie Characters Ever issue, the magazine has created 100 different covers to celebrate the poll which was made up of 8,000 votes.

Here's the Top 25 from Total Film's 100 Greatest Movie Characters:

1. Indiana Jones

2. Batman

3. Han Solo

4. Ellen Ripley

5. James Bond

6. Travis Bickle

7. Hannibal Lecter

8. Gandalf

9. The Joker

10. Princess Leia

11. Rocky Balboa

12. Sarah Connor

13. The Bride

14. Michael Corleone

15. Jules Winnfield

16. Tyler Durden

17. Maximus Decimus Meridius

18. Spider-Man

19. Harry Potter

20. R P McMurphy

21. Iron Man

22. Loki

23. Darth Vader

24. Gollum

25. The Dude
Tamil film Parasakthi was a strong critique of the prevailing socio-economic order in the 1950s, which sparked a controversy.

BJPs Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan had on Thursday called for deleting the scenes which have reference to the GST and the digital India initiative of the BJP government.(Representational image)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP came under Congress fire on Saturday for demanding cuts to a Tamil film and claiming that the movie allegedly showcased anti-Modi hatred by mocking at the recently introduced GST.

A scene in the Tamil-language film Mersal shows a character delivering a fiery monologue in which he attacks the governments failure to provide free public healthcare despite charging a national goods and services tax (GST) of up to 28 percent.

Mr Modi, cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Dont try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal, Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice-president, said in a tweet on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Murali Ramaswamy, who heads Sri Thenandal Films which has made the movie, sought to end the controversy by saying that, if needed, they will delete scenes that have caused misunderstanding.

Mr Gandhis comment come a day after Union minister of state Pon Radhakrishnan demanded removal of dialogues in the flick which he termed as untruths about the GST, rolled out by the BJP- led NDA government on July 1.

The film producer should remove the untruths regarding GST from the film. He has assured me the offending scenes on GST and Digital India will be removed from the film, said Mr Radhakrishnan.

The film, staring Vijay, is running to packed houses in the state. It had a gargantuan day one opening worldwide, and is reported to have earned Rs 22.5 crore from Tamil Nadu theatres alone.

BJPs Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan had on Thursday called for deleting the scenes which have reference to the GST and the digital India initiative of the BJP government.

Though Tamil superstar Vijay hasnt yet reacted on the BJPs demand for cuts in the movie, another superstar, Kamal Haasan, came out in support of the film. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks. Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response, Kamal Haasan tweeted, wading into the controversy that erupted after the movie.

Congress leader P. Chidambaram joined Mr Gandhi in attacking the BJP. Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising governments policies, he said in a tweet.

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in Mersal. Imagine the consequences if Parasakthi was released today, the former finance minister said in another tweet.

Tamil film Parasakthi was a strong critique of the prevailing socio-economic order in the 1950s, which sparked a controversy. One of the highlights of Mersal is Vijays direct dig at the way the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as Digital India initiatives have been implemented in the country.

A character in the film says that GST in Singapore is just 7 per cent and medical treatment is free, while in India it is 28 per cent and corporate hospitals continue to milk poor patients.
General Rawat in reply to another question said terror camps are still operational across the borders.

Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat presents the Presidents Standard to the 47 Armoured Regiment at the Sunjawan Military Station, in Jammu. (Photo: PTI )

Srinagar: The Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, said on Saturday that it was the prerogative of the countrys political leadership to decide on the crucial question of resuming peace talks with Pakistan.

Military has a task and we will continue to perform that task. Decision on any talks has to be decided politically, he said when asked during an informal chat with mediapersons in Jammu to react to a recent statement of his Pakistani counterpart General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

General Bajwa had said in Karachi last week that his country has shown genuine desire to have peaceful relations with its belligerent neighbour India but it takes two to tango. He said, We have also expressed and demonstrated our genuine desire to have normal and peaceful relations with India. However, it takes two to tango.

General Rawat in reply to another question said terror camps are still operational across the borders. He said, I do not know as to who told you that training camps across the border have been closed. Training camps existed there earlier also and they are operational at present too.

He said a surgical strike was only one way to deal with the training camps and eliminate militants. There are other ways also and action is being taken in the matter, he added. On the possibility of a Doklam-like situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), General Rawat said, We have to remain alert.

On introducing the 72 Infantry Division to prevent a Doklam-like situation in Ladakh region, he said, 72 Infantry Division is a part of 17 Corps and its raising is going on as scheduled. It is being raised as a force of deterrent.

General Rawat also did not subscribe to a reports view that braid chopping incidents in the Valley pose a challenge to the Army. He asked Why do you see it as a challenge?

He said such incidents have earlier taken place elsewhere in the country as well and that in Kashmir, the civil administration and the police are dealing with it and they will foil these incidents. He added, The media has a role to play in exposing the separatists and other agencies misleading people on braid chopping incidents.
Visit a year after PM Modi skipped NAM summit.

New Delhi: At a time when Indias ties with the US are going from strength to strength, embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro  the pet hate of the United States  is all set to visit New Delhi for the International Solar Alliance (ISA) meeting in December, diplomatic sources in New Delhi have confirmed. The visit is expected to take place a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit that took place in Venezuelas Margarita Island in September last year.

India was represented there instead by the then vice-president Hamid Ansari. While the Indian Government had maintained last year that nothing much should be read into PM Modis absence, speculation was rife that this was because of Indias growing proximity to the US which recently described itself as Indias reliable partner. Plans for the Venezuelan Presidential visit are being firmed up in New Delhi even as India is set to welcome US secretary of state Rex Tillerson on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The visit of President Maduro has been more or less finalised. It will be a historic visit. He is eagerly looking forward to visiting India and holding talks with PM Modi, diplomatic sources in New Delhi told this newspaper.

While Venezuela has realised that Indo-US ties have grown even stronger under the Modi Government, it is keen to build on the traditional solidarity that countries of the developing world have shared with each other. Venezuela is also aware of the important position that India enjoys in the developing world which explains President Maduros desire to visit New Delhi. The Venezuelan leadership has also been dwelling on the importance of oil exports from their country to energy-starved India and this is an important factor in ties between the two countries despite New Delhis proximity to Washington.

Ties between the Venezuelan leadership and the Trump Administration in the US have hit rock-bottom. The US accuses President Maduro of being a dictator and stifling dissent and democracy.
The GST Council has already rationalised the rates on over 100 commodities, and made the refund process a lot easier for exporters.

New Delhi: Revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said that some overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates is needed to reduce the burden on small and medium businesses and the common man. There is a need for some rejig in rates... It is possible that some items in the same chapter are divided. There is a need for harmonisation of items chapterwise, and wherever we find there is a big burden on small and medium businesses and on the common man, if we bring them down, there will be a better compliance, Mr Adhia told PTI.

The 23rd GST Council meeting is due to be held on November 10 in Guwahati. In view of the coming Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state Gujarat that is expected in December, the government is worried about anger in the business community over GST and is looking at ways to pacify them. The Centre is trying to reduce the compliance burden of GST and bring down rates to win support from the trading community.

The GST Council has already rationalised the rates on over 100 commodities, and made the refund process a lot easier for exporters.

The revenue secretary said the overhaul would require some calculations by the fitment committee, that will decide which items need a rate rationalisation under the GST regime, which kicked in from July 1. He said the GST will take about a year to stabilise. It will take one year. Because it is a new system for everybody... there has been a complete overhaul of the tax system in GST, so one year is needed, said Mr Adhia. The GST Council has already cleared an approach paper for items to be considered for rationalisation, but it is not binding and the council can always deviate from the approach paper.

Mr Adhia said the committee will bring its suggestions to the GST Council as soon as possible. We are very keen to do it as early as possible, it depends on how much time the fitment committee takes to work on it. They need data, need to calculate the revenue loss. They need various comparisons. But harmonisation has to be done, he said.

The revenue secretary pointed out that there had also been opposition to VAT when it was first introduced in India in 2005. People were on the streets because nobody knew what VAT is, the last fellow was only paying sales tax. It was more opposition that time than this, he added.
During his one-day visit to the state, the Prime Minister also shared data to prove the economys strong fundamentals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ghogha Sea Ferry Point in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, on Sunday to mark the inauguration of the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro Ferry Service. (Photo:PTI)

Dahej (Gujarat): In his third visit this month to poll-bound Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dispelled doubts about the economys health after the implementation of GST and demonetisation while announcing new projects worth Rs 2,000 crores for the state, including his dream project of the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service linking Ghogha to Dahej.

The Prime Minister also hit out at the earlier UPA government for creating hurdles in the states development when he was the states chief minister, sharpening his attack on the Congress at the time of a political row over the delay in announcement of dates for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Vowing to continue reforms, Mr Modi highlighted his governments economic achievements and reached out to traders amid attacks by the Congress and critics over a dip in growth in the post-GST period.

After all reforms and hardcore decisions, the economy of the country is on track and is going in the right direction, Mr Modi said addressing a rally here.

Many economists have agreed unanimously that the fundamentals of the economy are strong, he said, assuring traders that their past records will not be checked by the income-tax department if they join the formal economy by getting themselves registered under the GST regime.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had attacked Mr Modi during his recent campaign tour in Gujarat, after the growth rate slipped to 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2017-18.

During his one-day visit to the state on Sunday, the Prime Minister also shared data to prove the economys strong fundamentals. If we have a look at the figures which have come recently, the production of coal, electricity, natural gas and other items has increased tremendously. Foreign investors are making record investments in the country. The foreign exchange reserves of the country have reached $40,000 crores from $30,000 crores, Mr Modi said.

We have taken important decisions regarding reforms and this process will continue. The financial stability of the country will be maintained while initiating reforms, he said.

Talking about GST, Mr Modi said the number of traders joining the new indirect tax regime is growing day by day. In the last few months, 27 lakh additional people have registered themselves for this indirect tax..., he said.

While launching the ferry service in Ghogha earlier, Mr Modi blamed the previous Congress-led UPA government for delaying the venture by creating hurdles in the name of environment.

I had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2012, but for doing work in the sea, you had to remain dependent on the Central government then. There were such people in the Central government that they had put a ban on development from Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch along coastal Gujarat, he said.

Industries were threatened to be closed in the name of environment. I know how many challenges I had faced for the development of Gujarat, he said, attacking the Congress-led UPA government.

Hailing the ferry project as a precious gift to the country from Ghogha, Mr Modi blamed the erstwhile UPA government for ignoring the shipping and port sector.

He also took the first trip in the ferry from Ghogha to Dahej with 100 visually-impaired children from Bhavnagar. The first phase of the project connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat. The PM said the project will be extended up to Hazira in Surat district, and similar projects will also be launched in the Gulf of Kutch.

The ferry can take more than 100 trucks at one time, and with such a huge number of vehicles going off the road, it will impact the road connecting Delhi and Mumbai. The number of vehicles on Gujarats industrialised zone will reduce, the speed of vehicles will increase and this will take the economic system in top gear, Mr Modi said.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour. To start with, two ships  M V Jay Sophia and Island Jed  can take 300 and 239 passengers, including crew members respectively, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) said.

The Election Commission had on October 12 announced that polling for the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9, but held back the Gujarat polls schedule, only saying that polling in the western state would be held before December 18.

The model code of conduct would have come into immediate effect in Gujarat had the poll schedule been announced along with Himachal Pradesh, the Congress had said.
The Congress had given both Hardik Patel and Mr Mevani an open invitation to join the party.

New Delhi: High political drama continued till late on Saturday night surrounding the Gujarat polls. Just as the Congress seemed to have moved a step closer to establish a mega front against the BJP by securing support of the influential leader of the Patidar commuity Hardik Patel, the saffronites struck back by snatching away Mr Patels key aides  Varun Patel and Reshma Patel. Both joined the BJP late this evening and went on to describe Hardik Patel as a Congress agent. Varun Patel and Reshma Patel were among the prominent faces of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the agitation.

The dramatic turn of events came hours after Hardik Patel declared his support for the Congress. His key aides joined the BJP after a meeting with Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and state party chief Jitu Vaghani during its parliamentary board meeting, which was also attended by BJP president Amit Shah. Immediately after joining the BJP, the Patel aides targeted their former leader and were all praise for the BJP.

This agitation was not Hardik Patels alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. Varun and I are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfil our demands, Reshma Patel said.

Earlier in the day, the battle for Gujarat seemed to be tilting in favour of the Congress as the party had managed to stitch up a mega front against the BJP comprising all the three influential community leaders  Hardik Patel of Patedar community, Gujarats Dalit face Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor. In fact Mr Thakor had just announced his decision to join then Congress. Hardik Patels moving over to the Congress camp had created a flutter in the BJP as the ruling party had been working relentlessly to woo the Patidars and the communitys influential leader. As BJP failed to win over Hardik Patel, it successfully drove a wedge in his camp.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who held parlyes with top Gujarat party leaders, Ashok Ghelot and Madhav Singh Solanki and Mr Thakor will be in Gujarat on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the best bet for the ruling BJP will also be rushing to Gujarat on Sunday. With the Election Commission taking its own time to announce Gujarat poll dates, the Prime Minister plans to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts. This will be Mr Modis third visit to Gujarat in a month.

In the afternoon, the Congress had given both Hardik Patel and Mr Mevani an open invitation to join the party. The Congress also invited like-minded parties and leaders including Aam Aadmi Party and Chhotu Vasava, a tribal deader and JD (U) MLA close to Sharad Yadav. Mr Vasava had supported Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections held in August. Congress was hopeful that AAP could join hands with them before the polls. The party also kept the doors open for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP despite the fact that it had ditched the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Top Congress leaders Ashok Ghelot, state election-in-charge, and Bharat Singh Solanki, state unit chief, on Saturday reached Delhi to meet the Congress vice-president. Mr Thakor, who accompanied the Gujarat Congress leaders met Mr Gandhi on Saturday evening and announced his decision to join the party.

Mr Solanki also announced the partys intention to offer Hardik Patel a Congress ticket if he wants. Technically, Hardik Patel cannot contest elections as he is underage. Hardik Patel himself said, I cannot contest polls (He is 24 years old and the necessary age to contest elections is 25) and I will not contest.

Hardik Patel also announced that he was against the BJP and will extend issue-based support to the Congress. He said: If Congress supports our issues, we will support the party to the hilt. The issues, Hardik Patel has been stressing on include reserrvation for Patidars, farm loan waiver and job creation.

Hardik Patel then said that its not the Congress, but six crore Gujaratis who will fight against the BJP. Lashing out at the ruling saffronites, Hardik Patel said, BJP is only fooling and threatening people. The Patidar community leader said that it was time for a BJP-mukt Gujarat.

For Congress, the proposed front with its caste combination looks impressive on paper. If Hardik Patel manages to pull majority of the 13 per cent of the Patidar community and if Mr Thakor could bring along the majority of the dominant OBC community (nearly 40 per cent) and Mr Mevani could attract a majority of the seven per cent Dalits, the front would comfortably win.

But, then, the mega-front is up against the personality and charisma of Mr Modi, who continues to remain the biggest draw in the state and an icon of Gujarati pride.
The event was launched with much fanfare last year with Mr Kejriwal and several of his ministers joining it.

New Delhi: Rebel AAP leader Kapil Mishra targeted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as he organised Yamuna aarti on Saturday. Terming the event to be for the common public, the former minister organised an aarti at Sonia Vihar and launched a diatribe on Mr Kejriwal for not attending it. The purpose of the event was to send across a message to make the public aware about keeping the river clean and exhort them for their participation.

The event was launched with much fanfare last year with Mr Kejriwal and several of his ministers joining it. However, this year Mr Mishra is not part of the Delhi Cabinet.

He launched an attack on Mr Kejriwal for not registering his presence at the Kudesia Ghat aarti due to a small crowd. Mr Kejriwal was earlier supposed to attend the Yamuna aarti organised at Kudesia Ghat by Mahesh Girri. Due to a small crowd, Delhis self-declared owner did not attend the aarti at Kudesia Ghat. This is what happens when you disconnect from the public, Mr Mishra tweeted.

The lieutenant-governor, who attended the aarti at Kudesia Ghat, said: We are dedicatedly working towards cleaning river Yamuna and positive results will be visible in next one year or so.

Mr Girri stated that this maha aarti was organised to spread awareness amo-ngst people for cleanliness and preservation of Yamuna. Mr Mishra attacked Mr Kejriwal on Friday evening too. The CM has now made plans to attend aarti on Saturday evening. Own-ers aarti vs publics aarti  the public should see with whom the citys face changes, he tweeted.
Hamid Ansari from Mumbai has been held captive in a Pakistani jail since the past five years.

in 2015, Zeenat was allegedly abducted after she refused to heed warnings to stop pursuing Hamids release. (Photo: Twitter)

Mumbai: Prof Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Hamid Ansari, the engineer from Mumbai who has been held captive in a Pakistani jail since the past five years has expressed happiness over the news that Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shehzadi, who had disappeared while covering her sons case, has been rescued.

She said that the return of Shehzadi to her family had renewed her hopes of being reunited with her son soon.

Speaking to The Asian Age, professor Ansari said that it has been a long wait for her sons release but the fact that Zeenat who had apparently been abducted for her efforts in trying to secure the release of Hamid was cause for relief and renewed hope.

Indeed it is thrilling news, I have been unable to hold back my tears ever since I heard of her release. I just hope that it will also ensure that all the innocent captives be freed as soon as possible, said Prof Ansari.

She added that she had full faith in the Indian government in securing her sons release.

I have met foreign minister Sushma Swaraj a number of times and she has assured me that all efforts were being made to secure Hamids release as he has completed the three year jail term, she said.

In 2012, Hamid who lived with his mother at Versova had been arrested for entering Pakistan illegally from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl who he had befriended online.

As there was no news of Hamid, Zeenat, who worked as a journalist for a Lahore-based television channel, had filed an application with the Human Rights Cell of the Pakistan Supreme Court on behalf of Prof Ansari. It was due to her efforts that the security agencies admitted to having Hamid in their custody.

However, in 2015, Zeenat was allegedly abducted after she refused to heed warnings to stop pursuing Hamids release. She was rescued from somewhere between the Pakistan and Afghanistan border on October 20 by Pakistani security forces.
The party workers assaulted hawkers and damaged their property and vans.

Mumbai: On the last day of the Diwali celebrations on Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers went on a rampage against illegal hawkers outside Thane, Dombivali and Kalyan railway stations. The party workers assaulted hawkers and damaged their property and vans. They even attacked the Dombivali stationmasters officer to show their displeasure over the railways alleged inaction against hawkers. The MNS had issued a 15-day ultimatum for the eviction of hawkers from areas near railway stations following the Elphinstone road stampede last month.

The Congress has slammed chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to act against Raj Thackeray and declared its support for the hawkers. The police have not made any arrests so far.

The first incident was reported from Thane station at 11.30 am and the MNS workers were the most aggressive and brutal here as compared to Kalyan and Dombivali. They chased most of the hawkers on west side of the station, specially targeting those that are seen squatting under the bridge that was built by the railways to transport Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses to and fro from the station.

An official said, It is a fact that the railways have not been able break the nexus between some of our own security staff who have been receiving money from these hawkers to look the other way while they continue to sell their wares. The official further added, Although this is a temporary solution, the state needs to work with us in order to bring the hawker menace under control, something that will make everyone happy.

The drama continued around noon at Kalyan and Dombivali stations, which saw similar attacks on hawkers by MNS party workers, who smashed the wares left behind by the fleeing hawkers. In fact, irate party workers also ransacked the stationmasters office in Dombivali.

Mumbai Congress chief, Sanjay Nirupam accused the chief minister of being hand-in-glove with Mr Thackeray and lambasted him for not taking action against the rampaging MNS workers. Speaking to mediapersons in Mumbai, Mr Nirupam said, The CM is hand-in-glove with the MNS and hence, North Indians are being tortured. He further added, They have failed to enforce the Street Vendors Act, which protects hawkers, as it would have led to a survey by which illegal street vendors would have been automatically evicted. However, here the chief minister is protecting goondaism.

On the other hand, Central Railway (CR) said that the incidents had occurred outside the railway premises. But even then, they had made sure that extra Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel were posted at stations. CR chief public relation officer Sunil Udasi said, There are no hawkers on railway premises and the incidents have occurred outside our premises. But our RPF was on the alert.

Although no arrests have been made so far, the Thane Nagar police station registered a case against 20 MNS workers. Senior police inspector M. Dharmadhikari said, The cases have been registered under section 37 of the Bombay Police Act, for not taking the required permission for the agitation.
The CM has promised strict action against the companies, wholesalers and dealers who sold the unlicensed pesticides without verification to farmers.

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday visited hospitals in Yavatmal to meet farmers who are victims of poisonous pesticides. Around 1,600 farmers have been admitted to hospitals in Yavatmal and 36 have died in a month after inhaling poisonous pesticide.

The CM has promised strict action against the companies, wholesalers and dealers who sold the unlicensed pesticides without verification to farmers. Yavatmal, one of the epicentres of farmers suicide, is facing another severe crisis. Over the last one month, several farmers have been admitted to hospitals due to poisonous pesticides. Maharashtra Cabinet has already declared Rs 2 lakh monetary aid for the kin of deceased.

CM Fadnavis chaired meeting with officers from revenue, agriculture and health department in Yavatmal on Sunday. He asked officers to form a committee, which will monitor the situation on a daily basis. Mr Fadnavis also directed officers to reach out to every village in Yavatmal and announced that Rs 50 lakh would be immediately given to the civic hospitals in Yavatmal for treatment of farmers.

Mr Fadnavis has declared that strict action will be taken against companies and distributor of pesticides. The farmers are also receiving extensive training for spraying pesticides. Farmers have been given around 8,000 kits to use while spraying pesticides and the government will distribute more kits soon.
Their nine-year-old daughter died after having a severe reaction to blackberries and dairy.

LONDON: An Indian-origin couple based in London have launched a worldwide allergy awareness drive in memory of their nine-year-old daughter who died of a severe reaction to blackberries and dairy.

The Nainika Tikoo Memorial Trust (NTMT) for Allergy Care and Brain Research, named after the couple's daughter Nainika, has been set up as a not-for-profit charitable trust to create awareness, promote training and support research in finding a cure for allergies.

The trust will begin its work in the UK but plans to take it around the world, including India.

"As part of our support to research we are keen on looking at empirical evidence to document incidents in various countries and compare the size and nature of the problem across borders. The current impression is that it is a First World western problem and allergies do not exist in India or the eastern world," said Lakshmi Kaul, who has worked tirelessly on setting up the trust since her daughter became only the second documented case in the UK of anaphylaxis as a result of blackberry.

She recalls the fateful day in May as a typical Sunday when after a horse-riding lesson her daughter had convinced her father - Vinod Tikoo - to buy ingredients to make some blackberry pancakes.

Nainika was allergic to dairy and egg through her early childhood but at around four years of age, she had grown out of her egg allergy. However, the family were unaware of any other chemicals or enzymes in other foods that she might be sensitive or allergic to.

"Nainika was severely allergic to milk and dairy, which limited her options for food anyways so this request to have blackberries was a big welcome. They bought fresh flour (dairy free) and blackberries to make pancakes...but she took one bite of the pancake and felt a strong reaction coming through," recalls Kaul.

Despite her father administering immediate first aid, including an epipen given for emergency use and calling in the emergency services, Nainika suffered severe anaphylaxis. After about six days on life support, the couple had to finally decide to let her go.

"The doctor said it looked like it wasn't the blackberry on its own, but there was something to do with dairy. The pancakes were dairy-free, but we're not sure if the ingredients had been contaminated or something. We didn't have any dairy products at home. The exact cause is unknown and it has left us with a lot of questions," says Kaul.
Democrats looking to hold Virginia governor's seat and wrest New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control.

If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party, Tom Perez said. (Photo: AP)

Las Vegas: Navigating ongoing rifts on the political left, Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez said party unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an "existential threat" to the nation. "We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history," Perez said as he addressed the first national party gathering since his election in February.

The former Obama Cabinet officer blistered "a culture of corruption" that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities and leadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee.

Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the Democratic National Committee (DNC) younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison over Perez in the post election race for party chairman.

Perez spent considerable time during the week's proceedings meeting privately with some frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint. He apologised publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members before he announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim.

"If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party," he said, "because you're trying to gets things done. That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We're trying to move the ball forward."

To some extent, the latest developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race, but they also highlight lingering resentments from Sanders backers who accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favour. Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's super delegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control.

Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House. They face an uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won last November. Democrats also want to increase their gubernatorial roster from the current 15 state executives.
It's the first such commitment by Trump, who has dismissed the ongoing investigations.

Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did. Facebook was on her side, not mine! says Trump. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump intends to spend at least USD 430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election, a White House official has said.

It's the first such commitment by Trump, who has dismissed the ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia as a "witch hunt" invented by Democrats to explain Hillary Clinton's loss.

It wasn't immediately clear exactly how the payouts would be structured or which aides would be receiving them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the president's plans, which were first reported by the website Axios.

Trump and his aides have been racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees as Special Counsel Robert Mueller and House and Senate committees dig deeper into Russia's role in the campaign.

Mueller's team of investigators has been interviewing current and former White House officials in their probe, and Trump campaign officials and others have been turning over tens of thousands of emails and documents to federal and congressional investigators.

Read: Facebooks Sandberg eyes release of Russia-linked ads

One former campaign aide, Michael Caputo, has spoken publicly about the financial toll the legal bills have taken on his family, including having to empty out his children's college savings accounts.

The Republican National Committee and the president's re-election campaign have been covering some of the costs, including payments to the law firm representing Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who in June 2016 met with a Russian lawyer and others who had promised to deliver dirt on Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly denied that he colluded with Russia to win the election and has voiced skepticism about the conclusion by US intelligence agencies that Russia had a clear preference for Trump in the 2016 campaign.

The continuing investigations and attention to the issue have infuriated the president, who sees the efforts as an attempt to delegitimise his presidency.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," he tweeted Saturday. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Facebook has said ads that ran on the company's social media platform and have been linked to a Russian internet agency were seen by an estimated 10 million people before and after the 2016 election.
Zardari said that the Sharif brothers plotted his murder during his corruption cases sentence.

"I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," Asif Ali Zardari said. (Photo: AFP)

Lahore: Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases.

He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

"The Sharif brothers - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif - twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s," Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore Saturday.

Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but "I have refused". "I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civillian government in Pakistan.

The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistan's then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

"The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them," he added.

"They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election.

"We will be on strong footing after next year poll," he added.

Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28 by a Supreme Court bench.

There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs.
In that suit, Taffaro claimed that Peralta and others had engaged in "creating bogus accusations which were leaked to print and broadcast media ... and repeatedly providing Taffaro's employer, the Jindal Administration, with false and bogus accusations of wrongdoings."

A federal judge in May dismissed Taffaro's suit , stating in part that while the suit characterized the animosity between him and Peralta, it failed to demonstrate how Peralta and others violated Taffaro's rights.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby last month ordered Taffaro to pay $12,500 to St. Bernard in attorney fees and court costs.

Greg Rome, the attorney representing parish government, confirmed that he gave the $12,500 check from Taffaro to the Parish Council on Tuesday evening.

The Taffaro suit had asked for no less than $2.75 million in damages and claimed that Peralta and other parish employees had violated Taffaro's civil rights, his career rights and had intentionally inflicted emotional distress. It stated a raid of Taffaro's storage unit in October 2012 "was the culmination of a pattern of retaliation by Peralta against Taffaro because Taffaro fired Peralta as CAO in October, 2008, and because Taffaro campaigned against Peralta in 2011."

But in May, U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman stated that the Taffaro suit contained confusing, contradictory facts and that it alleged the "subjective intent" of Peralta and other government actors without supplying facts supporting how those individuals had violated Taffaro's constitutional rights.

"Taffaro leans heavily, indeed almost exclusively, on his allegations of malicious conduct by the defendants and the need for the defendants to be punished," Feldman said.

Feldman added that "even assuming that Taffaro can prove dark ulterior motives, it does not follow that these motives invalidate conduct that is otherwise objectively justifiable."

Feldman wrote that Taffaro "seems to succeed only in portraying an unpleasant rivalry against the backdrop of local politics."

Taffaro left office on Dec. 15, after losing a brutal re-election campaign against Peralta. He is now the head of Gov. Bobby Jindal 's hazard mitigation office.

In February, attorneys for Peralta and other parish employees named in the suit responded to Taffaro's allegations

"While the allegations of the complaint could be the basis of a literary work, they are not sufficient to properly state a cause of action under federal or state law," Peralta's attorney, Leonard Levenson, argued.

Levenson labeled Taffaro's allegations "verbose and confusing" and later wrote that Taffaro's complaint "is reminiscent of a Faulkneresque 'stream-of-consciousness-writing' with disordered chronology."

Rome, the attorney representing the parish government and most of the other parish government personnel named in the suit, argued that "Mr. Taffaro's complaint tries to paint a picture of a Parish Government riddled with sinister actors working in the dark to destroy him."

"Instead, it reveals Mr. Taffaro grasping at straws, carping about seemingly every real or imagined slight he has ever received, and desperately trying to justify his own bad behavior through the use of the federal courts," Rome wrote.

Rome added, "defamation requires more than an allegation that someone did something Mr. Taffaro did not like."

Others named as defendants in the suit were Donald Bourgeois of the parish's Department of Recovery; Craig DeHarde of the Department of Recreation, Culture and Tourism; Clay Dillon of the Department of Resident Services; William McGoey of the Legal Department; and Jarrod Gourgues, a former sheriff's deputy now in the parish's roads department.




Pope Francis plans an Extraordinary Missionary Month for October 2019 to awaken the commitment of the missio ad gentes and transform ordinary pastoral outreach along missionary lines. The goal is to move away from tiredness, formalism and self-preservation. From Benedict XV's missio ad gentes to Vatican II, from Pope John Paul II to Evangelical Gaudium, this is the Churchs essential task,

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis wrote a letter to Card Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, released today by the Vatican Press office. In it, the pontiff promulgates an Extraordinary Missionary Month to be celebrated in October 2019, with the aim of fostering an increased awareness of the missio ad gentes and taking up again with renewed fervour the missionary transformation of the Churchs life and pastoral activity. It is important to consider that the new evangelisation of the peoples of old Christian tradition is happening within the commitment to the Churchs universal mission, which is to suitably channel the evangelization of todays world rather than for her self-preservation.

The year 2019 was chosen to mark the 100th anniversary of Benedict XVs Apostolic Letter Maximus illud (November 30, 1919) on the activities carried out by missionaries around the world. That year, in the wake of the tragic global conflict that the pope had called a useless slaughter, Benedict XV recognised the need for a more evangelical approach to missionary work in the world, so that it would be purified of any colonial overtones and kept far away from the nationalistic and expansionistic aims that had proved so disastrous. The Church of God is universal; she is not alien to any people, he wrote, firmly calling for the rejection of any form of particular interest, inasmuch as the proclamation and the love of the Lord Jesus, spread by holiness of ones life and good works, are the sole purpose of missionary activity.

In his letter, Francis notes that the work of the Second Vatican Council (especially Ad Gentes) reiterates that the missio ad gentes is an essential task and that the Church is missionary by nature.

Although a century has gone by, there still remains an enormous missionary task for her to accomplish. Citing John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio, Francis writes that the mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion; indeed, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service.

Once again the missio ad gentes remains current and necessary. Not only the age of missionaries is not over yet, but the universal missionary momentum is urgently needed to awaken the ordinary and pastoral mission, where we can sometimes see tiredness and formalism.

Citing again John Paul II, Francis ntoes that missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Churchs universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support.

This is one of the main points of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, in which Francis stresses that missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the Churchs activity. In fact, Mere administration can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be permanently in a state of mission.[12] Let us not fear to undertake, with trust in God and great courage, a missionary option capable of transforming everything, so that the Churchs customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of todays world rather than for her self-preservation.

The Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud called for transcending national boundaries and bearing witness, with prophetic spirit and evangelical boldness, to Gods saving will through the Churchs universal mission. May the approaching centenary of that Letter serve as an incentive to combat the recurring temptation lurking beneath every form of ecclesial introversion, self-referential retreat into comfort zones, pastoral pessimism and sterile nostalgia for the past. Instead, may we be open to the joyful newness of the Gospel. In these, our troubled times, rent by the tragedies of war and menaced by the baneful tendency to accentuate differences and to incite conflict, may the Good News that in Jesus forgiveness triumphs over sin, life defeats death and love conquers fear, be proclaimed to the world with renewed fervour, and instil trust and hope in everyone.

In the light of this, accepting the proposal of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, I hereby call for an Extraordinary Missionary Month to be celebrated in October 2019, with the aim of fostering an increased awareness of the missio ad gentes and taking up again with renewed fervour the missionary transformation of the Churchs life and pastoral activity. The Missionary Month of October 2018 can serve as a good preparation for this celebration by enabling all the faithful to take to heart the proclamation of the Gospel and to help their communities grow in missionary and evangelizing zeal. May the love for the Churchs mission, which is a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people,[14] grow ever stronger!

The Missionary Dicastery and the Pontifical Missionary Societies will be tasked with the work of preparing for this event, especially by raising awareness among the particular Churches, the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and among associations, movements, communities and other ecclesial bodies.

Finally, May the Extraordinary Missionary Month prove an intense and fruitful occasion of grace, and promote initiatives and above all prayer, the soul of all missionary activity. May it likewise advance the preaching of the Gospel, biblical and theological reflection on the Churchs mission, works of Christian charity, and practical works of cooperation and solidarity between Churches, so that missionary zeal may revive and never be wanting among us.
During the Angelus Pope Francis mentioned World Mission Day, entrusting the mission of the Church in the world" to Saint John Paul II. A Letter by the pontiff about the centennial of Benedict XV's Maximum Illud is released. "Contrasting God to Caesar would be fundamentalism." More than a hundred Claretians are canonised, martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, "to support Christians who event nowadays are subjected to discrimination and persecution in different parts of the world." The pope calls for prayers for peace in the world and Kenya.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis wants to promote an Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019 "in order to nourish the ardour of the evangelising activity of the Church ad gentes," said the pontiff himself today after the Angelus prayer, noting that today, the penultimate Sunday of the month, World Mission Day is celebrated.

Francis had talked about the idea of a Extraordinary Missionary Month devoted to evangelisation ad gentes a few months ago, during an audience with members of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and the Pontifical Missionary Works. October 2019 was chosen because it is the centennial of the promulgation of Maximum Illud, the Apostolic Letter by Benedict XV that deals precisely with the activity of missionaries in the world.

At the same time, the Vatican Press Office made public a letter by Pope Francis addressed to Card Fernando Filoni, Prefect of Propaganda fide, "on the occasion of the Centenary of the Promulgation of the Apostolic Letter Maximum illud on the activity carried out by missionaries in the world," which we analyse in another article.

The pontiff noted the theme of 91st Mission Day, "The Mission at the Heart of the Church," which he commented in a Message released months ago. "I urge everyone to experience the joy of the mission by bearing witness to the Gospel in the environments in which each one lives and works. At the same time, we are called upon to support with affection, concrete help and prayers the missionaries who have gone out to proclaim Christ to those who do not yet know him. . . On the day of the liturgical memory of Saint John Paul II, the missionary pope, we entrust the mission of the Church in the world to his intercession."

Earlier, the pope had commented the Gospel in today's Mass (Liturgical Year A, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Matthew 22:15-21), which includes the famous question Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?, 17). As we know, Jesus answered: Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (cf. 19-21).

"On the one hand," said Francis, "by ordering the return to the emperor of what belongs to him, Jesus says that paying the tax is not an act of idolatry, but an act due to earthly authority; on the other, and it is here that Jesus is inspired, by noting God's primacy, he calls on people to give Him what is owed to Him as Lord of mankinds life and history.

"The reference to Caesar's image, engraved in coins, suggests that it is right to feel entitled  with rights and duties  as citizens of the state; but symbolically it makes us think about the other image that is imprinted in every man: the image of God. He is the Lord of all, and we who have been created "in his image" belong first and foremost to Him. Responding to the question raised by the Pharisees, Jesus draws a more radical and vital question for each of us: to whom do I belong? To my family, city, friends, school, work, politics, the state? Yes, of course. But first of all, Jesus reminds us, we belong to God. He is the one who gave us everything we are and what we have. "

"Christians are called to become engaged concretely in human and social realities without contrasting 'God' to 'Caesar'. Instead, they must put the light on earthly realities with the light that comes from God. Contrasting God to Caesar would be fundamentalism. Entrusting ourselves to God as a priority and hope in him do not entail a flight from reality, but they rather actively give back to God what belongs to Him. For this reason, believers look at the future reality, that of God, in order to live the earthly life in full, and meet with courage its challenges."

After the Marian prayer, Francis mentioned the beatification yesterday in Barcelona of "Mateo Casals, Teofilo Casajus, Fernando Saperas and 106 other martyrs from the Claretian order who were killed in hatred of the faith during the Spanish Civil War. [. . .] May their heroic example, he added, and their intercession support Christians who event nowadays are subjected to discrimination and persecution in different parts of the world."

Before greeting those present, at least 20,000 people, the Holy Father called for a joint prayer "for peace in the world", especially Kenya, where a presidential election will be held on 26 October, after the previous poll was cancelled on 8 August by the Supreme Court. On the eve of the election there are many acts of violence, apparently by the opposition, led by Raila Odinga, who has even pulled out of the race.
Much of the rest of the state may be on the edge of a cultural revolution now that recreational cannabis is legal in California.
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KDF boss Samson Mwathethe has urged the people of Kilifi to vote peaceful in the coming elections. Speaking after the burial of former Kilifi North Gideon Mung'aros' sister Madaraka Mung'aro, the KDF chief of General Staff Samson Mwathethe expressed concern over rising tension ahead of Thursday's repeat election."Everybody has a right to vote or not vote. Those who would like to vote should go, those who do not should remain (at home), " he said.What I saw there I would not like to see in this country. In Iraq, I saw a big mass grave that had many bodies bundled together. I do not want to witness that, let us respect each other, he said.Mining CS Dan Kazungu who was also present at the burial urged political leaders to invest their time and emotions in uniting people."We need to wake up at the coast and fight for our rights through the constitution. We do not accept riots and protests. CS Kazungu said.Governor Kingi, you are my younger brother. Let us bring our people together, the best days of Kenya are still ahead of us we will gain more by coming together, he said.Coast Regional Coordinator Larry Kien, Kilifi County CID Boss John Ndungu and Kilifi County Commander AP Commandant Elisha Ng'etich were among senior security officials who attended the burial."We have had a peaceful registration, elections, before and after. I urge the people of the Region to stay calm and practice their constitutional right come Thursday. People must not be misled by selfish leaders. " Coast Regional coordinator Larry Kien said.
All five living former U.S. Presidents joined forces Saturday night for hurricane relief efforts.

Former U.S. Presidents joined together for hurricane benefit concert

Concert, "Deep From the Heart," raised money for storm victims

Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama attended

A benefit concert, named "Deep From The Heart," was held to raise money for those impacted by the recent storms in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all appeared on stage together to show unity.

President Trump also gave his support for the charity with a taped message: "If the aftermath of these terrible storms, the American people have done what we do best, we came together, we helped one another, and through it all we remained resilient."

Saturday's concert featured performances by Lyle Lovett, Sam Moore, Lee Greenwood, and a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga.

The concert was held at Texas A&M University, home to the Presidential Library of George H.W. Bush.

So far, $31 million has been raised since the "One America Appeal" campaign launched on September 7.

If you would like to donate, click here.
Police officers have been commended for their bravery after rescuing a man from a car after it entered Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

The vehicle was partially submerged and at risk of taking on more water and drifting further from shore when the officers arrived on the scene.

The man was unresponsive and was said to have been suffering hypothermia at the time.

Four officers with the Police Service of Northern Ireland went into the water off Lough Road in Antrim to rescue the man at around 12.30am on Sunday.

There was no one else in the car.

The PSNI said weather conditions were poor, with high winds and rough water hampering the rescue effort.

Inspector Claire Gilbert praised the officers involved and said they were lifesavers.

"The swift action of the police officers involved who, in treacherous conditions placed themselves at personal risk, were key to saving this man's life," she said.

"This is an excellent example of the commitment of officers in keeping people safe which resulted in a young man's life being saved last night."

The rescued man was taken to hospital for treatment.
Pacemaker Press 22/10/2017 - A vehicle is extensively damaged on Florida street in East Belfast on Sunday , leaving a number of other cars parked nearby damaged in the incident.

Pacemaker Press 22/10/2017 - A vehicle is extensively damaged on Florida street in East Belfast on Sunday , leaving a number of other cars parked nearby damaged in the incident.

Pacemaker Press 22/10/2017 - A vehicle is extensively damaged on Florida street in East Belfast on Sunday , leaving a number of other cars parked nearby damaged in the incident.

A number of cars were set on fire in east Belfast on Sunday morning.

Police received a report shortly before 4.15am that a car parked on Florida Street had been set on fire.

The car was extensively damaged as a result and a number of other cars parked nearby were also damaged in the incident.

Around the same time police on patrol in the area of Wayland Street discovered a small fire on the bonnet of a parked car. The fire was extinguished. Damage was caused to the bonnet and windscreen of the car.

Later, police received a report that a car parked in Carlingford Street had also been set on fire, which was extensively damaged as a result.

Police are investigating a link between these incidents and are treating them as racially motivated hate crimes.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incidents or anyone with any information that can assist with the investigation to contact officers in Strandtown Police Station on 101 quoting reference 362 22/10/17.

Sinn Fein councillor Mairead O'Donnell has condemned those behind the racist attacks in east Belfast.

She said: I condemn outright those responsible for these despicable and cowardly racist attacks.

"These racist attacks come on the back of UVF intimidation which saw four catholic families forced to leave their homes in Cantrell Close just a few streets away from this morning's arson attacks.

"Those responsible for these attacks have shown blatant disregard for the community. The racists need to hear loud and clear that their cowardly actions are unacceptable."

The Sinn Fein representative added: "What we need to see is leadership from political unionism. Political leaders must set the example and desist for language or actions, which offend against the identity of anyone in this society.

"I would encourage anyone with information to contact the PSNI and I will be asking the PSNI do they believe there is any paramilitary involvement in these attacks."

UUP councillor Sonia Copeland has said that the hate crime cannot be tolerated in any shape or form.

The UUP representative said: "It is vile that anyone would be targeted in an attempt to make them feel unwelcome in an area. Hate crime cannot be tolerated in any shape or form.

"I would appeal to anyone who has information that could help the PSNI to catch those responsible to come forward."

Councillor Copeland added: "Those who are acting in this vile way need to consider the effect it has, not just on the victims who are now left without vehicles, but also on the entire area.

"Just last week I had a series of meetings to discuss potential investment in these areas, those responsible for these attacks need to think about what they are doing to east Belfast's reputation."
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Three cars were set on fire in what police in Belfast have described as racially motivated hate crimes.

The PSNI said the arson attacks took place on three streets in east Belfast in the early hours of Sunday.

In the first incident police were alerted to a car having been set on fire on Florida Street off the Ravenhill Road shortly before 4.15am.

Officers said the vehicle was extensively damaged and a number of other cars parked nearby were also damaged as a result.

In the second attack, around the same time, a police patrol in the Wayland Street area off the Castlereagh Road discovered a small fire on the bonnet of a parked car.

The fire was put out but not before the front of the car and the windscreen were damaged.

And in the third incident, which occurred a short time later, a car parked on Carlingford Street near the Woodstock Road was extensively damaged after being set on fire.

The PSNI said it was investigating a link between the attacks and said they were being treated as racially motivated hate crimes.

Officers appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Meanwhile, local councillors condemned the attacks.

Ulster Unionist Sonia Copeland said: "It is vile that anyone would be targeted in an attempt to make them feel unwelcome in an area. Hate crime cannot be tolerated in any shape or form."

She added: "Those who are acting in this vile way need to consider the effect it has, not just on the victims who are now left without vehicles, but also on the entire area."

Sinn Fein's Mairead O'Donnell said: "These racist attacks come on the back of UVF intimidation which saw four Catholic families forced to leave their homes in Cantrell Close just a few streets away from this morning's arson attacks.

"Those responsible for these attacks have shown blatant disregard for the community. The racists need to hear loud and clear that their cowardly actions are unacceptable."
Neighbours of a murdered woman who have CCTV fitted around their homes have been urged to let detectives review recordings.

Anne O'Neill, 51, died after being attacked at a house on Ardmore Avenue in Finaghy, Belfast in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Britain has announced a 10m aid package to end the "death sentence" innocent people in the liberated Syrian city of Raqqa still face from so-called 'Islamic State' ('IS') booby-traps and war wounds.

The city, described by the British government as "the head of the snake" of the so-called caliphate claimed by 'IS', was formally liberated on Friday when Syrian Democratic Forces, a group of militia factions, declared victory over the terror group.

But International Development Secretary Priti Patel called on the international community to follow the UK in helping the hundreds of thousands who were forced to leave with nothing and are suffering life-threatening injuries and trauma after years of violence, bombing and landmines planted across the city.

Others have been held hostage by 'IS', also known as Daesh, or forced into hiding within the city itself.

The UK money will help clear landmines and restock hospitals so displaced Syrians can eventually return home and those in the city can rebuild their lives.

Ms Patel said: "Daesh's iron grip on the city of Raqqa has stolen the lives of too many innocent people and now that this evil regime has been driven out, it is absolutely crucial that the international community actively helps them rebuild their lives.

"After years of barbaric and indiscriminate violence by Daesh, the liberation of Raqqa offers a glimmer of hope - but defenceless men, women and children still face a brutal death sentence from lethal landmines or wounds inflicted by the conflict.

"UK aid is providing a lifeline for countless Syrians who have lost absolutely everything, giving life-saving medical treatment, water and blankets to those that have escaped and destroying deadly explosives to ensure people can return safely."

The British aid package will:

Clear landmines and lethal explosives

Restock hospitals and mobile surgical units with essential medicines and equipment

Provide 145,000 medical consultations, including for the wounded and starving, and psychological support for 1,600 people traumatised by the horror of war

Provide 31,000 relief kits including cooking equipment and blankets for displaced people

Improve access to clean water for 15,000 people, with jerry cans and water-purifying tablets to prevent the spread of disease

Help pregnant women with 1,000 clean delivery kits

The aid will be delivered by British partners already working in Syria, including UN agencies and the World Health Organisation.
Update 7.23pm: A gunman who held two members of staff hostage at a bowling alley in Warwickshire, England has been arrested.

Bermuda Park in Nuneaton was locked down when the suspect held two male employees inside MFA Bowl for more than four hours.

A man has been arrested following an incident this afternoon in Bermuda Park, #Nuneaton https://t.co/ABCVvu1cJU  Warwickshire Police (@warkspolice) October 22, 2017

The hostage-taker was arrested and taken to hospital, and both staff members - a duty manager and a lane host - were unharmed.

Chris Clegg, operations director of MFA Bowl, said: "He (the suspect) has been arrested and the two staff are safe."

People, including children, were evacuated from nearby properties in the retail park during the incident, which police confirmed was not terror-related.

Mr Clegg said the suspect was handcuffed and the two employees were checked over for shock.

He said: "Two people were taken to a safe place, obviously they were checked over because obviously they might be in shock.

"It's obviously not an everyday situation. The ambulance, police were all checking them and making sure they were OK."

Warwickshire Police said specialist firearms officers and police negotiators, along with other emergency services attended the scene at 2.30pm on Sunday.

The force announced shortly after 7pm that the suspect had been arrested.

Chief Superintendent Alex Franklin-Smith said: "We would like to thank local people for their patience and co-operation while officers dealt with this incident.

"We are pleased that we were able to bring this incident to a peaceful resolution and that there were no injuries."

Update 7.14pm: A gunman who held two members of staff hostage at a bowling alley in Nuneaton has been arrested and the two employees are believed to be unharmed, Chris Clegg, operations director of MFA Bowl, said.

Update 7pm: A hostage situation is on-going in a UK bowling alley where two people are being held at gunpoint.

Shortly after 6.30pm a series of loud bangs could be heard in the complex at from Bermuda Park in the Midlands, and about 10 minutes later an ambulance was allowed through the cordon and two people got out.

The gunman had brandished his weapon above his head and yelled "game over" after arriving at the bowling alley, one witness said.

Alex Moore-Holland told Sky News: "We were just having a game ... and a man who was also bowling ran across our lane and he was like 'get out, get out', shouting.

"I was like 'What's going on?' so I turn around and there was a white guy, greyish beard, weird-looking man, he's got a gun up here, like this over his head.

"He was saying 'game over, game over', everyone shouting, screaming, panicking, trying to get out and I didn't know what to make of it, really. I ran, got my things as quickly as I could and get out of there."

Asked about the man's weapon, his friend Liam Roberts said: "It was a shotgun, a long-looking thing.

"I thought it was like a sword or a big knife but the second time when he came out near the door about 10 minutes after, this was to try and scare people, we knew it was a shotgun."

Around 40 or 50 people, including children, were inside the complex at the time.

"There was probably about 20 kids, crying, that were trying to get out - about five people at a time trying to get through a door."

They speculated that the hostage taker was trying to clear the building of people at first.

Mr Roberts said: "I think he was trying to make people scared, to know he was there."

Earlier:

A gunman is holding two members of staff hostage hostage at a bowling alley in Warwickshire in England.

The public has been warned to stay away from Bermuda Park in the Midlands, which has been placed on lockdown by armed police.`

Police have confirmed the incident is not connected with any terrorist activity.

Chief executive of MFA Bowl Mehdi Amshar told Sky News that he had been informed the pair were being held at gunpoint at the Nuneaton branch.

Mr Amshar told the broadcaster: "We understand that there is a gunman in the place and he is holding two of our staff as hostage."

Asked if the gunman is known to staff at the bowling alley, he said: "We believe from what my manageress tells me that he is an ex-husband or a boyfriend of a member of staff. That is what I know, I can't confirm that for definite."

He said there had been no contact with the two members of staff, adding: "All our staff, the rest of our staff, are safe and they made sure that all the customers have left the premises so everybody is in safety, with the exception of the two people who are, we know that are missing and we assume that they are the two that are still inside the premises because the manageress has done the check but those two people are not accounted for."

The gunman was described by one witness in the bowling alley as an unshaven man in his forties, who was "basically shouting and had a very aggressive demeanour about him".

Lawrence Hallett, who had been at a family children's party at the alley, told Sky News: "One of the staff came up to us and quietly whispered in my ear to leave and I initially thought it was a fire alarm or something like that and I said 'What's the problem? We are halfway through a game' and he said 'There is a gunman'.

"I looked up and there was a guy, probably 20 or 30 feet away, walking towards us with a sawn-off shotgun sort of slung over his shoulder, if you like.

"I thought it was a joke and panicked a little bit and shouted 'everyone get out', and basically ran, hell for leather, out of the building.

"We then hung around outside for a little while ... we didn't know what to do, what was going on and he came out and swore and said 'what the heck are you guys' ... unslung his gun and went back in again and at that point we backed off to our cars.

"He was a 40-odd year-old guy, a bit rough around the edges, unshaven etc, etc."

Carl Lenton was sitting with his family at a table by the window in Frankie and Benny's when the incident began.

He told Sky News: "The manager from Frankie and Benny's came round and said we were in lockdown and we have got to stay in and there had been an incident at the bowling alley, a man over there with a gun.

"There were police cars arriving, there was a helicopter, police dogs, armed police stood all around the bowling alley, around the outside of it.

"It was quite scary at times."

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the incident at 3.40pm and sent an ambulance, two paramedic officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team, and an emergency planning manager to the scene.

It tweeted: "There are no casualties at present."

Children were evacuated from the nearby Bermuda Adventure Soft Play World, Megan Westwood, who was there with a friend said.

She told BBC News: "One of the staff told us to get away from the windows because there was a man outside with a knife. As time went on we were later told that he actually had a gun and they barricaded the doors, kept us all away from the windows, and then we were told that he had hostages in the bowling alley next to us."

They were evacuated by the back door into the Holiday Inn Express hotel, which she said was "full of children at the minute".
A traumatised resident in a block of flats where a toddler fell on to cobbles from a sixth-floor window has spoken of the desperate attempts to save him.

A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the 18-month-old boy's fall at Newcastle House, Bradford in England, at about 5.10pm on Saturday.

Witness Danuta Tomaszewicz, 59, said the little boy was naked when her husband and a friend went to help.

She had been on her phone, looking out of the window from the first floor flat that they are decorating when she suddenly noticed the child on the ground below.

Mrs Tomaszewicz, who is Polish, at first thought that it was a doll.

Her niece Monika Tomaszewicz said: "She realised it was a real baby when she saw he was trying to catch his breath and his belly was moving.

"She screamed for help and her husband and his friend ran downstairs. The friend took his shirt off because the baby was naked."

Another helper rang 999 and an ambulance arrived after around 20 minutes, the niece said.

As they waited the men tried to comfort the boy, holding his head and talking to him.

The witness wept as her niece said: "She could not sleep at all last night. She doesn't know how she is going to live here as every time she looks out of the window she will see the baby.

"They tried their best for the baby."

Andrew White, 53, lives on the same landing as the flat where the baby fell.

He said a couple with two young children live there.

Mr White, a father-of-three with four grandchildren, said: "They are a nice young couple who keep themselves to themselves which is normal here."

A resident on the same landing of the Y-shaped block said: "There's quite a high turnover of people in these flats, you wouldn't necessarily know your neighbours. I just keep to myself.

"There's babies and toddlers around and I have a four-year-old living above me. I don't think they should be living in high rises.

"When I moved in, in 2000, there was an age restriction and no one under the age of 35 lived here. When it changed from the council to a housing trust, that restriction disappeared."

He saw police activity in the block on Saturday night but did not know what happened until he saw the news this morning.

"It's horrible," he said. "It's hard to take."

His living room windows only opened a few inches, he said.

"It was blowing a gale and there was a lot of rain so I kept mine closed," he said.

Earlier, Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is clearly an extremely traumatic incident and specially trained officers are working to support the child's family members and those who witnessed what took place.

"It is no exaggeration to say those who witnessed this incident will have been deeply traumatised by what they saw.

"A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the baby's fall and she is currently receiving medical assessment in custody."

Police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident but have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

Earlier:

A woman has been arrested in Britain on suspicion of murder after an 18-month-old toddler died following a fall from a sixth-floor window.

Officers were called to Barkerend Road, Bradford, at about 5.10pm on yesterday following a report that a child had suffered life-threatening injuries.

It quickly became apparent that the 18-month-old boy had died, West Yorkshire Police said.

Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is clearly an extremely traumatic incident and specially trained officers are working to support the child's family members and those who witnessed what took place.

"It is no exaggeration to say those who witnessed this incident will have been deeply traumatised by what they saw.

"A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the baby's fall and she is currently receiving medical assessment in custody."

Police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident but have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

A crime scene remains in place at the scene as inquiries continue.

A police officer was standing on a landing of the Y-shaped block of flats.

Newcastle House, which has shops on the ground floor and seven stories of flats above, stands above Bradford city centre.

Entry to the building is controlled by intercom.

A retired resident on the same landing where the boy fell said he did not know the people involved.

He said: "There's quiet a high turnover of people in these flats, you wouldn't necessarily know your neighbours. I just keep to myself.

"There's babies and toddlers around and I have a four-year-old living above me.

"I don't think they should be living in high rises.

"When I moved in, in 2000, there was an age restriction and no-one under the age of 35 lived here.

"When it changed from the council to a housing trust, that restriction disappeared."

The resident saw police activity in the block on Saturday night but did not know what happened until he saw the news this morning.

"It's horrible," he said. "It's hard to take."

His living room windows - which offer views across the city to the football stadium - only open four inches, he said.

"It was blowing a gale and there was a lot of rain so I kept mine closed," he said.
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COLUMBUS  The Platte County Attorney's Office has confirmed how a 27-year-old man whose body was found near the Union Pacific Railroad tracks died.

What remains unclear is the manner of death  whether it was an accident, suicide or criminal act.

Platte County Attorney Carl Hart said Scott Dirksen died of blunt force trauma to the head and body that's consistent with being struck by a train. His body was found lying along the railroad tracks near the 23rd Avenue crossing and reported to police around noon Saturday.

Hart said Dirksen, who is originally from Minnesota but lived in Columbus, was reportedly at a downtown bar Friday night and didn't have a driver's license.

An autopsy was conducted Sunday, but toxicology results that will show whether Dirksen had alcohol or drugs in his system when he died aren't available yet.

Hart said the death "appears to be, at least at first blush, an accident," although it remains under investigation.

Attempts to reach a Union Pacific spokesperson for comment Monday were unsuccessful.
LENIN

The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror

Victor Sebestyen

Pantheon Books

569 pages; $35

Can first-rate history read like a thriller? With Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror, the journalist Victor Sebestyen has pulled off this rarest of feats  down to the last of its 569 pages. How did he do it? Start with a Russian version of House of Cards and behold Vladimir Ilyich Lenin pre-empt Frank Underwoods cynicism and murderous ambition by 100 years. Add meticulous research by digging into Soviet archives, including those locked away until recently. Plow through 9.5 million words of Lenins Collected Works. Finally, apply a scriptwriters knack for drama and suspense that needs no ludicrous cliffhangers to enthrall history buffs and professionals alike.

It is surprising that a man who showed no sign of greatness in his youth and wasnt even interested in politics should have become the leader of a revolution. Back in the USSR, a perplexed party hack mused: I have always wondered how he could have done such extraordinary things. Lenin ruled for less than seven years, and his Soviet empire crashed on Christmas Day 1991. Its 74-year career was a mere episode compared with Rome, Hapsburg or Britain. Communism, Soviet Russias ersatz religion, has ended up as a gory failure, claiming tens of millions of dead from Moscow to Maos China.

How could this obstinate little man  Lenin have become so important? the Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig asked in 1927. Yet 90 years later, Russians queue daily at Lenins tomb to gaze reverently at an embalmed corpse. The mausoleum was refurbished by Vladimir Putin at vast expense in 2011 to make an obvious point  that Russia needs a dominant, ruthless, autocratic leader. Lenin, the Robespierre of Bolshevism, now serves as patron saint of Russian nationalism and Putinist despotism. This little man also foreshadowed a thoroughly modern political phenomenon, Sebestyen reminds his readers. He was a demagogue familiar to present-day democracies and dictatorships alike. Contemporary policy wonks will recognise Lenin as the godfather  of post-truth politics. Offer the electorate simple solutions to complex problems. Lie shamelessly. Designate scapegoats to explain all misery. Winning is everything, the ends justify the means. In politics, Lenin decreed, there is only one truth: What profits my opponent hurts me, and vice versa. Rings a bell, doesnt it?

All of Leninism may be reduced to two famous words uttered by the Founder in 1921 and repeated by Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin: Kto kovo? Who, whom? That is, who will do in whom? A comrade-turned-foe gave Lenin something of a pass by invoking tragedy. Lenin desired the good  but created evil. Sebestyen seems to agree: The worst of his evils was to have left a man like Stalin in a position to lead Russia after him.

That was a historic crime.

This sounds a familiar note: Lenin was historys agent of necessity and justice, bringing down a decrepit czarist regime that had enslaved an entire nation. Robert Conquest, the cleareyed historian of the Soviet Union who wrote The Great Terror, the definitive work on Stalins purges, quipped in a limerick: There was a great Marxist named Lenin / Who did two or three million men in. / Thats a lot to have done in / But where he did one in / That grand Marxist Stalin did 10 in.

To be fair, Sebestyen doesnt fall for those exculpatory tales spun by so many Westerners to wrest good Marxism from Stalins butchering hands. And neither did Conquest. Yes, Stalin did in 10 times more than the First Bolshevik. But factor in time. Lenin had only seven years in power while Stalin had 30. Then consider the most glaring truth: Whatever Stalin perfected was rooted in the Leninist system.

Where the system was heading, shattering all hopes and dreams for freedom under the revolution, became cruelly obvious as early as 1921, when sailors revolted at the Kronstadt naval base. At first, they clamored for larger rations, echoing the mutiny of 1905  the original Russian revolution  immortalised in Eisensteins Battleship Potemkin. Then it escalated, though peacefully. A mass meeting drew up a list of political demands: free elections, free trade unions, a free press and the abolition of the Cheka, the secret police that had taken over from the czars Okhrana.

They must be shown no mercy, Lenin thundered. He dispatched 20,000 troops under the command of Trotsky, who unleashed an inferno, according to Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who would rise to Marshall of the Soviet Union. Sebestyen rightly depicts the massacre as a turning point. After the savagery  few people would be under any illusions that Lenin would brook serious opposition.

Lenin used his chance well. From his first few hours as leader of Russia, he laid the ground for rule by terror, Sebestyen writes. On the second day, he began to censor the press. On December 7, 1917, he set up the Cheka to combat counterrevolution, speculation and sabotage.

Lenins most brilliant invention was a secular religion: Communism. If you believe in me, you will gain salvation  not in the Great Beyond, but in the Here and Now. And if you dont believe, the revolutionary faith pronounced, we will kill you. With this brand-new choice  paradise on earth or speedy demise  the obstinate little man made a revolution that shook the world and inspired tyrants round the globe.

Though dead for more than 90 years, Lenin lives on in his mausoleum and in the minds of millions of Russians who have stood in line to commune with a corpse. Today, as Sebestyen writes in his concluding words, Lenin is being used by a new breed of autocrats, extreme nationalists who may have dispensed with Communism but nevertheless respect Lenin as a strongman in the Russian tradition. Lenin is dead; Leninism lives.

2017 The New York Times News Service
Dayanand, a farmer from Nallakadirenahalli village of the Chickballapur district in Karnataka, is now happy, as he is managing better yields from his fields, and improved and timely realisations for his produce. He grows carrots, chow chow, tomatoes and flowers (marigold) in his fields because of a Bengaluru-based start-up, . It is different from others as its executives inspect the fields every week and advise on crop health issues, such as which insecticides or pesticides to use, he says.
JSW Steel, Tata Steel and Vedanta are among the seven that have expressed interest in Bhushan Power & Steel, undergoing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-mandated insolvency process.
Wondering where to go, what to do and how to spend your time and money? From finding the nearest laundry service to a restaurant to a music festival, discovery platform (LBB) comes to your rescue. The online and in-app platform curates community-driven recommendations across categories to optimise your search preferences.
The BJP on Saturday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Power Minister D K Shivakumar of being involved in a "mega scam" of about Rs 447 crore relating to the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), a charge the Congress refuted as "baseless".

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid a penalty of Rs 447 crore to the Centre for re-allotment of a coal block despite it having no such liability, following the coal scam verdict of the Supreme Court in August, 2014.

"We charge both of them with receiving kickbacks for making this payment," he said and demanded a CBI probe.

Rejecting the charge, the state power minister said in New Delhi, "Yeddyurappa is misleading the public...This will boomerang (on the party). We are ready for any kind of probe and even a public debate on the issue."



"The decision to pay the penalty to the central government was taken in the interest of the state and not for personal gain," he told reporters in the capital.

The amount was paid to ensure reallocation of the Baranj coal block in Maharashtra for the smooth supply of coal to power units in the state, he added.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao too rubbished the BJP's charge, saying the party should stop making such allegations to "score political points" in the run-up to the Assembly polls slated for next year.

The opposition BJP, citing documents, alleged that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as chairman and director of KPCL respectively had "failed miserably in their duties to protect KPCL and allowed loot of taxpayers' money of Rs 447 crore".

Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister, demanded that the matter be handed over to the CBI for investigating the role of the chief minister and all those involved in the alleged scam.

The BJP said KPCL and Kolkata-based Eastern Mineral and Trading Agency (EMTA) formed Karnataka EMTA Coal Mines Ltd (KECML) with 24 per cent and 76 per cent stake respectively in 2002, and when the central government allotted six coal mines to KPCL in 2003, it, in turn, executed the lease in favour of KECML.

In the wake of the coal scam, the Supreme Court cancelled all coal mining licences, including those of KECML, and levied penalties, the senior BJP leader said.

Maintaining that KPCL did not object to or counter the claims made by KECML, Yeddyurappa said, "KPCL woke up just 48 hours before the deadline of December 31, 2014. It wrote to KECML on December 30 saying it (KECML) was liable to pay the entire amount and directed it to make the total payment."



"Shockingly, within 24 hours of writing the letter, on December 31, KPCL paid Rs 110 crore towards penalty and claimed it was 24 per cent of the amount, despite no demand having been made on KPCL to make the payment," he said.

"Most shockingly on March 16, 2017, KPCL made the balance payment of Rs 337 crore, despite a contempt plea that is pending in the Supreme Court, and related matters before the high court," he added.

On February 2, 2015, the central government had filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against KECML over non- payment of the penalty.

Defending the payment made by KPCL, Dinesh Gundu Rao of the Congress told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid the money to the coal controller under protest and also filed affidavits in the Supreme Court and the High Court that the payment was being made without prejudice to KPCL's rights to recover the money from EMTA.

"Since the matter is sub-judice, BJP should stop making any allegations," Rao said.

The fresh salvo by the BJP against the chief minister, comes days after it accused Siddaramaiah of "illegally denotifying" land resulting in a loss of Rs 300 crore to the public exchequer, and filed a complaint with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Rejecting allegations of denotification, Siddaramaiah called it an attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the assembly elections early next year.

Karnataka Power Minister Shivakumar is under the lens of the income-tax department, and around 80 premises linked to him have been raided over the last one month. "I will respond at an appropriate time. Let the investigation be completed," he said when asked about the raids.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government has red-flagged a decision of the Supreme Court collegium to do away with the professional evaluation of additional judges while recommending their name for promotion as a permanent judge.

The decision of the collegium and the subsequent opposition to the move by the law ministry could trigger a fresh round of confrontation between the executive and the judiciary.

A senior functionary said the government has told the collegium--a body of top five judges of the apex court headed by the ChiIndia thate of Indiathat it does not agree with the decision to end the practice of evaluating the professional performance of an additional judge before recommending his or her name for evaluation as a permanent judge of a high court.

The judgements evaluation committees used to evaluate the judicial performance of additional judges till recently.

The government has urged the collegium to have a relook at its decision to end the practice of evaluating the judicial performance of additional judges.

The then Chief Justice of India J S Khehar had in March informed high court chief justices that the Supreme Court collegium has decided to end the system.

He had cited a 1981 judgement of the apex court to say that the practice of evaluating the judicial performance of additional judges ran contrary to the order.

Justice Khehar had also informed Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad of the decision to do away with the system.

The evaluation was part of the guidelines issued by the then CJI S H Kapadia in October, 2010.
Even as the domestic economy battles demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) blues, the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L) has bucked the current slowdown blip to clock 100 per cent summer placements.
State-owned Trust has received environment clearance for setting up a Rs 1,176-crore smart industrial port city in Kutch, Gujarat, a senior official said.

The proposal is to develop a smart industrial port city at two separate sites in Gandhidham which would house about 35,700 residential flats, schools and parks. The project is expected to generate jobs for more than 60,000 people in the region.

"The Environment Ministry examined the Kandla Port's proposal and gave the final environment clearance for developing a smart city at two identified sites," a senior government official said.

Separate proposals for the two sites were submitted and both have been cleared with some riders after taking into account the ministry's expert panel, the official said.

As per the proposal, a smart port city in a 580-acre land has been proposed at Adipur side on South of Tagore road, while the second site would be cover an area of 850 acres is near KPT complex in Gandhidham.

Total 35,714 flats will be developed in both the sites and the maximum height of the building would be 12 metres. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 1,176 crore.

There will be a residential tower, industrial parks and commercial spaces with shops, social culture/community centre, police post, fire station, logistic park among others.

Employment for the local people will be generated during the development of the project, Trust said.

Trust, recently rechristened as Deendayal Port, is one of the top 12 major ports in the country. Located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of the major ports on the west coast of India.
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The recently passed an ordinance protecting both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without prior sanction.
Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Syria are among the top olive producers in the world, but India imports the exotic fruit mainly from Europe.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, which is a fibre-to-fabric integrated textile cluster proposed to be built on 1,200 acres of land near Shayampet in the Warangal district, about 170 km from here.
China has asked Pakistan to provide additional security for its long-serving envoy in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from an outlawed extremist separatist group, media reports said today.

The request was made in a letter written to the Ministry of Interior on October 19.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who has also asked Pakistan to immediately arrest a militant who wanted to "assassinate" Chinese ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing.

Ping said that Yao is facing threats to his life from a militant, Abdul Wali, who belongs to the banned East Turkestan Independent Movement, which largely operates from China's Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan. It is suspected that Wali has entered Pakistan from China.

China asked Pakistan to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in Pakistan.

It has also asked Pakistan to "arrest the terrorist and hand over to us (China) as soon as possible".

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry and the Chinese embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Chinas unemployment rate has hit its lowest point in multiple years at 3.95 per cent by the end of September, but employment still face challenges as the pushes ahead with structural reforms, Chinas labour ministry said on Sunday.
Health authorities here on Saturday collected DNA samples of family members of three of the 39 Indians missing in Iraq.

The health department constituted a committee comprising duty magistrate Wariam Singh, pathologist Vijay Kumar and laboratory technician Malkiat Singh to conduct their DNA test.

Ram Lal, the Gurdaspur civil surgeon, said the deputy commissioner directed the health department to conduct the DNA tests of the families of the missing youths to ascertain their identities.

The samples will be sent to the forensic laboratory in Hyderabad, he said.

The team collected DNA samples of Raj Kumar and his wife Kanwaljit Kaur, parents of Dharminder Kumar, a resident of Talwandi Jhaura village; Harbhajan Singh and his wife Mohinder Kaur, parents of Kanwaljit Singh, a resident of Rupowali; and Sukhdev Singh and his wife Niral Singh, parents of Malkiat Singh, the official said.

From Gurdaspur, five youths had gone to Iraq in 2014.

The family members of the fourth youth, Harish Kumar, had since shifted to Amritsar.

While the fifth youth, Harjit Masih, a resident of Kala Afghana, had managed to return to India after giving the slip to ISIS militants after being shot in his feet in 2014.

Meanwhile, in Amritsar, family members of the missing Indians said they were not told why they were asked to undergo DNA test.

They were asked to come to the government medical college in Amritsar for the test.

But they have now been asked to come again on Monday.

Gurwinder Kaur, a resident of village Mehta of Amritsar district, said, "I fail to understand why the government has asked us to go for DNA test whereas we were assured that my brother will come back safe and sound one day."



Kaur's brother Manjinder Singh was among the missing Indians.

A total of 39 Indians had been missing in Iraq since 2014. Among them, 22 were from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar in Punjab.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, poses for photos as he marks on the name of one of those elected in the parliamentary lower house election at the party headquarters in Tokyo. (Photo: PTI)
All five of America's living former presidents took the stage at a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern US and Caribbean.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter yesterday appeared together onstage for the national anthem, then took their seats in the front row at the concert.

The effort by the three Democrats and two Republicans has raised over USD 31 million from 80,000 donors for the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, George H W Bush's office said.

"As former presidents, we wanted to help our fellow Americans begin to recover," Obama said in a video message shown at the beginning of the live streamed concert.

"People are hurtin' down here, but as one Texan put it, we've got more love in Texas than water," the younger Bush said.

Lee Greenwood opened the concert with "Proud to be an American," setting the tone for the concert.

Greenwood was followed by Robert Earl Keen, The Gatlin Brothers, Stephanie Quayle and Sam Moore.

The event, titled "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal," was also to feature Alabama, Lyle Lovett, Cassadee Pope and Yolanda Adams.

President Donald Trump did not attend the concert, but praised the effort in a video message released earlier, terming it a "wonderful" and "vital effort."



"As we begin to rebuild, some of America's finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal," said Trump.

"Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson attended a landmark meeting today between Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at upgrading strategic ties between the two countries and countering Iran's regional influence.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi King Salman held the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council that aims to boost cooperation after years of tensions.

Abadi hailed the meeting as an "important step toward enhancing relations", echoing similar comments from King Salman.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilise our countries," the Saudi monarch said.

"These attempts require our full attention."



Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump.

Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq.

"This event highlights the strength and breadth as well as the great potential of the relations between your countries," Tillerson said, referring to the meeting.

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months.

After former dictator, Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite- dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties.

Abadi's tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad on Saturday where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

At the opening of the Baghdad Fair, Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling bloc was headed for a big win in Sundays election, bolstering his chance of becoming the nations longest-serving premier and reenergising his push to revise the pacifist constitution.
A chargesheet has been filed against a minor boy and his sister in the 2016 Kochi teen pregnancy case. Along with them the doctor who failed to report the case to police has been charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The incident came to light a year ago, when a teenager gave birth to a child in a private hospital in Kochi few months after she turned 18.

The minor who impregnated the teenager was booked under the POCSO Act on the basis of a statement given by the victim.

After the incident surfaced police registered a case against the hospital for violating the norms of the POCSO Act.

The police had said that the hospital should have contacted them before the operating the girl.

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There have been thousands of great characters in the history of cinema, but only one can be the best.

Now, according to the new poll conducted by Total Film Magazine, the people have voted Harrison Ford's 'Indiana Jones' the Greatest Movie Character of All Time, reports express.co.uk.

The 75-year-old actor will be reprising the part in a fifth outing directed by Steven Spielberg, set for release in 2020.

The poll also features another iconic Harrison Ford character, with Han Solo at the third place.

DC Comics superhero Batman, who has been portrayed by six different actors with Ben Affleck - the man in possession of the cape and cowl in the DC Extended Universe franchise, came second.

The first female character on the list is Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley from the 'Alien' franchise, who was placed fourth.

Rounding out the top five is the iconic MI6 spy, James Bond.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Robert De Niro's 'Taxi Driver' anti-hero Travis Bickle, Sir Anthony Hopkins' cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter, who he first played in 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Lord of the Rings' wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), Batman's arch nemesis 'The Joker' and 'Princess Leia', portrayed by late Carrie Fisher.

To celebrate Total Film's Greatest Movie Characters Ever issue, the magazine has created 100 different covers to celebrate the poll which was made up of 8,000 votes.

Here's the Top 25 from Total Film's 100 Greatest Movie Characters:

1. Indiana Jones

2. Batman

3. Han Solo

4. Ellen Ripley

5. James Bond

6. Travis Bickle

7. Hannibal Lecter

8. Gandalf

9. The Joker

10. Princess Leia

11. Rocky Balboa

12. Sarah Connor

13. The Bride

14. Michael Corleone

15. Jules Winnfield

16. Tyler Durden

17. Maximus Decimus Meridius

18. Spider-Man

19. Harry Potter

20. R P McMurphy

21. Iron Man

22. Loki

23. Darth Vader

24. Gollum

25.

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Hollywood actor Ben Affleck, who will return as the billionaire industrialist and his vigilante alter ego Batman in the upcoming 'Justice League' movie, feels that his Batman is quite "tough and sophisticated".

The 45-year-old actor and her co-star Gal Gadot, who plays Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, like the way their characters' differences make them work well together, according to Contactmusic.

While talking about her character, Gal said, "I think both of them are very alpha-type. Both of them deal with their past and both of them will do everything to make a better world and fight crime and fight evil. So we share a lot in common."

"Tough, but sophisticated. He's an a****le. It's total typecast," noted Affleck, about his character.

The 'Live by Night' actor promised that the upcoming superhero ensemble movie will see a return to a "classic" Batman tale, rather than the raging Dark Knight of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice'.

"This is a very different dynamic for Bruce Wayne from the first movie, where he was full of anger and resentment and a kind of irrational rage towards Superman. Here, he really is in the mode of your more classic Batman story, where he's more heroic, trying to save and protect people, trying to build this unit. That was a totally different thing," explained Affleck.

He continued, "The idea is that this character is trying to assemble a group and get them to work together. Because Batman is a kind of internal, dark, conflicted guy. So it was challenging for him to turn outward and try to get all these people to work together."

Helmed by Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon, 'Justice League' brings together the DC heroes Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Henry Cavill (Superman), Amber Heard (Mera) and Amy Adams (Lois Lane).

The flick is scheduled to release on November 17.

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Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has condemned Spanish Government's attempt to overtake Catalonia's regional government and called on the regional parliament to discuss the crisis.

According to CNN, Puigdemont said he'll ask the region's parliament to convene and discuss Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's "attempt to liquidate our self-government and our democracy, and act accordingly".

"The Catalan institutions and the people of Catalonia cannot accept this attack," CNN quoted Puigdemont as saying in a televised address.

Half a million people came on streets in Barcelona to protest after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced that he would take control of Catalonia by invoking Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, weeks after the region's independence referendum.

The protesters chanted, "Freedom!" and "Rajoy, Rajoy, so you know we are leaving!"

Puigdemont had also joined the demonstration and was among the protest crowd.

More than 2.25 million people had turned out to vote on October 1, with the regional government claiming that 90% of voters were in favour of Catalonia's independence.

However, the turnout was low which Catalan officials blamed on the central government's efforts to stop the referendum.

Catalonia currently enjoys wide autonomy, including control over its own policing, education and healthcare.

Catalan nationalists have always argued that the region is a separate nation with its own history, culture and language, and that it should have increased fiscal independence.

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China has asked Pakistan to increase the security of its newly appointed ambassador in Islamabad, fearing intelligence information that terrorists are planning to attack him, The Express Tribune reported.

The Express Tribune quoted a source as saying to Express News that a Chinese Embassy in Islamabad has written a letter to the interior ministry that a terrorist tasked to attack Ambassador Yao Jing has entered Pakistan.

The embassy has requested the Pakistan government to take an immediate action based on the intelligence information, and enhance security of Ambassador Yao.

Citing sources, the Pakistani daily reported that the letter written by the focal person for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Ping Ying Fi, has identified Abdul Wali as the terrorist and also shared the details of his passport.

Ping has also demanded Walis' immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy.

Wali belongs to the banned East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM) - an extremist group which largely operates in China's troubled northwestern border region of Xinjiang.

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A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was injured after Militants on Sunday hurled grenade at the residence of former MLA of the Conference (NC) in Tral town of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the CRPF, unknown militants threw a grenade at the residence of Ex NC MLA Gulam Nabi Bhatt. A CRPF jawan on duty sustained splinter injury on his left hand elbow.

The injured jawan has been rushed to hospital where his condition is stable.

This is the third attack on political leaders in the last three days in Tral.

On Saturday, terrorists attacked the house of People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mohd Ashraf Pir in Tral. The militants also fired shots in the air.

Ashraf, a close aide of MLA Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, is zonal president of the PDP. He was not present at his house at the time of the incident.

On Friday, terrorists hurled grenade at Mushtaq Ahmad Shah's residence in Tral.

On Thursday, terrorists also lobbed a grenade on the house of another PDP leader Aijaz Mir in Zainapora area of the Shopian district. Reportedly, Mir's family was not present in the house at the time of attack.

Earlier in May, terrorists shot dead the PDP district president for Pulwama, Abdul Gani Dar, in the south Kashmir district.

On September 18, 2016; militants attacked the guard post at the residence of Advocate Jawed Ahmed Sheikh, district President of PDP at Dayalgam, and snatched four AK rifles from his security personnel.

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United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Facebook was on the side of his "crooked" political arch rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

Trump also alleged that Hillary had spent hundreds of millions of dollars more than him on her election campaign in 2016.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did. Facebook was on her side, not mine!"Trump said in a tweet.

Trumps tweet comes amid recent reports that Russian-based hackers had used social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The platforms have become the subject of federal and congressional probes into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Trump in another tweet said that the Russian-bought Facebook ads were 'tiny' compared with 'fake news on US news channels.

"Keep hearing about "tiny" amount of money spent on Facebook ads. What about the billions of dollars of Fake News on CNN, ABC, NBC & CBS?" Trump tweeted.

He also called the Justice Department to publicly release who paid for the dossier that includes unverified allegations about his connections with Russia.

"Officials behind the now discredited "Dossier" plead the Fifth. Justice Department and/or FBI should immediately release who paid for it," Trump said on twitter.

Russia's election meddling is being investigated by multiple congressional panels as well as an independent Justice Department probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

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Floods triggered by continuous rainfall swamped more than 200 villages in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Saturday.

Gopabandhu Nagar, Khunta, Udala and Badsahi have been worst affected areas due to the deluge in the district.

The rains have also caused burgeoning of the major rivers, including Budhabalanga, Deo Nadi and Gangahar, which were flowing above the danger mark.

The floods have also submerged large swathes of agricultural land, destroying crops.

Villagers rue that the administration was not doing enough to help those affected by the floods.

A local villager said, "I ran from pillar to post seeking help, but to no avail. Till now, there has been no help from the district administration."

The depression in the Bay of Bengal is the main cause of the downpour, which has been wreaking havoc from last three days.

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Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government of stalling the development in Gujarat in 2012, the Congress on Sunday retaliated, saying he was in "panic mode" ahead of the elections in Gujarat.

"I think the prime minister is in panic mode. He is clearly confused; on one hand, he said the Congress interfered in his efforts to uplift Gujarat, and on the other hand, he presents the Gujarat Model. He should decide whether Gujarat is developed or not," Congress leader Sushmita Dev told ANI.

She also alleged that Prime Minister Modi's 'Gujarat Model' has been presented as a lie to the public, adding that the people of Gujarat would respond to this "fairytale".

Defending this stance, Congress leader Ripun Bora termed Prime Minister Modi as a "big liar", and questioned his silence on the matter in the past three years.

"All that's being said and done is only because elections are coming up in Gujarat," he claimed.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi said he had to face the hostility of the Centre when he was the chief minister of Gujarat in 2012.

After launching the RO-RO ferry service in the poll-bound Gujarat, the prime minister alleged that the UPA Government even made efforts to stall industries and growth in the state.

"When I was serving as the chief minister of Gujarat in 2012, I faced hostility from the then Central Government. Efforts were made to stall industries and the state's growth. Over the last three years, we have changed that and given importance to the development of Gujarat," he said.

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Pakistan has refuted reports that India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in her introductory meeting with the Pakistani envoy to India had called for Islamabad to review its position in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, the Dawn reported.

Dubbing the media reports with respect to the meeting held earlier this week as 'speculative', Pakistan's Foreign Office stated, "During this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative."

Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan, Pakistan, over charges of terrorism and spying for India's intelligence agency- the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Pakistan.

On May 18, 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the hanging, after India approached it against the death sentence.

Pakistan's new high commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood had a meeting with Sushma Swaraj on October 17.

Islamabad branded the meeting between the minister and newly-posted envoy as "customary", by stating that "Mr. Sohail Mahmood has recently assumed office as Pakistan's new High Commissioner to India. It is customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on local dignitaries."

Pakistan envoy Mahmood and EAM Swaraj took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations and deliberated upon the broad contours of bilateral relations.

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The mother of the 11-year-old girl, who died allegedly of starvation in Jharkhand's Simdega district a few days back as her family's ration card was not linked to the Aadhar card, has accused the villagers of threatening and abusing her for 'defaming' the village.

Koyli Devi, the mother of the victim, said she was 'living in fear' as the villagers thronged outside her house and abused her family.

"I have been living in fear; villagers abused me and asked me to leave the village. They thronged outside my house and abused me and threatened me as I raised the issue," she told ANI.

Following the threats, Koyli Devi and her family reportedly travelled 8 km from her village to the Patiamba village in the Jaldega block to take shelter.

The police then brought them back to Simdega and deployed a security team outside their residence.

The victim, Santoshi Kumari, died on September 28 after her mother was unable to feed her. The family was struck off from the government welfare rolls for not linking their ration card with the Aadhar card.

"We went to get rice, but I was told that no ration will be given to me. My daughter died saying 'Bhat-bhat' (rice)," said the girl's mother, Koyli Devi.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raghubar Das has assured that an action will be taken against those found guilty in the case.

Due to the increasing number of fraud cases, the Centre, for security reasons, had asked every individual to link their Aadhar card with the ration card, LPG, PAN card or any other, failing which many people were struck off the ration card rolls in the state.

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Television host Jimmy Kimmel has shared an adorable health update on his son Billy, after his son's battle with congenital heart disease.

The 49-year-old talk show host, posted a sweet photo of baby William "Billy" John on Twitter in celebration of his six-month birthday.

He captioned the snap, "Young Billy is six months old today. He is healthy and happy and we are all very grateful for your prayers, good wishes, thoughts and support of @ChildrensLA and children's hospitals in your area. (sic)"

In the photo, Kimmel's son looked happy, showing the camera his toothless smile as he laid back in a stroller.

For the unversed, the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' host and his wife Molly McNearney welcomed their second child into the world six months ago, and were devastated to learn he had to undergo a life-saving heart surgery after doctors discovered he had a congenital heart defect.

The little guy seems to be doing well. Just last month, the then-5-month old attended his first Hollywood bash with his parents and his three-year-old sister Jane.

Kimmel first talked about his son's health scare in May.

He had said that just hours after his son's birth doctors noticed that his baby boy was born with a heart disease.

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The Congress Party on Sunday said that instead of criticising the Tamil film 'Mersal', the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must respect the Freedom of Speech.

"The BJP and Prime Minister Modi must respect Freedom of Speech. I have seen the clipping of the movie in which a question was asked on tax, in a democratic country every citizen has right to ask question," Congress leader Sushmita Dev told ANI.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader P L Punia asserted that maximum numbers of people are against demonetisation and the Goods and Service Tax (GST).

"Commenting on movie 'Mersal' is natural for the BJP because they never accept the criticism. Maximum number people are against demonetisation and the GST. Film Certification Board, its chairman and members decides whether to give certification to movie or not. Now, will BJP create another censor board of their own?" said Punia.

'Mersal' starring Tamil superstar Vijay landed in controversy after Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said 'misconceptions' were being promoted in the film about central government schemes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India, and demanded removal of those scenes.

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Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived in Washington D.C. on the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The chief minister is on his 6-day visit to the United States of America (USA).

Chouhan will be participating in multiple events during his stay.

Shivraj, is expected to pay a visit to the Museum and War Memorial later in the day, followed by an interaction with the Indian community and an official dinner hosted by the Indian Embassy.

On Monday, Chouhan will also be holding one-on-one meetings with Andy Whitman, VP Government Affairs, Varian Medical Systems; Selina Jackson, Kee President, Global Government Relations and Public Policy, Debbie Worm, Chief Legal Officer, Procter & Gamble and others.

Later, Chouhan be will participating in the launch event of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Forum, where he will address the gathering as a Keynote speaker. Following this, he will be holding a meeting with Tulsi Gabbard, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) delegation led by Nisha Biswal, Chairman, USIBC, followed by dinner.

On Tuesday, Chouhan will be part of an interaction with Senior Business Leaders of US in a session organised by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and CII to promote investment in Madhya Pradesh. Thereafter, he will be departing for New York, while making a quick stop at the Akshardham Temple in New Jersey.

On Wednesday, Chouhan will be attending an interaction session with Senior Business Leaders of US in a session organised by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and CII to promote investment in Madhya Pradesh, followed by lunch. Later, he will be visiting the Incubation center at Columbia University.

On Thursday, Chouhan will be holding a series of meetings with Amazon representatives until lunch. In the evening, he will be attending a 'Friends of MP' interactive session at the Indian Consulate in New York, followed by dinner.

On Friday, Chouhan will again be attending a series of one-to-one meetings, and will depart for Mumbai from Newark Airport on Saturday.

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A Mumbai Court on Sunday granted four days police custody to the accused in molestation and physical assault case of a minor girl in Nehru Nagar area of Mumbai.

The victim was on her way to tuition classes on October 17 when some boys started passing lewd comments at her. The accused assaulted and hurled stones at her when she asked them to stop. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera.

The accused was initially arrested on October 18th under section 324, 506 of IPC but was released on bail on the same evening since it was a bailable offence.

An X-ray report of the victim later revealed that she has got a fracture in her nose after which the accused was arrested on additional charges of IPC326 and section 8 and 12 of POCSO act.

With permission of the court, the accused was arrested on Saturday evening and the case was handed over to WPI Manisha Shirke of Tilaknagar Police station.

Further investigation is going on. Accused will be again produced before the Court on 25th October.

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In the wake of the spit-and-lick atrocity which recently came to light here in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's constituency, the victim's family revealed that they are now "scared for their lives", and are "living on empty stomach".

The victim also revealed that soon after the incident came to light; his daughter's wedding was also called off.

"After the incident, everywhere I go, people keep asking me about it. Now, they all look at me differently. We have no food to eat, and sometimes our neighbours are feeding us, as some goons took away the keys of my shop. That was our only source of income. We are scared for our lives," he said.

While the Bihar Police earlier arrested three people involved in the crime, the victim alleged that no action was taken on behalf of the authorities on restoring authority of his shop or taking the perpetrators to task, and added that the family is thoroughly "frightened" by the incident.

For the unversed, the victim, a native of Ajaipur village here, who had gone to meet the village head to avail a government scheme, was allegedly made to spit and lick his saliva off the floor as a punishment for entering the Sarpanch's house without knocking. In a video that went viral, the man could also be seen being beaten up with slippers by at least two women.

So far, three persons have been nabbed by the Bihar police in this regard. However, the mastermind of this incident, Dayanand Manjhi and Dharmendra Yadav are absconding. The police are reportedly conducting raids in many areas of Nalanda and Patna to nab them.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Opposition parties have no 'authority' to question the Election Commission (EC) and its decisions.

"The Opposition parties have no "authority" to question the EC over the election schedule. People are having issues on my visit to Vadodara. They cannot say anything to me, therefore, they putting pressure on the EC. But I want to make it clear that they do not have any right to point a finger at the Commission," he said.

Further taking a jibe at former finance minister P. Chidambaram, Prime Minister said, 'Someone' who won during 'recounting' is targeting the EC now."

Trying to woo electorates of Gujarat, the Prime Minister added that development is Centre's prime focus.

"We are clear in our working. All our resources will be spent towards the wellbeing of every citizen. Not a penny of public money will be given to those opposing development," Prime Minister Modi said.

"Since I was a child I was hearing about a ferry service from Ghogha to Dahej. It was not done all these years because development was never a priority for them. When we got a chance to serve we focussed on all-round development and the ferry is operational today," he added.

This is Prime Minister Modi's third visit to his home state Gujarat this month.

Ruling BJP, has launched 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra', its biggest mass outreach programme in poll-bound Gujarat, that will cover 149 out of 182 constituencies.

The yatra publicises the achievements of the BJP government across the state.

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Patients often tend to overestimate postoperative pain as they underestimate the effect of anesthesia, a study finds.

This, according to researchers, can cause unnecessary anxiety in them.

Patients who receive regional anesthesia, such as peripheral nerve blocks, epidurals or spinal anesthesia, were most likely to overestimate their postoperative pain.

"We believe providers need to do a better job of counseling patients on realistic pain expectations," said study co-author Jaime L. Baratta, M.D., director of regional anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "This is especially true for patients receiving regional anesthesia who may not fully understand the benefits of nerve blocks and other regional anesthesia procedures aimed at preventing postoperative pain."

During regional anesthesia, the physician anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of the body that requires surgery. The patient may remain awake or be given a sedative. Either way, the patient does not feel the surgery taking place.

Patients receiving regional anesthesia before surgery may experience unnecessary anxiety and have exaggerated pain expectations simply because they do not understand regional anesthesia's pain relieving benefits, the researchers said.

The study included 223 patients, averaging 61 years old, who were undergoing orthopedic, neurosurgical, or general surgery procedures. Of these, 96 received some type of regional anesthesia (spinal, epidural or peripheral nerve block). Of the 96 patients, 80 had no general anesthesia, while 16 had general anesthesia with a peripheral nerve block before or after surgery.

The remaining 127 patients received only general anesthesia. Patients completed a questionnaire before surgery to evaluate what level of postoperative pain they expected on a 0-10 scale. Following surgery, they were asked about their level of pain in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) one hour following surgery and on the first day after surgery.

Patients' average expected pain rating immediately following surgery was 4.66, compared to an actual pain rating of 2.56. The average expected pain rating on the first day after surgery was 5.45, compared to an actual pain rating of 4.30.

Patients who had regional anesthesia had an average expected pain rating in the PACU of 4.63, compared to an actual pain rating of 0.92. The average expected pain rating for these patients on the first day after surgery was 5.47, compared to an actual pain rating of 3.45.

"With advancements in regional anesthesia, great strides have been made in preventing postoperative pain. Given the clear benefit of patient education and anxiety alleviation on postoperative pain, providers must find ways to effectively manage patient expectations to help improve outcomes," said study co-author Amir C. Dayan, M.D.

The study was presented at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting.

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The Pakistan Army trains terrorists and provides safe havens and sanctuaries to them, Tauqeer Geelani, a PoK activist, said on Sunday.

At a rally in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Geelani said, "Pakistan has been bombarding its own land for the last 15 years. The army has trained around 200 or 400, maybe even 500, terrorists and are providing safe havens to them. These terrorists are then taken places and introduced as jihadis. They spread jihad in Afghanistan, Punjab and Kashmir."

"How can they be loyal to the people in Kashmir, when they are not loyal to their own people, own land, and their own culture?" Geelani added.

He also spoke about the inhuman treatment being meted out to innocent youth of the valley.

"Recently, the Frontiers Works Organisation, a military engineering organisation, arrested few innocent youth of the Neelum Valley and inhumanly treated them while they were in custody," Geelani said.

Earlier in September, four young men, who were looking for work at one of the work-sites in the Neelum Valley area of the PoK, were allegedly illegally picked up by the Pakistan Army and brutally beaten up at the behest of a Pakistani contractor.

The Pakistan Army captain ordered his men to carry guns and shoot any local, who is seen seeking job near work-site.

The victims had also alleged that the local authorities were "mere puppets and are bound to take orders from Islamabad."

The residents of the Falakun village of the Neelum Valley had also staged a protest demonstration against the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies.

They shouted slogans like 'jeeney ka haq do' (Give us the right to live) and demanded information about the whereabouts of people, who were made to disappear at the hands of the Pakistan Army.

The protestors also claimed that the local youth were being abducted and tortured up by the Pakistan Army.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed with loud chants and cheering as he began his roadshow here on Sunday, ahead of elections in the state.

An elated Prime Minister, who was in his convoy, was seen waving to the crowd as they chanted 'Modi Modi' in large numbers, following which he emplaned for New Delhi.

This is Prime Minister Modi's third trip to poll-bound Gujarat in this month. During his visit, he touched upon various subjects in his addresses to the gatherings at Dahej, Bhavnagar and now Vadodara.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Dahej-Ghogha Roll-on Roll-off ferry service here. With the opening of this Rs. 615-crore ferry service, the distance between Saurastra and South Gujarat regions will be less than an hour via-sea route.

The 14th legislative assembly election in Gujarat is to be held by the end of 2017 as the term of 13th assembly ends on January 22, 2018.

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Mumbai Police on Saturday arrested the accused in molestation and physical assault case of a minor girl.

In a complaint filed at the Nehru Nagar Police Station on Friday, the victim had alleged she was molested and physically assaulted by the accused when she was going for her tuition classes on October 17. The entire incident was also captured on a CCTV camera.

Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police Shahji Umap said, "The accused was arrested immediately, but as his offence was bailable, he was let off on bail. Later we received the victim's medical report that said her nose was fractured in the incident and we added section 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC and sought court's permission to arrest the accused again.

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Japan on Sunday commenced polling in a snap general election.

There are 465 seats being contested in the election. A revised electoral law that took effect in July has reduced the number of Lower House seats from 475 to 465.

"Voting began Sunday in Japan's House of Representatives election, in which the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to achieve a solid victory in the face of a divided opposition," reported Japan Times.

The polling, which opened at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, will terminate at 8 p.m.

The final result is expected by early Monday.

The opposition vote is likely to be split between two parties that emerged in recent weeks - the Party of Hope, which has taken on much of the Democratic Party's conservative wing and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which has absorbed the liberals.

In Sunday's election, the primary opposition party is the newly-formed Party of Hope (Kibo No To), led by former LDP member and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

Pre-election polls and surveys in Japan forecast a landslide victory for Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ruling coalition partner, Komeito - a Buddhist party, which would allow it to maintain its two-thirds majority needed to propose Constitutional amendments.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the Lower House of the parliament and called for polls afresh last month to renew his mandate in the face of the rising threat from North Korea.

Last month, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over northern Japan.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that ports are for prosperity.

While addressing a public meeting here in Bharuch district, Prime Minister Modi said, "Our mantra is P for P- ports for prosperity. India needs better ports and more ports."

Talking about the Sagar Mala project, Prime Minister Modi said, "We believe Sagar Mala project alone will provide around 1 crore jobs."

Sagar Mala project is a strategic and customer-oriented initiative of the Government of India to modernise India's ports so that port-led development can be augmented and coastlines can be developed to contribute in India's growth.

It was originally mooted by the Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003 as a waterway.

Prime Minister Modi-led Cabinet gave its approval to Sagar Mala on March 25, 2015 to develop 12 ports of India and also 1208 Islands. The project was launched by Ministry of Shipping in Karnataka on July 31, 2015.

Prime Minister also said that he was personally singling out files and getting those projects completed that were stalled for decades.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of the RO RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej.

After launching the RO-RO ferry service in the poll-bound Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi said that he had to face the hostility of the Centre when he was the chief minister of Gujarat in 2012.

"When I was serving as the chief minister of Gujarat in 2012, I faced hostility from the then Central Government. Efforts were made to stall industries and the state's growth. Over the last three years, we have changed that and given importance to the development of Gujarat," he said.

Highlighting the importance of the ferry service, Prime Minister Modi asserted that the project was like a dream-come-true for the people of the state.

"This ferry service will not be restricted to this one route. We are planning to link other places also through ferries. This RO RO ferry service will start the phase of social and economic development. Thousands of new jobs will be created," the prime minister asserted.

The seven to eight hours of travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat will now be reduced to one hour after the ferry service has become operational.

From Bhavnagar district's Ghogha, Prime Minister Modi went to Dahej in Bharuch in the newly-launched the ferry service. Before addressing the public meeting, he also interacted with the school children.

Prime Minister Modi's next stop is Vadodara, where he will dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre, the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme, and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda, at a public meeting.

The Prime Minister will also hand over the residences to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban, as well as rural).

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stones of several infrastructure and development projects, including capacity expansion of Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, greenfield marketing terminal project of the HPCL, an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects, and a flyover.

Gujarat is going for polls and the 14th legislative assembly election in Gujarat is to be held by the end of 2017 as the term of 13th assembly ends on January 22, 2018.

This is Prime Minister Modi's third visit to his home state Gujarat this month.

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leaving no stone unturned to retain power in Gujarat, the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is heading his party's poll campaign in Gujarat. He is eyeing to dethrone the ruling BJP in Gujarat. The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994 to March 13, 1995.

Ruling BJP, has launched Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, its biggest mass outreach programme in poll-bound Gujarat, that will cover 149 out of 182 constituencies.

The yatra publicises the achievements of the BJP government across the state. Many top BJP leaders like Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Uma Bharti, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have participated in the yatra and campaigned for the party.
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said that rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development of Myanmar's Rakhine State is the only long term solution to the Rohingya crisis.

"It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state. In our view, the only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the State," Swaraj said after a joint consultative committee meeting to discuss India-Bangladesh ties here.

Swaraj emphasised that India also supported the recommendations of Rakhine Advisory Commission, headed by former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG) Kofi Annan.

While Swaraj expressed deep concern at the spate of violence in Rakhine State, she stated that India is committed to provide provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities of Myanmar.

"We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," Swaraj said.

Swaraj further highlighted 'Operation Insaniyat' launched in September by the Indian government to support Bangladesh, which has sheltered lakhs of Rohingya refugees, who have fled violence in Myanmar since August 25.

"Through this operation, we have supplied essential requirements by way of parboiled rice, dal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, tea, milk powder, mosquito nets and soap to about 300,000 displaced persons. The material has been distributed to the intended recipients through the Bangladeshi district administration in Cox's Bazar," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday co-chaired the fourth Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

Both leaders reviewed various aspects of bilateral relations.

External Affairs Minister was greeted by Bangladesh Foreign Minister and the High Commissioner of India Harsh Shringla on her arrival in Dhaka earlier today.

Swaraj, who is on two-day visit, will also be meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh. She last visited the country in 2014.

It was expected that during the meeting both countries would review the implementation and progress of decisions taken during Hasina's visit to India this year.

The third JCC meeting was held in New Delhi in 2014.

India and Bangladesh have witnessed a deepening of bilateral economic cooperation in recent years, particularly in terms of increasing volumes of trade and investment flows.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and Bangladesh on Sunday discussed the challenges of terrorism, radicalisation and extremism during the course of fourth Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting here.

Addressing the media after the JCC meeting, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "We will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries."

Swaraj co-chaired the JCC meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, where both leaders reviewed various aspects of bilateral relations.

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," Swaraj said.

External Affairs Minister further emphasised that India's relations with Bangladesh are based on fraternal ties and are reflective of an all encompassing partnership based on sovereignty and understanding.

"Our discussion today in the course of 4th JCC meeting have been extremely useful, even more important is the atmosphere of trust and understanding in which we carried out our discussion," Swaraj said.

"India attaches the utmost importance to its relation with Bangladesh as our partnership today touches upon virtually over all the areas of human endeavour," she added.

Swaraj highlighted that India has been a long standing and reliable development partner of Bangladesh.

"We are satisfied with progress achieved in areas such as trade and investment, security, connectivity, border management, power, energy, shipping, people to people exchanges, to name a few," she said.

India has extended three lines of credit amounting to USD 8 billion to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide.

"We are confident that this credit will be invaluable to Bangladesh as it pursues its developmental priorities, especially in the areas of infrastructure development," Swaraj said.

She further highlighted that the grant projects by India have contributed in the betterment of Bangladesh's infrastructure.

"In the past three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed which include construction of students' hostels, tube-wells, cultural centres, orphanages etc," Swaraj said.

"Presently 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation. Tomorrow, we will launch another 15 projects in the areas of education, health, culture and community development," She added.

External Affairs Minister was greeted by Bangladesh Foreign Minister and the High Commissioner of India Harsh Shringla on her arrival in Dhaka earlier today.

Swaraj, who is on two-day visit, will also be meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh. She last visited the country in 2014.

The third JCC meeting was held in New Delhi in 2014.

India and Bangladesh have witnessed a deepening of bilateral economic cooperation in recent years, particularly in terms of increasing volumes of trade and investment flows.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to discuss the humanitarian crisis caused due to influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine State.

Addressing the media after the JCC meeting earlier today, Swaraj said rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development of Rakhine State is the only long term solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Swaraj and Hasina further discussed the ways to deepen the partnership between Indian and Bangladesh.

The External Affairs Minister also handed over some memorabilia of the Great Liberation War of 1971 to the Bangladesh Prime Minister.

Swaraj briefed Hasina about the discussions held between two countries during the course of the fourth Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) and about the tangible progress made since her visit to India, here today, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar informed in a series of tweets.

"Relationship with Bangladesh of utmost priority! EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on PM Bangladesh SheikhHasina. Discusses ways to deepen partnership. EAM @SushmaSwaraj apprised PM #SheikhHasina of the productive discussions at the JCC and tangible progress made since her visit to India. Discussed situation arising out of influx of displaced persons from Rakhine State and need for an early & lasting solution (sic)," Kumar tweeted.

Before meeting the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Swaraj co-chaired the JCC meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, where both leaders reviewed various aspects of bilateral relations.

Both countres also discussed the challenges of terrorism, radicalisation and extremism during the JCC meeting.

"We will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," Swaraj said post JCC meeting.

The External Affairs Minister further emphasised that India's relations with Bangladesh are based on fraternal ties and are reflective of an all encompassing partnership based on sovereignty and understanding.further emphasised that India's relations with Bangladesh are based on fraternal ties and are reflective of an all encompassing partnership based on sovereignty and understanding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday hit out at the previous Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) governments in the state, saying that they were not concerned with the plight of the poor and that it was not in their respective agendas.

After laying the foundation stone of several projects here, Adityanath questioned the previous governments on the poor not receiving any benefit of the welfare schemes of the Centre.

"We have brought several schemes for the poor. These schemes were approved by the Central government long back, but the poor never received their benefit. This is because the previous governments were never concerned about the plight of the poor," Adityanath said, while addressing a gathering here.

Adityanath further said that around 33 lakh ration cards, which were illegally used by the Samajwadi Party and the BSP leaders, have been scrapped, and added that the cards were allotted to other people to let them avail the benefits of government's schemes.

"We will not let anyone snatch away the rights of the poor," he said.

The chief minister asserted that his government had planned several projects worth Rs. 18 crore for the upliftment of the Bundelkhand region.

He assured that the two major issues in Bundelkhand - water scarcity and agrarian crisis - would be resolved as soon as possible.

"We will not keep Bundelkhand thirsty, no matter how much money we have to spend for it. We will also try to provide sufficient amount of water for irrigation purposes too," he said.

Adityanath also said that around Rs. 2,800 crore have been allocated for providing clean drinking water to the people of the state and that the state government was installing 110 new tubewells in the region.

Adityanath also directed for the constitution of a committee for the protection of cows in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has accused the ousted prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and his brother of plotting for his assassination twice.

"The Sharif brothers twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s, but by God's will, they could not succeed," the Dawn quoted Pakistan People's Party information secretary Chaudhry Manzoor, as told by Zardari.

Zardari held a meeting with the party leaders on Saturday at the Bilawal House for getting ready for the general election.

During the meeting he told the leaders that Sharif had been trying to seek his support, however, he refused for it.

"I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Bibi Benazir and me. We forgave them and got along in ARD and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," Zardari said.

He further told his party leaders that Sharif brothers are not reliable, as "they change colours so quickly. When they are in trouble, they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor quoted Zardari, as saying.

"We will be on a strong footing after next year polls," he added.

Earlier, Sharif had sought Zardari's support through controversial real estate tycoon Malik Riaz to deal with the challenges he and his party are facing after his ouster.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that the 1817 'Paika Bidroha' or rebellion would find a place in history books as the First War of Indian Independence.

"Odisha's Paika rebellion will find a place as the First War of Independence in the 2018 history books and include details of the rebellion against the then British rule. Because, the country should learn factual history," the Minister told a function held here to commemorate 200 years of the rebellion.

He said the Centre had allocated Rs 200 crore for the rebellion's commemoration across the country.

The 1817 Paika rebellion took place four decades prior to the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.

As the British began to tinker with the revenue system at the start of the 17th century, the farming community of Odisha rose up in rebellion. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, military chief of the then King of Khurda, led a motley army of Paikas and forced the British East India Company's forces to retreat. The rebellion came to be known as the Paika 'Bidroha'.

Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Centre to declare the rebellion as the First War of Indian Independence.

He said it involved all sections of people and could not be a mere coincidence that the rebellion measured by its form as well as content provided a marvellous analogy with the subsequent freedom movement across the country and its outcome.

--IANS

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Amidst the Catalan crisis in Spain, two other rich regions in southern Europe - Lombardy and Veneto of Italy - are voting on Sunday in a referendum for greater autonomy from the central government in Rome.

Unlike the Catalan independence referendum, however, the twin referendums for autonomy in north Italy are permitted by the Italian constitution, and are described as being "consultative", or non-binding, in nature.

The referendums have been called by the respective local governments both controlled by the far-right, regionalist Northern League party that is also anti-European Union.

Through Sunday's vote, Lombardy and Veneto seek semi-autonomy, with more control over regional finances and administration. In support of their claim, the regions point to the extra 50 billion euros in taxes that they remit to Rome each year, more than they get in return through government spending.

These two richest regions of Italy respectively account for around 20 per cent and 10 per cent of the country's GDP.'

Also supporting the referendum is former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the 5-Star Movement party.

Italy's ruling centre-left Democratic Party has asked its members to abstain from the autonomy vote.

Italy goes to the polls next year and Sunday's referendum is being seen as a gauge to the public mood going towards the national elections.

--IANS

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An auto thief involved in 62 cases and who underwent plastic surgery to avoid arrest has been arrested along with two accomplices, police said on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya said Kunal, a resident of Delhi, was arrested from Nehru Place in south Delhi on October 13.

The officer said he used to steal vehicles and sell them.

Kunal's interrogation led to his accomplice Irshad Ali as well as Mohammad Shadab who used to buy stolen cars from them, police said. Both Ali and Shadab were from Uttar Pradesh.

Baaniya said Kunal was involved in 62 cases of vehicle thefts in Delhi and neighbouring areas and he was declared a proclaimed offender. He had undergone plastic surgery about four years back to change his identity in order to avoid arrest.

Police seized 12 cars following the arrests.

Their interrogation revealed that before stealing a car, the accused first found vehicles declared as "total loss" by insurance companies but whose documents had not been destroyed.

Baaniya said that once the accused got hold of the documents, they would find similar cars and then steal them.

They would then change the chassis and engine number of the vehicles and sell them in the market.

Police are trying to arrest others who helped the accused.

--IANS

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Model Cara Delevingne entered the profession to escape problems and emotional issues in her life.

Delevingne, 25, believes that her career as a model gave her with a way of avoiding her problems, but acting has forced her to deal with them, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"Modelling came at a time in my life where I wanted to please people. I was just doing things to run away from my own problems. I wasn't dealing with things that were going on emotionally. That's why I ended up being unhappy," Delevingne told Australia's Stellar magazine.

"Being an actor helped me reflect on my own emotions, be able to express them more, be in the moment," she added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The President of Spain's Catalonia region said on Saturday he would convene a session of the regional Parliament to debate and decide a proper response to the measures announced earlier in the day by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Carles Puigdemont made his remarks hours after Rajoy said he would invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, a provision that allows the central government to suspend that northeastern region's autonomy and place it under the direct rule of Madrid starting next weekend, reports Efe.

The Senate would need to approve the measures in a vote scheduled for Friday.

The measures were announced after an emergency Cabinet meeting was called to weigh the Spanish government's response to Catalonia's independence drive.

--IANS

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(Editors: This is part of a series to mark a year of the demonetisation announced on November 8, 2016).

By Amulya Ganguli

Much of the efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to explain away the current economic slowdown as the result of "technical" glitches, as party president Amit Shah tried to do, or as teething troubles of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), are likely to be seen as instances of whistling in the dark to keep up the party's spirits ahead of a series of state assembly elections.

Even International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde's certificate about the "solid track" of the Indian economy refers to the future rather than to the disturbing present.

For the time being, therefore, the BJP's problems relate to both the absence of jobs and the economic stagnation, which indicate that the employment situation will not look up any time soon.

For bringing the party to this sad juncture after its rousing victory three years ago, the BJP has itself to blame if only because the political and electoral scene has been bereft of any challengers since 2014. It can be said to be guilty, therefore, of scoring self-goals.

If the BJP's political dominance is under threat, the reason is that the party has shot itself in the foot by both the controversial measures -- demonetisation and GST.

Interestingly, neither of the two was seen as life-threatening at the time when they came into force. Instead, they were thought to be "life-changing", to quote the supposedly autonomous University Grants Commission's (UGC) adulatory phrase about Narendra Modi's speeches.

Demonetisation, for instance, was hailed by the hoi polloi as a dramatic step against the parallel economy. At one stroke, it was said to have wiped out all the accumulated wealth which the holders of black money had kept under their mattresses.

The argument that currency notes constituted a minuscule percentage of hidden treasures was ignored. The subsequent disclosure by the Reserve Bank that 99 per cent of the scrapped notes had been returned underlined the correctness of this assessment.

But even as account-holders stood for hours in queues outside banks to deposit their suddenly useless notes and get new ones -- 100 of them dying during the ordeal -- as many as 1.5 million jobs were lost in the informal sector all over the country.

While the human cost of this crippling blow to the small and medium businesses will never be fully known, it has brought the BJP to its present pass. If any party can be said to have wilfully undermined its own prospects, it is the BJP.

The party enacted the same folly with the GST. Initially, it was thought to be a reform whose time had come. The fact that it was first proposed by the Manmohan Singh government and was then taken up by the BJP despite its earlier opposition suggested that its good points were undeniable.

After all, who doesn't like the idea of one country, one tax? Like the uniform civil code, GST was expected to bring in an element of simplicity and evenness in the tax structure.

But just as the civil code has been hanging fire because of the difficulties of dispensing with age-old adherence to personal laws, the complexities of the GST have stumped small and medium businesses which are unused to hiring the expensive services of chartered accountants to prepare their balance sheets.

The woes of demonetisation and GST have, therefore, proved to be a bonanza for the BJP's opponents. They are now able to show up the party as incompetent. This perception is particularly true of demonetisation. What was expected by the BJP to be a political masterstroke, which enabled it to claim that it has made the black money hoarders run for cover, has proved to be a fiasco of the first order.

Little wonder the BJP quickly changed its line on demonetisation from being an act against the parallel economy to being a pro-digitalisation initiative. "Note bandi" was to make the paper legal tender disappear altogether in favour of plastic money, but the process is still under way.

If the Modi government did not want to believe that cash was the life blood of the economy, especially at the rural and semi-urban areas, it was presumably because the decision of sucking out 85 per cent of the notes from the system was taken by only a few.

Hubris was behind this "bold" decision which was to prove to be fatal. Modi was riding high towards the end of 2016 with the opposition nowhere in sight and the chants of "Modi, Modi" during his foreign tours ringing in his ears.

His party, too, was completely under his thumb. If there was anyone in it who thought that demonetisation was risky, he or she did not have the guts to say it. If a noted economist like Manmohan Singh said that the move was a monumental misjudgment, he was dismissed as a carping critic who was saying what he did because of being in the opposition.

Arguably, if Raghuram Rajan was not hounded out of the Reserve Bank by the saffron maverick Subramanian Swamy, he might have given sage advice.

Rajan says in his autobiography that he told the government in February last year -- demonetisation took place nine months later -- that its "short-term economic costs" would outweigh the long-term benefits.

This is exactly what has happened. While the immediate economic consequences of demonetisation have been little short of disastrous, there is no certainty when its favourable impact will be felt.

Meanwhile, as the government grapples, ineffectually, with various problems -- unemployment, farmers' distress, and the antics of saffron vigilantes -- the Congress is showing signs of revival.

(Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)

--IANS

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Five former US Presidents attended a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for hurricane relief efforts, the media reported.

Former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama

appeared together on stage on Saturday night at the One America Appeal fundraiser held at Texas A&M University's Reed Arena in College Station, reports The Hill magazine.

The group appeared on stage and held their hands over their hearts while the national anthem played.

At the event, Obama said he "could not be prouder" of Americans for their response to help victims of the recent hurricanes that struck the US.

"All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans... When they see their neighbours and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up.

"And as heartbreaking as the tragedies that took place here in Texas and in Florida, in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have been, what we've also seen is the spirit of America at its best: When ordinary people step up and do extraordinary things."

Clinton echoed Obama's statement telling the crowd that volunteering in the wake of crises dates back before America's founding.

"We've been volunteering since before our Constitution when Benjamin Franklin organised the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia. Our neighbours, our friends, have got an enormous amount of 'sweat equity' from all these volunteers, and a lot of money.

"If we just do what we ought to do, and prove that the heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party is greater than our problems," The Hill magazine quoted Clinton as saying.

The joint effort has raised $31 million for disaster relief, the campaign announced hours before the concert.

President Donald Trump did not attend the event, but sent a video message to be played at the concert, thanking the former presidents for their efforts.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tacitly warned people in his home state Gujarat about the possible pitfalls of picking a government of a party different from the one at the Centre.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a slew of projects, some of them of the level of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Modi said that as Chief Minister he suffered at the hands of the Congress-led UPA government as it would sit over development proposals because of its "anti-Gujarat, anti-development attitude".

Mimicking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a low soft tone, Modi said that every time he went to him with a request about laying sluice gates at the Narmada dam, he would say: "Abhi tak aapka ka am nahi hua" (Your work still not done).

The Prime Minister repeated this twice to sound like Manmohan Singh.

Then, Modi went on to cite instances of the Morarji Desai government at the Centre and the Babubhai Jashbhai government in Gujarat as well as that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi and Keshubhai Patel in the state and his rule in Gujarat.

The Prime Minister said progress had been achieved only when the government in the Centre was sympathetic to the state's interest and of the same party.

"If Atalji's government was not at Centre, Gujarat would have never emerged from the devastating earthquake (of January 2001). The Centre stood strongly with the Keshubhai Patel government," he claimed.

"Gujarat should not let go of a single opportunity to benefit from the government at the Centre which is sympathetic to Gujarat."

The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress stating that the only news during those times was that of large-scale corruption.

"One lakh crore rupees gone. Two lakh rupees gone. There was corruption in everything, coal, submarine or helicopter. Since I have come, now they keep asking is how much money has come."

Listing out his government's priority programmes as providing electricity to every home by 2019 and house to ever family by 2022, Modi criticized the opposition for lack of vision.

"To them, public welfare works are not the priority. They think it is their birthright to rule. They do not have capability to think or have vision," Modi said.

Again, he mimicked the late Rajiv Gandhi without naming him to claim that his own government would not procrastinate before launching development works.

"Humey dekhna hain, hum dekhenge, humey sochna hain, hum sochenge... Nothing like this, we implement in decided time-frame," Modi said, trying to sound like the assassinated former Prime Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya did not figure in the Congress' second list of seven of the nine pending candidates for the November 9 assembly polls in the state.

Except for Shimla Rural and Mandi, the party has declared candidates for all the other assembly seats.

Besides Vikramaditya, the party also withheld the declaration of the candidature of Health Minister Kaul Singh's daughter Champa Thakur who is eyeing to contest the election from Mandi.

Vikramaditya is being speculated as the party's candidate from Shimla Rural, the seat his father is currently representing. The Chief Minister is keen to see his son's assembly debut from this constituency.

The list comprised party leaders like Kewal Singh Pathania (Shahpur), Ashish Butail (Palampur), Hari Chand Sharma (Manali), Surender Singh Thakur (Kullu), Vivek Sharma (Kutlehar), Lakhwinder Rana (Nalagarh) and Deepak Rathore (Theog).

The Congress changed one candidate in the second list. Paras Ram replaced Bansi Lal for the Anni (reserved) constituency.

The first list of 59 candidates was declared on October 18. The state has a 68-member assembly.

The last date of filing nominations for the polls is October 23.

In a faux pas, the Chief Minister's tour programme, released here on Sunday by the party, says Virbhadra Singh will participate in the nomination programme of Vikramaditya Singh on Monday.

Even Cabinet Minister Kaul Singh's daughter on Saturday filed nomination papers as an Independent candidate from the Mandi seat from where the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pitted Congress rebel and former Cabinet Minister Anil Sharma who resigned as a minister just ahead of the polls.

"Only my name has been recommended by the state party unit for this seat. I will definitely get the ticket," a confident-sounding Champa told reporters in Mandi town after filing the papers.

She said she was filing her papers as an Independent. She would apply as a Congress candidate later after getting approval from the party high command.

The Mandi seat is considered a strong Congress bastion and Sharma is a three-time legislator from this seat.

Champa's father Kaul Singh is the Health and Family Welfare Minister in the Virbhadra Singh-led cabinet.

He himself is recontesting from Darang in Mandi district.

Party leaders said the Congress is not keen to give tickets to relatives of the party candidates as it is against the party's "one family, one ticket formula".

For the Palampur seat, the party gave the nomination to sitting legislator B.B.L. Butail's son Ashish Butail as he cited his old age as the reason for not recontesting the polls.

Gokul Butail, the nephew of B.B.L. Butail, one of the biggest tea planters in the state, was upset with the Congress' second list as he was the frontrunner for the party ticket from Palampur.

"I had returned to India from the US in 2014 to contribute to India. I was a frontrunner for Congress ticket but lost the fight after days of struggle," he wrote on his Facebook page.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has taken a dig at BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao over his remarks that most Indian film stars have "very low IQ and very low general knowledge".

"How dare you, sir?" an angry Farhan tweeted and tagged the BJP leader.

"And to all film people in his ranks... Here's what he thinks of you. Shame sir," the actor wrote.

Farhan's comment was in reaction to an interview Rao gave to Times Now TV over the ongoing controversy on Tamil film "Mersal" that has scenes critical of the GST and the Digital India initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rao, criticising the movie and its makers in the TV interview, said: "In any case, most of our film stars have very low IQ, very low general knowledge."

"Mersal", Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, is in the news after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded removal of specific dialogues which take a dig at GST and digital India.

Politicians, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader M.K. Stalin, apart from actor Kamal Haasan, slammed the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism regarding its policies.

Directed by Atlee, "Mersal" stars Vijay in the roles of a village head, a doctor and a magician.

--IANS

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Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Sunday co-chaired the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee meeting here.

They "reviewed various aspects of bilateral relations", the Indian High Commission here tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj's visit comes amid the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.

According to the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 Rohingyas have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmar Army launched a crackdown on the minority community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Rakhine state.

India has provided relief material to Bangladesh to deal with the crisis.

Sushma Swaraj was earlier on Sunday received at the airport here by Foreign Minister Ali.

This is her second visit to Bangladesh as External Affairs Minister and comes after the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April this year.

A statement by the Indian External Affairs Ministry said Sushma Swaraj is "expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations".

It added that "the visit is expected to afford an opportunity for a review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman was shot dead and another injured by Jaish-e-Mohammed militants in a south Kashmir village on Sunday, police said.

In more violence, a gunman was killed and a paramilitary trooper injured in separate incidents in the Kashmir Valley.

Police said Jaish militants opened fire at two women in Seer village of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. One of the women, Yasmeena, was killed while the other, Ruby, was injured.

The wounded woman was taken to a Srinagar hospital where her condition was stated to be stable.

Superintendent of Police Zahid Malik said a known Jaish militant, Noor Mohammed Tantray, was behind the attack.

The police officer said a search operation was launched to nab the assailant.

Hours after the shooting, unidentified militants hurled a grenade at the Tral residence of a former National Conference legislator Mohammed Ashraf Bhat.

"A CRPF trooper was injured in the explosion. He has been shifted to hospital for treatment," a police officer said.

Earlier on Sunday militants ransacked the house of an assistant sub-inspector of Police in the same area.

The inmates of the house including the officer's father managed to escape when five masked militants came to the house.

In north Kashmir Kupwara district, a militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces after an operation was launched in Ananwan area at 5 a.m.

"One terrorist was killed and a weapon recovered in the operation," Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

--IANS

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A Kolkata Police Home Guard committed suicide on Sunday after an argument with his wife at Baguihati on the city's northeastern outskirts, police said.

"Rajesh Tiwari,37, hanged himself at his residence. His body was found on Sunday afternoon," an officer from Baguihati police station said.

Police said Tiwari, who was posted with the Shyambazar traffic police, was not on good terms with his wife and the couple had an argument on Saturday.

--IANS

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The Producers Guild of India has lauded the censor board for backing controversial Tamil movie "Mersal" and urged authorities to ensure that a movie certified by the CBFC is allowed to be screened without disruption.

"Mersal", Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, faced fireworks from the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which demanded removal of specific dialogues which take a dig at GST and digital India.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild of India, said in a statement: "We applaud the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) for standing by the freedom of expression of the filmmakers of 'Mersal', and for permitting them to air contrarian opinions on current issues voiced by certain characters in their film.

"It is at such times, when we uphold the rights of our artistes to voice diverse opinions through their work, that we showcase the best of who we are as a country.

"We would now expect the relevant authorities to ensure that any coercion on the filmmakers from any quarters whatsoever to make changes to their film, is dealt with firmly, and to ensure that a film which has been duly certified is allowed to be screened without any disruption," Kapur added.

Politicians, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader M.K. Stalin, apart from actor Kamal Haasan slammed the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism regarding its policies.

Earlier this week, BJP National Secretary H. Raja even raked up actor Vijay's Christian origins.

"Joseph Vijay's hatred for Modi is 'Mersal'," he wrote, adding a communal flavour to the row.

Directed by Atlee, "Mersal" stars Vijay in the roles of a village head, a doctor and a magician.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meetings in Gujarat are a flop and are witnessing a poor turnout, said Congress in-charge of the Madhya Pradesh unit Deepak Babaria here on Sunday.

The Congress, meanwhile, is getting support from many communities like Patels, Dalits and the backward class, Babaria told the media when asked about Modi's visit to poll-bound Gujarat.

Babaria is here on a three-day tour of the state to meet the cadre and office-bearers, and assess the political situation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the the between Saurashtra and the South Gujarat region.

Here are the highlights of Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service:
India on Sunday said that Myanmar should take back the thousands of Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar," Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a joint address to the media along with her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali following the fourth India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee meeting here.

"We have urged the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the people's welfare," Sushma Swaraj said.

Without naming the Rohingyas, she said it was clear that "normalcy will be restored only with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state".

According to the latest figures issued by the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese Army's crackdown on the minority Rohingya community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Rakhine.

The Rohingyas do not have citizenship in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

"In our view, the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that will have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state," Sushma Swaraj said.

"India, for its part, has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine state in conjunction with the local authorities. We have also supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report."

The Commission, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, submitted the report with 88 recommendations to deal with the sectarian violence and foster development in the region.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first ever bilateral visit to Myanmar last month, India too offered to help in the economic development of Rakhine state.

Since the middle of last month, India has, through its 'Operation Insaniyat', supplied essential commodities like parboiled rice, dal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, tea, milk powder, mosquito nets and soap to the displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.

There are around 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India too, but New Delhi has made it clear it was not willing to accept them because of security concerns.

In her address to the media here, Sushma Swaraj also mentioned that India has extended three lines of credit to Bangladesh amounting to $8 billion, the largest developmental assistance India has extended to any country.

"In addition, India has also been extending grants for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh," the Indian Minister said.

"In three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed, including construction of students' hostels, tube wells, cultural centres and orphanages. Presently, 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation. Tomorrow (Monday), we will launch another 15 projects in the areas of education, health, culture and community development."

Sushma Swaraj also referred to the cooperation between India and Bangladesh in the energy sector and said that India was now supplying 660 MW of "much-needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future".

"We will work together as founding members of the (India-initiated) International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession," she said.

"This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable by aggregating demand, promoting universal access to energy, and networking research and development.

Pointing out that oil and gas was another sector that would yield immense benefits to both the countries, Sushma Swaraj said: "We have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur to benefit people of north-western Bangladesh, as a grant-in-aid project."

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Sunday said that Myanmar should take back the hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is visiting Bangladesh, also discussed the refugee situation with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"India is deeply concerned over the spate of violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar," Sushma Swaraj said at a joint address to the media along with her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali following the fourth India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting here.

"We have urged the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the people's welfare," Sushma Swaraj said.

Without naming the Rohingyas, she said it was clear that "normalcy will be restored only with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state".

According to the latest figures issued by the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese Army's crackdown on the minority Rohingya community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Rakhine.

The Rohingyas do not have citizenship in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

"In our view, the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that will have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state," Sushma Swaraj said.

"India, for its part, has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine state in conjunction with the local authorities. We have also supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report."

The Commission, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, submitted the report with 88 recommendations to deal with the sectarian violence and foster development in the region.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first ever bilateral visit to Myanmar last month, India too offered to help in the economic development of Rakhine state.

Since the middle of last month, India has, through its 'Operation Insaniyat', supplied essential commodities like parboiled rice, dal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, tea, milk powder, mosquito nets and soap to the displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.

There are around 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India too, but New Delhi has made it clear it was not willing to accept them because of security concerns.

Following the JCC meeting, Sushma Swaraj called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and "discussed the situation arising out of influx of displaced persons from Rakhine state and need for an early and lasting solution", External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The Indian External Affairs Minister also apprised Hasina of the productive discussions at the JCC and tangible progress made since the latter's visit to India in April.

In her address to the media here, Sushma Swaraj mentioned that India has extended three lines of credit to Bangladesh amounting to $8 billion, the largest developmental assistance India has extended to any country.

"In addition, India has also been extending grants for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh," the Indian Minister said.

"In three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed, including construction of students' hostels, tube wells, cultural centres and orphanages. Presently, 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation. Tomorrow (Monday), we will launch another 15 projects in the areas of education, health, culture and community development."

Sushma Swaraj also referred to the cooperation between India and Bangladesh in the energy sector and said that India was now supplying 660 MW of "much-needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future".

"We will work together as founding members of the (India-initiated) International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession," she said.

"This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable by aggregating demand, promoting universal access to energy, and networking research and development.

Pointing out that oil and gas was another sector that would yield immense benefits to both the countries, Sushma Swaraj said: "We have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur to benefit people of north-western Bangladesh, as a grant-in-aid project."

Later in the evening, Sushma Swaraj also held a meeting with Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia and "exchanged views on issues of mutual interest", MEA Spokesperson Kumar said in a separate tweet.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Navy commanders are set to discuss plans for "enhancing and sustaining Indian Navy's operational footprint in the Indian Ocean Region" (IOR) and review the navy's combat readiness at a conference starting here on Tuesday.

The bi-annual Naval Commanders Conference will be addressed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who will also interact with the commanders during the four-day event.

"The commanders will also discuss plans for 'enhancing and sustaining Indian Navy's operational footprint in the IOR' in keeping with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Security and Growth for All in the Region' (SAGAR)," an official communique from the Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

The commanders will also review initiatives to further maritime cooperation with other navies in the IOR as also the Indian Navy's ability to proactively respond to maritime security challenges, including natural calamities, in the IOR, it said.

It said that the Chief of the Naval Staff, with the Commanders-in-Chief, will review major operational, materiel, human resource, training and administrative activities undertaken in the last six months and deliberate the way ahead on important activities and initiatives.

"The navy's combat readiness would be reviewed with focus on operational effectiveness of combat platforms, logistics and development of shore support infrastructure for sustaining distant operations.

"Efforts towards indigenisation and standardisation to make the navy self-reliant and modernise its warfare capability by means of unmanned systems would also be examined," it said.

The conference will also review the security of establishments in the backdrop of terrorist threats and the prevailing security scenario.

An interaction is also planned with Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to provide the "commanders a perspective on broader national interests".

The bi-annual event serves as a platform for institutionalised interaction between the naval commanders and senior government officials and with the chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A top Chinese Army official on Sunday said negotiations with the Indian Army paved the way for the resolution of the Doklam stand-off in the Sikkim Sector on the India-China border.

"This year, India military crossed the borderline into China's territory. Of course, it has safely been resolved now," China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) official Liu Fang said.

"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and we also had negotiations many times with the Indian side," said Liu, the Staff Officer at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the PLA Central Military Commission (CMC).

China's position contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, she added. Liu was talking on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"We are doing everything to protect our national integrity and security," she added.

India and Chinese troops were locked in an over two-month standoff at Doklam. The crises, which erupted in June over Chinese moves to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, ended in August, with both sides deciding to "disengage" from the face-off point.

Liu was accompanied by other top Army officials who talked about making the world's largest standing military more powerful in the future.

Another PLA official Wang Rui said: "Increasing and strengthening the military capability is our priority. We are making all efforts towards the goal of fighting and winning the war...."

"The Chinese Army can win the war against all invading armies," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leaders of various opposition parties will meet on Monday to discuss their future strategy against the National Democratic Alliance government and also to put up a united front ahead of Parliament's coming Winter Session.

Rebel Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav will likely attend the meeting at Parliament House complex at 3 p.m., where leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, DMK and the Left will be present.

Opposition leaders will likely discuss a number of issues and chalk out a strategy to counter the central government during the session, apart from the impact of the November 8 demonetisation on the common people after almost a year of its implementation and how they are going to take up the issue.

The issue of the impact of the Goods and Services Tax, enforced with effect from July 1, on traders may also come up during discussions, apart from allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

In the last opposition parties' meeting here in August, it was decided to constitute a small coordination committee to discuss their future strategy against the government.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of a 31-km Ghogha-Dahej 'roll-on, roll-off' (Ro-Ro) ferry service, a first-of-its-kind in India, saying it was "a landmark project for entire South-East Asia".

The Rs 650-crore service links Ghogha in Bhavnagar district in western Gujarat's Saurashtra region and Dahej in Bharuch district in south Gujarat across the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.

Calling it his dream project, Modi said the ferry service was his "invaluable gift to India" and claimed that the even for South-East Asia this was the first project of its size.

The Prime Minister later travelled on the ferry to Dahej in company with many handicapped children whom he called his "special guests".

He said it was his effort that gave birth to the ferry service which he had heard about only in his school days.

"It seems implementation of all good works are my luck," Modi joked.

"New changes don't come from cliched attitude, but new thinking. We changed the way of thinking," he said, adding that this service would shorten a 360-km distance to 31 km or a road journey of seven hours to one hour.

"This may be a project between Ghogha and Dahej but it is a landmark project not only for India but also for entire South East Asia. The ferry service is a first of sorts. It is a dream come true for people of Gujarat."

Modi blasted previous Congress governments stating they had created such procedural factors that made it impossible for projects like Ro-Ro service to see the light of the day.

Modi said the earlier central governments wanted the Ro-Ro service provider to build terminals. "Tell me, do aircraft operators build airports or bus operators build roads? It is the government's job. So, we took up the job."

The Prime Minister claimed that earlier central governments tried to stall several development projects of Gujarat but after he took charge many issues challenging the growth of the state had been sorted out.

"When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, we faced hostility from the then central government. Several efforts were made to stall industries and the state's progress. Over the last three years we have changed that."

The ferry service had been getting delayed for various technical and financial issues since 1995 and was first thought of in early 1960s. The foundation stone for current works was laid by Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister in 2012.

The ferry can take up to 500 passengers. In subsequent phases, the ferries would also be able to transport cars and trucks across the Gulf.

The project would be a boon for over 25 lakh people from Saurashtra settled in diamond and textiles hub of Surat in south Gujarat.

The Prime Minister said plans were afoot to expand the ferry service to Hazira and the union territory Diu-Daman at a later stage and various places in Saurashtra. Modi said the services would also not be restricted to only one route.

"We are planning to link other places also through ferries. I am told that a pre-feasibility report for a similar project across Gulf of Kutch is ready."

Calling coastal areas as gateways to progress, he said that over the last three years, his government had been trying to develop coastal infrastructure.

"We seek to create over a crore employment opportunities."

After travelling to Dahej on the ferry, Modi flew to Vadodara to address a public rally and inaugurate more projects.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt will co-author a book about her battle with alcohol. It will come out early next year.

"I would like to emphasise that it is not an autobiography. At 45, I am too young to write my memoirs. As they say in filmi terms, 'Picture abhi baaki hai, dost'. But I can help others like me deal with their problem by talking about my journey," Pooja said in a statement.

It has been 10 months since she has left liquor.

"It hasn't been easy but it hasn't been too difficult either. A series of chapters in a book called life. It wasn't planned, but we have announced the book on Bhai Dooj, when traditionally Indians have just ushered in a new year. As the Diwali lights continue to sparkle around us, please support me on this journey the way you always have through all my films," added the daughter of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Pooja found fame with roles in "Daddy", "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin", "Sadak" and "Zakhm". As a director, she has helmed "Paap", "Kajraare" and "Jism 2" among others.

It was in March this year that Pooja spoke to journalist Roshmila Bhattacharya on her battle with the bottle saying, "If I didn't quit now, I'd have drank myself to the grave."

Her book will be co-authored with Bhattacharya, and will be published by Penguin India.

On Twitter, Pooja expressed excitement about setting off an "arduous yet life affirming journey into my own heart".

--IANS

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Proposals to protect two of Central Asia's rarest species, Przewalski's horse and the Gobi bear, are high on the agenda of the global wildlife summit beginning this week in the Philippine capital of Manila, it was announced on Sunday.

The government of Mongolia has submitted proposals regarding these species to the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12, beginning on Monday.

If agreed, their resolutions will afford the highest protection status under CMS to these animals, whose numbers are critically low.

Over 120 countries, including India, will gather in the Philippines for smmit, the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species.

A large number of proposals for greater protection under the Convention will be tabled for negotiation, including well-known species such as the chimpanzee, giraffe, leopard, lion and the whale shark.

Fifteen species of vultures in 128 countries, including four that are critically endangered in India, may also get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year, multi-species coordinated action plan to conserve them set to take wing at the summit.

The stoutly-built reddish-brown Przewalski's horse is the only surviving species of wild horse that has not been domesticated.

They traditionally roamed the steppe, shrublands, and plains of western Mongolia and northern China, surviving in temperature extremes from 40 degrees Celsius in the summer and minus 45 degrees in the winter.

However, their population has dwindled, with the last confirmed sighting in the wild made in 1969.

Experts say that the horses' demise is due to severe winters, limited habitat and resources, disease and lack of information and awareness.

In 2008, following a successful captive breeding programme, Przewalski's horses were re-introduced into the wild in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

As of January 1, 2014, the number of living captive and reintroduced animals was 1,988.

Likewise, the smallish, light brown Gobi bear, which is regarded as a national treasure by Mongolians, is found only in the extreme environment of the Gobi Desert.

Population estimates indicate that fewer than 45 remain in the wild with none in captivity. The animals are a unique ecotype and are adapted to the low food availability and harsh environment of the Gobi Desert, where temperatures may vary between 46 degrees Celsius in summer to minus 34 degrees in winter.

If listed on Appendix I, the Gobi bear will fall under the CMS Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI), which currently targets 15 species, and already includes Przewalski's horse.

The Initiative comprises 14 countries, nine of which have ratified the Convention -- Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- and five are non-Party States -- Bhutan, China, Nepal, Russia and Turkmenistan.

--IANS

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was freed from a prison here on Sunday after spending 20 days for repeatedly organising anti-government protests.

Navalny posted a photo of himself on Instagram which he captioned with a short summary of what he had done while in prison and announcing another rally scheduled for Sunday night, reports Efe news.

"In 20 days I've read 20 books, learned a few words in Kyrgyz, drank 80 liters of tea and listened to the same song on the radio no less than 60 times. Ready for work," he wrote.

He had been arrested at the entrance to his home on September 29 when he was on his way to a rally in the western city of Nizhny Novgorod.

Navalny is continuing his electoral campaign despite having been disqualified from the upcoming presidential election, slated for March 2018, due to his police record.

Because he was in prison, he was unable to attend the national protest he had called on October 7, the day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday, but he said he was satisfied with the way it had unfolded, with some 36 legal and 26 unauthorised events held across the country.

According to sources, some 300 people were arrested throughout Russia that day, though police claimed only 136 people had been detained and they were all released soon after.

--IANS

ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The presence of a high concentration of lead has been detected in raw food items such as polished rice and fish, sold in city markets, says a team of Indian scientists.

The scientists have highlighted the linkages of the presence of the toxic substance with diesel combustion. The observations are based on recent studies carried out by a group of scientists lead by Avijit Das, Chemist of Geological Survey of India (GSI).

"The raw food items, sold near the streets of Kolkata, contain a mean lead concentration between 3.78 and 43.35 mg/kg (average 23.56 mg/kg) which is very high compared to the threshold value of 2.5mg/kg specified by Food Safety and Standards Regulation (2011), India," a statement from the Geological Survey of India said on Sunday.

The study also revealed that about 75 per cent of the lead contamination in the food items sold in Kolkata street markets, was contributed by atmospheric lead, mainly produced by combustion of diesel.

The current reference range for acceptable blood lead concentrations in healthy persons without excessive exposure to environmental sources of lead is less than 0.05 mg/L for children whereas, it is less than 0.25Amg/L for adults (as per American/European standards).

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic element and its prolonged exposure to humans can cause permanent damage to the kidneys, liver and hematologic systems.

Children are more at risk because lead exposure can reverse their brain growth and cause irreversible damage to their overall health system.

Samples of eight items -- polished rice, red lentil (masoor dal), red spinach, chicken, fish (without scales), biscuits, spice (cumin seeds) and a common medicinal herb (holy basil or tulsi) -- were collected from 12 roadside markets covering the north, south, east and west of Kolkata.

Soil and vegetables samples were collected from Dhapa Ground, alongside the EM Bypass, for the study of lead contamination while street dust samples were sourced from major roads north and south of Kolkata.

Coal samples from Jharia and Ranigunj were analysed for the presence of atmospheric lead from the use of coal.

The study also included analysis of galena (ore of lead) samples from Alwar (Rajasthan) to calculate the Lead Isotope Ratio (LIR) of Indian lead; rain water and diesel samples were collected from Kolkata.

LIR is a modern method used to ascertain the sources of lead exposure.

All these samples were collected to compare their lead isotopic ratios and lead concentration with that of food items sold near the streets of Kolkata.

To compare the level of contamination in sediments and vegetables found in Dhapa, soil and vegetable samples were collected from a relatively less polluted place called Ichapur (Control Site), located about 30 km north of Kolkata.

As far as the lead concentration in the street dust is concerned the findings are "worrisome".

The mean concentration of Pb found in the 29 sites was 383.2 mg/kg with a range from 23.82 mg/kg to a very high value of 2697.24 mg/kg at Amherst Street in north Kolkata.

"The study reveals that the accumulated atmospheric lead, derived mainly from diesel exhausts of the city's traffic, had the dominant lead isotopic fingerprints. This lead contamination can be arrested by minimizing the use of diesel and by encouraging the mass traffic movements by greener energy sources like LPG/CNG operated vehicles, battery operated electric cars, solar cars and increasing Metro rail network," the statement said.

Avijit Das carried out the research in association with K.V.S.S. Krishna, Rajeev Kumar, Anindya Das, Siladitya Sengupta and Joy Gopal Ghosh. Their work has been published in the peer reviewed international journals of "Environmental Science and Technology" [(2017) (online publication)] and "Environmental Science and Pollution Research" (2016).

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UN Security Council on Saturday condemned "in the strongest terms" Friday's terrorist attack in El-Wahat desert in Egypt, where a large number of policemen were killed and injured.

In a press statement issued by Security Council President Francois Delattre, the council members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Egypt, and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured, Xinhua reported.

The Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Egyptian government and all relevant authorities in this regard.

The council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

It reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and asked all states to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo was ambushed, officials said Saturday, becoming one of the deadliest for Egyptian security forces in recent years.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US Air Force could call back as many as 1,000 retired airmen to active duty amid an "acute shortage" of military combat pilots, local reports said on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order which would allow him to use powers under the National Emergencies Act signed in the wake of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, to subject the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force to the direction of the secretary of defence on the matter, Xinhua reported.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defence will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," the local media quoted a statement by Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Gary issued on Friday.

The US Air Force was short of 1,555 pilots at the end of the 2016 fiscal year, including 1,211 fighter pilots, according to an ABC News report.

To help make the pilot job more attractive, the Air Force expanded its aviation bonus program in August and increased incentive pay earlier this month for officers and enlisted crew members for the first time since 1999, said the report.

The pilot supply shortage is seen as a national level challenge that could have adverse effects on both the government and commercial aviation sectors in the United States.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even before the archbishop arrived to start the great consecration ceremony at St. Martin Orthodox Church, members of the community were there, praying and singing psalms.

And their worship would continue for hours, as an archbishop, two bishops and nine other priests worked to consecrate the church and construct and sanctify its altar.

The complex ceremony, in the eyes of the churchs congregants, makes the space where the altar was built holy ground, which should never have anything else built on it again.

To receive a great consecration is very much a reception of Gods grace, said Father James Baglien, the churchs rector for 15 years.

The ceremony is only done once in the life of a church, Baglien said, and is so rare that people came from Greece just to see it.

Our building had to be complete and we had to achieve suitable stability and longevity for this to be done, he said.

St. Martins, which sits just off Highland Avenue in Corvallis, is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Baglien said the churchs origins are in a group that started meeting informally in the early 1990s, with families who were tired of commuting to Portland to worship.

The families were given the churchs property, on a parcel overlooking Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, in the mid-1990s, Baglien said, and then began constructing their timber-framed church in 1996. The structure, a Mediterranean style basilica with north Russian style cupolas on its roof, was completed in 2001 and was initially a private oratory, before opening to the public in 2002 with Baglien as its rector.

But Baglien said even then the church was not finished: its taken another 15 years of work by three artists to complete the churchs elaborate frescoes, which Baglien said are some of the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest.

Baglien said the initial and largest frescoes were painted on canvas starting in 1999 and glued into place by a Russian-Canadian nun named Mother Anastasia, who at the time was living in a convent in New York. But as her health declined, she was unable to complete the work and stopped.

Baglien said then an American artist named Mark Hrebinka took over the project from 2004 to 2006, but he eventually had to give up the project because he lost the studio space where he was painting his own icons before installing them. After a long interval Ukrainian-Canadian artist Alexander Koutsenko took over the project and finished it in June.

Baglien said the icons of Christ, saints and other holy figures in the church are not painted in a realistic style. Instead, they are supposed to represent the grace of Christ in all of the figures.

Its the underlying spiritual reality we are trying to express here, he said.

The church also completed a parish hall for social events next to the church in 2015. With the completion of the iconography, Baglien said, the church was truly complete.

In Orthodox Christianity, we try to have a beautiful space to worship, we often say we want to create a piece of heaven on earth," Baglien said.

Bishop Irenei of Sacramento, who participated in the ceremony, will be giving a lecture titled Does God Cause Earthquakes? at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the LaSells Stewart Center.

Visit www.stmartinorthodoxchurch.org for more information about the church, which Baglien said has about 80 members.
Voting was underway in Japans general election on Sunday, in which the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to achieve a solid victory in the face of a divided opposition.

Latest opinion polls have suggested the coalition of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will maintain a comfortable majority in the Lower House of Parliament, reports The Japan Times.

The ruling bloc is likely to capitalise on the win by pressing ahead with debate on the Constitution's first amendment ever.

The opposition vote looks likely to be split between two parties that emerged in recent weeks out of the husk of the collapsing Democratic Party, according to the polls.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) has taken on much of the Democratic Party's conservative wing, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has absorbed the liberals.

Polling stations will close at 8 p.m., with the final result expected by early Monday, reports The Japan Times.

A total of 1,180 candidates are vying for the Lower House's 465 seats, 289 of which represent single-seat electoral districts.

The remaining 176 are filled through proportional representation, based on voters' preferred parties across 11 regional blocks.

Dissolving the Lower House on September 28, Abe said he needed to secure a fresh mandate from the public for his administration's plans for the revenue from a consumption tax increase in October 2019 and for its handling of the threat from North Korea.

Sunday's election is the first Lower House race in which 18 and 19-year-olds can vote, under a change in the law that took effect last year.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday announced that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's appointment as its Goodwill Ambassador has been cancelled.

After days of scathing criticism from around the globe for naming Robert Mugabe a Goodwill Ambassador for health, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had "reflected" on the appointment, The New York Times reported.

"I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised," he said.

"I have also consulted with the government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organisation."

On Wednesday, at a global conference in Uruguay on non-communicable diseases, Tedros, an Ethiopian and the first African to lead the United Nations' health agency, said he was "honoured" to be joined by Mugabe, 93.

Tedros said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" when it came to fighting non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma in Africa.

He also praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

The reaction was swift and unforgiving.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada joined a chorus of world leaders, the US State Department, medical professionals and social media users who expressed outrage or puzzlement at the appointment.

Trudeau told reporters he thought the choice of Mugabe was "a bad April Fool's joke", according to media reports.

Twenty eight health organisations, including the NCD Alliance which works with the WHO and other global groups to battle non-communicable diseases, released a statement expressing "shock" at the appointment.

Obert Gutu, a spokesman for Zimbabwe's main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, said: "It is an insult."

He added: "Mugabe trashed our health delivery system. He and his family go outside of the country for treatment in Singapore after he allowed our public hospitals to collapse."

Under Mugabe's rule, critics say, the country's health care system, like many of its public services, has suffered badly, with hospitals frequently lacking essential supplies and nurses and doctors regularly left without pay.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights group, had condemned the choice and called on Tedros to reconsider, writing on Twitter: "@DrTedros I urge you to cancel your appointment of Mugabe as WHO 'good-will ambassador' he ruined Zimbabwe's health."

In a tweet on Saturday, Tedros wrote: "I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Foreign direct investment inflow to India from Japan has seen a sizeable leg-up over the past three-four years, growing from $1.7 billion in 2013-14 to $4.7 billion in 2016-17. Corporate investigation and risk consulting firm Kroll Incs regional managing director and head of Asia operations, TADASHI KAGEYAMA, has over the years worked closely with many Japanese businesses and investors and helped them shape their India strategy. He shares with Sudipto Dey the key regulatory challenges that are of concern for many Japanese investors looking at India. Edited excerpts:
In less than two months, the people of Gujarat will cast their votes to elect a new legislative assembly, the schedule still awaited. This is the first time in 15 years that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is entering the poll battle without a popular face of Narendra Modi, who spearheaded three back-to-back electoral victories in 2002, 2007 and 2012, though with reducing seats and vote share.
Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the party. The ruling BJP also got a boost as two leaders from Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.

Thakore, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.





Soon after, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, Patidar leaders closely associated with the PAAS movement, joined the BJP, profusely praising the ruling party, which they suddenly found to have considered all their demands.





"We were fighting for the community and not working as agents of any political party or to broker their ambitions," Reshma Patel said. Asked if they were not acting as agents of the BJP, both claimed their fight right from the beginning was for the community and to support whoever backed the Patidars' cause.

Thakore, meanwhile, said he and his supporters would formally join the Congress at a massive rally in Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi will fly down especially for the rally.





"It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess," Thakore told reporters in Delhi.

He added, "Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP."

Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Hardik Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the "dictatorial and inhuman" BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, "I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so."





"There is no talk of joining the Congress. I have said earlier also that the Congress would have to first convince us how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise," Patel told IANS.

"Our agitation will continue even if the Congress comes to power if our demands are not met," he said, adding that he had maintained this several times.

PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhania told a Gujarat TV channel, "A couple of ambitious people joining BJP or leaving the Patidar movement won't have any impact on us."

Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, "I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organisations and leaders in the state."

Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal-U and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days - Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani - to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP," Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.

He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. "PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress."

"We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 per cent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 per cent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution," he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.

Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 per cent additional reservations is approved.
In the run-up to the Assembly polls in Gujarat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior Yashwant Sinha is likely to address public meetings in the state.
A powerful typhoon barrelled towards Japan today, leaving two dead and more than 10 injured, as millions struggled to the polls for a national election.

Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters as Typhoon Lan, described as "very large and very strong", dumped torrential rain over much of the country.

According to Japan's meteorological agency, the storm packed gusts up to 216 kms per hour tonight in the Pacific south of Japan and may hit Tokyo and surrounding regions early tomorrow.

The typhoon claimed its first victims as a male passer-by died when scaffolding collapsed on him at a construction site in Fukuoka, western Japan, public broadcaster NHK said.

And a 70-year-old man was found dead after he dived into the sea to grab a rope from another vessel as he attempted to escape from his troubled boat, a coastguard told AFP.

At least 11 people were injured across the nation, NHK said.

Strong winds forced airline companies to ground more than 500 flights, while some train and ferry services in western Japan were cancelled, local media said.

Television footage showed rescuers tugging a rubber boat carrying an elderly woman in a residential area in Chiba southeast of Tokyo as a flooded river engulfed the area.

Toyota Motor said it would suspend operations at all domestic plants today.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered his minister in charge of disasters to be ready to mobilise rescue and evacuation forces, including troops.

"In order to protect people's lives, the Abe cabinet will unite and do its best to provide an emergency response to a disaster," he told reporters.

Sever local governments in Osaka and other prefectures issued evacuation advisories, urging thousands of residents living near the coast, rivers and hillsides to move to shelters.

The weather agency separately warned of high waves, landslides and floods in central and western Japan.

Voters in the capital braved torrential rain and driving wind on election day, as opinion polls indicate Abe is on course for a comfortable win.

Voting was delayed by some 20 minutes in Kochi in western Japan when landslides blocked a road, while several polling stations closed earlier than scheduled.

Ferries to a remote island in the west were cancelled due to high waves, forcing election officials to suspend the counting of votes there.

Yesterday voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm had cast their ballots early, heeding a call from Abe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A two-and-a-half-year-old girl, who went missing from near her home in Pune, was found dead, police said today.

The police feared that she may have been abducted and strangulated.

The toddler went missing from near her house close to a farm off Sinhgad Road late last night following which her parents, who are daily wage labourers, approached the police.

She was found dead early this morning about 500 metres from her house, a police official said.

"Prima facie, it seems that the girl was strangulated as there are marks on her neck. Some residents living in the vicinity of the farm spotted the body this morning," an official at the Sinhgad Road police station said.

"A case of kidnapping was registered immediately. This morning, the girl was found dead near the farm behind a housing society off Sinhgad Road," he said.

Asked if the child was sexually assaulted, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Swargate division, Shivaji Pawar said it was yet to be ascertained as the medical report was awaited.

"We have registered a case on charges of kidnapping and murder. An investigation into the case is underway," Pawar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 20 cases of diarrhoea were reported at the community health centre of Polsara town in Ganjam district over the past four days, a health official said today.

While some of them were released after basic treatment, 10 people were still under care at the health centre (CHC), the official said.

The condition of all the patients was stable, he said.

"The first case was reported in the town on Thursday. Soon, the number of cases rose. A medical team from Berhampur rushed to the town to attend to the patients in collaboration with the CHC officials," the health official added.

Additional district medical officer (public health) Jagadish Patnaik said the health officials were doing their best to help the patients.

"The situation is under control now. Only two fresh cases were reported from the affected areas yesterday. We have taken necessary steps to control the spread of the disease," Patnaik said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said his government has signed memorandums of understanding with 22 companies which will invest Rs 3,900 crore in the upcoming Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in the Warangal district.

Rao, who laid foundation stone for the textile park at Shayampet in Chintapalli village, also said that since the state's formation, Telangana has attracted over Rs 1.07 lakh crore of investment under the new industrial policy TS-iPASS.

"I proudly state that today we signed MoUs with 22 companies which are going to set up factories in the textile park. This will provide direct employment to 27,000 people and create about 50,000 indirect job opportunities," he said.

It would be the largest textile park in the country, Rao added.

Unlike other textile hubs such as Solapur in Maharashtra, Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and Surat in Gujarat, the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park would focus on all types of fabrics and garments, Rao said.

The textile park will come up on 1,200 acres in the first phase and eventually occupy 2,000 acres of land. Zero liquid (effluent) discharge will be ensured to avoid pollution, the chief minister assured.

Rao also announced that the TRS government is planning to bring in a law during the Assembly session which will start on October 27 to convert about 4,000 tribal 'tandas' (settlements) into full-fledged village panchayats.

The government has so far distributed nearly 26 lakh sheep to eligible persons under a scheme, he mentioned.

Rao also laid foundation stones for various other projects including the Warangal Outer Ring Road, a road overbridge and expansion of Madikonda IT Incubator Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Downtown Albany used to be known for deteriorated buildings, break-ins and other problems.

But things have changed dramatically in recent years, and two centerpieces of the areas continued improvement have received recognition from the state.

The Pix Theatre, 321 Second Ave. SW, was named business of the year by the Oregon Main Street program during its Excellence in Downtown Revitalization awards ceremony earlier this month. The Albany Historic Carousel & Museum, 501 First Ave. W., was named outstanding special project by the organization during the event.

This really does make Albany shine bright. We have so many wonderful things to show off, said Rebecca Bond, historic resources coordinator for the Albany Visitors Association.

Were getting wonderful recognition from our peers. Its well-deserved, said Lise Grato, executive director of the Albany Downtown Association, which nominated both the movie house and the carousel for the awards.

For the love of movies

Rod and Denise Bigner, owners of the Pix, said they were shocked by the award. We felt honored just to be nominated. There were so many terrific businesses, Rod Bigner said.

Were here almost every single day and we love what were doing here. It was interesting to have somebody outside Albany acknowledge that we were doing something special, he added.

Denise Bigner said the Pix was about celebrating the movie-going ambiance and environment, and that includes keeping prices low on popcorn and other offerings at the snack bar.

We still think that people want to go out and have an experience, Rod Bigner said.

And the couple, to be sure, is part of that experience for many customers, as the Bigners interact with residents who come to watch films. I love talking movies, Rod Bigner said.

During the awards ceremony, Oregon Main Street acknowledged the interior and exterior renovations the Bigners undertook to improve the movie theater, including repairing the business iconic neon sign and upgrading the lobby. The organization also mentioned the theater's special events and local fundraising efforts for the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, the Albany Public Library and more.

A big factor was our involvement in the community, Denise Bigner said.

The Pix holds a free annual holiday movie, and this year, they also showed Selma for free on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Bigners also help with Movies at Monteith and other events.

But the business has also garnered praise for other special occasions, such as partnering with acclaimed chef Matt Bennett of nearby restaurant Sybaris for date nights  think of pairing an Italian dinner with Goodfellas.

The movies shown at the Pix mirror the Bigners tastes, and they arent chosen strictly for earning potential. We want to pick things were interested in seeing, Rod Bigner said.

And that means that everything from blockbuster superhero movies to arthouse films.

The old Pix opened in the late 1960s and closed in 1985. But the movie house reopened in 2006. It was one of the first downtown building restorations to use funding from the Central Albany Revitalization Area, receiving $75,000 for the urban renewal project.

Local officials have credited CARA with spurring downtowns turnaround.

The Bigners purchased the Pix in July 2013, moving from California and changing careers to take over its operation.

The couple and their two children have immersed themselves in the downtown scene.

The Bigners live downtown and do much of their shopping in the district, and enjoy running into friends while out walking.

We dont just do our business down here. We do our life down here, Denise Bigner said.

And theyre excited to see some of the changes, including businesses opening up and the carousels success, as well as the new downtown fire station.

Downtown is growing, but more than that, its becoming this special, unique place, Denise Bigner said.

Carousel continues to draw visitors

The Oregon Main Street program, which is part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, cited how the Albany Historic Carousel & Museum project took more than 10 years and over 150,000 hours of volunteer effort.

I cant help but think that the project not only met but exceeded everyones expectations, said Sheri Stuart, coordinator of the Main Street Program.

Dr. Gary Goby, a volunteer who oversaw construction for the carousel, credited the Carlson Veit Architects of Salem and T. Gerding Construction of Corvallis for helping make dreams of the building a magnificent reality.

We had great help, Goby said.

That help also came from local tax dollars. The $5.6 million carousel project included nearly $750,000 in urban renewal funding from the CARA.

Bond said that Albany residents had been eagerly awaiting the carousel for years. To finally be able to boast about it and invite people to come see it for themselves ...  she said.

People have flocked to the carousel, and the influx of visitors shows no signs of slowing down. Tour groups are coming from all over Oregon, which is really cool, said Jennifer Weinmaster, operations supervisor.

On its busiest days, the carousel draws more than 1,000 riders, Weinmaster said. She added that in two months, the carousel has had 48,000 riders and attracted roughly 65,000 people overall.

Grato said that the carousel has a ripple effect for shops and stores. Were seeing new faces downtown all the time.

Weinmaster expects a busy holiday season for the carousel, with decorations, new carousel animals and more.

Kudos for the mid-valley

The mid-Willamette Valley has been featured regularly in recent years during the Oregon Main Streets downtown revitalization awards ceremony.

Downtown Corvallis businesses were big winners in 2016, when Oregon Main Street named Running Princess Apparel the best new business and recognized the Clothes Tree for the best facade improvement.

In 2015, the Natty Dresser in downtown Albany was named best new business and also won the best interior renovation award by the organization.

While Corvallis downtown has been recognized as a gem for years, more awards could be coming to downtown Albany in the future.

Grato said shes going to do more nominations in more categories for the Oregon Main Street program awards next year, and shes sure there are more honors in store for the carousel, as well.

Overall, downtown Albany continues to trend upward, and its becoming a destination, Grato and Bond said.

Albany is getting better and better. Its a great place to live and people want to visit places like this. More people are recognizing that than ever, Bond said.
Tension erupted in the Sikandarpur area here after some unidentified persons participating in an idol immersion procession allegedly threw stones at a place of worship of another community.

Four persons have been arrested in connection with the stone-pelting incident that occurred yesterday.

In-charge of the Sikandarpur police station Anil Tiwari said, "Some anti-social elements, who were part of an idol immersion procession, hurled stones at a place of worship of another community and some houses."



He said no one was injured in the incident.

Eighteen people have been booked for "spreading hatred and damaging public property". Four persons have been arrested, Tiwari said.

Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel have been deployed at the spot and the situation is under control, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 65 million job opportunities have been created in China in the last five years due to pro- employment and entrepreneurship policies, a Chinese official has said.

China is confident about a sustained employment market as it moves forward to build a moderately prosperous society in 2020, Yin Weimin, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said on the sidelines of the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

More than 65 million job opportunities were created in the past five years and 25 million laid-off workers were reemployed, he said.

"The general employment market in China is stable. On average, more than 13 million new job opportunities were created every year in the past five years in the urban areas," he said, noting that China still faces many challenges.

Next year, the number of university graduates will reach an unprecedented high of eight million and the number will remain high for a while. Meanwhile, there is a supply-demand gap for skilled workers in the country, he was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily.

The registered unemployment rate in urban areas remained low though the growth of the Chinese economy, he said.

To ensure stable employment, China has rolled out an array of pro-employment and entrepreneurship policies, while the country's entrepreneurial wave and the growth of the tertiary industry has also helped fuel job creation, he said.
Millions of Japanese braved typhoon conditions today for a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the world's third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea.

If pre-election surveys prove correct, Abe's conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse.

Polling stations opened across the country at 7:00 am (local time) with voters battling high winds and driving rain as an election-day typhoon barrelled towards Japan.

Analysts say that if the weather affects turnout, it is likely to benefit Abe, whose conservative voters are more determined, putting the nationalist blueblood on course to become the country's longest-serving leader.

"I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," one voter, Yoshihisa Iemori, said as he cast his ballot in Tokyo.

"I'm focusing on this point for the election," the 50- year-old construction firm owner told AFP.

The near-constant drizzle throughout the campaign has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house.

Such a "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to "renounce" war and effectively limits its military to a self- defence role.

Ballot boxes close at 8:00 pm (local time) when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls.

Abe shocked Japan by calling the snap election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual "national crises" of an ageing population and North Korean tensions.

Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12- day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea.

Nationalist Abe has taken a hawkish line during the crisis, binding Japan to the US stance that "all options" are on the table to counter Pyongyang's nuclear threat and urging maximum pressure via sanctions.

"When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver," an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally.

"We must not yield to the threat of North Korea."



Observers say North Korea's sabre-rattling has helped Abe, 63, as voters tend to plump for the incumbent at times of heightened tension.

Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in the country and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity.

Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken."



"I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger. He does not do politics for the people," added the pensioner.

But Abe faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japan's sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old- school politics and vested interests.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koike's popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election.

"As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless," said Michael Cucek from Temple University.

Koike herself was even in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor.

The centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party may benefit from her decline and could become the second biggest party.

Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime minister's trademark "Abenomics" policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories.
A rhino turned the tables on a suspected poacher in Namibia, charging and injuring the man while he was allegedly tracking it.

The Namibian newspaper reported last week that the incident happened in Etosha National Park after suspect Luteni Muharukua and other alleged poachers illegally entered the wildlife area in hopes of killing rhinos for their horns.

The newspaper says the rhino "appeared from nowhere" and quotes Simson Shilongo, a police officer, as saying the rhino inflicted a severe leg injury on Muharukua after he fell while fleeing.

Shilongo says the suspect's friends found refuge for him on a nearby mountain and police arrested him there on Oct. 15, a day after he was injured. Muharukua is being treated at a hospital under police guard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking a serious note of AIIMS employees writing to the prime minister or other ministers directly for redressal of grievances, the hospital administration has warned them of disciplinary action if found doing so.

In a memorandum, the AIIMS administration said submission of such representations directly to "outside authorities", bypassing the hospital, would be treated as an "unbecoming conduct" and advised them to submit those to the officer concerned or to the director of the institute.

The memorandum states that the hospital received a number of representations by the staff on service matters, which were directly addressed to the prime minister, ministers and members of parliament, among others outside the institute.

"Such representations directly submitted to other authorities bypassing the institute's authorities has been viewed seriously," read the memorandum.

The hospital authorities have advised the employees, who wish to make representations regarding any claim or to seek redressal of a grievance related to service rights or conditions, to submit the same to the officer concerned, the deputy director or the director of the AIIMS.

"Submission of such representations by any means (including email/public grievance portal etc) directly to outside authorities, bypassing the institute authorities would be treated as an unbecoming conduct, thereby attracting provisions of Rule 3 (1) (iii) of CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964, and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against those violating these instructions," the memo read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP president Amit Shah will launch the party's 75-day 'Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivartan Yatra', to be undertaken by its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa here on November 2, to highlight the "omissions" and "commissions" of the Congress government in the state, a senior leader of the saffron party said today.

The 'yatra', to mark the launch of the BJP's electoral campaign for next year's Assembly polls, would criss-cross the state, covering all the 224 Assembly segments, BJP national general secretary and Karnataka affairs in-charge Muralidhar Rao told reporters here.

He was speaking after taking part in the Bhoomi Pooja (ground-breaking ceremony) for the march, near the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, from where it is scheduled to be launched.

He said the "omissions" and "commissions" ofthe Siddaramaiah government would be highlighted during the 'yatra'.

Rao also said the BJP was all set "make the life of the ruling Congress difficult" by continuing to expose one scam after the other during the 75-day 'yatra'.

He challenged Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take part in public debates across the state.

"The BJP challenges Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi to take part in public debates. It is no more in the TV studios, but on the streets of Karnataka," he said.

Rao said the saffron party was determined to free the people of Karnataka from corruption, bad governance and radicalisation, which, he alleged, were the hallmarks of the Congress regime headed by Siddaramaiah.

"This yatra is aimed at removing the Congress lock, stock and barrel in order to make Karnataka Congress-mukt (Congress-free) and form a BJP government headed by Yeddyurappa," he added.

Six party workers on three motorcycles from each of the 27,000 booths in southern Karnataka -- a total of 1.62 lakh workers -- would arrive at the BIEC grounds here on November 2, to be present at the launch of the march, the BJP leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Amy Jackson has completed the shooting for the Rajinikanth-starrer "2.0".

The 25-year-old actor is now in Canada to start filming the next episode for The CW's series, "Supergirl", in which she will portray the role of Saturn Girl.

Amy took to Twitter to make the announcement.

"Aaaand that's a wrap for '2.0'. The past 2 and a half years have been an absolute rollercoaster... but the outcome will knock ya socks offf!



"A quick 26 hours later and I've arrived in Canada to start working on the next episode of @TheCWSupergirl," the actor wrote.

Directed by Shankar, "2.0" is the sequel to the earlier blockbuster "Enthiran", released in 2010.

"Enthiran", released as "Robot" in other languages, had Rajinikanth in the lead as Vaseegaran and Chitti, the android.

Akshay features as the antagonist in "2.0".

The film is slated to release on January 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has met top scientists and food experts in the US to learn more about best global practices in the field of agriculture and allied industries.

Naidu said he aims to make Andhra Pradesh the most advanced agricultural state in the country.

"The government believes that agricultural growth is only possible by combining advanced technology with effective policies," Naidu said after he concluded his three-day tour of the US later this week.

Naidu was here to participate in an internationally renowned World Food Prize-2017 award ceremony event held in Des Moines, Iowa, during which he met top agricultural scientists, food experts and representatives from top seed and agro companies over roundtables and one-on-one meetings, according to a statement by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister's office.

"Government's primary focus is on accelerating agricultural growth, farmers' welfare is also being ensured. We are making efforts to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge-based economy, with an expansion of horticulture by following efficient cropping practices," Naidu said.

Naidu participated in a roundtable meeting with seed experts at the Iowa State University Seed Park. He also visited DuPont Pioneer, leading producer of hybrid seeds and genetically modified crops, as part of his goal to learn more about the latest technologies in the areas of seed quality, climate and soil management, crop genetics and farm productivity.

"We will make use of advanced technologies to turn agriculture profitable in the state. There are lot of experiments being done in farming across the globe. There is a need to study them and tune accordingly and adopt for our farmer's benefit," Naidu said at the conclusion of these meetings.

"Through technology, we will conduct soil tests and rightly guide farmers on the crop. We saved acres of crops by inter-linking of rivers which is a first in the country," he said.

Iowa State Governor Kim Reynolds praised Naidu's efforts towards eradicating hunger and ensuring food security. He is also being invited to participate on global platforms to share Andhra Pradesh's journey towards sustainable agriculture, the statement said.

The state government is partnering with global institutions like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Economic Forum, World Food Prize and Iowa State University in adopting best practices being implemented in agriculture across the world.

The foundation for a mega seed park was recently laid in Kurnool district in the state in partnership with the Iowa State University.

To encourage innovations and best practices from various stakeholders, the government is organising an international agriculture summit in Visakhapatnam next month for which Microsoft Founder Bill Gates will attend, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Army is finalising a plan to modernise around 2,000 military stations and develop them in line with the government's smart city initiative.

Army officials said 58 military stations have already been identified as part of the pilot project to implement the ambitious initiative.

They said all cantonments will be part of the project.

"We are looking at developing the military stations as smart cities where all modern amenities will be made available. Developing state-of-the-art IT network will be a key feature," said a senior Army official.

Top Army brass had deliberated extensively on the implementation of the project during the recent commanders' conference.

"We are planning to develop all military stations across the country in a time-bound manner," said the official.

The initiative is part of the Army's overall modernisation drive that envisages significantly ramping up infrastructure at all its military installations across the country.

Another official said the Army is also moving forward with the implementation of the reform measures recommended by the Lt Gen (retd) D B Shekatkar committee which includes redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks to enhance the combat capability of the force.

The panel had suggested optimisation of signals establishments, closure of military farms and army postal establishments in peace locations as well as restructuring of repair echelons in the Army. The officials said steps were being taken to implement the recommendations.

The officials said the 65 reform measures recommended by the Shekatkar committee will be implemented by December 31, 2019.
Andrew Alter left India, but India never really left him. Captivated by the soulful tunes that resonated across the hills and valleys of Uttarakhand as a boy, the Australian researcher is now seeking to preserve local musical epics.

The scholar from Australias Macquarie University has been recording the lengthy epics of the Kumaon Hills for a book that will put together a collection of mythological tales that are sung and performed by villagers.

Alter, who was born in Mussoorie of Americans parents and left India for higher studies in 1978, is focusing not just on the stories of the epics but also on how they are performed in remote Kumaoni villages.

The author of 'Dancing with Devtas: Drums, Power and Possession in the Music of Garhwal, North India', which was published in 2008, has been documenting the music of the hills since his days as a PhD scholar.

Over a course of more than 25 years, he was able to closely work with the Hurkiyas - who perform folk epics by singing and playing the small, hand-held hurka drum.

"There are Hindi publications that have produced written versions of all kinds of local folk epics," Alter told PTI here.

Keen to decode the stories and patterns behind the seemingly simplistic rhythms that characterised the musical epics, he spent several years recording performances that would go on all night in remote Uttarakhand villages.

"I discovered a system of different kinds of rhythms and organisations that is much more complex than what you hear," Alter said, adding that the book -- 'Epics of Kumaon' -- would be ready in a few years.

The 57-year-old researcher from Sydney travelled across the hills, recorded the epics and sat down with translators to unravel the local folk musicals.

"I collected a number of these. Some I had already read about, but many were different - those were the local folk epics," he said.

He cited the example of the Pandav Leela - a cultural ritual of Garhwal in which the Mahabharat is performed at the village level.

"The Rajputs in the village stage the Pandav Leela and it is a chance for everyone to get together in the village, he said. The epic would carry on for two to three weeks.

The dance performance is accompanied by so-called lower caste drummers who also recite parts of the stories, said Alter, whose interest in music was sparked by one of his school teachers in India.

Alter, who left India to pursue his Bachelors degree in the United States and later moved to Australia, travels to India regularly for his research work.

However, he feared the future of the folk form was grim. Because drummers from the so-called lower castes are not respected for their work, their offspring are being forced to abandon the family tradition of playing percussions, he said.

He pointed out that government support enabled musicians from Rajasthan to take traditional performances to international levels, garnering respect from local communities and allowing the musical forms to thrive.

Government patronage is essential for raising the level of respect for these performers and preventing the culture from dying, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TODAY

Spooktacular Bazaar, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Guerber Hall, Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St., Corvallis. Costume contest, trick or treating, and games for kids. Hourly raffle, where children and adult winners can spend money at any of the booths. Free entry and parking. Information: https://www.facebook.com/KKsoaps.

Organ concert, 4 p.m., Albany First United Methodist Church, 1115 28th Ave. SW. Eric McKirdy, Amy Isted and Lisa Boylan will perform a variety of music, including music suitable for Halloween. Admission is free.

Haunted House, 7 to 10 p.m., Morningstar Grange, 38794 Morningstar Road NE, Albany. Proceeds benefit the Jefferson Fire Department Christmas Food Basket Program, the Albany Gleaners and the grange. Admission: $5 or five cans of food. Tickets are available for pre-purchase.

MONDAY

Lunch and Learn, 1 p.m., Lebanon Senior Center, 80 Tangent St. As the haunting season of Halloween approaches, participants will see a video series of some of Oregons historic haunted communities. The story of Bay Ocean is considered

the saddest ghost story in Oregon. Scottsburg, Chitwood Bridge and Idiotville will also be featured.

WEDNESDAY

Spooky Species Camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Boy Scout Lodge, 1986 SW Allen St., Corvallis. Corvallis schools will be closed Oct. 25, so have your child age 5 to 10 spend the day at Avery House Nature Centers camp and learn about bats, owls, spiders and mushrooms. Before-care is available at 8 a.m. and after-care is available till 5 p.m. Cost: $40 for the full day; additional care $6 per hour. Information: 541-758-6198 or connie@corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org.

The Shining, 7 p.m., Whiteside Theatre, 361 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. The classic horror film by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, will be shown. Tickets: $5-$7. Advance tickets: https://theshiningatwhiteside.brownpapertickets.com.

THURSDAY

Spooky Species Camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Boy Scout Lodge, 1986 SW Allen St., Corvallis. See Wednesday for details.

FRIDAY

Spooky Species Camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Boy Scout Lodge, 1986 SW Allen St., Corvallis. See Wednesday for details.

Spooktacular Halloween Social, 12:30 p.m., Albany Senior Center, 489 NE Water Ave. Enjoy autumn cuisine, games and a masquerade mask-making craft.

Candlelit Tour of Monteith House Museum and Ride on the Trolley of Terror, 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., Albany. The Monteith Society will host this experience of purportedly true ghost stories, some decidedly weird. The trolley, draped in black funeral buntings, will tour the haunted homes and businesses in Albanys historic districts. Cost: $10 per adult, $5 per child. Reservations: Albany Visitors Association, 110 SE Third Ave., 541-928-0911.

Teen Lock-In, 6:30 to 10 p.m., Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave. Activities will include watching scary movies, playing video and party games, costume makeup practice, slime-making, virtual reality games and making yarn balloon lanterns. Teens are invited to wear costumes, but no masks or real or fake weapons. Teens must turn in a release form to participate.

Haunted Barn, 7 to 10 p.m., 31000 Landlab Road, Lebanon. Proceeds support Future Farmers of America. Cost: $5 per person.

Haunted House, 7 to 11 p.m., Morningstar Grange, 38794 Morningstar Road NE, Albany. Proceeds benefit the Jefferson Fire Department Christmas Food Basket Program, the Albany Gleaners and the grange. Admission: $5 or five cans of food. Tickets are available for pre-purchase.

VIP Ghost Hunt Experience, 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Monteith House Museum, 518 SW Second Ave., Albany. Limited to 10 people. VIPs will be joined by experienced paranormal investigators and learn how to use ghost-hunting equipment. VIPs will then get to help conduct a paranormal investigation of Monteith House. Cost: $50 per person. Reservations: Albany Visitors Association, 110 SE Third Ave., 541-928-0911.

SATURDAY

Candlelit Tour of Monteith House Museum and Ride on the Trolley of Terror, 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., Albany. See Friday for details.

Haunted Barn, 7 to 10 p.m., 31000 Landlab Road, Lebanon. See Friday for details.

Haunted House, 7 to 11 p.m., Morningstar Grange, 38794 Morningstar Road NE, Albany. See Friday for details.

OCT. 30

Quick Class: Smoothie Bowls, 6 to 6:30 p.m., Natural Grocers, 1235 NW 10th St., Corvallis. Mary Van Steenbergen will teach about smoothie bowls, and participants will make their own Halloween-themed smoothie bowls. Information: 541-758-0200.

Haunted House, 7 to 10 p.m., Morningstar Grange, 38794 Morningstar Road NE, Albany. Proceeds benefit the Jefferson Fire Department Christmas Food Basket Program, the Albany Gleaners and the grange. Admission: $5 or five cans of food. Tickets are available for pre-purchase.

OCT. 31

Downtown Trick or Treat, 1 to 5 p.m., Corvallis.

Haunted House, 7 to 10 p.m., Morningstar Grange, 38794 Morningstar Road NE, Albany. See Oct. 30 for details.
A large number of bureaucrats who had allegedly gone on mass leave in 2015 to protest against the Delhi government's decision to suspend two DANICS cadre officers, had availed casual leave in their individual capacity, the Delhi High Court has been informed.

The Delhi government told this to a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal, which was hearing a plea seeking action against the bureaucrats who went on mass leave to protest the suspension of the two officers on December 29, 2015.

"The records do not conclude that IAS officers and DANICS officers had resorted to any illegal action by way of availing casual leave. It is apparent that the officers had availed casual leave in their individual capacity.

"It is quite natural that officers either take casual leave or earned leave during the year-end subject to the availability of adequate credit of leave and it was nothing unusual," the counsel for the Delhi government submitted.

He also informed the bench that on December 31, 2015, the leave taken by many officers was sanctioned by respective competent authority and under no circumstances, the grant of leave was denied or curtailed by any authority.

Taking note of the Delhi government's submission, the court disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL) on the ground that the grievance raised by the petitioner stood satisfied.

On December 31, 2015, around 200 DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) cadre officers had gone on mass leave after two senior civil service officers of the Delhi government's Home Department were suspended for refusing to sign on a cabinet decision file.

Seventy IAS officers had also gone on half-day leave that day reportedly in solidarity with the agitators.

The Union Home Ministry had termed the suspension by the Delhi government as null and void.

The plea by one Indu Prakash Singh had said the Supreme Court had held that "public servants do not entertain legal right to strike" and therefore the act was "illegal".

It had also said that the officers, by going on mass leave, had violated Central Civil Services Conduct Rules which prohibited them from doing so.

However, the AAP government's department in its affidavit filed early this year had said "At no point of time, any case of unauthorised absence from duty was reported. Action could have been taken by the respondent (government) only if there was any violation of conduct rules."



The Delhi government in its affidavit had also turned down the contention of the petitioner that two lakh employees went on strike, saying it was "a figment of his imagination and far from reality".

It had also objected to the petitioner's prayer for an inquiry to identify the officers who had allegedly instigated the unauthorised mass leave and sought disciplinary proceedings initiated against them.

The petitioner had said that mass leave by the officers "should be deemed as break in service".

"The inaction on the part of the government sends a wrong message to the citizens and reinforces the public perception that India is democratic only in form and in reality different standards apply to the governors and the governed," the plea had stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A beheaded body of a transgender person has been found in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the latest attack on the community in the conservative country.

The body of the brutally tortured transgender person was recovered from Ashiqabad area near Warsak Road in Peshawar yesterday, Dawn reported.

The body, police claimed, was three days old and bore signs of torture.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sajjad Khan said that the police have not been able to identify the body so far, though fingerprints and DNA samples have been collected.

The police had asked the local transgender community if they could identify the body, however, none of them was able to recognise the deceased, the official said.

The chief of transgender association, Laila Khan, said that the slain pwerson was not from Peshawar, the report said.

A case has been registered by the police against unidentified persons.

Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world to legally recognise a third sex in 2009, allowing transgender people to obtain identity cards.

In August, armed men opened fire on a group of transgender people, killing one, in the port city of Karachi.

More than 50 transgenders were killed in 2015 and 2016, according to TransAction President Farzana a rights organisation in Peshawar.

The status of the transgender community, also known as khawajasiras, is opaque in the country, to say the least.

They number at least half a million in the country, and according to several studies up to two million, claims TransAction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi today separately inspected several ghats along the Ganga to take stock of the arrangements for the four-day Chhath festival beginning on October 24.

The chief minister inspected various Ganga ghats from Nasriganj in Danapur to Kangan ghat in Patna city on steamer and gave necessary directions to the officials to ensure safety, security and cleanliness at the ghats during the festival, a government release said.

The Chhath festival will end on October 27.

Kumar directed officials of Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO) and Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to construct approach roads leading to the ghats besides ensuring availability of power and cleanliness at the ghats, it said.

During the inspection at LCT ghat in Patna town, the chief minister asked officials to improve the condition of the steps and slopes leading to the ghat, the release said



He also directed officials to construct slopes at the ghats where steps were not available so that devotees would not have to face any problems in reaching the ghats.

The chief minister asked officials to erect barricades at Patipul ghat in view of the high level of water at the ghat, it said.

During the inspection, Kumar was accompanied by ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Nand Kishore Yadav, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, Director General of Police P K Thakur and other senior officials.

The deputy chief minister also inspected around six Ganga ghats where he reviewed arrangements such as lighting, barricading, safety and enclosure for women for changing clothes.

Speaking on the facilities that would be available at the ghats during the festival, he said that around 120 teams of doctors will be available at the ghats along with 211 para medical staff besides 33 ambulances.

Water ambulances, NDRF and SDRF will be deployed besides putting 200 boats for river patrolling, Sushil Modi said in a release.

In order to check the spread of any rumour, the administration has issued a mobile phone app in order to disseminate correct information among the devotees and other people visiting the ghats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Demanding that India's history should be rewritten, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya today said there should be a debate on Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysore.

"The history of India has not been written properly. It needs to be rewritten. Tipu Sultan's place in history should be reconsidered and there should be a debate on the issue," he told reporters here.

The statement comes at a time when the Congress and the BJP in Karnataka are headed for a showdown over Tipu Jayanti (Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary) celebrations on November 10.

Union minister Anantkumar Hegde has conveyed to the Karnataka government that he does not to want to be invited to the "shameful" event.

"Those who wrote the history of India were, in a way, slaves of the British. They have deliberately written it in such a way that we do not take pride in our great icons," Vijayvargiya said.

"Maharana Pratap and Akbar (both Indian kings) were contemporaries. But in history, Akbar is described as great, whereas Maharana Pratap, who ate rotis made of grass and lived in the forest for the sake of the country and culture, is not referred to as great," he added.

The BJP leader also alleged that great personalities had not got the places they deserved due to the sycophancy of the historians.

Vijayvargiya also expressed confidence that the saffron party would win the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls with a huge majority.
With the Congress hoping for OBC consolidation in its favour in Gujarat and Karnataka, the BJP is likely to play up the opposition party's decision to stall the Modi government's OBC commission bill in Parliament to counter it in the two poll-bound states.

A day after the Congress received a boost with the decision of Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore to join the party, BJP sources sought to play down its impact, saying Thakore is an untested electoral player.

Thakore had also met BJP chief Amit Shah some time ago before he made his announcement yesterday after meeting Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

"Unlike the Congress, we have a string of well-entrenched community leaders across Gujarat. We could not have conceded so much to an outsider as the Congress, which has been out of power for over 22 years and has seen desertion by its top leaders," a BJP leader said, noting that its pre-eminent leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hails from an OBC caste.

A key pro-OBC plank of the saffron party in the western state will be a bill that the central government had brought in Parliament in the Monsoon Session, seeking to give constitutional status to the OBC commission, putting it at par with the SC and ST commissions.

The BJP will also highlight the Centre's decision to raise the creamy layer cap for OBC families to Rs eight lakh from Rs six lakh, and then to form a commission to look into sub-categorisation of other backward classes (OBC) quota.

While raising of the creamy layer cap will mostly help the relatively well-off among the OBC castes, the proposed sub-categorisation of quota is aimed at helping economically and socially weaker OBC castes, a social group being wooed aggressively by the BJP under Modi and Shah with considerable success so far.

The constitutional amendment bill, however, could not be passed as the Congress stalled it in the Rajya Sabha, following its passage in the Lok Sabha.

Top state BJP leaders besides Shah have addressed OBC meets in Gujarat.

The sources said the BJP would rely on a similar plank in Karnataka where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who himself hails from a backward caste (Kuruba), of the Congress is relying on a coalition of OBCs, Dalits and minorities to win a second term.

Gujarat Assembly polls are slated for December, while Karnataka is likely to face it early next year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian-origin couple based in London have launched a worldwide allergy awareness drive in memory of their nine-year-old daughter who died of a severe reaction to blackberries and dairy.

The Nainika Tikoo Memorial Trust (NTMT) for Allergy Care and Brain Research, named after the couple's daughter Nainika, has been set up as a not-for-profit charitable trust to create awareness, promote training and support research in finding a cure for allergies.

The trust will begin its work in the UK but plans to take it around the world, including India.

"As part of our support to research we are keen on looking at empirical evidence to document incidents in various countries and compare the size and nature of the problem across borders. The current impression is that it is a First World western problem and allergies do not exist in India or the eastern world," said Lakshmi Kaul, who has worked tirelessly on setting up the trust since her daughter became only the second documented case in the UK of anaphylaxis as a result of blackberry.

She recalls the fateful day in May as a typical Sunday when after a horse-riding lesson her daughter had convinced her father Vinod Tikoo to buy ingredients to make some blackberry pancakes.

Nainika was allergic to dairy and egg through her early childhood but at around four years of age, she had grown out of her egg allergy. However, the family were unaware of any other chemicals or enzymes in other foods that she might be sensitive or allergic to.

"Nainika was severely allergic to milk and dairy, which limited her options for food anyways so this request to have blackberries was a big welcome. They bought fresh flour (dairy free) and blackberries to make pancakes...but she took one bite of the pancake and felt a strong reaction coming through," recalls Kaul.

Despite her father administering immediate first aid, including an epipen given for emergency use and calling in the emergency services, Nainika suffered severe anaphylaxis. After about six days on life support, the couple had to finally decide to let her go.

"The doctor said it looked like it wasn't the blackberry on its own, but there was something to do with dairy. The pancakes were dairy-free, but we're not sure if the ingredients had been contaminated or something. We didn't have any dairy products at home. The exact cause is unknown and it has left us with a lot of questions," says Kaul.

The shock of not only Nainika's death but also the many systemic as well as research gaps has led the couple to devote their lives to the work of allergy awareness and research to prevent other parents and families from being in their situation.

"We ran a fund-raising appeal on 'Just Giving' and managed to raise over 14,000 pounds. The focus right now is on building awareness and getting people to talk about allergies and become proactive in seeking cure/support for allergy sufferers," explains Kaul, who works in the office of Conservative party MP Bob Blackman and is an active campaigner for the Kashmiri Hindu community in the UK.

The new trust's awareness drive has already gone global, with messages pouring in from many countries around the world, including India, Jordan, Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, the US and UK. It is also calling for mandatory allergy testing in babies similar to vaccinations and promoting life-saving training in schools and other institutions.

The trust eventually plans to continue raising adequate funds to pour into research projects and establish a 'Gold Standard in Allergy Safety'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A systematic assessment of damage to caves at the Maijishan Grottoes in northwest China has been conducted for restoration work, local officials said.

The Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu Province are a 1,600- year-old UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of about 200 caves and more than 10,000 Buddhist sculptures.

The assessment has classified the 221 caves in the grottoes into three risk levels, with 32 caves among the most severe facing risks such as collapse and murals falling off, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The general assessment is for the preparation of our protection and restoration work, Yue Yongqiang, deputy director of Maijishan Grottoes art institute preservation division said.

Due to natural humidity and erosion, cracks have appeared on some caves and some sculptures and murals are in a state of decay.

Maijishan Grottoes is one of China's four largest Buddhist cave complexes, along with Mogao, Yungang and Longmen grottoes in Gansu, Shanxi and Henan provinces, respectively.

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China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior Ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.

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District Collector of Alappuzha T V Anupama has submitted the final report to the government into alleged land encroachment charges against state transport Minister Thomas Chandy.

Official sources said the report was submitted today.

Chandy has been under attack from the Congress-led UDF Opposition and BJP ever since the allegations surfaced some time back.

Chandy, a businessman turned politician, had rejected the charge that he encroached upon backwaters in Alappuzha district.

Both Opposition UDF and BJP today reiterated their demand today for his resignation of Chandy



Congress led UDF Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sack Chandy if the latter refused to quit of his own.

"As per information that has come out in the media, there have been encroachments have taken place in construction of a parking area for 'Lake Palace' resort in Kuttanad owned by Chandy and also violation of rules in filling Marthadam backwaters," he said.

Taking a dig at the LDF, BJP State President Kummanom Rajasekharan said though the Left 'waxes eloquent' on taking action against corruption, they were doing nothing in reality.

The BJP leader also alleged that the government was protecting Chandy even after the land grab charges surfaced.

The minister had denied the charges and said in the assembly he would quit public life if the charges are proved right.

Chandy, representing Kuttand in the assembly, is the NCP nominee in the CPI(M)-led LDF ministry.

He became a minister in April following resignation of A K Saseendran, also from NCP, after a purported audio clip of him speaking in sexual undertones to undertones to a woman emerged.

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The Congress today released its second list of seven candidates for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats including the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency currently held by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Virbhadra Singh has demanded the party ticket for his son and Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, and has publicly declared that the latter will contest from his seat.

The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

The party has also withheld the name of its candidate for the Mandi constituency from where state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa has demanded the party ticket. Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency.

Tomorrow is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on October 18 announced its first list of 59 candidates.

According to party sources, the Congress is taking its "one family, one ticket" formula, whereby only one member of a family would be made party candidate, seriously and this is the reason for it not declaring candidates for Shimla Rural and Mandi seats.

In the second list of candidates, the Congress fielded Kewal Singh Pathania from Shahpur and Ashish Butail from Palampur, currently held by outgoing Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did not want to contest this time. Ashish Butail is the son of the outgoing Speaker.

The Congress fielded Deepak Rathore from the Theog Assembly constituency, earlier represented by state minister Vidya Stokes.

Hari Chand Sharma has been declared as the party candidate from Manali, while Surinder Thakur will be the Congress nominee from Kullu.

The Congress fielded Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar, while Lakhwinder Rana has been fielded from Nalagarh.

In addition, the party replaced its candidate from Anni. Paras Ram will contest from the seat in place of Bansi Lal, whose name was declared in the first list.

The Assembly poll results will be declared on December 18.

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So far I have gotten two text messages and and an email from candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court asking me for campaign contributions. Can we just c...

4 days ago
The Congress today cleared the nominations of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's son from Shimla Rural and minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter from Mandi for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, relaxing its "one family, one ticket" formula.

Just a day before the filing of nomination for the November 9 election comes to an end, the party announced its final list of nine candidates.

The party fielded Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president and Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh from the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency, earlier held by his father, and state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa Thakur from Mandi (Sadar).

The Congress had initially dithered over fielding Vikramaditya Singh and Champa Thakur, but gave in to pressure at the last minute, party sources said.

According to the party sources, the Congress was taking its "one family, one ticket" formula, whereby only one member of a family would be made party candidate, seriously and this was the reason for the delay in declaring the candidates for Shimla Rural and Mandi seats.

Earlier in the day, the party released its second list of seven candidates, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats -- Shimla Rural and Mandi (Sadar).

About an hour later, the party, however, cleared the nominations of Vikramaditya Singh and Champa Thakur.

Virbhadra Singh had earlier publicly declared that his son would contest from his seat. The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

Champa Thakur's father Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency. Champa Thakur's seat, Mandi, was held by former Union minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma. Anil Sharma has quit the party and is now the BJP candidate from the seat.

Tomorrow is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on October 18 announced its first list of 59 candidates.

In the second list of candidates, the Congress fielded Kewal Singh Pathania from Shahpur and Ashish Butail from Palampur, currently held by outgoing Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did not want to contest this time. Ashish Butail is the son of the outgoing Speaker.

Party strongman from Shahpur, Vijay Singh Mankotia, has revolted against the chief minister and filed his nomination as an Independent candidate.

The Congress fielded Deepak Rathore from the Theog Assembly constituency, earlier represented by state minister Vidya Stokes.

Hari Chand Sharma has been declared as the party candidate from Manali, while Surinder Thakur will be the Congress nominee from Kullu.

The Congress fielded Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar, while Lakhwinder Rana has been fielded from Nalagarh.

In addition, the party replaced its candidate from Anni. Paras Ram will contest from the seat in place of Bansi Lal, whose name was declared in the first list.

Party leaders said in Shimla that the chief minister would be present during the filing of nomination by his son from Shimla (Rural) tomorrow. Champa Thakur has already filed her nomination from Mandi (Sadar), they said.

The Congress is pitted against the BJP in the Assembly in the hilly state. The BJP had on October 18 announced the names of its candidates for the November 9 polls.

The Assembly poll results will be declared on December 18.

Following his nomination as the Congress candidate from Shimla Rural, Vikramaditya Singh has resigned as the state Youth Congress chief.

In his resignation letter sent to Indian Youth Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja, he thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi for nominating him as party candidate.

"Since I also hold the post of president, Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress, it would not be wise to continue on the same as I would not be able to devote time for the organisation at this crucial time, post my candidature announcement in the larger interest of the party.

"I, hence, tender my resignation and suggest that senior vice president be made the working president till the next organisational election," he said in his letter.

Virbhadra Singh had earlier called for the resignation of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who is the party candidate from Nadaun.

The chief minister has long been asking the Congress leadership to replace Sukhu and even wrote to Rahul Gandhi demanding his removal.

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A jawan of the CRPF's elite CoBRA unittoday died of malaria in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.

Head constable Brahmanand, belonging to the 206th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), succumbed to malaria at Sukma district hospital, Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI.

The jawan, posted at the paramilitary force's camp in Chintagufa, was last night admitted to the CRPF's field hospital there. He was shifted to the district hospital in a serious condition this morning, he said.

The body will be sent to his native place in Uttar Pradesh after the postmortem, the ASP said.

Last week, a jawan from the same camp suffered from malaria and is currently under treatment in Raipur, he said.

Shukla said adequate precautions are being taken as all personnel deployed at the camps are provided mosquito nets and repellents.

Despite the precautions, the personnel are exposed to mosquitoes due to their long operations in the forest areas, he said.

Malaria, the mosquito-borne infectious disease, has been common in the interiors of Bastar division after rains.

Several security personnel, deployed in anti-Maoist operations in the region, have lost their lives or fallen sick due to the life threatening fever in the past.

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A pan-India homebuyers' pressure group has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in stopping banks from collecting monthly instalments on home loans from those buyers whose projects have been delayed.

In a letter to Modi, Fight For RERA national convenor Abhay Upadhyay said the move will help provide such homebuyers a relief as they have to pay rent as well as equated monthly instalments (EMIs).

For projects that are delayed for more than five years, banks should be ready to take haircut and foreclose all loans without collecting any further EMIs, the letter sent to Modi last month said.

"... It will be wrong on the part of the banks to take haircut from loans taken by billionaire industrialists and while on the other hand burden middle class homebuyers with EMIs," it added.

'Haircut' in the context of loans means giving up a part of claims by banks on debt for its resolution.

The group also pitched for providing power to the real estate regulator to attach assets of all the companies under same promoter including personal wealth to arrange funds for completion of the unfinished projects.

It reiterated its demand to constitute a high-level empowered committee comprising all stakeholders to protect the interest of homebuyers in high-risk category projects.

Fight for RERA, whose members including RWAs, NGOs and homebuyers across the country, also called for amendment in The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, to give first priority to homebuyers in settling their dues by completion of project or refund with interest -- without any haircut.

A copy of the letter was also marked to Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday termed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's move as the "biggest diabolical method of money laundering" and said it had converted all black money into white.

Hitting out at the Narendra Modi-led central dispensation on the economy front, he said government's policies "have virtually ruined" the country's economy and said it did not know how to revive it and provide relief to people.

In his address after the release of a Tamil translation of compilation of his speeches in Parliament, Yechury questioned BJP's stand of zero tolerance for corruption, accusing its leaders of being involved in many scams.

He pointed out, among others, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's company reportedly registered manifold revenue after the party came to power in 2014.

"You have the BJP President's son involved in serious allegation that are not being investigated. You have the Sahara diaries, Panama papers, the Lalit Modi case, Vyapam case, Land scam case in Bihar," he said, adding there was no investigation into these.

However, opposition leaders were being targeted for various corruption charges even "if there was a case or not," he said.

"The worst corruption that has taken place in the country is . This has been the biggest diabolical method of money laundering that has been undertaken in independent India. Today all the money that was demonetised has come back " he said.

The government, he said, had "no idea of what they are doing, but what they have done is converted all black money into white."

"They have legalised all illicit money. They have neither been able to reduce terrorist attacks... in fact they have doubled," the former Rajya Sabha MP said.

The economy has been ruined to "favour" certain corporate companies, Yechury alleged.

To divert attention from such issues, "communal divide" was being created and "sadly Taj Mahal has become an issue now," he said in reference to the controversy surrounding the Mughal-era monument in Agra.

He also referred to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath raising the issue of construction of Ram temple.

Further, moral policing squads were telling youngsters "what to eat and whom to befriend," Yechury rued.
As part of an intensified anti dengue drive, Salem City corporation today slapped Rs 24.25 lakh fine on various establishments, including two hospitals, for improper disposal of waste.

Corporation sources said a private hospital was fined Rs 10 lakh for illegally dumping medical waste into a nearby canal.

They said Corporation Commissioner R Sateesh led a team in carrying out a surprise inspection at the hospital in Asthampatty and found venomous snakes in the tanks that supply drinking water.

The officials noticed Aedes mosquitoes, which spread dengue, in plastic material and medical waste and also in the water tank there, they said.

Another hospital was fined Rs four lakh for poor maintenance of the premises and contributing for breeding the mosquitoes. PTI NVM APR



A fine of Rs five lakh each was imposed on two spinning mills at Thathampatty and Kamarajar colony, where mosquito larvae were found in drums, oil cans and other materials, while a tea shop owner was fined Rs 25,000 as larvae were found in the water tank kept there.

On October 15, the Tamil Nadu government had apprised Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey of the steps being taken to combat dengue in the state and also took up its demand for a central-aid of Rs 256 crore to tackle the situation.

A five member central team deputed to assess the dengue situtation in the state had on October 13 termed the 40 deaths since January due to the fever as "minimal" and that there was no need to panic.

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President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has a sincere desire to take the Egypt-India ties to a higher level, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar has said.

Akbar, who called on President Sisi here yesterday, described his meeting with the Egyptian leader as "excellent".

"President Sisi's great desire for taking our relationship, which is already very good, to much higher level is very sincere and is a very powerful pillar of our bilateral relations and it gives us hope for great revival," he told PTI after the meeting.

During the meeting at Al Alamein, the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties as well as other regional and international issues.

Akbar said both countries always find new avenues for partnership and cooperation "not simply on government-to- government level but how to improve partnership on a people- to-people level".

He handed over President Sisi a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter was to thank Egypt for its support to the Indian candidate at the International Court of Justice, the minister said.

"This is a message of renewal relations and it also elaborate how we can work together both in multilateral and bilateral issues," he said, noting that India had supported the Egyptian candidate for the Secretary-General of UNESCO.

The minister also mentioned that President Sisi and Prime Minister Modi have met four times and they have developed a "very good warm friendship".

Sisi had visited India in September 2016.

Akbar also condemned the killing of Egyptian policemen in a gun battle with terrorists during a raid on a militant hideout in Giza governorate on Friday.

"It was also an occasion to reassert what our Prime Minister has been saying about terrorism and the message he is giving is 'There is no good terrorism, no bad terrorism. All terrorism is evil' and President Sisi endorsed that completely," he said.

Akbar also praised the vital role which Egypt plays in the Middle East.

"Egypt has always played a very important, even critical, role in shaping the Middle East. It is one of the countries which make the difference," he said.

During his short visit to Egypt, Akbar laid a wreath at Indian soldiers cemetery at Alamein and remembered their valiant sacrifices in the World War II.

Akbar's visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the historic battle of El-Alamein.

The decisive battle - which began on October 23, 1942 - pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.

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Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjang Hospital organised a programme here today to create awareness about organ donation.

The nationalorgan donation awareness programme was organised by the department of urology and renal transplant of VMMC and Safdarjang Hospital with an aim to promote organ donation and dispel the myths and misconceptions that surround organ donation, according to a statement.

"We organised the event to send out a strong message that no religion prohibits organ donation. Very often we come across cases where people tell us that their religion does not allow them to donate organs. We brought together religious leaders to send out a message that it is wrong," said Anup Kumar, Professor and head of the department of urology and renal transplant of VMMC.

The event also highlighted the huge gap which exists between patients who need organ transplants and availability of potential donors in the country.

Giving details of organ transplants in India, Kumar said that every year, two lakh kidneys were required but only 5,000 renal transplants could be done.

Similarly, 50,000 hearts were required annually but only 30 get them, while 50,000 liver transplants were required but only 700 get them.

"The only way to bridge this gap between demand and supply is cadaveric transplants where patient can donate organs after brain death," he said.

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The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H W and George W Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised USD 31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H W Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them "some of America's finest public servants."



"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents Obama, George W Bush, Carter and Clinton made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.

"Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money.

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The government has de-affiliated close to 400 ITIs after quality inspections administered by it found the institutes lacking the requisite infrastructure and trainers for imparting vocational training to students.

Asked about around 400 out of the 13,000-odd (ITIs) being de-affiliated, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajesh Agarwal replied in the affirmative.

"We get (them) inspected, we see the quality of infrastructure, the trainers that should be there as per the guidelines.

"When it is not there the ITIs are de-affiliated because ultimately if you have to be an ITI at the NCVT ( Council for Vocational Training) level, there are certain minimum conditions that you have to meet," Agarwal told PTI.

He said the skill development ministry has begun monitoring the ITIs with a view to maintaining their quality standards and also introduced voluntary self-grading by the institutes.

"We are trying to see that centres or institutes which are not up to the mark or quality are slowly chucked out of the system," Agarwal said.

The governments vocational training programmes are administered by (ITIs), which cater to about 36 per cent of the 7 million people enrolled in various training programmes in India.

According to Agarwal, about 5,100 ITIs have been graded till now under the star rating system and are presently in the process of getting inspected through third parties and certification assessment.

"It is a voluntary process. We are trying to build incentives around grading. ITIs who get graded and are doing well, there are incentives for them to grow, whereas the ones not getting graded will slowly phase out," the Joint Secretary said.
British police have arrested a gunman and freed two hostages after a near five-hour stand- off at a bowling alley.

The arrest at Bermuda Park leisure park in Nuneaton, central England, came yesterday after police evacuated the area on being alerted to the gunman at around 2.30pm (local time).

"We are pleased that we were able to bring this incident to a peaceful resolution and that there were no injuries," said Alex Franklin-Smith from Warwickshire Police.

"I would like to reassure the Nuneaton community that the incident is unconnected to any terrorist activity," he added.

Mehdi Afshar, MFA Bowl's chief executive, told the BBC the hostages were staff and that the gunman was arrested after police stormed the building.

The two employees were held captive by a man described by Afshar as "a boyfriend or ex-husband to one of the members of staff".

West Midlands Ambulance Service said one suspect was treated at the scene and taken to hospital. An AFP photographer saw an ambulance being driven away under police guard.

"Two other men have been assessed but were uninjured and have been discharged in scene," the ambulance service wrote on Twitter.

MFA Bowl is located next to children's activity centre Bermuda Adventure Soft Play World and close to Frankie and Benny's restaurant, while the leisure park also has a gym and hotel.

A witness who had been at a children's party at the bowling alley told Sky a member of staff came over whispered in his ear for the group to leave.

"I looked up and there was a guy, probably 20 or 30 feet away, walking towards us with a sawn-off shotgun sort of slung over his shoulder," said Lawrence Hallett.

"I thought it was a joke and panicked a little bit and shouted 'everyone get out', and basically ran, hell for leather, out of the building."



At Bermuda Adventure, witness Megan Westwood said visitors were initially told there was a man with a knife.

"As time went on we were later told that he actually had a gun and they barricaded the doors, kept us all away from the windows, and then we were told that he had hostages in the bowling alley next to us," she told the BBC.

Carl Lenton witnessed the scene from Frankie and Benny's restaurant. "There were police cars arriving, there was a helicopter, police dogs, armed police stood all around the bowling alley."



"It was quite scary at times," he told Sky .

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Palestinian movement Hamas said today that a visit by its delegation to Iran was a "rejection" of the Israeli conditions on reconciliation with rival faction Fatah.

The two largest Palestinian groups have agreed a deal that is supposed to see Islamists Hamas hand over control of the Gaza Strip to the Fatah-dominated West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

Israel has said it will reject any deal in which Hamas does not disarm and cut its ties with Iran, the Jewish state's longtime foe.

Despite this a delegation of senior Hamas leaders arrived in Iran on Friday for meetings with government officials.

In a statement Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, who led the delegation, said "the visit to Tehran is a rejection of the Zionist entity's conditions to cut ties with (Iran)".

The statement reiterated that Hamas would not be forced to give up its armed wing.

Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The movement's Gaza chief recently said relations with Iran have improved once again with Tehran becoming their largest backer, after several years of more strained relations.

US President Donald Trump is trying to encourage the Palestinians and Israelis to restart long-frozen peace negotiations.

Hamas seized Gaza after forcing out Fatah in a near civil war in 2007.

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Thirty-year-old survivor Harjit Masih, who managed to return from Iraq, today again repeated his claims that all his fellow Indians were killed by the ISIS militants there.

"Why the government is not accepting the reality and giving proper information about the 39 Indians to their kins? If the government says all Indians are safe, why has it not produced any of them in all these three years! Moreover, what will I get by not telling truth," Masih said talking to reporters here.

He maintained that the 39 abducted Indians had been killed by the ISIS.

"I still pray to God that my claim proves wrong," he further said.

Masih, who was abducted along with 39 other Indians in Iraq in 2014, had claimed that they were shot by militants few days after they were abducted.

However, Masih resident of Kala Afghana village here, managed to return to India after giving a slip to his abductors in 2014 after being shot in his feet.

The samples of the families of missing Indians were being collected the district authorities in Punjab.

Health authorities here yesterday collected DNA samples of the family members of three of the 39 Indians missing in Iraq to ascertain their identities.

A total of 39 Indians had been missing in Iraq since 2014. Among them, 22 were from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar in Punjab.

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Top stories from the southern region at 1700 hrs.

MDS2 KL-ANTIBIOTICS



Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government gears up to launch a campaign against the abuse of antibiotics in the state in the wake of reports that natural resistance power of people was decreasing alarmingly due to its misuse or over-consumption.

MDS3 TN-FILM-VISHAL



Chennai: The controversy over Vijay-starrer "Mersal" continues with actor Vishal taking exception to senior BJP leader H Raja's reported remarks that he had watched the movie online.

MDS4 KL-HARASSMENT ARREST



Kozhikode: A 33-year old man was arrested on the charge of sexually assaulting a woman in a deserted lane last week after a CCTV footage of the incident went viral on the social media.

MDS5 TN-STALIN-EC



Chennai: The DMK joins ally Congress in criticising the Election Commission for not announcing Gujarat's election schedule, saying it should work with the principle "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh around the corner, the BJP is seeking to garner the support of spiritual leaders with large followings in the state.

As a part of this exercise, BJP MP Anurag Thakur recently visited the headquarters of the influential Radha Soami sect in Beas, near Amritsar in Punjab.

He is understood to have got the blessings of the leader of the sect, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, for the November 9 polls, sources said.

When contacted, Thakur, the son of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, confirmed that he visited the Radha Soami sect headquarters and also attended a prayer meeting there.

"I am a follower of the sect, so I went there and attended the satsang. Babaji (Dhillon) told me to convey his wishes to Dhumalji," he told PTI.

The Radha Soami sect has a huge following in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It enjoys a considerable influence in over 60 of the 68 Assembly seats in Himachal.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, along with party leader Amarinder Singh, had also visited the sect headquarters in December last year, ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls.

The Congress won the Punjab polls and Singh became the chief minister.

In the Himachal polls, the BJP is in a direct contest with the ruling Congress.

The state has been alternately ruled by the Congress and the BJP for the last few decades.

The Congress has declared incumbent Virbhadra Singh as its chief ministerial candidate again, but the saffron party is yet to announce its chief ministerial face.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has raced past Bajaj Auto to become the second biggest bike seller in India during the first half of the ongoing fiscal.

During the April-September period this fiscal, HMSI sold a total of 10,48,143 motorcycles in the domestic market registering a growth of 19.8 per cent.

On the other hand, Bajaj Auto sold 10,10,559 units witnessing a decline of 10.45 per cent, according to the latest data from Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

In the comparable period last fiscal, HMSI sold 8,74,852 units as against Bajaj Auto's 11,28,425 units.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp continued its hold on the segment selling 33,44,292 units in the first half of the fiscal as against 30,34,504 units in the year-ago period, a growth of 10.2 per cent.

However, in the scooters segment the company has lost its second spot to Chennai-based rival TVS Motor Co.

Hero MotoCorp's scooter sales in the April-September period this fiscal stood at 4,43,321 units as against 4,48,321 units in the same period last fiscal, down 1.12 per cent.

TVS Motor Co on the other hand sold 5,66,362 units as compared to 4,00,804 units in the corresponding period last year, a jump of 41.3 per cent.

The company also gained in the motorcycles segment clocking 4,84,370 units during the period under review, up 4.32 per cent from 4,64,318



units in April-September period last fiscal.

The other major gainer in the motorcycle segment was Royal Enfield, which sold a total of 3,78,304 units in the first half of FY18 as against 3,07,150 units in year-ago period, up 23.17 per cent.

In the scooters segment, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd was a major gainer, selling 2,02,771 units as against 1,25,318 units in the corresponding period last fiscal, up 61.8 per cent, as per SIAM data.

It is now the fifth biggest player in the segment after India Yamaha Motors which sold 2,26,249 scooters during the period as against 2,38,241 units in the year-ago period, down 5 per cent.
"I am being sacked" was the text message former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus P Mistry sent to his wife Rohiqa minutes after he was asked to either resign or face termination over Tata Trusts losing confidence in him for a variety of reasons.

Minutes before the October 24, 2016 board meeting of Tata Sons -- the holding company of the $106 billion salt-to- software conglomerate -- Ratan Tata and another board member Nitin Nohria came calling on the former chairman, claims Nirmalya Kumar, who was part of the core Group Executive Council (GEC) formed by Mistry.

"Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that 'Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working'.

"Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons. He is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting," Kumar wrote in a blog.

Ratan Tata, according to Kumar, chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage.

"Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with 'gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do'," he wrote.

Cyrus sends a text "I am being sacked" to his wife Rohiqa, before putting on his jacket and heading for the board meeting, says Kumar in his latest blog titled 'How Cyrus Mistry was fired'.

Kumar, who is currently a professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University and Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, states that during the meeting, Mistry argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before a resolution.

Another Tata Trusts nominee Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. "He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date," said the blog.

While six of the eight-member board that included Vijay Singh, Amit Chandra and Nitin Nohria -- all trust nominees; Ajay Piramal, Ronen Sen and Venu Srinivasan -- all independent directors, voted in favour of the resolution that sought removal of Mistry, Farida Khambhata, an independent director, and Ishaat Hussain, finance director, Tata Sons abstained from voting.

"It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal," Kumar wrote.

At 3 pm Mistry returned to his room and begun "packing his personal effects." He was informed by F N Subehdar, chief operating officer, Tata Sons that it was "unnecessary for Mistry to return the next day" when the latter queried him about the same.

Kumar said Mistry's ouster stood out because the Tata Group had a history of only six chairmen over 148 years.

"Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years," he wrote.

Kumar said the initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as the Chairman had been passed via a shareholder resolution of Tata Sons.

"It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided.

"Unfortunately, instead there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and the Tata brand," he wrote.

The only winners, he said, were the public relations and lawyers, who are still having a field day.

On October 24 last year, Tata Sons announced that its board has replaced Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons, naming his predecessor Ratan Tata as interim chairman.

On February 21 this year, former head of TCS N Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman of Tata Sons.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shah Rukh Khan says his fame and stardom will be of no use if he finds himself getting affected by the success of his contemporaries.

The 51-year-old actor shrugs when asked how difficult it is to remain unfazed by others' work after being in the industry for over 25 years.

"What is the point of having become such a huge star, if you are still going to follow someone else? Or be bothered by someone else, or think about someone else or compare yourself to someone else," he asks.

Shah Rukh says - "not out of pompousness or ego" that he has everything going for him, which is why he does not feel the need to look further than his mirror.

"I am sure, I am being presumptuous, but there are a lot of people out there who say 'wish we become Shah Rukh Khan'. I am Shah Rukh Khan, so why should I want to be someone else?"



SRK stressed in an interview with PTI that when he joined the industry, he was a "nobody".

"With no money, no house, no future, parents dead, I did what I felt like doing. I had nothing to lose. Now I have everything. One way to look at it is, 'Oh I have so much to lose," he says.

But, the actor adds, there is another way of looking at all that he has achieved.

"The other way is, 'I've gained so much, even if I try to lose it, it won't go away.' If we were so brave when we had nothing, why should we not be equally brave in our beliefs and thoughts in what we want to do, when we have everything going for us," he asks.

The superstar believes it is "silly" not to do what one wants, especially for someone like him who has achieved a certain status.

"I am not saying 'I am a path-breaking guy and I will make people follow me, make them see me as an example.' No, I do what I feel like doing. I made the most expensive film in the country ever, knowing fully it won't recover the money. But I had to do it," he says.

In the last two years, Shah Rukh has made some unconventional choices - from featuring in a double role in the psychological thriller "Fan" to doing an extended cameo in "Dear Zindagi", a film that predominantly belonged to Alia Bhatt.

The actor says he is excited by the work of his contemporaries but eventually finds solace in what he wants to do.

"My belief is, if someone else has already done it, why do you want to do it? Go for something else... So many people know me, have me on their minds, they have some good and bad things to say.

"I can't assimilate all and live my life. As an artiste, actor, father, star, it has to be what I feel like in the morning."



Shah Rukh also says he does not watch as many movies as a person from a film industry is often bound to.

"I don't watch films, my family has now put a condition if I want to continue as an actor, I have to watch two Hindi films in a month. They are like 'but how can you not watch films? You act, make films, run a company, how can you not?'"



The family, he adds, has made a list of films that he needs to watch.

He will be next seen as a vertically-challenged man in filmmaker Aanand L Rai's untitled film, also featuring Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's premier farm research organisation Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has been asked to study if 'cow urine' can be used to promote organic farming and submit its report in two months.

According to a senior Niti Aayog official, the ICAR has been asked to look into the possibility of converting cow urine into amino acid for use as natural fertiliser to increase farm productivity.

The decision to request the ICAR to conduct this study was taken after a high-level meeting at the Niti Aayog, during which Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh talked about organic farming and also how cow urine, bio-waste and cow dung can be used in organic farming.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also many times in the past has asked Niti Aayog to hold discussion with Singh as he had done lot of work in the field of organic farming in Bihar, the official said.

Singh had reportedly told the Niti Aayog meeting that cow urine is a better alternative to chemical fertilisers and can increase the farm productivity as much as by 4-5 times.

Amino acids is used an essential nutrient for soil and plant health.

The prime minister has stressed for expansion of organic farming across the country as part of efforts to transform the agriculture sector entailing better remuneration for the farmers.

In 2016, Sikkim became India's first fully organic state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and Bangladesh today discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).

"We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," she said.

Swaraj, who arrived here on a two-day visit, said "India has been a longstanding and reliable development partner of Bangladesh".

"Totally, three lines of credit amounting to USD 8 billion have been extended by India to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide," she said.

India has also been extending grant assistance for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh. In the past three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed which include construction of students' hostels, tube-wells, cultural centres, and orphanages among others. Presently 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation, she said.

"India is now supplying 660 MW of much needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future. We will work together as founding members of the International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession. This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable," Swaraj said.

The two nations have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline that will link Siliguri with Parbatipur, for the benefit of the people of northwestern Bangladesh, as a grant in aid project.

The setting up of LNG terminal, supply of natural gas by pipeline and investments in the upstream sector are also under consideration, she said.

She said restoration of pre-1965 links encompassing road, rail, water and coastal shipping links is being planned to increase connectivity, citing increase in frequency of the Dhaka-Maitri express.

The inaugural run with end-to-end Immigration and Customs services for the Maitri Express and the inaugural commercial run of the Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan service are all expected soon, she said.

In order to facilitate people-to-people contacts, she said the Indian Mission and Posts in Bangladesh issued 9.76 lakh visas in 2016 and these are expected to grow to about 14 lakh visas in 2017.

Swaraj said India will also offer five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshi freedom fighters and is planning a scheme for their medical treatment in India.

On the sidelines of the JCC meeting, India and Bangladesh also signed bilateral documents on capacity building in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), sale purchase agreement between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and India's Numaligarh Refinery.

Ali handed over to Swaraj the Instrument of Ratification for the Framework Agreement on International Solar Alliance (ISA) which Dhaka signed in August this year.

Both the foreign ministers described their JCC talks as very fruitful with Ali calling India the "most important, trusted and friendly neighbour" while Swaraj said "Our partnership today touches upon virtually all areas of human endeavour".

The Bangladesh foreign minister said during the talks Dhaka raised the issue of the long pending Teesta water sharing deal and "recalled this statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, 2017 that the Teesta Agreement will be signed during the current tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi".

"Water resource must act as a uniting force between our two countries," Ali said.

He said Dhaka also requested India to facilitate the removal of anti-dumping duty on jute and jute products.

The meeting discussed issues to facilitate trade and investment further including progress in the implementation of Indian SEZs in Bangladesh.

Swaraj on her part said "We are aware of the outstanding issues and we assure you that we are working to resolve them".

In a significant development for growing bilateral energy cooperation, India agreed to supply 340 MW of additional power to Bangladesh while it currently exports 660 MW, Ali said.

He said Dhaka proposed some new bilateral and regional connectivity initiatives through rail, road, water and air also involving Bhutan and Sri Lanka while the Indian side "agreed to positively consider these proposals".

The JCC also decided to soon prepare a trilateral MoU for hydropower cooperation to help Bangladesh import hydro energy from Bhutan while "India also agreed to facilitate import of electricity to Bangladesh from hydro projects in Nepal".

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh and comes after the recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a USD 4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during Hasina's visit to India in April.

The development is also seen as India's attempt to counter rising Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 26-year-old Indian man was killed in a road accident in Nepal's Tanahun district, around 220 km west off Kathmandu, a media report said today.

Raju Jamad, a resident of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, was on his way to Pokhara from Damauli on a motorcycle last night when the incident took place, the Himalayan Times reported.

His motorcycle reportedly collided with a jeep coming from the opposite direction at a turn, according to Tanahun District Police Office.

Jamad was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died, the police said.

The body has been kept at the hospital for autopsy and the accused jeep driver has been arrested, the report stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
125 YEARS AGO

October 15, 1892: Johnny McComb, the popular stage driver, has taken charge of the dinner station at Fox Springs, on the Tuscarora road. Travelers over the road will find Johnny a jolly host.



A number of teams have been loading lumber this week for the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, where two new buildings are to be erected by the Government. Joe Gardner & Son, Charley Gooding and Joe Taber will do the carpenter work.



The Trustees of the Presbyterian Church have purchased the Jack Buckland home and lot. The house will be moved to the rear of the lot and used for a wood shed. The foundation of the new building will be of brick.



If the State Board of Equalization sustains the raise in the assessment roll, our County Commissioners should reduce the tax rate from $1.75 to $1.50 on the $100 valuation.

100 YEARS AGO

The museum is missing the 1917 newspapers from the Elko Daily Free Press and there is no microfilm of October 1917 through December 1917. Sorry for the omission.

75 YEARS AGO

October 16, 1942: The registration of voters in Elko county has dropped 304 since the presidential election of 1940, according to reports compiled by the county clerks office here today. The report is complete in Elko, with a few more expected throughout the county. The total registration to date for 1942 is 5621, while the total in 1940 was 5925. There has been a drop of but 20 in the registration in the city of Elko. The total for Elko this year is 2351, while in 1040 the total reached 2371. The detailed registration for the city and county for 1942 and 1940 is as follows: City of Elko, 1942, Democrats 1529, Republicans 618, various 204, total 2351. County of Elko, 1942, Democrats 3643, Republicans 1446, various 523, total 5621. City of Elko, 1940, Democrats 1488, Republicans 650, various 233, total 2371. County of Elko, 1040, Democrats 3794, Republicans 1601, various 530, total 5925.

October 20, 1942: A deal was consummated yesterday whereby Newton Crumley, Sr., purchased a ranch from Dick Bellinger, consisting of about 900 acres, known as the old George Pratt ranch on the North Fork. The deal included about 500 head of cattle, 40 horses, a small band of sheep, farm implements, etc., while the price has not been made public it is learned that it was around $60,000. Immediate possession is to be given and the former owner will move to Elko where he will make his future home. The deal was handled by H.U. Castle.



Tin can collection in which the whole town was canvassed Saturday, netted the Girl and Boy Scouts over three tons of cans and several tons of scrap metal. The counts reported that more and more of the people of Elko are saving cans all the time and urged those not yet saving and preparing cans for salvage to start doing so today.

50 YEARS AGO

October 20, 1967: Elkos newest Shopping Plaza will be located on a 12 acre plot east of the Bureau of Land Management building. The total shopping center will include approximately 110,000 square feet of leaseable area and will involve expenditures of approximately $1.5 million. The J.C. Penney store, which will be located at the northeast end of the center, will contain 35,100 square feet plus a free standing Tire, Battery and Accessory building of 6,264 square feet. All in all, there will be 19 or 20 stores. The Elko Shopping Plaza will entail an air conditioned mall to which approximately 85 percent of the stores will face. Elko citizens will be able to shop in air conditioned comfort in the summertime and will be warm and dry while shopping in the wintertime.

October 28, 1967: The Elko Basque Club, Euzkaldunak, will hold a re-organization meeting a week from Monday at the old Catholic Church building on Court Street. The meeting will include election of officers. All persons who have paid their $4 annual dues may vote. Dues may be paid during the meeting. Most important of the decisions facing the club is the National Basque Festival, and whether or not to continue holding it in Elko. Also facing a decision is a Basque dance class for children.



The City of Elko and the Ruby View Heights began exploring the possibilities of that residential area becoming a part of the city of Elko last night. Annexation of the area into the city limits would increase the city tax revenue, at the present rate $1.48 rate, to $4000 a year. However, the city would lose the extra rate charged those residents for water and sewer fees, since these fees are standard within the city limits. The residents would gain fire protection, city police protection, street repair benefits and a few other services.

25 YEARS AGO

October 16, 1992: Under an agreement adopted by the city council Monday, Elko will pay half the estimated $39,493 it will cost to drill nine monitoring wells to assess possible ground water pollution around the old West Pacific Railroad yard. City Attorney Robert Goicoechea, City Manager Lorry Lipparelli, City Engineer Ferron Konakis and Mayor Jim Polkinghorne negotiated the agreement at a meeting with two environmental engineers from Union Pacific Railroad, which acquired the yard in 1983, then traded it to the city in May 1987.

October 17, 1992: Continuing drought conditions have nearly dried up the Ruby Marshes and no water remains within 200 yards of the main boat landing, reports Dan Pennington, Manager of the Ruby Lake Wildlife Refuge. The water that does remain is very shallow, he said, and may freeze solid this winter. Low water level means poor waterfowl hunting this fall and poor fishing next year. Most of the water in the refuge comes from the winter snow pack on the south end of the Ruby Mountains. If the mountains were to receive anything less than average snow pack this winter, the remaining water in the South Sump would probably evaporate completely next summer. Comparable to the dry-up of 1961.

October 19, 1992: Enrollment in Elko County District schools increased by 456 students this year. Enrollment was 8,713, up 5.5 percent over last years 8,257.
Indonesia said today its military chief had been refused entry to the United States and asked Washington for an explanation.

General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta yesterday.

Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency.

Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said.

"Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta.

"The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP.

The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel.

It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Marsudi for any inconvenience.

"The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the General's travel to the United States," it said.

"We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples."



The conference of national defence chiefs is on countering violent extremism.

Since being appointed armed forces chief by President Joko Widodo in July 2015, Nurmantyo has been at the centre of several controversies.

Earlier this year he abruptly suspended all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials, and has been rebuked by members of Widodo's cabinet for making misleading public remarks.

He helped stoke a wave of anti-communist sentiment sweeping Indonesia by ordering the screening of an anti- communist propaganda film to members of the military



Nurmantyo will step down as leader of the armed forces in 2018 and many analysts believe he has political ambitions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has arrived in Riyadh in a visit aimed at upgrading strategic ties, amid warming relations between the Arab neighbours.

The tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al- Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

It also comes after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, his second visit to the region in recent months to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha.

Abadi will today to take part in Riyadh in a meeting to establish a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council aimed at boosting cooperation.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson is also set to take part in the meeting.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump. Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq.

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months.

After former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite- dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair on Saturday, Saudi minister Khalid al-Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress Vice-President on Sunday took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was "2017, not 1817".

"Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817," Gandhi tweeted.

He also tagged a news report titled 'Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts'. The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media.





Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017

It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority.

The state government said in a release last night that there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.
The Kerala government is gearing up to launch a campaign against the abuse of antibiotics in the state in the wake of reports that natural resistance power of people was alarmingly decreasing due to its misuse or over consumption.

Besides launching a public campaign about the dangers of irrational antibiotic usage, the government also has plans to bring out an 'Antibiotic Policy' by January next year with strict treatment guidelines for public and private sector doctors in this regard, health department sources said.

With this, the southern state would become the first in the country to bring out its own antibiotic policy, they said.

On the policy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had, in a recent Facebook post, said directions had already been given to medical colleges on the usage of antibiotics by different departments under them.

"Unnecessary use of antibiotics is destroying the natural resistance power of people.. It is also dangerous that the sale of antibiotics is being carried out without the doctors' prescription.. An awareness campaign will be held for doctors and public in this regard," Vijayan said.

According to the health department sources, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is found to have caused an alarming spurt in 'antimicrobial resistance' (AMR) among people.

'AMR' is the ability of a microorganism like bacteria or viruses to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarial) from working against it.

State Health Secretary, Rajeev Sadanandan, said the AMR would result in making the present standard treatment modes ineffective, infections persist, and push the patients to a life-threatening condition.

Stressing the significance of regulating the antibiotic abuse, he said, as many as six most dangerous drug resistant microorganisms, listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), were found in the samples collected from patients who sought treatment in the state medical colleges.

"Irrational use of antibiotics not only kill those bacteria or virus causing the illness but also the good microorganisms protecting the human body from infection," Sadanandan told PTI.

People do not even consult doctors for minor inflectional diseases and consume antibiotics by their own as there is no restrictions for it, he noted.

"Such practice will only do harm rather than any benefit to those people," he added.

Sarada Devi K L of the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, here, said not only in the health sectors but strict guidelines on the usage of antibiotics should be implemented in veterinary, agriculture, dairy and aquatic farming, and environment sectors also.

"Antibiotics are largely used as growth promoters in the veterinary sector.. When people consume the antibiotic injected-chicken or pig, naturally, it will enter human body, without any direct intake," she told PTI.

The quality of antibiotics is also found to be decreasing now-a-days and a strict monitoring is needed to ensure the standard of drugs, she added.

The Health Department is planning a week-long awareness campaign from November 13 on the ill-effects of antibiotic misuse.

As part of the drive, strict guidelines would be brought out for the optimal and judicious usage of antibiotics in other departments also.

Antibiotic stewardship committees would be formed in private as well as state-run hospitals to implement various programmes in this regard, department sources added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Old-generation private sector lender (LVB), which used to have a low Casa base for long, has turned around the deposit-elephant of late, thanks to the separation of the credit function from branches and making them focus on deposit mop-up.

Its consistent drive to ramp up deposits has led to a 6 percentage points spike in low-cost Casa (current account/savings account) deposits in the September quarter to 19.34 per cent which as a percentage of total deposits rose to 20.97 per cent from 17.3 a year ago.

For the quarter, Casa grew by 32.5 per cent, helping the bank improve its cost-to-income ratio to 48.27 per cent from 51.44 per cent.

And the management of the bank, which is also planning to raise Rs 800 crore through a rights issue next month, is sure to retain Casa at 20 per cent level consistently this year and take it further to 25 per cent over next two years. Traditionally, LVB's Casa was hovering at 13-14 per cent.

The Casa turnaround began when the 91-year-old lender centralised its credit function some years back and created special credit centres and made branch managers to focus mainly on deposits. Today none of its 510 branches do lending.

"Too much time of the branch management goes in credit and recovery matters, leaving them with little time to focus on the Casa and fees business," LVB chief executive P Mukherjee says.

"So, we decided to end this practice and took away the lending part from him. Now we've a centralised credit centre in Chennai for corporate loans and 11 loan centres for SMEs across key geographies. For retail we have a centre in Chennai and one in Bengaluru," he told PTI here over the weekend.

Earlier this month, LVB reported a whopping 83 per cent plunge in net income at Rs 10.50 crore as its provisions for bad loans jumped three times to Rs 187.4 crore. The asset quality plunged sharply with gross NPAs almost doubling to 5.50 per cent while net NPAs soared to 4.33 per cent from 1.87.

ICICI Securities last week named LVB along with four other South-based old-generation banks, like Federal and South Indian, as the ones to lead the next growth wave among small private lenders due to their niche positioning and the overall improvements in all the key growth metrics.

"South-based private sector like Federal Bank, LVB, City Union, Karur Vysya and South Indian are poised to register accelerated earnings growth going ahead as their asset quality ratios have peaked out and loan growth is likely to revive after remaining muted over the sometime.

"Niche positioning in their home states, expertise in small-ticket loans to the self-employed and relationship-based banking model would ensure higher-than-industry growth for these banks," ISecs said in the report.

The report said these have the potential upside of 5 to 19 per cent as they are set to see loan growth of 11-22 per cent and earnings by 12-25 per cent in next two years.

Mukherjee, who joined LVB from Axis Bank last year, has identified his challenges--to increase net interest income (2.8 per cent in Q2); arrest NPAs that has taken a big blow in Q2 "due to some legacy accounts", and to raise core capital.

The core capital issue should be more or less settled with the forthcoming rights issue, he said.

"Our Casa was hovering around 14 per cent till three years ago. Because our branch managers had no time for Casa mobilisation. Then we decided to end branch-based lending and make branch managers focus on deposits alone. This resulted in around 1,200 Casa accounts being opened daily now that too without offering higher prices," he said.

For the other two key issues he is tackling, he said currently its non-core income is only 8-10 per cent, which he wants to bump up to 30-35 per cent and he expects fee-based businesses like insurance sales and wealth management through Centrum Broking to help this.

Admitting that the current NPAs are not acceptable, he, however, blamed it mostly on the legacy chunky accounts in the power and steel sectors, plus nine of the RBI named accounts.

"But the silver lining is that all the Rs 600 crore fresh slippages came in from these legacy accounts only in Q2 and I don't see much pains going forward too. All of my NPAs are syndicated accounts and came in the Rs 2,300 crore watch- list it had identified earlier," he said.
A man and his two children were killed while his wife suffered critical injuries after the car in which they were travelling rammed into a tree in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, police said today.

The incident took place last night in Rajgamar area under Balco Nagar police station limits when the victims were returning after celebrating Bhaidooj festival from Ompur village, Korba City Superintendent of Police (CSP) S S Paikra said.

The deceased were identified as Roshan Kumar Rathore (32), son Arunao (5) and daughter Raghvi (1), hailing from Kusmunda area of Korba.

Roshan's wife Lata was admitted to a local hospital with serious injuries, he added.

As per the preliminary information, Roshan, a private bank employee, along with his family had gone to his in-laws' house in Ompur to celebrate Bhaidooj yesterday.

On their way back, Roshan lost control over the steering near a temple in Rajgamar area, and the vehicle crashed into a road side tree, the CSP said.

"The impact of the collision was so severe that Roshan and his two children died on the spot," he added.

After being alerted, a police team was sent to the spot and the injured and bodies of the deceased were taken to the hospital, he added.

A case has been registered in this connection, the CSP said adding that further probe is on.

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Union Commerce and Industry Ministry will be hosting an international level event in Goa in February 2018 to attract investments in the coastal state in environment friendly sectors, minister Suresh Prabhu said today.

Prabhu, who met Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at his official residence at Altinho this afternoon, said that a special programme would be held under ministrys Invest India initiative to attract investors to the state.

"Our idea is to get more investments into Goa for the sectors which are environment friendly. We are trying to get investment for eco-tourism, logistics, Information Technology and others which generate good jobs," Prabhu told PTI at the sidelines of an event here.

"We will also emphasise for hitech industries like artificial intelligence, bio technology and others. Idea is that we should preserve the ecology of Goa and at the same time bring in investment in Goa so that the development happens," Prabhu added.

He said the event would be held in the month of February next year wherein top leaders from these sectors from various parts of the world would be invited to Goa.

The minister said in yet another initiative, the ministry is also planning to "promote Goa globally."



"At the same time we are also thinking of promoting Goa globally. Recently, we had organised an event in Stockholm called Make in India, it was very successful event," he said.

"The Prime Minister of Sweden had come and also top leading industrialists of that country were there. We are planning to do similar event for Goa in few months time," he said, adding, the details about the venue would be worked out in the days to come.

"Today we discussed the possibility of hosting such an international event. In next few weeks, Parrikar is going to come to Delhi where we will give final touches to it," Prabhu added.

Speaking about the ease of doing business for various industries, the minister said that his ministry is working with the finance ministry to ensure that whatever has been the regime which promoted investments into various states of the country should be continued.

"We are constantly in dialogue with finance ministry. I am sure the vision of Prime Minister would be fulfilled by creating a conducive climate and more investment willcome to India," he added.

Prabhu said that number of steps are taken to improve ease of doing business for that we (ministry) are organising major event in India to get start ups and venture capitalists to come to the country.

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The controversy over Vijay-starrer "Mersal" refused to die down today, with actor Vishal accusing BJP leader H Raja of advocating piracy by watching the movie online, a charge rejected by latter.

Earlier in the day, referring to Raja's remarks, reported in a section of the media, Vishal, head of the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and general secretary of the South Indian Artistes' Association (SIAA), had also demanded an apology from him.

However, Raja clarified that he had only watched clips of the movie on his mobile phone and said he did not have the patience to sit through a two-and-a-half hour film.

"Dear Mr H Raja, as a leader and prominent personality, you are advocating piracy and blatantly agreeing to it," Vishal said in a statement.

The actor also said he wondered "how a political leader like you could watch a pirated version of a film (online)" and added that it "sets a bad example".

This was "totally insensitive and uncalled for," said Vishal, who is known for his strong anti-piracy stand and activities.

Demanding an apology from Raja on the matter, Vishal also pressed the government to enact more stringent anti-piracy laws.

Raja, however, categorically denied having watched the movie, especially online as it was being made out. "I had not watched the movie. I only watched the clips received on my phone," he told PTI.

Piracy is one of the major issues being faced by the multi-crore Tamil cinema industry, with films being uploaded on certain websites soon after their release.

The availability of pirated CDs and DVDs of new films is also an issue.

Actor Vijay's fans have been reportedly circulating the contentious scenes, allegedly mocking the central government's Goods and Services Tax (GST), through mobile phones.

"I don't have the patience to watch a two-and-a-half hour movie. This entire episode shows that whoever opposes the BJP are supporting Vijay, and this is expected," Raja said.

Diwali release "Mersal" has kicked up a row with the BJP taking exception to references on GST in the movie.

BJP leaders, including Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, have been demanding that the "incorrect" references be deleted from the big-budget flick.

However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his senior colleague P Chidambaram, DMK working president M K Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.

In Puducherry, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy came to the defence of the film, saying questions have been "justifiably" raised on the GST and the Digital India initiatives in the movie and there could be no objection to expression of one's views in a democratic set up.

"I am a member of the GST council and I have expressed my strong criticism of the abnormal levy of GST on medicines and on hotels at the council meeting," he told reporters.

"Will those unable to tolerate criticisms made by actor Vijay in the movie against the GST seek action against me as well for objecting to the abnormal levy of taxes at the council meeting?" the Chief Minister asked.

Stating that movies, television and newspapers had every right to express views and criticise policies and decisions of authorities, he claimed that there was no political motive, whatsoever, in the movie's dialogues.

"Let not BJP leaders labour under the mistake that they should always be lauded for anything and everything of the NDA regime even if the decisions of the Centre are injurious to the people," Narayanasamy said.

The BJP had on October 20 objected to what it termed as "untruths" regarding the GST in just-released "Mersal", and wanted dialogues on the central taxation to be deleted.

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Myanmar police have seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine pills in the north of violence-racked Rakhine state this month, an officer said today.

Millions of the caffeine-laced meth tablets were intercepted in Maungdaw district, the centre of an army-led crackdown that has driven more than half a million Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border into Bangladesh in just two months.

Myanmar troops poured into the area in late August to launch a counter-offensive against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts. This grew into a full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, according to the UN and others.

As the region reels from the refugee crisis, a lucrative narcotics trade continues across the border into Bangladesh, where there is high demand for the addictive meth pills known by their Thai name "yaba" or "crazy medicine".

"We have seized 3,563,355 stimulant tablets from five drugs trafficking cases starting from this month in Maungdaw," local anti-drugs officer Maung Maung Yin told AFP.

It was the largest monthly haul in the area since February when police launched a statewide anti-narcotics operation, he said.

"We seized these drugs while we were working to enforce tight security in the area because of the situation," the officer added, in reference to the violence that seen hundreds of Rohingya villages torched.

Seven ethnic Rakhine men -- who, apart from the Rohingya are the other main minority group based in the area -- have been arrested in connection with the trafficking, he said.

State media said the pills, which sell for around $1-2 each, were marked with the "WY" stamp of the ethnic Wa drug lords who run Myanmar's lucrative narcotics trade.

The heavily-armed Wa churn out the tablets in laboratories in Myanmar's northeast, where they run a independent statelet guarded by a standing army.

Huge amounts of drugs are smuggled from that "Golden Triangle" zone south to Bangkok and beyond, but a westward route to Bangladesh -- the gateway to other South Asian markets -- has also flourished.

In recent years Bangladeshi security forces have seized millions of meth tablets from traffickers trying to enter the Cox's Bazar area by land and sea.

Earlier this month two Myanmar soldiers were caught with nearly two million yaba pills in Maungdaw.

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An unidentified militant was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Langet area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.

An encounter broke out between militant and security forces this morning after the latter launched a search operation in Langet, 100 kms from here, an Army official said.

He said one militant has been killed and the encounter is still underway.
A woman and her daughter were buried alive in this Bihar district today when a mound of earth caved in while they were busy digging mud for domestic purpose.

According to Ravi Paswan, in-charge of Govindpur police station, the incident took place at Bhilua village which falls under Sarkanda Panchayat.

He said, Sarita Devi (33) had gone to the mound on the outskirts of the village, along with her 13-year-old daughter Nibha Kumari and a number of other women residing in their neighbourhood for digging mud.

The mother and daughter stayed back after the other women had returned to their homes and apparently dug too deep, leading to the mishap, Paswan said.

Their bodies were exhumed by family members and other villagers who informed the police about the incident, he added.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today arrived here on nearly a week-long visit during which he would deliver a keynote address on integral humanism at the US Capitol and meet representatives of the corporate world seeking investments for his state.

He would also travel to New York, according to officials.

Tomorrow, the chief minister would address a Washington audience on integral humanism at the US Capitol during the inaugural Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya forum organised by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), a US-based think-tank in association with the Embassy of India.

With focus on seeking investment in Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan, in Washington DC, is scheduled to have an interaction with representatives of the corporate world at meetings organised by US India Business Council and US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF).

He would also meet US lawmakers including Indian-American Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress.

In his interaction with senior business leaders, Chouhan would deliver the keynote address, while Madhya Pradesh Commerce Secretary Mohammed Suleman will make a detailed presentation on investment opportunities in the state.

On his way from Washington DC to New York by road, Chouhan would also visit the Akshardham Temple in New Jersey.

In addition to his interaction with the business community and representatives from companies like Amazon and Goldman Sachs, the chief minister is scheduled to visit incubation center at the Columbia University.

Chouhan would address a meeting of "Friends of MP" at the Indian Consulate in New York on Thursday.

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The BJP is likely to induct former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader into the party by the first week of November, a senior BJP leader has said.

The announcement of his joining the party is expected to be made after BJP general secretary and West Bengal in-charge, Kailash Vijayvargiya meets party president Amit Shah this week, BJP party sources said.

"If everything goes well, will join our party within the first week of November. His joining can take place either in Kolkata or in New Delhi," a senior BJP leader, who is privy to the developments, told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Roy, however, could not be reached for a reaction.

The state BJP unit, which was divided till last week on the question of inducting Roy into the party, has given up its reservations due to the keenness of the leadership, the sources said.

Vijayvargiya has played a key role in convincing the BJP leadership about the positive impact of inducting Roy, who is known for his organisational acumen, into the party, they said.

"Given the lack of good organisers in the state BJP unit, Kailashji was positive about Roy from the very beginning. He felt that inducting Roy would help the party in the rural polls in 2018 and Lok Sabha polls in 2019," another BJP leader said.

"Roy's organisational acumen and ability to conduct polls has earned praise from everybody," the leader said.

A BJP party source said, "You can expect an announcement after Kailash Vijayvargiya meets our party president this week. After the meeting the picture will be clear. Our party leadership is presently busy with the poll campaign in Gujarat."



State BJP president Dilip Ghosh had recently lauded Roy as a "good organiser" and said that he had made a "big contribution" to the growth of the TMC in Bengal.

The indication that Roy is likely to join the BJP came when he was invited for the birthday celebration of BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha that will take place on October 25.

Roy, who was once the second in command in the Trinamool Congress after its chief Mamata Banerjee, had earlier this month resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the party.

He had described BJP as a non-communal party and said that the TMC would not have tasted success without the backing of the saffron outfit at the national level in its initial years.

Roy was last month suspended from the TMC for six years for indulging in anti-party activities after he announced that he would quit the party.

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Just when it seemed everything was not hunky-dory in the Congress's Maharashtra unit with party heavyweight Narayan Rane quitting on a bitter note, the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation (NWMC) poll results came as a shot in the arm for the party, its leaders say.

Led by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan, the party registered an emphatic victory in the October 11 NWMC polls, clinching 73 of the 81 seats, whereas the state's ruling BJP could bag only six seats.

While leaving the party last month, former chief minister Rane had slammed Chavan, alleging that the latter did not have "any qualification" to head the party at state level.

"The sheer magnitude of the victory is such...it marks an upward swing for us post-2014 general elections," said a party leader, wishing not to be named.

The leader said the NWMC poll results have "charged up" the party workers in Maharashtra, where the BJP made unprecedented gains winning 12 of the 16 civic bodies that went to polls this year.

"The problem our party faced so far was that our workers and leaders did not reach out to the masses. People are angry with the ruling party as the Nanded results have shown. We are now working on mass outreach programmes to tap the anger," another leader said.

The second leader added that the party was focussing on channelising the dissatisfaction with the BJP-led central and state governments among various sections of people--farmers, traders, government employees, the youth, etc.

Another leader of the party from Maharashtra cited the example of a protest the party staged last Monday over the governments' alleged apathy towards several issues relating to farmers.

"Our effort will also be to give relief to the people as we try to regain strength. People are tired of the BJP's rhetoric. We don't want to tread the path of making hollow promises," the Maharashtra leader added.

Asked for comment, AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash hailed the party's show in the civic polls. He also quipped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were not "courteous enough" to congratulate the BJP's rival party on its victory as expected by people in a democratic set-up.

"The prime minister and Shah have habits of tweeting congratulatory messages on victories of their party even at local levels. So, people expected them to tweet about Nanded too. But there has been a lack of courtesy in their behaviour," he said.

Asked how he saw the party's successes in the NWMC and also in Parbhani, Bhiwandi and Malegaon civic body polls held this year, he noted people got polarised as they found a "viable alternative" in the Congress.

Rane, who has considerable influence in the Konkan region, floated a new party--Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh-- which he said would be a part of the BJP-led NDA.

Mohan Prakash of the Congress said that his party would "not use clutches of parties lacking ideology similar to it" while moving forward in the state.

"We are not (like) the BJP (to allegedly join hands with the parties having different ideologies). If the need arises, we may look up to like-minded parties. But our party has not decided anything on the issue as of now," he said.

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Iraqi Kurdistan's main opposition party has called for the autonomous region's president to resign after Baghdad seized swathes of disputed territory from Kurdish forces in response to an independence vote.

Shoresh Haji of the Goran movement, which holds 24 out of 111 seats in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament, said yesterday Massud Barzani and his deputy Kosrat Rasul should step down.

"The Kurdistan region's president and his deputy no longer have any legitimacy and should resign," he said.

He called for the creation of a "national salvation government" to prepare for dialogue with Baghdad and organise new elections.

Iraqi Kurds on September 25 voted overwhelmingly for independence in a poll set in motion by longtime regional leader Barzani and strongly opposed by Baghdad.

Central government forces last week swept into the oil- rich Kirkuk province, restoring it and Kurdish-held parts of Nineveh and Diyala provinces to Baghdad's control.

The rapid Kurdish retreat triggered recriminations among Kurdish politicians and prompted the regional parliament to postpone presidential and legislative polls set for November 1.

Goran on yesterday demanded the dissolution of a body set up after the referendum to "manage the consequences of the ballot".

Critics fear that Barzani, who chairs the body, could use it to retain power even after he leaves his post.

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About 45.19 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy has so far arrived in Haryana during current Kharif marketing season as compared to over 41.45 lakh MT of paddy in the corresponding period last year.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of Haryana Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department said out of the total arrival of paddy, government agencies has so far procured 43.52 lakh MT of paddy, whereas the remaining quantity of over 1.66 lakh MT of paddy was procured by the millers.

He said 20.59 lakh MT of paddy purchased by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department, while 14.42 lakh MT was bought by Hafed.

Haryana Agro, Haryana Warehousing Corporation and Food Corporation of India bought 4.02 lakh MT, 4.40 lakh MT and 9,279 MT of crop, respectively.

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More than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence erupted in northern Rakhine in August, a UN report said today.

The grim new landmark comes as authorities in Bangladesh were bracing for another possible surge in Rohingya arrivals, with thousands from the Muslim minority believed to be stranded along the border waiting to cross.

Rohingya refugees have headed for Bangladesh in huge numbers after militant attacks on Myanmar security forces in Rakhine state sparked a major army crackdown on the community likened to ethnic cleansing by the UN.

Now the UN-led Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), which is directing the humanitarian effort, has said an estimated 603,000 refugees from Rakhine have crossed the border into Bangladesh since August 25.

"Cross border movement of over 14,000 newly arrived refugees has been verified in the past week," the ISCG report said.

Bangladesh border guards are also concerned the relaxation later today of a temporary ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal could see a surge in people-smuggling along the coast as unscrupulous captains return to the seas.

Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh have received videos from families across the border showing thousands of displaced Muslims massing near crossing points, waiting for an opportunity to cross.

"We have seen some videos sent by people across the border. There are many gathered there. The number could be big," Border Guard Bangladesh commander Lieutenant Colonel S M Ariful Islam told AFP, without giving an estimate.

Around 10,000 refugees were left stranded in no man's land near Anjumanpara village for three days last week after being prevented from crossing into Bangladesh. They were finally permitted by authorities to enter on Thursday.

The influx has slowed since then, with charities and officials reporting about 200 people crossing the Naf River dividing the two countries.

"(But) those that came told us thousands were still stranded on the other side of Naf," Jashim Uddin, a volunteer for the International Organisation for Migration, told AFP.

Another border guard told AFP an estimated 10-15,000 refugees were heading to Anjumanpara but had been pushed back.

"We heard from their relatives that the Myanmar army has stopped them from heading to the border," said a Border Guard spokesman, Iqbal Ahmed.

Refugees arriving today described violence in their villages in Rakhine and food shortages that had forced countless people to flee.

"We hardly had any food for the last 10-15 days. They torched our home. We did not have any choice but to leave," Yasmin, who goes by one name, told AFP at the coastal village of Shah Porir Dwip.

Authorities meanwhile are on high alert for fishermen seeking to ferry refugees to Bangladesh via the open sea as the temporary fishing ban expires later today.

"It is risky, but you can make a lot of money ferrying Rohingya to Bangladesh," said local fisherman Shawkat Hossain.

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The Indian-American parents of the missing 3-year-old adopted Indian girl are expected to appear in a court tomorrow to fight to try to get back their other child, US media reported.

The mysterious disappearance of the Sherin Mathews from her home over two weeks ago led to the Child Protective Services (CPS) removing the 4-year-old biological girl from the home of Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews, CBS reported.

The CPS says it's a standard custodial hearing, as the parents ask a judge to let them bring their biological daughter home in Richardson city in the US state of Texas.

The CPS has previously said it had been involved with the Mathews prior to Sherin's disappearance, but refused to say for which child and why they were called in.

The father, Wesley Mathews, was arrested and charged with child endangerment after he told police he left his adopted daughter, Sherin, alone outside their home at 3:00 a.m. October 7.

Wesley, 37, told Richardson Police he made Sherin stand by a tree about 100 feet from their home as punishment for not drinking her milk. After 15 minutes when he went out to see her, Sherin was missing, Wesley told police. He waited until 8:00 am to report her missing.

Wesley is on bond, being tracked with a GPS monitor. As part of his release, the court says he cannot have contact with any minor child.

The girl's mother does not face any charges. She was in the house at the time, but was reportedly asleep and unaware of what her husband was doing, according to police.

Meanwhile, Richardson Police Department in its latest statement on the Sherin's missing case said that detectives have been going door-to-door at businesses and locations that may have additional information and evidence important to this case.

"Searches being conducted are very specific as we learn more through evidence being collected. Much of the evidence we have obtained requires analysis which takes time to process at a forensic level.

"As you may have learned from media, many items collected through search warrants are also being analysed. As we continue, findings will be available less often due to the sensitive nature of what is discovered," the police said in a statement on Facebook.

An earlier statement said that during the course of this investigation, police have developed information that has lead them to more specific areas. Multiple searches were conducted in fields, creeks and wooded areas. Drones were also deployed for the searches.

Detectives are also working through the video surveillance collected.

"The process of reviewing evidence both digital and physical, as well as witness statements is a time consuming process and we ask for patience as we make progress," the earlier police statement said.

Sherin's case has caught the attention of India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"We are deeply concerned about the missing child. Indian Embassy in US is actively involved and they keep me informed," Swaraj tweeted on October 19.

"We are closely monitoring Sherin Mathews case. We have established the contact with the community and authorities," the Consul General of India in Houston, Anupam Ray had tweeted.

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Police today arrested a pastor from Dadar Mandi area here for allegedly raping two women on the pretext of exorcising them.

Police said the pastor was arrested after the two women lodged complaint against him on October 8.

The two women alleged that the accused used to rape and sexually exploit them on the pretext of driving out evil spirit from them.

The statement of the two victims were recorded under Section 164 of CrPC before a judicial magistrate in this regard, police said.

The pastor has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight congratulated badminton player Kidambi Srikanth for winnin the Denmark Open, saying it had made every Indian proud.

"Congratulations @srikidambi! Your remarkable victory at the #DenmarkSSP makes every Indian proud and happy," he tweeted.

Srikanth clinched his third Super Series Premier title with a dominating straight-game victory over Korean veteran Lee Hyun II in a lop-sided final of the USD 750,000 Denmark Open in Odense.

Playing an opponent 12 years his senior, Srikanth asserted his dominance with a 21-10 21-5 win over 37-year-old Lee in a match that lasted just 25 minutes here.

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said a blueprint of 142 expansion projects has been finalised to modernise 12 major ports and develop new harbours at a cost of about Rs 90,000 crore.

These 12 ports under the administrative control of the Centre saw a growth of 3.24 per cent in cargo to 326.4 million tonnes (MT) in the April-September period of the current financial year as against 316.1 MT in the corresponding period last year.

"A master plan for modernisation of the 12 ports besides development of new ports has been finalised. These ports are growth catalysts of modern India," Shipping, Road, Transport, Highways and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari told PTI.

Gadkari said a total of 142 expansion projects worth more than Rs 90,000 crore have been identified for these ports and timely delivery of projects will give the much-needed boost to the economy, besides shaping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of new India.

"Out of the 142 identified expansion projects, 57 projects are under implementation and one has been completed," he said.

India has 12 major ports, namely Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia), which handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.

The April-September figures of the cargo at 12 major ports show that the highest growth was registered by Cochin Port (19.62 per cent), followed by Kolkata (including Haldia), New Mangalore, Paradip with a growth of about 12 per cent each.

According to the official data, Cochin Port growth was mainly due to increase in traffic of POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) (27.8 per cent) and Containers (10.3 per cent).

In Kolkata Port, the data showed that the overall growth was positive i.e. 11.95 per cent.

During the period April to September 2017, Kandla Port handled the highest volume of traffic i.e. 53.29 MT (16.33 per cent share), followed by Paradip with 47.61 MT (14.59 per cent share), JNPT with 32.69 MT (10.02 per cent share), Mumbai with 31.23 MT (9.57 per cent share), and Visakhapatnam with 30.15 MT (9.24 per cent share). Together, these five ports handled around 60 per cent of Major Ports Traffic.

Commodity-wise percentage share of POL was maximum i.e. 34.01 per cent, followed by Container (20.22 per cent), Thermal & Steam Coal (12.66 per cent), other Cargo (12.17 per cent), Coking & Other Coal (7.6 per cent) and Iron Ore & Pellets (6.65 per cent).
Britain's post-Brexit trading relationship with the EU will depend on how much the bloc wants to punish the UK for daring to leave, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said today.

His intervention came after Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, told British Prime Minister Theresa May to offer greater concessions to the EU and outline what sort of trade deal she wants, following talks at a Brussels summit.

European Union leaders threw May a lifeline in Brexit talks on Friday, agreeing to start preparations for the next stage of negotiations on post-Brexit trade and a transition deal.

European capitals are demanding detailed written commitments on the divorce bill from London before consenting to the start of trade talks, fearing that Britain's departure in 2019 will blow a hole in the bloc's budget.

Fox said Britain and the EU were starting from a point of complete convergence on trade, and could decide either to maintain that relationship or deliberately degrade it for political reasons.

"In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave?" he told ITV television.

Fox said prosperity on the continent should come before the EU's drive towards ever-closer union, which he said had reached "a near-theological level".

He said there could not be a final divorce bill until Britain knew what it was getting in return in terms of free trade.

His intervention came after Verhofstadt told The Mail on Sunday newspaper that May should "face down" Brexit cheerleaders like Fox and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Verhofstadt said May should call the bluff of the "increasingly desperate Brexiteers" and "outline, once and for all, what kind of future relationship the country wants".

"Brexiteers failed to outline the extent of UK liabilities in Europe. Nevertheless, what is clear is that it will not be the taxpayers of the European Union who pay Britain's bar bill."



May is expected to update parliament on the summit outcome tomorrow.

She was to reaffirm her commitment to the three million EU nationals living in Britain who make an "extraordinary contribution", saying "we want them to stay".

She was also to call on the other 27 EU states likewise to protect the rights of British expats.

"The negotiations are complicated and deeply technical but in the end they are about people -- and I am determined that we will put people first," she was to say.

Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis is due to travel to Paris for talks tomorrow, after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested at the summit that London would need to ramp up its divorce payment offer to unlock trade negotiations.

Davis is due to have dinner with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Labour Party has said it will join forces with rebels from May's governing Conservatives to try to force the prime minister into giving parliament a veto on the final Brexit deal.

"Labour will work with all sides to make that happen," said shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer.

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Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has criticised the NDA government's move of demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), calling them as "attacks on the economy".

The government mistakenly assumed that currency in cash is black money. It is sometimes a provision for emergency situations but the government ignored this aspect and went ahead with note ban. Now, everybody knows the note ban has failed miserably, Chavan told reporters yesterday in Karad, his hometown in Satara district.

The BJP-led Union government also failed to build up a proper system required for the implementation and execution of the GST. Now it is affecting the economy, he said.

These two moves of the Modi government are "an attack on the nation's economy," Chavan said.

"The government has completely ignored that black money could be in the form of real estate, jewellery items or even in some land purchases. It looks like the government completely ignored these areas and focused on scrapping high valued currency notes in circulation," the former Union minister said.

He said the Congress leaders across the country are working on strategies to counter and corner the BJP government on these fronts.

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today accused SAD leaders of "demeaning" his government's Rs 9,500 crore farm loan waiver scheme and indulging in "political gimmickry".

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had been hitting out at the Congress government in the state, alleging that the party had reneged on the promises made before the Assembly polls held earlier this year.

The chief minister accused SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal of "playing with the sentiments of the people with fraudulent and baseless charges" against the current dispensation.

Amarinder Singh also questioned his predecessor over "failure" to take any initiatives for the farmers and other sections of the society during his 10-year tenure, and now criticising the steps being taken by the Congress government for the welfare of the people.

Asserting that his government had announced the loan waiver scheme in Punjab Assembly in June this year, the chief minister said that Badal failed to even turn up for the session.

"In fact, the Akalis did not have the patience to listen to the government on the issue," he said in a statement, adding, it was evident that the SAD did not have a positive programme and were merely indulging in "political gimmickry" for their political interests.

The chief minister warned the SAD against pursuing a "negative" agenda, saying the people of Punjab were not willing to give them a long rope now and would not tolerate such ploys as they only wanted to live and progress in peace.

"The Akalis were concerned only about promoting their own political and personal interests, as they had been doing all these years, at the cost of the development and progress of Punjab and its people," he said.

On the SAD core committee's rejection of the government's notification on farmers' debt, the chief minister challenged Parkash Singh Badal and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal to prove even a single of their allegations on loan waiver issue.

Having "failed" to take any step for the welfare of the farmers during their decade-long rule, the Badals now have the "audacity to demean" the initiatives being taken by the Congress government despite the "financial crisis inherited" by his government from the SAD-BJP dispensation, he alleged.

The SAD leaders used their time in power to "loot the people and fill up their own pockets, leaving the state exchequer reeling under an unprecedented burden", Amarinder Singh alleged.

The chief minister also accused the SAD of "misguiding" people by "mutilating" truth regarding closure of certain government schools in the state.

He said the fact was that the government has merely decided to merge 800 government schools with less than 20 students with adjoining schools situated within a kilometre of its radius.

The education system in the state too has been "destroyed" by the SAD-BJP dispensation. Schools, colleges, technical institutions, everything was in a "total mess", the chief minister alleged, adding that his government was trying to bring the state's education system back on track.

The decision to merge certain schools would lead to better utilisation of teaching staff, he said and ruled out any possibility of the move affecting the students.

The Badals had "destroyed" every system in the state, from education to health, industry and agriculture, for which they had been "duly punished" by the people, who rejected them in the Assembly polls, the chief minister said.

It was clear that SAD was now desperate to woo the people of Punjab and was resorting to all kinds of "deceitful acts" for this. The people were not going to allow themselves to be "fooled" by the Badals, he claimed.

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Nagaland minister Imkong L Imchen today called for putting on hold the Assembly election due next year and focus on the Naga political issue.

It is time for all the Naga people to sink their differences and contribute their best so that a settlement could be brought about, he said.

"If the Central government is sincere, it should not allow holding the state election but focus on finding solution to the vexed Naga political issue," the health and family welfare minister told a press conference.

On September 18, state Governor P B Acharya had said he was confident that the peace process had come to a conclusion and he hoped that solution to the Naga political problem would come within the next one-two months.

Imchen said the Assembly polls should not be held as per THE schedule and the state should come under president's rule in place of a newly-elected government.

The tenure of the Nagaland Assembly expires on March 13 next year.

Peace talks could reach a concluding stage because of the sincerity of the negotiating parties and support from various quarters, Imchen claimed.

He also appreciated the engagement of Naga underground factions besides the NSCN(IM) in the negotiation process.

The Centre and the NSCN(IM) had concluded a dialogue on the six-decade-old Naga political problem and signed a framework agreement in August 2015 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Naga People's Convention had negotiated the 16-Point Agreement with Government of India in 1960 along with Article 371A of the Constitution, he said.

Article 371A deals with special provisions with respect to the state of Nagaland.

Since the 16-Point Agreement and Article 371(A) of the Constitution were signed by politicians, it should be interpreted only by politicians and not by courts, he said.

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Drawing flak over a controversial ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without prior sanction, the Vasundhara Raje government on Sunday said it maintains a zero tolerance policy towards corruption. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria told a press conference there was no provision in the ordinance which will weaken action against corrupt officers. .

"The government maintains a zero tolerance policy towards corruption," he said.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also bars the media from naming the public servant till the Rajasthan government allows the case to be investigated.

Kataria said Rajasthan is not the only state to amend CrPC sections 156(3) and 190(1).

The sections empower a magistrate to take cognizance of an offence and order an investigation.

"Maharashtra had amended the sections on December 23, 2015," he said.

He said the only one aim of the ordinance is that people do not "misuse" section 156(3) to tarnish the image of honest officers by levelling baseless allegations.

From 2013 to 2017, 73 per cent people who were probed under section 156 (3) faced mental harassment although they were not guilty.

It does not mean that cases will not be registered against erring public servants through courts. The sanctioning authority will have to ensure within 180 days whether a case has to be registered, he said.

If the allegations are found to be true, then a case will be registered and action will be taken, Kataria said.

The ninth session of the Rajasthan Assembly commencing tomorrow is likely to be a stormy one with the opposition Congress planning to corner the government over the ordinance.

The session will begin at 11 am.

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BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari today opposed a controversial ordinance promulgated by the Rajasthan government, saying it was "aimed to strangulate democracy" in the state.

The rebel party leader wrote to Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, saying he should see his letter as a form of political protest and urged him to reconsider the decision.

The Vasundhara Raje government has promulgated the ordinance, which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants from investigation for on-duty action without the state government's prior sanction.

"The bill that you will introduce in the assembly in next few days will pave the way to form a law, which will shield the open loot of the chief minister, ministers and public servants," Tiwari wrote in the letter.

He said it will be a "dark day for democracy" when the bill will be introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly.

"As the bill is related to your department, I request you to reconsider it in the Cabinet. If it is introduced in the assembly, I will protest against the bill, which is aimed to strangulate democracy in Rajasthan," he added.

The state government said in a release last night that there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

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Ten kg of a banned chemical substance, worth Rs 25.5 lakh, were seized by customs officials at the airport here today.

However the officials declined to specify what it was.

They said the banned chemical substance was smuggled from Sri Lanka by one Muzzafar Gani, who hails from Chennai.

Further investigation is on, they said.

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Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora today said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will start its probe into the killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain from next week.

The DGP was here to meet family members of the leader, who was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Kailash Nagar on October 17.

The incident took place when Gosain was returning home after attending a morning drill (RSS shakha).

Later, the Punjab government decided to hand over the case to the NIA, the orders for which were issued by the Punjab chief minister on the request of a RSS delegation.

The DGP said that the state police sought assistance from central agencies such as the NIA so that they could work in coordination and explore all possible means to crack such cases.

The killing of the RSS leader was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. This was the eighth such incident in the state since 2016.

The DGP was non-committal on the role of 'Pro Khalistani' elements in the killings of RSS leaders Jagdish Gagneja and 60-year-old Gosain, and the other religious leaders.

Last year, on August 6, Gagneja was shot in Jalandhar. He later died at the DMC hospital in Ludhiana.

Arora assured Gosain's family that the police would leave no stone unturned to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

However, he did not share details of the police's probe, saying that it would not be in the interest of the case.

His meeting with the family lasted about 20 minutes.

DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta, Ludhiana Police Commissioner R N Dhoke and BJP Ludhiana president Ravinder Arora were accompanying the Punjab police chief.

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The Supreme Court has expressed concern over non-utilisation of funds for providing shelters to the urban homeless and non-constitution of committees for the purpose in the urban local bodies of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Seeking a roadmap from these states on how they plan to provide such shelters, the apex court has observed that the executive committees to oversee the implementation of the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) have not been constituted by most of the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) in the states.

"These three states will also give a roadmap of what they propose to do for the implementation of the National Urban Livelihood Mission," a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.

The court directed that a senior officer dealing with the NULM should file an affidavit within two weeks and made it clear that no extension of time will be granted.

It noted that no information was available with regard to the status of executive committee in the ULBs in Haryana in the status report filed by the Centre.

"As far as the state of West Bengal is concerned, only six committees have been constituted out of 125 ULBs and as far as the state of UP is concerned, only 74 committees have been constituted out of 130 ULBs," the bench noted.

The court is first dealing with the status of three states--Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh--among eight and two Union Territories which have been highlighted by the apex court-appointed committee headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice Kailash Gambhir to oversee the implementation of the NULM across the country.

The bench said the Centre's affidavit does not clearly showcase the status of utilisation of funds for the NULM, while noting that the funds have not even been released to several states like Bihar, Maharashtra and Delhi.

The counsel for the Centre assured the bench that the details regarding utilisation of funds and constitution of committees will be made available to the court, especially with respect to the three states.

Counsels appearing for Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh said they proposed to take up the matter "very seriously".

The apex court on September 13 favoured an audit of the government funds meant for providing shelters to the urban homeless, saying the money was not being spent by the states and the homeless people continued to suffer.

The apex court, while suggesting an audit of the money disbursed by the Centre to the states for a scheme under the NULM, had said it could possibly be done by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and observed that these funds, which are meant for a specific purpose, should not be diverted.

It said such an audit was necessary as the apex court- appointed committee would not look into it.

The Centre had earlier informed the court that the unspent amount by states for the previous period stood at Rs 412 crore, while Rs 228 crore was released by it for 2017-18.

The top court had last year slammed the Centre and the state governments for their lackadaisical approach in providing shelters to the poverty-stricken in urban areas despite availability of sufficient funds.

It had also observed that the mission of the NULM scheme "remains a distant dream even after lapse of a long period."



The NULM was launched in September 2013 to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households.

The Centre had earlier told the court that an amount of Rs 1,000 crore, released under the NULM, does not pertain only to urban homeless but to other activities also.

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Slovenian citizens started voting Sunday in a presidential election in which incumbent head of state Borut Pahor was expected to be re-elected.

Some 1.7 million citizens were eligible to cast their vote, with partial results expected later in the evening.

Polls have put the 53-year-old internet-savvy Pahor, first elected to the largely ceremonial presidency in 2012, close to or above the 50 per cent needed for an outright victory.

His nearest rival, former comic actor and Kamnik mayor Marjan Sarec, is projected to get 21 per cent, according to a survey in the Delo daily.

Pahor's campaign has seen him walk 700 kilometres around the country chatting to voters while posting photos and videos to legions of followers on social media.

Pahor stepped down as prime minister in 2011 after his government collapsed in the midst of the global financial crisis that drove Slovenia close to needing a bailout.

But the following year he won a surprise victory in presidential elections, standing as an independent candidate backed by the Social Democrats (SD) party.

The president of the small former Yugoslav republic has a mostly ceremonial role although the holder can propose and appoint some state officials and heads the army in case of war.

If none of the nine contendents wins an outright majority of at least 50 percenton Sunday, a runoff between the two leading candidates will be held on November 12.

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trends and data analytics will be used for the first time in ensuring and monitoring the security at the country's most vital assets such as airports and nuclear and aerospace installations.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the agency tasked to secure these important assets, has created a maiden 'media lab' and monitoring control room -- the Pattern Research For Institutional (PRISM) analytics -- at its base in Arakkonam near Chennai.

A special team of CISF agents has been trained in the job of tracking social media trends, news, reports and indicators across various platforms, collate them and dish them out as vital pieces of "actionable intelligence" to its various airports and other vital units.

Platforms like Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube and Flickr will be used by the paramilitary force to check any suspicious and sabotage-like activity against the assets it guards.

The platform, developed by the IIT Delhi, is used by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Mumbai police to keep a check on security issues.

"We are doing this on an experimental basis. The PRISM control room is based in the southern part of the country as we have a sizeable number of units that have our armed security cover in that part. Based on the experiences, this smart centre will be further bolstered," CISF Director General (DG) O P Singh told PTI.

He said that a special team of his men and women will keep a "track of social media trends" with the sole view of keeping their units such as airports, aerospace stations and nuclear bases safe.

"This is completely in-house. We intend to link it to our WAR (web analytics and resolution) room that is already operational and based in Delhi," Singh said.

"The digital chatter in the world of social media is a great source for intelligence collection and timely action. Public sentiment towards the force, behavioural pattern and predictable actions can be a great help to take timely action and avoid any mishap," a senior CISF officer said.

A red flag would be raised, he said, in the case of any posts that indicate any threat towards the units covered by the CISF or any potential harm that a force personnel would inflict upon self or others.

"The potential of this unique platform would be to avert even suicides in the force, to an extent as any sort of abnormal behaviour or posts would be an indicator for action to be taken.

"This would be done through features like sentiment analysis in-built in the software itself," the official said.

The 1.80 lakh personnel-strong CISF is tasked to secure 59 airports and other vital installations under the command of the Union home ministry.

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The Samajwadi Party (SP) today alleged that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh had deteriorated.

"All claims of crime control by the BJP government have fallen flat. Not a single day passes off without incidents of murder, loot, rape and other crimes being reported from different districts of the state," the party's national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary said in a statement.

The SP leader said that the "criminals who are already lodged in different jails of the state are virtually freely operating from there".

"The criminals have not left the state. On the contrary, criminal elements from other states are coming here and committing crimes," he said while criticising the Yogi Adityanath government.

Chaudhary said that people were tired of experiencing the difference between the words and actions of the BJP, and were waiting for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to give a befitting reply.

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The staffers at a toll plaza here today ran away, leaving the booth unattended for hours after a BJP legislator confronted them for allegedly collecting toll illegally.

However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the agency was authorised to collect toll.

During the time the staffers deserted the booth at Dasna on National Highway 24 in Ghaziabad district, several vehicles passed through it without paying toll.

The MLA, Dalbeer Singh, said there was a long queue at the toll booth when he reached there in the afternoon and he asked the staffers for the reason for the delay.

He told the staffers that he was told that they were "not entitled to collect toll as your term had expired long ago and the toll being collected by you is not legal".

"After they got to know my credentials, they fled, which created more suspicion in my mind. I talked to District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari and told her about the incident and urged her to investigate the matter," he said.

Maheshwari said an inquiry would be conducted by the additional district magistrate and if the staffers were found to be collecting toll illegally, action would be taken against them.

The deputy general manager of the NHAI, Mudit Garg, however, submitted documents to the district authorities, which purportedly confirmed that the collecting agency was given a legal contract to collect toll last year and that the contract was renewed this year.

The NHAI, in its letter to the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police, has requested them to provide legal assistance to the toll collecting agency.

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DMK working president MK Stalin today spoke to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and enquired about his health, a day after he was discharged from a Delhi hospital.

Naidu, 68, who underwent angioplasty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Stalin, also the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, spoke to Naidu over the phone and enquired about his health, a release from the DMK leader's office said.

Naidu asked Stalin about the health of his father and DMK chief M Karunanidhi who had recently made a public appearance after an year-long confinement at home due to illness.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia and said India wants to see the upcoming election in Bangladesh to be "participatory and credible", the main opposition party BNP said today.

Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which had boycotted the 2014 general election, currently holds no representation in the Bangladesh Parliament.

The party has been demanding fresh elections under a non-party caretaker government.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League had swept the 2014 election and rejected BNP's demand for fresh elections.

"She (Swaraj) said India expects that the polls will be fair... with participation of all parties," BNP's secretary general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said after Zia's meeting with Swaraj at Hotel Sonargaon where she is staying during her two-day visit.

The talks lasted for 45 minutes during which Swaraj said that being the next-door neighbour, India wanted to see a continued democratic process in Bangladesh.

"On behalf of the BNP, several issues related to our politics and elections scheduled for next year were highlighted during the meeting," Alamgir said.

A BNP delegation led by Zia met Swaraj after her courtesy call on Prime Minister Hasina.

Zia, who was accompanied by several party leaders, did not have any one-to-one talks with Swaraj.

It is said that the BNP is known for its anti-India stance in the country and has been trying to brand the ruling Awami League as a "pro-India" party in a bid to take mileage in domestic politics.

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Veteran actor Susan Sarandon says showing up all decked up at the red carpets of award ceremonies such as the Oscars is a boring process for her.

The 71-year-old actor says she may be a movie star but pleads guilty for not being a fashionable one, reports Elle magazine.

"I enjoy beautiful things but I don't know (if I enjoy fashion). If I had your body then everything would look fabulous. The Oscars are a chore every time.

"I've known designers who've been a great help to me, Donna Karan Diane Von Furstenberg, and Todd Oldham all came of age as I did. I'm not a good movie star in that sense," Sarandon tells her "Feud" co-star in an interview.

The actor says, in her early days in Hollywood, she would often make it to the "worst-dressed lists".

"In the beginning, I didn't have any money. The first time I Was nominated for an Oscar, nobody would give me a discount. I would wear vintage dresses I'd find at thrift shops. I got on the worst-dressed lists. My biggest faux pas was in Cannes.

"I brought a little vintage black dress. In those days, no one was wearing bras. I learned the hard way that when people take flash photos of dress, it becomes an X-ray. I got a couple of awards in Rome and had this Dolce and Gabbana dress on with the bra showing. The papers thought I looked like a bad woman. It was too ahead of its time," she says.

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BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya today said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was in the interest of the country and traders involved in tax evasion are facing problems after the introduction of this new tax regime.

While addressing the BJP workers during a programme here, Vijayvargiya said, "The people who are involved in unlawful practices (such as tax evasion) are shouting loudly against the GST. Such traders now need to run their businesses with honesty."



The BJP general secretary claimed, "The honest businessmen are very happy with the GST."



Vijayvargiya appealed to the party workers to put forward BJP's side over GST among business community and traders.

He said, "Modi government has implemented GST in the interest of the country. There can be some negative talk about it along with positive things, but we should talk about GST emphatically."



Vijayvargiya said, "You (BJP workers) should also tell the common people that the decisions that have been taken about GST are not the decisions made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone.

"These decisions have been taken by the GST Council headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with unanimity. The Council includes Finance Ministers of all state government of the country.

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US Secretary of State is to launch a fresh bid on Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Iran's rising influence in the Middle East is also expected to figure high on the agenda of America's top diplomat during talks in the two capitals.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."



Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is leading a top-level ministerial delegation at the meeting, in a sign of warming ties as Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia seeks to counter Tehran's influence in Shiite-majority Iraq.

On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

After holding a working dinner with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday night, Tillerson was scheduled to meet other Saudi leaders Sunday before heading for Doha.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India.

Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.
Top Navy commanders will hold extensive deliberations during a four-day conference from Tuesday on security challenges facing India on the sea front with a focus on China's rising naval prowess and the surge in its military presence in the Indian Ocean region.

The bi-annual 'naval commanders' conference will also review the implementation of the Navy's ambitious modernisation plan, its combat readiness and a host of other operational and strategic issues.

"The Navys combat readiness would be reviewed with focus on operational effectiveness of combat platforms, logistics and development of shore support infrastructure for sustaining distant operations," Navy Spokesperson Capt. D K Sharma said.

The conference will be addressed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and top defence ministry officials are expected to attend its various sessions. Chiefs of Indian Army and Indian Air Force are also likely to address the conference.

Sources said China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), its fresh military deployments in the geo- politically sensitive South China Sea and efforts to increase its overall naval dominance may figure during the deliberations.

Sharma said a host of operational issues, including efforts to make the Navy self-reliant and modernise its warfare capability by means of unmanned systems will also be examined by the top commanders.

"Aspects complementary to combat effectiveness, such as training, human resource management, fleet maintenance and pan-Navy measures for enhancing safety will be reviewed," said the Navy spokesperson.

He said that there will be a discussion on issues relating to safety, including on the Navy's Safety Organisation and rescue support during submarine accidents in the IOR.

The Comptroller and Auditor General in July, in a report, had said the Indian Navy's ships and submarines were involved in 38 accidents between 2007-08 and 2015-16, adversely affecting the operational preparedness of the force.

The auditor had said the accidents were primarily attributable to fire, explosion and flooding, adding that the Navy had no institutionalised framework to deal with safety since its inception.

Sharma said the commanders will also review the security of various naval establishments in the backdrop of terrorist threats and the prevailing security scenario.

"The Commanders will also discuss plans for 'enhancing and sustaining the Navy's operational footprint in the IOR' in keeping with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Security and Growth for All in the Region' (SAGAR)," Sharma said in a statement.

In this regard, initiatives to further maritime cooperation with other navies in the IOR as also the Indian Navy's ability to proactively respond to maritime security challenges, including natural calamities, in the region will be reviewed, he said.

An interaction is also planned with Amitabh Kant, the CEO of the Niti Aayog to provide the Commanders a perspective on broader national interests, said Sharma.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alleging a collapse of the law and order situation in the state, the Tripura BJP unit today called for Centre's intervention to bring succour to the people.

"The law and order has collapsed in the state and people have lost their right to lives and property in the Marxist rule. We want immediate central intervention to give a relief to the people and restore law and order," BJP Vice-President of the state Subal Bhowmick said today.

State BJP President Biplab Deb yesterday spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the breakdown of law and order situation and demanded immediate interference of the centre, he told reporters.

Bhowmick alleged that one officer of BSF, Deepak Kumar Mandal, was attacked by the cattle smugglers on October 16 near Bolerdhepa border outpost in Sonamura subdivision of Sipahijala district, who succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Kolkata on October 19.

This incident occurred at a place where law and order is maintained by state police. This is one of the incidents of breakdown of law and order," he said.

He alleged that the entire Sonamura subdivision has became a safe haven for smugglers and they have made several corridors for smuggling of cough syrup to Bangladesh.

Cough syrups like Phensedyl and Corex are widely used in Bangladesh as intoxicants.

Bhowmick also alleged that marijuana is being cultivated in different parts of the subdivision in large scale, but there was no attempt to check the menace.

CPI-M state party Secretary Bijan Dhar called the charges baseless.

We are also deeply shocked at the sad demise of the officer, who laid down his life to check smuggling. But, what BJP is doing with the death of the officer is nothing but politics. Actually, they are trying to fish in the muddy waters and blaming the Left Front government that law and order has collapsed," Dhar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired today he does not object to France and Germany continuing trade with Iran, despite his refusal to certify the Iran nuclear deal.

"I told them just keep making money," the real estate mogul-turned-president told the Fox programme Sunday Morning Futures. "Don't worry. You just keep making money."



"They are friends of mine. They really are. I get along with all of them. Whether it's Emmanuel or Angela," Trump said, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I don't know what's going to happen with that deal," Trump said of the landmark 2015 accord, which on October 13 he refused to certify, leaving the pact's fate to US Congress.

"When they buy those things, it is a little harder," Trump said of French and German commercial dealings with Iran. "I told them just keep making money. Don't worry. We don't need you on this one."



But speaking to journalists on a diplomatic visit to Riyadh, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US is "hoping" European companies and countries "will join the US as we put in place a sanction structure."



"Those who conduct business with Iranian Revolutionary Guards, any of their entities -- European companies or other companies around the globe -- really do so at great risk."



Tillerson had told the Wall Street Journal on Friday the Trump administration does not intend to disrupt European commerce with Iran.

The European Union has meanwhile expressed determination to preserve the Iran deal, with several leaders considering it essential to convincing North Korea to come to the negotiating table over its own nuclear programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for Andhra Pradesh's new capital city Amaravati exactly two years ago, not a single brick has been laid for the development of the capital so far.

Over the last three years, timelines had been set and reset for the capital, but the construction process has not even crossed the designing stage.

The Chief Minister's Office Real-time Executive dashboard says, till date, 2,27,100 people have donated 56,66,596 'bricks' (Rs 10 per brick) for building the capital city.

It was on October 25, 2014, that the Chandrababu Naidu government had announced that the new capital city would be constructed within five years, but three years have since elapsed with only the 'temporary' structures of the Secretariat and Legislature to show.

On October 9 last year, Naidu had written an open letter to the people of the state promising to give a "definite shape" to Amaravati "by Vijaya Dasami next year" (that fell on September 30 this year).

However, not even the 18.3-km main seed access road that leads to the capital has been completed till date.

In fact, the government announced in February this year that the capital construction will begin in July and be completed by December 2018.

Municipal Minister P Narayana, on February 2, had given specific dates for the works: "Construction of the Secretariat will start on May 10 and be completed on December 25, 2018.

"Building of the Legislature complex will commence on July 20 and completed by October 4, 2018 and the High Court works will begin on August 17 and completed on April 3, 2019."



On March 25, 2016, the Andhra Pradesh government selected Maki Associates as the master architect for Amaravati (Administrative City), but vacillated till December before scrapping the contract.

Britain's Foster+ Partners was subsequently chosen as the master architect and fresh timelines were set for the construction of the capital.

Foster+ Partners was supposed to submit its master plan and designs in April this year.

It indeed completed its task, though a couple of months late. However, the chief minister "approved" the designs one day and found them "not impressive" another day.

And, with Chandrababu insisting that "Baahubali" director Rajamouli's "inputs" be taken for the designs, the entire process is being re-done now.

"When we are building a world-class capital city, things cannot happen in a haste. Hence, the delay in the works," Principal Secretary (Infrastructure and CRDA) Ajay Jain said.

In fact, the chief minister himself has also been claiming in the recent days that they were "in no hurry" since they were going to build "one of the top five cities in the world".

The government of India has so far released Rs 1,500 crore for the construction of government buildings, like the Secretariat, High Court, Legislature complex and Raj Bhavan in Amaravati, but the state apparently spent the money on "other purposes".

Since it had to submit utilisation certificates to the Centre for the money already released, the state government has shown the temporary Secretariat and Legislature buildings as the actual structures.

"These buildings (temporary Secretariat and Legislature) are also part of the capital. So, we have utilised the (Centre's) money on them," Narayana justified.

But now, the state has been searching for funds to build the actual Secretariat and Legislature, which could cost more than Rs 1,000 crore.

For over a year and a half now, the government has been claiming that the World Bank "agreed in principle" to lend USD one billion for capital development, but not a single dollar has actually been sanctioned till date.

The Municipal Minister, however, denied that funds crunch was holding up the capital construction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the tagline "US in UP", 26 major American companies will interact with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath here on Monday to explore investment opportunities in the state.

"Headed by Boeing, 26 US firms are on their way to Uttar Pradesh to explore investment avenues in the state. The tagline is 'US in UP' on the lines of 'Vibrant Gujarat'," senior cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh told PTI.

The delegation will visit the state under the aegis of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Singh, who is UP Health Minister, said.

The USISPF is committed to creating the most powerful strategic partnership between the US and India and promoting bilateral trade is an important task, the Forum said.

"But, our mission reaches far beyond this. It is about business and government coming together in new ways to create meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens," the USISPF said.

It said in a statement that investment incentives offered by the state under the new chief minister "translate into a business-friendly climate for industry."



Singh said taking a cue from 'Vibrant Gujarat', the idea of 'US in UP' has been mooted to showcase the state's investment avenues in chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cement, gems, textiles and engineering sectors.

He said a small delegation had visited this state two months back and realising the "tremendous investment potential" in the state, a bigger delegation will be travelling to the state tomorrow.

Singh said the foundation for the high-profile tour was laid when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States in June and invited CEOs of top US companies to invest in India, saying GST was a game changer that made the country a business-friendly destination.

UP Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar will brief the delegation on investment opportunities along with the UP Industries Development commissioner and principal secretary for industries.

The delegation will make a courtesy call on the chief minister, who is likely to explain the investment incentives offered by the state after BJP stormed to power in UP earlier this year.

Officials from the US Embassy and US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will also be a part of the delegation, which will include representatives from Facebook, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Monsanto, Uber, Honeywell, P&G, Oracle and GE Health, besides Pratt & Whitney, Merck, Medtronic, Azure Power and Cargill.

Uttar Pradesh has recently come up with an Industrial Investment & Employment Promotion Policy to create a framework to stabilise and make existing industries more competitive and to attract and realise new international and investments in the industrial sector.

A session on healthcare has also been organised to help the US companies like Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, GE Healthcare and Medtronic to focus on initiatives, programmes and best practices to overcome roadblocks to greater access and affordability for health care services in UP.

Merck is an American pharmaceutical company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Executives from Mastercard, Azure Power, Cargill and Pratt & Whitney will also discuss technology, innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities with UP functionaries.

Besides, USISPF along with UC Berkeley will launch its first co-innovation laboratory in Allahabad, which has been identified under the 100 smart cities mission.

The co-innovation lab initiative will provide local solutions to local problems by roping in young innovators and startups primarily in the areas of energy, transportation, waste management, healthcare, artificial intelligence, climate and smart agriculture, the USISPF said.
The head of the World Health Organisation today reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread uproar.

"Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H E President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for (Non-communicable diseases) in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment" the head of the UN agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a statement.

Tedros, who took charge of WHO in July, said he had "listened carefully" to those who condemned the decision and spoken to the Harare government.

"We have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organisation."



Tedros had announced the appointment earlier this week during a speech in Uruguay, where he praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

But activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States swiftly denounced any prospective role for Mugabe, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under his 37 years of authoritarian rule.

Tedros said today his goal was "to build political leadership and create unity around bringing health to all."



The WHO boss had faced mounting pressure to reverse the decision, including from some of the leading voices in global public health.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K Jha, told AFP in an email shortly before the WHO decision was announced.

"Reversing will actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public," he added.

The US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done.

"The only person whose health 93-yo Mugabe has looked out for in his 37 year reign is his own."



Multiple critics noted that Mugabe, who is 93 and in increasingly fragile health, travels abroad for medical care because Zimbabwe's health care system has been so severely decimated.

Richard Horton, the editor of the leading medical journal The Lancet said: "WHO DG stands for Director-General, not Dictator-General. Tedros, my friend, retract your decision, consult with colleagues, and rethink."



Tedros is the former health minister of Ethiopia.

His election as the first African leader of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation's work is based.

But his decision to honour one of Africa's most controversial leaders has raised questions about his leadership just four months into his tenure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists have developed a new online virtual reality experience that lets users explore a Second World War shipwreck, which carried hundreds of tonnes of supplies.

Researchers, including those from University of Nottingham in the UK, combined a highly detailed 3D model of the sunken ship, based on thousands of photographs, with 360- degree underwater video of divers exploring key sections of the wreck.

One of the most famous shipwreck-diving sites in the world, the British freighter SS Thistlegorm was a British armed Merchant Navy ship sunk by German bombers in 1941 near the Gulf of Suez at the northern end of the Red Sea.

At the time, the ship was carrying hundreds of tonnes of Allied war supplies - including tanks, train engines, trucks and motorcycles - to the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

Until now, only divers would be able to directly see most of the world's underwater heritage sites. However, with virtual reality technology, the wider public can now experience the shipwreck, researchers said.

"There are something like six million divers in the world, so less than 0.1 per cent of the world's population ever gets access to these sites," Jon Henderson, a marine archaeologist at the University of Nottingham told 'Live Science'.

"But we are now at the point where we have got technology where we can reconstruct them in photo-realistic detail, and we can now create models that people can explore and interact with on their mobile phones or in their homes," he said.

Archaeologists spent five days moored above the Thistlegorm wreck.

They made 12 dives to the Thistlegorm wreck totaling more than 13 hours underwater and gathered thousands of photographs.

The team later processed and combined images of the shipwreck with photogrammetric software, which can extract 3D data from sets of 2D photographs.

The result was the highly detailed 3D model of the giant wreck, based on 24,307 photographic images - the largest photogrammetric survey yet made of a shipwreck, covering an area of about 28,300 square metres.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Alastair Macdonald

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Diplomatic theatrics at last week's Brussels summit revealed how European Union leaders will coax Theresa May over the next two months into parting with tens of billions of euros in return for a post-Brexit trade deal.

The British prime minister gave away nothing hardliners in her Conservative cabinet can beat her with. She stuck to earlier vague concessions about honouring commitments and insisting a "Brexit bill", which the EU reckons at around 60 billion euros ($70 billion), must be part of a package deal on what Britain's relationship with the EU will be once it leaves in March 2019.

Sticking to their own script, the other 27 states gave May until the next regular summit in eight weeks to improve an offer officials estimate at about 20 billion euros if she wants them to start discussing future trade ties. Miss that deadline and, the EU says, time will be running out for any deal.

Yet between the lines of well-rehearsed arguments that have hit "deadlock" in the view of the EU negotiator, the outlines of a political fix are emerging. It may create leeway to get round an impasse that is in neither side's interest and which has left businesses fearing the legal limbo of a messy divorce.

In essence, the 27 need to trust May that Britain will pay much more than is on the table but understand her difficulties in naming a figure by December, which could spark revolt at home and derail the process. In return, they seem likely to let slip more hints of what kind of future relationship she might secure.

The EU position is "solid", Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni told reporters after the talks, but also "flexible".

It was unrealistic, he said, to expect May to sell a precise demand for money in December. Equally, she could not expect the EU to negotiate a future trade deal without knowing roughly what outstanding items Britain would pay for. But defining those items could, Gentiloni said, be done "in the most politically manageable way possible for our British friends".

Even the roughest of definitions will let commentators work out numbers. But as a senior diplomat from another major EU power put it: "We don't want to go public with a bald figure. If it's on the front page of The Sun, the whole process is dead."

"POSITIVE NARRATIVE"

"Reports of the deadlock ... have been exaggerated," summit chair Donald Tusk concluded, adding that discussions with May had finally succeeded in "establishing trust and goodwill".

Tusk, a former Polish premier, echoed the EU mantra of unity among the 27 and full backing for European Commission negotiator Michel Barnier, whose team of technical experts are handling the talks with London. But he also acknowledged a nuance in his role in steering the high-level political imperatives of the leaders.

That, Tusk said, meant he would be a "positive motivator" in the coming weeks to create "a more positive narrative" than what some British politicians call EU "blackmail" demands.

Anxious not to worsen May's troubles at home, fellow leaders made an effort to demonstrate goodwill. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron take a hard line on "sequencing" divorce talks before trade, but they huddled with May in amicable conversation for television cameras.

The EU communique acknowledged progress on key issues, which also comprise expatriate rights and the Irish border, and instructed Barnier to begin internal EU preparations for the talks May wants on a two-year transition period after Brexit.

Tusk said EU preparations would "take account of proposals presented" by "our British friends" -- an indication that, even without direct talks, May might be able to show her domestic audience an outline of how the EU sees future ties.

Over dinner on Thursday, she appealed for help and stressed two concessions made in a speech at Florence on Sept. 22 -- that the 27 would not lose out financially in the current EU budget ending in 2020 and that Britain would "honour its commitments".

Some were disappointed that she repeated Britain's rejection of the legal basis of much of the EU's demands, notably that it pay for EU commitments lasting beyond 2020. Macron, for one, said they were "not even half way" toward an agreement on money.

But others detected a more positive tone. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said May had indicated that Britain was at least "analysing" what other parts of the bill it might pay. Merkel said she had "no doubt" a good agreement was possible.

Yet there are few illusions that the Brexit plot will play out smoothly. "We've always predicted a drama for autumn," one EU diplomat said. "We haven't seen it yet. So maybe November."

(Editing by Larry King)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Kevin Yao and Meng Meng

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy is on track to meet its official growth target for 2017, the head of the state planning agency said on Saturday, despite a punishing war on pollution which is expected to slash industrial output over the winter months.

China has forced 28 cities in smog-prone northern regions to reduce emissions of airborne particles known as PM2.5 by at least 15 percent from October to March 2017, with some cities expected to cut steel production by as much as 50 percent.

But officials with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said the world's second-largest economy will remain on track.

"We expect to achieve the full-year growth target of about 6.5 percent," He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a briefing on the sidelines of China's Communist Party Congress.

Most economists believe China's actual growth should easily beat the target. The economy grew 6.8 percent in the third quarter of the year, and 6.9 percent in the first half. Last year's growth rate of 6.7 percent was a 26-year low.

China's economy has surprised global markets and investors with robust growth so far this year, driven by a renaissance in its long-ailing "smokestack" industries such as steel and stronger demand from Europe and the United States.

But economists with Societe Generale said in a recent note that the winter output cuts could slash industrial production growth by 0.6-0.8 percentage points and GDP growth by 0.2-0.25 percentage points in the next six months.

Industrial growth slowed to 6.3 percent in the third quarter, from 6.6 percent in the previous period, data showed last week, with the services sector taking up much of the slack.

Prices of commodities like steel, copper and iron ore have turned wildly volatile in China and in global markets recent weeks on fears of possible winter shortages.

China's steel output dropped 3.7 percent in September from a record high the previous month as mills reduced production in line with Beijing's campaign, and analysts predict further declines as winter curbs set in.

However, Zhang Yong, vice-chairman of the NDRC, told reporters that the direct impact was likely to be limited.

"Measures to fight pollution don't have a big impact on economic growth," he said. "Measures to treat pollution have a positive impact on economic development in the long term."

The government has been pushing a restructuring programme designed to "upgrade" its heavy industrial economy, cut pollution and tackle profit-sapping capacity gluts in sectors like steel and coal.

China says it has cut annual crude steel capacity by as much as 110 million tonnes over the last five years, with coal capacity slashed by as much as 400 million tonnes, though some analysts say much of the outdated, inefficient plants are merely being replaced with leaner, cleaner ones.

Ning Jizhe, vice head of the NDRC and also head of China's National Bureau of Statistics, said the country would continue to crack down on steel overcapacity, prevent obsolete plants from restarting and promote more mergers in the sector.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao and Meng Meng; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Kim Coghill and Tom Hogue)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"I am being sacked" was the text message former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus P Mistry sent to his wife Rohiqa minutes after he was asked to either resign or face termination over Tata Trusts losing confidence in him for a variety of reasons.

Minutes before the October 24, 2016 board meeting of Tata Sons -- the holding company of the USD 106 billion salt-to- software conglomerate -- Ratan Tata and another board member Nitin Nohria came calling on the former chairman, claims Nirmalya Kumar, who was part of the core Group Executive Council (GEC) formed by Mistry.

"Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working.

"Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons. He is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting," Kumar wrote in a blog.

Ratan Tata, according to Kumar, chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage.

"Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do," he wrote.

Cyrus sends a text "I am being sacked" to his wife Rohiqa, before putting on his jacket and heading for the board meeting, says Kumar in his latest blog titled How Cyrus Mistry was fired.

Kumar, who is currently a professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University and Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, states that during the meeting, Mistry argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before a resolution.

Another Tata Trusts nominee Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. "He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date," said the blog.

While six of the eight-member board that included Vijay Singh, Amit Chandra and Nitin Nohria -- all trust nominees; Ajay Piramal, Ronen Sen and Venu Srinivasan -- all independent directors, voted in favour of the resolution that sought removal of Mistry, Farida Khambhata, an independent director, and Ishaat Hussain, finance director, Tata Sons abstained from voting.

"It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal," Kumar wrote.

At 3 pm Mistry returned to his room and begun "packing his personal effects." He was informed by F N Subehdar, chief operating officer, Tata Sons that it was "unnecessary for Mistry to return the next day" when the latter queried him about the same.

Kumar said Mistrys ouster stood out because the Tata Group had a history of only six chairmen over 148 years.

"Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years," he wrote.

Kumar said the initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as the Chairman had been passed via a shareholder resolution of Tata Sons.

"It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided.

"Unfortunately, instead there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and the Tata brand," he wrote.

The only winners, he said, were the public relations companies and lawyers, who are still having a field day.

On October 24 last year, Tata Sons announced that its board has replaced Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons, naming his predecessor Ratan Tata as interim chairman.

On February 21 this year, former head of TCS N Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman of Tata Sons.
Maruti Suzuki India has become the largest passenger vehicles exporter from India in the first half of the ongoing fiscal, dethroning Hyundai Motor India Ltd which has now been pushed to fourth spot behind Volkswagen and General Motors.

In the April-September period this fiscal, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) exported 57,300 units of passenger vehicles (PVs) as against 54,008 units in the year-ago period, up 6 per cent, according to the latest data by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The long-running number one exporter, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on the other hand shipped 44,585 units as against 63,014 units in the year-ago period, a decline of 29.25 per cent. The company is now behind Volkswagen and General Motors India in terms of export of PVs from India.

During the first half of the fiscal, Volkswagen India exported 50,410 units at a growth of 16.92 per cent. It is now the second biggest exporter of PVs from India behind MSI.

Last year, it had exported 43,114 units during the same period. Interestingly, General Motors (GM) which had on May 18 this year decided to stop selling its vehicles in India after struggling for over two decades to make a mark, is now the third biggest exporter of PVs from the country. In the first half of the fiscal, GM exported 45,222 units as against 30,613 units in the year-ago period, a growth of 47.72 per cent.

The company exports vehicles from its manufacturing plant at Talegaon in Maharashtra. It has sold its first plant at Halol in Gujarat to MG Motor India, an arm of Chinas SAIC. Another US auto major, Ford also posted impressive growth in exports of PVs from India during the period.

The companys overseas shipments stood at 42,412 units as against 31,467 units in the same period last fiscal, up 34.78 per cent making it the fifth biggest exporter from India.

Nissan Motor India, which was the third biggest exporter last year saw its overseas shipments during the first half of the fiscal decline by 37.11 per cent to 30,872 units from 49,091 units in the same period last fiscal. It now occupies the sixth spot.
Micromax Informatics has partnered with BSNL to launch Bharat-1, a feature phone with 4G LTE capability. This will be a direct competition for Reliance Jio's JioPhone. The state-owned telecom operator also claims to trump the JioPhone with a running cost that's even lower than the heavily subsidized JioPhone.

Despite a price of Rs 2,220 against JioPhone's "effective price" of Rs 0, Bharat-1 users will end up spending much lesser than JioPhone users in terms of total expenditure on recharges. Bharat-1 users will get free access to unlimited internet, calls and texts at a nominal price of Rs 97.



On the contrary, JioPhone users will have to recharge their devices with a recharge of Rs 153 for unlimited data, free voice calls, messages and access to Jio apps.

The new Micromax Bharat-1 can be used with any network provider, even a Reliance Jio SIM. This gives the device a huge advantage against the JioPhone as it can only be used with Reliance Jio.

The Micromax Bharat-1 device will be available at a price of Rs 2,220 but this will give complete ownership to the buyer contrary to JioPhone's claim over the device. In order to make the effective price Rs 0, Jio had to layer the deal with a long list of terms and conditions.

According to these terms and conditions, users will have to hand over the device if they fail to recharge the device with a minimum of Rs 1,500 per year which amounts to Rs 4,500 in three years. After the completion of these three years the JioPhone user will be eligible for a complete refund of Rs 1,500.

In terms of specifications, Micromax Bharat-1 comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 which is paired with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. JioPhone also has identical specifications with a 1.2GHz processor paired with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The device also features a MicroSD card slot that will be capable of reading cards of up to 128GB.

Both devices come with a 2 Megapixel primary camera. Bharat-1 features a VGA selfie camera and the JioPhone features a 0.3Megapixel front camera. Both devices also share an identical QVGA screen with a size of 2.4 inches. Both Reliance JioPhone and Bharat-1 are powered by 2000mAh batteries.

Despite a lower running cost, Bharat-1 phone, which is bundled with BSNL's voice and data pack, will not be able to achieve 4G LTE speeds. However, the state-owned company plans to launch their 4G services as early as January next year.
Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 7:33PM

The big things in smartphone tech right now are the dual camera setup, no headphone jacks, and almost bezel-less displays. But it looks like the next thing were going to be seeing a lot of is foldable phones. ZTE has the Axon M and Samsung and LG have announced they are working on their own versions, too. Now, Huawei is looking to join the fray. The companys CEO Richard Yu told CNET during the Mate 10 launch that they already have a prototype version of a foldable phone. And we cant expect it to come out this year, instead Yu said the device might debut in 2018, which is also the timeline Samsung is giving for its foldable Galaxy X.

Whats holding them back is the available flexible screen technology at the moment as well as the need for a better mechanical design that what it currently has. Yu said, We have two screens, but we still have a small gap. Thats not good, and we should get rid of the gap.
Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 8:17PM

Signing off on credit and debit card purchases in this day and age feel like such an archaic activity in this day and age. And Mastercard acknowledges this as fact. According to the company, now there are only about 20 percent of its transactions in North America still need cardholders to sign for purchases. Mastercard is looking to eliminate this altogether by April next yearfor both credit and debit transactions.

With the introduction of technologies like the cards chip, tokens, biometrics, and digital platforms with better security, there shouldnt be a concern about security. Mastercard claims most people arent even concerned about the loss of signatures. This move, in fact, could reduce time spent at store checkouts as well as reduce costs.

Source: Mastercard
"It is important to note that further oversight of the ACTP may be legally problematic and practically difficult to implement, and our view remains that the current arrangements...provides a high quality of assurance to the government and the community it serves," she said.
"So the remissions are an attempt to minimise that, because it encourages development and better quality development, but there becomes a point when they are so frequent we should be asking, 'Is the scheme operating as efficiently as it could?."
Mr Coe compared the apparent lack of negotiations with Mr Seears to the extensive negotiations with the nearby Mr Spokes bike hire business, saying "The Mr Spokes people ... had a tremendous barney, it seems, going for months if not years trying to get near that $1 million, so I'm just wondering how it is that on one hand [the land agency is] having it out with Mr Spokes and seemingly struggling to acquire it but not even engaging in conversation with you."
"Because there was so much rubble under there, and I knew we'd have to be under there to run cables, I thought we might as well go all out," he said.
ActewAGL being asked to change the name of its "poles and wires" business is an unnecessary cost. The Australian Energy Regulator knows more about the market than most and perhaps the costs arising out of the public being confused about who does what are a lot more.
We can only hope that the false promises of lower prices, lower emissions and reliable supply, without any significant government intervention, and of simpler cheaper health insurance will come home to roost. They have about as much credibility as Tony Abbott's assertions that Whyalla would become a ghost town and legs of lamb would be $100 under a carbon tax, and that electricity prices would come down with its removal. As we know, electricity prices went up, and you can buy a leg of lamb at Coles in Whyalla, which is open today from 7am to 10pm, for $27.50.
WELLINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China has played an increasingly key role in the world and adopted new ways to promote economic integration as reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative, a New Zealand politician said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Nigel Haworth, president of the New Zealand Labor Party, said the Belt and Road Initiative is an important way of looking at global integration economically.

"We should all look at it very seriously and should engage with it constructively," he said.

The Belt and Road initiative shows that China has started looking constructively at new ways of complementing the systems of economic integration, such as the World Trade Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Haworth noted.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote trade, financial integration, infrastructure inter-connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

Haworth said that the lovely historical imagery about the Silk Road in the Belt and Road model forms a natural way in which China has captured its role in the global economy.

"I think the world expects China to play its role and I think China is stepping up to that challenge seriously," Haworth said.

His confidence in China's role is also reflected in his congratulatory message to the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 19th national congress, which opened Wednesday and will draw a blueprint for China's development in the next five years and beyond.

The CPC meeting is an important event, and it will not only chart a path for China's economic growth and prosperity in the future, but also enhance the country's influence on the world economy, he said in the message.

Speaking to Xinhua, Haworth, who is also an economics academic, observed that the Chinese development process since 1979 has been extraordinary in terms of economic growth and trading performance.

He counted the number of ring roads in Beijing in his every visit to the Chinese capital. There were only three when he first visited the city in the early 1990s; now there are six functioning.

Citing the country's recent shift towards domestic redistribution and domestic consumption, Haworth said the Chinese economy has matured since the late 1970s, and the Chinese government is dedicated to engaging more people in the success of the economy.

Although different in size, China and New Zealand are open to each other and talk to each other, and thus the two sides can learn from each other, said Haworth.

He added that bilateral cooperation opportunities are abundant, as China has experience in large infrastructure projects while New Zealand does well in small business innovation, as well as research and development in agriculture.

New Zealand, he said, looks forward to talking to China on engaging with the Belt and Road Initiative in the long run.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

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You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Trump to allow release of over 3,000 files related to JFK assassination

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would allow the release of more than 3,000 previously classified files related to former President John F. Kennedy's assassination more than half a century ago.

The U.S. National Archives has said that, pending presidential approval, it would make all the files available on its website in a single day by next Thursday.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

"The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," the White House said in a statement issued later.

Most of the files are believed to be from the 1960s and 1970s, stemming from the 1963 assassination and aftermath. But several dozens were generated by government agencies in the 1990s in apparent response to the conspiracy theories raised by the controversial Oliver Stone film "JFK."

The U. S. Congress passed the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act in 1992, requiring that the millions of pages, many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents, be published in 25 years.

Over the years, the National Archives have released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted. But one final batch remains, and only the U.S. president has the authority to extend the papers' secrecy past the deadline on Oct. 26, according to local media reports.

Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, was shot dead on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, who was accused of the shooting, was killed two days later by Jack Ruby.
As more and more cities and countries announce plans to ban diesel and petrol-powered vehicles, we thought itd be an apt time to recap those regions leading the charge.



Two of the most notable countries to have announced diesel and petrol bans are the UK and France with both nations planning the ban of such vehicles by 2040. Thats only 23 years away but compared to some other countries, even this timeline is quite generous.

The Netherlands, for example, recently announced that all new vehicles sold after 2030 must be zero-emissions. Norway intends on doing things even sooner through generous tax incentives on electric vehicles which are expected to kill off new diesel and petrol cars by 2025.

In China, the government is ironing out details about a ban and is expected to enforce it from around 2030. Similarly, India wants all vehicles sold in the country to be electric by 2030.

There are a number of cities also planning bans. Most notably, Paris, Madrid, Athens and Mexico City have all agreed to ban diesel-powered vehicles by 2025. Furthermore, as QZ points out, it is possible that the state of California could defy President Trump and enforce a similar petrol and diesel ban.

Video
The Globe and Mail (YouTube)

Photo: Contributed Terrorist group ISIS posted this photo on Twitter saying it was the shooter. CBC and Global are saying they have confirmed the shooter is the man in the picture.

The CBC and Global news are confirming that the man in this photo, originally posted by terrorist group ISIS on Twitter, is the shooter in Ottawa.

Update -- 1:30 p.m.

Photo: Facebook Nathan Cirillo, 24, was killed while standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Other media outlets are now reporting that the soldier killed was Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a 24-year-old reservist from Hamilton. He was a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

The gunman killed inside Parliament is said to be Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a Canadian citizen said to have been born in 1982. It's believed he shot Cirillo outside at the National War Memorial, before heading towards the Centre Block inside the Parliament buildings.

Update -- 12:30 p.m.

Ottawa police are staying tight lipped on what information they have on Wednesdays shooting at Parliament Hill.

They have confirmed that one shooter is dead, but would not say whether more shooters are still loose in the area.

This is an ongoing joint police operation and there is no one in custody at this time, said a statement released by the police service.

It goes on to ask Ottawa residents to stay away from the downtown area while the investigation continues as they continue clearing offices on Parliament Hill and from the surrounding area.

A number of RCMP and Federal government building are also closed to the public at this time, including City Hall and all Ottawa police stations.

The unnamed solider killed while standing guard at the National War Memorial was a reservist from Ottawa. His identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. Witnesses say he was shot point blank by a masked, rifle-wielding gunman, who then moved up the street to launch an attack on nearby Parliament Hill, in which at least two people were injured.

A security guard is believed to be among those who were wounded in Parliament's Centre Block, where an assailant was shot dead by the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons. No details about the second injured person were immediately available.

However, security staff on the Hill have told some MPs' offices they believe there may be as many as three shooters. Heavily armed tactical officers could be seen searching rooftops in the immediate parliamentary precinct.

Police would only say they are investigating "several shooting incidents in downtown Ottawa."

The incident comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over  one of them fatally  in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies.

Tony Zobl, 35, witnessed the soldier being gunned down at the War Memorial from his fourth-floor office window directly above the monument.

"I looked out the window and saw a shooter, a man dressed all in black with a kerchief over his nose and mouth and something over his head as well, holding a rifle and shooting an honour guard in front of the Cenotaph point blank, twice," Zobl told The Canadian Press.

"It looked like the honour guard was trying to reach for the barrel of the gun," said the witness.

"The honour guard dropped to the ground and the shooter kind of raised his arms in triumph holding the rifle."

Zobl said the shooter then ran up the street toward Parliament Hill.

Photo: CTV MPs block the door with chairs during a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. (Conservative MP Nina Grewal)

Update -- 10 a.m.

It is now being reported that three people have been taken to hospital, with two of those patients in stable condition. Police say the gunman wounded a soldier, before injuring a security guard on Parliament Hill, where he was reportedly shot dead.

Another witness at the scene, construction worker Scott Walsh, says he was working in a manhole near the East Block building, between the memorial and the Centre Block, when he heard two gunshots echo down the street.

Walsh says in the ensuing panic people around him started screaming, including a woman pushing a child in a stroller.

He said she started to run, so he went to help her.

That's when he saw man with long black hair, his face covered by a white scarf with decals on it and wearing a black jacket.

"He had a double-barrelled shotgun, he was about five feet from me, and he ran right beside us, ran past the woman with the stroller and child," he said.

The gunman then hijacked a dark car at gunpoint, he said, and drove it up towards the Peace Tower.

A second vehicle, with no rear licence plate, was parked directly in front of the Langevin Block in a no-parking zone. Sources say the vehicle remains a source of concern to authorities.

Bomb-detecting robots have been deployed in the area.

It has also been confirmed by CBC News that the soldier shot at the Canadian War Memorial has died in hospital.

Photo: The Canadian Press Paramedics and police wheel away a soldier who was shot at the National War Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Update -- 8:45 a.m.

Police are expanding a perimeter around Parliament Hill after a gunman opened fire at the National War Memorial, wounding a soldier, then moved to nearby Parliament Hill where he was reportedly shot by Parliament's sergeant-at-arms after wounding a security guard.

The Hill remains under lockdown amid reports there may be two to three shooters, according to a senior official locked in the Official Opposition Leaders' office.

Police say they are investigating "several shooting incidents in downtown Ottawa."

The Langevin Block, home of the Prime Minister's Office across the street from Parliament Hill, has now been evacuated and citizens are being moved back more than two blocks from the Parliamentary precinct.

Police herded bystanders off the street into a major office building and warned people to stay away from the windows.

Canadian Forces bases across the country have also been closed to public in wake of the shooting.

That Includes here in Kelowna, where the British Columbia Dragoons Reserve Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment has been directed to adopt a "heightened state of vigilance". Captain Jeff Daley says it is business as usual, but the gate of the base has been locked down and it might be harder for the public to contact the Dragoons at this time.

It is still too early to link Wednesday's shooting to an incident where two Canadian soldiers were hit by a speeding car in Quebec on Monday.

Photo: The Canadian Press A soldier, police and paramedics tend to a soldier shot at the National Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday Oct.22, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Update -- 8:15 a.m.

A gunman opened fire at the National War Memorial, wounding a soldier, then moved to nearby Parliament Hill and wounded a security guard before he was shot, reportedly by Parliament's sergeant-at-arms.

The Hill remains under lockdown amid reports there may be two to three shooters, according to a senior official locked in the Official Opposition Leaders' office.

Conservative MP Bob Zimmer has tweeted that a gunman was shot and killed, but that report was not immediately verified by police.

Two sources told The Canadian Press that Kevin Vickers, the sergeant-at-arms for the House of Commons, shot an assailant.

The gunman reportedly ran towards Parliament Hill, which is currently under lockdown and surrounded by security.

Cabinet minister Tony Clement tweeted that at least 30 shots were heard inside the building, where Conservative and Liberal MPs were holding their weekly caucus meetings.

Most of those MPs remain locked down in their caucus rooms.

The NDP caucus was evacuated along with the Liberal Senate caucus.

A witness reported that a man drove up in a black vehicle, got out carrying a rifle and ran into the Centre Block  the seat of the House of Commons under the Peace Tower.

The man was dressed in black with a scarf wrapped around his face.

Witnesses reported hearing shots fired in several different corridors. Some people fled the building by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations.

Photo: Google Maps There are confirmed reports that shots have been fired in three separate locations around Ottawa.

Original story Oct 22, 7:15

A soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa has been shot by an unknown gunman and there have been reports of gunfire inside the halls of Parliament.

Ottawa police confirmed they had a call at 9:52 a.m. with a report of shots fired.

Witnesses reported seeing the gunman running towards Parliament Hill, which is currently under lockdown. Others on the Hill say they heard shots being fired in several different corridors.

Tory MP Bob Zimmer has tweeted that the gunman was shot and killed, but that report could not be immediately verified.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was rushed away from the building to an undisclosed location, officials in his office said.

It is caucus morning on the Hill, meaning most MPs are in the Centre Block.

Police cars and emergency vehicles are clustered at the foot of the Peace Tower and the Centre Block is being evacuated.

Chuck Bronley of Ottawa said he was near the memorial when he heard four shots and saw a man running away carrying a rifle.

A tourist from the Netherlands was also nearby when he heard four shots, and saw an armed man with long, dark hair fleeing.

Police were yelling at bystanders, shouting that there was still a shooter on the loose.

"DND member is down," one officer was overheard saying.

Bronley was fairly certain the victim was one of the ceremonial guards at the War Memorial.

Two people vigorously pumped the victim's chest on the stairs of the War Memorial, until the victim was finally placed on a stretcher and ushered into an ambulance shortly after 10 a.m.

Paramedics performed CPR on the soldier before he was taken away by ambulance

The incident comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over  and one of them killed  in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies.
Photo: Darren Handschuh Human remains have been found at a rural property north of Vernon.

After three days of extensively searching a rural property in the North Okanagan, police have confirmed they have found human remains.

On Thursday, dozens of officers swarmed the farm at 2290 Salmon River Road, northeast of Falkland, and they've continued the search into the weekend.

During the course of executing a search warrant at a property in the 2200 block of Salmon River Road, human remains have been located, Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Saturday in a statement.

This matter is being treated as suspicious at this time."

While police have yet to elaborate on what prompted the search, it may be related to an incident in late August.

On Oct. 13, police put out a warning to the public about an incident on Aug. 28, where a 36-year-old man allegedly arranged a meet-up with a prostitute in the Salmon River Road area, and threatened her with a gun, before she escaped.

Police arrested the man at the time, but he was later released without charges.

A Canada411 search of the rural property where the human remains were found turns up Wayne Sagmoen.

A Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, born in 1980, has been recently charged with six charges stemming from an Aug. 27 incident near Falkland, including intentionally discharging a firearm and uttering threats.

A warrant was issued for Sagmoen's arrest on Oct. 17, and he was arrested the following day.

Last year, three women went missing in the North Okanagan, and they've yet to be found, but a family member of one of the missing women says police have contacted him and said the search was not related to their disappearance.
Photo: Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative Are regional politicians thinking too small when it comes to the Okanagan Rail Trail?

Okanagan Valley communities should be thinking big when it comes to the Okanagan Rail Trail and tourism but they're not, according a Vernon city councillor.

Right now we're looking at it piecemeal, said Coun. Catherine Lord, pointing to the lack of coordination between communities following the $22 million purchase of the 48-kilometre line between Kelowna and Coldstream.

In April, Lake Country farmer Alan Gatzke urged communities to name and trademark the trail before it officially opens.

However, the one meeting organized to discuss such an endeavour was not attended by the mayors of Kelowna and Vernon or a member of the Okanagan Indian Band  all of whom were busy with other matters.

I think (Gatzke's) plan was really, really good, said Lord. Nobody was ready for it yet but they should have been thinking about this for the last year now and I think that's the direction we need to go.

The councillor said the interjurisdictional team that has been responsible for getting public feedback and advising on the trail has not been forthcoming with that much information so there've been a lot of times when the politicians themselves have said 'how come we didn't know about this?' So the decisions are being made at the wrong level.

Lord called the trail a huge boon for the region.

Look at the Kettle Valley, this could be twice as good if we pull it together.

Lord is also frustrated with planning for the trail in the North Okanagan.

She expressed her concern during a meeting of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee on Thursday that got bogged down in a discussion about toilets for the trail.

This started as a visioning session, Lord said during the meeting, urging participants to move forward in a logical way.

They're thinking way too small, Lord said following the session. This whole community has really come on board for this because they envision it as a world tour thing, right?"

Lord said she would have liked to have seen an advisory committee formed involving members of staff, politicians from the City of Vernon and the District of Coldstream and representatives from groups who use the trail, including Ribbons of Green and the Naturalists Club.

That's not happening. (GVAC) itself is making all of those decisions and I don't think they're equipped to do it, I really don't."
Photo: Contributed

Police responded to a physical altercation that left one person injured in Peachland on Saturday night.

West Kelowna RCMP responded to what was believed to be a hit-and-run collision, near Beach Avenue and 3 Street.

Police have since determined that a dispute between two individuals quickly escalated to a physical confrontation, said Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey.

The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on Saturday.

At least one of the males suffered injuries but there is no risk to the public.

Investigators believe that both males were known to each other.
A Lake Country gas station has been evacuated after thick black smoke and flames were coming from inside a truck.

A white pick-up truck is parked at the Shell gas station at Beaver Lake Road and Highway 97.

Firefighters and RCMP are on scene.

"Flames were just starting and were visible for a minute before the fire department came and extinguished it," said witness Kyle Remenda.

It is not clear at this time how the fire started.

No one was injured during the incident.
Xi Jinping praises a photo for the beautiful scenery of Huamao Village in Guizhou Province when receiving it from Pan Kegang, Party secretary of the village, during a panel discussion with delegates from Guizhou at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- When Xi Jinping sat down to talk with grassroots Party members, no one was quite sure how the conversation would turn. Thursday, somewhat surprised delegates found themsevles discussing pork delicacies, strong liquor and relaxing vacations in the mountains with him.

Xi, being a delegate of Guizhou himself, joined a panel discussion with other delegates from the southwest China province who are in Beijing for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

With poverty reduction never far from his mind, Xi became most animated on learning that two neighboring poor villages in Panzhou City of Guizhou had come together to build a farm and a ham processing plant to raise villagers' income.

Xi asked, "What is the name of the ham you produce?"

"Panxian Ham. It is on a par with Xuanwei Ham and Jinhua Ham," Party delegate Yu Liufen replied.

Xuanwei and Jinhua are both household name brands of ham in China.

"You need better publicity," Xi replied. "I am only familiar with the other two."

Xi has great enthusiasm for new industries in poor regions. Guizhou is one of China's poorest provinces with per capita GDP of around 33,000 yuan (about 4,986 U.S. dollars), about 20,000 yuan lower than the national average in 2016.

Xi has pledged to lift the country's remaining more than 43 million people, or three percent of the country's total population, out of poverty by 2020.

He is pleased to hear of a distillery in Panzhou owned by shareholders from more than 1,000 households.

Xi Jinping (C rear) speaks during a panel discussion with delegates from Guizhou Province who attend the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

"What is your drink called?" Xi asked.

"Yanbo," Yu answered.

"How much does it cost?" Xi continued.

"Our price is reasonable for ordinary people," Yu said.

"What, may I ask, is the price?" Xi said.

"It sells for only 99 yuan," Yu replied.

"That's not cheap! A high price is not the key! It may not be so popular if it gets too expensive," Xi said.

"Thank you, general secretary, for your advice which will be sure to take on board," Yu said.

"The price should be determined by the market. You cannot reduce it to 30 yuan on the basis of what I just said," Xi said.

Hearty chuckles rang around the room as Xi moved on to local tourism.

"Where are the tourists from? Are they mainly from nearby regions or far away? Do they stay in the village?" he asked.

"Our hometown has a very pleasant environment. Some tourists stay for as long as a week at a time," said Pan Kegang, a delegate and Party chief of Huamao Village in Zunyi, also in Guizhou.

"If it's very nice, it can help you raise your income significantly," Xi said.

Pan presented him with a photo showing the changes in Huamao. "It's like a landscape painting, very beautiful," Xi said.

From ham to liquor to tourism, Xi is always interested in the little things that make a real difference, drivers of change that help people carve out a better life for themselves.

"There is a frankness and sense of ease in the way Xi is relaxed among us, and we like his style," said delegate Huang Junqiong.

Such is the new era.
AMG International is celebrating 75 Years of International and Global Ministry on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 6:45-8:45 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

Wayne Pederson will be the keynote speaker. He is president emeritus and global ambassador of Reach Beyond in Colorado Springs, Co.

Special guests joining the celebration dinner will be representing AMG Ministries around the World from Guatemala, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Philippines, Pakistan and Bangladesh and Uganda.

For additional information about sponsoring a table, individual tickets or have other questions, please contact: Kim Lyell at 894-6060, ext. 203 or visit www.amgbanquet.org.
Federal prosecutors in Washington appear willing to limit the scope of search warrants for the Facebook accounts of local activists connected to protests of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

The U.S. attorney's office for a District of Columbia told a judge earlier this month that the government has "little interest" in obtaining the names of thousands of people who "liked" the Facebook page of a political group that helped plan the Jan. 20 demonstrations, and agreed to narrow the timeline for photos the government is seeking as part of its investigation.

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The statement from Assistant U.S. attorney John Borchert came during a hearing in which civil liberties attorneys said the warrants were too broad and would have a "chilling effect" on political organizing by revealing private information about individuals unrelated to the investigation.

More than 200 people were arrested and are facing felony rioting charges in connection to the Inauguration Day protests that injured police and damaged property in an area of downtown Washington.

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D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Morin proposed limiting the searches to certain keywords and expressed concern about sweeping up irrelevant information, but he noted that another judge had signed off on the initial warrants, finding "probable cause" that the accounts contained evidence of criminal activity.

Morin pressed the prosecutor about why investigators would want access to the names of users who "liked" certain posts or photos in the lead-up to the inauguration.

"Explain to me the 'likes,'" Morin said, noting that he'd had a tutorial on the ins and outs of Facebook in advance of the hearing.

Borchert said that "likes" of certain posts describing criminal activity could in some instances suggest a person's criminal intent. The vast majority of likes would not be relevant and investigators are not, for instance, interested in "cat pictures." He said his office is "amenable" to some type of "minimization" of the searches.

Breaking Business As it happens When business news breaks, be the first to know. >

"There is simply no risk," according to the government's court filing, that investigators could use the warrants "for compiling information about the account holders' political affiliations and private lives."

Sitting in the front row of the courtroom were two of the targets of the search, Lacy MacAuley and Legba Carrefour. The third warrant is for the Facebook page of DisruptJ20, the political organizing group moderated by Emmelia Talarico.

None of the three  all represented by the American Civil Liberties Union  has been charged by the U.S. attorney with Inauguration Day-related crimes.

The hearing raised questions about whether individual account holders could legally seek to block or narrow government searches of information they share on Facebook.

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John Roche, a Facebook attorney, said in court that the company is "eager to protect these folks' privacy and their right to engage in political speech."

The company alerted the three users  MacAuley, Carrefour, and Talarico  to the warrants, after the government backed off their request to keep Facebook quiet about the searches.

Morin said he would rule quickly on the ACLU's request to intervene on behalf of the account holders and outline an approach for limiting the searches.
Replacing snow tires on a rear-wheel drive car such as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe should be done to all four tires, not just thre rear ones. (Hyundai / Wieck)

Q: I have a 2013 Hyundai Genesis coupe with rear-wheel drive. I would like to install two snow tires at the rear to help with fishtailing. The tire dealer said I would need four snow tires. Can I get by with only two rear snow tires?

 A.V., Chicago

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A: Today's winter tires are better at providing ice and snow traction than ever before, states Tire Rack, which tests and sells many brands of tires. The company reports that "7 out of 10 vehicle manufacturers recommend four winter tires be used on rear-wheel, front-wheel or four-wheel-drive vehicles. This is because if you use two dissimilar types of tires on your vehicle, you'll have a vehicle that has a 'split personality.' One end of the vehicle won't react and perform the same as the other. Especially in emergency situations, you'll find that your vehicle will probably understeer in one condition and oversteer in another. It is preferable to keep your vehicle's handling as consistent as possible by matching all four tires."

Q: I have a new Chevy Traverse, but washing the inside front window is quite a challenge. Any suggestions?

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 J.B., Joliet, Ill.

A: Not only windshields, but rear windows can be a challenge. For years, we have used a Stoner cleaning tool. It's like a miniature Swiffer with a two-foot handle and hinged wiping pad shaped like the ace of spades. There are other brands and tools in auto parts and other stores We suggest a two-step process of cleaning with automotive glass cleaner followed by polishing with a clean, soft microfiber cloth.

Q: My 2013 Miata has come down with several cases of the dashboard rattle.

What sounded like a loose bolt rolling back and forth behind the dashboard turned out to be a loose bolt that had become unattached from the left sun visor. When I lowered the visor, the bolt fell into my lap. An easy fix.

The next loose bolt, which I was certain was behind the dash, dropped down from the right sun visor. Another easy fix.

Last week, however, another loose bolt, but no easy fix. It cost $127 at my dealer to learn that yet another bolt had come loose, this time from the roof latch at the window frame. When the mechanic removed the covering along the windshield frame, the bolt fell into his lap. Was $127 for 20 minutes of work a fair price?

 A.G., South Milwaukee, Wis.

A: If the shop's labor charge is $381 per hour, it is a fair price. Yet there is intrinsic value in the mechanic's knowledge.

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This reminds us of the story of the day an IT technician was asked if he could help identify the problem with a desktop computer. The tech walked up to the unit and tapped the case on the side and it sprang back to life. The owner was thrilled, and told him to send an invoice. The bill arrived, for $100. The owner asked for a breakdown. The tech sent another invoice, indicating a $1 charge for whacking the machine, and $99 for knowing where to whack it.

Send questions along with name and town to Motormouth, Rides, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Fourth Floor, Chicago, IL 60611 or motormouth.tribune@gmail.com.
A former Julliard fellow, the New York-based writer Janine Nabers clearly is well acquainted with the years when former students of prestigious schools hit New York City and find out a few hard truths about themselves and those they thought they loved.

"A Swell in the Ground," which could well be a pitch for a Netflix series, looks at a quartet of such hyperarticulate Ivy League characters, all trying to reconcile the disparity in their relative levels of achievement even as they deal with the inevitable blows that hit a young professional life, and a young relationship, and the disappearance of the comforts of undergraduate life. It's all a fancy world away from Jefferson Park. But good for Gift Theatre for taking a risk on a world premiere (the audience Friday night was smaller than the piece deserved).

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The travails of the urban 20-something hardly is unchartered territory, but the distinctive aspect of "A Swell in the Ground" is (aside from the important inclusion of African-American characters in a genre that often lacks them) the chronology of the storytelling. This play does not move forward or backward, but backward and forward. We see the couple Nate (Keith Neagle) and Olivia (Sydney Charles) in, say, 2007, then a couple of years before, and then maybe several years later. You know where you are by a date projected on a two-level set by Eleanor Kahn that is shoehorned awkwardly into the Gift's space.

The playwright's sympathies lie mostly with Olivia, who has to deal with her guy's running mouth and residual juvenile tendencies, both factors leading to a tenuous relationship, as well as the possibilities and challenges represented by old friends Charles (Andrew Muwonge) and Abigail (Darci Nalepa), both in some ways personifications of what might have been, or still could be.

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There is a haunting, even a mournful, quality to the play, which is the aspect of this work that I liked best. A lot of us are bad at relationships when we are young, and we do serious damage to the people we love even when these should be the most exciting years of our professional lives. With Neagle her aptly annoying foil, Charles, a very versatile Chicago actress, captures that quality very well. You feel some sadness behind her character's eyes  a disconnect between the outer facade and the inner insecurity, a worry that nothing is stable. It's rich work.

This is not the easiest track to follow, though, and the reason for the chronological shifts is not always made clear. It is, I think, causal, in that Nabers wants us to see how this led to that, but, frankly, the relationship is not always clearly causal enough and that means that narrative tension does not build. You feel like you are watching vistas and episodes  very interesting and involving scenes, for sure  but the work needs far more attention to its overall construction, a remaining challenge with which the director, Chika Ike, could also help.

None of the many transitions actually build tension. They're just flat. And there's no viable climax yet: The audience at the performance I attended did not seem to know the play was over. All of that has to be addressed; these are, of course, the ways in which theater differs from TV. There is a long way to go in one hour and 40 minutes.

But there are some cutting scenes, believe me, all worried over by a very competent cast probing such unchanging challenges as commitment phobia, the residual impact of collegiate indiscretion and, well, the thing that brings a lot of relationships to their knees: one party being aimless and the other intensely ambitious. That's the swell in the ground for a lot of lovers, and there can be a wasp's nest inside. Now this promising play must better make us feel its sting.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Review: "A Swell in the Ground" (2.5 stars)

When: Through Dec. 10

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Where: Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Tickets: $30-$40 at 773-283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org

[ RELATED: David Rabe, 'Hamlet' in Gift's 2018 season  ]

[ Gift Theatre's 2017 season to include 3 world premieres by women playwrights  ]

[ 'Amarillo' is about risk, inequality and the costs of those border crossings  ]

Enjoy someone else's drama A great theater city deserves a great theater critic. Enter Chris Jones. Subscribe now and get 4 weeks of full access for only 99.







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A football helmet lies on the sidewalk as Chicago police work the scene of a stabbing in the 3300 block of West Marquette Road on Chicago's Southwest Side on Oct. 21, 2017. A 36-year-old woman died and two men were injured, police said. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Police were questioning a suspect after a 36-year-old woman was stabbed to death and two men were injured in a family fight Saturday evening, police said.

The three were stabbed about 5:40 p.m. in the 3300 block of West Marquette Road, police said in a media notification.

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The woman suffered a stab wound to the chest and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead. A 34-year-old man suffered a stab wound to the arm and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. A 75-year-old man suffered a stab wound to the arm and declined to be taken to a hospital.

The woman was identified as Elizabeth Kennedy, who was killed in the same block where she lived, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. She was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m. Saturday.

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At the scene Saturday evening, neighbors said they were shocked that the fight took place in a neighborhood they say is usually quiet.

"Fourteen years we've been here," said Maria Pina, who lives on the block, which borders Marquette Park. "No crime happens here."

City crime data show no homicides on the block dating back to at least 2001, the earliest date for which city information is readily available. Data compiled by the Tribune shows no shootings on the block since the Tribune began keeping statistics on shooting victims in September 2011.

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Some neighbors said they did not even know a dispute had taken place until police showed up. Officers were stationed at both ends of the block just after the incident Saturday evening.

"I didn't hear anything," Pina said. "I didn't hear anything at all. And I have five dogs, they are always barking at something."

A black football helmet lay on the the sidewalk where the incident happened, next to a pool of blood. Neighbors at the scene said children had been playing outside earlier in the evening.

"We know there were kids playing football there, on the sidewalk," a next-door neighbor said. "And then we saw the (police) lights."

Though the 36-year-old woman's family members declined to comment Saturday night, many were at the scene, including children.

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"I saw her fall," a child told a woman at the scene.

The man who attacked the three fled after the fight but was arrested by police soon after, police said. Charges were pending.
DNA evidence linked Jose L. Lucio, 27, of Berwyn, to the sex abuse of a teenage girl who told authorities she lost consciousness after the man gave her a bottle of water three years ago, prosecutors said Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (Chicago police photo / )

DNA evidence has linked a Berwyn man to the sexual abuse of a teenage girl who told authorities she lost consciousness after the man gave her a bottle of water three years ago, prosecutors said Saturday.

The man, Jose L. Lucio, 27, faces charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in the incident that authorities say happened Sept. 21, 2014, when the victim was 14 years old.

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Lucio, then 24, had been invited to the lakefront near Soldier Field by one of two of the girl's friends, who went there to drink and smoke marijuana, prosecutors told Judge Michael R. Clancy at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

During the outing, the girl drank Hennessy cognac and smoked marijuana with Lucio, whom she had never met before, Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Carlson said. Lucio later gave the girl a bottle of water, and she lost consciousness, Carlson said.

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When the girl woke up, she was being driven home by one of her friends. When she got home, her family immediately noticed she had difficulty walking, speaking and appeared "dazed," Carlson said.

After realizing the girl was not wearing underwear, the girl's mother took her to an area hospital, where a rape kit and a urine sample were collected, prosecutors said. The girl's urine tested positive for several drugs, including marijuana, amphetamines and a derivative of the drug ecstasy, Carlson said. Her blood alcohol content was also .228  more than double the legal limit for someone driving, although she was too young to drive at the time. Hospital staff also found a bruise on the girl's breast that resembled a hickey, authorities said.

The girl's family tracked down Lucio's identity through Facebook, and the victim identified the photo as the man she had been with. Armed with a search warrant, authorities took a sample of Lucio's DNA last December, and a comparison made with DNA from the girl's rape kit later indicated a match, Carlson said.

Lucio, of the 6500 block of West 26th Street in Berwyn, was ordered held in lieu of $300,000 bail and was scheduled to return to court next week.
Chicago police are looking for a 72-year-old man they say has been missing for nearly three weeks.

James Felder last was seen the morning of Oct. 2 at his apartment in the 300 block of South Throop Street in the Near West Side neighborhood, according to a police alert.



Felder usually wears a hat and walks with a cane, police said. He is described as a black man with a medium complexion, brown eyes and black hair, 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.



Anyone with information on Felder's location is encouraged to contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, of Wheaton, speaks during a ceremony at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library on Sept. 27, 2017, in the Loop. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

A Wheaton Republican lawmaker is actively considering a primary challenge of Gov. Bruce Rauner, saying she doesn't expect him to win a general election contest next year.

Three-term Rep. Jeanne Ives has been courting social conservative groups and working to get her name out in settings far beyond her west suburban district in advance of a potential exploratory committee to determine if she can line up financing to take on Rauner, a former private equity investor.

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One such far-away setting for Ives was a telephone interview Friday on WJPF radio, a southern Illinois conservative talk station based in Herrin.

Asked about a potential challenge to Rauner in the March 2018 Republican primary, Ives acknowledged, "We are exploring that. We are exploring that."

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She added: "He's got a really tough re-election bid coming up, and I don't see him being elected in 2018."

Ives is among the most outspoken socially conservative GOP lawmakers criticizing Rauner over his signature last month on legislation expanding taxpayer-subsidized abortions for women covered by Medicaid or state employee health insurance.

Republican lawmakers said Rauner had pledged to veto the bill in April as he sought to keep the GOP rank-and-file united against the legislature's Democratic majority.

Ives called the abortion measure "an open-ended brand new entitlement program" for a "state that's utterly bankrupt."

The governor's decision to sign the bill added to conservatives' frustration with Rauner over other moves that included signing bills to prevent undocumented immigrants from being detained solely based on their legal status, allowing automated voter registration and making it easier for transgender people to change the sex listed on their birth certificates.

Money is a major factor, however. Ives began the month with just $8,488 in her campaign, while Rauner had $65.5 million, nearly all of it from his own pocket and billionaire businessman Ken Griffin.

Ives, however, is undeterred. "I'll be honest with you: I honestly think Rauner could spend his entire fortune and not redeem his reputation," she told the southern Illinois radio station.

Since the start of the month, Ives has reported adding $14,000 to her campaign account, including $10,000 from Illinois Liberty PAC, a political action committee. It's chaired by Pat Hughes, who with talk-show host Dan Proft co-founded the Illinois Opportunity Project political advocacy group. In 2010, Hughes lost a GOP U.S. Senate primary bid and Proft lost a GOP governor bid.

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The campaign fund and Proft also have ties to the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative-to-libertarian group that Rauner had given at least $500,000 to prior to becoming governor in January 2015.

The institute, Proft and related political operations previously had been allied with the administration. The institute provided key staff to the governor during an administration shake-up in the summer though most have departed or were forced out.

Republicans said privately that Ives would need to generate financial pledges well in excess of $1 million to make a run. They noted that while she is little-known outside the suburbs now, the West Point graduate and mother of five children represents a blank slate for conservatives looking for a Rauner alternative.

They also noted that conservative businessman Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest has contributed more than $9.1 million to another Proft-affiliated political action committee since 2011, including $2 million last month. Uihlein has also given Proft's still-active governor campaign committee $595,000. Previously, Uihlein gave Rauner $2.6 million for his 2014 run for governor.

Ives received $4,000 from Rauner's campaign committee in June 2015, when the governor sprinkled cash to Republican lawmakers to help keep the rank-and-file unified.

Still, Ives said of her colleagues: "There's plenty of us that are not addicted to (Rauner's money) and have completely rejected him."

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Even so, several GOP colleagues say privately that Ives is not among the most collegial members of the General Assembly  a trait she may have acknowledged when she was asked on Downstate radio about the exodus of lawmakers that have resigned or are not seeking re-election next year.

"To many of them I say, 'Good riddance. You know, your policies have created the problems we have right now. So, bye bye,'" she said. "Let's find some new blood. That's OK with me. It's important to turn over people."

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Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts. (LM Otero / AP)

AUSTIN, Texas  The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

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Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

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The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money."

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Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

"They can't get away from the politics of the moment," he said of current White House occupants. "Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nation's grandfather."

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un photographed with students and teachers of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School on Oct. 13, 2017, in Pyongyang on its 70th founding anniversary. (STR / AFP/Getty Images)

TOKYO  Have North Korea's nuclear tests become so big that they have altered the geological structure of the land? Some analysts now see signs that Mount Mantap, the 7,200-foot-high peak under which North Korea detonates its nuclear bombs, is suffering from "tired mountain syndrome."

The mountain visibly shifted during the last nuclear test, an enormous detonation that was recorded as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in North Korea's northeast. Since then, the area, which is not known for natural seismic activity, has had three more quakes.

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"What we are seeing from North Korea looks like some kind of stress in the ground," said Paul Richards, a seismologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "In that part of the world, there were stresses in the ground, but the explosions have shaken them up."

Chinese scientists already have warned that further nuclear tests could cause the mountain to collapse and release the radiation from the blast.

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North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006, all of them in tunnels burrowed deep under Mount Mantap at a site known as the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility. Intelligence analysts and experts alike use satellite imagery to keep close track of movement at the three entrances to the tunnels for signals that a test might be coming.

After the latest nuclear test, on Sept. 3, Kim Jong Un's regime claimed that it had set off a hydrogen bomb and that it had been a "perfect success."

The regime is known for brazen exaggeration, but analysts and many government officials said the size of the earthquake that the test generated suggested that North Korea had detonated a thermonuclear device at least 17 times the size of the U.S. bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

It registered as an artificial 6.3-magnitude earthquake, so big that it shook houses in northeastern China. Eight minutes later, there was a 4.1-magnitude earthquake that appeared to be a tunnel collapsing at the site.

Images captured by Airbus, a space technology company that makes Earth-observation satellites, showed the mountain literally moving during the test. An 85-acre area on the peak of Mount Mantap visibly subsided during the explosion, an indication of both the size of the blast and the weakness of the mountain.

Since that day, there have been three much smaller quakes at the site, in the 2- to 3-magnitude range, each of them prompting fears that North Korea had conducted another nuclear test that perhaps had gone wrong. But they all turned out to be natural.

That has analysts Frank Pabian and Jack Liu wondering if Mount Mantap is suffering from "tired mountain syndrome," a diagnosis previously applied to the Soviet Union's atomic test sites.

"The underground detonation of nuclear explosions considerably alters the properties of the rock mass," Vitaly Adushkin and William Leith wrote in a report on the Soviet tests for the U.S. Geological Survey in 2001. This leads to fracturing and rocks breaking, as well as changes along tectonic faults.

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Earthquakes also occurred at the United States' nuclear test site in Nevada after detonations there.

"The experience we had from the Nevada test site and decades of monitoring the Soviet Union's major test sites in Kazakhstan showed that after a very large nuclear explosion, several other significant things can happen," said Richards, the seismologist. These include cavities collapsing hours or even months later, he said.

Pabian and Liu said that the North Korean test site also seemed to be suffering.

"Based on the severity of the initial blast, the post-test tremors, and the extent of observable surface disturbances, we have to assume that there must have been substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap," they wrote in a report for the specialist North Korea website 38 North.

But the degradation of the mountain does not necessarily mean that it would be abandoned as a test site - just as the United States did not abandon the Nevada test site after earthquakes there, they said. Instead, the United States kept using the site until a nuclear test moratorium took effect in 1992.

For that reason, analysts will continue to keep a close eye on the Punggye-ri site to see if North Korea starts excavating there again - a sign of possible preparations for another test.

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The previous tests took place through the north portal to the underground tunnels, but even if those tunnels had collapsed, North Korea's nuclear scientists might still use tunnel complexes linked to the south and west portals, said Pabian and Liu.

Chinese scientists have warned that another test under the mountain could lead to an environmental disaster. If the whole mountain caved in on itself, radiation could escape and drift across the region, said Wang Naiyan, former chairman of the China Nuclear Society and a senior researcher on China's nuclear weapons program.

"We call it 'taking the roof off.' If the mountain collapses and the hole is exposed, it will let out many bad things," Wang told the South China Morning Post last month.

The recent seismic events have triggered another environmental concern, at least on the Internet: that the nuclear tests might trigger the eruption of Mount Paektu, an active volcano straddling the border between North Korea and China more than 80 miles away. The mountain has not experienced a major eruption for centuries, and its last small rumble was in 1903.

But this scenario, experts say, is a stretch.

Volcanic eruptions happen when molten rock flows into the magma chamber under the surface, said Colin Wilson, professor of volcanology at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

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If an earthquake occurs when the magma is hot and, as Wilson puts it, "ready to roll," it could trigger an eruption. But if the molten rock is not activated, then even a large earthquake won't cause a volcanic eruption.

He cited the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, which had a magnitude of 9 but did not cause any of Japan's many volcanoes to blow their tops.

"There's no point in kicking a dead horse," Wilson said. "If the horse is up and ready, and you give it a slap on the bum, it will take off. But if it's dead, even if you slap it, it's not going anywhere."
In this April 23, 2015 photo, Dane County Sheriff's Deputy Eric Markgraf demonstrates the steps police are taught to take after shooting someone, during a media training session on police use of force in Waunakee, Wis. (Todd Ricmond / Associated Press)

MADISON, Wis.  The Madison Police Department has updated its guidelines on the use of deadly force, telling officers to exhaust other options before using a gun.

City Council ordered the Police Department in May to change its operating procedures regarding deadly force, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Council members wanted the department to emphasize an officer's duty to intercede, de-escalate a situation and preserve life.

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A special committee that studied police practices recommended the changes.

The old policy said officers have "a legal and moral obligation to use force wisely and judiciously," while the new policy tells officers that their main duty is the "protection and preservation of all human life  including the lives of individuals being taken into custody."

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The new language makes the department's policies similar to other, larger agencies as well as the International Association of Police Chiefs and the Police Executive Research Forum, said Assistant Police Chief Vic Wahl.

Madison attorney Andrea Farrell won a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city earlier this year on behalf of the family of a woman killed by Madison police in 2014.

"When it comes to the rules our police officers are trained to follow, language matters," Farrell said.

Farrell said she hopes the changes will help officers make the right decisions in a crisis.

"These may be two sides of the same coin, but I think the new policy does a better job of embodying what we want from our officers," Farrell said. "The bottom line is that all officers who believe it is their job to protect human life will, de facto, use force judiciously."
Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Florida, attends the burial service for U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson at the Memorial Gardens East cemetery on Oct. 21, 2017, in Hollywood, Florida. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Fla., on Sunday called White House chief of staff John F. Kelly "a puppet of the president" and said he should apologize for having made false claims about her while defending President Donald Trump's military condolence calls.

"Not only does he owe me an apology, but he owes an apology to the American people," Wilson said during an appearance on MSNBC's "AM Joy," during which she also accused Kelly of "character assassination."

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The pointed words came on another day of sparring between Wilson and the White House after her criticism last week of Trump's call to the widow of one of four service members killed in an ambush in Niger.

The president took to Twitter on Sunday morning, again attacking Wilson as "wacky" and calling her "the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party" and "a disaster for Dems."

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"You watch her in action & vote R!" Trump wrote.

Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote R!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2017

During an appearance Thursday in which he defended Trump's calls, Kelly called Wilson an "empty barrel" and falsely asserted that she had claimed credit in a 2015 speech for securing funding for a federal building. Wilson instead has pushed legislation to name the building for two slain FBI agents.

During her Sunday interview, in which she was asked about Trump's repeated characterization of her as "wacky," Wilson said, "That's the way he is. I'm sick of him giving people nicknames."

She was also critical of the lack of information from the Trump administration about the ambush and the circumstances surrounding the death of Sgt. La David Johnson, a family friend of hers and among the four soldiers killed in Niger.

"This is a catastrophe," Wilson said. "We had four soldiers who died. They have been buried. And we need to know why, and we need to know about the special circumstances surrounding La David Johnson."

On another Sunday television show, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said there was blame to go around in the condolence controversy.

Last week, Trump falsely said that he had done more than past presidents to reach out to families of military members killed in action.

Graham called Trump's criticism of President Barack Obama's handling of military deaths "absolutely the wrong thing to do" but also accused Wilson of having "politicized" Trump's call to Johnson's widow.

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Now, though, the president should return the focus to the soldiers, Graham said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"How about a little time on who they were and why they did what they did and all those like them?" he said.

The Washington Post's Tory Newmyer contributed to this report.
Khizr Khan, father of fallen U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan, speaks as his wife Ghazala listens during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)

Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who lambasted Donald Trump at last year's Democratic National Convention, on Sunday criticized the now-president's chief of staff for his handling of the controversy over Trump's military condolence calls.

Khan said John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, had "made the situation even worse" by defending Trump and joining him in attacking Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Fla., after she criticized Trump's call to the widow of one of four service members killed in an ambush in Niger.

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"Instead of advising the president that restraint and dignity is the call of the moment, former general Kelly indulged in defending (the) behavior of the president and made the situation even worse," Khan said during an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Our political leaders, elected by the people, are deserving of equal dignity and equal respect instead of being maligned on misstated facts. And that was beyond the call of the moment."

During an appearance before reporters Thursday, Kelly called Wilson an "empty barrel" and falsely claimed that she had taken credit for securing funding of a federal building in a 2015 speech.

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Khan, who is promoting a new book, also criticized Kelly's handling of Trump's response to a deadly melee in Charlottesville at a gathering organized by white supremacists in August.

"I was shocked  I was shocked  to see citizen Kelly standing next to the president when ... the president could not have the proper words to condemn the attack on the blessed city of Charlottesville, Virginia, by neo-Nazis," said Khan, a resident of Charlottesville.

Khan's son Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004. While speaking at the Democratic convention last year, the elder Khan challenged Trump, at one point saying, "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." He also held up a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution, asking whether Trump had read it.
An Indiana man died after he was stabbed during a fight in Chicago Heights early Saturday morning, police said.

Dalton Rhyne, 27, of Highland, Ind., was pronounced dead at 6:37 a.m. at St. Margaret Hospital in Dyer, Ind. after suffering a stab wound to his chest.

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Chicago Heights police had responded to a call for men fighting at 5:34 a.m. at the intersection of Joe Orr Road and State Street, but did find anyone when they arrived.

A few minutes later police received a call of a stabbing victim at the 1600 block of East 14th Street in Ford Heights and found Curtis Nelson, 29, of Ford Heights, with multiple stab wounds to his back.

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Nelson was rushed to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. His condition was not available Sunday.

Police received a third call at 5:49 a.m. of Rhyne being treated for a stab wound at St. Margaret.

Police determined the two men were stabbed during the fight in Chicago Heights.

Chicago Heights detectives and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call 708-756-6422.

Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
With summer-like weather Saturday, downtown Elgin's seventh-annual Nightmare on Chicago Street outdoor zombie-themed party probably drew its largest crowd ever.

"The lines were crazy for awhile," Fire Chief Dave Schmidt said.

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Schmidt said that about 8,500 tickets for Nightmare were sold in advance for $12, with many more showing up and paying $15 to enter that night. What was slowing the entry process, Schmidt said, was this year the city hired an outside security firm to wand patrons and to do bag checks.

Public safety workers were present along the streets where the gathering was held, and police officers were stationed at each of the three entrances to the cordoned-off area. A good many of the city's full-time staff manned those entry points and, along with volunteers, performed a host of other duties for the event.

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Building off the popularity of TV's "The Walking Dead" and other such fare, Nightmare on Chicago Street posits that a zombie outbreak has overtaken Elgin, with the prop-laden downtown a safe zone from the undead brain eaters  albeit one filled with monsters and other costumed characters of all sorts having fun.

Reanie Demunbrun said she has lived in downtown Elgin for eight years, and Saturday was the biggest crowd she had witnessed for Nightmare.

Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said that after 9 p.m., some lines to get into the festival were still more than a block long. He guessed the crowd would reach the 16,000 capacity the city had set for the event. Blessed with good weather every time it's been held, Nightmare has drawn more and more people each October. City officials said the event attracted 15,500 patrons in 2016.

Saturday, the Elgin Police Department Facebook page noted that the city's downtown parking lots were filled by 6:45 p.m. The post urged people to park at the Gail Borden Public Library lot a few blocks from the event staging area, or to park more than a mile away north in the lot by the Advocate Sherman Center Street Campus off Slade Avenue and to take a free shuttle downtown.

Despite the large number of people milling about, before 9:30 p.m. Swoboda said the event to that point had gone on without incident. And Elgin City Council member Rich Dunne and his wife Judy said that when they arrived around 9:30 p.m. there were no lines remaining to enter.

Still, some people took the to the event's Facebook page to complain about waiting 90 minutes or more to enter. Others claimed they gave up waiting, went elsewhere and would be seeing if they could get a refund.

Those at Nightmare, though, appeared to be enjoying themselves.

Carole Martin said she drove up from Springfield to attend Nightmare for the first time at the urging of her grandchildren, Lexie and Jack Sanders of Elgin.

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"I love the diversity of costumes, and just about everything about this," Martin said. "There do seem to be quite a few spooky clowns, like the one in the movie, 'It.'"

Among the costumed was City Council member Carol Rauschenberger, dressed as Winnie the Pooh's pal Tigger, and Rauschenberger's friend Mary Kessuvan, dressed as a shark. The two were selling orange-and-black dreadlocks and lighted plastic mohawks to benefit the Downtown Neighborhood Association.

Downtown businesses were bustling during the event, too.

"Nightmare on Chicago is huge for us, and by far our busiest Saturday of the year," Elgin Public House chef and manager Eric Klekamp said. "The key to a night like this is making sure you're stocked up on everything, staffing to the maximum and having your all your A-team on duty."

Impressed by the gathering were at least two of the evening's draws.

Graphic artist Brian Allen, who designed the 2017 Nightmare on Chicago Street T-shirt, drove in with his wife, Lesha Allen from Pennsylvania to sell and sign his works. Allen said he typically sets up at a couple Halloween-time events a year and found Elgin's offering unique among what he's seen.

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"It's wild," Allen said. "I hope I get a chance to take more of a look at it."

Back again was Chicago TV icon Rich Koz, in his role as wise-cracking horror movie host Svengoolie. Koz was posing for photos and signing autographs for fans inside the Burritt Building on Grove Avenue, then judging a costume contest.

"This event is always great. I'm amazed by the special effects they set up. It's pretty cool," Koz said.

Koz said Halloween time for him is like Christmas for Santa, and he would be making about 10 appearances this month as Svengoolie. Of Halloween becoming a holiday for adults as well as children, Koz said, "It's great that people can maintain their sense of fun and still dress up and goof around."

mdanahey@tribpub.com
A man was apprehended last week after a Lake County Sheriffs Office Warrants Team located him in his Rockford home in the 2500 block of North Rockton Avenue, hiding in a bedroom closet underneath a blanket.

An incident on Oct. 3 prompted authorities to place a warrant out for the arrest of 23-year-old Jordan P. Carmody, who fled from sheriff deputies during an attempted traffic stop, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office news release.

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During the attempted traffic stop, Carmody drove into a subdivision in the area of Route 22 and Cortland Drive in Lake Zurich and fled from the vehicle. Authorities found cocaine and a sawed-off shotgun in Carmody's abandoned vehicle, according to the release.

Members of the Lake County Sheriffs Office Warrants Team and U.S. Marshals Service  Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Carmody on Wednesday.

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He was transported to the Lake County jail, where bail has been set at $75,000.

Carmody was wanted on a felony warrant for unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated fleeing a peace officer and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, according to the release.

A court date is set for Oct. 24.

Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter at the News-Sun.
A restaurant on Washington Street in Waukegan was the scene of a crash Saturday, when a driver backed a vehicle into the side wall, injuring patrons and the vehicles passengers. ( Yadira Sanchez Olson/News-Sun )

Nine people were injured, a few of them critically, when a vehicle backed into the side of a restaurant wall during lunch hour in Waukegan on Saturday.

Officials said the Waukegan police and fire departments were dispatched at 12:40 p.m. to the Mexican eatery, Toluca's Restaurant, 1419 Washington St.

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When they arrived, they found a female driver behind the wheel of a 2015 Chevy Traverse, according to Waukegan police Cmdr. Joe Florip. She was identified as Constella Turner, of Waukegan. Turner had a young child passenger with her. Both were transported to area hospitals with noncritical injuries, Florip said.

Seven inside the restaurant were injured. Due to the number of people injured inside the restaurant, additional assistance was requested from Gurnee, Lake Villa, North Chicago and Beach Park.

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Fire Marshall Steven Lenzi said two adults and a child, who were critically injured, were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and Lake Forest Hospital. Two adults and two children inside the restaurant, along with the driver and passenger, were transported to Vista East and West in Waukegan, officials said.

Updates Sunday on the condition of those injured were not available.

"There was a heavy amount of damage to the storefront," Lenzi said. "Initial estimates are $30,000 to $40,000."

Turner was cited with improper backing and reckless driving. She is due in court Nov. 27.

On Sunday, the business was closed and its windows where the car went into the building were boarded up with wood.

Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Pueblo West's sales tax increasing after voters OK road improvements

Pueblo West sales tax will be 5.9% next year after voters OK a 1% increase for road repairs, but it's still lower than Pueblo and Canon City.
A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Saturday urged China and Japan to "stabilize and improve" ties on the sidelines of the Party's ongoing 19th National Congress.

"Sino-Japanese ties face new opportunities at the moment but challenges remain," Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, told a press conference.

Asked to comment on whether Chinese and Japanese leaders are scheduling visits to each other's countries next year, he said mutual visits are very important to bilateral ties.

"But we also know that high-level mutual visits need support and understanding of the public," Guo said, urging both sides to "create better conditions and cultivate a better environment for the development of bilateral relations."
SAIC-GM's fast development in recent years reflects, from one aspect, the open competition in China's auto market and efficient government management, said Julian Blissett, executive vice president of SAIC-GM.

SAIC General Motors Corporation, a joint venture founded in 1997 between China's SAIC and General Motors from the United States, mainly manufactures and sells Chevrolets, Buicks and Cadillacs on the Chinese mainland.

During the past five years, the company has made great achievements in terms of its development speed and quality, Blissett told Xinhua when commenting on the report delivered by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Last month, we surpassed 15 million units in accumulated sales, rewriting the growth speed record among the auto enterprises in China," said Blissett.

He said market guidance and regulation by Chinese government departments, their strong support for investment in advanced capacity, and effective interaction between companies and government departments, have together played a significant supporting role in the company's sales increase.

From the report, Blissett saw that "China will substantially broaden market access and protect the lawful rights and interests of foreign investors. The investment environment keeps improving and we have full confidence in the following market exploration."

China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), where SAIC-GM is located, was launched in 2013 to test new policies including negative list management for foreign investment, preferential trade and financial policies, and opening up of more industries to foreign investors.

As of September, 49,000 new companies had been registered in the FTZ. Of these, about 8,940 foreign-funded enterprises had been launched, attracting investment worth more than 17 billion U.S. dollars.

China has ranked among the world's top three in terms of foreign investment utilization for five years and its engagement in global economic governance is deepening.

In the first nine months of 2017, foreign investment utilization in China hit more than 618 billion yuan (93 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.6 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

More than 23,500 foreign-funded enterprises were established in the first nine months, 10.6 percent more than in the same period of 2016, the ministry said.

Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, which represents more than 2,300 multinational companies doing business in China, said that he believes China will become more and more open.

Xi's report draws "a very clear map and direction for foreign investors going forward" as China's economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, said Seyedin.

Between 1978 and 2013, the annual growth of the Chinese economy averaged close to 10 percent and between 2003 and 2007, more than 11.5 percent.

GDP growth slowed to 7.3 percent in 2014, 6.9 percent in 2015 and 6.7 percent in 2016 as the world's second largest economy is striving to shift gears to slower speed but higher quality growth.

In the past five years, the transition of China's growth pattern has created uncertainties in its investment market, which resulted in a slowdown of foreign investment inflow, said Seyedin. "But all of that uncertainty seems to be going away at this point and with the 19th CPC congress, we'll have a very clear map and direction for going forward."

"At 6.9 percent growth, China produces more quality jobs than it did when it grew at 12 or 13 percent, especially in the manufacturing sector. So the growth transition is on its way and we certainly believe that the future is going to be bright," said Seyedin.

According to figures released by Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, in the past, nearly 70 percent of foreign investment flowed to China's manufacturing sector, while 30 percent went to the service industry.

Now around 65 to 70 percent of China's foreign investment flows to the service industries especially to knowledge, technology and talent intensive areas, while the high-end manufacturing has attracted about 30 percent.

But there are still some areas in the service sector not open to overseas investors, said Daniel Liao, China president of Singaporean company City Developments Limited.

The company has invested about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in the real estate, environmental protection and new energy sectors in major Chinese cities in the past six years.

The report said China will relax controls over market access in the service sector, which will attract more high-quality foreign investment to the sector and create more investment opportunities for foreign investors, according to Liao.
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Police of China's Hong Kong have arrested a man from Southeast Asia for pushing a cleaner onto a rail track in the town of Yuen Long, according to local media on Sunday.

A closed-circuit video posted online showed that a female cleaner standing on the edge of the platform was pushed onto a rail track by a man coming up behind her.

The attacker then fled the scene, and no train was passing by at that moment.

The 59-year-old cleaner got hurt and was sent to hospital. A police spokesperson said that officers arrested the 56-year-old suspect on Saturday near the rail stop on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The police are still investigating the case.
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A group of young Japanese people visited the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre Saturday, mourning those killed in the massacre.

Fourteen young people from Japan, who won a national writing competition, came to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and laid wreaths on Saturday morning in Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province.

They visited the memorial hall and learnt the history of the Nanjing Massacre, in which more than 300,000 Chinese were brutally murdered by Japanese invaders when they occupied Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937 and began six weeks of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter in Nanjing.

"It's incredible that such a tragedy occurred 80 years ago. It's another world for me. I used to think of the Japanese as victims of the war, however, now I understand that we were also perpetrators. All Japanese people should come to see this place," said Sasaki Mariko, a undergraduate student of Tokyo Gakugei University.

Onishi Kanna, a high school student, said she was shocked by visiting a mass grave. "There are a lot of parts missing from our historical education."

Japanese have many prejudices about China, but after visiting China by herself and meeting Chinese people, she had begun to think again about the future China-Japan relations, she said.

Zhang Jianjun, director of the Memorial Hall said, this year is the 45th anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and Japan, and this kind of activity can help Japanese youth know about the history between the two countries, so that they can make contributions to the development of China-Japan relations.
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Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will pay a working visit to Moscow on October 23-25 to discuss the current situation in Iraq and bilateral cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Al-Jaafari will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on October 23 to mainly discuss the situation in Iraq at the final stage of the operation against the Islamic State, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Russian side invariably supports the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq," it read.

Al-Jaafari and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin will co-chair a session of the Russian-Iraqi commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation on October 23-24, according to the statement.

During the meeting, both sides will discuss the prospect of bilateral partnerships, with a focus on the fuel and energy sector in the light of large-scale projects being implemented in Iraq by Russian oil and gas companies.
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Libyan navy announced on Saturday that a total of 8,997 illegal immigrants had been rescued off Libyan coast in the first half of 2017.

"Altogether 8,997 illegal immigrants were rescued during the first half of 2017. The number of the missing at sea during the same period is 455," said Libyan Navy Spokesman Ayob Qassem.

"Twenty illegal immigrants had drowned, according to data gathered from 37 rescue operations by the Coast Guards and the Special Forces of Libyan Navy during the first half of this year," Qassem added.

The turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising in Libya led to massive flows of migrants across the Mediterranean towards European shores. Smugglers take advantage of the insecurity and chaos in the North African country to send thousands of migrants in rickety boats towards Europe.
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The U.S. Air Force could call back as many as 1,000 retired airmen to active duty amid an "acute shortage" of military combat pilots, local reports said Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order which would allow him to use powers under the National Emergencies Act signed in the wake of the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to subject the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force to the direction of the secretary of defense on the matter.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," the local media quoted a statement by Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Gary issued on Friday.

The U.S. Air Force was short of 1,555 pilots at the end of the 2016 fiscal year, including 1,211 fighter pilots, according to an ABC News report.

To help make the pilot job more attractive, the Air Force expanded its aviation bonus program in August and increased incentive pay earlier this month for officers and enlisted crew members for the first time since 1999, said the report.

The pilot supply shortage is seen as a national level challenge that could have adverse effects on both the government and commercial aviation sectors in the United States.
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Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

People carry the coffin of a policeman killed in a shootout with terrorists during a funeral ceremony in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 21, 2017. Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province. [Photo / Xinhua]

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured.

The police received information that a group of terrorists were hiding in al-Wahat area in the desert of Giza, before police forces were dispatched to launch a raid.

However, the statement added, terrorists started firing at the security forces with heavy machine guns from all directions as they approached their hideout, causing 12 officers and four police conscripts dead, 13 injured and one missing.

Security forces have managed to kill and injure 15 terrorists, a number of whom were evacuated by other terrorists who escaped the scene of the battle, according to the statement. A search had been launched to track and hunt the escaping terrorists, the statement added.

The ministry also said that the terrorists used the desert area in al-Wahat as a training place and a launching point for the terror acts they carried out across the country.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.
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All five living former presidents of the United States took to the stage Saturday night at a benefit concert in Houston to raise funds for the victims of recent hurricanes that hit various parts of the country.

Former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared together on stage at the "One America Appeal" fundraiser at the A&M University in College Station, about 140 km northwest of Houston, Texas.

Sitting president Donald Trump did not attend the event. Instead, he sent a video message thanking the former presidents for their efforts in helping with hurricane relief.

The event was originally aimed at raising funds for victims of Hurricane Harvey, which hit the Texas Gulf Coast on Aug. 25 and killed more than 80 people. It was later expanded to help those affected by subsequent Hurricane Irma that battered Florida and Hurricane Maria that thrashed Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
China's home-grown C919 large aircraft (Photo from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd.)

Both domestic and foreign companies will be given equal treatment when China works on detailed policies for its "Made in China 2025" strategy, a blueprint for upgrading the country's manufacturing sector, Chinas industry and technology regulator pledged on Thursday.

Manufacturers from all countries are welcomed to join Chinas initiative to seek a win-win cooperation, Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Stressing the importance of industrialization and informatization in the course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the minister urged an accelerated pace to build Chinas strength in manufacturing and cyberspace.

China remains the worlds biggest manufacturer and a major player in global cyberspace arena, he added.

Miao added that quality and efficiency should be given more weight in Chinas development plans, as the economy has come to a new phase. Chinas endeavor to speed up supply-side structural reform is an effort to meet the new demands in this new phase, he explained.

Miaos remarks are also an echo to Chinese President Xi Jinpings call to further supply-side structural reform.

In developing a modernized economy, we must focus on the real economy, give priority to improving the quality of the supply system, and enhance our economys strength in terms of quality, Xi said in thereport delivered to the 19th CPC National Congress on Wednesday.

China shipped $1.99 trillion worth of industrial products around the globe in 2016, accounting for one in seven of the worlds total, making the country the largest exporter of industrial products, Miao wrote in an article published previously.

The technology-intensive electromechanical products have replaced the labor-intensive textiles products to be the main driver of exports, Miao stressed, adding that the high-end equipment, a frontier ground in manufacturing sector, represents the core competitiveness of the whole industry.

Technical upgrade has been high on the agenda of Chinas Made in China 2025 strategy. In order to accomplish its goal, the country has rolled out innovation projects on high-end technology, and sped up special research programs on cutting-edge machine tools, aerial engine, gas turbine and large aircrafts.

A bunch of breakthroughs have been yielded in technology development, the official wrote, citing the evidence of Chinas operation of home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, as well as successful launch of the world's first quantum satellite and observation satellite Gaofen-4.

Gaofen-4 is China's first geosynchronous orbit high-definition optical imaging satellite and the world's most sophisticated.

The unmanned submersible "Haidou-1" independently developed by China makes the country the third after Japan and the US to build submersibles capable of reaching depths in excess of 10,000 meters, the minister added.

The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft successfully completed its automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab as well, he illustrated the accomplishments, adding that the bullet trains that China holds independent intellectual property rights has also grown into a name card of Made-in-China products.
High-level exchanges require public support, understanding

China expects joint efforts with Japan to "create better conditions and shape a better atmosphere" for developing bilateral ties, a senior CPC official working on party-to-party diplomacy has said.

Guo Yezhou, deputy head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the comment on Saturday in reply to a reporter's question about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's hope of achieving an exchange of visits by leaders from both sides.

As a sign of the chilled ties, observers noted that Abe, who started his second term as prime minister in 2012, has not made an official state visit to China, though he did travel to Beijing in 2014 and Hangzhou last year for international meetings.

"An exchange of high-level visits between the two countries requires the support of public opinion and the understanding of the general public," Guo said at a news conference on Saturday amid the ongoing 19th CPC National Congress.

Experts said ties remain fragile, partly because of historical and territorial issues. Abe has just sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors 14 Class A convicted war criminals from World War II.

Guo, a veteran Party diplomat, said bilateral relations face both "important new opportunities and challenges".

He noted that the ruling parties of both sides have an institutionalized platform for contacts, and they convened their sixth meeting in August to express willingness to further promote China-Japan ties.

Gao Hong, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Japan Studies, said Japanese politicians should "make wise decisions to prevent relations from derailing", although ties have shown signs of warming recently.

Given the structural contradictions between the two countries, sensitive historical issues and territorial disputes, leaders from both sides should "gradually accumulate mutual trust", while bilateral grassroots exchanges should be enhanced, Gao said.

In addition, Guo referred to two key anniversaries shared by both countriesthis year, as the 45th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties; and next year, as the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. It is hoped joint efforts can better mark the two anniversaries, Guo said.

Speaking on the role of interparty diplomacy in boosting China's ties with its neighbors, Guo said the meetings of top party leaders between China, Vietnam and Laos have charted a course for respective bilateral ties.

At the news conference, a reporter asked about contacts between the CPC and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, as well as about overall relations between China and the DPRK.

Guo said Beijing and Pyongyang are maintaining their traditional friendly and cooperative relationship. "Maintaining, developing and consolidating friendly and cooperative China-DPRK relations not only serve the interests of both sides, but also bear great significance to regional peace and stability," he said.

He said communication between the two ruling parties plays an important role in pushing forward bilateral relations, as they have a tradition of friendly exchanges.

"As for when, and at what level, the two sides will carry out personnel exchanges, that depends on the needs and convenience of both sides," Guo added.
Overseas journalists in China to report about the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China join a modeling performance team on Saturday at the Chaoyang Elder Care Service Guidance Center, in Beijing's Chaoyang district, during a visit. The amateur models are all residents from nearby neighborhoods and are more than 60 years old. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

Abdulwaheed Odusile, head of Nigeria's journalists association, said two television teams and two newspaper teams from the African country are in Beijing to cover the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"China and Nigeria are getting increasingly close, and China has helped a lot with construction work in our country, so of course we should come to cover such an important event," he said.

Odusile said the Western media report many stories about China, but journalists in his country want to write their own stories by experiencing the congress themselves.

Some 1,818 overseas journalists, including correspondents from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan, registered to cover this year's congress, up by 6.7 percent from the number five years ago, according to official data.

To offer them better service and make the congress more open, many new measures were adopted this year, such as the launch of a delegates' passage in the Great Hall of the People, where the opening and closing session of the congress are convened.

"The Party congress has become more open and transparent, which reflects the growing confidence of the ruling party of a large country like China," said Dong Guanpeng, director of the Communication University of China's Media and Public Relations Institute.

The delegates' passage draws on experience from the annual parliamentary sessions in the past years, in which ministers meet reporters to answer questions.

"The aim is to provide more opportunities for delegates to meet with the media," said Zhang Qiang, deputy director of the congress press center.

On Wednesday and Thursday, about 40 delegates answered questions from reporters in the passage, and more are expected to meet the media there at the closing ceremony of the congress. Their interactions with reporters are broadcast live on State television and various internet portals.

"The passage is a good format to have preliminary interviews with the delegates before going into longer discussions," said Sarah Wendt, a journalist from the United States who covered Thursday's delegates' passage.

On Thursday, those interviewed included a CPC history researcher, an aircraft carrier pilot, a computer engineer, a teacher, a cleaner, a farmer and an anti-corruption official. Topics touched on Party governance, environmental protection, scientific innovation and the personal stories of grassroots delegates.

In addition to the passage, there are also news conferences and open discussions among delegations in the presence of reporters.

During the ongoing congress, six news conferences and eight group interviews have been arranged by the press center. Topics are of great variety, including politics, the economy, social affairs and the military.

More chances to raise questions have been offered to overseas reporters. At a media briefing on China promoting ethical and cultural progress on Friday, 11 journalists were given opportunities to ask questions, including five from foreign media organizations.

On Wednesday and Thursday, more than 30 delegations opened their door to reporters and offered question and answer sessions that lasted from a half-hour to more than an hour.

To help foreign journalists contact delegates, an online platform for applying for interviews was put into operation for the first time this year, said Zhao Jiangtao, an official responsible for arranging interviews.

"We have a team in charge of collecting interview applications every day to ensure they are processed more efficiently," he said. "Foreign journalists can also trace whether their applications are read in a timely manner via the platform."

On Friday, the team helped arrange 15 group interviews in line with applications from foreign journalists, in which four of those interviewed were ministerial-level officials.

The congress is also posting information for the first time on interview arrangements and related activities, in Chinese and English, using WeChat, the popular social media platform.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
A resident dries sea cucumbers on a Zhaoshu Island beach last year. The island is part of Sansha, Hainan province. [Photo by Zhao Guanyu/Xinhua]

Report given by Xi Jinping bolsters people's hopes for lasting prosperity

MA ZHIPING

Thirty-year-old Feng Yibing, the third generation of a fishing family on Yongxing Islandthe seat of Sansha, China's southernmost citysaid he is sure of a brighter future after listening to General Secretary Xi Jinping's report to the 19th CPC National Congress on Wednesday.

"Xi said China will accelerate its development as a marine country, and I believe this will create more opportunities for us to develop ourselves and enjoy a better life while making a contribution to the country," said Feng, who changed his job from fisherman to port worker.

The city government is encouraging people to shift from sea-based livelihoods to the service sector in a bid to reduce nearby fishing and protect reef resources.

Li Qiansan, a fisherman who is preparing to move to a new two-story steel-frame house on Yongxinga small tropical islandsaid he was excited about Xi's remarks, as they will likely boost local development.

"I'm expecting more changes to come, though tremendous changes and improvements have already come to Sansha over the past five years," he said.

Sansha, the country's youngest prefecture-level city, located about 2,680 kilometers from Beijing, was created in July 2012 to administer islets, sandbanks and reefs in the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha island groups, as well as 2 million square kilometers of surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Zhao Heng, a village official taking care of 38 households on Yongxing, said the message on marine development from the 19th National Congress gave him more confidence for leading fishermen to set up other businesses.

"Xi's report on accelerating marine development has greatly inspired government officials and the local people," said A Dong, who was elected mayor of Sansha in July after years of service with the State Oceanic Administration.

Residents acknowledge the earthshaking changes that have taken place in the past five years on Yongxing and neighboring islets, including housing, daily needs, communications, transportation, green space and environmental protection projects.

To preserve Sansha's environment, treatment plants for trash and sewage were the first to be built. More than 2.5 million beach cabbages, coast oaks and beach morning glories have been planted on the islands. A number of seawater desalination projects, with a daily capacity of 13,000 metric tons, have been built to satisfy basic local needs.

The city welcomed its first regular charter flight in December to serve public servants and their relatives, as well as fishermen and workers in Sansha, in addition to the launch of three cruise liner routes in the past several years.

Sansha I, the largest and most advanced vessel yet to commute between the island province of Hainan and islets in the South China Sealaunched in September 2014makes the round trip to Haikou on the island's north coast once a week. The roll-on, roll-off vessel can accommodate up to 456 people and carry 20 standard container trailers.

The city is now searching for opportunities offered by the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The hundreds of islets in Sansha can serve as platforms for services in maritime trade and industry, officials say.
Everyone who followed the report of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China got the message loud and clear: A new era has begun.

Central to Xi's declaration that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era was his statement that "the principal contradiction" facing Chinese society, a maxim that has stood for 36 years, has changed. It is a shift that "affects the whole landscape".

The principal contradiction is a term most Chinese have grown up with since grade school. But only a small number of foreigners, those who are experts in Sinicized Marxism, will know this seemingly obscure piece of political jargon.

Marxists interpret the world through dialectical materialism; contradictionsor "dynamic opposing forces"are omnipresent in society and drive social change. The principal contradiction is what defines a society. By identifying and solving it, society develops peacefully. Left unsolved, it can lead to chaos and, eventually, as Marx predicted, to revolution.

Since coming to power in 1949, the CPC has identified the principal contradiction and, as the times changed and contradictions changed, crafted policies in response.

Soon after 1949, it was "the people versus imperialism, feudalism and the remnants of Kuomintang forces", which evolved into "proletariat versus bourgeoisie", a mentality that led to pro-longed social turmoil across the country.

In 1981, the Party changed its assessment of the principal contradiction to "the ever-growing material and cultural needs of the people versus backward social production", a historic policy shift at the heart of reform and opening-up. Market economic reforms, seen at the time as a magic bullet to transform production, were unleashed on an unprecedented scale.

The rest is a history we all know well. The Chinese economy grew into the second-largest in the world, expanding by about 10 percent a year for more than three decades. China became the world's factory floor.

The list of goods made in China today grows ever longer, and its products more sophisticated. From fingernail-sized computer chips to jet aircraft and high-speed trains, the world's factory is now the world's laboratory and marketplace. "What we now face is the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing need for a better life," Xi said.

But with wealth comes new desires: an education at Oxford or Cambridge, a vacation in California, a villa in Sydney.

This demand for a better life overseas is derived from an inability to satisfy these desires at home.

There are long waiting lists in the best hospitals. Tourist sites are crowded, and services there have hardly advanced at the same pace as expectations.

Despite huge improvements, smog remains an obvious problem. A store inside the Jingxi Hotel in downtown Beijing, where many Party delegates are staying during the congress, sells face masks, including a type with an electric filter priced at 398 yuan ($60). "For your health, please wear a mask on smoggy days," a sign reads.

"The needs to be met for the people to live better lives are increasingly broad. Not only have their material and cultural needs grown, but their demands for democracy, rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment are also increasing," Xi said.

Serving the majority is what distinguishes socialism from capitalism, which only protects the interests of a select few, Karl Marx said some 150 years ago. Common prosperity is the hallmark of socialism.

Development between Chinese regions varies sharply. In mountainous Guizhou province, whose delegates were joined on Thursday by Xi in a panel discussion, household incomes remain very low. The average income was 15,121 yuan last year, less than one-third of that in Shanghai.

The gap in personal wealth between the haves and the have-nots is of no less concern.

The country's three richest men are each worth more than $30 billion, according to the latest Hurun rankings. Meanwhile, millions of people struggle to get by on less than $1 a day.

Xi does not mince his words. China, he said, will remain in the primary stage of socialism for a long time. China's international status as a developing country has not changed.

His two-stage development strategy spans 30 years, with the objective to make China a "great modern socialist country" by the mid-21st century.

Only a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, beautiful China will be ready to cross the threshold into the next stage of socialism.

Xinhua
Editor's Note: The Communist Party of China is holding its 19th National Congress in Beijing. China Daily asked two prominent experts for their views on developments in China and the country's global leadership.

Laurance Brahm advises locals on clinic management at rural Choezen Ling Monastery in Qinghai province in this summer.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Author says culture offers window into nation's behavioral patterns and psyche

Silver-haired Laurence Brahm is arguably more Chinese than American.

The 56-year-old legal expert and social activist speaks fluent Mandarin, loves Chinese pancakes, and practices martial arts daily. Even his Mandarin name, Long Anzhi, has a nuanced Chinese vibe, meaning a dragon with serenity and aspiration.

Brahm lives in a traditional Beijing courtyard home that he helped restore. It is packed with books, Chinese woodcraft and sculptures, and mementos from his 26 years of traveling throughout China, from Hong Kong to Lhasa.

"I feel such a deep connection with Chinese culture that my previous life was probably Chinese, and I am coming back to get my stuff," he said.

Apart from being a cultural enthusiast, Brahm was also one of the few foreign experts who witnessed China's opening-up from the start.

Over the past two decades, he has written more than 20 books on China, ranging from its socioeconomic development to a biography of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji.

Brahm was one of Zhu's economic advisers and helped pave the way for China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001. He also served as economic adviser to the State Council Office on Reforms of Economic Systems on State-owned Enterprise.

"In the 1980s, China had a huge dilemma in terms of what direction it would take," he said. "China had no market economy then, and the idea of building one and transforming the entire country was an ambitious experiment that really interested me as a lawyer."

During the 1990s, he was the go-to legal consultant for some of the world's largest companies when they needed help entering the Chinese market.

In June 1981, Brahm was studying at Nankai University in Tianjin where he saw China's earliest private marketa handful of street vendors selling cabbages and peanuts.

After six months, he went to Hong Kong to continue studying law and Chinese. "I remember seeing Shenzhen for the first time, it was just a fishing town, and the modern Shenzhen was just an idea."

Outward thinking

Brahm began working for a US law firm in Beijing in 1983. "At that time, most of the law offices in China were only representative offices where legal workers would camp out and meet government officials, but all the actual deals had to be done in Hong Kong," he said.

But this inconvenience fueled Chinese officials' constant curiosity and pioneering spirit, he said. "They were very curious to learn what other countries were doing to solve their problems from a legal perspective, and they would compare and test their policies to find the best solution for China.

"They were also extraordinary outward thinkers. China's reform in the past 30 years could not have happened at the speed it did without it being so outward thinking, and I am very proud to be part of the process."

Part of the excitement for Brahm was seeing China "not following the Western models and shock therapy, where they demand an immediate free market, free currency exchange, free stock market and other unbearable conditions".

Instead, China's success was a result of sequencing, "doing things in its own way, at its own pace, based on its own capacity", he added.

But building a healthy economy required a solid legal foundation, which the country lacked in the 1980s. "Back then, every time we wrote a contract, we were essentially writing new law, because everything was blank."

The legal framework for investment, holding companies and the settlement of disputes were all new concepts for Chinese businesses and lawmakers, "and laws and regulations had to revolve around business deals".

In 1992, when China began seeing a huge influx of foreign investment, the legal framework became more important than ever. A year later, Brahm founded Naga Group, a legal consultancy that took his career bridging Chinese and foreign companies to new heights.

"When we brought in foreign investors and technology to help China's huge State-owned enterprises, we had to make new laws about restructuring, debts, employment, joint ventures and many other factors," he said. "We were transforming those massive enterprises into globally competitive corporations."

Inside look

At the turn of the century, China went from a country with "absolute commodity scarcity" to the sixth-largest economy in the world, but doubts and rhetoric about China's economy collapsing began surfacing in the West, he said.

In response, Brahm published a book called China's Century in 2001 using detailed analysis and examples from Chinese and foreign experts to explain "why the 21st century will belong to China".

US President Bill Clinton echoed Brahm's prophecy about a rising China during his meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1997 and in his speech on China's Trade Bill in 2000.

However, Brahm said his book received a lot of scrutiny from Western scholars.

"One problem with Western analysis is that scholars often look at China through their prism," he said. "Everything has to fit in their models, or something is wrong. They are not trying to look from the inside and understand why that is."

To understand China, one must start by respecting and understanding its culture, he said. For example, in martial arts, the three key principles are "place a solid foundation with footwork, be ready to react to change, and hold the position to gather your pose".

"These are the three principles that can help you understand China's behavior, from economic growth to international relations to its anti-corruption campaign," he said. "It helps you get the rhyme and sequencing of China's behavioral patterns and psyche."

For example, in diplomacy, the border standoff between India and China in Donglang de-escalated because leaders from both sides paused amid growing nationalistic sentiment and realized there is actually so much to gain through trade, Brahm said.

In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and the "moment of pause for clarity, which is the same as holding your position in martial arts, was the key", he explained. "I wish all the think tanks in Washington could take time to learn calligraphy or tai chi, so they will have a better grasp of why China does things the way it does."

To promote cultural understanding and sustainable economics, Brahm left his lofty legal job in 2003 and became a full-time cultural and ecological activist.

He began traveling to western China and produced a documentary series called Searching for Shangri-La to teach people the beauty of China's diverse ethnic cultures and their spiritual wisdom.

He also set up NGOs such as the Himalayan Consensus, which is working with the United Nations Development Programme to protect ethnic diversity and the environment, and "find sustainable business solutions to social issues".
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge under construction. [File photo/CHINA DAILY]

The report delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress has received a warm response from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, with political leaders, business heavyweights and veteran analysts enthused about the prosperous future outlined for the two regions.

They said the report shows the Party has regarded the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle, as well as maintaining the lasting prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, as essential elements to realize national rejuvenation.

Both regions should integrate their own development into the overall development of the country and help shoulder the historic responsibility of national rejuvenation, they added.

The report, delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the opening session of the congress on Wednesday, emphasized that the Party would ensure both the central government's "overall jurisdiction" over the two special administrative regions and the cities' high degree of autonomy.

It also mentioned the importance of including both SARs in the overall development of the country.

Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council and chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city's largest political group, said highlighting overall jurisdiction in the report was in line with earlier remarks of Xi, also the Chinese president, during his visit to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in July.

Xi's remarks during his visit to Hong Kong identified the main issues confronting Hong Kong society, responded to new situations that had emerged after two decades of implementing "one country, two systems", and pointed the direction for Hong Kong to pursue further development, Lee said.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, a leading think tank, said the report reiterated the central government's unwavering support for the regions.

"Hong Kong will continue to benefit from the country's development and other favorable policies. In return, the city should be responsible for fending off separatism and threats to China's sovereignty and national security," he said.

Lau added that collaboration in development between Hong Kong and the mainland would be the best approach to bridging the gap between different social systems. "Hong Kong should actively contribute to the nation's advancement, and Hong Kong's young people will also enjoy a broader horizon and better opportunities," Lau said.

Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong, agreed with Lau.

"Such commitment and concrete measures from central authorities will encourage more Hong Kong people to join in collaborated development with the mainland," Choi said.

Lao Ngai-leong, a Macao SAR deputy to the National People's Congress, the top legislature, said that with closer cooperation with the mainland, Macao will find more opportunities and momentum to tap into its strengths and develop a diversified economy.
Senior official says religious freedom for all ethnic groups is protected

Fewer officials from governments or organizations in foreign countries have met with the 14th Dalai Lama in recent years, and organizing such meetings deviates under all circumstances from commitment to the Chinese government being the sole legitimate government of China, a senior official said on Saturday.

The 14th Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure, but also a political figure. After fleeing China in 1959, he established a so-called government-in-exile, whose goal and core agenda is the independence of Tibet and to separate China, said Zhang Yijiong, executive deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.

For decades, the group headed by the 14th Dalai Lama has not stopped such attempts, he said.

"The fact is there is not a single legitimate government in the world that recognizes the so-called Tibet government-in-exile. Although the Dalai Lama has been received by certain officials, the governments that those officials work for actually don't recognize his group," Zhang added.

He made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Zhang said China is strongly opposed to any foreign government or organization receiving the Dalai Lama under any circumstances. Such behavior strongly hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and shows disrespect for China's sovereignty, he said.

"I hope the governments of foreign countries can speak and act cautiously (on this matter). They need to take the friendship with China and the respect for China's sovereignty into consideration," he said.

Zhang said there is not a country that would not protest about a foreign government receiving an individual who goes around the world with the intention of separating their home country. "So it is inevitable for China to state strong opposition when the 14th Dalai Lama visits foreign countries and is even received by some senior officials," Zhang said.

Noting that fewer government officials have met with the Dalai Lama in recent years, he added, "Now he often can only make speeches at universities or conduct some religious activities."

Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are the titles of top religious leaders in Tibetan Buddhism, which was born on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in ancient China.

Under the influence of Buddhism from neighboring countries, its unique doctrines were formed locally. Tibetan Buddhism has been a religion with Chinese characters from the beginning, Zhang said.

He said it is the responsibility of the government, religious organizations and religious leaders to ensure that religions in China fit with the current society and adapt to the country's social development.

"We hope Tibetan Buddhism can further absorb the nutrition from Chinese culture, which will contribute to the religion's own healthy development," Zhang said.

Zhang said China protects the religious freedoms of all 56 ethnic groups and respects their different customs.

The government encourages people from different ethnic groups to respect and understand each other, he added.
To get the big picture, one must rise high above the details - to the 30,000-foot level. (That's about 9,000 meters for those who prefer the more sensible metric system.)

The 19th CPC National Congress provides an opportunity to get a 30,000-foot view of China's progress and assess its future.

But while you can see a great deal from 30,000 feet, it's not quite enough. I prefer going higher - to 60,000 feet - which enters the realm of philosophy and political theory. From here you can see the curvature of the Earth and begin to grasp the trajectory of mankind.

Political systems can be likened to automobile engines: Many work, but each has its own unique design limitations. It's the job of government to identify those limitations and make changes to achieve greater horsepower. Bringing prosperity, health, security and intellectual freedom to the masses is, after all, the whole point.

President Xi Jinping has reiterated this principle often, perhaps most vividly through the concept of the Chinese Dream, which suggests that the engine of political theory - if it's to have any value - must produce concrete benefits.

In the United States, we share that view. Government should be organized by the people "on such principles and ... in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness", our Declaration of Independence says. This is exactly what the Chinese people did when they started afresh in 1949, and again with opening-up in 1978. There have been trials along the way, to be sure. The system wasn't perfect, nor was every leader. But China built an engine, and improved it.

The task continues. From my perch at 60,000 feet I envy the Party's five-year conferences. No such conventions have ever been held in the US, even though the US Constitution provides for them. The resulting weakness is clear from 60,000 feet. A polarized US Congress chronically falls short of delivering rational, long-term solutions for the good of the country.

China's system tries to close that gap, and its progress is notable. In the past five years, adjustments have been made on many fronts - the environment, science, technology, international outreach and poverty relief, to name a few.

But the job is unfinished. Corruption, for instance, has been dealt a hammer blow. Yet stubborn human nature remains, as seen in the abundant news reports about disciplinary action against Party officials.

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary," wrote James Madison, a key US founder. But since they are not angels, he advocated a structural solution: the rule of law. Not emotional appeals, not good intentions, not religion, not abstract ideas - just clear law. China has made strides in this area, but the legal system remains a work in progress.

There are other puzzles. For example, everybody nowadays touts innovation. But innovation is a form of rebellion against past practice. Innovators are rule-breakers by nature. They challenge the status quo. They reject orthodoxy to create upheavals large and small. There's no such thing as a conforming innovator.

At the same time, Chinese culture is influenced by Confucian concepts of harmony and stability, making for an awkward coexistence. Innovation is inherently disruptive of the old order, while conformity puts the brakes on innovation.

This gets into deep philosophical water, but it seems clear from 60,000 feet that, in the modern era, a healthy collision of ideas stands the best chance of producing rational, positive change.

Finding that balance is China's challenge. Are there any built-in limitations in its political, economic or social engines? If so, can those be adjusted? These are good questions for delegates to the Party's 19th National Congress.

If the right changes are made, a massive wave of creativity, cultural influence and economic success will follow such as the world has seldom seen.

At least that's the view from 60,000 feet.
Doctor Eckehard Scharfschwerdt has spent 15 years in some of the poorest counties in Southwest China's Yunnan province providing free medical services and training village doctors and nurses.

The 54-year-old from Baden-Wurrttemberg, Germany, sometimes even paid for patients who could not afford their medical bills.

Besides being a volunteer doctor, he was also an English teacher to middle and primary school students. He offered an English corner for village kids at a high school in Honghe prefecture for over two years to stimulate their interest in studying, broaden their vision and give them personal encouragement.

To help villagers get rid of poverty in Heqing county, he ran community development projects. He bought 145 goats and then loaned them to 28 families so they could raise the goats and generate more income, and built 56 water cisterns, 48 family biogas plants, introduced small-scale silage pits and supported silkworm raising.

Scharfschwerdt, who returned to Germany last year, was deeply impressed by the progress in healthcare services in this remote part of China.

"To me, the introduction of the rural cooperative medical insurance program, and its continuous increase of coverage, has had the most crucial impact on local healthcare," he said.

When he arrived in Yunnan in 2000, many patients couldn't afford hospital treatment due to the absence of health insurance, he said.

In those days, many county-level hospitals had only very simple equipment, and medical concepts were based on personal experience rather than scientific evidence, he said.

With the introduction of health insurance in Heqing in 2006, the number of inpatients tripled because people could afford medical treatment, and a new hospital had to be built. Similar things happened all over Yunnan, he said.

For Scharfschwerdt, coming to China was like a "predestined fate".

"As a Christian, I believe it was God's calling for me to come to China. As a doctor, you need a lot of love to care for your patients wholeheartedly," he said.

So after having learned Chinese language and culture for two years in Singapore and Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, he moved to the countryside in 2001 to impart medical knowledge and skills to healthcare providers through informal bedside teaching as well as formal training courses with instructors from other countries.

In recent years, he saw major investments in healthcare, which resulted in new hospital buildings and equipment. With bigger hospitals there followed a major rejuvenation of staff, which made it easier to introduce modern concepts in diagnosis and treatment, he said.

However, there are still challenges to improve healthcare services in remote places.

The huge gap in training and skills between village doctors and hospital staff in cities needs to be bridged, he said.

"That's indeed a huge challenge," he said. "Even if the output of college-trained doctors could be doubled, there remains the challenge to get those doctors down to the countryside while everyone else wants to move upward to bigger cities."

"I welcome the government's program to finance medical training at higher vocational schools and colleges for village kids, who then have to return to county or township level to work for some years," he said.

"Besides improving basic healthcare, we need to provide continuous health education from kindergarten to retirement. Prevention is always better than treatment, both from a personal as well as a public health perspective," he said.

"However, preventive educational measures are not yet remunerated, therefore they are difficult for doctors to provide," Scharfschwerdt said.

He said the ordinary Chinese people are most dear to his heart. "There are so many unforgettable moments and encounters that I find it really hard to single out one," he said. He was moved by some farmers who, although illiterate, were eager to work with him and contribute their creativity, he said.

Scharfschwerdt was also deeply impressed by some doctors who were eager to learn and full of love for their patients.

In the past five years, China has developed so quickly that in some respects Germany seems backward, he said.

"I'm impressed by the expansion of Taobao with its express delivery services, Alipay and Tencent mobile payment, the comprehensive social platform WeChat, an ever increasing high-speed railway system, bike-sharing and a stronger focus on environmental protection. All this has contributed to an increased self-confidence, even in remoter areas," he said.

He also hoped to see a better preserved environment and culture in Yunnan province and many other areas in China.

"China is very beautiful and should be preserved for generations to come," he said. "Besides the natural environment, air, soil and water, I also hope architectural relics will be protected, including the intangible heritage, like minority culture, not just for touristy performances but as sustainable lifestyles."
By hosting a number of important international events during the past five years, China has adopted an active approach to diplomacy amid efforts to improve global governance, analysts said.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November 2012, the world's second-largest economy has successfully hosted a number of influential multinational events, such as the 2014 APEC Summit in Beijing, the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation Beijing in May.

The latest international event hosted by China, the BRICS Summit, took place last month in the coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian province. Leaders of the five BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - and five representatives of other developing nations - Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, Tajikistan and Guinea - gathered to discuss measures to boost practical cooperation.

At least two important multilateral meetings are already on China's schedule in the coming two years: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be held in June next year and the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will take place in 2019.

In early 2014, Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the concept of "host diplomacy" while talking about China's hosting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building in Asia Measures and the APEC meeting in the same year.

Jia Wenshan, a professor at the National Academy for Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, said Beijing's approach to host diplomacy is infused with President Xi Jinping's concept of the Chinese Dream and a "community of shared destiny", which China is determined to realize.

Xi's ideas on global governance and his concept of new engines of globalization such as peace, openness and innovation are all aimed at erasing "the deficit of peace, the deficit of development, and the deficit of governance" in the world, he added.

Jin Yong, a professor of international relations at the Communication University of China, said the country is assuming its international responsibilities to promote common development through measures such as inviting a large number of developing nations to attend international events it hosts.

As one of the major contributors to global economic growth, China's innovative concepts on improving global governance and promoting global peace and common prosperity have gained wide recognition and support from other countries, he said.
The Communist Party of China has improved party-to-party communications with political entities overseas to exchange experiences of governance, a move that analysts believe has benefited China and the rest of the world.

According to the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC has maintained contacts and cooperation with more than 600 political parties from more than 160 nations.

President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to party-to-party exchanges on many different occasions, including meetings with foreign leaders, writing and sending congratulatory letters and visiting other countries.

In March, Xi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sent congratulatory letters to the sixth meeting of the China-Russia ruling party dialogue mechanism and the fifth China-Russia political party forum held in the Russian city of Kazan.

The CPC and the United Russia party have maintained frequent close exchanges, which has made positive contributions to strengthening developments on both sides and safeguarding global peace, Xi said in his letter.

While meeting with visiting President Bounnhang Vorachit of Laos in Beijing in May, Xi called for deeper party-to-party cooperation and stressed mutual understanding of governance to enhance the capacity to rule.

The CPC would like to communicate and cooperate with political parties and organizations in all countries and regions on the basis of independence, equality, mutual respect and no interference in internal affairs, Xi said in his speech to mark the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in July last year.

While meeting with representatives of the Asian Political Parties Silk Road Conference in October 2015, Xi said dialogue between the CPC and other political parties in Asia will boost cooperation on building the Belt and Road Initiative and benefit all people in particapting nations along its routes.

A growing number of political parties and their leaders hope to learn from the experience of the CPC and the way it has led China to achieve rapid development, according to Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, speaking on China Central Television.

Jin Yong, a professor of international relations at the Communication University of China, said exchanges between the CPC and foreign political parties are more pragmatic nowadays, and the international community better understands the CPC's thoughts about governance through such practices.
At the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report about building a moderately prosperous society for a new era.

In his speech, Xi delivered a blueprint for China's development till the middle of this century. In the process, he defined the thinking for a new era. In the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping launched the economic reforms and opening-up policies that created the foundation for China's revival. Jiang Zemin's Three Represents opened the Party to more people, including business people. In turn, Hu Jintao's "Scientific Outlook on Development" sought to crystallize the key aspects of the quest for a harmonious society through development.

Nevertheless, these doctrines rested on the foundation of Deng's legacy of industrialization, which had first been ignited under Mao Zedong in the 1950s and reignited in the 1960s with the "Four Modernizations" in agriculture, industry, defense, as well as science and technology.

And under Deng's leadership China finally enabled the industrial revolution to take off in China.

The progress since has been stunning. In 1980, Chinese GDP per capita, adjusted to purchasing parity, was barely 2.5 percent of the US per capita income. When Xi became CPC Central Committee General Secretary in 2012, Chinese per capita income had increased tenfold to 23 percent of the US per capita income.

That was the old China of investment and net exports; China as the "world factory" of low costs and cheap prices. But it was also the China of overcapacity and local debt; a China that grew with foreign capital and domestic imitation, amid deep income polarization and great damage to the environment.

In the past half a decade, China has begun a massive rebalancing of its economy toward innovation and consumption. In the new era, China faces rising costs and prices, but now growth driven by indigenous innovation and premium domestic brands.

This involves supply-side structural reforms and restructuring, painful but necessary transitions across industry sectors and geographic regions, particularly in the northeastern "Rust Belt." It involves deleveraging and means excessive debt is no longer sanctioned.

Today, development is no longer perceived as a win-lose struggle between man and nature, but as a quest for an ecological civilization.

In the new era, prosperity is no longer seen as the conspicuous privilege of few, but as the moderate goal for many. It is a nation in which the Chinese Dream means a moderately prosperous society and the eradication of poverty in line with the current standard.

The new era will never again allow internal disintegration or foreign intrusions. It highlights the importance of the rule of law, and the struggle against corruption by both "tigers and flies" - the only effective way to put people first.

In the new era, direct investment is no longer a foreign monopoly. Now Chinese capital is moving across borders and contributing to modernization not just in China and emerging Asia - but increasingly across the world.

Internationally, the new era promotes more inclusive global governance and institutions that look more like the world they pledge to serve. If the US-led Bretton Woods, Marshall Plan and NATO defined the divisions of the Cold War, China promotes international cooperation, assistance and peaceful development in the 21st century.

Today, globalization proceeds through the Belt and Road Initiative, supported by the BRICS New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; multilateral development banks that represent the interests of emerging and developing nations - not just those of advanced economies.

As the new road map will be carried out across China, per capita income could climb to 35 percent of the US per capita income in 2022. In relative terms, that corresponds to US living standards in the early 1990s and those in Western Europe in the late 90s. In advanced economies, such progress took two centuries; in China, just four decades.

The author is the founder of Difference Group and has served as research director at the India, China and America Institute (USA) and visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore).
Delegates listen to a speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping during the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.[Photo by Xu Jingxi/China Daily]

The ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has received messages of greeting from foreign leaders, political parties and organizations around the world. They speak highly of the Party's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions, and express full confidence that the CPC will lead China to even greater success. The following is an edited summary of these messages.

Gwede Mantashe

secretary-general of African National Congress, South Africa

The National Executive Committee of the ANC would like to wish the CPC well in holding its congress at a pivotal moment in the history of the CPC as it leads the Chinese people in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects while developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Francois Ngarambe

secretary-general of Rwanda Patriotic Front-Inkotanyi

The Rwanda Patriotic Front-Inkotanyi ... recognizes the important historical landmarks and decisions of the Communist Party of China over the years, and wishes that the 19th National Congress will confidently lay out China's transformational path for yet another ... five years.

Secretariat of the Council of Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front

China, over the past five years, has accomplished outstanding achievements in domestic and diplomatic affairs. The China-Africa cooperation has also been further strengthened in recent years via various rigorous cooperation mechanisms between the two sides.

Nangolo Mbumba

secretary-general of Southwest African People's Organization, Namibia

(The) SWAPO party values and cherishes the role and contribution of the People's Republic of China to peace and economic development and transformation.

Matteo Renzi

secretary of Democratic Party, Italy

China ... has become a leading (figure) on the global stage. The 19th CPC National Congress will inject more energy into China's future development.

Mauro Lopes

secretary-general of Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB

The PMDB ... wishes the 19th CPC National Congress ... success and hopes ... relations between China and Brazil will (have) more fruitful achievements.

Pedro Gonzalez

secretary-general of Democratic Revolutionary Party, Panama

China has taken a huge responsibility for world peace, stability and prosperity. The achievements of the 19th CPC National Congress will help China play a more constructive role on the world stage.

Farid Niyazov

first deputy leader of Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has successfully established the socialist market economy, made outstanding achievements in building a socialist country with a highly efficient economy, and promoted prestige at home and abroad.

Gleisi Hoffmann

leader of Brazil's Workers' Party and Monica Valente, the party's secretary for international relations

China's positive contributions to global economic development and its expanding role in global governance have shown that China has been walking (with) firm steps on the path of development.

Philip Mangula

vice-chairman of Tanzania's Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party

In the last five years, the CPC pushed forward a four-pronged comprehensive strategy and led the nation to its new accomplishments in various aspects of economic and social development.

Jan Zahradil

president of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe

The role of the People's Republic of China in the contemporary world and its system of international relations is becoming more and more important ... Also we acknowledge the Belt and Road Initiative as one of the most impressive foreign policy initiatives of the 21st century.

George A. Papandreou

president of the Socialist International and former Greek prime minister

In these turbulent times, the 19th National Congress of the CPC gives a strong message of unity, cohesion and determination to fight for peace, sustainable development and the creation of harmonious world societies.

Delegates listen to a speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping during the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Xu Jingxing / China Daily

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

former French prime minister

The development strategy set by the 19th CPC National Congress not only concerns the Chinese people, but also will influence the whole world. The CPC has undertaken self-reforms to better serve the Chinese people and improved the working style of the Chinese government by fighting corruption.

Stephen Perry

chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club

"The last five years have seen President Xi Jinping lead China into a new quality developing economy ... It is one of the great economic achievements of the world and has placed the CPC as the world's leading economic development manager."

James Sassoon

chairman of the China-Britain Business Council

There is every reason to be confident about the country's growth under the new leadership to be elected during the Congress (the 19th CPC National Congress) for the next five-year term.

Richard Ssewakiryanga

presiding officer of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union

China has set a model for the whole world in promoting the four-pronged comprehensive strategy and sticking to the five major development concepts of innovation, coordination, greening, opening up and inclusiveness. Those achievements China has gained are extraordinary.

Abbas Zaki

member of Fatah Central Committee and commissioner for relations with Arab countries and China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has led his country onto an innovation-based development path, and striven to realize the Chinese Dream of great national rejuvenation by strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption.

Alicia Barcena

secretary of UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

The 19th CPC National Congress will certainly have a profound effect on the future of China and the whole world.

Emomali Rahmon

Tajik President and leader of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan

China's amazing achievements in various fields and its rising international reputation are primarily attributed to the political leadership of the CPC.

Isaias Afwerki

chairman of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice and president of Eritrea

The CPC has registered unparalleled and historic achievements in the past decades to catalyze China's inexorable and all-rounded growth as a major global power.

Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh

prime minister of Mongolia

The 19th CPC National Congress will make a series of historic decisions to boost China's economy, promote social development and improve the well-being of the Chinese people.

Gordan Jandrokovic

secretary of Croatian Democratic Union, speaker of the Croatian Parliament

We are confident that the Congress of the Communist Party of China will help China further strengthen its position in the world, in the interest of the Chinese people and the international community.

Ivan Brajovic

leader of Social Democrats of Montenegro, speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro

The 19th CPC National Congress will help push forward the building of a socialism with Chinese characteristics and lay a solid foundation for the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Rasim Ljajic

president of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia, deputy prime minister of Serbia

Serbia is willing to learn the CPC's concepts on social development and core values, and enhance friendly relations with the CPC.

Predrag Stromar

acting president of Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats, deputy prime minister of Croatia

Your hardworking people have created the second largest economy in the world and we would like to learn from your example.

Toshihiro Nikai

secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan

It is hoped that Japan and China can enhance dialogue to further improve bilateral ties between the two countries.

Choo Mi-ae

leader of the Democratic Party in South Korea

Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the CPC and the Chinese people can expect a more beautiful future after the 19th CPC National Congress.

Milo Dukanovic

leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro

The 19th CPC National Congress is a significant event in China's politics, and will lay a solid foundation for the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Averof Neofytou

president of the Democratic Rally party in Cyprus

I take this opportunity to highlight the important meaning of the 19th National Congress to the development of China and consequently to the rest of the world. We wish every success to the new Central Committee to achieve its goals which aim to the rejuvenation of China and its people.

Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia

It is with great delight that we observe rapid economic and social development taking place in the friendly People's Republic of China. The CPC and its political leadership have truly been the source and in the vanguard of these profound and groundbreaking achievements witnessed in the PRC over last decades.

The Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia wishes to the delegates of the 19th CPC National Congress a productive work in the quest to achieve further economic, political, cultural and social progress in China.

Adan Chavez Frias,

vice-president of international affairs of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela

The Central Committee of the CPC with Xi Jinping at its core has shown great respect for other countries' sovereignty and their people's rights for self-determination, and has insisted on solving disputes via peaceful means.

The Venezuelan side has been paying great attention to the 19th CPC National Congress and admired the CPC for its success in finding a socialist path with Chinese characteristics.

Julius Chan

leader of the Papua New Guinea's People's Progress Party and former prime minister

Indeed China under the prudent leadership of the CPC has transformed economic, social and regional and international relations in significant ways, building on the solid platform of industrial financial growth in China over the last three to four decades.

Sodnomzundui Erdene

chairman of Mongolia's Democratic Party and also a member of parliament

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has achieved remarkable results in both domestic and international fronts, and the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi has won extensive support in Europe and Asia and is expected to give a powerful boost to regional prosperity.

Nambaryn Enkhbayar

chairman of Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party

The Mongolian side believes that under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the CPC will lead the Chinese people to achieve even greater success in the journey to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Bayanjargal Tsogtgerel

chairman of Mongolian National Democratic Party

The CPC is an important political party enjoying high international prestige. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the CPC will lead China toward a very bright future.

Hong Jun-pyo

leader of Liberty Korea Party in South Korea

China has achieved great results in socio-economic development over the past five years. The 19th CPC National Congress will open a new era and bring about even greater achievements for the party and the country.

Sergei Stanishev

president of Party of European Socialists

The relationship between the PES and the CPC is based on a frank and critical dialogue which I particularly appreciate as the honesty of our exchanges reflects a real source of progress for common future prospects for a prosperous and harmonious world.

Nils Usakovs

leader of Latvia's Harmony Party

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has adhered to the right direction for development and achieved remarkable progress. The various policy measures taken by the CPC have been proven effective.

Korneliya Ninova

chairwoman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party

Under the leadership of the CPC, China witnessed a considerable improvement of people's livelihood as well as steady development of its economy and society.

Lulzim Basha

chairman of the Democratic Party of Albania

The CPC National Congress will create a strong foundation for the Chinese Dream and the Belt and Road Initiative that will bring our parts of the world even closer.

People's Progressive Party of Guyana

On the occasion of your Party's (CPC's) 19th National Congress, the Central Committee of the PPP reiterates its unflinching support for the One-China Policy and reiterates its solidarity with the government and people of the People's Republic of China.

Xinhua
Chen Baosheng, minister of education, speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.[Photo by Edmond Tang/China Daily]

The authorities will make efforts in the next five years to meet people's demands for better education, a top official said on Sunday.

Education in China has progressed greatly over the past five years, while further efforts are still needed to meet people's growing demand for higher quality education, said Chen Baosheng, minister of education, at a news conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Xi Jinping said in his report to the 19th CPC National Congress that priority should be given to education to speed up its modernization and develop education that satisfies people.

To realize the goal, Chen said the ministry will make efforts in at least five aspects: preschool education, compulsory education, high school education, higher education and the training of teachers.

The gross enrolment ratio of preschool education, for example, is expected to reach 85 percent by 2020, while the current ratio is 77.4 percent.

Meanwhile, the gross enrolment ratio of high school education and higher education is expected to surpass 90 percent and 50 percent respectively, Chen said.
A medical team sent by China is offering volunteer treatment in a city of northern Laos for local public in July, 2017. (Photo by Zhang Zhiwen from Peoples Daily)

China will provide $1 million worth of emergency food aid to Afghanistan via the World Food Programme (WFP) to help local people get through the food crisis, Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Yao Jing said on Monday, two days before Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed the countrys active commitment to developing global partnerships.

China has actively developed global partnerships and expanded the convergence of interests with other countries, Xi stressed in his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

No country can alone address the many challenges facing mankind; no country can afford to retreat into self-isolation, he explained.

The president also pledged that China will promote coordination and cooperation with other major countries and work to build a framework for major country relations featuring overall stability and balanced development.

China will deepen relations with its neighbors in accordance with the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and the policy of forging friendship and partnership with its neighbors, he added.

Xi also vowed that China will, guided by the principle of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principle of sincerity, honesty, affinity and good faith, work to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries.

Underlining that Chinas development does not pose a threat to any other country, he declared that no matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion.

The helpful hand lent by China to Afghanistan is a miniature of Chinese diplomacy. The country, over the years, has committed itself to narrowing the North-South gap by assisting the developing nations, especially the least developed countries.

In todays world challenged by interwoven geopolitical factors and unprecedented changes, China plays an important and eye-catching role with its active participation in global governance and building of the community of shared future for mankind.
Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.[Photo by Edmond Tang/China Daily]

China's job market remains generally stable due to a stabilizing economy and pro-employment policies despite the economic slowdown, a top human resources official said on Sunday.

The country is confident about a sustained employment market as it moves forward to build a moderately prosperous society in 2020, Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, told a news conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

More than 65 million job opportunities were created in the past five years and 25 million laid-off workers were reemployed, he said.

"The general employment market in China is stable. On average, more than 13 million new job opportunities were created every year in the past five years in the urban areas," he told reporters. "Both the surveyed and registered unemployment rate in urban areas remained low though the growth of the Chinese economy has slowed down as reform of economic structure continues."

The CPC Central Committee has attached great importance to employment and Xi Jinping has said employment has a vital bearing on the people's livelihood and is related to life of thousands of families, he said.

The steady labor market came off the back of a stabilizing economy. The Chinese economy continues steady expansion with a medium-high growth rate and this created favorable conditions for employment, he said.

To ensure stable employment, China has rolled out an array of pro-employment and entrepreneurship policies, while the country's entrepreneurial wave and the growth of the tertiary industry has also helped fuel job creation, the minister said.

Thanks to the pro-entrepreneurship policies, currently 160,000 new economic entities are registered a day on average, which helps boost job opportunities, he said.

The growth of the proportion of the tertiary industry, which needs more labor than the secondary industry, in the Chinese economy has also contributed to the stable employment. From 2011 to 2015, 1.5 million new job opportunities were created, adding one percentage point every year to GDP growth. Since 2016, the number rose to 1.8 million, said Yin.

He said, however, the country still faces many challenges. Next year, the number of university graduates will reach an unprecedented high of 8 million and the number will remain high for a while. Meanwhile, there is a supply-demand gap for skilled workers in the country.
Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, speaks at a news conference of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, Oct 22, 2017. [Photo by Edmond Tang/China Daily]

China is facing challenges to include all people into the endowment insurance system and to keep the development of the endowment insurance fund sustainable, the country's top human resources and social security official said on Sunday.

About 900 million people in China, or 90 percent of the country's population excluding pre-school children and students, have been included into the endowment insurance system, Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, told a news conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

It's a great achievement, but it's a challenge to include the rest 10 percent into the system, he said.

Yin said the remaining 100 million people are mainly those with flexible employment, those employed in new forms of industry, including internet and express delivery industries, and those employed by middle and small-sized enterprises, most of whom are migrant workers.

In the 1990s, five employed were supporting one retired who were covered by the endowment insurance. Currently, the old-age dependency ratio stands at 2.8:1. The situation will worsen as the country's population continues to age, he said.

People over 60 years old in the country had reached 230 million, or 16.7 percent of the country's total, by the end of last year and those older than 65 numbered 150 million, or 10.8 of the total, according to Yin.

He said China has taken a series of measures to counter the situation, including putting endowment insurance into investment and allocating State-owned property to enrich the fund.
The frugality campaign launched by the central leadership about five years ago has brought fresh changes to the Party congress, which delegates said could be an example for future meetings.

Inside the Great Hall of the People, where the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was convened, no ornamental displays of flowers or plants were installed. No celebration banners were placed at hotels where delegates are staying. No souvenirs have been given to delegates. Some stationery supplies like pencils and paper are made from recycled materials.

"I can feel the simple and frugal style at the congress, which makes me feel more comfortable and relaxed, and delegates can concentrate on the meeting itself," said Li Dawei, a delegate from Sinopec's Baling branch in Yueyang, Hunan province.

"No flowers or other unnecessary decorations are placed at the meeting venues," he said, adding that even bottled water is not provided to help protect the environment. "We take a shuttle bus to commute between the hotel and the Great Hall of the People. No other special cars have been arranged," Li said.

Ten percent fewer vehicles than expected were ordered, according to Shouqi Group, a State-owned automobile enterprise in charge of ground transport for the meeting.

In accord with the eight-point frugality code issued by the central leadership in late 2012, the group running conference services for the 19th CPC National Congress is following the principle of "simple, economical, safe and efficient", according to the People's Daily, the Party's official newspaper.

Jia Fengshan, a delegate from Tianjin, said banquets and gatherings of small groups have almost disappeared.

"Delegates are taking the lead in self-discipline," he was quoted as saying by People's Daily. "The national congress is the top-level meeting of the Party. The frugal style sets a good example for Party and government meetings across the country."

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn
Rural official Pan Kegang said what General Secretary Xi Jinping said at his village two years ago has been a motto to remind him to work for the people.

Whether the Party's policy is good or not depends on whether it makes the people smile or cry, Xi said during an inspection tour of the impoverished village of Huamao in Guizhou province in June 2015.

Pan, a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, recalled the words when Xi attended a panel discussion with Guizhou delegates on Thursday as part of the congress.

Pan, presenting Xi with a photo showing the enormous changes taking place in the once-poor village, said, "We will work harder to give people more smiles."

This people-centered philosophy is an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era unveiled at the congress.

In the report delivered at the opening session on Wednesday, Xi urged all Party members to "always breathe the same breath as the people, share the same future and stay truly connected to them".

Xi reiterated the pledge that he made five years ago when he assumed the post of general secretary of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2012. "The aspirations of the people to live a better life must always be the focus of our efforts," Xi said.

Yu Liufen, Party secretary of the village of Yanbo in Liupanshui, Guizhou, said that she had noticed that Xi mentioned the word "people" 203 times in his three-and-a-half-hour report.

"It reflects the deep feelings and tight bond that General Secretary Xi has with the people," she said, adding that poverty-reduction measures have greatly improved the people's livelihoods in remote mountainous villages.

When she traveled to Beijing to attend the Party's 17th National Congress 10 years ago, it took her four days to get from her village to Beijing via the provincial capital Guiyang. But now, it takes her only 45 minutes from her home to reach the nearest high-speed railway station. Then, she can get to Beijing in only eight hours on the fast train, she said.

Xi has attached great importance to poverty reduction and made a solemn promise to eliminate the country's poverty in 2020 to achieve the Party's goal of building a moderately prosperous society. The ongoing congress has reaffirmed the target.

At the end of last year, China had 43 million impoverished people living in rural areas, after 55 million people were lifted above the poverty line between 2012 and 2016.

"What I care most about is the people living in difficulties," Xi said in his 2017 New Year's address.

During a panel discussion with lawmakers from Sichuan province in March, Xi said his heart was broken when he heard several years ago that some students in Liangshan prefecture had to climb cliffs without any safety equipment on their way to school.

He said he felt some relief learning that the local government has taken measures such as installing a steel ladder to help the students.

In late 2012, immediately after becoming general secretary, he visited a poor village in Hebei province and presented villagers with relief materials such as cooking oil, quilts and winter coats.

Xi did not just talk with the poor families but always took a look at the pans in their kitchens and what kind of food they ate every day. He also asked about their income, their expenses and whether they could afford medical costs with health insurance.

In June, during his inspection tour of Kelan county, Shanxi province, Xi visited families in poverty-stricken villages, talking with them about the causes of their poverty and how to increase their incomes. He also went to the fields to inspect how their crops were growing.

When he was deputy Party chief of coastal Fujian province in 1997, Xi made a trip to the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where he expressed deep concern about the living conditions of the poor people. Fujian was designated by the central government to assist the development of poverty-stricken Ningxia at the time.

In July 2016, Xi revisited Ningxia and called for no one to be left behind regardless of geography or ethnic group as the nation strives to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

Hai Guobao, a villager in the township of Minning in Ningxia, recalled that Xi went into his kitchen to check his access to water and to lift a pot lid to see what they were having for dinner. Xi also checked on whether Hai's kang, a traditional brick bed that can be heated from the bottom, worked well.

Qu Xiaoli, a delegate to the 19th National Congress and also Party secretary of Hongqiao district in Tianjin, said that Xi's report, reflecting deep feelings for the people, has expanded the close link between the Party and the people.

"We will follow the guidelines of the report of the congress and make efforts to meet the people's demands in such areas as education, health and culture," she said.

Tao Wenzhao, a professor of politics at Renmin University of China, said Xi's deep feeling toward the people originates from his personal experiences. Xi lived in a poor village in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, from 1969 to 1975. He led the villagers in digging wells, building dams and setting up the province's first methane-generation pit.

From 1982 to 1985, he served first as deputy secretary and then as secretary of the CPC Zhengding county committee in Hebei province. At the time, he worked to diversify the economy of the agricultural county, helping farmers increase their incomes.

"The president's true feelings toward the people come from his long bond with the people, and it's the tradition of the Communist Party of China to forge close links with the grassroots," said Tao, the professor.
The Chinese military has made big strides over the past five years in international cooperation and exchange, a delegate from the Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday.

Senior Colonel Liu Fang, a staff officer at the ministry's Office for International Military Cooperation and also a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, said that in the past five years, the People's Liberation Army has strengthened its relations with major militaries around the world, developed comprehensive defense collaborations with neighboring countries and actively took part in multilateral security dialogues and cooperation.

"Our mutual understanding and trust with foreign armed forces keep deepening. ... We continue to improve our mechanism on dialogue and trust-building with foreign militaries," she said while meeting the media on the sidelines of the ongoing congress.

"So far, we've established strategic negotiation mechanisms on defense affairs with 28 nations and international organizations, which has boosted strategic mutual trust and policy exchange."

Liu said the increased number of communication channels and trust-building measures are helping to reduce security risks, better manage crises and avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment.

Exchanges among front units have become diverse as more port calls have been conducted by Chinese and foreign navies, and more joint exercises have been carried out on a regular basis, she added.

The PLA has been a major contributor to global security and regional stability and plays a leading role in peacekeeping, disaster relief and humanitarian missions outside China's borders, Liu said.

Apart from Liu, four other delegates from the PLA were also invited to introduce their experiences in the past five years and take questions from journalists on Sunday.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn
The press center of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China holds a news conference on people's livelihood in Beijing, Oct 22, 2017. [Photo by Edmond Tang/China Daily]

With General Secretary Xi Jinping declaring the dawn of a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics and redefining the primary contradiction of present-day China in his speech at the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the backwardness of social production has officially been rendered a thing of the past.

And, now that the country has become a key supplier of consumer products the world over, from sneakers to personal computers to iPhones; now that domestic industries are increasingly visible at the forefront of new technologies, from big commercial airliners to quantum satellites; now that the government is aspiring to turn the country into a global innovation leader in a dozen years, it does indeed seem anachronistic to continue defining the primary contradiction as being between backward production capacity and people's growing demands. Especially since overcapacity has been the headache for multiple traditional industries.

Thus the new primary contradiction, which identifies the country's fundamental task in the new era as tackling unbalanced, inadequate development, makes sense, because, while retaining the longstanding emphasis on upgrading production capacity, it incorporates the idea of balance.

Balance, as Xi stressed, encompasses both geographical and demographical aspects. Imbalance exists not only between regions, but also between groups and stratums of society.

For while the national economic landscape has by and large taken on a new look over the years, and people's livelihoods have dramatically improved, not all areas and people have benefited equally in the process. And given its role in leading national development, and its unmatched command of public resources, the government is in the best position to address the imbalances that have emerged, especially the imbalances resulting from unfair distribution.

As Sunday's news conference, featuring five central government ministries, made explicit, impressive progress has been made over the past five years: social security guarantees for the underprivileged have improved, education, from kindergartens to colleges, has become more accessible, there is more subsidized housing for low-income citizens, medical reforms have made health services more convenient and affordable.

But there is still a long way to go, and while capacity building will continue to be a theme for national development, it is clear that in line with the CPC's new judgment, the focus now will be making development better balanced.

Thus, as the country shifts the emphasis of development from speed to quality, the central theme of the new era will be honoring Xi's promise to boost people's sense of gain.
The letter that was written on April 13, 1912 and recovered from the body of Titanic victim Alexander Oskar Holverson. VIA REUTERS

LONDON  A personal letter found on the body of a man killed in the sinking of the Titanic sold at auction on Saturday for 126,000 pounds ($166,000), a record price for correspondence from the doomed liner.

The letter is one of the last known to have survived the sinking and still carries stains from its time in the Atlantic.

Written by first-class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson on embossed Titanic "onboard" stationary, the letter to his mother describes his impressions of the palatial ship, praising the food and music.

"If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday A.M.," Holverson wrote the day before the ship's fateful encounter with an iceberg.

Holverson was a Minnesota-born salesman, who was traveling on the ship with his wife, Mary Alice, who survived the sinking.

The letter was sold by the Holverson family at an auction held by Henry Aldridge & Son in the southern English town of Devizes. Iron keys from the Titanic also sold for 76,000 pounds.

"The prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic and her passengers and crew," said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.

"I'm delighted with the new world record for the Titanic letter. It reflects its status as the most important Titanic letter we have ever auctioned."

In his letter Holverson also described his experiences rubbing shoulders with one of the ship's most famous passengers.

"John Jacob Astor is on this ship," he said of the US financier and real estate investor, who was one of the world's richest men at the time.

"He looks like any other human being even though he has millions of money. They sit out on deck with the rest of us."

RMS Titanic was the largest ocean liner in service when it struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912 in the Atlantic while traveling from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died.

REUTERS
Chinas self-developed bullet train, the Fuxing, stops at a high-speed railway station in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Qiang Wei from Peoples Daily)

China has achieved an impressive Chinese speed in its development of the high speed rail after years of efforts, which can be verified by Fuxing, the latest model of the countrys bullet train.

It takes only four hours and a half for Fuxing to travel 1,300 kilometers from Beijing to Shanghais Hongqiao Railway Station, which is the busiest among all the train stations in China.

A train would pass the Hongqiao station every 84 seconds on average, even 19 seconds fewer than the departure interval of subways on rush hours.

Chinas high-speed rail has experienced rapid development since the country started to run its first 350-kilometres per hour high speed train between Beijing and Tianjin on August 1, 2008.

China has built a high-speed rail network stretching more than 22,000 kilometers over the past five years, averaging 9 kilometers each day. In addition, 484 new high-speed rail stations have been constructed.

Digital screen inside the Fuxing, Chinas self-developed bullet train, shows the train runs at a speed of 352 kilometers per hour. (Photo by Qiang Wei from Peoples Daily)

So far, China has basically built the worlds largest network of high-speed rail with a four vertical and four horizontal structure. It is currently working to expand it to eight vertical and eight horizontal for a full coverage of the countrys central and western regions.

High-speed rail is a prioritized choice of many Chinese when it comes to medium- and short-distance travels. Connected with subways and light rails, high-speed rail services in many Chinese cities offer the same convenience as the subway does.

To enjoy crosstalk in Tianjin on weekends nowadays is made possible for people living in Beijing, as there are 251 high-speed trains running between the two cities every day.

In addition, Chinas bullet trains, with reliable advanced technology, cost-effective performance and rich operation experiences, are going global step by step. Each rail constructed is able to remain qualified for at least 20 years.

For example, Ankara-Istanbul line in Turkey, the first China-constructed high-speed rail for a foreign country, started operation in 2014. The high-speed railway linking Indonesian capital Jakarta to Bandung has also become a name card for Chinas construction of the Belt and Road initiative.

It is predicted that in the coming years, more bullet trains produced by China with independent technologies and in accordance with Chinese standards will be running across the world.
I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
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The year 2017 has not been a good year for airlines. Although United Airlines has faced a lot of controversy, several other companies have been scrutinized by the public.

British Airways is the latest airline to face the wrath of the internet after a passenger claimed the plane he was on was infested with bed bugs.

MOST RELIABLE: America's best airlines to be on time ranked

According to his Twitter, Eric Neilsen, his fiance, Heather Szilagyi, and her daughter were on their way to Slovenia for a funeral, so they found themselves on an overnight flight from Vancouver to Heathrow.

Now Playing: Although travelers may be alert and check for bed bugs in hotels, incidents onboard airplanes receive less attention. Video: Travel & Leisure

The trip left the three of them covered in insect bites allegedly cause by bed bugs. A report on The Guardian said Szilagyi first saw the bugs on the seat in front of her and near the TV monitor.

After the nine-hour flight, the two took to Twitter to share photos of the bites and even saying that Szilagyi had even managed to catch "the biggest one" and give it to the flight attendant.

Both Neilsen and Szilagyi's accounts mention that they have received terrible customer service from British Airways, but according to The Guardian, the airline has apologized and upgraded their return flight to business class.

Chron.com called to get a comment from British Airways, and was told "they are aware of the issues and it has been escalated." The representative refused to give further explanation.

Take a look through the gallery above to see photos of the bites, and keep going to see other PR nightmares airlines have had to deal with.
Detectives with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office are investigating a deadly home invasion after they said a River Plantation woman shot and killed her neighbor.

Authorities said the dead woman, identified as 38-year-old Marci Green, attempted to break in to her neighbors home but was shot and killed by the homeowner after she warned Green to stay outside.

According to Precinct 1 Justice of The Peace Wayne Mack, deputies were dispatched to the 600 block of North Carolina Park in the Conroe subdivision of River Plantation around 9:15 p.m. on Saturday night.

As the call was dropping, it became a shots fired, Mack said. Once on scene, deputies learned the homeowner reported Green had tried to come into her front door and the homeowner retrieved her weapon.

Green then went around the back of the home and attempted to get in a back door. Mack said Green was pronounced dead after being transported to the Conroe Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound.

She actually opened the screen door and started coming in the back door, Mack said. The homeowner advised her to not come in the house and feared for her life. The homeowner, Mack said, then fired one round hitting Green.

A video of investigators at the scene posted on YouTube by Scott L Engle, shows EMT removing Greens body by stretcher from the home authorities said she attempted to burglarize. Several MSCO cars and ambulances lined the intersection of North Carolina Park and Braxton Bragg Lane as investigators canvassed the scene.

Montgomery County Sheriffs Office Homicide and Violent Crimes Detective Sgt.Paul Hahs said in the video that Green was found on the ground with a single gunshot to the abdomen.

She was transported by the Montgomery County Hospital District to the hospital where she was pronounced dead at about 10 p.m. Mack has ordered an autopsy.

Precinct 2 Constable Gene Deforest, whose department has a contract for security patrol in the subdivision was first to arrive on scene, Mack said.

Aside from being shaken up, upset and distraught, the homeowner was not injured in the shooting, said Montgomery County Sheriffs Lt. Scott Spencer.

Investigators are examining the relationship between the neighbors and checking to see whether there had been any previous disturbances in the area, Spencer said.

We will continue interviewing witnesses and wait on the autopsy, Spencer said. Once the investigation is completed, we will send it over to the District Attorneys office for them to proceed as they see fit.

As of Sunday evening, no arrests had been made and no charges had been filed in the shooting.
One man was killed and another wounded Saturday night after a shooter fired off dozens of rounds on a Westwood street.

Police found a man in his mid-20s shot to death outside his vehicle near Sugar Branch and Forum Park.
Thanks to Chinas intensified efforts to rebuild shanty towns, fifty-year-old Li Yutang and his family do not have to worry any more about icy coldness, even though temperatures have plunged to over ten degrees below zero in Arxan City of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in October.

Pang Guilan and her family have moved into a 100-square-meter apartment from a 50-square-meter shabby bungalow in Arxan City of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Photo from Xingan Daily)

Before the shanty town renovation project, Lis family of four people lived in a small and old mud house with poor lighting, now they have moved into a new apartment that offers Li enough room to grow flowers and raise fishes.

I feel very comfortable living here because my house is so spacious and bright, my community is so green and equipped with a variety of fitness facilities, Li said.

Housing is for living in, not for speculation, Xi Jinping emphasized in his report delivered to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi also pledged to move faster to put in place a housing system that ensures supply through multiple sources, provides housing support through multiple channels, and encourages both housing purchases and renting. In doing that, the housing needs of all people will be better satisfied.

Renovating shanty towns is one of the important measures the country has taken to meet the housing needs of all people. In recent years, the Chinese government has stepped up rebuilding efforts, and accelerated renovation of shanty towns and urban villages where about 100 million people are living.

Arxan, for instance, has advanced shanty house renovation by increasing home inventory, including existing houses, under-construction properties and repurchased houses. Since 2014, Arxan has allocated a total of 3.6 billion yuan ($550 million) to relocate 1,857 households.
One woman was killed and two others wounded in a shooting early Sunday in Sunnyside, police said.

It's not clear what sparked the violence around 2:30 a.m. near Newberry and Rock Rose, but when police arrived they found three women wounded by gunfire in a car.
A man was shot in the head and found dead in his car Sunday morning outside a beauty salon in northwest Houston.

Officers on patrol around 3:30 a.m. spotted an idling Chevy with the door hanging open, sitting outside a salon in the 4500 block of Yale.
A man was shot repeatedly and found bleeding in an apartment parking lot in northwest Houston, authorities said Sunday.

The 2:30 a.m. gunfire drew police to Summercrest Apartments on Hollister near Pitner, where a suspect in a car had opened fired.
The Chinese Communists mainly represented by Xi Jinping have created Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Thought is the soul running throughout the report delivered at the opening of the 19th CPC National Congress. It has embarked on a "new era" for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, integrated the "new mission" for CPC and started a "new journey" for comprehensively building a great and modern socialist country.

Theoretical innovation is of utmost importance in the report, which served as the realm of the new thought. The Thought builds on and further enriches Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development.

This important thought represents the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and is an important component of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In the last five years, China underwent historical reforms and made great achievements thanks to the guidance of a new way of thinking.

It is this new way of thinking that brings the understanding of socialism with Chinese characteristics to a new height. When the tenets of such modern thought are applied, a nation can carry out comprehensive and deeper reforms, while promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological development.

Also guided by the new thinking, China devotes itself to implementing the Four Comprehensives, while building a stronger army and achieving major-country diplomacy forged with distinct Chinese features in order to move forward with new type of international relations.

As a result, the CPC is equipped with the tools to lead people to achieve victory in today's rapidly changing environment.

"China will become a great country, in every aspect," said Xi, when stressing the historical responsibilities shouldered by CPC members.

More than one century ago, some people hold the view that Chinas backwardness was mainly due to the countrys outdated technology, system and mindset. However, China now contributes an average of 30 percent to global economic growth, having surpassed the total growth rate of the US, the Euro zone and Japan.

Meanwhile, in the past five years, Xi's policy has not only inspired historic changes in China, but has captured worldwide attention for its profound thinking and political wisdom.

The book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has sold 6.42 million copies in 21 languages in more than 160 countries and regions, making it one of the most influential works by a nation's leader.

A few days ago, the producer of the Discoverys documentary "China: Time of Xi" stated that policies made by President Xi Jinping in the past five years have shown innovation based on previous thoughts, which have made a new milestone in Chinese history.

The Thought not only explains why China has become strong, but also offers Chinese solutions to global challenges.
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A man was found face-down, shot to death Sunday morning at a Midtown homeless encampment under U.S. 59, according to police.

"He appears to be shot and killed here," said Sgt. Michael Casso said when Houston police responded to the call just after midnight.
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The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday suspended its search for two crew members who vanished two days earlier after a barge exploded and began leaking oil off Port Aransas.

The pair disappeared after the forward section of the barge they were on caught fire and exploded about 3 miles off the coast in the early hours of Friday morning, according to a press release.

A tug boat captain sent a mayday message to Coast Guard watchstanders around 4:30 a.m., alerting them to a blaze in the barge his boat was pulling. Crews put out the fire by Friday afternoon, but soon realized two of the barge's crew members were missing.

The explosion also sparked an oil spill, as the barge was filled with about 133,000 barrels of crude oil, according to the Coast Guard. Overhead images showed a black substance leaking from near a large hole in the ship's bow.

A 2,000-foot-long containment boom arrived on Friday to try to contain some of the leaking oil, and was reinforced with another boom on Saturday. Another 6,000 feet of containment booms have been placed to protect environmentally sensitive areas.

Jetty channels and the entry to the Corpus Christi Ship Channel were closed in an effort to keep spilled oil from getting into the port.

The Coast Guard completed a comprehensive search for the missing men on Friday and Saturday, but called off the hunt early Sunday.

"We want to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the two crewmembers," said Capt. Tony Hahn, sector commander of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. "Our crews performed an exhaustive search and will continue to remain vigilant and monitor the area closely."
BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a "global event" thanks to its openness, according to journalists and observers.

"China's role in international affairs is becoming more important in all directions, especially in economic and political fields," said Andrey Kirillov, Beijing bureau chief of Russia's TASS news agency. "China is the second biggest economy, and for this reason, the situation inside China has influence to the whole world."

The congress is a "global event," and it has attracted plenty of attention from foreign journalists because of its content, the issues raised and the problems being solved, Kirillov said.

All these issues are of great importance, including changes in China's economic approach, formation of a new economic development model, changes in society, poverty relief and political issues such as a new leadership, he said.

"Journalists are also interested in China's foreign policy," he added.

TASS published 15 to 20 stories and a major summary on the first day of the congress Wednesday, according to TASS journalist Nikolay Selishchev.

More than 3,000 journalists have come to Beijing to cover the congress. Among them, 1,818 are from overseas including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, 6.7 percent more than the 18th CPC National Congress. Foreign reporters come from 134 countries, 19.6 percent more than the previous congress, according to the press center.

"Now China has a strong voice in foreign affairs, including politics and economics. This is connected with the policies the country takes. So it is interesting to know what decisions about foreign policy and approaches to the world's market development will be made at the congress", Kirillov said.

The Chinese currency has joined the elite reserve currency basket of the International Monetary Fund, or the Special Drawing Right basket. It is a very important shift for the yuan to become a currency unit used not only in trade inside China, but also in international financial operations, he said.

For all these reasons, according to Kirillov, decisions made at the congress will be very important not only for China, but for the whole world.

Ana Goguadze, Georgian sinologist and founder and president of Georgian-Chinese media platform SINOMEDIA, said that China has opened its door to the world and "showed its power and humanity" at the same time.

"The world is curious right now. I think we all want to see how far China can go, everyone agrees that the country with the great past is becoming stronger and stronger every year," said Goguadze.

Yuksel Mansur Kilinc of Turkey's Yon Radyo 96.6 radio station said that the Communist Party's openness to foreign journalists is a display of confidence.

Watanabe Yasuhito, with Japan's Kyodo News, agrees.

"We usually hear the official words from officials of the Foreign Ministry, but here at the congress, we get to hear the voices of grassroots CPC members," Watanabe said.

Zhang Xixian, professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, said that one of the reasons why the congress drew so much global attention is that China's "comprehensive national strength" is rising.

"China's contribution to world economic growth and its power in leading world development are on the rise, and the world is beginning to shift its focus to China," he said.

"The advantages of the CPC political system are gradually showing, which brings attention to the Communist Party," he said.

Zhang said that for almost 70 years, the CPC has helped developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Belt and Road Initiative have also attracted the attention of many countries.

Abdulwaheed Odusile, head of Nigeria's journalists association, said that China and Nigeria are increasingly close and China has helped a lot with construction work in Nigeria, partly the reason why their journalists came to cover "such an important event."

"The 19th CPC congress is one that is open and transparent to the entire world, and it accepts acclaim as well as criticism," Zhang said. "Such openness has a big impact on the world."
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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People carry the coffin of a policeman killed in a shootout with terrorists during a funeral ceremony in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 21, 2017. Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province. (Xinhua/Alaa Ahmed)

CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured.

The police received information that a group of terrorists were hiding in al-Wahat area in the desert of Giza, before police forces were dispatched to launch a raid.

However, the statement added, terrorists started firing at the security forces with heavy machine guns from all directions as they approached their hideout, causing 12 officers and four police conscripts dead, 13 injured and one missing.

Security forces have managed to kill and injure 15 terrorists, a number of whom were evacuated by other terrorists who escaped the scene of the battle, according to the statement.

A search had been launched to track and hunt the escaping terrorists, the statement added.

The ministry also said that the terrorists used the desert area in al-Wahat as a training place and a launching point for the terror acts they carried out across the country.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsiin July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.
Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Except for a small group of protesting construction workers, it seems that many local business owners believe Amazon's plan to bring 3,000 jobs to the area with two new fulfillment centers is a boon for the Greater Cleveland area.

But the optimism over Amazon's presence locally, and the city's submitted bid to be a possible home for the e-giant's second headquarters, doesn't negate some small-business owners' fears. Local retailers seem to have a love-hate relationship with Amazon.

Business owners don't want to criticize Amazon, considering fulfillment centers alone offer cities a big economic lift, but when it comes to the impact on their individual businesses, the story is very different. Some retailers see opportunities to embrace the e-commerce giant by using what it offers to their advantage, others see themselves in competition for either customers or employees.

When Krista Gesaman heard Amazon was building fulfillment centers in Northeast Ohio, the CEO of a Canal-Fulton wastewater company got excited. ASI sells septic-tank related products on Amazon, and Gesaman's goal is to reduce prices and get the product to customers quickly.

For the first time, this 28-year-old small business turned to Amazon for help in selling and shipping products. Amazon's vast influence and unmatched volume of traffic has more than 2 billion visitors every month, and Gesaman who bought septic business five years ago, sees untapped potential in building her business now that she uses Amazon.

"Right now, the closest fulfillment center that we ship to is in Indiana, so the shipping costs to that venue are escalated," she said. "If we can simply drop our products off at a Cleveland fulfillment center for local distribution, it will save significant time and expense."

Fulfillment center construction at the former North Randall Mall site is ongoing and Amazon plans to employ more than 2,000 full-time workers there. Another 1,000 employees will be hired at an Amazon fulfillment center in Euclid in 2019. Already, Amazon employs more than 4,500 full-time hourly associates at its two existing Ohio fulfillment centers in Etna and Obetz, near Columbus.

Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun toy stores in Cleveland Heights and Columbus, said he's glad Amazon is bringing jobs to the area too. However, he is frustrated by shoppers who visit his store and go home to buy the same item online.

Presser refers to Amazon as the "kryptonite to small businesses."

"Amazon is changing the landscape of brick-and-mortar and making the buying public comfortable staying home and shopping," Presser said. "I like a bargain as much as the next person, but there's more to just getting the lowest price. Your neighbor or parishioner can be a small-business owner. What happens when a small business closes?

"We need to continue to support local business owners who pay taxes and support other local business endeavors, communities and nonprofits that we're active in," he said.

Steve Millard, president and executive director at the Council of Smaller Enterprises, COSE, said the recent hype about Amazon in Cleveland reminds him of similar talk about Walmart about 15 years ago.

At that time, he said, many small-business owners feared Walmart would hurt their bottom line. Now, not only do many of them also shop there, he said Walmart carries some of their locally-made products.

Still he understands the frustration and fear.

"The retailer has just provided a showroom for the online provider," Millard said. "It's basically costing the small-business owner who has to pay for inventory and space for products - and they're not making the sale."

Shop Local

Amazon started as an online bookstore more than 20 years ago, long before it expanded and recently acquired Whole Foods. That move indicates an aggressive expansion now into the grocery category, and a pursuit of a larger bricks and mortar presence. More importantly it's an opportunity for Amazon to merge offline and online shopping experiences.

Amazon used to be known as a company that helped kill book stores, yet in 2015 the company opened it's first book store in Seattle. Amazon book stores will open next year in Washington, D.C., and Austin, bringing the nationwide total to 15.

Suzanne DeGaetano, owner of Mac's Back-Books on Coventry, said she doesn't fear Amazon. She thinks Clevelanders are very supportive of independent bookstores and indies in general.

"Bookstores have been dealing with Amazon for a very long time. Indies have competed by providing welcoming spaces, interesting events, curated selections and friendly customer service," DeGaetano said. "One of the reasons for the resurgence in indie retailing is that our customers understand and embrace the 'buy local' philosophy, and do it because they enjoy shopping in our stores and value the impact bookstores have on the culture."

DeGaetano, while supportive, said she's still somewhat concerned.



"Although it seems like the new warehouses are a win-win for eastern Cuyahoga County, there are always some things to consider," she said. "Do the 2,000 jobs promised surpass the amount of retail jobs lost in the area from consumers buying online? Brick-and-mortar stores have been devastated, and studies show warehouse jobs don't make up for lost jobs in the retail sector.



Competition in Hiring

Joe Smucny, managing partner of Northeast Ohio at Centric Consulting and a national partner, said while there are a lot of great businesses in town, Amazon offers a different culture.



"I think they'll find a way to find people and train them," Smucny said. "Northeast Ohio has a deep and diverse talent pool, and Amazon's history of leveraging and training talent is one of their key strengths.



"Amazon will be a big fish in a little pond, and they'll bring a new layer of innovation to a region where we need to learn to take more chances and try new things," he said. "They're going to come into town and do things a little differently - move faster and take more risks. We should use this as an opportunity to learn to thrive on change. It's one of the many reasons it's ideal."

John Bernatovicz, president of Willory, a local human resources consulting firm, agrees.



"There's greater demand than there are people, and if you add the perspective of a large employer coming to town, what you might describe as a marquee employer with Amazon, then I can see that as being a challenge for some small to midsize companies."

It's not easy filling human resources, engineering and IT jobs in this market, but warehouse roles can be just as challenging to fill, he said.



"Those types of jobs are difficult to get people to stay," he said. "And when you add that showcase employer to the equation, it can be impactful to a smaller employer, and frankly they should be thinking about ways to attract and retain talent now."

Grant Cleveland, founder, CEO and president of DuneCraft Inc., located near the North Randall site, said he's happy about Amazon's decision to build there.

"I think that a lot of us thought the demolition of the mall and the redevelopment of the land into industrial warehouse space could lead to a glut of warehouse space in the area," he said. "Now, with Amazon occupying most of the space, I think the existing stock of warehouse space will appreciate in value and rents could become upwardly mobile."

But the praise stops there. His company makes small terrariums, sprout-and-grow mini-greenhouses, and other science and nature kits, sold in stores like CVS, Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

"I am interested in how Amazon plans to find these 2,000 employees, when I can not find 20. I know DuneCraft is not Amazon, but with our piecework system, anyone can make up to $15 per hour from the start if they are fast. We have tried finding employees through direct advertising, temp firms, employee referral programs ... and it has been difficult."

Maria Gaeta, corporate director of human resources for Mar-Bal Inc., also sees Amazon as a possible competitor for workers. The Chagrin Falls-based family-owned business is hiring for entry-level to more skilled positions. Mar-Bal is a plastics manufacturer that makes parts for cars, railroads and ovens to airplanes and computers.



"We're looking for people who want to learn and show up to work every day in an environment where there's a good culture set up to keep them," she said. "I think it's good to have Amazon, but it's a catch-22, because there's a lot of companies like ours who are looking for people and find it difficult to find them."



Those Who Benefit



ILF Transportation, a four-year-old courier and delivery service, expects to work with, not compete against, Amazon.

The transportation company is completing requirements to be brought on as a full-time courier and delivery service for Amazon's distribution centers in Euclid and Twinsburg, and also hopes to assist at the fulfillment center next year.

NaJeebah Shareef, CEO and founder of the business, said she understands the concerns and fears of many small-business owners, but also understands that economic development should be a top priority.

She said if her company is able to start working with Amazon, she will be able to hire more drivers who earn livable wages, which will boost the economy in several economically under-served areas.

"Although we understand the plight of the 'mom and pop shops,' what we also understand is the needs of the people here in the Northeast Ohio community, and those needs are two-fold as being for jobs and for easily accessible products and services. Its that's simple," she said.

But logistics companies aren't the only ones who see Amazon in a positive light. Local entrepreneurs also think Amazon's presence could be a good thing.

Danny Sheridan, owner of Woodside Distributors launched his home-based company on Amazon when he was at Beachwood High School. Now in his final year at the University of Michigan, the business he created selling everything from socks and pet shampoo to granite countertop cleaner has grown so much that he's hired several college students to work with him.

"Amazon helped me to pay for college. It's amazing that I can leave college with no debt," said Sheridan, 22. In 2016, Woodside Distributors topped $3.5 million in revenue in 2016, moving about 80,000 items, a significant increase from the $2 million in revenue in 2015, when the company sold about 50,000 items.

Sheridan was a high school student with penchant for online shopping. One day he was trying to buy wool socks on Amazon, he said he was curious about why the medium size cost $18 a pair and large cost $22.

"I thought it was silly and frustrating. That's when I realized that Amazon Marketplace had third-party sellers," he said. "I called the company and said, can I sell your socks?"

These days, he has products shipped to dozens of Amazon fulfillment centers across the country.

"At the time, I don't think any of us understood how big the Amazon Marketplace would be," he said. "It's allowed me to hire 11 University of Michigan students."



Embracing Change

Millard, at COSE, said change is inevitable for lots of small businesses, and sometimes that means possibly revamping a business model.



"You're not going to change the direction of these large companies," Millard said. "Long-term small businesses have to adjust their business models to adapt. What can you do differently?"

-- This story was shaped by reader responses to our call for comment and insight.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio - The Lakewood Spooky Pooch Parade brought hundreds of dogs to Kauffman Park for a Halloween celebration on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Competing in the costume contest were 350 different dogs. There was also a peanut butter eating contest and a musical chairs game for dogs and their owners.

Winning first place in the "Spookiest Pooch" category was a group costume themed around the movie "Beetlejuice." For the "Pooch and Group" category, a "Wizard Of Oz" theme won first place.

A man dressed up like the old man character in the Disney movie "Up" and his dog dressed up like a small house with balloons, winning the "Pooch and Adult" category. In the "Pooch and Child" category, a "Where The Wild Things Are" theme won first.

"Best In Show," the biggest award of the day (with a free year's supply of food), went to a pair of pups dressed like martians in a UFO.

See photos of the dogs and the parade in the gallery above, and a video of the parade below.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A teenage boy was shot twice Saturday night in the city's Glenville neighborhood, police said.

The shooting happened about 10 p.m. on the 10600 block of Olivet Avenue, a few blocks north of Superior Avenue in the city's Glenville neighborhood, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. The 16-year-old was hit in the chest.

He was taken to the Cleveland Clinic by a private vehicle before he was transferred to University Hospitals for treatment, Ciaccia said. His current condition is not known.

No suspects in the shooting have been publicly identified, and no further information on the incident was released Sunday morning. This post will be updated if more details are provided.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
GIRARD, Ohio - A 31-year-old police officer was shot and killed Saturday night while responding to a domestic situation in Trumbull County.

Officer Justin Leo died while in surgery at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, said James Melfi, the mayor of Girard, according to The Vindicator. Girard is a suburb just northwest of Youngstown.

Leo was shot about 10:15 p.m. while at a home with a man who had several firearms, according to 911 calls released to the The Vindicator.

Melfi told FOX 8 Cleveland that Leo's partner shot and killed the suspect. Leo was not wearing a bulletproof vest.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office's Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting Girard police with their investigation. The probe into the circumstances surrounding the shooting continues, The Vindicator reports.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio -- A Youngstown Fire Department battalion chief died Friday after a crash on his motorcycle, according to the State Highway Patrol.

The incident happened shortly before 1 p.m. Friday at Ohio 45 and North Bend Road in Saybrook Township, according to a news release from Highway Patrol.

Ronald Russo, 64, was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the release says. He was taken to Ashtabula County Medical Center with serious injuries. He was later taken to University Hospitals where he died, the release says.

Russo was riding a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle north on Ohio 45 when a 2002 Dodge Caravan heading west on North Bend Road failed to yield at the stop sign and red flashing lights at the intersection, the release says. The two vehicles collided.

The 48-year-old driver of the van and her two passengers were not injured in the crash, the release says.

Alcohol and or drugs do not appear to be a factor, the release says.

The crash is under investigation.

We are sad to announce the death of active YFD Battalion Chief Ronald Russo who died in a motorcycle accident Friday... Posted by youngstownfire.com on Friday, October 20, 2017

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.
Dominic Coletta

Lyndhurst Municipal Judge Mary Kaye Bozza has served the people of Lyndhurst, Gates Mills, Highland Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village and Richmond Heights for nearly 18 years and is rightly proud of the fiscal stewardship that enabled her to bring the Lyndhurst Municipal Court out of the red to now turn a profit for host city Lyndhurst. And she did this while salting away enough money to open a second courtroom, upgrade the computer system, and add digital recording and video conferencing with local jails, with more technological upgrades on the way.

But it's time for a change in Lyndhurst Municipal Court. Bozza, 64, while well-meaning, appears tone-deaf on some critical matters of judicial reform, including a recent case where a man accused of inebriated jaywalking spent four days in jail because he couldn't afford his $700 bail -- while his friend made bail in hours. Bozza says there were other factors at work and that he may have learned from his jail time. But lesson-learning isn't the purpose of a bond.

Challeging Bozza's re-election is defense lawyer Dominic Coletta, a partner in the Synenberg, Coletta & Moran law firm. Coletta, 39, provided a nine-point manifesto of needed reforms, including online payments, electronic filing, other upgrades to the court's website, more transparency and improved record-keeping on the judge's vacation time, and no out-of-state trips to judicial conferences. Coletta is a Republican in the nonpartisan race; Bozza is a Democrat.

Coletta says he is fully committed to judicial reforms in bail-setting practices and related initiatives to keep indigent defendants from being penalized merely for their poverty.

Voters in the six communities served by Lyndhurst Municipal Court should cast their votes for change in the form of Dominic Coletta. Early voting in the Nov. 7 election has begun.

The candidates for Lyndhurst Municipal Court judge were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer as part of the endorsement process on Oct. 12, 2017. Present were incumbent Judge Mary Kaye Bozza and challenger Dominic Coletta, a criminal defense lawyer. Listen to audio below:

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

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* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
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Derek Cremers talk of an extraordinary project and the work of a lifetime is no exaggeration when it comes to the incredible metamorphosis undergone by A LEmeraude, whose newly acquired stature - 400 sq.m. spread over three floors enhanced with oak wood and granite - not only lends a new dimension to the Place St Francois, but also to the entire Olympic capital. The master of the house enthuses with evident sincerity : We are fully ware that we are not on the Genevas Rue du Rhone nor Zurichs Bahnhofstrasse, and we want our customers to enjoy an experience in keeping with the values of Lausanne and Canton Vaud. We have used local materials such as oak wood and granite, arranged comfortable and pleasant reception areas, as well as offering a view of the historical buildings on the square from the first floor. For us, its very important that customers spending time with us remember a fantastic moment, during which the professionalism, product knowledge, high-quality service and warm atmosphere convince them to choose this place for their next watch or jewelry purchase.

Marina and Derek Cremers

To simplify a visit, one should distinguish between the three areas through which customers can wander in accordance with their personal preferences : the entrance to the integrated Patek Philippe and Rolex boutiques ; the entrance to the multibrand boutique also featuring jewelry*, linked by a light well to the first floor, where functional meets hospitality in a blend of elegance and efficiency. VIP guests will appreciate the discretion and cozy comfort that has been carefully thought out in every detail. Behind the scenes, everything is designed so that the 15-strong personnel can move smoothly and serenely around the premises.



For those keen to discover the ultimate concept of the new Patek Philippe and Rolex boutiques, a visit to A lEmeraude is a must, exuding quintessential refinement all the way through to the wall decorations that are a nod to Patek Philippes Calatrava cross emblem and to the famous Rolex fluted bezels. This establishment has always been renowned for the quality of its selection of watches from the brands represented, an approach that also applies to Rolex which has decided to demonstrate its confidence in this entrepreneurial family by opening this boutique with them.

All the Baselworld 2017 new launches are available there. Following on from the fully integrated Rolex area, the Patek Philippe area welcomes visitors with a blend of warmth and simplicity, while showing complete respect for the brand identity codes. This collectors dream stretches over a spacious 100 sq.m., furnished with taste and striking a perfect balance between luxury and well-being. It is a unique case in Switzerland. Trained both at Patek Philippe and Rolex, two full-time watchmakers handle fast after-sales service provided by authorized experts. Their workshops on two floors are equipped with machines for water resistance and polishing. On all levels, the security of clients and sales teams is intrinsically bound up with the prevailing professionalism that is at once omnipresent and invisible. A lEmeraude is undoubtedly one of Switzerlands finest watchmaking showcases.



*Jaeger-LeCoultre, F.P.Journe, Hublot, Panerai, IWC, Voutilainen, Ulysse Nardin, De Bethune, Breitling, Tudor, Romain Gauthier, Reuge, Shamballa, Marco Bicego, Morganne Bello



*Jaeger-LeCoultre, F.P.Journe, Hublot, Panerai, IWC, Voutilainen, Ulysse Nardin, De Bethune, Breitling, Tudor, Romain Gauthier, Reuge, Shamballa, Marco Bicego, Morganne Bello.
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Last week, VIP guests gathered in the Breguet boutique at Place Vendome to celebrate the origins of the Reine de Naples collection. This was the occasion for them to discover the latest creations of the House of Breguet, such as the Reine de Naples 8918 with its Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, unveiled during this years Baselworld.



Which other city would have been more emblematic to honor the Reine de Naples collection than the city in where the Breguet firm was founded? It is indeed in its workshop on Quai de lHorloge in Paris that Abraham-Louis Breguet completes the very first wristwatch in 1812 for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. This creation will not only mark the history of watchmaking but will also inspire the House, which then develops the modern collection in 2002 and pays tribute to this legendary timepiece and to the iconic client who inspired it.





Dans la boutique Breguet de la place Vendome a Paris  Breguet
Egypts interior ministry has said a number of policemen were killed during a shootout following a raid on a terrorist elements hideout in Egypts Western Desert on Friday.

The raid took place after the police national security unit was informed of the hideout, located in Bahariya Oasis, a large area of 135 square kilometres, approximately 370 km from the capital.

According to the statement, the shootout took place when the forces were attempting to raid the hideout, leading to an exchange of fire initiated by the militants.

The police said a number of militants were also killed during the shootout, but didn't release any figures about the deaths either of militants or of police..

However, a security source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website earlier on Friday that at least 14 policemen were killed in the incident, while eight others were injured.

The statement said forces were still combing the area.

Egypts security forces have been waging a war over the past four years against an Islamist terrorist insurgency, mostly in North Sinai, that has seen hundreds of security personnel killed, as well as hundreds of terrorists killed in security campaigns.

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This isn't your boring old skeleton with an agricultural implement, either. This Death is so scream-pissingly terrifying that a single look would instantly kill a human. In a move right out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Abraham decides to stall the inevitable by demanding a look at Death's 14 faces, which are so frightening that 7,000 people instantly keel over and die merely from being in the general area.

As it turned out, whoever wrote this book kind of backed themselves into a corner with that one, since they then had to come up with 14 whole faces, each scary enough to warrant that small genocide. Let's see how that went:

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- Faces 1 and 2 are "flaming fire" and "darkness." (Not really scary by themselves, but could be as faces.)

- Face 3 is "a gloomy face of a viper." (Pretty scary.)

- Face 4 is "a most terrible precipice." (Scary, especially if you're afraid of heights.)

- Face 5 is "fiercer than an asp." (So another snake. Could just have led with this one.)

- Face 6 is "a terrible lion." (Unclear if he's terrible as in deadliness or as in he has a shitty attitude.)

- Faces 7 and 8 are "a cerastes and basilisk." (A snake and a snake. Chill out with the snakes.)

- Faces 9 and 10 are "a fiery scimitar" and "a sword-bearing face." (Wait, is Face 10 carrying Face 9? Now we're getting somewhere freaky.)

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- Face 11 is "lightning, lightning terribly." (Fucking metal.)

- Face 12 is "a fierce stormy sea and a fierce rushing river." (That's a lot of ground to cover for a single face.)

- Face 13 is "a terrible three-headed serpent." (Assuming they all have faces of their own, this brings our snake face total up to seven.)

- And Face 14 is "a cup mingled with poisons." (Snake poisons?)

Most of the rest of the book is dedicated to Death explaining the meaning of his faces, which might have worked better had the writer in any way understood subtlety or metaphors. For example, the sword faces represent people being killed with swords. The cup of poison symbolizes people who die from drinking big cups full of poison. Even God seems to agree that 7,000 people dying for this is ridiculous, so he ends up bringing all those people back to life. Not Abraham, though. That guy can suck it.
Egypt's interior ministry issued a statement on Saturday saying that alleged voice recordings broadcast in some media outlets claiming to describe events during Friday's deadly confrontation between police and terrorists in Egypt's Western Desert are unsourced and also make claims that bear no relation to reality.

These recordings, and the way there were circulated, aim to foment a state of disarray and despair in public opinion, and also reflect irresponsible, unprofessional conduct, the ministry said.

The ministry urged citizens not to pay attention to such recordings or rely on them as a source of information.

The alleged recordings were aired by some TV stations and circulated on social media after the shootout between security forces and terrorists in the Wahat area of Giza, which left eleven police officers, four conscripts and one sergeant killed and 13 personnel injured on Friday. The ministry added security forces killed 15 terrorists during the confrontation.







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With Connecticut having tightened the leash in the past few years on both animal shelters and pet stores, legislators held open the possibility the state will go a step further and match Californias landmark law enacted last week, requiring pet stores to sell rescue dogs, cats and bunnies.

In mid-October, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law an act that requires pet stores to sell only dogs, cats and rabbits obtained by shelters or other nonprofit animal rescue organizations.

California became the first state in the country to ban so-called puppy mills that have been maligned for selling pets born in high volume breeding facilities with diseases or inbred genetic characteristics that endanger their health or that of their offspring. An animal rights activist group called Social Compassion in Legislation was among those urging California policymakers to enact the law statewide after three dozen municipalities did so on their own initiative in the past decade.

The California law comes three years after Connecticut increased its own oversight of pet stores, which it defines as stores where animals are sold that were not bred on site, as distinguished from breeding kennels.

Under Connecticut law, pet shops must have cats and dogs examined every 15 days by licensed veterinarians until the animals are sold, and must maintain records on those vet inspections for multiple years.

In the event of an animal falling ill within 20 days of purchase, pet shops are on the hook for any vet bills of up to $500 or the amount paid for the animal if more than that amount. The same holds for any congenital defects affecting the health of a dog or cat, with buyers able to get a full refund or have the pet store provide a replacement pet.

Pet shops are required to display those terms visibly on their premises and provide a copy as part of any sale.

Some of those rules emerged from hearings held In 2013 and 2014 under state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield, who chaired a legislative task force on the issue.

It was quite contentious

Duff told Hearst Connecticut Media he had sought a compromise in which pet stores would be required to sell a percentage of rescue animals, which he said still represents a possible solution; he also wants to see whether sellers will find loopholes in the California law before moving ahead with any new legislation in Connecticut.

For her part, Kupchick indicated she originally envisioned a law in line with Californias, but ratcheted back that vision after industry trade representatives dug in to protect the interests of their member pet store owners.

It was quite contentious, Kupchick recalled in response to an email query by Hearst Connecticut Media. But in the end we passed stronger regulations and hopefully raised awareness that buying a puppy from pet stores or over the Internet without visiting the breeder is being complacent to the horrific treatment of puppy mill breeding dogs.

Even as California debated its new pet shop law, the Connecticut General Assembly was increasing its oversight of animal shelters to the rules governing pet stores, breeders and others, requiring shelters to register with the Connecticut commissioner of agriculture.

While most rescue shelters schedule regular veterinary visits, the new law arrives after the 2016 conviction and subsequent prison sentence of Fred Acker, who was charged with keeping animals in inhumane conditions at his SPCA of Connecticut animal shelter in Monroe. The shelter remains in operation today under director Susan Fernandez, maintaining its no-kill mission to keep animals until they find new owners. SPCA of Connecticut is among the local shelters that has been attempting to raise money to support the placement of pets orphaned in Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, championed the bill after visiting the Monroe shelter a few years back with sister and state Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, in hopes of adopting a cat. She testified last March about the shock she encountered at the time, in support of the new law she hopes will give all animals a safe living environment, regardless of whether they are bred for sale or simply needing a new owner.

We walk in, with a stench that was coming from the shelter, Klarides-Ditria said in March of her initial experience in Monroe. Walk upstairs to where the cats were housed ... It was awful.

Kupchick said she is aware of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture issuing fines to pet stores for noncompliance of the new rules. But she welcomes the new publicity generated by Californias law, and said awareness is the most important tool to hold to the highest standards the entities that find homes for pets, regardless of their mission or profit motive.

I would prefer people either rescued or went through reputable local breeders, Kupchick stated. I would love to have (Connecticut) follow California on this issue.
Hooray for Latin American, Spain and Puerto Rican rhythms!

Thats the message from the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, which will present Arriba Espana Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport. Donald Palma will be the guest conductor and noted guitarist Benjamin Verdery will be the soloist. This will be the second concert of GBS 2017-18 Revolutions and Revelations series, which features an exploration of the effects of political revolutions on music, the GBS said.

Arriba Espana! will feature Joaquin Rodrigos guitar masterpiece Concierto de Aranjuez, a composition written at the end of the Spanish Civil War, the GBS pointed out. Considered a calming influence after the tumult of Civil War, the music for many years was used by Spanish politicians to celebrate the victory of Franco, but it is, in reality, an emotional autobiography of Rodrigo himself, the GBS said.

Also on the program are Tumbao from Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierras Sinfonia No. 3, La Salsa, a spirited contemporary Classical work; and works by Argentine Alberto Ginastera and Spaniard Manuel de Falla, as well as a short piece by cellist Pablo Casals. Casals Song of the Birds was the opening piece for all of his concerts. Casals was forced to leave Spain after the Civil War, and always dedicated El cant dels ocels to the soul of my country, Catalonia, the GBS pointed out.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Palma also is a double bassist and a former member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic He has served as principal bass of Canadas National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra. He is bassist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with which he has toured the world and recorded over 50 compact discs for Deutsche Grammophon including, a Grammy Award-winning CD of Stravinsky works, his bio notes.

The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. $59-$15. 203-576-0263.
DERBY  Most eyes and ears in the downtown restaurants and bars on Wednesday night were focused on televisions showing the New York Yankees roll to a fifth game victory over the Houston Astros.

But in a dimly lit basement auditorium of city hall, the eyes and ears of a dozen or so Naugatuck Valley Young Democrats are tuned elsewhere.

The seats are filled with people like Kevin Kosty and Jason Jones, second ward aldermanic candidates in Shelton; Tarek Raslan and his sister, Sennea, who are running for mayor and aldermen in Ansonia and Stephan Behuniak, a selectman candidate and Democratic Town chairman in Seymour. And theres Kara Rochelle and Chris Larocque, whose efforts during Derbys primary led to what Mayor Anita Dugatto said helped her retain the Democratic mayoral nomination.

Their eyes watch and their ears listen to a man with rolled up sleeves, a personable style and a goal to be the states next governor.

For 30 minutes Joe Ganim makes his case.

Our state is challenged, Ganim said to the small group. I think were in a worse situation than Ive ever seen in my lifetime.

Ganim spoke about what he can do, describing his recent partnership with New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, who some see as Ganims lieutenant governor candidate, to lure MGM Casinos and Amazons HQ2 headquarters to their areas.

He spoke of his plans to turn the Bridgeport Bluefish stadium into a Live Nation sponsored amphitheater similar to what you see on Jones Beach and a $416 million private investment proposal to restore the long vacant Loews Poli and Majestic theaters putting a three-story Marriott hotel above one and building several skyscrapers downtown.

He talked about his path as a former young Democrat who took over a bankrupt city and for 11 years served as its mayor.

After 11 years I made some serious mistakes which led to a felony conviction, he said. What he leaves out is the convictions involved about $500,000 in kickbacks and payoffs resulting in a nine-year federal prison term.

Im certainly not a perfect candidate, he said. But if you find one let me know cause everyones got issues. But I think clearly in my mind and you can challenge me on this. I think Im the most qualified and experienced individual should I make a formal decision to run for governor to lead our state out of its financial crisis and give it a positive vision for job growth.

Ganim urged the assembled Democrats to knock on doors, speak to groups and talk to people.

Between now and election day in November, we should be focused on electing every Democrat we can  mayors, first selectman, board of education. Young Democrats are not just about the future of the partyyou are about the party right now.

This is one of several visits Ganim has made to Democratic Town committees and groups while gauging support for a possible run. He is only latest candidate to speak to the Naugatuck Valley Young Democrats, following Kevin Lembo (who has dropped out of the race), Chris Mattei, Dan Drew and Jonathan Harris.

Rochelle, who heads the group and is running for a spot on Derbys Board of Apportionment and Taxation, said the group expects to hear from other candidates before endorsing one.

Were not in a rush, she said. We have no exact time frame.

While the groups endorsement does not carry a vote in a Democratic party caucus, members of the Naugatuck Valley Young Democrats sit on several Democratic town committees and individually will help choose the ultimate nominee.

They seemed split on whether Ganim is that choice. Rochelle and Larocque have concerns stemming from his conviction.

Im conflicted, said Larocque. I believe in second chances but I also hold sacred our trust in government officials.

Theres obvious concerns you have and hesitation, Rochelle said. That will be a hurdle for him.

Others like Behuniak and Gary Farrar Jr., an Ansonia third ward aldermanic candidate, think otherwise.

My mom loves Ganim, said Behuniak. Hes her favorite politician besides me. He charms people in a way unlike anyone else. He certainly is among the most qualified candidates on either side.

Both Behuniak and Farrar said Ganim has proven he can win an election despite his past.

Hes the comeback kid, said Farrar, who hopes to fill a third ward seat replacing his uncle Joe Jeanette, who opted to run for Ansonias board of education instead. Besides its not like he killed somebody.
STRATFORD  A complaint filed last week by the chairman of the Republican Town Committee charging that three Democratic candidates were illegally endorsed wont be considered by the State Elections Enforcement Commission until after the election.

Joshua Foley, a staff attorney with the SEEC, said that he could not comment on the complaint directly. But he did say that its consideration would have to wait until the commissions regular meeting on Nov. 15.

He also said that even if the commission ruled the complaint, filed by RTC Chairman Louis DeCilio, had merit, it did not have the power to remove elected individuals from office. The SEEC could, however, levy fines against a town committee. It could also refer the complaint to the state Office of the Attorney General for further action.

The DeCilio complaint, filed Tuesday, charged that two Democratic Town Council candidates and a Planning Commission candidate were improperly endorsed. He said the DTC was operating outside of election law when it endorsed the three with a vote from its Executive Board, which DeCilio maintains does not legally exist.

The three candidates being contested are Christina Heffern for Town Council District 2, Donald Putrimas for District 7 and Planning Commission candidate Michael J. Sullivan. Those three replaced candidates who pulled out earlier  Scott Farrington-Posner in District 2, Sean Haubert in District 7 and Monica Brill for the Planning Commission.

Putrimas was not the first choice as a replacement candidate for Haubert. The Executive Board had first chosen Linda Brandcombe to fill the vacancy in the seventh.

The rules governing the Stratford Democratic Party contain no provisions allowing an Executive Board to endorse candidates, DeCilio said in his complaint. There was not a quorum present, and any business purportedly transacted at such meeting is null and void.

Most of the candidates for the Nov. 7 election were either endorsed at the DTCs July 20 convention, or through the primary that took place Sept. 12 for certain contested seats. But the retirements of Farrington-Posner, Haubert and Brill sent the committee leadership scrambling to find Democrats to fill the holes.

Party officials say its not easy corralling a sufficient number of DTC members to qualify for a quorum. There are about 101 DTC members, many of whom cant be depended upon to show up for meetings. Forty-five are needed for a quorum under the committees rules.

Stephanie Philips, who is both the DTC chairwoman and the Democratic mayoral candidate, is seeking to reduce the number of committee members to about 90 in order to make it easier for the committee to make decisions. This would mean that about 36, or about a two-fifths of the total, would be needed for a quorum, the minimum number required to conduct official business.

Democrats are planning to stage a caucus in January to vote on the 90-member idea. In a caucus, all registered Democrats can vote, unlike a DTC meeting or convention, in which only committee members are allowed to vote.

The news that the SEEC couldnt hear the complaint immediately was a relief to many in Town Hall, who looked balefully at the prospect of having to reprint ballots, a complex, expensive and exacting ordeal.

In the meantime, party members who are faithful to Philips are scowling over the DeCilio complaint.

Mr. DeCilio has seen his share of SEEC complaints, said Democrat Greg Cann, the incumbent candidate for the Town Council in District 5. And hes actually lost a couple of those complaints. This is a little like the pot calling the kettle black.

But DeCilio said that Philips actions have no defense.

The fact is, she had two weeks to get a quorum to fill those vacancies, and she chose not to, DeCilio said. Clearly, theyre admitting that they didnt have a quorum and Im confident that the SEEC will find that they didnt do this properly. There are rules for endorsing candidates and Stephanie Philips didnt follow them.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
The United Nations Security Council and the European Union condemned the Friday killing of 16 Egyptian policemen in a shootout with terrorists in Western Desert, continuing international condemnation of the event.

In an official statement, the UNSC denounced in the strongest terms the terrorist attack, underlining the need to bring the perpetrators and sponsors of such reprehensible acts to justice.

Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, the Security Council members said in a press statement on Saturday.

Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, the UNSC reiterated, underlining the need for all UN Member States to combat by all means -- in accordance with the UN Charter -- threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

The EU also issued a statement on Saturday denouncing the attack.

"As we continue to follow developments on the ground, the EU reiterates that it stands with the Egyptian people and authorities in facing terrorism," said Catherine Ray, spokesperson for the EU's High Representative, in the statement.

The condemnations, among several from other European and Arab countries, came after a Friday attack that killed 16 policemen and injured 13 others in a shootout with terrorists in Egypts Western Desert.

According to the interior ministry, security forces killed and injured 15 terrorists during the shootout.

Meanwhile, Spain also condemned the attack on Sunday.

In an official press release sent via its envoy in Cairo, the Spanish government said it "condemns in strongest terms the assault on Egyptian security forces, reaffirming its strong commitment to support Egypt in fighting terrorism.

The parliament of Libya, which shares a lond border with Egypt cutting the Western Desert and is itself mired in a civil war, also denounced the attack, emphasizing the importance of joint security coordination with Egypt to eliminate terrorist organizations.

The Parliament of Libya and the Libyan nation affirm solidarity with Egypt in its war against terrorism and extremism, the statement read, adding that the war against terrorism was shared in "common" between the two countries.

The Iraqi foreign ministry also stressed on Baghdads supportive stance towards Egypt.

The Iraqi foreign ministry strongly condemns the terror attack that targeted Egyptian policemen in Giza, ministry spokesman Ahmed Mahgoub said in a statement.



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Prime Minister Sherif Ismail vowed that emergency law would not be used to curtail citizens' rights and freedoms

Egypt's parliament approved during a plenary session Sunday a presidential decree declaring a three-month nationwide state of emergency, the state-run MENA news agency reported.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued the presidential decree 12 October, one day after a previous three-month state of emergency expired.

A state of emergency was first declared in April following suicide bombings in churches in Alexandria and Gharbiya on Palm Sunday that killed 47 worshippers.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail vowed before parliament that the government would not resort to exceptional measures unless required to confront terrorism, and that emergency law would not be used to curtail the rights of citizens or their public freedoms.

"The declaration of the state of emergency at the time being is a necessary procedure, just like the case in established democratic countries that viewed the state of emergency as a necessity to preserve their stability and security," Ismail stated before the plenary session.

According to Article 154 of the Egyptian constitution, a state of emergency cannot exceed six months from its date of declaration. It must also be approved by parliament within seven days.

"I stand before you today in the painful and tough circumstances the country witnessed in the past few days, where several policemen sacrificed their lives confronting terrorist elements who have no religion except blood-shedding," Ismail said referring to the deadly shootout between seurity forces and terrorists on Friday in Egypts Western Desert.

Official figures state that 16 policemen were killed and 13 injured in the shootout.

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Sydney preschool teacher and mother-of-one Heidi Farrelly knows a thing or two about paying off your mortgage quickly.

The 35-year-old and her husband, Clinton, will have finished paying off their two-bedroom house in Engadine in less than a decade.

The couple purchased it for $410,000 in 2008. The property is now worth around $900,000.

Ms Farrelly, who has written two finance books titled Mortgage Free; and Brilliant Budgets and Despicable Debt, says its about sacrificing small luxuries in life, rather than totally giving up.

Heidi Farrelly has written two books to help homeowners become mortgage-free quicker.

I wanted to show people that anyone could use what they had and still get ahead, says Ms Farrelly.

I used to be terrible with money and I taught myself how to be better and ultimately achieved financial freedom.

Ms Farrelly, who has a seven-year-old daughter, often swaps takeaway coffees for home-made ones.

Higher house prices have left many with financial stress and huge mortgages to pay off.



Coffee is often at a friend's instead of at a cafe. We picnic instead of buying lunch out. We camp instead of hoteling, says Ms Farrelly.

We make do with what we have rather than buying new. Things we do need we don't buy full price, but wait till they go on sale.

One of Ms Farrelly's books details steps to pay off your mortgage in under a decade.

Essentially it's about short term discomfort for long term reward. Everyone makes their own choices in life but I'd much rather eat at home now and be free to travel the world later than to eat out every day but always have a mortgage.

Ms Farrelly says people struggling to make repayments should remember their long-term goal.

You dont always have to have everything at once or start at the top. Work your way to where you want to be. Start small. No one likes to miss out, but it's all about perspective. Are you missing out, or just finding a better way? she asks.
A brave father who watched his two children battle cancer, 30 years after he lost his eye to the same disease, has spoken of his heartbreak.

Luke Rollinson, 36, knows all too well the trauma of childhood cancer - he went through it himself at 18 months old and both his son, four, and daughter, two, were diagnosed with retinoblastoma shortly after birth.

The NSW father-of-two spoke to FEMAIL about the sickening feeling of being told he had passed on his cancer gene to his newborn children.

'We look back now and think, "How did we even get through this?",' Luke said.

The father-of-two unknowingly passed on the gene to his children Harper (left) and Eli (right)

Luke Rollinson (pictured right with his family) lost his right eye to retinoblastoma some 30 years ago

'How can a woman carry a baby for nine months and then be told days later that baby needs chemo. It just breaks my heart.'

Luke lost his right eye to retinoblastoma some 30 years ago but was unaware his son, Eli, would be born with the same genetic mutation which causes the cancer.

When Eli was four months old, Luke and his wife Katie noticed a white reflex in his eye when taking flash photographs - a tell-tale sign that cancer may be brewing behind the retina.

Doctors then found a small cluster of tumours and quickly attacked it with laser and cryotherapy, saving his eye from the same fate Luke suffered over three decades earlier.

'We were a little ignorant of the chances of me passing on the retinoblastoma gene onto our kids. We knew there was a chance, but we weren't sure if my cancer was random or genetic,' Luke explained.

Luke (pictured as a child) lost his right eye to retinoblastoma 30 years ago but was unaware his son, Eli, would be born with the same genetic mutation which causes cancer

The father-of-two (pictured with his parents as a child) says he was unaware he could pass on the gene

When Eli (pictured) was four months old, Luke and his wife Katie noticed a white reflex in his eye when taking flash photographs - a tell-tale sign that cancer may be brewing behind the retina

Doctors then found a small cluster of tumours and quickly attacked it with laser and cryotherapy, saving his eye from the same fate Luke suffered over three decades earlier

RETINOBLASTOMA Retinoblastoma occurs when abnormal cells in the retina (the light-sensing area at the back of the eye) grow in an uncontrolled way. It usually occurs in young children, and can affect one or both eyes. Retinoblastoma is more common in children under 3 years of age, although it can occur at any age. Symptoms may include: A pupil that appears white instead of red when a light is shone into it (e.g. in a photograph) red or painful eye larger than usual eyeball, cloudiness in the iris (the coloured part of the eye) and the pupil eyes that seem to be looking in different directions (also called 'lazy eye'). Source: Cancer Australia Advertisement

But the horror of discovering cancer lurking behind one child's eye was only the beginning for Luke and his wife.

When Katie was pregnant with their daughter, Harper, the couple were prepared for the worst and underwent prenatal testing to find their baby girl also carried the gene.

Eight days after her birth, doctors found a large tumour behind her right eye and after only 12 days in this world Harper started chemotherapy - the second youngest baby at the time at Westmead hospital in Sydney's west.

'The first five months of her life were spent in hospital having chemo. That was something we struggled with - on that eighth day we cried for a month,' Luke said.

'If we had have waited months to check Harper for the gene like we did with Eli... it makes me sick in the gut to think where she might be now.'

When Katie was pregnant with their daughter, Harper, (pictured) the couple were prepared for the worst and underwent pre-partum testing to find their baby girl also carried the gene

Eight days after her birth, doctors found a large tumour in her right eye and after only 12 days in this world Harper (pictured left and right with mother Katie) started chemotherapy - the second youngest baby at the time at Westmead hospital in Sydney's west

'The first five months of her life were spent in hospital having chemo. That was something we struggled with - on that eighth day we cried for a month,' Luke said (Pictured is Harper)

Fortunately both Eli and Harper's (pictured) tumours were caught in time to save their eyes and to shrink the tumours before they could spread

'And if Eli was in Harper's position, who knows what would have happened. You could say something was looking over us, but then again I have had two kids with cancer,' he added.

Fortunately both Eli and Harper's tumours were caught in time to save their eyes and to shrink the tumours before they could spread.

Luke says he is thankful they tested each of their children when they did - and is now giving back to the community of supporters who helped his family in their darkest hours.

'The organisations we support, such as the Children's Cancer Institute and Camp Quality, did so much for us. Things we will never forget,' he said.

Luke (pictured with Harper) says he is thankful they tested each of their children when they did - and is now giving back to the community of supporters who helped his family in their darkest hours

The Rollinson family still frequents the hospital, albeit only for regular checkups, and Luke says he is glad his son and daughter (pictured) will hopefully never clearly remember their battle with cancer

Luke (pictured with Harper and Eli) also recently participated in a 12-hour cycle Endure for a Cure and raised $30,000 for Children's Cancer Institute after biking more than 100km

Luke also recently participated in a 12-hour cycle Endure for a Cure and raised $30,000 for Children's Cancer Institute after biking more than 100km.

The relieved father says he and his family are now in a 'good place' and are in the monitoring phase after catching both cancers early.

The Rollinson family still frequents the hospital, albeit only for regular checkups, and Luke says he is glad his son and daughter will hopefully never clearly remember their battles with cancer.

'They won't remember it. A six or seven-year-old might but they were both so young... so we think that is a positive.'
The 5th Terrorism Circuit at the Giza criminal court sentenced 11 people, including four people in absentia, to death in the trial known in media as the "Giza terrorist cell."

The court also sentenced 14 others to 25 years in jail.

The case dates back to 2014 when the prosecution accused the defendants of joining an illegal group, attacking personal freedoms, manufacturing explosive materials, and attempted murder of two police officers, as well as destroying a police vehicle.

The court also sentenced ajuvenile, Mahmoud Mohamed, to 10 years in prison in absentia.

The sentences can be appealed.

The government formed special terrorism circuits in 2014 to lower case loads on judges and speed trials for defendants in terrorism cases.

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They have spent a year criss-crossing the globe to make their long-distance relationship work.

So it is of little wonder Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are doing all they can to see each other as their relationship continues to deepen.

A royal source told the Sun that the couple 'just can't bear to be apart at the moment'.

The comment comes amid speculation that royal aides have already been instructed to start planning a wedding for next year.

Prince Harry, 33, and girlfriend Meghan Markle, 36, 'can't bear to be apart' from each other, a source claimed

The loved-up couple put on a very public display of affection at the Invictus Games last month

Speaking to the Sun's Matt Wilkinson, the royal source claimed Harry, 33, was planning a trip to see Meghan, 36, in Toronto later this month following a speaking engagement at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago.

However a spokesperson for Kensington Palace later confirmed the prince would be flying directly to and from London for the summit.

It comes just hours after it emerged that aides have been instructed to start planning for a royal wedding.

News of the trip will only further fuel speculation that an engagement is imminent.

Harry plants a kiss on Meghan's cheek as the watch the Invictus Games closing ceremony

Mail On Sunday royal commentator Robert Jonson wrote today how senior members of the Royal Family are understood to have been asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends next year  the clearest sign yet that an engagement announcement is imminent.

The news comes days after Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle held a private meeting with the Queen, seen by insiders as a sign that Her Majesty has given the union her blessing.

It is unlikely there would be any official announcement until after the celebrations for the Queens 70th wedding anniversary on November 20.

Bromance: Former President Barack Obama travelled to Toronto to support Prince Harry's Invictus Games last month. Harry will now return the favour by attending Obama's summit

It may be significant, too, that the Palace chose to release news of the Duchess of Cambridges April due date comparatively early. A wedding is believed to be out of the question until Prince William and Kates third child is born.

One important consideration both for courtiers and the Church of England is Meghans status as a divorcee. Under Church rules, she would be unable to have a religious wedding and, although it could take place in church, a ceremony would be a blessing instead, with a civil marriage taking place separately.

This could lead to the choice of a comparatively low-profile venue, such as the Royal Military Chapel at Wellington Barracks at St Jamess Park.

Meghan is currently in Toronto filming scenes for her legal drama Suits, and work will not finish on the series until the middle of November.
This is beyond weird, remarks John the photographer as he snaps away.

Mmn nnngh, I reply from beneath the thick layer of alginate face mask that has been pasted from my hairline to my chin, across my eyes and straight over my mouth  and which is fast setting into a rubbery skin.

It feels weird enough on the inside of the mask, but I suspect it looks worse from the outside. John has seen me through some odd stories in the past few months, but this clearly takes the biscuit.

Alice Hart-Davis gets the 1,000 facial - which covers her entire face, including her eyes

The mask is hooked up to an electrical current, which is driving the healing skincare ingredients that were applied before the mask deeper into the skin.

Its also making the retinal nerves behind my eyes twitch, so the darkness behind my closed eyelids is quivering like a black-and-white TV on the blink.

Welcome to The Recharge, also known as the 1,000 facial. It is certainly like nothing else I have ever experienced.

Theres more to this two-and-a-half-hour beauty extravaganza than just a facial, but before I get into the details, wed better have a look at that price.

The Recharge, also known as the 1,000 facial takes two-and-a-half hours

Theres ultrasound treatment, to push rejuvenating plant stem cell serums deep into the skin

No, that wasnt a misprint. Its 1,000  which, even in West London, where the clinic is based, is an eye-popping sum.

You could buy a car for that. Go on holiday. Book a years worth of monthly facials at your local beauty salon.

Joanne Evans, the super-facialist behind The Recharge, sees things differently. She is one of the best skin-perfectors in the UK and has spent years building up a devoted clientele, who whiz around the world thanks to their high-flying jobs.

When they manage to force a gap in their schedules and snag some time with Joanne (no mean feat, as she is usually booked up for three months in advance) they want to make the most of it.

Joannes treatment rooms are tucked away in the basement of Bodyism, one of the most glamorous gym in London

So they have taken to booking a big chunk of time and asking for the works  not just normal facial stuff, but everything else that can be packed in, too  from lasers that disperse pigmentation to vitamin infusions to boost energy levels.

Joannes treatment rooms are tucked away in the basement of Bodyism, surely the most glamorous gym in London.

Pippa Middleton buys protein powder here, while Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke and model David Gandy are said to be regulars. Once I have shucked off my shirt and wriggled on to the bed, I feel a rush of glee at the prospect of such appallingly expensive indulgence.

Before Joanne gets to grips with my face, nurse Colette Bateman steps in to administer a cocktail of vitamins and minerals, to boost my energy. Do I need this? I ask. I eat my greens.

Most of us are deficient in vitamins B and C, Collette assures me, as she slips in the cannula with barely a scratch, and you cant overdose on this. In the IV bag, there is also calcium, magnesium (for tense muscles) and zinc (for propping up the immune system).

While that is all being set up, Joanne sets about my face. She cleanses, steams and massages.

In the IV bag, there is also calcium, magnesium (for tense muscles) and zinc (for propping up the immune system)

There is jetsteam dermabrasion, a small device that scours away dead skin cells. Its not uncomfortable and when, after a sousing with salicylic acid  a peeling agent that causes the top layer of skin to shed  she starts easing out blackheads from blocked pores, I hardly notice.

Thats partly because shes gentle, partly because the salicylic acid has softened the blackheads, and partly because Polly, a reflexologist, is working on my feet and exploring my general health.

This, too, is hugely relaxing, apart from a few painful spots when she edges along the line that relates to my urethra. Apparently, this means I need to drink more water.

I soon lose track of time. At some point, the IV is gently removed from my arm; I dont even notice.

There are hydrating serums, which are worked into the skin with a microneedling device  it pricks the face to allow the serums to penetrate further and stimulate the growth of collagen.

Theres ultrasound treatment, to push rejuvenating plant stem cell serums deep into the skin.

According to Joanne, she is booked up for the treatment for three months in advance

Joanne deploys two microcurrent devices to tone and hoist my contours into shape. She calms my face by massaging it with crystal wands, good for easing away stress and lifting the face, apparently.

Next is a session of quick blasts of intense pulsed light (IPL), a laser-like device whose beams break up pigmentation and stimulate my skin to renew itself.

IPL is usually compared to being flicked with elastic bands but ooh, this is more like being flicked with elastic bands by the school bully.

And then theres The Mask. I can hear Joanne whisking up the thick, alginate paste before painting it over my face, starting at the top of my forehead and covering my eyes and mouth, all the way down my neck to my collarbone. I find it rather fabulous, a further level of being cocooned from the world.

It sets into a solid rubbery mass, at which point she clips on the electrodes and slips a conducting pad beneath my right shoulder, so that gentle electrical currents can pass through the mask and encourage the absorption of the vitamin serums beneath.

But is it really worth it? Alice says without winning the lottery, she is unlikely ever to be in a position to say yes

Apart from the flickering retinal nerve, all is serene, particularly as Joanne spends the next 20 minutes easing out the knots in my neck and shoulders that are a result of hours hunched over my laptop.

It is with great regret, when she peels off the mask and pats on some final serums, that I have to peel myself off the treatment bed.

I feel fabulous. Energy is zinging through my body, my mind is calm and my skin looks almost as clear and glowing as an A-listers.

But is it really worth it? Without winning the lottery, Im unlikely ever to be in a position to say yes. And, given that the feeling fabulous effect had worn off by the next day, and that, after an amazing nights sleep, I felt on the verge of a nasty cold, this may well be one indulgence even a beauty addict like me cant quite justify.

The Skin Recharge costs 1,000 at Skin Matters, 222-224 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RH, skin-matters.co.uk
The parents of overweight children should steer clear of the term 'obese', says new guidance issued to healthcare professionals.

According to Public Health England (PHE), doctors and nurses should be careful when using the word when discussing weight management with parents.

Instead, they are encouraged to use more positive, friendly terminology such as achieving a 'healthier weight status' and a 'healthier lifestyle'.

The parents of overweight children should not be told that they are obese, says new guidance issued to healthcare professionals

The 14-page document, entitled 'Let's Talk About Weight', urges those healthcare professionals to 'take care with the language' when speaking to parents of children aged four to 12.

The report says: 'Terms such as 'obese' are not generally well accepted by parents/carers when talking about their child's weight.'

Figures published last week indicated that one in five children leave primary school obese.

'Let's Talk About Weight' comes a year after Britain's chief medical officer said letters warning parents that their child was overweight shouldn't be watered down.

Dame Sally Davies said at the time: 'What worries me is how we have started to normalise it,

'In my generation it was normal to see [children's] ribs on the beach. That was healthy.

According to Public Health England (PHE), doctors and nurses should avoid using the word when discussing weight management with parents

'How have we lost this national understanding of what is healthy and what is unhealthy?'

The chief medical officer said obese is a 'physical description' and should not be seen as an offensive remark.

PHE said they would review the 'fat letters' sent to parents in England informing them of their children's health status.

The Royal Society for Public Health slammed the letters, dubbing them crude and unhelpful.

PHE offers template letters for local authorities to issue to parents.

It said: 'Talking to children and their families about being overweight can be difficult. Our guidance is there to help professionals discuss the issue with the whole family in the most effective way possible.'
Indian security agencies are searching for information about a doctor, believed to be from the southern state of Kerala, who recently featured in a propaganda video for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Abu Muqatil al-Hindi, who appears to be in his mid-forties, is seen encouraging medical professionals from across the world to join the healthcare services at the ISIS-held zones of Syria in the name of Islamic brotherhood.

Intelligence officials said the last name  in this case, al-Hindi  is commonly given to identify the place of origin of an ISIS recruit.

Abu Muqatil al-Hindi, who appears to be in his mid-forties, is seen encouraging medical professionals from across the world to join the healthcare services with ISIS

They point out to another doctor in the same video, named Abu Yusuf al-Australi who turned out to be Dr Tareq Kamleh from Adelaide (Australia) who joined the terror outfit in 2015.

'We strongly suspect al-Hindi to be at the helm of recruiting jihad-sympathisers from India,' medical professionals to join terrorist group.

In the video clip, al-Hindi gives out details of ISIS healthcare services getting support and volunteers from several parts of the world.

'We have doctors from Australia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and that's the few to be named.

'We have female doctors separately for the females and for the children,' he says.

Al-Hindi describes how the ISIS healthcare service has grown from strength to strength due to continued support from foreign countries as they are able to provide medical services from 30 patients a week.

ISIS claim to have doctors from Australia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia

Last year, 21 men, women and children from Kerala left for Afghanistan via Iran to live in the ISIS-controlled territory

A logo at the bottom of the screen labels the video-makers as Islamic State Health Services while a small ISIS flag waves in the top-left corner of the monitor.

The video shows an operational medical facility with all the modern equipment.

Other doctors in the video identify themselves with their erstwhile nationalities, like Australia, Egypt and Syria, underlining their case as why Muslim medical professionals should join their ranks.

The footage features doctors in a variety of units, ranging from a special kidney centre to a medical school.

A senior officer said the video presents a rare strategy of ISIS, where instead of taking pride in their brutal actions as earlier they are employing a positive PR campaign to tout their medical successes.

'But make no mistake. They still thrive on hatred for un-Islamic administrations,' the official said.

The video also focuses on civilian victims of the air strikes and the heroics of Raqqa's fighters.

According to information available with Indian authorities, last year, 21 men, women and children from Kerala left for Afghanistan via Iran to live in the ISIS-controlled territory.

Some of them are believed to have been killed in drone attacks.

NIA to file charge sheet against Zakir this week

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA.

He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of IPC and UAPA.

His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a doctor-turned-preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

Interpol was approached against Naik after a year-long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under section 160 of CrPC to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

Thereafter, on April 21, the additional sessions judge presiding over the NIA special court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naiks appearance before it. After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested MEA to revoke his passport.

The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after terrorists involved in the attack on a Dhaka cafe in July last year claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
As the Congress party takes a generational leap with the imminent elevation of Rahul Gandhi to the top job, the predominant sentiment within the party is that the old guard must not be ignored.

Be it Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat or Delhi, the state units remain riddled with warring factions  an old guard that is still politically active and relevant, and a relatively younger face backed by Rahul.

With the assembly polls round the corner in Gujarat, the rift in the state unit grew in August when former CM Shankersinh Vaghela quit the party, following inconclusive talks with Rahul.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh awaiting parliament in new Delhi

Despite several desperate attempts to initiate a dialogue, Vaghela left taking with him several sitting MLAs. This put a severe dent in the organisational strength of the state unit.

'Today young OBC leaders are being roped in to project an inclusive image of the party, but what happened with Vaghela is still fresh in mind.

'It could have been handled better and even if the party did not want to project him as the CM face, it could have just pacified him and retain him. To say that his departure is no loss is foolish,' said a senior party functionary.

In Himachal Pradesh, despite Rahul's displeasure, sitting CM Virbhadra Singh managed to have his say and was declared the party face in the upcoming polls, trumping state party president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, brought in by Rahul.

Ashok Gehlot is Congress party's national general secretary and in-charge of party affairs for politically crucial state Gujarat

Sources in the state unit say the absence of a strong challenger within the party helped Virbhadra stay afloat.

In Rajasthan, former CM Ashok Gehlot continues to be backed by a dominant section of the party organisation.

With state Congress chief Sachin Pilot at the helm of affairs and backed strongly by Rahul, several social media pages such as 'Ashok Gehlot fans', 'Ashok Gehlot for Rajasthan CM' have mushroomed over the past few weeks.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attends a public meeting at Khatraj village of Kheda district

'There have been several MLAs who asked for a poll on who should be projected as CM face  Pilot or Gehlot. Though the top leadership has indicated that Pilot will lead the charge, the Gehlot camp has strongly been seeking another opportunity for him.

'There is no doubt that Pilot has worked very hard in the state for the past four years, but Gehlot's mass appeal remains very strong and the common man in Rajasthan still identifies with him,' said a former Congress MLA, requesting anonymity.

In Madhya Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia's name has been doing the rounds as the probable CM candidate for the upcoming polls, but, according to sources, former CM Digvijaya Singh has been batting for former Union minister Kamal Nath as the party face.

Though Nath has made public statements accepting Scindia's leadership, a section of the party insist Singh and Nath continue to be a formidable team in the state.

In Delhi, Ajay Maken might have nudged out former CM Sheila Dikshit, but a section of the party still insists on her comeback for the party's revival.

'The Congress in Delhi has sunk under Maken and the municipal polls are a big lesson in front of us. The party refuses to take note of these,' said a local Congress leader.

Shashi Tharoor: 'BJP's caricature of RaGa isn't working'

The BJP had very successfully caricatured Rahul Gandhi, but the tactic is no longer working because the people now see the Congress vice president as an effective opponent to the ruling party, former minister Shashi Tharoor has said.

The Congress MP said the narrative had changed very, very clearly in the past few months and people were now openly expressing doubts and misgivings about the performance of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

'People are also more willing to see the Congress as a viable alternative to the BJP', the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

The BJP had very successfully caricatured Rahul Gandhi, but the tactic is no longer working claims Shashi Tharoor

'The BJP had very successfully caricatured Rahul Gandhi in the past. That is no longer working because Rahul Gandhi is seen as a rather effective opponent to the BJP...As this changed narrative proceeds, you are going to find more and more momentum behind the Congress,' he asserted.

Tharoor said a change was visible with the Congress' recent victory in the by-election in Gurdaspur in Punjab and of its ally in Vengara in Kerala, and claimed the BJP's attempts to conduct yatras in places such as Kerala and Gujarat had fallen flat.

'I also feel very strongly that the people are beginning to ask when is the government going to keep the promises it has made...We are already riding much higher in people's estimation than we were in the April or May of 2014, of that there is no doubt,' the 61-year-old leader said.

His comments assume significance as Gandhi is expected to take over the reins of the Congress party soon. Noting that there was still time for the general election, Tharoor said the Congress' credibility was on the rise.

The former minister of state for external affairs, who has been vocal in criticising the government's stand on the Rohingya Muslims, said forced deportation would give India a very bad name in the international community.

Tharoor answered in the affirmative when asked if India's stature in the world arena would take a hit if the Rohingyas were deported.
In a ruling set to benefit thousands of working women across India, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has said that temporary or ad hoc employees are also entitled to maternity leave and pregnancy benefits.

The landmark verdict came on a petition filed by one Anuradha Arya, a 'guest teacher' at Government Girl's Senior Secondary School, West Patel Nagar.

Arya challenged the school's denial of benefits to her and the termination (communicated to her orally) of her employment after she took leave to have a child.

A tribunal said that ad hoc employees are now entitled to maternity leave (file pic)

Most women 'expecting' a child and working on ad-hoc/temporary contracts are forced to quit their jobs under the impression that they are not entitled to six months' of maternity leave pay.

But Anuradha showed courage to take her case to court, which very few do.

The school had cited service rules to say that six month of paid maternity leave was available only to regular teachers and not to ad-hoc/temporary/contract teachers.

But deciding in favour of Arya at the end of the two-year legal battle, CAT judge Praveen Mahajan said the request for maternity benefit had to be dealt on a different footing.

The CAT based its ruling on a Supreme Court judgment of 2000 which said that women who constitute almost half of the segment of the society have to be honoured and treated with dignity in cases where they work to earn their livelihood.

'To become a mother is the most natural phenomenon in the life of a woman.

'Whatever is needed to facilitate the birth of child to a woman who is in service, the employer has to be considerate and sympathetic towards her and must realise the physical difficulties which a working woman would face in performing her duties at the workplace while carrying a baby in a womb or while rearing up the child after birth,' the SC had said.

A teacher from West Patel Nagar was denied benefits for pregnancy leave (file pic)

Arya had joined the school on September 15, 2014 and her appointment was renewed in July 2015.

At that time her pregnancy was at an advanced stage. Her request for maternity leave was rejected by the principal.

She later submitted several representations to other school authorities. Arya was advised complete bed rest by her doctor.

Under the circumstances, while she awaited response from school authorities, she was left with no option other than taking maternity leave.

But she was worried that the academic session was about to come to end and the school would start engaging ad-hoc teachers for the next academic session of 2016-17.

Directing the school to consider her claim and reinstate her to the post of guest teacher with all consequential benefits, including back wages, judge Mahajan said: 'I am of the view that benefits of maternity leave with full salary cannot be denied to a female employee appointed on contractual basis.

'The applicant is entitled to maternity leave.'

'The applicant may be allowed to resume service as a guest teacher in terms of her original engagement letter dated July 7, 2015.

'The school shall also give the back wages to the applicant with effect from December 1, 2015 till the disposal of this application with all consequential benefits for the academic year 2015-2016,' said the court.
United States secretary of state Rex Tillerson's recent speech on India at the CSIS, Washington DC, does not say anything new or original on Indo-US relationship.

Which is all for the good, for the positive remarks made by President Donald Trump in August 22 and Tillerson's speech indicate that India, unlike other friends and allies, will not see much turbulence in its ties with the world's greatest power.

Rhetoric apart, Tillerson's remarks are part of a continuity of Indo-US ties, going back to the 1990s when the US initiated its military-to-military relationship with India, pivoted upon the US Pacific Command.

Good vibes, but stalemate: President Donald Trump (right) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House

From there, despite, the Indian nuclear tests, there was a short hop to the point in March 2005, where three senior US officials speaking on background said that the US had taken the decision 'to help India to become a major world power in the twenty-first century.'

Nuclear deal

This was followed in July 2005 by the framework Indo-US nuclear deal which cleared the Indo-US table of a great deal of clutter arising out American embargoes on India on account of its nuclear weapons programme.

And yet another step would bring us to the January 2015 US-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region signed in New Delhi on the occasion of President Obama's visit.

Hug it out: Modi and Trump embrace

It was this administration's secretary for defense Ashton Carter who put his personal stamp in pushing Indo-US defence cooperation to a higher level.

Much of what Tillerson had to say is along policy guidelines set by the administrations that pre- ceded Trump.

And the sum total does not as yet amount to much, the rhetoric vastly exceeds the reality, so do our differing interests in countries like China, Pakistan and Iran.

India has not yet got any cutting-edge military technologies, the nuclear deal has not borne the fruits that it promised.

True, US shale oil has begun to flow into India, a symbolic act whose value is in giving us some leverage in terms of price negotiations with the big Gulf sellers.

Pakistan factor

As for ties with Pakistan, the US continues to view it as an important element in the fight against Taliban.

Tillerson's somewhat effusive remarks could well have been aimed at softening Islamabad prior to his visit there.

The essence of US South Asia policy articulated by President Trump in his speech of August 22 was the need to win in Afghanistan by leaning on Pakistan.

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, held a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House

This has played well in India which does have a supporting role in the process.

Tillerson, and earlier Trump's friendly remarks on India, are certainly to be welcomed with a wariness that would accompany any dealing with the erratic Trump administration.

It is the US itself which has weakened the architecture of its Asia-Pacific policy by pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Further, in undermining the Iran nuclear deal, the US could be putting India in a spot vis-a-vis the important Chah Bahar project.

Indeed, the one ongoing weakness of the Indo-US engagement remains that it is limited to the eastern region.

Tillerson, and earlier Trump's friendly remarks on India, are certainly to be welcomed with a wariness that would accompany any dealing with the erratic Trump administration

There is virtually no conversation, and no reference in the Tillerson speech to the shared interests, or otherwise, in the Persian Gulf, which is by far the most important external region for India, for reasons that don't need to be repeated here.

Tillerson has made some important and positive suggestions such as the need to develop an alternate framework to China's One Belt One Road in the form of creating alternate financing mechanisms.

Given his reference to the low volume of intra-South Asian trade, America could, perhaps, take the initiative to persuade Pakistan to open its transport networks and markets to South Asian trade.

Cautious approach

All said, however, the United States simply lacks the money, especially in the scale of 'predatory' China to provide muscle to any scheme.

So, India needs to be cautious, but not to the point of doing nothing. Instead, it should develop a strategy of identifying and pursuing specific goals with the US and creating opportunities to exploit the generally positive American attitude towards India.

There is, though, need to guard against the hubris of trying to use the US to score points with Pakistan or China.

The evolving balance of power in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region cannot but be affected by the continuing rise of China, where its economic expansion is now being followed by its military.

Given our problems with Chinathe border and Pakistan it is important for us to work with coalitions which will check Chinese power.

The US is an important here, but so is Japan and some countries of the ASEAN.

It's in our interest to use these relationships to protect and further our national interests; equally, we should ensure we do not end up furthering some one else's interests.
A modern wood burner is more efficient than many central heating systems and far more appealing to look at than a traditional white radiator.

According to the National Association of Chimney Sweeps, the number of stoves being installed each year has more than doubled over the past decade.

The appeal is not just about installing a middle-class fashion statement.

According to British stove manufacturer Charnwood, regular use of a wood burner can knock a third off fuel bills, providing savings of at least 400 a year.

Toby Walne and his children Harrison and Sophia are fans of their wood burner

There is a huge range of stoves to choose from, ranging in price from 500 to more than 2,000.

A key consideration is how much heat it will pump out.

Paul Chesney, founder of London-based stove and fireplace maker Chesneys, says: Years ago you had to live in the countryside to enjoy a wood burner, but technological improvements mean they can also provide a great heating solution in many town and city homes.

New environmental standards for particle emissions come into force in 2022 aimed at creating a cleaner atmosphere.

Already, stove manufacturers are rolling out eco-friendly burners with a Stove Industry Alliance Eco Design-ready stamp of approval. T

hese reduce particle emissions by 90 per cent compared to an open fire and 80 per cent compared to an old stove.

Dealers such as Stovesonline offer kilowatt calculators that enable you to put in the dimensions of your room  they then suggest a suitable type of stove. A 5 kilowatt stove may suit a 10ft square room, while a 10 kw fire may be roasting.

Most important of all is that the chimney is safe to use. You should budget at least 1,500 to clean, line and install a metal flue pipe.

Then there is the cost of the fuel. You can choose either a wood burner or multi-fuel stove. Wood burners tend to be more efficient while multi-fuel allows you to use coal as well as wood.

As a rule of thumb, you might spend between 10 and 15 a week on logs if you have a fire every night. A cubic metre delivery of wood might cost from 60, with three loads keeping you warm for a year.

Owen Pacey owner of fireplace emporium Renaissance says a fireplace is a feature at the heart of a home

The appeal of a natural fire is far more than just aesthetic. It can also prove a shrewd investment. A fireplace can add as much as five per cent to the value of your home, thanks to its wow factor.

It can also save you money. While energy firms have been hiking up the price of gas and electricity by 10 per cent or more this year, the cost of fireplaces has remained constant.

Even though the cost of firewood and coal has risen in line with other energy prices, you can get your logs for free if you have both access and permission to cut woodland trees.

Owen Pacey is owner of fireplace emporium Renaissance based in the City of London. He says top quality Victorian reproductions and porcelain log fires provide enthusiasts with a wide range of cost-effective options.

Robbie Williams is a fan of fire places

He adds: A fireplace is a feature that sits right at the heart of the home. Invest wisely and you will more than recoup your money. You will get something that is not only visually appealing but it will help heat up your home. An original marble fireplace surround may cost 1,500 while a quality reproduction will set you back at least 1,000.

On top, you will need an insert fitting  an original metal horseshoe insert costs around 1,000 if antique or 500 new. A freestanding grate to fit inside costs a further 150.

Owen says: Open fires are not big environment polluters and are perfectly safe if you know what you are doing. Those in towns and cities can use smokeless fuel or adapt the fire so it looks just like the real thing but is a clean eco-friendly alternative.

He points out that a top of the range gas fire with porcelain logs can cost 1,500 and looks just like a natural fire. It is ideal for urban living, adding heat without the need to stock up on fuel. Among the celebrities that have bought fireplaces from Renaissance in recent years are Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, actress Kate Winslet  and Robbie Williams, who sang Relight My Fire with Take That.

How to find firewood and save money

Vincent Thurkettle: The woodman says that cutting wood is a' larder of future joy'

There is a primitive appeal in staring into the flickering flames of a crackling fire.

Vincent Thurkettle, woodman and author of The Wood Fire Handbook, says: Mankind has enjoyed fires for as long as we have existed  there are few equals to the pleasure of blazing logs. Fun can also be found in foraging for firewood.

Foraging is a great source of free wood  but you must ask permission from a landowner before either felling a tree or cutting up a fallen tree on private land.

A chainsaw, sharp felling axe and bow saw will help but it is essential you know how to use them safely. Wear safety goggles and gloves. When a tree is chopped down the wood may comprise 60 per cent water. It is therefore important to ensure it is left to season.

This might mean storing it outside in a well-ventilated woodpile or shed for at least a year before burning.

Ash is one of the best burners because of its low moisture content. Other popular woods for burning include beech, birch and aromatic cherry.

Well-dried oak is great for slow burning. Conifer burns well but it has resins that spit and leave sooty chimney deposits.

For those who do not want to get their hands dirty, a local log supplier is the best option. It is cheaper buying in bulk  especially if the wood is freshly cut and unseasoned.

Thurkettle says: Freshly cut wood should be viewed as a larder of future joy.

Wood should be cut into logs before it has dried out, but rather than use a sharp axe you should opt for a splitting maul.

A short-handled axe can be used for making kindling  thin sticks to start a fire. This can save you a small fortune compared with buying kindling in bags.

You can also save money on firelighters by making your own. Thurkettle suggests orange peel as an alternative. It must be put on a baking tray in your oven on a low heat until it is dried.

The oils in the peel provide flashes of fire that help ignite kindling. Another free firelighter option is silver birch bark.

Logs are usually preferred to coal as an efficient heat source, although coal will usually burn for longer.

An alternative free fuel is paper packed together in a briquette maker.

These devices cost about 20 and create briquettes from old newspapers, packaging, junk mail and even dried teabags.

Wood briquettes can be used as an alternative to logs. Providers such as Wood Fuel Co-operative sell them in 10kg packs from 3.
TV star and businessman Noel Edmonds is a high profile victim of problems at a big bank

There is virtually not a day that goes by without my receiving a letter, telephone call or email from an entrepreneur who believes they are a victim of their bank.

On some days, the complaints pile in.

A few days ago I sat down with one businesswoman and was horrified to listen to how she had fought for more than a decade, how she had lost her marriage and her house and been reduced to staying temporarily in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Noel Edmonds, who told us how he lost his Unique business group after dealing with a convicted fraudster at the notorious HBOS Reading branch, has been deluged by people who have had similar experiences.

The banks are now much safer than they were before the meltdown.

The Bank of England is bringing in a new regime to ensure taxpayers will never again be forced to spend billions of pounds bailing out failed lenders.

Bosses found guilty of reckless banking will face jail; lenders are required to have more capital as a cushion when times are tough, and the banks have been fined to within an inch of their lives for money-laundering, mis-selling and other malfeasance.

(Though perhaps they still havent learned their lesson, as Standard Chartered and HSBC are facing an investigation over whether they acted as a conduit for dirty money in South Africa.)

Amid all the attempts to clean out the stables, the treatment of small and medium firms is a glaring piece of unfinished business.

The banks were reluctant even to admit there is a problem until the men at the core of the HBOS Reading scandal were sentenced to jail.

There is shockingly little accountability. Lending to small firms is not regulated, and the Financial Ombudsman can only deal with the very smallest companies, and even then only to a limited extent, with a very low ceiling on the value of claims.

A significant number of companies have no recourse at all other than going to law. That is prohibitive for most, which is why The Mail on Sunday is campaigning for an independent tribunal or a credible ombudsman for small firms.

We have garnered widespread support. Even the banks themselves accept something must be done, though some are arguing merely for an extension to the existing Financial Ombudsman.

That would be highly unsatisfactory.

The current ombudsman is geared to individuals, not firms, and there is a huge difference.

Trying to rectify the damage is like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again... a properly skilled and staffed ombudsman or tribunal is the only answer

Business claims are often highly complicated; the sums of money are larger; more specialist expertise is needed to deal with them; and the impact on the individuals concerned is often life-changing. Trying to rectify the damage is like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again.

A properly skilled and staffed ombudsman or tribunal is the only answer  just tacking small firms on to the existing ombudsman and hoping for the best would be a sop to the banks. It takes guts to go into business, but it can be a hugely positive force.

I know this from my own grandmother, who was born into poverty as one of 17 children and put into service in her early teens.

She transformed the lives of her children and grandchildren by becoming an entrepreneur, opening a fish and chip shop with her cousin Sarah to cater for hungry steelworkers in a rough part of Middlesbrough.

As soon as I could count, I was drafted in to tot up the takings on the living room floor, where I would try to stack the coins in neat piles before my baby brother could crawl round and knock them over.

Entrepreneurship is social mobility in action.

Thats just one reason we shouldnt allow even one more family business to be brought low by the banks.
Anyone investing in a new venture capital trust  or a new share issue by an existing trust  gets a big tax incentive to do so. They receive 30 per cent tax relief on their contribution.

So a 10,000 investment will cost them only 7,000. In the current year, the maximum that can be invested is 200,000. Investing in an existing trust  other than through a new issue of shares  does not qualify an investor for tax relief, though it does count towards their 200,000 annual limit.

The tax relief does not come without conditions. It has to be paid back if an investor sells their holding within five years.

Investors in new venture capital trusts can receive 30 per cent tax relief on contributions

On the surface, the 30 per cent relief on offer does not compare favourably with the 40 or 45 per cent relief available on investments into a pension fund for higher and additional-rate taxpayers.

But recent clampdowns on the amount high earners can put into a pension have pushed some towards venture capital trusts.

These restrictions include a reduction in the size of pension fund that someone can accumulate  the so-called lifetime allowance  before the Government applies tax charges of up to 55 per cent on any excess. This now stands at 1 million, compared with 1.8 million seven years ago.

They also embrace a cut in the amount additional-rate taxpayers can put into a pension every year  in some cases from 40,000 (the maximum for all taxpayers) to as little as 10,000.

The Government may also introduce further restrictions on pension saving next month in the Budget.

Hollands says: The Government is making it more difficult for high earners to fund pensions.

As a result these taxpayers are looking at other legitimate ways to invest in a tax-friendly way. Some are utilising their annual Isa allowance of 20,000. Others are being drawn to venture capital trusts by the tax relief on offer.

The other tax advantages of a VCT

There are other tax attractions associated with venture capital trusts.

Dividends are tax-free, as are any capital gains made from investing in a trust. Indeed, the dividend payments can look favourable against those available from other investments.

This is because the trusts are able to distribute part of any profit from holdings they sell to shareholders as income. It leads to a high but lumpy dividend.

Investing in venture capital trusts is not without its risks or drawbacks.

The underlying investments are unproven businesses that are prone to failure, resulting in disappointing returns for trust investors.

But a number of venture capital trust managers, including Albion, Downing, Mobeus and NVM Private Equity, have built proven track records of picking more winners than losers.

Five of the top venture capital trusts can yield excellent cash rewards

VCT investing does not come cheap

Given the research involved in searching out potential investments  and then monitoring them  venture capital trusts carry high initial and annual charges.

These can be mitigated by investing through a broker such as Tilney or Chelsea Financial Services.

Selling trust shares can also prove difficult as a result of the thinness of the market  there are few buyers and sellers.

There is also a danger that the current tax breaks may soon be curtailed  a fact that part explains the recent splurge in new trust share issues.

The Treasury has been looking at ways in which more start-up businesses can be encouraged to thrive through long-term investment  so-called patient capital. One suggestion is the setting-up of a national investment fund that would back new companies.

The Chancellor is expected to announce more details in next months Budget. But one consequence of the review could be changes to tax relief.

It is 50:50, says Darius McDermott, managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, though I would not encourage anyone to invest in a trust just because a tax break is threatened. The investment case has to be robust.
According to a statement released by the presidency, El-Sisi received during the meeting detailed reports on the incident.

The interior ministry has said 16 policemen were killed and 13 were injured in a shootout with terrorist in Egypts Western Desert. The ministry also said that 15 terrorist were killed or injured in the attack.

El-Sisi said in the meeting that "war against terror has a different nature than organized warfare." He also commanded the armed forces and police for saving Egypt over the past years from meeting the same fate of countries plagued with terrorism, the presidency statement said.

"These heroes have set an example in bravery and dedication to their homeland, and their sacrifices will not go in vain," El-Sisi said, according to the statement.

He also called on officials to exert all possible efforts to capture the terrorist elements involved in the shootout.

"Egypt will keep confronting terrorism as well as those who fund and stand behind it with everything in its power [] until it is exterminated," El-Sisi added.

The interior ministry said on Saturday the shootout lasted for hours after security forces attempted to raid a hideout of terrorists, who were armed with heavy weapons.

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In the past fortnight, defence and aerospace specialist BAE Systems has announced plans to cull its workforce by almost 2,000; automotive and aerospace group GKN has issued a profits warning following two legal claims from clients; and Bombardier has been caught up in a bitter trade row with US aircraft giant Boeing, resulting in a controversial deal with Airbus.

So it is perhaps unsurprising that Velocity Composites, a supplier to the aircraft industry, has had a disappointing market debut. The company listed on AIM in May at 85p. Today, the shares are 84p.

This performance should change. Velocitys business is designed to help aircraft makers in the current environment, prospects are good and the share price ought to respond in the coming months.

Buyer: The A380 makes extensive use of composites produced by Velocity

Traditionally, planes have been made from aluminium, but in recent times, more and more metal has been replaced by sophisticated, carbon-based composite materials, which are extremely strong, durable and light.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the double-decker Airbus 380 make extensive use of carbon composites, and these are expected to become increasingly prevalent in aircraft.

Lighter planes use less fuel, they are quieter, more environmentally friendly and can fly further. But composites are expensive and aircraft makers are under pressure to cut costs.

Enter Velocity Composites. Founded by three materials experts, including chief executive Jon Bridges, the business supplies ready-made composite kits to the aerospace industry. End-users include Boeing and Airbus, but the companys immediate customers are their suppliers, such as BAE and GKN.

These firms are constantly asked to produce more for less and Velocity can help them do that. Focusing exclusively on making complete composite kits, the group can supply customers with finished parts faster and cheaper than they can create them themselves.

Bridges suggests cost savings range from 10 to 50 per cent and Velocity can finish the job about 20 per cent faster too.

Speed is important. Some players in the industry are suffering, but the outlook for air travel is strong, fleets are expected to grow by about 90 per cent over the next 20 years and demand for new planes is rising. As such, suppliers need to be cost-effective and productive, playing to Velocitys strengths.

The group was set up in 2007 and has grown steadily with no external funding until the recent flotation. To date, Bridges has focused on the UK, but having raised 9 million-plus in May, the firm intends to expand across Europe, before looking to the US and Asia.

Velocitys financial year ends on October 31 and analysts expect maiden profits of about 500,000, with a possible dividend of 0.1p.

But next year, profits are expected to soar to 3.8 million, and to 6 million in 2019. The firm hopes to invest most of its spare cash in future growth, but dividends of 1.3p and 2.7p are pencilled in for 2018 and 2019.

Midas verdict: Velocity is neatly placed to address the demands on aircraft makers. This should become increasingly clear over time, so investors who buy at todays price should be well rewarded.

Traded on: AIM

Ticker: VEL Contact: velocity-composites.com or 01282 577577
Money boss: Doug Lawson is one of Amati UK's three managers

Edinburgh-based Amati Global Investors is a boutique investment house that does not set out to be all things to all people. Its focus is on smaller companies, plain and simple.

From its prestigious Charlotte Square address, its three-strong investment team, packed with experience, goes in search of the success stories of the future.

Embryonic firms that will sit in one of two venture capital trusts that they manage.

Or slightly more mature businesses that will help form the core of the Amati UK Smaller Companies fund.

That focus is reaping rewards, judging by the performance of the fund.

A mere 4 million in size five years ago, it now has 86 million of assets under its wing and the returns look impressive.

Over the past three years, only one UK smaller companies fund  Old Mutual UK Smaller Companies Focus  has made better gains.

Doug Lawson, one of the three managers, says the objective is to look for high-quality companies that will grow irrespective of the macroeconomic backdrop.

We are both benchmark and economy agnostic as managers, he says.

Indeed, if you worried about the state of the economy, you could have spent the past ten years sitting on the sidelines as an investor. What a mistake that would have been.

The company named after a famous 16th Century Italian violin makers is one of the most successful UK smaller companies fund.

The fund holds about 60 stocks, with market values ranging from 23 million (Georgian Mining) to 4.7 billion (Just Eat).

More than 60 per cent are listed on the AIM market. Sometimes a firm previously held in one of the two venture capital funds is so successful that it makes the jump into the investment fund.

Recent examples include Keywords Studios, which provides technical services to the computer gaming industry, and Accesso, which supplies ticketing technology to theme parks.

Though the portfolio is devoid of the usual big names, it does have holdings in upmarket mixer maker Fevertree Drinks and online fashion group boohoo.com.

The other managers are Paul Jourdan and David Stevenson. Like Lawson, they monitor firms within specific stock market sectors, but no investment decisions are taken without agreement.

We are equally responsible for the funds performance, says Lawson, and we like to think that by debating potential buys and sells, we avoid most mistakes. Another control is that no holding can represent more than five per cent of the funds portfolio.

Past career: Paul Jourdan; one of the three managers at Amati UK, was a professional violinist

This year, AIM-listed wealth manager Mattioli Woods bought a 49 per cent stake in Amati Global Investors. Lawson insists that nothing has changed as a result and that the Amati name will live on. He says Mattioli will enable it to cope better with the regulatory headwinds faced by all fund management groups.

As for the Amati brand, it stems from Jourdans love of music. Before he cut out a career in fund management with Edinburgh-based Stewart Ivory (now part of First State Investments) and then Noble Fund Managers, he was a professional violinist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

When Jourdan engineered a buyout of Noble in 2010, he renamed it Amati after the famous 16th Century Italian violin makers. Indeed a violin adorns its website.

Paul concentrates on fund management these days, says Lawson, although he has been known to get out his violin at the office Christmas party.
Debenhams chief executive Sergio Bucher has embarked on a major overhaul of the companys strategy to bring more excitement into its stores up and down the country.

The former Amazon fashion executive plans to reduce clutter by cutting the amount of stock on the shop floor.

He has also begun a review of the companys store estate to adapt to the era of the internet shopper.

Sergio Bucher plans to reduce the clutter by cutting the amount of stock on the shop floor

Right-sizing stores  finding ways to reduce the size of the bigger ones as the company sells more online  is a key part of his strategy.

Debenhams is also seen as too reliant on long-serving designer ranges such as John Rocha, Jasper Conran and Ben de Lisi.

Bucher, who took over at Debenhams exactly one year ago, says the store in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, which opened in August, is the test bed for his ideas.

It is bursting with colour, has wide walkways and dozens of staff have been dispatched from the back rooms to the shopfloor with a mission to help customers.

Stock on the floor has been cut by more than 20 per cent and replenishment systems reworked to cope with faster demands.

Its food outlets, Patisserie Valerie, Nandos and Costa, are easily visible from its entrances and account for 20 per cent of revenue  many times that of a standard store. This concept store has also become one of the top three Debenhams branches by womenswear sales.

He has met the managers of 40 outlets and asked them to take lessons from Stevenage back to their shops to help lift sales.

Sergio Bucher is proud of Debenhams heritage Sergion Bucher, formerly at Amazon, Puma and Zara-owner Inditex, is a newcomer to British retail. He responds with a blank look at a mention of the popular 1970s TV sitcom Are You Being Served?, which featured slapstick service at the fictitious Grace Brothers department store. Bucher says he is proud of Debenhams and happy to wear its clothes, adding: We have an incredible heritage. But there are a lot of old habits, not only in Debenhams, but in the retail industry in the UK in general. He entered the business world after taking a degree in engineering in applied mathematics in Switzerland. Rarely seen without the Rolex watch that belonged to his Swiss father, Bucher and partner Rafael often travel, have a house in Ibiza and a Jack Russell terrier  partly chosen because, at less than 8kg in a carrying bag, it can be transported on plane trips around Europe. He adds: My partner used to work in retail as well. You are going to laugh but one of my hobbies is shopping.

The Swiss-Spanish 53-year-old pulls no punches when he describes his reaction on his first day last October. Where do I start? he says in his first major interview ahead of his maiden annual results on Thursday.

Stores were stuffed with stock to the point that shoppers told him they could not find what they were looking for. They were also painfully formulaic, ignoring local differences in age or affluence.

Worse, they were saving all the most fashionable and exciting products for the biggest stores, so the smaller ones were left with more basic ranges.

His visits to new stores did not impress him. It was basically same old with a fresh layer of paint, he says, looking aghast. He immediately called a halt to all development work. Then, just before Christmas, he called in the team working on the new store in Stevenage and told them to tear up plans and start again. I said: Hey guys, were redesigning the store. The initial reaction was, We cant, because were already building it. I said, Ok, read my lips: were redesigning it. 

Many of the shops  sources cite locations Nottingham and Coventry  are long overdue an overhaul.

But retail analysts say Debenhams stint under private equity ownership has left it perennially short of the big money it would need to fund a full makeover.

But Bucher insists all 165 stores at the 2.3 billion chain remain profitable and that finances are solid. He adds: One of the things I learned at Amazon is that its not just about making things pretty.

Its about making the company operate in a very reliable way. It is not necessarily about being ground-breaking.
Investment in the car industry is on course to crash by half this year with major manufacturers drastically cutting back amid Brexit uncertainty.

Vauxhall has already put the brakes on decisions relating to UK investment and there are growing fears that Ford may be preparing to follow suit.

Last year saw 1.66 billion invested in the industry, but figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), seen by The Mail on Sunday, show just 647.4 million of investment has been tracked by the body so far this year. A significant shortfall is now expected on last years total.

Vauxhall will be slashing 400 of its 1,800 jobs in Cheshire by Christmas due to a drop in demand

Vauxhall revealed last week it would be slashing 400 of 1,800 jobs at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire by Christmas, citing falling customer demand. And despite the company saying it is committed to the site, industry sources have suggested more UK cuts could be on the way.

Workers are nervously awaiting news on whether it will continue to make the Astra at Ellesmere Port from 2021.

The decision was expected by the end of this year but PSA Group  the French company which bought Vauxhall this year  has said it is not in a position to consider future investments, in part because it does not have enough visibility on the future trading relationship with the EU.

One senior industry source said: I think there will be some bigger decisions to come from PSA and quite possibly  or even probably  that would involve some plant closures.

I hope to goodness theyre not in the UK, but at the moment the uncertainty around Brexit is not helping.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: What were hearing anecdotally is that manufacturers are waiting as long as they can to see what the relationship is going to be with our biggest market, he said. The indications I have are that some investors are sitting on their hands.

The SMMT has warned that a hard Brexit  under which the UK would have to trade with the EU under World Trade Organisation rules  would cost the industry an extra 2.7 billion a year on imports and 1.8 billion on exports.

The Unite union is also worried about jobs at Fords plant in Bridgend, South Wales, where 1,765 workers are based. The future of the factory was thrown into doubt last month when the US carmaker confirmed that a contract to make engines for Jaguar Land Rover would be terminating early  in September 2020.

David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at Aston Business School in Birmingham, said he was concerned that Ford had yet to commit to replacing this contract and safeguarding jobs.

A Vauxhall employee works on a production line at the car factor in Ellesmere Port

Nothing has been announced to replace it in terms of a sizeable engine production, Bailey told The Mail on Sunday. I would have expected that to have been announced by now and I think the uncertainty around Brexit has played into that.

Steve Nash, chief executive of the Institute of the Motor Industry, said future UK motor industry investment would almost inevitably go into reverse without an EU deal.

Pro-Brexit economist Gerard Lyons said it was not a surprise that the auto sector is pressing the Government on tariff-free access. But he added that the Government could ease adjustment costs for the industry using savings from leaving the EU.

He said: Of the areas that trade with the EU, naturally its the auto sector that has greater concerns, because the nature of the Customs Union was always to protect the auto industry across Europe.
A former public schoolboy has been named as the alleged mastermind behind a multi-million pound property development fraud, according to High Court papers.

Charles Cunningham, whose time at Eton overlapped with Prince Williams, has been identified in court papers as controlling a series of companies used to defraud Asian investors of millions of pounds by enticing them with UK developments that were never completed.

The son of a City financier, Mr Cunningham, whose brother Rupert is friends with some of Prince Harrys inner circle, lives in a large country estate in North Wales with his wife. The couple boast a whos who of society contacts.

Charles Cunningham has been identified in court papers as controlling companies used to defraud Asian investors by enticing them with UK developments that were not completed

Mr Cunningham, 38, flatly denies all the allegations and has said that he is confident that a High Court hearing will overturn the freezing order which was brought by the liquidator of Absolute Living Developments.

He has been accused of being one of the masterminds behind ALD, which offered five large development projects in northern England that were marketed to investors in the Far East and South-East Asia.

But in April 2016 the company, which boasted developments in Runcorn, Manchester and Bradford, went into liquidation.

ALD is one of a raft of UK property companies that have become mired in controversy in Asia. Hong Kong investors and politicians have accused the UK authorities and police of turning a blind eye to multi-million pound fraud.

Hong Kong politicians have reported ALD to the Serious Fraud Office and have also asked the Chinese government to protect the interests of Chinese investors in UK property projects. The news comes as Beijing attempts to slow down the outflow of capital from the country.

Liquidator Louise Brittain was recently granted a 14.5 million freezing order in the High Court, designed to prevent steps to dissipate or secrete assets from ALD by Mr Cunningham and a business partner.

In her High Court affidavit in support of the order, the liquidator said she had discovered that a substantial proportion of the monies owed and/or paid to ALDhad been wrongfully diverted to three companies, named as DS7, Gozon and EPG Manlet.

China has been asked to protect the interests of its investors in the UK

Brittain states that the three companies form part of a complex structure of entities under the control of Mr Cunningham and his alleged business partner, which, she claims, has been used to defraud investors (most of whom are based in Hong Kong and Malaysia).

Mr Cunningham told The Mail on Sunday: These monies were not wrongfully diverted and a forensic report is currently being prepared which will establish the exact payments and the legitimacy of those payments made by these companies. ALD, set up in 2013 to market properties, is linked to a Salford-based company called Fresh Start Living. In 2011, Mr Cunningham was brought in as the face of FSL, but the firm went bankrupt in 2013 with debts of more than 2 million.

Mr Cunningham, whose ancestors include baronets and a Founding Father of the American constitution, has a social media profile showing that he is Facebook friends with Ben Vestey, a close friend of Prince William, and Edward Guinness, a scion of the brewing family.

In April 2016, Mr Cunningham bought a large Georgian country house in North Wales for more than a million pounds. It has played host to visiting literary giants Lord Byron, William Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott. Mr Cunningham told The Mail on Sunday: The freezing order is a cynical abuse of power. DS7 categorically refutes all claims and allegations made by Louise Brittain and it will challenge the injunction and debunk any allegations with the very facts and evidence that they have deliberately withheld.

In the court papers, the liquidator states that ALD would take 50 per cent of the purchase price usually before the company had even bought the property. Investors complain that the properties were never actually completed.

Mr Cunningham admitted that some had not been finished, but blamed a group of Malaysian businessmen who he claimed were the ultimate owners of ALD.
The world's boniest friend has helped an intellectually disabled Sydney girl overcome crippling shyness and become one of the most popular kids in her school.

Amelie, 12, adopted a life-sized Halloween skeleton as her best friend two years ago and the pair have been inseparable ever since.

Hugo Sebastian Wellington III joined the family as a Halloween prop at Amelie's home in Sydney, that is until the youngster, then aged 10, decided the bony figure would be her friend.

It took a five-foot skeleton called Hugo for 12-year-old Amelie to find her voice and confidence, both pictured

Her mother Alex told Daily Mail Australia she had laughed when she first saw her daughter interacting with the life-sized prop, not knowing he would become a permanent presence in the home.

'I remember walking into the room and seeing him sitting with her at the table writing,' Alex said.

'He was wearing a bright pink outfit - I don't even know where she found it - and then he just kept popping up doing things with her.

Amelie's life 'revolves around trying to be happy all the time' according to her mother, so the 'happy-go-lucky' attitude of her favourite skeleton is an easy fit for the busy family.

And because it wouldn't be fair to leave Hugo at home he is often out and about with Alex, Amelie and sometimes with the whole family.

The young girl, who has an intellectual disability, used to have crippling shyness in public and wouldn't talk to people.

But now with the security of her best friend Hugo she is speaking to people outside her own circle.

The young girl started dressing the skeleton around the house when she was 10 - but now he is part of the family and goes almost everywhere with them

Amelie's mother Alex said the young girl 'breathed life into the skeleton' but in turn he had 'brought life to her'

'The other day she was interacting with a policeman - he had broken the ice by talking about Hugo - she never would have done that before so it is really good to see.

'She may have breathed life into Hugo but he has breathed life into her as well.'

But she has also come out of her shell at school - when Hugo isn't around.

'Her teacher was shocked the other day when the kids were at the aquarium and Amelie was telling them all about the fish - and how she had been there a few times with Hugo,' Alex said.

Hugo is a big part of celebrations in the house, and has his own Instagram account so people can keep up with his busy life.

'We love Halloween so it is a big time for us, and Hugo at the moment,' Alex said.

The skeleton now has a huge following on Instagram - with daily photos added to keep fans in the loop

This bright pink shirt was the first shirt Amelie ever dressed Hugo in - it is now his workout wear

The skeleton goes on family outing, left at Eastern Creek, and even goes to work with Alex, pictured right

The young girl, now 12, has completely come out of her shell since he came to life

The skeleton is often seen around Sydney - seeing everything the city has to offer.

'We have been on more family outings since Hugo came along.

'It is great - it gives me a creative outlet but it is also a great way we get to spend time together.

'She is really engaged when we are talking about him or doing things with him.'

The skeleton has his own wardrobe in the house and 'loves to look fashionable and wear Doc Martins' according to Alex

The skeleton has 'more than 30 pairs' of the popular shoes - all picked up second hand

The skeleton is often pictures 'helping to cook in the kitchen and on the barbecue' this happens every Sunday

Amelie and Hugo pictured during a visit to the city together

The skeleton has an Instagram account with more than 14,000 followers.

'Amelie doesn't really care about the followers but she likes to talk about what he has done during the while she has been at school,' she said.

'And I get messages from other parents sometimes saying things like ''my son brushed his teeth today because Hugo did'', the nice comments keep me going.'

'Amelie doesn't really care about the followers but she likes to talk about what he has done during the while she has been at school,' Alex said

The family have been on more adventures in the past 18 months because of Hugo and Amelie's new-found confidence

The skeleton's clothes are usually found in second-hand shops and then altered to fit his bony form

Featherdale wildlife park is one of the family's favourite destinations - here Hugo is with a koala

The skeleton was brought to life about 18 months ago and has been a huge staple of family life ever since, he 'cooks dinner on Sundays' and goes to work with Alex.

'We take him on family holidays and out to dinner - some people look at us like we are weird but most people love it.'

The skeleton has his own wardrobe which includes 'nerdy t-shirts' and more than 30 pairs of Doc Martins.

Hugo often goes to the movies with Amelie - he is pictured here 'about to watch Pets together'

The 'happy-go-lucky' skeleton loves to dress up for special occasions - and loves coordinated outfits

The family have noticed such a great change in Amelie that they are going to keep up with Hugo's Instagram account for as long as possible

'He loves to make sure he is looking good,' Alex said.

A recent trip to see fire engines was a highlight for the family.

'Amelie really loves fireman Sam so that was pretty good,' she said.

The family have noticed such a great change in Amelie that they are going to keep up with Hugo's Instagram account for as long as possible.

One mother who keeps an eye on the skeletons page says Hugo helped her to convince her son to brush his teeth with this photo

The skeleton goes on holiday with Amelie's whole family including her brother, 18, mum and dad

The skeleton is pictured here during a public outing to the arcade - he is riding a horse at 'maximum speed' to win the race
An Oregon state senator has been stripped of his committee assignments because of 'ongoing workplace issues,' days after a senate colleague said she's been inappropriately touched by at least one member of the chamber.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Senate President Peter Courtney took the action Friday against Republican Sen. Jeff Kruse, discipline Courtney described as 'unprecedented.' The move takes away Kruse's ability to introduce and influence legislation.

The sanctions come days after Democratic Sen. Sara Gelser of Corvallis posted on Twitter that she had been subject to inappropriate touching by at least one Senate Republican.

Senate President Peter Courtney took the action Friday against Republican Sen. Jeff Kruse, discipline Courtney described as 'unprecedented.' The sanctions come after Democratic Sen. Sara Gelser (right) of Corvallis said on Twitter that she was touched by a Republican senator

When the newspaper asked Courtney whether Kruse was disciplined for inappropriate touching, Courtney said 'the personnel issues have been identified in this conversation.' He also confirmed that Kruse's previously known violation of smoking in his Capitol office was a factor.

Kruse, 66, said in an email, 'The inappropriate behavior I completely categorically deny. The smoking still is an issue that I will not deny.'

Kruse denied having inappropriately touched Gelser and said that, to the best of his knowledge, the sanctions he faces and Gelser's accusations of inappropriate touching are 'not connected.'

When the newspaper asked Courtney whether Kruse was disciplined for inappropriate touching, Courtney (pictured) said 'the personnel issues have been identified in this conversation.' He also confirmed that Kruse's previously known violation of smoking in his Capitol office was a factor.

Kruse, a farmer who was first elected to the Oregon House in 1996 and the Senate in 2004, faced fines last year for smoking cigarettes in his office despite being told not to do so by state regulators.

Gelser took to Twitter Monday after former Oregon Senate Republicans spokesman Jonathan Lockwood accused her of taking campaign donations from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexually harassing and abusing numerous women over decades.

Weinstein donated $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Oregon during the 1995-1996 election cycle, a decade before Gelser was elected to the Legislature.

On Twitter, Gelser said she had taken no such donations and asked Lockwood if he would make sure no member of the Senate Republican Caucus 'inappropriately touches or gropes' female lawmakers and staffers. Gelser later tweeted that sexual harassment occurs in the Capitol 'despite formal complaints.'
A sailor who rescued a miracle survivor of a fishing tragedy that has left six men presumed dead has spoken of the emotional moment he was pulled to safety.

Ruben McDornan, 32, was one of seven men aboard cucumber trawler 'Dianne' when it capsized off the Queensland town of Seventeen Seventy on Monday night.

Commercial fisherman Mal Priday and his wife Linda heard Mr McDornan's desperate cries for help as he entered his eighth hour treading water in horrendous seas.

'I'm not into hugging, but he gave me a hug I'll never forget,' Mr Priday told The New Daily.

Commercial fisherman Mal Priday and his wife Linda (pictured right together) heard Mr McDornan's (left) desperate cries for help as he entered his eighth hour treading water in horrendous seas

Mr McDornan and is wife Sammy are pictured on their wedding day in July last year

The sailor who rescued Mr McDornan (pictured) spoke of the emotional moment he was pulled to safety

'There was relief mixed with utter sadness and concern for his mates.'

Mr Priday said the exhausted fisherman's first words to his rescuers were: 'I'm just so happy to see you guys.'

Mr Priday, who was sailing with his wife Linda and two other crewmates, said it was a 'one in ten million' chance that they crossed paths with the sole known survivor.

'If there was a one or two degree change in course or if we were travelling at a different speed, we wouldn't have met him at the time we did,' he told the Whitsunday Times.

'There was relief mixed with utter sadness and concern for his mates,' Mr Priday (pictured) said

Queensland Police divers resume their search on Sunday for four fisherman after their trawler capsized and sank off the Queensland coast

Floral tributes are seen at the Seventeen Seventy Headland. The families of four fishermen presumed dead continue to wait for news about the fate of their loved ones

Mr McDornan, 32, was one of seven men aboard cucumber trawler 'Dianne' (pictured) when it capsized off the Queensland town of Seventeen Seventy on Monday night

'I've pulled people out of the water before but have never been in a situation like that in the middle of the ocean in rough conditions with a guy in the water saying come and get me.

'I'm not looking forward to it happening again either. The timing of the whole thing was remarkable.'

Mr McDornan's wife Sammy took to Facebook on Friday to thank her husband's rescuers after an emotional reunion.

'We got our boy back yesterday, and he is doing OK considering everything that has happened,' she wrote.

Police divers resumed their search of FV Dianne on Sunday morning after the bodies of two of the six missing men were retrieved on Saturday. A woman is seen looking over a floral tribute at the Seventeen Seventy Headlandon Sunday

Mr McDornan's wife Sammy (pictured) took to Facebook on Friday to thank her husband's rescuers after an emotional reunion

Mr McDornan and his wife Sammy embrace as they see each other for the first time since the tragedy

Eli Tonks (pictured with his fiancee Ana James) is one of six men presumed dead following the tragedy

'Our love, thoughts and hope are with our slugger families still without their boys, please keep them in your thoughts. Thank you all so very very much!'

Two bodies were recovered from the wheelhouse of the sunken vessel on Saturday. The search for the remaining four men resumed on Sunday morning.

Adam Bidner, 33, Chris Sammut, 34, Eli Tonks, 39, Zach Feeney, 28, Adam Hoffman, 30, and 45-year-old skipper Ben Leahy are presumed dead.

Gladstone Police Inspector Darren Somerville said the two bodies had been bought back to shore for identification.

The husband and wife are seen as they reunite following Mr McDornan's horrific ordeal

Pictured left is 30-year-old Adam Hoffman. He was one of the seven men on board the boat when it capsized. Right is Chris Sammut, also feared dead

The search for the remaining four men resumed on Sunday morning. Divers are pictured making their way to the wreckage

'There's a lot of debris including mattresses, fridges freezers, blankets, lifejackets - everything you'd expect to see on the inside of a boat, which makes it extremely difficult for the divers to see,' he said on Saturday.

'It's not the best scenario, we had hoped to clear the whole vessel today, that hasn't happened.'

Police used sonar equipment to locate the Dianne about two-to-three nautical miles off Round Hill Headland on Friday afternoon.

The vessel is about 30 metres underwater and was being guarded overnight with a 5km exclusion zone.

Inspector Somerville said the families of the missing men were being kept informed and were understanding of the difficulties facing divers.

Mr Priday (pictured) said the exhausted fisherman's first words to his rescuers were: 'I'm just so happy to see you guys'

Zachary Feeney (pictured left) and skipper 45-year-old skipper Ben Leahy (right) are thought to have died in the fishing accident
The owners of an Arizona ranch are desperately trying to sell the property where they claim they have been terrorized by aliens for the last 20 years.

John Edmonds and his wife Joyce say the aliens, which they call 'grays', have been attacking them for years on the property in Buckeye, Arizona.

John, 58, says he is left no choice but to slay them with one of many samurai swords he keeps around the house but claims their bodies vanish immediately afterwards, making it impossible for him to preserve them for research.

They first put their home on the market 11 years ago for $1.1million but, after appearing on television shows about the extra-terrestrial and finding stardom on chatrooms and internet hubs devoted to aliens, they have raised the price by almost $4million.

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The owners of Stardust Ranch in Buckeye, Arizona, are selling the 9 acre property for $5million because they say it is terrorized by aliens

John Edmonds, 58, claims he has slain 18 of the 'grays' with a samurai sword. His wife Joyce claims she is molested by the aliens in her sleep

This is a photo which Edmonds describes as 'actual undoctored' proof of the 'gray' ETs which terrorize them

Now they want $5million for the 9.67 acre property. They believe there is a portal which links them to another universe on the property which the 'grays' travel through.

Another of their theories is that a spaceship or UFO is buried beneath the property which was built in 1977.

He says the aliens pop up at random, sometimes in groups, to attack him. Fifty-three-year-old Joyce says the mischievous creatures have even sexually molested her in her bedroom.

The extra-terrestrial disturbance has not stopped them from running Hopeful Hooves, their horse-riding school for disabled children which they operate on-site, but the pair are now eager to move.

They make no secret of their experience in a realtor.com listing for the property which even uses it as a selling point.

While he has only one apparent picture of the aliens, Edmonds has taken others which he says shows the scene after he has killed them with one of the samurai swords he keeps on hand. He claims their bodies immediately vanish after they die

The sprawling 9-acre plot of Stardust Ranch in Buckeye. Its owners say there are portals to other universes which aliens use on the grounds

The owners say they first realized there was odd activity on the site when all of the furniture ended up in the pool on their first day there 20 years ago

Despite the fact that aliens, known as 'grays', roam the grounds, the couple say they are able to maintain the property as a functioning farm

They even run a horse rescue on the land and allow disabled children to spend time with the animals. The aliens, however, torture their horses by mutilating them, the couple said

The couple did not include any photographs of the interior of the home in their listing

One of the water features on the land. The owners say they want to take their horse business to Maine to escape the aliens

Edmonds claims he is left with odd and unexplainable injuries by the alients

'The current owners purchased the property 20 years ago to run a horse rescue.

'Over the years, they have experienced a series of strange events that continue to this day,' their realtor said.

Bizarrely, they did not include photographs of the house's interior on the listing.

John regularly complains about the aliens and the damage they inflict on him on Facebook

Over the last 20 years, Edmonds says he has killed 18 of the 'grays'. He claims he has been mutilated by them and that some of the animals on the property have also suffered inexplicable injuries.

When he and Joyce moved in 20 years ago, they were not told of any alien activity.

Their first clue came on the first day in the home, all of the old owner's furniture which had been left behind ended up in the pool.

John claims to have sent some of the tissue and blood to independent labs to be tested.

The couple previously appeared on Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel.
Distinctive similarities between alleged sexual assaults on boys by Sir Edward Heath helped convince police that they would be justified to question him under caution were he alive today, according to a leading human rights lawyer.

Officers found important idiosyncratic corroborating evidence against the former Tory Premier which was clearly not the product of collusion in cases spanning nearly 50 years and across Britain.

Danny Friedman QC saw secret evidence obtained by police investigating Sir Edward, who died in 2005.

Distinctive similarities between alleged sexual assaults on boys by Sir Edward Heath helped convince police that they would be justified to question him under caution were he alive today, according to a leading human rights lawyer

Mr Friedman, who was a scrutineer of the Operation Conifer inquiry into Sir Edward by Wiltshire Police, also defended the conduct of the forces Chief Constable, Mike Veale.

Mr Veale was passionately determined to get the inquiry right and led it with rigour, fairness and fearlessness, said Mr Friedman.

Emphasising the scale of the inquiry with 42 allegations involving 14 forces, he said: Of itself, that tells you something about the nature of the task, but also that the complaints emerged from different parts of the country, from people who were largely unconnected.

It explained why the inquiry concluded there were reasonable grounds to suspect that offences had been committed by Sir Edward in seven cases.

Danny Friedman QC (left) saw secret evidence obtained by police investigating Sir Edward, who died in 2005. Mr Friedman, who was a scrutineer of the Operation Conifer inquiry into Sir Edward by Wiltshire Police, also defended the conduct of the forces Chief Constable, Mike Veale (right)

Police had taken account of the credibility, character and vulnerability of the alleged victim, potential motive to deceive and risk of inadvertent error.

They had studied similarities in accounts to rule out the risk of collusion between complainants and to spot mutually corroborating idiosyncratic details that were important, precisely because they were not the product of prior collusion.

Last week's Mail On Sunday report

Mr Friedman said: In legal terms Sir Edward must be presumed innocent but after a process of investigation there would have been reasonable grounds to invite him to comment.

He denied that Mr Veale had lost control of the inquiry and that it did not simply sleep walk into saying Sir Edward would be treated as a suspect. It got there through a careful, albeit fearless, investigation.

Mr Friedman rejected claims that the inquiry was pointless as it was unable to say if Sir Edward was guilty.

The Mail on Sunday last week reported that Dr Elly Hanson, a leading expert on child sex abuse who took part in the investigation, said she would not have trusted him with children.
As MPs condemned the killing of 16 policemen in a shootout with terrorists on Friday, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told MPs on Sunday that declaring a new state of emergency is necessary to keep Egypt secure

In a brief statement before parliament on Sunday, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told MPs that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's decree issued 12 October declaring a new state of emergency across the country for three months comes in time to help the government fight terrorist attacks that aim to disrupt the nation's march towards development.

"The new state of emergency also comes after the country faced very hard and painful conditions in the last few days," said Ismail, noting that "a lot of policemen lost their lives while they were fighting terrorist elements, which have no interest but killing the people of this nation."

Ismail said "Egypt faces terrorism every time it moves towards securing achievements."

"Terrorist elements not only target the security of Egypt, but they also aim to disrupt the process of comprehensive development in this country," Ismail said.

"But let us say that the fact that terrorist operations target the development process shows that we are moving on the right path and will never be intimidated from doing so," he added.

Ismail said the cabinet had decided to approve El-Sisi's decree (decree 510/2017) declaring a new state of emergency across the country for three months.

"This decree is a necessary measure that many long-standing democratic countries have adopted in order to keep their security and stability intact and stand up to terrorist attacks, which aim to disrupt its civilized march," said Ismail.

He vowed that "the government will never resort to invoking any exceptional measures that might negatively affect the freedoms and rights of citizens."

Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal told MPs that the prime minister's statement on "the new state of emergency" will be referred to the House's General Committee to be discussed.

The committee is led by the speaker and includes his two deputies, heads of 25 committees and representatives of political parties and independents.

"The General Committee will prepare a report on Prime Minister Sherif Ismail's statement to be discussed and voted on in an afternoon session on Sunday," Abdel-Aal said.

"The discussion of PM Sherif Ismail's statement comes in line with article 154 of Egypt's 2014 constitution and Article 132 of parliament's internal bylaws," he added.

President El-Sisi's decree states that "in light of the dangerous security conditions facing the nation and after getting the cabinet's approval, the state of emergency will be declared across the country, beginning from 1am on the morning of Friday 13 October and for three months."

Article 2 states that the prime minister will be mandated with using the powers granted to the president of the republic in this respect and as prescribed by the emergency law (law no. 162/1958).

Article 3 states that violators will face prison sentences as prescribed by the emergency law.

Ismail's statement came after parliament devoted a one-hour session to discussing a shootout between terrorists and security forces that left 16 policemen killed after security mounted a raid on a terrorist hideout in the Western Desert on Friday.

Abdel-Aal told MPs, "The goal of these terrorist operations we see now and then is not just to kill police and military men, but also to make Egyptians lose trust in their country and to disrupt their morale."

"We should not allow them do this, and as they know they will never be able to disrupt this long-standing and ancient country, they hope that they will be able to destroy our trust in ourselves," he said.

"The new state of emergency acts as an effective tool in the country's long war against terrorism," he added.

The speaker also addressed those who might oppose the renewal of the state of emergency.

"While the country is living with delicate security conditions and as countries around us are facing the spectre of partition and disintegration, some among us reject declaring a new state of emergency," he said.

"They forget that many democratic countries came ahead of Egypt in imposing the state of emergency with a small difference  that is instead of imposing an emergency law, they resort to issuing what they call 'anti-terror laws', which are no different from the emergency law," Abdel-Aal said.

Alaa Abed, head of parliament's human rights committee, told MPs that "although the terrorist attack in the Western Desert claimed the lives of 16 policemen, as many as 300 police officers affiliated with the Central Security department of special operations have asked to join the fight against terrorists in North Sinai and the Western Desert."

"Security and army men sacrificed their lives during the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973, and they are ready to sacrifice more in the new war against terrorism," Abed added.

Magdi Malak, a Coptic MP, urged Egyptians to stay united behind their government.

"And we MPs are ready to give the government all possible support, in addition to approving the new state of emergency," Malak said.

Independent MP Mostafa Bakri accused foreign powers of using "what they call Islamists to spread chaos and disruption in Arab countries."

"While American and Zionist intelligence agencies have raised these Islamists, the state of Qatar is now sponsoring them to target Arab countries," Bakri said.

Salah Hassaballah, a member of the majority Support Egypt parliamentary bloc, said Egyptians have been facing a ferocious war of terrorism since they decided to rise up against the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 30 June 2013.

"We have recovered the nation from a terrorist organization on this date and we paid a dear price for this," Hassaballah said.

Independent MP Gamal Sherif was alone in calling for Interior Minister Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar to be summoned for questioning over Friday's incident in the Western Desert.

Osama Heikal, head of the Media, Culture and Antiquities Committee, said Egypt was engaged in a media war with elements intent on breaking the nation's morale.

"We are fighting an enemy from within, and this enemy bets that the longer the battle against terrorism, the better the chance that we will lose our nerve and morale and become despondent," Heikal said, announcing his approval of the new state of emergency.



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The Directors Guild of America has announced that it filed disciplinary charges against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

The Los Angeles-based union of film and television directors said on Saturday that it filed the charges on October 13, adding that federal labor laws prohibit it from comment further on the case.

Weinstein has already been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in recent weeks.

Dozens of women have come forward alleging decades of sexual misconduct by Weinstein.

The Directors Guild of America has announced that it filed disciplinary charges against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein (pictured in January)

The directors guild issued a statement condemning sexual harassment in general following a board meeting New York on Saturday.

'There must be no tolerance for such deplorable abuses of power,' the statement said. 'This isn't about one person. We must recognize sexual harassment is endemic in our society, and painfully, in our industry.'

The group added that 'every individual has the right to a safe workplace.'

DGA president Thomas Schlamme added in his own statement: 'As a man in this industry, I have a responsibility to not just condemn the actions of others, but to look inside myself.

'I ask all of us to do the same. Unless we recognize what has become so acceptable in our culture and how we possibly, even unconsciously, are participants, everything else will be meaningless.'

An attorney for Weinstein did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Television Academy, which bestows Emmy awards, said a disciplinary hearing set for November could lead to termination of his membership.

More than 40 women have accused the 65-year-old Weinstein of harassment or abuse.

Actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Lupita Nyong'o have accused Weinstein of harassment, while actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan said he raped them.

Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
Theresa May has been told by Brussels that she needs to face down Boris Johnson if she wants to start trade negotiations with the EU by the critical Christmas deadline.

The Prime Minister left a summit of EU leaders on Friday buoyed by their promise to start preparations for trade talks  on condition that she finally offers an acceptable sum for the divorce bill.

The supportive noises were part of an orchestrated effort by the EU to buttress Mrs Mays domestic position by putting a positive gloss on the deadlock.

They dread Mrs May being weakened so much that she is ousted by a hard Brexiteer such as Mr Johnson, who would be happy for the UK to crash out of the EU without a deal.

Take cover: Brussels has told Theresa May to defy Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

But last night Mrs May was warned by one of the most senior figures in the Brussels establishment that she had to defy Mr Johnson by making concessions before the next summit in December.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments chief negotiator, told The Mail on Sunday that Mrs May should call the bluff of the increasingly desperate Brexiteers and outline, once and for all, what kind of future relationship the country wants with the European Union.

He added: This may require Theresa May to face down Boris Johnson and others in her own party who refuse to accept the reality of the Brexit they campaigned for... Brexiteers failed to outline the extent of UK liabilities in Europe. Nevertheless, what is clear is that it will not be the taxpayers of the European Union who pay Britains bar bill.

The warning came as:

Brexit Secretary David Davis met anti-EU Labour MPs in private to beg them to help pass key Brexit legislation;

Government mandarins told Ministers that they will not agree to downplay the disruptive impact of a no-deal Brexit for political ends;

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable produced new research which claimed a no-deal Brexit would cost the country an estimated 430 billion over five years.

EU leaders made clear at the Brussels summit that unless Mrs May substantially increased the offer on the divorce bill, they will not give the green light to the trade talks at a crunch meeting in December. However, they insulated her from the harshest criticism by highlighting the fact that the EU was starting internal preparations for an EU-UK trade deal.

As the rate of diplomacy intensifies, Mr Davis will try to unlock the deadlock tomorrow by visiting Paris for Brexit talks with Emmanuel Macrons administration.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments chief negotiator, told The Mail on Sunday that Mrs May should call the bluff of the increasingly desperate Brexiteers

Business leaders have warned the Government that they cannot afford to wait any longer than the end of the year to start making contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit.

Publicly, Mrs May has so far only implied a willingness to pay a bill of around 18 billion.

Privately, however, her officials have long made clear that the negotiations will not be unblocked unless she offers between 40 billion and 50 billion  and she cannot continue to fudge the issue for much longer. Mr Johnson, who infuriated Mrs May by setting out his own Brexit blueprint last month just six days before Mrs May set out the Governments position in her Florence speech, thinks the bill should be no higher than 10 billion.

He also advocates a brief transition period and objects to the UK continuing to be yoked to the European Court of Justice post-Brexit.

It comes as Ministers have delayed the introduction of the EU Withdrawal Bill  which is intended to give practical effect to Brexit  while they study more than 300 amendments put down by MPs. They are particularly concerned about Tory support for a move to force a Commons vote on the final deal, which would effectively give MPs the right to block the option of leaving the EU without a deal. Tory whips are so concerned that they will lose the vote that Mr Davis has held meetings with anti-EU Labour MPs to urge them to vote with the Government.

It is likely to present MPs such as Bolsovers Dennis Skinner  a veteran, Tory-loathing Brexiteer  with an acute dilemma if the choice is between diluting Brexit or propping up a Conservative Government.

It has also emerged that civil servants have warned Ministers against playing down the risks of leaving the EU without a deal, pointing out that it will be extremely difficult to institute border control systems and post-Brexit IT projects in the 18 months remaining.

Some have taken to deliberately setting out their concerns in emails so that there is written evidence to exonerate them in the event of a subsequent inquiry.

Publicly, Theresa May has so far only implied a willingness to pay a bill of around 18 billion

Concern across Europe that Mrs May could be toppled by Mr Johnson may end up playing to his advantage, with pro-Brexit Tory MPs impressed by his ability to strike fear into foreign ministries.

The antipathy to him is particularly acute in Germany and France, where they fail to see the funny side of his Second World War comparisons: he has accused the EU of contemplating Nazi-style punishment beatings over Brexit and said it was emulating Hitler by trying to create a powerful superstate.

I'm Johnson's 'Monsieur Le Poop Scoop' Boris Johnsons Foreign Office deputy says he has been dubbed Monsieur Le Poop Scoop by EU Ministers because his job is to clear up the diplomatic mess left behind by his boss. The nickname of Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan emerged after reports that senior EU figures regard Mr Johnson as a joke because of his gaffes and colourful language. Alan Duncan, Conservative MP for Rutland and Merton with his dog Noodle A friend of Sir Alan said: He has told people that the Europeans complain Boris causes such a diplomatic mess wherever he goes that Alan has to follow him round to clear it all up. They have taken to calling him Monsieur Le Poop Scoop. Alan thinks it is hilarious. The disclosure will do little to improve the rocky relations between Mr Johnson and Sir Alan, left. When Mr Johnson ran for the Tory leadership last year, Sir Alan called him Silvio Borisconi  a reference to ex-Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, known for his bunga bunga sex parties and corruption claims. In August, it was claimed that Foreign Office aides were so horrified by Mr Johnsons incompetence they asked Sir Alan to make key decisions instead. But Mr Johnson hit back after Sir Alan was accused of a gaffe three weeks ago when he said Brexit was the result of a tantrum by working-class Britons. Mr Johnson mocked his diminutive deputy as a Mount Rushmore of wisdom. Advertisement

A senior EU source said: He is regarded here as a joke, but a dangerous one. We have managed to pretty much avoid him as Foreign Secretary, but we wouldnt be able to if he was your Prime Minister.

Some elements within the EU still think that Brexit can be averted, or at least heavily diluted  but not if Mr Johnson took over.

A senior source in the European Parliament said: Even now, there are EU leaders who privately say that they dont think Brexit will happen. And nothing in Theresa Mays approach has done anything to dissuade them.

They think we should drive such a hard bargain that the UK is forced to walk away; they think when May is forced to confront the grim reality of a no-deal Brexit she will offer a second referendum in which your voters will opt to stay in the EU after all, or at least opt for a Brexit-lite, in which you stay in the Single Market and merely opt out of the EU institutions. Anti-Brexit Tory MP Anna Soubry said the growing threat of a no deal Brexit would harden the stance taken by Remain supporters like her who had reluctantly agreed to accept the referendum result. She said: We need to listen to people in business who know what they are talking about. People are coming round to the view that no Brexit would be better than no deal.

Mrs May will tomorrow tell the Commons that she will continue to put people first in the talks. She is expected to tell MPs: The negotiations are complicated and deeply technical but in the end they are about people  and I am determined that we will put people first.

It comes as Mr Johnson prepares to make a major speech on world affairs at Londons Chatham House tomorrow, which is bound to be seen by some as his latest attempt to set out his stall as a future Tory leader.
Two teenagers have been charged with murder after a 15-year-old boy, described by his family as artistic and talented, was stabbed to death.

Kyron Webb was severely injured in the attack on Tuesday night in Manchester. He died in hospital on Friday.

Two boys aged 16 and 17 have now been charged with murder, Greater Manchester Police said.

Kyron was stabbed shortly after 7.10pm on Tuesday on Worsley Avenue in Moston, north Manchester.

Kyron Webb, pictured, was severely injured in the attack on Tuesday night in Manchester. He died in hospital on Friday

His mother paid tribute to him, in a poem released through police, saying he had aspired to become an architect.

She said: 'You were blessed with wisdom, on the gifted and talented register you were placed.

'You were artistic, a singing voice like an angel and yes you had my face. Your talents were endless, what you touched turned to gold.

'Your deepest ambition to become an architect you told.'

She added that his death had left 'a hole, a void, a pain'.
Vince Cable has warned that leaving the EU without a deal could cost the country an astonishing 430 billion over five years.

The Liberal Democrat leader said the figures, based on the cumulative impact on the countrys economic output, were a real indictment of Brexit Secretary David Davis talking up the possibility of a no-deal Brexit as part of a negotiating strategy.

Sir Vince added that even a soft Brexit could cost 235 billion.

Vince Cable has warned that leaving the EU without a deal could cost the country an astonishing 430 billion

Using calculations based on research by the London School of Economics, the Lib Dems say that if the UK exits the EU in March 2019 without a deal, Britains economic output in the five years after Brexit would be reduced by 5.3 per cent, or 430 billion.

Even if the UK agreed to a Norway-style arrangement, in which we retain full access to the Single Market, there would still be a reduction of 2.9 per cent  or 235 billion. London would be worst hit by a no-deal Brexit, with a 115 billion fall in output up to March 2024.

Sir Vince said: These figures are a real indictment of the Governments strategy. David Davis is still talking up the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, yet these figures suggest that would cost Britain a ruinous 430 billion over five years.

The Government refuses to publish its own projections, so this is the best guide we have. If talking up a no deal is meant to be a negotiating tactic, it is not working because the EU27 is not taking the Governments threats seriously.

All the no-deal speculation is doing is talking down Britain to potential investors.
The sale of T-shirts bearing the Labour Party logo and showing Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell brandishing a Kalashnikov assault rifle was branded 'tasteless' last night.

The mocked-up image featuring the weapon popular with terrorists and the slogan 'Arm John McDonnell Now!' were worn by activists at a Young Labour rally attended by Jeremy Corbyn last week.

The T-shirts display Labour's official red rose logo above the words 'Labour Party Young Guerrillas' and appear to be based on Mr McDonnell's controversial comments on Irish terrorism.

Close: John McDonnell meets Sinn Fein chief Gerry Adams in 2008

In 2003 during an event to remember the death of a hunger striker, he called for former IRA members to be 'honoured'. He later apologised for the remark. Mr McDonnell is close to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

The T-shirts are available on British website Redbubble for 14. A wider range of terrorist-style gun-toting 'John McDonnell' clothes, including sleeveless shirts, is available on a US website. The items also bear the Labour logo and Labour Party Young Guerrillas brand.

Labour Party Young Guerrillas has a Facebook site featuring genuine iconic photographs of terrorists stretching back decades, with Labour politicians and slogans superimposed on them.

One shows MP Hilary Benn, a leading critic of Mr Corbyn, and Lord Falconer, a close ally of Tony Blair, tied up and being led to execution. A caption refers to the 'disgusting betrayal of the Rightists'.

Other posters show guerrillas marching on the House of Commons and Mr McDonnell as a Chinese Red Army revolutionary.

'Tasteless': The T-shirt featuring John McDonnell with a Kalashnikov

Mr Corbyn and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott appear in other images.

A rally of Maoist guerrillas is shown with a slogan on the banners changed to Momentum, the controversial Left-wing group behind Mr Corbyn's Labour leadership campaign.

The Labour Party Young Guerrillas Facebook page declares: 'We have one demand: Arm John McDonnell Now!' It is not known who runs the page.

Tory MP Philip Davies said last night: 'These T-shirts are tasteless and an insult to the memory of those killed by the IRA and are symbolic of what the Labour Party has become.

'It's no wonder their activists eulogise John McDonnell after his previous support for the IRA.'

The Conservatives faced similar outrage in the 1980s when Right-wing activists in the Federation of Conservative Students reportedly wore T-shirts with the slogan 'Hang Nelson Mandela'. The group was later banned.

A spokesman for Mr McDonnell said he had 'nothing to do with these T-shirts. He does not approve of violence or glamorising it'.

A Labour spokesman said the T-shirts were also 'nothing to do with the party'.

Young Labour, the organisation for party members aged 14 to 26, has rejected a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and called for banks to come under public ownership.
Just one roar from the British lion, as Boris Johnson would put it, and Angela Merkel and Co have started to buckle.

Simply making it clear that we can and would walk away without an agreement has forced the EU to back down and start preparations for discussions on a post-Brexit trade deal.

We shouldnt exaggerate what Brussels offered at last weeks summit. Those newly promised discussions on a trade deal will for the time being farcically not include us and be restricted to the 27 remaining EU members.

'Simply making it clear that we can and would walk away without an agreement has forced the EU to back down'

And overall, what was offered last week fell far short of what Theresa May had every right to expect. It was also worrying that Brussels still hasnt realised that giving the European Court of Justice a say over the rights of EU-born citizens living here after Brexit is unacceptable.

But last week did show that the way to deal with the EU is to play hard but fair. Brussels will only begin to negotiate seriously when it realises how committed we are to going it alone. That is why the Prime Minister must speed up plans for a no-deal Brexit.

Its no secret that I would have preferred Mrs May to tell the EU last week that she was suspending negotiations until Brussels got really serious.

But since she hasnt done that, she must now make it absolutely clear to the EU27 that we are going full-steam ahead with preparations for no deal.

That means providing the cash now for everything from more port facilities to upgraded computer systems to manage our new trading relationship with the EU. With just one roar from London, Brussels backed down.

It is now time for the lion to show its teeth.
Actor Geoffrey Bayldon, who played time-travelling television wizard Catweazle, left 1 million in his will.

Bayldon, who died in May aged 93, shot to fame in 1970 playing Catweazle, a medieval magician uprooted from his own time and forced to cope with life in the modern age.

His constant references to electrickery instead of electricity and the telling bone instead of telephone were copied by children across the country.

Bayldon also starred in Worzel Gummidge, as the menacing Crowman. He left sums of money and items such as his Crowman costume to family and friends.
Theresa Mays attempt to woo nurses and teachers with a pay rise suffered an embarrassing blow last night after it was revealed she secretly planned to ban their right to strike.

A bombshell leak shows how she drew up tough new laws to curb strike action by key public-sector workers including doctors, nurses, teachers, Customs officers, prison guards and rail workers.

The document also reveals Mrs May wanted to make the so-called dementia tax even tougher by taking all but 50,000 of the savings of the elderly who need care homes  instead of the 100,000 set out in the manifesto.

Theresa May drew up tough new laws to curb strike action by key public-sector workers

Tory insiders say that if the two proposals had not been axed Mrs May would have lost the Election outright and put Jeremy Corbyn in No 10.

The Maggie Thatcher-style anti-strike charter was included in a draft Tory election manifesto obtained by The Mail on Sunday. The bid to impose minimum service levels  banning a union shutdown of essential services  was dropped days before the manifesto launch after the Prime Minister was warned it would cost votes.

Tory aides say she planned to put it on the backburner until after the Election on June 8 with a view to reviving it if she won a bigger Commons majority. But she was forced to shelve it after big Labour gains left her clinging to power. Instead, Mrs May did a U-turn and tried to win back support of public-sector workers by ending a seven-year pay cap.

The proposed crackdown on strikes is contained in an email sent to Mrs Mays Australian election guru Lynton Crosbys Crosby-Textor political campaigns company on April 25.

Headlined: Minimum service levels for strikes, it states: Legislate to introduce minimum service levels in transport and other public services including border staff, prison staff, teachers, doctors and nurses in the event of a strike. The email was sent a week after Mrs Mays surprise announcement on April 18 that she was calling a snap June Election.

Under the proposal, if unions refused to maintain minimum service levels in essential public services during strikes, Ministers would impose these levels using new laws  and make it easier for agency staff to break strikes.

Junior doctors hold signs while on strike outside St Thomas' Hospital in London in April 2016. Mrs May dropped her anti-strike proposal following a last-minute revolt by Cabinet Ministers

Mrs May dropped it after a last-minute revolt by Cabinet Ministers who said it would alienate public sector workers and be seen as an underhand way to stop union attacks on Government austerity.

In recent weeks, Mrs May has announced pay increases of about two per cent to prison officers and police and hinted at similar rises for nurses and teachers. But public-sector unions are threatening coordinated strikes unless they get a five per cent pay rise. A Conservative source said: Mrs May was hoping to go after public-sector unions. Now she wants to be their friend.

Public-sector strike curbs have been advocated by business leaders for years, are common in many Western countries and were called for last month by the pro-Tory Centre For Policy Studies think-tank.

The leaked draft manifesto also shows Mrs Mays dementia tax fiasco could have been even worse. It states: We will change the rules so people will never be left with less than 50,000 in savings and assets after paying for care costs.

The figure was raised to 100,000 to make it more palatable. But it failed to avert an outcry  and the entire dementia tax was dumped by Mrs May days after she unveiled it.
Computer hacking victims will be able to claim thousands of pounds in compensation under new laws  even if they do not lose any money.

The distress they suffer will be enough to qualify for a payout regardless of whether their accounts have actually been raided.

And with the potential damages as high as 6,000 per person, companies with millions of customers could be left crippled by a cyber-attack.

There are fears the new rules could spark an industry of fake hacking claims from people trying to claim compensation

There are also fears that the introduction next May of the new EU regulations will spark an industry of bogus hacking compensation claims like the holiday sickness scam exposed by The Mail on Sunday.

A company that suffers a hack could potentially be wiped out overnight from claims for compensation, said Claire Mulligan, a partner at Kennedys law firm.

The new regulations will have a huge knock-on effect for businesses and they do not have much time to get their heads round it.

Businesses are going to have to change the way they operate and be able to prove they are doing everything to make sure their systems are secure.

She added that the fear of massive damages claims may deter companies from reporting cyber-attacks to the data protection watchdog.

The new regulations raise the possibility that a company may not report a hack to the Information Commissioner if they think it will open them up to damage, she said.

People would be able to claim purely based on psychological trauma caused by hackers, meaning they could be compensated despite not losing any money

Currently victims can make a claim for compensation if hackers raid their bank accounts, but the Data Protection Bill will enshrine their right for a payout for psychiatric and psychological damage.

The value of damages will depend on the sensitivity of the stolen data. For example, someone whose medical records were plundered could be entitled to the full 6,000.

The move comes following a series of high-profile cyber-attacks on organisations such as the NHS and mobile giant TalkTalk.

If each of TalkTalks 157,000 customers affected by the 2013 hack claimed 3,000 compensation the firm would have had to pay out 471 million. At the time it was fined 500,000 for the breach.

The new rules will also increase the fines a company can receive for being hacked.

Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry said: It is critical that the Government and the Information Commission provide the right support and guidance to help small businesses understand and prepare for the changes.
Media commentator Prue MacSween has slammed the elderly couple who are being forced out of their Sydney harbour public housing home as 'bludgers and rorters'.

The PR boss told Channel 9 Today's Sunday Jury programme that the couple, who live just a few hundred metres from the city's iconic bridge and the Sydney Opera House: 'Had it good for so long.

'Of course they don't want to leave the waterfront property where they're coughing up 200 bucks thanks to us,' MacSween said.

Media commentator Prue MacSween called the couple 'bludgers' on Today's Sunday Jury

'What about the poor devils who are on these queues waiting for public housing? This is the chance, thank goodness this government in NSW has decided to stop this rorting and let others have a chance to get into a home,' she said.

The comments come after Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed that dementia-sufferer Christina Hinkley, 83 and her husband Chris, 67, are to be ejected from their Millers Point home under a New South Wales government scheme which sells off old government-owned properties to pay for new housing commission homes.

The elderly couple are one of the last public housing families to be removed from the area and will be kicked out of their four-story castle, after stubbornly refusing to leave for years.

Prue MacSween told the Today Sunday Jury panel that the couple 'had it good for so long'

'There will be a tear in my eye when we leave,' Mr Hinkley said.

Mr Hinkley and his ill wife said they are being 'forced out' after years of fighting with legal action and protest since the sale was announced in 2014.

Mrs Hinckley remembers bringing up both her sons playing a little white piano in the sitting room - which has sat in the same place since 1958.

Millers Point resident Chris Hinkley, 67, and his dementia sufferer wife Christine, 83, will be 'forced' to leave their home of several decades next February

The four-level terrace - which has eight rooms which can be used as multi-purpose areas - is one of the last homes where public housing tenants still live

After a long battle, Chris Hinkley and his wife will have to leave their apartment in February next year

The neighbour's view: A home just up the road from the Hinkleys sold in June 2016 for $4.6 million. It has views of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the five-star Park Hyatt Hotel

Quite the fancy street! The quiet, leafy pocket of The Rocks where the Hinkleys live is just a stone's throw from Australia's most famous vista

'When we first got told she just said 'I am not moving',' Mr Hinkley said.

'I have had doctors tell me it will be detrimental to her health if she goes.

'I still don't understand why they had to do it the way they did.

'I know change has to happen but they should have let the older people stay and live out their lives here.'

'We have tried to fight it but they legally have to do it  but it is a moral crime.

'In my eyes they have treated this whole thing like a fire sale and that's a tragedy.'

Our house, in the middle of our controversy: Mr Hinkley and his wife are devastated to have to finally leave the home - which was once a boardnig home

Adios! The family live in one of the few public housing properties left in the area

Their home is richly decorated with antique items - including this mannequin in a fur coat and a fruit hat

Black-and-white photographs and classic artwork decorate the walls inside the family home

The government has won a cash bonanza from the sale.

Up the street no. 5 - which has a Harbourfront location overlooking the Park Hyatt and the Opera House - sold for $4.6 million in June.

A nearby property, no. 85, went for $2.6 million, advertised as a 'freestanding Victorian villa... and a slice of Australia's architectural heritage'.

Mr and Mrs Hinkley were in their home long before the housing commission owned it. Mrs Hinkley ran it as a boarding house until the pair married.

Mr Hinkley said: 'People have attacked us saying we don't deserve to be here because they associate people in housing commission with the poor.

'I have worked hard all my life, when I first came here there was no one on a pension  except the aged.

'It was a working community  I have only just taken a pension now at 67  I have had it for six weeks. Christina still isn't on one.'

This is the home up the street which sold for $4.6 million last June

Hot spot! No. 5 Lower Fort Street has views of Sydney Harbour and backs onto Walsh Bay

With washed floorboards and Victorian style, it's little wonder the government is raking in cash when these terraces go on the market

Mr Hinkley on his balcony with his 'save our community' sign. It is the area's sense of community which he says he will miss the most

It is the community Mr Hinkley will mourn for, more than the four-storey home and the memories inside.

Extraordinarily, he still feels like a 'blow in' because he didn't move in until 1973.

'When I first came here someone was getting married to The Foreigner,' he said.

'I later found out the said foreigner was from Balmain (in the inner-western suburbs).

'It took time to become (a local) but I knew I was one afternoon when I walked into the Hero Waterloo, the local pub, and two old chaps took me under their wing.'

'One of them called me JC then every Christmas bought me a schooner for my birthday...

'This community was living heritage, there were generations of people here.

Part of the furniture: Mr Hinkley said he still feels like a 'blow in' in the area - despite moving into Millers Point to live with his wife in 1973

'It took time to become part of it but I knew I was (a local) when I walked into the (local pub the) Hero Waterloo'

'Two old chaps took me under their wing' and brought him into the local community

Mr Hinkley said things were simply 'not the same' after the recent sales in Millers Point

'At the shop on the corner I was on to the third generation of people behind the counter.

Mr Hinkley said there have always been children running from terrace to terrace and 'the back door hadn't been closed until twelve years ago'.

His neighbour has had the key to his front door for 30 years

One last look! The couple have a three month period to move from their home

The home may be a little quirky and outdated - it has a bathroom on the balcony but the toilet is in the back yard.

It has been renovated slightly over the years but is now 'getting a bit tired' as the couple age.

As 'tired' as the property gets the couple are truly devastated it will no longer be called home.

'We still have community meetings but people agree  it isn't bad, but it is not the same.'

The couple will have a three month period to move from their home to their new home - in the hope a longer transition will be less of a shock for Mrs Hinkley.

Her little piano will go with them.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi in Cairo on Sunday evening to discuss means to strengthen bilateral relations and promote joint regional efforts, state-run MENA news agency reported.

Arriving from Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi official and his accompanying delegation were received by Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail at Cairo International Airport.

In their meeting, President El-Sisi congratulated Al-Abadi on the Iraqi army's recent victories against the Daesh militant organization.

He also emphasized the necessity of strengthening relations between the two fraternal countries, expressing Egypt's desire to promote bilateral cooperation between Cairo and Baghdad in various endeavors.

The Iraqi Prime Minister likewise expressed his country's interest in doing so, in order that both nations may achieve their aspirations.

He expressed appreciation for Egypt's support for his country, and the importance of Egypt's role as the main pillar of security and stability in the Arab world.

Al-Abadi also extended condolences from his government and people for the victims of the terrorist shootout that took place on Friday in Egypt's Western Desert, stressing the need for combined regional and international efforts to eradicate the roots of terrorism.

In light of the unprecedented challenges facing Arab nations, the two leaders also agreed to push joint efforts to eliminate sectarian conflicts and preserve national state institutions.

The Iraqi Prime Minister began a regional tour on Saturday with a visit to Saudi Arabia.

He will depart Cairo for Jordan on Monday, and will eventually visit Turkey and Iran.

El-Sisi and Al-Abadi met for the first time on the sidelines of the 28th Arab League Summit held in Amman last March.

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Journey times are set to double during 11 days of work over the festive period, when five out of seven major rail routes are closed.

Passengers are expected to attempted more than 20 million journeys, with flyers also facing chaos as train services bound to Gatwick and Heathrow airports are cut over the fortnight period.

It is feared the works will bring the 'worst ever' disruption to Christmas journeys as Paddington Station in London faces closure.

Passengers will attempt more than 20 million journeys as the chaos is expected to hit flyers at Gatwick and Heathrow

Ian Baldry of IBPTS travel consultants told the Daily Star that Network Rail had failed to comprehend the impact on commuters.

'Works taking place this Christmas are even worse than last Christmas, which had the previous biggest ever Christmas works schedule,' he said.

'Passengers face chaos.

'Network Rail dont realise the impact their works have on people trying to get home for Christmas.

'Travellers are sick of works  and then, after Christmas, there are January fare increases.

'Passengers have had enough.'

Services from London Paddington to the west face delays, as do London Bridge routes heading south-east and Liverpool Street services going east.

People traveling from the capital to Scotland also face disruption, with services from London Euston to Glasgow delayed.

Those heading to the south west from London Waterloo can also expect to be affected.

The Gatwick Express and the Heathrow Express face temporary closures and the west coast main line from London to Glasgow is set to be severed.

Eight days of works at London Paddington will close the station from the evening of December 23 to the morning of December 28, shutting off Great Western Railway services and forcing users to start journeys at London Marylebone or Slough instead/

And half of the lines serving Paddington will be closed from December 28 to 31.

Southeastern trains will not serve London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street from December 23 to January 1.

Eight days of works at London Paddington will close the station from the evening of December 23 to the morning of December 28

Meanwhile Thameslink will shut from December 23 to January 1.

Greater Anglia trains will not serve Liverpool Street on December 23, 24, 27 or New Years Day.

The London to Ipswich service will double its journey time from 1hr 11min to 2hr 17min.

As the London to Glasgow line is severed, the 20-mile stretch from Preston to Lancaster will be covered by buses on December 24 and December 27.

All South Western Railway will either be shut or diverted between Southampton Central and Eastleigh from December 24 to January 1 and to Fareham on the last two days of December.

CrossCountry trains face journey times that are 40 minutes longer and Virgin Trains East Coast will cut Leeds services on December 27.

The Rail Delivery Group representing Network Rail and train groups said: 'Carrying out this vital work over Christmas and New Year, when fewer people use the railway, will help to minimise disruption while ensuring Britain has the railway it needs to prosper.'

Network Rail said: 'We are making another significant investment to improve and grow the railway.

'The railway is open for business this Christmas. The vast majority of the network will be unaffected by engineering work.'
The BBC has suppressed an inconvenient survey that showed the British public has a conservative attitude to abortion.

Pollsters ICM found no widespread support for scrapping abortion laws in research commissioned for the BBC2s Abortion On Trial.

But when the show, hosted by Anne Robinson, aired last Monday, there was no mention of the result.

Instead, producers cherry-picked results which support a radical campaign to decriminalise abortion  a move which would end the 24-week time limit on terminations for so-called social reasons.

'Inconvenient' truth: Anne Robinson, far left, hosted the BBC debate in her home - but failed to refer to poll findings about decriminalising abortion

Tory MP Fiona Bruce, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Pro Life Group, said: How can people be expected to have a fair and proper debate if facts are suppressed? It undermines credibility to cherry-pick polling results to reflect a lobby to which programme makers may be sympathetic.

The hour-long programme was recorded at Ms Robinsons Gloucestershire home and involved a debate between nine people who held different views on abortion. Publicity material said: For every key issue her guests discuss, Anne examines how their views compare to those of the wider public.

But the programme failed to mention ICM findings on several subjects discussed, including that:

The British public strongly favours the current law of requiring two doctors to approve an abortion, over moves to weaken this;

Only a minority think the womans right to choose is paramount  while most disagree with terminating on the grounds of disability;

A huge majority object to abortion based on the foetuss gender.

However, the programme did highlight the belief, erroneously held by 69 per cent of the public, that abortion is completely legal if the woman requests it. During the broadcast, Lord Steele, architect of the 1967 Abortion Act said: Perhaps the time has come to revisit the legislation of 50 years ago and decriminalise it completely.

Abortion rights activist Diane Munday called for the same  and backed sex-selective abortion. Neonatologist Neena Modi suggested the 24-week limit, based on the chance of a foetus surviving outside the womb, should be dropped, saying the key issue was whether a woman felt abortion is warranted.

Parts of the medical establishment, including the Royal College of Midwives and the British Medical Association, also want the 24-week limit lifted. No experts were filmed giving alternative viewpoints, despite the BBCs head of religion and ethics, Fatima Salaria, promising an impartial programme.

Maria Caulfield, MP for Lewes and a former nurse, said: I am concerned not all sides of the argument are being put across if the BBC ignores inconvenient poll results.

Last night, the BBC said: It is completely wrong to suggest that the BBC suppressed the results of the poll. They were released to the press prior to transmission, were referred to throughout the programme and have been published in full on the ICM website.

The production team went to great lengths to ensure Abortion On Trial was fair and impartial, using expert consultants (both anti-abortion and pro-choice), including contributors representing a wide range of perspectives and experience.

The corporation said it hoped the programme was a starting point for discussion.
Comedian Patton Oswalt has shared a 2004 letter from his late wife - true crime writer Michelle McNamara - called 'Lies The Movies Told Me' where she blasted Donald Trump

Comedian Patton Oswalt has shared a 2004 letter from his late wife - true crime writer Michelle McNamara - where she blasted Donald Trump.

The 48-year-old was in the process of moving when he found the typed letter titled 'Lies The Movies Told Me.'

'Rich tycoons are B******t,' she said in the poem-like letter he posted on Friday.

'Even after spending an afternoon with Robin Williams, Donald Trump is still and will always be an a*****e.'

'People who talk to themselves in voice over are deeper and more sensitive,' she added.

McNamara died in her sleep in April of last year.

'Rich tycoons are Bullshit,' she said in the poem-like letter. 'Even after spending an afternoon with Robin Williams, Donald Trump is still and will always be an asshole.' 'People who talk to themselves in voice over are deeper and more sensitive,' she added

Before her passing, she was an avid Hillary Clinton supporter and often was quite vocal about her support for the at-the-time presidential candidate.

Oswalt struggled during following her death but dedicated his 2016 special Talking for Clapping to his late wife.

The following year he released Annihilation where he specifically spoke on life in pain for both the loss of his wife and for President Trump.

He shared that the presidency has helped shake him from 'hyper-deadness.'

Oswalt struggled during following her death in April 2016 but dedicated his 2016 special Talking for Clapping to his late wife. The following year he released Annihilation where he specifically spoke on life in pain for both the loss of his wife and for President Trump

He shared that the presidency has helped shake him from 'hyper-deadness'

'Sometimes I'm worried I am like a water glass that's been sitting in a freezer and now you're taking it out and you're pouring hot water into it,' Oswalt said to the Huffington Post.

'One extreme to the other like that  it's very unnerving.'

And it has seemed to gain the support of others on social media to see his late wife was so foreseeing in her assessment of Trump.

One user said: 'Its chaos, be kind! Thank you for sharing more about her and being so open in #Annihilation.'

Kara Libby shared the sentiment and added: 'She wasn't wrong. Hope you and your daughter are doing well'

Kara Libby shared the sentiment and added: 'She wasn't wrong. Hope you and your daughter are doing well.'

'Patton. I know youre still hurting man. Your wife. Was an amazing person. Im sorry youre going through so much. ya man,' said a different user.

'Save those papers so that someday when shes old enough your daughter will discover, all over again, what an amazing woman her mother was,' said user Jack Cooper.

Ryan Swallow added: 'She was a prophetess and a brilliant woman. Much love @pattonoswalt'

'Save those papers so that someday when shes old enough your daughter will discover, all over again, what an amazing woman her mother was,' said user Jack Cooper
Fashion model and blogger Rocky Barnes opened up about a year-long struggle her family was dealt after her nephew was born with congenital heart defects.

On Thursday, baby Phoenix's first birthday, the brunette beauty posted a bittersweet photograph showing herself holding the baby at the hospital during one of his many treatments.

Barnes shared in the post: 'My brother's son, Phoenix, was born one year ago on Oct 19, 2016. He was born with a genetic defect that caused him to have 7 different congenital heart defects.

Fashion model and blogger Rocky Barnes opened up about a year-long struggle her family was dealt after her nephew was born with congenital heart defects

Baby Phoenix was born on Oct 19, 2016 with a genetic defect that caused him to have seven different congenital heart defects

Barnes said her nephew has been hospitalized almost his whole life, and will continue treatments

'He has been hospitalized 10.5 months of his life at Texas Children's Hospital fighting everyday ... He has undergone 2 open heart surgeries, 3 heart catheterizations, 2 feeding tube surgeries, a tracheostomy + many other invasive procedures...with several more to come,' she revealed.

Barnes further praised baby Phoenix's strong parents; and specifically her sister-in-law, who she said has shown extraordinary 'persistence, devotion, and positivity' throughout the trying process.

According the child's YouCaring page, created by his loving parents, Phoenix will require multiple future operations to heal his heart.

'He has been hospitalized 10.5 months of his life at Texas Children's Hospital fighting everyday'

Barnes praised baby Phoenix's strong parents, who she said have shown extraordinary 'persistence, devotion, and positivity' throughout the trying process

'We have been inpatient here at Texas Children's Hospital for 10 months - and counting,' his mother wrote in the fundraiser description.

Donations received will go toward the child's insurance, medical and home nursing costs.

'Insurance doesn't always cover for 24/7 care, and some days have to be out of pocket,' the post read.

'Funds will also be put towards Family who are trying to come, and help out with Phoenix & I, whom live in other states. Like Phoenix's Nana, and Phoenix's Daddy. My husband, Evan.'

The YouCaring page raised $4,967 of its goal goal of $65,000 by late Saturday.

Barnes, who has one million followers on Instagram, received overwhelming support and encouragement from her legion of followers after sharing details of her family's heartbreaking journey.
A desperate plea has been issued to find a loving family for an 11-year-old boy who has been placed in more than 20 'unsuitable' foster homes.

The inconceivable upbringing has left the dog-loving, Pokemon-obsessed child traumatised and with deep self-esteem issues.

'He has missed out on being a child, because of his circumstances,' his temporary carer told The Daily Telegraph.

A desperate plea has been issued to find a loving family for an 11-year-old boy who has been placed in more than 20 'unsuitable' foster homes (stock image)

Marist 180, a Catholic care agency based in western Sydney, has launched a public appeal to find the boy a stable home.

'He has been through 22 different placements in an overloaded system, and none of them have been suitable,' Marist 180's Mariham Basta told the paper.

'The family that takes him in needs to be thick-skinned, to expect that he will seek attention, or be clingy, but it is his way of saying he is not coping.'

Ms Basta said the organisation would continue to pay for counselling sessions for the child and would also give up to $100 per day to help fund his care.

According to New South Wales law, only children under 12 years old must be placed in foster homes.

With his twelfth birthday in a matter of weeks, Ms Basta warned that time is running out for the pre-teenager, who could soon find himself living in hotels or a group home.

The inconceivable upbringing has left the dog-loving, Pokemon-obsessed child traumatised and with deep self-esteem issues (stock image)

NSW Family and Community Services said it was working with Non Government Organisations to find placements for children in foster care across the state.

'While FACS cannot comment on individual cases, we support NGOs to find the best placements for all children who cannot stay at home with their families,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

'This year we need 660 new foster carers across NSW from all walks of life... FACS is working with the sector to get better outcomes for children and families.'

The spokesperson said most of the state's 18,000 children in out-of-home care 'are in stable and secure placements.'

'We work to move children out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible without disrupting other important aspects of their lives, like being with their siblings, staying at the same school and being close to services and supports they're familiar with,' they said.

'Last year FACS assumed around 2,900 children into care. This was around 25 per cent fewer children than the previous year.

'But it was still more than the places immediately available to those children in extended family or foster carers' homes.'

Anyone interested in being a carer should phone 1800 236 783, the spokesperson said.
A Queensland dairy farmer has been left in shock after six of his prized cows were killed by a lightning strike.

James Johnston stumbled upon the animals' carcasses at his Malanda property Thursday morning while preparing to milk the herd.

The bodies of the bovines, including four Illawarra and two Holstein breeds, were found grouped together in a paddock.

Queensland dairy farmer James Johnston has been left in shock after six of his prized cows were killed by a lightning strike on Thursday (stock image)

'They just looked like a dead cow, but I didn't cut them open... the insides would have been cooked,' Mr Johnston told The Cairns Post.

The cattleman said there was a lot of lightning around and believed that was the most likely explanation for their deaths.

'We just found them dead in the paddock... I am not sure what else it would be,' he said.

The dairy cows were estimated to be worth around $1,500 each and could produce nearly 20 litres of milk daily.

The bodies of the bovines, including four Illawarra and two Holstein breeds, were found grouped together in a paddock, with Mr Johnston saying they had been worth about $1,500 each (stock image)

Malanda was lashed by bad weather last week, with thunderstorms recorded early Thursday morning and more than 100mm of rain falling

Bad weather hit the Tablelands on October 19, with thunderstorms rolling through from just after midnight until 7am.

Nearly 100mm of rain has also fallen in the area between Wednesday and Friday, with more due Sunday and Monday before conditions cleared later in the week.

However, while Mr Johnston said the incident was uncommon for the region, it is not the first time livestock have been killed by freak strikes in Australia.

In January last year a single bolt caused the deaths of four cows in Gippsland after wild weather lashed Victoria.

While Warwick Marks suffered a devastating loss in 2005 at his Winvarl Jersey Stud in Dorrigo, New South Wales when 68 cows were killed by a single flash of lightning.
A mother and father have witnessed the car crash that killed their two young daughters in front of the family's home.

Kaylee Rayne Creamer, age four, and Allison Raylene Creamer, two, were killed in a car crash on Friday in Jennings County, Indiana while riding in the back seat of their aunt's car.

'I was sitting in the house and heard the noise out front,' their father Timothy Creamer told WAVE3.

'I saw them coming across, and I ran out trying to get my babies out of that car.'

Kaylee Rayne Creamer, age four, and Allison Raylene Creamer, two, were killed in a car crash on Friday in Jennings County, Indiana

Parents Timothy and Shannon Creamer saw the horrific crash unfold from their front lawn

This Chevy Silverado was towing a horse trailer when it rear-ended the other car

Allison and Kaylee were riding in the back seat when their aunt's car was struck from behind

Two adults were also seriously injured in the crash, which occurred at 1.10pm at an intersection outside the Creamer residence.

Police said that the aunt, Mary Bailey, had stopped her 2004 Buick Century to make a left turn.

A 2015 Chevrolet Silverado towing a horse trailer approached her car from behind and struck the smaller vehicle, cops said.

Kaylee was pronounced dead at the scene. Attempts to revive Allison at a local hospital were unsuccessful.

Bailey suffered serious injuries, as did a 63-year-old passenger in the truck. Both were transported to area hospitals.

The driver of the truck, 24-year-old Nicholas A. Fischvogt, was not seriously injured.

Kaylee was pronounced dead at the scene. Attempts to revive Allison at a local hospital were unsuccessful

'I don't know why God took them so early,' said father Timothy Creamer. 'But he wanted his angels back'

Local residents said the intersection is known for poor visibility and has been the scene of several other crashes.

Police have not yet charged anyone in the crash, but said an investigation was ongoing and toxicology results from both drivers are pending.

Timothy Creamer said he and his wife Shannon were trying to remain strong for their surviving two children.

A friend of the family has established a GoFundMe campaign for Kaylee and Allison's funeral expenses.

'I don't know why God took them so early,' said Timothy Creamer. 'But he wanted his angels back.'
The truth is revealed but it won't be easy to spot.

That is what the marketing team of McDonald's UK seemed to shoot for when they released an optical illusion ad with a secret message in it.

'Tag a mate who should read between the lines... ,' the popular food chain shared in a tweet on Sunday.

McDonald's UK released an optical illusion ad with a secret message in it. 'Tag a mate who should read between the lines...,' the popular food chain shared in a tweet on Sunday

And in order to really spot the message one must concentrate their eyes to see what lies between the black and white lines.

Another way to see the message is to move to the side and look at the photo from an angle.

But be careful, because straining your sight to see the message may hurt a little.

Still unable to tell what it is - the message 'between the lines' reads 'Bring McNuggets.'

Still unable to tell what it is - the message 'between the lines' reads 'Bring McNuggets'

'RETINAL DAMAGE,' said one user on Twitter

Another shared a gif of a character from the animated show Spongebob Squarepants that showed him screaming 'my eyes'

The general sentiment for people who figured out the message was that the optical illusion was slightly damaging to the eyes.

'RETINAL DAMAGE,' said one user.

Another shared a gif of a character from the animated show Spongebob Squarepants that showed him screaming 'my eyes.'

It was a sentiment had by another user who said: 'Is this meant to f**k your eyes or is it just me???'

Ben McKinnel showed a box of McNugget's he purchased and added: 'message received.'

But one question does remain rather daunting: who is bringing the McNuggets?

It was a sentiment had by another user who said: 'Is this meant to f**k your eyes or is it just me???'
Police in Philadelphia say a 3-year-old is in critical condition after being shot in the head by his 6-year-old brother.

Authorities say the younger boy suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of his forehead just after 3pm Saturday at the home on the 3600 block of North 18th Street.

Three boys - aged three, six and 12 - were on the second floor of their north Philadelphia home, alone, when the shooting happened.

Authorities say the boy, 3, suffered a gunshot wound to the left of his forehead just after 3pm Saturday at the home on the 3600 block of North 18th Street

The six-year-old grabbed the gun and began shooting, hitting his little brother on the left side of his forehead, according to police.

The injured boy was taken to Temple University Hospital after neighbors called to check in after they heard the gunshot.

The six-year-old grabbed the gun and began shooting, hitting his little brother on the left side of his forehead, according to police

He was taken to Temple University Hospital after neighbors called to check in after they heard the gunshot

'To come home to hear about this is very disturbing and I hope and pray that he's going to be alright,' a neighbor, Charlene Aiken, said to NBC 10.

Police are waiting for a search warrant so that they can continue conducting a thorough investigation.

No one has been charged yet for the incident and it is unknown who the gun belongs to.
An 'backyard drug cook' has escaped a manslaughter charge over the death of a friend who died in a drug lab explosion seven years ago.

The Director of Public Prosecutions was forced to withdraw the charge against the man (who can legally only be known as CLD) because of the so-called 'Breaking Bad defence, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The 23-year-old victim (who can legally only be known as M) died from severe burns in 2010 after a rural drug lab on a Kemps Creek property exploded.

A backyard drug lab in Kemps Creek exploded in 2010, killing a man and badly burning another

The surviving man has escaped manslaughter charges by using the 'Breaking Bad' defence

Precedent was set in August when the High Court ruled that Ryde woman Irene Lin should not face a murder charge after her 'meth cook' Zhi Min Lan was killed in a similar explosion in Ryde four years ago.

It was decided that Lin would not face murder charges as it could not be proven who lit the burner that later exploded, according to the Daily Telegraph at the time.

Lin's lawyer Leo Premutico said: 'The decision of the High Court is significant and will have wide-ranging impacts because all other courts will be bound to follow it when deciding similar cases.'

The Daily Telegraph has called the decision 'a huge blow to the police battle against suburban and rural drug labs'.

The that police attended the property after an explosion so big that witnesses heard the 'sound wave' and found both CLD and M suffering from life-threatening burns.

Both were rushed to Liverpool hospital, where M later died while CLD spent three months in recovery.

Police officers, firemen and paramedics arrived at the scene of the drug lab explosion in 2010

But when prosecutors tried to charge CLD with manslaughter after the death of M, they were forced to drop the charges.

It was argued that CLD was 'party' to the manufacture of illicit substances and that the 'dangerous process' cooking the drugs caused the deadly explosion.

However, lawyers representing CLD argues that it could not be proven what started the fire, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Carla Velasquez, CLD defence counsel, said, 'This extends to the possibility that M might have caused the fire  and his own death  by lighting a cigarette.

'And if M has killed himself then my client can't be held responsible because it does not meet the definition of manslaughter.'

The backyard drug lab exploded seven years ago, killing a man and severely burning another

Investigators discovered live ammunition, textbooks, gas bottles, glass and drums in the ashes

However, CLD is still facing a drug manufacturing charge, and is yet to be sentenced.

The explosion reduced the entire drug operation and lab to ash and debris, under which was buried gas bottles, glassware and drums.

Inside the property, investigators discovered live ammunition and textbooks, one of which was titled Physical Chemistry For Students Of Medicine and another was titled Uncle Fester's Secrets Of Methylamphetamine Manufacture 7th Ed.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday it was time for Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers who helped Iraq defeat Islamic State to "go home" after a rare joint meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The United States is concerned that Iran, a Shia regional rival, will take advantage of gains against IS there and in Syria to expand the influence it gained after the U.S. invasion in 2003, something Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia also oppose.

"Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Saudi foreign minister Adel Jubeir.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after IS seized a third of the country's territory, forming the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus.

A senior U.S. official said Tillerson had been referring to the PMF and the Quds Force, the foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iraq's military, armed by the United States but supported by the PMF, ejected the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militant group from Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq this year. Several thousand U.S. troops are still in the country, mostly for training but also to carry out raids against IS.

The campaign to uproot the militants left whole cities in ruins and has hit Iraq's economy.

A new joint body between Iraq and Saudi Arabia convened an inaugural meeting earlier on Sunday to coordinate their fight against IS and on rebuilding Iraqi territory wrested from the group.

Jubeir emphasized historic ties between the two neighbours, which share a border, vast oil resources and many of the same tribes.

"The natural tendency of the two counties and people is to be very close to each other as they have been for centuries. It was interrupted for a number of decades. We're trying now to make up for lost ground," he said.

The rare senior meeting, signalling a thaw between states that have been at loggerheads for decades, was also attended by Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"We have launched a program for the future of the region based on development and security rather than the differences and wars that we have suffered," Abadi said.

Winning The Peace

Tillerson said the council would contribute to reforms to build Iraq's private sector and encourage foreign investment.

"This will be critical to winning the peace that has been earned through the hard-fought military gains," he said.

State media said the council had expressed satisfaction with global oil markets' recovery orientation as a result of a deal with other countries to boost prices by limiting production.

The council also agreed to reopen a Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) office in Iraq and grant Saudi agriculture company SALIC an investment licence.

A second meeting will be held in Baghdad but no date was mentioned.

Tillerson and Jubeir also discussed Washington's hawkish new policy towards Iran, including a possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and new sanctions on the IRGC.

"Both our countries believe those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the world really do so at great risk," said Tillerson.

Relations between Riyadh and Baghdad have been cut since the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, is wooing Baghdad now in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of arch-foe Iran.

Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Iraq on Saturday to call for increased economic cooperation and praise existing coordination to boost crude oil prices, the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades.

A commercial Saudi airplane landed in Baghdad last week for the first time in 27 years, and in August the two countries opened a border crossing for trade which had been closed just as long.

Tillerson's six-day trip will also take him to Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland.

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Bowe Bergdahl has whined that the US treated him worse than his Taliban captors in a newly released interview, as he faces up to life in prison for desertion.

'At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, "Im the guy whos gonna cut your throat",' the 31-year-old Army sergeant told the The Sunday Times of London in an interview released on Sunday.

'Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor whos going to sign the paper that sends me away for life,' the Army deserter griped in the interview, which was recorded last year and is his first video interview since returning to the US.

'We may as well go back to kangaroo courts and lynch mobs.'

Bergdahl on Monday pleaded guilty to abandoning his post in Afghanistan in 2009, under circumstances that have never been fully explained.

Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl (center) is seen outside a military courthouse at Fort Bragg on Monday after pleading guilty to desertion.

Bowe Bergdahl is seen above in his first video interview since being released by the Taliban. A clip of the interview with the Sunday Times was released earlier this week by ABC

Bergdahl has previously claimed he left his post so that he could report his 'unfit' platoon commander to senior officers, in taped conversations which aired on the podcast Serial.

The Taliban captured Bergdahl after he went AWOL and held him captive for five years, before President Obama secured his release in exchange for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in 2014.

Bergdahl's attorney's argued this week that President Donald Trump's criticism of him has tainted the case and prevented him from receiving a fair sentence.

Lawyers for Bergdahl cited a news conference this week in which Trump indicated he stands by his campaign-trail criticism of Bergdahl. They asked to have the case dismissed.

While running for president, Trump called Bergdahl a 'dirty, rotten traitor' and suggested harsh punishments.

'President Trump stands at the pinnacle of an unbroken chain of command that includes key participants in the remaining critical steps of the case,' the defense wrote.

On Friday, the White House responded in a statement that did not mention Bergdahl by name but appeared to address questions related to his case.

Bergdahl is seen on Monday at Fort Bragg. He has argued that President Donald Trump's criticism of him has tainted the case and prevented him from receiving a fair sentence

Bergdahl abandoned his post in Afghanistan in 2009. His motives for doing so remain unclear

'There are no expected or required dispositions, outcomes, or sentences in any military justice case, other than those resulting from the individual facts and merits of a case,' the statement said.

It added, 'Each military justice case must be resolved on its own facts.'

Earlier in the week, ABC News aired a portion of the Sunday Times interview with Bergdahl - his first televised interview since returning to the US.

In the interview, which was filmed last year by British filmmaker Sean Langan, Bergdahl said it was 'insulting' that he's been portrayed as a traitor.

'You know, its just insulting frankly,' Bergdahl said. 'Its very insulting, the idea that they would think I did that.'

Bergdahl is seen above being released in 2014, after five years of imprisonment

Bergdahl went into detail about his five years in captivity, many of which were spent in a cage.

'It was getting so bad that I was literally looking at myself, you know, looking at joints, looking my ribs and just going, "Im gonna die here from sickness, or I can die escaping,"' Bergdahl said. 'You know, it didnt really matter.'

A US official says that Bergdahl twice tried to escape, and was severely punished both times when he was recaptured.

'When they recaptured him and brought him back, the next day they spread-eagled and secured him to a metal bed frame,' Terrence Russell, a military official who debriefs former U.S. captives, told Langan in another video.

'They took a plastic pipe  and they started beating his feet and his legs repeatedly with this plastic pipe.  The idea was to just beat him and injure his legs and his feet so that he could not walk away again.'
Elizabeth Smart lent her voice Friday to the campaign to promote awareness of sexual assault in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

The abduction survivor teamed up Friday with Deondra Brown of The 5 Browns music group to share their experiences of sexual abuse.

The event took place at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, according to Deseret News.

Were here and were talking about big, dark, scary issues, issues that we dont want to talk about, Smart said.

And I think its even harder to admit that something has happened to you but being here tonight, whats going on in the media with Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo campaign, and this is a time where it is making more noise and were going to continue to expand this campaign, to expand these events where we talk about these issues because the more people we can bring in and educate, the more noise we can make, which will eventually change the system.

Elizabeth Smart lent her voice Friday to the campaign to promote awareness of sexual assault in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal

The abduction survivor teamed up Friday with Deondra Brown of The 5 Browns to share their experiences of sexual abuse

The event took place at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Smart and Brown participated in a panel designed to encourage assault victims to come forward

Smart was 14 years old when she was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City and held in a remote spot in the woods in 2002 for nine months.

Last month, she revealed she contemplated killing herself after being raped and beaten by her abductor.

Smart, who is now 29 and a married mother of two, was raped up to four times a day by Brian David Mitchell after he broke into her parent's home and kidnapped her.

He was given a life sentence for the kidnapping and his wife Wanda Barzee is also serving jail time for helping to hold Smart captive.

Smart was 14 years old when she was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City and held in a remote spot in the woods in 2002 for nine months. Last month, she revealed she contemplated killing herself after being raped and beaten by her abductor

Smart, who is now 29 and a married mother of two, was raped up to four times a day by Brian David Mitchell (left) after he broke into her parent's home and kidnapped her. He was given a life sentence for the kidnapping and his wife Wanda Barzee (right) is also serving jail time for helping to hold Smart captive

Smart and Brown participated in a panel designed to encourage assault victims to come forward.

Too many times after I speak, Im approached by people who begin by saying Ive never told anyone this,' followed by stories of sex assault, she said.

The 5 Browns are a classical piano group made up of three sisters and two brothers - Melody, Deondra, Desirae, Ryan and Gregory.

They were the first family of five siblings to be accepted at the same time into New Yorks Juilliard School.

The Utah siblings released three albums that got to number one in the US classical chart.

In 2011, their father, Keith Brown, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted for sexually abusing his three daughters, including Deondra Brown.

Its important for victims to become the individuals who look out for themselves, Brown said.

In this instance, you can be selfish.

Smart said that while she was being held in captivity, he would often remember the love of her parents, which fueled her will to survive.

For me, being raped was probably the single most destructive thing that couldve happened to me, Smart said.

There were so many times where I felt like things couldnt possibly get worse and for me, I eventually got to the point where I realized ... that I knew I had my family, if no one else would love me, they would and for me, that would be worth surviving for.

Brown said that the response from the public following the first musical performance after news broke of her fathers crimes gave her strength.

The 5 Browns are a classical piano group made up of three sisters and two brothers - Melody, Deondra, Desirae, Ryan and Gregory

In 2011, their father, Keith Brown, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted for sexually abusing his three daughters, including Deondra Brown

Wed never had an audience give us a standing ovation the second we stepped on stage, Brown said.

Smarts parents said that even before their daughter returned home, they began to plan her post-abduction recovery.

'My wife and I had a little discussion before she was found about moving forward, and we had some genuine concerns about how would she survive, how would we move forward together, and one of the things we both decided was that regardless of what had happened to her she needed to know that it was not her fault,' Ed Smart, Elizabeths father, said.

'I think a lot of us have grown up with this playground idea of what forgiveness is and as we grow to adults, I think that idea needs to change, Elizabeth Smart said.

'It needs to mature as well because youre not going to be friends with everyone who hurts you.

Speaking from experience there are a couple of people that I never, ever want to see ever again.

With that being said, have I forgiven them? Yes, but I dont want to have anything to do with them.

'If I held on to what they did to me for so long that anger would take part of my soul and ... that would be taking part of me away from my family, from my parents and my husband.

'Not all of me would be able to be there for my daughter, not all of me would be able to be there for my son, not all of me would be able to be there for everything that I want to enjoy along the way.'
High winds and torrential rains in Oklahoma forced evacuations at a casino where the Beach Boys were hosting a concert on Saturday night after a tornado tore part of the roof off.

Photos and videos posted across social media show a mid-section of the roof of the Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma, torn off as water pours through the ceiling.

The winds toppled power lines outside the casino and water spilled into the auditorium as concertgoers waited for pictures and autographs with the iconic '60s group.

According to Governor Mary Fallin, who was attending the concert, the building was evacuated over concern the roof would collapse.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

High winds and torrential rains in Oklahoma forced evacuations at a Beach Boys concert on Saturday night after likely tornado tore part of the roof off of the casino (Pictured, The Beach Boys perform in September 2017)

Winds toppled power lines outside the casino and water spilled into the auditorium after a mid-section of the roof was ripped off (pictured)

'I looked up towards the balcony and there was this huge flood of rain coming through the roof,' Fallin told KWTV.

Guests at the nearby Riverwind Hotel were also evacuated after the building lost power, casino officials said, noting that several buildings were flooded and cars in the parking lot were damaged.

Keli Cain, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said that three tornadoes were reported Saturday night in Caddo, Comanche and McClain counties but there have been no reports of injuries or deaths.

Photos and videos posted across social media show water pouring through the ceiling (left and right). The building was evacuated because of concern the roof would collapse

Powers lines were downed and cars were flooded (pictured) but there were no reports of injuries or deaths

She added that there were reports of downed power lines, a damaged semi-truck and downed trees.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for much of the region, prompting students at the nearby University of Oklahoma to take shelter as the storm barreled toward Texas.

The damage is still being assessed at this time.
Three men have been assaulted by gatecrashers at a party in Sydney's east.

A 19-year-old man confronted a group of gatecrashers at Coogee about 9.40 on Saturday night before he was assaulted and robbed, police say.

Two other men, both 19, were also assaulted and treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics.

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One victim Jeremy Leonard said his sister invited about 15 of her friends over but the gathering got out of hand

A 19-year-old man confronted a group of gatecrashers at Coogee about 9.40 on Saturday night before he was assaulted and robbed, police say (scene pictured)

One victim Jeremy Leonard told 9 News his sister invited about 15 of her friends over but the gathering got out of hand.

'Word's just got around gatecrashers, guys causing trouble really,' he said.

'It all got a bit out of hand.'

'There was a kid going through a bunch of girls' bags he's turned aggressive, he's given me a shove, a punch, then he's run outside.

'He and about 10 other mates jumped on my friend, they were kicking and punching him, so I've gone in there to stop it and then they turned on me.'

Mr Leonard suffered a black eye and scratches to the face and back in the confrontation.

Police are investigating and have asked for information from the public.

Three men have been assaulted by gatecrashers at a party in Sydney's east (victim Jeremy Leonard pictured)
Two Aussie climbers were rescued from the Remarkables (stock image) in New Zealand

A pair of Australian rock climbers were rescued on Saturday after becoming trapped on an exposed ledge in the Remarkables mountain range in Queenstown.

The two had been attempting the Grand Traverse when inclement weather and dwindling daylight persuaded them to try and abseil down the western face of the mountains.

After becoming trapped on a ledge, they spent Friday night huddled and shivering on a high shelf of rock before being rescued by helicopter the next morning.

The two didn't realise until the next morning that they could call New Zealand emergency services from their Australian mobile phones.

They were rescued after dialling 111.

'They thought they could abseil down to Queen's Drive to escape the situation,' Chris Prudden, leader of Wakatipu LandSAR's Alpine Cliff Rescue team, told the Otago Daily Times.

'But once they were on the west face, they realised it was a much bigger deal than what they thought. So they ended on a ledge, very high up and in a quite exposed position, and spent the night there. They were both very cold.'

Mr Prudden commented that it would have been better to push on through the Grand Traverse than attempt the shortcut, which quickly becomes more difficult than it seems from above.

'The way off is actually to stay on the ridge and keep going,' said Mr Prudder, adding that the rescue was 'a good outcome' for the situation.

A six-strong team from ACR, Heliworks through the Lakes District Air Rescue Trust, the Rescue Coordination Centre, and police were involved in the rescue effort, which kicked off at about 6am on Saturday.

The hikers had to spend the night on a cold, exposed rock shelf in the Remarkables (pictured)

'We got a team together and went up,'' Mr Prudden said. 'It's what we call a technical rescue, which means effectively there was nowhere to stand. We had trouble with the cloud initially, blowing across the face.

'The first clearance we decided to go in and get them with a process called HET, Human External Transport - we basically hang underneath the helicopter. You need a number one pilot to do this, fly in there.

Heliworks pilot Scott Dwyer flew into the area and found the stranded climbers, who were forced to leave some of their gear behind. It has been so cold throughout the night that one of the men's helmets had frozen solid.

Two hikers were rescued and brought safely to Queenstown (pictured) on Saturday morning

It was difficult for Mr Dwyer to keep the helicopter steady as Mr Prudder clipped the men into safety gear, guided them into the helicopter and returned them safely to the ground at about noon on Saturday.

The pair were uninjured, but were both suffering from cold, hunger and sleep-deprivation, Mr Prudden told stuff.co.nz.

He recommended that hikers not attempt to abseil the Western face, because it's a long way down and the men were not attached to bolt lines.

'The escape route from that particular position is to continue along the traverse, it's gets easier the further you go along, or you can abseil down the east side with a lot more success.

'We love to go in and try and help people. And in this case they were  if you like  our comrades. They were people who were out there climbing.'
President Trump sent last-minute condolence packages to at least three families of late sailors who died aboard the USS John S. McCain in August.

Gold Star relatives to Timothy Eckels Jr., John Hoagland and Corey Ingram received the packages this week, while one father confirmed his was dated from the White House on October 18, according toThe Atlantic.

Timothy Eckels Sr. said he didn't hear from the President until Friday.

President Trump sent last-minute condolence packages to at least three families of late sailors who died aboard the USS John S. McCain in August.

From left to right: Timothy Thomas Eckels, Jr., John Henry Hoagland III, Corey George Ingram

'Honestly, I feel the letter is reactionary to the media storm brewing over how these things have been handled,' Eckels told The Atlantic.

'I've received letters from McCain, Mattis, and countless other officials before his.

'I wasn't sure if the fact that the accident that caused Timothy's death has still yet to officially have the cause determined played into the timing of our president's response,' he added.

In this photo released by the Royal Malaysian Navy, navy sailors cover an unidentified body on to the deck of KD Lekiu frigate after it was recovered in the waters off the Johor coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017

Family members to the late Hoagland and Ingram revealed they also suddenly received the packages in the mail.

Eckels revealed the President's words 'seemed genuine' and respectful' and even made note of his son's siblings.

Relatives to the late sailors came forward with the news just days after controversy erupted when Trump failed to speak publicly on late U.S. service members in Niger.

Trump since retracted the claims - suggesting he had contacted the families of 'virtually all fallen service members' this month.
Theresa May is facing a bitter battle over the Brexit Bill after Labour vowed to join forces with Tory rebels to force a binding vote on any deal with the EU.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer set a series of red lines including the Commons being given final approval of the withdrawal agreement.

The intervention will further complicate the government's task in pushing the crucial Withdrawal Bill through parliament.

Ministers have been dragging their feet about bringing the legislation back to the House, after more than 300 amendments were tabled in a bid to water down the approach to Brexit.

Theresa May, pictured attending church with husband Philip in her Maidenhead constituency today, is fighting to push through EU withdrawal legislation

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has set a series of red lines for the Brexit Bill today including the Commons being given final approval of the withdrawal agreement

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, Labour's Emily Thornberry warned that there is set to 'no deal' over Brexit

Sir Keir said the government feared there were enough Tory rebels to inflict defeats on at least 13 amendments.

He said it was 'clear' that ministers cannot proceed with the Bill as it stands and threatened to 'work with all sides' to get his changes made - unless ministers adopt them and end the 'paralysis'.

The disastrous general election means Mrs May relies on the DUP for her Commons majority - and just a handful of Tory rebels switching sides could potentially swing votes.

Meanwhile, Labour's Emily Thornberry stepped up the attack on the governmentby accusing the PM's of 'intransigence' over Brussels' demands for a huge divorce bill.

The shadow foreign secretary dismissed suggestions of a breakthrough at the EU summit last week, saying she doubted there had been a shift in 'substance'.

And she effectively took the EU's side in the row over calls for Britain to pay up to 100billion euros, putting the blame for slow progress on Theresa May's refusal to compromise.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir Keir demanded MPs get the 'final say on whether to approve the withdrawal agreement and how best to implement it'.

He called for the transition period requested by the Prime Minister to be added into the legislation.

NO DIVORCE BILL FIGURE UNTIL BREXIT DEAL IS CLEAR, SAYS LIAM FOX Dr Fox dismissed claims the UK was bluffing about preparing for 'no deal' Liam Fox today insisted there will be no final commitment to a divorce bill until the 'end state' of future relations with the EU is known. The International Trade Secretary told ITV's Peston programme that Mr Macron was 'completely wrong' to suggest the UK was 'bluffing' about making preparations for a no deal scenario. Dr Fox said leaving without an agreement and trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was 'not exactly a nightmare scenario'. But he stressed he would 'prefer to have a deal because it would give greater certainty and almost certainly greater openness' and said reaching agreement does not need to be complicated if there is political will. 'I don't think they're (the negotiations) difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics,' Dr Fox said. 'In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave the European Union. 'That's the thing. 'And what will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision? 'I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level.' Advertisement

Sir Keir said a 'completely different approach' was needed to the use of so-called Henry VIII powers, which the Government needs to make technical changes to regulations repatriated from Brussels.

Sir Keir described the changes as 'silencing Parliament and handing sweeping powers' to ministers.

Labour also wants a guarantee that workers' and consumer rights, as well as environmental standards, are not watered down after Brexit.

Sir Keir said ministers must concede to devolved administrations who want repatriated powers to go straight to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, rather than first being taken over by the Westminster government.

He also repeated his demand for the EU charter of fundamental rights to be written into UK law.

The shadow Brexit secretary wrote: 'I believe there is a consensus in Parliament for these changes. And there is certainly no majority for weakening rights, silencing Parliament and sidelining the devolved administrations.

'There is a way through this paralysis.

'Labour will work with all sides to make that happen.'

Sir Keir's intervention comes after EU leaders agreed to begin scoping work on trade talks, in a move which boosted Mrs May.

But they also made clear Britain must make further concessions on its divorce bill to unlock talks on a future trading relationship.

David Davis will travel to Paris for Brexit talks on Monday after France appeared to emerge as the most hardline EU member state on the exit bill.

French president Emmanuel Macron said Britain was not 'halfway' there on the divorce bill - suggesting he is holding out for more than 40billion euros (36 billion).

Mrs May repeatedly dodged questions at the Brussels summit over how much the UK is ready to pay, insisting the size of a 'full and final settlement' will not emerge until agreement is reached on all aspects of Brexit.

But she did not deny suggestions that it could be 'many more billions' than the 20billion euros indicated in her speech in Florence last month.

The idea sparked fury among Brexiteer Tories who renewed calls for a 'no deal' withdrawal if the cost of an agreement is too high.

The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt today told Mrs May to confront Boris Johnson and other Leavers, offer concessions to the EU, and outline what sort of trade deal the Government wants.

'This may require Theresa May to face down Boris Johnson and others in her own party who refuse to accept the reality of the Brexit they campaigned for ... Brexiteers failed to outline the extent of UK liabilities in Europe,' he told the Mail on Sunday.

Theresa May (pictured centre) was given some encouragement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) at an EU summit last week, but Emmanuel Macron struck a tougher tone

Mrs May remained isolated at the EU summit last week despite a concerted show of warmth from fellow leaders

Brexit Secretary David Davis, pictured in the Commons last week, has the task of stewarding the EU Withdrawal Bill through parliament

'Nevertheless, what is clear is that it will not be the taxpayers of the European Union who pay Britain's bar bill.'

The PM is expected to update MPs on the Council summit in the Commons on Monday and will reaffirm her commitment to three million EU nationals living in the UK who make an 'extraordinary contribution', saying 'we want them to stay'.

Mrs May will also call on EU states to recognise the value of British expats and protect their rights as well.

She will say: 'The negotiations are complicated and deeply technical but in the end they are about people - and I am determined that we will put people first.'
Parents of seven who let their children have tattoos and play with pick axes say they are 'not bothered' that they are failing academically because school tests do not measure 'intelligence'.

Gemma and Lewis Rawnsley from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, allow their children to swear, set their own bedtimes and 'make their own decisions'.

Skye, 13, Finlay, 12, Phoenix, nine, Pearl, eight, Hunter, five, Zephyr, three, and one-year-old Woolf are raised in a household where there are few rules.

Gemma and Lewis Rawnsley with their children, Skye, 13, Finlay, 12, Phoenix, nine, Pearl, eight, Hunter, five, Zephyr, three, and one-year-old Woolf

Hunter watches on as his younger brother Zephyr climbs out of a window at the family home

Hunter Rawnsley climbs up a door frame. His family were the subject of a documentary series exploring so-called feral families

The family are the subject of a Channel 4 documentary series called Feral Families, where parents explain their 'off-grid philosophies'.

Mrs Rawnsley, 35, told the Mirror: 'We just wing it and go with the flow. If the weather is good we sack it off and go out for the day, if it's raining then it's a good day to stay in and do stuff.

'There are no boundaries so the kids get on with life and do what they want.'

The only stipulations the parents set are that their children do not lie or hurt each other and are respectful.

Hunter is allowed to play with a spirit burner and wield an axe, while Woolf curses and their older siblings decide what they want to do for the day.

None of the children go to school, Skye and Finlay were pulled out when they were seven and six, but are taught reading and writing by their parents. Education inspectors check in each year.

The documentary series explores hands-off parenting. Pictured: Findlay, Phoenix and Zephyr and Hunter play

Hunter, Skye, Phoenix and Pearl Rawnsley star into the camera as they stand in their back garden at home in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

Like his brothers and sisters, Hunter Rawnsley, five, does not attend school and takes lessons at home

Pearl Rawnsley draws on a wall in a space created by their parents, who raise the children without rules

Phoenix did not want to learn to read, but eventually decided to because he wanted to send messages to his friends on XBox.

The children do not take exams or follow the national curriculum and are falling behind their peers.

However, Mrs Rawnsley said she is 'not bothered' by this.

Skye, 13, was taken out of conventional schooling when she was seven years old

Gemma Rawnsley with the youngest of the Rawnsley's Wolf, aged one, Phoenix (left of Gemma) and Zephyr

Pearl and Wolf sit on the staircase next to the drawing wall in a house without rules

She told the Mirror: 'They're behind their peers in terms of academics, but I'm not bothered. GCSEs are a memory test, it's not about being intelligent.'

Despite methods most parents would frown upon, the Rawnsleys say they are often praised for their unconventional approach.

Mrs Rawnsley said: 'We really think about how we bring them up and we get so many compliments about how amazing the kids are. So it seems a bit wild on the surface, but it works.'

Feral Families is on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursday.




A true blue Australian man has cobbled together more than 4,000 bottle tops to recreate a one-of-a-kind map of the land down under.

In a feat that has seen social media praise him as an 'absolute f****** legend' the anonymous flip-flop wearing male poses alongside his life-sized creation holding a can of the beverage he is clearly well acquainted with.

The artwork is believed to be made of approximately 4,624 stubbies, which at a usual liquid limit of 375ml per bottle, means the man consumed almost 2,000 litres of beer to fashion the picture.

The artwork is believed to be made of approximately 4,624 stubbies, which at a usual liquid limit of 375ml per bottle, means the man consumed almost 2,000 litres of beer to fashion the picture (pictured)

Stubbies, which are defined as glass beer bottles in Australia, were used to build the masterpiece, with eagle-eyed commenters quick to recognise XXXX and Victoria Bitter bottle caps.

There were even red and blue caps used in the geographical positions of each capital city. The only city which appeared to miss out was Melbourne.

'If you look up 'Australian' in the dictionary this guy's face is there,' one person wrote underneath the picture, which was uploaded to Reddit.

Stubbies, which are defined as glass beer bottles in Australia, were used to build the masterpiece (pictured)

Eagle-eyed commenters were quick to recognise XXXX (pictured) and Victoria Bitter bottle caps

Some even likened it to a piece of Aboriginal art - particularly as the map has a blank space on the top left side that makes the shape of a boomerang.

'That's quite a homage to Aboriginal art. However I believe it's just an excuse to drink 4000 stubbies. Exhibit A: Beer gut,' another person said.

Others were dismayed at the size of Tasmania, which is only made up of 18 caps.

'Could of put in a few more caps for Tasmania...,' they said.

Sadly the man has not been identified alongside the map, nor is there any indication of the motive behind the creation of the bottle cap masterpiece.
Three actresses have claimed film director Michael Winner demanded to see their naked breasts during auditions.

Debbie Arnold, who played the role of April Branning in EastEnders, and Crossroads actress Cindy Marshall-Day made the accusations against Winner, who died in 2013.

A third actress, who wished to remain anonymous, said she agreed to Winner's lewd demand when she was only 16 and still in drama school.

She said: 'I remember him sitting behind his desk with his fat cigar and ordering me to stand by the window and take my top off.

'I was terribly naive at the time and didn't tell anybody. He was a vile man.'

Debbie Arnold, pictured in Coronation Street in 2012, has said film director Michael Winner demanded to see her naked breasts during an audition

Cindy Marshall-Day, pictured in 2003 in Crossroads, claimed Winner had also demanded to see her naked breasts during an audition in 1985

None of the women lodged a complaint with police because they feared it would wreck their acting careers.

They have now decided to speak out after dozens of actresses made allegations of sexual assault and rape against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Recalling her ordeal Ms Arnold, now 62, was invited to Winner's home in the early 1980s after he got in touch with her mother Mary, who was her theatrical agent.

Although she was not trying out for a specific role she hoped the meeting with the powerful film director would help kick-start her acting career.

She went up to the first floor of his mansion in Holland Park where she was asked to stand by a large window so he could supposedly see her in a better light.

Speaking to the Sunday People she said: 'He asked me to take off my top, then my bra and told me to massage my breasts.

'I asked him to repeat the question because I thought I was hearing things. I started walking away from the window and he asked me why.

'I told him I couldn't believe what he had said. I thought it was a joke so I was appalled when he repeated the question.

'I walked right up to him and told him, 'f*** off, you dirty old pervert'.

Michael Winner, (pictured with Geraldine in 2011), who directed more than 30 films during his career, died of liver cancer aged 77 in January 2013

Ms Arnold, who has also appeared on Coronation Street, reported Winner to Equity, the actors' union, but claims she was laughed at down the phone.

She said she felt too scared to go police as she feared it would wreck her chances of making it as an actress.

'It doesn't matter that he is dead, he still needs to be exposed', she added.

Winner, who directed more than 30 films during his career, died of liver cancer aged 77 in January 2013.

He was also famous for the car insurance television commercial featuring the catchphrase: 'Calm down dear!'

Ms Marshall-Day, now 50, claimed Winner had also demanded to see her naked breasts during an audition in 1985.

She told the Sunday People: 'I was so angry at his audacity. It wasn't an audition for a nude role, so why would I have to expose myself? I felt so dirty.'

She claimed that when she refused to co-operate Winner's mood quickly turned and he became 'pi**ed off'.

She said: 'He was a horrible, filthy pervert. He preyed on young naive actresses who wanted to earn a living.'

When asked about the allegations Winner's wife Geraldine, who married him two years before his death, said: 'I feel any story you print would be untrue. Therefore I have no further comment.'

Mrs Winner was the biggest beneficiary of his legacy, receiving 20 million of his 45 million.

She was left his Holland Park mansion which was sold to pop star Robbie Williams for 17.5 million, a second London home and 5 million cash.
Iraqi federal and paramilitary forces on Sunday said they lost five men in last week's clashes with Kurdish fighters, bringing the death toll for all sides to 31.

On Friday, Iraq's central government said its forces had taken back control from the Kurds of all disputed territory in the north of the country located outside the Kurdish autonomous region.

The areas were captured as part of a sweeping operation by federal forces after a controversial Kurdish independence vote.

A statement by Iraq's Joint Operations Command said two federal forces were killed in Altun Kupri region of Kirkuk province, which was taken on Friday.

A spokesman for the Iranian-backed Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force told AFP the militia lost three of its fighters in the clashes with the Kurds.

Peshmerga commander Wasta Rassoul had on Friday said 26 Kurdish fighters were killed and 67 others wounded in last week's clashes.

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Rolf Harris is set to appeal two of his sex convictions at the High Court on November 7

Rolf Harris will get the chance to overturn two of his child sex convictions in court next month.

After pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds into the appeal, lawyers for the 87-year-old will try to clear his name.

The disgraced television star, who was released from jail five months ago, has hired a cohort of private investigators who have allegedly tracked down key witnesses - including two police officers who did not appear in court when he was first convicted.

The former police officer whom Harris has hired to head up his team likened the hunt for evidence to clear his name to 'climbing a huge mountain' - but maintains that he can 'prove' his innocence.

The two-day appeal in the High Court which starts on November 7, is thought to relate to two different victims, one of whom claimed Harris molested her when she was aged seven or eight as she tried to get his autograph at a community centre in Havant, Hampshire.

The other case is thought to be regarding Harris groping a 15-year-old Australian girl on a school trip to Britain in 1986.

A source told the Mirror: 'This is the beginning of Rolf's campaign appeal. He is challenging two convictions first and wants to carry on with the others later.'

His wife Alwen, 86, and their daughter Bindi, 53, both attended every day of his original trial and are still fully behind Harris.

Rolf Harris was released from prison five months ago after only serving a fraction of his original sentence

The Australian entertainer was stripped of his CBE and a number of his awards following his conviction, and now has to attend parole board meetings and sex offenders' courses as well as reporting his whereabouts to police, according to reports.

William Merritt, who is leading a four-person investigative team to help clear Harris' name, has spent more than two years pouring over his convictions.

The private investigator and his team believe there is 'compelling evidence' against Harris and described Operation Yewtree, which was set up in the wake of historic sex abuse scandals following the Jimmy Savile case, as a 'witchhunt'.

Discussing Yewtree, he said: 'People were swept along. The standard of the evidence was very low. Someone was pulling the strings upstairs and telling them they must get convictions.'

Harris' team has already helped overturn some of the convictions against Harris, successfully clearing the sexual deviant of seven separate sex offences at a trial earlier this year.

Merritt, a former police detective in New Zealand and father to three daughters, added: 'I have no time for sexual predators.

'But I decided to work with Rolf Harris after I spent about an hour and a half looking through the evidence.'
A spear-fisherman has recounted his terrifying 7.5km swim with a four metre tiger shark following just metres behind.

John Craig was fishing in waters between Denham and Cape Peron off the coast of Western Australia on Friday when his boat drifted away due to mechanical issues, leaving him alone in the water.

Mr Craig said he tried to signal his friend on the boat but his panic and splashing only attracted a sandbar whaler and tiger shark.

'I had been splashing and screaming for some time and my heart rate was sky high. I put my head in the water to check I was in the same place and suddenly saw a huge 4m tiger shark approaching within arm's reach,' he said on Sunday.

John Craig (pictured) was fishing in waters between Denham and Cape Peron off the coast of Western Australia on Friday when his boat drifted away due to mechanical issues

'It was easily the biggest tiger shark I've been in the water with and that's saying something having worked as a dive instructor for over 10 years.'

When he saw a large sandbar whaler circling, Mr Craig, who moved to Australia from Sunderland in the UK two years ago, said he gave up hoping the boat would return and decided it was time to save himself.

'I watched the tiger shark circle and then suddenly approach me multiple times from different angles. It was definitely trying to work out what I was and whether I could be "on the menu",' he said.

'Each time it approached I used my spear gun to block its path.

'After about two minutes of this dance I thought "I have to get out of here" and started swimming for shore.'

Mr Craig said he was four nautical miles, or seven and a half kilometres, from the shore when he made the decision to swim.

'I thought this was it, this is how I'm going to die,' he said.

'It was easily the biggest tiger shark I've been in the water with and that's saying something having worked as a dive instructor for over 10 years,' Mr Craig (pictured) said

'I watched the tiger shark (stock) circle and then suddenly approach me multiple times from different angles,' Mr Craig said

John Craig was fishing in waters between Denham and Cape Peron off the coast of Western Australia (pictured) on Friday when his boat drifted away

Although he knew it was a risk, he said it was his best chance of survival.

'The shark would disappear into the gloom then suddenly reappear behind me, just keeping pace with me behind my fins,' he said.

'The shark stopped approaching me and actually started cruising beside me. For about 500 metres the shark swam on the same path as me towards the shore.

'I had to swim constantly looking around from all angles to make sure there wasn't an unwelcome visitor, with my spear gun pointed behind me to stop anything grabbing my fins.'

Mr Craig said he swam for about three hours before he reached the shore.

When he reached dry land, the spear-fisherman said he wanted more than anything to let his wife know he was OK.

'I just thought about my wife and how worried she'd be. I just wanted to tell her I was alive,' he said.

This is the moment Mr Craig was reunited with his worry-stricken wife following a three-hour swim for his life

'The shark would disappear into the gloom then suddenly reappear behind me, just keeping pace with me behind my fins,' he said

After half an hour of walking Mr Craig said he looked up and saw a search and rescue plane above.

Mr Craig was then picked up by search and rescue boats, and soon after, greeted by his worry-stricken wife.

While the Western Australian spear fisherman said the shark gave him the fright of his life, he said he bore no ill-will for the predator.

'We need them in the oceans. And as much as it was scary at the time, I can only reflect on how beautiful that big female tiger shark was,' he said.

'If the circumstances were different I would have been stoked to have that experience.'

Mr Craig did not want his experience to deter people from visiting Shark Bay to dive and snorkel.

'It is safe and beautiful. I was in the water for over three hours,' he said.

'I want to thank everyone involved in my rescue... I am eternally grateful and Im sure Ill be buying beers for years to come.'
A suspected pervert was filmed at a train station allegedly trying to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, after telling her he wanted to take her to Syria to be his wife.

The Muslim father-of-two was confronted by a self-styled 'paedophile hunting group' at East Dulwich railway station, in south London, on Saturday.

They accused the 29-year-old of sending indecent images along with photos of 'wads of cash' to an undercover decoy, posing as a child named Loren on WhatsApp.

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A suspected pervert was filmed at a train station allegedly trying to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, after telling her he wanted to take her to Syria to be his wife

He promised his would-be victim 30 a week if she 'spread her legs' and planned to abuse her at a cinema, before taking her back to his home for sex.

The group said he talked about travelling to war-torn Syria so they could get married and even asked to see her birth certificate to prove she was underage.

The British-born suspect was said to have hounded the decoy 'day and night' -sending 78 abusive voicemail messages and ordered her not to talk to other men - despite already having a girlfriend himself.

He insisted he thought the girl was 18 and said he only wanted her to clean his house.

When quizzed about Syria, he accused the hunters of making up the claim 'because I'm Muslim'.

He was later arrested on suspicion of grooming and remains in police custody.

They accused the 29-year-old of sending indecent images along with photos of 'wads of cash' to an undercover decoy posing as a child named Loren on WhatsApp

Footage of the clash was filmed live on Facebook and has been viewed more than 175,000 times.

It shows the hooded suspect blocking the camera with his hand, saying: 'Don't be taking photos of me.'

The hunters restrain him and tell him he is under citizen's arrest for grooming a child.

Protesting his innocence, he shouts: 'This is assault, man. I'm claustrophobic.'

The woman filming the sting says: 'You spoke to her (the decoy) about going to Syria to marry you.'

He replies: 'No, I didn't say nothing about. I'm not even from Syria. Are you actually serious? Why am I gonna go to Syria?'

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Officers from British Transport Police were called to East Dulwich station at around 11.30am on Saturday to reports of a man detained by members of the public on suspicion of grooming'

She continues: 'You wanted to take her to a cinema today and you wanted her to masturbate you underneath a jacket.'

Swigging from a carton of juice, he fires back: 'No, I didn't say that. That's bull****.'

The female hunter says: 'You said you were gonna take her to Syria and marry her.'

He says: 'I don't even know anyone in Syria, so why would I go to Syria for?'

He demands to see the evidence but the woman stands her ground and says: 'You listen to me, you might bully children online but you don't bully me. Ever.'

Footage of the clash was filmed live on Facebook and has been viewed more than 175,000 times

Pacing up and down the platform, he says: 'This is a sick wind up. Are the camera crew gonna pop out any minute now, like?'

He adds: 'Trust you to mention Syria because I'm Muslim, ennit. There we go again, ennit. That old chestnut.'

Officers then arrive and handcuff the suspect before taking him away for questioning.

In Syria a girl can legally marry at the age of 13 with the consent of a guardian and the permission of a sharia court.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: 'Officers from British Transport Police were called to East Dulwich station at around 11.30am on Saturday to reports of a man detained by members of the public on suspicion of grooming.

'A 29-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of sexual grooming. He was taken to a south London police station where he currently remains in custody. Southwark CID is investigating.'
An expert team of female special forces operatives are leading the hunt for ISIS in Syria.

Last week, the ISIS capital Raqqa finally fell to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, after four months of bloody battles.

But despite the city being liberated, there are still hundreds of jihadis in hiding and waiting to launch their own guerrilla campaign.

Like the 300 members of the SAS still based in Syria, the US Special Operations Affairs Unit is playing a vital role in tracking down the militants in the war-torn country and neighbouring Iraq.

A member of the US Special Operations Affairs Unit shakes the hand of a young boy, while on a presence patrol in Afghanistan. The unit is now on the hunt for ISIS in Syria

The US group, made up mainly of linguists, who have undergone extensive training, are there to gather intelligence by reaching out to village elders and community leaders.

They do not wear a uniform, instead wearing tribal clothing, and are armed with Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, a hidden pistol and a small arsenal of grenades.

As well as hunting for jihadis the group is also there to aid in re-establishing the control of local police forces to communities in Syria.

A military source told the Sunday Express last night: 'Everyone is saying IS is beaten and to a large extent that's true, but there are still hundreds of militants who need to be found.

'The task now is to ensure there isn't any kind of vacuum which allows those who are still fighting to reassert themselves.

'Multilateral operations like this are vital while we wait for free Syrian democratic forces to establish themselves.'
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has revealed he was given an 'intelligence briefing' on Dustin Martin's bikie-linked father Shane that warranted deporting him - and will never change his decision.

Shane Martin was exiled from Australia last year alongside 20 others and was forced to build a new life for himself in Auckland, New Zealand.

It was his 14-year association with the fearsome bikie gang the Rebels, as well as a criminal record that was tainted by aggravated assault charges and drug trafficking, that ultimately led to his banishment.

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It was his 14-year association with the fearsome bikie gang the Rebels, as well as a criminal record that was tainted by aggravated assault charges and drug trafficking, that ultimately led to his banishment (pictured with wife Adriana)

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton (left) has revealed he was given an 'intelligence briefing' on Dustin Martin's bikie-linked father Shane (right) that warranted deporting him

But he has never been charged with any offence.

'Handcuffed and escorted out to a van. Escorted onto a plane and then see you later,' Mr Martin said, explaining the day he was told to pack up and leave the country.

Mr Dutton spoke to Sunday Night about Mr Martin's case, opening up about the confidential files intelligence agencies have on him.

'I've made a decision that I'm not going to change. I've made a decision based on all the facts,' the Minister said in an interview.

Shane Martin (middle) with his sons, including AFL premiership-winning champion Dustin (left)

Mr Martin's AFL premiership-winning son Dustin (pictured) has always been a fierce campaigner for his father's return to the country the 26-year-old grew up in

While he did confirm those files could not be openly spoken about for privacy reasons, Mr Martin believes this is just code for 'they don't exist.'

'If there are files than where are they? You can't share them because there are none,' he retorted.

Mr Martin said that he originally joined the Rebels because he was a single man and loved riding motorbikes, but he quickly worked his way up the ranks to become a chapter president.

Dustin Martin's deported 'bikie' father Shane (centre) was surrounded by family (wife Adriana, centre right) in New Zealand as his son took out the 2017 Brownlow Medal

Martin didn't shy away from his upbringing in the Brownlow Medal speech, thanking his alleged Rebels bikie father Shane Martin (L) who was deported to New Zealand last year

In 2016, Martin's father Shane was deported to New Zealand because of his criminal record and 'association with outlaw motorcycle gangs', the Rebels

'Love to be with the boys, you know? Loved bikes. Having a good time. Some of my best mates are in that club. They're good people,' he said.

While some are just involved in the gangs to 'ride motorbikes' others involve themselves in criminal activity too.

But to Mr Martin people can engage in criminal acts 'whether they're inside a gang or not.'

And while his father wasn't able to witness Dustin (pictured) make history - winning the Brownlow medal, Norm Smith medal and premiership with the Richmond Tigers - the family have now hired a legal team to take the matter to the High Court

Mr Martin's AFL premiership-winning son Dustin has always been a fierce campaigner for his father's return to the country the 26-year-old grew up in.

And while his father wasn't able to witness Dustin make history - winning the Brownlow medal, Norm Smith medal and premiership with the Richmond Tigers - the family have now hired a legal team to take the matter to the High Court.

'It's easily the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. It's just an empty, empty feeling,' Dustin said, explaining the absence of his father in Victoria.

'It's easily the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. It's just an empty, empty feeling,' Dustin (pictured) said, explaining the absence of his father in Victoria

'He's my number one support so I certainly miss him a lot now.'

Mr Dutton doesn't appear to be budging on his choice but the Martin's aren't giving up hope just yet.

'I believe I'm gonna win. I've done nothing wrong,' Mr Martin said.
Spain's foreign minister has further inflamed tensions in the Catalonia referendum row by saying some videos showing police violence against voters were 'fake news'.

Alfonso Dastis, an independent politician and a legal adviser to the United Nations, told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: There have been a lot of alternative facts and fake news here.

Human Rights Watch responded by saying detailed investigations had found national police had used excessive force, with 991 people treated by Catalonia's health department after violence broke out during the independence vote.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government has been accused of launching a fully-fledged coup after it announced plans to sack Catalan leaders and replace them with its own officials.

Spain's foreign minister has further inflamed tensions in the Catalonia referendum row by saying some videos showing police violence against voters (pictured) were 'fake news'

Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said on Sunday that he hopes the people of Catalonia will disregard local leadership if the country takes direct rule of the region

People hold Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags and Basque Country flags during a demonstration in the northern Spain Basque village of Beasain on Sunday. The demonstration came as Catalan separatists vowed to surround parliament or any building which their leader Carles Puigdemont is in to create a human shield and prevent his arrest

The protest action in Beasain was organized by "Gure esku dago" (It's in our hands) association supporting the right for a referendum on self determination in Catalonia. The announcement from pro-independence separatists to protect Puigdemont raises the possibility of further clashes or violence between protesters and the Spanish government

People hold flags reading "Democracy" and "Yes" as they take part in a human chain between villages in the northern Spain Basque village of Lazkao on Sunday

People hold Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags and Basque Country flags as they take part in a human chain between villages in the northern Spain Basque village of Beasain

People hold Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags and Basque Country flags during a demonstration on Sunday

People hold Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags and Basque Country flags between villages in the northern Spain Basque village of Lazkao on Sunday

Prime minister Mariano Rajoy said the drastic move was to restore order after the region held an independence referendum  but it triggered fresh protests.

Catalonias government said it would fight tooth and nail against the attack on democracy. Spokesman Jordi Turull described the plans as a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions.

But Spanish foreign minister Mr Dastis hit back, saying: If anyone has attempted a coup, it is the Catalan government.

In the referendum on October 1, branded illegal by the central government, 90 per cent of the 43 per cent who took part voted for independence  triggering the worst crisis in Spains recent history. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont put off formally declaring independence to allow for talks.

On Saturday, Mr Rajoy asked the senate to allow him to use Article 155 of Spains constitution for the first time since it was written in 1978  giving him the power to dissolve a regional government and call an early election.

Until these could be held, provisionally in January, he is proposing central government ministers take over the power of Catalan officials.

Mr Rajoy said his aim was to restore normality but Mr Puigdemont said it was the worst attack against the institutions and the people of Catalonia since the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Dastis spoke to BBC's Andrew Marr (pictured above) via video link to update him on the status of Spain and Catalonia on Sunday morning

Spanish authorities announced Saturday that they are planning to arrest Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont and charge him with rebellion if he declares independence

The move would see some or all of the areas politicians ousted and possibly even thrown behind bars.

Spains state attorney said a complaint is being prepared for rebellion against Mr Puigdemont and other independence leaders. If charged, they could face up to 30 years in jail. Protesters are expected to form a human shield around him to try to prevent his arrest.

The senate will vote on the plan on Friday, and is expected to approve it. The current Catalan government is preparing its response. Mr Turull said doing nothing doesnt figure in our plans. Mr Dastis said if Mr Puigdemonts government continued to try to rule they would be acting like rebels.

He also further inflamed tensions yesterday by saying some photos showing police violence against voters during the referendum were fake, adding: There have been a lot of alternative facts and fake news here. Human Rights Watch responded by saying detailed investigations had found national police had used excessive force.

Protesters took to the streets of Barcelona again on Saturday. One, Joan Portet, 58, said: We are here because the Spanish government made a coup without weapons against us.

Pro-Catalan independence protesters in Spain have said they will create human shields around parliament to prevent Puigdemont from being arrested

Waving Catalan flags and sign calling Europe, massive crowd rally to demand the release of imprisoned Catalan leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart at a demonstration for Catalan independence on Saturday

Yesterday a smaller pro-unity protest was held. The EU has faced criticism for its inaction.

European Council president Donald Tusk has explicitly ruled out EU mediation in Spain, but has said he is in permanent contact with Mr Rajoy, suggesting support for the central government.

Catalan separatists have vowed to surround parliament or any building which their leader Carles Puigdemont is in to create a human shield and prevent his arrest as tensions between Madrid and the region boil over.

The announcement raises the possibility of further clashes or violence between protesters and the Spanish government.

It comes after Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy stripped Catalan politicians of their powers and centralised powers back to Madrid.

Spain's Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, said on Sunday that he hopes the people of Catalonia will disregard local leadership if the country suspends the region's autonomy and takes direct rule.

Puigdemont (center, Catalan deputy president Oriol Junqueras, left, and Carme Forcadell, speaker of the house in the Catalan parliament, right) joined a large protest in Barcelona on Saturday where many were aghast at the government plans to take over Catalonia announced earlier in the day by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

In a televised address late on Saturday, Puigdemont called Rajoy's plan to replace him and his cabinet an 'attempt to humiliate' Catalonia and an 'attack on democracy'

The Barcelona protest was called against the imprisonment of Catalan pro-independet leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart in Barcelona

Nearly half a million pro-Catalan independence protesters took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday

'All the government is trying to do, and reluctantly, is to reinstate the legal order, to restore the constitution but also the Catalan rules and proceed from there,' he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

'We are going to establish the authorities who are going to rule the day-to-day affairs of Catalonia according to the Catalan laws and norms.

'I hope everyone will disregard whatever instructions they will be planning to give because they will not have the legal authority to do that.'

Spanish authorities had previously announced that they are planning to arrest Puigdemont and charge him with rebellion if he declares independence following his October 1 referendum.

Rajoy said on Saturday his government had taken the unprecedented decision to restore the law, ensure regional institutions were neutral and guarantee public services

In the streets of Barcelona, banging pots and pans and honking cars greeted Rajoy's announcement. The tense relations between Barcelona and Madrid led one EU official to controversially claim that a 'civil war' was 'imaginable'
Labour's Emily Thornberry warned today that there is set to be 'no deal' over Brexit - as she accused the PM of 'intransigence' on Brussels demands for a huge divorce bill.

The shadow foreign secretary dismissed suggestions of a breakthrough at the EU summit last week, saying she doubted there had been a shift in 'substance'.

And she effectively took the EU's side in the row over calls for Britain to pay up to 100billion euros, putting the blame for slow progress on Theresa May's refusal to compromise.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, Labour's Emily Thornberry warned that there is set to be 'no deal' over Brexit

Ms Thornberry blamed Mrs May's 'intransigence' for slow progress in talks but refused to say how much Labour would be prepared to pay in a divorce deal

Theresa May (pictured centre) was given some encouragement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) at an EU summit last week, but Emmanuel Macron struck a tougher tone

The comments came after Mrs May was given a distinctly warmer reception at the EU gathering in Britain last week, with leaders including Angela Merkel striking an optimistic tone about the prospects of starting trade talks.

But French president Emmanuel Macron took a tougher line, insisting the UK's offer so far to contribute 20billion euros during a two-year transition was not even 'halfway' to what was required.

Mrs Thornberry played down the idea the summit had been positive for the UK, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'There might be a change in atmosphere but there also has to be a change in substance.'

She said the 'intransigence' was down to Mrs May, who has been resisting calls to commit to a bigger divorce payment.

'I think what we may be seeing is the Europeans trying to make it clear that it is not their fault that there are these difficulties, the intransigence does not come from their side, it comes from Theresa May's side,' she said.

'And in the end I think the reality is intransigence is on Theresa May's side, because she doesn't have the strength or the authority to be able to control her backbenchers, let alone her Cabinet, and I think we are heading for no deal, and I think that that is a serious threat to Britain and it is not in Britain's interests for that to happen.'

NO DIVORCE BILL FIGURE UNTIL BREXIT DEAL IS CLEAR, SAYS LIAM FOX Dr Fox dismissed claims the UK was bluffing about preparing for 'no deal' Liam Fox today insisted there will be no final commitment to a divorce bill until the 'end state' of future relations with the EU is known. The International Trade Secretary told ITV's Peston programme that Mr Macron was 'completely wrong' to suggest the UK was 'bluffing' about making preparations for a no deal scenario. Dr Fox said leaving without an agreement and trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was 'not exactly a nightmare scenario'. But he stressed he would 'prefer to have a deal because it would give greater certainty and almost certainly greater openness' and said reaching agreement does not need to be complicated if there is political will. 'I don't think they're (the negotiations) difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics,' Dr Fox said. 'In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave the European Union. 'That's the thing. 'And what will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision? 'I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level.' Advertisement

But Mrs Thornberry declined to say what figure Labour would be prepared to sign up to.

Meanwhile, international trade secretary Liam Fox insisted there would be no final commitment to a divorce bill until the 'end state' of future relations with the EU was known.

He told ITV's Peston programme that Mr Macron was 'completely wrong' to suggest the UK was 'bluffing' about making preparations for a no deal scenario.

Dr Fox said leaving without an agreement and trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was 'not exactly a nightmare scenario'.

But he stressed he would 'prefer to have a deal because it would give greater certainty and almost certainly greater openness' and said reaching agreement does not need to be complicated if there is political will.

'I don't think they're (the negotiations) difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics,' Dr Fox said.

'In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave the European Union.

'That's the thing.

'And what will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision?

'I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level.'

Meanwhile, Mrs May is facing a bitter battle over the Brexit Bill after Labour vowed to join forces with Tory rebels to force a binding vote on any deal with the EU.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer set a series of red lines including the Commons being given final approval of the withdrawal agreement.

The intervention will further complicate the government's task in pushing the crucial Withdrawal Bill through parliament.

Ministers have been dragging their feet about bringing the legislation back to the House, after more than 300 amendments were tabled in a bid to water down the approach to Brexit.

Theresa May, pictured attending church with husband Philip in her Maidenhead constituency today, is fighting to push through EU withdrawal legislation
The bill put forward by Dr Alan Smith has set out a framework for marriages to be recorded electronically

Mothers' names could be included in marriage certificates for the first time ever if no legislation is approved.

Currently, marriage documents only include the names of the couples' fathers.

A draft bill put forward by a senior bishop was welcomed by the Home Office, three years after David Cameron pledged to make the change.

The former Prime Minister said the system, which harks back to Queen Victoria's reign, 'does not reflect modern Britain'.

Previous attempts to change legislation failed because tens of thousands of costly registrar books across the country would have needed replacing.

Estimates put the cost of replacing the books at around 13million the proposals also failed to allow for same-sex marriages.

But a bill put forward by Dr Alan Smith has set out a framework for marriages to be recorded electronically.

Dr Smith, one of the 26 Lords Spiritual, proposed that couples could simply sign a document that is submitted for inclusion in a digital registrar.

Dr Smith, one of the 26 Lords Spiritual, proposed that couples could simply sign a document that is submitted for inclusion in a digital registrar

'There's been a clamour from many different groups pointing out that as the legislation currently stands it is very unfair. Many people want to see it changed,' Dr Smith told The Telegraph.

Dr Smith's Registration of Marriage Bill stems from a draft tabled last year by Conservative MP Edward Agar  which was not debated because of the dissolution of Parliament for the General Election.

The Home Office said initial set-up costs for Dr Smith's digital system would be less than 1.3million and result in savings of 30million over 10 years

The system, as it stands, has remained largely unchanged since 1837, with marriages still being recorded in registered books that are held in churches, other religious buildings or register offices.

Because marriage certificates are exact copies of register entries, the register itself would need altering to produce a certificate for an existing marriage to add further information.

The Home Office said initial set-up costs for Dr Smith's digital system would be less than 1.3million and result in savings of 30million over 10 years.
Expats will be allowed to continue living in Spain even if there is no Brexit deal, the country's foreign minister said today.

Alfonso Dastis insisted his government would ensure that the lives of ordinary Britons in Spain are 'not disrupted' if negotiations fail.

Spain is home to 308,805 Britons, and just over a third are aged 65 and over, according to official figures.

Uncertainty about their future has been rising as talks with Brussels make slow progress. Theoretically, they could be left with no rights if there is no agreement.

Alfonso Dastis insisted his government would ensure that the lives of ordinary Britons in Spain are 'not disrupted' if negotiations fail

Mr Dastis told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'If there is no deal we will make sure that the lives of ordinary people who are in Spain, the UK people, is not disrupted.'

But Mr Dastis's comments will be seized upon by Brexiteers as evidence that leaving without a deal would not be a disaster.

Theresa May has been facing pressure from some hardline Tories to leave the EU without an agreement so Britain can avoid a costly 'divorce bill' and free itself from Brussels red tape.

Mr Dastis told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: 'I do hope that there will be a deal.

'If there is no deal we will make sure that the lives of ordinary people who are in Spain, the UK people, is not disrupted.

'As you know, the relationship between the UK and Spain is a very close one in terms of economic relations and also social exchanges.

'Over 17 million Brits come to Spain every year and many of them live here or retire here and we want to keep it that way as much as possible.'

The Prime Minister is continuing to negotiate so-called withdrawal issues with the EU, including expats' rights, a financial settlement and the Irish border.

The EU has refused to launch trade talks until 'sufficient progress' is made in these areas.

But it has become increasingly clear that money is the key sticking point - with the EU accused to using citizens as a cover for extracting more cash out of the UK.
An Oxford University medical student who stabbed her Tinder date with a breadknife has been allowed to suspend her studies for 18 months.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, a student at Christ Church, was handed a 10-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months following a trial last month.

It has now emerged the budding surgeon has voluntarily suspended her studies for the duration of her sentence. It means any university disciplinary hearing will not take place for at least 18 months.

The 24-year-old has been accused of attempting to 'set the terms' on whether she will be allowed to return to Oxford.

A friend of Woodward said she had the backing of a number of senior figures at Christ Church who saw her as a future Nobel Prize winner.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, (pictured arriving at court last month) has been allowed to suspend her studies for 18 months

It had initially been thought Woodward would leave the university voluntarily.

Her legal counsel, James Sturman, QC, said she was 'reluctant' to return because she was worried at being recognised.

After the court case Oxford had also suggested she would be subject to a speedy inquiry that could have seen her kicked out of the university.

At other universities and medical schools, students convicted of violent offences who are also drug addicts can expect to be expelled.

But she has now voluntarily suspended her studies, meaning a disciplinary panel cannot rule on whether to expel her until she decides to return.

A source at Oxford University said Woodward could be trying to 'set the terms' of the process so she is looked on more favourably once she completes her sentence.

But they highlighted that she will go through the same rigorous disciplinary procedures regardless of how much time passes.

A friend of the 24-year-old claimed Woodward had the support of a number of senior figures at Christ Church College.

The unnamed friend said she had 'an awful lot of institutional support' and academics recognised her as a 'potential Nobel Prize winner'.

A source at Oxford University said Woodward could be trying to 'set the terms' of the process so she is looked on more favourably once she completes her sentence

They said: 'I think they would be happy to have her back, and that she will end up returning quietly. She's done some very interesting work in cardiology, they've described her as a future Nobel Prize winner.

They said Woodward is already in conversations to do a DPhil at Oxford.

But they added: 'There obviously is a safety concern associated with somebody who has pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding being in an educational environment.

'Clearly she's been having help, but it's up to college officials to decide whether it's safe for us for her to come back.'

But Martyn Percy, dean of Christ Church, said: 'I do not think [Woodward] is getting special treatment.'

Woodward (pictured left and right) looked relieved as she left Oxford Crown Court last month with a suspended sentence

Woodward got a suspended term after a judge said she was 'too bright' for jail and it would end her dream of being a heart surgeon.

Woodward had pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding earlier this year for stabbing her ex-boyfriend and Cambridge student Thomas Fairclough.

Oxford Crown Court heard she stabbed him in the leg with a breadknife while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Critics claimed she would have been sentenced differently if she was a man or came from a council estate.

Woodward (circled) posed naked with her fellow students to raise money for the university's LGBTQ society

Since the trial Woodward is reported to have returned home to her parents' villa in Italy.

She is also undergoing drug rehabilitation which is said to have prompted a substantial change to her character.

Lawyers for Woodward said: 'The disciplinary process at Oxford is for the proctors...in due course that process will no doubt be concluded.'

The case caused outcry, with critics saying she would have been treated differently were she not a wealthy Oxford student




Saudi Arabia is not yet ready to begin direct talks with Doha to resolve the nearly five-month diplomatic and trade cutoff affecting Qatar, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday.

"There is not a strong indication that the parties are ready to talk yet," Tillerson said of discussions he had earlier in the day in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at overcoming the row.

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Tragic photos of a Syrian infant suffering from severe malnutrition have shown the grave consequences of the country's devastating six-year war.

One-month-old Sahar, her ribs protruding under translucent skin, was treated by a nurse at a clinic in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on Saturday.

The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless, and created the world's worst refugee crisis.

Sahar breathed her last breath on Sunday at the clinic, which sits in a region where a crushing regime siege has pushed hundreds of children to the brink of starvation.

One-month-old Sahar, her ribs protruding under translucent skin, was treated by a nurse at a clinic in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on Saturday

The Syrian conflict, which began seven years ago, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless, and created the world's worst refugee crisis

Sahar breathed her last breath on Sunday at the clinic, which sits in a region where a crushing regime siege has pushed hundreds of children to the brink of starvation

Little humanitarian aid ever reaches the rebel-held region east of Damascus, under a tight blockade by Assad regime forces since 2013.

Eastern Ghouta is one of four 'de-escalation zones' set up in May under a deal between backers of rival sides in Syria's devastating six-year war.

But food supplies still rarely enter the region, where medical officials say hundreds of children are suffering acute malnutrition.

On Saturday, the parents of Sahar Dofdaa, just 34 days old, took her to a hospital in the Eastern Ghouta town of Hamouria.

Doctors recorded a weight of just four pounds (1.9kg). Sahar tried to cry but lacked the strength to make much of a noise, and her young mother sobbed nearby.

Like hundreds of children in Ghouta, Sahar was suffering from acute malnutrition.

Her mother was too undernourished to breastfeed her and her father, earning a pittance at a butcher's shop, was unable to afford milk and supplements.

Sahar died at the hospital on Sunday morning and her parents took her - their only child - to their nearby town of Kafr Batna to bury her.

Her death came after another child in Ghouta also died of malnutrition on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

'Residents suffer from severe food shortages, and when goods are available in the markets, it's at a crazy price,' the Observatory said.

Images filmed by a reporter working with AFP showed a wide-eyed girl with listless eyes and little but skin on her bones. She tried to cry but lacked the strength to make much of a noise. Her young mother sobbed nearby

Her skeletal thighs poked out of a nappy way over her size. Placed on the scales, she weighed just over 4lb. Like hundreds of children in Ghouta, Sahar was suffering from acute malnutrition

Sahar's mother was too undernourished to breastfeed her and her father, earning a pittance at a butcher's shop, was unable to afford milk and supplements

Medics at hospitals and health clinics in Eastern Ghouta say they examine dozens of malnourished children a day - and that the number is on the rise.

Yahya Abu Yahya, doctor and regional head of medical services for Turkish NGO Social Development International, which has several medical centres in Ghouta, said the group's centres had examined 9,700 children in recent months.

'Of these, 80 were suffering severe acute malnutrition, 200 had moderate acute malnutrition, and about 4000 were suffering from nutritional deficiencies,' he said.

The UN children's fund UNICEF defines 'severe acute malnutrition' as the most extreme and visible form of undernutrition.

Abu Yahya said that many children in Eastern Ghouta are suffering from 'deficiencies, migraines, vision problems, depression, psychological problems'.

According to UN figures, some 400,000 people live in besieged parts of Syria, the majority in Eastern Ghouta.

Despite agreement on de-escalation zones backed by regime supporters Russia and Iran and rebel sponsor Turkey, the region still has very limited access to aid.

Abu Yahya said the region was not receiving basic foods children need, such as sugar, sources of protein and vitamins.

On September 23, a convoy carrying food and medical aid for some 25,000 people entered three besieged areas of Eastern Ghouta, according to the UN.

It is unknown how old the child is, but doctors recorded a weight of just four pounds (1.9kg) for the baby

Sahar died at the hospital on Sunday morning and her parents took her - their only child - to their nearby town of Kafr Batna to bury her. Her death came after another child in Ghouta also died of malnutrition on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said

Several babies went through medical examinations at the clinic in October, including the child above

Another malnourished child is seen on a stretcher at a clinic in Eastern Ghouta of Demascus earlier in October

But Abu Yahya said what aid does reach the region covers just five to 10 per cent of the needs of malnourished children.

Rebel factions fighting the Damascus government in the multi-sided war hold swathes of Quneitra, while the army and allied militias control another part of the province.

Syrian government forces and their allies regained control Saturday of Qaryatayn, a predominantly Christian central town that sleeper cells of the Islamic State group captured late last month.

The capture of Qaryatayn came after nearly three weeks of fighting that saw IS capture areas it had earlier lost in an offensive by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militiamen under the cover of Russian airstrikes.

Earlier this week, IS lost control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate, after a four-month offensive by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Last week, IS lost its stronghold of Mayadeen in eastern Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a statement Saturday commending the U.S.-led coalition partners on 'liberating' Raqqa, adding that they had made 'more progress against these evil terrorists in the past several months' than others had done in years.

He added that the end of the Islamic State group's self-styled caliphate 'is in sight.'

IS still holds parts of Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province and Iraq's Anbar province, as well as small, scattered pockets elsewhere. The loss of Qaryatayn is another blow for the extremist group.

Earlier this month, the Russian military accused the U.S. of helping IS launch a series of attacks against Syrian troops.

Families brought in their children for medical evaluations at a clinic in de-conflict zone of Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, Syria. About 400 thousands civilians in Eastern Ghouta are kept in blockade for 5 years, medical supply stores were demolished and closed.

As the Syrian conflict erupted, infant death rate increased because of lack of care and health conditions

ISIS still still has pockets in Syria's central province of Homs and near the capital, Damascus

A Syrian baby stands on a bascule as him and other babies go through medical examinations due to malnutrition

Moscow said that IS launched a series of attacks in late September week from the area around Tanf near Syria's border with Jordan, where U.S. military advisers are based.

The Russians said the IS attacks near Qaryatayn in the Homs province, and a key highway linking Palmyra and Deir el-Zour, wouldn't have been possible without U.S. intelligence.

For now, the Islamic State group's biggest and most strategic presence is in and around Deir el-Zour and the border town of Boukamal, as well as territory in Iraq's sprawling Anbar province.

The group also still has pockets in Syria's central province of Homs and near the capital, Damascus.

Both warring Syrian sides accused each other of prompting the Israeli attack on Saturday. The army said militants in nearby territory fired mortar rounds into the Golan Heights.

A rebel official in Quneitra said pro-government fighters had been shelling insurgent-held parts of the province, when some of the shells fell on the Golan Heights.

Earlier this month, the Russian military accused the United States of helping IS launch a series of attacks against Syrian troops.

Moscow said that IS launched a series of attacks in late September week from the area around Tanf near Syria's border with Jordan, where US military advisers are based.

The Russians said the IS attacks near Qaryatayn in the Homs province, and a key highway linking Palmyra and Deir el-Zour, wouldn't have been possible without US intelligence.

The capture of Qaryatayn came as Syria and its strong backer Iran signed a joint memorandum of understanding for developing cooperation and coordination between the two countries' armies.

Earlier this week, IS lost control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate, after a four-month offensive by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces

It said the memo was signed between the two countries' chiefs of staffs, adding that it provides for exchanging military expertise and intelligence and technology information in a way that can boost the two countries' capability for fight terrorism, according to state news agency SANA.

Iran has been one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's strongest supporters since the country's crisis began in 2011 and has sent thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen to boost his troops against opponents.

The Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, is on an official visit to Syria. He toured the front lines in the northern province of Aleppo and discussed military cooperation with President Bashar Assad.

Israel has been concerned about Iran's growing role in Syria and has been trying to keep Iran and the fighters it backs away from its border.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that he will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in neighboring Syria.

Israel fears Iran will plant itself on the country's doorstep by establishing a Shiite 'corridor,' with land links from Iran to Lebanon, allowing the movement of fighters and weapons across the region.

Earlier Saturday, the Syrian army said Israeli forces struck one of its positions near the Golan Heights south of the country.

The army statement said Saturday's shelling by Israeli troops came after Syrian opposition fighters fired mortar rounds that hit an open area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, giving the Jewish state a pretext to bomb the army.

The army said the shelling caused material damage without saying if there were casualties.

In one rare incident, Israel this week struck an anti-aircraft battery deep in Syria after it had opened fire on Israeli jets flying over Lebanon.
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Haunting images have emerged of war-torn Raqqa after the expulsion of ISIS.

In scenes eerily reminiscent of Berlin after the Allied Invasion of Germany in 1945, skeletal buildings and burnt-out cars line deserted streets.

One shot shows a Syrian youth on the back of a scooter filming the devastation around him on his mobile phone. In another, shocked people emerge from cars to inspect what remains of their city.

Devastated: A photo from a drone video shows damaged buildings in Raqqa, Syria, two days after Syrian Democratic Forces said the military operations to oust the Islamic State group have ended and their fighters have taken full control of the city

Haunting: The scenes are eerily reminiscent of the wrecked streets of Berlin after the Allied Invasion of Germany in 1945

The only trace of the group is a lone ISIS flag fluttering in the wind on top of a burnt out building.

The photos were taken just days after the Syrian city was liberated from the terrorist group by Kurdish-led forces.

For three years, Raqqa saw some of ISIS's worst abuses and grew into one of its main governance hubs, a centre for both its potent propaganda machine and its unprecedented experiment in jihadist statehood.

On Friday Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced the city's liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said it would be part of a decentralized federal Syria.

A haunting photo shows a bombed-out vehicle on a street in Raqqa after the city was liberated from ISIS

Defeated: The only trace of ISIS's presence is a lone flag fluttering in the wind on top of a burnt out building (top right)

Eeerie: A Syrian youth on the back of a scooter films the devastation around him on his mobile phone

Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced the city's liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said it would be part of a decentralized federal Syria. Pictured: Heavily damaged buildings in Raqqa

For three years, Raqa saw some of ISIS's worst abuses and grew into one of its main governance hubs, a centre for both its propaganda machine and its unprecedented experiment in jihadist statehood. Pictured: A bombed street in the city

'Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control,' Trump said in a statement.

'The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.'

Trump said the U.S. campaign against Islamic State, which was launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, would soon enter a new phase, in which the United States would 'support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again.'

'Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people,' he said.

Trump's statement made no mention of the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He also did not spell out how the United States would support local security forces.

A White House spokesman said U.S. policy towards Assad 'remains the same.'

Ghost-town: Trump said the U.S. campaign against Islamic State, which was launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, would soon enter a new phase, in which the United States would 'support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace

The fight against Islamic State has taken place amid a wider, multi-sided civil war between Assad's government, which is backed by Iran and Russia, and an array of rebel groups supported by other powers, including the United States

U.S. officials have said Assad has no future governing Syria and U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said last month a stable Syria was not possible while he remained in place.

The fight against Islamic State has taken place amid a wider, multi-sided civil war between Assad's government, which is backed by Iran and Russia, and an array of rebel groups supported by other powers, including the United States.

Experts believe the defeat of ISIS at Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain any insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples with defining a comprehensive strategy in Syria.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France's military would continue its fight against Islamic State in Syria, but that the fall of the militant group's bastion in Raqqa needed to lead to an inclusive political system to restore stability.

Experts believe the defeat of ISIS at Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain any insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples with defining a comprehensive strategy in Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron said France's military would continue its fight against Islamic State in Syria, but that the fall of the militant group's bastion in Raqqa needed to lead to an inclusive political system to restore stability

Nothing left: A street lined with skeletal buildings and rubble lies completely deserted in the city

In shock: Shocked people emerge from their vehicles to inspect what remains of their city after the bombing

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by US special forces, holds up their flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqqa
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Storm Brian lashed Britain yesterday with gusts of up to 80mph, causing travel misery for many families starting their half-term holidays.

However the worst is yet to come, as another 11 named storms are set to batter Britain this autumn and winter.

Weathermen are forecasting wind gusts pushing 120mph and repeated travel mayhem plus floods as the country is hit by twice as many storms as last year.

Meteorologists attribute this succession of tempests to a 'storm factory' brewing in the central Atlantic.

Storm Brian lashed Britain yesterday with gusts of up to 80mph (pictured: waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse)

Waves crashed into the seafront in Porthleven, in Cornwall, as Storm Brian lashed Britain yesterday

A woman holds up a child in front of ferocious waves in Porthcawl, on the south coast of Wales, yesterday

Wales felt the worst of Brian's wrath, with huge waves crashing over sea defences at Porthcawl

A tree collapsed yesterday afternoon on a road in Shirrell Heath, Hampshire, UK. Forecasters predicted the strong winds would lead to trees and branches falling on to roads and causing delays

Commercial forecaster AccuWeather believes the worst is yet to come.

The Met Office names Atlantic storms when they have the risk of an amber warning for wind, rain or snow.

After Storm Aileen, which hit last month, and Brian, the next 11 named storms would be Caroline, Dylan, Eleanor, Fionn, Georgina, Hector, Iona, James, Karen, Larry and Maeve.

Last winter, British storms got only as far as Ewan.

AccuWeather forecaster Tyler Roys said: 'We expect an active storm period until January, with further storms until April.

'Many storm centres are forecast to pass just north of the UK, with a battering of rain in Scotland each time they pass through. Many places will see 50-80mph gusts, with some coasts seeing gusts up to 100mph, and we may see well over 100mph on higher ground, especially in Scotland.

'Travel disruption to roads and rail networks from fallen trees and rain flooding and coastal flooding is expected, with power lines also coming down.'

This vehicle in Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland was partially submerged and at risk of taking on more water and drifting further from shore when police officers arrived on the scene

Four officers with the Police Service of Northern Ireland went into the water to rescue the man around 12.30am on Sunday

The PSNI said weather conditions were poor, with high winds and rough water hampering the rescue effort

AccuWeather made its predictions after studying data for winters with similarly strong jet stream winds during the past 70 years.

A Met Office forecaster said: 'Next weekend, a more unsettled theme seems likely, with strong winds in the North-West. In November, northern areas look most likely to see further wind and rain at times.'

Leon Brown, head of meteorological operations at The Weather Company, said: 'A strong jet stream is forecast to see deep Atlantic depressions passing near the north of the UK.'

Flights and ferries were cancelled yesterday as Storm Brian wrecked havoc across the country.

British Airways cancelled ten flights to and from Heathrow, while Brittany Ferries scrapped eight ferry sailings, mostly to and from Plymouth and Portsmouth.

The Great South Run in Portsmouth and Southsea was cancelled.

Members of the Brighton swimming club prepare for their morning swim today on a bright morning in the seaside town

Brighton swimmers prepare to enter the choppy waters for their Sunday morning swim

A steam engine train crosses over the Victoria Bridge on the Severn Valley Railway in Arley, Bewdley, on a calmer day following Storm Brian

Autumn colours appear as the leaves start to turn in Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, near Southampton, Hampshire

Autumnal red colours shine through the green in Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, near Southampton in Hampshire

West Yorkshire Fire Service said around 20 homes in Todmorden, in the Calder Valley, had been flooded.

Police rescued a man from a car after it entered Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. The vehicle was partially submerged and at risk of taking on more water and drifting further from shore when the officers arrived on the scene.

The man was unresponsive and was said to have been suffering hypothermia at the time.

Four officers with the Police Service of Northern Ireland went into the water off Lough Road in Antrim to rescue the man at around 12.30am on Sunday.

There was no one else in the car. The PSNI said weather conditions were poor, with high winds and rough water hampering the rescue effort. Inspector Claire Gilbert praised the officers involved and said they were lifesavers.

A yellow weather warning for winds across a swathe of Britain, including Wales and southern England up to the Midlands and North West, remained in place until midnight last night.

Autumn has well and truly arrived as ramblers walk through Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, near Southampton, Hampshire

Yellow, green and orange leaves light up the trees at Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, near Southampton, Hampshire

As Storm Brian dies down, autumn colours brighten up Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, near Southampton, Hampshire

Fire-coloured leaves brighten up an autumn Sunday at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, near Southampton in Hampshire

Over the next three days the strong winds will ease and rain will gradually clear, with the weather becoming increasingly dry

Wales felt the worst of Brian's wrath, with huge waves crashing over sea defences at Porthcawl.

Elsewhere in the country, a woman suffered a suspected broken ankle after being blown off her feet on 3,560ft Snowdon.

Fourteen members of Llanberis mountain rescue team went up the peak in Land Rovers before continuing on foot in the storm.

The walker was then stretchered down the path, which was 'running like a river' according to rescuers, put in a 4x4 vehicle, and driven to an ambulance at the bottom of the mountain. She was then taken to hospital at Bangor.

Storm Brian came after three people were killed and hundreds of thousands of people - mostly in Ireland - were left without power after the remnants of Storm Ophelia battered the British Isles after weakening from its earlier hurricane force.
More than 100 women in Kashmir have claimed they are victims of an attacker who knocks them out with a spray and then cuts off their hair.

While the claims have been dismissed in some quarters, since the alleged incidents began, a 70-year-old man has been killed by vigilante groups, while police saved a 'mentally challenged' man from being burned alive by a mob.

On Wednesday, five people were wounded when soldiers open fired on stone-throwing vigilantes who believed the Indian army were protecting the assailant.

More than 100 women in India-administered Kashmir have claimed they are victims of an attacker who knocks them out with a spray and then cuts off their hair. Tasleema (pictured) reacting to her hair, said to have been chopped off in the Batamaloo area of Srinagar

Pictures show a Kashmiri resident Tasleema reacting to her hair, which is said to have been chopped off in the attack, in the Batamaloo area of Srinagar.

Kashmir, a region in northernmost India, which endured a brutal uprising against Indian rule that is still felt today, suffers from rife poverty.

With the mob on the hunt for the attacker, police said they rescued a 'mentally challenged' man who was accused of the attacks.

While the claims have been dismissed in some quarters, since the alleged incidents began a 70-year-old man has been killed by vigilante groups. Women are seen consoling the woman who was a victim of the so-called 'braid-chopper'

With a vigilante mob on the hunt for the attacker, police said they rescued a 'mentally challenged' man who was accused of the attacks

The vigilantes had been trying to set him alight and run him over with a tractor.

At least a dozen police and soldiers have been beaten up.

Although police initially said the hair-chopping was self-inflicted, they are now offering a 600,000 rupee reward for the culprit.

However, they also insist victims of the poverty stricken take a lie-detector test.

In Muslim-majority Kashmir, women are expected to have their long hair kept under a scarf when in public

In Muslim-majority Kashmir, women are expected to have their long hair kept under a scarf when in public.

Police investigating the circumstances around the alleged attacks say they are proving impossible to verify thanks to a lack of witnesses and evidence.

Tasleema says she was going to fetch vegetables in storage when she was attacked.

Although police initially said the hair-chopping was self-inflicted, they are now offering a 600,000 rupee reward for the culprit

Police investigating the circumstances around the alleged attacks say they are proving impossible to verify thanks to a lack of witnesses and evidence

Her husband, Mohammad Rauf Wani, heard a scream and found his wife unconscious on the floor with six inches of her hair spread out next to her.

'I don't understand how it happened,' Wani told AFP, holding his wife's severed braid.

'Just as I turned after opening the door someone tried to strangle me from behind. I saw his face covered by a black mask, I saw his eyes. Then I don't know what happened,' Tasleema added.
A rescued 16-year-old hostage helped Philippine soldiers hunt down one of the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects and his accomplice during the final battle against the Islamic State in the southern city of Marawi.

Isnilon Hapilon, IS's 'emir' in Southeast Asia, and Omarkhayam Maute, another leader of the Marawi siege, were killed in gun battle on Monday in a push by troops to retake the last pocket of the city.

A teen hostage who had been rescued by troops provided the crucial information that allowed troops to locate Hapilon and Maute in one building in Marawi.

The US State Department has offered a reward of up to $5million for Hapilon, who Washington blames for ransom kidnappings of several Americans, one of whom was beheaded in 2001 in southern Basilan province.

US Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said that DNA tests done in Virginia at the request of the Philippine military confirmed the death of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on the FBIs most-wanted terrorist list.

Filipino soldiers poses with the dead bodies of rebel leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute on Monday after they were killed during an army offensive in the southern city of Marawi

Isnilon Hapilon, Islamic State's 'emir' in Southeast Asia, and Omarkhayam Maute, one of two 'Khalifas' at the helm of the Dawla Islamiya militant alliance, were killed in a targeted operation on Monday and their bodies had been recovered and identified, authorities said

But it is unclear who will receive the reward - the Philippine military or the 16-year-old boy - for information leading to the death of Hapilon.

US Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said that DNA tests done in Virginia at the request of the Philippine military confirmed the death of Hapilon, who is on the FBIs most-wanted terrorist list.

The confirmation of the deaths of Hapilon and Maute would pave the way for the payment of huge payment of huge US and Philippine bounties offered for the two.

Washington has backed efforts by the Philippines, a treaty ally, to combat terrorism for years.

'This is yet another example of how the US is supporting our friend, partner and ally in the fight against terror,' Koscina said.

The Philippine military believes that Mahmud bin Ahmad, a top Malaysian militant and close associate of Hapilon, had also been killed in the Marawi clashes, although his body has yet to be recovered by troops.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared the southern city of Marawi liberated from pro-Islamic State militants on Tuesday

Philippine military chief General Eduardo Ano (center) holds an image of Islamic militant leader Hapilon, next to Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (right) showing an image of Maute, and Western Mindanao Commanding General Carlito Galvez (left) during a press conference at a military camp in Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao

Philippine military chief Gen Eduardo Ano holds pictures of dead militant leaders during a press conference at a military camp in Marawi

DNA tests were also being done on the remains of other suspects who have been recovered by troops, Lorenzana said without elaborating.

Hapilon had been indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts against US nationals and other foreigners.

A soft-spoken Islamic preacher born to a family of militants on southern Basilan island, Hapilon had been linked to several major attacks in the southern Philippines, including kidnappings, bombings and attacks on urban centers.

Philippine soldiers showed off the dead bodies of Hapilon and Maute as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte symbolically declared the region liberated last week.

Philippine troops on Sunday were battling a final group of about 30 pro-Islamic State group militants who were surrounded in one building with all their hostages gone as a nearly five-month siege neared its end in southern Marawi city, a military official said.

Soldiers from the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) and Marine Special Operation Group (MARSOG) gather their belongings after their send-off ceremony from their combat duty against pro-Islamic State (IS) militants in Marawi City, the Philippines

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, one of the most wanted terrorist leaders in the region with alleged link to Islamic State (IS) extremists, was killed in an assault in the Philippine southern city of Marawi

Soldiers from the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) and Marine Special Operation Group (MARSOG) wave at residents as they leave Marawi

Army Col. Romeo Brawner said troops were aiming to end the crisis before midnight Sunday. He said the remaining gunmen, who include some Indonesian and Malaysian fighters, have the option of surrendering, or they can either be captured or killed.

'Our government forces will try to do everything to finish the firefight today,' Brawner said in a news conference in Marawi. He said the battle area centered in a two-story building near Lake Lanao where the firefight continued to rage at noon.

'It's either they all get killed, because they're determined to die inside, or we capture them or they surrender,' he said.

Hapilon and Maute were among the leaders in a nearly five-month insurrection in the lakeside city that has left at least 1,127 people dead, including 915 militants and 165 soldiers and police.

Hundreds of militants, many waving Islamic State group-style black flags, launched the siege on May 23 in Marawi, a bastion of Islamic faith in the south of the largely Roman Catholic Philippines, by seizing the lakeside city's central business district and outlying communities.

The Philippines president spoke moments after explosions and gunfire were heard in the city. Pictured above, destroyed buildings in the city

Philippine soldiers aboard their armored personnel carrier celebrate after President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi City 'liberated'

They ransacked banks and shops, including gun stores, looted houses and smashed statues in a Roman Catholic cathedral, according to the military.

At least 1,780 of the hostages seized by the militants, including a Roman Catholic priest, were rescued, and a final group of 20 captives were freed overnight, Brawner said. That left the gunmen with none of the hostages they had used as human shields to slow the military advance for months.

The disastrous uprising, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of Marawi residents, erupted as the Philippines was hosting annual summit meetings of Southeast Asian nations and their Asian and Western counterparts, including the United States and Australia.

The two governments have deployed surveillance aircraft and drones to help Filipino troops rout the Marawi militants.

The siege has sparked fears that the Islamic State group may gain a foothold in Southeast Asia by influencing and providing funds to local militants as it suffers battle defeats in Syria and Iraq.

The United States and Australia have deployed surveillance aircraft to help Filipinos battling the Marawi attackers.
Cassie Sainsbury's tale about a mystery man selling the 22-year-old almost 6kg of cocaine could prove to be true according to fresh claims.

The accused drug smuggler has long said that a Colombian male named 'Angelo' supplied her with the drugs that have seen her battling the courts for six months now.

But with no credible evidence to suggest such a person exists, Sainsbury's lawyer Orlando Herran has so far not been able to prove her innocence.

That is, until the AFP began looking into the anonymous man, as confirmed by a statement it released on Sunday.

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Cassie Sainsbury pictured arriving in Bogota Special Circuit Court on Saturday for a hearing closed to the media

'The prosecutor is sure that this person is real, is a Colombian person and is in the country at this time,' Mr Herran told Seven News.

The AFP reiterated it was liaising with Colombian authorities on the matter but wouldnt comment further on operational matters.

Earlier this week the Colombian judge presiding over Sainsbury's fate is believed to have accepted a plea deal of six years, but good behaviour and time served could see that sentence dramatically reduced.

If the deal is realised, and Sainsbury is granted good behaviour, the 22-year-old could be released in 24 months.

But if time served is considered that will reduce the sentence again by a further six months - giving the South Australian local her freedom by 2019.

Accused drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury (pictured) arrived at a Colombian court on Saturday

Cassie Sainsbury was arrested in April when narcotics police found cocaine in her luggage, hidden in headphone packets

Her family in Adelaide is thrilled by the news, with her sister Khala Sainsbury saying: 'It couldn't have gone any better. I believe she'll be okay, she's strong.'

Previously it was reported that the 22-year-old was offered a six-year deal at a pre-trial hearing at Bogota court.

The newly-appointed judge was considering the deal made between the prosecution and Sainsbury's lawyers, The Herald Sun reported on Friday.

The judge hearing the case earlier granted a request from Mr Herran to close the hearing to all media.

Resembling the first plea bargain - rejected after Sainsbury repeatedly changed her story - the six-year deal was presented on Friday in the Bogota Special Circuit Court.

The sentencing hearing will take place on November 1, but a source within the court said the judge has given it his approval.

The 22-year-old is accused of attempting to smuggle almost 6kg of cocaine into Australia and faces up to 30 years behind bars if found guilty of drug trafficking.

If Sainsbury's (pictured) drug trafficking case had been adjourned until next month she could have been set free due to Colombian law limiting court cases for those in custody to 90 days

The 22-year-old (seen here being escorted to court in August) is accused of attempting to smuggle almost 6kg of cocaine into Australia and faces up to 30 years behind bars if found guilty of drug trafficking

Prosecutors had a number of options, including a new plea deal, but if they had pushed for an adjournment of her case she could have been freed.

According to Colombian law, a person must be released from jail under the statute of limitations if their case is not finalised in the courts within a certain period of time - in this case 90 days.

They are then 'paroled', with an assessment carried out on whether there is enough merit in the case to bring it before trial.

Sainsbury's drawn-out case has been before the courts for 70 days already, based on her plea hearing on August 10.

Prosecutors pushed for an adjournment of her case but such a move could have been her ticket to freedom

According to Colombian law, a person must be released from jail under the statute of limitations if their case is not finalised in the courts within a certain time - in this case 90 days (pictured is Cassie in Colombian prison)

That meant the former personal trainer from Adelaide had a chance of release from El Buen Pastor prison before Christmas, after spending over six months locked up.

Sainsbury was arrested in April after she was caught with 5.6 kilograms of cocaine at Bogota Airport, hidden inside 18 separate packages of headphones.

She initially told prosecutors she had no idea the headphones were filled with cocaine, but later said she had been blackmailed by an international drug syndicate.

In a tell-all interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year she claimed the drug ring had sent her WhatsApp images and texts of her family - saying her loved ones would be killed if she failed to obey their orders.

But in a sensational twist, Sainsbury said she could not access the evidence to potentially clear her name, as she had forgotten the password to her phone.

Sainsbury was arrested in April after she was caught with 5.6 kilograms of cocaine at Bogota Airport, hidden inside 18 separate packages of headphones
A letter recovered from the body of a First Class passenger on the Titanic has been sold at auction for a world record price of 126,000.

Alexander Oskar Holverson, 42, penned the poignant message to his mother the night before the doomed ocean liner hit an iceberg and sank on April 14 1912.

Over three pages, Mr Holverson described the luxurious surroundings of the vessel and even predicted that 'if all goes well we will arrive in New York on Wednesday'.

Alexander Holverson wrote the letter to his mother as he sailed on the doomed liner, while returning home to the US after travelling Europe with his wife Mary (right, both pictured)

Mr Holverson's note (pictured) was initially valued at a whopping 80,000 but actually broke the previous record for a Titanic letter of 119,000

However, sadly, just like the other 1,522 passengers and crew who died as the ship sank within three hours of hitting the berg, he would never reach his destination.

Mr Holverson's note was initially valued at a whopping 80,000 but actually broke the previous record for a Titanic letter of 119,000.

The letter remained in his family for years and has now sold at auction in Devizes, Wiltshire, via a third party.

Most Titanic letters that come on the market had been posted in Cherbourg in France or Queenstown, Ireland - the last port of call for the liner.

Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers, said this is the last known letter written on board by a victim.

Two years ago a letter written on April 14, 1912, by passenger Esther Hart, who survived the sinking, sold for a record 119,000.

Over three pages on White Star Line headed notepaper, Mr Holverson described the 'palatial' surroundings of the Titanic and made reference to fellow passenger, John Jacob Astor

On April 13 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank within three hours with the loss of 1,522 passengers and crew

Over three pages on White Star Line headed notepaper, Mr Holverson told his mother: 'this boat is giant in size and fitted up like a palacial hotel. The food and music is excellent'.

The letter is also the only one of its kind to reference the Titanic's most famous and richest passenger, John Jacob Astor, who was on a par with Bill Gates in terms of his wealth.

Mr Holverson wrote how he sat out on deck with the US businessman who 'looks like any other human being even tho he has millions of money'.

Mr Holverson's body was recovered from the Atlantic days later and his personal effects were sent back to his brother in Minnesota, US.

John Jacob Astor (left) and his wife Nancy (right) were among the most famous passengers on the Titanic

These included a pocketbook in which was folded the letter that was heavily water stained.

Accompanying the Holverson letter is a sad note written by his grieving mother, Rachael, describing her loss.

There is also a touching photograph of Mr Holverson and his wife Mary taken in New York before they embarked on a trip to Europe. Mary survived the disaster which happened as they returned to the US.

A set of rusty locker keys that belonged to a cabin steward who survived sold for 76,000 and a pair of previously unseen photos of the Titanic leaving Southampton on its doomed voyage made 24,000.

Mr Aldridge said: 'The prices illustrate the enduring interest in the Titanic and her passengers and crew.

Left, Mr Holverson's note on Red Star liner headed paper and right, a letter from Mr Holverson's grieving mother (Rachael ) to his brother Walter after the tragic news

'I'm delighted with the new world record for the Titanic letter, it reflects its status as the most important Titanic letter we have ever auctioned.

'Since this one was recovered from Mr Holverson's body he obviously had hoped to send it on to his mother from New York.

'While the ink and wording has not run, the letter displays some colourful stains to the last page which was the page mostly exposed to the water evident from the way the letter had been folded by Holverson.

'If this letter was virtually unreadable it would still rank amongst the most desirable. Yet the content takes it to another level.

'It is the only letter to be written on April 13 that has been recovered and the only letter written on board Titanic stationary to have been recovered from a victim.

'It is also the only letter to mention John Jacob Astor, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world at the time.

'It is also gives us an unparallelled snapshot into life on board this liner for first class passengers.

'But the saddest element to the letter is about the anticipated arrival in New York which of course never happened. It is as if he knew that things may not have gone well.'
Oxford University students have joined in with the growing critics condemning former alumna and de facto leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, for her response to the crisis in Rohingya.

Undergraduates at St Hugh's, where Suu Kyi studied in the 1960s, have voted to remove her name from the junior common room for her failure to speak out against the state-sponsored attack on Myanmar's Muslim-minority Rohingya inhabitants.

It comes after the college voted earlier this year to remove her portrait from the main entrance, which was put up after she was given an honourary doctorate for being one of the 'most distinguished and remarkable alumni' in 2012.

A motion by St Hugh's JCR Committee said its junior common room would be 'unnamed' immediately.

Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has had her name removed from a junior common room in Oxford for her failure to condemn the Rohingya killings

The motion said: 'We must condemn Aung San Suu Kyi's silence and complicity on this issue and her condonation of the human rights offences is her own land.

'In doing so, she has gone against the very principles and ideals she had once righteously promoted.'

At the time of the award, former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi was regarded as a champion of democracy and a non-violent human rights advocate.

She spent nearly 15 years under house arrest campaigning against Myanmar's military dictatorship and in 2016 was appointed the Southeast Asian's state counsellor, a position similar to prime minister in other countries.

Yet since the conflict erupted in August, she has not spoken out about the horrific killings, which the United Nations described as a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing'.

Around 537,000 of Myanmar's Rohingya population has fled into neighbouring Bangladesh in the space of around two months

The United Nations has labelled the crisis as a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing' following their report

Around 537,000 of Myanmar's Rohingya population has fled into neighbouring Bangladesh in the space of around two months.

The conflict kicked off after Rohingya militants killed 12 officers when they launched a series of coordinated attacks on government posts in the Buddist-majority Myanmar.

The government has launched a brutal retaliation against the Rohingya, with Amnesty International carrying out 150 interviews with witnesses and concluded that fleeing refugees have been killed, burnt, raped and torture.

Tirana Hassan, Amnesty's crisis response director, said: 'In this orchestrated campaign, Myanmar's security forces have brutally meted out revenge on the entire Rohingya population of northern Rakhine State, in an apparent attempt to permanently drive them out of the country.'
Hundreds of scooter riders shut down the city of Brisbane on Sunday, after a social media organised event turned into a violent clash with police.

Australian Instagram star Jack Dauth, 18, sent out an open invitation to his 159,000 followers to take their scooters for a joy ride in Brisbane CBD.

The event, called the 'Brisbane street jam', began with teenagers and children riding through the streets of the city before police were called.

Australian Instagram star Jack Dauth, 18, sent out an open invitation to his 159,000 followers to take their scooters for a joy ride

The event, called the 'Brisbane street jam', began with teenagers and children riding through the streets of the city

Footage from the event shows officers allegedly punching some riders before they arrested Mr Dauth, who was the headline act.

The 18-year-old was thrown into the back of a police wagon before eventually being released, but not without documenting his ordeal for his fans.

'I don't condone any violence but it's not under our control, we're just riding scooters,' the teen told 7 News.

Julian Woods, who organised the events, believes there was 'no wrongdoing by any of the street riders'.

Queensland police intercepted a large group of teenagers at Eagle Street before ushering them off the road

The 18-year-old was arrested and thrown into the back of a police wagon before eventually being released with charges

'It is organised chaos, we don't organise the chaos but it just comes on it's own,' he told 7 News.

Queensland police intercepted a large group of teenagers at Eagle Street before ushering them off the road.

Police 'became aware of a large group of young people riding dangerously on scooters throughout the Valley and the city this afternoon', a statement read.

'At times, those involved were riding the wrong way down the road and were weaving in and out of traffic.'

Several riders were arrested but were released without charges after half an hour.

It's believed this was the fourth Brisbane street jam event to have taken place.
A father-of-three had both feet and a hand amputated after contracting the life-threatening condition sepsis - believing he was only suffering from the flu.

Chris Garlick, 46, had to have three limbs removed after suddenly falling ill with what he initially thought was just a cold.

The father, who also lost all his fingers on the other hand, was left fighting for his life after doctors discovered he had the condition which causes the body's immune system to attack its own tissue and organs.

Chris Garlick, 46, had to have both his legs and one of his hands removed after suddenly falling ill with sepsis, believing it was just a cold. The father, who also lost all his fingers on the other hand, was left fighting for his life after doctors discovered he had the condition which causes the body's immune system to attack its own tissue and organs

Despite now facing having to learn how to live an entirely different life, Chris says he is just full of gratitude to the doctors who saved him.

Massage therapist Chris, whose children are aged 10, eight and five, said:'I'm looking forward to the future because I did manage to survive sepsis.

'I have survived and I have got things to do. I'm going to be a father and a husband again.'

It was mid-July when Chris, who runs a chiropractic clinic in Cardiff alongside wife Karran, 41, first began complaining of cold and flu-like symptoms.

Despite now facing having to learn how to live an entirely different life, Chris says he is just full of gratitude to the doctors who saved him. Massage therapist Mr Garlick, whose children are aged 10, eight and five, said: 'I'm looking forward to the future because I did manage to survive sepsis

Over the weekend he felt so unwell he became confined to his bed at home.

'On Sunday morning I was feeling really rough,' Chris said. 'We were going to take the kids swimming but I said I just couldn't manage it. So Karran put a film on for the children.'

Karran returned to the bedroom a while later and found he was running a high temperature, but he was so weak he was unable to get into the bath to cool off.

Chris said: 'I couldn't walk straight and the pain in my head was unbearable, and that's the last thing I remember.'

Karran had recently started a training course with a view to returning to nursing and recognised some of Chris' symptoms.

She telephoned NHS Direct and after allowing the operator to hear Chris' laboured breathing down the line, an ambulance was immediately dispatched to their home.

Chris was taken to the intensive care unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, where he was placed on assisted breathing apparatus and given a blanket course of antibiotics.

Karran said: 'At four o'clock he was talking to me, and by six o'clock he was near death; literally. For four days they told me he was going to die, so they were preparing me for the worst.'

Chris was taken to the intensive care unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, where he was placed on assisted breathing apparatus and given a blanket course of antibiotics. His wife Karran (pictured) called NHS Direct after recognising some of the sepsis symptoms

During the first night, Chris had to be resuscitated. His condition eventually stabilised, but he remained in a coma for a further fortnight.

Karran said doctors discovered Chris had contracted meningococcal bacteria, which led to the septic reaction.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. It is most commonly caused by bacterial infection.

'His lungs had stopped working, his heart wasn't working too well and his clotting wasn't working so he was bleeding everywhere,' Karran said.

'Because his blood pressure was so low, what your body naturally does is try to maintain your vital organs. This means your extremities don't have enough blood running to them.'

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. It is most commonly caused by bacterial infection

She added: 'They were talking about amputations probably a week into his illness.'

A build up of dead tissue, known as necrotic tissue, around Chris' limbs was found to be causing strain on his body.

Chris was visited by a surgical consultant, who broke the news to the couple that he would have to amputate below the knee on both legs.

Karran said: 'I remember he said to me 'please don't let them take my legs', because he loved walking on the beach and he was worried that he would never feel the sand under his feet again.'

On August 30, the day of his daughter's tenth birthday, Chris went into surgery to have his legs amputated, as well as his left arm above the wrist but below the elbow at Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Surgeons were able to save the palm of his right hand and his thumb.

On August 30, the day of his daughter's tenth birthday, Chris went into surgery to have his legs amputated, as well as his left arm above the wrist but below the elbow at Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Surgeons were able to save the palm of his right hand and his thumb

Chris said: 'I pleaded with him to save everything he could and he did. I'm very grateful for that.

'When you think about all the tiny, miniscule things like buttering toast or typing on a key board that you just take for granted,' he added. 'Once you don't have that it's incredibly painful.

'But I'm so grateful for what I do have left. It really does make you feel humble.'

In the intervening seven weeks, Chris made faster progress with his recovery than doctors initially estimated. He says he wants to be able to return home for Christmas and hopes he will soon be moved to Rookwood Hospital in Cardiff to begin more intensive rehabilitation.

Warning signs In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, flu or upset stomach. The six signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym 'SEPSIS': Slurred speech or confusion.

Extreme shivering or muscle pain.

Passing no urine in a day.

Severe breathlessness.

'I feel like I might die.'

Skin that's mottled or discoloured. Anyone who develops any of these symptoms should seek medical help urgently  and ask doctors: 'Could this be sepsis?' Advertisement

'My goal is to be home for three days over the Christmas period. I'm really focused on that. When I do my physiotherapy I get a lot of anger and frustration out, because that's part of the process, but the positive is that I'm getting closer to going home. Ultimately I intend to get home for Christmas.'

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: 'Stories like Chris's remind us of the devastating human cost of sepsis. Every day in the UK, individuals and families have their lives torn apart by the condition, but better awareness could save thousands of lives each year.

'Whenever there are signs of infection it's crucial members of the public seek medical attention immediately, and that healthcare professionals 'think sepsis'. With every hour that passes before the right antibiotics are administered, risk of death increases. Earlier recognition and treatment can save lives and mean hugely improved outcomes for those affected.'

A Just Giving page set up during the summer raised 2,000 to help support the family while Karran and Chris have been unable to work.

With extensive renovation needed to adapt their home for Chris' needs in future, another Just Giving campaign has been set up. A coffee morning which took place on Saturday October 21 has also been organised to raise money to support the family.

Chris said: 'The generosity people have shown us is just unbelievable. You wouldn't believe it in this day and age. It makes me tearful not because I'm upset but because it's amazing.'
Millions of Japanese braved typhoon conditions Sunday for a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the world's third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea.

If pre-vote surveys prove correct, Abe's conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse.

Polling stations opened at 7:00am (2200 GMT Saturday) with voters battling high winds and driving rain as an election-day typhoon barrelled towards Japan.

Despite the bad weather, voter turnout excluding early voting rose to 12.24 percent by 11:00am from 11.08 percent in the previous election three years ago, while a record 15.64 million had cast early votes by Friday, the government said.

Analysts earlier said low turnout would likely benefit Abe, who is aiming to become the country's longest-serving leader.

"I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," said one voter, Yoshihisa Iemori, as he cast his ballot in Tokyo.

"I'm focusing on this point for the election," the 50-year-old construction firm owner told AFP.

Near-constant drizzle throughout the campaign has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house.

Such a "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to "renounce" war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Ballot boxes close at 8:00pm (1100 GMT) when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls.

Powerful typhoon Lan has already caused landslides and delayed voting at one polling station, while commuter boat services of a remote island in western Japan were cancelled due to high waves, forcing election officials to give up counting islanders' votes on Sunday.

Abe shocked Japan by calling the election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual "national crises" of an ageing population and North Korean tensions.

Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12-day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea.

"When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver," an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally.

Observers say North Korea's sabre-rattling has helped Abe, 63, as voters tend to favour the incumbent at times of heightened tension.

Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in Japan and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity.

Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken."

"I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger. He does not do politics for the people," added the pensioner.

But Abe faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japan's sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old-school politics and vested interests.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koike's popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election.

"As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless," said Michael Cucek from Temple University.

Koike was not even in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor.

The centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party may benefit from her decline and could become the second biggest party.

Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime minister's trademark "Abenomics" policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories.

"Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don't feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.

Abe has vowed to use part of the proceeds from a proposed sales tax hike to provide free childcare in a bid to get more women working but Koike wants to scrap the hike altogether.

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A former vogue cover model has revealed details of her years as a 'pleasure wife' for the world's richest man, an arms dealer from Saudi Arabia.

Speaking on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday night, Jill Dodd, now 58, lifted the veil on her life with notorious billionaire Adnan Khashoggi, who was almost 30 years her senior.

Ms Dodd revealed she was a 'naive' 21-year-old model when she met Khashoggi at a party and he wrote on her arm in blood as a means of introducing himself.

'He pulled up my sleeve and he wrote 'I love you' I was like oh my god that's blood and I was kind of shocked, but I thought it was really funny and cute at the same time,' she said.

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Speaking on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday night, Jill Dodd, now 58, lifted the veil on her life with notorious billionaire Adnan Khashoggi

Ms Dodd revealed she was a 'naive' 21-year-old model when she met Khashoggi at a party and he wrote on her arm in blood as a means of introducing himself

Khashoggi was already a married father-of-five when he met Ms Dodd, but pursued a relationship because he was allowed up to 12 women to serve as his 'pleasure wives'.

Ms Dodd quickly became a member of Khashoggi's harem, living in lavish suites in Saudi Arabia and taking turns to have sex with the billionaire arms dealer.

While she realised she was living a life of luxury thanks to her relations with Khashoggi, she continues to defend the legitimacy of their relationship.

'I never thought of myself as a hooker, I still don't think that,' she said.

Ms Dodd revealed the business tycoon made her sign a contract before they started a relationship.

'He said 'I want to take care of you, I want to make a five-year contract with you. I'll provide everything for you and you will be at my beck and call 24 hours a day',' she said.

She accepted.

Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian businessman who made billions dealing arms on the international market.

'I never thought of myself as a hooker, I still don't think that,' Ms Dodd (pictured) said

Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian businessman who made billions dealing arms on the international market (pictured on one of his private jets)

Ms Dodd said she and Khashoggi (pictured) went to lavish parties with politicians and royalty, and shared drug-fuelled evenings together

Ms Dodd said she and Khashoggi went to lavish parties with politicians and royalty, and shared drug-fuelled evenings together.

'We did (cocaine) recreationally. We would lock ourselves in a room for days, we would make love, we would eat, the chef would bring us food,' she said.

'I believe I was in love with him.'

The American woman said she loved Khashoggi and did not regret her years as his 'pleasure wife'.

'He was great, we just melded together. He was a great lover, everything was just mutual and beautiful,' she said.

'He was great, we just melded together. He was a great lover, everything was just mutual and beautiful,' she said on 60 Minutes on Sunday night

'We did (cocaine) recreationally. We would lock ourselves in a room for days, we would make love, we would eat, the chef would bring us food,' Ms Dodd (pictured) said

Ms Dodd said it was years before she decided her life with Khashoggi was no longer what she wanted

Ms Dodd said it was years before she decided her life with Khashoggi was no longer what she wanted.

She left his harem seven years after their relationship started, going on to found popular surf brand Roxy, marry and become a mother-of-three.

Ms Dodd detailed her love affair with the multi-billionaire in a book released this year titled The Currency of Love.

The book's subject, Khashoggi, will never read the memoir because he died in June this year aged 81.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has rescinded its invitation to appoint Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe as a Goodwill Ambassador for the NCDs in Africa.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom tweeted a link to a statement which was posted on the WHO website, informing the public of their decision.

In the statement, he said he had listened to the barrage of abuse directed at the decision and had decided, after talking with the Zimbabwean government, that it was in the best interest of the WHO to rescind the invite to the 93-year-old.

His statement on the WHO website reads: 'Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment.

Robert Mugabe has had his invitation to join the WHO as a Goodwill Ambassador rescinded following huge public backlash

'I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization.

It added: 'It is my aim to build a worldwide movement for global health. This movement must work for everyone and include everyone.

'For me, what is important is to build political leadership and create unity around bringing health to all, based on WHOs core values.

'I remain firmly committed to working with all countries and their leaders to ensure that every one has access to the health care they need.

'We must build bridges that bring us together and help us move forward in our quest to achieve universal health coverage.

'I thank everyone who has voiced their concerns and shared their thoughts. I depend on constructive debate to help and inform the work I have been elected to do.'

Tedros Adhanom is now facing calls to resign from his position following the complete miscalculation of international mood.

Replying to his latest tweet informing people of the U-turn, Rodger Magagani said: 'Thank you now you can resign.'

After speaking with the Zimbabwean government, the WHO decided it was best to rescind Mugabe's invite

Deceased Cuban President Fidel Castro (R) and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe greet each other at the Revolution Palace in Havana

Dunny Semwayo said: 'Now you can resign for not applying reasonable judgement on this appointment. Your ability to consider circumstances is in question.'

Prof Alijosa added: 'One must be a real genius to do something like this in the first place @WHO, then "reflect" on it... Resign now!'

The rescinded invite caps an embarrassing 48-hour for the international body. The health organisation, which is a specialised arm of the United Nations, asked Mugabe to become a Goodwill Ambassador on Friday.

Less than 24 hours before he decided to rescind the invite to Mugabe, he tweeted: 'Im listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible.'

Zimbabwe is infamous for its atrocious human-rights abuses and is currently under international sanctions.

Announcing the appointment on Friday, Dr Ghebreyesus had said Mr Mugabe was chosen for the role because of the strength of Zimbabwe's healthcare system.

Dr Tedros said at an address to the conference: 'I am honoured to be joined by President Mugabe, of Zimbabwe, a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all.'
In the wake of the revelations about Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual assault, more than 30 women have come forward with their own stories of sexual abuse at the hands of another Hollywood director.

Movie director, James Toback, has been accused by 38 women of framing meetings as interviews or auditions, but they would quickly turn sexual.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, on several occasions Toback would invite women, usually in their 20s, to his hotel room where he would dry-hump them or masturbate in front of them, ejaculating into his pants or onto their bodies and then walk away.

Starr Rinaldi, who was an aspiring actress, told the Times that she was approached by Toback 15 years ago in Central Park.

'He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, 'How serious are you about your craft?'

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More than 30 women have accused film director, James Toback (pictured in September), 72, of 'dry-humping their legs, masturbating in front of them and ejaculating into his pants'

Actress Terri Conn (left) told the Times that she was 23 years old when she had an encounter with Toback. Chantal Cousineau (right) said she met Toback for an audition for Harvard Man when she was 19. Cousineau said the alleged encounter happened in his hotel room

'And the horrible thing is, whichever road you choose, whether you sleep with him or walk away, you're still broken,' Rinaldi said. 'You have been violated.'

The majority of the women who spoke to the Times recall Toback, now 72, telling them that he could make them stars and all they needed to do was 'trust him'.

During these alleged counters, Toback would name-drop Hollywood stars who he had at the time worked with in order to intrigue the women.

Once he got their attention, he would invite them to a secluded area or a hotel room to 'start the process' that would lead them to stardom, according to one woman's account.

This well-known actress wanted to remain anonymous. She recalled an experience in 2000 at a Los Angeles hotel where she believed she would be auditioning.

Toback allegedly told her he felt a connection with her but that she needed remove her clothes in order to display the sexual confidence the role required.

'I am really uncomfortable,' she replied. 'That's the whole point of this exercise,' she says Toback told her, according to the Times.

She ended up taking off her sweater, but started to cry as she attempted to read the monologue.

When she tried to leave, she said Toback blocked the hotel room door and told her he needed to ejaculate.

Toback's (pic movies include, The Gambler (1974), The Pick-Up Artist (1987), Bugsy, which was nominated for an Oscar (1991), Two Girls and a Guy (1997) and more recently The Private Life of a Modern Woman (2017)

Starr Rinaldi (pictured), who was an aspiring actress, told the Times that she was approached by Toback 15 years ago in Central Park. 'He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, 'How serious are you about your craft?'

Actress Echo Danon told the Times that Toback knelt in front of her while they were in his trailer on the set of his movie Black and White. She claimed that he told her: 'If you look into my eyes and pinch my nipples, I'm going to come in my pants right now'

Alec Baldwin - who is the star of James Toback's latest picture 'The Private Life of a Modern Woman' - sits with the director and Roman Polanski (right) in 2013. The meeting was captured in a documentary on Toback entitled 'Seduced and Abandoned'

He allegedly made her pinch his nipples and look into his eyes as he pressed himself against her and came in his pants, according to the Times.

None of the women contacted the police at the time out of fear of retaliation. Some of the women even claim that Toback threatened them.

Toback, who is married to Stephanie Kempf, has denied the allegations, claiming that he had never met any of the women or, if he did, it 'was for five minutes and have no recollection', according to the Times.

He reportedly told the newspaper that it was 'biologically impossible' for him to engage in the behavior described by the women because he has diabetes and a heart condition.

Louise Post met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College in New York.

'He told me he'd love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes,' Post told the Times.

Post, who is now a guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Veruca Salt, said: 'Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible'.

Veruca Salt tweeted on Monday: 'Us too: by bosses, boyfriends, male babysitters, taxi drivers, strangers and movie director/pig #jamestoback #metoo.'

Actress Echo Danon told the Times that Toback knelt in front of her while they were in his trailer on the set of his movie Black and White.

She claimed that he told her: 'If you look into my eyes and pinch my nipples, I'm going to come in my pants right now.' Danon said that he made the statement while touching her thighs.

In 2003, radio host Sari Kamin, said she met Toback at a Kinko's on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

In an article written for Medium, Kamin said she was just 23 years old at the time and 'what I wanted more than anything in the world was to be an actress'.

Kamin wrote: 'Toback then told me he saw me doing some xeroxing and felt connected to me and that was how he knew he would like to cast me in a movie because he only cast women in his movies that he saw and then felt instantly connected to.'

And just a few days later, she claims they had dinner at an Italian restaurant where Toback told her 'he needed to masturbate seven times a day to feel steady in the world'.

In 2003, radio host Sari Kamin (pictured), said she had an encounter with Toback in his hotel suite. She claimed he knelt down before her and began to rub his groin against her

Kamin had several more dinners with Toback over the course of a few months.

She said that Toback eventually convinced her to accompany him to a hotel room to experience a 'real connection' with her.

According to her article, Kamin claims that Toback asked her to take off her clothes, which she met with much protest.

After berating her, she gave in and removed her clothes, according to the article.

He then allegedly knelt down before her and began to rub his groin against her.

'I felt really paralyzed,' Kamin recalled. 'And I asked him, 'Are you trying to get yourself off?' And he said, 'Absolutely.' She jumped out of her chair, grabbed her clothes and ran.

Terri Conn told the Times that she was 23 years old when she had an encounter with Toback.

Conn had been working on the soap opera As the World Turns when, she says, Toback approached her on the street and asked her to meet him in Central Park.

Louise Post (pictured in March) met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College in New York. 'He told me he'd love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes,' Post told the Times

Post, who is now a guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Veruca Salt, said: 'Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible.' Veruca Salt tweeted (pictured) about Toback on last Monday

Chef, author, and TV host, Anthony Bourdain, who is currently dating Asia Argento, also tweeted about the accusations against Toback. Argento was one of more than 30 women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault

She said he took her to a secluded area in the park and told her the best way to get to know someone is to see their soul. And the way you can see someone's soul is to look into their eyes when they're experiencing orgasm.

Conn then claims that he knelt before her and began humping her leg, telling Conn to look into his eyes.

'I was shocked and frozen and didn't know what to do,' Conn said. 'I thought if I resisted, it could get worse. He could overpower me.'

She told the Times that he then ejaculated into his pants and asked her to dinner, but she declined and never saw him again.

Actress Chantal Cousineau said she met Toback for an audition for Harvard Man when she was 19.

Cousineau said the alleged encounter began in a hotel restaurant and ended in his hotel room. She told the Times that Toback kept talking about masturbation.

When she tried to leave, he told her that she had gotten the part and during a rehearsal for a monologue, she claims she heard Toback grunting, with his hands rubbing loudly against his windbreaker pants as he masturbated.

'I felt so violated,' she said. 'And there was my abuser, inches away from me.'

Toback, who is married to Stephanie Kempf (both pictured in 2013), has denied the allegations, claiming that he had never met any of the women or, if he did, it 'was for 5 minutes and have no recollection', according to the Times. The couple have one son together

The allegations against Toback come after more than 30 women allege that Hollywood producer Weinstein sexually assaulted, abused or harassed them

More than 30 women have now come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood producer Weinstein, the man once described as 'God' of the film industry.

For nearly three decades their accusations remained bottled up, some suppressed by pay-offs.

The accusations, including from some of the world's most famous actresses, range from inappropriate massages to rape.

In the wake Weinstein being fired from The Weinstein Company over sexual assault allegations, many women have been coming forward to share their stories of sexual harassment.

More recently, actress Alyssa Milano, encouraged women who have been sexually assaulted, abused or harassed to come forward using the hashtag #MeToo.

Toback's movies include, The Gambler (1974), The Pick-Up Artist (1987), Bugsy, which was nominated for an Oscar (1991), Two Girls and a Guy (1997) and more recently The Private Life of a Modern Woman (2017).
Career criminal Guy Paget, 69, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday

A pensioner drug dealer has been jailed for 14 years after police seized a suitcase full of drugs worth more than 2million.

Career criminal Guy Paget, 69, and another man, Gary Jones, were caught with 20 1.1lb (1/2 kilogram) blocks of heroin and ten 2.2lb (1 kilogram) blocks of cocaine, with a combined estimated street value of 2.2million in 2015.

The men were stopped after they were seen on CCTV buying a grey suitcase, five bags for life and some rubber gloves from a supermarket in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.

Jones was seen lifting the large grey suitcase into the boot of a vehicle driven by Sajaad Malik in Doncaster later that day on July 7, 2015.

National Crime Agency (NCA) officers stopped and searched the vehicle and found 30 blocks of class A drugs in bags similar to those bought from the supermarket.

Paget, 69, and another man, Gary Jones, were caught with 20 1.1lb (1/2 kilogram) blocks of heroin and ten 2.2lb (1 kilogram) blocks of cocaine, with a combined estimated street value of 2.2million in 2015

Jones and Malik were convicted in November 2015 and sentenced to nine and a half years and nine years in prison respectively.

Paget was released on bail under investigation, but was charged in April 2016 with conspiracy to supply class A drugs whilst being on licence from prison.

Paget, of Sutton Coldfield, was found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

He will be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) once he is released from prison.

Paget was released on bail under investigation, but was charged in April 2016 with conspiracy to supply class A drugs whilst being on licence from prison

He will only be allowed to own one mobile phone, one sim card and one computer and must provide details of the devices to the NCA.

Failure to do so can result in a five-year prison sentence.

Mick Maloney from the NCA's Armed Operations Unit said: 'Guy Paget is a career criminal, who has previously served two prison sentences for drug trafficking offences.

'He was involved in the importation and distribution of millions of pounds worth of class A drugs and we are determined to do everything within our power to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups operating in the UK'.
A British electrician has been sentenced to three months in prison in Dubai for touching a man's hip in a bar, according to campaigners.

Jamie Harron, from Stirling, Scotland, was arrested in July over the incident in which he said he put his hand on businessman Emad Tabaza's hip to avoid spilling a drink in a crowded bar.

The 27-year-old electrician had been working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in the United Arab Emirates at the time.

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Jamie Harron (pictured), from Stirling, was arrested for public indecency after putting a hand on the man to avoid spilling a drink as he moved through a crowded bar

Businessman Emad Tabaza (left) has left Briton Jamie Harron (right) over claims of being indecently touched

His accuser dropped the complaint, but local prosecutors decided to proceed with the case.

After his arrest for public indecency Mr Harron lost his job and was told he could have faced up to three years in jail.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said he was sentenced to three months imprisonment at court on Sunday but lawyers plan to appeal.

He is not currently in custody, but did not appear in court. His lawyer represented him at the sentencing and they have two weeks to appeal the decision.

The group said Mr Harron is 'angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next'.

Mr Harron has already been sentenced in absentia to 30 days in prison for failing to appear at a court hearing for making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol during the same July incident.

His sister today revealed that Mr Harron had his garage broken into at his home in Scotland.

Writing on Facebook, Jordan Harron said: 'So to add to Jamie's ordeal. His garage has now been broken into with a saw, things stolen one of which his good bike! Police been phoned but can everyone please share!!'

So to add to Jamie's ordeal. His garage has now been broken into with a saw, things stolen one of which his good bike! Police been phoned but can everyone please share!! Find out who this low life scum is !!

Jamie Harron takes a selfie in the water in front of the famous Atlantis, The Palm Hotel, Dubai

Mr Harron with his parents Graham and Patricia, who are said to be distraught about their son's legal case

His sister, Jordan, today revealed that Mr Harron had his garage broken into at his home in Scotland

In relation to the alleged public indecency charge, Mr Harron is said to have been holding a drink, moving through a crowded bar and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it on himself or others. He then 'touched a man [Mr Tabaza] on his hip to avoid impact'.

He was initially jailed for five days and then released on bail with his passport confiscated.

Mr Tabaza, the managing director of global technology firm Neuman & Esser, is said to have received death threats following the incident.

A spokesman for Neuman & Esser confirmed Mr Tabaza dropped the complaint.

In a statement issued on behalf of the businessman, he said: 'With a certain distance from the incident and the punishment to be expected for the suspect, our employee decided to withdraw the complaint despite the harassment having been confirmed by several witnesses.

'However, according to the typical laws for the country, this does not automatically result in the termination of the proceedings as, for example, very likely in England or Germany.'

Mr Harron (pictured) had hoped to be home soon after his accuser dropped the complaint against him but local prosecution decided to proceed

Ms Stirling said: 'Now Jamie has been sentenced to three months; there is no telling whether a judgement on appeal will be better or worse.

'He has already suffered tremendously as a result of these allegations, and now faces the likelihood of incarceration.

'His family was unable to visit him during this critical time because they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAE's cyber crime laws which forbid criticism of the government.

'At this point, Jamie will definitely be pursuing civil action against his accusers when he does eventually return home, as it appears that he will not be able to find justice in the UAE.'

She added: 'He feels betrayed and exploited by the system, which did not investigate the reports of key witnesses in his defence and led him to believe that the case would be dropped.'

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: 'We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. We are providing consular assistance.'
A new accuser in the ongoing Harvey Weinstein scandal has emerged - as have claims that he pursued fashion projects such as TV series Project Runway so that he could prey on supermodels.

In 2007, Brazilian model Juliana De Paula says that Weinstein asked her and some model friends back to his New York apartment for a party after a karaoke session.

After they entered the elevator to his Soho loft, he started groping their breasts and making them kiss each other - 'Forcing. Like putting both heads together,' she told the LA Times.

Things got worse when they entered the home and he began to take his clothes off, she said: 'My [alarm] bells rang. It was, oh my gosh, this is not going to be fun at all.'

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Harvey Weinstein used his fashion TV series Project Runway to get access to models, former employees claim. Here he's seen at a Project Runway catwalk in 2010

He reportedly also harassed four models in 2007, leading to one threatening him with a broken glass. Others have said he got into fashion (via wife Georgina Chapman, left, who runs fashion business Marchesa, and friend and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, right) to get close to models

De Paula said that as Weinstein moved the group into the bedroom, she made a break for it and locked herself in the adjoining bathroom.

She heard one of the women should 'Stop!' several times but says she wasn't able to see into the bedroom or tell what was going on.

Terrified, she fled the bathroom - this time running through the bedroom, past a now-naked Weinstein, and towards the kitchen.

As she did so, she said, the lumbering producer 'was moving toward me. I got scared, and I was afraid.'

She said she broke the top off a wine glass and brandished it at the man, telling him: 'You let me out of here right now, or this is going to have serious consequences.'

'He looked at me and he started to laugh,' she told the LA Times. 'I was shocked. I was completely in disbelief.'

Weinstein asked her 'Are you serious?' before letting her leave,' she said.

His spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, said the producer has 'unequivocally denied' claims of nonconsensual sex, and that he called De Paula's story 'a fabrication'.

But others who have worked with him said Weinstein deliberately pursued entire new areas of business in order to gain access to models.

Weinstein is seen here with Project Runway judge Heidi Klum. He reportedly referred to the fashion design competition as 'my model show', causing producers to add more models into it

In the early 2000s, Weinstein capitalized on the growing trend of putting Hollywood actresses on the front of fashion magazines by helping to connect the fashion industry with A-listers.

He began to make appearances at New York Fashion Week and other, similar events, and followed up his 2001 series Project Greenlight - which saw Hollywood hopefuls trying to get their movie made - with fashion show Project Runway.

That show, which ran from 2004-2016, and had various spin-offs, focused on aspiring fashion designers competing to make the best collection.

But according to sources who did not wish to be named because they still have relationships with those in the Weinstein Company, he saw it as something very different.

'He kept asking: "Where's my model show?"' a television executive said, referring to the long development process. 'He wouldn't drop it.'

The showrunners then added a segment in which the designers picked and chose models - something that the former employee said 'was designed as a vestigial element for Harvey.'

Weinstein (with models at Cannes) allegedly chased Juliana de Paulins (not pictured) naked around his NY loft and only released her after she threatened him with the glass

A number of Weinsteins accusers claim that he used the show as a pretext to approach them.

Lucia Evans, then an aspiring actress, told the New York Times that Weinstein told she'd 'be great in Project Runway' before forcing her to give him oral sex.

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez said Weinstein approached her about being a lingerie model before grabbing her breasts.

Hofmeister said the show was just a replacement for Project Greenlight, which ran for 12 episodes from 2001-2002, and was created simply because Weinstein thought it was a good idea.

He later produced another show, Lifetime's Models of the Runway, which ran for two seasons from 2009-2010.

Around the time that Weinstein was producing the early episodes of Project Runway, he made a more direct connection with the world of fashion - he met his future wife, Georgina Chapman.

A former model, she had just started up the high-class womenswear brand Marchesa, and the two established a business relationship as well as a personal one.

Weinstein was able to use his connections to get Marchesa on the red carpet at awards ceremonies, insiders said - although claims that he threatened to pull out of movies if actresses didn't don the clothes are disputed.

He also invested in Halston, a clothing company, and sat on its board of directors until 2011, when it was bought out.

A British ex-model told The LA Times that at some point in the late 2000s, Weinstein advised her to join a different modeling agency that he was connected to, and said he could find her acting jobs.

'The whole thing was a control thing,' said said, declining to be named for fear of repercussions.

Around the same time, De Paula had her alleged encounter with Weinstein.
Donald Trump used his gargantuan Twitter reach on Sunday to renew his attacks on the media, citing a poll from last Wednesday that found nearly half of Americans think reporters fabricate stories about him.

'It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred,' the president tweeted.

The president first made note of the Politico/Morning Consult poll on Wednesday when it was released, tweeting: 'It is actually much worse than this!'

Pollsters found 46 percent of voters agree with Trump's constant 'fake news' claim, which he deploys when pointing at negative news coverage. Just 37 percent say journalists don't produce false stories about the president.

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President Trump has been complaining about 'fake news' since his campaign days and a survey this week lent his some support  showing that nearly half of voters think the media make up at least some reporting about him and his administration

The president tweeted on Sunday morning that the news media has 'lost cred[ibility]' and his claims about 'FAKE NEWS' are 'finally sinking through'

There's a big split between how members of the two parties view the media, but even among Democrats one in five think Trump is getting a raw deal on purpose.

President Trump departed the White House on Sunday morning for a round of golf at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, VA

Meanwhile, 76 percent of Republicans  and 80 per cent of Trump voters overall  agree that news organizations are making their stories up about Trump and his administration. the Republican president.

A large majority of Hillary Clinton voters do not, with 16 percent saying they believed the fabrication claim and another 71 percent disagreeing.

More men said they believed Trump's claim, 50 percent, than women, 43 percent.

Education made some difference, with 48 percent of those holding postgraduate degrees sticking up for the media.

That's compared to 43 percent with a bachelor's degree and 33 percent with no college degree who also said journalists don't fabricate presidential politics stories.

Never one to let a firestorm die quickly, the president claimed last week that 'it is actually much worse than this'

The president has constantly berated the media calling unflattering news reports 'fake news'; Last week he escalated the battle suggesting that NBC should lose its broadcast license, a move that a slim majority of Americans would disapprove of

Trump has used the shoot-the-messenger tactic nearly every day in office  and for months on the campaign trail.

Last Tuesday he name-dropped a number of news outlets in a tweet complaining about unfair coverage.

'So much Fake News being put in dying magazines and newspapers. Only place worse may be @NBCNews, @CBSNews, @ABC and and @CNN,' Trump wrote. 'Fiction writers!'

Republicans and Trump voters were far more likely to believe that the media fabricated stories about President Trump than their Democratic and Clinton-voting peers

On Wednesday morning, Trump's Make America Great Again Committee  the joint fundraising committee between the president's campaign and the Republican National Committee  sent out a note to supporters belaboring the point.

'Ive said it before and I will say it again: the Mainstream Media is out to bring down my Administration,' the note said. 'Its a 24/7 barrage of hit jobs, fake stories, and absolute hatred for everything we stand for as a movement.'

Earlier this month Trump made an unusually potent threat, suggesting that NBC's broadcast licenses could be yanked, after the network produced a particularly unflattering story about the president.

NBC News reported that Trump said at a Pentagon meeting that he wanted to nuclear weapons cache increased by 'ten-fold.'

That view, reportedly, had prompted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to refer to the president as a 'moron.'

'With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!' Trump tweeted.

Later reporting from other news outlets provided evidence on Trump's side, making it clear that the president was interested only in modernizing America's nuclear arsenal.

When pollsters asked registered voters if revoking media licenses is something the federal government should be able to do, a slim majority answered no.

Fifty-one percent of respondents said no, while another 28 percent said Washington should have that power.
A train derailed in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday night spilling shipping containers and damaging buildings.

No injuries have been reported as the 48 of 68 total rail cars on the Norfolk Southern train derailed just after 10pm. The cause of the crash is unknown.

The train was not carrying hazardous materials but Knoxville police say many of the cars are hanging precariously off the track.

A train derailed in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday night spilling shipping containers and damaging buildings

No injuries have been reported as the 48 of 68 total rail cars on the Norfolk Southern train derailed just after 10pm

Crews have been working since last night assessing the damage and removing the rail cars

Crews have been working since last night to remove the rail cars.

Any unauthorized person on the tracks will be arrested for safety reasons.

The cars collided with two buildings owned by Morton Properties, which rents space out to small businesses, owner Sharon Morton told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The properties house a total of 18 businesses and Morton estimated that about five were damaged, but no one was in the buildings at the time.

'There is a boat repair business, heating and air, all kinds of small businesses,' Morton said. 'It's unfortunate because it's their livelihood.'

The cars collided with two buildings owned by Morton Properties, which rents space out to small businesses. The owner says that five of the 18 businesses were damaged

Police say cars hang precariously and any unauthorized people on the tracks will be arrested

One of the businesses damaged by the derailment was a boat repair shop called Fiber Tech.

'One of the cars is sitting inside my building,' the unnamed owner told the Sentinel. 'There was a motor home parked next to the building. There is a train car sitting on it. Inside the building is a train car that came through the back of the building.'

In the dark, he said, it was hard to tell the extent of the damage.

Knoxville resident Michael Robinson's camper trailer was crushed by a train car.

Michael Robinson, of Knoxville, discovers that his camper trailer was crushed by a train car

Robinson is shown above assessing the extent of the damage to his camper after the crash

Gerdau Construction Products, a steel manufacturer, was struck by the derailed cars and appears to have sustained significant damage.

Susan Terpay, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern, said a total of 20 cars left the track. Nineteen of those cars were carrying shipping containers. The twentieth car carried automobiles.

Nearby residents recall hearing a loud screeching sound before the derailment happened.

Police said Norfolk Southern will head up the investigation into why the train derailed.

The train was not carrying any hazardous materials but the area is closed off for safety reasons
Matthew Morgan (pictured) was shot dead in Adelaide's south-east on Saturday night

The devastated woman who was left widowed when her husband was killed by police in a hotel shootout, has broken down in tears, insisting his death was preventable.

Matthew Morgan, 24, was shot dead by police at Tollgate Motel in Adelaide's south-east about 7pm on Saturday night following a 24-hour manhunt.

Police allege Mr Morgan held his wife Jami-Lee Morgan, 21, hostage with a shot gun at the hotel but the young woman denied Mr Morgan was dangerous.

'I watched what happened and the last memory I have of him is his last breath. He was scared. He wasn't trying to hurt anybody,' Mrs Morgan told Nine News on Sunday night.

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Mrs Morgan is pictured in tears after her husband was shot dead on Saturday night

Mr Morgan was wanted by the police after he allegedly rammed an officer with his van on Friday, knocking the 38-year-old officer unconscious.

When police tracked Mr Morgan down at the Tollgate Motel on Saturday night, police negotiated, attempting to end the siege peacefully.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots at the hotel, before Mr Morgan was fatally shot by specially trained STAR Group police.

'I hear "I've got a gun to my head, I'm pregnant, please please help". And her voice was shrieking and shaking a bit you could tell,' Nicholas Perks told Seven News.

'And all I could hear from the guy was 'shut the f*** up'.

'It felt like I was in the middle of a war zone. All you could hear was windows being smashed left and right.'

Mr Morgan allegedly held his 21-year-old wife Jami-Lee Morgan (pictured together) hostage in the Adelaide motel room before he was shot dead by police

Mr Morgan (pictured) was shot dead when he allegedly pointed a gun at police during the Saturday night siege

Mr Morgan was shot dead when he allegedly pointed a gun at police during the Saturday night siege.

Police claimed he was holding his wife hostage, but Mrs Morgan insisted her late husband was not a danger to her or the police.

'He didn't try to physically hurt me, he was saying "I don't want to hurt anybody, I don't want to harm anyone",' she said.

In an emotional interview on Sunday night, Jami-Lee Morgan said she was left broken hearted by her husband's death.

'I'm never going to see his face again, and being married to him was one of the best things I had,' she said.

'Matt was my other half, so I'm sort of left with half of me missing now.'

Mr Morgan's 21-year-old wife Jami-Lee Morgan was not physically injured during the ordeal at the Tollgate Motel at Glen Osmond on Saturday night

The man was wanted for a crashing his van into a police officer on Friday night, during a line of inquiry at a Sampson Road house in Mitchell Park

Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford said motel guests were taken away from their rooms during the negotiations, and no one else was harmed during the shoot-out.

The fatal shooting of Mr Morgan will be the focus of top level inquiries.

A Commissioner's Inquiry was launched and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

The investigations will look at whether the actions of police on Saturday night were appropriate.

Officers are pictured outside the motel on Saturday night after the 24-year-old was shot dead

Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said gun fire was heard from the hotel room a short time before police fatally shot Mr Morgan (officers pictured outside the motel)

Mr Morgan was reportedly well-known to the police.

He was released from a Queensland prison earlier this year, after being jailed for an armed robbery offence.

Mr Morgan also had links to outlaw motorcycle gang the Hells Angels, with reports his father was a member of the criminal gang.

A Commissioner's Inquiry has been launched and a report will be prepared for the coroner

Police were 'conducting inquiries' at the Tollgate Motel believing the man to be in hiding at the motel, Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford said
Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to lift a ban on imports of Egyptian agricultural products, Egypt's agriculture ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The decision came after a productive series of meetings between officials from the three Gulf countries and an Egyptian delegation over the past few weeks, according to Minister of Agriculture Abdel-Moneim El-Banna.

A number of Gulf countries banned Egyptian agricultural imports over the past year, citing concerns of harmful pesticide residue in produce.

In exchange for increased Egyptian inspection of produce destined for the Gulf, the countries have agreed to allow the import of certain products, including organic ones, given proper testing.

Importantly, the officials agreed to sustained communication between the Egyptian agriculture ministry's plant quarantine office and its counterparts in the three countries in order to better monitor for import violations.

Last March, Egypts trade and industry ministry revealed a plan to nearly double the nation's exports by the year 2020, from the current $19 billion to $34 billion.

The strategy includes implementing new export plans and policies, as well as targeting new markets for cement, agricultural products, ready-made clothes, construction materials, chemical products, and engineering and electronic goods.

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Military investigators have flown to Afghanistan to further investigate claims that Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers executed four Afghan civilians in cold blood.

Five Royal Military Police (RMP) officers and support personnel flew to Kabul last month to interview a key witness in the 2011 raid.

The elite troops from the SAS are accused of murdering four captured prisoners, believed to be Taliban insurgents, during raids on their homes that may have been based on false intelligence.

Detectives from Operation Northmoor - the probe into deaths during the Afghan war - spent three days interviewing Saifullah Yar, who was 16 when the British special forces raided his family's home in Qala-e-Bost, east of Lashkar Gah in the Helmand Province.

Five Royal Military Police (RMP) officers and support personnel flew to Kabul last month to interview Saifullah Yar, who was 16 when the British special forces raided his home in 2011 (file photo of British Special Air Service soldiers)

After the raid, Saifullah, 22, found his father, Haji Abdul Kaliq, 55, two brothers, Sadam, 23, and Atullah, 25, and a cousin shot dead.

Some victims were handcuffed and hooded before being shot dead, it was claimed after the raid.

Saifullah told The Sunday Times that RMP officials arrived at his family's compound by helicopter and handcuffed and fingerprinted him.

He said that one of his brothers and his father were handcuffed and blindfolded before being killed.

Saifullah said he was taken to a barn with women and children, who were guarded by soldiers during the raid.

He denies that his family had any Taliban connections.

Saifullah told the Times of the raid: 'I heard gun firing from heavy machineguns. About 40 rounds were fired in two different bursts.

'When I left the room I found four dead bodies of my family. My father was killed in his bedroom. My cousin was shot in his bedroom. Two of my brothers were also killed.'

He was interviewed at Kabul airport, where a British psychologist also conducted an assessment.

The officials also interviewed 30 British military personnel and are believed to have 20 more people to question before returning to the UK.

Soldiers who took part in the raid have already been questioned, as wella s the officers in their chain of command.

Detectives from Operation Northmoor - the probe into deaths during the Afghan war - spent three days interviewing Saifullah Yar, who was 16 when the British special forces raided his family's home in Qala-e-Bost, east of Lashkar Gah in the Helmand Province

Video footage believed to be from a helicopter is believed to have been recovered during interviews.

RMP officers previously investigated claims they then planted guns to make the victims appear to be insurgents - then falsified mission reports.

Family members and local officials told the Sunday Times in July that at least two of the four victims had been handcuffed with plastic ties before being shot dead.

The case against the government was brought by Leigh Day, a law firm seeking compensation for the family of the deceased.

The firm, and three of its solicitors, were cleared of wrongly hounding British troops after a six-week tribunal last month.

The existence of Operation Northmoor emerged nearly two years ago, when police were examining claims of around 100 Afghans alleging they were mistreated during the 13-year war.

It was launched in 2014 and the inquiry's workload rapidly soared to 675 claims, before being slashed to just ten. In all, there were 52 allegations of deaths, mainly by special forces.

But 51 were deemed not serious enough to be referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority.

The probe has cost taxpayers 9million to date. A further 2.5 million is expected to be spent as officers examine the remaining ten investigations.

An MoD spokesman said in July: 'Our military served with great courage and professionalism and we proudly hold them to the highest standards.

'Where credible allegations are raised, it is right they are effectively investigated by an independent police force like the Royal Military Police.

'They have found no evidence of criminal behaviour by the Armed Forces in Afghanistan, have discontinued over 90 per cent of the 675 allegations made and less than ten investigations now remain.'
Two teenagers, who ran away from home last week, were found in a Brooklyn 'trap house' where they were being held captive by suspects who planned to pimp them out.

The girls, ages 14 and 15, went missing from Ulster County on Tuesday night and were rescued on Saturday.

Their alleged captors, Rudy Rocker, 18, Donald Jackson, 20, and Nebahate Derisa, 19, were arrested on attempted sex trafficking and other charges.

Two teenagers, ages 14 and 15, were rescued on Saturday from a 'trap house' (pictured left and right) in Brooklyn where police said they were being held captive by suspects who planned to pimp them out as prostitutes

The teens had been held prisoner in an East New York house where they were to be pimped out as prostitutes.

According to the New York Post, the girls were driven down from Ulster County and into The Bronx by someone they trusted, a law-enforcement source said.

They were then brought to a party at a 'trap house', where they were being held by their captors on the second floor.

'THEY FOUND MY GIRL!!!!!!!!!' the father of the 14-year-old girl posted on Facebook after his daughter was rescued from a gated house on Snediker Ave near Linden Blvd around 2pm on Saturday.

New York police said the 15-year-old girl managed to send her GPS information from her cellphone to her father.

The girl said she heard the three men talk about forcing her and her friend to sell themselves, according to the New York Daily News.

Her dad then notified police. State troopers were able to track the teen's phone to East New York and alerted the 75th Precinct. NYPD cops rushed to the house.

Officials said a suspect attacked one of the girls when she tried to leave. Cops also said one of the teens was dating a suspect.

Police have not released the identities of the teens because they are minors.
Technology is enabling more husbands and wives to conduct multiple affairs online, divorce lawyers have revealed.

Firms have noticed a rise in such infidelities - with some spouses conducting up to five affairs at a time, some almost entirely online.

Methods of communication range from text messaging and dating apps to social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Divorce lawyers have seen a rise in cases involving partners having multiple affairs - many of which are conducted almost entirely online

Hall Brown Family Law saw such cases rise from less than 50 to 65 over a five-year period.

Abigail Lowther, an associate solicitor at the firm told the Sunday Telegraph her clients complained that technology was 'putting temptation at their partners' fingertips'.

While Joanne Edwards, a partner at Forsters, also noted the correlation between technology and infidelity.

'Technology puts people within messaging distance of old or new flames and means that a spouse can be cheating when sitting in the same room with their husband and wife,' she told the paper.

Methods of communication range from dating apps to social media media accounts and text messages

While technology may make having an affair easier, it also makes it easier to uncover infidelity, according to Joanna Pratt, partner at Thomson Snell & Passmore.

'Technology has also made it easier for illicit relationships to be uncovered,' she told the paper. 'People forget to close or properly delete emails, text messages are sent or received but not deleted, and photographs can appear on Facebook which although they might appear on a totally unconnected person's Facebook page, disclose to the whole world the nature of relationships,' she said.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Tunbridge Wells was home to the most adulterers in the UK.

According to the Infidelity Index, 1,146 of its residents are having an affair - a whole 2.20 per cent of its population.

The Index, compiled by Illicit Encounters - the UK's leading dating site for adulterers - mapped the location data of its 1.1 million members against each town's adult population to find the most adulterous towns, cities, and London boroughs in the country.

Affluent Guildford retained second place with 1,303 adulterers - 2.1 percent of the population. Wrexham came in third with 1,027 adulterers - 1.89 percent of the town's residents.
Donald Trump hasn't let up in his attacks on a black Democratic congresswoman in the wake of a mini-scandal over military condolence calls, labeling her 'wacky' and suggesting her barbs aimed at him are a political ploy that is doomed to backfire.

Rep. Frederica Wilson has seen her national profile explode in the past week after she accused the president of being insensitive while he tried to comfort the grieving widow of a soldier killed in a Niger ambush.

'Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote R!' Trump tweeted Sunday.

On Saturday he tweeted that he hopes 'the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson'  whom he claimed 'is killing the Democrat Party!'

President Donald Trump says Rep. Frederica Wilson (right), who has been in week-long fight with him that began over the death of four soldiers in Niger, will be a political disaster for Democrats

'You watch her in action & vote R[epublican],' Trump predicted of Wilson, a Florida Democrat

The late Sgt. La David Johnson's pregnant widow, Myeisha Johnson, carried a folded American flag in her arms and kissed the top of her husband's coffin during his funeral at Memorial Gardens East cemetery in Hollywood, Florida

Trump also retweeted a picture of Wilson posing with former President Barack Obama, suggesting that the controversy was ginned up to score partisan points.

'People get what is going on!' he wrote.

Wilson listened in on a phone call Trump placed to La David Johnson's widow, and said the president made her feel disrespected.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, himself a Gold Star father, unloaded on Wilson last week for 'grandstanding' during an FBI building dedication ceremony years earlier.

Kelly claimed Wilson took credit for securing the federal money to build the structure, blasting her Thursday in an emotional White House statement as an 'empty barrel.'

Video of the event shows that while she talked up her own efforts to name the building after two fallen FBI agents, her claims that day stopped short of being a would-be pork barrel rainmaker.

The White House said it was 'inappropriate' to criticize Kelly, and brought up his status as a retired four-star general.

'Gen. Kelly said he was stunned that Representative Wilson made comments at a building dedication honoring slain FBI agents about her own actions in Congress including lobbying former President Obama on legislation,' press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday.

Trump hasn't let up on Wilson, tweeting about her Saturday  including a photo of her with former president Barack Obama  adding: 'People get what is going on!'

The White House chief of staff, Kelly, pictured, and the Florida congresswoman are wrapped up in a mushrooming dispute over the president's condolence call earlier this week to a soldier's family that Wilson says was inappropriate; Kelly called her a noisy 'empty barrel'

'As General Kelly pointed out, if you're able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes all about yourself, you're an empty barrel. If you don't understand that reference, I'll put it a little bit more simply. As we say in the South, all hat, no cattle.'

Wilson, 74, is known for wearing colorful cowboy hats in public and on television.

'If you want to go after General Kelly, that's up to you,' Sanders warned reporters.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders cautioned reporters not to get into a war of words with Kelly, who is a retured four-star U.S. Marine Corps general

'But I think that if you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that that's something highly inappropriate.'

Trump gushed about Kelly in a Sunday interview on the Fox Business Network.

'He is a very elegant man. He is a tough, strong four-star Marine. You're a four-star Marine, you've got something special to start off with, OK? ... He was so offended, because he was in the room when I made the call and so were other people. And the call was a very nice call. He was so offended that a woman would be -- that somebody would be listening to that call,' Trump said.

'Actually, he said to me, "Sir, this is not acceptable. This is really not".'

'And he knew  I was so nice. Look, I've called many people. And I would think that every one of them appreciated it. I was very surprised to see this to be honest with you,' he said.

Trump also insisted that he mentioned Sgt. Johnson's name when he called his widow, although he did not use Johnson's name in the retelling.

The other three soldiers killed in Niger are (left to right): Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright

Trump allegedly told Myeshia Johnson (left, with Johnson) in a phone call that her husband 'knew what he signed up for' and didn't appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnson's aunt (right, with Johnson)

'And by the way, I spoke of the name of the young man and I  it was a really  it's a very tough call. Those are the toughest calls,' he said.

'These are very, very hard calls. They're sad. And sometimes, you know, the grieving is so incredible. But he's just an elegant man and a wonderful man and he's doing a fantastic job as chief,' Trump said.

During her remarks, she acknowledged 'my colleagues in Congress' and asked some of them to stand.

She even acknowledges it was the FBI's idea  mentioning Republicans and Democrats who assisted.

Within her state, she called Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart someone 'who has always advocated for the issues that impact our community.'

She hailed fellow lawmakers, saying they 'all helped move this bill.'
A religious group has called the decision to keep an NHS director from winning back his job after being fired for speaking out against gay adoption 'a perverse attempt to silence Christian beliefs'.

Richard Page, 71, sued after he was suspended by the NHS Trust Development Authority after he claimed it was better for a child to be brought up by both a man and a woman.

An employment tribunal has now ruled that the Kent and Medway NHS Trust was justified in refusing to reinstate him after he had expressed his views on television last year.

Andrea Williams, head of the Christian Concern and Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Page, said slammed the judgment in a statement on Saturday.

Richard Page, 71, sued after he was suspended by the NHS Trust Development Authority after he claimed it was better for a child to be brought up by both a man and a woman

She said: 'It seems that the NHS bosses and liberal judges cannot tolerate the expression of Christian views on morality - particularly on sexual morality.

'He was not targeted for the expression of beliefs, but rather for the expression of certain beliefs - namely, belief in the traditional family.

'This judgment makes a mockery of the freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.

'We will of course appeal this judgment which clearly contravenes Mr Page's human rights, and we will appeal any number of times until we get justice.'

Mr Page has also said he will appeal the decision.

In a statement, he said: 'I am very disappointed by this outcome but I am determined to appeal. This case is much bigger than me now.

An employment tribunal has now ruled that the Kent and Medway NHS Trust was justified in refusing to reinstate him after he had expressed his views on television last year

'It is about how ordinary folk, just like me, are becoming increasingly fearful to speak out against the homosexual agenda. They bully, intimidate and force you of your job. It is time for this to stop'

Page made the adoption comments in his role as a magistrate when considering an application by a same-sex couple to adopt a child.

Last year he went on a media campaign to defend his views.

During an appearance on ITV's This Morning, he declared that he was opposed to gay marriage, and was accused by presenter Piers Morgan of being a homophobe, which he denied.

Mr Page was sacked from the bench for serious misconduct by then Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Lord Thomas, who said his comments suggested he was 'biased and prejudiced against single sex adopters'.

A few days later the NHS Trust Development Authority suspended him from his role as a non-executive director at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

The trust said he had undermined the confidence of staff, particularly LGBT employees.

He launched a case against the NHS Trust Development Authority for discrimination, harassment and victimisation for his Christian beliefs under the Equality Act 2010.

Mr Page, of Headcorn, Kent, claimed he was being 'ousted from public service' for being a Christian and argued he had worked with 'numerous homosexuals' during his time in the NHS.

But an employment tribunal rejected his bid to be reinstated.

The panel said he was not dismissed for holding or expressing his views, but because he had appeared in the media without telling the trust.

In a judgment, the tribunal panel said: 'Expressing his views in that context was not something that the tribunal finds was intimately linked to his religion or his beliefs.'

'Had the belief relied on by the Claimant been the wider views expressed in his Good Morning Britain television interview in March 2016, ie that 'homosexual activity' is wrong then the tribunal may well have concluded that this was not a belief that was worthy of respect in a democratic society'.

Mr Page, who previously worked as an NHS finance director, told Croydon Employment Tribunal he was not anti-gay but that 'It is a sin to have sex outside of marriage, which necessarily includes all homosexual practices.'

In a witness statement Mr Page said: 'I strongly believe that it is best for any child to be raised in a traditional family with a mother and a father.

'The child needs the complementary roles offered by both parents, male and female, psychological as well as physical. Consequently, I take a sceptical view of same-sex adoptions, or adoptions by a single person.'

He added: 'I have been ousted from every venue of public service for no other reason than that, as a good Christian, I have always endeavoured to do my duty in good conscience.'

Asked whether it would ever be appropriate for a gay couple to adopt, Mr Page replied: 'By my reckoning it would be better than a care home, which would be a last resort.'

On his views on the Bible, he said: 'I am a Christian I believe what it says, he is our maker therefore I find what he says correct.

'It is immoral. Homosexual activity is a sin.'

During the hearing, it was put to Mr Page that he had been asked by the trust not to publicise his controversial views in the media, something which he accepted.

But he denied that he had said anything offensive and added: 'Well if I am upsetting to them, they are upsetting to me.

'It's not natural, if I think back to my school days my understanding is that same sex couples cannot have a baby, so it is unnatural isn't it?'
The UN treaty, to which the UK has been a signatory since 1976, says a 'pregnant woman' must be given special protection

Ministers have called for the term 'pregnant woman' to be removed from a UN treaty - because it 'excludes' transgender people.

The call is said to have been made in Britain's official submission on proposed amendments to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The UN treaty, to which the UK has been a signatory since 1976, says a 'pregnant woman' must be given special protection, including not being subject to the death penalty.

But according to the Sunday Times the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is asking for the term 'pregnant people' to be used for fear of excluding 'transgender people who have given birth'.

The move has sparked fury from feminists who said it was the latest example of 'making women unmentionable'.

There are only thought to have been two cases of transgender pregnancy in the UK, where children are born to men who have had a sex change but kept their womb and ovaries.

Feminist writer Sarah Ditum told the newspaper: 'This isn't inclusion. This is making women unmentionable.

'Having a female body and knowing what that means for reproduction doesn't make you 'exclusionary'.

'Forcing us to decorously scrub out any reference to our sex on pain of being called bigots is an insult.'

The Office for National Statistics recently came under fire for making the gender question in the next census voluntary over concerns about discriminating against trans people.

Theresa May announced last week that the government is to push on with a consultation about changes to the Gender Recognition Act, allowing people to 'self-certify' their gender.

Critics say men could get legal rights to use women's hospital wards, prisons, toilets and changing rooms.

The UN covenant is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, and is revised at regular intervals.

The Foreign Office said: 'We requested that the UN human rights committee made it clear that the same right extends to pregnant transgender people.'
Birmingham's Church of Scientology has opened it doors this weekend - ten years after the building was first bought.

Former members of the church gathered near the cordon to protest against the opening of the 4.2million building, claiming that the church is simply focused on taking money from people.

Despite nearby roads being shut, former members and protesters gathered near the cordon the express their anger at the opening of the branch and at the religion, which counts Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members.

After Priscilla Presley quit the church yesterday one former member, William Drummond, told the Birmingham Mail: 'People don't understand what's going on in their local area and that's very frightening.

'The main motivation for them is money, property and expansion and that's evident here.'

The Church of Scientology's Pitmaston building finally opened more than 10 years after the site was bought

Prior to and during the opening, there was a large security presence near the site

Another ex-Scientologist, Adrian Bailey, added: 'What annoyed me the most was that they always asked for money. And with all the secrecy, it's not surprising people think it's a cult.'

The Church bought the Pitmaston House property in 2007 for a whopping 4.2m - and all the renovations have finally taken place at the controversial place of worship.

The building was draped in large blue rosettes and ribbons while roads near to the site were closed as secretive church held its invite-only opening ceremony.

The organisation's leader gave a speech at the event.

He said: 'When that inaugural ribbon falls, so a curtain rises and so it becomes every Scientologist's responsibility to uplift England's Salt of the Earth, thereby turning an industrial revolution into a spiritual revolution.'

A cordon was placed around nearby roads and the opening was an invite-only event

The Church of Scientology said it had a large following in Birmingham and that it planned to spread throughout the rest of the UK.

The building, dating back to the 1930s, is built on the site of the original Pitmaston house, which was constructed in the 1870s.

In 2003, the former Benefit Offices was made a Grade II listed building, protecting its interior, exterior and the setting of the building.

There were plans to tear down the building, which one angry objector described as 'corrupt, sinister and dangerous cult'.

In 2003, the former Benefit Offices was made a Grade II listed building, protecting its interior, exterior and the setting of the building

Labour MP Roger Godsiff said he was 'not a fan of the Church of Scientology, which is essentially a money-making cult'.

This was denied by the US-founded church, and was given the status of a fully-fledged religion by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Graeme Wilson, the Church of Scientology's UK-based public affairs director, previously said: 'A major function of our Churches is to give help in the local community, including with drug education, human rights education, literacy programmes, crime reduction programmes, helping those in need, and more.'

Between 2004 and 2014 47 similar Scientology buildings opened across the globe.

Before the Birmingham opening, Scientology branches - known as 'orgs' - numbered nine in the UK.
A physics student and former fashion blogger who escaped ISIS after being taken against her will to Syria is now rebuilding her life in Morocco but hopes her future lies in the UK.

Islam Mitat, 24, is currently living in her hometown of Oujda, a town near the Algerian border, with her two children Adullah, two and Maria, one.

She is readjusting to life away from the war zone but still lives in constant fear of ISIS.

Discussing her new life she said: ' I can't relax. I'm still fighting. It feels weird just being able to go wherever I want.'

Islam Mitat, 24, is currently living in her hometown of Oujda, a town near the Algerian border, with her two children Adullah, two and Maria, one

Originally from Morocco, Ms Mitat had been married for three months when her British husband, Ahmed Khalil, told her he was applying for papers that would allow her to live in the UK.

She had met Ahmed, a 25-year-old businessman, on dating website Muslima.com, a marriage website used by 4.5 million Muslims worldwide, and he'd visited her home in Morocco to ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

He told her they would have to move to Turkey, where he had a new job that would keep things ticking over while they waited for the documents to arrive.

But it was all a lie. There was no job and Ahmed, who grew up near London, instead forced Mitat to go with him to Syria to the center of the ISIS 'caliphate'.

She had no choice but to set up home alongside other ISIS 'brides' such as the notorious 'Terror Twins' from Manchester, the 'White Widow' from Kent, and the schoolgirl runaways from Bethnal Green, East London.

When Ahmed was killed in battle, Mitat was forced to marry twice more, giving birth to two children in the jihadi heartland. Food was hard to come by and power cuts grew longer.

Discussing the betrayal she said: 'I can't trust anyone again. Especially men. The whole problem is always men.'

Ms Mitat was taken to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa having been taken against her will by her British husband

She eventually managed to escape Raqqa and is now trying to put her life back together.

She wants to move to the UK and is seeking British citizenship for Abdullah, whose father was a Briton of Afghan background. Maria's father was Indian-Australian.

White Widow Sally Jones, a 49-year-old mother-of-two from Kent, was another regular visitor when she was living in the ISIS stronghold

Speaking to the Sunday Times she said: 'I just want to move on. I have the strength of 10 men now...I am doing this all for my kids. We needed to leave so they could have a better life. Some ISIS women left their children behind when they escaped. How can you do that? Your children are half your heart.'

She wants to move to the UK. She doesn't want to stay in Oujda as she fears her children will be viewed as the 'cubs of the caliphate'.

She said her traumatised children are taking slow steps in their long road to recovery.

She told the newspaper: 'Abdullah used to wake up and run to hide in the bathroom, like we used to during airstrikes because he'd had bad dreams...but now he stays in the bed.'
A teen driver speeding on a Bronx highway was killed when he caused a three-car crash early on Saturday.

Carlos Pereyra-Batista, 18, was driving his 2002 Honda Accord west on the Cross Bronx Expressway in Tremont around 4.20am.

When he came upon stopped traffic he slammed into a 1997 international tractor trailer, police said.

Batista then lost control of the car, spinning into a guard rail before rebounding and hitting a white Toyota RAV4, according to police.

Batista was pronounced dead on the scene and his 17-year-old male passenger was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

A teen driver speeding on a Bronx highway was killed when he caused a three-car crash at around 4.20am on Saturday. The scene is shown above

The crash occurred on the Cross Bronx Expressway in Tremont when a speeding driver came on stopped traffic and slammed into a tractor trailer. The driver then lost control of the car, spinning into a guard rail before rebounding and hitting a white Toyota RAV4, police said

Batistas grieving relatives arrived on the scene and were sobbing and hugging each other.

The 66-year-old male driver of the tractor-trailer and the male Toyota driver, 29, were not injured.

It wasn't clear whether Batista was intoxicated at the time of the collision, police said.

There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. CBS New York footage shows the scene following the crash.

A memorial has been set up in front of Batista's home in Claremont Village.

Batista was usually found helping his family run a Dominican food stand in nearby Mott Haven, neighbors said.

'This can't be!' neighbor Louise Morgan, 53, told NY Daily News when she saw the memorial. 'I've known him since he moved into the building. He's a good kid.'
Three men who were wounded while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be included in the case against him

Three men who were wounded while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be included in the case against him.

One soldier who searched for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl uses a wheelchair now, unable to speak because of a head wound.

Another still can't fully use his right hand.

Still another searcher saw a leg wound from enemy fire end his career as a Navy SEAL.

Those wounds are expected to be considered by the judge who will determine Bergdahl's punishment on charges that he endangered his comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.

The sentencing hearing opens Monday for Bergdahl, who pleaded guilty to misbehavior before the enemy and desertion.

Bergdahl pleaded guilty to misbehavior before the enemy and desertion. His sentencing hearing begins Monday. He is pictured being escorted into the court house in Fort Bragg, North Carolina on October 16

Army National Guard Master Sgt. Mark Allen

Army National Guard Master Sgt. Mark Allen was shot in the head while searching for Bergdahl

Army National Guard Master Sgt. Mark Allen had already served in Iraq and could have begged off another deployment, a family friend said.

'He told me that he was coming back to a frontline unit because they were going to be deployed and he didn't want his guys to go alone,' said Robert Stokely.

Deployed to Afghanistan, Allen was shot in the head in July 2009 while searching for Bergdahl. The traumatic brain injury dramatically changed life for Allen, his wife and two children. Once an avid outdoorsman, Allen depends on a wheelchair and can't speak.

Allen's wife, Shannon, declined to be interviewed. But the toll was evident as she sat crying in the courtroom the day Bergdahl pleaded guilty.

Before being wounded, Allen gave words of support to Stokely after his son - National Guard Sgt. Michael Stokely - died in Iraq in 2005.

'If you want to look at the best America has to offer, look at the Allen family,' Robert Stokely said.

After Allen's traumatic brain injury, he now depends on a wheelchair and can't speak

Allen is pictured above with his wife and daughter. His wife sat crying in the courtroom the day Bergdahl pleaded guilty

Army Corporal Jonathan Morita

Jonathan Morita of California, who served as an Army corporal, was reservist and Iraq veteran taking college classes when he was recalled for Afghanistan duty.

Jonathan Morita served as an Army corporal and manned missions to try and find and rescue Bowe Bergdahl

'I was at home enjoying life as a civilian - going to school, working at a job,' he said by phone earlier this year.

During the search mission that left Allen wounded, a rocket-propelled grenade shattered Morita's hand. The projectile didn't explode, but he needed multiple surgeries.

Morita can't bend the thumb or index finger on his right hand. He's had to learn again how to brush his teeth and write.

'Imagine doing things with your three fingers,' Morita said. 'I can't even change the oil on my car.'

He said he's trying to live as normally as possible, but still feels anger toward Bergdahl: 'Every time I hit my finger on something, there's only one image that pops in my head, and it's him.'

In a second interview, Morita said he was struck by Bergdahl's comment in court that he didn't think such a large search would be mounted for him.

'I manned those missions,' he said. 'I mean anybody who's ever watched 'Black Hawk Down' would know that we do that.'

Senior Chief Petty Officer James Hatch

Retired Senior Chief Petty Officer James Hatch, a former Navy SEAL, said his team had 90 minutes to plan a separate search mission under poor conditions. But he felt the mission was crucial.

'I did not want Sgt. Bergdahl's mother to see her son executed on YouTube,' Hatch said in a statement.

Their helicopters came under fire as they were landing to search near the Pakistan border.

Hatch testified his leg was hit by AK-47 fire, and a military dog that helped locate enemy fighters was killed. He now runs a nonprofit providing care and support for military and law enforcement dogs.

He credits survival to team members who quickly applied a tourniquet. 'They saved me from bleeding to death,' said Hatch, who entered the pretrial hearing limping.

Retired Navy SEAL James Hatch's leg wound from enemy fire while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl ended his career as a Navy SEAL, He is pictured wearing a bite suit helps train a Norfolk K-9 unit dog in Norfolk, Virginia

Hatch sits in the living room with his dogs from left: Thomek, a German Shepherd, Pearl, a Pit Bull and Pepe, a Black Lab

Hatch's wounds and others will be weighed by the judge in determining Bergdahl's punishment on charges that he endangered his comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009

Bergdahl has previously claimed he left his post so that he could report his 'unfit' platoon commander to senior officers, in taped conversations which aired on the podcast Serial.

The Taliban captured Bergdahl after he went AWOL and held him captive for five years, before President Obama secured his release in exchange for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in 2014.

In an interview released on Sunday, Bergdahl whined that the US treated him worse than his Taliban captors.

'At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, "Im the guy whos gonna cut your throat",' the 31-year-old Army sergeant told the The Sunday Times of London.

'Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor whos going to sign the paper that sends me away for life,' the Army deserter griped in the interview, which was recorded last year and is his first video interview since returning to the US.

'We may as well go back to kangaroo courts and lynch mobs.'

The Taliban captured Bergdahl after he went AWOL and held him captive for five years, before President Obama exchanged him for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in 2014
The new acquisitions, costing $3.4 billion, will be partly funded by the airline's existing budget, but will also make use of funding from Egyptian banks and a 'capacity rental system' involving other companies

EgyptAir is to boost its fleet with the purchase of 33 new passenger jets, the airline's chairman Safwat Mosalam said in a press statement on Sunday.

The new purchases will include a range of aircraft suitable for short-, medium- and long-distance journeys, in line with the company's expansion strategy, Mosalem said.

The planned purchase of 33 aircraft will cost almost EGP 60 billion ($3.4 billion), a source from the company told Ahram Online.

No schedule or time-frame has yet been settled for the new purchases, the source said, but work has begun on securing the necessary finances.

"Funding the new planes will not only depend on the company's existing budget," the source told Ahram Online.

"The company has sold some of its old planes to finance the new deal, and Egyptian banks will participate. Also, some international companies will contribute through the capacity rental system, which means those companies will buy planes and EgyptAir will rent them."

The new purchase plan is part of a broader strategy that aims at building a fleet of 150 planes by 2025, the source said.

EgyptAir took one step closer to realising that goal on Saturday, with the delivery of its eighth Boeing plane as part of a 2016 $1 billion (EGP 18 million) deal to buy nine planes from the manufacturer.

The final aircraft in that deal is expected to be delivered by the end of this year, increasing the EgyptAir fleet to 68.

The 85-year-old airline has faced several challenges over the past few years, including disappointing financial results.

In May, Egypt's civil-aviation minister announced that the company had lost around $777 million since 2011, but it is now seeking to turn its fortunes around.

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A Republican senator criticized the Trump administration on Sunday for having a 'blind spot' when it comes to protecting the United States from Russia.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told NBC's 'Meet the Press' that he doesn't understand why the White House ignored an October 1 deadline for imposing new sanctions on Moscow's defense and intelligence sectors.

'I think that the Trump administration is slow when it comes to Russia. They have a blind spot on Russia I still can't figure out,' Graham said.

'BLIND SPOT': Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Sunday that the Trump administration 'is slow when it comes to Russia'

The president has ignored an Oct. 1 deadline  in a law he signed in early August  which required him to impose new sanctions on Moscow

He also strongly suggested that Russian election meddling in 2016 won't be the last of its kind.

In '16, they interfered in our elections. I don't think it affected the outcome, but in '18 and '20, they're coming back against us,' Graham said.

Trump grudgingly signed a sanctions bill into law in August, committing to move the ball forward within 60 days.

The law requires the president to 'issue regulations or other guidance to specify the persons that are part of, or operate for or on behalf of, the defense and intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation.'

The administration hasn't made any moves in that direction.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin has insisted that his nation wasn't behind election-year meddling in the U.S., but Congress has declared otherwise

Graham said 'Congress will have a way to hold the president accountable. I think he's beginning to understand the threats we face better and better each day.'

He also warned that Russian cyber intrusions pose a dire threat that the U.S. government is only now beginning to contemplate.

'What are the rules of engagement? Did what they do in 2016  did that amount to an act of war? How do you respond to cyber threats?' asked Graham.

'We're really not well together as a nation in terms of the threats we're facing from the cyber arena. But Russia is going to get worse, if not better.'

'Mr. President, go after Russia because they're coming after us,' he urged.
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A paragliding world champion has been filmed fulfilling his lifelong dream of flying among a beautiful murmuration of starlings.

Horacio Llorens, 35, joined thousands of the creatures which took to the skies during Denmark's 'Black Sun' - an impressive avian phenomenon which takes place every Autumn.

The birds took off as the sky dimmed, and the Spaniard flew his electric powered paraglider alongside them.

Horacio Llorens flies his electric powered paraglider with a large group of starlings in southwest Denmark

The birds took off as the sky dimmed, and Mr Llorens flew his electric powered paraglider alongside them

In the winter, thousands and thousands of starlings migrate from Norway to the warmer climate of southern Denmark

Mr Llorens has yearned to fly with birds since taking up paragliding 17 years ago. He is now a world champion at the sport

Mr Llorens said: 'To be a bird is a dream. It's why I paraglide, because I feel as a bird when I'm flying.

'Usually you can fly close to three or four birds. But being able to fly with thousands of them is just a unique opportunity.'

Mr Llorens has yearned to fly with birds since taking up paragliding 17 years ago.

He and his team were granted permission from Denmark's Ministry of Environment for the stunt and leading ornithologists were on hand to ensure the safety of the birds.

Horacio added: 'I really don't want to disturb the birds, I just want to try to fly with them and feel as a part of the flock. There was a huge feeling of complicity in the air.

'I think that once they recognised I wasn't a predator, the starlings also enjoyed flying with me.'

The Black Sun is the name given to the spectacle of all the starlings flying together and darkening the dimming sky.

The effect of them all flying together can be mesmerising with the formations they create in the sky.

Mr Llorens and his team had to seek permission from Denmark's Ministry of Environment for the stunt

A team of leading ornithologists were on hand to ensure the safety of the birds during the stunt

Thousands of the creatures which took to the skies during Denmark's 'Black Sun' - an impressive avian phenomenon which takes place every Autumn

The birds took off as the sky dimmed, and the Spaniard flew his electric powered paraglider alongside them
A Donald Trump supporter was caught on camera telling a lesbian couple that they would 'burn in hell' for being gay and welcomed them to the 'Trump era'.

Jessica Lundquist and Tiffany Steinberg were enjoying an evening out strolling down the Huntington Beach Pier hand-in-hand when they were approached by Anthony Miskulin.

Steinberg said her girlfriend was Snapchatting when Miskulin walked right up to them. In the caption of the their video, Steinberg says he 'got all up in' Lundquist's face and started calling them sinners.

The video starts off showing Miskulin walking alongside the couple as they tried to walk the other away.

Jessica Lundquist and Tiffany Steinberg were enjoying an evening out strolling down the Huntington Beach Pier hand-in-hand when they were approached by Anthony Miskulin (left and right) who told them they would 'burn in hell' for being gay

Steinberg (right) said her girlfriend, Lundquist (left), was Snapchatting when Miskulin walked right up to them. In the caption of the their video, Steinberg says he 'got all up in' Lundquist's face and started calling them sinners

But he continues to follow them through the area, telling them that they are 'exchanging normal sexual behaviors with abnormal ones'.

'Once you're in hell, you can never leave hell,' Miskulin says.

'I don't care!' Steinberg is heard yelling at the man, who asks them if they would like to pray together.

When they both decline, Miskulin continues to follow Steinberg and Lundquist, who are both YouTubers, down the pier.

He then babbles that they are 'going to burn in hell' before telling them that it seems like they have had issues with men.

'I am gay everyone. I would just like you to know. I am gay and I'm burning in hell. Just wanted you to know that this guy doesn't agree but I am gay. Thank you everyone,' Steinberg shouts.

'Is this your first time in Orange County?' the man asks. 'No I live here,' Steinberg replies.

The video starts off showing Miskulin (left and right) walking alongside the couple as they tried to walk the other away. But he continues to follow them, saying they are 'exchanging normal sexual behaviors with abnormal ones'. Steinberg is pictured right

Moments later, a bystander comes up to couple and the man and asks if everything is okay. Steinberg (pictured) is heard telling the woman that the man has been harassing them. 'Harassment is not legal,' the girl is heard saying in the background

The couple said they were shocked by the Miskulin's actions toward them last week

'You're kidding me?' the man said before asking Steinberg if she is a Democrat.

When she answers 'yes', the guy asks: 'Oh my God they let you move here?'

Moments later, a bystander comes up to couple and the man and asks if everything is okay.

Steinberg is heard telling the woman that the man has been harassing them. 'Harassment is not legal,' the girl is heard saying in the background.

The man then claims he's a criminal defense attorney (which was a lie) before he says he's exercising his freedom of speech.

He then identifies himself and gives the couple permission to film him because he wanted to get his message out. But when they tell him 'no one agrees with you' he responds by saying: 'They do actually, this is the Trump era and you're going to see a whole lot of things changing.'

Steinberg instantly turns away and they finally manage to get away from him as they troll him about Trump.

The couple said the incident occurred around 9pm on Sunday, October 15. They both said it was the very first time they had ever been discriminated against in public.

When Steinberg posted the video on Facebook, it received more than 100,000 views.

One commenter said that they had even dealt with Miskulin before.

Lundquist (left and right) and Steinberg finally manage to get away from the man as they troll him about being a Trump supporter

The couple (pictured) said the incident occurred around 9pm on Sunday, October 15. They both said it was the very first time they had ever been discriminated against in public

Facebook user Alec David Bauer wrote: 'I got into a fat argument with him for this very reason [sic] he was giving two girls holding hands sh*t saying they are going to hell blah blah blah and then he told my autistic mute friend he was going to hell...he obviously didn't know what was happening but I tore him a new one that day...this guy is a tool.'

Miskulin was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times last year explaining why he voted for Trump.

'The reason I voted for Donald Trump for president was because I was tired of the politics of Washington.

'I was tired of my country being run a much with illegal aliens who shouldn't be here in the first place,' he added.

Miskulin is definitely not a lawyer, but at one point in his life he made six figures as a loan officer before the Great Recession hit.

Now he works in corporate sales making $26,000 a year.

He told the Times last year that his vote for Trump 'wasnt out of bigotry'. 'It wasnt out of hatred. It was about survival,' he added.

'Ive been to the welfare office before, and a lot of people who go there dont speak English,' Miskulin said.

'Most of the people who go there, theyre not white. Theyre not even black. The most people you see there are mostly Mexican.... They are illegal and they dont belong in our country,' he said at the time.
Hungarian police carried out a search at a Church of Scientology centre in Budapest amid a probe into suspected misuse of personal information and 'other crimes'.

More than 50 officers surrounded the church's Budapest headquarters on one of the Hungarian capital's busiest roads early on Wednesday.

Detectives from the National Investigation Bureau have listed the target as 'unknown persons' - a common designation when a specific suspect has not been identified.

More than 50 officers surrounded the church's Budapest headquarters on one of the Hungarian capital's busiest roads early on Wednesday

Church of Scientology International spokeswoman Karin Pouw called the search 'religious suppression under the guise of data protection.'

Pouw added that the raid was 'an outrageous and wholesale violation of the human rights of all Scientologists in the country'.

She said: 'These actions are guided by the discriminatory and hostile purposes of data protection officials who are using the law not as a shield to safeguard others, but as a sword to violate the rights of Scientology parishioners.'

Detectives from the National Investigation Bureau have listed the target as 'unknown persons' - a common designation when a specific suspect has not been identified

The Church of Scientology is not among the 32 churches officially recognized by Hungary since a widely disputed law on religious matters went into force in 2012. Police are pictured standing outside the entrance

Hungarian police confirmed the search took place but said additional information would not be released.

The Church of Scientology is not among the 32 churches officially recognized by Hungary since a widely disputed law on religious matters went into force in 2012.
Two of Italys wealthiest northern regions on Sunday voted overwhelmingly in favour of greater autonomy in referenda that took place against the backdrop of Catalonias push for independence from Spain.

Voters in the Veneto region that includes Venice and Lombardy, home to Milan, turned out at the high end of expectations to support the principle of more powers being devolved from Rome, officials said.

Veneto President Luca Zaia hailed the results, which were delayed slightly by a hacker attack, as an institutional 'big bang' while reiterating that the regions aspirations were not comparable to the secessionist agenda that has provoked a constitutional crisis in Spain.

Voters headed to the polls in two Italian regions controlled by Northern League presidents whose party backs greater autonomy from Rome

Turnout was projected at between 57-61 percent in Veneto, where support for autonomy is stronger, and at around 40 percent in Lombardy. The presidents of both regions said more than 90 percent of voters who had gone to the ballots had, as expected, done so to support greater autonomy.

The votes are not binding but they will give the leaders of the two regions a strong political mandate when they embark on negotiations with the central government on the transfer of powers from Rome to the regions.

Secessionst sentiment in the two regions is restricted to fringe groups but analysts see the autonomy drive as reflecting the same, centrifugal pressures that resulted in Scotlands narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britains decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.

Lombardy and Veneto are both held by the Northern League, whose representatives want changes on security issues and immigration that would require changes to the constitution.

The Northern League's Matteo Salvini said he was happy with the turnout of people voting 'for closer and more effective politics with less bureaucracy and waste.'

About 25 per cent of Italy's population live in the regions and account for 30 per cent of the country's overall economic output.

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said the votes are legitimate, despite it threatening constitutional change

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said votes in the regions are legitimate, distinguishing it from Catalonia's independence referendum, which Madrid condemned as illegal.

He said Europe should 'fear' the spread of small nations.

'First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia,' he told Rome daily Il Messaggero.

'In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution.

'It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe.'

But economist Lorenzo Codogno said the votes could fundamentally change the Italian constitution.

'The issue is likely to spread, and eventually, it will require a generalised approach by the next government and a reform of the constitution,' he said.

The votes were held as protesters took to the streets of Barcelona as in Catalonia,

Protesters took to streets of Barcelona today to demonstrate against Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy's plans to impose direct rule on the autonomous region of Catalonia.

He wants to remove its government and call an election within six months after the region voted overwhelmingly for independence on October 1.

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont branded the plans the worst attack on Catalonia since fascist leader General Francisco Franco killed 3,500 people there and abolished the region's language in 1938.

Spanish National Police were deployed to deal with demonstrators in Catalan after the region's vote for independence was not recognised

The wealthy region accounts for 19 per cent of Spain's GDP in a situation similar to that in Italy, where Veneto and Lombardy are large contributors to a central state seen as inefficient by critics.

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros more in taxes to central government than it gets back in public spending and Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion.

Giuseppe Colonna, an 84-year-old Venetian, said Veneto's cash should stay in the northern region, which has lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average.

'Our taxes should be spent here, not in Sicily,' he said.

If votes go the Northern League's way, Veneto president Luca Zaia and Lombardy counterpart Roberto Maroni could push for a fiscal re-balance in the regions, which could require them to halve contributions to the cash-strapped government.

Similar votes are being discussed in the region of Liguria and the wealthy region of Emilia Romagna is already pushing for more powers.

Although the Northern League pushed for today's votes, the campaign for greater autonomy is backed by most of the centre-right and sections of the centre-left.

Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, says greater self-rule 'is an idea shared by everyone, not one that belongs to the League'.

The vote in Lombardy is costing 50 million and Veneto's is racking up 14 million.

The cost of the ballot in Lombardy was made more expensive by votes being cast on tablets for the first time in Italy.
An eight-year-old boy, who was 'tortured to death by his mother and stepfather had BB pellets lodged in his groin and lungs, a cracked skull, two missing teeth, burns to his body and three broken ribs' when he died, according to a nurse.

Registered Nurse Alison Segal witnessed the moment Gabriel Fernandez was rushed into the Antelope Valley Hospital on May 22, 2013, after he was found unresponsive at his mother's home in Palmdale.

Segal revealed the child's horrific injuries in her testimony on Friday.

Gabriel died in 2013 after allegedly suffering eight months of abuse at the hands of his mother Pearl Fernandez, 31, and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 35, at their Los Angeles home.

Segal said that night she was required to provide service to the hospital for patients who had been victims of abuse, according to ABC 7.

'There were abrasions. There were open wounds. There was bruising. There was swelling. There was marks on the legs. There was skin missing off the top of the neck, so there were multiple injuries on Gabriel...head to toe,' she said.

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These were the extent of eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez's facial injuries when he was taken to hospital in May 2013 after suffering eight months of abuse. He was brain dead when he arrived and had been placed on life support in this photograph

Registered Nurse Alison Segal (pictured in court) witnessed the moment Gabriel was rushed into the Antelope Valley Hospital on May 22, 2013, after he was found unresponsive at his mother's home in Palmdale

Segal testified that Gabriel 'had BB pellets lodged (depicted on the chart above) in his groin and lungs, a cracked skull, two missing teeth, burns to his body and three broken ribs' when he died

In court, the emotional nurse testified that she was asked to assess Gabriel when he was brought into the hospital, but his condition was so critical she could not do a comprehensive assessment. He was later rushed to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

She said Gabriel's chart that night said the child had fallen in the shower, but Segal said she knew that wasn't the case.

Segal said Gabriel was on a ventilator and his heart had stopped at least twice.

'They had to resuscitate him with extreme measures,' she said, according to ABC. Segal said Gabriel was only 88 degrees, which is a low temperature for a child.

On Wednesdsay, the child's siblings told the court how the pair singled him out and subjected him to sickening abuse because they thought he was gay.

Prosecutors said Fernandez and Aguirre put cigarettes out on his skin, beat him with a bat and shot at him with a BB gun.

His teenage brother and sister wept as they testified against the pair in court.

While they admit torturing the boy, Aguirre denies murder because he claims his death was unintentional.

Fernandez's trial will begin after her boyfriend's concludes.

Gabriel died in May 2013 at the hands of his abusive mother and stepfather

Segal (pictured in court) said Gabriel's chart that night said the child had fallen in the shower. She said Gabriel was on a ventilator and his heart had stopped at least twice. Segal said Gabriel was only 88 degrees, which is a low temperature for a child

Gabriel's siblings told how their mother's boyfriend singled him out for beatings and made him sleep in a cabinet they referred to as a 'box', according to NBC which attended the trial in California.

Whenever social services visited, they would lock the child away and handcuff him so they would not see his injuries, Gabriel's siblings said.

The family had been reported to authorities several times by concerned acquaintances who were worried for Gabriel's welfare but the case was overlooked.

It wasn't until May 2013, when Aguirre delivered a fatal blow which made Gabriel brain dead, that they realized how severe the case was.

Ezequiel C, Gabriel's 16-year-old brother, told how Aguirre put a sock over his brother's mouth on occasion and sometimes used a bandana to silence him.

He also said Aguirre kicked Gabriel in the face, stomach and groin and that he used a wooden hanger to beat him sometimes.

When his injuries were visible, he says the pair told him to lie and say Gabriel suffered them when they were playing.

Pearl Fernandez (left in court previously) and Isuaro Aguirre (right during his trial this week) are both accused of murdering the boy

Gabriel's siblings said he was picked on by the pair because they thought he was gay. They would taunt him by forcing him to wear girl's clothes to school, they said

Gabriel was made to sleep in this cubby where he was handcuffed. Whenever social workers visited the home after receiving reports he had been beaten, he was stuffed in the cabinet and told to hide, according to his siblings

The couple also used to taunt Gabriel by calling him gay and would force him to wear girl's clothes to school, he said.

Prosecutors said early on that this was Aguirre's motivation for bullying the child.

Gabriel's brother said he used to take a change of clothes in his backpack and change at school.

Once, when his mother found out, she punched him in the face, he said.

In addition to beatings, they tortured the boy by forcing him to eat spoiled food.

His brother described how they once made him eat rotten spinach and even made him eat his own vomit when he threw up onto the table afterwards.

Aguirre used a bat to hit the eight-year-old in the groin and other parts of the body

Gabriel's siblings said on Wednesday that their stepfather also used to shoot him with a BB gun

Gabriel (above before the abuse) was beaten for eight months before his death in May 2013

They also forced him to eat cat litter and cat feces. The boy's 14-year-old sister, named only as Virginia, also testified on Wednesday.

She fought back tears as she told how they only ever picked on Gabriel and left her and her brother alone.

On May 22, 2013, the night of Gabriel's death, she said she watched as Aguirre punched him repeatedly in the head.

When he fell to the ground after the fatal blow, Aguirre and the boy's mother panicked, she said.

They placed him in the shower and slapped him continuously to try to revive him but were unsuccessful and eventually called 911.

When paramedics arrived, they claimed he had been playing with his brother in the cabinet, where they made him sleep, when he hit his head.

Paramedics found the boy unresponsive in their Los Angeles home in 2013 (above)

Aguirre and the boy's mother have shown no emotion during court hearings at which others have been reduced to tears

Paramedics who responded to the 911 call said the abuse Gabriel suffered was unspeakable.

Nurses and doctors at the hospital said it was some of the worst they had ever seen.

Gabriel was placed on life support after being declared brain dead at the hospital. His life support was turned off after several days.

Aguirre does not deny torturing the boy or being responsible for his death. He has however pleaded not guilty to murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture because he says he did not mean for Gabriel to die.

Gabriel's death shocked the nation in 2013 and triggered a string of internal investigations within Child Protective Services.

Nine different sheriff's deputies investigated the case but none made any arrests before his death.

Four different case workers who missed the signs that he was being so egregiously abused are also facing charges.
A Louisiana celebrity restaurateur whose TV appearances include Iron Chef, Tonight With Seth Meyers and even NCIS, has been accused of performing a sex act on a 'barely conscious' employee and creating a 'bro culture' in his establishments.

In a discrimination filing, John Besh, 49, is accused of performing the act during a work trip after he 'insisted [the woman] drink heavily' and she became 'easily overwhelmed' by him; he says they were in a consensual relationship.

And 24 other women have complained about a male-dominated culture in which they were harassed, groped, humiliated and mocked in both another filing and interviews with NOLA.com.

Celebrity chef John Besh (seen here in an episode of Tonight With Seth Meyers) has been accused impropriety by one woman and creating a toxic environment in his restaurants

Besh owns or has a hand in more than 10 restaurants and bars in the New Orleans area, has made guest appearances on several shows, including the dramas NCIS: New Orleans and HBO's Treme.

The accusation about Besh performing oral sex on the unnamed former employee came in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filing from December.

Besh is alleged to have pressured a woman into a relationship, during which he performed oral sex on her while she was blackout drunk. Besh says their relationship was consensual and denies all abuse claims

She alleges that she had a sexual relationship with him for months while working under him, and that he had 'continued to attempt to coerce (her) to submit to his sexual overtures.'

In one instance, during a work trip to LA in the summer of 2015, she said, Besh 'insisted' that she down a great deal of alcohol before she retired to her hotel room.

Besh then arrived at her door and 'immediately started to kiss and fondle' her, she alleged in the filing, in which Besh was repeatedly referred to as 'JBesh'.

She 'was barely conscious, and easily overwhelmed by JBesh, who engaged in oral sex and fell asleep,' the woman, who is not being named, alleged.

That incident, which occurred when she was 24, came around the beginning of what she described as a 'long-term unwelcome sexual relationship'.

In a trip to New York in October 2015, the filing says, Besh pressured her into saying that she loved him, then insisted he stay at his hotel room.

'From that time until at least May 2016, JBesh continued to expect [the claimant] to stay in his hotel room and engage in a sexual relationship,' it said.

In May, the suit claimed, she tried to 'disengage' from her sexual relationship with Besh, after which Besh 'asked [her] to help him find her "replacement."'

Octavio Mantilla, co-owner of the Best Restaurant Group, then asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement for a 'small sum of money', the filing said.

When she tried to negotiate a larger amount, it alleged, he told her to get her lawyer to call his lawyer - and began to receive angry texts from a chef at the restaurant who accused her 'of being disloyal to JBesh.'

Responding to the allegations, Besh characterized their relationship as a 'consensual' one that he had 'thoughtlessly' engaged in.

Besh (seen with Michelle Obama at an event in 2015) is also accused of making inappropriate comments to other women. Some 25 women say he or employees at his restaurants behaved inappropriately in one form or another

TV chef Anthony Bourdain printed part of a complaint filed against Besh's group, saying it was 'the beginning of the end of institutionalized Meathead Culture in the restaurant business'

'I also regret any harm this may have caused to my second family at the restaurant group, and sincerely apologize to anyone past and present who has worked for me who found my behavior as unacceptable as I do,' he said.

'I alone am entirely responsible for my moral failings. This is not the way the head of a company like ours should have acted, let alone a husband and father.'

He also said his company, Besh Restaurant Group, has an 'unyielding commitment to treating everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of gender, race, age and sexual preference.'

But complaints from several women say that Besh oversaw a 'bro culture' at his businesses - and some of them say that it may have been influenced by his own actions.

He would say, "Hey, you want to see a picture of a baby's arm?" And he'd show you and it would be his penis... [he also asked for my breast milk] because he wanted to drink it An unnamed worker at one of Besh's restaurants, talking about how a male colleague - not Besh - treated her

'[Besh and Mantilla] had hit on basically every woman in the office who was young and pretty,' said Lindsey Reynolds, who was the company's social media manager for six months.

'It was like Mad Men,' added, who made the second of two EEOC filings against Besh Restaurant Group (BRG), which is now 12 years old.

She complained of 'vulgar and offensive comments, aggressive un-welcomed touching and sexual advances were condoned and sometimes even encouraged by managers and supervisors'.

At one point, she said, Besh told her: '"Do you have any idea how pretty you are? I'm sure you get that all the time."'

'I mean, what am I supposed to say to that?' she asked.

Reynolds said she was harassed 'virtually every day' and left without recourse because the company didn't 'have a decent HR person,' she claimed.

When asked for a response, Mantilla suggested that his reputation was enough to dismiss the claims. 'I think people know me pretty well,' he said.

He also said that he replied to her resignation letter, saying he was concerned about her complaints and asking for a meeting to discuss the details.

Besh denied that claims that he had harassed women.

Some women said that Besh fostered an environment in which men felt like they could harass them without fear of recrimination; his company has admitted its HR could have done more

He also said that she hadn't complained about harassment until her resignation email, which read like a 'manifesto,' and questioned why - in the absence of HR people - she didn't speak to one of the female managers.

'These are talented women who wouldn't stand for that c**p,' he said of the women bosses.

But in total 25 women - some named, some who chose anonymity - have claimed that working at Besh's restaurants was a deeply unpleasant experience.

Another complainant was Madie Robison, who was hired out of college, aged 22, to be a graphic designer at the company.

She said that there had been workdays scheduled at a senior employee's pool, which she felt compelled to attend.

'All pool days that I participated in involved drinking in our swimsuits and the male chefs/Octavio coming to visit us at the pool,' she said.

The second time, she said, a chef began 'talking about getting some naked massage. That was when I was like, "Ew, this is a little weird."'

Madie Robinson was hired when she was 22; she said scheduled pool sessions during workdays involved her sitting around in a swimsuit, drinking with other employees

On another occasion, she said Mantilla had introduced her to a group of men in business suits while she was still in her swimsuit, telling them she was 'our design goddess'.

And she says that Mantilla touched her 'excessively,' saying 'first it was your leg and then it was your lower back... In my mind, it always got a little worse.'

Another colleague told the paper that she had seen Mantilla touching Robison, but that Robison had said she didn't complain because 'I don't want to embarrass him, he's my boss.'

Mantilla said he didn't remember the 'goddess' comment, and that the pool sessions were 'constructive', although he only attended one and left as soon he was done there.

He also said: '"I don't remember touching [Robison] at all, not on intention or anything.'

Robison also said that she was the first person to hear of Besh sleeping with the allegedly drunk woman, saying the woman 'sounded scared' and couldn't remember how Besh got into her room.

In pizza restaurant Domenica, a waitress who did not wish to be named said that in the two years she worked there she was sexually harassed by a male colleague.

'He would say, "Hey, you want to see a picture of a baby's arm?" And he'd show you and it would be his penis,' she said.

She quit in 2015, just before her first child war born; she said the man had asked repeatedly for a sample of her breast milk 'because he wanted to drink it.'

He'd always talk about anal sex with me or using toys on me or me being a 'backdoor beauty' Allison Consoli, waitress at Domenica, on the same unnamed male employee

Another waitress there, Allison Consoli, said she tried to file complaints about the same member of staff four times.

On a fifth occasion, she said, the management stood and watched him harass her to the point of tears.

'He'd always talk about anal sex with me or using toys on me or me being a "backdoor beauty," she said

'It was along those lines, but I don't remember exactly what he said. There were so many things, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that time.'

She said she was fired to an issue unrelated to the man. He was fired afterward. Chef Alon Shaya, who oversaw the restaurant, said he 'was being inappropriate to some of the female servers. I recall making the decision to fire him with that manager.'

Shaya was also linked to alleged problems at the restaurant that bears his surname, which he opened in collaboration with Besh.

Chef Alon Shaya, who co-ran three restaurants in Besh's group says he told Besh to get a HR system in place so complaints would be dealt with. Besh's associate says Shaya's just covering his back. Complaints have been leveled at Shaya's management too, but he denies them

One line cook, who resigned from Shaya in January, said in her resignation letter: 'While working as a line cook at Shaya, I heard daily "jokes" about rape, including one joke about pedophilia.

They 'would call grapeseed oil "rapeseed" and use that as an opportunity to joke about rape,' she said.

'They also would say in a weird accent, "She run, but I always catch her." A [male colleague] one time said a food item was "dryer than an eight-year-old."'

They would call grapeseed oil 'rapeseed' and use that as an opportunity to joke about rape An unnamed female line cook on male colleagues' 'humor' at Shaya

That cook didn't want to be named for fear of hurting future job prospects; one of her colleagues there, line cook Elizabeth Campbell, said she also heard such remarks.

Mostly, she said, she ignored them as part of the environment, but after 13 months she was found crying at work, and fired.

She claimed that as he terminated her contract, Shaya told her: 'It's really a shame, because you're talented, but you have to not cry at work. You really have to be stronger and don't let your environment get to you.'

Campbell mused: 'It bothered me, because it was an environment that he created.'

Shaya provided NOLA with documentation showing that disciplinary action had been taken against the man who showed photographs of his penis, and said he 'regretted' that she had still quit.

'I'm not trying to minimize anybody's complaints or concerns,' he added.

He also said that 'we worked to help [Campbell] with her situation' but her crying was 'disrupting the customer experience in the restaurant.'

Shaya, who was chef at Domenica, Pizza Domenica and Shaya, himself pointed fingers at Besh and Mantilla during NOLA's eight-month investigation.

In an August meeting with a reporter for the site, he said that he had asked for a proper HR company to be set up on 'multiple' occasions since 2014, and that 'they said no'.

He also said that the three restaurants he oversaw were mostly independently operated from Besh's group, and that inappropriate behavior was 'not tolerated, not one bit'.

A male colleague one time said a foot item was 'dryer than an eight-year-old' The Shaya employee recounts another of her colleagues' 'jokes'

Shaya was fired from all three in September; in October he told a reporter that he thought he was fired 'for talking ... and for standing up'.

'Alon never requested an HR Department, let alone on multiple occasions,' Raymond Landry, general counsel for Besh and BRG, said.

Mantilla said that the reasons for his firing were complex, and added: 'I think [Shaya] saw this article was hurting him, and he wanted to distance himself.'

Issues were reported at restaurants outside of Shaya's control. Meghan Wright was a server at Franco-German brasserie Luke; she said her 'banter' with two male co-workers spiraled into them 'grabbing' her.

Besh runs a string of restaurants in the New Orleans area, and is a local celebrity. He denies all of the claims of harassment made against him

She complained but it was shrugged off because management thought they were good at their jobs - and when they found out, their behavior got worse, she said.

'The guys were like, "We know what you said, you better watch your back,"' she said.

'It got to the point where my boyfriend had to drop me off and pick me up at work. Like literally drop me off and pick me up at the door.'

Further complaints went nowhere and a request for a transfer to another restaurant was refused and she was told she would be placed on a schedule that kept her apart from them, she alleged.

The rescheduling never happened, she added.

In a statement from its general counsel, Landry said Besh Restaurant Group had only just learned that women at the company were concerned about a lack of a 'a clear mechanism' to voice concerns.

'I want to assure all of our employees that if even a single person feels this way, it is one person too many and that ends now,' he continued.

The guys were like, 'We know what you said, you better watch your back.' It got to the point where my boyfriend had to drop me off and pick me up at work. Like literally drop me off and pick me up at the door Meghan Wright, a server at Luke, on threats she faced after she tried to report male employees groping her

He said that the company had 'a complaint procedure in place that complies with all existing laws' but that they 'needed to do more' and that they had 'revamped our training, education and procedures accordingly.'

Landry added that 'we believe going forward that everyone at our company will be fully aware of the clear procedures that are now in place to safeguard against anyone feeling that his or her concerns will not be heard and addressed free from retaliation.'

Speaking to NOLA.com, Mantill and Besh said that they had struggled with these issues due to the company's quick growth, particularly since 2015.

'Prior to that, probably no one [at BRG] could make a move without me, without me knowing about it," Mantilla said. 'That has changed because we grew so quickly.'

A BRG spokesman also stressed that around 60 of the company's 140 managers are women, and that 'In addition, 15 women hold senior executive positions as general managers, heads of departments, Chief Operations Officer, or owner/partner.'
A New York father was gunned down while leaving a party near his home in the Bronx early Saturday morning.

Keith Pinckney had stepped outside a home located on Davidson Avenue in Morris Heights when he was shot in the head and chest around 2am.

The 36-year-old was celebrating with friends when he was killed. He was found less than half an hour later bleeding out on the sidewalk, according to the New York Daily News.

Father-of-two Keith Pinckney (pictured), 36, was gunned down while leaving a house party near his home in the Bronx around 2am Saturday morning. As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests have been made

He was then rushed to the Saint Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Neighbors claim the father-of-two, who was nicknamed 'Rell' and 'Slaughter', was a gang member, but he was good to the people around him.

Authorities said the Bronx native had been arrested 38 times over the years, mostly for drug and marijuana possession.

Pinckney's childhood friend, Yolanda Rosado, told the Daily News that 'he's going to be well missed'.

'He was a joker. He was always joking and wanted to make people laugh.' As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests have beeen made in the shooting.

Friends posted tributes to Pinckney on Facebook. One user said his 'smile was so contagious'.

'I wish I can turn back the hands of time and I would tell you everyday that I love you,' the Facebook user wrote.

Family members and friends also set up a candlelight vigil for Pinckney.

Friends posted tributes to Pinckney (pictured) on Facebook. One user said his 'smile was so contagious'
A Cub Scout from Colorado has been kicked out of his den for asking his state senator a tough question on gun control.

Ames Mayfield, 11, pressed his Republican senator Vicki Marble during a question and answer session on a den outing.

When it was Ames' turn, he read from a printed sheet he had prepared: 'An issue that I'm concerned about is common sense gun control. I was shocked that you co-sponsored a bill to allow domestic violence offender to continue to own a gun. ... Why on Earth would you want somebody who beats their wife to have access to a gun?'

Though his task was to research and ask a question that impacts the community, Ames said his den leaders called his question disrespectful and too political.

Pack leaders held a meeting with Ames' mother, Lori Mayfield, where they told her her son was no longer apart of the den.

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Ames Mayfield, 11, was just four-months sky of becoming a Boy Scout when he was kicked out of his Cub Scout den

He asked a question to Colorado Senator Vicki Marble about her stance on gun control

This was during a Q&A session in which the subs were tasked with researching and asking a question that impacted the community

Former Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords tweeted in support of Ames

The incident caught the attention of former Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords prompting her to tweet in support of the boy.

Giffords tweeted on Thursday: 'This is exactly the kind of courage we need in Congress. Ames, call me in 14 years. I'll campaign for you.'

The congresswoman survived a gunshot wound to the head during a public appearance in 2012.

Ames told Fox 31: Given that the Las Vegas shooting happened, I felt that it should be a reasonable thing to ask. I don't feel like I did anything wrong.'

Ames continued his question backed by in-depth research for more than two minutes when the den leader cut him off to allow the senator to answer. Both the senator and the leader commended him for his 'thorough' list of questions.

Senator Vicki Marble fielded the question by saying, 'we need crime control'.

Marble told the Denver Post, 'I don't blame the boy for asking the questions, since I believe there was an element of manipulation involved, and it wasn't much different from the questions I normally field in other meetings.The invitation to meet with the Scouts was never intended to cause friction and controversy.'

The incident caught the attention of Gabrielle Giffords prompting her to tweet in support of the boy

Giffords survived a gunshot to the head at a public appearance in 2012

Ames's mom Lori said the den leaders called a meeting with her to tell her that her son has been kicked out of his den

The Scouts did not explicitly say he was kicked out of the den. The Boy Scouts said only that he remains a member of the larger pack, and that the organization is working with the family to offer him options that will 'allow him to continue his Scouting experience in a way that fits his and his family's needs.'

But Ames' mom said he was heartbroken to find out he could not longer be in his den because he took a liking to his group leader and was just four months away from transitioning from the Cub Scouts to the Boy Scouts.

She added that he didn't understand why his question was inappropriate.

While he is no longer welcome at his former Scout den, his mother said another area den has invited Ames to join. He will transition to Boy Scouts in February.
Former president Jimmy Carter emerged as an unlikely Donald Trump ally on Sunday, saying that the current commander-in-chief gets a raw deal from the media.

Carter, speaking to The New York Times, also said he doesn't believe Russia swayed 'any votes' in the 2016 election, despite its best efforts to interfere with America's democratic process.

Times columnist Maureen Dowd interviewed Carter at his home in Georgia, and heard one other surprising thought process in the Democrat's mind: The 93-year-old who was president from 1977 to 1981 would be willing to be Trump's envoy to North Korea.

But Carter's view of how Trump has taken a beating in the press is the column's biggest revelation.

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter says Donald Trump gets a raw deal from the press that's worse than with any other president he's seen

Trump has complained about 'fake news' constantly and claimed some reporters fabricate sources and stories

Carter was part of a hurricane relief benefit concert Saturday night that was co-hosted by all five living former presidents

'I think the media have been harder on Trump than any other president certainly that I've known about,' he said.

'I think they feel free to claim that Trump is mentally deranged and everything else without hesitation.'

As if on cue, Trump tweeted Sunday morning about last week's Politico/Morning Consult poll that found nearly half of Americans think reporters are creating anti-Trump stories out of whole cloth.

'It is finally sinking through,' Trump tweeted, before shifting gears into all-caps: '46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred[ibility].'

Trump has been attacking 'fake news' reports since early in his presidential run, and has claimed that some anonymous sources cited in articles don't exist.

Many of the president's loudest media tantrums have come in response to stories suggesting that he and his aides colluded with the Russian government to swing the election in his favor.

Donald Trump tweeted Sunday morning about his continuing discontent with the political press corps, citing a poll that found nearly half of voters believe reporters make up stories

Carter has offered to be Trump's diplomatic envoy to North Korea as dictator Kim Jong-Un (pictured) rattles his nuclear sabers

Despite a consensus from several U.S. intelligence agencies that Moscow tried to interfere with the election, Carter dismissed Russia's effectiveness.

'I don't think there's any evidence that what the Russians did changed enough votes, or any votes,' he said,

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter disagreed, however.

'They obviously did,' she said, citing a Moscow-induced 'drip-drip-drip about Hillary' Clinton.

On the North Korea question, Carter said he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, but has not been asked.

'I would go, yes,' he told the Times.

Carter said he had told the Republican president's National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he 'was available if they ever need me.'

Trump was seen sporting a pair of reading glasses as he left the golf course on Sunday

Carter (center) followed Richard Nixon (right) and Gerald Ford (2nd right) in the Oval Office, and was succeeded by Ronald Reagan (2nd left) and George H.W. Bush (left)

In 1994 Carter traveled to Pyongyang to negotiate with Kim Il-Sung, the current dictator's grandfather, over the North's nuclear program.

In recent months President Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with current despot Kim Jong-Un, trading personal insults and threatening to 'totally destroy' North Korea if it threatens the United States.

Asked about the verbal attacks, Carter told the Times he is 'afraid, too, of a situation.'

'I don't know what they'll do,' he said of the North Koreans. 'Because they want to save their regime.'

Calling Kim Jong-Un 'unpredictable,' Carter said he worried the young leader could take preemptive action.

'I think he's now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland,' Carter said.
From the street below it's easy to miss the workers daubing rooftops as part of an ambitious art project in two battle-scarred neighbourhoods of Lebanon's Tripoli.

But the Ashekman street art duo behind the project say that once they're done, the pistachio-green rooftops they are painting will spell out the word "salam" -- Arabic for "peace" -- on a scale visible from space.

The project, three years in the making, is the brainchild of 34-year-old twins Mohamed and Omar Kabbani.

They researched and rejected multiple locations in their native Lebanon before settling on Tripoli.

They chose a site spanning the Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighbourhoods, which have fought successive rounds of armed clashes in recent years.

"We jumped from one location to another and finally we decided to do it here in Tripoli, specifically in Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, an area that has been in conflict," said Omar Kabbani.

"We're painting the word 'salam' across 85 building rooftops over 1.3 kilometres... to convey that people here are peaceful," he said.

"And Lebanon in general, we want peace."

Peace has been elusive in Sunni-majority Bab al-Tebbaneh and the adjacent Alawite-majority Jabal Mohsen.

Fighters from the two areas have battled each other periodically for decades, and the war in neighbouring Syria, pitting a Sunni-dominated uprising against Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, has further stirred existing enmities.

The clashes have gouged hundreds of bullet holes into building facades, while mortar fire has blasted through walls, rendering some homes uninhabitable.

Fighting between the neighbourhoods has eased in the last two years, but photos of those killed in the most recent violence remain plastered across both areas.

Ashekman's project runs on either side of the infamous Syria Street separating the two neighbourhoods. The duo hired workers from across the divide to help them complete the project.

"All of the workers live here in the neighbourhood, they lived the conflict, some of them got shot," Omar Kabbani said.

"Two years ago they were hiding from bullets... now they're painting their rooftops proudly."

The brothers are sensitive to the observation that their project does little to address the most obvious scars of fighting or the area's desperate poverty, often identified as a catalyst of the violence.

They say they chose paint that will seal rooftops against rain and reflect ultra-violet rays, cooling the homes below.

And in order to paint the rooftops, they had to negotiate with residents and often had to clear large amounts of trash and debris.

"It took us around 10 days just to remove all the garbage on the rooftops," said Kabbani.

"With the garbage came a couple of rats, and we fought with some rats. It wasn't an easy task," he said, laughing.

Walid Abu Heit, 29, joined the project as a painter after hearing about it from March, a Lebanese NGO that has worked on reconciliation and rehabilitation in the rival neighbourhoods.

He was born in Bab al-Tebbaneh and worked at a dairy, but lost his job after violence erupted.

"It was very difficult when fighting broke out," he said.

"Darkness engulfed the neighbourhood. People stopped coming here."

He and other workers lugged heavy tubs of paint up seven floors and began plastering a roof with the fluorescent green, which flecked his hands and boots.

"It's an amazing project," he said, smiling and shading his eyes from the blazing sun.

"The word peace, it's a great word... we haven't seen it for a long time, now we're seeing it again."

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The only way of dealing with most British fighters who have joined Islamic State in Syria is to kill them, a minister said yesterday.

Rory Stewart, an international development minister, said UK citizens who had travelled to the war-torn country were a 'serious danger' to Britain.

He added that converts to the terror group believed in an 'extremely hateful doctrine', saying fighters can expect to be killed given the threat they pose to British security.

Hundreds of Britons are known to have travelled to Syria to fight with Islamist groups during the course of the six-year conflict.

Rory Stewart MP (pictured) described British ISIS fighters, saying: 'These are people who are executing people, who have held women and children hostage, and who are torturing and murdering'

International Development Minister Rory Stewart MP has said the only way of dealing with most British jihadis is to kill them. Pictured is a ISIS fighter waving the group's flag in Raqqa

Several have been killed by US-led coalition air strikes  including jihadist Sally Jones, known as the White Widow.

British authorities estimate that about 850 people from this country have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with Islamist groups during the conflict.

MI5 chief Andrew Parker said last week that more than 100 UK fighters had been killed and another 250 have returned home.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Stewart said: 'These people are a serious danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost every case, to kill them.

Around 850 Brits have fled the country to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq over the past six years, one of whom was Sally Jones (pictured), also known as the White Widow. She is presumed dead after a missile strike on Raqqa four months ago

'These are people who are executing people, who have held women and children hostage, and who are torturing and murdering.'

His remarks come just days after the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill QC, said 'brainwashed' young people who travelled to Syria 'with a sense of naivety' should be spared prosecution and allowed to return.

It was revealed earlier this month how Sally Jones, who was known as a recruiter of would-be jihadists, was killed in a Predator missile strike as she fled Raqqa four months ago.

Jones, one of the world's most wanted extremists, fled the UK with her husband and youngest son, JoJo, in 2013. It is feared the 12-year-old was also killed.

A senior US adviser said foreign ISIS fighters fleeing the group's fallen stronghold of Raqqa must be killed on the battlefield.

Brett McGurk, a top envoy for the American coalition fighting the terror group, said it was vital to kill foreign terrorists to stop them mounting attacks back home.

The comments come after the remaining Islamic State terrorists holed up in their de-facto capital fled after a final bloody standoff.

'Our mission is to make sure any foreign fighter who is here, who joined ISIS from a foreign country and came into Syria, they will die here in Syria,' Mr McGurk said.

'So if they're in Raqqa, they're going to die in Raqqa.'
A string of top universities are warning students they may be offended by subject matter ranging from extreme far right groups to eating disorders, the Mail can reveal.

Documents show the full extent of so-called trigger warnings among Britains elite Russell Group of universities.

Among them, Queens University in Belfast told history and politics undergraduates they may be offended by modules on the far right in Western Europe and North America.

Bosses refused to reveal which groups are referred to, but any such course is likely to cover fascism in Italy and Germany in the last century.

At the same university medical students are told they might find modules about euthanasia upsetting.

Queens University in Belfast told history and politics undergraduates they may be offended by modules on the far right in Western Europe and North America

Trainee doctors are alerted about talking to patients with life-threatening illnesses, while those studying forensic pathology are told that slides relating to autopsies may be upsetting.

Even law students are warned about content to do with sexual offences.

The revelations come after it emerged last week that Cambridge students are being told they could find some scenes in Shakespeare plays upsetting.

Supporters say such policies protect students mental health but critics say it prevents them being preparing for the real world.

Trigger warnings were requested by the Mail from all 24 of the elite Russell Group of universities using Freedom of Information laws. It revealed that Oxford medical students were warned about handling living animal tissue.

at the London School of Economics, anthropology students are invited to skip readings and lectures on issues such as eating disorders

At Exeter, academics can forewarn students about content with the potential to be offensive or upsetting.

And at the London School of Economics, anthropology students are invited to skip readings and lectures on issues such as eating disorders and the rehabilitation of paedophiles if they think their health and wellbeing might be harmed.

One course leader states that students should make an informed choice as to when they read the material  perhaps avoiding night time or when they are suffering from suicidal thoughts  and even whether they want to engage with the material at all.

A history course on colonial Africa warns of upsetting photographs and another about European history warns of references to sexual activities.

The trend, which is sweeping across British universities, has been cited by critics as further evidence of a snowflake generation of youngsters.

At Exeter, academics can forewarn students about content with the potential to be offensive or upsetting

Many student unions now demand campuses be preserved as safe spaces where youngsters can carry out their studies without feeling harassed.

Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent, said of the Mails findings: Issuing trigger warnings infantilises young adults.

'It has a destructive effect. It is sending out the signal that they are not expected to handle these topics on their own.

He said the practice is so widespread it is now viewed as normal. Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, blamed political correctness, adding: This is educational fascism.

Spineless university authorities should not allow the construction of barricades against knowledge.

In January, the Mail revealed how theology students at Glasgow were being given trigger warnings about images of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Oxford yesterday said its message to students was part of a broad background about the medical course to applicants rather than a trigger warning.
A woman who was gang raped at the age of 14 has revealed horrific details about the assault  and said that being cross-examined during the trial felt like she was being abused all over again.

Tegan Wagner, 29, was attacked while at a Sydney house party 15 years ago by the notorious group known as the Ashfield Gang Rapists.

On Sunday night's episode of 60 Minutes, Ms Wagner opened up about what occurred on the night in question in an emotional interview with reporter Tara Brown.

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Tegan Wagner (pictured), who was was gang raped when she was a teenager has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal and the horrendous trial she was made to endure

That night in 2002, she had arrived at the house party having never been kissed or even had a sip of alcohol.

'I was being taken into a bedroom by one of the boys,' she said.

'I was saying stop, I was saying no, but I couldn't do anything.'

She said that another boy entered the room and pushed her down onto the bed when she sat up and despite her protests, he raped her.

'Then he left the room and I, tried to get up and I found my underwear and I tried to put my underwear back on and leave the room,' she said.

But then she says another perpetrator  who she said was found not guilty  entered and threatened to stab her before raping her on the couch.

Ms Wagner was attacked in 2002 when she was just 14 (pictured) while at a Sydney house party, by the notorious group known as the Ashfield Gang Rapists

Ms Wagner was was one of a number of teenage women attacked who took the perpetrators - a group of Pakistani brothers - to court.

But during the trial four years later, which was delayed nine times, she was made to withstand days of intense cross-examination, where she said she was 'made to feel dirty'.

During the traumatising court-room experience, Ms Wagner was faced with nearly 2,000 questions from the defence team, according to Nine News.

After returning to the building in a promotional clip, she said she was hit by emotions while standing in the dock.

'This was the three days of hell, this is where you get made to feel raped again,' she said.

'You're being told that you lied about it, that it didn't happen, that you as a person must be some sort of jezebel because you put yourself in that situation.'

The now 29-year-old is hoping to put an end to victim blaming, with one woman in a promo clip (pictured) for 60 Minutes stating the defence attorneys for the men claimed they slept soundly at night

All of those involved, including the brothers known only by their initials MSK, MAK, MMK and MRK, as well as a fifth man, were convicted of raping five other girls.

But only two of the three brothers accused by Ms Wagner were found guilty during her case.

After seeing them sentenced, Ms Wagner proclaimed outside court in 2006 that she had emerged victorious.

'I'd like to say, have fun in prison, boys. I won,' she said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Jeremy Corbyn's hard-Left Momentum group is recruiting teams of paid activists around the country as it goes on a permanent war footing to oust Tory MPs.

The grassroots organisation is credited with helping Labour outgun the Tories on the doorstep ahead of the general election last June by flooding constituencies with volunteers.

Now it is employing regional organisers as it mounts a 'permanent election campaign' and seeks to tighten the Labour leader's grip on the party.

Momentum, which grew out of Mr Corbyn's Labour leadership campaign in 2015, has launched a so-called 'decapitation strategy' which is aimed at unseating senior Tories including Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd at the next election.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's (pictured) grassroots support group Momentum is paying activists between 18,000 and 25,000 a year to focus on taking seats from the Tories

It is also looking to corral its supporters so that candidates sympathetic to Mr Corbyn are picked to stand for Labour in winnable seats, with fears it could attempt to de-select his critics in the parliamentary party.

The group is advertising on its website for an unspecified number of regional organisers on permanent and temporary contracts on salaries of between 18,000 and 25,000.

According to the job specification, the employees will 'support groups, members and supporters to campaign for Labour victories in the general election'.

They are also tasked with 'utilising a range of online and offline tools to boost turnout for Labour campaigning activists' and 'building links' with trade union organisations.

Momentum's move will strike fear into both sitting Tory MPs and Labour moderates. Until now it has largely relied on the goodwill and enthusiasm of volunteers.

The group was founded by Jon Lansman (pictured) on the premise of getting Mr Corbyn into power. They are now focusing on marginal seats to oust key Conservatives like Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd

The group has already served notice that it will target senior Tories in marginal seats, with Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, Home Secretary Miss Rudd and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith all likely to face campaigns to unseat them.

It mirrors the Lib Dems' 2005 decapitation strategy which tried  unsuccessfully  to paralyse the Tories by taking out senior figures, including then leader Michael Howard and Theresa May.

A series of training camps will be held across the country where supporters will be taught a range of campaigning techniques, including how to make viral videos, as part of efforts to target 160 marginal seats.

It comes after Mr Corbyn spent much of the summer visiting 40 key marginals, and Tory MPs have warned that Labour has maintained its activities locally since the election.

As well as boosting Labour with boots on the ground ahead of the election last June, Momentum was credited with helping the party reach far more people via social media than other political groups.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured) is on the list of Conservatives MPs Momentum wants to unseat at the next election

The Tories spent 1million on social media adverts during their election campaign, most of them attacking Mr Corbyn.

Despite this, it is believed that Labour's messages  backed up by Momentum  had far more reach, even though the party had less money to spend.

It is not known how Momentum is funding its recruitment drive as most of its money is thought to come through small donations that do not need to be declared to the Electoral Commission.

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act states that any 'membership' political group, such as Momentum, must declare any donations above 7,500.

No such donations to Momentum have been registered with the Electoral Commission.

Momentum was set up four weeks after Mr Corbyn's shock victory in the Labour leadership contest in 2015. It is run independently of Labour and Mr Corbyn.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd (pictured) is another target for Momentum, who have been credited with reaching out to younger voters at this year's election when the Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament

However, since July this year all members have been required also to be members of the party, and it is seeking to become an official affiliate.

According to its website, it has 31,000 members, 200,000 supporters and 170 local groups.

Mr Corbyn has appointed a former head of the civil service to help prepare his party for government.

Lord Kerslake, 62, has also enlisted a group of former mandarins to support him.

The independent crossbench peer, who is not being paid for his advisory role, headed the civil service from 2012 to 2015.

He said many of Mr Corbyn's Left-wing ideas were 'not unusual' and were common on the Continent.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has lashed out at Donald Trump saying the deadly ambush that killed four US soldiers in Niger is his equivalent to the 2012 Benghazi attack.

Wilson fired back at Trump via Twitter on Sunday after the President repeatedly called the Florida Democrat 'wacky' in what has become a week-long feud between the pair.

'Niger is @realDonaldTrump's Benghazi. He needs to own it,' Wilson tweeted.

The attack on a US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead - including a US ambassador - led to criticism of Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over how they handled the aftermath.

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has lashed out at Donald Trump saying the deadly ambush that killed four US soldiers in Niger is his equivalent to the 2012 Benghazi attack

Wilson (pictured above at the funeral for Sgt. La David Johnson) fired back at Trump via Twitter on Sunday after the President repeatedly called the Florida Democrat 'wacky' in what has become a week-long feud between the pair

Earlier in the week, Wilson suggested there were similarities between Benghazi and Niger as she called on Trump and his administration to investigate the recent attack 'very, very closely'.

Wilson has also since demanded an apology from White House chief of staff John Kelly who she claims 'lied to the American people' after she criticized Trump's handling of a condolence call to the family of one of the soldiers killed in Niger.

'General Kelly owes the nation an apology because when he lied about me, he lied to the American public,' she tweeted on Sunday.

Kelly unloaded on Wilson during a press conference on Thursday for 'grandstanding' during an FBI building dedication ceremony years earlier.

He had incorrectly claimed that Wilson took credit for securing the federal money to build the structure. Video of the event actually shows that while she talked up her own efforts to name the building after two fallen FBI agents, she heralded other members of Congress from Florida and law enforcement officials.

Trump and Wilson's ongoing feud began a week ago after she criticized the President over his handling of a condolence call to the family of slain solider Sgt. La David Johnson

Wilson has also demanded an apology from White House chief of staff John Kelly who she claims 'lied to the American people' after she criticized Trump's handling of a condolence call

Kelly (above) unloaded on Wilson during a press conference on Thursday for claiming that she was 'grandstanding' during an FBI building dedication ceremony back in 2015

Trump and Wilson's ongoing feud began a week ago after the Congresswoman criticized the President over his handling of a condolence call to the family of slain solider Sgt. La David Johnson.

Wilson, who was sitting next to Sgt Johnson's grieving wife Myeshia when Trump called last week, said Trump told her that her husband 'knew what he signed up for' by enlisting.

Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was among the four US troops who were killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago during an ambush

She had also said Trump didn't appear to know his name, which was later backed up by Johnson's aunt.

Trump tweeted that Wilson had 'fabricated' his statement and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her 'wacky' and accused her of 'SECRETLY' listening to the phone call.

The retorts persisted Saturday morning, with Trump tweeting: 'I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!'

Questions continue to be raised about the deadly Niger attack on October 4 and the White House is refusing to say who authorized the attack that killed US Army Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black; Sgt La David Johnson; Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, and Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson.

According to Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House is waiting to make further comment on the deadly incident until a Pentagon review is completed.

The late Sgt. La David Johnson's pregnant widow, Myeisha Johnson, carried a folded American flag in her arms and kissed the top of her husband's coffin during his funeral at Memorial Gardens East cemetery in Hollywood, Florida

The other three soldiers killed in Niger are (left to right): Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright

Trump allegedly told Myeshia Johnson (left, with Johnson) in a phone call that her husband 'knew what he signed up for' and didn't appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnson's aunt (right, with Johnson)

Defense Secretary James Mattis is said to be dismayed by the slow pace of information on the ambush that took place on Oct. 4. But a CNN report said that he had not specifically ordered the investigation to be expedited.

What is known is that a dozen US special forces were traveling in unarmored trucks 120 miles north of Niger's capital when they were ambushed by militants, believed to be linked to ISIS, earlier this month.

Lingering questions still remain about the mission weeks later.

Trump waited until early last week to comment on the matter but only did so after a reporter asked him about it during an impromptu news conference.

He incorrectly stated in his remarks that Obama 'didn't make calls' to fallen soldiers' families, setting off a national controversy that is still ongoing.
So, mums and dads, picture this. Your seven-year-old daughter skips into the living room and says that she wants to shave her head.

Do you (a) tell her not to be so ridiculous and to go and do her homework? Or (b) point her in the direction of the clippers and let her get on with it?

If you are part of a growing tribe who embrace a concept called 'extreme unschooling'  aka parenting without rules  then the answer is obviously the latter.

The above scenario actually happened while cameras were filming at home with the Rawnsley family in Yorkshire for a Channel 4 documentary on the phenomenon.

The Rawnsley family (pictured) from Yorkshire believe in a policy of 'extreme unschooling' - parenting without any rules. They have been branded one of the country's most 'feral families' after featuring on a new Channel 4 documentary

The Rawnsleys have seven children who, when we meet them, are sliding down the stairs on mattresses dragged off every bed in the house.

The title of this show is Feral Families  and, as the kids climb out of windows, help themselves to ice cream cones (with sprinkles!) as a bedtime snack and hurtle down the stairs headfirst, it seems a perfectly valid one.

Mum Gemma, 35, a mobile hairdresser, and dad Lewis, a chef, made the decision some years ago that conventional parenting was not for them and the 'no rules' approach would work better.

So their seven children  as well as Pearl (the seven-year-old) there is Skye, 13, Finlay, 12, Phoenix, nine, Hunter, five, Zephyr, three, and baby Woolf, who has just turned one  are well and truly in charge in this house. Parents are 'facilitators', says Gemma.

Mother-of-three Vickie Hairsine, 25, says her move into 'extreme unschooling' was gradual. Her eldest daughter Jessica (pictured below) was taken out of school after she became 'sad and withdrawn' and her son Theo (pictured above) is also home schooled. They will also feature on Feral Families on Channel 4 this week

'Right from the off, we felt really strongly that we didn't want to be the sort of parents you see shouting at their kids in the supermarket.

We felt that our children needed to be given the power to develop as people, to make their own decisions.'

What does this mean in practice? 'It means that if they say they want to use the mattresses to make a slide, that we don't automatically say 'no'.

Why should we say 'no'? We are facilitators, so we will lift the mattresses for them. The conventional response would be to say: 'No, you can't take the mattresses and make a slide', but why not? We put cushions at the bottom. It is safe. And they have the most amazing fun that is wonderful to watch.'

Ditto the hair clippers, so willingly entrusted to the care of livewire Pearl, who is just seven?

Yes, it seems. 'I'm a hairdresser and barber,' explains Gemma. 'So it's only natural for kids to be curious about it. I actually showed Pearl how to switch the clippers on and what to do with them. Maybe most parents would say 'no'.

'I disagree. Cutting her own hair teaches her independence, encourages her creativity, improves her motor skills.

Ms Hairsine (pictured) was nervous about pulling her daughter out of school at first. Her husband, an ex-soldier, also struggled with the idea

She did a good job with her hair, too, but even if she'd made a mess of it, I'd still have praised her for it, because you want your kids to feel proud of everything they achieve. It bolsters their self-confidence.'

What does allowing the kids to have ice cream before bedtime teach them, then, apart from the correlation between sugar and teeth cavities?

'They aren't allowed to do this every night,' Gemma points out. 'During the week, we are quite rigid about healthy eating. But at weekends, things are different.'

She continues: 'It's not true that there are no rules  I mean, I wouldn't let them bungee jump out of the window. It's more that there are no unnecessary rules.

'We feel that, as a society, we've become too hung up on just saying 'no' to kids, without thinking of why we are doing it.'

While home-schooling has been around for decades, 'unschooling' is a more recent American import. It means that rather than doing homework, children learn 'organically' at their own pace.

Yorkshire mother-of-seven Gemma Rawnsley is pictured with her youngest son Wolf, 1, and his brothers Phoenix (left) and Zephyr (right)

They also, it seems, choose what they want to learn themselves. And if they want to learn fire-juggling or drumming, and reach their teenage years unable to properly read and write?

Well, the message that comes from this jaw-dropping programme is that that is fine.

As Gemma told one newspaper this weekend: 'They're behind their peers in terms of academics, but I'm not bothered. GCSEs are a memory test, it's not about being intelligent.'

Jenna Presley, 38, has four children and lives in Wiltshire. Her eldest, Dylan, now 20, was conventionally educated. 'He went to school. He did exams. I did everything with him in a mainstream way,' says Jenna.

Then came Archie, who is now 13. When Archie was seven, Jenna became increasingly distressed about how he was adjusting to school life. 'He hated it. He was depressed,' she explains.

'My background is in mental health, and I could see he was depressed. I'd have to drag him down the stairs to actually go to school  it was verging on child abuse.'

The Rawnsley children, including Hunter (pictured), are well and truly in charge of their house

Hunter and Zephyr are pictured climbing through the family home's window in Heben Bridge, Yorkshire

Family life was also a drag, she says. 'We were living a normal conventional lifestyle. I went to work, he went to school, but there was no quality of life. It was all: 'You brush your teeth, go to school, have dinner, do homework, bed.' We wanted more.'

So Jenna took Archie out of school. This is perfectly legal, as long as you inform the authorities.

At first, Jenna drew up study timetables and 'tried to replicate the way he had been learning at school'. Yet still, Archie refused to engage.

'I do think he is mildly dyslexic,' she explains. 'He really struggled with his reading and writing.'

All the more reason to get formal assistance with his education, you might think.

Rawnsley children Pearl, Skye, Finn, Hunter, Gemma, Zephyr, Lewis and Phoenix

But Jenna disagreed and, buoyed by research into the idea of letting children do their own thing, she let Archie decide what he wanted to learn.

Mostly, this was the drums. 'We watched a lot of videos of Keith Moon,' she admits. 'But Archie came alive. He was finally doing something he loved.'

What else does Archie study? Well, since leaving school, he has taught himself to juggle fire and throw knives. 'He's very responsible, much more so than other children his age.'

There's a rather astonishing moment in the programme when his mother is asked if she would allow Archie to have a gun, if he wanted to learn to shoot.

She says yes, why not? 'I mean, obviously, I'm talking an air rifle, and not when there are younger children around, but I know my son  probably more so than parents whose children spend all day at school know theirs.'

She says that 'unschooling' has been the making of Archie.

Rawnsley mother Gemma, 35, a mobile hairdresser, and father Lewis, a chef, made the decision some years ago that conventional parenting was not for them and the 'no rules' approach would work better. Pictured are children Hunter, Skye, Phoenix and Pearl

'He's blossomed. He's become a confident, independent boy. It's completely transformed him.'

It's also, it seems, left Archie with the literacy skills of a much younger child. He struggles with his reading and writing and, while he does not think this is a problem (he says that if he needs to write, he can just use his phone), others in the family are appalled.

His father (who is not with Jenna) wasn't consulted about Jenna's unschooling decision and, she admits, 'wasn't happy'.

'His mother, Archie's gran, phoned me up and said I was ruining his life.' Her own parents weren't happy, either, and her dad Mick, 66, has employed a private tutor for Archie.

While Jenna has allowed this, she simply doesn't agree that exams matter. 'I mean, I went to school, but I still left without any GCSEs.

Vickie Hairsine, 25, (pictured), let TV producers into her home in east Hull to watch how she interacts with her children Jessica, seven (pictured left), Delilah, 11 months (centre) and Theo, four (pictured right)

I went on to do a degree later. I don't believe in getting hung up on a piece of paper. School suits some children. It did not suit Archie.' But will Archie not end up unemployable, at least anywhere other than a circus?

'No, I think as a society, that's what we have been led to believe, but Archie has already worked, helping out at a local festival putting up the marquees, and all the reports that have come back to me are about how amazing he is, and how good his work ethic is.'

She's not convinced school would do a single positive thing for him. 'I mean, my eldest, Dylan, went through the school system.

'He is working as a barber, which isn't a job that you need A-levels for. And when he sends me texts, I can see that he can't spell, even with his education.'

She's a passionate advocate of this lifestyle, and her younger children, Otis, five, and Silo, will be raised in the same way.

But what if they show an academic bent? 'I think that might be the case with Otis. He's already streaks ahead with his reading.

But that's the point. We take each child on their own merits and assess what is best for them.'

While some of the families involved struggled with the title of the show (Gemma, the mum-of-seven, admits she baulked a bit at the 'feral' description), Jenna is proud to call her family feral.

Jessica and Theo Hairsine (pictured) does not believe in disciplining her children and lets them decide on when they eat and sleep

'I came up with the title,' she reveals. 'I don't see it as a criticism at all. To me, feral means free-spirited, not hemmed in by convention. I want my children to grow up happy, not feeling that they have to conform.'

Mother-of-three Vickie Hairsine, 25, says her move into 'extreme unschooling' was gradual.

Her eldest daughter, Jessica, now seven, started at primary school, but became increasingly 'sad and withdrawn', to the point where Vickie removed her.

She was nervous about doing so (she admits sheepishly that she posted the letter through the door of the school and ran away).

She says her husband Mike, 35, who is an ex-soldier, struggled with the concept of 'no rules' parenting at first, but that the more relaxed approach has made their household 'much, much happier'.

'I read about the idea and it sort of chimed with how I was with the kids. I didn't want to be stressed, shouting and screaming at them all the time.'

She is certainly a chilled-out mum. During filming, there is disruption in the house as Theo, four, spills juice everywhere while the 11-month-old crawls over the table.

Jessica Hairsine (pictueed) decided she wanted purple hair so her mum offered to help her dye it

She deals with it by smiling. 'What's the point of telling Theo off? He is four. He doesn't understand.'

Then Jessica, seven, decides she would like purple hair. What to do? She helps her dye it, of course.

Others don't understand, she admits. 'People do feel the need to comment. If we are out in a coffee shop, they will say: 'Are you not in school today?' and when you explain, they will say (to the child): 'You won't learn to read and write.' I think that is quite rude.'

There are some interesting conundrums explored in this programme. The Rawnsley family face a huge challenge when two of their children  Skye and Finlay  decide they want to go to school.

'That took us a little by surprise,' says Gemma. 'But we went with it because, again, it was their call.'

During filming, there is disruption in the house as Theo, four (pictured right) spills juice everywhere while 11-month-old Delilah crawls over the table. Theo is pictured with his sister Jessica

All three families are aware their unconventional approach will be seen by many as simply neglectful and irresponsible parenting.

Gemma rejects the idea that opting out of education (and disciplining, to a degree) is an easy option.

'No flipping way is it easier. The easy way is to wave your kids off to school and let someone else take on the responsibility. But we didn't have kids for someone else to raise them.

'And every single decision we make is controlled. We think about it very carefully.'

Jenna points out that their lifestyle choice is, if anything, harder for the parents  because it is all about the children. 'I had to give up my own job to create this sort of life. In many ways, I've sacrificed a lot of myself.'

To watch these 'feral' children at play  whether it is on their mattress slide or juggling fire  is joyful.

When they are grown-ups, however, will they thank their parents for their unconventional upbringing? Yes, says Gemma. 'Because we are bringing them up to be themselves. They can only gain from that.'

Feral Families is on Channel 4 on Thursday at 9pm.
Brother Mitchell pulled his sister from the water 'over the back of the shark'

Her father Chris sprung into action after hearing her 'spine-tingling scream'

She was fishing from her kayak when a great white flung her into the water

A teenage girl who survived a terrifying encounter with a shark in Adelaide has described the moment she saw the beast in front of her.

Sarah Williams was fishing for squid with her family off the Normanville coast on Sunday when a 4.5 metre Great White hit her kayak, flung her up into the air before she crashed into the water with it.

'When I was in the air and it had hit me, I saw in the water what it was - I saw its fin.' she told the Today Show.

Sarah Williams, 15 (pictured) was fishing for squid when a 4.5 metre great white hit her kayak

Escaping with a few cuts and bruises, Sarah (pictured) said the moment seemed to last forever

'Everything you picture in a jaws movie, when you see them attack your boat - you just have no idea what to think' she said.

As the teenager was thrown into the water her terrified family scrambled to rescue her.

Her father, Chris Williams, told the Today Show how the event unfolded: 'Out of nowhere the shark has come up from underneath and hit the kayak that Sarah was on, and has projected her and the kayak into the air.

'I saw this flurry of white water and this massive big shark roll on its side just trying to get Sarah as she was climbing back onto the kayak' he said.

The teenager was thrown into the water several times as her terrified family scrambled to rescue her, watching as the shark circled back (pictured)

He described how his son had to quickly - but dangerously - pull his daughter out of the water: 'We were right next to the shark and Mitch has just grabbed her - right over the back of the shark to get her in the boat'.

With tears in his eyes, Mr. Williams added: 'This spine-tingling scream that not only me but my son and my eldest daughter heard is just something you cannot describe.'

'All night we've sat up and thought: how did we get out of this alive?' he said.

The father-of-six told Adelaide Now that if he'd taken 10 seconds longer to react, 'I'd have one less child'.

Sarah was launched into the air as the shark 'came up from underneath' and threw her into the water.

'All of a sudden there was this big bang and next thing I knew I was in the water with the shark,' she said.

The kayak was damaged with several bite marks and large dents from where the giant shark had attacked

Sarah's father, Chris Williams, said if he had taken 10 seconds longer, 'I'd have one less child'

As she tried to climb back into her kayak, the 4.5 metre shark came back for more and again knocked the 15-year-old into the water.

With the giant creature circling nearby, Sarah's family, who were in a boat not far from her, rushed to rescue her from the water.

Escaping with a few cuts, bruises and shock, Sarah said the moment seemed to last forever.

She was treated at Victor Harbour Hospital but appeared to be in good spirits.

'All of a sudden there was this big bang and next thing I knew I was in the water with the shark,' Sarah said

The kayak was damaged with several bite marks and large dents from where the giant shark had attacked.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Sunday night, Mr Williams said his family were 'physically okay, but on an emotional rollercoaster'.

Mr Williams said while his family got the best possible outcome following the shark attack, they were still reeling from the shock of it all.

'This thing was as big as our kitchen bench, which is about four metres long and 1.5 metres wide,' he said.

Mr Williams broke down in tears as he recalled the horrible moment he heard his daughter scream

'There is a very nasty shark out there that wanted to eat my daughter come hell or high water.'

The father-of-six said what scared him the most about the attack was how 'ferocious' the shark was.

'It was relentless, it was spine-chilling,' he said.

While the family spent Sunday night embracing one another, Mr Williams said he was not in a rush to get back in the water.

'It won't stop me from going fishing in my boat, but will I go out in the kayak again? Never,' he said.

'The moral here is to get out and enjoy your time together because none of us know when it's going to end.'
A Long Island mom and her two children were arrested for robberies at several local establishments.

Deborah Salvatore, 55, was caught after sticking up a Dunkin Donuts in Coram, New York, with her two children Rick and Lauren Mascia - 25 and 31-years-old - on Saturday.

According to the Suffolk County Police, Rick pulled out a knife around 9.45pm when staff tried to offer him a free donut and demanded the money from the cashier.

Deborah Salvatore, 55, was caught after robbing a Dunkin Donuts in Coram, New York, with children Rick and Lauren Mascia - 25 and 31-years-old - on Saturday

According to the Suffolk County Police, Rick (left) pulled out a knife around 9.45pm when staff tried to offer him a free donut and demanded the money from the cashier

Dunkin Donut employee Biraj Patel - who was not at the store at the time - told the New York Post that the man had walked in hoping to buy donuts.

'The employee said, "We're about to close, so you can have the doughnuts for free,"' Patel said the employee stated.

'No, I want you to charge me,' Rick was alleged to have said.

After opening the register, Rick was said to have drawn the blade and said 'give me all the money,' according to Biraj Patel, an employee who was not there when the robbery was made

Rick grabbed all the money and jumped into a getaway car being driven by his mom (pictured) while the employee ran to the back of the store to hide

All three are awaiting arraignment in Central Islip court and were charged with numerous robbery charges

After opening the register, Rick was said to have drawn the blade and said 'give me all the money,' according to Patel.

Rick grabbed all the money and jumped into a getaway car being driven by his mom while the employee ran to the back of the store to hide.

The cops got to the scene before the mother could even pull off, added Patel.

All three are awaiting arraignment in Central Islip court and were charged with numerous robbery charges.

They are believed to have also been behind a series of heist: a Family Dollar stores in Farmingville and one in Lake Ronkonkoma, two Farmingville Carvels, one Dunkin Donuts in Patchogue, and one Medford Dollar Tree, police said.
Police searching for a missing university student yesterday found a body in the middle of the New Forest.

Adam Lindley, 23, disappeared from his halls of residence last week and was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Southampton-based student was last seen on CCTV taking his bike out of the building on October 14.

Detectives revealed a body had been found in the Lyndhurst area of the New Forest, Hampshire, and that the young man's next of kin had been informed.

Adam Lindley (pictured) disappeared from his halls of residence in Southampton and was reported missing

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: 'Officers searching for missing Southampton student have discovered a body.

'The next of kin of Adam Lindley, aged 23 years, have been informed. Formal identification procedures will take place in due course.

'The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.'

Commenting on social media, Brad Horne wrote: 'This is wrong, he would never do that. They need to pull this apart and find the truth, it's in no way possible.'

Hampshire Police released this CCTV image but detectives revealed they have found a body

A number of friends shared pictures of Adam after he went missing last week.

One, Hannah Burton, said: 'Adam is one of the nicest guys I've ever met, please share and help ensure he is found safe.'
Hundreds of migrants are believed to be in Calais and the surrounding area a year after the Jungle camp was razed, a charity has said.

It is thought between 700 and 800 refugees and other migrants are gathered in Frances northern port city, which continues to attract those hoping to enter the UK.

The number could be as high as 2,000 for all of northern France, said Annie Gavrilescu, who works for charity Help Refugees.

The charity was not allowed to give migrants any tents for fears they would set up a new camp in the area, she added.

The Jungle camp in Calais was emptied of migrants and razed to the ground but Help Refugees says there could be 2,000 refugees and migrants in northern France

While the French authorities are trying to prevent a camp, all we want to do is provide people with some form of shelter and protection, Miss Gavrilescu said. Unfortunately last winter, a few people in Greece and Serbia have died just of the cold ... it could happen in northern France as well.

Speaking in Calais, Fawad, a migrant from Afghanistan, said: We sleep in jungles and there is a lot of problem from police. They take everything, tents, sleeping bags, clothes.

He added that he and others were always on the run from police, fearing being beaten if caught.

Fawad, who only gave his first name, added: We are afraid for winter ... we dont have a place to sleep and something to wear.

France has rejected pleas from charities to open a new day centre for refugees in Calais this month. It was reported at the time of the application that there were around 400 to 600 migrants in the area.

During an emergency visit to the port, government minister Gerard Collomb said the only solution to the growing build-up of asylum seekers was better security.

French authorities demolished the tents at the refugee camp but many homeless migrants are still in the country

The city has lived with migrants in its midst for years, but the Jungle camp on its boundaries sprang up around a previous day centre opened in April 2015. The population of refugees and other migrants rapidly grew into the thousands.

Authorities cleared the shanty town on October 24 last year in a drive to relocate people or send them to centres around the country where they could apply for asylum.

Though hundreds have returned to the area, many migrants have travelled further west to Ouistreham, near the city of Caen.

Earlier this month, the Mail reported that a group of about 100 young men from Sudan and Eritrea live in a makeshift camp in woodland a mile-and-a-half from the port.

Their arrival has prompted fears that migrants have opened up a new route into Britain.

Travellers have warned each other to be vigilant when passing through Ouistreham, with one reporting that migrants were hiding in ditches and studying on-coming traffic.
On Friday, 16 policemen were killed in a shootout with terrorists in the Western Desert

Egypt Saturday cancelled festivities of a bi annual phenomenon of the sun illuminating a statue of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel in Aswan governorate in the wake of the Western Desert terrorist incident that killed 16 policemen Friday.

In statements reported by the state owned MENA agency, Aswan governor Magdy Hejazi said all "activities of celebrations"  due Saturday and Sunday  would be cancelled in solidarity with police martyrs.

Hundreds of tourists and dignitaries were expected to gather at the 3,200-year-old temple to watch the dawn event, when the sun aligns with the temple such that its rays penetrate its sanctuary, located 48-metres inside the temple, and light up the kings face.

One of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, Ramses II had the temple carved into a sandstone mountain on the banks of the Nile to align with the sun twice a year  in February and October  to celebrate his birthday and ascension to the throne.

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An Australian family has miraculously escaped an attempted armed hold-up in Papua New Guinea.

Roxy Steljic, her husband and their two children aged six and eight were set upon by armed thugs as they drove down a road in Sogeri on Saturday at about 5pm.

The shocking ordeal was captured on dashcam and uploaded to Facebook this week, as a warning to visitors in the area.

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Ms Steljic said the family were returning from sight-seeing when they noticed a grey car (pictured) in front of them

Suddenly the grey car stops, blocking access to the road and five men armed with guns jump out and run towards the family's vehicle

The clip shows the family driving down a narrow road.

Ms Steljic said they were returning from sight-seeing when they noticed a vehicle tailing them.

The footage also shows a grey car, not far in front of the family.

Suddenly the grey car stops, blocking access to the road and five men armed with guns jump out and run towards the family's vehicle.

'They were holding big guns, one of the guys could have been holding a machete or a bat,' Ms Steljic told Loop.

Ms Steljic's husband, who was behind the wheel managed to reverse the car at high speed and escape the thugs.

Ms Steljic's husband, who was behind the wheel managed to reverse the car at high speed and escape the thugs

An Australian family has miraculously escaped an attempted armed hold-up in Papua New Guinea

Ms Steljic and her husband work in Papua New Guinea. They have reported the incident to the police.

The rate of crime in Papua New Guinea is among the highest in the world.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs recommends visitors exercise a high degree of caution because of the threat of serious crime.

'There is a persistent high level of crime in Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen and other parts of the Highlands provinces. Armed robberies, carjackings and burglaries occur, often in locations frequented by Westerners,' the department says.
Police have been accused of letting criminals off the hook while indulging in bizarre stunts such as painting their nails.

Inspectors raised serious concerns about how gangmasters smuggling illegal workers to the UK are routinely not brought to justice because of police failings.

Last night, as the row over police gimmicks grew, one top officer broke ranks to brand them an embarrassment. Senior police in Avon and Somerset were criticised last week after it emerged male and female staff were asked to paint their nails to highlight the problem of people trafficking in nail bars.

Police were told their increasingly bizarre gimmicks, such as posing in bear masks, are undermining the job of tackling crime

Police in Cardiff wore high heels as part of a campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse

Officers tweeted about pampering themselves before shifts, and posted photos of their lurid nails out on the beat. Another stunt, in South Wales, involved staff wearing high heels on duty, with dozens of uniformed officers strutting across Cardiff to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman wrote online: The issues are serious and real, but this is an embarrassment. He added a thumbs down symbol.

His blunt assessment was supported by colleagues, who said the gimmick made them a bloody laughing stock. Another added: We dont help ourselves.

Mounting criticism of the stunts came as Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary warned in a damning leaked report that human trafficking cases are being shelved without proper investigation.

An inspection of forces across the country found wholly inadequate investigations are allowing gangs behind modern slavery rings to escape justice.

There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain.

The report said: We found that investigations are being closed prematurely, with lines of enquiry still open. In some cases, victims and witnesses were not even spoken to by the police  Victims are left unprotected while offenders are not brought to justice, leaving them free to continue to exploit people.

HMIC said it was unacceptable that some senior officers in the ten unnamed forces it inspected expressed a reluctance to turn over the stone and proactively look for modern slavery and human trafficking, because of concerns about the scale of the problem they may find.

Many suspected victims were deported without being properly interviewed by officers. This meant vital information was missed, the report said. HMIC inspectors warned that even when officers were given details that could lead to the suspected ringleaders, they failed to investigate properly. We found cases closed with major lines of inquiry outstanding, including when there were named suspects, but no attempts were made to locate and pursue the offenders, inspectors said.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said: This worrying report shows exactly why police chiefs should be targeting their resources on catching criminals rather than silly stunts. Gangmasters will only be caught if officers are allowed to spend their time doing their job, rather than being encouraged to engage in gimmicks.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary's campaign Let's Nail It! saw officers wearing nail varnish on patrol

Examples highlighted by HMIC included a pregnant Eastern European woman found at a motorway service station who said she had been forced into prostitution in her home country, trafficked, and forced into prostitution again.

The report said: The victim  gave the first names of her guards, the first name of the man who helped her escape, and the full name of the individual responsible for forcing her into prostitution in the home country. She also mentioned at least one other woman was being held in similar circumstances.

Inspectors found officers did not start investigating until four months later. The report added: Delays in taking urgent steps  potentially mean that the named individual is continuing to kidnap women and facilitate their trafficking.

In another case highlighted in the report, a Polish translator rang police on behalf of a man who said he had been made to work without pay for seven years by a boss who beat him. Inspectors found officers took no action until the man was assaulted seven months later.

After Mr Chesterman  who is responsible for firearms policing nationwide and is based in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary  criticised the high heels stunt, there was an angry response from the top brass in South Wales.

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: It was done in good faith and I support the officers involved. It was received well locally and by our partners.
James Middleton and Donna Air have been photographed looking loved up during a romantic trip to Stockholm after reports suggested their relationship is on the rocks.

The couple's relationship was reportedly off but Miss Air, 38, told friends that she was still dating the brother of Kate and Pippa Middleton.

She told her friends that the pair are 'happier than ever' and they looked to be on good terms as they embraced each other in the Swedish capital.

They watched the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace in the city during their romantic break.

James Middleton and Donna Air were photographed enjoying themselves during a romantic trip to Stockholm

A friend of television star Miss Air told the Mail on Sunday: 'Donna and James have not split up. In fact, they are spending this weekend away together.'

Speculation about their future arose when a friend claimed they split up but managed to keep the news under wraps.

They have been dating for four years and briefly broke up last year for four months.

Mr Middleton, 30, has previously said: 'I love Donna very much. Marriage is absolutely not something I'm scared of, but it isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all.

'She makes me very happy. I think I make her very happy. I want children.

Earlier this year, Miss Air, who presented The Big Breakfast, told of being 'diagnosed with stress' at an Austrian clinic after she separated from James last year.

The couple (left) had reportedly broken up however they were seen embracing each other in Sweden. Mr Middleton (pictured with his sister Pippa at Wimbledon, right) has previously said he wants to have children

In 2016, Mr Middleton told the Daily Mail about his feelings for Donna and her 14-year-old daughter Freya.

He told the newspaper: 'We are thinking about where we are going next. I love Donna very much and Freya is very much part of Donna, and I love them both equally.

'Marriage is absolutely not something I'm scared of (but it) isn't necessarily the be all and end all.

'She makes me very happy (and) I think I make her very happy. I want children. I've said that before. I will have children, but you'll have to wait.'
Boris Johnson today suggested that Donald Trump is right to prepare for war with North Korea.

The Foreign Secretary praised US secretary of state Rex Tillerson for opening the door to dialogue with Kim Jong-un, even though Mr Trump has said negotiating is a waste of time.

But Mr Johnson also defended the US President for keeping military options on the table in order to keep America and its allies safe.

His intervention comes amid concern at what has been seen as inflammatory rhetoric from Mr Trump and Kim, whom the president called Rocket Man after a series of missile tests.

Boris Johnson, pictured at his speech in central London his morning, said Donald Trump is right to prepare for war in North Korea

Giving a speech at Chatham House in London, Mr Johnson called for toughness but engagement with Pyongyang to de-escalate tensions.

He said: It is right that Rex Tillerson has specifically opened the door to dialogue. He has tried to give some sensible reassurances to the regime, to enable them to take up this offer.

This is the moment for North Koreas regime to change course.

'And if they do the world can show it is once again capable of the diplomatic imagination that produced the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and that after 12 years of continuous effort produced the nuclear deal with Iran.

But he also stressed the need to keep military options on the table, saying: Kim and the world need to understand that when the president of the United States contemplates a regime led by a man who not only threatens to reduce New York to ashes, but who stands on the verge of acquiring the power to make good on his threat, I am afraid that the US president  whoever he or she might be  will have an absolute duty to prepare any option to keep safe not only the American people but all those who have sheltered under the American nuclear umbrella.

He also warned of the dire consequences of failing to reach a diplomatic solution to the nuclear threat.

A new generation has grown up with no memory of the threat of a nuclear winter, and little education in the appalling logic of mutually assured destruction, Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson's intervention comes amid concern at what has been seen as inflammatory rhetoric from Mr Trump and Kim Jong Un (pictured)

The memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is now literally fading from living memory. The NPT is one of the great diplomatic achievements of the last century.

It has stood the test of time [and] shows an unexpected wisdom on the part of humanity, and almost evolutionary instinct for the survival of the species. It is the job of our generation to preserve that agreement, and British diplomacy will be at the forefront of the endeavour.

He also urged Mr Trump to show the far-sightedness not to quit the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr Trump decertified the 2015 pact with Iran, complaining his predecessor Barack Obama had been taken advantage of in negotiations, and last week repeated his threat to pull out of the landmark deal entirely.

Mr Johnson urged Mr Trump to invoke the spirit of the 1970 NPT, which avoided a Gadarene rush to destruction by turning the world into a great arena of Mexican stand-offs.

He pointed out the success of the NPT rests on US protection of other nations, which he described as one of the greatest contributions from America to the unprecedented epoch of peace and prosperity that we have all been living through.
She is currently filming her movie Lucky Day.

And Nina Dobrev looked ready for fall as she sported a colorful plaid coat with leggings while waiting in line to board a plane at the Toronto airport on Saturday.

The 28-year-old actress, who rocked a fringe hairdo, was spotted holding her boarding pass and passport as she got ready to head home to Los Angeles.

Patterned pretty: Nina Dobrev looked ready for fall as she sported a colorful plaid coat, while waiting in line to board a plane at the Toronto airport on Saturday

Nina had her patterned ensemble tied in the front, along with tight leather pants.

The Vampire Diaries star paired her look with tan suede boots, that looked perfect for the autumn season.

The actress wore her naturally dark tresses down, which hung right above Nina's shoulders.

The Bulgarian-born beauty showed off her beautiful complexion by going make-up free.

Fashion forward: Nina had her patterned ensemble tied in the front, along with tight leather pants

While waiting to board, Nina was spotted looking down at her phone as she carried her carry-on backpack.

Her new movie Lucky Day is a Thriller movie that follows a man who is released from prison, and does whatever it takes to keep his family together.

Nina will be playing the role of Chloe, joined on screen by Crispin Glover and Luke Bracey.

Jet-setter: The actress, 28, was spotted holding her boarding pass and passport as she got ready to head home to Los Angeles

Nina left her hit show The Vampire Diaries in 2015.

The former Degrassi actress revealed in a recent Teen Vogue interview, that parting from TVD was what she need to be able to work on new projects.

Nina said: 'Mentally, it was a crazy time. I was 27 when I left the show, I was ready to do something different.

'I wanted to prove everyone wrong who said I would play this one role my whole life or be stuck playing younger roles.'
He's been battling a media storm since his former colleague Lisa Wilkinson quit over an equal pay dispute.

But while Karl Stefanovic is facing work woes, his love life is going from strength to strength.

The 43-year-old gushed to The Sunday Telegraph about girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough, 33, describing her as 'unwavering' and 'strong' in the face of intense scrutiny.

'Her support has been unwavering': Karl Stefanovic praises 'strong' girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough as Today host battles media storm over Lisa Wilkinson's shock resignation

Karl met Jasmine in December last year, just months after his 21 year marriage to the mother of his three children, Cassandra Thorburn, ended.

A model turned shoe designer, Jasmine this month moved from Los Angeles back to Australia.

Speaking to News Corp, Karl had nothing but praise for his younger lover, revealing he had relied heavily on her this year.

Blossoming romance: Karl met Jasmine in December last year, just months after his 21 year marriage to the mother of his three children, Cassandra Thorburn, ended

Supportive: Karl had nothing but praise for his younger lover, revealing he had relied heavily on her this year

'She [Jasmine] has committed to my life ... my whole life and her support is unwavering,' he said.

'It would not be easy for Jasmine stepping into this. The focus sometimes is incredibly invasive. But she's strong and full of light, life and laughter.'

Jasmine has previously spoken out about the media scrutiny surrounding their relationship, describing it as 'difficult and upsetting'.

Not going anywhere: Karl has also quashed rumours he will leave Today, after reports claimed he was being held 'hostage' at the breakfast show

'I don't think anyone expects this or prepares to have this much attention, it's been very hard': Jasmine has previously spoken out about the media scrutiny surrounding their relationship

'I don't think anyone expects this or prepares to have this much attention, it's been very hard,' she told The Daily Telegraph last month.

Meanwhile, Karl has also quashed rumours he will leave Today, after reports claimed he was being held 'hostage' at the breakfast show.

Last week, his co-host of a decade sensationally quit Today, after failing to achieve equal pay.
She's the Instagram sensation that recently announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend Kane Vato.

And Pia Muehlenbeck looked to be getting in some wedding practice, flaunting her figure in a white lace frock at the Glam by Manicare pop-up, in Melbourne on Saturday.

The 26-year-old happily posed for photos with her Priceline sister, Ada Nicodemou.

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Getting in wedding practice? Pia Muehlenbeck (left), 26, flaunted her figure in a white lace frock, at beauty event alongside Ada Nicodemou (right), 40, after announcing her engagement to long-time boyfriend Kane Vato

Pia sported a white lace frock by Thurley with a strategic cut-out highlighting her toned back.

Nude strappy heels elongated the socialite's frame, while the Atria Clutch from St Xavier and an ornate headpiece tied in nicely.

Sweeping her brunette locks into an elegant up-do, with several strands left to frame her face, Pia enhanced her facial features with bold brows, contoured cheekbones and a matte red lip.

Trim and terrific: Ada looked beautiful in a pink strapless frock that showed off her delicate decolletage and toned arms

Daring to bare: A strategic cut-out drew the eye to Pia's toned back, while an ornate headpiece acted as a glamorous accessory

Pia mingled with Home And Away star and Priceline ambassador, Ada Nicodemou.

The 40-year-old actress looked beautiful in a strapless pink frock, showing off her delicate decolletage and toned arms.

Accessorising with black strappy heels and a feather headpiece, Ada allowed her brunette locks to fall effortlessly.

Finishing off the look was a makeup palette consisting of a matte complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a glossy nude lip.

Also in attendance was Pia's fiance Kane Vato, who was not shy in showing his affection for his soon-to-be bride.

Packing on the PDA: Also in attendance was Pia's fiance Kane Vato, who was not shy in showing his affection for his soon-to-be bride

Making memories: The couple announced their engagement via a video uploaded to their shared YouTube channel

Clad in a grey tartan three-piece suit, crisp white shirt, narrow tie and brown leather dress shoes, the photographer planted a kiss on Pia's cheek, while the pair were stationed on a swing.

Pia closed her eyes, let out a wide grin and placed one hand affectionately on her beau's leg, drawing attention to her sparkling engagement ring.

The couple announced their engagement via a video uploaded to their shared YouTube channel.

Kane was seen bending down on one knee, presenting Pia with a sparkling ring, in front of the iconic French Palace of Versailles.

Lavish scene: Kane was seen bending down on one knee, presenting Pia with a sparkling ring, in front of the iconic French Palace of Versailles
Last week, Jimmy Barnes opened up about his 40-year-battle with alcohol and illicit drugs during an emotional appearance on Q&A.

And on Saturday, the rock star's wife Jane spoke out about how the couple's three daughters blamed HER after Jimmy checked into rehab in 2003.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, Jane revealed: 'They thought I was the bad influence who had driven him off the edge. That was really shocking to me.'

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Speaking out: Jimmy Barnes' wife Jane has revealed in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that the couple's three daughters blamed her Jimmy's drug and alcohol addiction, after she herself ended up in rehab in 2003

She added: 'I did feel there was an injustice. It wasnt all me.'

Jimmy and Jane married in 1981, and had four children- son, Jackie, and daughters, Mahalia, Eliza-Jane and Elly-May.

The family lived in France for much of the 1990s, before returning to Australia and taking up residence in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

Devoted mum: Jane shares four children- son, Jackie, and daughters, Mahalia, Eliza-Jane and Elly-May (pictured in an old photograph)- with Jimmy

Close bond: An old photo of Jimmy with daughter Mahalia

It was then that Jane began to start partying, ending with her own stint in rehab in the 2003.

She told The Telegraph that because Jimmy had always been the wilder parent and she had always been the more sensible one, her daughters chose to point the finger at her after they both spent time in treatment centres.

'Jimmy was always the same to them and they said 'Oh, mum's changed', Jane explained to the publication.

'Jimmy was always the same to them': Jane with Jimmy and daughter Elly-May

However, despite the drama and the difficult times, the family are all still incredibly close. Jimmy and Jane are devoted parents and grandparents, and celebrated their 36th anniversary in May

Meanwhile, Jimmy documents the first time he set eyes on Jane in his highly-anticipated new memoir, Working Class Man, due for release on Monday.

The Cold Chisel frontman reveals how he was dating TWO other women when the pair first met in 1979.

Grandparents: Jimmy and Jane have been married 36 years and are now grandparents

'I'd met a lot of girls in my life but no one had ever stopped me in my tracks like that girl did... She was way out of my class but I loved her from the minute I saw her. Jane would change my life,' he writes in an excerpt of the book published in The Daily Telegraph.

However, at the time Jimmy- then aged 23-was dating his housemate Bernadette, and was also linked to a woman named Jan who he had been 'seeing on and off for a long time'.

In the first extract of his new autobiography, 61-year-old rock star last week revealed he tried to kill himself in an Auckland hotel room in 2012.

'I loved her from the minute I saw her': In his new autobiography, Jimmy reveals he was dating two other women when he first met Jane in 1979 (pictured in 2001)

Jimmy revealed he woke up one morning after a night of heavy drinking, not remembering he tried to take his own life the night before.



'Suddenly I saw a dressing gown cord tied around a rail in the dressing room and I hadn't remembered doing it. It came back to me and I remember getting out of bed and going in and thinking 'maybe it's easier to die',' he wrote.

'I lay with a rope around my neck trying to die.'

In Working Class Man, the legendary rocker said that was the moment he turned his life around.

If you are experiencing mental health difficulties, or know someone who is, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Horrified viewers were left throwing up during the sickening gore-filled scenes of the the BBC drama Gunpowder last night.

The show chronicles the notorious plot to blow up the House of Lords in 1605, with Kit Harington playing his ancestor and mastermind of the plan, Robert Catesby.

However, as viewers tuned into the eagerly anticipated period series, many were left with a foul taste in their mouths when a young priest was hung, drawn and quartered alive.

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'I didn't want to throw up but I did': Gunpowder viewers were left horrified after the first episode's Game of Thrones-style violence, which aired on BBC on Saturday night

'Thank you #Gunpowder. I didn't want to throw up but I did! I know that sort of violence happened but did not want to see it graphically,' one fan wrote.

'This execution scene is the most painful thing I've ever witnessed on TV.'

Others remarked, 'Eek! The violence! Very disturbing #Gunpowder.'

In the grotesque sequence, Daniel Smith (Thom Ashley) is dropped from the gallows and sliced open before his insides are ripped from his body as he issues ear-piercing screams.

Part of history: The drama chronicles the notorious attempt in 1605 to blow up the House of Lords, with Kit Harington rightfully playing his descendant and mastermind Robert Catesby

Shocking: But Brits were left with a foul taste in their mouths when sickening scenes showed a young priest brutally hung, drawn and quartered alive on the small screen

The priest also has his hands and feet chopped off in the vile torture scenes, dubbed by one fan as one of the 'most painful scenes on television'.

And as if that wasn't enough, the executioner then goes onto proudly show off the priest's head as a trophy kill to the crowd after it is dipped it in tar.

Elsewhere in the show, Lady Dorothy (Sian Webber) is paraded through the cheering crowds in bare feet and a nightdress.

The humiliating scenes bare a striking similarity to that of Cersei's nude walk of shame in Game Of Thrones' iconic season five finale.

Lady Dorothy is then stripped to be executed and crushed beneath what appeared to be four kettle-bells.

Reflecting on the violent project, series star Harington hailed the historic drama as 'his baby'.

Vile: The young man also has his hands and feet chopped off in the vile torture scenes, dubbed by one fan as one of the 'most painful scenes on television'

Catholics outlawed by the Crown In 1603, English Catholics were excited and hopeful on hearing that James VI of Scotland, the son Mary Queen of Scots, would be Elizabeth I successor to the English throne. Their religion had been outlawed since 1570, when the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth and Catholics were forced to practice in secret or face persecution. They were forbidden to hear mass and made to attend Anglican services, with fines issued to those who refused to comply. At first, rumours said James had a more liberal and open mind to Catholicism. But, despite early promising signs, he became unhappy with the growing strength of the Catholic community. During a conference at Hampton Court in 1604, James announced his 'utter detestation of Catholicism' and expelled all priests and Jesuits. Clergymen found practicing the religion faced gory executions, while their flock faced time in prison and hefty fines. Advertisement

He said: 'I loved being involved as a producer in this from genesis, from coming up with the idea to finding a brilliant writer that wanted to do it with us, to finding a brilliant director who wanted to direct it with us, to casting it.

'You know, I was involved from the very start. I understand now what they mean when they say it's my baby.'

Viewers, however, flooded social media with their disgust at its savage violence which left little to the imagination.

'#Gunpowder is a difficult one. Many will accept and continue to watch such harsh violence while others may choose to turn it off,' one person wrote.

'#Gunpowder is really good as it does not focus on Guy Fawkes, but the sectarian violence which took place centuries ago. What's changed?'

'Kit Harington's good looks are getting me through all this violence tbh.'

The BBC came under the firing line from viewers who slammed the broadcaster for the 'gratuitous violence' which played out on the small screen.

Humiliating: Elsewhere in the show, Lady Dorothy (Sian Webber) is paraded through the cheering crowds in bare feet and a nightdress

Many GOT comparisons: The humiliating scenes bare a striking similarity to that of Cersei's nude walk of shame in Game Of Thrones' iconic season five finale (pictured)

MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'The BBC are a law unto themselves. If the BBC intended to shock, they certainly have done.'

One audience member said on social media: 'I didn't want to throw up but I did. I know that sort of violence happened but did not want to see it graphically.'

Another described it as the 'most painful thing I've ever witnessed on TV', while a third wrote: 'I found the violence in Gunpowder far too horrifying.'

Fans wrote: 'Gunpowder, on BBC, was the worst program I have ever seen, I had to switch over...Horrendous violence.'

'This may be history but I cannot watch such gratuitous violence #Gunpowder' Really not entertaining, any excuse for post watershed violence.'

'BBC doing Got style violence *yawns* hope the story gets going soon #gunfawkes #Gunpowder'

'F*****g hell. Gunpowder. Just switched it on. Advisory warnings or not, I'll be amazed if there aren't any complaints about the violence.'

The BBC has defended the scenes, claiming they were historically accurate, and said that viewers were warned before the start of the show.

A spokesman said: 'The scenes aired after 9.30pm with a clear warning given to viewers before the episode started.

'The methods depicted are grounded in historical fact and reflect what took place during the time of the gunpowder plot.'
She's just weeks away from the birth of her fourth child.

And Lindy Klim stuns in a photoshoot in this Sunday's Stellar magazine, alongside fiance Adam Ellis.

The 39-year-old, who is already a proud mother to three children with ex-husband Michael Klim, bares her baby bump in a sheer white top and chiffon skirt.

Not long to go! Lindy Klim, 39, proudly shows off her baby bump in a stunning photoshoot for Sunday's Stellar magazine

Appearing to have gone braless, Lindy wears a sheer white round-neck top, the short hemline revealing her blossoming baby bump.

The entrepreneur teams the look with a white chiffon skirt that shows off her toned legs, as she sits in a relaxed position.

Placing both hands tenderly on her extended stomach, Lindy gazes down, offering just her side profile.

The personality's brunette locks are swept into an effortless topknot and her facial features appear to sport a minimal makeup palette.

Affectionate: Another image sees fiance Adam Ellis sporting a white T-shirt and indigo jeans and embracing his expectant partner

New chapter: Lindy, who was married to champion Olympic swimmer Michael Klim for almost a decade until last year, announced her pregnancy with Adam in July

Another image sees Lindy sporting a gold halterneck-style top and pearl necklace, as she reclines against fiance Adam Ellis.

Lindy's British beau cuts a cool and casual figure in a slim-fitting white T-shirt that shows off his array of arm tattoos, and a pair of indigo jeans.

Adam embraces his expectant partner and gazes intently at the camera.

Lindy, who was married to champion Olympic swimmer Michael Klim for almost a decade until last year, announced her pregnancy with Adam in July.

The former couple share three children together, daughters Frankie, 11, and Stella, six, and son Rocco, nine.

Brood: Lindy is already a proud mother to three children shared with ex-husband Michael, daughters Frankie, 11, and Stella (pictured), six, and son Rocco, nine

In May, Lindy told The Sun Herald that her split from Michael, 40, is far from amicable, saying: 'It is what it is. It is very difficult.'

And in a prior interview with Australian Harper's Bazaar, she candidly revealed: 'I've learnt to be a much stronger person. I'm not a pushover anymore.

'A divorce is a really stressful and overwhelming thing - you can't pretend it's OK. It just doesn't work for everybody.'

Michael has also moved on, enjoying a blossoming romance with fashion designer Desiree Deravi.

New flame: Michael, 40, has also moved on, enjoying a blossoming romance with fashion designer Desiree Deravi
She's the former Victoria's Secret model turned actress and author.

And on Sunday, Cara Delevingne opened up about her transition from modelling to acting.

Speaking to Stellar magazine, the 25-year-old revealed she only started modelling to run away from her emotional issues.

Making the switch! On Sunday, Cara Delevingne opened about her transition from modelling to acting

'Modelling came at a time in my life where I wanted to please people,' she said.

'I was just doing things to run away from my own problems. I wasn't dealing with things that were going on emotionally. That's why I ended up being unhappy.'

'Being an actor helped me reflect on my own emotions, be able to express them more, be in the moment,' Cara added.

She wasn't happy: 'I was just doing things to run away from my own problems. I wasn't dealing with things that were going on emotionally. That's why I ended up being unhappy'

Support: Also adding that her godmother Joan Collins has been helping her ensure she's getting paid equally to male actors, earlier in the month, she revealed her experiences in the industry haven't always been smooth sailing

The budding actress also revealed that her godmother Joan Collins has been helping her ensure she's getting paid equally to male actors.

Meanwhile earlier this month Cara revealed her experiences in the industry haven't always been smooth sailing.

Taking to Instagram claimed accused sex offender Harvey Weinstein once told her she wouldn't make it in Hollywood if she was gay or seen with a woman in public.

The star recalled a later experience when she was auditioning for Harvey's movie Tulip Fever and he asked her into his room, despite her refusals.

Victim: Taking to Instagram Cara claimed accused sex offender Harvey Weinstein once told her she wouldn't make it in Hollywood if she was gay or seen with a woman in public

'When I arrived I was relieved to find another women in his room and thought immediately I was safe,' Cara wrote.

'He asked us to kiss. I swiftly got up and asked him if he knew that I could sing. And I began to sing....I thought it would make the situation better.'

Breaking out into song and then attempting to leave, the star said he tried to kiss her at the door.

Cara: 'He asked us to kiss. I swiftly got up and asked him if he knew that I could sing. And I began to sing....I thought it would make the situation better'

Tulip fever: And although getting the part, Cara admitted she always regretted doing the movie but was too scared to speak out

And although later getting the part, Cara admitted she always regretted doing the movie but was too scared to speak out.

'I was so hesitant about speaking out....I didn't want to hurt his family,' she added.

'I felt guilty as if I did something wrong. I was also terrified that this sort of thing had happened to so many women I know but no one had said anything because of fear.'

Daily Mail has reached out to Harvey's representatives for comment.

If you or anyone you know are suffering from any form of abuse call Lifeline on

13 11 14.
She's originally from Birmingham, England.

But on Saturday Felicity Jones was spotted playing one of the titans of American politics on the set of On The Basis Of Sex.

The 34-year-old Rogue One star looked relaxed as she took on the role of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the historical flick.

Big role: On Saturday Felicity Jones was spotted playing one of the titans of American politics on the set of On The Basis Of Sex

For the role she donned a vintage-style black blazer with classic white piping along with a white sash tied at the waist.

A simple black pencil skirt and black heels with metal embellishments rounded out her throwback look, which appeared to be invoking the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Her brunette locks were parted slightly to the left and were pulled tight back into a small bun.

Subtle blush, mascara and rose lipstick ensured she was ready for the cameras to roll.

Boss man: A pair of aviator shades added a bit of swagger, which was appropriate considering Justin is playing Mel Wulf, who was Legal Director of the storied ACLU from 1962-1977

Period-appropriate: For the role she donned a vintage-style black blazer with classic white piping along with a white sash tied at the waist

Joining her on set was Hollywood hunk Armie Hammer, 31, who plays her onscreen husband Martin Ginsburg.

He looked quite dapper in a slate grey three piece suit, powder blue shirt and red, white and blue plaid tie.

The Leftovers star Justin Theroux, 46, also appeared to be a part of the scene.

Dashing: Joining her on set was Hollywood hunk Armie Hammer, 31, who plays her onscreen husband Martin Ginsburg

He sported a lighter grey three piece suit, cream shirt and graphic tie.

A pair of aviator shades added a bit of swagger, which was appropriate considering Justin is playing Mel Wulf, who was Legal Director of the storied ACLU from 1962-1977.

It's a good thing filming seems to be proceeding at a steady pace, as the movie is scheduled for a 2018 release, which will help mark Ginsburgs 25th anniversary as a Supreme Court Justice.

Mustache man: The Leftovers star Justin Theroux, 46, also appeared to be a part of the scene (left)
The Bachelorette 'villain' Blake Colman was convicted of a horrifying Perth assault in in April.

Perth Now reports that the 29-year-old reality star plead guilty to the sickening street attack which occurred in August 2015, leaving his victim, Tristan Cooper, 'unconscious, paralysed and bleeding from the head'.

'He just came running up and with all his body weight sort of grabbed me in the back of the head,' Tristan, 31, told the paper.

'When I went down he stepped over my lifeless body': Assault victim speaks out after The Bachelorette's Blake Colman left him 'paralysed and bleeding from the head' on a Perth street after sickening attack

According to the victim, the incident took place after a night out when Tristan tried to intervene in an argument between two groups of men.

Perth Now reports, Blake was in a group of five men involved in an altercation with Sam Barnett, the son of former WA premier Colin Barnett, before Tristan stepped in.

The incident took place outside a Hungry Jacks restaurant in the upmarket Perth suburb of Claremont and was captured on CCTV.

Bachelorette star: Blake appeared on the dating show, making it to the top four while competing for Sophie Monk's affections

Series 'villain': Blake had a shaky star on the show, before later becoming a favourite of Sophie's

'He picked me up by my neck and threw me down' Tristan stated, before revealing he was knocked out.

He added: 'When I went down he stepped over my lifeless body and then just proceeded to get in a fist fight with Sam [Barnett].'

Tristan also revealed police later obtained footage and audio of Blake in a taxi laughing about the incident.

An investor/entrepreneur? According to Tristan, Blake's solicitor told the magistrate the reality star was a refrigeration mechanic who lives with his parents

Dummy spit: Blake made a memorable exit from The Bachelorette, telling Sophie Monk it was 'bulls**t' he had been eliminated

After the attack, an ambulance rushed Tristan to the hospital where he received four staples in his head.

Blake was only identified when Crime Stoppers released his photo. The reality star plead guilty in April this year and received a spent conviction, also was ordered to pay $850 in compensation.

Tristan claims he is yet to see the money.

According to Tristan, Blake's solicitor told the magistrate the reality star was a refrigeration mechanic who lives with his parents.

Court argument: His legal representation had also revealed Blake had been 'shortlisted' for the Bachelorette and was desperate not to have the opportunity 'hindered' by the crime

His legal representation had also revealed Blake had been 'shortlisted' for the Bachelorette and was desperate not to have the opportunity 'hindered' by the crime.

Blake released a statement via a Channel 10 publicist on Friday stating 'I am truly remorseful and accepted full responsibility for my actions', news.com.au reported.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10, Blake Colman and Bachelorette Sophie Monk for further comment.
It's been almost a week since she sensationally quit her job as Today host over an equal pay dispute.

And Lisa Wilkinson paid her former employer one final visit this weekend, looking downcast as she made her way into the Channel Nine studios on Sunday morning.

The veteran journalist pulled up at the network's Willoughby studio in her flash Audi sports car the same day as reports emerged that Karl was unwilling take a pay cut so they could achieve pay parity.

Clearing out her desk? Lisa Wilkinson, 57, looked downcast as she returned to Channel Nine studios on Sunday, after the Today host sensationally quit

Lisa cut a low-key figure in a loose-fitting grey sweater, indigo jeans and white slip-on sneakers.

Accessorising with a lightweight white scarf, the former Channel Nine employee carried the majority of her belongings in a black shoulder bag.

Concealing her gaze behind a pair of tortoise-shell sunglasses, Lisa allowed her brunette locks to fall effortlessly, framing a minimally made-up complexion.

Hoping to go under the radar? Lisa cut a low-key figure in a loose-fitting grey sweater, indigo jeans and white slip-on sneakers, and concealed her gaze behind a pair of tortoise-shell sunglasses

On the go: The media personality accessorised with a lightweight white scarf and a black shoulder bag

Lisa appeared to pick up a bite to eat from a local cafe in Mosman, before heading to the Channel Nine studios in her white Audi.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Lisa's management and the Nine Network for comment.

The sighting follows claims by The Sun Herald's Private Sydney that Lisa and her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic, only had a 'working relationship.'

Energy hit: Lisa appeared to have picked up a bite to eat from a local cafe in Mosman

In profile: The mother-of-three allowed her locks to fall effortlessly, framing a minimally made-up complexion

It was claimed that the 43-year-old, rumoured to be on a $2 million per year salary, wouldn't have agreed to a pay cut so he and Lisa could achieve pay parity.

'Fat chance. We don't go around talking about how much we're earning, but we all read about it,' a network insider told the publication.

'Karl and Lisa did well to establish a working relationship, but that's all it was.'

Turn of events: The sighting marks an eventful past week for Lisa, who sensationally quit the Today show last Monday

Shock announcement: The former magazine editor made the announcement to Twitter last Monday night, that she has parted ways with the Nine Network

Final clean-out? Lisa's white Audi was pictured entering the Channel Nine car park

Captured: Lisa was pictured behind the wheel of the car as she made her way through

Lisa's shock resignation last Monday, came just a day after an explosive report claimed her contract negotiations with Nine had been 'stalled.'

The Sunday Telegraph alleged that Lisa was holding out on re-signing until she was granted 'pay parity' with Karl.

It was suggested the reason Lisa wanted the same money as Karl, was because he was 'rumoured to be on twice as much'.

The Australian had previously reported that Karl earns at least $2 million a year, in a three-year contract with a potential bonus that could take his salary to $3 million if ratings were hit.

Trying to avoid Karl? The sighting follows claims by The Sun Herald's Private Sydney that Lisa and her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic, only had a 'working relationship'

Pay dispute: It was claimed that Karl, rumoured to be on a $2 million per year salary, wouldn't have agreed to a pay cut so he and Lisa could achieve pay parity

Lisa was also was said by The Daily Telegraph to have been on a $1.1 million a year contract, with Nine only willing to increase the amount to $1.8 million.

The amount was claimed to have not been enough for her to stay with the network, defecting to Ten where she will co-host news and current affairs program, The Project.

Nine CEO Hugh Marks spoke out on the claims, saying that he offered Lisa $1.8 million, but that she asked for $2.3 million.

'I went to an incredible amount of trouble to build that [$1.8 million] package for her. She wanted $2.3 million. It wasn't a $200,000 shortfall to [Karl's] $2 million magic number. It was $500,000,' he told the The Daily Telegraph.

Reports: The Australian had previously reported that Karl earns at least $2 million a year, in a three-year contract with a potential bonus that could take his salary to $3 million if ratings were hit

Stalled negotiations: Lisa was also was said by The Daily Telegraph to have been on a $1.1 million a year contract, with Nine only willing to increase the amount to $1.8 million

Lisa however looks set to reap the rewards of her daring move by becoming 'Network Ten's Oprah' when she starts in January 2018.

The mother-of-three is set to host her own Sunday night current affairs program during prime time, according to an insider, The Herald Sun reported.

Lisa will front the program, going in to battle with Channel Nine's 60 Minutes, and Seven's Sunday Night, while also hosting The Project two nights a week.

Sunday saw Karl finally break his silence to The Sunday Telegraph on Lisa's shock resignation and where his future lies with the network.

Breaking his silence: Sunday saw Karl finally break his silence to The Sunday Telegraph on Lisa's shock resignation and where his future lies with the network

Official statement: 'I'm not going anywhere unless you've heard something. I'm loving the show more than I ever have. It's been a big week. We have nothing but love for Lisa,' the father-of-three told the publication

Despite Karl admitting that Lisa's sudden departure 'rattled the team,' the father-of-three said he was determined to deliver the best news content possible, and would continue to present the show next year.

'I'm not going anywhere unless you've heard something. I'm loving the show more than I ever have.

'It's been a big week. We have nothing but love for Lisa. The most important thing (for the Today show) is to keep delivering.

'It was strange after 10 years for her not to be next to me. It's like dancing with a new partner I guess. But the show is more important than any one person,' he went on to say.

Support: While battling the media storm, Karl has leaned on the support of his girlfriend, Jasmine Yarbrough, 33

Nothing but praise: Karl gushed to The Sunday Telegraph, describing her as 'unwavering' and 'strong' in the face of intense scrutiny

While battling the media storm, Karl has leaned on the support of his girlfriend, Jasmine Yarbrough, 33.

Karl gushed to The Sunday Telegraph, describing her as 'unwavering' and 'strong' in the face of intense scrutiny.

Karl met Jasmine in December last year, just months after his 21 year marriage to the mother of his three children, Cassandra Thorburn, ended.

A model turned shoe designer, Jasmine this month moved from Los Angeles back to Australia.
Josh Brolin has opened up about the tragic death of Deadpool stuntwoman Joi 'S.J.' Harris.

The 40-year-old was killed when she lost control of her motorcycle while practicing a stunt on the Vancouver set in August.

'We had somebody pass away on Deadpool 2 and it was an absolute freak accident,' Brolin told AP on Saturday.

'It was a freak accident': Josh Brolin has opened up about the tragic death of Deadpool stuntwoman Joi 'S.J.' Harris (pictured filming on Vancouver set)

'The woman was such a wonderful woman  it wasnt even a stunt, it was a freak accident,' he told AP via Variety.

Brolin plays Cable in the superhero sequel, while Harris was standing in for Zazie Beetz, who plays Domino.

'It was a terrible thing that happened. Was it a nano-decision that she made in order to save the bike and this, you know what I mean?' he continued.

'You could look into it all [these ways], but sometimes things just happen that are tragic.'

Tragic: The 40-year-old was killed when she lost control of her motorcycle while practicing a stunt on the Vancouver set in August

Details of an investigation report by WorkSafeBC found that the Harris was killed in a freak, low-speed accident.

''A temporary worksite had been setup to record a film scene for a movie production. The site had been cordoned off from general public and traffic by the Vancouver Police Department,' the report said.

'The worker had been rehearsing a stunt scene that involved driving a motorcycle, Dictate 939 Hyperstrada, out of the open doors of a building, across a concrete pad and down a ramp that had been built over three stairs and coming to a stop on the stair landing.'

Accident: 'It was a terrible thing that happened. Was it a nano-decision that she made in order to save the bike and this, you know what I mean?' he asked

It went on to say that during the initial shooting of the scene Harris continued driving beyond the planned stopping spot on the stairway landing and continued to drive down a second ramp which was built over the bottom stairs and across the road.

It concluded: 'The motorcycle struck the concrete sidewalk curb, the worker was thrown off the motorcycle and propelled through a plate glass window of a building.'

Brolin's co-stars Beetz and Ryan Reynolds posted tributes to Joi after the accident.
She's the former Home And Away star who's expecting her first child with NRL husband Nate Myles, 32.

And Tessa James flaunted her burgeoning bump while taking some time out with her beau at a Gold Coast Beach earlier this month.

Sporting a black two-piece, the 26-year-old cancer survivor had that pregnancy glow.

Mum-to-be: On Sunday, Tessa James flaunted her burgeoning bump while taking some time out with her beau at a Gold Coast Beach

Tessa opted for a strapless black bandeau top for the sunny Gold Coast day.

Adding matching bottoms, the actress flaunted her toned legs and pert derriere.

Splashing around in the water, Tessa donned a makeup free complexion and had her wet hair slicked back off of her face.

Stunner! Tessa opted for a strapless black bandeau top for the sunny Gold Coast day

Loved up: Appearing smitten, Tessa and Nate were photographed holding hands and sharing a touching moment in the water

United front: Joined by Nate who was wearing bold pink budgy smugglers, the pair were all smiles as they avoided being dunked by the waves

Joined by Nate who was wearing bold pink budgy smugglers, the pair were all smiles as they avoided being dunked by the waves.

Appearing smitten, Tessa and Nate were photographed holding hands and sharing a touching moment in the water.

Expecting their new addition to arrive in late December-early January, Tessa's management confirmed the news to News Corp back in August.

Parents-to-be: Expecting their new addition to arrive in late December-early January, Tessa's management confirmed the news to News Corp back in August

Happy news: According to WHO magazine, at that time she was five-months pregnant and 'enjoying taking time out'

Cooled down: Finishing off their swim, the pair were then spotted heading back to the shore

According to WHO magazine, at that time she was five-months pregnant and 'enjoying taking time out'.

Finishing off their swim on the Gold Coast earlier this month, the pair were then spotted heading back to the shore.

Grabbing their belongings, Tessa was seen drying off with a navy towel.

Babymoon? Earlier this month, Tessa James flaunted her burgeoning bump while taking some time out with her beau at a Gold Coast Beach

Mum-to-be: She's the former Home And Away star who's expecting her first child with NRL husband Nate Myles, 32

Drying off: Grabbing their belongings, Tessa was seen drying off with a navy towel

Protecting her eyes from the sun, the actress added a pair of designer shades to her relaxed look

Possibly going for a walk before their swim, the pair were seen with running shoes and black garments in hand as they walked back.

Dad-to-be Nate chose not to add any clothes over the top, opting instead to air dry as they walked along the beach.

All packed up: Seemingly completing a workout before their swim, the pair were seen with running shoes and black garments
Tom Hanks has to clear another spot on his mantelpiece.

The two-time Academy Award winner, 61, looked in crisp form Saturday as he attended the National Archives Foundation's gala in Washington, D.C., where he collected the Records of Achievement award.

The Forest Gump star looked dapper at the event in the nation's capital, which was held at the National Archives Museum, wearing a classic black suit with a black tie and black framed glasses.

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Honored: Tom Hanks, 61, was snapped Saturday at the National Archives Foundation's gala at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., where he collected the Records of Achievement award

The foundation this past July announced that the Hollywood icon would be this year's recipient of the vaunted honors, pointing to his extensive body of work in front of and behind the camera, including his high-profile roles in 1998's Saving Private Ryan and 1995's Apollo 13.

He's also produced documentaries such as The Pacific, The Sixties, The Seventies and The Eighties.

'As a dive into archives of almost any kind is, to me, a swim in the finest of waters, Im dazzled to be a part of this event,' Hanks said in a statement when the honors were announced. 'Part of my job has always been one not far from that of a lay-Historian, to understand that I am a part of the documenting of the human condition and the American idea, even in the silliest of stories.'

The foundation's chair of the board, ALelia Bundles, said that Hanks' 'body of work exemplifies the kind of integrity and personal passion for American history,' and that 'as an actor, director and a producer, he is committed to storytelling that educates and entertains.

Dressed to impress: The double Oscar-winner looked dapper at the black tie event

Historians: Hanks posed with famed documentary-maker Ken Burns at the event

Group shot: (L-R) National Archive Foundation officials Patrick M. Madden, Burns, A'Lelia Bundles and Hon. David S. Ferriero posed with Hanks at the event

'And as important, his use of historical records highlights the value of preserving National Archives documents for future generations of historians, filmmakers and citizens.'

Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero said that 'no actor has covered the span of Twentieth Century American history as broadly as' Hanks, who's 'served in World War II (in both the European and Pacific Theaters), negotiated for the U.S. in the Cold War, fought in Vietnam, worked in Congress, and led the space program.

Busy: Hanks stopped by the Warner Theatre in the nation's capital Friday to chat about his new book Uncommon Type

Classics: Hanks is lauded for roles in historically-themed films such as Saving Private Ryan (L) and Apollo 13

'Hes fought pirates and deadly viruses, befriended mermaids, and saved both Private Ryan and Gary Powers.'

Ferriero noted many of Hanks's philanthropic endeavors toward 'military veterans and caregivers, environmental issues and the space program.'

The Saving Private Ryan star was also slated for a Q&A with Ken Burns, the Oscar-nominated documentary-maker behind works such as The Vietnam War, The Central Park Five and Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.
She used her profile for good, attending Channel Seven's telethon in Perth on Saturday, in aid of charity.

And Samantha Armytage shared a hilarious snap of herself and other celebrities who shared the same name.

The 41-year-old took to Instagram, posting a photo of herself and other stars, including Sam Frost, Samantha Jade and Sunrise's Sam Mac.

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Having the last laugh! Samantha Armytage, 41, posted a hilarious photo of herself with fellow Channel Seven stars, all sharing the same name, at the network's charity telethon in Perth on Saturday

Sam, in a one-shoulder purple frock, was pictured sitting down for the photo, surrounded by her fellow Channel Seven colleagues.

All sporting animated expressions, the group included Home And Away's Sam Frost, songstress Samantha Jade, as well as Sunrise reporter Sam Mac.

The Sunrise co-host playfully captioned the snap: 'Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam & Sam. @telethon7 2017.'

Remaining tight-lipped: The hilarious post comes shortly after Sam refused to comment on Lisa Wilkinson's shock departure from Nine's breakfast program, the Today show

No comment: According to a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the journalist would 'absolutely not' comment on Lisa's decision to quit after she failed to receive pay parity with male co-host Karl Stefanovic

The hilarious post comes shortly after Sam refused to comment on Lisa Wilkinson's shock departure from Nine's breakfast program, the Today show.

According to a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the journalist would 'absolutely not' comment on Lisa's decision to quit after she failed to receive pay parity with male co-host Karl Stefanovic.

Sam's decision to refrain from commenting comes after reports that she is also paid less than her male co-host, David 'Kochie' Koch.

Multiple News Corp reports suggest Sam takes home a $500,000 salary.

Salaries: Sam's decision to refrain from commenting comes after reports that she is also paid less than her male co-host, David 'Kochie' Koch. Multiple News Corp reports suggest Sam takes home a $500,000 salary. Meanwhile, a 2015 Sydney Morning Herald report claimed Kochie, who has hosted Sunrise since 2002, earns 'about' $1 million

Meanwhile, a 2015 Sydney Morning Herald report claimed Kochie, who has hosted Sunrise since 2002, earns 'about' $1 million.

While Sam refused to weigh in on Lisa's decision, the Herald claims she was keen to spruik Sunrise, with the star reminding reporters it's ahead of Today in the ratings.

'It's been a long week this week but [Sunrise is] Australia's favourite breakfast show,' the bubbly blonde stated.

In the ratings war Sunrise came out on top on Wednesday, with 284,000 metro viewers compared to Today's 261,000 viewers.
They shared the small screen years ago as co-stars on hit singing show Glee.

And Heather Morris and Darren Criss looked positively delighted to be sharing the red carpet of Saint John's Health Center 75th Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

The 30-year-old actors beamed with joy as they embraced at the private benefit in the Culver City area.

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Reunion! Heather Morris and Darren Criss looked positively delighted to be sharing the red carpet of Saint John's 75th Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday evening

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant donned a flowing black gown with long sleeves.

Heather's long black tulle skirt featured a delicate velvet belt wrapped around her slender waistline.

One sleeve was worn off-the-shoulder with a mesh strap peeking through the top.

Joyful: The 30-year-old actors beamed with joy as they embraced at the private benefit in the Culver City area

Back in black: The former Dancing With The Stars contestant donned a flowing black gown with long sleeves

She tied back her straight blonde hair into a low ponytail with wisps of hair popping through near her cheekbones.

The Spring Breakers starlet wore a bit of bronzer and highlighted her baby blue eyes with smokey shadows.

Darren looked absolutely dapper in a grey vest with black detailing around the pockets and matching trousers.

Splendid: Heather's long black tulle skirt featured a delicate velvet belt wrapped around her slender waistline

Fancy! Darren looked absolutely dapper in a grey vest with black detailing around the pockets and matching trousers

He sported a silky black tie with a crisp black long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his forearms and shiny black shoes.

Leading lady Helen Hunt showed off her toned and tanned arms in a strappy little black dress which hugged her slender figure.

Comedian and actress Loni Love brought some sparkle to the event in a caped black mini dress which showed off her long legs.

She added a pair of pointy black booties, a glittering diamond bracelet and large silver hoop earrings to her gala ensemble.

LBD! Leading lady Helen Hunt showed off her toned and tanned arms in a strappy little black dress which hugged her slender figure.
She's the former Miss Universe Australia, who's used to turning heads on and off the runway.

And on Sunday Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) was at it again when she flashed her bra after touching down at Sydney airport alongside her AFL star husband Buddy, 30.

The 26-year-old channelled off-duty chic while hauling around a $3,200 Louis Vuitton carry-on suitcase after having attended Caulfield Cup in Melbourne.

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Off-duty chic: On Sunday, Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) flased her bra after touching down at Sydney airport after attending Melbourne's Caulfield Cup with her husband Buddy Franklin

Jesinta wore a sheer white top, with her black bra visible underneath.

Ensuring she kept warm after opting for a thin top, the stunner added a thick woolen jacket of multiple colours over the top.

She teamed her look with cropped denim jeans that featured a frayed and flared hem.

Sheer delight: Jesinta wore a sheer white top, with her black bra visible underneath

Prepared for all seasons: Ensuring she kept warm after opting for a thin top, the stunner added a thick woolen jacket of multiple colours over the top

Trying to maintain her height next to her 6'5 husband, Jesinta's airport style included heels.

With a pointed toe, the designer pair featured a ribbon tie-up on the top.

Maintaining her bold look, Jesinta added multiple accessories.

Fresh-faced: Donning a fresh and radiant makeup free complexion, the beauty had her blonde locks natural and tied up into a high ballerina bun

Model height: Trying to maintain her height next to her 6'5 husband, Jesinta's airport style included heels

With a matching purple bag over her shoulder, she was also seen with Rayban aviators in the indoor setting.

Donning a fresh and radiant makeup free complexion, the beauty had her blonde locks natural and tied up into a high ballerina bun.

Buddy dressed more casually for the flight home.

Sunny inside? With a matching purple bag over her shoulder, she was also seen with Rayban aviators in the indoor setting

Casual look: Donning a plain white T-shirt and black pants, the athlete kept his look streamlined with hi-top Converse shoes

Donning a plain white T-shirt and black pants, the athlete kept his look streamlined with hi-top Converse shoes.

Keeping his contents together, he was also spotted wearing a backpack whilst carefully carrying his ensemble from Saturday's event in a suit bag.

Matching with his wife, Buddy was also seen wearing shades whilst inside Sydney Airport.

Stylish: She wore a colourful ensemble as she rolled around her $3,200 Louis Vuitton carry-on suitcase
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He famously split from his wife Cassandra Thorburn late last year.

And now, the rental home that served as Karl Stefanovic's bachelor pad after the breakdown of his marriage has been re-leased.

According to realeastate.com.au the Cremorne residence was listed for $2200 after Karl recently moved out of the pad and into a luxurious new home in nearby Mosman.

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Price drop: The Cremorne home where Karl Stefanovic spent a majority of the past year living has been re-leased for $1980 a week, $220 less than the original listing price

However, the website reports that Karl's ex-rental 'was only taken when the asking rental dropped to $1980 a week'- $220 less than the original price

The news could be an indication that Karl's stocks are falling after a horror week that saw his Today co-star, Lisa Wilkinson, dramatically quit after she failed to receive pay parity.

In the wake of Lisa's shock resignation, the breakfast show's ratings have reportedly dwindled.

Bachelor pad: Karl moved into the Cremorne home after the breakdown of his marriage to Cassandra Thorburn

Swanky: The pad was where he celebrated his 43rd birthday in August

Karl's ex-rental is located in Cremorne, an affluent suburb in Sydney's Lower North Shore, just a short drive from where former spouse Cassandra lives with the couple's three children.

The swanky pad was where Karl spent most of the past year, and where he celebrated his 43rd birthday in August.

The abode is set across three levels and features four spacious bedrooms, four bathrooms and two separate living areas.

Luxury: Outside, there is a large alfresco dining area with a built-in barbecue and sitting area

Outside, there is a large alfresco dining area with a built-in barbecue and sitting area, which overlooks a nearby reserve.

The luxury property also includes a large pool and decked area.

Karl has now moved to the nearby suburb of Mosman into a home reportedly worth a staggering $7 million.

New digs: Karl has now moved into a home in nearby Mosman, reportedly worth a staggering $7 million

Karl's new abode is located in a tree-lined street in the exclusive suburb of Mosman.

The exterior features a landscaped hedge and grey cement barrier, while the home's colour palette includes white and grey tones.

It's believed Jasmine has moved into the love nest, as Karl's move coincides with her relocation back to Sydney from Los Angeles.
She's been dressed to the nines in glamorous ballgowns and designer frocks on The Bachelorette.

But on Sunday, Sophie Monk put on a casual display in a summery ensemble as she headed to Channel Ten's studios in Sydney.

The 37-year-old showed off her trim pins in a pair of tiny white short-shorts.

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Stepping out: Sophie Monk put on a casual display in a summery ensemble as she headed to Channel Ten's studios in Sydney

She matched the bottoms with a cute white T-shirt and sported canvas sneakers on her petite feet.

Adding a dark twist to her look, the Hollywood actress-turned-reality TV star accessorised with a black handbag and pair of sunglasses.

She appeared to be in a jovial mood, with the starlet smiling and posing for photos as she made her way into the building.

Leggy lady! The 37-year-old showed off her trim pins in a pair of tiny white short-shorts

White light: The singer, actress, and reality star matched the bottoms with a cute white T-shirt

Back in black: Adding a dark twist to her look, the Hollywood actress-turned-reality TV star accessorised with a black handbag and pair of sunglasses

Sophie is currently enjoying being back in the spotlight as the star of The Bacherorette.

The reality series has been a ratings blockbuster this season, rating significantly higher than Georgia Love's stint last year.

Sophie is currently left with three suitors: young magician Apollo, creepy clinger Jarrod, and wealthy businessman Stu.

Superstar: Sophie is currently enjoying being back in the spotlight as the star of The Bacherorette

Strike a pose: She appeared to be in a jovial mood, with the starlet smiling and posing for photos as she made her way into the building

All smiles: The blonde beauty beamed and flaunted her unique hair accessory

The Gold Coast-born beauty shot to fame on the singing competition Popstars back in 2000, which led to her joining the chart-topping girl group Bardot.

She later moved to Hollywood, where she instantly landed a slew of high-profile movie roles and was romantically linked to countless celebrities.

Some of her memorable roles include Date Movie, Click with Adam Sandler, and Sex and Death 101 with Winona Ryder.

Claim to fame: The Gold Coast-born beauty shot to fame on the singing competition Popstars back in 2000, which led to her joining the chart-topping girl group Bardot

Actress: She later moved to Hollywood, where she instantly landed a slew of high-profile movie roles and was romantically linked to countless celebrities

A-list: Some of Sophie's memorable roles include Date Movie, Click with Adam Sandler, and Sex and Death 101 with Winona Ryder

Huh? Sophie sported a bizarre facial expression, indicating that she may have seen something she didn't like

The bombshell also became the face of Angel Champagne and ingrown hair cream Prince Reigns.

She later stripped down for Playboy magazine, before returning to Australia for good where she landed several high-profile radio gigs and won The Celebrity Apprentice.

Her last acting role was in the low budget splatter film Bloodfeast.

Endorsements: The bombshell also became the face of Angel Champagne and ingrown hair cream Prince Reigns during her time in the States
She has sensationally quit TOWIE following her break-up with boyfriend Pete Wicks.

And Megan McKenna, 24, was putting her past behind her when she partied at Faces nightclub in Essex on Saturday, cutting a chic figure in a simple yet sophisticated ensemble.

The beauty flaunted her flat stomach in a plunging black crop top worn knotted at the bust, teasing just a hint of cleavage.

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Stepping out: Megan McKenna, 24, was putting her past behind her when she partied at Faces nightclub in Essex on Saturday, cutting a chic figure in a simple yet sophisticated ensemble

Megan made the most of her long legs in a pair of simple white trousers, set off with simple black heels.

She wore her brunette locks pulled back from her face and carried a simple black clutch bag.

The star was making her way into the venue solo, turning heads as she made the most of her single status.

Looking good: The beauty flaunted her flat stomach in a plunging black crop top worn knotted at the bust, teasing just a hint of cleavage

Elegant: Megan made the most of her long legs in a pair of simple white trousers, set off with simple black heels

Megan has been embroiled in a heated row with her ex-beau amid claims she cheated on him with her former love Harry Eden, yet she has defiantly hit out at the accusations - insisting she was 'single' at the time.

In a shocking statement released to The Sun, the ITVBe favourite said: 'Ive absolutely loved my time on TOWIE, although this series has been emotionally draining so I need a break from all the drama and lies.'

Megan has recently embarked on a chart-topping solo career, the start of which was closely documented on her reality show There's Something About Megan.

Over? Megan quit The Only Way Is Essex following the ongoing drama surrounding her relationship with Pete Wicks last week

The Essex native insists her departure will see her focus on her music rather than the endless dramas she is involved in on the show.

She continued: 'My music is really important to me and I just want to focus as much of my time on that as possible but Id like to think I might return at some point. Id like to thank everyone at Lime Pictures and ITV for their ongoing support.'

A spokesperson said: 'We have mutually agreed with Megan that its time for her to take a break from the show. We extend our 'open door policy' should Megan want to return assuming its relevant for the stories and people were following at the time.'

The end of the line? The 24-year-old reality star has been embroiled in a heated row with her ex-beau amid claims she cheated on him with her former love Harry Eden, yet she has defiantly hit out at the accusations - insisting she was 'single' at the time

Belting out: Megan climbed the slippery showbiz ladder after her first attempts at stardom when she tried her luck on BGT in 2009 (pictured on the show)

Prior to finding her big break on TOWIE, Megan appeared on Ex On The Beach, Britain's Got Talent, The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother in her bid for stardom.

Megan climbed the slippery showbiz ladder after her first attempts at stardom when she tried her luck on BGT in 2009.

Years before her starring role in TOWIE, she appeared on the show in 2010 while auditioning to appear in Jess Wright's now-defunct girl group LOLA before a year later trying her luck at the 2011 Open Mic UK Singing Competition.

She went on to enjoy two turns on Ex On The Beach, one in 2015 and one last year - in the same year as she starred on Celebrity Big Brother shortly before becoming a full-time TOWIE cast member in March.

Hurt: She went on to enjoy two turns on Ex On The Beach, one in 2015 and one last year - in the same year as she starred on Celebrity Big Brother shortly before becoming a full-time TOWIE cast member in March

While she is undoubtedly delighted at how her star has risen, Megan appears to have had enough after the latest dose of romantic drama served up on the show.

As she has been hit with the speculation about Pete, his friends backed up the allegations that Megan cheated on him before they split by divulging details of an after party at which she reportedly shared a bed with 'new flame' Harry.

Speaking to MailOnline, sources close to heartbroken Pete, 28, revealed: 'He had people telling him that they'd spotted [Megan and Harry] out together several times and even shared a bed at an after party.

Fuming: 'Pete has no proof that Megan cheated on him and wants to believe their relationship was genuine, but he has friends telling him it's been going on for months he is struggling to think anything else'

'Pete has no proof that Megan cheated on him and wants to believe their relationship was genuine, but he has friends telling him it's been going on for months he is struggling to think anything else.'

This information comes as Megan vehemently denied any allegations of cheating on her TOWIE co-star, via her representatives.

'Megan NEVER cheated on Pete or sexted with anybody whilst they were in a relationship, unlike Pete,' they told MailOnline on Thursday.

'Megan has not been meeting up with Harry for months the first time they met up was last week when Megan was single. They had no contact at all whilst Megan was in a relationship with Pete.'
They're the arch rivals who have dominated the latest season of The Block.

But both Josh and Elyse and Ronnie and Georgia failed to deliver in the final reveal of the competition, as Sticks and Wombat took out the honours.

The friends won the front yard and facade reveal on Sunday night by half a point, with the show's judges praising their maintenance-free front yard and Scandinavian feel.

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Upset result: The Block's Ronnie and Georgia and Josh and Elyse FAIL to make history with a seventh win as Sticks and Wombat take out the competition's final reveal

Both Ronnie and Georgia and Josh and Elyse put in a lackluster performance, scoring 26 and 25.5 respectively, compared to Sticks and Wombat's dominant 28.5.

Ronnie and Georgia were optimistic in their quest to become the first ever pair to win seven reveals in a season, as they opted for a dark facade with statement geometric tiles and leadlight windows.

'We want that title saying do you remember Ronnie and Georgia? They won seven on The Block. That's unheard of. That will never be broken - ever!' Ronnie said.

Stunning facade: The friends won the front yard and facade reveal on Sunday night by half a point, with the show's judges praising its maintenance-free front yard and Scandinavian feel

Narrow victory: Sticks and Wombat received a 28.5 from the judges

Top score: The top score helped them narrowly beat Jason and Sarah

But the pair were slammed by the judges for taking things too far with the black and white statement tiles, and for failing to match their 'feminine' interior.

'It's high maintenance but it's too much of a statement,' judge Neale Whitaker said.

'When I look at that beautiful lead lighting, which we've all admired all the way through The Block, it's just beautiful. Why do you need to detract from it with this tile?'

Disappointed: Both Ronnie and Georgia (pictured) and Josh and Elyse put in a lackluster performance, scoring 26 and 25.5 respectively

Failed to deliver: Ronnie and Georgia were slammed by the judges for taking things too far with the black and white statement tiles, and for failing to match their 'feminine' interior

'It's high maintenance but it's too much of a statement': Neale Whitaker hit out at the geometric statement tiles

Meanwhile, Josh and Elyse were also criticised for failing to match their front yard and facade with the interior and backyard of their California bungalow.

'One thing that we've loved about Josh and Elyse is the consistency of their look all the way through ... and to me, out here, it's very old-fashioned but not in the boho way that they've done,' judge Shaynna Blaze said.

The judges particularly took exception with the pillars they restored on the house's front porch.

Lackluster: Meanwhile, Josh and Elyse were also criticised for failing to match their front yard and facade with the interior and backyard of their California bungalow

Less than impressed: The judges particularly took exception to the pillars they restored on the house's front porch

'It's very old-fashioned but not in the boho way that they've done': judge Shaynna Blaze said the front yard and facade was not what she had come to expect from Josh and Elyse

The pair - who were determined to beat rivals Ronnie and Georgia after losing to them in studio week - labelled the judges as 'hypocritical' after receiving the negative feedback.

'It's a little bit hypocritical. Through the series, they've sort of said you need to restore these original features,' Josh said.

'Yet out the front, which is probably the most important facade to restore, they're canning Cal bungalow pillars.'
He's the celebrity chef who's been a Coles ambassador since 2010.

But Curtis Stone decided to ditch the apron for a suit on Sunday, as he attended the 7th annual Baby Ball Gala sponsored by Carbonadi vodka in Los Angeles alongside his wife Lindsay Price.

The couple posed for snaps on the red carpet at the exclusive event, which aims to raise awareness for adoption rates of children and support World Adoption Day on November 9.

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Cooking! Curtis Stone decided to ditch the apron on Sunday for a suit, as he attended the 7th annual Baby Ball Gala in Los Angeles alongside wife Lindsay Price

Curtis looked dapper in a grey suit, wearing a white collared shirt with a skinny black tie that hung just above his belt.

He rocked a slightly rugged look, with his spiky facial hair extending all over his cheeks, which connected with his thick sideburns.

Lindsay wore an off-the-shoulder orange dress that extended well past her knees, sporting a number of frills on the frock's plunging hemline.

The American actresses' dark brunette locks were tied into a parted bun that hung low over her shoulders, and she accessorised with a pair of pink hoop earrings.

Happy couple! The couple were snapped on the red carpet for the event, which aims to raise awareness for adoption rates of children and support World Adoption Day

Couple goals! Curtis looked dapper in a full suit, while wife Lindsay sported an off-the-shoulder orange frock

She placed her hand on the chest of her husband, as the pair smiled and posed candidly for photos.

The couple then held up their hands with a drawn-on smiley face in their palm, showing their support and helping raise awareness for World Adoption Day.

The pair then posed for photos with Jessica Simpson's ex-husband Nick Lachey, and his wife of six years, Vanessa Lachey (nee. Minnillo).

Curtis and Lindsay met in 2009, and wed in 2013 in Spain.

The couple gave birth to son Hudson, six, in 2011, and Emerson Spencer, three, in 2014.
She was the breakout star on The Bachelor.

And Tara Pavlovic is lending her star power to a good cause, after teaming up with the Brisbane Racing Club and the Breast Cancer Network Australia to raise breast cancer awareness.

The 27-year-old attended the Breast Cancer Network Australia Raceday this week on Caulfield Cup Raceday and she arrived wearing pink to highlight the cause.

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Raising awareness: Tara Pavlovic is lending her star power to a good cause, after teaming up with the Brisbane Racing Club and the Breast Cancer Network Australia to raise breast cancer awareness. Pictured at Brisbane Racing Club on Saturday

'I am so looking forward to attending the Breast Cancer Network Australia Raceday this Saturday,' she told Daily Mail Australia ahead of the event.

'It will kick off the Spring Racing Carnival with a bang.

'I am so proud to be supporting the Brisbane Racing Club as they fundraise to help the one in eight Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer with the support, information, treatment and care that the BCNA provides.

Tickled pink: The 27-year-old attended the Breast Cancer Network Australia Raceday this week on Caulfield Cup Raceday and she arrived wearing pink to highlight the cause. Pictured left: former Bachelor star Sian Kelly

She added: The Caulfield Cup provides a wonderful forum for this and I look forward to seeing a sea of pink as we show our solidarity to the Australians affected by breast cancer.'

It comes after the Gold Coast Nanny dismissed rumours that she would become the next Bachelorette.

Despite calls for her to follow in Georgia Love's footsteps, Tara recently told OK! Magazine: 'I'd prefer someone that isn't in the limelight. I find it all a bit fake.'

'I am so proud to be supporting the Brisbane Racing Club as they fundraise to help the one in eight Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer with the support, information, treatment and care that the BCNA provides,' Tara told Daily Mail Australia

She continued: 'I'm pretty down to earth and real, and I'd rather find someone who isn't with me for their personal gain'.

As soon as she was eliminated, fans were already campaigning on social media for the bubbly nanny to become the Bachelorette in 2018.

Clearly angered and emotionally affected by the hunk's rejection, Twitter users took the side of Tara: 'Tara deserves way better than Matty, let her be a Bachelorette!'

'MATTY IS WRONG, TARA IS PERFECT! She has to be the next Bachelorette after Sophie Monk for sure,' one user wrote.

Over it: It comes after the Gold Coast Nanny dismissed rumours that she would become the next Bachelorette

No plans to follow in her footsteps: Tara has resisted calls that she follow in Georgia Love's footsteps and become the next Bachelorette

No thanks! The nanny tells OK! Magazine: 'I'd prefer someone that isn't in the limelight. I find it all a bit fake'

While others agreed: 'We now kno (sic) who'll be the next #TheBacheloretteAu 100% #TARA No doubt about it.'

Another fan wrote: 'Winner: Laura. This years Nikki: Elise. Bachelorette 2018: Tara.'

However, fans are out of luck as Tara doesn't appear too keen on the TV role.

She continued: 'I'm pretty down to earth and real, and I'd rather find someone who isn't with me for their personal gain'

They want her! As soon as she was eliminated, fans were already campaigning on social media for the bubbly nanny to become the Bachelorette in 2018

Speaking to TV Week, she echoed similar statements, once again hinting she felt Matty was in the show for himself.

The blonde quipped: 'I don't know if I could do that to people. I just don't think I could drag people through that for my own personal gain.'

The finale will air on Thursday night on Channel Ten.
She's the Australian interior designer who casts her professional eye over renovations on The Block.

But her discriminating taste was a step too far for the show's host Scott Cam, 54, who labelled her a 'b***h' during Sunday night's episode.

Scott criticized the 54-year-old for what he deemed to be harsh scores of contestants' final front yard and facade reveals.

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'Shaynna's a b***h': The Block host Scott Cam criticizes judge Shaynna Blaze after she delivers her scores for the competition's final reveal

The television personality delivered two 7.5 scores to Hannah and Clint and Ronnie and Georgia - noticeably lower than what fellow judge Neale Whitaker scored before her.

'I think maybe Shaynna couldn't see over the front fence,' Ronnie joked.

Scott added: 'Some high scores and some low scores. And Shaynna's a b***h, isn't she?'

Meanwhile, both Josh and Elyse and Ronnie and Georgia failed to deliver in the final reveal of the competition, as Sticks and Wombat took out the honours.

The friends won the front yard and facade reveal by half a point, with the show's judges praising their maintenance-free front yard and Scandinavian feel.

Ouch! Scott hit out at the 54-year-old after announcing her judgments for contestants' final front yard and facade reveals

'I think maybe Shaynna couldn't see over the front fence': The television personality delivered two 7.5 scores to Hannah and Clint and Ronnie and Georgia - noticeably lower than what fellow judge Neale Whitaker scored before her

Harsh: Shaynna's discriminating taste was a step too far on Sunday night for the show's host Scott

Both Ronnie and Georgia and Josh and Elyse put in a lackluster performance, scoring 26 and 25.5 respectively, compared to Sticks and Wombat's dominant 28.5.

Ronnie and Georgia were optimistic in their quest to become the first ever pair to win seven reveals in a season, as they opted for a dark facade with statement geometric tiles and leadlight windows.

'We want that title saying do you remember Ronnie and Georgia? They won seven on The Block. That's unheard of. That will never be broken - ever!' Ronnie said.

Upset result: Meanwhile, both Josh and Elyse and Ronnie and Georgia failed to deliver in the final reveal of the competition, as Sticks and Wombat took out the honours

Stunning facade: The friends won the front yard and facade reveal on Sunday night by half a point, with the show's judges praising its maintenance-free front yard and Scandinavian feel

Narrow victory: Sticks and Wombat received a 28.5 from the judges, just edging out Jason and Sarah

But the pair were slammed by the judges for taking things too far with the black and white statement tiles, and for failing to match their 'feminine' interior.

'It's high maintenance but it's too much of a statement,' Neale said.

'When I look at that beautiful lead lighting, which we've all admired all the way through The Block, it's just beautiful. Why do you need to detract from it with this tile?'

Disappointed: Both Ronnie and Georgia (pictured) and Josh and Elyse put in a lackluster performance, scoring 26 and 25.5 respectively

Failed to deliver: Ronnie and Georgia were slammed by the judges for taking things too far with the black and white statement tiles, and for failing to match their 'feminine' interior

'It's high maintenance but it's too much of a statement': Neale hit out at the geometric statement tiles

Meanwhile, Josh and Elyse were also criticised for failing to match their front yard and facade with the interior and backyard of their California bungalow.

'One thing that we've loved about Josh and Elyse is the consistency of their look all the way through ... and to me, out here, it's very old-fashioned but not in the boho way that they've done,' Shaynna said.

The judges particularly took exception with the pillars they restored on the house's front porch.

Lackluster: Meanwhile, Josh and Elyse were also criticised for failing to match their front yard and facade with the interior and backyard of their California bungalow

Less than impressed: The judges particularly took exception to the pillars they restored on the house's front porch

'It's very old-fashioned but not in the boho way that they've done': judge Shaynna Blaze said the front yard and facade was not what she had come to expect from Josh and Elyse

The pair - who were determined to beat rivals Ronnie and Georgia after losing to them in studio week - labelled the judges as 'hypocritical' after receiving the negative feedback.

'It's a little bit hypocritical. Through the series, they've sort of said you need to restore these original features,' Josh said.

'Yet out the front, which is probably the most important facade to restore, they're canning Cal bungalow pillars.'
The second series of Our Girl has been slammed by viewers on social media.

But Michelle Keegan was bouncing back from the negative comments, taking to her Instagram account on Sunday to share some glamorous behind-the-scenes snaps from her latest project.

The former Coronation Street actress can be seen peering out from behind her voluminous locks, showing off her soft smoky eye and pale pink lipstick.

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Beauty queen: Michelle Keegan took to her Instagram account on Sunday to share some glamorous behind-the-scenes snaps from her latest project

Michelle captioned the snapshot: 'What a fab 2 day shoot!!! Thanks to my beauty team @emmyclarkson & @jasoncrozier'.

Another sultry image sees the brunette bombshell sitting in hair and make-up, pouting as the finishing touches are added to her look.

'Loved getting my makeup done today! Finally a glam look!', she enthused.

She's a natural: Another sultry image sees the brunette bombshell sitting in hair and make-up, pouting as the finishing touches are added to her look

This comes after the second episode of the new series was met with a tepid response last Tuesday evening as fans swarmedTwitter to voice concern that the quality of the BBC show has plummeted, with users branding the programme 'disappointing and shocking'.

The latest storyline to infuriate viewers has seen Michelle's character Corporal Georgie Lane find love with new character Milan, played by Rudi Dhamralingam - shortly before return of her ex - Luke Pasqualino's character Elvis.

Last week, Our Girl viewers lashed out at the long-awaited first episode of series three due to 'embarrassing' camerawork and Michelle's 'unrealistic' appearance.

Oh dear: Last year, Our Girl's season two won huge praise from viewers and critics alike

Earlier this month the BBC drama returned, yet one scene in particular riled eagle-eyed viewers, who insisted the Nepalese earthquake was hugely unconvincing due to the fact the camera merely 'wobbled' while the rest stayed still.

Frontwoman Michelle, who has reprised her role as army medic Corporal Georgie, came under fire for her famously stunning appearance as she was accused of 'wearing foundation, mascara & painted eyebrow' despite being on the field.

It seems fans remain purturbed as Twitter was swarmed with messages reading: 'This years #OurGirl is dog... This series of #OurGirl is disappointing... The acting and script of Our girl is absolutely shockingly s**te...

Up close and personal: The latest storyline to infuriate viewers has seen Michelle Keegan's character Corporal Georgie Lane find love with new character Milan, played by Rudi Dhamralingam (pictured) - shortly before return of her ex - Luke Pasqualino's character Elvis

He's back! Fans were overjoyed to see the return of hunky Luke playing Elvis

Ahem... She was getting hot and heavy in many scenes much to diehard fans annoyance

'Its like grown up Tracey beaker with soldiers... Tried watching that program "our girl" absolute RUBBISH now mainly about a weak girl soldier wanting to get laid by a local. Story line s**t... The acting in #OurGirl is killing me #cringe...

'Dull as dishwater #OurGirl #bringbacklaceyturner... Not a fan of this series of #OurGirl... Another flat episode.... #OurGirl... Hoping for some spicing up action on #OurGirl. Its a little boring but still having hope it will get punchy soon!...

'Im sad to say it but this series of #OurGirl is like an after school kids programme #disappointed #normallylovemichellekeegan #stilldo... This series of our girl is absolutely shocking towards the last one...

'Our girl just isn't as good this time round... @BBC what have you done with our girl ..#ourgirl trash! Soo disappointed... This season is just dreadful #OurGirl...

'ur girl is so s**t this season ... #OurGirl cringe worthy ...no story, terrible acting ...What's gone wrong ????... @BBC what have you done with our girl ..#ourgirl trash! Soo disappointed... #OurGirl too much swearing and bad acting #dontlikeanymore'.'

Where's Elvis?! Many fans were left dismayed at the absense of Luke's character

Up close: Atop annoyance at the quality of the episode, fans were frustrated at Georgie's new relationship with Milan - who she was seen locking lips with on a number of occasions

He's back! Avid fans were naturally keen to see Georgie return to Elvis' arms, in scenes leading up to the former Skins star's return, although Elvis fans were dismayed at how long it took for him to enter the episode

Atop annoyance at the quality of the episode, fans were frustrated at Georgie's new relationship with Milan - who she was seen locking lips with on a number of occasions.

Avid fans were naturally keen to see Georgie return to Elvis' arms, in scenes leading up to the former Skins star's return, although Elvis fans were dismayed at how long it took for him to enter the episode.

Users wrote: georgie f**k sake man, sort your s**t out you and ELVIS are suppose to be together what the f**k man #OurGirl... #ourgirl series 3...absolute pants @bbcourgirl_ feel like I've gone back to the 70's but I still love Elvis. WHERE is he??

'#bringbackelvis... Been looking forward to Our Girl coming back on and Elvis isnt even in it... Only 19 minuets left... where the hell is Elvis?! #OurGirl... @lucapasqualino 41 minutes into #OurGirl and still no Elvis.'

She's back: Michelle's return to Our Girl comes after she admitted to having no choice but to star in season three as she had signed a contract before any confirmation of another installment

New love: Milan and Georgie's romance has been lighting up screens

Michelle won huge praise last year when she scooped the role of Lance Corporal Georgie Lane in the BBC drama, having taken over from Lacey Turner, who played Private Molly Dawes in 2013's series one.

Michelle's return to Our Girl comes after she admitted to having no choice but to star in season three as she had signed a contract before any confirmation of another installment.

Speaking on Nick Grimshaw's Radio 1 Show, she discussed the difficulty of seven months away from husband Mark Wright, while admitting she was forced to carry her seven and a half stone weight and suffering horrific bruising during stunts.

For any actress, the chance to star in such a successful drama is a dream, yet after signing the contract without knowledge of a new series or plans for a 12 episodes as opposed to series two's five, she was left with no choice but to reprise the role.

Back again: Users wrote: georgie f**k sake man, sort your s**t out you and ELVIS are suppose to be together what the f**k man #OurGirl... #ourgirl series 3...absolute pants @bbcourgirl_ feel like I've gone back to the 70's but I still love Elvis. WHERE is he?

Star: Michelle won huge praise last year when she scooped the role of Lance Corporal Georgie Lane in the BBC drama, having taken over from Lacey Turner, who played Private Molly Dawes in 2013's series one

She said: 'I wasn't 100% there would be another series but I signed the option for there to be another. Obviously the first time it was for five episodes but this time it was for 12 so it's overly doubled.

'I didn't know that at the time either. It's been a long, long filming schedule. I was away for three months last time and this time I was in South Africa for three months and then I had three weeks off then I was in Malaysia for three months.

'So over all I was away for seven months. It was a long time being away from home. I had to do it, the contract was signed. Book me a flight!'
They've recently sparked rumours they could be getting back together again.

And Cara De La Hoyde and her ex-boyfriend Nathan Massay continued to add fuel to the fire when they attended the Baby Show in London on Sunday, looking very close.

The Love Island duo, who fell for each other on the 2016 edition of the reality show before their shock split earlier this year, posed up a storm together at the event as they stocked up on items for their unborn child.

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Case of the ex: Cara De La Hoyde and her ex-boyfriend Nathan Massay continued to add fuel to the fire when they attended the Baby Show in London on Sunday, looking very close

Cara showed off her baby bump in a leopard print miniskirt, which she teamed with a modest white blouse.

The brunette beauty opted for comfort, donning a smart pair of flat boots and a leather satchel.

Nathan was equally casually clad in a white T-shirt and matching shearling jacket.

The Essex pair, who have both appeared in TOWIE since finding fame, were also joined by Big Brother star Laura Carter at the Baby Show.

Bumping along: Cara showed off her baby bump in a leopard print miniskirt, which she teamed with a modest white blouse

Practical: The brunette beauty opted for comfort, donning a smart pair of flat boots and a leather satchel

Low-key: Nathan was equally casually clad in a white T-shirt and matching shearling jacket

Dad-to-be: Nathan got to grips with the pushchairs as he tested out different models

The 31-year-old reality star, who has been linked to Justin Bieber and Marco Pierre White Junior, recently announced she was expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend Tony.

Their outing comes shortly after the couple appeared on TOWIE last week and dished the dirt on their 'flirty relationship' to pals at their baby shower.

Nathan told Tommy Mallett: 'It was a bit of a rocky start but me and Cara are getting on. We're friends at the moment.

'We don't want to push anything or rush anything and we're getting on better as friends, out of each other's pockets, taking it slow.'

Still got that spark: Their outing comes shortly after the couple appeared on TOWIE last week and dished the dirt on their 'flirty relationship' to pals at their baby shower

Nathan told co-star Tommy Mallett: 'It was a bit of a rocky start but me and Cara are getting on. We're friends at the moment'

Cara, told Amber Dowding and Georgia that the pair would be co-parenting 'like Scott [Disick] and Kourtney [Kardashian]'.

She explained: 'We're not together but we're friends, a little flirt every now and then. He said I look nice pregnant, really womanly.'

Speaking about the due date, Cara added: 'I want a water birth and I'm gonna get him some Speedos so he can jump in the bath with me.'

Mother-to-be: The Essex pair were also joined by Big Brother star Laura Carter at the Baby Show

Baby joy: The 31-year-old reality star, who has been linked to Justin Bieber and Marco Pierre White Junior, recently announced she was expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend Tony

Meanwhile Nathan joked that he wants their child to grow up tall, saying: 'I just hope he has his mum's height because if he has mine, he's f***ed!'

Nathan shared a photo of the former couple at the baby shower on Instagram and insisted they were still 'best friends' despite splitting up.

'Even though we may not be together, we are remaining best of friends just like old times for our baby boy, and honestly it's the happiest we've been!' he wrote.

Cara confessed to OK! magazine that she was going to be in charge of choosing the name of their little one.

Parents to be: The pair appeared to be getting on famously ahead of the due date, as they stepped out together last Wednesday

She said: 'We're in talks  there's the thing where I like this one, he likes this one, but he has told me I will have the last decision, seeing as I've done all the work.'

Despite their close relationship frequently sparking hopes of a reconciliation, Cara has poured cold water on the claims.

The expectant star confessed: 'We're not dating  we see each other obviously a lot, because we're towards the end of the pregnancy now.

'He's always there at the appointments, and we have quite a few little scans  as the baby is just very small!'
He is a silver fox who is known for his genial personality on the This Morning sofa.

But Phillip Schofield failed to crack a smile as he took part in a high-octane stunt during filming for the We Buy Any Car advert in Middlesex on Thursday.

The presenter, 55, pulled a serious expression as he gamely whizzed along a gigantic zip wire, appearing deep in thought as he partook in the adrenaline-fuelled stunt.

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Stuntman: Phillip Schofield failed to crack a smile as he took part in a high-octane stunt during filming for the We Buy Any Car advert in Middlesex on Thursday

High-octane: The presenter, 55, pulled a serious expression as he gamely whizzed along a gigantic zip wire, appearing deep in thought as he partook in the adrenaline fuelled stunt

Despite the uncomfortable straps wrapped tightly around his body, the national treasure still pulled off a dapper display in a mauve fitted shirt and smart black trousers, finished off with the obligatory helmet.

At one point the star seemed to be in danger of crashing into a tree canopy but expertly lifted his legs up to avoid a faceful of leaves.

Showing he was relaxing somewhat, Phillip let his legs hang loosely as he took some direction from the crew.

Proving that all eyes were on him as he made a perilous descent,with scores of crew members were seen watching the star as he came in for landing.

And it was all smiles as he made it safely back down to earth.

Here we go: Despite the uncomfortable straps wrapped tightly around his body, the national treasure still pulled off a dapper display on the zipwire, similar to Boris Johnson in 2012, who memorably got stuck on one

Phillip Low-field: At one point the star seemed to be in danger of crashing into a tree canopy but expertly lifted his legs up to avoid a faceful of leaves

Chillax: Showing he was relaxing somewhat, Phillip let his legs hang loosely as he took some direction from the crew

The star has been enjoying his latest filming project, which saw him 'rescue' an adorable ginger kitten from a tree the next day.

Phillip is used to more comfortable settings alongside Holly Willoughby on the This Morning sofa, with the presenting pair recently losing the plot over a nickname Holly has for Phil.

Explaining that he had needed to get out of his taxi and jump on a motorbike in order to get to work on time that morning, Phil revealed that he had taken a selfie of himself on the back of the bike.

As the image flashed up of Phil in a crash helmet, Holly made a somewhat odd remark.

'Aww, look at your little specimen head in a helmet,' she said.

Incoming: Proving that all eyes were on him as he made a perilous descent,with scores of crew members were seen watching the star as he came in for landing

Touchdown: Phillip looked somewhat relieved to make it back down to earth

Relaxed: Phillip smiled as he chatted with crew members after the nail-biting stunt

This was met with laughter from herself and from Phil and the camera crew, with viewers at home left slightly perplexed.

'Shut your face up!' Phil chuckled.

Phil encouraged his co-host to actually explain the joke, to which she elaborated that his mother once told her that when he was born the doctor called his head 'the perfect specimen'.

'The only reason I say your specimen head is when you were born, the nurse said to your mum, "it's the perfect specimen head",' she said.

'It's because if they hadn't said that, they would have shrieked,' Phillip added with a smirk.

Loving life: Phillip couldn't keep the smile off his face as he relished being out of the air

It was supposedly a near-miss for Phil, who had been stuck in a traffic jam that morning.

'That was the closest I've ever been to missing the start of the show,' he said.

Phil has presented This Morning on a weekly basis since 2002 - making Thursday's near/miss quite the milestone.

He revealed that the bike that saved him was actually intended for Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard, but that it was re-routed to urgently collect Phil.
Their new relationship continues to go from strength to strength.

And Sofia Richie, 19, played the role of supportive girlfriend as she accompanied her much older boyfriend Scott Disick, 34, to a filming for Complex Sneaker Shopping Series in New York City on Saturday.

The two were following in the footsteps of Bella Hadid, who recently starred in an edition of the series.

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Date night: Sofia Richie, 19, played the role of supportive girlfriend as she accompanied her much older boyfriend Scott Disick, 34, to a filming for Complex Sneaker Shopping Series in New York City on Saturday

Bored? Sofia was seen texting on her phone while her man shot a scene for the Complex show

Model Sofia and her reality star boyfriend have been seen multiple times together, since they first made their relationship public in September.

And on Saturday, the 19-year-old was seen texting on her phone while her man shot a scene for the Complex show.

The Sneaker Shopping show, is the same one supermodel Bella Hadid was on earlier this month where a clip of the show went viral on social media.

Bella - a close friend of Sofia's - happens to own over 200 pairs of sneakers, and admits that she is 'obsessed' with Nike.

In the Complex video Hadid reveals: 'It's funny Air force Ones growing up they were like my favorite things on the planet.'

Bella goes on to reveal that sneakers are a 'statement piece' because that was one of the ways she was able to 'express herself'.

Hand in hand: The daughter of music legend Lionel Richie put on a leggy display in a short body-con white dress, teamed with a charcoal-gray fur coat

Now, Scott will be revealing what his favorite sneakers and trends are, which should be no problem since him and Sofia seem to have impeccable taste.

The daughter of music legend Lionel Richie put on a leggy display in a short body-con white dress, teamed with a charcoal-gray fur coat.

She added height to her petite frame in $400 Stuart Weitzman 'Nudist' sandal-heels.

Sofia wore her bleached hair in a sleek bun, while sporting a minimal amount of make-up with a glossy pout.

Her beau Scott kept his look fresh with a blue tracksuit and all-white sneakers.

Homeboy: The new Sneaker Shopping show, is the same one supermodel Bella Hadid was on earlier this month where a clip of the show went viral on social media

Their appearance comes after a string of holidays and besotted Instagram posts with her partner Scott.

As well as enjoying a recent holiday to Miami, where the teenager visited Liv club despite being underage, the duo have been enjoying regular date nights shared with their fans online.

TMZ reported Kourtney Kardashian had 'no problems' with her ex dating someone else, 'because if he's happy she's happy,' a source claimed.

Although, Sofia's dad Lionel Richie doesn't seem to be on board of the blossoming relationship.

Lionel told US Weekly: 'I'm scared to death, are you kidding me? Have I been in shock?! I'm the dad, come on.'

Scott - who is known for his playboy ways- shares children Mason, 7, and Penelope, 5, and 2-year-old Reign with Kourtney.

She can 'like get it': Bella - a close friend of Sofia's - happens to own over 200 pairs of sneakers, and admits that she is 'obsessed' with Nike
He recently showed his generous side as he helped raise money for the The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity during the 6th annual Bloomberg Tradebook Charity Day.

And Benedict Cumberbatch looked concentrated in a yellow taxi in east London as he filmed scenes for Sky Atlantic series Patrick Melrose on Saturday.

The 41-year old actor is set to both star and executive produce the mini-series, which is centred on a lothario who tackles substance abuse as a result of a difficult childhood.

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Focused: Benedict Cumberbatch, 41, looks concentrated in a yellow taxi in east London as he filmed scenes for Sky Atlantic series Patrick Melrose on Saturday

Benedict is seated at the back of a New York cab as he ponderously rested his chin on his hand.

The Edward St Aubyn TV adaptation will based on a different book from the novel series, which will cover the protagonist's life.

This will not be Benedict's first time going behind the scenes, as he launched an independent production company in 2013.

Talented: The actor is set to both star and executive produce the mini-series, which is centred on a lothario who tackles substance abuse as a result of a difficult childhood

Lights, camera, action: Crew members surrounded the taxi as they filmed scenes for the Edward St Aubyn TV adaptation

On set: Benedict is seated at the back of a New York inspired cab as he rested his face by his fist

This followed Benedict's charitable work at the The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity during the 6th annual Bloomberg Tradebook Charity Day on Thursday.

As he dialled in for the charity day, Benedict opted for an alternative to his trademark style as he rocked an anorak which could easily have belonged to Britpop icon Liam Gallagher in his Nineties heyday.

Benedict joined the global event, which took place in four destinations - London, Sao Paul, New York and Hong Kong, where he debuted his funky style.

For a good cause: Benedict Cumberbatch helped raise money for the 6th annual Bloomberg Tradebook Charity Day on Thursday

The actor and a host of other celebrities joined Bloomberg employees and clients on the trading floor to help raise money and awareness for worthy charities.

While he was surrounded by suited and booted traders, Benedict himself was borrowing from Nineties icon Liam Gallagher in an oversized anorak.

The Doctor Strange star was joined by a family friend, actress Siobhan Hewlett, whose soap star mother, Therese McMurray was diagnosed with a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma back in 2010 and is receiving treatment at The Royal Marsden.

Rock star? As he dialled in for the charity day, Benedict opted for an entirely different look to his trademark style as he rocked an anorak which could easily have belonged to Britpop icon Liam Gallagher in his Nineties heyday

Picture time: Siobhan and Cumberbatch posed for a picture as they participated in raising money for the cause

Siobhan said: 'Without The Royal Marsden my mum wouldnt be here. Im permanently amazed and overwhelmed by the impeccable level of care and love from everyone at the hospital.'

Benedict spent time at the hospital supporting Therese while she received chemotherapy treatment.

Therese stated that Royal Marsden provides compassionate care and she was treated impeccable well saying 'youre treated as a person and not a number'.

She explained: 'The expertise of the medical team have both saved and extended my life, which allows me to work, live and enjoy quality time with my family and friends.

I know that however uncertain my future is, I am in the very best place.

Hard at work: The 41-year-old actor and a range of other celebrities joined Bloomberg employees in trading activities to raise money and awareness for worthy causes

The Royal Marsden Charity raises money to ensure that excellent care is provided to cancer patients by raising money solely to support the hospital.

It also makes sure that nurses, doctors and research are at an exceptional standard - providing and developing life saving treatments, used across the UK and globally.

Siobhan added: 'Sadly cancer is becoming more and more common so its vital that more research is carried out into this disease.

'The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity funds research that is revolutionising cancer treatment.

Quirky! People dressed up in fancy dress as they participated in the event - with one employee dressing up as the famous Sherlock Holmes himself

'The hospitals researchers are recognised worldwide for their work which is improving the lives of patients with cancer, both at The Royal Marsden and across the world.'

The charity never rests as they are always finding new, innovative ways to fund state-of-the art equipment and ground-breaking research to create the best patient environments for cancer patients.

Benedict also praised the charity remarking that the standards of the charity are acknowledged and 'respected' all over the world.

'Whenever I have visited friends or relatives Ive experienced the exemplary teams of highly skilled staff that treat their patients as people not statistics.

'That has a positive impact on the patient but also on their families, friends and loved ones. Its an honour to be helping them raise funds to continue their brilliant work. '
Things are still going strong between Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor, who went on a hand-in-hand stroll during their hot date in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

At 74, the Philly-born blonde is 32 years older than the Tampa-born brunette but that certainly hasn't slowed down their romance.

The Emmy-winning acting duo were dressed down in casual attire for their loved-up outing.

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Coy smiles: Things are still going strong between Sarah Paulson (L) and Holland Taylor (R), who went on a hand-in-hand stroll during their hot date in Philadelphia on Saturday night

Sarah - who relies on stylist Karla Welch - wore a hooded Army-green jacket over blue jeans and suede booties, while Holland wore a red knit cardigan over black pants and sneakers.

The May-December couple knew each other in passing for a decade until they reconnected in 2015 over Twitter.

'She saw me in a tweet and she thought I was blue about something,' Taylor told People TV in August.

'And she said, "How are you? What's happening?" And we got together shortly after that.'

Emmy-winning duo: At 74, the Philly-born blonde is 32 years older than the Tampa-born brunette but that certainly hasn't slowed down their romance

Casually clad: Sarah wore a hooded Army- green jacket over blue jeans and suede booties, while Holland wore a red knit cardigan over black pants and sneakers

'She saw me in a tweet and she thought I was blue about something': The May-December couple knew each other in passing for a decade until they reconnected in 2015 over Twitter

As for expanding their family, Paulson told ET in March: 'Jury's out. I don't know. I'm getting a little old, so there's cobwebs going on in them ovaries. So, we'll see what happens'

PA fan snap: The Feud guest star previously dated Cherry Jones from 2004-2009 and was once engaged to playwright Tracy Letts

As for expanding their family, Paulson told ET in March: 'Jury's out. I don't know. I'm getting a little old, so there's cobwebs going on in them ovaries. So, we'll see what happens.'

Later on Saturday, the Golden Globe winner - who boasts 2M Twitter/Instagram followers - shared a snap from Northern Italian steakhouse Davio's captioned: ' I think she liked it.'

The Feud guest star previously dated Cherry Jones from 2004-2009 and was once engaged to playwright Tracy Letts.

Later on Saturday, the Golden Globe winner - who boasts 2M Twitter/Instagram followers - shared a snap from Northern Italian steakhouse Davio's captioned: ' I think she liked it'

'17 years in the making!' The Rebel in the Rye actress is in Pennsylvania shooting M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and Split 2019 sequel, Glass

The Rebel in the Rye actress is in Pennsylvania shooting M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and Split 2019 sequel - Glass - alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and James McAvoy.

Fans can catch more of Sarah as paranoid liberal New Yorker Ally Mayfair-Richards in the seventh season of American Horror Story: Cult, which airs Tuesdays on FX.

Meanwhile, Holland will reprise her role as neighbor Ida Silver in the 10-episode second season of the detective show Mr. Mercedes, which returns next year on the Audience network/AT&T.

'Winter of Our Discontent': Fans can catch more of Sarah as liberal New Yorker Ally Mayfair-Richards in the seventh season of American Horror Story: Cult, which airs Tuesdays on FX
Ewan McGregor 'is living apart from wife of 22-years Eve Mavrakis', with whom he shares four children.

McGregor, 46, separated from French production designer Eve, 51, in May, months before pictures of the actor 'kissing' Fargo co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a London restaurant emerged, People report.

The couple met on the set of court drama Kavanagh QC in 1995, shortly before the Scottish star's portrayal of heroin addict Mark Renton in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting won him international acclaim.

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Separated: Ewan McGregor, 46, reportedly separated from French production designer Eve in May, months before pictures of the actor kissing Fargo co-star Elisabeth Winstead in a London restaurant emerged (the couple are pictured in April)

Speaking to the Graham Norton show in 2012, McGregor admitted he had slept with 'many, many women' prior to meeting his wife.

He explained: I knew right then that I really wanted to be with her and I knew I wanted to be with her in a different way to all the other many, many, many women I had been with up until that point. And I wasnt wrong. I made the right choice.

The couple married in 1995 before relocating to Los Angeles, where they raised four daughters, including a child adopted from Mongolia.

Old times: The couple met on the set of court drama Kavanagh QC in 1995, shortly before the Scottish star's portrayal of hopeless junkie Mark Renton in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting won him international acclaim (pictured in 1998)

McGregor has always denied rumours of romantic attachments outside marriage.

In 2001, he dismissed talk of an affair with Nicole Kidman, his co-star on Moulin Rouge!

And in 2010, there were more unkind rumours of a relationship with French actress Melanie Laurent, his co-star on the film Beginners.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.

Hitting the red carpet: McGregor and Winstead, who filmed a racy nude love scene in a bath for their on-screen romance in the most recent series of the show, were reportedly seen at The Good Life Eatery in London's St. John's Wood

McGregor appears to be seen kissing his Fargo co-star Mary Elizabeth in images obtained by The Sun.

The pair, who filmed a racy nude love scene in a bath for their on-screen romance in the most recent series of the show, were reportedly seen getting close during a meeting at The Good Life Eatery in London's St. John's Wood.

The father-of-four closed his eyes as he leaned in to share the intimate moment with Mary, 32, as sources told the publication they were 'relaxed in each other's company'.

Co-stars: Married Ewan McGregor was said to be spotted kissing his Fargo co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead (pictured while filming Fargo in Canada), in images obtained by The Sun

Ewan smiled as Mary, who plays his sexy love interest Nikki Swango in the FX Network crime drama, took his face in both of her hands before going in for a kiss, in The Sun's images.

Sources revealed the father of four daughters didn't seem too worried about privacy as they dined together on the busy high street.

Onlookers told The Sun: 'Ewan and Mary Elizabeth were there together and seemed relaxed in each other's company. The cafe was really busy with people coming in and out the whole time...

'They were deep in conversation and were there together for more than an hour. As they left he got on to the back of Ewan's motorbike and they sped off together'.

Married: Ewan wed Eve 22 years ago (pictured at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2003)

Ewan and Mary's sighting comes four months after Mary split from her husband of seven years, Riley Stearns.

Sharing a photo of her kissing her Texan film director ex on the cheek on Instagram in May, the actress wrote in the caption: 'We've decided to move on from our marriage, but we will stay best friends and collaborators for all our days.'

'We are still ride or die, just in a different way now. I love you always, Riley.'

'Sitting here with my best friend who I love with all my heart. We have spent our lives together and it has been full of joy and warmth every day.'

Meanwhile, Riley, who Mary met aged 18 on an ocean cruise, shared the same photo on his Instagram with an equally touching tribute which said: 'I'll always love you, Mary.'

Ewan and Mary's smooch comes four months after Mary, 32, split from her husband of seven years, Riley Stearns (both pictured)

Trainspotting star Ewan plays two brothers, Emmit and Ray Stussey in the latest series of Fargo.

The latter falls in love with Nikki before they plot to take revenge on his wealthy businessman brother.

The first episode of the third series, which aired in April, sees the loved-up duo Nikki and Ray kissing and cuddling while naked in a bath together.
They are sisters who both have their fair share of the limelight and good genes.

And Lauryn Goodman upped the style stakes in her racy ensemble when she joined her equally glamorous sibling Chloe on a night out in Birmingham on Sunday.

The beauty blogger, 26, flaunted her eye-popping cleavage in a sexy fishnet crop top while her younger sister, 24, left little to the imagination in nipple-flashing lingerie.

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No sibling rivalry here! Lauryn (R) flaunted her eye-popping cleavage in a fishnet crop top as her sister Chloe wore nipple-flashing lingerie on a Birmingham night out on Sunday

Lauryn also put her incredible abs on display as she slipped her hourglass figure into form-fitting trousers which caught the eye with its kooky scarlet and black pattern.

As a beauty blogger, it is no surprise she worked her magic on her features with heavy eye make-up for the most dramatic effect.

The blonde swept her golden tresses into a bun, letting wisps of her glossy locks fall from the grip to frame her pretty face.

What a Good(man) figure! Lauryn also put her abs on display as she slipped her hourglass figure into form-fitting trousers which caught the eye with its kooky scarlet and black pattern

Good(man) gene face off: Ex On The Beach Chloe (L) dared to rival her sister's sexy ensemble in a raunchy semi-sheer lace top, barely covering her modesty

Ex On The Beach star Chloe dared to rival her sister's sexy ensemble in a raunchy semi-sheer lace top which barely covered her modesty.

Letting her brunette hair down for the night out, the reality star wore a slick of scarlet lipstick and thick mascara to highlight her model looks and Goodman genes.

Showing off some serious skin, the television sensation slipped her slim physique into distressed black jeans.

Beauty queen! As a beauty blogger, it is no surprise she worked her magic on her features with heavy eye make-up for the most dramatic effect

The pair couldn't stop smiling in each other's charming company, proving there was no sibling rivalry.

No doubt the sisters were missing their third younger sibling Amelia, 18, when they hit the town for their girls' night.

It is in the Goodman genes to chase a career in the limelight, with both Chloe and Lauryn choosing to carve careers in showbiz.

Unconditional love: The pair couldn't stop smiling in each other's charming company, proving there was no sibling rivalry

The eldest sister, who has been a Page 3 model, led the way when she starred on the first series of MTV's Ex On The Beach in 2014.

After her first taste for fame, she hit the small screens once again but this time on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015.

The reality star later made her television comeback in 2016 when she appeared on the All Stars edition of the show that made her famous.

Inseparable: No doubt the sisters were missing their third younger sibling Amelia, 18, when they hit the town for their girls' night
It was the high-profile marriage split that made headlines across Australia.

And now, Cassandra Thorburn is finally breaking her silence about how she coped after her marriage to Today host Karl Stefanovic, 43, collapsed after 21 years together.

Speaking to Woman's Day magazine, the 46-year-old revealed she 'was in a very dark place' when the relationship fell apart.

Likening the break-up to experiencing the death of a family member, she admitted she will never have an amicable friendship with her ex.

Breaking her silence: Speaking to this week's Woman's Day magazine Cassandra Thorburn (pictured) said she experienced 'very dark days' following her split with Today host Karl Stefanovic after 21 years

'The children still have a father but I don't have a husband. He really is dead to me and no, we won't ever be friends again,' she said.

Following their breakup, Cassandra said she was left in shock, falling in a 'heap' when the couple's children, Jackson, 18, Ava, 12, and River, 10, would go to school.

'There were days in the beginning I would get up, put on a brave face and drop the kids at school, then I'd get to the back door and I would lie in a heap for the rest of the day unable to move - there were very dark days,' she told the magazine.

'I was completely gazumped when I realised Karl had gone.'

The mother-of-three added that she had relied on her friends for support in the wake of the split, but there were still elements of her former life she couldn't bring herself to face - like the former's couple's marital bed.

'I was completely gazumped when I realised Karl had gone': Cassandra also admitted she couldn't face sleeping in her and Karl's (left) former marital bed for months

'I would lie in a heap for the rest of the day unable to move': Cassandra broke her silence about how tough it was after Karl left

'I slept on the couch in front of the fire for months because I didn't want to go near the marital bed. I was in a very dark place,' Cassandra confessed.

Since the split, Karl was quick to move on and started a relationship with 33-year-old shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough.

According to the magazine, Cassandra and Karl's children are yet to meet their father's new flame despite the couple living just a suburb away.

New flame: Since the split, Karl has started a relationship with Jasmine Yarbrough (left)

Not playing step-mum? Reportedly Karl's three children are yet to meet Jasmine

Cassandra said it was thinking of her kids' well being that pushed her to move forward with her life.

She recalled that her eldest son Jackson took the marriage breakdown particularly hard, refusing to leave their Lindfield family home for their new $8 million Cremorne mansion.

Instead, he slept on the floor of his former bedroom while his mother and siblings set up in the new home, despite all the furniture being already removed from the family's former abode.

Despite the turmoil of the relationship breakdown, Cass admitted she was now feeling stronger than ever and was prioritising the happiness of her children above all but was open to meet someone new if the opportunity arose.

New life: Cassandra recalled that her eldest son Jackson, 18, refused to leave their Lindfield family home for their new $8 million Cremorne mansion (pictured)

'He really is dead to me': Cassandra likened the split to a death in the family and vowed she would never be friends with her ex
Reid Perry took a break from his sold-out shows to undergo an emergency surgery in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

The 28-year-old bass player for famed country music group The Band Perry shared a series of videos on his Instagram account detailing his quick stop in the emergency room at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for an appendectomy surgery.

He took to social media to document the trip to the hospital where he underwent surgery on his appendix.

Feeling better: Reid Perry took a break from his sold-out shows to undergo an emergency surgery in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, according to PEOPLE magazine

The 28-year-old bass player for famed country music group The Band Perry shared a series of videos on his Instagram account detailing his quick stop in the emergency room at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for an appendectomy surgery; seen in concert in July

The first in a series of images showed him arriving at the UCLA Emergency Department in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.

'Kind of a bad time for this to happen right now,' the bassist wrote over the image of a UCLA sign, with the word emergency circled in black.

Hours later, the musician returned to his Instagram account for various snaps in what appeared to be a hospital room.

Dressed in a baby blue surgical gown, Reid joked with his followers that he was going to 'cop a few of these', referring to taking a few of his comfortable nighties home with him.

Various captions and arrows splattered the Instagram story where Perry posed with his arm above his head, seemingly in brighter spirits.

Perfect patient: He took to social media to document the trip to the hospital where he underwent surgery on his appendix

'I keep thinking about that opening scene from TWD,' Perry wrote at the top of the photo, referring to the somewhat gruesome scenes from the zombie-filled show The Walking Dead.

Another caption blasted across the top in white writing said, 'getting bored while going crazy.'

He ended the series of his hospital posts with a video of himself cutting off his hospital bandages with a knife and the word 'discharged' written across the middle in black lettering.

Quick healer: He ended the series of his hospital posts with a video of himself cutting off his hospital bandages with a knife

Ready to go home! the word 'discharged' was written across the middle of his Instagram story in black lettering

Neil Perry - Reid's brother and bandmate- shared a message on Instagram about the emergency surgery, with a caption saying that he was 'so thankful that my brother is feeling better today after a mild health scare.

'Family is the most important thing in this world. and i cant say enough about how much i respect and look up to my big brother. hes the strongest person i kno,' Neil wrote.

The Band Perry - which includes Reid and Neil's 34-year-old sister Kimberly- rose to fame in 2010 with their stellar breakout ballad, If I Die Young.

They've released two albums and took home the Best Country Duo/Group Performance Grammy for Gentle on My Mind in 2015.

Brothers and sister! The Band Perry - which includes Reid and Neil's 34-year-old sister Kimberly- rose to fame in 2010 with their stellar breakout ballad, If I Die Young; seen at the SiriusXM studios in March 2017
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he thought the appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador was "a bad April Fool's joke"

The appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization is "absolutely unacceptable" and "ridiculous," Canada's premier said Saturday.

"When I heard of Robert Mugabe's appointment... quite frankly, I thought it was a bad April Fool's joke," Justin Trudeau said during a press briefing.

"It is absolutely unacceptable and inconceivable this individual would have a role as a goodwill ambassador for any organization, much less the World Health Organization," Trudeau said.

The foreign ministry later called for the appointment to be "rescinded without delay."

"Given the serious human rights abuses under Mugabe's regime, such an appointment is inconceivable and unacceptable," a statement read.

"It goes against the goals of protecting the world's most vulnerable populations."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the UN health agency, this week asked Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The decision triggered confusion and anger among key WHO member states and activists who noted that Zimbabwe's health care system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's regime.

Faced with a wage of criticism over the appointment, Ghebreyesus said Saturday that he was "rethinking" his decision.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is greeted as he arrives at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh on October 21, 2017

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Iran's rising influence in the Middle East is also expected to figure high on the agenda of America's top diplomat during talks in the two capitals.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

- 'Unwillingness to engage' -

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."

Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is leading a top-level ministerial delegation at the meeting, in a sign of warming ties as Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia seeks to counter Tehran's influence in Shiite-majority Iraq.

On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

After holding a working dinner with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday night, Tillerson was scheduled to meet other Saudi leaders Sunday before heading for Doha.

Simon Henderson, a veteran of the region now at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, said the disputing parties do not want to lose face.

"Tillerson will say: 'Come on kids, grow up and wind down your absurd demands. And let's work on a compromise on your basic differences'," he said.

Kuwait has tried to serve at a mediator, with US support, but the parties have yet to sit down face-to-face.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India.

Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.
A picture taken from Raqa's clock tower shows heavily damaged buildings on October 21, 2017, after US-backed forces expelled the Islamic State (IS) group from the city

"Special operations by the Caliphate's soldiers!" boasts a torn, blood-stained pamphlet at a bombed-out media kiosk in Syria's Raqa, a symbol of the Islamic State group's once fearsome propaganda machine.

As well as serving as the Syrian capital of IS's "caliphate," Raqa was the beating heart of much of its media output and was painstakingly portrayed as a jihadist paradise where Islamic law had finally been applied.

But since a US-backed offensive brought IS's three-year reign over the city to an end, the backbone of the jihadists' macabre marketing now lies in ruins.

Scattered across Raqa are bluish-grey cement kiosks labelled "media points," where IS members would distribute printed publications on everything from their military conquests in Syria and Iraq, to guidelines for fasting and rules on women's wear.

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces stands guard on a rooftop in Raqa on October 20, 2017 after the city's capture from the Islamic State group

One such kiosk stands in Raqa's central Clock Tower Square, just next to what appears to be an outdoor viewing lounge under a slanted roof missing half of its bricks.

Six dusty rows of alternating green and red cushioned seats face a metal stand where a television should have been. A flat screen TV lay smashed on the ground nearby.

"Daesh (IS) used to broadcast their productions here for residents to watch -- footage of their battles, punishments, and anasheeds (Islamic hymns)," said Shoresh al-Raqqawi, a 25-year-old Raqa native and Syrian Democratic Forces fighter.

The SDF ousted the last remaining IS fighters from Raqa on Tuesday and while most of the forces had withdrawn, Raqqawi stayed behind as part of a small unit helping to clear rubble from streets and remove mines.

The only sign of movement on Saturday in the heavily-damaged neighbourhoods around Raqa's famous clock tower was by bulldozers and a handful of white SDF pickup trucks.

Raqqawi recounted how IS members working at the kiosk would stop young men with cell phones and erase the songs on their devices, replacing them with Islamic anasheeds.

"Daesh also used to bring young children here, give them sweets, potato chips, and biscuits, and make them watch the videos and listen to their songs," he added.

- Behemoth administration -

For years, IS has operated a sophisticated and multilingual media machine, complete with online magazines, radio broadcasts, and social media campaigns highlighting its military prowess and gruesome tactics.

It often used minors in its propaganda output to ratchet up the shock factor, boasting of child soldiers that it called "Cubs of the Caliphate."

While IS media continue to operate from elsewhere following Raqa's fall, there has been a shift in tone, with the narrative nostalgically recalling the caliphate.

On Saturday the names and logos of IS's many outlets could be seen emblazoned on a tattered, greyish banner near the media kiosk in Clock Tower Square: Al-Bayan Radio, Al-Hayat, Al-Furqan, and Al-Naba pamphlet.

The group used the channels to publish grisly footage online of the punishment and even execution of alleged opponents, including Western hostages or those accused of being spies.

But while most of the world could look away, Raqqawi and fellow SDF fighter Khalid Abu Walid were often forced to watch these practices live.

"They would whip and hit people so hard," said Abu Walid, 21, telling AFP how shops and streets in the roundabout would shutter and residents would gather around to watch whatever punishment was being doled out.

"All roundabouts in Raqa had media points like this," Abu Walid said.

Torn IS papers can be found on almost every damaged Raqa street, providing clues to the behemoth administration that the jihadist organisation once ran there.

One dusty card features a table recording the number of times its owner received zakat, or charitable offers, from others.

Another document details the handover of the hisba -- or police office -- from one manager to another.

On Saturday, a unit of foreign intelligence officers dressed in military gear and thick neon orange gloves could be seen inspecting a home near Raqa's infamous Al-Naim roundabout.

"They are searching suspected IS headquarters, which they heard about from residents who escaped the city," an SDF fighter accompanying them said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

"They are looking for bodies, identification cards, and other intelligence."
US and Afghan forces -- shown on a military exercise here -- have stepped up their own offensives against insurgents in Afghanistan

A spate of deadly Taliban attacks targeting Afghan forces this week was a show of strength against Donald Trump's new strategy, and signalled a push to strike security bases rather than cities, analysts said.

In three of the four ambushes since Tuesday, militants used bomb-laden Humvees to blast their way into targets, seeking to demoralise war-weary security forces, and steal weapons and vehicles to fuel their insurgency.

It marks a change in focus from recent years when the Taliban fought to control and hold provincial capitals, such as the northern city of Kunduz, which briefly fell to the militants twice in the past 24 months.

"(The Taliban) want to be showing their potency after the summer unveiling of the Trump policy of staying on with larger forces," said Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

"They haven't tried to hold provincial capitals... they are not wasting their assets on that."

Militants have launched several devastating assaults on security forces already this year, including an attack on a base in northern Mazar-i-Sharif in the spring in which at least 144 people were killed.

But this week stands apart for the number of attacks on security forces in such a short time -- five in as many days with around 150 military, police and civilians killed -- and coming after the US and Afghan forces have stepped up their own offensives.

Two separate attacks on mosques -- one of which was claimed by the Islamic State group -- took the overall death toll to around 200 for the week.

In August, Trump announced that American forces would stay in Afghanistan indefinitely, increasing attacks on insurgents and deploying more troops.

Following his announcement the US has dramatically ramped up airstrikes, with more bombs and missiles dropped in September than in any month since October 2010.

A recent flurry of drone strikes in the lawless region near the border with Pakistan's tribal areas has also seen dozens of militants killed.

This week's attacks are the Taliban's response, a spokesman told AFP, calling it "a clear message... The enemy who thought they had scared us with the new Trump strategy have now been given a lesson".

The attacks also came after talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China at the start of the week seeking ways to end the Taliban's 16-year insurgency.

"I think the Taliban wanted to send a very strong message that it prefers to fight rather than talk and that it has the ability to fight very well," said analyst Michael Kugelman, of the Wilson Center in Washington.

- Loss of morale -

The message has proved devastating: hundreds killed and wounded over a bloody few days that left military bases and police headquarters destroyed or severely damaged.

Afghan security personnel patrol near the site of a suicide bomb attack near a military academy base in Kabul on October 21, 2017

The deadliest attack was on a police compound in the city of Gardez, where Taliban militants detonated three explosive-packed vehicles including a Humvee. At least 60 people were killed in the blasts and ensuing battle, officials said.

The militants also attacked a police headquarters in Ghazni twice, and detonated a suicide bomb on Afghan police trainees in Kabul that killed 15.

Attacking security targets kills three birds with one stone: it allows the Taliban to deflect criticism over civilian casualties, devastate Afghan forces, and steal equipment.

The Taliban has acquired "dozens" of armoured Humvees and pickup trucks in recent years, defence ministry deputy spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP.

"The Humvees and other military vehicles are stronger than ordinary ones and you can load a lot of explosives in it," General Abdul Wahid Taqat, a former intelligence chief, told AFP.

"I would think that could be pretty demoralising for Afghan forces knowing that their own weaponry is being used against them by the enemy," Kugelman said.

Such erosion of morale can be lethal, as officials have previously pointed out.

Afghan forces, already beset by desertions and corruption, have seen casualties soar to what a US watchdog has described as "shockingly high" levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014.

Morale is further eroded by long-running fears the militants have insider help -- everything from insurgents in the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban, said retired Afghan army general Atiqullah Amarkhail.

- 'Offensive mode' -

The question of how to ward off such guerilla attacks is one that officials have not yet been able to fully answer.

One security source who spoke anonymously to AFP said areas patrolled by police at night are safer than places the army is deployed.

One security source who spoke anonymously to AFP said Afghan forces should "come out of their bases and choose offensive mode", warning that areas patrolled by police at night are safer than places the army is deployed.

Felbab-Brown said strengthening checkpoints and improved information sharing would also help.

For Kandahar's police chief General Abdul Raziq, more and faster airstrikes would put a quick end to hours-long assaults such as the one in Gardez this week.

"The Afghan air force should be equipped as soon as possible," he said.

Raziq said the week's attacks were not a response to Trump but the militants lashing out after failing to achieve their goals during the summer fighting season.

The Taliban have already threatened more attacks, and Raziq called for swift action.

"Instead of being concerned, we have to take necessary measures," he warned.
A red-armbanded volunteer for security procedure keeps an eye out for trouble along the road during the Communist Party's 19th Congress in Beijing

While Chinese President Xi Jinping and his cohorts chart the nation's future at their leadership conclave in Beijing, his citizen army of red-armbanded foot soldiers are keeping an eye out for trouble outside.

Stationed on street corners, in front of shops and outside bars, civilians with armbands labelled "Public Security Volunteer" have deployed across the capital as the Communist Party holds its crucial five-yearly gathering.

The formalised neighbourhood watch patrols come out in full force during special events like the congress, which is being held mostly behind closed doors and will likely hand Xi a second five-year term when it ends on Tuesday.

The civilians are just one piece of the comprehensive security apparatus for the conclave: from black-uniformed guards who stand sentry on pavements to identification checks at subway stations.

While they see themselves as providers of a public service, their presence is a reminder of the scrutiny that the Communist authorities maintain over citizens.

The Great Hall Of The People during the Communist Party's 19th Congress in Beijing on October 21, 2017

"We're in the business of improving people's quality of life," said Ma Shuying, a 60-year-old party member who was patrolling the area underneath a bridge in Beijing's city centre.

Ma arrived at her spot at 7:00 am on the opening day of the congress on Wednesday, ready to look out for trouble. In her 17 years as a member of the patrol, Ma has witnessed few incidents, she said, because "Beijing is so safe."

"We're more here to give community members a sense of security," she beamed, undeterred by the grey smog and light rain.

"People see us and feel that they're being taken care of. And when government officials see us during important political events, they know that we're supporting their work."

- Dama duties -

There are 850,000 registered public security volunteers in Beijing, the city announced this summer, organising under neighbourhood tags like the "Fengtai Persuaders," the "Chaoyang Masses" and the "Xicheng Dama."

(In Chinese, "dama" is a colloquial term used to describe rambunctious elderly women who congregate in loud groups, dance in public squares and mind other people's business.)

A Chinese volunteer shows the way to access Tiananmen square during the Communist Party's 19th Congress in Beijing on October 21, 2017

Despite their striking "volunteer" armbands, many of the patrollers approached by AFP appeared not to be serving the people for free.

One middle-aged woman standing outside a subway station looked up from her phone long enough to say that it was "company policy" not to speak to reporters.

Another two armband-wearers who were helping to direct traffic in a busy commercial district appeared bewildered when asked whether they were volunteers.

"We're working," said a woman who looked harried as she pointed a driver to a parallel parking spot. "They just gave us these armbands to wear."

Even Ma, who also handles Communist Party affairs on her neighbourhood committee, earns 3,000 yuan ($450) a month for performing her duties.

These range from telling people about their retirement benefits to helping them rid their homes of mice.

"All my neighbours know me," she said. "It gives me a warm feeling inside."

Several other volunteers declined to be interviewed, either because they were "on duty" or were concerned that a foreign journalist would not lend "positive energy" to their vocation.

- 'Hope for our country' -

Some of the neighbourhood patrollers were truly volunteers, claiming no benefits other than the joys of the job.

Standing outside a shopping centre, a 68-year-old who only gave his surname, Ren, complained about the air pollution.

While major political events in Beijing generally enjoy blue skies brought on by government-ordered factory shutdowns, the party congress has faced rainy weather and grey air.

There are 850,000 registered public security volunteers in Beijing, the city announced this summer

Ren's daughter lives in Vancouver, Canada, where the air is much better, he said. But he doesn't plan on moving there.

"My whole life is in China," he said.

Ren started volunteering during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His main duty, he said, has been giving tourists directions.

Like many volunteers, he was impressed by Xi's lengthy opening speech on Wednesday.

"The problem of corruption has not entirely been solved, but the general mood is different," Ren said. "In the past, whenever you went to the supermarket during holidays you would see officials splurging, and everyone knew they were spending public funds."

Ma proudly remarked that Xi's anti-graft campaign was going strong even in her small neighbourhood office, where she isn't allowed to use the computers to shop online or play video games.

"Because of the president's efforts against corruption, there is hope for our party and there is hope for our country," she said.

Yang Zhiling, 69, who was collecting rubbish around a bike rack, said she was inspired by Xi's stamina.

"President Xi remained standing for a whole three and a half hours! It's too excellent!" Yang said. "What we do is very insignificant compared to that."
UN peacekeeprs count trucks passing along "the corridor", the only supply road to Bangui, the isolated capital in the heart of the Central African Republic

"Finally in Bangui, and without incident," said Evelin Bokassa, a truck driver from the Central African Republic (CAR) who has just arrived in the landlocked capital city after completing a treacherous five-day journey from the west coast of Cameroon.

He has driven along what's known as "the corridor" -- winding, dangerous roads, full of bandits and thieves, that act as the main supply route to Bangui, on the southeastern side of the country.

Years of neglect have left many of the roads in ruins and outbreaks of inter-communal violence between different ethnic and religious communities have made the route even more perilous.

"You arrive at a checkpoint, you need 2,000 to 3,000 CFA francs (3 to 4.50 euros, $3.60 to $5.40) Why? We do not understand. It is harassment!" said Bokassa, whose surname he shares with Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a military dictator who ruthlessly ruled CAR for 13 years.

Evelin started this most recent journey in the coastal city of Douala, the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon.

Transporting 30 tonnes of goods, including palm oil, sacks of grain and five goats along the 1,500- kilometre (930-mile) route, he slaloms between potholes and past the hulks of overturned, rusting trucks, long since abandoned.

With no bus service, about 20 passengers have also paid 5,000 francs (seven euros) for the privilege of travelling on top of the goods in the truck to reach Bangui -- their T-shirts and hats reddened by dust kicked up from the road.

UN peacekeepers escort convoys transporting vital aid and food into the Central African Republic

Two UN vehicles -- one at the front, the other at the back -- guard a convoy of vehicles as the trucks make their way along unkept, bendy roads.

For years now, UN peacekeepers in military vehicles have been escorting convoys transporting vital aid and food into CAR, as many drivers are reluctant to cross the border due to the instability.

Only trucks carrying UN goods will be guarded if they break down, but most of the dozens of trucks making the journey are carrying a mix of commercial goods.

The drivers know that if they get into problems, they are on their own.

- Hoping for protection -

"I'm stuck," said Idriss, a 27 year old Cameroonian driver, whose truck broke down close to the town of Bossembele, on the main road between Cameroon and Bangui.

Passengers sit in an open truck as they travel along "the corridor", the only supply road to Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic

"I'm afraid that villagers will arrive with weapons and threaten me," he said while leaning against his vehicle, complaining that even if UN forces see him, they might not stop.

It is 6:00 pm and soon night will fall -- meaning the risk of robbers grows.

After some time UN peacekeepers from the Bangladeshi contingent of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission (MINUSCA) arrive in an armoured vehicle and assess the broken-down truck.

Idriss is lucky because his trailer is stamped "UN", so they will guard him overnight until a tow arrives -- albeit in silence, as they don't share a common language to communicate.

Further along the route, in a ditch on the side of the road, villagers armed with shotguns and machetes have surrounded another broken-down truck.

"They are there to offer to protect the vehicle," said Evelin as he drove past the truck.

"But the same villagers will return to steal his goods if the driver refuses to pay them 10,000 to 15,000 francs (15 to 23 euros)."

- Taxes -

It's common to see the wreckage of trucks along the dangerous road from Bouar to Bangui, in the Central African Republic

The truck drivers often complain about having to pay bribes.

In Beloko, in CAR next to the Cameroon border, an armed group called the FDPC (the Democratic Front of the Central African People) has blocked the road with a barricade and demands a "tax" from each truck driver while UN peacekeepers look on.

The FDPC is one of a number of armed groups that has fought the Central African Republic government and also other rebel groups in the former French colony over the last decade.

"It's 2,000 francs or they kill you," said Thierry, a CAR driver.

In another town, Binenge, local villagers have also constructed a small wooden barrier to block the road, demanding drivers pay 1,000 francs to pass.

Locals also help rebuild the road with earth that loosens when rain falls.

"We don't want an accident," smiled one of the workers, who knows that keeping the road intact is good for business.

As Evelin travels towards the CAR capital, one section of the journey is particularly bumpy and the most painful.

For 60-kilometres, the road is unpaved and some trucks get stuck in the mud -- causing the rest of the traffic to slow down.

Passengers hitch rides on trucks as they speed along the roads in the Central African Republic, sometimes under UN protection

As his truck arrives in Bangui, Evelin explains that "we are lucky" as heavy rainfall can lead to trucks not moving for days.

"I've been doing this for 12 years. I want to do something else," he said.

In a few days time, he will embark on the same journey again, back to Cameroon, only this time the trip could last longer than five days.

"Why don't I go to work in Europe?" he pondered.

"It seems the roads are all beautiful there, right?"
Police initially said the hair-chopping incidents in Kashmir were self-inflicted. Now they are offering a 600,000 rupee ($9,250) reward for information leading to the capture of suspects

A wave of brutal, deadly panic has swept Indian-administered Kashmir after more than 100 women said they were victims of attackers who chopped off their hair.

Despite suggestions the cases may have been fabricated or fuelled by hysteria, the consequences have been all too real.

One 70-year-old man has been killed by vigilantes since the alleged incidents started a month ago, and there are near-daily reports of groups attacking suspected so-called "braid-choppers".

Authorities have avoided confirming or denying the accounts of women from across the Himalayan region, which bears deep mental scars from a decades-old uprising against Indian rule.

Groups armed with iron rods and knives patrol the capital Srinagar and other towns after dark looking for suspects.

Five people were wounded Wednesday when Indian soldiers opened fire on a stone-throwing crowd who thought troops were protecting a braid-chopper.

On Friday, police said they rescued a "mentally challenged" man accused by a mob that was trying to set him ablaze and run him over with a tractor. At least a dozen police and soldiers have been beaten up.

Despite suggestions the cases may have been fabricated or fuelled by hysteria, the consequences have been all too real

Police initially said the hair-chopping was self-inflicted. Now they are offering a 600,000 rupee ($9,250) reward for information leading to the capture of suspects, but they also want the victims to take lie-detector tests.

In Muslim-majority Kashmir most women have long hair kept under a scarf when in public.

The details of the alleged attacks are often mysterious and difficult to verify, while witnesses are hard to find.

Tasleema told how she was going to fetch vegetables in storage when she was attacked.

Her husband, Mohammad Rauf Wani, heard a scream and found his wife unconscious on the floor with six inches of her hair spread out next to her.

"I don't understand how it happened," Wani told AFP, holding his wife's severed braid.

"Just as I turned after opening the door someone tried to strangle me from behind. I saw his face covered by a black mask, I saw his eyes. Then I don't know what happened," Tasleema told AFP.

- Void increases panic -

Most of the women were alone and have told relatives they suspect a spray was used to knock them unconscious before their braids were cut. Most were under 18 and come from poor families, according to police.

In a region where any incident can become highly politicised, the vigilantes have seized on the void created by the lack of an official explanation or the arrest of suspects.

Videos of angry relatives accusing police and soldiers while brandishing cut braids have been widely shared on social media.

Most of the women were alone and have told relatives they suspect a spray was used to knock them unconscious before their braids were cut. Most were under 18 and come from poor families, according to police

Doctors at Kashmir's only psychiatric hospital said they have not been called in to study the cases.

"Some people are making it out as mass hysteria, but in my experience, given the manner in which it is happening I don't think this is so," said Mohammad Maqbool Dar, head of psychiatry at Srinagar's government medical college.

He said it was possible there were "odd cases" of hysteria.

Some separatist leaders and residents have accused "government agents" of staging the attacks to spread fear and divert attention from the campaign for an independent Kashmir or merger with Pakistan.

Senior police worry that the hair-chopping allegations could cause wider unrest in the region, which is suffering deep trauma from the separatist insurgency and the Indian counter-insurgency campaign that have left tens of thousands dead.

According to a 2015 study by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) group, about 1.8 million adults -- 45 percent of Kashmir's adult population, and mostly women -- suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.

Outside Tasleema's house, scores of residents protested, shouting anti-government and anti-police slogans after news spread of her braid-chopping.

Some residents accuse police of staging hair-chopping as psychological operations -- or "psy-ops" -- to prevent political protests.

"We have so much human intelligence that I don't need any psy-ops," Kashmir's inspector general of police, Munir Ahmed Khan, told AFP.

In Muslim-majority Kashmir most women have long hair kept under a scarf when in public

Similar braid-cutting assaults were reported in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and around New Delhi in July. Authorities there treated the incidents as crimes but brought in psychiatrists as well to investigate.

"Here the situation is different," police chief Khan said. "There are forces who will exploit it (braid-chopping) to the hilt. Pakistan will use this situation, that is my worry," Khan said.

The under-pressure Kashmir government says only that the "motives behind these attacks" are being investigated.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in recent Twitter comments that braid-chopping was an attempt "to create mass hysteria and undermine the dignity of the women in the state."
Kelly Chuunga, whose wife died after giving birth in Lusaka six months prior, poses with his twins Karen and Kelly junior at their grandmother's house in Lusaka on September 22, 2017

The birthday of twins Karen and Kelly Junior will always be tinged by sadness as it also marks the day their mother died in childbirth -- a tragic occurrence of increasing public debate in Zambia.

Their mother, Karen Kalengele, 33, was admitted to the Medcross hospital in Lusaka, one of the country's most prestigious private medical facilities, on March 18 to give birth.

Her labour was slow and, as she was expecting twins, doctors chose to perform a Caesarean section.

It was apparently successful but, soon after the birth, her husband Kelly Chuunga, 45, was informed of her death.

"We were with my sisters in a room where the babies had been brought and we were busy taking pictures while my wife was dying on the operating table," Chuunga, a finance manager, told AFP.

For any explanation, he relies on a death certificate that concludes his wife succumbed to a pulmonary embolism -- a sudden blockage of an artery in the lungs.

"I don't know whether it was negligence or it was an accident. It has left me with a lot of questions I don't have answers to," he said, adding he didn't want to pursue a legal case against the hospital.

No-one at Medcross was reachable for comment when contacted by AFP.

A picture shows a general view of the University Teaching Hospital on September 21, 2017 in Lusaka, Zambia

The reluctance to discuss or complain about cases of maternal death in Zambia has been challenged recently by the death of 29-year-old journalist Sithembile Zulu, who worked for the government-run Daily Mail.

She died in September after giving birth to a girl in Lusaka, prompting an outcry in the media and triggering widespread demands for better understanding of maternal deaths.

Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya ordered an investigation into the case, saying he was "deeply shocked by the turn of events... every death of a mother is one death too many."

- Looking for answers -

The risks of childbirth are higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other part of the world, with 547 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the United Nations.

But Zambia is far from the worst nation affected, with 224 deaths per 100,000 births -- compared to 1,360 in Sierra Leone and 814 in west African powerhouse Nigeria.

"The maternal mortality rate in Zambia is still very high, though we have managed to reduce it," said gynaecologist Samson Chisele, vice president of the Medical Association of Zambia.

"We are implementing action to try to get it to less than 100 per 100,000 by 2021."

But such efforts will be a struggle in a country where 60 percent of the population live below the poverty line and the public healthcare system is dire.

"Maternal deaths in Zambia are a result of delays -- delays going to the health facility, delay to reach the facility and delay at the facility," Chisele said.

A picture shows a general view of the University Teaching Hospital on September 21, 2017 in Lusaka, Zambia

Some locals now hope that more public discussion about mothers dying in childbirth will force the government to improve healthcare in Zambia, which has major copper resources and an economy growing at four percent a year.

One fierce voice of defiance who is calling for change is Sandra Phiri, who lost her cousin Felicia Zulu in childbirth two years ago.

Zulu, 33, died at the country's biggest health centre, the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, one week after giving birth to a baby who passed away soon after birth.

A spokeswoman for UTH declined to comment on the case when contacted by AFP, but Phiri has no qualms about demanding answers from the medical authorities.

"After the baby died, they could have at least saved her life," she said.

Still deep in grief, Kelly Chuunga tries to remain positive.

"I will not go to court," he said. "The babies are fine and they are being looked after by my in-laws to whom I am very much indebted."
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak at Deep from the Heart: The One America Appeal Concert at Reed Arena, College Station, Texas on Saturday, October 21st, 2017.

All five of America's living former presidents took the stage Saturday at a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern United States and Caribbean.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared together onstage at Texas A&M , praising Americans for their willingness to help fellow citizens and urging them to do more.

The effort by the three Democrats and two Republicans has raised over $31 million from 80,000 donors for the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, George H.W. Bush's office said.

"All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up," Obama said.

"Let's all work together and make America still a greater volunteer nation," said Carter, making an apparent play on President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak at Deep from the Heart: The One America Appeal Concert at Reed Arena, College Station, Texas on Saturday, October 21st, 2017

The Georgia native said that Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit he's worked with for 36 years, would build 6,000 homes in hard-hit areas. It's raised $20 million of the $100 million sought, he said.

And "I too am here to urge you to give to this fine fund, and I want to thank all the volunteers," the younger Bush said.

"There's still work to do," Clinton said. "It can be a new beginning if we just do what we ought to do and prove that the heart of America, without race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems."

- 'We need each other' -

Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush both attended the event, as did vice president Dick Cheney, ex-secretary of state James A. Baker, Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert, announcing that she would make a $1 million donation and that a "mental health and emotional trauma surviving program" would be set up for hurricane survivors.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak at Deep from the Heart: The One America Appeal Concert at Reed Arena, College Station, Texas on Saturday, October 21st, 2017

"Pain is such an equalizer. And in a time of catastrophe, we all put our differences aside and we come together, 'cause we need each other, or we can't survive," she said.

Lee Greenwood opened the concert and served as master of ceremonies for the event, titled "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal," which also featured artists including The Gatlin Brothers, Yolanda Adams, Robert Earl Keen and Sam Moore.

Trump did not attend the concert, but praised the effort in a video message released earlier, terming it a "wonderful" and "vital effort."

"As we begin to rebuild, some of America's finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal," said Trump, whose administration's response to the heavy storm damage in Puerto Rico has drawn fire.

"Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance," he said.

Ticket-sale receipts were to benefit organizations in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
A Pakistani investigator inspects the scene of the attack on opposition politician Khawaja Izharul Hassan in Karachi in September

Pakistani paramilitary troops have killed eight militants from a group which tried to assassinate an opposition politician in Karachi, officials said Sunday.

The Pakistan Rangers staged a joint raid with counter-terrorism officers in the Raees Goth neighbourhood overnight after intelligence information about the presence of militants there, the Rangers' spokesman for Sindh province, Major Qambar Raza, told AFP.

"After an intense exchange of fire five terrorists were killed on the spot, while three others who were captured wounded later died in hospital," he said.

He said two militants whose identity has been established belonged to a newly formed group called Ansar-ul-Sharia which was involved in the attempt to assassinate opposition politician Khawaja Izharul Hassan from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in September.

Hassan was unhurt but the group killed a 10-year-old boy and a guard and wounded four others in the shootout last month.

Ansar-ul-Sharia chief Sheharyar-ud Din -- also known as Abdullah Hashmi -- was among those killed in the overnight raid, Raza said, describing him as the mastermind of the assassination bid.

A senior police official confirmed the raid and details.

Karachi, Pakistan's largest city with more than 14 million inhabitants and a major business and industrial hub, is rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.

A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
Israeli bride Morel Malcha walked down the aisle with Israeli Arab groom Mahmud Mansur in August 2014 to racist chants by extremists opposed to the marriage of a Jew and a Muslim

Israeli police detained 15 suspected Jewish extremists following an undercover investigation into a group accused of tracking down and threatening Arab men dating Jewish women, authorities said Sunday.

Among those arrested was Benzi Gopstein, a prominent leader of the Israeli extreme-right group Lehava.

Arrests and searches for evidence were carried out simultaneously at addresses in Jerusalem, northern and southern Israel and in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, police said.

"Fifteen suspects known to the police as active in the Lehava organisation were arrested or detained for questioning during the night as part of a police investigation on suspicion that they acted to locate and threaten (Arab) minority members with connections to Jewish young women or girls," a police statement said.

Five of the suspects were later taken for remand hearings, police said.

Speaking to reporters at his hearing at Jerusalem magistrates' court, Gopstein said he was arrested for telling a Jewish woman that she should not date an Arab man, insisting he did no wrong.

"Lehava operates within the limits of law only," he said. "It's all nonsense."

The court put Gopstein under house arrest, while the remand of two others was extended by two days.

The rest were allowed to return home, Haaretz newspaper said.

Lehava opposes inter-marriage. In August 2014, its activists staged a rally where racist slogans, including "Death to Arabs!", were shouted at the wedding near Tel Aviv of a Muslim man and Jewish woman.

Arabs account for some 17.5 percent of Israel's eight million population, and are descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land following the creation of Israel in 1948.

In April, six Israelis, including two soldiers, were arrested for alleged racist attacks against Arabs with knives and other weapons and charged with "terrorist" offences.

Police said they were influenced by a Lehava video.

Gopstein was also questioned by police in 2015 after he condoned torching churches in Israel, in accordance with a mediaeval Jewish commandment to destroy places of idol-worship.

The police statement said that the latest arrests were the result of an undercover investigation.

"It uncovered organised and pre-meditated activity believed to have been carried out by the suspects, known members of Lehava," it said.
Rescue workers carry a landslide victim away following the landslide at a construction site in Tanjung Bungah in the north of Penang.

Eleven people, mostly foreign workers, were killed in a landslide at a construction site on Malaysia's Penang Island, officials said Sunday, as anger mounted among residents at the accident.

Huge mounds of earth slipped off a hillside Saturday morning and buried the men as they worked on two apartment blocks of affordable housing on the island, which is popular with tourists.

Authorities initially said that 13 foreign workers and a Malaysian supervisor were trapped under the mud and rubble at the site in Tanjung Bungah, north of Penang's historic capital George Town.

But fire and rescue department official Ervin Galen Teruki was cited by state-run news agency Bernama Sunday as saying that the total number buried was 11, as three workers had escaped.

The three who escaped when the landslide hit were sent to hospital for treatment.

Seven bodies had been found late Sunday, including two Bangladeshis, two Indonesians, two from Myanmar and one that was unidentified, Teruki said.

Many migrant workers are employed in low-paying, physically-demanding industries such as construction in Malaysia.

The landslide has sparked anger in Penang, northwest Malaysia, where concern had been mounting about rapid construction on the island's hills that critics say degrades the environment and increases the risk of such accidents.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has pledged a state-level inquiry and said construction would be halted on the project until the probe was completed.

Penang Forum, a coalition of local civil society groups, said that it had repeatedly raised concerns about developments on the hills in the Tanjung Bungah area.

"The state tends to only listen to the developers. We need them to also listen to the average people here," forum spokesman Lim Mah Hui said.

Tanjung Bungah is home to beaches and hotels, and is popular with expatriate residents.
The October 14 explosion occurred at a junction in Hodan, a bustling commercial district of Mogadishu which has many shops, hotels and businesses in the northwest of the Somali capital

Last weekend's truck bombing in Mogadishu killed at least 358 people, making it the deadliest in Somalia's history, an attack that analysts say underscores the fragility of the internationally-backed government.

With Somalia's security forces disorganised and riddled with corruption, and deepening suspicion between central and regional governments, the October 14 blast highlights the al Qaeda-aligned Shabaab's ability to exploit state weakness and prosecute asymmetric war to deadly effect.

-- Shabaab gains? --

Militarily, the situation has been largely static in recent months.

Evicted from the capital in 2011, the Shabaab has maintained its control in many rural parts of central and southern Somalia. "There have been no recent strategic gains" on either side, says Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po in Paris -- neither for the Shabaab nor the Somali army, backed by African Union troops and an increasingly active US military.

"On the surface at least, what we see is stagnation," says Matt Bryden, founder of the Nairobi-based Sahan Research thinktank, who points out that the Shabaab has proven resilient, able to replace commanders and fighters killed by US air strikes.

Map locating the site of a huge truck bomb in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on October 14 which left at least 358 dead

The International Crisis Group (ICG), however, said Friday that Shabaab has recently regained control of several areas outside Mogadishu, including Barire, a strategically significant town on a major road 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the capital.

"Averting attacks in Mogadishu is ever harder when surrounding districts revert back to Shabaab control," the ICG says.

-- Weak security --

The Shabaab's intelligence network allows it to exploit flaws and weakness in the security apparatus.

For example, the recent Shabaab gains around Mogadishu were, the ICG says, permitted by the withdrawal of government forces in a row over unpaid salaries.

Attempts to establish new security checkpoints at the city's gateways have also been subverted, as happened last Saturday, when the truck, though packed with explosives, was waved through by officers.

"We know from past experience that they've been able to infiltrate security forces, or to put their own people in government uniforms," says Bryden.

Also significant: the bombing last weekend came days after both the country's defence minister and army chief resigned, without explanation. The simultaneous departure weakened President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a situation used by Shabaab to its advantage.

The site of the truck bomb explosion in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on October 14 that killed at least 358

"It is not that the Shabaab is very strong, it is that the others are really weak," Marchal says.

-- Fractured government --

Federalism in Somalia has existed on paper since 2004, but only began to take shape five years ago. There are now five federal regional states, not including Somaliland which claims independence and does not recognise the central government.

Relations between Mogadishu and the regions are fraught, as each struggles for a greater share of power and seeks foreign allies.

Security stakes are high because if the embryonic national army is only deployed in and around the capital, and the 22,000 AU troops secure outlying urban centres, then it is left to regional militias to fight the Shabaab in the bulk of the country.

Hundreds of people, chanting anti-violence slogans and wearing red or white bandanas in a show of grief, took to the streets of Mogadishu on October 18 to condemn the deadly attack that has shocked Somalians

Recently, the diplomatic crisis pitting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia against Qatar "has aggravated such friction", says ICG.

Some federal regional states have taken sides with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to the dismay of Mogadishu, which has sought to remain neutral in a bid to maintain the substantial it receives from both sides.

Marchal deplores the "chaos brought by the Gulf crisis, where any federal president, under the pretext of receiving funding, makes ill-judged foreign policy declarations."

-- What next? --

"Unless the government shifts its posture and engages with the federal member states so they become partners in fighting Shabaab, instead of trying to fight both Shabaab and the federal member states, I don't think we're going to see very much progress," says Bryden.

ICG says political opponents could seek to take advantage of the latest crisis to bring down the president. It urges him to "work quickly to improve relations with federal states" and resolve quarrels over distribution of resources. Otherwise, analysts warn, the only winner will be the Shabaab.
A fighter with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighting the Islamic State group uses binoculars in the village of Sabah al-Khayr in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor on February 21, 2017

A US-backed Arab-Kurd alliance announced on Sunday it had retaken one of Syria's largest oilfields from the Islamic State group in the east of country.

The Al-Omar oilfield in the province of Deir Ezzor produced 30,000 barrels per day before the start of Syria's conflict in 2011 and became a key source of income for the jihadists after they seized it in 2014.

US-led coalition air strikes destroyed the field in 2015, after the jihadists had reaped estimated oil sale revenues from it of between $1.7 million and $5.1 million a month, according to the coalition.

"The Syrian Democratic Forces seize the whole of the Al-Omar oilfield, the biggest field in Syria," the alliance said in a short statement.

It said regime forces stood three kilometres (less than two miles) away from the field.

The SDF and Russia-backed government forces are waging separate offensives against IS in the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor on Syria's eastern border with Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor relying of a network of sources inside Syria, said SDF fighters took control of Al-Omar three days after IS members retreated.

Its capture came after the jihadists led "a counterattack on regime positions near the field late Saturday, pushing them away from it," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Al-Omar lies on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, around 10 kilometres (six miles) east of the town of Mayadeen.

Government forces and their allies seized Mayadeen from IS last week in an advance whose target the Observatory said was to recapture Al-Omar.

On Sunday, the monitor said the SDF had also seized the Sayjan oilfield to the north of Al-Omar overnight.

Deir Ezzor province is rich with oil and gas fields that served as a key revenue stream for IS at the height of its power.

The SDF, which earlier this week forced IS from its former stronghold Raqa, has been fighting the jihadists on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

Syria's army is carrying out a separate operation mostly on the western bank of the river, including in the provincial capital Deir Ezzor city.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C-R) embraces Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (C-L) prior to a meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 22, 2017

Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson attended a landmark meeting Sunday between Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at upgrading strategic ties between the two countries and countering Iran's regional influence.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi King Salman held the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council that aims to boost cooperation after years of tensions.

Abadi hailed the meeting as an "important step toward enhancing relations", echoing similar comments from King Salman.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilise our countries," the Saudi monarch said.

"These attempts require our full attention."

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump.

Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq.

"This event highlights the strength and breadth as well as the great potential of the relations between your countries," Tillerson said, referring to the meeting.

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months.

After former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties.

Abadi's tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad on Saturday where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair, Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".
Sexual coercion at universities and high schools in Gabon has for decades fed the "kongossa", as the rumour mill is known in this central African state

In Gabon, they're called "sexually transmitted grades" -- when university teachers use the threat of giving low marks in order to coerce female students into providing sexual favours.

"He started coming on to me. I began refusing him, refusing and refusing... until the day when he gave me zero for my main piece of work," Melanie told AFP, speaking on condition of using a pseudonym.

Another student said that she was forced to switch courses after she rejected the advances of a teacher who had "made my life hell."

Like many people around the world, female students at Libreville's Omar Bongo university have followed the saga of sexual harassment surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

These young women may lack the media draw of glamorous actresses who are stepping into the TV lights -- but they have tales of male power and sexual intimidation that are hauntingly familiar.

Sexual coercion at university and high schools has for decades fed the "kongossa", as the rumour mill is known in this central African state.

But they rarely make the public eye.

Student leader Franck Matoundou said he had brought the problem of sexual predation to the attention of the educational authorities.

Responding to AFP, university administrative staff point to the difficulty of clearly proving cases of sexual harassment by teachers.

They also argue that students should lodge formal complaints through their department heads.

"If there is incontestable proof that a teacher is guilty, that person must answer for their actions," a spokesman for the ministry of higher education.

"If this really happens, it is unacceptable and the government condemns such behaviour," the official added.

Gabonese law provides for charges of sexual harassment by "any person occupying a hierarchical post" and President Ali Bongo himself has denounced a problem "that is growing in scale and which demotivates competent people."

Yet not a single teacher has been tried over the sex-for-grades bribery, according to official sources including the state prosecutor.

"I understand it if people don't dare to file a complaint," said a teacher, aware that students fear reprisals and complicity among educational staff.

- Gossip -

Valery Mimba, head of the Iberian Studies department, says the problem of sexual harassment "does exist," although hearsay and scandal-mongering make it hard to assess the scale of the phenomenon and deal with it.

"When you want to give better grades to certain students, people will immediately think they have slept with the teacher," he says.

Some academics also say the teaching staff are also exposed to sexual blackmail from students in exchange for good grades.

"Somebody offered to sleep with me to raise her average mark," a departmental head told AFP, asking not to be named.

Another teacher said he turned down a bribe of 150,000 CFA francs (about 230 euros / $270) from a student wanting to obtain a master's degree.

Stigma and taboo provide fertile grounds in which both sexual harassment and rumours thrive in Gabon's higher education.

Some activists are calling for a specialised channel to put in place that would help to break the silence and let victims speak out.

"Proposals from students are welcome," said the representative of the ministry of higher education, adding that the only reason for inaction has been the absence of tangible evidence.

Beyond the walls of the university campus, sexual pressure and taboo are entrenched in business and other parts of Gabonese life, notes Matandou critically.

"Using women is a way for a man to assert his virility and flaunt his social success," he says.

Even so, legal progress is being made -- and "women are more conscious of their rights" and fight for them, insists an expert who has closely followed the country's struggle with gender inequality.

A law on sexual harassment entered the statute books last year, the definition of adultery has been broadened to include men, criminal law has been changed to widen the definition of rape and widows have the right to inherit their husband's wealth.

"Efforts are still needed, there is no equality, but this is not a fight that is limited to Gabon but applies to the entire world," the source said. "In every society, women have always been marginalised."
Photograph released by the Indonesian Military shows Indonesian military chief Gatot Nurmantyo (R) and Chief of Australian Army Angus Campbell in February

Indonesia said Sunday its military chief had been refused entry to the United States and asked Washington for an explanation.

General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta on Saturday.

Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency.

Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said.

"Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta.

"The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP.

The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel.

It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Marsudi for any inconvenience.

"The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the Generals travel to the United States," it said.

"We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples."

The conference of national defence chiefs is on countering violent extremism.

Since being appointed armed forces chief by President Joko Widodo in July 2015, Nurmantyo has been at the centre of several controversies.

Earlier this year he abruptly suspended all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials, and has been rebuked by members of Widodo's cabinet for making misleading public remarks.

He helped stoke a wave of anti-communist sentiment sweeping Indonesia by ordering the screening of an anti-communist propaganda film to members of the military

Nurmantyo will step down as leader of the armed forces in 2018 and many analysts believe he has political ambitions.
The naming of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization has triggered widespread outrage

The World Health Organization said its director general will issue a statement Sunday on the naming of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, amid speculation that the controversial move will be reversed.

A spokeswoman for the UN's public health agency, Fadela Chaib, told AFP that an announcement on the Mugabe fracas would be made "in the coming hours".

She declined to comment on whether WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus would retract the honorary role he gave earlier this week to Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader, which triggered widespread outrage.

Tedros tweeted late Saturday that he was "rethinking" the decision and calls for its reversal have continued to mount.

Activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States have denounced a prospective role for Mugabe within the agency, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under his 37-year rule.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, told AFP in an email.

"Reversing will actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public," he added.

The US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done.

"The only person whose health 93-yo Mugabe has looked out for in his 37 year reign is his own."

Richard Horton, the editor of the leading medical journal The Lancet said: "WHO DG stands for Director-General, not Dictator-General. Tedros, my friend, retract your decision, consult with colleagues, and rethink."

Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister, took charge of WHO in July.

His election as the first African leader of the organisation was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of WHO's work is based.

But his decision to honour one of Africa's most controversial leaders has raised questions about his leadership just four months into his tenure.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (L) greets teammate Tom Latham after winning the first one-day international cricket match against India at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on October 22, 2017

Kane Williamson hailed century-maker Tom Latham and Ross Taylor for inspiring "one of the greatest chases ever" after New Zealand stunned India by six wickets in the first ODI Sunday.

Latham scored 103 and Taylor made 95 as the batsmen put on a massive 200-run partnership to win a thrilling contest at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium with six balls to spare.

The fourth-wicket partnership, which lasted 187 balls, propelled the Kiwis to 284-4 after home captain Virat Kohli's delightful century saw India record an opening innings total of 280-8.

"It was a brilliant performance from Virat, happening every time he walks out to the crease. But we stuck at it and it was one of the greatest chases I've seen, certainly in my time as a Black Cap," New Zealand captain Williamson said afterwards.

Left-hander Latham's 102-ball knock included eight fours and two sixes. Batting veteran Taylor's 95 came off 99 deliveries and included eight fours.

The visitors' run chase got off to a poor start with opener Colin Munro falling for 28 before Williamson walked shortly afterwards on a paltry six.

When Martin Guptill was sent packing by Hardik Pandya in the 18th over for 32 New Zealand were at 80-3 and looking like they were heading for a heavy defeat.

But 25-year-old Latham and Taylor, 33, had other ideas and easily batted away everything that India's newest spin attack of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could throw at them.

"I have to go back to that partnership -- Tom and Ross controlled the innings perfectly through the middle overs," beamed Williamson.

Latham, who was named man of the match, said it had been difficult to keep wicket for 50 overs and then bat for so long in Mumbai's humidity of 70 percent plus.

India captain Virat Kohli plays a shot during his side's first one-day international against New Zealand at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on October 22, 2017

"It was tough. The conditions are completely different to back home," he explained, lavishing praise on Taylor for helping him get to his century.

"The biggest thing in a partnership is communication. We were talking every over. Hats off to him for playing such a great innings. He was a calming influence on me," said Latham.

Taylor was dismissed in the penultimate over, caught by Chahal off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with New Zealand needing just one run to win.

Henry Nicholls then came in and smashed a four to secure the tourists' victory with Latham finishing the game unbeaten.

"I'll take the win anytime. I think that was one of his (Latham's) best innings ever," Taylor enthused.

Earlier, Kohli scored his 31st ODI century in his 200th match as India set New Zealand a target of 281 after winning the toss and opting to bat first.

The Indian captain fired 121 off 125 balls including nine fours and two sixes.

"We thought (we had) a good total. But Ross and Tom were fantastic. And when you get a 200 partnership, you deserve to win," said Kohli.

The win sees New Zealand take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second ODI takes place in Pune on Wednesday, with the third in Kanpur on October 29.
The naming of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization has triggered widespread outrage

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador following widespread uproar against the appointment.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health minister who took charge of the UN agency in July, had earlier this week given Mugabe the honorary role to help combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.

But activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States condemned the move, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under Mugabe's 37-year authoritarian rule.

"Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment," Tedros said in a statement.

"I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns," he added.

"I have also consulted with the government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization."

In Zimbabwe, Foreign Minister Walter Mzembi said that "the inordinate noise around the designation... does not assist the cause in the first place," according to state-run broadcaster ZBC.

"So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate," he added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office tweeted that it welcomed WHO's "decision to rescind President Mugabe's appointment & pleased @DrTedros heard concerns".

Canada's foreign ministry also applauded the decision, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he thought the nomination was "a bad April fool's joke" when he first learned of it.

- 'An insult' -

In announcing the appointment, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

That claim was widely blasted by critics, who noted that the 93-year-old and increasingly frail Mugabe travels abroad for his own medical needs, calling that a sign of the devastation he has wrought on Zimbabwe's health system.

Zimbabwe's main opposition MDC party had called the appointment "laughable" and "an insult".

- 'Damage is done' -

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, said he has listened to concerns over Robert Mugabe's appointment as a goodwill ambassador

While the WHO boss's climbdown was met with immediate approval, the Mugabe storm raised questions about Tedros's leadership of an agency still emerging from a crisis that led some to question its long-term viability.

In an email to AFP shortly before the announcement of the reversal, the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, said Tedros faces a massive task in restoring WHO's credibility and that episodes like the Mugabe affair are not helpful.

"WHO went through an existential crisis with its disastrous handling of the Ebola crisis (in West Africa). Dr Tedros's election is a chance to reset that narrative," Jha said.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," he added, while predicting that the reversal would "actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public."

Before the withdrawal was announced, the US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done."

- Investigation needed? -

Tedros's election as the first African director general of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation's work is based.

Tedros is not the first African statesman to be put in a bind over apparent loyalties to Mugabe.

The leaders of South Africa's government, who counted on Mugabe's support in the battle to end apartheid, have previously been criticised over their hesitation to condemn human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including brutal and violent crackdowns on the opposition.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitor, called for an investigation into the "absurd" Mugabe appointment.

"There must be more to the story," UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

"How could Dr Tedros, a sophisticated political figure, have chosen to honour a man who has brutalised human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa and its health system into a basket-case?"

burs-bs/txw
Bangladeshi fishermen work on their boats near Teknaf

More than 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence erupted in northern Rakhine in August, a UN report said Sunday.

The grim new landmark comes as authorities in Bangladesh were bracing for another possible surge in Rohingya arrivals, with thousands from the Muslim minority believed to be stranded along the border waiting to cross.

Rohingya refugees have headed for Bangladesh in huge numbers after militant attacks on Myanmar security forces in Rakhine state sparked a major army crackdown on the community likened to ethnic cleansing by the UN.

Now the UN-led Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), which is directing the humanitarian effort, has said an estimated 603,000 refugees from Rakhine have crossed the border into Bangladesh since August 25.

"Cross border movement of over 14,000 newly arrived refugees has been verified in the past week," the ISCG report said.

Bangladesh border guards are also concerned the relaxation later Sunday of a temporary ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal could see a surge in people-smuggling along the coast as unscrupulous captains return to the seas.

Rohingya refugees queue for relief aid at a refugee camp in Teknaf, Bangladesh

Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh have received videos from families across the border showing thousands of displaced Muslims massing near crossing points, waiting for an opportunity to cross.

"We have seen some videos sent by people across the border. There are many gathered there. The number could be big," Border Guard Bangladesh commander Lieutenant Colonel S.M. Ariful Islam told AFP, without giving an estimate.

Around 10,000 refugees were left stranded in no man's land near Anjumanpara village for three days last week after being prevented from crossing into Bangladesh. They were finally permitted by authorities to enter Thursday.

The influx has slowed since then, with charities and officials reporting about 200 people crossing the Naf River dividing the two countries.

"(But) those that came told us thousands were still stranded on the other side of Naf," Jashim Uddin, a volunteer for the International Organisation for Migration, told AFP.

Another border guard told AFP an estimated 10-15,000 refugees were heading to Anjumanpara but had been pushed back.

"We heard from their relatives that the Myanmar army has stopped them from heading to the border," said a Border Guard spokesman, Iqbal Ahmed.

Refugees arriving Sunday described violence in their villages in Rakhine and food shortages that had forced countless people to flee.

"We hardly had any food for the last 10-15 days. They torched our home. We did not have any choice but to leave," Yasmin, who goes by one name, told AFP at the coastal village of Shah Porir Dwip.

Authorities meanwhile are on high alert for fishermen seeking to ferry refugees to Bangladesh via the open sea as the temporary fishing ban expires later Sunday.

"It is risky, but you can make a lot of money ferrying Rohingya to Bangladesh," said local fisherman Shawkat Hossain.
Former president Jimmy Carter, seen here at a June 15m 2017 event at the Carter Center in Atlanta, has offered to go to North Korea to try to lower tensions, if asked by the White House A

Former US president Jimmy Carter says he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, but has not been asked, the New York Times reported Sunday.

"I would go, yes," Carter told the Times in an interview at his home when asked if he would go on such a trip for the Donald Trump administration.

The 93-year-old Democrat, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had told the Republican president's National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he "was available if they ever need me."

In 1994 Carter had traveled to Pyongyang to negotiate with Kim Il-sung, the current leader's grandfather, over the North's nuclear program, the Times said.

In recent months President Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, trading personal insults and threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the United States.

Asked about the verbal attacks, Carter told the Times he is "afraid, too, of a situation."

"I don't know what they'll do," he said of the North Koreans. "Because they want to save their regime."

Calling Kim Jong-Un "unpredictable," Carter said he worried the young leader could take pre-emptive action.

"I think he's now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland," Carter said.

In recent months, the North has conducted a series of missile launches and its sixth nuclear test, its most powerful yet, in defiance of multiple rounds of UN sanctions.
This file handout picture released by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office on July 9, 2016 shows him with army generals and members of the counter-terrorism forces in the capital Baghdad

When Haider al-Abadi was tasked with forming a new Iraqi government in August 2014, just weeks after a lightning offensive by the Islamic State group, many believed he would fail.

Three years later, the stocky prime minister with a close-cut white beard has transformed what many in Iraq considered "mission impossible" into a success story.

He has rebuilt the crumbling armed forces, chased IS from more than 90 percent of territory it had seized -- around a third of Iraq -- and retaken disputed areas in the north from Kurdish peshmerga fighters.

"The standard view of Abadi was that he was indecisive, weak and bit too conciliatory for Iraqi politics," says Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore.

When Abadi took over from Nuri al-Maliki he faced huge challenges, including rampant corruption, poor infrastructure, falling oil prices and the jihadist threat.

Abadi was up against "the world's hardest job", says Sajad Jiyad, director of the Baghdad-based independent Al-Bayan Centre for Planning and Studies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi smiles during a meeting with military commanders in Mosul on July 9, 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city

But dressed in military garb or suit and tie, Abadi over time announced several military victories while trying to battle corruption by rolling out sweeping reform.

His policies won him supporters.

"He is the best prime minister in Iraq's history. He speaks little but acts a lot," one of Abadi's 2.5 million followers on Facebook recently wrote.

Analysts say Abadi has succeeded where other Iraqi premiers failed.

"His calm and conciliatory manner and his openness to dealing with a broad array of actors (inside and outside Iraq) stand in stark contrast to his predecessor," says Haddad.

A recent survey carried out by an Iraqi polling institute found the Shiite premier has a "75 percent approval rating", even including Iraq's Sunni minority, Jiyad notes.

- From exile to politics -

Members of the Iraqi forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on July 10, 2017 after the government announced the city was retaken from jihadists after fierce fighting

A member of the Dawa party, Abadi was born in 1952 in a wealthy Baghdad district but lived in exile for much of Saddam Hussein's rule, including in Britain where he earned a doctorate in engineering from the University of Manchester.

Two of Abadi's brothers were arrested and executed by Saddam's regime for membership of the Dawa party, which opposed his rule, while a third was imprisoned for a decade on the same charge.

Abadi returned to Iraq after Saddam's overthrow in 2003 and was communications minister in the interim government set up after the dictator's fall.

In 2006 he was elected to parliament, chairing an economy, investment and reconstruction committee and then a finance committee.

He was voted deputy parliament speaker in July 2014, before being tapped to form the government a month later.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment since then was to rebuild the Iraqi police and army which had been weakened by decades of conflicts, including the 2003 US-led invasion.

Abadi succeeded in remobilising tens of thousands of force members with help from Iraq's allies, including the United States, which stepped in to train and equip them.

A member of Iraq's government's Emergency Response Brigade takes a selfie at the Bai Hassan oil field west of Kirkuk on October 19, 2017 after Kurdish peshmerga fighters withdrew

Under his command, Iraq's forces chased IS jihadists from more than 90 percent of the territory they had seized, dealing a major blow to the group's self-proclaimed "caliphate".

And earlier this month, Iraq's army retook Kurdish-held positions in and around Kirkuk province, outside the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

- International player -

These achievements have transformed Abadi into a hero, almost worshipped by many Iraqis.

"Today there seems to be a bit of a cult following growing around Abadi," says Haddad.

"One hopes it doesn't go to his head; after all, Maliki in 2008-2009 was in a similar place to where Abadi is today," he adds.

Analysts say Abadi won the day thanks to his step-by-step approach.

He also embarked on a battle against corruption and under his tenure several officials have been arrested and tried for graft.

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on October 21, 2017, shows King Salman (L) greeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi upon his arrival in Riyadh

Jiyad notes that Abadi also "deftly positioned Iraq on the international stage" and succeeded in securing the support of international allies.

Diplomats based in Baghdad describe Abadi as someone who knows how to establish himself and command respect.

On Sunday, Abadi visited Saudi Arabia in a bid to ease years of tension between Shiite-majority Baghdad and the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

The trip -- which Haddad says would have been "unthinkable" under Maliki -- is seen as another diplomatic coup for Abadi, whose government is allied with Saudi rival Iran.

But despite his many achievements, "it is important to recognise the limits on what Abadi can do", says Haddad.

Iraq, he says, faces "gargantuan challenges", including reconstruction and the issue of people displaced by fighting, "that are beyond the control of any one actor".
US President Donald Trump, pictured walking from the White House to his motorcade before traveling to his Virginia golf club on October 21, 2017, says the US is "totally prepared" for threats from North Korea

The United States is "totally prepared" to respond to threats from Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, while also emphasizing his "exceptional relationship" with China's leader.

"We're so prepared like you wouldn't believe," Trump told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures while discussing tensions with North Korea, which have soared over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

"You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be," said Trump, who has in recent months engaged in a fiery verbal tit-for-tat with North Korea's leader.

"Would it be nice not to do that? The answer is yes," Trump went on, appearing to allude to potential conflict.

"Will that happen? Who knows," the US president said.

The North has drawn international ire in recent months for conducting a sixth nuclear test and tests of long-range missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

Asked about US policy towards China, the North's longtime ally, Trump praised Beijing for "helping" the US by enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang.

"He's for China. And I'm for the US," he said of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "But we do have a very good -- I would say an exceptional relationship. And China's really helping us. With respect to North Korea."

"China is big stuff," he added, saying Xi has "got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea."

In a separate development, former US president Jimmy Carter told The New York Times he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, though he has not been asked.

The 93-year-old Democrat, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had told the Republican president's National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he "was available if they ever need me."
A nurse holds a Syrian child suffering from severe malnutrition at a clinic in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region near the capital Damascus, on October 21, 2017

One-month-old Sahar, her ribs protruding under translucent skin, breathed her last on Sunday in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, where a crushing regime siege has pushed hundreds of children to the brink of starvation.

Only a trickle of humanitarian aid ever reaches this rebel-held region east of Damascus, under a tight blockade by Assad regime forces since 2013.

Eastern Ghouta is one of four "de-escalation zones" set up in May under a deal between backers of rival sides in Syria's devastating six-year war.

But food supplies still rarely enter the region, where medical officials say hundreds of children are suffering acute malnutrition.

On Saturday, the parents of Sahar Dofdaa, just 34 days old, took her to a hospital in the Eastern Ghouta town of Hamouria.

Images filmed by a reporter working with AFP showed a wide-eyed girl with listless eyes and little but skin on her bones.

She tried to cry but lacked the strength to make much of a noise. Her young mother sobbed nearby.

Her skeletal thighs poked out of a nappy way over her size. Placed on the scales, she weighed less than two kilogrammes (just over 4 pounds).

Like hundreds of children in Ghouta, Sahar was suffering from acute malnutrition.

Her mother was too undernourished to breastfeed her and her father, earning a pittance at a butcher's shop, was unable to afford milk and supplements.

Sahar died at the hospital on Sunday morning and her parents took her -- their only child -- to their nearby town of Kafr Batna to bury her.

Her death came after another child in Ghouta also died of malnutrition on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Residents suffer from severe food shortages, and when goods are available in the markets, it's at a crazy price," the Observatory said.

- Ghostly faces -

Medics at hospitals and health clinics in Eastern Ghouta say they examine dozens of malnourished children a day -- and that the number is on the rise.

A Syrian child suffering from severe malnutrition is weighed at a clinic in the rebel-held town of Hamouria in the eastern Ghouta region near Damascus, on October 21, 2017

Images taken by an AFP correspondent show skeletal infants with ghostly faces.

One has breathing difficulties, another has a feeding tube in its mouth and a third has a bandage wrapped around his tiny arm.

Yahya Abu Yahya, doctor and regional head of medical services for Turkish NGO Social Development International, which has several medical centres in Ghouta, said the group's centres had examined 9,700 children in recent months.

"Of these, 80 were suffering severe acute malnutrition, 200 had moderate acute malnutrition, and about 4000 were suffering from nutritional deficiencies," he said.

The UN children's fund UNICEF defines "severe acute malnutrition" as the most extreme and visible form of undernutrition.

"Its face is a child -- frail and skeletal -- who requires urgent treatment to survive," it says.

Abu Yahya said that many children in Eastern Ghouta are suffering from "deficiencies, migraines, vision problems, depression, psychological problems".

According to UN figures, some 400,000 people live in besieged parts of Syria, the majority in Eastern Ghouta.

Despite agreement on de-escalation zones backed by regime supporters Russia and Iran and rebel sponsor Turkey, the region still has very limited access to aid.

Abu Yahya said the region was not receiving basic foods children need, such as sugar, sources of protein and vitamins.

On September 23, a convoy carrying food and medical aid for some 25,000 people entered three besieged areas of Eastern Ghouta, according to the UN.

But Abu Yahya said what aid does reach the region covers just five to 10 percent of the needs of malnourished children.

Sahar was the latest victim of Eastern Ghouta's food crisis.

On Sunday, her father carried the tiny child to her grave. Behind him, relatives walked with Sahar's mother, nearly collapsing with grief.
Mali has become particularly volatile since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country

An appeal by Sahel region countries for help in their battle against jihadist violence received a boost Sunday when a visiting UN Security Council ambassador pledged support.

"I can assure you Burkina Faso and the G5 Sahel Countries will get the support they need," said Ethiopian ambassador Tekeda Alemu, who co-presided with his French and Italian colleagues in the 15-strong UN delegation ending a five-day visit to the region.

The trip came on the initiative of France, which is presiding over the UN Security Council this month.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" states -- comprising Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- are to launch a first operation against the jihadists at the end of October but lack funding for equipment and training.

Earlier Sunday, the ambassadors had visited the command headquarters in the central Malian town of Sevare for talks on the security crisis in the region.

Sevare is just east of Mopti, in central Mali, an area which has seen a severe worsening of security in recent months, giving greater urgency to a G5 move to relaunch a joint regional force initially created in November 2015.

On Saturday the ambassadors had expressed frustration at delays in the implementation of a 2015 Malian peace accord.

Force commander and Malian general Didier Dacko said before Alemu's statement that he was waiting for "fundamental political support" from the Security Council.

The estimated budget for the force's first year of operations is estimated at 423 million euros ($499-million), but so far only 108 million euros have been raised.

- Extremist hotbed -

The vast Sahel region has turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness since chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, the Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Malian general Didier Dacko is the head of the "G5 Sahel" -- made up of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger

A fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, which borders Mali, killed 13 paramilitary police on Saturday, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the Sahel region was descending into all-out violence and said the world body must help the region confront the threat from Islamist militants.

He put forward four options to back the force, including setting up a UN support office in the Sahel and sharing resources from the 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission in Mali.

A UN meeting on support for the force is scheduled for October 30, as well as a donor conference in Brussels in December.

Mali has become particularly volatile since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

On Friday, Mali's parliament agreed a three-month extension of a state of emergency because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Supporters of Kenya's opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition hold a banner during a political rally in Kisumu, Kenya, on October 20, 2017

Pope Francis on Sunday called for constructive dialogue in Kenya where he said he was following the situation with "close attention" over disputed elections.

"I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015," Francis told pilgrims and tourists gathered for the Angelus prayer.

Francis said he was praying "that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good."

In a shock decision, Kenya's Supreme Court overturned the August election victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta over his opposition leader Raila Odinga, citing "irregularities" in the transmission of the results.

The ruling, unprecedented in Africa, has plunged the country into its worst political crisis since post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 left 1,100 people dead.

Kenyans will return to the polls again on October 26 but Odinga has said he will not participate this time.

On Friday, both Kenyatta and Odinga made calls for election peace, while making veiled digs at each other on Kenya's annual Heroes Day.
Saleh al-Aruri of Hamas (L) and Fatah's Azzam al-Ahmad (R) kiss after signing a reconciliation deal in Cairo on October 12, 2017

Palestinian movement Hamas said on Sunday that a visit by its delegation to Iran was a "rejection" of the Israeli conditions on reconciliation with rival faction Fatah.

The two largest Palestinian groups have agreed a deal that is supposed to see Islamists Hamas hand over control of the Gaza Strip to the Fatah-dominated West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

Israel has said it will reject any deal in which Hamas does not disarm and cut its ties with Iran, the Jewish state's longtime foe.

Despite this, a delegation of senior Hamas leaders arrived in Iran on Friday for meetings with government officials.

In a statement Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, who led the delegation, said "the visit to Tehran is a rejection of the Zionist entity's conditions to cut ties with (Iran)".

The statement reiterated that Hamas would not be forced to give up its armed wing.

Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The movement's Gaza chief recently said relations with Iran have improved once again with Tehran becoming their largest backer, after several years of more strained relations.

US President Donald Trump is trying to encourage the Palestinians and Israelis to restart long-frozen peace negotiations.

Hamas seized Gaza after forcing out Fatah in a near civil war in 2007.
French-Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri arrives at an award ceremony in Venice on September 9, 2017

A Palestinian city on Sunday cancelled the planned screening of a Lebanese film after activists called for a boycott over the director's "normalisation" with Israel.

"The Insult", which deals with the Lebanese civil war, was scheduled to be screened Monday in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as part of the "Days of Cinema" festival.

But Ramallah's municipality decided on Sunday to cancel the showing at a city-run facility after pressure from Palestinian activists who accused French-Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri of promoting "normalisation" with Israel.

Doueiri's 2012 film "The Attack", about an Israeli surgeon of Arab origin whose wife carries out a suicide attack, was partly filmed in Israel.

"The Attack" was banned in Lebanon and prompted authorities to detain Doueiri for questioning on his arrival in Lebanon last month.

Lebanon submitted "The Insult" as its official entry for the Oscars, in the foreign film category.

In Ramallah, activists had planned a protest against the screening and launched a social media campaign urging Palestinians to boycott it.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which campaigns for economic and cultural measures against Israel, had accused Doueiri of "defending normalisation" with Israel and called for the screening to be cancelled.

Ramallah municipality director general Ahmad Abu Laban told AFP the screening was cancelled over "our responsibility to keep the peace".

He cited "safety concerns" and said the decision did not imply that the municipality was bowing to pressure from activists.
Palestinian conjoined twins lie in an incubator on October 22, 2017 at a hospital in Gaza City

Conjoined twins born in Gaza Sunday need to leave the blockaded Palestinian enclave for treatment crucial to their survival, their doctor and a family member said.

"A woman gave birth this morning to Siamese twins joined at the stomach and pelvis," Allam Abu Hamda, head of the neonatal unit at Gaza's Shifa Hospital, told AFP.

Abu Hamda said the girls' complicated condition "cannot be dealt with in the Gaza Strip, so we hope they will be transferred abroad for a separation."

An uncle who preferred not to be named said: "We hope they can leave to do what is necessary for their rare conditions."

Conjoined twins that share key organs have low chances of survival.

The twins, whose condition Abu Hamda said was stable, have one shared leg, but separate hearts and lungs.

Conjoined twins born in Gaza in November 2016 later died.

Israel has maintained a blockade of the enclave for a decade, citing security fears over Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.

In 2010 conjoined twins from Gaza were transferred to Saudi Arabia for surgery to separate them, but doctors in Riyadh said their condition was too delicate to operate and they died.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - DNA tests have confirmed the death of one of the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, who the Philippine military reported was killed in a final battle to quell an Islamic State group-linked siege in southern Marawi city, U.S. and Philippine officials said Saturday.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina told The Associated Press that DNA tests done in Virginia at the request of the Philippine military confirmed the death of Isnilon Hapilon. Washington has backed efforts by the Philippines, a treaty ally, to combat terrorism for years.

"This is yet another example of how the U.S. is supporting our friend, partner and ally in the fight against terror," Koscina said.

FILE - This undated file image provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows a wanted poster for Isnilon Hapilon, who was purportedly designated leader of the Islamic State group's Southeast Asia branch in 2016 but has long ties to local extremist movements. Philippine security officials told The Associated Press that Isnilon Hapilon, who is listed among the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, and Omarkhayam Maute were killed in a gunbattle and their bodies were found Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 in Marawi. (FBI via AP, File)

Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, another leader of the Marawi siege, were killed in a gunbattle Monday in a push by thousands of troops to retake the last pocket of the Islamic city held by the militants, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

The Philippine military believes that Mahmud bin Ahmad, a top Malaysian militant and close associate of Hapilon, had also been killed in the Marawi clashes, although his body has yet to be recovered by troops.

DNA tests were also being done on the remains of other suspects who have been recovered by troops, Lorenzana said without elaborating.

The confirmation of the deaths of Hapilon and Maute would pave the way for the payment of huge U.S. and Philippine bounties offered for the two. A rescued 16-year-old hostage provided the crucial information that allowed troops to locate Hapilon and Maute in one building in Marawi, Lorenzana said.

The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for Hapilon, who Washington blames for ransom kidnappings of several Americans, one of whom was beheaded in 2001 in southern Basilan province. Hapilon had been indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts against U.S. nationals and other foreigners.

A soft-spoken Islamic preacher born to a family of militants on southern Basilan island, Hapilon had been linked to several major attacks in the southern Philippines, including kidnappings, bombings and attacks on urban centers.

Hapilon and Maute were among the leaders in a nearly five-month insurrection in the lakeside city that has left at least 1,127 people dead, including 915 militants and 165 soldiers and police.

The siege has sparked fears that the Islamic State group may gain a foothold in Southeast Asia by influencing and providing funds to local militants as it suffers battle defeats in Syria and Iraq.

The United States and Australia have deployed surveillance aircraft to help Filipinos battling the Marawi attackers.

FILE - This file image taken from undated video shown to The Associated Press by the Philippine military shows the purported leader of the Islamic State group Southeast Asia branch, Isnilon Hapilon, center, at a meeting of militants at an undisclosed location. Philippine security officials told The Associated Press that Isnilon Hapilon, who is listed among the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, and Omarkhayam Maute were killed in a gunbattle and their bodies were found Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 in Marawi. (Philippines Military via AP, File)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter place their hands on their chest for the national anthem on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents - Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton - made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money."

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

"They can't get away from the politics of the moment," he said of current White House occupants. "Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nation's grandfather."

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

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Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A sound check is conducted before a concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents will be attending the concert Saturday night, raising money for relief efforts from hurricane devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Texas A&M choir sings the national anthem during a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump. (all times local):

9:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump is trying to balance growing concerns about the legal troubles facing his administration with claims that he is one of the most productive presidents in U.S. history.

His critics argue that Trump has accomplished little on the legislative front, but the president argues otherwise in a series of tweets Saturday night.

He says, "I agree getting Tax Cuts approved is important (we will also get HealthCare), but perhaps no Administration has done more in its first 9 months than this Administration." He lists a dozen accomplishments including "Supreme Court Justice, Record Stock Market, lowest unemployment in 17 yrs!"

Trump spent the week feuding over a condolence call with the family of a soldier killed in Niger and word that he is personally paying legal fees for some of his staff in the Russia probe.

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7 p.m.

President Donald Trump intends to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election.

A White House official confirmed the plan, which was first reported by the website Axios.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the president's plans.

Trump has dismissed multiple ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia as a "witch hunt" made up by Democrats to explain Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss.

Intelligence officials have concluded that Russia had a clear preference for Trump in the 2016 campaign and tried to help him win.
MILAN (AP) - The presidents of Italy's wealthy northern regions of Veneto and Lombardy on Sunday claimed victory in autonomy referendums that seek to grab additional powers and tax revenue from Rome, riding a global tide of self-determination that has swamped Spain's Catalonia region.

The votes were nonbinding, but the leaders of the neighboring regions hope to leverage strong turnout in talks with Italy's center-left government. As leading members of the anti-migrant, anti-EU Northern League, they want to keep more tax revenue and have autonomy over such policy areas as immigration, security, education and environment.

"This is the big bang of institutional reform," Veneto President Luca Zaia said in Venice. "We are convinced, and I hope Rome understands, that this is not the wish of a political party. These are the wishes of the people."

Lombardy Region President Roberto Maroni, center, answers reporter's questions at the Lombardy Region headquarters, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto went to the polls for a non-biding referendum over the question if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. Both regions are run by the anti-migrant, anti-Europe Northern League, whose leaders claim victory in the autonomy votes that seek to take powers, tax revenue from Rome. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

In Milan, his counterpart in Lombardy, Roberto Maroni, said that with the votes, the two regions "can unify our forces so we can do the battle of the century."

The two leaders say they will meet with their regional councils to finalize their requests before going to Rome to meet with Premier Paolo Gentiloni.

Unlike in Catalonia, the referendums do not seek independence and were approved by Italy's constitutional court. Still, the autonomy drive is a powerful threat to Rome's authority. Together, Veneto and Lombardy account for 30 percent of Italy's GDP and nearly one-quarter of the nation's electorate.

Maroni said an overwhelming 95 percent of his region's vote went to "yes," with turnout above 40 percent of Lombardy's 8 million voters. That far exceeded the bar for success that he set at 34 percent, which was the turnout for a national referendum on constitutional reform in 2001.

Independence-minded Veneto easily met a turnout threshold to validate the vote set by Zaia, with some 60 percent of the region's 4 million voters casting ballots. According to early returns, 98 percent voted "yes."

The Democratic Party, which leads the national government in Rome, had criticized the referendums, saying the non-binding votes carried no legal weight, were not needed to trigger autonomy negotiations and were a costly waste of resources.

Such arguments played into the hands of the "yes" campaigners, who consider those put-downs to be part of the anti-democratic, centrist decision-making in Rome. Those sentiments have been echoed in the Catalan independence drive in Spain, in the U.S. election of Donald Trump as president and in Britain's vote to leave the 28-nation European Union.

The victory raises the Northern League's profile ahead of national elections next year. But it also has the power to create a wedge between the rich north and the poor south just as Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, who supports autonomy, has pushed for a more national profile for the once-northern party.

The referendum campaign drove hard on the theme that too much northern tax revenues were going to the less-efficient southern regions.

The Northern League was founded with the goal of secession for the wealthier, more productive northern regions, but it gave that up when it joined the national government under then-Premier Silvio Berlusconi in the 1990s. During that period, it pushed for federalism, which lost steam during Italy's long economic crisis. Autonomy has become the new expression of the party's identity politics.

Also supporting the referendums were the populist 5-Star Party and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

The referendum victory is just the first step as the regions seek greater autonomy. Some of the policy issues they are seeking can be won with a new law. But many of the more emotional issues - including greater fiscal control, immigration and security issues - would requiring difficult-to-achieve constitutional changes.

"I don't think this is possible," said Paolo Natale, a political scientist at Milan's state university. "It will be difficult for the state to accept that they take over education and security policy. The management of immigration policy has to be done at a national level."

The Italian constitution already grants varying levels of autonomy to five regions in recognition of their special status: the largely German-speaking Trentino-Alto Adige, French-speaking Aosta, the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region for its position on the border with then-Yugoslavia as a Cold War hedge.

President of Veneto Region, Luca Zaia shows his ballot at a polling station in San Vendemiano, near Treviso, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (Riccardo Gregolin/ANSA via AP)

President of Veneto Region, Luca Zaia casts his ballot for a referendum in San Vendemiano, near Treviso, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (Riccardo Gregolin/ANSA via AP)

President of Veneto Region Luca Zaia holds his ballot at a polling station in San Vendemiano, near Treviso, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (Riccardo Gregolin/ANSA via AP)

Leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini thumbs up after casting his ballot in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini gestures after casting his ballot in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini shows certificate of the referendum vote after casting his ballot in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini gestures as he arrives at a polling station for casting his ballot in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini talks with reporters as he arrives at a polling station for casting his ballot in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct.22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Lombardy Region President, Northern League's Roberto Maroni speaks during a press conference at the Lombardy Region headquarters, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto went to the polls for a non-biding referendum over the question if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics. Both regions are run by the anti-migrant, anti-Europe Northern League, whose leaders claim victory in the autonomy votes that seek to take powers, tax revenue from Rome. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A rhino turned the tables on a suspected poacher in Namibia, charging and injuring the man while he was allegedly tracking it.

The incident happened in Etosha National Park after suspect Luteni Muharukua and other alleged poachers illegally entered the wildlife area in hopes of killing rhinos for their horns, The Namibian newspaper reported last week.

The newspaper said the rhino "appeared from nowhere" and quoted Simson Shilongo, a police officer, as saying the rhino inflicted a severe leg injury on Muharukua after he fell while fleeing.

The suspect's friends found refuge for him on a nearby mountain and police arrested him there on Oct. 15, a day after he was injured, according to Shilongo. Muharukua was being treated at a hospital under police guard.

The Namibian posted an online cartoon showing a snarling rhino butting a man with a rifle who is already airborne from the blow. "The poacher, poached!" reads the caption.

Rhino poaching has increased in recent years in Namibia, which has one of Africa's biggest populations of the critically endangered black rhino. Neighboring South Africa is home to most of the continent's rhinos, including the more numerous white rhino species.

Rhinos have been heavily poached to meet demand for their horns in parts of Asia. Some consumers believe rhino horn can cure illnesses if ingested in powder form, although there is no evidence that the horn, made of the same substance as human fingernails, has any medicinal value. Rhino horn is also seen by some buyers as a symbol of status and wealth.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's government is seeking clarification from the U.S. after the Indonesian military chief was denied entry to the country, an official said Sunday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the Indonesian Embassy in Washington had sent a diplomatic note to the State Department.

Nasir said the U.S ambassador to Indonesia was not in the country and his deputy has been summoned to provide more information on Monday.

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 8, 2015 file photo, Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo pose for a photo after his swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's government is seeking clarification from the U.S. after Nurmantyo was denied entry to the country. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

Military chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo and his wife had planned to leave Indonesia on Saturday evening but were told by their airline shortly before departure that U.S. Customs would deny their entry, said military spokesman Wuryanto, who goes by one name.

Nurmantyo had been invited by Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, to attend a conference in Washington on extremist organizations.

Wuryanto said that Nurmantyo, his wife and an entourage of four officials had U.S. visas and that Nurmantyo last visited the U.S. in February 2016.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement Sunday that Ambassador Joseph Donovan had apologized to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi for any inconvenience to Nurmantyo.

It said the embassy was in touch with Nurmantyo's staff about the matter, working to facilitate his travel.

"We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples," the embassy's statement said.

Relations between the U.S and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, are generally friendly.

Indonesia's military has a checkered human rights record, but Nurmantyo himself has not been accused of rights abuses.

Nasir said any possible Indonesian response would depend on the U.S. explanation.
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took the Trump administration's case for isolating and containing Iran in the Middle East and beyond to two Gulf Arab nations on Sunday, pushing for Saudi Arabia and Iraq to unite to counter growing Iranian assertiveness. He also called for a quick resolution to the ongoing crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors, which he said was unintentionally bolstering Iran.

In Saudi Arabia and later Qatar, Tillerson denounced Iran's "malign behavior" and urged nations of the region and elsewhere, notably Europe, to join the administration to halt any business they do with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. He also demanded that Iranian and Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq either return to their homes, integrate into the Iraqi army or leave the country.

"Those fighters need to go home," Tillerson said. "Any foreign fighters need to go home."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson answers a reporter's question during a media availability with Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani after their meeting, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Doha,Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

In Riyadh for the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Council - a vehicle that U.S. officials believe can wean Iraq from Iran - Tillerson told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that the nascent partnership between their countries held great promise for Iraq's reconstruction after devastating battles to wrest territory from the Islamic State group and its independence from foreign influence.

"We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq," he said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir after the council meeting.

Tillerson said countries outside of the region could also play a role, primarily by shunning the Revollutionary Guard, which play a major role in Iran's economy and were added to a U.S. terrorism blacklist earlier this month. Companies and countries that do business with the guards "really do so at great risk," he said.

"We are hoping that European companies, countries and others around the world will join the U.S. as we put in place a sanctions structure to prohibit certain activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that foment instability in the region and create destruction in the region," Tillerson said.

At the council meeting, Tillerson praised the Saudi king and Abadi for the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad last week.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

His participation in the meeting comes as U.S. officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi government is struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February this year, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.;After his talks in Riyadh, Tillerson flew to the Qatari capital of Doha, a direct route that has been closed to commercial airlines since June when the now-five-month old crisis between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates erupted, ostensibly over terrorism financing. Qatar and Bahrain are home to major U.S. military bases in the Middle East, the al-Udeid Air Base near Doha and the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Fleet in Manama.

Tillerson has attempted to facilitate a dialogue through talks with the feuding parties as well as supporting a Kuwaiti mediation effort but has thus far been unsuccessful. He renewed those calls but allowed that progress seemed unlikely. "We cannot force talks between parties who are not ready to talk," he said.

"The United States remains concerned that the dispute has had negative consequences economically and militarily; the U.S. has felt these effects as well," he said. "None of us can afford to let this dispute linger. We ask that everyone ease the rhetoric and deescalate the tensions."

Tillerson noted that the only country benefiting from the crisis is Iran, which is now Qatar's lifeline as its neighbors have sealed their land, sea and air borders. He said Qatar's new reliance on Iranian airspace is "the most immediate and obvious gain that Iran has."

"Anytime there is conflict and destabilization among countries that are typically allies, someone will always come in to exploit those differences," he added.

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Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, shakes hands with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani before a meeting, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir after a press availability as TIllerson walks to his plane, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens during a press availability with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese boxer Ryota Murata defeated France's Hassan N'Dam by technical knockout on Sunday to win the WBA middleweight title.

Murata stopped N'Dam after seven rounds to become the first middleweight champion from Japan in 22 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. He stunned N'Dam with a series of combinations before the bout was stopped after the seventh round when N'Dam's corner threw in the towel.

"This victory was for everyone," Murata said. "I'm not going to rest just because I won the belt. It was the same with the Olympics. Getting there was the easy part, moving forward after that is the difficult part."

Japan's Ryota Murata cries as he is declared the winner after defeating France's Hassan N'Dam in their rematch for the WBA world middleweight boxing title in Tokyo, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Murata became the middleweight world champion. (AP Photo/Toru Takahashi)

Sunday's fight was a rematch of a bout in May when N'Dam won on points despite being sent to the canvas several times by London Olympic gold medalist Murata.

WBA President Gilberto Mendoza called for the rematch and apologized for the decision. Two judges were suspended as a result.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The head of the World Health Organization revoked his appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" on Sunday after the choice drew widespread outrage and criticism. Zimbabwe's government said it respected the turnabout and that the U.N. health agency "benefited tremendously" from the attention.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus last week told a conference in Uruguay on non-communicable diseases that Mugabe, who was present, had agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

After the outcry by international leaders and health experts, Tedros said in a statement that he had reflected and decided to change his mind, calling it in the best interests of the U.N. health agency. Tedros said he had consulted with the Zimbabwe government about his decision.

FILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe during his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, South Africa. In a statement Sunday Oct. 22, 2017 World Health Organization director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus announced he has decided to revoke his appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" after the choice drew widespread international criticism. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, FILE)

The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy falls apart and the country's health care system deteriorates. Mugabe also faces U.S. sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

The United States had said the appointment of Mugabe by WHO's first African leader "clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity."

Two dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation and Cancer Research U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned." The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the Uruguay conference, to no avail.

Zimbabwe's government said it respected Tedros' decision to withdraw Mugabe's appointment.

Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi told state broadcaster ZBC that the U.N. health agency "benefited tremendously" from the original decision to name Mugabe to the post because of the global attention that resulted.

"On a name-recognition scale this name beats them all, but it is our business to protect its brand equity from unnecessary besmirching," Mzembi said. "So on the balance, it is wiser to let go."

The heads of U.N. agencies and the U.N. secretary-general typically choose celebrities and other prominent people as ambassadors to draw attention to global issues of concern, such as refugees (Angelina Jolie) and education (Malala Yousafzai). The choices are not subject to approval.

The ambassadors hold little actual power. They also can be fired. The comic book heroine Wonder Woman was removed from her honorary U.N. ambassador job in December following protests that a white, skimpily dressed American prone to violence wasn't the best role model for girls.

Zimbabwe once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in the southern African nation's health system, saying Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. Mugabe's policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has been criticized at home for his frequent overseas travels for medical treatment that have cost impoverished Zimbabwe millions of dollars. His repeated visits to Singapore have heightened concerns over his health, even as he pursues re-election next year.

The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

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Associated Press writer Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe contributed.
Discriminated against in life, they were forgotten by their community in death, buried in unmarked graves in the back of the Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia.

The final resting places of the 1,146 black souls who once lived and worked there were anonymous. Though loved ones may have initially marked the spots with a homemade wooden cross or only a rock, the fragile tributes were lost to time.

For generations, segregation kept black and white Gainesville separate and unequal in life and death. On Sunday, those buried in obscurity were revered by the town in a ceremony to unveil a monument to their lives and finally welcome them as fellow residents.

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, a monument to honor African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery is wrapped by cemetery superintendent Tommy Casper after being displayed for a photo in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Though their names, birthdates and dates of death remain unknown, six benches, along with a seven-foot, black granite obelisk stand in place of headstones for those interred in sections 16 and 17 of the cemetery.

The obelisk proclaims in gold letters: "This memorial stands as our testament that these citizens are important to this community and we embrace them as our own."

Mayor Danny Dunagan and Barbara Brooks, Gainesville's only African-American city council member, unveiled the monument Sunday. A large crowd gathered at the cemetery for the ceremony as spirituals were sung and tributes were given.

"These are home folks," said Brooks, who helped lead the effort to establish the memorial. "They're ours, and we intend to take care of them."

Alta Vista Cemetery dates back to 1872, and hold the remains of veterans from the Revolutionary and Civil wars - including Confederate Lt. General James Longstreet, a trusted adviser to Gen. Robert E. Lee. The cemetery was segregated until the mid-1960s, and the unmarked graves are believed to date from between the 1870s to the 1950s.

The project was born in 2015 - in the wake of the racially motivated shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina - and is the latest effort to memorialize the buried. After being an open secret in town for decades, the full extent of the unmarked graves was discovered a few years ago after the city used ground-penetrating radar to locate them.

Rumor had the number estimated at around 200. More than five times that amount was discovered.

"They just kept finding them over and over," said Rev. Stuart Higganbotham, pastor of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, who went to the cemetery with Brooks after hearing about the unmarked graves.

"I know people at Grace had to have owned slaves," said Higganbotham, who is white. "I've done a few funerals there. There was a time when people weren't even allowed to be buried together. These were human lives."

After they were identified, the city placed numbered silver medallions on each of the 1,146 gravesites. But after Charleston, civic and community leaders wanted to do something to foster healing and reconciliation among its citizens. The idea for a memorial at Alta Vista was born.

A committee, consisting mainly of black residents, was formed to come up with a design. They wanted something big and bold that would stand out - but not a monument that would evoke white guilt for the past.

"Nobody living today can be blamed for what happened back then, but it is our duty to acknowledge what happened, and to try to bring attention to a people that really had no way to be recognized," Brooks said.

Organizers next plan to attempt to find descendants of those buried through historical documents and family Bibles. They encourage anyone who believes they may have a family member who was buried in the segregated sections at Alta Vista to contact the cemetery.

For those who already suspect as much, they will now have a place to grieve with dignity, said Higganbotham.

"Their families can come to continue that physical contact with their loved one," he said. "In a powerful way, they become alive to us again."

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Alta Vista Cemetery: http://www.gainesville.org/alta-vista-cemetery

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Errin Haines Whack is a member of The Associated Press' Race and Ethnicity Team. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous.

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, Tommy Casper, cemetery superintendent, places flags identifying the location of African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, a monument to honor African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery is displayed as maintenance supervisor Kevin Towe landscapes the grounds in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, a silver disk identifies the location of an African-American who was buried in an unmarked grave in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, Tommy Casper, cemetery superintendent, places flags identifying the location of African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, an inscription decorates a monument to honor African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, Tommy Casper, cemetery superintendent, casts a shadow while standing over the silver disk identifying the location of an African-American who was buried in an unmarked grave in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The more than 1,100 silver disks were placed roughly where ground-penetrating radar showed the belt line of the individual buried. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, Tommy Casper, cemetery superintendent, places flags identifying the location of African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, a monument to honor African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery is unwrapped for a photo by Todd Beebe, deputy director of public service, left, and Tommy Casper, cemetery superintendent, in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, a monument to honor African-Americans who were buried in unmarked graves in the previously segregated Alta Vista Cemetery is wrapped by workers Tommy Casper, left, and Kevin Towe after being displayed for a photo in Gainesville, Ga. The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in the cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
President Donald Trump's advisory commission on election integrity has integrity questions of its own - with some of its own members raising concerns about its openness.

This past week, two members fired off letters to commission staff complaining about a lack of information about the panel's agenda and demanding answers about its activities. That comes as Democratic U.S. senators are requesting a government investigation of the commission for ignoring formal requests from Congress.

The criticism from the commissioners was remarkable because it came from insiders - the very people who are supposed to be privy to its internal discussions and plans.

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 19, 2017 file photo, Vice President Mike Pence, left, accompanied by Vice-Chair Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, right, speaks during the first meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. The information coming out of President Donald Trump's commission to investigate voter fraud has frustrated not only reporters and senators but now even members of the commission. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

In a letter sent Oct. 17, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said it was clear he was not being made aware of information pertaining to the commission. He requested copies of all correspondence between commission members since Trump signed the executive order creating it in May.

"I am in a position where I feel compelled to inquire after the work of the commission upon which I am sworn to serve, and am yet completely uninformed as to its activities," Dunlap wrote in his letter to Andrew Kossack, the commission's executive director.

He said he had received no information about the commission's research or activities since its last meeting, on Sept. 12. He also said he continued to receive media inquiries about commission developments "that I as a commissioner am blind to."

A commissioner from Alabama, Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan L. King, said he sent a similar letter late last week. He said the only information he has received since the commission's meeting more than a month ago was an email informing him of the death of a fellow commissioner, former Arkansas state lawmaker David Dunn.

"Here I am on this high-level government committee, and I don't know when the next meetings are or how many meetings there will be," he said in a telephone interview. "I am in the dark on what will happen from this point on, to tell you the truth."

King and Dunlap are two of four Democrats on the 11-member commission.

Requests for comment sent to Kossack, the commission's executive director, and the commission's vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, were not returned.

J. Christian Adams, a commission member who was a Justice Department attorney under former President George W. Bush, said in an email that all commissioners were receiving the same information.

"Once upon a time election integrity was bipartisan," Adams said in the email. "Apparently not all agree. That's a shame."

The commission has stirred controversy from the moment it was established last spring. Critics say Trump is using it to find support for his unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud that cost him the popular vote during the 2016 election. Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2.8 million more votes nationwide than Trump.

While there have been isolated cases of voter fraud in the U.S., there is no evidence of it being a widespread problem, as Trump suggests.

Critics argue the commission is stacked with people who favor voting restrictions, rather than those who want to expand access, and that the commission has a predetermined agenda that will result in recommendations making it more difficult for people to register to vote, stay registered and cast ballots.

Its first significant action was to request a wide range of information about all registered voters in every state, including partial Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and voting history. The commission scaled back its response after stinging criticism. A tally by Associated Press reporters nationwide shows that 15 states denied the request, raising questions about how useful the information will be.

In August, the AP filed a records request with the commission under the federal Freedom of Information Act. The law specifies that agencies - including presidential commissions - have 20 business days to respond or 10 calendar days if the request was filed on an expedited basis, as the AP's was. To date, the AP has received no response from the commission despite multiple attempts to get one.

The commission's secrecy prompted a lawsuit by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which alleges the commission is violating federal open meetings and disclosure laws.

The group's executive director, Kristen Clarke, said she was hard-pressed to think of another commission that had acted in such secrecy.

"We have found that, in every respect, this commission has been carrying out its activities in an almost covert fashion," she said.

The lack of openness even applies to members of Congress.

Democratic senators have filed at least five separate requests for information with the commission since June, and a Sept. 12 follow-up letter noted that none of those had received a response.

"The Commission has not responded to a single letter from Senators with oversight jurisdiction over the Commission and continues to be rebuked for its questionable activities," said the letter by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Last week, a group of three Democratic senators wrote the Government Accountability Office seeking an investigation into the commission because of its lack responsiveness and transparency. The letter signed by Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Klobuchar cited a lack of transparency on the commission and concern that its conclusions would diminish confidence in the democratic process.

"It is incredible that they are not responding to any of this stuff, and that's why it's appropriate for GAO to take a look," Bennet said in an interview.

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Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Christina .
CHICAGO (AP) - The 2018 Illinois governor's race is on pace to be the most expensive in U.S. history, propelled by a wealthy Republican incumbent and a billionaire Democrat who are airing TV ads and hopping private planes to campaign events more than a year before Election Day.

J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune and one of the world's richest people, is among several Democrats trying to defeat multimillionaire businessman-turned-governor Bruce Rauner. Also running is Democrat Chris Kennedy, nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, who in a typical race might easily be the candidate with the biggest bank account.

But this is not a typical race. All of the candidates combined have raised more than $100 million in the past year. Most of that comes from Pritzker and Rauner's own money. That's almost as much as was spent in the entire 2014 governor's race, which set an Illinois record at $112 million.

In this Oct. 18, 2017, file photo, Illinois Democratic gubernatorial candidates from left, Daniel Biss, Bob Daiber, Tio Hardiman, Chris Kennedy, Alexander Paterakis and J.B. Pritzker answer questions about their candidacy at an event in Mount Prospect, Ill. The 2018 Illinois governor's race is on pace to be the most expensive in U.S. history, propelled by a wealthy Republican incumbent and a billionaire Democrat. Pritzker, one of the world's richest people, is among several Democrats trying to defeat multimillionaire Gov. Bruce Rauner. (Jeff Knox/Daily Herald, via AP)

The candidates spent nearly $30 million in the first nine months of this year - more than seven times the amount spent in the same period four years ago, according to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

If the trend continues the contest "absolutely" could surpass the most expensive governor's race to date, a record set in California in 2010, said Colin Williams, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform's political data director. He said candidates spent about $280 million in that race, in which former Gov. Jerry Brown defeated ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman.

The eye-popping cost of the Illinois contest has some people sounding an alarm about politics being a playground only for the rich.

Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, who started the governor's race with just $50,000, dropped out this month because he couldn't raise enough money to compete. He said he wasn't willing to strap his young family with huge personal debt.

"For democracy's sake, I hope we see this as a troubling trend," he said.

There's no limit to how much one person could donate to the candidates; under Illinois law, contribution caps are removed if a candidate gives his or her own campaign $250,000 or more in an election cycle.

Kennedy triggered that provision - intended to level the playing field in races with wealthy contenders - when he deposited $250,100 in his campaign fund in March. Since then, Kennedy has added $250,000 more, while Pritzker has deposited about $28 million into his fund.

Pritzker, a venture capitalist who Forbes says is worth $3.4 billion, is completely self-funding his campaign. That will allow labor unions and Democratic county organizations - many of which have endorsed him - to focus their money and energies on down-ballot races such as the Legislature.

Pritzker says self-funding will make him independent of special interests. He also says deep pockets are necessary to compete with Rauner, who spent more than $60 million of his own money to rebuild a Republican Party operation across the state and win the 2014 election.

That same operation helped the GOP pick up seats in the Illinois House in 2016, ending Democrats' supermajority. Late last year, Rauner made a $50 million contribution to his own campaign fund, money that will also help fund the state party.

"Unfortunately he set us on a course that I think is going to mean that we Democrats have got to build the infrastructure that we've lost. It's important that we knock on doors, that we're phone banking," said Pritzker, who has opened field offices across Illinois. "That is the campaign that I'm trying to put together."

Kennedy said he believes "all of us are outraged" by the money in the race but also said Democrats "need to respond" to Rauner and the GOP.

State Sen. Daniel Biss argues the best way for Democrats to do that isn't with huge personal wealth, but with a campaign like his, which has raised $2.7 million from "thousands and thousands of people" making smaller donations - including $50 from his wife.

On the campaign trail, the former math professor talks of his "middle-class life," with kids who share a bedroom. Democrats, he says, have to ask themselves: "Are we going to have an election or are we going to have an auction?"

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FILE - In this July 5, 2017, file photo, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks during a news conference, in Chicago. The 2018 Illinois governor's race is on pace to be the most expensive in U.S. history, propelled by a wealthy Republican incumbent and a billionaire Democrat. J.B. Pritzker, one of the world's richest people, is among several Democrats trying to defeat multimillionaire Rauner. (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam, File)

FILE - In this April 6, 2017, file photo, J.B. Pritzker speaks with the media after announcing his run for Illinois governor in Chicago. The 2018 Illinois governor's race is on pace to be the most expensive in U.S. history, propelled by a wealthy Republican incumbent and a billionaire Democrat. Pritzker, one of the world's richest people, is among several Democrats trying to defeat multimillionaire Gov. Bruce Rauner. (Max Herman /Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2017, file photo, Chicago businessman and Democratic candidate for Illinois Gov. Chris Kennedy poses for a portrait in his office in Chicago. The 2018 Illinois governor's race is on pace to be the most expensive in U.S. history, propelled by a wealthy Republican incumbent and a billionaire Democrat. J.B. Pritzker, one of the world's richest people, is among several Democrats trying to defeat multimillionaire Gov. Bruce Rauner. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan's king on Sunday endorsed a fledgling Palestinian reconciliation agreement that is meant to end a decade-old political and ideological split between rivals Hamas and Fatah.

King Abdullah II expressed support for the Egyptian-brokered deal after meeting Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah.

The Islamic militant Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in 2007, leaving Abbas with autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2017 file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left receives Jordan's King Abdullah II at his headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Jordan's king has endorsed a fledgling Palestinian reconciliation agreement that is meant to end a decade-old political and ideological split between rivals Hamas and Fatah. Abdullah II expressed support for the Egyptian-brokered deal after meeting Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)

The palace said that the king "affirmed Jordan's full support for this agreement" which it said would strengthen Palestinian unity. Jordan, which considers itself a key Mideast mediator, was not directly involved in reconciliation efforts.

Under an emerging deal, an Abbas-led government would run Gaza, but critical issues remain unresolved.

The U.S. and Israel say an unrepentant Hamas cannot be part of a Palestinian government.

They each have reiterated long-standing demands by the international community that Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist - conditions the militant group rejects.

The Palestinians are discussing an arrangement in which Hamas would not be part of the government but would likely continue to wield some external influence through its powerful military wing. It is unclear whether that will satisfy the international community.

Last week, White House Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt traveled to Cairo to speak to Egyptian officials about the reconciliation process. Greenblatt has been shuttling throughout the region in hopes of relaunching peace talks, which collapsed in 2014.

A senior U.S. official from Greenblatt's office said Sunday that Egypt had expressed a "strong desire" to help American peace efforts and improve conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The United States welcomed such efforts and the two sides agreed to use their best efforts to work together, as well as with the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Jordan and others in the region to explore all available opportunities to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians living in Gaza," the official said. "Such assistance will require the international community to join together to fund projects that will tangibly and positively impact all Palestinians."

The official, who was not authorized to talk to the media on the record, spoke on condition of anonymity.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Protesters kneeled outside of U.S. Bank Stadium before the Minnesota Vikings' game against the Baltimore Ravens.

About 50 people took part in the demonstration Sunday while the national anthem played inside the Minneapolis stadium. The protesters say they want to raise awareness about shootings by police officers.

Organizer Mel Reeves says the protest was not about the Vikings, the United States flag or the national anthem. He says they are "simply trying to bring attention to this national problem."

John Thompson and members of Black Lives Matter protest during a Twin Cites Rally "Takes a Knee" against police violence at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)

Reeves says the group plans to protest whenever the Vikings play at home.

Three police shootings in or near Minneapolis have drawn protests and widespread attention. Jamar Clark was killed in the city in 2015, Philando Castile in suburban St. Paul in 2016 and Justine Ruszczyk Damond in Minneapolis in July.
Escalations in the row between Catalonia and Spain over the regions bid for independence feature on the front of Sundays papers.

The Observer reports on how the move by Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy to impose direct rule from Madrid has dramatically escalated Spains deepest constitutional crisis since the restoration of democracy in 1977.

Observer front page, Sunday 22 October 2017: Spain announces direct rule to crush Catalan rebellion pic.twitter.com/NNJMtdxHyR  The Guardian (@guardian) October 21, 2017

The Independent shows the outcry of Mr Rajoys plans, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets in Barcelona.

Papers

Theresa May also doesnt escape the front page, with the paper saying that the Prime Minister looks ready to make a U-turn on draft proposals to cap energy prices.

It has reportedly learned that the plan could be ditched if the Big Six energy firms are found to be doing enough to combat expensive bills.

The Sunday Times also features the events in Spain, using a prominent picture of a woman wrapped in a Catalan flag who came out to protest the move.

It also reports on how online gambling sites have been urged to remove adverts likely to appeal to children.

Tomorrow's front page: Gambling sites forced to stop luring children #tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/ZPxBBqJyWM  Times Politics (@timespolitics) October 21, 2017

Elsewhere, Catalonia also features on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph alongside a story saying Mrs May is close to a major climbdown on Universal Credit, while the Sunday Express leads on plans by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid to tackle unscrupulous home-selling techniques.
Expats will be allowed to continue living in Spain even if Britain leaves the European Union without striking a withdrawal deal, the countrys foreign minister has said.

Alfonso Dastis said his government would ensure that the lives of ordinary Britons in Spain are not disrupted in the event of a no deal Brexit.

Spain is host to the largest number of British citizens living in the EU (308,805) and just over a third (101,045) are aged 65 and over, according to the Office for National Statistics.

(PA Graphics)

Theresa May is facing pressure from some Tories to leave the EU without an agreement so Britain can free itself from Brussels regulations, avoid a costly divorce bill and take what some see as full advantage of the benefits of Brexit.

Mr Dastiss comments may be seized upon by Brexiteer Tories as evidence that a no deal Brexit is a workable solution.

The minister told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show: I do hope that there will be a deal.

If there is no deal we will make sure that the lives of ordinary people who are in Spain, the UK people, is not disrupted.

As you know, the relationship between the UK and Spain is a very close one in terms of economic relations and also social exchanges.

Over 17 million Brits come to Spain every year and many of them live here or retire here and we want to keep it that way as much as possible.

The Prime Minister is continuing to negotiate so-called withdrawal issues with the EU, including expats rights, a financial settlement and the Irish border.

Only when sufficient progress is made in these areas will Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier recommend that EU leaders give the green light to talks on a future trading relationship.
US-allied forces have captured Syrias largest oil field from the Islamic State group.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are in a race with Russian-backed Syrian government forces to seize parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province, said they are in full control of the Al-Omar field.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces have retreated from the area around the oil field after coming under heavy fire from Islamic State militants.

PA Graphics

The SDF says government forces are two miles away from the oil fields.

The Islamic State group has lost most of the territory it once held in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Earlier this month, pro-government forces seized the town of Mayadeen, just across the Euphrates River.

IS captured Al-Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

#SOHR Intensive raids target #DeirEzzor city & #ISIS carries out an attack on sites of the regime forces https://t.co/SLyldKWyka      (@syriahr) October 21, 2017

The field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day, making it a key source of revenue for the extremists. Its current potential is unknown following a series of strikes on IS-held oil facilities by the US-led coalition.

Al-Manar TV, operated by Hezbollah, said the fight for Al-Omar was still under way and denied the SDFs claim to have captured it. The Lebanese militant group is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assads forces.

IS has suffered a series of major setbacks in recent months, including the loss of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists self-styled capital, and the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome.

While the twin referendums are non-binding, a resounding yes vote would give the presidents of the neighbouring regions more leverage in negotiations to seek a greater share of tax revenue and to take more responsibility from Rome.

The leaders want more powers in areas as security, migration, education and the environment.

(AP)

Referendum: seggi, operazioni quasi ultimate in Lombardia. Assessore regionale, qualche difficolta ma saranno... https://t.co/3F9io6xOJP  Roberto Maroni (@RobertoMaroni_) October 21, 2017

Lombard president Roberto Maroni has lowered expectations, saying he would be happy with a 34% turnout among the regions 7.5 million voters, equal to the national turnout in a 2001 referendum.

The Veneto autonomy drive will die if voter turnout is below 50% plus one of the regions 3.5 million voters.
Ander Herrera angered Jose Mourinho with his comments after the shock defeat at Huddersfield, but the Manchester United midfielder knows they cannot afford to wallow in self-pity.

It must have been an awkward journey back along the M62 after United mistakes allowed Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre to fire David Wagners promoted side to a stunning 2-1 win on Saturday.

Huddersfields intensity showed no let-up, and despite Marcus Rashfords header leading to a nervy ending, the hosts deservedly ran out victors as Uniteds performance reflected the grim weather.

Ander Herrera

Mourinho fumed after the match about his sides bad attitude, highlighting Herreras post-match interview with MUTV in which the midfielder conceded Town played with more passion.

A frank assessment of today's result from Ander Herrera... pic.twitter.com/S8ucttuZCw  Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 21, 2017

Unsurprisingly, no other United player spoke apart from the Spaniard, who knows they need to start making amends in the Carabao Cup at Swansea on Tuesday.

I had one chance with my head and Chris Smalling, in the last few seconds also, but when you are playing against such a passionate team, they are all going to defend, even the crowd as well, Herrera said.

They deserve the victory. We didnt do enough to get the three points and we cannot think now that we have lost everything because we still have to play a lot of games.

We now have two very tough Premier League games, you never know, you can win against anyone and lose against anyone.

You want the opportunity to play again as quickly as possible and thats whats going to happen again against Swansea.

United then face Premier League matches at home to Tottenham and away to Chelsea either side of a Champions League game at home against Benfica, while Huddersfield host West Brom after next weekends trip to Anfield.

Town head to Liverpool full of confidence after beating United, with captain Tommy Smith saying Saturdays win was fully deserved.

FREEVIEW: Tommy Smith is over the moon for everyone at #htafc after Towns excellent win against @ManUtd https://t.co/i9DsSyvEk6 (SE)  Huddersfield Town (@htafc) October 21, 2017

We knew it would be a really tough game today, the defender told HTTV.

Man United have come to our place and weve made it difficult for them; thats what we wanted to do.

I think we deserved our two goals and the three points.

I am absolutely over the moon for every single person involved with the club and especially everyone in our dressing room.
About 6,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power, energy chiefs have said.

While the vast amount are still dealing with the impact of ex-hurricane Ophelia, ESB Networks said some of those cut off were affected by Storm Brian.

The worst areas for the blackouts are parts of Cork and Wexford.

Apologies to everyone who lost their power supply. We are working to restore power to the remaining 10k homes, farms & businesses. #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/8IQca9N3j1  ESB Networks (@ESBNetworks) October 22, 2017

"ESB Networks is acutely aware of the tremendous difficulties and frustrations of communities in areas that remain without power," the company said.

"We sincerely apologise to those affected and we ask the public to reach out to those in their communities that are without supply."

There was some localised flooding following Storm Brian but there was only limited damage from the Atlantic weather system.

(PA)

The Blackwater burst its banks in north Cork but there was only minor impact in both Mallow and Fermoy.

A combination of high tides, the storm winds and high water in the Shannon caused flooding in Limerick with some homes, businesses and public offices affected.

Flood defences held back most of the high tide at the Spanish Arch in Galway.
The five-year-old daughter of a British trainee architect killed in a speedboat crash in France refuses to believe that her mother is dead.

Jess Wilkes, 27, was sent flying off the deck and into the River Rhone when the 22ft boat struck a warning beacon in the city of Avignon on Saturday night.

The father of Jess's little girl, Alissia, has told her that her mother died in the tragic accident but she cannot accept the news and is convinced the family will be going to the hospital to collect her.

Her uncle Phil, 25, told MailOnline: 'Alissia just doesn't understand. She's five so she just doesn't want to process it.

'She thinks my dad and my brother are driving down to pick her up from hospital. It's very hard for a five-year-old girl, you know.'

He went on: 'She was one of those completely magnetic personalities. Everyone who met her, loved her.

Tragedy: Jess Wilkes, 27, died in a speedboat crash on the River Rhone, Avignon, France, on Saturday night. Her daughter Alissia, five, pictured, is refusing to believe her mother is dead

Killed: Mother-of-one Jess, a privately-educated PA at an architect's firm, had flown over to France with her boyfriend Matthew Melvin to celebrate the 33rd birthday of her boss

Jess, (right pictured with a friend) suffered massive head injuries in the freak accident when the 22ft boast struck a warning beacon and went under the surface of the water

Jess's body was discovered around three hours later and French police and she was pronounced dead. Five others on the boat were also injured including her boyfriend Matthew Melvin, who fell into the water and broke his leg

'She's gone too early. She was a larger than life girl. Her family loved her dearly. May she rest in peace.

'She's absolutely what you see from her pictures. She was a kind, lovely girl. We were really close. She had loads of friends.'

Family's tribute to loving daughters, sister and mother killed in boat accident Devastated: Jess's family paid tribute to the trainee architect who had a bright future ahead of her Jessica's family have released a statement after her tragic death. It said: 'We are devastated to mourn the loss of such a loving daughter, caring sister and proud mother to Alissia, 5. 'She was a social butterfly who made everyone around her feel special and had an infectious energy and passion that she applied to everything in life. 'We love you dearly Jessica and may you rest in peace'. Advertisement

Alissia's father Maximillian Mayer, had been left devastated by the tragedy.

Her former partner said: 'Jessie was extremely loved by everyone, she was exceptionally talented, beautiful and kind-hearted with a charisma that would light up a room with her presence.

'She has left behind memories that will never be forgotten, kindness that will always be remembered and our daughter who will live and breath her mother's qualities.

'The pain is unbearable and she will be missed forever, goodbye you beautiful soul, I will always love you.'

Details of the girl's agony emerged as French prosecutors opened a manslaughter inquiry and police will now be examining whether the skipper of the boat had been speeding, drinking too much alcohol, or if his boat was suitably equipped for a night trip.

The mother-of-one, a privately-educated PA at an architect's firm, had flown over to France with her boyfriend Matthew Melvin to celebrate the 33rd birthday of her boss.

The smash happened as the party were returning from a restaurant dinner.

She suffered massive head injuries in the freak accident and went under the surface of the water.

Her body was discovered around three hours later and French police and she was pronounced dead. Five others on the boat were also injured including Mr Melvin, who fell into the water and broke his leg.

He is being treated in a French hospital, but has been told of what happened to his girlfriend.

Jess's heartbroken mother Susanna has told MailOnline her daughter suffered a fatal head injury and the family believe her death was near-instant.

Fighting back tears Mrs Wilkes, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: 'It is such a dreadful accident. She was thrown over the front of the boat and straight into the bollard. I am thankful that she did not suffer.

'All I am thankful that she did not suffer. She had such a bad injury to her head. I just can't believe it. It is such a dreadful thing to happen.'

She said: 'She was a beautiful and intelligent girl and she had her whole future ahead of her.'

'She was working at an architect's firm and she wanted to progress in that field but now she is gone. I can't believe it.

'The whole family is devastated by this and her father, Bernard, and older brother have driven to France to try and find out what happened.

'There is some talk that maybe it is suspicious but none of the party were drinkers and I think they were fine, so we don't know yet.

'It was just a very civilised meal, it wasn't some big party, and then they were coming back in the boat when it happened.'

In denial: The father of Jess's little girl, Alissia, (pictured) has told her that her mother died in the tragic accident but she cannot accept the news and is convinced the family will be going to the hospital to collect her

Loss: Jess's heartbroken mother Susanna (left) has told MailOnline her daughter suffered a fatal head injury and the family believe her death was near-instant

Details of the girl's agony emerged as French prosecutors opened a manslaughter inquiry and police will now be examining whether the skipper of the boat had been speeding, drinking too much alcohol, or if his boat was suitably equipped for a night trip.

She said the man skippering the boat was an experienced sailor who had navigated up and down that stretch of the Rhone hundreds of times.

She said: 'He is very, very experienced.He did it all the time so we don't know what could have happened and why they hit a bollard.

'I think there may be an investigation but we don't know yet that is why my husband is on his way down. They want to find out exactly what happened and what is going on from the French police.'

Jess was educated at the 30,000 a year Kent College in Pembury before going on to university to study Business Studies.

Mrs Wilkes said her daughter worked as a hostess for both Chelsea and Wembley when she was younger but had focused on a more academic career recently and enjoyed her work as a personal assistant at the architect's practice.

She said: 'She loved her work and wanted to progress. They are lovely people and she was invited over to Avignon for the birthday of her boss. He is only 33 years old. They are very high class people, very welcoming and she was delighted to go.'

Mrs Wilkes said her daughter had recently been on a hen party with some of her best friends.

She broke down in tears as she described how her daughter had held a poesy of flowers at the event.

The boat drifted for a short while after the collision before those on board were able to restart the engine and steer back to shore where rescue workers had arrived to help.

Tragic: The mother-of-one, a privately-educated PA at an architect's firm, had flown over to France with her boyfriend Matthew Melvin to celebrate the 33rd birthday of her boss

A spokesman for Avignon prosecutors said judicial police had already started to carry out interviews of staff at Delta Marine, the Avignon company that owns the boat.

Some survivors have alsobeen spoken to, but two are in such a bad way in hospital that they cannot yetbe interviewed.

Most of those involved were in there 20s and early 30s, apart from the 58-year-old skipper.

Detectives need to establish whether the boat was going to fast as it made its way from a mooring next to the Guinguette at the Old Mill restaurant in the picturesque district of Villeneuve-les-Avignon.

A source close to theenquiry said: 'The entire party of eight had just left the Guinguette after anevening of eating and drinking.

'They boarded a sixmeter boat, and were heading towards the Popes' Palace in Avignon when, ataround 10.45pm, the boat hit a water beacon.'

The beacons are solid metal pillars in the middle of the River Rhone that help river traffic to navigate properly.

Ms Wilkes, a PA at an architect's office in London, was sent flying off the boat in the 'extremely violent collision,' according to the source.

'Beyond the possibility of the boat having been speeding, the investigation will also want to know ifit had sufficient lighting. There is a possibility that the skipper did not seebeacon.'

The source said the influence of alcohol on those on board the boat, and especially the skipper, will also be examined.

The exact scene of the accident was at the so-called Eiffel Bridge, a viaduct built by Gustave Eiffel, which allows trains to cross the Rhone at Avignon.

An emergency plan swung into action within minutes of the crash, with ambulance workers and firefighters attending the scene on boats while a search was organised for victims.

'The boat was completely adrift,' said Philippe Chaussinand, who was in charge of the operation. 'After recovering the boat we focused on the search for victim who may have fallen off.'

It took a full three hours to recover Ms Wilkes's body, which was found at a depth of some six meters.
A British man has been sentenced to three months in prison in Dubai for touching a mans hip in a bar, according to campaigners.

Jamie Harron, from Stirling, was arrested in July over the incident in which he said he put his hand on a mans hip to avoid spilling a drink in a crowded bar.

The 27-year-old electrician had been working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in the United Arab Emirates at the time.

After his arrest for public indecency he lost his job and was told he could have faced up to three years in jail.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said he was sentenced to three months imprisonment at court on Sunday but lawyers plan to appeal.

The group said Mr Harron is angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next. He is not currently in custody while the appeal is considered, DiD chief executive Radha Stirling said.

Mr Harron has already been sentenced in absentia to 30 days in prison for failing to appear at a court hearing for making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol during the same July incident.

DiD said the 27-year-old was not told about the court date in advance and that sentence is also being appealed against.

In relation to the alleged public indecency charge, Mr Harron is said to have been holding a drink, moving through a crowded bar and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it on himself or others. He then touched a man on his hip to avoid impact.

He was initially jailed for five days and then released on bail with his passport confiscated.

Ms Stirling said: Now Jamie has been sentenced to three months; there is no telling whether a judgment on appeal will be better or worse.

He has already suffered tremendously as a result of these allegations, and now faces the likelihood of incarceration.

Dubai

His family was unable to visit him during this critical time because they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAEs cyber crime laws which forbid criticism of the government.

At this point, Jamie will definitely be pursuing civil action against his accusers when he does eventually return home, as it appears that he will not be able to find justice in the UAE.

She added: He feels betrayed and exploited by the system, which did not investigate the reports of key witnesses in his defence and led him to believe that the case would be dropped.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. We are providing consular assistance.
Egypts president has vowed to press ahead with the countrys war against terrorism, secure its borders and hunt down militants, after a deadly attack on the countrys police force.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissis remarks on Sunday came nearly 48 hours after authorities officially announced that at least 16 policemen were killed in a brazen ambush by militants south-west of Cairo.

Security officials told The Associated Press and other media outlets that the death toll reached 54, making it one of the worst attacks against Egypts police in years. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting reports.

Chairing a meeting attended by the countrys top security officials, Mr el-Sissi said: Egypt will continue its confrontation against terrorism and those financing and standing behind it, with strength, decisiveness and efficiency, until its curbed.

Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, centre, chairs a meeting attended by the countrys top security officials in Cairo (MENA via AP)

His first remarks on the massacre came as there was confusion over the police raid gone wrong, with a lack of information, charges of incompetence and conflicting accounts by officials to media outlets.

The ambush began when security forces acting on intelligence moved against a purported militant hideout some 85 miles outside Cairo.

Backed by armoured personnel carriers and led by senior counter-terrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the security officials.

What happened next has not been clarified, but many officers were killed and others injured.

The confusion around the incident sparked a debate on social media, with Egyptians divided over who to blame.

People carry the coffin of police captain Ahmed Fayez, who was killed in a gun battle in al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, during his funeral at Al-Hosary mosque in Cairo (Alaa Elkassas/AP)

Many suggested the police force had been infiltrated by Islamists given that some security officials said the ambush was carefully planned.

Along with conflicting reports of the death toll, authorities have also denied the authenticity of audio recordings, aired by pro-government media outlets, allegedly of policemen who took part in the operation.

The speakers on the recordings can be heard pleading for help.

The interior ministry said the sources of the audio recordings are not known and that they carried unrealistic details that have nothing to do with the reality.

It also warned against circulating such recordings and sowing confusion.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack which took place near Egypts vast western desert, where a previous series of attacks were blamed on Islamic militants pouring in from Libya.

I condemn the despicable terrorist killings in El Wahat and send my condolences to all Egyptians affected. The UK stands together w/ #Egypt  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 21, 2017

Meanwhile, a local affiliate of the Islamic State group is spearheading an insurgency across the country and in the Sinai Peninsula.

Rights advocates argue that the authorities heavy crackdown on Islamists in the aftermath of the 2013 military ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi has fuelled an insurgency.

Hundreds of Islamists were killed in mass demonstrations demanding Morsis return after he was ousted, while thousands were jailed.

In one of the latest trials involving Islamists, an Egyptian criminal court on Sunday confirmed death sentences for 11 men and handed down life sentences to 14 others over charges including the attempted murder of policemen.

The defendants can appeal against the court ruling by Judge Mohammed Nagi Shehata, who is known for his severity. Five of those sentenced to death were tried in absentia.
Marseille were denied a first win against Paris St Germain since 2011 by Edinson Cavanis stoppage-time free-kick as Le Classique at the Stade Velodrome ended in a 2-2 draw.

Neymar cancelled out Luiz Gustavos brilliant first-half opener for Marseille and was controversially sent off in the second period after the home side had regained the lead through Florian Thauvin.

Here, we look at the contribution of PSG playmaker Neymar.

Influence

Neymar was behind most of PSGs attacking threat and was hugely influential. He set up Layvin Kurzawa in the early stages, showed brilliant footwork in one storming run from midfield and started off the move which led to his first-half equaliser after linking decisively with Cavani. The Brazilian was given a rough ride and required treatment on his lower back before the break, but never shirked from his responsibility. His second yellow card following an altercation with the play-acting Lucas Ocampos in the 87th minute was harsh.

Creativity

Neymar was a closely marked man (Claude Paris/AP)

Neymar was a threat every time he was on the ball. Showing a tendency to turn up on the left hand side of midfield, his markers were always kept guessing. Marseille defender Hiroki Sakai was booked for his crude second-half challenge on the attacking midfielder, who always demanded the ball. But one decent chance went begging after the interval as he ballooned his cross out of play when a simple cut-back was the better option.

Dismissal

Neymar sent off! 



The world's most expensive footballer was given his marching orders as tempers flared between PSG and Marseille... pic.twitter.com/Sm47Ee7DFV  Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2017

Neymar had been booked for comments made to referee Ruddy Buquet two minutes before he was felled by Ocampos. The Brazilian reacted by pushing his head towards the Marseille defender, who fell dramatically to the floor. Replays showed there was little, if any, contact but Buquet flashed a second yellow card to signal an early exit for PSGs number 10.

Overall

Neymar proved the difference for PSG after they had fallen behind to Gustavos spectacular opening goal. The Brazilian had already laid one early chance on a plate for Kurzawa when he started and finished the move for his equaliser. He was clearly the biggest threat in the eyes of some of Marseilles more passionate supporters and had to be shielded by stewards when he went to take corners as they pelted him with various objects.
Boris Johnson has urged European leaders to press ahead with Brexit negotiations as British businesses stressed the need for a transition deal to be agreed as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Secretary said now is the time to get on with it after last weeks European Council summit agreed to the 27 remaining EU members beginning internal preparations for the next phase of talks, which will cover trading arrangements and a possible transitional phase.

He said that if both sides think very creatively and very positively then a deal can benefit people and businesses on both sides of the English Channel.

Boris Johnson speaks at the Chatham House London Conference

Businesses want the discussion of transitional arrangements in October and trade by the end of the year #Brexit https://t.co/BCs1BHB6KJ pic.twitter.com/bkPLFEGu7K  CBI (@CBItweets) September 17, 2017

His comments came after a draft letter intended for Brexit Secretary David Davis showed that five of Britains biggest business lobby groups have stressed the need for an early deal on post-March 2019 arrangements, warning that firms are preparing to make serious decisions with consequences for jobs and investment early next year.

They called for the transition period to match as closely as possible current trading arrangements with the European Union.

With difficulties in negotiations focused on the financial settlement  the so-called divorce bill  Mr Johnson said the UK had made Brussels a pretty good offer in Theresa Mays major speech in Florence.

Political uncertainty and #Brexit hits #ukmfg investment, see our annual survey published today with @santanderukbiz https://t.co/F6gRQExSfC  Make UK Campaigns (@MakeUKCampaigns) October 23, 2017

At a conference organised by the Chatham House foreign affairs think-tank, Mr Johnson said: Im glad that at the Council in Brussels they seemed more positive, frankly, than I thought they were going to be, to judge by some of the anticipatory drum roll of that council.

They have given a fair wind to the idea of themselves now discussing the new trade deal or however they want to proceed.

I suggest humbly to our friends and partners in Brussels: Now is the time to get on with it.

He added: They should grip it, get on with it and start thinking about the future.

Im sure that we can both think very creatively and very positively about how to come to arrangements that suit our constituents on both sides of the Channel and benefit businesses not just in this but in Paris and Frankfurt and across the whole of Europe.

ICYMI: The 5 key questions our latest report, Bridging the Brexit Gap: Options for Transition, sets out to answer https://t.co/SfuXoLH4tI pic.twitter.com/vtdZNWYzXZ  IoD (@The_IoD) August 9, 2017

Challenged on claims that his interventions on Brexit had undermined the Prime Minister, Mr Johnson said: The entire British Cabinet is united around every dot, comma, syllable of the Florence speech.

We think its an excellent text, and excellent basis on which to proceed and we hope our European friends and partners agree.

Mrs May, who will make a House of Commons statement on last weeks European Council summit, has requested a time-limited transition of around two years with the UK and EU trading on broadly similar terms to now and payments to Brussels to fulfil already agreed budget commitments.

Our poll released today looks at what businesses think the UK's Brexit negotiation objectives should be: https://t.co/nb8jmYvGX7 pic.twitter.com/zXcTOgroj5  BCC (@britishchambers) July 10, 2017

But although EU leaders agreed at the summit to begin scoping work on a future relationship, they made clear to the Prime Minister that she must make more concessions on a divorce payment to unlock talks on trade and a transition.

The private letter, which is believed not to have been sent yet, was reportedly signed by the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, manufacturing trade body EEF, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses.

Chancellor @PhilipHammondUK says Govt absolutely understands businesses' sense of urgency around a transition deal & need it soon #CPC17 pic.twitter.com/Cm0rLr0iAg  FSB (@fsb_policy) October 2, 2017

The letter, originally obtained by Sky News, said: Agreement (on a transition) is needed as soon as possible, as companies are preparing to make serious decisions at the start of 2018, which will have consequences for jobs and investment in the UK.

And the details of any transitional arrangement matter: the economic relationship the UK and EU has during this time-limited period must match as close as possible the status quo.

The letter added: It is vital that companies only have to undertake one adjustment as a result of the UKs withdrawal, not two  and that businesses, the UK Government and authorities in the EU have enough time to make the changes needed to deliver Brexit successfully.
CAIRO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to lift a ban on imports of Egyptian agricultural products, Egypt said on Sunday, as the country works to step up exports to narrow its budget deficit.

The agreement came after a series of meetings and negotiations held between an Egyptian delegation and the Gulf countries, the Egyptian agriculture ministry said in a statement.

The series of bans, which were said to have been on concerns over pesticide residues, had come at a time where there was an increased appetite for Egyptian exports resulting from a currency float that slashed the pound's value in half last year.

The three Gulf countries had banned various agricultural imports from Egypt, including pepper, lettuce and onion, earlier this year.

Egypt has asked an agricultural quarantine body to advise on shipments and warn of exporters who violate agreed-upon international standards, the statement said.

It said that counterpart bodies will also be appointed abroad to monitor the quality of exports on the other end and that the ministry is currently negotiating that exporters who violate the rules be punished instead of countries of origin.

Egypt's agricultural exports rose 13.9 percent during the first nine months of 2017, reaching 4.1 million tonnes compared to 3.6 million last year.

"A ban on Egyptian strawberries imposed by Saudi Arabia was also lifted about a month ago after a Saudi delegation visited Cairo," agriculture ministry spokesman Hamid Abdel Dayem said on Sunday.

The kingdom had imposed a ban on Egyptian strawberries also over pesticide residues in July. Sudan is yet to lift a blanket ban on Egyptian agricultural and animal imports it imposed in May.

Egypt's agricultural export season runs from September through August. (Reporting by Ehab Farouk and Moemen Abdelkhalek; writing by Arwa Gaballa; editing by Jason Neely and Toby Chopra)
By Sudipto Ganguly

MUMBAI, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Tom Latham hit a masterful unbeaten hundred and added 200 in a stand with Ross Taylor to help New Zealand to a comfortable six-wicket victory over India in the first one-day international at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing 281 for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the touring side reached their target with six balls to spare on a hot and humid night at the ground overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Latham remained unbeaten on 103 while Taylor was out on 95 with the side just one run away from the win.

India captain Virat Kohli hit 121 off 125 deliveries to register his 31st century in ODIs and anchor the hosts to 280 for eight after winning the toss and opting to bat.

New Zealand's chase got off to a decent start with an opening stand of 48 between Martin Guptill and Colin Munro but India fought back with three quick wickets to reduce them to 80 for three.

With the hosts boasting wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in their bowling armoury, few would have placed a wager on New Zealand winning from that stage but Taylor and Latham had other ideas.

Chahal and Yadav played a big part in India winning nine of their last 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka and Australia but the New Zealand batting pair made them ineffective, using powerful sweep shots and deft placements.

The 25-year-old Latham brought up his fourth ODI hundred in 95 balls, his innings studded with eight fours and two sixes.

Earlier, New Zealand paceman Trent Boult gave his side an ideal start with the ball in his first spell, sending back India openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma cheaply while conceding just seven runs in his five overs.

Kedar Jadhav then fell for 12 to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, reducing India to 71-3 and leaving Kohli to rebuild the innings through a 73-run fourth-wicket stand with Dinesh Karthik.

The 32-year-old Karthik, who did not play India's last two series against Sri Lanka and Australia, scored 37 before giving paceman Tim Southee the first of his three wickets.

Kohli, who was dropped on 29 by Santner off seamer Colin de Grandhomme, also added 57 for the fifth wicket with former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25).

Boult returned to peg back India with the wickets of Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, who made 16, and finished with figures of 4-35 from his 10 overs.

Playing his 200th 50-over match, Kohli brought up his three-figure mark with a single off Southee, overtaking former Australia batsman Ricky Ponting to climb to second spot on the list of most ODI hundreds behind Sachin Tendulkar (49).

Kohli, who will turn 29 next month, hit nine boundaries and two sixes before falling to Southee in the final over of India's innings.

Pune will host the second ODI on Wednesday. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Clare Fallon)
Offshore Patrol Vessel CG 60, which the Indian Coast Guard had provided to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG), was commissioned by State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene as SLCG Suraksha at a ceremony held at Colombo Harbour on Saturday.

The Navy said the newly commissioned ship, the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to be inducted into its fleet, would be used by the Sri Lanka Coast Guard for patrolling and surveillance in Sri Lanka waters, humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, prevention of maritime pollution as well as training purposes.

SLCGS Suraksha had earlier belonged to the Indian Coast Guard and it was officially handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy at a ceremony held at the Port of Kochi in India last month.

The OPV, with a displacement of 1,160 tons, is 74.10m in length and 11.4m in breadth. It can sail at a speed of 22 nautical miles per hour. Manned by a crew of 14 officers and 86 sailors, the vessel can cover 8,500 nautical miles maintaining a speed of 16 nautical miles per hour.

Sri Lanka is in possession of an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles and will own a sea area spanning 1,738,062.24 square kilometres in the near future.

The Navy said the SLCGS Suraksha would play a crucial role in strengthening the countrys naval capabilities

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Kapila Waidyaratne, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Travis Sinniah, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, Director General of the SLCG, Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge graced the commissioning ceremony held in accordance with naval traditions. (Darshana Sanjeewa)
The Members of Parliament were issuing statements and comments about the new Constitution without knowing exact details, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said this morning.

Prime Minster Wickremesinghe made this statement during a ceremony held at Temple Trees to distribute compensation to flood victims of Kolonnawa.

"We have decided to include the responses of political parties in the interim report so that MPs could study them before coming for the debate. Some MPs utter things without knowing the details," the Premier said.

The Prime Minister also criticised the media saying that the print media in particular, were trying to sabotage the Constitution making process.

"We have decided to adopt a speedy process to provide compensation to those who are affected by natural disasters. News such as these should be main stories or page-one stories. However, print media is giving space to stories which are opposed to a new Constitution, he said.

A new Constitution has not been prepared yet. Show us the draft of the new Constitution if there is one. Do not mislead the people in this manner. People will go against media at the end of the day, if they continued to mislead them," he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said 70, 000 families who were affected by landslides have been paid compensation so far.

A total of Rs3.6 billion has been paid to landslide and flood victims of 2016, he said.

He said that Rs.1.3 billion had been paid to flood victims of 2017.

"I have instructed relevant institutions to make the payments to all victims by end November this year. I shall visit flood hit areas in the south and see for myself the progress made on paying compensation to the flood and landslides victims. We have instructed the institutions to pay compensation to all victims according to government estimates. We can pay more if the people appeal" he said.

"The Government has decided to introduce a new speedy process of paying compensation to victims of natural disasters. Usually it takes around five years to complete the compensation paying process.

However we have decided to expedite this process. It is the people who are going to suffer when payments are delayed as value of the funds given to them declines as a result of devaluation of the rupee. Rupee is devalued in Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka is a country which is set to settle its borrowings, which has exceeded Rs. 3 trillion" the Prime Minister added.

He said that steps had been taken to prepare Sri Lanka to face global climate changes as well. (Yohan Perera)
Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo said she feared Philippines might get stuck in a debt trap like the one experienced by Sri Lanka if they borrowed loans from China, Philippines media reported.



The Duterte administrations new source of financing for its ambitious infrastructure projects, China, could lead the Philippines into a debt trap as it did to other countries that had borrowed heavily from the Asian giant, according to Philippines Vice President.

Robredo cited the project to build a new Bicol Express, a rail system connecting Manila and Bicol region, for P175 billion, which would come from a Chinese loan, the Philippine media reported.

Robredo said there should be a better way to finance the project other than through loans from China.

First of all, its debt. Very huge, P171 billion. Thats very huge, said Robredo, who is a native of Naga. Our fear is we might get stuck in a debt trap like the one experienced by Sri Lanka, she said.

According to BBC.com, Sri Lanka had relied so heavily on loans, mostly from China, that 95 percent of all government revenues now go to debt repayment alone.

Many of the projects funded by Chinese loans turned out to be non-profitable, according to the BBC.com report.

Of course, if its debt, we will be the ones to bear the burden. It should be decided on properly, Robredo said.

But Robredo said it seemed like economic managers, who had presented financing models for the rail projects, were no longer looking at any alternative.

She said she had asked Cesar Chavez, a former dzRH reporter and transportation undersecretary, and Mercedita Sombillo, assistant economic planning secretary, to look at alternatives and give us whats the most favorable for all.

Robredo said that while she was not opposed to Chinas role in the Build, Build, Build infrastructure plan of President Duterte, concerns had been raised about the profitability of some of the projects.

She said the proposal of three private companies that had expressed interest on the Bicol rail project as a private-public partnership (PPP) was also worth looking at. She did not identify the companies, though.

Why not look at that? Robredo said. She said that if the government waited to settle concerns about profiting by the private firms, the process might take longer.

Mr. Duterte had cozied up to China and Russia after ranting at the United States, the Philippines traditional ally, largely as a result of US officials criticism of summary killings that became part of Mr. Dutertes war on drugs.

Mr. Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, had tried to promote the PPP model as a means to build key infrastructure without spending government money.
Deepak Kumar Mondal, the officiating commandant of 145 Battalion of Border Security Force, died on October 20, having been in a coma for almost four days at a Kolkata hospital. He leaves behind his wife and two young children. The organisation has lost a promising and bold leader. I am overcome by a sense of extreme grief because Mondal had worked under me for more than a year at Manipur's Churachandpur, and during the time, what had impressed me was his capability to think out of the box and his conscientious approach.

The officer had suffered grievous injuries while trying to prevent a gang of cattle smugglers in western Tripura's Sonamura border outpost. During the process of normal supervisory duties in his area of responsibility, he encountered a group of 25-30 smugglers trying to transport a large number of cattle to Bangladesh. Mondal warned them against proceeding, but the smugglers pushed the cattle towards Bangladesh. He then radioed the nearby BOP for reinforcement while the guard and driver accompanying him caught hold of a few cattle. The smugglers, who were in possession of bricks and machetes, tried to encircle them and started pelting at them. The guard accompanying Mondal then fired straight into the air to forestall their movement, and, subsequently, in a bid to escape, the smugglers deliberately ran their vehicle over the officer, crushing him under the wheels.

The death of the officer once again brings to focus the rationale of government directives with respect to the use of force by troops, especially lethal weapons, and their policy towards cattle smuggling.

The smugglers deliberately ran their vehicle over BSF officer Deepak Kumar Mondal, crushing him under the wheels. Photo: Twitter

The scenario is typical of what the BSF trooper faces every day on the India-Bangladesh border. Heavily outnumbered by cattle smugglers, the troops find themselves hamstrung by directives that prevent them from using lethal force against smugglers. The latter very well know about the restrictions imposed on troopers and feel emboldened, aggressively attacking the forces when intercepted.

This is reflected in the increasing numbers of injuries and even deaths of BSF jawans. The number of jawans injured in attacks, which stood at 11 in 2009, rose to 147 in 2011 after the restrictions on firing were put into place and the implementation of "coordinated border management plan" with Bangladesh; the toll has remained steadily more than 100 every year since then. The deaths due to firing by BSF have, on the other hand, reduced drastically from 93 in 2009 to 24 in 2011 and stand at 9 in 2017.

Cases such as assistant commandant Anubhav Atrey's, in which a Bangladeshi smuggler was killed after the officer fired the "pump action gun" in West Bengal last year, also send out a negative message to the troops - that if one opens fire even in self-defence, he is likely to face penal action. Atrey is awaiting a likely court martial.

It is no one's case that the troops should be trigger-happy. The fact is, the troops have a charter to fulfil and they are armed with different types of weapons to do so. Therefore, the decision to open fire needs to be left to the assessment of the situation by the commander on spot.

The other policy review that the government must undertake relates to cattle smuggling. The fact remains that India has surplus cattle and a lot of it is unproductive and that Bangladesh's leather and meat industry - the country's chief foreign exchange earner - is heavily dependent on cattle from India. Therefore, I believe, Bangladesh actively encourages cattle smuggling and terms the activity as "cattle trade".

The demand in Bangladesh is matched by the supply available in India. Poor farmers who cannot afford to feed unproductive cattle need to dispose them - if it fetches them some money, they welcome the business. Religious beliefs are not allowed to come in the way of a profitable economic activity. That is why the cattle from as far as Rajasthan and Haryana travel all the way to the eastern borders to be pushed into Bangladesh. The smuggling of cattle is a well coordinated activity between cartels in Bangladesh and India.

Contrary to popular belief, cattle smuggling appears to have, in fact, increased during the last few years as is reflected in the rising numbers of cattle seized. In 2011, this figure stood at 1,35,291, whereas it rose to 1,68,801 during 2016. This implies the cattle continue to travel to the border, unabated, from the interior parts of the country.

As has been advocated in the past, the government needs to take a pragmatic view of the matter and legalise cattle trade with Bangladesh. The attitude of the media in the coverage of this incident deserves mention. Except for one TV channel - India Today - no other deemed the BSF officer's death important enough to be mentioned beyond a ticker.

Perhaps, the sacrifice of a brave BSF officer is not good enough to get TRPs, or the incident was not suitable for creating a binary and pit one political party against another and raise decibel levels.

That remains the fate of the lesser soldiers of god. Unsung, they continue to remain true to their calling.
The Dandakaranya forest of central India is the site of the bitter armed conflict of between the State and its "single biggest internal security challenge" - the Naxalite movement. It is director Amit Masurkar's deliberate choice for the setting of his film Newton, now selected as India's official entry for the Oscars 2018.

He has his reasons for doing so. He has set out to tell a story about India's democracy (or the lack of it) and it is the battles in Dandakaranya that, for him, best represent the "ideological differences on democracy".

Masurkar, in an interview, points out: "Naxals are not asking for a separate country... The battle is from the ideological differences on democracy. Naxals want to bring a change in democracy by establishing a communist rule." Newton thus is his attempt to honestly engage with issues of democracy.

The urban middle class lens

Masurkar's story is from an urban middle class point of view: " I was very clear that my gaze was from Newton's perspective, because there was no other way of looking at this story. And that was so because I'm a boy from the city, I cannot pretend to alter my gaze; I had to be very conscious of that."

Newton, the idealist Dalit upper division clerk with his punctilious purity, is the middle class' dream "honest babu". This largely stems from the illusion that, if there were more incorruptible officials in the state machinery, all would be well with our democracy.This naive middle class view has bought into the ruling class propaganda narrative that India is the world's largest democracy. It unquestioningly accepts the glib assumption that mere elections, every five years, are sufficient to achieve genuine democracy.

The booth matters to whom?

Factors such as empowerment of citizens, participation in political decision-making, and guarantee of basic human rights - which should be the essence of any government claiming to be "of the people, by the people, for the people" - have no place in this narrative. The narrow morality of this middle class view is satisfied merely if elections are conducted according to the rules in a relatively less corrupt manner.

The ruling class lens

There is, however, another middle class view that is far from naive and openly cynical, even immoral. This view, represented in the movie by an upper caste paramilitary assistant commandant, Atma Singh, is actually the real ruling class perspective, shorn of pretence that comes with propaganda.

It has scant regard for democracy, particularly when it seems to clash with the interests of the "nation" - a word which is mostly used to denote the classes in power. Forget the essential factors of democracy mentioned above, here even its electoral semblance becomes a burden that is better fabricated or even dispensed with. This view too is held by significant sections of the middle classes, particularly by those who belong to the upper castes or the security forces.

Anyone dissenting and challenging the ruling paradigm is an enemy. For instance, the film shows the security forces referring to the Maoist-influenced areas as Pakistan. This is a term often indeed used by the officers of the police and the paramilitary forces who are involved in operations in conflict-torn areas.

This, in one sweep, converts the tribal citizens into enemy aliens, who then only deserve to be dealt with the brute force of the gun.In the film, Atma Singh hands Newton his AK-47 automatic rifle to validate the weighty burden of the nation he carries. The foul irony of having to use a weapon of the nation against one's fellow citizens is lost on him - as it would be on most officers of the paramilitary deployed in India's several conflict zones. This scene aptly characterises the dubious moral self-belief of being the ones shouldering the yoke of the nation that justifies and rationalises the deliberate ditching of democracy and even a no-holds barred war on its citizens.

Credit: Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves/StoriesUnscene

The Naxal narrative

On the other side is the Naxal standpoint, which propagates an unequivocal boycott of elections. It professes to be based on a strong commitment to democracy. It brands the present system's claim to democracy a fraud; it calls for a new democratic revolution to establish a truly democratic system.

The press release issued by the main Naxal party, the CPI(Maoist), during the 2014 parliamentary elections, was titled: "Boycott the sham parliament & assembly elections! Make the New Democratic Revolution successful! The building of an Indian people's democratic federal republic based on genuine democracy and self-reliance is the only alternative!"

Stripped of all jargon, the Naxal contention is that the Parliament and assemblies formed through the elections are mere tools in the hands of the rich ruling classes. They serve the interests of the big corporates and landlords, and thus can never be true vehicles of democracy.

The alternative which the Maoists have built in the areas they control is a parallel government called the Janatana Sarkar or People's government. This government, which has now been in existence for well over ten years in Dandakaranya, witnesses a high degree of participation by the local people. They implement land distribution, run small industries and irrigation schemes and have their own primary networks for education, health and justice delivery. They thus lay claim to having an alternative model of development based on a more democratic system of governance.

The side of the adivasis

The Naxal claim to a democratic alternative is, of course, contested - not only by the government, but also by many middle class intellectuals. The Janatana Sarkar model is limited to one of the country's remotest parts and there are doubts about how it could be replicated in other pockets.

For the inhabitants of Dandakaranya, however, the choice is apparently clear. The portrayal in the film approximates reality - the armed paramilitary is the main - often the only - contact of the locals with the Indian state; the sight of the paramilitary uniform sends the villagers into hiding; they have nothing to do with the parliamentary electoral process unless forced to vote by armed personnel. There is thus an almost absolute rejection of the Indian democracy - as they know it - by the local citizens.

The armed paramilitary is the main - often the only - contact of the locals with the Indian state.

The film is also careful not to make the blunder of equating the EVM illiteracy of villagers with ignorance about democracy. It, in fact, provides a glimpse of their confidence in the robustness of their own democratic processes. In one of the scenes when the arguments between an armed Atma and unarmed Newton grows particularly vicious, it is the village leader who is shown to self-assuredly step in with an offer of dispute resolution through the local justice delivery system.

It is not only the poor villagers who are shown taking sides, away from the Indian state. The middle class adivasi, represented in the film through the school teacher Malko, spurns the offer of a bullet-proof jacket from the government armed forces - an act symbolic of her assertion of whose side she is not on.

Masurkar's quest to explore the ideological divide on democracy studiously stops short of sharp side-taking and solutions. His honest portrayal is sufficient, however, to highlight the hypocrisies in the state's claims to democracy. It is also sufficient to tell you that mere Newton-type incorruptibility and punctuality cannot be the remedy. He tries to tell you where various players in the conflict stand.
GRETNA  A family with Pittsylvania County roots is working to save a colonial-style family cabin built in the early 19th century by one of its ancestors.

The George family held a reunion and celebration to mark their efforts to stabilize and preserve the 1819-built, two-story wooden cabin constructed by Cornelius McHaney George and his wife, Anne Dove George.

George was a veteran of the War of 1812, a captain of a company of Virginia Militia volunteers who marched to Michigan to support American troops trying to stop the British from capturing Detroit, according to Hunter George, great-great-great-grandson of Cornelius.

However, the war had ended by the time they arrived, and he returned to his home in Pittsylvania County, where the couple built the structure.

During an interview at the reunion on a warm, breezy Saturday at the cabin off Pittsville Road in Gretna, Ginger George Gentry said the family hopes to complete the preservation project in about five years.

Were just trying to get it stable, said Gentry, great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius. It shouldve been done long ago.

About 50-60 people were at the all-day event when the Register & Bee attended the reunion early Saturday afternoon. Family members mingled and feasted on baked beans, potato salad, sandwiches, desserts and other items.

The project is the first of its kind for the nearly 200-year-old log house, said Gentry, who lives in Halifax County. The building has all its original materials, including the logs and wood flooring, she said.

A new roof was recently installed for the projects first phase, Hunter George said.

We made a fund drive to make enough money to get a new roof, he said.

Future phases include a new foundation, new flooring and chimney work, Gentry said.

Hunter George, a watercolor artist who lives in Houston, Texas, is selling his prints of the cabin, the Wreck of the Old 97 in Danville and a church in Tillingham, England  where the familys ancestors came from  to raise money for the restoration.

Documents at the reunion traced the familys ancestry back to the 14th century.

Parts from the cabin, including nails from the logs, and books are also being sold to raise money.

Cornelius and Anne raised 13 children at the cabin, and three generations lived there. The home has not been occupied for many decades.

Some of the George children fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War  including Cornelius Jr., who was a blacksmith during his service.

According to the George family, the log structure is remarkable not only for its hand-hewn, square-notched log construction, but the rare cross-jointing permits two rooms on each of its two floors with a fireplace at each end. It is also taller than most log structures, with higher ceilings in the upstairs bedrooms, according to the family.

Ross and Krystina Johnson, who own the nearly 35-acre property where the cabin is located, bought the land in 1992 when they moved to the area from their native Connecticut.

We just drove up the driveway  I looked at him, he looked at me, Krystina said of the first time they laid eyes on the property. Its Gods country. Its beautiful.

The Johnsons tried to get state funding to restore the cabin years ago to no avail, Krystina said.

Ross, who is retired, operated his former electric business in the cabin before later moving it to downtown Gretna.

People like to come up to the property to see the cabin, Krystina said.

Its family history, she said.

There was talk of moving the cabin at one time, Gentry said. But she didnt want that. Its where her ancestors lived, and that means a lot.

I want to keep it where its at, she said.

For more information or to contribute to the fund to save the Historic George Family Homestead, contact Hunter George at hhgeorge@comcast.net, or Quentin Cline at qcline@att.net.
Last Tuesday was a great day for Ed Gillespie. Two new polls showed the Republican closing the gap for governor.

Last Tuesday was a great day for Ralph Northam. One new poll showed the Democrat comfortably ahead for governor.

Polls are a convenient, but not necessarily reliable, shorthand for the direction of a campaign: Someone is ahead. Someone is behind.

Because theyre out of date as soon as theyre completed, polls are nothing more than snapshots in time. They are not predictors. Try telling that to fans of the candidate gaining or leading in whatever poll.

In Virginia, that includes Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, The Washington Post-Schar School of Policy and Government, Roanoke College, Christopher Newport Universitys Wason Center, Suffolk University in Massachusetts, and New Jerseys Monmouth University.

In the aggregate  that is, polling conducted since the parties settled their nominations in June  Northam is ahead, approximately 5 percentage points. This has Democrats cautiously optimistic.

Since then, several polls have shown Gillespie and Northam neck and neck, usually in a statistical tie; that is, within the margin of error. This has Republicans cautiously optimistic.

If youre looking for a convenient but far more telling measure of the Virginia campaigns trajectory, look around your neighborhood, browse online, watch and listen to whats on the air and read your newspaper  mostly for whats not being said.

Each can provide a different sort of poll, one that speaks to the enthusiasm that fuels a candidacy, the money behind it and organizational discipline.

First, enthusiasm.

In this Virginia campaign, what youre against may be more important than what youre for. And in the only Southern state that Hillary Clinton carried last year, that means most Virginians oppose Donald Trump, making him an albatross for Gillespie.

Northam becomes the outlet for voter anger with Trump, never mind Northams low-key manner. Underwhelming is an antidote to overwhelming; that Northam is responsible and deliberate while Trump is reckless and impulsive.

Gillespie, too, appreciates the subdued approach, mostly to reassure fellow Establishment Republicans dispirited by Trump and to entice independent swing voters who consider the president a menace. The challenge for Gillespie: Balance that with an appeal that approximates the red-eyed rage Trump voters demand.

Many of the things that Trump has done since taking office in January have had an immediate, measurable and dramatic impact on Virginia, if only because the state is next door to the seat of the national government.

In Northern Virginia, alone, Trumps perceived Muslim ban, his temporary freeze on federal hiring and the threatened government shutdown inflame a deep blue, vote-rich region that is ethnically diverse and, as a home to federal agencies, workers and contractors, is economically dependent on D.C.

One measure of Trump-induced, grass-roots Democratic excitement in the Washington suburbs: The party won snap elections in spring and summer for offices held by Republicans  Prince William County clerk and a seat on the Fairfax County School Board.

And in rural, usually red Rockbridge County, where the Democratic chairman briefly quit because he believes the party is ignoring the countryside, Democratic performance in the gubernatorial primary exceeded that of Republicans, albeit by a mere 41 votes.

Statewide, Democrats cast 544,000 votes choosing between Northam and Tom Perriello. That exceeded by nearly 180,000 the total for Gillespie and his two opponents, Corey Stewart and Frank Wagner.

The numbers suggest an excitement gap, one magnified by a surprising level of competition for legislative seats. Democrats are contesting 54 of 66 Republican-held seats in the House of Delegates, possibly tapping new reservoirs of local support.

But on Oct. 14 in Washington County, on the eastern edge of the Trump-carried Southwest Virginia coalfields, Vice President Mike Pence  at a rally for Gillespie and his running mates  played to a room that, press reports said, was only half-full.

Next, money.

Double-digit win over Perriello notwithstanding, Northam emerged from the primary broke, having spent about $8 million on television advertising. Gillespie tried spooking Northam into spending money he didnt have, possibly handicapping the Democrat for the autumn finale, with a burst of summer TV that ultimately went unanswered.

Gillespies early money advantage for the general election has been eroded largely in the past month. Northam harvested $7.1 million in September, compared with $4.3 million for Gillespie. And Northam had a cash balance of $5.6 million, more than twice the $2.5 million Gillespie had on hand.

Money follows money  and money gravitates to perceived winners.

This doesnt mean Gillespies cash will dry up.

As long as he is competitive, national money  mostly through the Republican Governors Association  will continue flowing to Gillespie. The only other gubernatorial election this year, in New Jersey, is a likely pickup for Democrats. Republican bucks that might have gone north will, instead, go south  to Gillespie.

But Virginia is the Wild West when it comes to political spending.

Outside groups, some of which are making multimillion-dollar bets in the governors race, can fully coordinate with the candidates, essentially allowing Northam and Gillespie to decide how best to apportion others funds between advertising  broadcast and online  and voter mobilization. Thats not allowed in federal elections.

On Oct. 17, the Virginia Public Access Project showed on small scale that independent groups can make a big difference. A flurry of TV spots by the National Rifle Association in behalf of Gillespie allowed him to pull even with Northam  at $1.5 million apiece in advertising last week  after being outspent for several weeks.

Finally, the press narrative.

Trump remains a constant in media coverage, supplying Northam with a bogeyman and further elevating the national significance of the Virginia contest.

A Northam victory, in a lower-turnout electorate that might approximate that seen nationally in the 2018 congressional midterm elections, will be depicted as a repudiation of the president.

But so could a Gillespie win.

Thats because, short of a total collapse of the Democratic vote, Gillespie would have offset the Trump votes he needs with the centrist Republican and independent votes he needs more. Gillespie, the professional storyteller, would spin that as evidence the GOP coalition  seemingly disintegrating in Washington  endures in Virginia.

Reconciling that with his conduct as a candidate would be a stretch.

If Gillespie has done anything reliably in this campaign, its been choosing when, where and how he engages reporters. He wants to avoid those nagging questions about Trump and keep the focus on Virginia-specific issues  or at least try.

This means what Gillespie doesnt do carries greater significance than what he does do.

So on Oct. 16, when Gillespie was pushing out on Twitter photos of himself with Bush 43 at a closed, high-dollar fundraiser in Richmond, he still hadnt retweeted Trumps endorsement from a week ago.

And thats only reinforced a press theme Gillespie cant blunt: In running for governor, hes running from Trump.

Jeff E. Schapiro is a writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Contact him at (804) 649-6814.
On Diwali eve, strike by MSRTC drivers, conductors and other staff caused inconvenience to people who were looking to go home for vacations. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Terming the ongoing strike of the employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) "illegal", the Bombay High Court on Friday directed them to resume work immediately.

In a late evening order, Justice S K Shinde also directed the committee, set up by the state government to look into the employees' issues, to submit its interim report by November 15 and the final report on December 21.

Over one lakh MSRTC employees went on an indefinite strike on Tuesday, demanding a salary hike in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The court was hearing two PILs, including one filed by city resident Jayant Satam, seeking that the strike be declared illegal and the staff be asked to resume work.

"The strike is illegal and they (MSRTC staff) are directed to resume work with immediate effect," the court said. "The government cannot remain a mute spectator on the strike. This is affecting the public at large, especially during the festive season," it added.

The court was informed that a committee had been set up to resolve the issue.

Noting that the government and the MSRTC needed to sit together to resolve the issue, the court posted the petitions for further hearing to January 10.

The bench was informed by the MSRTC that despite three committees set up in the past, the problem pertaining to the salary of the employees had not been sorted out.

The transport corporation's lawyer further said that while the central government was funding a bullet train and many other development projects, the state government was hesitating to support the MSRTC.

The two petitions were filed on Wednesday, highlighting the hardship the passengers were facing, especially in the rural areas where MSRTC buses are often the only public transport facility, due to the strike ahead of Diwali.

Nearly 65 lakh people travelled by MSRTC buses every day, the petitions said.

"We are relying on a government notification and (earlier) court orders, wherein it is specifically held that employees working in essential services for the public at large, cannot go on strike," the petitioners' lawyer, Pooja Thorat, said.

Here, the 98 per cent MSRTC employees are very much aware that it is the Diwali season and that lakhs of people use their services to go to their home towns, but still they have announced the strike, she added.

She further said that while the MSRTC employees' demands were legitimate, the manner in which they went on strike just before the festive season was not appropriate.
Mumbai: "I am being sacked" was the text message former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus P Mistry sent to his wife Rohiqa minutes after he was asked to either resign or face termination over Tata Trusts losing confidence in him for a variety of reasons.

Minutes before the October 24, 2016 board meeting of Tata Sons -- the holding company of the USD 106 billion salt-to- software conglomerate -- Ratan Tata and another board member Nitin Nohria came calling on the former chairman, claims Nirmalya Kumar, who was part of the core Group Executive Council (GEC) formed by Mistry.

"Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working.

"Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons. He is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting," Kumar wrote in a blog.

Ratan Tata, according to Kumar, chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage.

"Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do," he wrote.

Cyrus sends a text "I am being sacked" to his wife Rohiqa, before putting on his jacket and heading for the board meeting, says Kumar in his latest blog titled How Cyrus Mistry was fired.

Kumar, who is currently a professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University and Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, states that during the meeting, Mistry argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before a resolution.

Another Tata Trusts nominee Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. "He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date," said the blog.

While six of the eight-member board that included Vijay Singh, Amit Chandra and Nitin Nohria -- all trust nominees; Ajay Piramal, Ronen Sen and Venu Srinivasan -- all independent directors, voted in favour of the resolution that sought removal of Mistry, Farida Khambhata, an independent director, and Ishaat Hussain, finance director, Tata Sons abstained from voting.

"It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal," Kumar wrote.

At 3 pm Mistry returned to his room and begun "packing his personal effects." He was informed by F N Subehdar, chief operating officer, Tata Sons that it was "unnecessary for Mistry to return the next day" when the latter queried him about the same.

Kumar said Mistrys ouster stood out because the Tata Group had a history of only six chairmen over 148 years.

"Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years," he wrote.

Kumar said the initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as the Chairman had been passed via a shareholder resolution of Tata Sons.

"It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided.

"Unfortunately, instead there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and the Tata brand," he wrote.

The only winners, he said, were the public relations companies and lawyers, who are still having a field day.

On October 24 last year, Tata Sons announced that its board has replaced Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons, naming his predecessor Ratan Tata as interim chairman.

On February 21 this year, former head of TCS N Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman of Tata Sons.
New Delhi: Revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said that some overhaul of the GST rates is needed to reduce the burden on small and medium businesses and the common man. There is a need for some rejig in rates... It is possible that some items in the same chapter are divided. There is a need for harmonisation of items chapterwise, and wherever we find there is a big burden on small and medium businesses and on the common man, if we bring them down, there will be a better compliance, Mr Adhia told a news agency.

The 23rd GST Council meeting is due to be held on November 10 in Guwahati. In view of the coming Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state Gujarat that is expected in December, the government is worried about the anger in the business community over GST and is looking at ways to pacify them.

The Centre is trying to reduce the compliance burden of GST and bring down rates to win support from the trading community. The GST Council has already rationalised the rates on over 100 commodities, and made the refund process a lot easier for exporters. The revenue secretary said the GST will take about a year to stabilise. It will take one year. Because it is a new system for everybody... there has been a complete overhaul of the tax system in GST, so one year is needed, said Mr Adhia.
Government asked mobile operators to reverify all the existing prepaid and postpaid customers, with the help of the 12-digit unique identity number and biometric details.

New Delhi: Nearly 13.8 lakh biometric devices in use by the telecom sector for Aadhaar authentication have been made compliant with UIDAI's new encryption norms, according to CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

The move is aimed at adding a new device-level security layer at a time when Aadhaar-based e-KYC is being used by telecom industry for fresh connections and re-verification of existing mobile subscribers.

"In telecom sector, about 13.8 lakh fingerprint devices have been upgraded as registered devices with the new encryption key. Telecom industry is now fully compliant," the UIDAI CEO told PTI.

Overall, about 15 lakh devices have been "upgraded", meaning that these devices, that were being used in the field for biometric authentication, have now been secured with a new layer of encryption. All new biometric devices, as it is, have the latest encryption norms in place, Pandey added.

"In all, about 15 lakh devices have been upgraded out of 20 lakh such units in circulation in various sectors...many banks are also in the process of upgrading their biometric units," he added.

Lauding telecom companies for completing the "massive" task of rolling out the new security feature in existing fingerprint devices, Pandey said encryption key will ensure that biometrics captured cannot be misused.

"This is like a third lock. One lock is in form of encryption at the time of biometric capture, then it gets further encrypted at level of the telecom operator, and then we have our own encryption," he said.

Aadhaar-based e-KYC is essential for subscribers going for new SIMs. Further, in early 2017, the government asked mobile operators to reverify all the existing prepaid and postpaid customers, with the help of the 12-digit unique identity number and biometric details.

The re-verification exercise is scheduled to be completed by early 2018. UIDAI's next priority would be to ensure compliance of new encryption norms in other user agencies like banks and various government offices, he added.

"We will soon take stock of those who have not complied and ask them to explain why it has not been done yet", he said.

UIDAI is the nodal body responsible for rolling out Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number that identifies residents based on their biometrics.

While more than 118 crore Aadhaar cards have been generated in the country, 4 to 5 crore Aadhaar authentications are taking place everyday.
Mumbai: Supported by strong inflows from small investors, the domestic mutual funds have invested a total of Rs 94,783.12 crore in the equity markets in 2017 till date, almost three times higher than the investments made by foreign portfolio investors. During the period, overseas investors made a net investment of Rs 30,944.99 crore in Indian equities.

With the equity markets trading at their historic highs, experts are little cautious in their outlook about market receiving further liquidity support from mutual funds as they feel that any delay in growth recovery could halt the pace of fresh inflows into mutual fund equity schemes.

The markets have trended higher based on hopes. All those hopes could turn into despair if there is no meaningful recovery in corporate earnings growth. In such a scenario, fresh investments into mutual fund equity schemes could also slowdown going forward, said Ambaressh Baliga, senior research analyst.

The net investment made by mutual funds in October has moderated to Rs 6,413 crore from Rs 17,941 crore and Rs17,457 crore made in August and September 2017.

According to Christopher Wood, MD and equity strategists at CLSA, the fresh issuances of equities lined up in coming days could also suck up some of the liquidity in the secondary market.

In his weekly report titled Greed & Fear, Mr Wood said, This new supply is coming at a time when the stock market is trading at the top end of the historic valuation range. The other risk is that foreign investors have turned net sellers of India since August. The foreign caution is explained in part by the pending supply and high valuations. Global emerging market investors over the past year have also been reducing longstanding Indian overweights to add to China and tech exposure in Korea and Taiwan where the earnings trends have been much more positive.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has written to the Centre to relax the penalty norms against traders who failed to file the GST returns within the stipulated deadline.

Defaulting traders are liable to pay a penalty of Rs 200 per day. Of this, Rs 100 has to be paid to the state government.

Traders brought it to the notice of the state government. They said that they could not file the returns due to technical glitches in the GST network. The government sought relaxation for August and September.

Somesh Kumar, principal secretary of commercial taxes department, said that the government considered their request as the GST network was encountering technical problems since the introduction of the GST.

The problem with GST network was faced in several states. Traders have requested us to relax the penalty norms. We have requested the Centre to consider it, he said.
Mumbai: The Diwali festival has become merrier for families of 103 slain policemen and army personnel in Maharashtra, courtesy an initiative by a senior IPS officer and actor Akshar Kumar, with the latter contributing over Rs 25 lakh for the cause.

"We made a list of martyr policemen and military/paramilitary personnel belonging to Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune rural and Solapur rural region. When Akshay Kumar got to know of this initiative, he also decided to join," Kolhapur range IGP Vishwas Nangre Patil said.

"Akshay Kumar sent a cheque of Rs 25,000 and a signed letter to each of the families, which we delivered," the senior IPS officer told PTI.

"Akshay recently sent me a photograph of a small girl weeping beside the coffin of her father. When I broached the subject of helping the slain policemen's families, the actor promptly decided to chip in," Nangre Patil said.

"We are happy that our initiative has made the Diwali of the martyrs' families sweeter," he said.

In the letter, Akshay Kumar has lauded the sacrifice made by the martyrs for the country.

"I am aware that you must be recalling their lovely memories during Diwali. The tragedy that has befallen your family is immense and I pray to god that you overcome this tragedy with fortitude and usher in the new year," the actor wrote.

"I wish to offer sweets and a small gift for the children to buy books. I request you to accept them," Akshay Kumar wrote.
Madhur Bhandarkar had also replied to Rahul Gandhi's tweet to Narendra Modi over BJP's opposition to 'Mersal.'

New Delhi: National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Saturday ridiculed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for supporting Tamil film 'Mersal'.

While talking to ANI, the 49-year-old director said, "I have previously supported films like 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', 'Udta Punjab,' and I feel that there is selective criticism. Why did not people came forward during 'Indu Sarkar'?"

"It is a kind of duplicity that is going on. When my film 'Indu Sarkar' was getting released, the Congress demanded a ban on the film. They tried to bully me, gherao me and I had to take security for one and a half months from Maharashtra Government. Where was freedom of expression at that time?"

Slamming Rahul, Bhandarkar asserted that one cannot be selective while vouching for freedom of expression.

"These kinds of hypocrisy need to be stopped," he said.

During the day, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, by asking him not to "demon-etise" Tamil pride by interfering in what is shown in theatres.

He took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal."

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

His comments come a day after the Tamil Nadu BJP unit objected to Tamil superstar Vijay's Diwali release, 'Mersal', for "criticising" the Centre's flagship schemes, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India.
The ice, as they say, has thawed. Anupam Khers unplanned visit to the Film & Television Institute Of India (FTII) has established what the actor describes as a healthy interactive equation with the students.

Following the friendly interaction with the students, the actor now believes he shares a better relationship with the students. He says, I think they now know I am not a monster, that we are on the same page.

He adds that he completely understands why the students didnt take to him immediately. The problem with bringing someone from the top to run an organisation is that the whole organisation looks at the new person with suspicion. And, I dont blame them for thinking so! I wanted them to know that I was not bringing any bureaucratic baggage on the campus.

Anupam, who replaced actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson of the institution just ten days ago, describes his two-day long stay on the film school campus as enlightening. I interacted with students and told them that I have been there, taken my plays to their campus a long time ago, and felt like a part of the institution. It didnt take much convincing because I wasnt faking it, he says. The visit was spontaneous and honest.

The veteran actor had interactive sessions with the students. Elaborating on how his stay went. He says, I did a masterclass with the students. We also did paid homage to Tom Alter with his son Jimmy in presence. But what the actor enjoyed most was getting to know the students better. What I enjoyed most was talking to the students and trying to understand their problems.

The actor knows there is no dearth of problems at FTII. He reveals his strategy to tackle them. We will treat them as a part of life, not as peculiar circumstances that require special treatment. In life, there are problems every day. We get up each morning and look at the days work as a part of life. Thats how I will look at the functioning of the FTII. Not as an institution requiring special attention but a normal workplace with normal situations to be looked into. Breathe easy, relax. Its just students eager to learn about cinema. Weve all gone through that.
He, however, asserted the state govt should also respect its limits that it's not their job to run universities.
Mumbai: Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will stay in a rehabilitation centre at least till the next month amid the sexual harassment scandal.

The media mogul's spokesperson told People magazine that he will continue to be under treatment at the facility, despite his constant insistence to be shifted to a five-star hotel.

"Mr Weinstein is receiving in-patient as well as outpatient medical treatment for the next month or so," the spokesperson said.

Another insider told People, the producer believes he does not needs assistance round-the-clock.

"He agreed to treatment, but he doesn't think he needs rehab," they said.

However, another Weinstein source claims that the media mogul has accepted that he needs help.

"His team set him up at a secure place to get him the help he needs - he knows and wants help. Specialists and at least one doctor are coming to him and he's taking the therapy seriously. He's not taking this lightly. This has been something he's actually been working on for a while."

In his first statement after the controversy blew up,

Weinstein had said he is trying to be a better person and knows that he has a long way to go.

"My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons... I've brought on therapists... to deal with this issue head on. I so respect all women and regret what happened. I hope that my actions will speak louder than words," he had said.

Over 40 women, including names such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong'o and Lena Headey, have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct after a New York Times expose, which revealed that he settled with more than eight women. The NYT story was followed by a more detailed report in the New Yorker.
Its commonplace for actors to juggle multiple films, jumping from one schedule to another amidst honouring thousands of other commitments. And thats exactly what Rana Daggubati has been doing in recent times. While the actor is busy shooting for the bilingual (Tamil-Telugu) period drama, 1945 near Kochi, he took a quick break to attend his cousin Naga Chaitanyas reception in Chennai on Saturday evening.

Hes been working on a very tight schedule for the bilingual. However, he wouldnt want to miss his cousins get together at any cost, and made a quick exit from the shooting spot on Saturday to be able to reach the venue. He partied hard the entire night and was back in time on Sunday morning to continue with the schedule, shares a source in the know.

It has also been learnt that the actor is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the film, which mostly has a Tamil crew, is adapted well for Telugu sensibilities. And Rana is making extra efforts to make that happen.
Washington: A new study revealed how obesity can contribute to promote breast cancer in women. Obesity leads to the release of cytokines into the bloodstream, which impacts the metabolism of breast cancer cells, making them more aggressive as a result.

The research was conducted by scientists from Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM), and Heidelberg University Hospital. The team has already been able to halt this mechanism with an antibody treatment.

There has been an immense rise in the number of obesities worldwide. The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) recently reported that, according to the WHO the number of children and adolescents with obesity increased tenfold between 1975 and 2016.

Various health impairments are caused due to severe overweight. Besides inducing cardiovascular diseases, obesity for example also promotes the development of cancer and metastases.

The study stated an as yet unknown mechanism making breast cancer more aggressive. The enzyme ACC1* plays a central role in this process," said Dr. Mauricio Berriel Diaz, deputy director of the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer (IDC) at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen.

Diaz led the study together with Stephan Herzig, director of the IDC and professor for Molecular Metabolic Control at TUM and Heidelberg University Hospital.

"ACC1 is a key component of fatty acid synthesis," Diaz added. "However, its function is impaired by the cytokines leptin and TGF-." The levels of these cytokines are increased particularly in the blood of severely overweight subjects.

The scientists demonstrated that the described inhibition of ACC1 leads to the accumulation of the fatty acid precursor acetyl-CoA. This precursor is transferred to certain gene "switches" that in turn increase the metastatic capacity of cancer cells by activating a specific gene program.

The researchers want to substantiate the data on the newly discovered mechanism in further studies.They are also considering related intervention points that could possibly be exploited therapeutically.

"Blocking the signalling pathways and switching off the metastasis-related genes could be a therapeutic target," Herzig said. "As part of the so-called neoadjuvant therapy, the risk of metastases or the recurrence of tumours could be reduced prior to the surgical removal of the tumour."

The study was published in the journal of Cell Metabolism.
Chennai: Nilavembu Kudineer is safe and effective to treat dengue and other viral fevers and one need not have any qualms in consuming this herbal concoction for immediate relief, the National Institute of Siddha (NIS) functioning under the Union Ayush ministry, here has assured. This institute plans to take up a full-fledged study for global reach of this traditional medicine.

Nilavembu kashayam has been in use for over half-a-century at Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai. It is one among the 32 types of internal medicines described in the Siddha system of medicine. The nilavembu kudineer, now used for the prevention and management of dengue fever has been explained in the Siddha literatures several centuries ago. There are many research papers on nilavembu kudineer for the treatment and prevention of dengue and other viral diseases. Based on the research studies conducted by our National Institute of Siddha, 70 per cent prevention has been proven against dengue and other viral fever cases by intake of nilavembu kudineer for 5 days. It was used also to control and prevent the outbreak of chikungunya in Tamil Nadu, a few years back, asserts Prof Dr. V. Banumathi, director, NIS, on Saturday.

This is the first time the national institute has come out in the open to endorse the Siddha preparation after a controversy on the use of nilavembu decoction erupted recently.

Nilavembu kudineer is safe and effective for dengue, Prof Banumathi said and stated that Dr Shanmugavelu and Dr G. D. Naidu (Siddha scholar) published the book The Pharmacopoeia of Siddha Research Medicine in 1973, which elaborated the research evidences about the prevention and management of dengue and other fevers caused by influenza viruses. Prof. Dr.V. Banaumathi advised the public to take nilavembu kudineer without any fear; for the prevention and management of dengue, in consultation with registered Siddha medical practitioners.

Why no largescale study on efficacy of Nilavembu Kudineer, ask experts

Further, she appealed to the public not to worry or panic about the rumours regarding the nilavembu kudineer, which she said is safe polyherbal being used for decades without any reported adverse effect strengthened by safety studies and clinical research studies conducted in King Institute and NIS respectively.

Research for global reach:

Our director has plans to take up a full-fledged study as part of a national level programme so as to include this herbal concoction for treatment of dengue and viral fevers in India, besides help the global community understand and treat the people effectively, says Dr N. J. Muthukumar, superintendent of Ayothidoss Pandither Hospital, NIS. This preparation is not something new. It is a Shastric preparation made under the guidelines of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act.

Also, as per the WHO guidelines, if any traditional herbal medicine is being continuouslyconsumed by the public for several decades, it does not require any toxic study or safety measures research, he said. To a question if there's any proposal to recommend this for treating fevers, he replied, the TN government had already issued an order in 2012 to administer nilavembu kudineer for all fevers and for chikungunya.

The Union ministry has to take a call on this hopefully our full-fledged study will provide a direction to the entire nation and the world as well, he added.

Over 2,000 patients treated at OPD

The NIS, a postgraduate research institute, which is regularly conducting special OPDs on its campus and mobile medical camps in and around South Chennai and Kancheepuram districts for prevention and management of dengue through the distribution of nilavembu kashayam, has treated over 2,200 patients at its OPD. During the 2015 December deluge nilavembu kudineer was distributed to prevent the people from various infectious diseases.

For adults, the dosage recommended is 30 - 60 ml of freshly prepared concoction and for children 5 - 20 ml, twice a day before meals for 3 to 5 days in lukewarm state, in consultation with a qualified Siddha practitioners.

Plea for ICMRs intervention

Wondering why the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has not taken up a study on the efficacy of nilavembu kashayam, Dr V. Pugazhenthi of Doctors for Safe Environment (Dose) said even now it is not too late. The ICMR could be persuaded to take up this study.

As dengue is a notifiable disease, with major episodes of worst affliction, the government should have conducted the chemical study after identifying all parameters. If it's a mutated virus, as in the case of swine flu, it is not wrong to conduct a molecular study. My point is that, without going into the controversy, I would say, even Siddha doctors and Allopaths could be involved in this for the betterment of humanity, Dr Pugazhenthi who had been raising his voice for Siddha doctors, says.

Contending that there has not been sufficient studies to warrant the introduction of this Siddha drug combination, Dr Ramesh of Dose, says it is wrong to introduce a particular treatment modality when results were inconclusive. He argued that a large-scale chemical study should be taken up to ascertain the efficacy of Nilavembu kudineer in controlling this virus strain. Already we had the swine flu virus which got mutated and it was found that Tamiflu did not work on it, he cited as a reason.
LONDON: A personal letter found on the body of a man killed in the sinking of the Titanic sold at auction on Saturday for 126,000 pounds ($166,000), a record price for correspondence from the doomed liner.

The letter is one of the last known to have survived the sinking and still carries stains from its time in the Atlantic. Written by first-class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson on embossed Titanic on-board stationary, the letter to his mother describes his impressions of the palatial ship, praising the food and music.

If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday A.M., Holverson wrote the day before the ships fateful encounter with an iceberg.

Holverson was a Minnesota-born salesman, who was travelling on the ship with his wife, Mary Alice, who survived the sinking. The letter was sold by the Holverson family at an auction held by Henry Aldridge & Son in the southern English town of Devizes. Iron keys from the Titanic also sold for 76,000 pounds.

The prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic and her passengers and crew, said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge. Im delighted with the new world record for the Titanic letter. It reflects its status as the most important Titanic letter we have ever auctioned.

In his letter Holverson also described his experiences rubbing shoulders with one of the ships most famous passengers.

John Jacob Astor is on this ship, he said of the American financier and real-estate investor, who was one of the worlds richest men at the time. He looks like any other human being even though he has millions of money. They sit out on deck with the rest of us.

The Titanic was the largest ocean liner in service when it struck an iceberg on April 14 1912 in the Atlantic while travelling from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died.
Habeebnagar police on Friday night raided three places at Mallepally, Darussalam and Aghapura.(Representational Image)

Hyderabad: The Habeebnagar police on Friday night raided three places at Mallepally, Darussalam and Aghapura leading to the arrest of 17 gamblers and seized Rs 54,000 from them.

According to the police, the participants formed teams and were playing three card games at three different places. Following a tip- off, three special teams raided the places and arrested them.

Mr P. Madhakarswamy, inspector of Habeebnagar said that all the accused persons who were caught had been remanded on Saturday.
Lucknow: A Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker and a local journalist was shot dead on Saturday by bike-borne assailants in Ghazipur district.

His brother was also critically injured in the shootout and has been referred for treatment to Varanasi.

According to police reports, the RSS worker Rajesh Misra, 35, and his brother Amitesh Misra were sitting in their shop in Karanda area, early on Saturday morning, when three motorcycle-borne assailants came and indiscriminately opened fire at them.

Rajesh died on the spot and Amitesh had been hospitalised. Panic prevailed in the locality after the shootout and angry youth protesting the killing of the RSS worker started collecting near the district hospital in large numbers. They forced shops to pull down their shutters and also vandalised some shops. A case has been registered against three unnamed assailants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will then head to Vadodara, where he will dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre. (Photo: PTI)

Ghogha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615 crore 'roll- on-roll-off' (ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

He launched the first phase at a rally Ghogha in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

"This is the first of its kind project not only in India but also in South-East Asia," Modi said at the rally, which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

"This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible," he said.

The prime minister had earlier termed this as his "dream project".

He is later scheduled to make a trip from Ghogha, Bhavnagar district, to Dahej, Bharuch, on the ferry. From Dahej, he will leave for Vadodara where he is slated to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 1,140 crore.

According to Ajay Bhadoo, the chief executive officer of Gujarat Maritime Board which has executed the ro-ro project, the first phase of the service is meant for passengers.

In the second phase, which will be ready in two months, cars can also be carried between the two towns.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour, Bhadoo said.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in January 2012, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

The prime minister had earlier visited poll-bound Gujarat last Monday when he addressed his party workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Prior to that, on October 8, Modi visited his home town Vadnagar. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.
KPCC president M. M. Hassan gestures during the political affairs committee meet at Indira Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran and K. C. Venugopal, MP, are engrossed in their own worlds. (Photo: A.V. MUZAFAR)

Thiruvananthapuram: Factional differences evaporated on the Solar vendetta politics as the Congress Political Affairs Committee on Saturday resolved to fight it politically and legally. The lone voice of dissent was that of the ace dissenter, V. M. Sudheeran, who did not think it had to be fought politically.

KPCC president M. M. Hassan told the media that Congress would expose the LDFs game plan against the Congress and its leaders.

High drama prevailed at the PAC at Indira Bhavan as Mr Hassan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala tried to dissuade Mr Sudheeran from taking a strident position prior to the meeting. He was convinced that former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was above board on the molestation charge but felt there was lapse at the level of the former CMs office.

Several leaders, not just Mr Suheeran, were sore with the proposal for the KPCC list, which would deprive the party of true representation. Senior AICC leader P. C. Chacko, Alappuzha DCC president M. Liju and AICC secretary in charge of Karanataka, P. C. Vishnunath, had also expressed their displeasure before the AICC leadership, a PAC member told DC.

Mr M. I. Shahnavas, MP, said both the BJP and the CPM were united in their effort to tarnish the image of the Congress. He said he would not allow his colleagues to be ripped apart by political adversaries.

Mr Chandy said the solar case would not stand in court. Mr K. C. Venugopal, MP, said the Congress would perish if they wait for the courts verdict. The meeting then decided not to hold any protests against the LDF Government on the solar scam judicial commissions recommendations.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had maintained that the judicial commission report needs to be submitted in the Assembly within six months. But later within a week, he realized his folly and sought legal opinion a second time, Mr Hassan told reporters after the PAC meeting.

Mr Sudheeran urged Mr Chennithala to make the Solar case the main topic in his Yatra, Padayorukkam, and explain Congress-UDF stand instead of taking out any protest now.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had firmly said in a statement in parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Government of India has said that asking relatives of the 39 Indians, who went missing Iraq three years ago, to undergo DNA test is normal procedure to confirm identification.

Both India and Iraq maintain that the 39 Indian nationals are still alive and authorities in both countries remain committed to continue their search for them on this assumption.

"All of us have been asked to undergo DNA test," Gurpinder, the sister of Manjinder, one of the missing Indians, told ANI.

It may be recalled that in July this year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had firmly said in a statement in parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence.

"It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence. I will not do this sin," Swaraj said in a statement in the Lok Sabha on the fate of 39 Indians missing in in Mosul, Iraq, since 2014.

India has asked Iraq for help in locating the missing Indians after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul from ISIS, and New Delhi has repeatedly said it won't end the search for these missing citizens believing that they are still alive.

"This file will not close till there is proof that the 39 Indians are dead. I will not commit the sin of declaring them dead without any evidence," Swaraj had said in July, adding then that insofar as this emotive issue is concerned, there is no benefit to the government by misleading the people.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Eshaiker al-Jafari is also on record as saying around that time that Baghdad does not have "substantial evidence" to prove that the missing Indians are dead.

The 39 persons, most of whom hail from Punjab, were working on projects near Mosul, when they were kidnapped during their evacuation.

India is on record as saying that every effort is being made by Iraq and other countries to help trace the abducted Indians.
Earlier this month, an AIIMS doctor penned an open letter in response to Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's reported instruction to turn away people with minor ailments from Bihar. (File photo)

New Delhi: Taking a serious note of employees of the top medical institution AIIMS writing to the Prime Minister and other ministers directly with their complaints, the hospital administration has warned them of disciplinary action.

In a memorandum, the AIIMS administration said giving such representations directly to "outside authorities", bypassing the hospital, would be treated as an "unbecoming conduct" and asked them to complain only to the officer concerned or to the director of the institute.

The memorandum said the hospital got a number of representations by the staff on service matters, which were directly addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers and parliamentarians, among others, outside the institute.

"Such representations directly submitted to other authorities bypassing the institute's authorities have been viewed seriously," the memorandum said.

The hospital authorities have asked the staffers who want to complain about any matter to approach the right person in the institute.

"Submission of such representations by any means directly to outside authorities, bypassing the institute authorities would be treated as an unbecoming conduct... and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against those violating these instructions," the memo said.

Earlier this month, an AIIMS doctor penned an open letter in response to Union Minister Ashwini Choubey's reported instruction to turn away people with minor ailments from Bihar. The minister had allegedly said that such patients were "crowding" the hospital. In the letter, the doctor stated that it would be morally incorrect and illegal to follow such instructions.

The overcrowding at the premier institute in the national capital is a problem created by poor healthcare infrastructure in the country, said Dr Shah Alam Khan, a professor at the AIIMS Orthopaedics department in New Delhi.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was "2017, not 1817".

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817, Gandhi tweeted.

He also tagged a news report titled 'Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts'. The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media.

It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority.

The state government said in a release last night there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

Meanwhile, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that the ordinance must be withdrawn.

"You need to understand the hidden meaning behind this bill. While on the onset, this looks like a bill that has been passed to protect bureaucrats and officials, such is not the case. Furthermore, by censoring the media, the reason for the ordinance can be further ascertained. I think there is still scope for the government to withdraw the bill," Gehlot told ANI.

Alleging Raje and Home Minister Rajnath Singh of interfering in the investigation process, Gehlot claimed that innocent lives were being troubled with the introduction of this ordinance, adding that there may be a delay in the investigation.

"With the passing of this ordinance, filing an FIR would need government approval. When has the government approved such things? This is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) move to counter those opposing them," he said.

The Rajasthan Government has passed an ordinance protecting both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without prior sanction.

According to the ordinance, 180 days of immunity is provided to the officers. If no decision is taken on the sanction after the stipulated period, the sanction will be automatically granted.

The ordinance is an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and also restricts publishing name, address, photograph, and family details of the public servants.
The seven sailors who set sail from Thoothukudi on their safe arrival at Galle harbour. (Photo: DC)

Rameshwaram: In a goodwill gesture, the Sri Lankan Navy rescued a seven-member India crew from a Maldives-bound Indian merchant vessel, which had sunk in the seas south of Sri Lanka due to a mechanical fault, reports reaching the pilgrim island here on Saturday said.

On being informed by the Maldivian government about the ill-fated Maria Iurudaya, a medium-scale merchant vessel sinking in the seas 68 nautical miles south of the Galle lighthouse, the Lankan Navy Headquarters alerted all merchant ships plying in that area as well as SLN ships/craft patrolling in the southern seas to render assistance.

Subsequently, the Navy was informed of a drifting life-craft with sailors on board by a multi-day fishing trawler named Sahan Putha.

The Fast Attack Craft P490 was dispatched immediately to the location for the rescue, said the reports. The merchant vessel had set sail from the southern port-town of Thoothukudi recently.

The Indian crew in distress was rescued accordingly and brought safely to the Galle Harbour on Saturday morning (October 21).
The existing Child Labour Act, 1986, was amended with reference to the Right to Education Act, 2009. (Photo: AFP)

Hyderabad: With over 21,474 teenagers out of school in Telangana, a strong monitoring is needed to ensure that there is no child labour, said Imtiyaz Rahim, district child protection officer.

Over 865 child labourers were rescued in the past one year in TS. While the Centre plans to eradicate child labour by 2030, the state aims at achieving a child labour-free status by 2021.

To achieve this, an action plan is formulated keeping in mind the new amendments in the child labour law. The existing Child Labour Act, 1986, was amended with reference to the Right to Education Act, 2009.

The new Act prohibits child labour up to fourteen years of age and engaging teenagers aged 15 to 18 years in hazardous occupations such as mining has been declared illegal.

Varsha Bhargavi, state coordinator of the state resource centre for elimination of child labour, said, The labour department was selected as the nodal department to keep a check on elimination of child labour by the state government in May. To make Telangana a child labour-free, an action plan is drafted by bringing the labour, school education, wo-men development de-partments under one roof.

Velpur, a district in Telangana, has been child labour-free since 2001 and the labour department will be using this in their campaign against child labour. The department has also been holding meetings with resident welfare associations to reduce child labour in urban areas.

Migration of labourers from rural areas to urban areas and the influx of new apartment complexes are creating problems as child labours are employed in these apartments.
The controversy arose on Wednesday out after a Facebook post displayed a page of a study material titled Advantages of Dowry and was soon shared and discussed across other social media platforms as well. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: St Josephs College (SJC) Bengaluru issued an official statement on Saturday after conducting an internal inquiry on the issue of a social media post, which showed that the study material allegedly circulated to 60 sociology students endorsed dowry.

It is clear that no teacher has made pro-dowry statements in the class this emerged with utmost clarity from the accounts of both teachers and students. The method of Sociology requires students to look at opposing viewpoints carefully and we have found that the Facebook post had selectively cited extraneous material from one of the sourcebooks suggested, with no understanding of the process followed in the classroom, the college stated.

The controversy arose on Wednesday out after a Facebook post displayed a page of a study material titled Advantages of Dowry and was soon shared and discussed across other social media platforms as well.

The marriage of ugly girls, who would otherwise have gone without a partner, was made possible by offering heavy amount of dowry. It is a useful and effective method of attracting good, handsome and sometimes unwilling boys for marriage, read the photocopied material which mentioned a total of seven points.

Dr Kiran Jeevan, Public Relations Officer of the college said that no student had raised this as a problem with the teacher concerned, the head of the department or with the Dean of Social Sciences. The institution has always taken such representations through proper channels seriously and will continue to do so, he said.

Students from the same class clarified that the matter was presented on social media out of context. The particular page which surfaced on social media was one among the set of reference notes which were inadvertently photocopied during the month of July, just before the mid-semester exams. They never belonged to our course or the syllabus we follow, said Sasha Stephens, a third year sociology student at SJC.
Windows of the classrooms that face the lake have been shut because of the unbearable stench. No remedial measures had been initiated by the authorities.

Hyderabad: The areas around Edulabad lake, where 4 lakh fish died over three days, especially the road leading from Ghatkesar to the village, are stinking.

With the water being severely contaminated, dead fish such as rohu, katla, bangaru theega, gas cut, and mergu are being washed towards the shore every day.

The Edulabad Zilla Parishad School is located right next to the shore where hundreds of dead fish lie. Windows of the classrooms that face the lake have been shut for the past few days because of the unbearable stench. As of Sunday, no remedial measures had been initiated by the authorities.

Local resident P. Janardhan said the Medchal MLA and members of the district administration had not bothered to visit the village after the fishkill. The school has nearly 400 students from Classes 5 to 10. Proper steps should immediately be taken by the district authorities so that kids do not suffer from health problems, he said.

Edulabad has a population of over 10,000. Families from this village, as well those from Anantharam, Potharajugudem, and Maripelligudem send their children to the Edulabad Zilla Parishad School.

Villagers say that school authorities have discussed the matter and decided to write a letter to the authorities asking for the dead fish to be removed and for sanitary conditions in the areas surrounding the school to be improved.

Shocked fishermen are yet to recover

Hundreds of families in the villages of Edulabad and Dammaiguda which are dependent on fishing as their sole source of livelihood are worried about how they will sustain themselves over the next year.

The large-scale fish mortality comes as a major shock from which they are yet to recover.

Leachate from the Jawaharnagar dump yard has passed through Cheeryal Lake, Rampally Lake, and Ghatkesar Vaagu before finally reaching the Edulabad Lake, killing tonnes of fish due to the contamination of water.

P. Balaiah, president of the Edulabad Gangaputra Sangham, which has over 300 members, says that Rankem chemical was sprayed on the lake to minimise the damage, but it did not prove to be effective.

The society spent nearly Rs 23 lakh on fingerlings and the chemical, but all of that money has gone down the drain. The fisheries department also released 2.4 lakh fingerlings a few weeks ago, he says.

P. Krishna, general secretary of the organisation, says that fishermen have been rendered jobless for at least a year-and-a-half.

Fingerlings cannot be released into this contaminated water. We will have to wait until next summer, when water levels recede, to release chemicals to purify the water. Only then can we release different types of fish, he says.

Over the past few months, multiple incidents of fish mortality have been recorded in the lakes in and around the state capital region.
Chennai: The controversy over the Vijay starrer Mersal took a new turn with the general secretary of the Nadigar Sangam and actor Vishal lashing out at BJP national secretary H. Raja accusing him of advocating piracy by watching the movie online. The BJP leader denied the charge.

Vishal, who is also the President of Tamil Film Producers Council, accused the senior BJP leader of watching a pirated version of Mersal and said it was totally insensitive of Raja to watch the film using illegal means setting a wrong example. Dear Mr H. Raja, as a leader and prominent personality, you are advocating piracy and blatantly agree to it? he asked.

Dear sir, I as a sincere citizen, true workaholic and a man who thinks twice to do anything wrong, seriously, I wonder how a political leader like you can watch a pirated version of a film which sets a bad example. Totally insensitive and uncalled for, Vishal, who has been fighting against piracy in Tamil cinema, said and demanded an apology from Mr Raja.

The Mersal controversy took a new turn when Mr. Raja, asked by a television channel if he watched the Vijay-starrer, casually responded saying, I saw Mersal on the net.

However, Mr Raja clarified that he had only watched particular clips of the movie on his mobile phone on the things that affected peoples opinion, and said he did not have the patience to sit through a two-and-a-half hour film.

Pointing out that he welcomed criticism, Mr Raja said that he only objected to wrong facts being projected about the Central government schemes in the film.

We welcome criticism. But one should not deliberately give false statement through a movie. Some facts in the movie are wrong and we have objected to it. We want rectification of the wrong statements, he said. BJP state president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan said the party would oppose any film that depicted the Centre in poor light.
Hyderabad: Aadhaar seeding with banks and mobile operators has become a major task for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

While bankers and the income tax department are insisting on providing the aadhaar details by the end of the year, telecom operators have set the deadline for seeding the Aadhaar with the mobile number by February next year.

An official from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that as per the rules, NRIs, who migrated from saving bank account to the NRIs saving account, will have no issue as the Aadhaar seeding is not needed for them.

Nearly 10 per cent of NRIs have converted their account to the NRI category. NRIs, who want to continue their account with domestic banks, must provide the Aadhaar details, the official said.

G.K. Krishna Mohan from the US, said that the new rule of aadhaar seeding is troubling new comers. Those who came to the US and the UK six months ago are now confused with the new rules. They must visit India to change the bank account category by providing visa and address details. A few corporate banks are allowing seeding of aadhaar through the net banking or mobile banking, Mr Krishna Mohan said.

Mr Syeeduddin from Hyderabad who settled in Riyad said, The aadhaar seeding affects more than 10 lakh workers in the Gulf from Telangana. Majority of them transfer funds to their own accounts with Indian banks and their family members withdraw the amount in India. It is a big task for them, Mr Syeeduddin said.
Indian paramilitary soldiers closes a street with a barbwire during a strike called by separatists and restrictions imposed by authorities as a precautionary measure in Srinagar. (Photo: AP)

SRINAGAR: A teenage girl was killed and a woman wounded when suspected militants attacked them in Seer village of Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's southern Pulwama district.

The area earlier also witnessed a series of attacks on the houses of the local leaders of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and opposition National Conference (NC) and a police official. The police blamed these attacks on separatist militants.

The officials said that the gunmen opened fire at Yasmeena, a resident of Trals Khonmoh village, and Ruby, who lives at Seer. While the former died on the spot the latter was rushed to hospital in Srinagar.

The area superintendent of police Muhammad Zahid Malik said that preliminary investigations indicate involvement of Jaish-e-Muhammad militant Noor Muhammad Tantray in the attack.

A statement issued by the police here later said that the militants barged into a house in Seer area of Tral and opened fire on the duo. Among them, 18-year-old girl identified as Yasmeena daughter of Ghulam Rasool Bhat, a resident of Khonmoh, was killed instantly and Rubeena, wife of Mohammad Shafi Wagay and resident of Seer Jagir Tral was injured, it said.

Later during the day, suspected militants hurled a grenade at the house of NC leader Muhammad Ashraf Bhat in the heart of Tral town, injuring a CRPF jawan on guard duty. Sources said that the grenade exploded at the main entrance to Bhat's house in Hamami Mohalla locality of Tral.
Hyderabad: The state government is all set to redefine local status to ensure government jobs only for natives of Telangana state. At present, four years of continuous school study till Class X in a particular district determines local status.

With the government deciding to reorganise the zonal system, the committee appointed by the government to make recommendations on this, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, has proposed considering the domicile status of parents/ancestors to determine local status.

Under the current rule, lakhs of students of AP-origin who had done their schooling in Hyderabad, being the capital city of Undivided AP, are being considered locals. These students will lose the opportunity if new norms come into force.

The panel will again meet on Tuesday to finalise the new norms and submit a report to the government. The panel has also proposed scrapping or bringing down number of state-cadre posts for which there is no local quota to ensure jobs only for Telangana natives.

These new norms assume significance as the government has lined up several recruitment notifications in the coming days to fill thousands of vacancies.

State-cadre posts appointed in the Secretariat and HoDs in Hyderabad have no local quotas. Anyone from the country can compete for these posts. But, due to the Telugu language factor, only AP students may compete for these jobs. The panel has proposed to convert even these state-cadre posts to multi-zone cadre posts, wherein 60 per cent will be reserved for locals and 40 per cent will be open quota, under which both locals and non-locals can secure jobs based on merit.

By doing so, the panel feels that TS locals could secure 80 per cent of these jobs, even if 20 per cent are secured by AP-origin students.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao look at papers at the foundation stone laying ceremony Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal on Sunday. Warangal mayor Nannapaneni Narender is also seen. As many as 22 companies and institutions signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation to invest in the park. Fourteen companies are investing directly in the textile park and eight in other districts. The National Institute of Fashion Technology has agreed to set up a branch in the park.

Warangal: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao called upon local weavers who have migrated to other states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, to come back to Telangana as the state is going to have its own textile industry with the establishment of the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park.

Explaining the features of the upcoming textile park, Mr Rao said that Surat produces saris, Tripura produces underwear and Solapur produces blankets, but the Textile Park in Warangal will produce all of these at one place. In fact, it would be like a one-stop shop for all kinds of garments, Mr Rao said.

Warangal is already the major producer of cotton. Spinning, ginning to producing fashionable clothing will take place from this textile park. It has good road and rail connectivity. We will try to make Mamnoor airport functional, at least for local purposes, Mr Rao said at the event.

The Chief Minister said the people of Warangal have always been a morale booster for him and appealed to them to continue their support.
The Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh has found itself in the public glare for two fatwas - one that says women cannot cut their hair or shape their eyebrows and more recently, that posting pictures of oneself or one's family on social media is prohibited by Islam. These fatwas are issued by publicity-seeking mullahs and certainly shouldn't be considered diktats, says former minister Nafees Fazal. She tells Aksheev Thakur and Ralph Alex Arakal that a small percentage of regressive Muslims have brought a bad name to the entire religion

Recently, Deoband was criticized for prohibiting Muslim women from cutting hair and reshaping their eyebrows...

Deoband and Berelvi fatwas are the only two revered Islamic scholarly institutions we hold in high regard. The scholar at Deoband merely answered a question asked by someone, which electronic media blew out of proportion as usual. The scholar quoted the Quran, which says one cannot modify their appearances. This holds good both for men and women. Everybody does it today, so why should Muslim women be an exception? Women in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries wear jeans and colour their hair, so why should their counterparts in India, a secular nation, not do the same here?

Another fatwa asked Muslims to avoid posting pictures of themselves and their families on social media. Can this be attributed to the Quran?

Fatwas have their own ways of interpreting verses from the Quran and differ with each other at times. The Deoband fatwa asking people to avoid something simply isn't practical We live in the 21st century! The holy verses have asked people not to draw human figures. But perhaps it bears pointing out that there were no computers and cameras at the time, so can the fatwa be anything other than an interpretation? The people who raise these questions need to be blamed first. We must also keep in mind that fatwas are never diktats!

Do you believe that only Muslim women are being targeted when the holy book holds everyone equal?

Precisely. The Quran does not differentiate between a man and a woman. The modification of one's appearance has been prohibited for men and women alike, so why don't the mullahs say anything against the former? My daughter wears jeans. Moreover, mullahs and maulvis are not authorized to issue fatwas, which they do from time to time nevertheless. There is no mention either, in the Quran, about women covering their faces entirely - this is prohibited at Mina and Arafat, when men and women stand shoulder-to-shoulder as the Hajj is performed. Only the hair needs to be covered in keeping with the holy verses. The regressive practices we see now have been introduced by the mullahs. And why are the same mullahs who oppose the emancipation of women given air time on news channels?

Are you saying that channels have, or are propagating a bias when they debate these issues?

Most channels lean towards BJP. One of them is even being funded by a BJP politician, so can we expect anything else? Mullahs want publicity and the anchors, who act like feudal lords, call them on their shows. This sort of media attention puts Islam in a bad light. Terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are a miniscule part of Islam, although they bring a bad name to the whole religion. Why don't the same channels speak out against Pramod Muthalik when he attempts to ban Valentines' Day, or Bajrang Dal, which is accused of lynching Muslims in the name of beef? Don't they terrify people too? Why then, are they exempt from questioning?

Hindus got away with the purdah system through the Hindu Code Bill, can Muslims get away with the Burkha?

Even today, Gujaratis and Marwaris cover their head as per custom. I do not see anything wrong with this. Those women who do not wear a burkha have every right to make that choice. Islam is not a regressive religion when it comes to women.

43% of Muslim women in India are uneducated. How can the situation be improved?

Most Muslim girls are married before the age of 18. I believe they should follow the law of the land, which clearly prohibits marriage at such a young age. Moreover, madrassas apart from imparting the teachings of the holy book, also teach students science and mathematics, which show they are expanding their horizons. The situation need not always be what is presented on television. The expansion in the education system of madrassas is ongoing. However, the Sachar Committee report said that the condition of Muslims is worse than that of backward class Hindus. They maintained that every muhullah should have schools, but this is not done either.

Did PM Narendra Modi perform a master stroke by supporting triple talaq?

He played a clever role. So far, the BJP accuses the Congress of following appeasement politics when in actuality, the Muslim vote is splintered. The verdict on triple talaq finally came from the apex court and until then, the Congress didn't say a word. 'Talaq' is the most hated word by Allah. Women were divorced through text messages and e-mails which obviously, doesn't exist in the Quran. The BJP has already benefited from this and they formed the government in Uttar Pradesh with a thumping majority.

Can Uniform Civil Code (UCC) put an end to the problems faced by Muslim women?

There will be a blood bath because really, one can't change even a comma. Rajiv Gandhi got into trouble during the Shah Bano case. The Quran already says that if the husband dies, the wife will get 1/8th of the share, so what does the BJP hope to prove by enforcing UCC. This has existed in Islam for 1000 years. Hinduism doesn't have a textbook to dictate personal laws but Islam does. And it is not an oppressive religion.
Hyderabad: TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao was not particular about a portfolio while joining the UPA-1 Cabinet in 2004, and insisted that all he wanted was statehood for Telangana.

This was revealed in a paragraph in the book, The Coalition Years, penned by former President Pranab Mukherjee. As a Congress leader, Mr Mukherjee was specifically assigned the responsibility of talking to UPA coalition partners on Cabinet formation.

When Mr Mukherjee met Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, one of the five TRS Lok Sabha members, and sought his choice over portfolio, Mr Rao insisted that achieving Telangana state was more important for him than any particular portfolio, the former President recalled.

Mr Mukherjee wrote: In the context of TRSs participation, KCR told me Pranabji, you know my ambition. I want a separate Telangana. Which portfolio you give to me is not important. Whatever you give, I will gladly accept. But for Gods sake, please consider a separate Telangana.

It so happened, Mr Rao was inducted into the Union Cabinet and continued for five months as minister without portfolio. He was persuaded to take the labour ministry, which he accepted.

TRS enthusiasts uploaded the paragraph on all social media platforms. This indicates how sincere and committed our leader was, who through his indefinite fast achieved Telangana statehood, said party Peddapalli MP Balka Suman.
Hyderabad: PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday demanded that the state government pay compensation to farmers who lost their crops in the recent heavy rains.

He was speaking to mediapersons after leading a Congress delegation including AICC secretary R.C. Kunthia, to Udithyal, Nandaram and Gunded villages of Balanagar mandal in Mahbubnagar district. They interacted with the affected farmers and saw the damaged cotton, maize and other crops.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said cotton crops spread over lakhs of acres were damaged by rain. Maize grown on about 12 lakh acres also suffered damage.

He demanded that the government pay Rs 25,000 per acre to affected cotton farmers and Rs 10,000 per acre for maize farmers. He said demanded Rs 15,000 per acre for paddy farmers.

He said against the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 4,320 per quintal, cotton farmers were being forced to sell their produce for Rs 2,700. Maize was being purchased for `800 per quintal against its MSP of Rs 1,425. He said this was being done in active connivance by government officials and middlemen.

He said farmers had paid over Rs 1500 crore towards insurance premium last year but had received no compensation. He said the Centre and state governments had completely neglected the farm sector.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi has communicated to central election authority chairman Mullappally Ramachandran his disapproval of the 282-member governing council list, submitted by the KPCC. The KPCC leadership had refused to make changes suggested by MPs, MLAs, youth leaders and revive movement of former Youth Congress leaders. With Mr Gandhis disapproval, the KPCC is forced to make changes on its list. Mr Gandhi got irked by the barrage of complaints he had been receiving over the last several months. He asked AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Mukul Wasnik, to find out the discrepancies on the list. But when the solar judicial commission recommendations came out, the AICC leadership got a rude shock.

They realised that the list had reached the media. Leaders who failed to get onto the list realised that the KPCC leadership was shifting the blame to the AICC. Armed with the leaked list, the young leaders rushed to the AICC headquarters and pointed out that veterans in the age group of 65  70 years have sneaked in under the new faces category. Wasnik painstakingly categorised each leader's age as well as the community. Mr Gandhi realised that the KPCC leadership had duped them by including three young MLAs under the Youth Congress category and Dalit, women and youth leaders have got minimal representation, said an AICC leader.

As per the AICC leadership, their concept was that leaders between 35  45 years fall under the youth category, 45  55 years new faces and those above 55 senior leaders. What irked Mr Gandhi further was that the way in which the group leaders owing allegiance to Ramesh Chennithala and Oommen Chandy put the AICC under pressure during the selection of candidates in the 2016 Assembly elections.

Now the situation is that Mr Ramachandran has gone incommunicado. He did not even attend the crucial high power Political Affairs Committee meeting Saturday. On Sunday, former KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran and the lone woman leader in the PAC Shanimol Usman came out with harsh words against the KPCC leadership.
Another week, another attempted nudge out the door. Either they wont learn or he wont listen. But on it keeps grinding. Lets talk about Nawaz. You can see what the Shahbaz camp is up to. Shahbaz wants Islamabad and Hamza has done the hard work of preparing for party inheritance. Father has spent a decade running around Punjab delivering the kind of development that wins votes; son has patiently learned the art of party management and constituency politics. Fun as that may be, its not Islamabad and not No 1. So, try they had to. In any case, political regicide and fratricide are embedded in the politics of Punjab. If it was always a question of when, more interesting is the question of why now. The reasons, big and small, are not very difficult to assemble. Nawaz was out of the country and distracted. If youre going to poke a lion, do it while hes far away and unable to respond immediately. Imagine Nawaz had been in Lahore. Elder brother could have just called over younger brother and let the TV cameras show up too. Shahbaz has an unfortunate way of, at least on camera, cowering in his brothers presence. Hardly the kind of thing that inspires party insurgents. The window of opportunity was small. Nawaz is coming back and may escalate his war with what theyre euphe-mistically calling institutions  the weaker one is just a front for the eternal one, in Nawazs mind. Nawaz and Maryam were indicted  the big one. Indictment was an inevitability  you dont need to know anything about anything to know they were at least going to be put on trial  but it is still a jolt. Were into slightly different terrain now. Nawaz has learned nothing, at least not when it comes to legal strategy. Through all the Supreme Court hearings, there was an obvious question: what the hell are they doing? Even as Nawaz was slow-walked to ouster, it wasnt obvious why the Sharifs legal strategy was so miserable and shambolic. A best guess is a combination of arrogance and a conviction that extra-judicial forces would salvage a favourable outcome.

Historians will be able to figure out why Nawaz and Maryam are being so careless; for Shahbaz, Hamza and co, its enough that the other side is being reckless. Elections are closer. In 2008, Shahbaz dare not even dream. In 2013, he thought he should be invited to Islamabad. In 2018, its a near-right, and possibly now-or-never. Shahbaz and Hamza have to fight. Nawaz is weak, with a weak hand and a weakish successor. If you didnt think this is the time to strike, youd have no business being in politics. But there is the other side  Nawaz. Weve already seen he can catastrophically miscalculate, so theres no point ascribing an omniscience or great foresight to him. But if hes still fighting, we have to assume he still thinks he can win. Why? One guess, shared by others close to him, is that Nawaz is not actually trying to recoronate himself. He doesnt want to be a fourth-term PM. Instead, the theory is, by threatening to force his way back in Nawaz is hoping to reach a new kind of adjustment: the party will remain his; Maryam will be the successor; and, in return, the boys will back off. The problem  for Nawaz  is that he assumes the boys see a difference between Nawaz and Maryam. Need, and desperation, may make Nawaz want to believe that, but its not necessarily evident that Maryam would be an acceptable replacement.

The other possibility is more vintage Nawaz: the boys darent take over and PML(N) will get to the election unscathed enough to win a fresh dose of political capital. That gels with Nawazs relatively casual approach before being ousted and his more belligerent tone since. There is also a third possibility: the nuclear option. Pushed hard enough and Nawaz could decide to trigger a coup. No one seriously doubts the boys wont do it if they decide it has become necessary. Thats the problem with turf wars: none of the players themselves necessarily lose. Only we, the average Pakistanis, do.

By arrangement with Dawn
Freedom of speech is vital to a democracy. Artistic licence, as in books and movies, may sometimes stretch the boundaries of credulity or offend sensitivities. But there would be reason to fear for democracy itself if the freedom to voice an opinion or idea is circumscribed in any way. Any attack on books or movies, even if aimed only at specific words, scenes or dialogues where the progenitors of ideas or those portraying them are seen to skirt the boundaries of greater social harmony, are to be dissuaded on the simple premise that they dont have to read those books or see those films. New Tamil movie Mersal, starring Vijay, an actor with political ambitions, has become the subject of intense political debate over its monologues on GST and Digital India that are extremely critical of government initiatives. The ruling party at the Centre is under fire for seeking the deletion of critical scenes and dialogues as they are said to be anti-national. The films producers say they are open to cutting the scenes, but this would amount to intellectual dishonesty.

The movie, based on a contemporary theme in a rural setting, aims at certain topics of governance and reflects what is believed to be public angst over Goods and Service Tax (GST). While arguments over short-term effects and long-term gains of the single tax may rage in more purposeful economic forums and among many stakeholders, the common refrain over a prohibitive 28 per cent cap and the feeling that there is little in return except bad roads and poor healthcare is what has been picturised. The content of the movie and a Dalit writers books may be contentious and drew vehement opposition most recently. The books issue went to court, where the right to freedom of expression was upheld.

The definitive thing to be said, regardless of whether we see eye to eye with creative people or not, is that we agree with the principle ascribed to Voltaire: I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it. The logic favouring the right to say freely what they believe is never defeated regardless of who opposes it. The Congress, making a fuss this time over the attack on freedom of expression in Mersal, opposed the production of a movie on Indira Gandhi in the most undemocratic manner by disrupting promotional events associated with the film Indu Sarkar. So the opinion of neither of the major national political parties nor those of illiberal politicians must be allowed to guide us in the matter of the right to freedom of speech and expression. Its a principle that must be upheld at all costs if we believe in the core values of a free India.
On Police Commemoration Day last week, the head of the Intelligence Bureau drew attention to the fact that 383 policemen laid down their lives in the line of duty across India between September 2016 and August 2017. Of these, well over 100 fatalities may belong to J&K if the BSF and CRPF  widely deployed in Kashmir  are brought into reckoning in the context of their fight against terrorism in Kashmir. Pointing to the same data, Kashmir DGP S.P. Vaid has just spoken of the need to initiate political steps in the Kashmir Valley to wean the young away from militancy and radicalisation, that is widely taking place online, as unemployed youth are easy fodder for stimuli toward extremism being fanned from the Pakistani side.

Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat also spoke on Saturday of the need to check young people getting radicalised, in a process thats being fanned through social media. Some time back he had also hinted at the need to start political steps in Kashmir to thwart the ambitions of separatists. Recently, a corps commander in Kashmir also spoke on similar lines. Our top security professionals are doing a splendid job, but they appreciate they can only prepare the ground for a political opening to be made. In this year alone, some 160 hardened terrorists were liquidated in J&K. The data suggests though nearly as many police personnel laid down their lives as the numbers of terrorists killed. This points to the difficult ground that has to be traversed. It is now time for politics to come into play.
Sarcasm and searing wit. And a sense of humour! Not the attributes of todays political class, each one of 'em, more dour, more dull, more boring, more sanctimonious than the next.

Humour, a strict no-no. A witty politico runs the danger of being seen as a lightweight, a la Navjot Singh Sidhu. As for the people, any attempt at humour is strictly frowned on. Imagine, giving ordinary folk, the power to laugh at and poke fun at these holier than thou beings. Nobody in that grim faced, self absorbed lot, want that.

Barring that one breath of fresh air of course, the Mahatma, that wonderful exception to this rule, the David who mocked the imperial Goliath, and reduced the great and powerful British Empire to a laughing stock! Every time! Remember his classic reply to the question about what he thought of western civilization? It would be a good idea! In todays social media, he would have been retweeted a gadzillion times over. Robot or no robots.

His riposte, when faced with Churchillian snobbery for going to Buckingham Palace to meet the King Emperor, pointedly clad only in his loincloth, skinny legs et al, the naked fakir, exposed for the world to see, was no less sweet - I thought His Majesty had on enough clothes for the two of us.

Quite the drama queen, our irrepressible Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi!

Sarojini Naidu must have been a court favourite for much the same reason. Her 'if only he knew how much it costs us to keep him in poverty poke at Gandhiji, continues to be downright funny, more than 60 years later!

Its not political buffoonery, but clever, smart pin-pricks like these, that draw blood. A mode perfected in recent times by PM Modi whose skills at the podium are simply unmatched. Even by the standards set by the incredibly funny Lalu Prasad Yadav, and of course, the man with the mesmerizing verbal flourishes that held everyone, friend and enemy in thrall when he spoke - Atal Behari Vajpayee and, not forgetting the master of the one liner, Sidhu, it is still Modi who ticks all the boxes.

The patrician Nehru didnt seem to have a funny bone. Did Indira? Well Pranabda certainly thinks so. In his recent book, the former president writes about his mentor's post Emergency visit to London in 1978 when she was accosted by the aggressive media. When they asked her what she had gained from the Emergency? Her reply, poker-faced: In those 21 months we comprehensively managed to alienate all sections of people, Mukherjee recounts. After a few seconds of silence, there was laughter, he said.

Rajiv Gandhi with his warmth and oodles of charm, must have, one is guessing, kept his humourous side under wraps. But all three gamely faced the ribbing from the only men brave enough to take them all on our cartoonists! (Salute you, Subhani, every single day). That requires courage. In very short supply, these days.

Either way, the Gandhi-Nehrus didnt have the thigh-slapping plebian humour that rules today. One cannot see Sonia Gandhi, the de facto power behind the Manmohan throne, in guffaw mode.

So where did the stodgy, wont smile at the world unless I have to Rahul Gandhi get these hilarious one-liners that he lets fly now, at every opportune moment! Not that the ruling party hasnt given him enough fodder for his whatsapp cannon. But three years and five months to find your mojo!

Overdue? Sure. Better late than never? Seriously? Either way, the Congress - and Smriti Irani - is abuzz that a phalanx of youngsters whose middle name is irreverent and are the voice of Rahul's media cell, courtesy the head of that cell, the quirky and charming young actress-politician Divya Spandana, are the ones feeding the heir apparent with the whatsapp knuckledusters he needs to pound away at the ruling partys top brass. However small, however insignificant the jabs, in the greater scheme of things, he has drawn blood. And it has the twitter world, peopled with young millenials, all atwitter. Its what Modi did to perfection and what put him on course to wrap up the youth vote in 2014.

But, heres the nub, can borrowing a leaf, no, make that an entire tree, from the Modi school of stump electioneering, the man who is king of the digital mindspace, change the course of the electoral arithmetic in Gujarat and Himachal? The Congress, contrary to what Congressmen believe, and are telling the men and woman who matter, is not the automatic fallback, not the political alternative, if and when the BJP founders.

And no, one Gurdaspur does not a Gujarat make. The victory in Punjab is in keeping with the mood that unseated the Akalis earlier this year. It shows the Badals rapidly weakening hold over the people. Nothing to crow about. As for Kerala, Vergara in Mallapuram district could go no other way except to the Indian Union Muslim League. Both these victories are the products of local dynamics, and do not signal a shift or reflect a changing national mood. The real big challenge is how these formations will fare in a spate of assembly polls - Himachal and Gujarat this December, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and M.P, next year, with the Congress hoping for a big switcheroo in 2019.

Rahul hasnt yet got his finger on the pulse of the rumblings within the Congress in Karnataka, where the chief minister, tasked to keep the state safe from the BJPs clutches is alienating his closest confidantes, some say, even a man like Mahadevappa in a bid to give his own son a smooth ride. Hell probably get to it. Right after Himachal, where given the propensity of the Himachalis to vote out the incumbent, the Congress, riddled with infighting is already, batting on the wrong foot. Their one tiny hope rests on the fact that the BJP is an equally divided house. It is Gujarat, therefore that will be the litmus test on whether the sputtering economy and the anger among the small traders over losing their stash of cash, and the alarming statistics on joblessness, will have a knock-on effect, first in state, then countrywide.

As an ailing Sonia plans to hand over the baton, the Italian bahu must be commended. For keeping the Congress fires burning, for winning 2004 on her own merit until she, realizing that her Italian antecedents would come back to bite her, relinquished control in all but name to an Indian (albeit Pakistan-born.) Sometime this week or the next, the plans to elect Rahul Gandhi as the party prez will come to fruition. Will he be crowned in Bengaluru, coinciding with Indira Gandhis birth centenary on November 19, and her comeback win from Chikmagalur in 1978?

The battle for Gujarat, will be then have a Gandhi on the Congress side versus a Shah on the BJPs side.

Whatever the numbers may say, no electoral battle is won because of retweets and Facebook posts going viral, or one having more Twitter followers than the other. Its won on whether the people believe in you, and your message.

The wind maybe shifting, but it hasnt changed yet. However entertaining, the digital repartee!
There are things happening in American foreign policy and happening fast. Much of these relate to India. Just as China is defining its future through the deliberations of the 19th congress of the Communist Part of China, the Trump administration is coming to terms with the reality of US responsibility in global affairs. In the run up to the last presidential elections, Donald Trumps agenda appeared to harp on the internal strengthening of the US and dilution of its international footprint and commitments; an era of isolation was anticipated. The realisation is now dawning that a superpower can get into sudden isolation and delink itself from strategic realities of the world at the cost of its own and the worlds security. While President Trump may take time to understand the responsibilities his nation carries, his senior officials like secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defence secretary James Mattis are revealing a more mature side and are therefore tempering US foreign policy in line with global realities. India appears to form an increasingly important part of Americas new worldview. There are three roles that the US apparently looks for India based on the commonality of ideas and values, and also the reliability factor. The first of these is to assist it in stabilising Afghanistan and in countering global terror. Second, it looks to India forming an important part of the structure for the stability of the Indo-Pacific region (formerly Asia-Pacific).

Third is to act as the overall foil against Chinese hegemony. In the fitness of things, it can also be said that Indias large landmass, geostrategic location at the crown of the Indian Ocean, political stability, centrist ideology and lack of any hegemonic ambitions largely suits US strategic interests spanning from Southwest Asia to the Indo-Pacific. Indias rise has been peaceful, with concentration on economic strength more than on any geopolitical ambitions. Its strategic view has an offensive content only to the limits of its existential security. That notion allows it to seek uncomplicated strategic partnerships to play its legitimate role in global strategic affairs. Under former US President Barack Obama, the US sought to reinforce its post-Cold War strategy to lower the priorities of the Euro theatre, and Middle East in favour of a rebalancing emphasis towards Asia, also referred sometimes as the Asian pivot. That rebalancing viewed Asia as a whole, with increasing emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region, where China has competing interests. However, events such as the AfPak war, the Ukraine crisis, the ISIS phenomenon in the Middle East and the Syrian civil war prevented this from taking shape; the pull towards the Middle East and Southwest Asia was always distinctive through the millennium so far. With Chinas aggressive rise and no intent towards slowing down, its increasing outreach far beyond its shores and borders and reluctance to follow a rule-based international order, the US shift of balance to the Indo-Pacific is inevitable. However, the US cannot ignore Southwest Asia, which is increasingly considered the crucible from where the forces of radical Islam emerge. Given the havoc created by ISIS in the Middle East, the US can ill afford the rise of another major radical fiefdom; the presence of the undefeated Taliban and its capability to influence events in AfPak worries the US, specially as the sustenance for this appears to be entirely from Pakistan.

That is the reason for return of the US in its attention towards Afghanistan. It can ill afford to push Pakistan beyond a point since the latter plays the China card adroitly and withstands coercion beyond a point. However, Pakistan also has to realise that there is a point of no return in its resistance and intransigence, and that its relationship with the United States cannot be simply wished away at the altar of strong Sino-Pakistan relations. The visit of US defence secretary James Mattis to New Delhi and the impending visit of secretary of state Rex Tillerson to the subcontinent are therefore to be viewed as search for ground and circumstances which will permit the stabilisation of Afghanistan without redeployment of out of proportion US resources. The broad idea put simplistically is that for the US to focus on the Indo-Pacific and prepare itself better for the emerging challenge from China it needs to stabilise AfPak and for that it needs both India and Pakistan. Pakistan will no doubt sell the notion of its insecurity related to any Indian role in Afghanistan, as well as Indias alleged role in Pakistans internal security problems. India, therefore, must convince the US that Pakistans active role of pursuing proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir is inherently destabilising the region and could lead to uncontrollable triggers. For the US it is important to have both India and Pakistan to partner it in its efforts towards finding ways of overcoming the Taliban challenge in Afghanistan. This is going to form the crux of diplomatic deliberations into the near future.

Notwithstanding Indias importance in all this, the US compulsion to include Pakistan in all parleys is inevitable. No one perhaps realises this better than Indias leadership, but the acme of effective diplomacy is to continue playing the cards which place the adversary under pressure. It is unlikely that Pakistan can desist from its strategy against India, and particularly in the run-up to its general election in 2018. India too must also not give Pakistan any flavour of success by acceding to unconditional talks. Only a visible pullback by Pakistan from pursuing its strategy against India would alter that course. The US has its job cut out, and its a difficult one. Simultaneously, Doklam has changed much in the strategic picture in Asia. Although this is not being elaborated here, it is evident that China would now have better assessed the limits of coercion against India. Pakistan has been a keen observer too and Indias mature handling would have conveyed much to it. A revamp of the collusive Sino-Pak strategic approach towards India will inevitably be on the cards. It should also give the US greater confidence in Indias strategic maturity as also capability, thus adding more weight to the strategic partnership which along with others will manage the Asian strategic conundrum in the future as a counterweight against China.
You cannot get an influence from the cuisine of a country if you dont understand it. Youve got to study it.  Chef Ferran Adria. Recently, I got the chance to travel across Europe for a culinary trip, to explore the unique cuisines of these regions, and eat in the quintessential Europe quaint restaurants  some even celebrated with Michelin stars. We dined along with chefs and owners who explained the soul of the food that they were cooking. The destinations we touched on during the course of our trip were Germany, Italy and Switzerland, with Spain being the last leg of the tour.

Our first stop was Bretten, a small town in Germany which is a 90 minute drive away from Frankfurt Airport. The centre of Bretten consists of several old, medieval, half-timbered houses, around a lively marketplace. We were able to see a Wednesday market set-up that offered bread, cold cut meats and vegetables.

Food trails through Europe

The speciality of this place is their unique beer, which is fermented in a bottle. The drink is aged for two years in oak barrels, following which it is boiled and filled in champagne bottles and left to ferment for twenty days at 25 degree centigrade. The result is a unique sparkling aromatic beer!

Food trails through Europe

A 45-minute drive from the town of Bretten took us to a small but beautiful castle that operates as a restaurant in the evening, Castle Ravensburg. There, surrounded by vineyards, we had a specially laid out dinner.

A view of San Sebastian

The next day, we took a local train to Wolfenbuttel, which is a nostalgic old town with over 600 half-timbered houses, magnificent churches, opulent palace and the world-renowned Duke August Library. Today, the town is mainly known throughout the world for the Jagermeister digestif, made of 56 herbs. We had dinner in Bayrischer Hof restaurant, which is housed in a converted Nazi bunker of World War II and mainly served German fare.

We arrived in Berlin on a local train the following day. It was September 17, and the second day of the Oktoberfest. There was a marquee put up on the grounds next to the Berlin main train station, inviting people to a certain space for the celebrations. We set out to go sightseeing and by the time we got back, the Oktoberfest party was in full swing. Local tap beers were flowing, portions of pretzels were at every table and other Bavarian snacks and food were served. Local bands dressed in traditional attire were whipping up the local crowd dancing to frenzy. There were impromptu violin renditions and traditional Bavarian dances. Overall the Oktoberfest was a festival that needs to be on your bucket list.

The second phase of our trip took us to Italy. Our first stop was Venice, where we enjoyed the gondola rides and ate Spaghetti Arabiatta with extra virgin olive oil in the small restaurants around the St. Marks Square. The evening dinner was booked at a Michelin Star restaurant  Trattoria Do Forniin, on one of the myriad streets of Venice. The speciality of this restaurant was the fish cooked in rock salt, Spaghetti Aglio Olio with mussels and the Chocolate mousse cake.

One of our highlight dinners in a small town called Paduva, which is famous for the Church of St Anthony, was in a restaurant called Alla Catina. A small family-run pizzeria, we had the opportunity to indulge in the best seafood antipasti and pasta of the entire trip.

Gondola ride in Venice

The last leg of our trip was the highlight of the culinary tour. We went to the Basque country in northern Spain, which has a unique cuisine. Our first stop was in a small town called Hondarribia, an hour-long drive from the big seaside city of San Sebastian. We arrived in the afternoon and checked into a hotel where the rooms overlooked a street filled with restaurants. The entire street came alive as if it were the weekend. This street was famous for the Pintxos (or pronounced Pinchos) that are small delicacies of meat, seafood and vegetables on bread pierced with a stick. Similar to tapas of Southern Spain, pintxos is a bit more flavourful and offers more seafood.

The next day we were at La Concha beach, which matches anyones perspective of the perfect beach. While here, we wanted to eat the Paella (a rice dish famous in Spain). We found out that restaurant Alaia serves the best Paella in the region. The view from this restaurant was spectacular and the seafood Paella certainly did not disappoint.

This was the last leg of our culinary journey, which ended with a lot of photos, memories and lasting relationships with people, culture and food.

The writer is a prominent face in the hospitality industry.
If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party, Tom Perez said. (Photo: AP)

Las Vegas: Navigating ongoing rifts on the political left, Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez said party unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an "existential threat" to the nation. "We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history," Perez said as he addressed the first national party gathering since his election in February.

The former Obama Cabinet officer blistered "a culture of corruption" that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities andleadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee.

Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the Democratic National Committee (DNC) younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison over Perez in the post election race for party chairman.

Perez spent considerable time during the week's proceedings meeting privately with some frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint. He apologised publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members before he announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim.

"If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party," he said, "because you're trying to gets things done. That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We're trying to move the ball forward."

To some extent, the latest developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race, but they also highlight lingering resentments from Sanders backers who accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favour. Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's super delegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control.

Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House. They face an uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won last November.
Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did. Facebook was on her side, not mine! says Trump (Photo: AFP)

Washington: President Donald Trump intends to spend at least USD 430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election, a White House official has said.

It's the first such commitment by Trump, who has dismissed the ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia as a "witch hunt" invented by Democrats to explain Hillary Clinton's loss.

It wasn't immediately clear exactly how the payouts would be structured or which aides would be receiving them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the president's plans, which were first reported by the website Axios.

Trump and his aides have been racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees as Special Counsel Robert Mueller and House and Senate committees dig deeper into Russia's role in the campaign.

Read: Facebooks Sandberg favours release of Russia-linked ads

Mueller's team of investigators has been interviewing current and former White House officials in their probe, and Trump campaign officials and others have been turning over tens of thousands of emails and documents to federal and congressional investigators.

One former campaign aide, Michael Caputo, has spoken publicly about the financial toll the legal bills have taken on his family, including having to empty out his children's college savings accounts.

The Republican National Committee and the president's re-election campaign have been covering some of the costs, including payments to the law firm representing Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who in June 2016 met with a Russian lawyer and others who had promised to deliver dirt on Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly denied that he colluded with Russia to win the election and has voiced skepticism about the conclusion by US intelligence agencies that Russia had a clear preference for Trump in the 2016 campaign.

The continuing investigations and attention to the issue have infuriated the president, who sees the efforts as an attempt to delegitimise his presidency.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," he tweeted Saturday. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Facebook has said ads that ran on the company's social media platform and have been linked to a Russian internet agency were seen by an estimated 10 million people before and after the 2016 election.
Washington: The Donald Trump Administration is considering Indias request for armed drones for its air force, according to a senior American official.

Yes, yes, the administration official told PTI when asked about Indias pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces modernisation drive.

The armed drones, the Indian Air Force (IAF) believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities.

Early this year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping $ 8 billion deal.

The Trump Administrations consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on June 26, during which the U.S. announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add the Indian Navys surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

We are at ways to, in terms of Foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and Indias quest for high-tech defence equipments and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.

Previous Obama Administration had designated India as major defence partner and the Trump Administration has accelerated the process of considering Indian requests.

The US Navy and the Indian Navy have been cooperating for many years on counter piracy efforts, on ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the and Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, the official said.

I think that [defence] cooperation is only going to increase based on the need for it to increase and the kind of trust that we are building through personal relationships and through a fundamental understanding that our interests aligned so clearly, the official said.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said that in keeping with Indias status as a major defense partner and their mutual interest in expanding maritime cooperation, the Trump administration has offered a menu of defence options for Indias consideration, including the Guardian UAV.

We value the role India can play in global security and stability and are prepared to ensure they have even greater capabilities, Tillerson had said ahead of his visit to India.

He did not mention about armed drones. He, however, said the proposals the U.S. has put forward, including for Guardian UAVs, aircraft carrier technologies, the Future Vertical Lift program, and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft, are all potential game changers for our commercial and defence cooperation.
Nainika was allergic to dairy and egg through her early childhood but at around four years of age, she had grown out of her egg allergy. However, the family were unaware of any other chemicals or enzymes in other foods that she might be sensitive or allergic to. (Photo: Just Giving)

London: An Indian-origin couple based in London have launched a worldwide allergy awareness drive in memory of their nine-year-old daughter who died of a severe reaction to blackberries and dairy.

The Nainika Tikoo Memorial Trust (NTMT) for Allergy Care and Brain Research, named after the couple's daughter Nainika, has been set up as a not-for-profit charitable trust to create awareness, promote training and support research in finding a cure for allergies.

The trust will begin its work in the UK but plans to take it around the world, including India.

"As part of our support to research we are keen on looking at empirical evidence to document incidents in various countries and compare the size and nature of the problem across borders. The current impression is that it is a First World western problem and allergies do not exist in India or the eastern world," said Lakshmi Kaul, who has worked tirelessly on setting up the trust since her daughter became only the second documented case in the UK of anaphylaxis as a result of blackberry.

She recalls the fateful day in May as a typical Sunday when after a horse-riding lesson her daughter had convinced her father, Vinod Tikoo, to buy ingredients to make some blackberry pancakes.

Nainika was allergic to dairy and egg through her early childhood but at around four years of age, she had grown out of her egg allergy. However, the family were unaware of any other chemicals or enzymes in other foods that she might be sensitive or allergic to.

"Nainika was severely allergic to milk and dairy, which limited her options for food anyways so this request to have blackberries was a big welcome. They bought fresh flour (dairy free) and blackberries to make pancakes...but she took one bite of the pancake and felt a strong reaction coming through," recalls Kaul.

Despite her father administering immediate first aid, including an epipen given for emergency use and calling in the emergency services, Nainika suffered severe anaphylaxis. After about six days on life support, the couple had to finally decide to let her go.

"The doctor said it looked like it wasn't the blackberry on its own, but there was something to do with dairy. The pancakes were dairy-free, but we're not sure if the ingredients had been contaminated or something. We didn't have any dairy products at home. The exact cause is unknown and it has left us with a lot of questions," says Kaul.

The shock of not only Nainika's death but also the many systemic as well as research gaps has led the couple to devote their lives to the work of allergy awareness and research to prevent other parents and families from being in their situation.

"We ran a fund-raising appeal on 'Just Giving' and managed to raise over 14,000 pounds. The focus right now is on building awareness and getting people to talk about allergies and become proactive in seeking cure/support for allergy sufferers," explains Kaul, who works in the office of Conservative party MP Bob Blackman and is an active campaigner for the Kashmiri Hindu community in the UK.

The new trust's awareness drive has already gone global, with messages pouring in from many countries around the world, including India, Jordan, Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, the US and UK. It is also calling for mandatory allergy testing in babies similar to vaccinations and promoting life-saving training in schools and other institutions.

The trust eventually plans to continue raising adequate funds to pour into research projects and establish a 'Gold Standard in Allergy Safety'.
The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the interior ministry saying a member of the banned terrorist group ETIM has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador. (Representational Image | Photo: AP)

Islamabad: China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the interior ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the interior ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in nabbing others involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The interior ministry and the Chinese embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Regional Commissioner Shivayogi Kalsad complimented the sacrifices made by the police personnel in the line of duty for betterment of the society.



Speaking at the Police Martyrs Day programme, organised at District Armed Reserve Police Ground here, on Saturday, Kalsad said, armed forces were guarding the country at the borders and within the country it was the police personnel who were striving hard to maintain peace and law and order and protect the citizens.



Society should be obliged to the police personnel as they protect them without giving much attention towards their families, he said.



Superintendent of Police B R Ravikantegowda presented report of the sacrifices made by the police personnel since the year 1958 and read out names of about 1000 martyrs.



Four rounds were fired in the air as mark of respect to the police martyrs. Tributes were paid to the martyrs by offering wreaths at the martyr memorial.



Inspector General of Police Northern Range Ramchandra Rao, Police Commissioner T G Krishna Bhatta, Deputy Commissioner S Ziyaullah, Deputy Commissioner of Police Seema Latkar, Additional Superintendent of Police Ravindra Gadadi, serving and retired police and personnel and people from different walks of life were present.



DH News Service
The Central Government has not responded positively to repeated requests by the state government to grant University Grants Commission (UGC) recognition to Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysuru, said Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddy.



Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru on Sarturday, he said that the KSOU recognition was scrapped following irregularities by the then Vice Chancellor and the Administrative committee of KSOU.



The KSOU had started engineering and paramedical courses, in violation of the UGC guidelines, that too, outside the state. The KSOU recognition remains scrapped since 2013-14.



The state government has adhered to all conditions of the UGC and has made amendments to the relevant Act, limiting the jurisdiction of the KSOU only to the state, as per UGC directions. But, there is no positive response from the UGC. Now, the future of three lakh students hangs in balance, the minister said.



Allegations false



Rayareddy further said that the allegations saying the state government has done nothing to obtain the recognition by the UGC, is false. The Minister said he has met Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar thrice requesting to provide recognition to KSOU.



"The Chief Minister has also written to the Prime Minister in this regard. But the UGC has not granted the recognition so far. KSOU will not be shut down. The state government will convince the central government to allow the KSOU to function" Rayareddy categorically stated.



"Meanwhile, a committee has also been formed by the State Government to look into the degradation of the open university. The CM too, has plans to meet Javadekar. If the state government's measures to convince the Central government do not bear fruits, a legal battle with the Centre is inevitable," Rayareddy said.



Ten buildings belonging KSOU have been lying vacant since 2014 and the state government has decided to handover the vacant buildings to government institutions. There is an additional burden on state exchequer of 50 crore every year spent towards the establishments and salary of 900 staff of various centres of KSOU. In Kolar, the KSOU building has been handed over to the university.



VTU funds chaos



The Income Tax department has seized Rs 441 crore from Visvesvaraya Technological University. The money comprised of the fee deposited by the students. The state government has made requests to the Central Finance Minister towards the recovery of funds. But, he has not responded positively. The VTU funding of Rs 650 crore has now been reduced to Rs 580 crore and the technical university is now short of funds.



As per Income Tax Section 12 (A), the university was required to obtain an exemption from the Income Tax Department. Also, after availing the exemption, the funds needs to be utilised within five years. But, the VTU had failed to do the same and had deposited the funds in bank. This was an outcome of the wrong decision by the VTU Administration.



To a query, the higher education minister said that the Bangalore and Mysore Universities do not have the Vice Chancellors for the last eight and ten months respectively. The names recommended by the state government for the post of the Vice Chancellors, are yet to be accepted by the Governor.



The search committee appointed by the government, comprising nominees from the state government, governor, UGC and the Syndicate, has not selected any ineligible. The candidates fit high standards and do not have any allegations on them, Rayareddy said.



DH News Service


Hundreds of people, weary of problems in life, approach the so-called Vaastu experts for solutions. But they realise they are cheated when no solution comes their way even after incorporating suggestions made by the experts.



Mahadev Dudihal, a resident of Ramanagar in the city working with a law firm, is one such victim. Dudihal was caught in some personal problems. He was impressed by a Vaastu expert who appears on TV and offers solutions to problems for free or negligible cost.



He contacted the firm of the expert and explained his problems. He was told that a representative of the expert would visit his house to know the defects in the structure, for Rs 500. The representative came and inspected the house. He suggested to Dudihal that the problems could be got rid of if he was ready to invest Rs 10,000.



Dudihal agreed. The representative called him up after a week and told him that he would visit Dudihals house again and instal a few materials to get rid of the defects. The person came and presented him things like a tortoise made of Pancha Loha (five metals), some balls for hanging from the roof and a plaque with a mirror.



Even after eight months, the problems remained. Dudihal informed the representative about his plight. The representative again visited Dudihal and suggested some alterations and additions to the house. He said the Vaastu expert had himself suggested the changes.



The Vaastu expert said the measures would not only end my problems but also open the floodgates of prosperity for me, said Dudihal, who spent Rs 5 lakh on altering his house.



Dudihal approached the district consumer forum for relief and recovery of the money. The court admitted his case. He was made to appear for dates over a few months. But no notice was served on the Vaastu expert. Finally, the forum ruled that the case was not maintainable.



Dudihal wrote to the state consumer redress forum and sought directions to the district consumer court. But there was no response. He said forum insiders told him that he was wasting his time on the case as the Vaastu expert had contacts in all such courts and he manages the cases wisely.



The victim has now appealed to the government to make the consumer law more comprehensive to have jurisdiction over and provide relief in such cases.


Members of Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha and Basava Balaga staged a protest on Saturday, condemning the assault on the parents of M N Gowri, a sand artist, who manages the Sand Museum in the city.



A group of people, said to be the employees of the Kauvery Silk Udyog, reportedly assaulted Nagalambike, 55, and B M Nanjundaswamy, 60, at the museum on Thursday. Following the incident, a complaint was registered with the Nazarbad police station.



The agitators blocked the road leading to Chamundi Hill, expressing their anguish at the police inaction. Though the CCTV camera footage clearly shows the incident and the attackers, the police have not arrested the culprits, they blamed.
Deputy Commissioner S B Bommanhalli has stated that the police, who protected people by fighting against internal anti-social elements, should also get all the honors given to soldiers, who protect the country.



He noted this while speaking after paying homage to the police martyrs at the Police Martyrs Day programme organised by the Police Department here on Saturday.



He said, police were also sacrificing their life for the country like how the soldiers were doing. But they (police martyrs) were not getting the honour given to the soldier martyrs. As a result of this, the families of police martyrs were experiencing a lot of problems, he added.



Therefore, police martyrs should also get all the honor and facilities given to solder martyrs. Then only the families of slain policemen would live peacefully, he added.



He said, police personnels role in protecting internal security was very important. The country would achieve progress only if there was peace in society. Police had made a significant contribution for the development of the country. Therefore, every citizen should respect police personnel. The service of police was praise worthy, he added.



Judge commends police



Speaking on the occasion, District Judge Ramachandra Huddar said, absence of police would create chaos in society. This would also lead to unrest and civil disturbances.



He said, law and order was maintained and criminal activities, injustices were reduced in society only as the police personnel were working day and night.



He said, the police were doing a good job in curtailing anti-social and anti-national activities. But, the crime rate would come down further if the police increased their efficiency, he added.



Everyone should love the work they do. Then only one can achieve something in life. Police should make use of the opportunity they got for serving society with more dedication. It is everybodys duty to pay respect to the police martyr, he said.



Superintendent of Police G Sangeeta read the names of 350 police personnel who died on duty in the previous year as a mark of respect during the programme.



Police personnel under the command of Parade Commander Bharat Talawar fired in air three rounds as a mark of honor for the police martyrs. Later, there was a march past.



Judges Savitri Gujji, N N Bellolli, retired police officers, and others were present.
Paryaya Pejawar Mutt seer Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swami has said that he is ready for a debate over separate religion status for Lingayats if the discussion is held at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru after January 18.



Retired IAS officer S M Jamdar had challenged the seer for a debate on the issue. Speaking to the media persons here on Saturday, the seer said that if the debate was to be held at the earliest, it could be arranged in Udupi.



I am prepared any time to attend the debate. I am not selfish and I have no political motives. I urge the Lingayats to stay in Hinduism as they are part of Hinduism, he reiterated.



Asserting that Lingayats were Hindus, the seer contradicted the statements made by Jamdar. The seers of Siddaganga Mutt and Suttur Mutt participated in the regional conference of Vishwa Hindu Parishad held in 1968 and 1985. The controversy over separate religion tag is a new one and it is diluting the prominence of Lingayats in Hinduism. Basavanna had also agreed on the concept of reincarnation and rebirth, he said.


Nimhans and Solidarity Foundation, an NGO that supports sex workers and sexual minorities, will conduct a seminar on the Rights of Intersex People on Monday.



Shubha, executive director of the foundation, said that although there have been many seminars by doctors on the medical perspective of the aspect, this is the first time the topic is being picked up to discuss the sociological as well as the psychological aspects.



She added that intersex people will talk about issues such as employment, education, institutional biases among others. The one-day seminar, which will be conducted at Nimhans, will also have legal experts, policymakers, activists and doctors talking on various issues.




The state BJP on Saturday opposed the state governments decision to organise Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations on November 10, accusing it of triggering communal hatred.



BJP general secretary and MP Shobha Karandlaje told reporters that the party will launch a protest if the government goes ahead with the celebrations. There is a strong opposition to the Jayanthi celebrations from many communities, including Christians and Nayakas, she added.



Karandlaje said that she had written to the deputy commissioners of Udupi and Chikkamagaluru, asking them not to mention her name in the invite for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the two districts.



Terming Tipu Sultan anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada, she said, There is no need to include the names of BJP leaders in the invitation on the pretext of following protocol. The government is triggering communal hatred by repeatedly organising Tipu Jayanthi. The government is misusing the taxpayers money. Let it organise the Jayanthi using the Congress partys funds, she said.



Karandlaje said that people of Mysuru and Kodagu, Christians in Mangaluru and the Nayaka community in Chitradurga are opposing the Jayanthi. Officials too are saying that they dont want to involve themselves in the Jayanthi. Members of the Islamic community themselves havent demanded that the government organise the Jayanthi. This goes to show that the government is indulging in vote bank politics, she added.



BJP MLA R Ashoka said the government will be creating a law and order problem by organising the Jayanti. Siddaramaiah should become Shanthi Siddaramaiah, not Benki Siddaramaiah, he added.




The BJP is likely to induct former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy into the party by the first week of November, a senior BJP leader has said.



The announcement of his joining the party is expected to be made after BJP general secretary and West Bengal in-charge, Kailash Vijayvargiya meets party president Amit Shah this week, BJP party sources said.



"If everything goes well, Mukul Roy will join our party within the first week of November. His joining can take place either in Kolkata or in New Delhi," a senior BJP leader, who is privy to the developments, told PTI on condition of anonymity.



Roy, however, could not be reached for a reaction.



The state BJP unit, which was divided till last week on the question of inducting Roy into the party, has given up its reservations due to the keenness of the leadership, the sources said.



Vijayvargiya has played a key role in convincing the BJP leadership about the positive impact of inducting Roy, who is known for his organisational acumen, into the party, they said.



"Given the lack of good organisers in the state BJP unit, Kailashji was positive about Roy from the very beginning. He felt that inducting Roy would help the party in the rural polls in 2018 and Lok Sabha polls in 2019," another BJP leader said.



"Roy's organisational acumen and ability to conduct polls has earned praise from everybody," the leader said.



A BJP party source said, "You can expect an announcement after Kailash Vijayvargiya meets our party president this week. After the meeting, the picture will be clear. Our party leadership is presently busy with the poll campaign in Gujarat."



State BJP president Dilip Ghosh had recently lauded Roy as a "good organiser" and said that he had made a "big contribution" to the growth of the TMC in Bengal.



The indication that Roy is likely to join the BJP came when he was invited to the birthday celebration of BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha that will take place on October 25.



Roy, who was once the second in command in the Trinamool Congress after its chief Mamata Banerjee, had earlier this month resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the party.



He had described BJP as a non-communal party and said that the TMC would not have tasted success without the backing of the saffron outfit at the national level in its initial years.



Roy was last month suspended from the TMC for six years for indulging in anti-party activities after he announced that he would quit the party.
Social media trends and data analytics will be used for the first time in ensuring and monitoring the security at the country's most vital assets such as airports and nuclear and aerospace installations.



The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the national agency tasked to secure these important assets, has created a maiden 'media lab' and social media monitoring control room -- the Pattern Research For Institutional Social Media (PRISM) analytics -- at its base in Arakkonam near Chennai.



A special team of CISF agents has been trained in the job of tracking social media trends, news, reports and indicators across various platforms, collate them and dish them out as vital pieces of "actionable intelligence" to its various airports and other vital units.



Platforms like Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube and Flickr will be used by the paramilitary force to check any suspicious and sabotage-like activity against the assets it guards.



The platform, developed by the IIT Delhi, is used by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Mumbai police to keep a check on security issues.



"We are doing this on an experimental basis. The PRISM control room is based in the southern part of the country as we have a sizeable number of units that have our armed security cover in that part. Based on the experiences, this smart centre will be further bolstered," CISF Director General (DG) O P Singh told PTI.



He said that a special team of his men and women will keep a "track of social media trends" with the sole view of keeping their units such as airports, aerospace stations and nuclear bases safe.



"This is completely in-house. We intend to link it to our WAR (web analytics and resolution) room that is already operational and based in Delhi," Singh said.



"The digital chatter in the world of social media is a great source for intelligence collection and timely action. Public sentiment towards the force, behavioural pattern and predictable actions can be a great help to take timely action and avoid any mishap," a senior CISF officer said.



A red flag would be raised, he said, in the case of any posts that indicate any threat towards the units covered by the CISF or any potential harm that a force personnel would inflict upon self or others.



"The potential of this unique platform would be to avert even suicides in the force, to an extent as any sort of abnormal behaviour or posts would be an indicator for action to be taken.



"This would be done through features like sentiment analysis in-built in the software itself," the official said.



The 1.80 lakh personnel-strong CISF is tasked to secure 59 airports and other vital installations under the command of the Union home ministry.
The increasing number of attacks on political activists and policemen by militants has belied the government's claims that the ultras were on the run and security forces were dominating terrorists in Kashmir.



Within a span of just 24 hours, militants attacked the residences of two legislators of ruling PDP in Wachi, Shopian and Tral of Pulwama in south Kashmir on Thursday and Friday with grenades. Though in both the attacks, no loss of life was reported, they were enough to send a message that the militants were still in a position to carry out attacks even at the residences of protected persons.



On Tuesday, when a mob of 200 people, reportedly backed by militants, set ablaze the house of a PDP worker, who was earlier killed by ultras in Shopian district, the message was loud and clear that the new wave of militancy in Kashmir was still holding the ground.



Besides attacking security forces, the militants have been increasingly targeting political activists, local policemen and their families since early this year. The attacks are mostly happening in the south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama and Anantnag.



BJP leader and J&K deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh believes that the houses of MLAs were being attacked by the militants in a bid to create fear among the people. "Anti-national elements are trying their best to create a turmoil-like situation," Singh said on Saturday.



However, he said, the security forces were dealing with the situation and those involved in such incidents would be dealt with in accordance with law. A senior police office told DH that militants were still getting local support to carry out attacks in Kashmir, especially in the southern districts. "No doubt, more than 150 militants have been killed this year, but the fact remains that the number of active militants hasn't changed significantly due to these killings," he said.



"Out of 150 militants, about 70 were killed on the LoC, while infiltrating from Pakistan. The rest were killed in the hinterland. But, more or less, the same number of youth have joined militant ranks this year," he reasons.



The officer said greater involvement of local militants in terror activities was a cause for concern for the security establishment. "The local recruitment of militants is still going on. There are more than 1,000 overground workers, who organise protests, help militants in logistics and carry out reconnaissance for militant attacks in their respective areas," he said.
A 31-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping off his body parts and hiding them in a refrigerator after suspecting his colleague of having an affair with his wife, police said.



Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in south Delhi's Mehrauli, they said. Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.



Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.



During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.



He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police official said yesterday.



On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.



Mandal then fled to his in-law's house in Kolkata. A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village. But he was not found there.



The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela.



Mandal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.
Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.



Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.



"The Sharif brothers - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif - twice planned my murder in captivity in the 1990s," Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore yesterday.



Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but "I have refused".



"I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," he said.



The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking the help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan.



The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistan's then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.



"The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them," he added.



"They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," Zardari said.



Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election.



"We will be on a strong footing after next year poll," he added.

Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28 by a Supreme Court bench.



There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort, he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs.
China has asked Pakistan to step up the security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.



The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior Ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.



The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and another Chinese working in the country.



This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.



China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.



In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.



The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.



The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.



The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.



The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road, and pipeline.


Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be charge-sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.



The formalities to file the charge sheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.



The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.



The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.



Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.



The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.



Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad, has repeatedly denied all the charges.



The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year-long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.



Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.



The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.



The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.



The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.



Thereafter, on April 21, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naik's appearance before it.



After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke his passport.



The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
The Rajasthan government is likely to replace a controversial ordinance that shields public servants from prosecution for on-duty action without prior sanction with a bill in the Assembly.



While the BJP has a majority in the 200-member House, the Congress has challenged the government on the issue.



A source said the Assembly session, starting Monday, is going to be stormy as both parties are expected to get into heated arguments.



The Opposition and the civil society in Rajasthan have threatened to stage a protest.



The move is meant to protect officials from allegations since the BJP government is neck-deep in corruption. This move will encourage officers to indulge in corruption as there will be no checks, state Congress president Sachin Pilot said.



According to the ordinance, the media will be also barred from disclosing the names of public servants, including judges and magistrates, under investigation until prior sanction is granted for their prosecution.



It is a sinister attempt by the state government to abridge the fundamental right of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution. The ordinance seeks to thwart the citizens right to access the criminal justice system in cases of complaints against abuse of the law by public servants, Kavita Shrivastav, general secretary, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, told DH.



DH News Service
The BJP finds itself in a tight spot over the selection of its nominee for the prestigious bypoll in Gorakhpur, represented in the Lok Sabha by Yogi Adityanath before his anointment as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.



Though the dates for the bypolls to the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Gorakhpur and Phulpur have not yet been announced by the Election Commission (EC), sources said they could be held in December.



Sources in the BJP here said the saffron party was yet to zero in on Yogi's successor. ''It is not an easy choice,'' a senior UP BJP leader told DH.



The leader said the Gorakhpur LS seat had been represented by the 'mahants' (chiefs) of the influential Gorakshnath Peeth. Before Adityanath, who is currently the 'mahant' of the Peeth, it was represented by his guru Avaidyanath.



''There is a strong possibility that this time, the nominee from Gorakhpur may not be associated with the Gorakhnath temple. Therein lies the problem,'' the leader said.



BJP sources said the party leadership might ultimately leave the choice of the nominee from Gorakhpur to Adityanath. ''Gorakhsnath Peeth wields considerable influence in the city and the nearby districts.



Adityanath, who has represented the seat for four consecutive terms, knows it better than anyone else,'' the leader said.



Sources said the BJP leadership did not want to thrust its own nominee on Gorakhpur as it might not go down well with Adityanath.



The contest at Gorakhpur and Phulpur, which was held by Keshav Prasad Maurya before his appointment as UP's deputy chief minister, is expected to be interesting due to a strong possibility of a grand alliance between Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress.
The death of a rickshaw puller at Jharia in Dhanbad has whipped up a fresh controversy after family members alleged that the man died of hunger while the district administration said it was due to a prolonged illness.



Rickshaw puller Baijnath Ravidas (45) died at his Tarabagan house in Jharia on Friday evening. After completing the last rites on Saturday, his wife Parwati Devi alleged that he died of hunger as he had not eaten for the past two days. The family didn't even have any money to buy medicines.



"The oven in my house was not ignited for the last two days and he (Baijnath) succumbed to hunger," Parwati told reporters at a press conference today.



Baijnath left behind five children including three sons -- Ravi (20), Suraj (14), Neeraj (10) -- and two daughters Suman (16) and Sulekha (8).



After coming to know about the incident via social media, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner A Dodde presented the family Rs 20,000 and assured to provide 50 kg of food grains immediately.



He had been bedridden for the last one month. After reports of his death, a probe was conducted. It was found that he died of illness and not hunger," Dodde said.

The family members said Baijnath had applied for ration card in the second week of October. However, all the family members have Aadhar Card.



Baijnath's neighbours said he had breathing problem and was bedridden for several days and a local doctor had prescribed medicines for him.



Baijnath's wife works as a domestic help and their elder son Ravi lives with his maternal grandfather in Gaya. while three children study in government school.

A district administration officia, however, claimed that Baijnath's family had officially informed that he had died of illness.



The official also said that post-mortem examination could not be carried out since the family members performed the last rites without informing the authorities.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora today said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will start its probe into the killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain from next week.



The DGP was here to meet family members of the leader, who was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Kailash Nagar on October 17.



The incident took place when Gosain was returning home after attending a morning drill (RSS shakha).



Later, the Punjab government decided to hand over the case to the NIA, the orders for which were issued by the Punjab chief minister on the request of a RSS delegation.



The DGP said that the state police sought assistance from central agencies such as the NIA so that they could work in coordination and explore all possible means to crack such cases.



The killing of the RSS leader was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. This was the eighth such incident in the state since 2016.



The DGP was non-committal on the role of 'Pro Khalistani' elements in the killings of RSS leaders Jagdish Gagneja and 60-year-old Gosain, and the other religious leaders.

Last year, on August 6, Gagneja was shot in Jalandhar. He later died at the DMC hospital in Ludhiana.



Arora assured Gosain's family that the police would leave no stone unturned to arrest the culprits at the earliest.



However, he did not share details of the police's probe, saying that it would not be in the interest of the case.



His meeting with the family lasted about 20 minutes. DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta, Ludhiana Police Commissioner R N Dhoke and BJP Ludhiana president Ravinder Arora were accompanying the Punjab police chief.
Drawing flak over a controversial ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without prior sanction, the Vasundhara Raje government today said it maintains a zero tolerance policy towards corruption.



Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria told a press conference there was no provision in the ordinance which will weaken action against corrupt officers.



"The government maintains a zero tolerance policy towards corruption," he said.



The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also bars the media from naming the public servant till the Rajasthan government allows the case to be investigated.



Kataria said Rajasthan is not the only state to amend CrPC sections 156(3) and 190(1).

The sections empower a magistrate to take cognizance of an offence and order an investigation.



"Maharashtra had amended the sections on December 23, 2015," he said.



He said the only one aim of the ordinance is that people do not "misuse" section 156(3) to tarnish the image of honest officers by levelling baseless allegations.



From 2013 to 2017, 73 per cent people who were probed under section 156 (3) faced mental harassment although they were not guilty.



It does not mean that cases will not be registered against erring public servants through courts. The sanctioning authority will have to ensure within 180 days whether a case has to be registered, he said.



If the allegations are found to be true, then a case will be registered and action will be taken, Kataria said.



The ninth session of the Rajasthan Assembly commencing tomorrow is likely to be a stormy one with the opposition Congress planning to corner the government over the ordinance.



The session will begin at 11 am.



Also, Congress legislators will protest against the ordinance outside the Rajasthan Assembly tomorrow.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, is among 102 universities and colleges the Centre has identified as having the potential to receive the Institution of Eminence status.



The University Grants Commission (UGC), which recently invited applications for grant of the Institutes of Eminence tag, identified these institutions on the basis of their position in the all-India ranking of higher educational institutions, conducted by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry every year.



The HRD ministry will hold an interaction with these institutions this week through video conferencing to encourage them to apply for the prestigious tag, official sources said.



The IISc, established in 1909, was recently also ranked eighth among the best small universities of the world by an international rating agency.



Out of the 20 institutions to be given the Institute of Eminence tag, 10 will be in public sector and 10 in the private sector.



These higher educational institutions will be established as a distinct category of the deemed universities and will be given complete academic, administrative and financial autonomy to enable them to earn world class status in quality and standards.



According to the regulations notified by the UGC for this category, all public and private universities are eligible to apply for the eminence tag, subject to the conditions stipulated under the scheme.



Applications from private entities for the establishment of the Institution of Eminence as  greenfield ventures will also be considered.



Institutions will be selected for the tag in a challenge mode, an official said.
India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmars Rakhine State, where normalcy will be restored only with the return of the displaced people, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday, here amidst the raging Rohingya refugee crisis.



Nearly 6,00,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are a minority in Myanmar, have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in the Rakhine State, where the army has launched a crackdown against militants.



Myanmar doesnt recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.



Bangladesh has sought Indias sustained pressure on Myanmar for its resolution.



India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmars Rakhine State, Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.
Indian metropolitan cities, including Bengaluru, are extremely noisy with the ambient sound levels way above the recommended norms, says a national survey.



The survey was conducted by the national ambient noise monitoring network.



The results were obtained after scientists monitored the ambient noise levels in 10 sites of a city in seven cities since 2011.



The network began with 35 sites  five in each cities  but another 35 sites were added later.



After recording the sound levels in industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow, they found that only 14.3% of the sites  mostly in regulated industrial zones  met the ambient noise standards, even as there has been an increase in the noise level since 2011.



In Bengaluru, the ambient noise levels have increased significantly in the last five years at the Peenya industrial area. These is also a jump in the sound levels at night at Nisarga Bhawan residential site.



The noise levels at newly monitored sites  Yeshwantpur, RVCE and Nimhans are higher than normal.



In Domlur, Nimhans, Peenya and Nisarga Bhawan, the increase in the sound level is most prominent between September and February.



In Yeshwantpur commercial site, the monthly average decibel level during the day is above 70 throughout the year, while the level comes down to 62 at night.



But even with an increase in the ambient sound levels since 2011, Peenya and Whitefield industrial areas have been able to meet the ambient noise norms. The scientists collected the data from four segregated zones in these metropolitan cities.



The sampling sites were distributed  industrial (12 sites), commercial (25), residential (16) and silence (17)  in these zones for better coverage. The permissible limits vary between 75 (day) and 70 (night) decibels for industrial, 65-55 for commercial and 55-45 for residential zones. For the silence zone, the limits are 50-40 decibels.



It was observed that no site lying in commercial, residential and silence zones met the ambient noise standards, the researchers from National Physical Laboratory, Delhi, Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Technological University reported in the journal Current Science.



Only 7 sites (10%) met the target of 55 decibel at night for commercial areas.



DH News Service
A woman was killed and another injured after militants fired at them in Seer village of Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Sunday afternoon.



Police said the militants belonged to terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.



The deceased has been identified as Yasmeena. The injured, Ruby, was shifted to a local hospital, and later referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment.



Superintendent of Police, Awantipora, Zahid Malik said JeM militant Noor Mohammad Tantray's role has been confirmed in the attack. Security forces reached the area and launched an operation to trace those involved in the incident.



On Saturday evening, militants ransacked a ruling PDP leader's house in the same area. The ultras fired several shots in the air as they were leaving the house of Peer Ashraf, zonal president of the party. Nobody was injured.



"They ransacked the house and fired in the air, confirmed Malik, adding that four militants were involved in the incident.



The incident came a day after a grenade was lobbed into the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, MLA from Tral, who also belongs to the PDP. Ashraf is considered to be close to Shah.
A pan-India homebuyers pressure group has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention in stopping banks from collecting monthly instalments on home loans from those buyers whose projects have been delayed.



In a letter to Modi, Fight For RERA national convenor Abhay Upadhyay said the move will help provide such homebuyers some relief as they have to pay rent as well as equated monthly instalments (EMIs).



For projects that are delayed for more than five years, banks should be ready to take a haircut and foreclose all loans without collecting any further EMIs, the letter sent to Modi last month said.



... It will be wrong on the part of the banks to take a haircut on loans taken by billionaire industrialists and while on the other hand burden middle-class homebuyers with EMIs, it added.



Haircut in the context of loans means giving up a part of claims by banks on debt for its resolution.



The group also pitched for providing power to the real estate regulator to attach assets of all the companies under the same promoter, including personal wealth to arrange funds for completion of the unfinished projects.



It reiterated its demand to constitute a high-level empowered committee comprising all stakeholders to protect the interest of homebuyers in high-risk category projects.



Fight for RERA, whose members, including RWAs, NGOs and homebuyers across the country, also called for amendment in The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, to give first priority to homebuyers in settling their dues by completion of the project or refund with interest - without any haircut.



A copy of the letter was also marked to Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Two police personnel and a villager sustained injuries when miscreants hurled stones at police for not allowing bull-taming competition at Jade village in Sorab taluk on Sunday.



Police constables Chandra Naik, Prabhakar and Ramesh, a resident of Jade village, were injured in the incident.



The villagers had organised the bull-taming competition on the occasion of Deepavali festival. However, the superintendent of police denied permission for the sport. An argument broke out between the police and villagers and some miscreants hurled stones at the police vehicle stationed in the village.



The police resorted to mild caning to disperse the mob. The police took six people into custody in connection with the incident.



Two youths were gored to death and four sustained injuries during the bull-taming competition held at Talluru village in Sorab taluk last year. Following this, the district administration had banned the event.


Even as the deadline set by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to fill the potholes is coming to an end, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) officials are still unsure of the number of potholes in the city.



However, they have upped the efforts to fill as many potholes as possible before the deadline ends. According to Mayor R Sampath Raj, the BBMP engineering wing had identified 16,000 potholes in the city as on October 8. But, it later stated that there are around 30,000 potholes in the city. However, at a meeting chaired by BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad on Sunday, the officials pointed out that there are 19,725 potholes in the city.



At the meeting, the engineers submitted a report that of the 19,725 potholes, 3,116 are new. The report also states that 17,787 potholes have already been filled.



The list of new potholes includes the ones which have resurfaced and the those which we have newly identified. Some of these potholes have also been identified by people, said a BBMP engineer who did not want to be named.



But, citizens say that the BBMP is yet to fill many potholes on main roads and attend to almost all the potholes on bylanes.



They say that many potholes in Nagarabhavi, Magadi Road, Infantry Road, Shivajinagar, CMH Road, KH Road, Jayanagar, Koramanagala, Bannerghatta Road and Mysuru Road have not been fixed.



75% filled



Though the deadline fixed by the chief minister ends on October 25, we set a two-week deadline to the staff, which ends on October 23. According to the engineering wing, 75% of the potholes have been filled, Sampath Raj told DH.



On October 9, Siddaramaiah had directed the BBMP to fill all the potholes within 15 days or face stern action. He had set this deadline after many road users suffered injuries and some even died in accidents caused by potholes.



We have been getting many calls and messages from people listing out the locations where there are potholes. People are also suggesting that all roads be concretised as done under TenderSure so that there are no potholes.



But, cost is the issue. If asphalting a road costs around Rs two crore a km, under TenderSure the cost is three times more.



Talks are on how to concretise all roads at a lesser cost, the mayor said.



DH News Service




Bengaluru Development and Town Planning Minister K J George said the damage caused due to heavy rain that has been lashing the city over the last month has been around Rs 1,600 crore.



He said the loss caused to the infrastructure and public property is still being analysed.



George told reporters at an event that of the 24,000 potholes identified in the city, nearly 12,000 have been filled and work on filling the rest is in progress.



Asked if he would be able to meet the deadline set by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to fill potholes, George said it is a direction from the chief minister.



We are doing our best and hope to meet the deadline. The chief minister set his deadline on October 9 to fill potholes in the city 15 days which will end on October 24, he said.



There are infrastructure works worth Rs 3,600 crore still pending. Work like asphalting and white-topping of roads, construction of storm water drains, shoulder drains and laying of footpaths under TenderSure project have to be executed, George added.



DH News Service
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Nearly 450,000 Rohingya refugee children are in urgent need of assistance and the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar continues to become more dire, according to a new report from the International Rescue Committee.



Up to 300,000 more Rohingya are expected to flee the violence in Myanmar over the coming weeks, seeking shelter in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.



Myanmars military has retaliated against the Rohingya population after Rohingya militants launched two deadly attacks against the country's security forces.



UNICEF said Rohingya children are crossing into Bangladesh at a rate of 1,200 to 1,800 per day, frequently suffering from exhaustion and malnutrition and without necessary vaccinations. Most end up in overcrowded settlements that lack sanitation and safe water. Shelters are often just plastic sheeting over bamboo poles, but many are forced to live in the open.



"They also need help in overcoming all they have endured. They need education. They need counseling. They need hope. If we dont provide them with these things now, how will they ever grow up to be productive citizens of their societies?" UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in the report. "This crisis is stealing their childhoods. We must not let it steal their futures at the same time."



The Rohingya are an ethnic minority in Myanmar who have a long history of persecution. Refugees arriving into Bangladesh describe harrowing accounts of killings, rapes and entire villages being burned to the ground, according to the UN.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In a bid to counter the BJPs political yatra, the state Congress is keen on holding AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhis public rally in Chikkamagaluru on November 19 and his other programmes in Karnataka on a grand scale.



The rally is being held to mark the birth centenary of the former prime minister, the late Indira Gandhi. On November 20, Rahul is scheduled to take part in a roadshow in Kadur and Birur. He will address another public meeting at Shivamogga the same day. On November 21, he will participate in a fishermens conference organised by the party in Kumta.



The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has lined up a series of meetings at its office in Bengaluru on Monday to discuss preparations for Rahuls visit and arrangement for the rallies. State Congress president G Parameshwara will preside over the meetings and, all the legislators, office bearers and party functionaries from Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts have been asked to attend the meeting.



A party source said that the Rahuls meetings and rallies have been deliberately chosen to be held in places considered to be a stronghold of the BJP, in a bid to send a political message to the saffron party.


Shravanabelagola Jain Mutt pontiff Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swami on Sunday expressed displeasure over the preparation works for the Bahubali Mahamastakabhisheka to be held here in February 2018.



Addressing reporters here, the Swami said the works related to construction of tourist bungalow, power distribution centre, dormitory at the bus stand, four temporary bus bays among others, have been delayed. All these works should have been completed at least six months before the commencement of the event, he said.



The seer said that he has brought the issue to the notice of Hassan district in-charge minister A Manju and suggested to him to take steps to complete the works soon. As it is a national-level event, even the Union government has the responsibility to ensure its success and provide funds. The Union government has not refused to sanction funds but, the state government should put pressure on it, he said.



To a query, he said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assured to release additional funds, if needed.




Six BJP workers on three motorcycles from each of the 27,000 polling booths in southern Karnataka will arrive at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) grounds here, to be present at the launch of the partys Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthan Yatra on November 2.



Speaking to reporters after participating in the Bhoomi Pooja at the grounds near BIEC from where the yatra is going to be launched, BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka P Muralidhar Rao said that as many as 1.6 lakh workers will arrive on bikes from South Karnataka districts to be present on Day 1 of the yatra. The yatra will be launched by BJP national president Amit Shah.



When it was pointed out that the BJPs bike rally to Mangaluru seeking the resignation of minister B Ramanath Rai had failed as the Congress government imposed ban on arrival of workers on bikes, Rao said, I do not agree that the bike rally to Mangaluru failed. It was a great success as thousands of workers took out a rally inspite of the ban. I do not think the government will venture to do any sort of mis-adventure now.



He said the BJP has planned the participation of several leaders including Union ministers at various places as the yatra cross-crosses all the 224 Assembly constituencies. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to launch the second leg of the yatra for North Karnataka districts at Hubballi on November 17.

Rao said the BJP is planning to expose one scam after another of the Congress government during the 75-day yatra at regular intervals.



Two MLAs to join BJP



According to BJP sources, Congress MLA from Channapatna in Ramanagaram district C P Yogeeshwara and Kudachi MLA P Rajeev of the BSR Congress will be joining the BJP on November 2 in the presence of Shah.



Yadav arrives



BJP national joint general secretary (Organisation) Shivaprakash Yadav arrived in the state on Sunday on a three-day visit.



Yadav, who is said to be close to Shah, held meetings with party functionaries in Mangaluru on Sunday. He will taking stock of the preparations for the yatra and also the state of affairs in the Karnataka BJP.



Yadav will meet party functionaries in Mysuru on Monday and in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the sources added.
A 34-year old man was arrested for selling ganja (cannabis) at Priyanka Nagar, near KR Puram, East Bengaluru, on Saturday, police said.



Kumar Biswas, a native of Nadia district, West Bengal, is accused of sourcing the banned substance from his home state and illegally cultivating some of it in an empty field near Seegehalli, where he is living. Police added that they had seized 800-gram ganja from him.



Biswas came to Bengaluru three years ago and was working as a labourer. A local court has remanded him in judicial custody.



DH News Service
The Home Department has issued a circular to all police stations to file charge sheets against parents/vehicle owners over road accidents caused by underage riders/drivers.



Underage and student motorists are increasingly hitting the citys streets, especially highways, NICE roads and outer ring roads and often without parental consent. The government seeks to make parents/vehicle owners liable.



The circular states that parents or owners giving vehicles to minors, who would not have obtained a driving licence, are risking the lives of people on roads. Life insurance companies do not compensate the families of the deceased or those injured when the rider/driver is a minor. Henceforth, underage riders/drivers must be dealt with seriously, the circular said.



The traffic police registered 2,140 cases of reckless and rash driving in the first eight months of this year. Of them, 1,340 cases were registered against minors. Police also prosecuted parents and owners of vehicles.



The number of cases registered against parents/vehicle owners was 10,359 in 2015, 9,022 in 2016 and 6,174 until August 2017.



DH News Service




An ambulance driver is among 892 people booked by the police for drunk-driving on Saturday night. Poojappa N, 25, was not only drunk but also blared the siren without any purpose as he wasnt rushing to hospital but only visiting a friend.



Poojappa, of Peenya, was caught by the Halasuru Gate police on Nrupathunga Road, Central Bengaluru. Police were drawn to the ambulance as it was being driven rashly and was blaring the siren non-stop. Police waved it down.



Poojappa initially claimed that he was rushing to Electronics City to take a patient to a hospital. Police didnt believe him and called up the head office of Kumar Ambulance Services in Malleswaram. Their suspicion wasnt unfounded. The firm informed them that it hadnt received any call to take a patient from Electronics City to the hospital.



Poojappa then confessed that he was actually going to meet a friend. Police asked him to take the breathalyser test which found that he was clearly driving under the influence of alcohol.



DH News Service
19 October 2007 (PIK)  The worlds most prestigious award for pioneers in environmental science was given to Hans Joachim Schellnhuber this week in Tokyo. He is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), a member of the Leibniz Association. The Blue Planet Prize, coming along with 50 million yen, honors outstanding thinkers who help to meet challenges of planetary dimensions. It is awarded by the Asahi Glass Foundation and handed over in presence of Japans Imperial Prince and Princess. Schellnhuber received the prize for establishing a new field of science, Earth System Analysis, and introducing most influential concepts including the notion of tipping elements in the climate system. The second recipient is Gretchen Daily of Stanford University, USA, who was honored for her research about biodiversity and natural capital.Professor Schellnhuber pioneered a new field of climate science, said Yoshihiro Hayashi, Chairman of the Blue Planet Prize Selection Committee and Director General of the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. The Director of PIK provided groundbreaking interdisciplinary science, Hayashi said. Furthermore, one of his greatest successes was communicating the magnitude of the challenge of climate stabilization to a broad public as well as decision-makers, he added, calling Schellnhuber the father of the 2 degrees limit for global warming. On the same note, the official declaration by the Blue Planet Prize organizers says: His activities eventually created a torrent of measures against global warming worldwide, resulting in the 2-degree guardrail agreed upon by more than 190 countries at the UN climate summit COP21. Professor Schellnhuber and PIK have played a central role in this field for many years.I believe that the two recipients are leading us to a new era of tackling environmental issues, commented Hiroyuki Yoshikawa of the Blue Planet Prize Committee in his speech. He is a Special Counselor to the President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, member of the Japan Academy, and a former President of both the Science Council of Japan and the University of Tokyo. The committee includes internationally renowned scientists such as Nobel Laureate Ryoji Noyori who met Schellnhuber on the eve of the prize ceremony.

Strong messages from Japans Prime Minister Abe and the Imperial Prince Akishino

This prize is said to be the Nobel Prize for environmental research, said Japans minister of the Environment, Masaharu Nakagawa, in a personal meeting earlier this week. He thanked Schellnhuber for helping with the long-term strategy of our country. Were in the midst of a broad change. Schellnhuber has visited Japan on a number of occasions for talks with high-ranking officials in the past years. Stabilizing the climate is a global challenge which requires concerted action by all countries, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a message congratulating the awardees. My government remains committed to climate action.Marking the outstanding significance of the event for Japan, His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino attended the ceremony. In recent years, we humans have pursued the progress of science and technology  yet precisely by this way of economic development, the ecosystems have been affected, said the Prince. He specifically mentioned the increase of dangerous weather extremes. We need a correct understanding of the human effect on the environment  as well as actions. It is hence satisfying that the laureates have developed the science as well as they have sounded the alarm.In a congratulatory message His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Charles, emphasized that Schellnhubers work is important to persuade the world to counter climate change, and to save the planet for our children and grandchildren.

Germany and Japan must take the lead in this race against global disaster

Previous recipients of the prize include the godfather of climate modelling, Syukuro Manabe, from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Norways former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Charles Keeling from the University of San Diego, California, who gave his name to the famous Keeling curve of atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements.The sun first rises in the East, said Schellnhuber at the ceremony. Philosophers in China and Japan have deliberated upon the harmony between nature and humanity for many centuries. Today, scientists around the world, including those at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research that Schellnhuber founded in 1992, are successfully investigating the nonlinear dynamics of the complex climate system, and religious leaders like Pope Francis  whose green Encyclical Schellnhuber had the honor to present to the world in 2015  joined in the call for avoiding dangerous climate change. Yet man-made climate change has roared on, since policy has largely failed us, said Schellnhuber. Now, on the basis of the Paris Agreement to limit temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, a great transformation of the global economy is required. Germany and Japan must take the lead in this race against global disaster, Schellnhuber said. They shall become closest partners in sustainable innovation  for the sake of our two nations and for the sake of our Blue Planet.

Contact



PIK press office

Phone: +49 331 288 25 07

E-Mail: press@pik-potsdam.de

Twitter: @PIK_Climate

www.pik-potsdam.de
By Timothy Gardner; Editing by Jonathan Oatis

16 October 2017

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a directive to his agency on Monday seeking to end the practice of settling lawsuits with environmental groups behind closed doors, saying the groups have had too much influence on regulation.EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who sued the agency he now runs more than a dozen times in his former job as attorney general of oil producing Oklahoma, has long railed against the so-called practice of sue and settle. The EPA under former President Barack Obama quietly settled lawsuits from environmental groups with little input from regulated entities, such as power plants, and state governments, he argues.The directive seeks to make EPA more transparent about lawsuits by reaching out to states and industry that could be affected by settlements, forbidding the practice of entering into settlements that exceed the authority of courts, and excluding attorneys fees and litigation costs when settling with groups.Most lawsuits by green groups on the agency seek to push the agency to speed up regulation on issues such as climate and air and water pollution, studies have shown.The days of regulation through litigation are over, Pruitt said. We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the agency. [more]
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The Sinn Fein in Donegal organisation has elected Inishowen Councillor Jack Murray as the partys chairperson in the county at an AGM held in Gallaghers Hotel, on Thursday night.

Cllr Murray said he is honoured to take on the position and paid tribute to the outgoing members of the officer board in the county.

Speaking after the AGM, Cllr Murray said: "I'm delighted to have been elected chairperson of the Sinn Fein organisation in County Donegal. It really is an honour to be trusted by my comrades in the county to take on this position."

Thankfully our party is currently in a very strong position in Donegal. We have some 700 members organised across every town, village and parish in the county. We also have nine county councillors, two high profile members of the Oireachtas and an MEP for the region. That is a result of years of hard work by our activists and the enactment of long term plans which were put in place by the leadership locally," he added.

Objectives

As republicans however, we will never be satisfied with where we are and will always strive to grow further and recruit more members so that we can build support for our political objectives and eventually deliver the United Ireland of Equals to which so many people have dedicated their lives.

We are lucky in Donegal to have a blend of energetic and enthusiastic young people who are keen to build a better society in Ireland and experienced activists with a wealth of political knowledge to guide the party as we continue to grow.

It is a very exciting time to be a member of Sinn Fein and I would encourage anyone who would like to help out locally or feels that they can contribute to our political project to contact your local representative and become involved.
New Hope Baptist Church, 5711 County Road 114, Brundidge, will hold a revival Oct. 22-25. The Sunday service will be at 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday services will be at 6:30 p.m. Guest preacher will be the Rev. Sonny Moore, and Johnny Anderson will direct the music.

New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 1110 Allen Road, Dothan, will host a Gospel Music Workshop Oct. 25-27 at 6:30 p.m. The workshop is open to the public, but there is a registration fee. Guest clinician will be the Rev. Lee Franklin of Atlanta. A gospel concert will be Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. and is free to the public. For more information, call 334-793-7134.

County Line Baptist Church, 1000 Highway 92, Enterprise, will host the third annual Community Country Fest on Saturday, Oct., 28, from 4-6 p.m. There will be bluegrass music by the Jerry Gay Family; antique tractors, cars, and farming implements; old-time demonstrations; hay ride; petting zoo; carriage rides; as well as games, crafts, peanut boil, popcorn, cotton candy and door prizes. Country Fest is free and for all ages. For more information, call the church office at 334-347-6082.

Grimes Gospel Lighthouse, 1512 County Road 25, Grimes, will host local artists on Oct. 28. Music starts at 7 p.m. A love offering will be taken. Call 334-983-4654 or 334-714-4658 for more information.

Klondyke Gospel Music Center, located between Newton and Ozark at 3885 Highway 123 S., will host Crimson City Quartet of Pensacola, Florida, on Oct. 28; The Resurrection Trio from Attalla, Nov. 4; John Lanier from Kennedy, Nov. 11; Lookin' Up Quartet from Pensacola, Florida, Nov. 18; Larry Danner from Ariton, Nov. 25. Music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, contact Ron Jeffers, president and concert coordinator, at 334-797-9862.

Stringer Street A.M.E. Church will host an All Cancer Awareness program on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. The program will honor survivors and include a candlelight vigil. Refreshments will be served. A special service will also be held on Sunday, Oct. 29, at the church at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend the program, sponsored by the Daughters of Eve Women Ministry and Women Missionary Society. For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Sherrod III at 334-479-8231.

Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Ozark will host Judgement House on Oct. 29 from 5-8:30 p.m. The church is located at 1971 Deese Road. Judgement House is a walk-thru drama that presents the consequences of peoples choices both in this life and the next. This years drama follows a Christmas celebration within a church where some of the members lack Christmas spirit. Alice struggles with the pain of losing her father to cancer. Becky is guilty of self-righteousness. Clyde cannot fathom the idea of Gods grace covering his multitude of sins. Visitors will see if the three acknowledge their broken spirits before a fatal Christmas Day accident. The Judgement House presentation takes approximately one hour to complete. For more information, call 334-774-5610 or visit RidgecrestBaptistOzark.org.

First Free Will Baptist Church, 1461 Timbers Drive, Dothan, will hold a Tailgates & Treats Block Party on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 5-7 p.m. There will be inflatables, hamburgers, hot dogs, an outside movie, boiled peanuts, a wagon ride, trunk-or-treat, and games. Free to attend. Contact firstchurch@ffwbcdothan.com or 334-792-3316 for more information.

Davis/McLeod District of the Church of God in Christ will host a Fifth Sunday Unity Service/AIMS Family Member (YPWW) on Oct. 29 at Bethlehem Temple Church of God in Christ in the Bellwood community. Sunday school starts at 9:45 a.m. and will be followed by the morning worship service.

Smyrna Baptist Church, 1800 Huskey Road, Dothan, will hold a Fifth Sunday Night Sing on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. featuring Antioch Ladies Ensemble. Food and fellowship will follow.

Dove and Grammy Award-winning recording artist David Phelps will be in concert at Dothan First Assembly of God Church on Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. Best known as a tenor for the Gaither Vocal Band, Phelps was a childhood musical prodigy from Tomball, Texas, and earned a bachelors degree in music from Baylor University. With 14 solo albums to his credit, Phelps has performed at venues across the globe, including the White House, New Yorks Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. The concert will also include Phelps seven-piece musical entourage. Event information may be obtained about by calling 800-965-9324 or visiting www.itickets.com. Tickets are also available at the Dothan First Assembly of God.

Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, East Geneva County Road 4, will hold a fish fry on Saturday, Nov. 4. Plates of fried fish or grilled chicken will be served from 4:30-7 p.m.

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 208 E. Watts St., Enterprise, will hold a free, child-friendly Reformation Walk on Nov. 4 from 10-11:30 a.m. Learn how the world was changed 500 years ago when the young priest Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation that changed the Christian Church forever. Participants will visit 10 stations that will highlight the Reformation and some of the individuals who played a role in transforming the Church. Each of the 10 stations takes about 15 minutes to complete, including travel time between sites, so all 10 sessions would take an hour and a half. If you would like to walk, RSVP with Christina Hardy at 334-347-6716.

Daleville Christian Fellowship Worship Center, 1 Martin Luther King Circle, will hold a community health and wellness awareness event on Nov. 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A blood drive will be held by LifeSouth. The goal is to educate the community on topics like injury and violence prevention, chronic illnesses, nutrition, substance abuse, vision and oral health, finances and insurance, and exercise and fitness. There will be blood glucose checks and blood pressure checks done. Snacks will be served. Call 334-598-6279 or 598-8824 for sign up for the blood drive. Visit www.dcfwc.org for information.

First Baptist Church of Slocomb, 225 N. Dalton St., Slocomb, will host Karen Peck & New River in concert on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. There will be no admission charge.

Dothan Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, 2867 Fortner St., Dothan, will hold a Pastoral Anniversary and Appreciation Service honoring Superintendent William A. Brown, pastor, and first lady Brenda F. Brown on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. Guest speaker will be Bishop Russel Gordon of Bible Way Church in Dothan. For more information, call 334-805-6096.

New Ebenezer Baptist Church, 3132 Highway 141, Elba (Curtis Community), will hold Homecoming on Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. There will be no Sunday school. Guest preacher will be the Rev. Larry Doster. Covered dish lunch to follow the worship service. Everyone is welcome.

Smyrna Baptist Church, 1800 Huskey Road, Dothan, will hold a Homecoming service on Nov. 5 with special music by Larry Sasser. Brother Billy Womack will preach. Sunday school will be at 10 a.m.; worship services will begin at 11 a.m. Food and fellowship will follow.

Black United Methodist Church will hold a Homecoming service on Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m. as well as revival services that will start Sunday and continue through Tuesday, Nov. 7, with evening services at 6 p.m. The Rev. Jerry Glover will be the evangelist for these special services. For more information, call 334-733-8189.

First Free Will Baptist Church is selling parade chair tickets for the National Peanut Festival Parade, scheduled for Nov. 11. The cost is $3 for the front row and $2 for the second and third rows. The chairs will be located between Pettus Street and South Alice Street. Call 334-792-3316 for tickets.

The 10th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service will be held Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m. at Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 205 Holly Lane, in Dothan. All are invited to participate. The Rev. Peter Wong from Episcopal Church of the Nativity will speak, and leaders of the area faith communities will also be taking part in the service. A free-will offering will be taken to benefit the Wiregrass Area United Way Food Bank. Refreshments will be served following the service. All area clergy are invited to process into the sanctuary together. Participating clergy and congregations may have their names printed in the worship bulletin by e-mailing the Rev. Lynn Smilie Nesbitt at lynn@fumcdothan.org by Thursday, Nov. 16.

Rocky Mount Missionary Baptist Church will host a Pastors Anniversary Celebration Nov. 17-19 to honor the Rev. Terry Saffold and first lady Linda Saffold. On Friday, Nov. 17, a Pastors Appreciation Banquet will be held at 7 p.m. at Clarion Inn & Suites in Dothan with the Rev. Harold Reynolds of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Abbeville as guest minister. A donation of $25 per person is requested. On Sunday, Nov. 19, a morning worship service will be held at the church at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Lucian Ward of Branch Grove Baptist Church in Montgomery as guest minister. Also on Sunday, an Anniversary Program will be held at 2:30 p.m. with the Rev. Robert Jones of North Highland Baptist Church in Dothan as guest minister. Dinner will be served.

Bonifay First Assembly of God Church will hold a Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with over 60 vendors. There will be live music, holiday decor, food, crafts, kid slides, gifts, baked goods and a petting zoo. The church is located at 1009 S. Waukesha St. in Bonifay, Florida.
A scenario that unfolded one January day in 2013 at a rural school bus stop near Midland City was unfathomable. A man boarded the bus and demanded that the driver turn some children over to him. When the bus driver, Charles Poland, refused the demand, the man shot and killed him. Then he took a 5-year-old named Ethan from the bus and disappeared with the boy into an underground lair, where captor and captive remained for days.

It was uncharted territory for local law enforcement officials, but to their great credit, and with assistance from FBI agents and representatives from countless other agencies, the tense situation was eventually resolved, with Ethan recovered unharmed and the captor killed during the rescue.

Theres no sense to be made of such a terrible event. Mr. Poland acted heroically, protecting his schoolchildren with his life, and is remembered with reverence for an act that defines his character. Likewise, the men and women of law enforcement who managed the standoff and brought it to a positive outcome for young Ethan have risen greatly in the esteem of both their colleagues and the public.

But an incident such as this must teach a lesson  and those involved have made sure thats covered, too.

Gary Moore, a retired state trooper from Missouri, has enlisted the help of local officials such as Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson, Chief Deputy Mason Bynum, and former Dale County Superintendent Donnie Bynum with a training program to be presented nationally. The knowledge gained in handling the Midland City bunker standoff will provide invaluable insight for school officials and law enforcement across the country to prepare for the possibility of something similar happening elsewhere.

Moore has presented almost 180 programs on school bus safety and active shooters, and sought out the Dale County officials for their unique perspective.

We hope the training is moot, and that no other school district faces a situation that endangers both students and bus drivers. However, we must agree with Sheriff Olson, who explained his quick agreement to assist Moore, saying that if he could save another bus drivers life through the program, he was all in.
Misty Wise will be the first to tell you, statistically she should not hold the directors position at Geneva County s Emergency Management Agency . But her life story is an example that proves hard work, dedication , and determination can pay off if you let them.

Growing up for me was not easy, Wise said. I never knew my father. My parents divorced before I was born. My mother remarried and stayed in an abuse relationship for 16 years. Living in that situation and watching the toll it took on my mother had an impact on me and my brother. We didnt grow up in the best neighborhoods or live in the finest houses. Actually, a lot of the houses we lived in should have been condemned. My neighborhood -- well, lets just say drugs had their place not only in the neighborhood, but in my home as well. I grew up hoping there had to be something out there better than what I was dealing with at home.

At the age of 16, Wise dropped out of high school. Her intentions were to get her GED and find a job.

I was never very popular in school, Wise said. I never had a lot of friends. My thoughts at the time were, get my GED, and get a job to support myself. I decided to take classes at Chipola Junior College with my brother, but when it came time for our tests, my brother was admitted to the hospital with a rare heart condition, so we could not take our tests.

With her educational plans hitting a road bump, Wise took another turn in life.

I got married, and just before I turned 18 years old, I found out I was pregnant, Wise said. That marriage did not last long. In the eyes of ex-mother-in-law, I was from the wrong side of the tracks. I was never going to amount to anything and they didnt mind letting everyone know their son was too good for me.

Dealing with another letdown in life, Wise took the time to take a good look at herself. Wise knew she would be facing a bad divorce. She also knew she needed to get her life on the right track.

I had to get my life headed in the right direction, Wise said. I had to make different and better life choices. I needed to surround myself with good people, and that is exactly what I did. I never wanted anyone else to th i nk of me like my ex-mother-in-law did. I could not help growing up in poverty, but I could help how the rest of my life ended up.

Wise got involved in the local volunteer fire department, where she met her husband and love of her life, Roger. Over time , she realized she loved volunteering in the fire department. She also got involved with the emergency planning committee. But one thing remained the same -- deep down she knew she needed to get her GED.

I went back to get my GED not only for myself, but for my son as well, Wise said. I wanted him to know just how important getting an education was. I was blessed to have a husband who supported my decision. He encouraged me to go back and get my GED. When I got my test results, I just cried. I scored on a twelfth-grade level. I never gave myself any credit. That day, I realized I did enjoy learning and I decided to take additional classes. I realized the more classes I took, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. It  s years later, and I still want to continue taking courses.

With her love for emergency response and her growing passion for emergency planning, Wise realized emergency management might be her calling.

I decided to research the position of the EMA director, Wise said. I started talking with the previous EMA director before she retired, and I realized serving as the EMA director was my next goal in life.

Now, with Wise being a wife and mother to five children, she was determined to set a good example for her children. She also wanted to show her husband just how appreciative she was for his support.

Roger has always been there for me, Wise said. He has supported me on everything I have done over the years. For that I am extremely grateful.

In 2016 , all of Wises hard work and determination paid off. She became the director of the Geneva County Emergency Management Agency.

I dont believe I am a different person than I was growing up, Wise said. I just had to make different choices in life, to get where I am today. I am proud of what all I have accomplished. I worked hard in making my life what it needed to be. Everything I went through in my life helped me to become who I am. Of course, I dont recommend anyone drop out of school. An education is a must in life. Take it from me, an education can and will open many doors.
Louth swept the boards at this years Irish Whiskey Awards, with the countys distilleries and breweries picking up gold medals and an award.

The excellence and innovation of Irish whiskey producers and distillers were honoured at the awards, which were held at Old Jameson Distillery, Bow Street, Smithfield Village, Dublin 7, last Thursday night.

Cooley Distillery was awarded Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger) for its Tyrconnell Madeira Finish 10 year old whiskey and a medal for Tyrconnell 16 year old in the 13 years & older category.

Boyne Valley based Boann Distillery debuted with two Gold Medals for The Whistler Single Malt 7 Year Old Cask Strength and Single Malt Aged 7 Years.

Boyne Brewhouse in Drogheda were awarded a Gold Medal for Boyne Brewhouse Imperial Stout 10.8% in the Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Craft Beer category.

The awards, which are now in their fifth year were judged in blind tasting sessions by members of the Celtic Whiskey Club, the Irish Whiskey Society Whiskey and the Cork Whiskey Society judged the whiskey categories.

Overseas members of the Celtic Whiskey Club also had the opportunity to purchase sample packs and vote without having to travel to Ireland.

Members of the trade were responsible for judging the white spirit categories of Gin, Vodka and Poitin as well as the Beer and Liqueur categories in a separate tasting session.

Commenting on the awards organiser Ally Alpine said; We are delighted that the Irish Whiskey Awards have become an important date in the whiskey industrys calendar.

Unlike most international awards this is a non-profit making operation that relies on the support & generosity of the producers, my staff and whiskey enthusiasts.

The event will also raise enough money to feed 330 kids every day for a year which is an added bonus.

The events charity partner was Marys Meals who feed over 1.2 million children a day and recently fed their one billionth child.

Drinks Industry Ireland was the events media partner.
Earlier this week, the Department of Rural and Community Development allocated 2.3 million for the renewed Seniors Alert Scheme, which comes into effect on November 1st.

Through the scheme, 643 senior citizens in Louth have received personal alarms since 2015. Thanks to an extension of the scheme, from this year senior citizens no longer need to be living alone to qualify for the scheme.

Louth Fine Gael TD Fergus ODowd welcomed the allocation, saying Some 643 local senior citizens in County Louth have received personal alarms in the last two years.

I am delighted to announce that this scheme will be extended to even more people locally thanks to a new range of measures.

From this year on, you no longer have to be living alone in order to qualify for the scheme."

The Louth TD goes on to explain more about the scheme and how the personal alarm works.

This measure exists with the support of local voluntary groups and if users feel in danger or require immediate assistance they can activate the device which will alert designated members of their community who can then assist them", he said.

There is free personal monitoring of the alarm for the first 12 months after which the person pays a small fee. This measure contributes greatly to the safety and wellbeing of senior citizens in their homes.

I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to avail of the scheme. The community groups that are supporting its delivery are providing a valuable service and deserve great credit.

O'Dowd continued: All users have a base unit installed in their home which is connected to a national Seniors Alert Scheme helpline using landline or mobile telecommunications.

When the user activates the personalised alarm it puts a call through to the national call centre which is open 24/7/365.

The call centre operator talks to the person in their home and decides whether to alert a local volunteer responder or, in potentially serious circumstances, the emergency services.

"If you a senior citizen and would like to enquire about a personal alarm please contact my office on 0419842275 and we will link you into the nearest service."

Fine Gael is committed to giving a helping hand when needed to those who need it most our communities.

I hope the renewed scheme will help even more people enjoy a greater sense of security and peace of mind in their own homes.

Alarms, which are monitored 24 hours, can be worn as a pendant or around the wrist like a watch; ensuring assistance is always available no matter where the person is in their house.

Other new elements of the scheme include free monitoring of the alarm service for the first year and a boost to administrative payments to community groups involved in rolling out the scheme.

Another technological development was launched by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, this week to help make rural Ireland a safer, more connected place.

Advanced Mobile Location (AML) works by automatically finding a phone's GPS co-ordinates when a 112 or 999 number is dialled.
On Thursday evening over 100 people packed into a conference room in the Crowne Plaza in Dundalk to talk about Brexit and its implications especially for Louth and the border region.

One of the issues discussed at the conference related to trade negotiations with Britian.

Speaking at the conference in the Crowne Plaza on Thursday evening Louth TD Gerry Adams said:

Any move toward trade negotiations between Britain and the EU should only be made in the context of the British having brought forward clear proposals on how it intends to ensure that the border remains free, open and seamless. Thus far they have failed to do this.

"This is especially important in light of last weeks internal report by the Revenue Commissioners which was leaked by RTE.

"It warned of the significant physical and economic impact Brexit will inflict on the border. It said that businesses will require special permits and face a huge increase in paperwork and bureaucracy.

"It also warned that cross border trade, especially in the areas of the agri-food sector, with its large volumes of trade annually in live animals, finished products and products requiring further processing, will be subject to customs controls.

"The report also warned that if there is no agreement on a trade deal then World Trade Organization (WTO) rules will apply. The likely impact of this is especially evident in the milk production sector.

"Currently, 91,000 Irish companies, many in the Louth and border counties, trade with Britain. Revenue predicts that after Brexit, their customs declarations will mean an 800% increase in volume.

The Louth TD was scathing of the governments response to all of this. Deputy Adams said:

Last weeks government budget offered little succour for businesses under threat by Brexit. The spin claimed that the government was bringing forward a comprehensive package of Brexit response measures.

"But in the end what essentially was offered was loans. So businesses that will need investment to meet the challenge of Brexit and whose costs will almost certainly go up  are being offered loans and more debt.

Concluding Deputy Adams said:

Brexit is the most serious social, economic and political threat to the island of Ireland for a generation. The various policy positions unveiled by the British Government in recent months, including leaving the Customs Union, will cost jobs, and undermine the two economies on this island.

"Sinn Fein believes that the best way to against the damaging effects of Brexit is for the North to be accorded special status within the EU. This would help Louth and the border counties.

"The focus of the Irish government must be to ensure that all of Ireland remains a member of the Single Market and the Common Travel area, that EU funding streams can continue to be accessed, that the rights of Irish citizens in the north are protected and that trading arrangements, north and south and between Ireland and Britain are secure.

"This is crucial if the two economies on the island of Ireland are to be protected.
Legislation to remove double taxation on digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, has been passed by Australian Parliament, with fintech industry leaders describing the news as a win for consumers and businesses.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (2017 Measures No. 6) Bill 2017 was tabled in Parliament, last month, by Treasurer Scott Morrison. He said the reform, which will apply retrospectively from 1 July 2017, delivers on the Governments 2017-18 Budget promise to ensure consumers who use digital currency no longer have to bear GST twice  once on the purchase of the digital currency and once again on its use in exchange for other goods and services subject to the GST.

Morrison said the reform will further cement Australias reputation as a global FinTech centre by [making] it easier for new innovative digital currency businesses to operate in Australia.

Blockchain Global chief executive Sam Lee said the double GST treatment of digital currencies had been preventing Australia from growing its cryptocurrency payments rail, which he says will be a key pillar of the future global economy.

The removal of double GST on digital currencies will position Australia as a great jurisdiction to be part of the rapidly growing global blockchain ecosystem, he said.

Theres a wealth of opportunities that this removal of the double taxation can bring to Australia. For instance, Australian investors are no longer paying a 10 per cent premium when buying cryptocurrencies.

Lee said the passage of the Federal Governments bill means that Australians will no longer be penalised for acquiring digital currencies.

Australians are now able to participate in acquiring their share of over US$110 billion in the global market value of cryptocurrencies  that wealth in cryptocurrency did not exist eight years ago,

Australia has one of the highest per capita population with crypto currencies and with the removal of double GST, we are on track to capitalise on the momentum to create the next Silicon Valley in Australia by building out an epicenter of Blockchain IP and knowhow down under.

The CEO of commodity management solution company AgriDigital, Emma Weston, who is also a board member of Fintech Australia, welcomed the changes.

She said any initiative that encourages innovation with digital currencies was a huge step forward for Australian agriculture and agtech.

In supporting the movement towards the development of digital currencies, we see the removal of the GST as overcoming a significant regulatory uncertainty in the cryptocurrency space, Weston said.

Australia is the perfect test market for blockchain technologies, and this move helps provide the confidence needed to make the most of the range of opportunities offered by cryptocurrencies.

Alan Tsen, Melbourne general manager of fintech hub Stone and Chalk Melbourne and board member of Fintech Australia, said the changes will be a huge opportunity for the broader adoption of digital currencies by merchants and consumers.

This is because there will be less friction for people to accept and pay with it, he said. The growing viability of digital currencies as a safer mode of payment will also make them more appealing under the new regulatory environment. A lot of people have been purchasing digital currencies as stored value but were seeing digital currencies becoming a more viable e-commerce payment option. Its a much safer mode of payment especially in a time with increasing cyber security threats.

Leigh Travers, CEO of blockchain solutions company DigitalX, said the passage of the bill puts digital currency on a level playing field with older payments systems.

He added, It is a big win for the industry and for politics for getting behind innovation. This is the original reason why DigitalX co-founded the Australian Digital Commerce Association or ADCA. We wanted to co-advocate a positive policy change such as this. It is pleasing to see that the first goal of the association has now been achieved.
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(Photo: REUTERS / Carlos Garcia Rawlins)Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends to a meeting with representatives of the opposition, the Roman Catholic Church and Union of South American Nations' (UNASUR) at Miraflores Palace in Caracas April 10, 2014. Maduro hosted Venezuelan opposition leaders on Thursday at the start of mediated talks intended to stem two months of political unrest that has killed dozens in the OPEC nation.

Venezuela's Catholic bishops have criticized bias by the country's National Electoral Council in favor of the government of President Nicolas Maduro during last week's regional elections.

Maduro's regime took 18 out of 23 disputed governorships, but faced allegations of fraud from the opposition, which won five states, an increase of two.

It had been expected that the opposition would win a majority of states, given the economic crisis and months of anti-ruling party protests in which more than 120 people were killed, Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported.

The Venezuelan bishops on Oct. 19 denounced the National Electoral Council for "ignoring the appeals made by various national and international bodies, has once again shown itself to be a biased arbiter in the service of the governing political party."

Regional elections were held Oct. 15 and the U.S. State Department declared that the elections were neither "free nor fair."

The State Department cited last-minute changes to polling station locations without public notice, manipulation of ballot layouts, and limited availability of voting machines in opposition neighborhoods.

The 18 newly elected governors from Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela were sworn in by the constituent assembly Oct. 19, while the five governors of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable boycotted the event.

Maduro has said the governors who will not be sworn in by the constituent assembly may not take office.

The constituent assembly is itself the product of contested elections, which took place July 30. The body has superseded the authority of the National Assembly, Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislature.

In its statement, the Venezuelan bishops' conference cited "multiple irregularities committed in the implementation of the electoral process: preventing political organizations from substituting candidates as provided by law, sending voters over to other polling stations at the last minute, the lack of neutral international observers, and voters being pressured into voting a certain way."

They charged, "All this constitutes an obstacle to exercising one's right to vote and creates mistrust in the election processes."

The bishops also referred to "the decision to create new authorities, preventing from taking office governors elected in those states that did not support the Maduro regime in the elections."

They said this "is clearly ignoring and mocking the will of the people on which the legitimacy of any election rests."
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Game of Thrones' Lena Headey is the 45th woman to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein.

Headey, who plays the role of Cersei Lannister in the popular HBO drama, recounted two of her horrifying encounters with the Hollywood mogul in a series of tweets she posted on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The 44-year-old actress started off by saying that she was first introduced to Weinstein, 65, at the Venice Film Festival during a screening of the film The Brothers Grimm, in which she co-starred alongside Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger.

Weinstein's Miramax studio was handling the distribution of the 2005 film. In her post, Headey also accused the film's director of bullying her during the filming of the movie, but did not reveal any further details.

"At one point Harvey asked me to take a walk down to the water, I walked down with him and he stopped and made some suggestive comment, a gesture," she tweeted. The actress noted that although Weinstein's advances had taken her by surprise, she laughed it off as a joke.

In her following tweet, Headey said her next encounter with Weinstein took place years later in Los Angeles. She wrote that after she laughed it off the last time by saying that it would never happen in a million years, she always believed that he would not try anything else with her again.

Headey said Weinstein invited her over for a breakfast meeting, during which they spoke about films and filmmaking. At one point during the conversation, the producer allegedly started asking her questions about her love life so she changed the topic of conversation to something less personal.

The actress later revealed that the producer invited her up to his room under the pretext of handing her a script, and the two of them entered the lift. According to Headey, as soon as they walked into the lift, she felt something was wrong and on their way up, she made it very clear to Weinstein that she was not interested in anything other than work and did not get into the elevator with him for any other reason.

Headey said Weinstein became furious after hearing what she had just said. The duo walked out of the lift and started walking toward the producer's room, with his hand on her back. The producer marched the actress forward without uttering a single word.

"I felt completely powerless, he tried his key card and it didn't work, then he got really angry," she said.

Headey claims the producer then walked her back to the elevator, through to the hotel's valet, grabbing the back of her arm tightly throughout and added that as soon as her car arrived, Weinstein leaned into her ear and told her not to tell anyone about the events that had just transpired, after which she got into her car and started sobbing.

Weinstein's sexual assault scandal came to light via an Oct. 5 New York Times article, in which multiple women, including actress Ashley Judd, accused the Hollywood mogul of sexual harassment and misconduct. Since then, many other actresses have come forward with their explosive allegations, including the likes of Rose McGowan, Cara Delevingne, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others.

Read Headey's tweets below:
Voters across several Bexar County jurisdictions will consider initiatives on sales tax, compensation for elected officials and a bond election as early voting opens Monday in Texas.

The ballot also features seven state constitutional amendments, including a proposed tax break for spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty.

Every eligible voter in Bexar County can come to the polls to vote on the state amendments, said Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen. That includes voters registered in jurisdictions with no local races or propositions.

Early voting concludes on Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.

Converse

City Councilwoman Deborah James is challenging Mayor Al Suarez, who was elected in 2007 and is seeking a sixth two-year term.

Suarez said he wants to continue what he sees as a period of growth in the city. He cited Converses infrastructure and low property taxes as areas of strength for the city.

James, who represents Place 6, appeared to refute Suarezs claim about infrastructure, citing plans to deal with what she called an overall lack of upkeep, if elected.

More Information State propositions on the ballot Proposition 1 would give property tax breaks to some partially disabled veterans or surviving spouses on homes donated by charity under market value. Proposition 2 would make several changes related to home equity loans, including a lower cap on loan fees. The amendment would also remove some limitations on home equity loans and change refinancing options. Proposition 3 would require governor-appointed officeholders to step down at the end of the legislative session, even if their job lacks a replacement. The current provision allows incumbents to stay in office until a replacement gets sworn in. Proposition 4 would require that courts notify Texas' attorney general if a lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of state laws. Proposition 5 would broaden the definition of a "professional sports team" so as to allow minor league teams, motorsports and golf organizations to hold charity raffles. Proposition 6 would give property tax breaks to spouses of first responders killed in action until they remarry. Proposition 7 would authorize banks and credit unions to offer people incentives to save money, allowing "prize-linked savings accounts" to hold raffles. See More Collapse

She also opposes annexation, voting unsuccessfully in March against a plan to annex land in San Antonios extraterritorial jurisdiction, which will triple Converses size by 2033.

Ive always said and always will believe it should have gone to the voters, James said. The council shouldnt have made that decision. I dont think infrastructure-wise we can do it. I looked at our budget and did my own research and felt we couldnt handle it.

Suarez defended the annexation move, which city officials said will quadruple property tax revenue. The Converse Fire Department also currently provides coverage to part of the area to be annexed.

This was a well-planned, thought-out expansion, Suarez said. Because of the relationship we had with (then-)Mayor (Ivy) Taylor and (Bexar County) Judge (Nelson) Wolff, we sat down and saw areas that would benefit the area of Converse economically.

Converse voters will also vote on amendments that City Manager Lanny Lambert said are essentially housekeeping measures to keep the charter up to date.

That includes a measure that would allow for an annual update of the city boundary map, which some see as necessary to handle an upcoming period of extensive annexation. City boundaries currently get reviewed every five years.

Voters will also consider a measure that would allow the City Council to establish a salary for the mayor and council members. The positions are unpaid, through the mayor receives a $300 monthly travel stipend and council members receive $200.

Three council seats are also on the ballot.

Incumbent Kathy Richel faces Ray Garcia and David Hayes in Place 1, while Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Droneburg is being challenged by Shawn Russell for the Place 3 seat. The vacant Place 5 seat is being sought by Joan Lindgren and Jeff Beehler.

Windcrest

Mayor Alan Baxter is facing a challenge from Dan Reese, former chief of Windcrests volunteer fire department. Two other council seats in Windcrest are contested, including a six-person race for the Place 5 seat.

Reese said Baxter has used his position to basically decimate the volunteer fire department. He also said the citys infrastructure has been neglected in recent years.

Baxter was not available for comment.

As for the council races, Place 4 incumbent Rick Cockerham is being challenged by Frank Archuleta, a former mayoral candidate.

Jan Leaders, who was appointed to the Place 5 seat in August, will face five opponents: Randy Bristow, Joan Pedrotti, Elizabeth Dick, Kimberly Wright and Rusana Brooks.

Voter will also decide on a proposition that says the City Council could call a bond election in May to raise money for street repairs, asking voters if they are in favor of moving forward with the idea.

A separate proposition would reauthorize a local sales and use tax, at a rate of a quarter of a percent, to fund street maintenance and repairs.

Leon Valley

Voters will consider in a special election whether to adopt a home rule charter, giving the city more local autonomy.

As a general law city, Leon Valleys authority is set out in state codes. The proposed charter, which can be later amended, sets up a basic form of government, increasing the City Council size by a seat, lengthening mayoral and council terms from two to three years and establishing term limits.

Schertz

Three City Council seats are on the ballot in the suburb northeast of San Antonio.

In Place 3, Councilman Scott Larson, a business process analyst, will face Danielene Salas, a senior analyst and seven-year city resident. Salas currently is an alternate member of the citys board of adjustment.

Place 5 Councilman Robin Thompson, a pastor at Babcock Road Christian Church and vice president of operations for the Schertz-Cibolo-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce, is facing David Scagliola, an adjunct professor and senior instructor of math, statistics and operations management for Park University at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

Place 4 Councilman Cedric Edwards, who serves as mayor pro tem, is unopposed.

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

Gary Inmon, SCUC ISD board president who is seeking re-election in Place 5, is being challenged by Grumpy Azzoz, a former Schertz councilman, and retiree Charles Huff.

Ed Finley, a former trustee, is running unopposed in Place 4. He will replace Mark Wilson, who decided not to run.

Place 6 Trustee David Pevoto and Place 7 Trustee Amy Driesbach are also running unopposed.

Green Valley Special Utility District

Four candidates are running for three at-large positions on the board of directors of the water utility that serves portions of Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties. The candidates are Donnovan Jackson, Christina Miller, Jackie Nolte and Nicholas A. Nick Sherman.

Bexar County Emergency Services District 10

The district, which provides emergency response services to residents on the far Northeast Side, will have two propositions on the ballot. Both propositions deal with the districts plan to acquire a tract of land containing the Harmony Volunteer Fire Department Service Area, including the portion of the city of Elmendorf that is located in Bexar County.

Staff Writers Jeff Flinn and Richard Erickson contributed to this report. | jscherer@express-news.net
VICTORIA  Nine months after a late-night arson attack destroyed the elegant golden-domed mosque here  and with it the peace of mind of the small Muslim community  a spirit of anticipation is enveloping the Islamic Center of Victoria.

You cannot imagine how it is, they cannot wait to see the bulldozers start digging, Imam Osama Hassan, 43, said during an interview in a no-frills portable building once used for the mosques after-school program.

Were hoping next week to start building. We are working now for the contracts to be signed, he added, with hammers and nail guns banging overhead, as repairs continue on the roof lost to Hurricane Harvey.

Others in Victoria are also eager to see a new mosque open to make the city spiritually whole again.

Everyone has been supportive. Even now, because of the delay in construction, people stop and ask me when you will be building, said Dr. Shahid Hashmi, a local physician and the mosque president.

The mosque was burned down in January, the day after President Donald Trump announced the first of several attempts to ban travel to the U.S. of people from mostly Muslim countries.

The timing brought national and international attention to the Victoria assault and heightened fear of more attacks.

Police later arrested Marq Perez, 25, a local man, who was charged with a hate crime and other felonies in the mosque arson.. He remains in federal custody.

At a Wednesday hearing, U.S. District Judge John Rainey declined to reconsider releasing him on bond and urged the lawyers involved to move the case forward for a trial next spring.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, which tracks vandalism, arson and threatening actions directed at Muslims, the torching of the Victoria mosque was the most serious of 15 events in Texas since 2015. Also in January, a mosque construction site in Lake Travis was burned to the ground.

The most recent incident came in September when the cemetery at the Islamic Center of Greater Austin was vandalized and defaced.

Other incidents include repeated demonstrations by armed protesters outside mosques in Irving and Richardson, shots fired into a mosque at College Station, a man shot and stabbed as he walked toward a mosque in Houston and the arrest of a man in San Antonio for entering a mosque while yelling obscenities and berating members for their religion.

The destruction of the Victoria mosque, which was far more than a house of worship to its roughly 100 members, brought fear and grief to them, and it shocked others in Victoria who found it hard to believe that religious hatred could fester here.

Ordinary citizens, religious leaders and local elected officials all swiftly reacted to the unthinkable event with prayer, vows of solidarity and offers of help.

Sympathizers from around the world also responded. Pulling open a bulging desk drawer in the portable building, Hassan displayed thick bundles of cards and letters, some of the hundreds he received.

Through the magic of social media, more than $1.1 million was quickly raised for the reconstruction, with the money coming from thousands of supporters in dozens of countries.

Hashmi said the congregation raised another $200,000 but still is about $300,000 short of the $1.6 million needed to build a 5,400-square-foot building.

In the months after the fire, an armed security guard watched over the mosque and leaders took other security precautions as well. Only with the arrest and incarceration of Perez last spring did the anxiety began to decline, Hashmi said.

Its perfectly back to normal, day-to-day activities. Everyone is busy with their own work, and attending the mosque for services and all of that, he said. We will have a better fence, better security, cameras, all those things.

At the request of female congregants, the new mosque will have separate and equal entrances for men and women in the front. In the old one, women entered from the rear.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the mosque pitched in on the public relief effort, handing out essential goods donated by mosques in McAllen, Brownsville, Austin and elsewhere.

Throughout the ordeal, Hassan has delivered a constant message of reassurance.

His typical message is that when a calamity falls on any person with faith, things happen because of what God has as our destiny. And that this will work out for the best because God always has a better result, even if through our eyes, we think it is a disaster, Hashmi said.

Arson evidence

Perez, a local electricians helper who had served briefly in the military, was arrested March 3 on an initial federal charge of possession of a destructive device.

The charge stemmed from an unrelated event in which Perez allegedly tried to destroy a friends car, but he also became a suspect in the mosque fire. He apparently was connected to the fire through a confidential informant.

In June, Perez was indicted on three federal felony charges relating to the mosque fire, including committing a hate crime. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

According to court testimony at a March hearing, Perez burglarized the mosque on Jan. 22 and again on Jan. 28, the latter time setting it ablaze.

Perez reportedly had expressed hostile views about Muslims and viewed the mosque as a possible threat to the community, according to authorities.

The informant stated that Mr. Perez indicated  he hated Muslims and he believed that the people in the mosque were related to ISIS or terrorists, Rick Miller, an agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in March.

Another person, a juvenile, claimed to have been with Perez at the mosque both times it was burglarized, Miller said.

The (informant) stated that Mr. Perez was inside the mosque about 20 minutes after he broke in  and stated that Mr. Perez set a fire inside the mosque, the agent said.

Before the first break-in, Perez had reportedly said he wanted to see if the Muslims were stockpiling weapons.

If the weapons are found, its going to be bad. I have plans ready, Perez allegedly wrote in a social media conversation with an unidentified person, the ATF agent said.

When Perezs home was searched in March, agents recovered two computers and an electric meter that had been stolen from the mosque. the agent said.

Perezs lawyer, Mark DiCarlo of Corpus Christi, repeatedly has attacked the governments use of an informant who admits being involved with the burglaries. He also has raised the possibility that a defective electrical system caused the fire.

I believe the government is relying on someone who was certainly involved in some harm to the mosque. They were definitely involved, and my client says he wasnt, Di Carlo said in a recent interview. Hes accusing my client where his credibility is very much at issue.

At the Wednesday pretrial hearing before Rainey, with about a dozen spectators in the courtroom, the judge addressed pending issues involving discovery, witnesses and other routine matters.

Perez, a lanky man in blue jail garb, manacled at hands and feet, sat silently next to his lawyer during the hourlong hearing.

The judge urged prosecutors to continue to provide discovery material to Di Carlo, including an electrical panel from the mosque if it turns out it was not destroyed during the demolition as they asserted.

Uplifted by faith

Hashmi said local Muslims harbor no hatred toward Perez or whoever set fire to the mosque, and are relying on the legal system to see the matter through.

We have left it to the law to punish him for his act against us, he said. Each one of us really has forgiven him for his act of hatred, and we just want God to change his heart about hatred against anyone. I dont think he belonged to a group that hates others. It was an individual.

Hashmi, however, said the congregation is often troubled by how violent public acts are treated by the media and politicians, depending on whether a Muslim is involved.

When a Muslim person does anything against a church or a Jewish area, his religion is blamed, not him, that he is mentally ill. But when someone does something against a Muslim, no one talks about his faith, he said.

This guy who killed 59 people in Las Vegas: Nothing has been brought up about his faith. But if his name was Mohammed, the first thing they would be talking about is a Muslim guy who hates Americans. And this bothers us, the Muslims who are law-abiding citizens, and are just as American as everyone else, he said.

The space where the Victoria mosque once rose skyward is now a green lawn littered with a few chunks of demolition rubble. The only thing left is the tiled entrance, which leads nowhere. The golden domes sit dented and charred by a back fence near the playground.

But for the Hassan, who has been the mosques spiritual leader for 15 years, the whole traumatic episode has become an uplifting passage of faith.

People left for a few weeks because of the sadness, because they could not faced the burned mosque, but now everyone is back, he said.

They way this thing turned out to be good, you cannot imagine. It makes you happy. If you put your trust in God, he will never put you down, he added.

jmaccormack@express-news.net
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In 1966, just two years before the 1968 Worlds Fair, or HemisFair, in San Antonio, attorney Patrick J. Kennedy stood in the Nix Hospital downtown overlooking the St. Marys Law School, which he had attended years before.

Kennedy was at the hospital for the delivery of one of his children and as he looked down on his alma mater he recalled saying to his wife, Dean Raba (the dean of the law school at the time) is going to move the law school out. That would really be a good place for a hotel and with this new HemisFair, were going to need hotels.

When the hotel was announced in December 1966, Kennedy was 36 years old. Now 87, Kennedy said that at the time the hotel was a personal goal of his but it was a little bit overwhelming because I realized that I was the young guy at the end of the line, but all these people were going along with me.

In April 1968 the new luxury hotel opened as La Posada Motor Hotel, and changed its name to La Mansion Motor Hotel in 1971, eventually settling on La Mansion del Rio some time in 1977, according to Express-News archives. Soon after its opening, it earned AAAs four-diamond rating for quality amenities and service. The San Antonio Conservation Society also recognized the hotel for its restoration of the old law school building.

Along with the Hilton Palacio del Rio, the La Mansion marked the second new hotel to be built downtown in more than 20 years.

Turning the law school building, which was built in 1852 as a Catholic boys school, into a hotel required the old building to be mostly gutted.

They were the first ones to educate young people in San Antonio and young men from some of the ranches in the area and to me, thats a special thing that should never be forgotten, Kennedy said.

The schools original facade was kept in place, and Kennedy said he added personal touches, like making the former Deans office area into the El Colegio bar.

I see that location as the generator of many of the good legal minds in the community: judges, great lawyers, Kennedy said.

But Kennedy said making the former law school into a hotel was, in the end, a business decision. Visitors for HemisFair and the new hotel brought Kennedy immediate, though short lived, success.

We both (La Mansion and the Hilton) had occupancies in the high-90s for six months then after that, what in the world are we going to do now, Kennedy said, remarking on how occupancy rates fell when HemisFair closed in October 1968. We all then really had to go to work and become better marketers.

But Kennedy said he believes that HemisFair had marketed San Antonio and created lasting business not only for his hotel but for the entire Alamo City, as HemisFair visitors who came to San Antonio not only returned as tourists but brought business as well.

Much has changed since the late 1960s. Kennedy built La Mansion del Norte in 1978, and expanded La Mansion del Rio in 1979. He opened La Mansion Hotel Austin in 1984 and was forced to sell La Mansion del Rio in 1986, but regained control of the hotel in 1989 in a deal that saw him lose the La Mansion del Norte hotel. In 2004 Kennedy built the Watermark Hotel across the river from the La Mansion del Rio. Both La Mansion del Rio and the Watermark were sold in 2006 to Omni.

Since its sale to Omni some things havent changed at La Mansion. General Manager Rusty Wallace said many time honored traditions continue at the hotel, such as leaving worry dolls for new guests, a reminder of some of the first settlers of San Antonio, the Yanaguana Indians.

The legend is that if you tell these worry dolls what your worries are and then you put them under your pillow when you go to bed at night, when you wake up in the morning your worries will be gone, Wallace said. Its just been a tradition here that began when the hotel opened, and weve carried it on ever since.

Other traditions include an altar set up for Dia de los Muertos, which Wallace said is set up by the staff before Halloween and remains up through the Day of the Dead.

Guests can also request historical tours of the building, which houses paintings and photos from the past when it was part of St. Marys University.

Wallace, who is originally from Houston, said he remembered riding the river boats soon after La Mansion del Rio had opened and the guide talking about the hotel.

We feel like its the crown jewel of the River Walk, Wallace said, adding that the hotel wants to keep traditions going.

Wallace called La Mansion del Rio a dream hotel to work at and manage.

Looking back at his time in the hotel business and, specifically, the La Mansion del Rio, Kennedy said that to have had the opportunity then to transport that into a hotel, a place where people can reside and be safe and treated courteously and kindly and given the benefits of the beauty of the river and access to the rest of the city, those are the things that I treasure.
Good summer rains set up last season and above average crop yields in the 12 months to February this year, with year-on-year production increases of 15.8pc for wheat, 18.2pc for barley, 25pc for lupins and 60pc for canola, showing what record potential might have been had it not been for the frosts, Mr McConnell said.
Mr Barrett-Lennard said over the past few years there had an increase in the use of chaff carts by mainly mixed farmers, although he has seen a trend from broadacre farmers who are moving towards seed destructors.
Coinciding with the Young Achiever Award announcement at the LIVEXchange dinner will be the announcement of the latest Lifetime Achiever award recipient, who will be inducted into the industry Hall of Fame, recognising an extended period of dedication and leadership in the livestock export sector.
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Aramark and AmeriPride Services have entered into a definitive agreement under which Aramark will take over AmeriPride for a purchase price of $1.0 billion, or a net purchase price of $850 million after adjusting for the value of the anticipated tax benefits. AmeriPride is a leading uniform and linen rental and supply company in the US and Canada.AmeriPride is a highly-respected company with a tremendous legacy that will extend and complement Aramarks uniforms business, said Eric J Foss, Aramarks chairman, president and CEO. This merger will enable us to enhance our customer service experience, unlock improved efficiencies, develop new career opportunities for employees and deliver value for our shareholders. Our companies share a commitment to world-class service, and I look forward to welcoming AmeriPride to the Aramark family.

Aramark and AmeriPride Services have entered into a definitive agreement under which Aramark will take over AmeriPride for a purchase price of $1.0 billion, or a net purchase price of $850 million after adjusting for the value of the anticipated tax benefits. AmeriPride is a leading uniform and linen rental and supply company in the US and Canada.#

The combination of these two uniform services companies will create a leading uniform services provider with enhanced scale and capabilities, serving nearly 500,000 customers. The transaction will bolster Aramark's competitive position in the US and immediately establish a strong position in Canada.Additionally, Aramark anticipates annual cost synergies of approximately $70 million, which it expects will be fully realised by the fourth fiscal year after closing.The board of directors of Aramark has unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2017, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Aramark will finance the transactions through the issuance of new debt, and has received fully committed financing. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Textile Exchange, the global non-profit organisation that promotes adoption of preferred fibre and materials, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks, has released its 2017 Preferred Fibre and Materials Market Report, which features 95 major textile and apparel companies, including some of the worlds most renowned brands and retailers.The report measures and ranks the usage of fibre and materials with improved social or environmental impacts among participating companies. It is the largest report released by Textile Exchange to date, representing a 14 per cent increase in participating companies over 2016s report and a 76 per cent increase over 2015s.

Textile Exchange, the global non-profit organisation that promotes adoption of preferred fibre and materials, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks, has released its 2017 Preferred Fibre and Materials Market Report, which features 95 major textile and apparel companies, including some of the world's most renowned brands and retailers.#

Based on the disclosure of actual consumption data through Textile Exchanges Preferred Fibre and Materials Benchmark Survey, the report discloses that organic and other preferred cottons represent 47 per cent of total cotton usage.Recycled polyester usage grew by 58 per cent, lyocell usage grew by 128 per cent and preferred down (the majority of which is certified to Textile Exchanges Responsible Down Standard) grew by 54 per cent, the report says and adds that more companies are managing a portfolio mix of fibres rather than focusing on an individual one. In addition, companies are beginning to mobilize and gear up for circularity."Its good to report that things are moving in a positive direction, with uptake of preferred fibres rising in all categories, and some showing very significant leaps in usage, said Liesl Truscott, European and Materials Strategy director for Textile Exchange. While value needs to be shared more equitably, its clear that our economic system is changing, with a greater focus on circularity and non-financial capital. The language of the Sustainable Development Goals is influencing our industry and its good to see the industry get behind the Science Based Targets.Textile Exchanges managing director, La Rhea Pepper, said: "It is a combination of interventions that is transforming the industry: company strategies are going beyond concept into full implementation, business models are evolving to support, and technologies are coming online to disrupt current modes of production. Some would say the industry is not moving fast enough, while others are optimistic about the progress being made. We need both the cynics to nudge us further and the optimists to believe it will happen!"The report features leaderboards that rank company usage across a spectrum of preferred fibre and materials including organic cotton, recycled polyester, lyocell, and more. Global fashion business C&A topped two of the leaderboards. Being the worlds number one fashion retailer in the use of organic cotton and preferred man-made cellulosics is a great achievement and demonstrates how our sustainable materials strategy is making a difference, said Jeffrey Hogue, C&As chief sustainability officer. As a significant buyer of agricultural materials like cotton and wood pulp, we are committed to creating better outcomes for farmers, communities and forests.Oregon-based Columbia Sportswear tops the list of companies closing the gap between the usage of certified responsible down and conventional down, and placed third in total usage of responsible down amongst the reporting companies. At Columbia, we value ethical, sustainable manufacturing practices and are committed to assuring our partners share and practice these values, said Matthew Hoeferlin, director of Materials Research for Columbia. By joining the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), we are committed to sourcing 100 per cent responsible down for our entire global product line. By verifying and validating our entire natural down supply chain through RDS, we can ensure that, from farm to final destination, our product meets the industrys animal welfare guidelines.The reports impact data also shows that adoption of preferred fibre and materials can advance many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) In particular SDG 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production. This is consistent with the reports findings that nearly 30 per cent of the reporting companies said they are aligning corporate strategy to the SDGs. Textile Exchange believes the adoption of preferred fibre and materials, under internationally recognised standards, offers measurable environmental, social and economic benefits. With its Textile Sustainability Conferencewhose theme this year is focused on the SDGs Textile Exchange has commenced a strategy to mobilise the industry towards advancing the Global Goals and identifying best practices, including the adoption of preferred fibre and materials and standards to ensure the industry is meeting the targets set by the Global Goals. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Building materials group CRH plc (CRH, CRH.L) said that it received Ash Grove shareholder approval for proposed acquisition of Ash Grove Cement Company by CRH at a total consideration of US$3.5 billion. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in late 2017 or early 2018. On 21 September 2017, CRH plc announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Ash Grove Cement Company , a leading US cement manufacturer headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, for a total consideration of US$3.5 billion. On 5 October 2017, having received an unsolicited, preliminary, non-binding competing acquisition proposal, Ash Grove extended the period for obtaining shareholder approval for the transaction until 5:00 p.m. (New York time) on October 20, 2017. CRH noted that it will provide further details as part of its Trading Update on Tuesday 21 November 2017. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Police are looking into the treatment of customers by a division of RBS which was set up to help companies in trouble, according to reports. GRG was the part of the bank tasked with helping small businesses, but it has been accused of mistreatment by some customers and MPs. Officers in Scotland are conducting inquiries into the GRG unit, but are yet to open a formal investigation. RBS reportedly said it would co-operate with any request for information. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Whole Foods Market (WFM) said that it resolved the incident previously announced on September 28, 2017, involving unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as tap rooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores. These venues use a different point of sale system than the company's primary store checkout systems, and payment cards used at the primary store checkout systems were not affected. Whole Foods Market learned of the unauthorized access on September 23, 2017. Whole Foods Market replaced these point of sale systems for payment card transactions and stopped the unauthorized activity. Whole Foods Market apologizes to customers for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused. The investigation determined that unauthorized software was present on the point of sale system at certain venues. The software copied payment card information-which could have included payment card account number, card expiration date, internal verification code, and cardholder name-of customers who used a payment card at these venues at dates that vary by venue but are no earlier than March 10, 2017 and no later than September 28, 2017. Whole Foods noted that the Amazon.com systems do not connect to these systems at Whole Foods Market. Transactions on Amazon.com have not been impacted. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Electric-car maker Tesla Inc. (TSLA) has reached an agreement to set up its own manufacturing facility in Shanghai, the wall street journal reported citing to people familiar with the plan. The deal with Shanghai's government will allow the Silicon Valley auto maker to build a wholly owned factory in the city's free-trade zone, the report said. This arrangement, the first of its kind for a foreign auto maker, could enable Tesla to slash production costs, but it would still likely incur China's 25% import tariff. Tesla is currently working with the Shanghai government about details of the deal's announcement, such as timing, the report noted. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
On 24 October 2016, Cyrus was in his Bombay House 4th floor office examining what seemed like a routine agenda for the Tata Sons board meeting that was scheduled to start in five minutes at 14:00 hours. Through the grapevine, Cyrus had heard that some of the board members had an unscheduled informal meeting earlier that morning. However, what they had discussed was unknown, and as such, he did not give it much further thought. The previous week had been business as usual with trips to China and Singapore to meet partners and investors.

A knock on the door, and to his surprise, enter his predecessor, Ratan Tata and Tata Sons board member Nitin Nohria. Cyrus welcomes them and asks them to take the two chairs opposite him. Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working." Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons. He is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting. Ratan Tata chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage.

Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do. Nitin Nohria and Ratan Tata exit the room and walk over to the other end of the hallowed 4th floor of Bombay House, where the board room is located. Cyrus, sends a text I am being sacked to his wife Rohiqa, before putting on his jacket and heading to the Board Room.

The Board Meeting

Cyrus takes his place on the chairmans seat, a chair that is slightly elevated and larger compared to the other chairs in the room. Mistry welcomes Ratan Tata (who had never attended a board meeting since Cyrus had become chairman) to the meeting and informs the board that Ratan Tata and Nitin Nohria have something to share prior to considering the previously circulated agenda.

Nohria, a Tata Trust nominee and Dean of Harvard Business School, advises the board that the Tata Trusts have asked its nominees to propose a motion to the Board of Tata Sons. Amit Chandra, another Tata Trust nominee, apprises the board that at a meeting of the Trust Directors held earlier in the day it was agreed to move a motion to request Mistry to step down as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons because the Trusts had lost confidence in him for a variety of reasons. No rationale for the decision beyond this declaration was shared.

In response, Cyrus argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before taking up such an item for the consideration of the Board, and as such, the present action was illegal. Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date. Instead, he proposed Vijay Singh to be elected as the Chair for the remainder of the Board Meeting. Despite repeated protests by Cyrus on the illegality of events, Venu Srinivasan seconded the proposal. Ishaat Hussain and Farida Khambata said they would abstain on this motion to replace Mistry with Singh as Chair of the meeting.

Quickly, a vote was taken with six members (Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen, Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh) voting for, while Farida Khambata and Ishaat Hussain abstained. Vijay Singh was installed as Chair for the meeting.

Venu Srinivasan then proposed the inclusion of additional matters on the Agenda by moving the Resolution below, which was seconded by Ronen Sen: RESOLVED THAT the consent of the Board be and is hereby accorded, to consider and resolve upon, in this meeting of the Board, the following matters which were not included in the Agenda circulated for this meeting of the Board: Replacement of Mr. Cyrus P. Mistry as the Chairman of the Board and from each committee of the Board;

While the Board has adopted and put in place certain age criteria for retirement of Directors of the Company, to approve the cessation of application of the age criteria for retirement of Directors in relation to the Company; Re-constitution of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee to consist of the following Directors: (i) Mr. Ronen Sen (Independent Director); (ii) Mr. Ajay Piramal (Independent Director); (iii) Mrs. Farida Khambata (Independent Director); (iv) Mr. Vijay Singh; and (v) Mr. Venu Srinivasan; Appointment of Mr. Ratan N. Tata as Additional Director; Election of Mr. Ratan N. Tata as Interim Chairman of the Board until selection and appointment of a new Chairman of the Board in terms of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Articles of Association of the Company; To take appropriate steps in terms of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Articles of Association of the Company to appoint a new Chairman, including by formation of a Selection Committee comprising of: (i) Mr. Ratan N. Tata (Nominee of Tata Trusts); (ii) Mr. Amit Chandra (Nominee of Tata Trusts); (iii) Mr. Venu Srinivasan (Nominee of Tata Trusts); (iv) Mr. Ronen Sen (Independent Director); and (v) Lord Kumar Bhattacharya (Independent Outside Person).; and Until selection and appointment of a new Chairman of the Board in terms of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Articles of Association of the Company, to vest substantial powers of management of the Company with Mr. F. N. Subedar, Chief Operating Officer, and/or one or more senior officials and/or Directors of the Company, subject to the overall supervision and direction of the Board, in such manner as the Board may decide from time to time.

Each of these resolutions was voted on in turn. While different board members proposed and seconded the individual resolutions, the voting pattern was identical across them. Khambata abstained on each, Mistry objected to each as being illegal, while the others voted for them. It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal.

The Aftermath

By 15:00, Cyrus had returned to his office and begun packing his personal effects. He queried Subedar on whether he needed to return the next day. Subedar checked with Ratan Tata and reported that it was unnecessary. Cyrus then called his childhood friend and top notch lawyer, Apurva Diwanji, to help him. Apurva arrived within ten minutes and asked for the Tata Sons articles of association. Apurva realized that the press would invariably be gathering outside Bombay House making an exit challenging.

Apurva needed a safe place for Cyrus to be taken as the press would be lying in wait outside the Mistry residence. Jai Mavani from Shapoorji Pallonji, the family firm of Cyrus, was given a call to organize this. Jai knew that the Forbes, another Shapoorji Pallonji related company, had its headquarters in the neighborhood on a quiet street. Apurva exited via the side entrance of Bombay House, which was rarely used, to whisk Cyrus to the designated safe place.

The conference room is where Cyrus first got a chance to sit down, visibly shaken, and asked for a cup of tea. They knew they needed a public relations agency and a lawyer immediately. What they did not know was that Tata had already engaged six major public relations companies and booked many of the most prominent lawyers in the country in a bid to squeeze the resources available to Cyrus post firing.

At 17:00, Tata Sons released the following press statement: Mumbai: Tata Sons today announced that its Board has replaced Mr. Cyrus P. Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons. The decision was taken at a Board meeting held here today. The Board has named Mr. Ratan N. Tata as Interim Chairman of Tata Sons. The Board has constituted a Selection Committee to choose a new Chairman. The Committee comprises Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Mr. Amit Chandra, Mr. Ronen Sen and Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, as per the criteria in the Articles of Association of Tata Sons. The committee has been mandated to complete the selection process in four months.

Immediately, the news broke across all TV channels in India and spreads like fire on social media. It was also reported that three members of Mistrys top team had been asked to put in their papers. While not the Chairman of Tata Sons, Mistry was still a board member of Tata Sons and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of most of the major group companies. The media started speculating whether Mistry would step down as Chairman of these companies. This was intriguing since the first board meeting coming up was for Tata Global Beverages Limited (TGBL) to be held on 26th October at Bombay House.

CEOs being fired is always news, despite it not being a terribly uncommon occurrence. What made the firing of Cyrus Mistry so unusual was that Tata Group had a history of only six Chairman over 148 years! Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years. In general, the Tata group is renowned for its values, which did not encompass a hire and fire policy. Most senior Tata executives were consummate insiders, having usually served their entire career with the Group.

The initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as the Chairman had been passed via a shareholder resolution of Tata Sons. It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided. Unfortunately, instead there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and the Tata brand. The only winners as far as one could see were the public relations companies and lawyers, who are still having a field day.

Disbanding of GEC

On taking over as Chairman, Cyrus had taken a year to put his leadership team in place. Called the Group Executive Council (GEC), it comprised of two old Tata hands and three people recruited from outside the group. I was hired to head strategy for the Tata group, a position that had required me to intensively interact with Cyrus as we formulated Tatas strategy until 2025.

On the morning of 24th October, I recall asking Cyrus if he needed my help with the board meeting. I only attended Tata Sons board meetings to support Cyrus. This was when formal presentations on group strategy were scheduled, usually during the longer June and December meetings. Since governance rather than strategy was on the agenda, Cyrus said he could manage on his own. Anticipating this, I was scheduled with two of my GEC colleagues, Harish Bhat and NS Rajan, to be on a panel and take questions from around 100 young Tata executives on the groups big data initiative.

At 14:50, we reached the Taj Hotel President property in Mumbai where the event was being held, completely unware of the events at Bombay House. Our panel was being moderated by Deep Thomas, CEO of Tata iQ, the big data company. Enthusiastic participants were quizzing us. NS Rajan was looking at his phone and unexpectedly walked off the podium. He returned a few minutes later, ashen faced, and whispered in my ear that the Chairman has been asked to step down. My head jerked  what? But I was on a panel so kept answering the questions, but signaled to Deep that we needed to wrap this up early. NS looked very distracted and flustered so I fielded any questions that came his way as he soon left the podium and the room.

We walked out into the hall and NS Rajan informs Harish and me that his understanding is that with the Chairman, all three of the outsiders on the GEC have also been let go. I invited them to my apartment for a drink rather than return to the Bombay House until we gathered more information. Harish, as was his style, kept reassuring the two of us that firing of Cyrus and the three GEC members was very unfair. We turned on the television, and all the Indian television channels were plastered with Cyrus Mistry and three GEC members of Tata being asked to leave.

By 19:00 both my fellow GEC members had departed. I was unable to get hold of Madhu, usually my most reliable source of information. Finally, Ishaat Hussain responded by asking me for a drink at his place at 19:30. Ishaat was clear that he had no idea this was going to happen. He had entered the board meeting a few minutes late. Subedar, standing outside the boardroom, with a white face, had informed him that Cyrus was being fired.

At 21:00, I got a call from Subedar, with whom I had worked closely and got along rather famously as we were often on the same side of arguments. He came from a finance background and I being a rational business school academic, both pushed for greater capital efficiency and performance orientation. Anyway, on this call, he simply said: it is my unpleasant duty to say your services are no longer required. No explanation. I queried does this mean I did not need to show up tomorrow morning? An affirmative reply, and that was it. Madhu and NS received similar calls.

A few minutes later, Cyrus called. His voice was even lower than the usual soft spoken tone: Nirmalya, please let us finish dinner and then can we meet at my residence around 22:00. I summoned my chauffer and told him to quickly have his dinner as we may be in for a long night.

Postscript

It was the start of a furious two months, where I worked harder than ever with Madhu to help Cyrus wage a battle against the enormously powerful Tata machine until it moved to the courts. Many of you have read my blog of the week following my firing entitled, I Just Got Fired! The year that has passed required me to dig deep, but that is a story for another week.

Let me just conclude that a year later, despite the best efforts of the press promoted by the six PR agencies and pressure from the internal Tata communications team, only two Tata CEOs, Bhaskar Bhat and Harish Bhat, have had anything negative to say about Cyrus Mistry in the press. And, even they, were remarkably muted in their criticism. Under the circumstances, what better performance review could Cyrus Mistry have received as Chairman of Tata Sons?

Warmly

Nirmalya

(The writer is an academician and former GEC council member, Tata Sons. This article has been reproduced from the writer's blog and has not been edited.)
Editor's note: In a prolific career spanning nearly four decades, Satyajit Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. His films have received worldwide critical acclaim and won him several awards, honours and recognition  both in India and elsewhere. In this column starting 25 June 2017, we discuss and dissect the films of Satyajit Ray (whose 96th birth anniversary was this May), in a bid to understand what really makes him one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century.

In 1881, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen wrote a play titled Gengangere (Ghosts), which led to widespread public protests because of the subjects it dared to deal with. The play was a scathing commentary on 19th century Victorian morality, and tackled such topics as incest, euthanasia and the dangers of blind religious faith. When the play was staged, Ibsen was strongly criticised and outcast, and in response to such reactions from all quarters of the society, he wrote another play the following year. This play was titled En folkefiende (An Enemy of the People).

Strangely enough, as many as 80 years later, in another part of the globe, history repeated itself, and the same story played out, when in 1960, Satyajit Ray made a film titled Devi (The Goddess)  which was a scathing commentary on the dangers of blind superstitions and religious orthodoxies. Ray had to face unprecedented public criticism for the film  with allegations against him ranging from trying to malign a religion he himself was not a part of, all the way to hurting the sentiments of Hindus all over the world. In response to such an ugly and baseless public outcry, Ray decided to make a film towards the end of his career. And what better way to register his protest than to adapt Henrik Ibsens play En folkefiende? In the year 1990, then, Satyajit Ray made Ganashatru (An Enemy of the People).

For the adaptation, Ray remained extremely loyal to his source, changing only the setting to a modern day Indian town. Dr Ashoke Kumar Gupta is a highly revered, honest, hardworking and principled physician working in the township of Chandipur in West Bengal. The town is known for its charming weather, and also for a temple that attracts devotees and tourists in large numbers all throughout the year. The members of the towns municipal board are working towards positioning Chandipur as a tourist destination, which in turn would help the towns economy. But when Dr Gupta finds out that the charanamrita (or holy water) from the temple has recently been contaminated with germs of Infective Hepatitis thanks to poor quality underground sewage pipelines, he tries to warn the people of the town, advising them to refrain from visiting the temple till such time as the sewage pipelines can be repaired. This leads to a huge public outcry, and Dr Gupta soon finds that in return for speaking the truth, he has been branded an enemy of the people.

There is a common belief among film enthusiasts, particularly among those who have watched Satyajit Rays films quite keenly, that Ganashatru is, by far, his worst film. While that belief is a subjective point of view, and while it is undeniably true that the film suffers from some extremely poor technical treatment, a few things need to be said about some of the other criticisms against it.

There are certain characteristics which mark any film that has been adapted from a play. One finds these characteristics almost inevitably in all such films  to the extent that if one were to watch them closely, then even without any advance knowledge of the source, one would be able to surmise that the film has been adapted from a play. Chief among these characteristics is the overdependence on dialogue. Set in a limited and often confined space, such films take the story forward only when the characters verbally communicate with each other. The filmmaker does not have the luxury of subtleties. Speech is the primary vehicle here. Ganashatru, too, is marked by this feature  which, mind you, is a far departure from Rays usual style of filmmaking. This leads one to conclude that the film is unlike any other Ray film.

But then, one might argue, that even some of his later films  Agantuk (The Stranger), for instance  are heavily dependent on dialogue and discourse. Why is it then that these films are so popular? One of the possible responses to this question could be that Ganashatru suffers from two primary faults. First, the story becomes quite mundane over the period of 100 minutes, and that it is quite predictable (another un-Ray-like feature). Secondly, the cutting of the film is unbelievably shoddy, with lack of continuity, background characters staring into the camera, or standing still like a statue, or characters not knowing what to do when they are not speaking  everything that would normally make a director demand another take. It almost feels as if the film was hurriedly put together (which it was). But then, perhaps we should not forget that the man who used to make one film every year was returning to make a feature after a long and physically devastating six years of battling a prolonged and life-threatening illness. The result was for everyone to see. The actors in the film try to do their best, but the editing doesnt do its job of hiding their faults. Soumitra Chatterjee is brilliant as the upright and fearless doctor, and so is Dhritiman Chaterji as his jealous brother who also happens to be the chairman of the Municipality. Mamata Shankar is effortlessly natural as the good doctors daughter, but the rest of the cast, which includes some terrific actors, are simply there to fill the screen.

Is Ganashatru essentially a bad film? The question merits debate. In isolation, as purely a work of art, perhaps it is. But it is also undeniably true that no art is independent of its creator and his or her state of mind. Rays biggest crime, if one might take the liberty to say so, in making Ganashatru is that he was perhaps too loyal to the source than he should have been. What works on the stage, that too in 1882, does not work on screen, more than a century later, unless treated in a certain way. A master of adaptations, Ray seems to have overlooked that simple fact for once in his otherwise illustrious and impeccable film career.

Bhaskar Chattopadhyay is an author and translator. His translations include 14: Stories That Inspired Satyajit Ray, and his original works include the mystery novels Patang, Penumbra and Here Falls The Shadow.
A former actress has become the latest woman to publicly accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct on Friday, 20 October, telling reporters he exposed and forced himself on her. Heather Kerr, now 56, who appeared on 1980s US sitcom The Facts of Life, claims Weinstein attacked her during a private meeting when she was an aspiring actress in her 20s.

"He asked me if I was good. I started to tell him about my training and my acting experience and he said, 'No. I need to know if you're good,'" Kerr, who now lives in Washington state, told a news conference.

"He said that if he was going to introduce me around town to directors and producers he needed to know if I was any good. He kept repeating that word."

Kerr described Weinstein's "sly, sleazy smile" as she offered to provide a reel of her acting work, a sick feeling growing in her stomach.

"The next thing I knew, he unzipped his fly pants and pulled out his penis," she said, adding that Weinstein forced her hand onto it. I was frozen with fear, trying to remain calm, trying not to freak out, because after all, there was nobody else in the office," she said.

She pulled her hand away "as casually as possible," but Weinstein told her that "this is how things work in Hollywood," and that all actresses who'd made it did it this way.

Weinstein spelled out his plan, she told reporters, starting with him having sex with her, and then introducing her at parties to other men with whom she needed to sleep.

Consoled by her attorney Gloria Allred, Kerr broke down in tears after revealing she quit acting soon after, convinced that no one would believe her if she reported what had happened.

"Harvey, you  and others like you  are done. Women won't take it anymore," Allred said.

"We are taking our power back and we will never allow things to go back to where they were when you and others abused women and made it clear to them that they had to put out or they were out."

More than 40 women  many of them now high-profile actresses  have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault or rape.

He is being investigated by detectives in Los Angeles, New York and London.
Over the past week, we have heard from several CBI surrogates (including journalists) desperately defending the crimes that the agency committed in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case. Its central line is: 'We did not want to take this to trial. Our hand was forced by a court order. We had said that we did not have evidence against Aarushis parents.'

This is a lie. Lies leave trails. Lets follow the trail.

It begins with the most recent, most comprehensive, document available to us on this sordid matter: the meticulously crafted Allahabad High Court judgment that finally freed the Talwars on 12 October. Much has been said about the judgment, some of it is sensible, but there are two critical references on pages 25 and 153 that might have been missed.

They go to the heart of the question: was the CBI really forced to take this to trial? Or did they want the trial all along, horrific as they consequences might have been for the Talwars?

These findings by the Allahabad High Court, speak directly to the CBIs intent:

On page 25, when all that the bench is doing is laying out the facts of the case, we find this:

The investigating officer of the the case...(CBIs) AGL Kaul surreptitiously got the statements of (Rajesh Talwar's friends)...Dr Raj Kumar Varshney and Dr Rohit Kochar recorded under section 164 CrPC, before (a magistrate) in Karkardooma, New Delhi and strangely not before the chief judicial magistrate, Ghaziabad, who alone had jurisdiction in the matter.

The same finding is repeated on page 153.

What this seemingly obscure reference gives us is the 'what' and 'where' of this story. The 'when' and 'why' become clear once we follow the trail that led to this finding.

The characters in play here are Kaul  the late investigative officer  and Varshney and Kochar, two friends of the Talwars who arrived at their flat soon after they heard the news of Aarushis murder on the morning of 16 May 2008.

As much as they would like to distance themselves from the murders, Varshney and Kochar were also Rajeshs friends. They joined the investigation because they were eyewitnesses at a fresh crime scene.

Varshney told me: 'I wanted to help my friend'. It is only much later that they realised that what they were saying would be held against the Talwars. Also, and this was a pattern in this case, the witnesses knew what they were saying, but had no control over what was recorded. Statements were supposedly 'read over and corrected', but what went down on paper was what Kaul wanted. Instances of this abound. This brings us to the 'when'.

When were these statements under section 164 recorded?

Section 164 is a tool that investigators use very sparingly. Unlike other statements to investigators, these statements are recorded before a magistrate. They are also binding: the witness can not do an about turn in court once he/she has given such a statement. Section 164 is, therefore, used primarily in order to record outright confessions, or when witnesses turn 'approvers' (cooperating with the investigation to incriminate another accused, while also incriminating themselves  for instance, a witness to a murder who didnt actually do the killing could become an approver).

So, when do Varshney and Kochar make these statements? And why do they assume such significance in sending the case to trial and, eventually, the Talwars to Dasna jail?

The trail tells us.

In November 2010, Ashwani Kumar was handing over the charge of the CBI to a new director, Amar Pratap Singh. The case had not been solved in Kumars tenure and Singh had no intention of carrying this baggage into his.

In the third week of November, he called a meeting of officials connected with the case, past and present. Arun Kumar, the first senior officer in-charge, was in that meeting, along with those who had replaced him, Neelabh Kishore and Kaul. Also present was the CBIs counsel, RK Saini, who represented the agency during the trial.

Kaul and Saini made every attempt to suggest that there was enough evidence to charge the Talwars, but having heard them, everyone else in the room disagreed. Being new to the assignment, Amar may not have known all the details of the case. Arun, who did, said very little.

Arun would rather the case go down as unsolved than convict the wrong people. A decision was taken that day to file a 'closure report' rather than a charge sheet. This was, let us remember, the third week of November.

The closure report in this case is a lengthy document, and once the CBI high command had decided on this path, it needed to be written the right away. The investigation, as far as the agency was concerned, had ended with that meeting.

But it hadnt.

Nearly a month after the decision to close the case without charging anyone, Kaul arranged for Varshney and Kochar to go to a magistrate in Karkardooma court  an act the judges in the Allahabad High Court found strange and illegal.

In mid-December, Kaul dispatched his majordomo (and firm believer in the Talwars guilt), inspector Arvind Jaitley, to round up the two doctors and get irrevocable statements recorded in a court without jurisdiction, but one that would record the statements anyway. (Think about that a little too.)

Varshney and Kochar said two key things that went against the Talwars in trial: that there appeared to be a wiped blood trail on the common stairs leading up to the roof. That Rajesh Talwar tried to avoid giving police the keys to the terrace. And that Nupur, despite her slain daughter lying near her, was still very concerned about her appearance  she kept looking in the mirror.

The statements operated at three different levels. First, the thesis of the crime scene was 'dressed up' was supported ('wiped blood stains').

Second, they suggested that these were people entirely devoid of remorse; they were more concerned about how they looked than the death of their daughter. This was conduct that only the sickest among criminals would display.

And third, and this is the subtlest of them all: the people saying these things about the Talwars were not those who bore any grudges, they were friends. What motivation could they possibly have to falsely accuse the Talwars  except that they were moral human beings to whom truth was more important than friendship.

The factual portion of these arguments (wiped stains, the key, etc) have been shred to pieces by the Allahabad High Court. And the fact is that the two doctors didnt really know what they were expected to do when inspector Jaitley chaperoned them to Karkardooma. They had already told everything to Kaul months earlier (in statements they could change in court because theey werent recorded before a magistrate). They were told that the Karkardooma excercise was only about ironing out 'inconsistencies in language' in their previous statements.

So, this is where the trail has reached: the CBI decides to close the investigation without charging anyone and then, at least some of its actors decide to go ahead and try and make a better case for conviction using, in the Allahabad High Courts words, strange methods.

If the agency had no intention of taking this to trial, what was it doing recording this kind of testimony? The simple answer is: Varshney and Kochar could become key witnesses for the CBI at the trial. This is exactly what happened.

That isnt all, though.

The closure report was written in manner that excluded all suspects bar the Talwars. Dismissing every piece of evidence against others as totally unreliable, the December 2010 report says: The findings of the investigation reveal a number of circumstances that indicate the involvement of the parents in the crime and the cover up.' It also goes on to talk about gaps in evidence, and motive  all relating to Rajesh and Nupur. Its conclusion, however, is inescapable: no one but the Talwars could have committed the crimes.

The closure report was being written right after the decision taken at the meeting called by Amar in November. The statements of the two doctors were being recorded at a contemporaneous time, if not later.

The paper trail tells us exactly what happened, yet again. Varshney and Kochars statements were never meant to be part of the closure report. They went, instead, directly to Preeti Singh, the Ghaziabad magistrate who sent the case to trial.

In fact, the testimony of friends incriminating the Talwars is presented to the magistrate weeks before the closure report is sent to her. Primed as she is already, she says the CBI has enough evidence to convict the Talwars.

The record also tells us that project Karkardooma wasnt the only one being undertaken to make a better case even after a decision has been taken not to press charges.

At around the time that inspector Jaitley was herding Rajeshs friends to Karkardooma, Kaul was busy helping his friend, the forensic fantasist MS Dahiya, to conduct a 'crime scene reconstruction' on the Talwars roof. The purpose of which was to prove, 'scientifically' that a body could be wrapped in a sheet and carried up the stairs by two people. Once again, if the investigation is officially closed, why go through this exercise? Unless, of course, you are preparing for a trial.

These pieces of evidence were used to send the case to trial and secure a conviction, but they failed miserably in Allahabad.

The CBI continued to go after the Talwars even after the decision not to charge them had officially been taken. The recording of statements in strange courts, the conducting of scientific experiments, these were acts of commission.

The acts of deliberate omission were perhaps more malignant. Kaul had told Dahiya that Hemrajs blood had been found in Aarushis room. This was the backbone of the case in trial  something the CBI tried its best to prove, exposing its worst side in the process.

They knew the truth all along: this was a false claim. A claim around which Dahiya, a man sitting in Ahmedabad, built a false narrative.

The law on closure demands that all relevant documents be submitted to the trial court, but the CBI didnt submit several, including key photographs and a sound simulation report that showed that the Talwars would have heard nothing in their bedroom with their air-conditioner on.

So, the defence that the CBI was forced into going to trial is not just cow dung, its Wagyu dung. The very best bull***t.

The CBI wanted this case to go to trial. That is why the closure report read less like an investigation without results and more like a chargesheet against the Talwars. That is also why statements that would come in handy in court were recorded at such a late stage, to say nothing of the bizzare 'scientific' experiments conducted at the same time.

This leads to the obvious question. Why did the CBI go after the Talwars in this elaborate and sinister way?

Counter-question: Isnt that something the CBI must answer given what the Allahabad High Court has said? The nation, for once, is genuinely curious.

I have searched for some answers too. All that I have been able to come up with is that very often the motivations were petty. A promotion here (Kaul, who had previously been superceded, got one), an enhancement of reputation there (Dahiya), post-retirement employment (Saini), a grand and eloquent bequest to Indian jurisprudence (trial judge Shyam Lal). To my mind, these individual motives dont constitute a conspiracy. They just add up to something greater than the sum of petty parts. They become a perfect storm. The Talwars, unfortunately, were in the middle of it.

Last thoughts on motives.

One of the surrogates appearing on television to defend the agency, he no doubt loves, is Amar. He had, if you recall, just taken over as director of CBI when the closure report was filed. He presided over the meeting that concluded that there was no evidence against the Talwars. He sticks by this and now says the agencys hands were tied: the court had spoken, so a trial had to take place.

Fair enough. But some truths are self-evident, surely, the court also meant a fair trial.

The Allahabad High Court has made explicit the tampering, planting, tutoring and perjuring by CBI under Amars watch. Why is it that this accomplished officer defends the CBI, rather than reflect upon what a high court has said?

This question is best put to him. But as we do that, let us put another fact on the table. On a complaint filed by CBI, the enforcement directorate has registered a case of money laundering against the agencys former head.

Singhs spirited defence of his former employers has a parallel in the Profumo affair, the early 60s sex scandal that shook the British political elite.

For the sake of (everyones) convenience, Ill just quote the (accurate, well referenced) Wikipedia entry here:

While giving evidence at the trial of Stephen Ward, charged with living off the immoral earnings of (Christine) Keeler and (Mandy) Rice-Davies, the latter made a famous riposte. When James Burge, the defence counsel, pointed out that Lord Astor denied an affair or having even met her, she replied, 'Well (giggle) he would, wouldnt he?'... By 1979, this phrase had entered the third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, and is occasionally abbreviated as MRDA ('Mandy Rice-Davies applies')"

Ive given this some thought (giggle) and in Amars case, MRDA does apply.
New Delhi: Joining the Aadhaar seeding debate, public sector banks' officer union has demanded that mandatory linking of biometric identity number should be put on hold till such time the Supreme Court comes out with a clear directive.

Another organisation All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has also registered their protest against instructions given by some of the banks to designate certain branches as special cells for enrolment of Aadhaar.

The government should make it clear before the common citizens of the country that the seeding of Aadhaar is purely voluntary and not mandatory, All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said in a statement.

"The advisory to this effect should also be passed to all the stakeholders. We also demand that the government should look for alternatives or add more workforce into banks to implement Aadhaar related works in the public sector banks," AIBOC General Secretary DT Franco said.

Earlier on Saturday, Reserve Bank of India said linkage of biometric identity number Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandatory.

The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts.

AIBOC further contested that the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was meant to cover targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services that were paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Moreover, it said the Aadhaar Act prescribed that enrolment was entirely voluntary.

If the act of getting an Aadhaar card is voluntary under the law, it wondered, how can the government make it mandatory for continued access to banking and telecom facilities that were not covered by the Act in the first place.

At a time when the resources of the public sector banks are under severe strain, employing their resources on Aadhaar seeding will further constrain them in their efforts of recovery of NPAs, which eventually will further deteriorate the health, it said.

"At present, this work is being done by some private agencies and bank premises are being used by them. Latest instructions are to disengage these private agencies and entrust the Aadhaar enrolment/updation work entirely to the bank staff," AIBEA said.

This is unacceptable since the bank staff are overburdened due to inadequate recruitment and increased volume of work of implementing various government schemes, among other things, it said.
New Delhi: Taking a serious note of AIIMS employees writing to the prime minister or other ministers directly for redressal of grievances, the hospital administration has warned them of disciplinary action if found doing so.

In a memorandum, the AIIMS administration said submission of such representations directly to "outside authorities", bypassing the hospital, would be treated as an "unbecoming conduct" and advised them to submit those to the officer concerned or to the director of the institute.

The memorandum states that the hospital received a number of representations by the staff on service matters, which were directly addressed to the prime minister, ministers and members of parliament, among others outside the institute.

"Such representations directly submitted to other authorities bypassing the institute's authorities has been viewed seriously," read the memorandum.

The hospital authorities have advised the employees, who wish to make representations regarding any claim or to seek redressal of a grievance related to service rights or conditions, to submit the same to the officer concerned, the deputy director or the director of the AIIMS.

"Submission of such representations by any means (including email/public grievance portal etc) directly to outside authorities, bypassing the institute authorities would be treated as an unbecoming conduct, thereby attracting provisions of Rule 3 (1) (iii) of CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964, and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against those violating these instructions," the memo read.
As soon as he was told he was being sacked as the chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry texted his wife to inform her about the decision taken by the group's board of directors, a blog written by a former member of the Group Executive Council (GEC) of the conglomerate revealed on Saturday.

Nirmalya Kumar, a professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, wrote about the entire episode that took place on 24 October 2016 at Bombay House on his personal website. He was part of the GEC which formed Mistry's core team at Tata Sons.

Nirmalya wrote that Cyrus Mistry had not expected that the routine board meeting would end up passing a resolution sacking him as the chairman, adding that Cyrus was surprised to see Ratan Tata, his predecessor, and Nitin Nohria, another board member at his office. Ratan's presence was surprising as he had never attended any board meeting after Mistry took over as the chairman.

Mistry had taken over as only the second non-Tata family chairman in December 2012 and was expected to remain in office until 31 March 2017.

According to Nirmalya, Nohria told Mistry, "Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working", and proclaimed that the Tata Trusts had decided to move a board resolution to remove him as the chairman.

Nirmalya wrote that the board offered him to either resign or face the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting. Meanwhile, Tata chimed in at this stage to say that he was sorry that things had reached such a stage, he wrote.

"Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do. Nohria and Tata exit the room and walk over to the other end of the hallowed fourth floor of the Bombay House, where the boardroom is located," Nirmalya wrote on his website.

Nirmalya wrote that Amit Chandra, another Tata Trust nominee, told the nine-member board that at a meeting (that took place in the morning), they had agreed to move a motion requesting Mistry to step down. Chandra added that the decision had to be taken as the Tata Trusts had lost confidence in him for a variety of reasons. During the meeting, no rationale for the decision was provided by any of the board member.

"In response, Cyrus argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before taking up such an item for the consideration of the Board, and as such, the present action was illegal. Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date. Instead, he proposed Vijay Singh to be elected as the Chair for the remainder of the board meeting," Nirmalya wrote.

Nirmalya wrote that despite Cyrus objecting to the turn of events, one member, Venu Srinivasan, seconded the proposal. On the other hand, two others, Ishaat Hussain and Farida Khambata abstained on this motion to replace Mistry with Singh.

Not just Mistry but his ambitious idea to create a GEC was also scrapped, and members of the council were asked to leave the company. Nirmalya, who was part of the GEC, looked after the group's corporate strategy. He was part of a group which also included two former Tata employees and two others recruited from outside the group.

Despite Mistry's protests, Singh was elected as the chair for the rest of the meeting. Nirmalya wrote that all this happened in such short notice that Mistry had no time to even offer a rebuttal.

After the unceremonious sacking, Nirmalya wrote that Mistry went back to his office and called up his lawyer friend Apurva Diwanji to help him out. Apurva, the article said, whisked Mistry to be taken to a safe house to escape the media glare.

Unknowing to Mistry, the Tatas had begun strategising against him, he writes. According to the writer, Tatas hired six major public relations companies and top lawyers in India to defend them.

The sacking of a Tata group chairman is really unheard off since there have been only six chairmen in the 148-year-old history of the group. As Mistry was selected after due process, it was expected that he would continue holding the chairmanship for at least 25 years, Nirmalya believed.

"In general, the Tata group is renowned for its values, which did not encompass a 'hire and fire' policy. Most senior Tata executives were consummate insiders, having usually served their entire career with the group," he wrote.

Nirmalya put the blame on the board, suggesting that they could have waited for Mistry to exit the conglomerate in March 2017. However, by unceremoniously sacking Mistry, the writer said that Tata Sons gave itself a bad name.

"By eschewing the public humiliation of Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided. Unfortunately, instead, there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Tata, Mistry and the Tata brand. The only winners as far as one could see were the public relations companies and lawyers, who are still having a field day."

While Nirmalya claimed that there was a smear campaign run by public relations companies hired by the Tatas, he defended Mistry's record as the group chairman.

Pointing out the fact that only two members of the board had to say something against Mistry. Even they, Nirmalya wrote, were "remarkably muted" in their criticism. Nirmalya concluded that this is the testimony to Mistry's performance as the Tata group chairman.
By Sharanya Gopinathan

It's obviously a weird thing to be celebrating in 2017, but we had every reason to rejoice on 11 October when the Supreme Court declared that sex with a minor wife is rape, in the case of Independent Thought vs Union of India.

The SC struck down the exception to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code that said sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape. (This was fought ferociously by the BJPs LK Advani in Parliament, so you know who to thank. Or not).

The judgment may have closed one legal loophole, but it threw up other doubts. For example, the SC said that rape cases can be filed against men who have sex with wives between 15 and 18 years of age, but only if they approach court within a year of the offence. The real implications are confusing, but the devils in the details: What happens if you miss the deadline, what about minor boys married to minor girls? And isnt the POCSO Act (the umbrella Act protecting children from various sexual offences) enough? So we tried to find some answers.

Whats with the one year deadline?

Until 11 October, it was legal to have sex with a wife between 15 and 18 years of age, while sex with a wife below 15 years was considered rape. The SC struck down the arbitrary age distinction, and ruled that the age of consent (for sex) for women is always 18, with no exceptions. And that the statutory age for rape is 18, which means sex with any girl under 18 is rape.

Weirdly, the judgment also specifies that sex with a wife below 18 would be considered rape if the court was approached within one year of the offence being committed.

Why one year? Theres probably a banal explanation. When making this rule, the apex court referred to an existing section of the CrPC that deals with punishment for men who have sex with wives below the age of 15. Section 198(6), which reads, No Court shall take cognizance of an offence under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), where such offence consists of sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife being under fifteen years of age, if more than one year has elapsed from the date of the commission of the offence [emphasis mine].

Thats why theres a limit on reporting the newly-recognised crime of sex with a wife between the ages of 15 and 18 years: simply because a similar time limit was in place for the existing crime of sex with a wife below 15. The new judgment changes this particular section of CrPC so that it now reads wife being under 18 years of age instead of 15, but it didnt engage with the meaning of the one-year time limit on reporting at all. This case dealt only with consent.

Jayna Kothari, co-founder of the Centre for Law and Policy Research and a lawyer working on this case representing the NGO Independent Thought, doesnt seem worried about the implications. The provision states that the court must be approached within one year of the commission of the offence, not the marriage, she says, So, of course, in a marriage where sexual intercourse is presumably ongoing, the girl can plausibly approach the court at any point and claim that sexual intercourse has happened within the last year.

The SC didnt critique the fairness of this deadline when applying it to all minors, not just those below 15, because that isnt its job  the judiciary merely interprets the meaning of the law and applies it.

Wasnt POCSO enough?

Many of our laws addressing sexual violence are phrased such that these crimes can only be perpetrated upon women. Section 375 of the IPC is a great example: Its worded in a way that only protects women, and this takes on added significance when dealing with underage sex and marriage.

Most issues pertaining to sexual offences and children are covered under POCSO. Under the POCSO Act, any minor (boy or girl below 18) can seek relief from a special POCSO court and file cases of penetrative sexual assault (includes oral sex and penetration with objects) if they had sex with anyone, consensual or otherwise, whilst below 18. This option continues to be open to minor boys and girls.

Until this judgment though, thats all girls could do. Minor girls wouldnt have been able to file an FIR for rape under Section 375 of the IPC against their husbands, because the IPC contained an exception to rape in marriage. This judgment removes that exception  and holds that being married to a minor is no longer a legal excuse to rape her.

So, this judgment gives minor girls a wider variety of legal options to turn to in rape cases, besides the POCSO Act.

But what happens to minor boys married to minor girls now?

Before looking at what this judgment changes, lets remember what the situation was before. Until this judgment, it was legal for a minor boy to have sex with his 15-year-old wife, but illegal for a minor boy to have sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend.

Kothari sees no value in such a legal distinction that simply privileges marriage in rape cases. This judgment removes the 'husband protection'. If you look at the numbers, youll see that in the majority of these cases, the girl is a minor, not the boy. (When involved in relationships with minor girls), a lot of people would just go ahead and get married, because the IPC gave protection to such a marriage, and they would be looked upon more favourably in POCSO courts too.

So because of this judgement, if a minor wife files a rape case against her minor husband, he will be tried for rape, but under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and not as an adult. This is quite significant and opens up the worrying possibility of teenage boys, who have, say, been forced into marriage, or who eloped with their teenaged lovers, being tried for rape.

Okay, what does it all mean?

When you look at the facts, you realise that this judgment only removes the single legal protection accorded to people who rape children: marriage. When you look at it this way, it feels fair and like the practice of good law; the SC only ruled that we cannot privilege the institution of marriage over the protection of girls from rape.

Ashruta Rai, a Delhi-based lawyer, points out that this judgment has great symbolic value. Criminal laws dont just tell you what will happen if you do something wrong, but theyre also a reflection of what that society deems acceptable. The countrys primary criminal statute, the IPC, really shouldnt say that the rape of children within marriage is okay.

The tangential problems arising from this case, such as the one-year reporting limit and the effect it may have on minor boys, are not consequences of this judgement, but reflections of problems in our already existing body of law. And the courts, as often as we turn to them with hope and faith, can only do so much.

Even now, its not as if the law automatically dissolves child marriages. No, under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, the only child marriages that are considered automatically null and void are those involving kidnapping or trafficking. Even in the case of child rape within marriage after this judgment, the court still needs to be approached in order to take up the matter. But how much agency does a 15-year-old bride have, and can we really rely on her parents  who probably authorised the marriage in the first place and who would be penalised if it came to light  to report marital rape?

This is why we need to first change the law. But making huge changes is the legislatures job, and its about time we remembered that. Instead of lambasting the judiciary for being slow to reaffirm that we have a right to privacy or that sex with a minor wife is rape, or for not automatically dissolving child marriages, we should resolve to vote better: For a women and child development minister who doesn't flip-flop on her stance on marital rape, a culture minister who doesnt think night outs for girls are against Indian culture, or a prime minister who sees consequences of female foeticide beyond the plight of unmarried boys.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online women's magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
Srinagar: Militants on Sunday night shot dead a man from Uttar Pradesh in Bijbehara in south Kashmir, police said.

The deceased, identified as Shakir, was aged around 35, and used to run a street food stall at Arwani in Bijbehara. He was shot twice in his chest and legs, the police said.

Shakir was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

It was immediately not clear as to who was the behind the killing, but police blamed militant groups for the incident.

Shakir had been running the food stall in the area for nine years. He is survived by his wife and two children, police said.

The killing comes a week after a lesser-known militant outfit, Mujahideen-e-Kashmir, asked all non-local Muslims to leave the Valley before 25 October.
The right to free speech and the right to reputation have been locked in combat for a long time. Courts have tried to maintain the uneasy balance between the two by following the laws laid down. To do this, they usually act on a complaint filed against a published item and after listening to both the parties, decide on whether the offending item should be removed and what damages might be awarded.

Unfortunately, the courts seem to be digressing from this accepted norm.

The latest example of this came in the Jay Shah case (hereinafter present case) when an Ahmedabad court barred The Wire from publishing anything regarding the businesses belonging to Shah (interestingly, the article which is the basis of the case is still online). Firstly, this is a case of prior restraint (a discussion on that aspect available here). Secondly, the injunction was granted ex-parte which means the court did not hear The Wire before passing the order.

Those hoping that this was an anomaly and not part of a general trend are in for a disappointment as ex-parte orders seem to be on the rise especially in free speech cases. This is the second time The Wire has been hit by one after it was told to remove two articles involving Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrashekhar. Baba Ramdev got one against Juggernaut Books to stop the publication and sale of a book on his life. Arindam Chaudhuri (of IIPM fame) in an impressive feat took out Outlook, The Caravan, Faking News, Kafila, The Indian Express, The Economic Times, Careers360, Firstpost and others with one Gwalior courts ex-parte order.

Apart from these which made national news, there are many more. As The Hindu reported, there are about 45 cases of such orders against news media organisations in Karnataka alone.

The ex-parte order

The ex-parte order goes against the principles of natural justice. These principles are specific procedural rights which ensure the rule of law. These include the right to be heard, the right to an unbiased adjudicator and the right to a speaking (reasoned) order. The Supreme Court has time and again recognised their importance in ensuring the interests of justice.

The ex-parte order infringes a persons right to be heard. However, it is by no means illegal as Indian law allows for it under Order XXXIX, Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. Importantly, it is not a rule itself but an exception to the general rule which mandates that the court must give notice to the other party before granting a temporary injunction.

In brief, these orders are only to be passed where an injunction would be rendered useless because of the delay caused by giving notice. Further, the court must also give reasons for passing the order ex-parte.

These orders are further governed by Supreme Court guidelines given in Kishorsinh Ratansinh Jadeja vs Maruti Corp, Morgan Stanley vs Kartick Das and Ramrameshwari Devi vs Nirmala Devi. The guidelines relevant for the present case are discussed in the following paragraphs.

An irreparable loss will be caused to the complainant: Reputations evolve over time. They are not set in stone and different actions influence them. Thus, no publication can affect a reputation permanently. If the same publication which defamed a person is directed to display an apology prominently on its platform, then that would certainly go a long way in restoring the persons reputation.

In all the cases mentioned above, if the publications are found guilty there are various ways to ensure that they themselves work on correcting the wrong (via apologies, advertisements, etc). There is thus no irreparable loss to a persons reputation. In the absence of this crucial ingredient, courts should not grant ex-parte injunctions.

The balance of convenience should be in favour of the complainant: This means that more inconvenience would be caused by granting the injunction than by not granting it.

In the present case, the court overrode The Wires Fundamental Right of Freedom of Speech by asking it to not publish any articles on the matter. The court did not know what articles The Wire might have published and how defamatory (or not) they might have been. This is pre-censorship and is against the law. Thus, there is a clear injustice in granting the injunction.

In other cases as well, once the article is published online, there is little the court or anyone can do to stop its spread. This was neatly illustrated by AltNews which pointed out that The Wires articles on Chandrashekhar have been archived on a Czech website. In such cases, it would be better to take the matter through proper proceedings and set an example, if need be, by imposing large fines on the defendant. An ex-parte order simply interferes with free speech without proper processes being followed.

Ex-parte orders are common in commercial cases, especially those within the ambit of intellectual property. Despite strong arguments against these, they do have a lesser downside as the injunctions can be removed without drastic effects. Ex-parte orders are also suitable in family law cases as the downside to not granting them is huge, with health and lives being involved.

However, in cases of free speech, there is less upside as in todays information age there is little chance of stopping the spread of information. Further, as discussed above, the harm to reputation can be addressed by directing the defendant to prominently display an apology on their platform. Thus the balance of convenience is in the favour of the defendant.

The injunction should be for a limited period of time: The order in the present case will apply till the final disposal of the case. This is problematic as the Supreme Court has said in Ramrameshwari Devi that injunctions should be limited to a week or so. The apex court thus wanted a firm timeline in which an injunction is lifted. It had also noted that such orders "in some cases can create havoc and getting them vacated or modified is a nightmare".

The present order does not follow this guideline. It also encourages other litigants to ask for such injunctions as it tilts the balance in their favour indefinitely without going through the proper processes.

Short notice must be given to the defendants and both parties must be heard: The Supreme Court also wanted these orders to not be passed as much as possible. The present case has been adjourned twice already, once because of the Diwali break and once because Shahs lawyer didnt appear in court. It seems that there was ample opportunity to hear the matter with The Wires lawyers present in court. In such circumstances, passing an ex-parte order is clearly in breach of the Supreme Court guidelines.

Where an injunction is granted, the court must mention that if the suit is dismissed, the complainant will pay full damages: This guideline seems to be laid down to ensure that an injunction is not sought frivolously. While a complete copy of the order is not available with Firstpost, no media report has mentioned the presence of such a direction by the Ahmedabad court. As such, this too is a violation of the Supreme Court guidelines.

If an ex-parte order is granted then the case must proceed as expeditiously as possible: The apex court wanted such cases to proceed as soon as the defendant appeared in court. However as discussed above, the defendant was in court at the time of the adjournments! Thus the granting of the injunction violates this guideline too.

The irony

It is ironical that a case involving free speech proceeded without hearing one of the parties. As discussed above, it is in violation of multiple Supreme Court guidelines and makes little sense in the present case as the issue has already been dissected left, right and centre.

Furthermore, these injunctions rarely have the desired effect even for the complainant.

When The Wire article was initially released it was read by a niche readership which follows the website. The defamation case catapulted it to national consciousness as almost every big media house covered some aspect of it. This is a textbook example of the Streisand Effect where attempts to suppress certain information leads to a much wider dissemination of said information.

As the law stands, people certainly have the right to drag a publication to court if they feel they have been defamed. However, any action after that must be taken only after proper processes have been followed and both parties have been heard. Otherwise, the Fundamental Right of Freedom of Speech is impeded and it also leads to a chilling effect, where others who are not involved in the matter are discouraged from writing on it due to fear of litigation.

The Supreme Court realised the pitfalls of the ex-parte order long ago. In the interests of free speech and a functioning democracy, it's time that its subordinate courts do so too.

The writer tweets as @utkarpretation
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is gearing up to launch a campaign against the abuse of antibiotics in the state in the wake of reports that natural resistance power of people was alarmingly decreasing due to its misuse or over-consumption.

Besides launching a public campaign about the dangers of irrational antibiotic usage, the government also has plans to bring out an 'Antibiotic Policy' by January next year with strict treatment guidelines for public and private sector doctors in this regard, health department sources said.

With this, the southern state would become the first in the country to bring out its own antibiotic policy, they said.

On the policy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had, in a recent Facebook post, said directions had already been given to medical colleges on the usage of antibiotics by different departments under them.

"Unnecessary use of antibiotics is destroying the natural resistance power of people. It is also dangerous that the sale of antibiotics is being carried out without the doctors' prescription...An awareness campaign will be held for doctors and public in this regard," Vijayan said.

According to the health department sources, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is found to have caused an alarming spurt in 'antimicrobial resistance' (AMR) among people.

'AMR' is the ability of a microorganism like bacteria or viruses to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarial) from working against it.

State Health Secretary, Rajeev Sadanandan, said the AMR would result in making the present standard treatment modes ineffective, infections persist, and push the patients to a life-threatening condition.

Stressing the significance of regulating the antibiotic abuse, he said, as many as six most dangerous drug-resistant microorganisms, listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), were found in the samples collected from patients who sought treatment in the state medical colleges.

"Irrational use of antibiotics not only kill those bacteria or virus causing the illness but also the good microorganisms protecting the human body from infection," Sadanandan told PTI.

People do not even consult doctors for minor inflectional diseases and consume antibiotics by their own as there are no restrictions for it, he noted.

"Such practice will only do harm rather than any benefit to those people," he added.

Sarada Devi KL of the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, here, said not only in the health sectors but strict guidelines on the usage of antibiotics should be implemented in veterinary, agriculture, dairy and aquatic farming, and environment sectors also.

"Antibiotics are largely used as growth promoters in the veterinary sector. When people consume the antibiotic injected-chicken or pig, naturally, it will enter human body, without any direct intake," she told PTI.

The quality of antibiotics is also found to be decreasing now-a-days and a strict monitoring is needed to ensure the standard of drugs, she added.

The Health Department is planning a week-long awareness campaign from November 13 on the ill-effects of antibiotic misuse.

As part of the drive, strict guidelines would be brought out for the optimal and judicious usage of antibiotics in other departments also.

Antibiotic stewardship committees would be formed in private as well as state-run hospitals to implement various programmes in this regard, department sources added.
An unidentified militant was shot down in an encounter with security forces in Hajin area of Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, according to media reports.

J&K: 1 terrorist killed in an encounter with Security forces in Handwara's Hajin, operation continues (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/8H35i0iZ6v  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

An encounter broke out between militants and security forces this morning after the latter launched a search operation in Langet, 100 kilometres from Srinagar, an army official said.

He said one militant has been killed and the encounter is still underway.

Encounters with security forces have been breaking out in the state consistently over the past weeks.

On 13 October, top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Waseem Shah, believed to be the architect of the 2016 unrest in south Kashmir, was killed along with his accomplice in an encounter by security forces in Pulwama district.

Earlier on 11 October, an encounter in the same Hajin area had left two Indian Air Force Garud commandos and two terrorists dead. The Garud personnel were working with the army for operational experience.

With inputs from PTI
Ghogha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615 crore 'roll-on-roll-off' (ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat on Sunday.

He launched the first phase at a rally in Ghogha in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

"This is the first of its kind project not only in India but also in South-East Asia," Modi said at the rally which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

"This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible," he said.

The prime minister had earlier termed this as his "dream project".

He is later scheduled to make a trip from Ghogha, Bhavnagar district, to Dahej, Bharuch, on the ferry. From Dahej, he will leave for Vadodara where he is slated to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 1,140 crore.

According to Ajay Bhadoo, the chief executive officer of Gujarat Maritime Board which has executed the project, the first phase of the service is meant for passengers.

In the second phase, which will be ready in two months, cars can also be carried between the two towns.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour, Bhadoo said.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in January 2012, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

The prime minister had earlier visited poll-bound Gujarat last Monday when he addressed his party workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Prior to that, on 8 October, Modi visited his home town Vadnagar. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.
New Delhi: A 31-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping his body and hiding it in a refrigerator after he suspected him of having an affair with his wife in south Delhi's Mehrauli, police said on Saturday.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in the same area, they said. Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant. Joshi had been missing since 9 October and his body was recovered on 15 October. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said. He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police officer said. On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police. Mandal then fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata in his search after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village. But he was not found there. The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela. Badal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.
Ayodhya: Politics over the Babri dispute, including the hate campaign by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has only complicated a possible amicable solution, contends Mahant Satyendra Das of the makeshift Ram Mandir at the disputed site in Ayodhya, saying there was no enmity between the two communities over the issue.

He said the apex court's verdict was likely to be in favour of constructing the Ram Mandir at the disputed site  where once stood the 16th century Babri Masjid that was demolished by Hindu fundamentalists in 1992  as evidence "clearly showed" the existence of a temple at the spot in the past.

Satyendra Das said the court's decision was expected soon, thus facilitating the construction of the "long-cherished" grand mandir at the birthplace of Lord Ram in a year's time.

"The court's decision is expected soon. All things are in place and all evidence has been presented by the Hindu side to prove that the Ram Mandir existed before it was demolished to build the Babri Masjid," Das told IANS in an interview.

"On other hand, Muslims could not produce any evidence. They have sought time from the court till December for translation of some documents into English. So, the decision is expected early next year," he said.

Citing good relations among people from both communities, he said they would sit together and try to find a solution in case the court's decision was not acceptable to both sides. "We will find a solution through mutual understanding and talks, but no political party will be allowed to interfere as they have their political motives," he said.

Satyendra Das slammed the VHP for spreading hatred by using foul language against Muslims when it started its agitation for the temple.

"The VHP used the language that made Muslims sad, angry and distressed. Slogans were like 'Hindi Hindu Hindustan, Mullah Bhago Pakistan (Hindi Hindu India, Muslims go to Pakistan) or 'Jo kahega Babri, usko samjho akhri (Whoever says Babri will meet his end). It only worsened the matter," he said.

At the same time, he said such campaigns did not have any adverse impact on the communal harmony in the city.

"There was not such feeling of hatred towards Muslims among local Hindus. Politicians from both sides abused each other. However, common people did not harbour any such hatred."

"I have been the priest of the temple for 26 years, even during the period of demolition. Despite the pressure from the government, I declined any kind of personal security. I never felt scared of Muslims. There is no feeling of enmity between the people over Mandir-Masjid issues," he said.

"Also, if they fight, it will have negative repercussions on tourism and business here (Ayodhya)," he added.

Holding that the Allahabad High Court had erred in its order to divide the disputed land into three parts when no one had asked for this, he said: "It is clear that there will not be any division of land (by the Supreme Court)."

The priest said many Muslims had understood that the Ram Mandir once existed at the disputed site and they now had no problem with the construction of the temple, provided land was given for the masjid.

"Many Muslims understand that the masjid was built by demolishing the Ram Mandir in the past. It is proven now. Muslims have started thinking that it (the dispute) should be left in such circumstances. We have asked them to get land for a masjid anywhere they want. The size of the land is a point of contention," he said.

Satyendra Das said the opponents of Ram Mandir have become less aggressive after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

However, the saffron party would not play a proactive role in the matter such as bringing legislation for the temple to avoid any blot on its image and damage to its electoral calculations, he asserted.

"If the BJP takes up the issue, it will meet with opposition from other parties. They will be called being against Muslims. So the BJP government will never attempt to bring legislation under any circumstances," he said.

"So the best way to solve the issue is through the court. It would be more suitable," Satyendra Das concluded.
Srinagar: Pakistani troops on Sunday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district for the second consecutive day, an army official said.

No casualties have been reported in Sunday's firing so far, the official said.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area and they fired indiscriminately for the second day running, he said.

The Indian Army personnel were giving a "strong and befitting" response to the ceasefire violation, he said, adding that further details were being ascertained.

In Saturday's firing, an army porter was killed while two women were injured.
Jammu: Vikramaditya Singh, a PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) lawmaker and grandson of Jammu and Kashmir's former ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, resigned from the party because it was "no longer possible for me to be part of a party that continues to disregard aspirations of Jammu region".

Singh, whose father is senior Congress leader Karan Singh, also announced his decision to leave the Legislative Council, the upper house of the state's bicameral legislature.

He told reporters that he had written an open letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti highlighting the issues over which serious differences had arisen between him and the PDP.

He said the demand of the people of Jammu to declare a state holiday on 23 September to commemorate the birthday of the former Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, the inclusion of the period of Dogra rule in text books and the issue of Rohingya settlers in Jammu were emotional issues close to the heart of Jammu people.

"I feel it is neither morally nor ethically right for me to continue as a member of of the PDP. I therefore tender my resignation from the party... with immediate effect," he said in the letter that he also posted on his social media accounts.

Today I resign from the J&K Peoples Democratic Party and from the Legislative Council. Sharing my letter of resignation to the honble CM. pic.twitter.com/jFL8RjB7nE  Vikramaditya Singh (@vikramaditya_JK) October 22, 2017

Singh said he would also write to the Chairman of the Legislative Council requesting him to accept his resignation.

He told reporters that there was a growing regional divide in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, which can be bridged by addressing the issues highlighted by him.

He said he had written to senior PDP leaders too asking them to address these issues but there had been no response from them.

"Mehbooba Mufti is the chief of the entire state and not just of one region."
The body of a two-year-old girl who went missing from her Pune home on Saturday was found on Sunday, according to several media reports.

Two year old girl kidnapped and murdered in Pune's Dhayari. Police begin investigation #Maharashtra  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

Her parents, who are daily wage labourers, approached the police. Her body was found around 500 metres from her home early Sunday morning, reported News18. Police said the girl was kidnapped and allegedly sexually assaulted, according to the report.

One suspect has been detained, as per the report. A case has also been registered under Section 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"In the early hours of Sunday, the body of a girl was found in a residential society. It turned out to be the missing girl. An offence of kidnapping and murder has been registered," a senior police official told The Indian Express.

"Prima facie, it seems that the girl was strangulated as there are marks on her neck. Some residents living nearby spotted the body Sunday morning," a police official told The New Indian Express.
If there is anything imperial left over from the colonial past it is the diplomatic service. Shashi Tharoor wants to raise its standard and have a special examination for it so we can make it even more elitist than it was under the fading umbrella of the Indian Foreign Service imprimatur. His argument is that the examination should concentrate more on foreign affairs and language skills and the candidates should display a different bend of mind. Fair enough and makes sense if we need them at all.

Why not just disband their excellencies, send them packing and maintain simple offices for offering 'consular' services and documentation facilities along with support when a citizen gets into hot water. A bureau that serves as a representation for fellow citizens living in foreign lands without all the tinsel and feathers.

Seeing as how we are now in an age of saturated audio-visual intrusion and also a few hours away from each other let every nation have a desk at home which deals with each region...they already have them in Delhi. The Asia desk, the Mid East desk, the Moscow desk and Shashis Twelve or twelve hundred silver-tongued chosen ones can sit there, keep the global lines of communication open and then take the metro home, a sort of upgraded call centre.

You might find this laughable but look at the upside. The savings in real estate and the substantial costs of maintaining diplomats across the globe would be immense. The huge palaces for the embassies and the consulates and residences that the government pays for, the cars and the flights and the retainers and the support staff come to a sizeable sum.

Just the party circuit and the bill for entertaining would be worth a kings ransom.

If one is truly serious, do we really need this service and the price tag for the achievements recorded? Sushma Swaraj seems to be doing more good on her own through a single tweet than ten diplomatic missions. For example, take Kulbhushan Jadhav who is stuck in Pakistan. They (Pakistan) wont even let the consulate meet him.

Donald Trump showed how diplomats are passe in their present form when he directly called world leaders without letting his embassies know.

Dont get me wrong. I am not saying every nation is an island and shouldnt be in contact. We just need to reorient the diplomatic concept as it exists and make it more 21st century without the inordinate expense and the royal cast it is given by privilege and perks.

What would happen if it was genuinely downsized?

Diplomatic immunity would be a thing of the past and all those secret pouches and bags would also be open to checks.

Diplomats would have to stand in line at airports and all this reciprocal stuff of this global and exclusive club would be a thing of the past.

What does the old system achieve when it can be pre-empted by the political entities? Let the new era have business talk to business, finance talk to finance, security and police agencies talk to their counterparts. Open trade offices, have official tourism centres and let professionals do the job in a more effective and productive manner and with less red tape.

It is not as though diplomats on the turf have stopped wars or crime or ushered in peaceful eras. In fact, they have often caused misunderstandings. We have 55 current hot spots and according to UNHCR 65.5 million displaced people. Not exactly a sterling record.

No one really cares about their missions except when they need paperwork and few feel that they will be of any help in crisis. The UK dropped 30 missions between 2005 and 2015 and used that money to expand its science and innovation initiatives. The skies did not fall.

And there exists a huge credibility gap between the movies and the James Bond type 'deep-lomacy' whree olives in martini intrigue on the one side and the stodgy slow lane actuality of an average consulate or embassy on the other. You can have half the Indian cabinet tweeting and WhatsApping an issue long before the ambassador has even got the message let alone the permission to comment in the dreary diplo-speak.

Even the recalling of the Ambassador in a moment of hostility has lost its edge. Sure, take him and one empty house, and lets turn it into a hotel.

There has to be a balance between exorbitant luxury in a world blasted by poverty and political gain that is not particularly dramatic.
Dhaka: India and Bangladesh on Sunday discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

"We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," she said.

Swaraj, who arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit, said "India has been a longstanding and reliable development partner of Bangladesh".

"Totally, three lines of credit amounting to $8 billion have been extended by India to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide," she said.

India has also been extending grant assistance for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh. In the past three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed which include construction of students' hostels, tube-wells, cultural centres, and orphanages among others. Presently 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation, she said.

"India is now supplying 660 MW of much needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future. We will work together as founding members of the International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession. This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable," Swaraj said.

The two nations have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline that will link Siliguri with Parbatipur, for the benefit of the people of northwestern Bangladesh, as a grant in aid project.

The setting up of LNG terminal, supply of natural gas by pipeline and investments in the upstream sector are also under

consideration, she said.

She said restoration of pre-1965 links encompassing road, rail, water and coastal shipping links is being planned to increase connectivity, citing increase in frequency of the Dhaka-Maitri express.

The inaugural run with end-to-end immigration and customs services for the Maitri Express and the inaugural commercial run of the Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan service are all expected soon, she said.

In order to facilitate people-to-people contacts, she said the Indian mission and posts in Bangladesh issued 9.76 lakh visas in 2016 and these are expected to grow to about 14 lakh visas in 2017.

Swaraj said India will also offer five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshi freedom fighters and is planning a scheme for their medical treatment in India.

She will also hand over some memorabilia of the 1971 liberation war to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be displayed in museums.

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh and comes after the recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a $4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during Hasina's visit to India in April.

The development is also seen as India's attempt to counter rising Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures.
New Delhi: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on 1 July, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

The NIA had on 18 November, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union home ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year-long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the ministry of external affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.

Thereafter, on 21 April, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On 15 June, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naik's appearance before it.

After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the ministry of external affairs to revoke his passport.

The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
For over two weeks now, Najma and Saheena Khatoon, both Muslims, have been avoiding onion and garlic in their food. Their abstinence coincided with the time they began mixing up clay with water and straw to prepare the special earthen stoves (mitti ka chulha) sold to devotees for Chhath, the most popular Hindu festival of Bihar. The stoves are used by those observing Chhath to prepare cooked offerings. For the Khatoons, there is no question of even touching non-vegetarian food; they are very respectful of the sentiments of their Hindu customers.

With the sound of traditional folk Chhath songs already in the air, preparations for the Chhath festival in Bihar have entered the final phase and these earthen stoves  hand made with care by hundreds of Muslim families, particularly the womenfolk  are among the first things to be bought by home by devotees for cooking food during the four-day celebrations.

"We have stopped consuming onion, garlic and meat while making the mitti ka chulhas. We only touch the clay for making the stoves after we've bathed and worn fresh clothes. We make the earthen stoves with great care and purity since they are being used for Chhath," says Najma, a woman in her early 30s, as she gives the final touches to a chulha, sitting on pavement under a tree at busy Birchand Patel Marg in Patna.

Saheena, who is in her late 30s, is taking care to dry and harden the earthen stoves before the devotees buy them. She tells us that the women have learnt the traditions from older family members who have been making these stoves for decades. "We are trying to maintain this tradition of making earthen stoves for Chhath. We are proud of doing it, she says. The women make a fair bit of money from the sale of these stoves, as devotees "do not bargain to pay for the chulhas they consider pure". While the entire family chips in to make these stoves during Chhath  even the children  it is mainly the women who take responsibility for it.

Najma and Saheena are residents of Kamla Nehru Nagar, a slum that's located just behind the swanky new Patna Club and not far away from the state's head offices of the BJP, RJD, JDD-U and RLSP. They are two among the dozens of Muslim families engaged in making earthen stoves in different parts of Patna and elsewhere in the state for Chhath festival.

Chhath is a festival associated with faith, purity and devotion to the Sun God. Married women observe fasts during the course of the festival. This year the four-day Chhath festival will start on 23 October; a large number of people, mostly married women, will throng the banks of the rivers including the Ganga, Punpun, Gandak and Kosi as well as big and small water bodies, to makeshift ponds on roofs, and have a bath before preparing vegetarian food on these handmade earthen chulhas.

For Mustakima and Mahmuda, two Muslim women in their mid-50s and early 60s, respective, the making of earthen chulhas and observing certain rituals while doing so, is nothing new. "We have been doing it for years," says Mahmuda. "We wait for months to make these earthen chulhas to earn little more money. While we may be poor and illiterate, it is also a fact that we try to strengthen communal harmony by making and selling these stoves ahead of Chhath to Hindu devotees, who never disappoint us.

Mustakima says, "We begin making the chulhas 2-3 weeks ahead of Chhath to sell them on time. But there are some who have started doing it ahead of Durga Puja. We purchase clay from farmers in nearby rural areas and the clay is distributed among those making the chulhas to reduce the cost. Over the years clay has also become costly...

Rubina Khatoon and her family were busy selling earthen stoves at Rs 70 to 80 each, by the roadside at Daroga Prasad Rai Path in the heart of Patna. She told us that demand had been high over the past week, and they hoped to sell many more in the days just before Chhath.

Najma, Saheena, Mustakima, Mahmuda and Rubina all belong to the 'lower' Muslim castes  Bakkho, Kunjda, Dhuniya, Lalbeg, popularly known as Dalit Muslims  who struggle to make ends meet, and do odd jobs like selling aluminum and low quality steel ware for the rest of the year. Some work as domestic helpers. Their menfolk work as labourers, rickshaw pullers, painters, or run small businesses by the roadsides.

Several Muslim families on Bailey Road to other middle class localities like Kurji, Digha and Ashiana sell these earthen stoves as it's a chance to make a little more money. "It is no less than a God-sent opportunity for us," says Sultan Mian, a resident of a slum near Kurji. His point is reiterated by a neighbour, Lal Mohammad. "We are Muslims but Hindu devotees prefer to purchase the 'mitti ka chulha' from us for the festival of Chhath. Devotees praise our hard work and respect us for it. It does not matter to the devotees who are we. It makes us happy," he says.

Qaiser, also engaged in the selling of the stoves, had done brisk business over the past few days. Sometimes, he sells his stoves wholesale (a recent deal saw him sell 100 of his units to a retailer for Rs 60 each), but prefers to deal directly with individual devotees. Even in this small business, competition is tough," he says. "There are dozens of temporary shops alone on Birchand Patel Road and dozens on nearby Serpentine Road to Bailey Road and Daroga Rai Road." How one intercats and negotiates with customers is paramount in bringing you business, he adds.

Sushil Rai was among the devotees purchasing one of these stoves. "We consider earthen chulhas pure and it is an age-old tradition to prepare cooked offerings for Chhath. We are thankful to the Muslims who make and sell them to us," Rai told Firstpost.

Another devotee, homemaker Manju Devi says that the earthen stoves are a rare commodity in an urban centre like Patna, and availability would be a problem if not for the Muslim families who make them during this time of the year. "This tradition symbolises the harmony in our society; it is unique," she says. Manju, who observes 36 hours of fasting during Chhath, said that earthen chulhas are used to prepare the cooked offerings on first day of the festival  nahai khai followed by kharna and other special sweet dishes including 'thekua', which is then used for offering 'arghya' to the Sun God.

She said devotees use earthen utensils and bamboo baskets of different shapes to prepare the traditional meal on earthen stoves while offering prayers to Sun God. During the festival, married women observe a fast and devotees traditionally offer wheat, milk, sugar cane, bananas and coconuts to the sun. Unlike other major festivals, the markets are full of traditional and natural products for Chhath, locally known as Mahaparv in Bihar. Devotees buy dry wood from mango trees, soop and tokri to earthen utensils, and other products.

Natural products flood the market during this time as devotees have to use only these at Chhath, as decreed by tradition," says Manju. Without these items, devotees would not be able to perform the Chhath-related rituals.

Interestingly, Chhath is celebrated by Muslims too in several villages in Bihar. Besides, many Muslims volunteer to clean up the rivers, ponds, ghats and streets for the festive occasion and also donate money to put up marquees for Hindu devotees.
The day I landed, I met with this lovely girl Chloe (her AirBnB host in India is a good friend of mine) who introduced me to someone, and more someones got together, and the first night, we were all at Apartment Club in Gangnam, drinking free champagne and watching rapper Bobbys pre-album launch private party. That pretty much set the mood for the days to come!

Its been a month since I got to Seoul. Its my first time in South Korea. I am an independent musician from India, a former journalist, and a budget traveller through and through. I made a little jingle money in February, and was listening to Zion T in my room in Pune, and on a whim, booked my tickets to South Korea. Because Zion T is an artist from here. The cheapest return tickets I found on SkyScanner were spread over two months  11 September to 14 November, and I am grateful for the timing: my birthday falls in this time. As I write this, I am sitting in my private room in Tonys house (AirBnB), a neat little apartment tucked away near a beautiful forest park (Gungdong Park) in Yeonhui Dong. I needed a minute from my daily indulgences.

The first 18 days I stayed in Sinchon, at a guesthouse called The Chocolate Tree. My room was a shared four-bed dorm with an attached toilet, and I booked it on AirBnB. Its a really tiny space but with the best crew ever, a kitchen and laundry downstairs, and easy-peasy access to superb restaurants, the subway station, shops, nightclubs, and a host of universities: Hongik, Yonsei, Ewha Womans University and Sogang to name a few. But my favourite part about living here, was its proximity to Hongdae (aka Hongik University area). A long winding park cuts through to Hongdae, I mean, there are parks everywhere anyhow, and they are clean, beautiful, safe, and just the best places to chill at. But let me first get to Hongdae Playground. It is here that I first discovered the Korean love of drink.

The Playground has a history. From the new friends I made here to the articles Ive read, everyone has stories about the evolution of this space, and how the playground has morphed over the years to the state I discovered it in  a concrete empty space in front of Hongik Universitys entrance with benches here and there. But it is a meeting ground for everyone: tourists, artists, students, passers-by, buskers et al. Buy your Magkeoli or Soju or beer from the convenience store beside it, and walk in there alone or with friends and just hang around, and you are bound to make new friends here.

Chloe tells me a number of famous hip-hop artists (MC Meta, rapper Olltii) used to spit some rhymes here before they got famous. Buskers walk in with their own sound system, set up and start performing, and it can be quite shocking at first. An array of sounds hits you in one go: K-hip-hop on one hand, old Korean ballads on the other, while the omnipresent K-pop percolates through it all. And heres where the punks co-exist with exhausted office-goers who stop by at the end of the day to enjoy a drink in the open.

Before renovations earlier this year, the playground had play things: slides and swings and plants and trees, and was different... perhaps a more colourful sight than what it is now. It was a hot-spot for underground street performances, indie punk bands and a thriving local art scene, not necessarily with the vast number of tourists and expats it attracts now. But this is all hearsay and supposedly prior to its gentrification. Now the playground is not more than a meeting/resting spot amidst club-hopping, with busking hobbyists laying out their cards. A host of night clubs, music venues, artsy restaurants and the fashion-savvy Hongdae shopping street surrounds it. I love it all the same! The first three weeks, hanging out at the playground was a pre and post-party ritual.

Some of the clubs and pubs in Hongdae (that my friends or I have visited): Joons Bar, Mikes Cabin; HIPHOP  Brown (Hapjeong), Club NB2; LIVE  Club FF, Gogos, Club Bbang; EDM  Club M2, Vera.

Nights in Seoul are colorful, all lit up, and filled with life. For quiet evenings, my hostel-mate and I loved climbing the hill along the city wall beside Dongdaemun's Heunginjimun Gate to get the best view of all that's old and new in Seoul. Evenings by Seokchon Lake Park with grand views of Lotte World Tower and Lotte Mart in Jamsil's Special Tourist Zone, and picnics by the Han River with it's dancing fountains were some of my favorite easy evening starters. From Han, Itaewon is a bus ride away, and this is the place to go wild! It is also home to two prominent clubs I enjoy visiting: Cakeshop and Contra! But more about Itaewon later.

So this brings me to safety. Club-hopping through the night, getting drunk in random playgrounds, especially while traveling alone ... what am I thinking? For someone who has lived all of her life in India, barring the occasional overseas travel, Im thinking  finally, I am not worried. There will always be exceptions, freak incidents, and one must be careful and not naive. Having said that, Seoul has impressed me most with its safety for women. My Korean friends say it is because "we don't have weapons or drugs," but I think its people are just more sensitive, sensible, respectful, and peace-loving. Unlike India, the government lets its youth have its fun, and instead of cornering them, the police here protect them. The police in Seoul are not to be dreaded or hated. Instead, they protect and maintain decorum quietly, without intruding or interrupting or patronising its youth.

Yes, you'll find a bunch of opinions reiterating the misogyny that exists here, but it's nothing unique. From my experience, I see it in the projection of sexuality, in fashion, in media and in the products being sold  the same as everywhere! But it doesn't come in the way of public well-being, and no matter how short the clothes get, or how drunk the group is, people are concerned for each other, and not typically looking for any sly opportunity to misbehave. There is also this angle that I don't understand most of what is being said to really know if I should be offended.

Language: I had begun to pick up the Korean alphabet (Hangul) right when I booked my tickets, but quickly life and inertia took over, and those efforts went right down the drain. It makes a big difference to speak some, especially if you intend to stay longer than a month. While food and drink has served its purpose in helping me bond with many of the lovely people here, I can only imagine how much more fun and relaxing it would be if I could respond appropriately to Korean humor. And most signs, receipts, directions are in Korean. Basic questions: Where, how, when, what, and numbers and directions are efficient tools and will make life simpler.

Heres a few to get you started (the next column in this series will feature more):

Annyeong Haseyo  Hello

Kamsahamnida  Thank you

Annyeonge Kheseyo  Good bye (Im leaving)

Annyeonge Khaseyo  Good bye (youre leaving)

Mah-Si-Soyyo  Its delicious

Chincha/ro  Really?

Ne  Yes

Anyi  No

Kenchana  All right

Well. Let me not give it all away in my introduction. In the upcoming posts, I explore music, food, and Jeju Island. Stay tuned!
The notion of artificial intelligence is something which has long excited technological society. Among the various stories constructed around it are (as in the film Terminator) those of robots ruling the world with humans fighting a losing battle against them. Gary Kasparov, the world chess champion, was matched against an IBM supercomputer named Deep Blue in 1996 and 1997 under tournament conditions and lost in the 1997 rematch. Since chess is, in the popular imagination, the height of intellectual prowess, this created quite a stir and it was anticipated by the popular press that humankind would eventually have to make way for a greater intelligence  one which it had itself created.

AI is a fairly broad term which includes a number of unglamorous capabilities that fall far short of defeating a reigning chess champion. Capabilities generally classified as AI as of 2017 include successfully understanding human speech, competing at a high level in strategic game systems (such as chess and the Chinese game Go), self-driving cars, military simulations, and interpreting complex data. Tests have been devised to determine whether a machine can actually claim to have intelligence and among them are: a) conversation between a human being and two unseen people out of which one is the machine to see if the machine can pass off as human; b) passing an examination that a college student would be required to pass; c) working at an important job and do at least as well as a human; d) following instructions to assemble furniture.

As may be evident from the above tests what is happening is that the term intelligence is being used to mean the capacity to solve problems. Chess itself it related to problems within a set of parameters. The machine is simply fed an enormous amount of information about past games and it uses it to decide on the right moves, which would be very different from the way a human mind would work  anticipating a limited number of future moves without considering those that are irrelevant. Where a human being would instinctively rule out possibilities and only consider a few, the machine, which is much faster but lacking in this kind of judgement, might consider every possibility without ruling out any  but still win because of the sheer advantage of its computational speed over the humans.

This brings us to the fundamental issue of whether a machine can be endowed with general intelligence. If one were to go only into the fundamental philosophical problem here (enunciated by John Searle) it is the difference between something which has a mind and thinks like human being and one which acts in a manner which would make one to believe that it was thinking like a human. As an instance of the latter, Deep Blue, in its rematch with Gary Kasparov, had been programmed to mimic human weakness  take more time and fumble  as part of its psychological equipment against the champion. While this distinction has generally been put aside, scientists identifying acting like it has a mind with it has a mind, I would suggest that it is the distinction which distinguishes AI from human intelligence.

If we consider intelligence as a notion the commercialization of all activity has led to a need for its measurement and IQ (the most common way of measuring intelligence) is identified with the capacity to solve problems  which is the way AI is also regarded. But the issue here is whether the human mind can be valued only for it capacity to solve problems. A problem is limited to a domain but human minds have functioned outside clearly defined domains and their contributions have rested on the nebulousness of their achievements, which are often appreciated only after individuals die. As instances it is difficult to define a great painting or a great musical composition as the solution to a problem. Even a mathematical theorem is arrived at intuitively and is not an answer to a defined problem.

One of the achievements of AI is to make predictions in situations the way a human being would but unlike the human, the AI would use statistical methods to guess the outcome of an event taking place. But let us, as an example, take a kind of understanding that a human being has in everyday situations which an AI would not have. It is not impossible, I propose, for a person with some worldly experience to guess from someones body language whether he/she is speaking the truth, especially when that person is known. To enable an AI to repeat this feat it would need to be fed information on elements of body language and the pertinent situation, which might be impossible to define in clear data units.

The achievements of the human mind in history are far too complex and far-ranging for the mind to be defined in terms of a problem-solving, measurable intelligence. It can be argued that the greatest of these achievements were, in fact, a response to the great unknown, which is the universe, rather than attempts at overcoming immediate problems. It is not that the wheel and the electric bulb were not great inventions but that humanity reached a level of sophistication when its thinking was freed from having primarily to attend to overcoming obstacles; it began to reflect and speculate about matters which served no immediate purpose like the creation of art, music and advanced mathematics. Religious inquiry/philosophy is another area which does not solve practical problems but it is nonetheless central to human existence. The advances may not have made existence more comfortable to humankind but the embellishments they introduced into human existence transformed it. Compared to many of these useless achievements, the creation of AI is perhaps even a minor one.

One might gather from the aforesaid that many of the extraordinary things that the human mind has achieved in history proceeds from a sense that the world cannot be completely known but that progress can still be made; nothing is certain but there is still knowledge. In the process of trying to know (or speculate rigorously) about the unknowable, mankind has perhaps tried to reconstruct itself to resemble the divine. If God created the world, humankind creates an alternate one that approaches it in richness, a world not constituted by atoms, planets and living beings but by pictures, music and language.

A 2015 survey among leading AI researchers claimed to reveal what the future might have in store for humankind. Among the changes anticipated were the likelihood of disasters and accidents becoming things of the past, human intelligence being augmented with implants to improve productivity, prior predictions of the success of relationships, the human-to-human interface being reduced because of the intervention of machines and the relieving of humans of the burden of meaningless work. On the downside, it was felt likely that the advantages would not benefit humankind as a whole but only those who could afford machines, with human workers even losing jobs. But there was a general feeling that there was little that humans could do that the computer could not do better. In time AI would itself go on to improve what it was capable of and progress might become exponential.

In the midst of the debate about how AI could outperform humans in every field the important fact that is being lost sight of it is that, increasingly, human capability is being defined more and more narrowly in utilitarian terms. Something which is not materially useful is judged unnecessary to do; none of the researchers interviewed in the survey ever wondered if humankinds goals should not be like tasks assigned to a machine. All talk about AI centres around a mechanistic approach to human existence and it is as though humankind need not look beyond containing disasters, prolonging life, improving productivity and processing information etc. But are these tasks enough to define what it means to be human or do we have to look beyond it at aspects which might even venture into the domain of metaphysics? It would seem that, as if to prepare for the advent of the AI explosion, intelligent humankind is reducing itself to the level of robots. AI might one day outdo human mental capabilities but by that time human capability would itself be redefined to abandon most of what it has valued.

MK Raghavendra is a film scholar and author of seven books including The Oxford India Short Introduction to Bollywood (2016). He is deeply interested in social, political and cultural issues in India, an interest that informs his books on film.
Jaipur: BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari opposed a controversial ordinance promulgated by the Rajasthan government, saying it was "aimed to strangulate democracy".

The rebel party leader wrote to Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, saying he should see his letter as a form of political protest and urged him to reconsider the decision.

The Vasundhara Raje government has promulgated the ordinance, which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants from investigation for on-duty action without the state government's prior sanction.

"The bill that you will introduce in the Assembly in next few days will pave the way to form a law, which will shield the open loot of the chief minister, ministers and public servants," Tiwari wrote in the letter.

He said it will be a "dark day for democracy" when the bill will be introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly.

"As the bill is related to your department, I request you to reconsider it in the Cabinet. If it is introduced in the Assembly, I will protest against the bill, which is aimed to strangulate democracy in Rajasthan," he added.

The state government said in a release last night that there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.
New Delhi: An advocate-cum-politician, who has been pursuing the politically-sensitive Rs 64-crore Bofors pay-off case in the Supreme Court, has questioned the move of the CBI to appeal against a Delhi High Court decision quashing charges against the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.

The apex court on 1 September had posted for hearing in the week beginning 30 October the 12-year-old appeal filed by advocate and BJP leader Ajay Agarwal. Agarwal had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Rae Bareli against Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Agarwal has said in a letter addressed to CBI Director Alok Verma that instead of filing an appeal against the high court judgement, the agency should respond to his criminal appeal and clarify its stand through an affidavit in the top court.

He has said that the filing of a fresh appeal by CBI would delay the matter which is coming up for hearing. "I don't know who has advised CBI to do this but certainly it is ill-advised and it is not a prudent step of the CBI and it could delay the matter for a long time," he said in his letter.

The letter to the CBI has come in the wake of the recent claims by American private detective Michael Hershman, who has alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

The CBI recently said it would look into the "facts and circumstances" of the Bofors scam as claimed by Hershman, who is the president and CEO of US-based private detective firm Fairfax, and has claimed in recent television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he (Hershman) found a Swiss bank account code named "Mont Blanc".

Agarwal has written to the CBI against its decision to seek the permission of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to file an appeal against the high court's 2005 order, saying such a step would further delay the hearing in the matter. He has requested the CBI director to look into the possibility of filing an affidavit on his appeal, in which notices had been issued to all the respondents, including the agency, in 2005.

He said the news had come on 10 August that the CBI was going to support his criminal appeal in the Supreme Court and that was "a welcome step". He had written letters on 14 August and before that on 3 August, stating that the CBI should file a detailed reply in his appeal.

He further said the CBI should clarify its stand before the apex court in writing. He also said that the agency should issue a statement that a total of Rs 4.77 crore was spent on the entire probe into the case according to an RTI reply given to him by the agency on March 21, 2011. He claimed that the high court judgment had "erroneously mentioned" the figure of Rs 250 crore on 31 May, 2005.

"In these circumstances, I herewith request you that instead of filing SLP (special leave petition), the CBI must file an affidavit immediately in my criminal appeal, may be a short one, and state everything with documentary evidence, which the CBI desires to raise in the SLP," he said in his letter.

Justice R S Sodhi of the Delhi High Court, since retired, had on 31 May, 2005, quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers -- Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand -- and the Bofors company and had castigated the CBI for its handling of the case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

The apex court had on 18 October, 2005, admitted Agarwal's petition which was filed after the CBI failed to approach the top court with the appeal within the 90-day deadline following the high court verdict.

The top court's 1 September order on the plea seeking an early hearing of the appeal assumes significance in the wake of a demand in Parliament by ruling BJP MPs for reopening the probe into the Bofors kickback scandal after media reports quoting Swedish chief investigator Sten Lindstrom suggested alleged bribery at the top level.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice Sodhi, another judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice JD Kapoor (since retired), on 4 February, 2004, had exonerated late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of the charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against the Bofors company.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on 24 March, 1986. Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on 22 January, 1990, had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then President of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first chargesheet in the case was filed on 22 October, 1999, against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, then Defence Secretary S K Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company. A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers on 9 October, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on 4 March, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 250 crore.

Quattrocchi, who fled from here on 29-30 July, 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on 13 July, 2013. The other accused persons who have died are Bhatnagar, Chadda and Ardbo.
Kolkata: In a bid to regain its lost political ground in West Bengal ahead of next year's crucial panchayat polls, the CPM-led Left Front is set to launch a 15-day, mass contact programme across the state from Sunday.

The Left parties along with its outfits under the banner of Bengal Platform for Mass Organisations (BPMO) will hit the streets, agitating against the policies of the state and the central government.

The programme which will start from Sunday and will continue till 3 November.

CPM leader and convenor of BPMO, Shyamal Chakraborty said the target is to reach out to 77,000 booths spread across West Bengal.

"If the state government prevents us from carrying our movement, then our workers will resist such attempts. Rallies, public meetings will be held in every nook and corner of the state," Chakraborty said.

Although the Left parties have launched such mass contact programmes in the last few years, it has failed to yield favourable results as the Left's vote share, which has been on the decline for the last decade, did not show any signs of improvement.

"This BPMO programme should not be mingled with other political programmes we had launched earlier. With BJP's increasing footprint in Bengal, we feel this is our opportunity to launch an agitation against both BJP and TMC," a senior CPM state secretariat member told PTI.

Several top Left leaders said the emergence of BJP and the saffron brigade in the state has been a matter of concern for the Left Front.

"The rise of communal forces is not only a matter of concern but also a threat to the state's secular credentials. We will try to reach out to the masses and revive our grass root organisation in order to counter the growth of RSS and the BJP in Bengal," a senior Left leader said.

The CPM state secretariat member exuded confidence that if the Left manages to put up a good fight in the rural polls, it has a chance of doing well in the next Lok Sabha elections, too.

According to Naren Chatterjee, state secretary of Forward Bloc, which is a partner of the Left Front, the public response to the BPMO rallies will help the Front gauge its existing mass base in rural Bengal.

"In Bengal, panchayat polls are of utmost importance. In 2008, our decline started through rural polls when we lost East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas to TMC. The results of the polls, directly and indirectly will affect the fortunes in Lok Sabha elections," another CPM state committee leader pointed out.

Meanwhile, the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state said the planned rallies of the Left Front will be a "flop show".

"The people of the state has already rejected CPM and the Left. The people of the state have faith only in Mamata Banerjee. Their rally will turn into a flop show," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh termed the Left and CPM in Bengal as a "spent force", and said only the saffron party could fight against the "misrule" of TMC in the state.
Chennai: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday termed the NDA government's demonetisation move as the "biggest diabolical method of money laundering" and said it had converted all black money into white.

Hitting out at the Narendra Modi-led central dispensation on the economy front, he said government's policies "have virtually ruined" the country's economy and said it did not know how to revive it and provide relief to people.

In his address after the release of a Tamil translation of a compilation of his speeches in Parliament, Yechury questioned BJP's stand of zero tolerance for corruption, accusing its leaders of being involved in many scams.

He pointed out, among others, BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's company reportedly registered manifold revenue after the party came to power in 2014.

"You have the BJP president's son involved in serious allegation that are not being investigated. You have the Sahara diaries, Panama papers, the Lalit Modi case, Vyapam case, Land scam case in Bihar," he said, adding there was no investigation into these.

However, Opposition leaders were being targeted for various corruption charges even "if there was a case or not," he said.

"The worst corruption that has taken place in the country is demonetisation. This has been the biggest diabolical method of money laundering that has been undertaken in independent India. Today all the money that was demonetised has come back " he said.

The government, he said, had "no idea of what they are doing, but what they have done is converted all black money into white."

"They have legalised all illicit money. They have neither been able to reduce terrorist attacks... in fact they have doubled," the former Rajya Sabha MP said.

The economy has been ruined to "favour" certain corporate companies, Yechury alleged.

To divert attention from such issues, "communal divide" was being created and "sadly Taj Mahal has become an issue now," he said in reference to the controversy surrounding the Mughal-era monument in Agra.

He also referred to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath raising the issue of construction of Ram temple.

Further, moral policing squads were telling youngsters "what to eat and whom to befriend," Yechury rued.
Mumbai: Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has criticised the NDA government's move of demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), calling them as "attacks on the economy".

"The government mistakenly assumed that currency in cash is black money. It is sometimes a provision for emergency situations but the government ignored this aspect and went ahead with note ban. Now, everybody knows the note ban has failed miserably," Chavan told reporters on Saturday in Karad, his hometown in Satara district.

"The BJP-led Union government also failed to build up a proper system required for the implementation and execution of the GST. Now it is affecting the economy," he said.

These two moves of the Modi government are "an attack on the nation's economy," Chavan said.

"The government has completely ignored that black money could be in the form of real estate, jewellery items or even in some land purchases. It looks like the government completely ignored these areas and focused on scrapping high valued currency notes in circulation," the former Union minister said.

He said the Congress leaders across the country are working on strategies to counter and corner the BJP government on these fronts.
Ahmedabad: Quota spearhead Hardik Patel's key aides  Varun Patel and Reshma Patel  have joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound Gujarat in a dramatic turn of events.

The development came on Saturday hours after state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki invited Hardik Patel to join hands with the party.

Solanki even promised to give an additional 20 percent reservation to economically backward classes in the state if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.

Varun Patel and Reshma Patel were among the prominent faces of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the agitation.

They joined the BJP after a meeting with Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and state party chief Jitu Vaghani during its parliamentary board meeting, which was also attended by BJP president Amit Shah.

After joining the BJP, the Patidar leaders alleged that Hardik Patel had become a "Congress agent" and was trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government.

"Our agitation was about getting reservation under the OBC quota, not about uprooting the BJP and bringing the Congress to power," Reshma Patel told reporters.

While the BJP always supported the community and accepted a majority of our demands, Congress is only trying to use Patels as a vote bank. We do not want to be part of such malicious conspiracy," she claimed.

"This agitation was not of Hardik Patel's alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. Varun and I are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfil our demands," she claimed.

Varun Patel said the Patidar community would never allow the Congress to take over the reins of Gujarat by "inciting" Patel youths.

"The BJP government (in the state) held talks with us in the past to resolve various issues. However, the Congress never held such talks, as they were not committed. We have decided to join BJP because we do not want to run the agitation by becoming Congress agents," he said.

"The BJP government even promised us to represent the issue of reservation to the OBC Commission. BJP leaders also promised us to provide legal help in case we want to take up the matter with the Supreme Court," he added.

Unfazed by the announcement of his key aides, Hardik Patel said in a tweet he that will continue to fight for the people.

"The centipede will continue to run even if some of his legs break. People are with me, and I will continue to fight for them," he said.
New Delhi: The Congress released its second list of seven candidates for the 9 November Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats including the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency currently held by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Virbhadra Singh has demanded the party ticket for his son and Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, and has publicly declared that the latter will contest from his seat.

The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

The party has also withheld the name of its candidate for the Mandi constituency from where state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa has demanded the party ticket. Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency.

Monday is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on 18 October announced its first list of 59 candidates.

According to party sources, the Congress is taking its "one family, one ticket" formula, whereby only one member of a family would be made party candidate, seriously and this is the reason for it not declaring candidates for Shimla Rural and Mandi seats.

In the second list of candidates, the Congress fielded Kewal Singh Pathania from Shahpur and Ashish Butail from Palampur, currently held by outgoing Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did not want to contest this time. Ashish Butail is the son of the outgoing Speaker.

The Congress fielded Deepak Rathore from the Theog Assembly constituency, earlier represented by state minister Vidya Stokes. Hari Chand Sharma has been declared as the party candidate from Manali, while Surinder Thakur will be the Congress nominee from Kullu.

The Congress fielded Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar, while Lakhwinder Rana has been fielded from Nalagarh. In addition, the party replaced its candidate from Anni.

Paras Ram will contest from the seat in place of Bansi Lal, whose name was declared in the first list. The Assembly poll results will be declared on 18 December.
In his fifth visit to Gujarat since September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reassured the country over the economy and added that all the economic indicators show that India is moving in the right direction.

"Many economists agree that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. After all hardcore reforms, the economy is on track and moving in the right direction," Modi said addressing a gathering in Dahej in Hindi.

Modi was speaking after travelling on the inaugural ferry from Ghogha in Bhavnagar district to reach Dahej, which is situated in Bharuch district.

The prime minister also added that his government has taken tough decisions for the economy and will continue to do so while maintaining financial stability. Praising demonetisation and the new GST tax regime, Modi said that they helped fight rampant corruption in the system.

"After demonetisation, black money is now safe in the banks while GST has changed business culture. Cost of goods are now down, while corruption is coming down," Modi said.

Modi also promised that those who were evading paying taxes to the government will not be harrassed after they joining the mainstream economy.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister inaugurated first phase of Rs 615 crore 'RO-RO' ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej. Calling it his dream project, Modi told the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, "This is the first of its kind project not only in India but also in Southeast Asia."

Modi called it a unique project as the state government used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible.

"The dream of 6.5 crore Gujaratis had come true as the ferry service would lead to social and economic development in the region and bring thousands of new job opportunities," the prime minister said.

In the second phase, which will be ready in two months, cars can also be carried between the two towns.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 kilometres by road to just 30 kilometres, which can be covered in one hour. Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in January 2012, when he was Gujarat chief minister.

Modi also blasted the Congress saying the previous Congress-led government at the Centre had stalled all development projects in Gujarat by creating procedural hurdles in the name of the environment.

"When I was the chief minster, I faced hostility from the then central government. People at the Center were like that. From Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch, they (the UPA government) had banned development in the entire coastal area of Gujarat. They had threatened to lock all our industries in the name of the environment," Modi said.

The prime minister said that the earlier central governments wanted the Ro-Ro service provider to build terminals. "Tell me, do aircraft operators build airports or bus operators build roads? It is the government's job. So, we took up the job," he said, adding that over the last three years the central government changed its attitude towards Gujarat.

Upon reaching Dahej, Modi addressed the gathering by the newly inaugurated ferry. Modi stressed on the need to diversify India's transport infrastructure.

Lamenting that waterways have not been utilised properly in India, Modi said that while waterways is a major transport source in other countries, accounting for at least 30 percent, it is negligible in our country.

Slamming the previous governments at the state and the Centre, Modi said that it is a matter of surprise that the first port policy was made in 1995.

"Our port policy was made in 1995. The policy was made 48 years after independence. This showed that there was no vision for development. So, we suffered huge losses," Modi said.

Pushing for more coal transport through waterways, Modi counted the benefits of such a move.

"If we transport coal through the sea route, it is just 20 paise. But if we do so through railways it is 1.25 rupees. So, why should not we transport coal in a cheaper manner," he said.

Stating that his government is committed to taking several initiatives for the transport sector, Modi said, "Our mantra is P for ports (and) for prosperity.We plan to invest Rs 8 lakh crore in the ambitious Sagarmala project.

The prime minister highlighted the importance of ports in the 21st Century by linking it to the "blue economy" initiative.

"We talk of blue economy, which is a mix of ecology, ecosystem along with economic development. I feel the 21st Century industrial revolution will happen because of blue revolution," Modi said.

Praising the NDA government, Modi claimed that nowadays the pace of infrastructure development has doubled, adding that he had taken lessons from Gujarat to fasten the pace of lagging projects.

Modi's frequent visits to Gujarat have been linked to the upcoming Assembly election in the state.

The prime minister had earlier visited Gujarat on Monday when he addressed BJP workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Prior to that, on 8 October, Modi visited his hometown Vadnagar. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.

The election for the 182-members Gujarat Assembly is due before 22 January 2018 when its term ends.

The Election Commission has not announced the poll dates as of now even citing it would bring in the imposition of the model code of conduct that would disrupt relief operation for flood-hit victims.

With inputs from agencies
Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday said the Congress members in Bihar have "mortgaged" their party to Lalu Prasad's RJD.

The deputy CM asserted that Prasad always had the last word in decisions concerning both the parties in the state.

"It is now amply clear that the national party, once a force to reckon with in Bihar, has mortgaged itself to Lalu Prasad and his Rashtriya Janata Dal," Modi said.

He was speaking to reporters in Patna while inspecting the river banks ahead of the Chhath festival.

"Even when the Congress shared power with the RJD in Bihar, it was a well-known fact that Lalu used to have the final say on distribution of ministerial berths. This impression has only grown stronger," Modi said.

The senior BJP leader was responding to queries about a function organized by the Congress on Saturday, with Lalu Prasad as the chief guest, to celebrate the birth anniversary of the state's first chief minister Sri Krishna Singh.

A bitter factional feud erupted within the state Congress after the exit of chief minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) from the Grand Alliance and the subsequent collapse of the coalition government.

One of the factions, led by former state president Ashok Chaudhary, was considered close to Kumar. The other faction comprised leaders such as Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a former RJD man and one of the main contenders for the post of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president.

Kaukab Qadri assumed the charge of acting president of BPCC after party president Sonia Gandhi removed Chaudhary from the post.

The deputy CM also took potshots at the RJD chief's elder son and former state minister Tej Pratap Yadav who was recently in the limelight for his statements against political adversaries.

"It is good that the elder brother (Tej Pratap) has taken over the reins from the younger one (former deputy CM Tejashwi) who is busy in Delhi. As per tradition, it is the elder son who should step in the shoes of the father," Modi said in a dig at Tejashwi, who had been frequenting the national capital following summonses issued by the CBI in a land scam.
New Delhi: Just when it seemed everything was not hunky-dory in the Congress's Maharashtra unit with party heavyweight Narayan Rane quitting on a bitter note, the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation (NWMC) poll results came as a shot in the arm for the party, its leaders say.

Led by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan, the party registered an emphatic victory in the 11 October NWMC polls, clinching 73 of the 81 seats, whereas the state's ruling BJP could bag only six seats.

While leaving the party last month, former chief minister Rane had slammed Chavan, alleging that the latter did not have "any qualification" to head the party at state level.

"The sheer magnitude of the victory is such...it marks an upward swing for us post-2014 general elections," said a party leader, wishing not to be named.

The leader said the NWMC poll results have "charged up" the party workers in Maharashtra, where the BJP made unprecedented gains winning 12 of the 16 civic bodies that went to polls this year.

"The problem our party faced so far was that our workers and leaders did not reach out to the masses. People are angry with the ruling party as the Nanded results have shown. We are now working on mass outreach programmes to tap the anger," another leader said.

The second leader added that the party was focussing on channelising the dissatisfaction with the BJP-led central and state governments among various sections of people--farmers, traders, government employees, the youth, etc.

Another leader of the party from Maharashtra cited the example of a protest the party staged last Monday over the governments' alleged apathy towards several issues relating to farmers.

"Our effort will also be to give relief to the people as we try to regain strength. People are tired of the BJP's rhetoric. We don't want to tread the path of making hollow promises," the Maharashtra leader added.

Asked for comment, AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash hailed the party's show in the civic polls. He also quipped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were not "courteous enough" to congratulate the BJP's rival party on its victory as expected by people in a democratic set-up.

"The prime minister and Shah have habits of tweeting congratulatory messages on victories of their party even at local levels. So, people expected them to tweet about Nanded too. But there has been a lack of courtesy in their behaviour," he said.

Asked how he saw the party's successes in the NWMC and also in Parbhani, Bhiwandi and Malegaon civic body polls held this year, he noted people got polarised as they found a "viable alternative" in the Congress.

Rane, who has considerable influence in the Konkan region, floated a new party  Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh  which he said would be a part of the BJP-led NDA.

Mohan Prakash of the Congress said that his party would "not use clutches of parties lacking ideology similar to it" while moving forward in the state.

"We are not (like) the BJP (to allegedly join hands with the parties having different ideologies). If the need arises, we may look up to like-minded parties. But our party has not decided anything on the issue as of now," he said.
IANS

Apple Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jeff Williams is scheduled to meet Foxconn Chairman, Terry Gou during his visit to Taiwan later this month to discuss issues affecting the production of the "super premium" iPhone X, reports said on Saturday.

"The meeting comes at a time when iPhone X production continues to be plagued by problems with the dot projector, a component in the 3-D sensor module used for facial recognition," Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The Apple COO is slated to visit Taiwan for the 30th anniversary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which is the core processor supplier for the iPhone line this year.

An event to mark the anniversary is scheduled to take place on 23 October.

"The Cupertino-based tech is facing supply-chain constraints for the iPhone X. The company will have around 2-3 million devices before the launch on 3 November, which would be enough to meet demand," said Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple analyst with KGI Securities.

Suppliers have been struggling with components for the iPhone X's "TrueDepth" camera used with Face ID and "Animoji" features.

However, the situation is likely to improve in November, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The iPhone X, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, will be launched in India on 3 November and will cost the users Rs 89,000 (64 GB model) and Rs 1.02 lakh (256 GB).
IANS

Indian and Russian firms have signed an agreement to cooperate in Information Technology and the projects in the agreement include cooperation in Smart City projects, cyber security and e-governance, officials said.

The agreements were signed by Russian RusITExport (RITE), a key integrator of top Russian IT solutions in the global market, and Indian firm Aark Infosoft Pvt Ltd for development of complex IT projects in India.

The agreements were signed in Dubai at the GITEX Information Technology Forum held earlier this month, in the presence of the Indian Ambassador to UAE.

The first stage of the implementation of the agreement will be the development of a road map, Russian officials said.

As per the MoU, the companies will cooperate in the Smart City projects in three cities in India but the names were not revealed.

The two sides will also cooperate on development of cyber security systems and electronic elections, which refers to electronically conducted election process, including security solutions.

"The Indian IT market is one of the fastest growing in the world. The region is actively developing and cooperating with other countries in the digital economy. Despite the high competition from local developers of IT solutions, we see that Russian IT solutions in the fields of Smart City, Cybersecurity and E-Government, which have successful implementation in the Russian Federation, are of great interest and are already finding potential customers in India," said Evgeniy Matveev, CEO of RITE.

A statement from RITE said the two sides also discussed current trends in IT and communications, the need to develop IT infrastructure in India and possible joint projects aimed at implementing Russian IT solutions in India.
tech2 News Staff

After plenty of leaks and rumours, Chinese certification authority TENAA has revealed a new Xiaomi smartphone, which is said to be the upcoming Redmi Note 5. While Xiaomi is busy selling the Note 4 to customers in India, it seems like a brand new variant is on the way, and it packs in plenty more.

According to the TENAA listings, two new devices have shown up on the website, with the model numbers MET7 and MEE7. The specification sheets are identical, so these are simply two variants of the same smartphone. While the listings do not explicitly mention the model name, the Redmi 5A and Redmi 5A Prime have already been announced, so all hints do point at the much-awaited Note 5 indeed.

What the images do reveal is Xiaomi's first attempt with a 18:9 full-screen display for its Redmi range. The smartphone maker has worked with bezel-less or edge-to-edge displays in the past, but these were to do with its premium Mi Mix range of smartphones. Bringing a taller and bigger display to the budget smartphone range like the Redmi Note series, seems like a smart move.

Indeed Xiaomi does not seem to be going for a bezel-less look, but just wants to fit a taller display into a smaller footprint. While the glass screen along with the taller display take over the front, the back reveals the same Redmi Note 4 formula with plastic caps at the top and bottom ends and a metal back.

On the rear sits a camera around the the top half with a dual LED flash and a fingerprint reader below it.

Heading into the specifications, that 18:9 LCD display measures 5.99-inches across, sporting a FHD+ resolution (2,160 x 1,080 pixels). The certification authority reveals that the device features a 2 GHz octa-core chipset, so at the moment it isn't clear if it is a Qualcomm-made, Snapdragon 630 or MediaTek P25 chipset. Eitherways the chipset will be paired with 3 GB or 4 GB RAM options.

What we do know is that it will feature a 12 MP primary camera and 5 MP selfie camera. It will also pack in LTE radios on a dual SIM setup using hybrid slots to accommodate a microSD card as well. The handset will run Xiaomi's MIUI V9 with Android 7.1.2 Nougat inside and will be available in black, gold, Rose Gold, white, blue, red, pink, grey and silver.
Reuters

The US government issued a rare public warning that sophisticated hackers are targeting energy and industrial firms, the latest sign that cyber attacks present an increasing threat to the power industry and other public infrastructure.

The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation warned in a report distributed by email late on 20 October that the nuclear, energy, aviation, water and critical manufacturing industries have been targeted along with government entities in attacks dating back to at least May.

The agencies warned that hackers had succeeded in compromising some targeted networks, but did not identify specific victims or describe any cases of sabotage.

The objective of the attackers is to compromise organizational networks with malicious emails and tainted websites to obtain credentials for accessing computer networks of their targets, the report said.

US authorities have been monitoring the activity for months, which they initially detailed in a confidential June report first reported by Reuters. That document, which was privately distributed to firms at risk of attacks, described a narrower set of activity focusing on the nuclear, energy and critical manufacturing sectors.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell declined to elaborate on the information in the report or say what prompted the government to go public with the information at this time.

The technical alert provides recommendations to prevent and mitigate malicious cyber activity targeting multiple sectors and reiterated our commitment to remain vigilant for new threats, he said.

The FBI declined to comment on the report, which security researchers said described an escalation in targeting of infrastructure in Europe and the United States that had been described in recent reports from private firms, including Symantec Corp.

This is very aggressive activity, said Robert Lee, an expert in securing industrial networks.

Lee, chief executive of cyber-security firm Dragos, said the report appears to describe hackers working in the interests of the Russian government, though he declined to elaborate. Dragos is also monitoring other groups targeting infrastructure that appear to be aligned with China, Iran, North Korea, he said.

The hacking described in the government report is unlikely to result in dramatic attacks in the near term, Lee said, but he added that it is still troubling: We dont want our adversaries learning enough to be able to do things that are disruptive later.

The report said that hackers have succeeded in infiltrating some targets, including at least one energy generator, and conducting reconnaissance on their networks. It was accompanied by six technical documents describing malware used in the attacks.

Homeland Security has confidence that this campaign is still ongoing and threat actors are actively pursuing their objectives over a long-term campaign, the report said.

The report said the attacker was the same as one described by Symantec in a September report that warned advanced hackers had penetrated the systems controlling operations of some US and European energy companies.

Symantec researcher Vikram Thakur said in an email that much of the contents of Fridays report were previously known within the security community.

Cyber-security firm CrowdStrike said the technical indicators described in the report suggested the attacks were the work of a hacking group it calls Berserk Bear, which is affiliated with the Russian Federation and has targeted the energy, financial and transportation industries.

We have not observed any destructive action by this actor, CrowdStrike Vice President Adam Meyers said in an email.
Lahore: Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

"The Sharif brothersformer prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Shariftwice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s," Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore on Saturday.

Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but "I have refused". "I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan. The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistan's then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

"The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them," he added. "They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election. "We will be on strong footing after next year poll," he added. Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on 28 July by a Supreme Court bench.

There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs.
Islamabad: China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior ministry on 19 October, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan.

Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue, and the army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Washington: The Trump administration is "considering" India's request for armed drones for its air force, weeks after approving the sale of high-tech unarmed guardian drones to India.

"Yes, yes," a senior administration official told PTI when asked about India's pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces' modernisation drive.

The armed drones, the Indian Air Force (IAF) believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities.

Early this year, the IAF had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping $8 billion deal.

The Trump administration's consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on 26 June, during which the US announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add the Indian Navys surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

"We are at ways to, in terms of foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and India's quest for high-tech defence equipments and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces' modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.

The previous Obama administration had designated India as major defence partner and the Trump administration has accelerated the process of considering Indian requests.

"The US Navy and the Indian Navy have been cooperating for many years on counter piracy efforts, on ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf," the official said.

"I think that (defence) cooperation is only going to increase based on the need for it to increase and the kind of trust that we are building through personal relationships and through a fundamental understanding that our interests aligned so clearly," the official said.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said that in keeping with India's status as a major defense partner and their mutual interest in expanding maritime cooperation, the Trump administration has offered a menu of defence options for India's consideration, including the Guardian UAV.

"We value the role India can play in global security and stability and are prepared to ensure they have even greater capabilities," Tillerson had said ahead of his visit to India.

He did not mention about armed drones. He, however, said "the proposals the US has put forward, including for Guardian UAVs, aircraft carrier technologies, the Future Vertical Lift program, and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft, are all potential game changers for our commercial and defence cooperation."
Washington: President Donald Trump on Saturday lauded the liberation of Raqqa as "a critical breakthrough" in the international campaign to defeat Islamic State and said the US will support diplomatic negotiations that end violence in the war-torn Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces with the support from the US-led international coalition recently declared the "total liberation" of the Syrian city of Raqqa, which for more than three years was the de facto capital of Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.

Trump said anyone who supports Islamic State will face justice as he formally announced the liberation of Raqqa and earlier the Iraqi city of Mosul the two strong hold of this terrorist outfit.

"The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight," Trump said.

"Today, we reaffirm that ISIS leaders, and anyone who supports them, must and will face justice..Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control," he said in a statement.

Trump said soon in a new transition the US will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria and advance the conditions for lasting peace so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten the collective security again.

"Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honours the will of the Syrian people," he said.

Trump said one of his core campaign promises to the American people was to defeat the Islamic State and to counter the spread of hateful ideology.

He said that is why, in the first days of his administration, he issued orders to give the commanders and troops on the ground the full authority to achieve this mission.

"As a result, ISIS strongholds in Mosul and Raqqa have fallen. We have made, alongside our coalition partners, more progress against these evil terrorists in the past several months than in the past several years," he said.

The president commended all of the coalition partners for their sacrifices.

Raqqa was occupied by the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was embroiled in a destructive civil war before being seized by the Islamic State in January 2014, the time when the city was declared the capital of the terrorist group's so-called "caliphate".

During the civil war in Raqqa, the local population lived in a cross-fire of destruction brought about by continuous conflict between the Syrian regime and the opposition. Under Islamic State, the city became a magnet for foreign terrorists.

Syria's civil war has killed more than 300,000 people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted in 2011.
Riyadh: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Iran's rising influence in West Asia is also expected to figure high on the agenda of America's top diplomat during talks in the two capitals. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement. Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July. President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress. "I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage." Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said. While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi is leading a top-level ministerial delegation at the meeting, in a sign of warming ties as Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia seeks to counter Tehran's influence in Shiite-majority Iraq. On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

After holding a working dinner with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday night, Tillerson was scheduled to meet other Saudi leaders Sunday before heading for Doha. During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India.

Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.
London, United Kingdom: A British leisure park was in lockdown on Sunday with witnesses telling UK media a gunman had taken hostages at a bowling alley.

Warwickshire police urge people to avoid a retail park in Nuneaton due to 'ongoing incident' https://t.co/lYF30mFOTK  BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 22, 2017

The security measures were put in place at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, central England, with the public told to stay inside while police investigated an incident at MFA Bowl. "We got notification that someone had a shotgun inside the bowling alley," witness Sarah Fleming told Sky News.

"We were inside Frankie and Benny's (restaurant) and obviously we went on lockdown, no one was allowed in or out. "Then we had notification from the police that he actually had hostages," she added.

Another witness told BBC News: "When we were leaving there were police standing around the bowling alley, there were police cars outside the main entrance, with police officers in full body armour."

Warwickshire Police said via Twitter that the incident is not terrorism-related and asked people to avoid the area.

"Officers are dealing with ongoing incident at Bermuda Park, #Nuneaton and confirm this incident is unconnected to any terrorist activity," the force wrote.

Officers are dealing with ongoing incident at Bermuda Park, #Nuneaton and confirm this incident is unconnected to any terrorist activity  Warwickshire Police (@warkspolice) October 22, 2017

MFA Bowl is located next to children's activity centre Bermuda Adventure Soft Play World and close to Frankie and Benny's restaurant, while the leisure park also has a gym and hotel.

With inputs from AFP
Kuala Lampur: Eleven foreign workers were killed in a landslide at a construction site in northwest Malaysia on Saturday, authorities said.

Earlier estimates had put the George Town death toll at 14, but three workers had managed to escape, said Ervin Galen Teruki, deputy operations head of the Fire and Rescue Department in Penang state.

A seventh body was found on Sunday morning.

Fire officials earlier identified the victims as foreign workers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan. The construction site supervisor, a Malaysian, remains missing.

The landslide occured on Saturday morning at a site where two 49-storey condominium towers are being built. The cause has yet to be determined.

A stop-work order had been issued for the development, pending investigations, according to the Penang Island city council mayor Maimunah Mohammad Sharif.

Several residential and commercial towers are still under construction in the area.

Local media reported anger among residents and activists, some of who said they had previously protested against the increasing development of hillslopes around the area.
Yangon: Myanmar police have seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine pills in the north of violence-racked Rakhine state in October, an officer said on Sunday.

Millions of the caffeine-laced meth tablets were intercepted in Maungdaw district, the centre of an army-led crackdown that has driven more than half a million Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border into Bangladesh in just two months.

Myanmar troops poured into the area in late August to launch a counter-offensive against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts. This grew into a full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, according to the UN and others.

As the region reels from the refugee crisis, a lucrative narcotics trade continues across the border into Bangladesh, where there is high demand for the addictive meth pills known by their Thai name "yaba" or "crazy medicine".

"We have seized 35,63,355 stimulant tablets from five drugs trafficking cases starting from this month in Maungdaw," local anti-drugs officer Maung Maung Yin told AFP.

It was the largest monthly haul in the area since February when police launched a statewide anti-narcotics operation, he said.

"We seized these drugs while we were working to enforce tight security in the area because of the situation," the officer added, in reference to the violence that seen hundreds of Rohingya villages torched.

Seven ethnic Rakhine men  who, apart from the Rohingya are the other main minority group based in the area  have been arrested in connection with the trafficking, he said.

State media said the pills, which sell for around $1-2 each, were marked with the "WY" stamp of the ethnic Wa drug lords who run Myanmar's lucrative narcotics trade.

The heavily-armed Wa churn out the tablets in laboratories in Myanmar's northeast, where they run a independent statelet guarded by a standing army.

Huge amounts of drugs are smuggled from that "Golden Triangle" zone south to Bangkok and beyond, but a westward route to Bangladesh  the gateway to other South Asian markets  has also flourished.

In recent years Bangladeshi security forces have seized millions of meth tablets from traffickers trying to enter the Cox's Bazar area by land and sea.

Earlier in October, two Myanmar soldiers were caught with nearly two million yaba pills in Maungdaw.
Karachi: Eight militants, including the chief of a terror outfit, have been killed in a gun battle with the security forces in Pakistan's port city of Karachi.

The militants belonging to the Ansarul Sharia Pakistan (ASP) terror outfit were killed in a joint operation by the Rangers and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Karachi's Raees Goth area on Saturday night, officials said on Sunday.

"The operation was carried out based on an intelligence tip off and evidence about the presence of ASP terrorists in the area," the rangers said.

Those killed in the gunfight include ASP chief Abdullah Hashmi who is suspected to be the mastermind of all the terror attacks carried out by the ASP, they said in a statement.

It said another slain terrorist has been identified as Arsalan who headed the ASP's target killing squad.

Two Rangers and an official of the CTD were injured during the exchange of heavy gunfire.

Five terrorists were killed on the spot while three others succumbed to their injuries in a hospital, it said.

Interestingly some weeks back, media reports said that Hashmi who headed the Al-Qaeda inspired terrorist group, had been arrested during a raid on a house in Kaneez Fatima society in Karachi but the law enforcement agencies neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted a Trump administration goal of uniting Saudi Arabia and Iraq in common cause to counter Iran's growing assertiveness in the Middle East.

Tillerson participated in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee, along with Saudi king Salman and Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi, telling the leaders that the event highlighted the improving ties between the longtime rivals and showed "the great potential" for further cooperation.

He noted the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

The United States is "grateful for this progress and urge you to expand this vital relationship for the stability of the region," Tillerson said. "The United States stands ready to support continued cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and we congratulate you."

His participation in the meeting comes as US officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi government is struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February 2017, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

The Sunni-led kingdom, which had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, has long been anxious about Iran's footprint in Shiite-majority Iraq and its network of allied militias there.

Saudi Arabia has consistently described Iraq as an Arab nation, to differentiate it from Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

The kingdom is also looking to Iraq as a potential trading partner and as a major investment opportunity amid reconstruction efforts in cities such as Mosul, which were devastated by the war against the Islamic State group.
Sittwe, Myanmar: Hundreds of hard-line Buddhists protested Sunday to urge Myanmar's government not to repatriate the nearly 6,00,000 minority Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The protest took place in Sittwe, the state capital, where many Rohingya lived before an outbreak of inter-communal violence in 2012 forced them to flee their homes.

Aung Htay, a protest organiser, said any citizens would be welcome in the state. "But if these people don't have the right to be citizens ... the government's plan for a conflict-free zone will never be implemented," he said.

Myanmar doesn't recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group, instead insisting they are Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country.

Rohingya are excluded from the official 135 ethnic groups in the country and denied citizenship.

More than 5,80,000 Rohingya from northern Rakhine have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August, when Myanmar security forces began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages.

Myanmar's government has said it was responding to attacks by Muslim insurgents, but the United Nations and others have said the response was disproportionate.

Myanmar de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government said earlier in October that it was willing to take back Rohingya refugees who fled to southeastern Bangladesh. The government has agreed to form a joint working group to start the repatriation process.

On Sunday, protesters, including some Buddhist monks, demanded that the government not take back the refugees.

"The organizers of the protest applied to get permission for a thousand people to participate in the protest, but only a few hundred showed up," said Soe Tint Swe, a local official.
Moscow: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny walked free on Sunday after a 20-day jail term for organising protests against President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny, who has declared his intention to stand for president in 2018, was released in a secret location in Moscow early Sunday to evade media attention.

"Hi. I'm out," Navalny wrote on Instagram, posting a picture of himself on a street. A photographer working for his team later posted photographs of him meeting colleagues at the office of his anti-corruption foundation.

During Navalny's time behind bars, the Kremlin race he hopes to contest has heated up with television star Ksenia Sobchak throwing in her hat.

Navalny said he was "ready to work" and would meet supporters later Sunday in the southern city of Astrakhan at a rally. The event in the city 1,300 kilometres (790 miles) southeast of Moscow has permission from the authorities.

He wrote jokingly that while in jail he had read 20 books, learnt a few words of the Kyrgyz language and drunk 80 litres (20 gallons) of tea.

Earlier Sunday, supporters of Navalny hung a banner from a bridge close to the Kremlin reading: "It's time to get rid of Putin and time to elect Navalny."

The charismatic 41-year-old lawyer informally launched a presidential bid in December last year and has since opened campaign offices and held rallies countrywide to consolidate supporters.

Earlier this year he served sentences of 15 days and 25 days for organising unauthorised anti-Putin protests.

During his latest jail term, his supporters held rallies on Putin's birthday on 7 October, with more than 270 detained nationwide.

He has faced a constant stream of official bans on public meetings, as well violent attacks on him and his supporters and vandalism of his offices.

'Kremlin game'

During Navalny's latest period in isolation in a Moscow detention centre, another high-profile figure has joined the presidential race.

Sobchak, a socialite and television star and the daughter of President Vladimir Putin's late mentor, launched her bid to stand on Wednesday.

The presidential race has yet to officially begin and Putin has not yet declared his participation in the March 2018 election. However he is widely expected to seek and win a six-year term that would extend his rule till 2024.

Sobchak has vowed to back Navalny's bid to be included in the race -- as electoral authorities say his suspended sentence for fraud makes him ineligible to stand until 2028.

However, many liberals see her as a Kremlin-backed spoiler candidate brought in to give the race a veneer of opposition.

Putin worked closely with her late father Anatoly Sobchak when he was a liberal Saint Petersburg mayor, and has acknowledged his importance as a mentor.

Navalny has yet to comment on Sobchak's bid, but earlier condemned rumours of her possible candidacy, saying this was a "rather disgusting Kremlin game" and calling her a "liberal laughing stock."

Sobchak, 35, calls herself "the candidate against all".

Russian media focused on her past as host of a reality show called Dom-2, or House-2, where contestants have to form couples, as well as of modelling show "Russia's Next Top Model."

"She's going to work according to her profession at the elections: in order to turn non-contested presidential pseudo-polls into the biggest show of 2018," wrote Vedomosti business daily in a Friday editorial.

Navalny sometimes shared a podium with Sobchak at mass rallies against Putin in 2011 and 2012. While he wowed crowds with punchy oratory, Sobchak faced a hostile audience who doubted her sudden backing of opposition causes.

She paid a price for her opposition campaigning, however, losing lucrative television work, and now hosts a show on independent TV Dozhd, or Rain.

Forbes' Russian edition estimates her net worth at $2.1 million.

Sobchak is set to present her campaign to journalists in Moscow on Tuesday.
Teknaf (Bangladesh): More than 6,00,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence erupted in northern Rakhine in August, a UN report said on Sunday.

The grim new landmark comes as authorities in Bangladesh were bracing for another possible surge in Rohingya arrivals, with thousands from the Muslim minority believed to be stranded along the border waiting to cross.

Rohingya refugees have headed for Bangladesh in huge numbers after militant attacks on Myanmar security forces in Rakhine state sparked a major army crackdown on the community likened to ethnic cleansing by the UN.

Now the UN-led Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), which is directing the humanitarian effort, has said an estimated 6,03,000 refugees from Rakhine have crossed the border into Bangladesh since 25 August.

"Cross border movement of over 14,000 newly arrived refugees has been verified in the past week," the ISCG report said.

Bangladesh border guards are also concerned the relaxation later today of a temporary ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal could see a surge in people-smuggling along the coast as unscrupulous captains return to the seas.

Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh have received videos from families across the border showing thousands of displaced Muslims massing near crossing points, waiting for an opportunity to cross.

"We have seen some videos sent by people across the border. There are many gathered there. The number could be big," Border Guard Bangladesh commander Lieutenant Colonel SM Ariful Islam told AFP, without giving an estimate.

Around 10,000 refugees were left stranded in no man's land near Anjumanpara village for three days last week after being prevented from crossing into Bangladesh. They were finally permitted by authorities to enter on Thursday.

The influx has slowed since then, with charities and officials reporting about 200 people crossing the Naf River dividing the two countries. "(But) those that came told us thousands were still stranded on the other side of Naf," Jashim Uddin, a volunteer for the International Organisation for Migration, told AFP.

Another border guard told AFP an estimated 10-15,000 refugees were heading to Anjumanpara but had been pushed back. "We heard from their relatives that the Myanmar army has stopped them from heading to the border," said a Border Guard spokesman, Iqbal Ahmed.

Refugees arriving on Sunday described violence in their villages in Rakhine and food shortages that had forced countless people to flee. "We hardly had any food for the last 10-15 days. They torched our home. We did not have any choice but to leave," Yasmin, who goes by one name, told AFP at the coastal village of Shah Porir Dwip.

Authorities meanwhile are on high alert for fishermen seeking to ferry refugees to Bangladesh via the open sea as the temporary fishing ban expires later on Sunday.

"It is risky, but you can make a lot of money ferrying Rohingya to Bangladesh," said local fisherman Shawkat Hossain.
Geneva: The head of the World Health Organization has said that he was "rethinking" his decision to name Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador, as global outrage over the move mounted.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the UN health agency, had this week asked Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The decision triggered confusion and anger among key WHO member states and activists who noted that Zimbabwe's healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's regime.

"I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible", Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister, said.

Tedros took charge of WHO in July, becoming the first African to lead the powerful UN agency.

In announcing the appointment in Uruguay's capital this week, Tedros had praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all."

Britain yesterday joined the widening chorus of critics, calling the decision "surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him."

"We have registered our concerns with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus," a foreign office spokesperson said in an email.

"Although President Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases", the spokesperson added.

Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a "man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe's health sector is WHO's goodwill ambassador."

Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.

"Mugabe doesn't trust Zimbabwe health care he destroyed (he travels abroad) but @WHO's Tedros names him ambassador", the head of Human Rights Watch, Ken Roth, added in a tweet.

UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision "sickening."

"Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimised by a UN position of any kind," the group's executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

WHO had earlier on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe's record on tobacco, NCDs and Tedro's desire to engage senior politicians as justifications for the Mugabe honour.

"Dr. Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high level political leadership for health," spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.

"Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control," he added.

UN agencies often name high profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
The aviation industry may have a major crisis on its hands, as the number of pilots needed to fly commercial airliners is dwindling.

Between 2017 and 2036, about 640,000 new pilots will be needed to fly commercial airplanes worldwide, according to data released by Boeing (NYSE:BA) in late July.

Though most new pilots will be needed in the Asia Pacific region (253,000), North America alone will require 117,000 to operate the controls of airliners, according to the statistics. Additionally, Boeing also said both passenger and cargo air carriers will purchase more than 41,000 new aircraft, valued at $6.1 trillion.

As the demand for pilots grows, so does the retirement rate among current aviators operating commercial aircraft. For years, the retirement age was capped at 60 years old. That changed in 2007, when the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act green-lighted airline pilots to fly until age 65.

That created a short-term solution to the pilot shortage that was kind of pending, Glenn Nevola, a captain at a major U.S. airline, told FOX Business. And now, a lot of those guys have reached age 65 and will continue to do so over the next decade.

Nevolas airline alone will see more than 800 pilots reach the mandatory retirement age in about two to three years, which will create a staffing issue, he said.

Regional airlines have witnessed the effects of too few pilots to operate their aircraft.

In February 2016, Republic Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a loss of revenue during the past several quarters associated with grounding aircraft due to a lack of pilot resources. Earlier this year, The Seattle Times reported Horizon Air, the regional carrier thats part of Alaska Air Group, cut more than 300 flights because it also lacked pilots.

[There are] airlines Ive talked to who have given up contracts or not bid on contracts because they know they wont have the staffing to support it. So its been an issue for the regional airlines for a year or two now, Kenneth Byrnes, an associate professor of aeronautical science and chair of the flight training department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, told FOX Business. He added that carriers are hiring as quickly as possible.

Next to retirement, the cost of flight training is a major factor contributing to the lack of new pilots. The average estimated cost of flight instruction ranges between $5,000 and $9,000 depending upon the type of certificate (license) one is seeking, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). However, airline pilots need to obtain multiple certificates as well as separate training requirements, including an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time.

Its very difficult to reduce the cost because the training requirements set by the FAA are very prescriptive, and then a lot of us go above and beyond those training requirements, Byrnes said. We need to find a way as an industry, with collaboration with the FAA, to look at the training rules a bit, to make sure that how were training pilots is still the best way in this century to train them.

However, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the worlds largest pilot union representing more than 58,000 pilots at 33 U.S. and Canadian airlines, said a pilot shortage does not exist.

We currently have more fully qualified pilots in the United States than there are positions available, the ALPA told FOX Business in a statement. However, we do need to make sure we have an adequate future supply of qualified pilots  We are fully committed to doing what it takes to keep the pilot pipeline strong and our skies safe. But as we work to address this long-term pilot availability issue, we should not allow special interests in Washington, D.C., to weaken pilot qualification requirements and make our skies less safe.

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

In an effort to quell the trend, some airlines have increased wages in hopes of attracting more people to the profession. The national average salary for an airline pilot today is $113,700, according to Glassdoor.com.

In the past two years, starting wages at regional airlines have doubled, which has enticed more people to become airline pilots, according to Byrnes.

Also, airlines have begun to implement better benefits programs for pilots as well, Nevola said.

At our airline its a 16% contribution to a pilots 401(k), regardless if that pilot contributes a dime or not, he explained. And thats pretty consistent with the other couple major carriers. And thats because the pensions were taken away after 9/11the regular, defined benefit plans that we had. So the unions were able to negotiate higher company matches or company contributions into the 401(k).

Air carriers also have created their own programs to attract pilots to their own airlines. JetBlue has pilot gateway programs which provide aspiring aviators the chance to become first officers with the airline. One path -- called Gateway Select -- provides students with a multi-phase training sequence over four years at a cost of about $125,000, and allows students to earn money while participating in the program.

Its the best time ever to be a pilot in this country because your path is fairly clear, Byrnes said, adding that Youre going to have a job as long as youre professional, and the return on investment is tremendous.
Saving for retirement is hard enough as it is -- let's be honest, nobody wants to sock away money that you know you won't see for decades -- but it's even harder if you don't have much extra cash to begin with.

In this situation, you don't necessarily have to work harder -- you have to save smarter. Of course, if you're forced to decide between putting food on the table or saving for retirement, you don't have much of a choice. But even if you only have a few extra dollars at the end of the week, that money -- saved wisely -- can add up over time.

Make the most of your 401(k)

When it comes to saving for retirement, you have plenty of options as to where you put your money, between IRAs, 401(k)s, or even under your mattress (though that option is generally not recommended). The best place to start is usually your 401(k) through your employer.

401(k) plans are great for several reasons, namely that they allow you to transfer pre-tax dollars straight from your paycheck into your retirement fund (helping you resist the urge to spend that money first), and you can take advantage of your employer match. However, two-thirds of Americans don't contribute anything at all to their employer 401(k) plans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That can become a costly mistake, because even a few dollars here and there can snowball into a solid nest egg over time.

Say, for example, you're contributing $10 per week to your 401(k) and your employer will match 100% of your contributions up to 3% of your salary. If you're earning, say, $30,000 annually, that means your employer will match up to $900 per year.

If you were to continue contributing $10 per week (or $520 per year), your employer matched that $520 per year (making a total yearly contribution of $1,040), and we assume an annual rate of return of 7%, here's what your savings would look like over 10, 20, and 40 years:

In other words, what amounts to roughly two lattes or one dinner out per week can ultimately become nearly a quarter of a million dollars over a lifetime, so every dollar really does count.

Beware of hidden fees

Once you do start utilizing your 401(k), your work's not done yet. Hidden fees can take a huge bite out of your retirement fund, and yet most people aren't even aware of how much they're paying in fees -- in fact, 67% of Americans erroneously believe they're not paying any fees at all.

Fees are a given in any retirement account, so there's no way you can eliminate them completely. But by being aware of how much you're paying in fees, you can save thousands.

For example, say you've been contributing $2,000 a year to your 401(k), are earning an annual rate of return of 7%, and are paying 2% per year in fees. After 40 years, you'll have about $253,000 saved. If you had only been paying 1% in fees, though, you'd have roughly $328,000 in your retirement fund, and that 1% different would end up costing you around $75,000.

So how do you go about lowering your fees? The first step is to find out how much you're paying. Talk to your 401(k) plan administrator to learn about the different types of fees you're incurring. These can include administrative fees (which cover basic upkeep costs), service fees (involving extra services you can take advantage of, such as taking a loan from your 401(k)), and investment fees (related to managing your assets).

The average expense ratio (which covers annual operating expenses) among 401(k) plans is 1.31%, according to a 2016 Investment Company Institute study, so if your plan's ratio is significantly higher, it may be beneficial to talk with your plan administrator about shifting your savings to another investment option within your plan.

Boost your savings over time

After you've started contributing regularly to your 401(k) and have your fees under control, it's time to build up your contribution amounts.

The median percentage of income 401(k) participants contributed in 2016 was around 10%, according to a Vanguard study, which includes employee and employer contributions. While it's easy to get complacent or forget to up your contribution percentage as you earn raises or shift to higher-paying jobs, those extra contributions add up quickly.

For example, say you're currently earning $30,000 per year and are contributing 4% of your income. Let's also assume you're earning a 7% annual rate of return and that your employer will match 100% of your contributions up to 3% of your salary. That means you're contributing $1,200 per year, and your employer is contributing an extra $900 per year. After 20 years, assuming you don't increase your contribution percentage, you'll have saved just over $92,000.

Now say that instead of contributing just 4% over those 20 years, you increase your percentage to 6% after 10 years and then 10% five years after that -- still earning that 3% match from your employer. After 20 years, you'll have about $108,000. You don't have to get a massive raise to increase your saving -- simply boosting your contributions by a couple hundred dollars every few years can also have a lasting impact.

Saving is hard no matter how much money you make, but it's especially difficult if you're short on cash. That's no excuse not to save, though. By taking baby steps and contributing what you can, you'll be on your way to building a healthy retirement fund.

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A Florida congresswoman who was brought to the forefront of the national conversation this week after she criticized President Donald Trumps phone call to a Gold Star widow was lambasted by the president during an exclusive interview on "Sunday Morning Futures."

When she made that statement, Trump told Maria Bartiromo, I thought it was sickening actually.

The controversy began when Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) lashed out at the president for his five-minute phone call to Myeshia Johnson, the wife of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, during which he reportedly told the pregnant widow that her husband knew what he signed up for...But when it happens, it hurts anyway. Johnson was among four service members who died in Niger during an ambush.

Trump responded in kind on Twitter, writing that Democrat Congressman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!

Gen. John Kelly, Trumps chief of staff who lost his son, Second Lt. Robert Kelly, in 2010 during an ambush in Afghanistan, defended the president during an impromptu, and emotional, press conference at the White House on Thursday. He expressed surprise, and shock, that a U.S. representative would criticize the president for his condolence call.

"I went to walk among the finest men and women on this earth, and you can always find them because they're in Arlington Cemetery, he said. I walked among the stones, some of whom I put there, because they were doing what I told them to do when they were killed.

The president applauded Kellys speech, and the job that hes doing as chief of staff, seeking to dismiss rumors of malcontent between the two men. Some speculated that Kelly, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was brought in to help bring some discipline to the political neophytes.

Hes just an elegant man and a wonderful man, Trump said. And he is a doing a fantastic job as chief.
DOHA, Qatar (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took the Trump administration's case for isolating and containing Iran in the Middle East and beyond to two Gulf Arab nations on Sunday, pushing for Saudi Arabia and Iraq to unite to counter growing Iranian assertiveness. He also called for a quick resolution to the ongoing crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors, which he said was unintentionally bolstering Iran.

In Saudi Arabia and later Qatar, Tillerson denounced Iran's "malign behavior" and urged nations of the region and elsewhere, notably Europe, to join the administration to halt any business they do with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also demanded that Iranian and Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq either return to their homes, integrate into the Iraqi army or leave the country.

"Those fighters need to go home," Tillerson said. "Any foreign fighters need to go home."

In Riyadh for the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Council  a vehicle that U.S. officials believe can wean Iraq from Iran  Tillerson told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that the nascent partnership between their countries held great promise for Iraq's reconstruction after devastating battles to wrest territory from the Islamic State group and its independence from foreign influence.

"We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq," he said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir after the council meeting.

Tillerson said countries outside of the region could also play a role, primarily by shunning the Revolutionary Guards, which play a major role in Iran's economy and were added to a U.S. terrorism blacklist earlier this month. Companies and countries that do business with the guards "really do so at great risk," he said.

"We are hoping that European companies, countries and others around the world will join the U.S. as we put in place a sanctions structure to prohibit certain activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that foment instability in the region and create destruction in the region," Tillerson said.

At the council meeting, Tillerson praised the Saudi king and Abadi for the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad last week.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

His participation in the meeting comes as U.S. officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi government is struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February this year, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.;After his talks in Riyadh, Tillerson flew to the Qatari capital of Doha, a direct route that has been closed to commercial airlines since June when the now-five-month old crisis between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates erupted, ostensibly over terrorism financing. Qatar and Bahrain are home to the largest U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

Tillerson has attempted to facilitate a dialogue through talks with the feuding parties as well as supporting a Kuwaiti mediation effort but has thus far been unsuccessful. He renewed those calls but allowed that progress seemed unlikely. "We cannot force talks between parties who are not ready to talk," he said.

"The United States remains concerned that the dispute has had negative consequences economically and militarily; the U.S. has felt these effects as well," he said. "None of us can afford to let this dispute linger. We ask that everyone ease the rhetoric and deescalate the tensions."

Tillerson noted that the only country benefiting from the crisis is Iran, which is now Qatar's lifeline as its neighbors have sealed their land, sea and air borders. He said Qatar's new reliance on Iranian airspace is "the most immediate and obvious gain that Iran has."

"Anytime there is conflict and destabilization among countries that are typically allies, someone will always come in to exploit those differences," he added.

__

Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
More than 30 women accused James Toback of sexual harassment, saying the director and writer preyed on young actresses for years and lured them into a meeting that would turn sexual and often end with him masturbating in front of them, a new bombshell report revealed on Sunday.

Toback, who directed Black and White and Two Girls and a Guy and was also nominated for an Oscar for writing Bugsy, allegedly sexually harassed at least 38 women for decades, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The newspaper interviewed the women, who detailed similar encounters with the 72-year-old director over the years.

The women said Toback would tout his success in Hollywood and lured them into a meeting, interview or audition for a role. But the encounters would quickly turn sexual as the director asks the women inappropriate questions such as, How often do you masturbate? the report stated. Toback would then dry hump the women or masturbate in front of them.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN SEX SCANDAL: DETAILING THE ALLEGATIONS

Actress Adrienne LaValley recalled to the Los Angeles Times the time Toback harassed her in a hotel room in 2008 when he rubbed his crotch on her leg.

I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends. And I deserved not to tell anyone, she said.

Starr Rinaldi said she was an aspiring actress when Toback approached her in New York Citys Central Park about 15 years ago. She said she felt the alleged harassment she dealt with from the director was a test to how serious she was about acting.

He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, How serious are you about your craft? Rinaldi said. And the horrible thing is, whichever road you choose, whether you sleep with him or walk away, youre still broken.

She added, You have been violated.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN DISPUTES LUPITA NYONG'O'S SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS

The women Toback targeted ranged from aspiring actresses, women in the industry to people on the streets. Louise Post, the guitarist and vocalist for indie rock band Veruca Salt, said she met Toback in 1987 and went to his apartment.

He told me hed love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes, Post said. Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible.

The women told the newspaper they are telling their stories after multiple women, including Cara Delevingne and Gwyneth Paltrow, came forward accusing fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment. Weinstein was ultimately fired from his own company after the New York Times revealed he paid off at least eight women, including Rose McGowan. The actress later tweeted she was raped by Weinstein.

Toback denied the allegations, telling the Los Angeles Times that he never met or has no recollection of meeting the women. He also said it was biologically impossible for him to engage in the sexual behavior the women accused him of doing because of the medication he takes for his diabetes and heart condition for the last 22 years.

McGowan also tweeted about the allegations against Toback, saying: "James Toback damn you for stealing, damn you for traumatizing."
Rehabs a snap if youre Harvey Weinstein.

The pervy producer is checking himself out an Arizona sex addiction rehab on Saturday, after just one week  during which hed lived in a hotel and only attended outpatient treatment.

Weinstein had joined in just a single group therapy session at the beginning of the week, before confidentiality concerns made his doctors decide that individual, private sessions would be more practical, TMZ reports.

The movie mogul will remain in Arizona for another month or so, because he wants to continue working with his doctors, TMZ said.

But not in the rehab program, where Weinstein underwent intensive therapy, one of his treating psychologists told the gossip website.

Treatment focused on dealing with his anger, his attitude toward others, boundary work and the beginnings of work on empathy, the treating psychologist said.

The doctor had been authorized to speak on Weinsteins behalf, on condition his name not be used, TMZ said.

Contrary to prior reports, Weinstein had not behaved like a distracted, angry jerk during therapy, the psychologist said.

He showed up for all meetings and was fully engaged, the doctor said.

Unsurprisingly, Weinstein still has a lot of work ahead of him. Asked if Weinstein has made progress, the doctor told TMZ, Time will tell.

Weinstein announced he would be entering rehab two weeks ago, after investigative pieces in the New York Times and the New Yorker described multiple instances of casting couch sexual harassment and assaultive behavior.

But rehab didnt yield what may have been the desired investment return.

The mogul was fired from the Weinstein Company; his wife, Georgina Chapman, left him;and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled him from its voting membership, among other repercussions.

This article originally appeared in Page Six.
The region of the world U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is traveling to this week isnt in the headlines very often, but it has been one of the most dangerous neighborhoods globally for decades. Ambassador Haley will visit South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of the deadliest region in the world since the Second World War.

The number of deaths resulting from violent conflict during the past three decades alone in South Sudan and Congo approaches eight million. Both are semi-authoritarian states, marked by well-developed kleptocracies in which the ruling cliques have hijacked their governing institutions and repurposed them for private financial gain. While billions of humanitarian and peacekeeping aid dollars flow in every year, billions have flown out into the hidden accounts of the countries leaders and their commercial collaborators, both domestic and international.

These are not poor countries. They have immense natural resource wealth in the form of gold, oil, diamonds, cobalt, copper, tin, other important minerals, and ivory from elephants. These extraordinary national assets are lining the pockets of the countries leaders rather than spearheading economic development and prosperity.

In both countries, wars have raged in large part because their rulers allow no peaceful way to share wealth and power. Absent democratic processes or basic freedoms, some marginalized populations rise in armed revolt. In some countries in Africa and around the world, wars have produced effective peace processes, which when handled competently have led to peacefully settled disputes and properly functioning and accountable governing institutions.

Until the model of peacemaking is fixed and until the regions leaders begin to pay a price for their financial and human rights crimes, the status quo will enjoy a further lease on life.

In East and Central Africa, however, peace efforts have consistently failed due to a common but fatal flaw. The regional heads of state who lead these processes attempt to prop up their autocratic fellow heads of state in war-torn countries in an attempt to resist African-wide demands for democratization. The leaders of most of the countries sponsoring the peace talks are themselves strongmen who rule over semi-authoritarian or authoritarian states, and thus have an interest in engendering or replicating similar governing systems in their neighbors. This cannot work, however, in South Sudan and Congo, nor in Sudan, Burundi, Central African Republic, or other conflict-ridden states in the region where current leaders cannot enforce stability through violence alone.

South Sudans and Congos kleptocratic ruling parties concentrate all power and wealth, leaving large swathes of the population completely marginalized and highly motivated to violently contest the status quo. Because this rot at the core has never been addressed through peace efforts, endless conflict results.

Peace efforts led by regional leaders have done little to promote inclusive processes and transitions, and they often manipulate peace efforts to achieve their own political and economic interests. Their mediation model receives little or no challenge from external states supporting the efforts, such as the United States, China, and key European governments, as well as United Nations peacekeeping missions in Congo and South Sudan.

Ambassador Haley has a two-fold opportunity to help alter the negative trajectory of peace efforts in South Sudan and Congo. First, she should confront this failed conflict resolution model that aims to reinforce semi-authoritarian kleptocrats in an effort to create stability. The U.S. should be pressing for inclusive peace agreements with real power and wealth sharing tied to democratic transitions in both Congo and South Sudan. U.S. advocacy for basic freedoms should be prioritized, because repression will only beget more violence and extremism, as demonstrated in neighboring Sudan, where the regime continues to provide support to radicalized groups that recruit for ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Second, for the U.S. to have a role in reforming these efforts for peace and human rights, new leverage must be built. To create that leverage, Ambassador Haley should work with allies to impose biting consequences on the leaders of governments or rebel groups and their networks of collaborators who undermine peace, orchestrate war crimes, repress fundamental rights, and steal the natural resource wealth of their countries. Utilizing the tools of financial pressure  particularly targeted sanctions on networks of leaders and their commercial partners combined with the aggressive use of anti-money laundering measures  can help shift the calculations of the regions war-mongers over time from war to peace and from mass corruption to good governance. There has to be a price for intransigence, and the U.S. has the underutilized policy tools to begin to exact that price.

Until the model of peacemaking is fixed and until the regions leaders begin to pay a price for their financial and human rights crimes, the status quo will enjoy a further lease on life, leaving a mounting toll of death and destruction.
The international community has donated more than $1.8 trillion to poor countries since 2000  but this development aid hasn't lifted many people out of poverty. Arguably, it has made some recipient nations poorer.

This is because despite the best of intentions by donors, the aid has bred corruption, fostered dependence and impeded reforms that deliver sustainable economic growth.

Ending global poverty will require a major shift away from paternalistic "give a man a fish" strategies that presume the poor are helpless on their own. Instead, philanthropists should support civic society groups that help local governments strengthen the rule of law, enforce property rights and cut burdensome regulations.

Clearing away obstacles to entrepreneurship and investment will enable the poor to help themselves. They'll figure out not just "how to fish," but how to create fisheries and other private enterprises that benefit their communities.

Without such reforms, there will be no sustainable economic growth, resulting in enormous amounts of foreign aid largesse being wasted.

Between 1970 and 2000  a period in which aid to Africa skyrocketed  annual gross domestic product growth per capita on the continent fell from about 2 percent to zero growth, according to a study by an economist at New York University.

If top-down efforts to fight poverty had little or no role in the biggest poverty reduction in human history, we should not double-down on those strategies.

Consider what happened recently in Malawi, a southeastern African country where more than half the population lives in poverty. In 2013, political leaders and other elites stole $30 million from the treasury, which was loaded with contributions from Western nations.

And in 2012, the United Kingdom suspended $18 million in aid to Uganda after an investigation revealed that leaders of that African nation were using the money improperly.

Even when there is no corruption, anti-poverty initiatives often produce unintended negative consequences.

For example, the Millennium Villages Project sent large amounts of food and other assistance to Dertu in Kenya. The aid drew migrants from all over the region, resulting in overcrowding, social conflict and a breakdown of the village's livestock market.

Last week the United Nations commemorated the 25th annual International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It is entirely appropriate to celebrate the decline in global poverty over recent decades. But more important still, we must understand where the progress has been greatest and for what reasons.

The biggest anti-poverty success stories took place in China and India, where foreign aid was much more modest.

In China, for example, aid has decreased dramatically, but the proportion of rural people in poverty has declined from more than 50 percent to less than 10 percent. That progress is largely thanks to market reforms that enabled entrepreneurship and propelled economic growth.

There is a lesson here. If top-down efforts to fight poverty had little or no role in the biggest poverty reduction in human history, we should not double-down on those strategies. The more reliable way to spur economic development, even in the world's poorest regions, is to support local organizations that can achieve reforms that allow the poor to thrive on their own.

One example is the Centre for Civil Society, a think tank in India. Last year, with a modest budget, the group successfully advocated for the elimination of minimum capital requirements on start-ups. The reform will help aspiring entrepreneurs start and grow businesses, enriching themselves and their communities.

Research supported by my organization, Atlas Network, shows that there is a measurable connection between economic progress and measures like property rights and legal protections for businesses.

That research will be included in the World Bank's forthcoming "Doing Business" report. As a country's "Doing Business" score  the measure of how easy it is to open and operate a firm  increases by five units, the number of people living in poverty drops by one percentage point.

The world's poor don't need development aid. They need stable, pro-growth regulatory regimes that enable them to earn money, start businesses and invest for the future. The philanthropic community should assist local organizations in fostering such environments. As barriers to growth are removed, the poor will demonstrate that they can eradicate poverty on their own.
The red, white and blue has flown outside LaPoynor High School in LaRue, Texas for as far back as anyone can remember.

Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

But instead of 50 stars on a blue field, this flag bears a cross - a symbol of the Christian faith.

The Christian flag flies alongside the Texas flag and Old Glory.

And that's a big problem for a bunch of out-of-town atheist agitators -- a mighty big problem.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group of atheists, agnostics and freethinkers, sent a letter to the local school district demanding the flag be removed.

"It is unconstitutional for the school to display the Christian flag," FFRF attorney Sam Grover wrote to Supt. James Young. "The display of this patently religious symbol by the District confers government endorsement of Christianity, in violation of the Establishment Clause."

The perpetually offended atheists told the school district they must be inclusive to minority religions and non-religious people.

"The District must immediately remove the Christian flag from school grounds," Grover wrote. "In addition, the District must ensure that its staff members are not organizing, promoting, or participating in religious events while acting int heir official capacities."

The school superintendent told local news reporters they were reviewing the demand letter - but have yet to make any sort of announcement. Continue reading at ToddStarnes.com.
Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army sergeant who pleaded guilty Monday to deserting his post in Afghanistan in 2009, says his Taliban captors were more honest with him than the Army has been since his release three years ago.

At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, Im the guy whos gonna cut your throat,  Bergdahl tells British TV journalist Sean Langan in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine of London headlined "The Homecoming from Hell."

Langan, too, is a former Taliban hostage.

Bergdahl, 31, from Hailey, Idaho, says he never quite knew where he stood with the Army as he performed administrative duties while awaiting his desertion trial.

Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor whos going to sign the paper that sends me away for life, he says. We may as well go back to kangaroo courts and lynch mobs.

Bergdahl is expected to appear for sentencing Monday in a military courtroom in Fort Bragg, N.C., after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy.

He could face life in prison.

Bergdahl was freed from the Taliban in May 2014 in a highly criticized deal in which the Obama administration agreed that the U.S. would release five Taliban terrorists in exchange.

President Donald Trump harshly criticized Bergdahl during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance is the judge who will decide Bergdahls fate. Factors expected to weigh into the sentence are Bergdahls years spent as a hostage, and the serious wounds that some U.S. service members suffered while searching for Bergdahl.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
All five living ex-presidents appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a Texas concert for hurricane relief Saturday night.

Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared together on stage at the start of the concert at Texas A&M University in College Station. Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama later made brief remarks appealing for national unity to to help those affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The charitable appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The current president, Donald Trump, recorded a video message for the concert praising his predecessors as "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife Barbara and George W. Bush's wife Laura Bush were in the audience.

The last time the five were together was at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas, while Obama was still in office.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jimmy Carter, the 93-year-old former Democratic president, says he is willing to go to North Korea on a diplomatic mission for President Trump amid the escalating tensions over nuclear weapons.

I would go, yes, Carter told columnist Maureen Dowd of the New York Times.

Carter, who has traveled to Pyongyang in the past to meet with North Koreas leaders, acknowledged being afraid of the recent situation.

I dont know what theyll do, he said of North Korea. Because they want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim Jong-un. Hes never, so far as I know, been to China.

NORTH KOREA MOCKS TRUMP AS 'RABID MAN'

He called North Koreas dictator Kim Jong-un unpredictable.

I think hes now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland, Carter said.

The former president said he offered his help to H. R. McMaster, Trumps national security adviser, but has not been called upon.

I told him that I was available if they ever need me, he said.
Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez tried to unify the political left around an anti-Trump message Saturday, calling the president an "existential threat" to the nation and "the most dangerous president in American history."

Addressing the first national party gathering since his election in February, Perez lambasted "a culture of corruption" that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But Perez also warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities and leadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee. Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the DNC younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison over Perez in the postelection race for party chairman.

Perez spent considerable time during the week's proceedings meeting privately with some frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint. He apologized publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members before he announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim.

"If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party," he said, "because you're trying to get s--- done. That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We're trying to move the ball forward."

Republicans, meanwhile, have exalted in the internal wrangle, painting the DNC as incompetently discordant.

"The Democratic Party's message of doom and gloom has left them leaderless and nearly extinct in most of the country," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said. "If Tom Perez wants his party to stick with that same failed strategy, Republicans will gladly keep working to help the middle class by cutting their taxes and fixing our broken health care system."

To some extent, the Democrats' developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race, but they also fit into the ongoing philosophical tussle on the left.

Sanders' backers accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favor and shutting out the Vermont independent who still seeks to pull the party toward his ideology. Those frustrations carried over into the DNC chair race between Perez, the former labor secretary, and Ellison.

Now, Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's superdelegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control. Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House. They face an uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won last November. Democrats also want to increase their gubernatorial roster from the current 15 state executives.

Separately, former Attorney General Eric Holder urged the party to play the long game necessary to overcome Republican advantages scored when GOP-run legislatures drew congressional and legislative districts around the country after the 2010 census.

Holder leads a political action group, with fundraising support for former President Barack Obama, to back candidates in states where Democrats have an uphill path to majorities. He singled out Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, among other states, where Republicans "picked their voters" with districts that "are impressive in their geographic creativity but they are destructive to representative democracy."

The Supreme Court earlier this month heard oral arguments in a case challenging the Wisconsin districts. Legal analysts expect Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the court's swing vote, will decide whether the court for the first time declares partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hillary Clinton joked on Friday about how she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, tried to ditch President Trumps inauguration ceremony -- and she even let out a curse word while describing how a different president described Trump's speech.

And it was reported that George W. Bush, as it ends, says, That was some weird st, she said on BBCs Graham Norton Show with a laugh, to which host Graham Norton replied, And it was.

Clinton said she had called more than one previous president to see if they were attending the inauguration.

I really tried to get out of going, Clinton recalled after Norton said her attendance was Shakespearean.

We thought, maybe others arent going. So we called the Bushes, and the elder Bushes were in the hospital, which I think was legitimate, Clinton said to a laughing crowd.

We call the younger Bushes, and they said, Yeah, were going. We then call the Carters and they said, Yeah, were going. So Bill and I looked at each other and said, Well, we gotta go, Clinton said, adding ugh, my gosh!

The former Democratic presidential candidate recalled not knowing what to expect before attending Trumps inauguration, referring back to what she wrote in her book, What Happened," about that morning.

What I wanted to have happen [at the inauguration] was despite the kind of campaign he ran, I wanted [Trump] to rise to the occasion of being our president and being the president for everybody, not just people who supported him, she said.

But she was left disappointed, Clinton said. She said Trumps inauguration speech was dark and divisive and was a cry from the white nationalists gut.

I was so disappointed. Really, so sad that it wasnt an outreach but it was a narrowing and a hammering of what he had said before, Clinton said.

Clinton was a guest on the show as she continues to promote her book. She was seen with a surgical boot on stage after she broke her toe days earlier. She praised the care she received under Englands health care system. Clinton also revealed she ignores most of Trumps tweets because there are so many of them. She admitted she responds when she feels like Trumps tweets were hurtful and unfair and really causing problems for people.

She added, The most dangerous thing he does is conduct diplomacy on Twitter, such as trading insults with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

He does things that are not only upsetting, but kind of inexplicable.
The House Oversight committee has started looking into an Obama-era deal in which a Russian-backed company bought a uranium firm with mines in the U.S., Rep. Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Sunday, adding that hes spoken with the federal governments confidential informant on the matter.

The uranium agreement was reached while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, and some investors in the Russian-backed company, Uranium One, had relationships with former President Bill Clinton and donated to the Clinton Foundation.

Ive spoken with the confidential informant that helped the FBI uncover this bribery scheme, DeSantis, R-Fla., a member of the oversight committee, told Americas News Headquarters. Clearly, its in the publics interest that this individual be able to tell his story to Congress.

When asked by Fox News if a criminal investigation would be coming, DeSantis responded: It could be criminal. He cited statutes of limitations that may limit prosecutions of any crimes that may arise from the 2010 deal.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week said it started an investigation into the matter, including whether federal agencies knew the FBI was looking into possible corruption before the deal was approved.

In addition, Iowa GOP Sen. Charles Grassley, the committee chairman, has requested the Justice Department lift a non-disclosure agreement that a former FBI confidential informant said prevents him from speaking to Congress about the handling of a criminal probe linked to the deal.

Grassley said the Justice Department had threatened to prosecute the informant if he disclosed details of his involvement in the investigation.

DeSantis said Sunday the informant to whom he spoke signed his original non-disclosure deal with Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder and was threatened with reprisal by the Justice Department under Attorney General Loretta Lynch when he tried to come forward in 2016.

DeSantis also said he has spoken with the informants attorney, but its unclear whether the informant is the same one to whom Grassley has referred.

The House Oversight Committee doesnt appear to have announced officially that it has opened a probe or more formal investigation. Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., could not be reached Sunday for comment.

I have spoken with Chairman Gowdy. He believes that this is an important issue and he has indicated to me that he is supportive of what we are doing. So, I think you are going to see action, DeSantis added.

President Trump said last week that media outlets have failed to cover the purchase of American uranium mines by the Russian-backed company adequately, as most recently reported by The Hill.

The Senate committee launched its probe after the series of Hill stories, which showed the FBI had evidence that Russian nuclear officials were involved in fraudulent dealings in 2009 before the uranium deal was approved.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump frequently cited the deal for the uranium, which is used in nuclear reactors, and has returned to the issue at rallies during his presidency.

Clinton's State Department was one of nine U.S. government agencies that had to approve the deal. But Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and former State department officials have said she was not involved in the approval process by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS.

Republicans have also pointed to some of the investors in the deal and their ties to the former president. Canadian financier Frank Giustra, a top Clinton Foundation donor, sold his company, UrAsia Energy, to Uranium One, which was chaired by Ian Telfer, also a Clinton Foundation donor.

Giustra has said he sold his stake in the deal in 2007, while Clinton and Barack Obama were vying for the Democratic presidential nomination.

And PolitiFact found that most of the donations from individuals related to Uranium One and UrAsia Energy were made before and during Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign  before she became secretary of state.

Fox News' Leland Vittert, Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Jimmy Carter, the liberal 93-year-old former president, surprisingly sided with President Trump when he told The New York Times that the media have been too hostile on the current commander-in-chief.

I think the media have been harder on Trump than any other president certainly that Ive known about, Carter told The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. The 39th president served one term from 1977 to 1981.

Carter added that he thought the media feel free to claim that Trump is mentally deranged and everything else without hesitation.

The former president also pushed back on accusations of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, saying: I dont think theres any evidence that what the Russians did changed enough votes, or any votes. He said his wife, Rosalynn, disagreed with him, before he added, We voted for [Bernie] Sanders in the primary.

Carter also doesnt believe the current presidents America First strategy is out of step with the larger world, spoiling international relations. Well, he might be escalating it but I think that precedes Trump, he told the Times. The United States has been the dominant character in the whole world and now were not anymore. And were not going to be. Russias coming back and India and China are coming forward.

Carter also said he's willing to go to North Korea on a diplomatic mission amid the escalating tensions over nuclear weapons.

I dont know what theyll do, he said of North Korea. Because they want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim Jong Un. Hes never, so far as I know, been to China.

He called the North Korean dictator unpredictable.

In September, Carter expressed optimism that Trump might break a legislative logjam with his six-month deadline for Congress to address the immigration status of 800,000-plus U.S. residents who were brought to the country illegally as children.

Carter told Emory University students that the pressures and the publicity that Trump has brought to the immigration issue could even yield comprehensive immigration law changes that Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama could not muster.

He blamed both major parties for an inability to pass any major immigration law overhaul since a 1986 law signed by President Ronald Reagan.

I dont see that as a hopeless cause, Carter said. He added that Trumps critics, including himself, have to give him credit when he does some things that are not as bad as they are depicted.
President Trump detailed his historic tax cut plans, talked about his Twitter habits and praised Gen. John Kellys Thursday speech dismissing Florida Rep. Frederica Wilsons suggestion that he was forced to make public statements to keep his job in an exclusive Fox News interview on Sunday.

In an interview on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Trump talked about his plan to bring the biggest [tax] cuts ever in the history of this country.

I think were going to get our taxes, Trump said in the two-part interview. "I think its going to be  well, hopefully before the end of the year, but maybe much sooner than that.

So theres a great spirit for it, people want to see it, and I call it tax cuts. It is tax reform also, but I call it tax cuts. Itll be the biggest cuts ever in the history of this country, Trump added.

Trump said he believes he has the votes for his historic plan to pass in Congress. He reiterated his agenda to tackle taxes and health care to promote tremendous growth and address the debt and deficit in the U.S.

Well, its going to be all growth. Look, its going to be growth. I think that growth can be staggering. I also think we have a lot of waste in this country. And well be doing other things. We will be doing welfare reform. I mean thats coming up, the president said.

He added, Okay, and whether people like it or not. You know people dont like having a house and working three jobs and having somebody nearby where their living better than the person with the three jobs. Its not fair. And thats all coming up, believe me thats going to be out there very soon.

I want to get the taxes first. I want to get health care. Were doing a big infrastructure bill which will be a very positive thing. But were going to have tremendous growth, Trump said.

When asked about the bickering and feuding with other Republican politicians, including Senators Bob Corker and John McCain, the president said it sometimes helps because it gets people to do what theyre supposed to be doing.

I think, actually sometimes it helps. Sometimes it gets people to do what theyre supposed to be doing. And you know, thats the way it is, Trump told Fox News. I just want whats right. And I think, for the most part, they want whats right too. So well see what happens but I do believe we have the votes for health care at the appropriate time. And I think were going to have the votes for taxes and I will say the fact that healthcare is so difficult, I think, makes the taxes easier.

The president also touched on Kellys Thursday appearance in the White House briefing room after Trump was criticized for his condolences to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed with three other U.S. soldiers in Niger on Oct. 4. Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson said Trump told Johnsons widow that her deceased husband knew what he signed up for.

Trump said his chief of staff is an elegant man.

[Kelly] was so offended, because he was in the room when I made the call and so were other people, Trump said. And the call was a very nice call. He was so offended that a woman would be  that somebody would be listening to that call.

Trump dismissed Wilsons claim that Kelly was forced to make public statements to keep his job.

He didn't want this job, Trump said, adding that Wilson's comment was "sickening" to him. He is a man who felt this was important for the country.

Despite his past criticism on Chinas lack of action against North Korea, Trump applauded Chinese President Xi Jinping and his actions against North Korea. He called Xi a good man who has been helping the U.S. with the nuclear crisis.

He's for China and I'm for the U.S., OK? So we start off with that, but we do have a very good  I would say an exceptional relationship, Trump told Fox News. And China's really helping us, and  well, also with respect to North Korea, 93 percent of things going into North Korea come through China. China is big stuff.

Talking about his Twitter habits, Trump said he has a tremendous platform between Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. He defended his tweets, saying they are well crafted and he is being treated very unfairly by the media.

See I dont call it Tweets, Tweeting is like a typewriter  when I put it out, you put it immediately on your show, Trump said.

I was always good student, I am like a person that does well with that kind of thing. And I doubt I would be here if werent for social media, to be honest with you. Because there is a fake media out there, I get treated very unfairly by the media, the president added.

He said, So when somebody, says something about me, I am able to go bing, bing, bing and I take care of it. The other way, I would never be get the word out.

The second part of the exclusive interview with Trump will air on Monday on "Mornings With Maria" on the Fox Business Network from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
President Trump on Sunday slammed Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson for disclosing his phone conversation with an Army widow, again calling her wacky and a disaster for Democrats.

Trump has pummeled Wilson, of Florida, on social media since Tuesday, the day after Wilson listened to his call to the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, then told the public that Trump said, He knew what he signed up for.

Johnson was one of four American servicemen killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger.

Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote R!, Trump tweeted Sunday.

The tweet was similar to one Saturday in which he first called Wilson wacky, though this time Trump seemed to suggest voters should consider her actions when they vote next year on whether to re-elect every House member seeking another term.

Wilson is expected to seek a fifth term in 2018.

I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party! Trump tweeted Saturday.

White House Chief of Staff retired Gen. John Kelly tried Thursday to explain how personal and difficult condolence calls are for military families and leaders who make them.

Kelly, whose military son was killed in Afghanistan, said he became broken-hearted upon learning the call to Johnsons family was made public, and he criticized Wilson for apparently trying to politicize the matter.

Wilson later suggested in newspaper interviews that some in the White House are racist, though she didnt single out Kelly. And she suggested that Kelly was forced to make public statements on the call to save his job, amid speculation that Trump is unhappy with his performance.

He will say anything, she told Politico.
President Trump on Sunday turned his ongoing feud with Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson into a 2018 elections platform, saying the "wacky congresswoman is disastrous for Democrats and telling voters to elect Republicans.

Trump is upset with Wilson, D-Fla., for her apparent attempt to politicize a condolence call he made last week to an Army widow. Wilson said she was present for the call and said Trump told the widow that her deceased husband, Army Sgt. La David Johnson, knew what he signed up for.

Trump and Wilson have since engaged in a very public feud on TV and Twitter.

Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote R! Trump tweeted Sunday.

Every House member is up for re-election in 2018.

Johnson was one of four American servicemen killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger.

White House Chief of Staff retired Gen. John Kelly on Thursday publicly criticized Wilsons involvement in the call and also suggested she was trying to politicize the matter.

Wilson later suggested in newspaper interviews that some in the White House are racist, though she didnt single out Kelly. And she suggested that Kelly, whose son was killed in Afghanistan, was forced to make public statements on the call to save his job, amid speculation that Trump is unhappy with his performance.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted, I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!

Trump also tweeted Sunday that nearly half of all Americans are finally starting to realize that major news organizations are publishing or airing fake stories about him. However, he did not cite the poll.

It is finally sinking through, he tweeted. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred.
President Donald Trump lashed out against his critics Saturday, arguing in a series of tweets that he is one of the most productive presidents in U.S. history.

Trump cited Wall Streets recent record high numbers and the militarys latest victories over the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq as wins for his administration.

The presidents tweets came after Senate Republicans this week passed the 2018 fiscal budget, which is seen as the first step for the Trump administration toward a tax overhaul.

Trumps latest touts of his work also came amid a feud with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., over his condolence phone call to the widow of a recently killed U.S. soldier. Earlier Saturday, he urged the news media to keep reporting on the wacky Florida congresswoman.

The Hill reported Trump previously tweeted his administrations accomplishments in August, saying "few, if any, Administrations have done more in just 7 months than the Trump A. Bills passed, regulations killed, border, military, ISIS, SC."

Trump says he has signed the most bills into law by any president over the last 70 years, but has failed to get a health care proposal through the Senate. A vote in July to repeal the Obama administrations landmark health care bill failed, 51-49.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dental remains discovered by German paleontologists who were sifting through gravel and sand in a former bed of the Rhine River could potentially lead to a rewriting of human history.

The fossilized remains of what are believed to be great ape teeth, an upper right first molar and an upper left canine, were found a little over a year ago near the town of Eppelsheim in southwestern Germany in sediments that date back 10 million years.

Its perfectly preserved. It actually looks like a new excellent tooth; however, its no longer white. Its shining like amber, Herbert Lutz, head of the excavation team and deputy museum director at the Mainz Natural History Museum, told USA Today.

Lutz said that the discovery is groundbreaking for its potential to alter our understanding of how humans developed and migrated in prehistoric times.

I dont want to over-dramatize it, but I would hypothesize that we shall have to start rewriting the history of mankind after today, Mainz Mayor Michael Ebling told reporters during a press conference this week announcing the discovery, reports the Times of Israel.

THE FASCINATING SEX LIFE OF JONATHAN, THE 186-YEAR-OLD TORTOISE

According to researchers, our current understanding is that hominins, our extinct human ancestors, left Africa about 120,000 years ago. The discovered remains are significantly older.

We have comparable finds only in East Africabut they are only 2, 3, 4 or 5 million years old, and Eppelsheim is almost 10, said Matz. So the question is: What has happened? We dont know where this great ape came from. We do not have comparable finds from southern Europe.

Although the scientist made the discovery in September 2016, they were so confused by what theyd found they waited until this month to release a report about it.

As of now, it is not known where the teeth fit in humankinds family tree. However, Lutz and his team of researchers are only just beginning to fully examine their unique find.

Its a complete mystery where this individual came from, and why nobodys ever found a tooth like this somewhere before," Lutz said in an interview with ResearchGate, where the report was published.
An extremely rare sea-stained letter recovered from the body of a Titanic victim was sold at auction in Britain on Saturday for $166,000.

The letter is one of the last known correspondences to have survived the sinking of the doomed ocean liner, Reuters reported. It was written on Titanic stationery by First Class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson to his mother on April 13, 1912, when the ship embarked from Southampton, England.

If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday A.M, Holverson wrote on the eve of the famous disaster.

The Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ships time on April 14, 1912, and sank just over two hours later. More than 1,500 passengers and crew members perished.

Holverson, a Minnesota native, was a salesman traveling with his wife, Mary Alice, who survived the sinking. The letter was apparently found in a pocket book when Holversons body was recovered from the Atlantic. It was eventually returned to his family with his other effects.

In his letter, Holverson describes being on the ship with John Jacob Astor, an American financier and real estate investor and one of the ships most famous passengers.

"He looks like any other human being even though he has millions of money. They sit out on deck with the rest of us, he wrote.

Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told Fox News in an email Tuesday that he believes it is the most important letter written aboard the Titanic ever to come to market.

It is exceptional on every level -- including content, historical context and rarity, he explained, via email. This letter represents one of the last known letters to have survived the sinking and the last known letter written on board by a victim.

The auctioned letter was part of a lot that also included an original photograph of Holverson and his wife leaving for South America prior to their journey on the Titanic, and some unrelated handwritten letters from Holversons mother to his brother, Walter.

A number of artifacts from the doomed ship were auctioned in Britain last year, with the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia selling for just under $97,000. Three photos and a handwritten note detailing the grisly discovery of the Titanics last lifeboat sold for $6,800.

Fox News James Rogers contributed to this report.
This is a rush transcript from "The Story," October 19, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this: is anyone here a Gold Star parent or sibling? Does anyone here know a Gold Star parent or sibling?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA MACCALLUM, HOST: Good evening! I'm Martha MacCallum, and this is "The Story." Instead of reverence and gratitude, the deaths of these four men set off a political firestorm that culminated in a gripping appearance from General John Kelly at the White House podium today. Recounting his own story of how he became what no military father wants to be, a Gold Star parent. If you saw what happened in the briefing room today, we ask that you watch it with us again here tonight, because it is not often that the nation gets a lesson like this. But first, we go to Trace Gallagher with the backstory of these four men.

TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS CHANNEL REPORTER: Martha, Defense Secretary James Mattis is the first to acknowledge that information about the attacks in Niger is slow-coming, but the military reportedly now believes the ambush that killed Sergeant La David Johnson, Sergeant Brian Black, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, and Sergeant Dustin Wright actually came in two waves, and that the Green Beret-lead soldiers were able to fend off the first attack and were then hit again as they retreated.

French attack helicopters responded during the second wave, pushing the attackers back. Experts say it's feasible that chaos surrounding the second ambush is why Sergeant La David Johnson got separated from his fellow soldiers. Johnson's body was located 48 hours after the initial attack. Information about Sergeant Johnson being missing was held close to the best because of fears that he may have been captured. The military also believed the ambush included overwhelming force by at least 50 members of ISIS and/or al-Qaeda, and it appears the attack was both well-planned and well-coordinated.

By nearly all accounts the soldiers were either arriving or departing a meeting in the village of Tongo-Tongo near the border of Malley when the attack happened. U.S. Forces are in the region to advise and train Niger forces to fight extremists. Here is secretary Mattis. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JAMES MATTIS, DEFENSE SECRETARY: In any time commit our crew to anywhere it's based on, answering us a simple first question, and that is the well-being of the American people sufficiently enhanced by putting our troops there that we put our troops in a position to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, it remains unclear if better intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance could have mitigated the attacks, but U.S. Africa command which oversees U.S. Military operations in the region told Congress back in March the area is lacking much-needed resources. Martha?

MACCALLUM: Thank you, Trace. So, the deaths of these four Green Berets led to an ugly back-and-forth and criticism of President Trump by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who claimed that his phone call to the wife of La David Johnson somehow fell short, in her opinion. We were told yesterday that General Kelly was disgusted by the politicalization of this story, which also extended to his own son's death and how he was notified and consoled. His response to the story today left everyone in that room and watching speechless.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

KELLY: Most Americans don't know what happens when we lose one of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines or coast guardsmen in combat. So, let me tell you what happens. Their bodies, wrapped them up in whatever it passes as a shroud. Puts them in a helicopter as a routine and sends them home. Their first stop along the way is when they are packed in ice, typically at the airhead. And then they are flown to usually Europe where they are packed in ice again and flown to Dover Airport Base where Dover takes care of the remains, embalms them, meticulously dresses them in their uniform, with the medals that they've earned, the emblems of their service, and then puts them on another airplane, linked up with a casualty officer, escort that takes them home.

A very, very good movie to watch if you haven't ever seen it is "Taking Chance" where this is done in a movie, HBO setting. Chance Phelps was killed under my command right next to me. It's worth seeing that if you'd never seen it.

So that's the process. While that is happening, a casualty officer typically goes to the home very early in the morning and waits for the first lights to come on. And then he knocks on the door, typically the mom and dad will answer, wife. And if there is a wife, this is happening in two different places. If the parents are divorced, three different places. And the casualty officer proceeds to break the heart of a family member and stays with that family until -- well, for a long, long time even after the internment. So, that's what happens.

Who are these young men and women? They are the best one percent of this country produces. Most of you as Americans don't know them. Many of you don't know anyone who knows any of one of them. But they are the very best this country produces. And they volunteered to protect our country when there is nothing in our country anymore that seems to suggest that self-service to the nation is not only appropriate but required. But that's all right.

KELLY: So, some presidents have elected to call. All presidents I believe have elected to send letters. If you elect to call a family like this, it is about the most difficult thing you could imagine. There's no perfect way to make that phone call. When I took this job and talked to President Trump about how to do it, my first recommendation was, he not do it. Because it's not the phone call that parents, family members are looking forward to. It's nice to do, in my opinion, in any event. He asked me about previous presidents, and I said, I could tell you that President Obama, who was my commander-in-chief when I was on active duty, did not call my family. That was not a criticism. That was just to simply say, I don't believe President Obama called. That's not a negative thing. I don't believe President Bush called in all cases. I don't believe any president particularly when the casualty rates are very, very high that presidents call but I believe they all write.

So when I gave that explanation to our president three days ago, he elected to make phone calls in the case of the four young men who we lost in Niger at the earlier part of this month. But then he said, you know, how do you make these calls? If you're not in the family, if you've never worn the uniform, if you've never been in combat, you can't even imagine how to make that call, but I think he very bravely does make those calls.

The call in question that he made yesterday -- a day before yesterday now -- were to four family members, the four fallen, and remember, there's a next of kin designated by the individual, if he's married, that's typically the spouse. If he's not married, that's typically the parents, unless the parents are divorced and then he selects one of them. If he didn't get along with his parents, he'll select a sibling. But the point is, the phone call is made to the next of kin only if the next of kin agrees to take the phone call. Sometimes they don't. So a pre-call is made, "The president of the United States or the commandant of the Marine Corps or someone would like to call, do you accept the call?" And typically they all accept the call.

So he called four people the other day and expressed his condolences in the best way that he could. And he said to me, "What do I say?" I said to him, "Sir, there's nothing you can do to lighten the burden on these families." Let me tell you what I tell them, let me tell you what my best friend Joe Dunphy (ph) told me because he was my casualty officer. He said, "Kel, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that one percent. He knew what the possibilities were because we're at war. And when he died," and the four cases we're talking about Niger, and my son's cases in Afghanistan, "when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this Earth, his friends." That's what the president tried to say to four families the other day.

I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning and broken-hearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing, a member of Congress who listened in on a phone call from the president of the United States to a young wife. And in his way tried to express that opinion that he's a brave man, a fallen hero, he knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted, there's no reason to enlist, he enlisted, and he was where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to be with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken. That was the message. That was the message that was transmitted. It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred.

You know, when I was a kid growing up a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred, looked upon with great honor. That's obviously not the case anymore, as we've seen from recent cases. Life, the dignity of life was sacred. That's gone. Religion. That seems to be gone as well. Gold Star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer.

I just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die in the battlefield, I just thought that that might be sacred. And when I listened to this woman and what she was saying and what she was doing on TV, the only thing I could do to collect my thoughts was to go and walk among the finest men and women on this Earth. And you can always find them. Because they're in Arlington National Cemetery. Went over there for an hour and a half, walked among the stones, some of whom I put there because they were doing what I told them to do when they were killed.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

MACCALLUM: Here now with his reaction, former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill, who, of course, lost friends on the battlefield himself and he is a Fox News Contributor. Rob, good evening to you.

ROB O'NEILL, FORMER NAVY SEAL: Good evening, Martha.

MACCALLUM: It just -- it takes my breath away listening to General Kelly speaks so eloquently.

O'NEILL: Yes, that was -- it was incredible. The Chief of Staff, General Kelly, is pretty much the classiest guy in Washington, D.C., tonight. That was a speech that was given by a general, by chief of staff, by Gold Star father, by an American. That's exactly what people needed to hear because this is -- a Gold Star family is the most sacred thing that we have, and the bickering and the political -- playing politics with the family is unacceptable. And hopefully -- I would like to see it just end. Like, you know, some people said some stuff they hopefully regret and it ends and let the families grave.

I mean, the president made a phone call, that has got to be very uncomfortable. He asked General Kelly what to say and he said it the best way he could. You know, I know Donald Trump, I had dinner with the president last week. He really cares about the military. He's not going to insult anybody. And for the way that it was politicized, to the way that General Kelly said it was -- he was stunned and it broke his heart. That was -- that got me. I watched it live. And I -- you know, it was an excellent speech at the perfect time.

MACCALLUM: You know, when he talks about, Rob, something that you know the feeling of, to lose friends, buddies, people that you are out there with, and how to communicate that to their family members, I'm sure you've been in that situation yourself.

O'NEILL: Yes, it's very difficult. We had -- I was a part of a team, the deadliest day for the war in Afghanistan when we lost 30 Americans on one helicopter. We lost 17 guys from my unit, Extortion 17, in August of 2011. I know a few months after the Bin Laden raid, and I had friends that were on that. And just to hear -- you know, hearing something that happened and going into work and typing the what just happened e-mail, and you get the list of names -- a friend being killed in the accident. It's heartbreaking. And these are my brothers in arms, but I can't imagine what the wives, the girlfriends, the children.

You know, they lost fathers, we lost hundreds of years of combat experience, and just a brotherhood of some of the best operators in the world. It's just something that -- I can't imagine what it's like to be -- to lose a spouse, to lose a child in combat. And for someone, I mean, why is a member of Congress sitting in on this phone call? She's there for a reason, and she got the reason, and she showed it. Like, the chief of staff said, it needs to go away. There are some things that need to be sacred and we need to stop the bickering.

MACCALLUM: Yes, I couldn't believe it took almost no time for some people to criticize General Kelly, including Brian Fallon, who worked on the Clinton campaign, who said this. "Kelly isn't just an enabler of Trump, he's a believer in him. That makes him as odious as the rest. Don't be distracted by the uniform."

O'NEILL: Don't be distracted by the uniform. He's a believer in Trump, but he's -- General Kelly is a believer in America, he's a patriot. There's nothing wrong with supporting the president. There's nothing wrong with supporting the policy to trying to put forward. General Kelly, he's an adult, and like I said, he's saying what needs to be said. And people, they don't have any shame, a lot of people just want -- they want to make the headlines, they want to get the story out. So, they're going to say something to get jobs in there, just to make headlines for their few minutes of fame. It's ridiculous. General Kelly, he was everything today. He was everything he's ever been, and he basically gave the nation a good sit-down.

MACCALLUM: He sure did.

O'NEILL: Yes, yes.

MACCALLUM: Rob O'Neill, SEAL, Team Six, thank you very much, Rob. Great to see her tonight.

O'NEILL: Thanks, Martha, anytime.

MACCALLUM: You bet. So, we'll be right back with more of the powerful stories that we have for you tonight after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: Today, two witnesses from Fusion GPS, which is the opposition firm behind the infamous Trump dossier are stonewalling the Congressional investigators, refusing to answer questions about who paid them for that work. Today, President Trump set off a media firestorm with a tweet suggesting this: "Workers of the firm involved with the discredited and fake dossier take the fifth. Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems or all?" Fox News chief national correspondent, Ed Henry, live tonight at the White House with some important background on this story for us tonight. Hi, Ed.

ED HENRY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martha, good to see you. It's interesting because the mainstream media really delight in charging that President Trump shoots first with his tweets and asks questions later. This may be a case tonight of the media needing to take a collective look in the mirror because this is how it played out today. As you note, there was a freak out among reporters and pundits over the president tweeting out his condemnation of Fusion GPS, and the commander in chief's suggestion that the FBI may have paid for that Trump dossier.

Forgetting, of course, that the media itself published reports months ago suggesting just that. Conservative Pundit, David Frum, tweeting: "After yesterday savaging the family of a fallen U.S. soldier, President Trump is today suggesting the FBI has forged evidence against him." Dartmouth Professor, Brendan Nyhan, declaring: "The president suggests that the nation's chief law enforcement agency colluded with the Russians and the other party against him. Dangerous." Then, it gets more interesting, because of Jake Sherman, of Politico, remember that publication? It's important. Jumps in: "The president just suggested the FBI paid for dossier with intel about him. The FBI's in the U.S. government."

Perhaps the most remarkable one came from Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "Astonishing allegation by the by a president of the United States against the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Remarkable because of Tumulty's own newspaper, The Washington Post, reported way back in February that, "Yes, the FBI once planned to pay the former British spy who wrote that controversial dossier." Then, in March, it was Politico -- yes, Politico, that reported Republican Senator, Chuck Grassley, was slamming this "alleged FBI plan" to pay former British spy for Trump intel. So, this was a very interesting circular bit criticism where the media is saying the president is tweeting that may be the FBI paid for this dossier forgetting that they suggested in the first place, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Amazing parallels, how quickly they forget. Ed, thank you very much. Ed Henry, at the White House. So, the Fusion GPS tale is not the only Russia headline in the news. There are still questions tonight about a 2010 deal that sent U.S. uranium to Russia. A tangled web that could include the Obama White House, the Clinton State Department, and the Holder Justice Department. Today, in the oval office, President Trump accused the media of not paying attention to this big story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Your real Russia story is uranium and how they got all of that uranium, a vast percentage of what we have. That is, to me, one of the big stories of the decade, not just now, of the decade. The problem is that the mainstream media does not want to cover that story because that affects people that they protect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Here now, Peter Schweizer, Author of the book "Clinton Cash," who originally broke that story about Uranium One and the sale of that company between an American trucking company and a Canadian uranium mining firm that was sold to Russia, and essentially give them about 20 percent control of our uranium. Peter, welcome, good to have you here tonight.

PETER SCHWEIZER, AUTHOR: Hey, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So, you know, how do you feel personally when you hear the president talk about the fact that so many people simply don't want to talk about this part of the story? And you've faced a lot of backlash for "Clinton Cash" and has sort of revived that this story is back in the news.

SCHWEIZER: Yes, you're right, Martha. I mean, I've said from the beginning when it pertains to Russia that there should be an investigation of any Russian attempts to manipulate the election, and we've had that, and there's really been, I think, no evidence, it's fair to say, of any collusion involving the Trump administration. But I also said, look, if you're going to be consistent about this, you have to investigate all of it, and that includes collusion or cooperation between the Clinton State Department and the Russian government.

And you know, there's been very little interest in investigating this. The book came out in 2015, The New York Times, to its credit, ran a 4000-word frontpage investigative piece confirming all the facts. But it's been complete radio silence as far as the mainstream media is concerned and there's really been no movement in the government, as far as I know, to really investigate this in a serious way.

MACCALLUM: So, you know, when you covered this story, and you did an exhaustive bit of work on it, you did not -- you weren't aware of what The Hill just found when they did some investigating that there was an ongoing FBI investigating and an informant who is tracking the connection between the Clintons, between Russia, between this uranium mining sale; and Hillary Clinton and Eric Holder were on the committee that signed off on the sale, that has to say it is OK for us to sell this resource to the Russians. Were you shocked when you read that story and saw that new connection?

SCHWEIZER: I was very shocked, Martha. Here's the thing to put into context. It can all get very complicated, but anytime there's a strategic company that needs to be sold, and a foreign government entity wants to buy make it, it has to be approved by this committee. One of the purposes of this committee is to make sure that the company buying it doesn't have hostile intent, but also that it's not corrupt, is not involved in terrorism, it's not involved in any other illicit activity.

Well, as this deal was being approved in 2010, the FBI was, in fact, investigating this Russian company and was finding evidence of all sorts of nefarious activity. And it appears, at this point, that that information was never given to the CVS Committee to even evaluate. So, the question becomes: why was the meeting never even made it? We don't know.

MACCALLUM: Why would they sit on this investigation? It's the Department of Justice, though the FBI investigation, Eric Holder sitting on the committee, wouldn't he want to say to them? You need to be aware of this, there are bribery and kickback involved in this company.

SCHWEIZER: Yes. I mean, Martha, that's a great question. And really, I think there are only two possible explanations: one is just bureaucratic incompetence; they just never raised it. Or the second possibility is something more nefarious, which is it's either for political reasons or commercial reason -- they did not want this deal stopped. But either explanation, I think, is terrible, and that's why Senator Grassley's call for an investigation, a congressional investigation, I think, is vital and necessary. But we also need an investigation by a grand jury or somebody that has subpoena powers that can really get to the bottom of the story.

MACCALLUM: Peter Schweizer, as always, thank you. Good to see you tonight, Peter.

SCHWEIZER: Thanks, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So, coming up...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT: Freedom is not merely a political menu option or a foreign policy fad. It should be the defining commitment of our country and the hope of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Rare public remarks from the 43rd president. Ari Fleischer, who served as White House Press Secretary under George W. Bush, is here with his take on the speech that is getting a lot of attention night. Plus, new media hysterics over the president's handling of the North Korea threat. Former special assistant to the president, Mark Water, is here tonight with his reaction to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stories are going around out there that if the president inches closer to some kind of nuclear confrontation with North Korea that those guys are going to do something. They're going to lock him in a room, they're going to tackle him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If we get this done, it will be historic. It will be bigger than any plan ever, you know, ever approved or -- ever. It will be the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country. And I can tell you, we have tremendous support for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: It's going to be huge. President Trump earlier touting his plans for the tax deal, the president also teasing an important Senate vote on the budget framework, and that is expected sometime tonight. This was going to be this afternoon, now it looks like this evening. And that would bring the GOP closer to the point where they could actually vote under reconciliation on that budget bill, and that would move important tax reform. So the president tweeted, Republicans are going for the big budget approval today, first step toward massive tax cuts. I think we have the votes, but who knows. Here now, maybe somebody knows a little bit, Marc Lotter, former special assistant to the president, former press secretary to the vice president. Marc, good evening, good to see you tonight.

MARC LOTTER, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Good to see you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So do you know does he have the votes?

LOTTER: I think we're getting close, you know. I mean, this is something that Republicans have been talking about for years. Middle class tax cuts, putting more money in the pocket of the American people, and cutting the corporate tax rate, which I among the highest in the world and bring it into an area where we can grow jobs and have companies bring back trillions of dollars that they're basically storing overseers, invested in our country, raise American wages, and create more American jobs.

MACCALLUM: I mean, do think that the burden of non-achievement weighs heavily enough on the GOP that they will not go home without doing this?

LOTTER: The burden really lies with all lawmakers on Capitol Hill because they're going to have to go back to their constituents, back in their districts and explained to the hardworking Americans that put them -- that send them to Washington why they're not in favor of putting more money in their pockets, why they're not in favor of creating more jobs, and why they're in favor of higher taxes? And that's just not something that most Republicans, and I would even think many Democrats are going to have a hard time explaining.

MACCALLUM: Well, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin guaranteed that it would be done by year's end. And what we've heard the past few days of people, sort of, pushing that timeline into, well, it could be the congressional year, you know, McConnell said, going into January. People tend to remember when you guarantee something like Joe Namath and the Super Bowl. You're going to have to deliver.

LOTTER: Well, one thing I can tell you is that President Trump is a leader who wants things done yesterday, and if he could have this done on January 20th and waiting for him on his desk that would have made him happy. So the sooner we get this done, the American people will be happy, the president will be happy, he'll get it signed, and we'll finally, after more than 30 years, reform a tax code that is greatly in need of being overhauled.

MACCALLUM: As you say, it's been talked about forever. And tonight's the night for the first step. I want to switch gears on you and play something that was on the "Today" show, back and forth between Matt Lauer and Brennan, the former CIA director. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TODAY"/NBC)

MATT LAUER, CO-HOST: You know the key players around the president in Mattis, and in McMaster, and John Kelly. The stories are going around out there that if the president inches closer to some kind of a nuclear confrontation with North Korea that those guys are going to do something. They're going to lock him in a room. They're going to tackle him.

JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: The president has the unilateral authority to be able to authorize military action. That order goes through Secretary Mattis. Secretary Mattis is going to either try to talk him out of it, disagree with it, carry it out, or, or, not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Marc, what do you think?

LOTTER: It's repugnant, but sadly, I'm not surprised. I mean, liberals and the mainstream media said the same thing about President Ronald Reagan in the early 1980's, and how did that work out for them? But really, what you've got here are media who were cheerleaders for a feckless and weak kneed foreign policy by President Obama that emboldened our enemies and abandon our friends. President Trump ran on a platform of naming our enemies and going after them. We see it working with ISIS. We see it bringing the world together, including China, to confront the threat that is North Korea, where that can has been kicked down the road for 30 years.

MACCALLUM: So no truth to the pact between these men that they're going to intercede if they think he's doing something that they don't agree with?

LOTTER: That is sheer ridiculousness. That's not going to happen. We've got a strong leader in the White House who is going to take the fight to our enemies if they're not willing to come and negotiate and come back to the world stage.

MACCALLUM: Marc Lotter. Thanks, Marc, good to see you.

LOTTER: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So still ahead tonight, a series of harrowing warnings this week from top intelligence leaders around the world. If ISIS is pushed out of Raqqa, some like CIA director Mike Pompeo are a bit worried about where they may go next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: Make no mistake about it, the intent still remains, there are terrorists around the world who are intent upon using commercial aviation as their vector to present a threat to the west.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: One intel official even warning that ISIS supporters want nothing more than their own version of 9/11. Ahead, we will tell you what you need to know. And former President Bush addressed a crowded room in New York City today, what he said about today's political environment that is getting a lot of attention tonight. His former press secretary, Ari Fleischer, joins me in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The American spirit does not say we shall manage or we shall make the best of it, it says we shall overcome, and that is exactly what we're going to do with God's help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: George W. Bush offering a rare public take on the current political climate, talked about his ideas for change, hope, and optimism in the world, but he also issued a warning about today's divisive political environment. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The American dream of upward mobility seems out of reach for some who feel left behind in a changing economy. Discontent deepened and sharpened partisan conflicts. Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication. We've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. At times, it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates into dehumanization. Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions, forgetting the image of God we should see in each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Powerful stuff. Here now, Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. And Ari is a Fox News contributor, of course. Good to see you tonight, Ari.

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Most of the response to that today in most media outlets was that he took a big swipe at President Trump there.

FLEISCHER: Well, you know, I remember that President Bush when President Obama was in office gave a speech about Middle East and the press took it as a swipe to President Obama. You know, I take it as just too easy for the press to take swipes, and that's how they write these stories up. But so much of what President Bush just said there I heard him say when I was the press secretary 16 years ago, particularly about the discourse, he was very troubled by the discourse back then. Remember, his critics called him a war criminal, and his instructions to me and the rest of the staff was always to rise above it because it's important for the president to set that tone. It's nothing new for President Bush.

MACCALLUM: You know, in terms of tone, obviously, the Bush presidency had a very different tone -- both Bush presidency is than what we're seeing today. There's also no love lost between the Bush family, and Jeb Bush got pretty beaten up in the process of the last presidential election, and it seems, in some ways, that the tone that Donald Trump at the time brought to the competition was what helped him to win. I just want to show you this from last August, a debate with Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Trump's language is divisive.

TRUMP: The one thing he did say about me, however, was my tone. And I also understand that. But when you have people that are cutting Christians' heads off, when you have a world at the border and at so many places that it's medieval times, we've never -- it's almost got to be as bad as it ever was in terms of the violence and the horror, we don't have time for tone. We have to go out and get the job done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Ari, what do you think?

FLEISCHER: Well, I think you're onto something there, Martha. Times change. And particularly after the Obama years, the Republican Party especially wanted somebody who really would take it to the Democrats, and that's one of the reasons Donald Trump was successful in the primary and Jeb was not. And so, Donald Trump to his credit captured that zeitgeist of what was going on in 2016. I will submit to you, tone remains important, and I think one of the issues that has bedeviled President Trump to some degree as president is, does he sometimes go too far. And some of the controversies he's gotten into were because he did go too far in some of the things he did or said. Policy wise, I think he's had a very successful presidency, and he has an opportunity here with tax form especially to be more so. I continue to think tone is always important.

MACCALLUM: Yeah. You know, it is interesting that President Bush spoke out and that he did go to a place in that speech that could even be interpreted as a swipe at President Trump, because he has said so often that he doesn't want to go there, you know, that he thinks there's one president at a time, and that he was happy that, you know, previous presidents didn't step on him when he was trying to do the job.

FLEISCHER: And I think that still is what he thinks, and I think he recognizes that it's impossible for anybody in this era to give a speech about anything without the press stirring the pot and saying, this is Bush versus somebody, somebody versus someone. That's exactly the same thing I saw when he gave that speech, as I mentioned, where the press said it was against Barack Obama when it wasn't his intention. So I think we all understand that's just how it works, but the words are actually a lot more subtle than that.

MACCALLUM: Ari Fleischer, thank you very much. Always good to see you.

FLEISCHER: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: So an important story to tell you about coming up here. Dire warnings are spilling in from a number of different intelligence officials around the globe as terror groups like ISIS see their grip on the Middle East loosen. There are new fears that they're setting their sights on western cities instead now in the hope of pulling off their own version of 9/11. Chilling words, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Waltz, and former CIA officer Buck Sexton, up next on why all of these intel leaders seem to be sounding a similar tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: We're now running well over 500 live operations involving around 3,000 individuals known to be currently involved in extremist activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: A series of chilling new warnings from the highest ranks of government on the global terror threat. And remarks in our London embassy, acting homeland security secretary Elaine Duke said this, the terrorist organizations, be it ISIS, or al Qaeda, or others, want to have the big explosion like they did on 9/11. They want to take down aircraft. The intelligence is clear on that. Her comments echoing the warning from Britain's MI5 chief and our own attorney general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: The military tells us they can expect, not a reduction after ISIS is defeated, but maybe even an increase in attacks.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: That threat is multidimensional, evolving rapidly, and operating at a scale and pace we've not seen before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: MI5 says they've taken down seven plots in seven months. Here now Lieutenant Colonel Michael Waltz, CEO of Metis Solutions and a Fox News contributor, and Buck sexton a former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan. Gentlemen, welcome, good to have both of you here. Colonel, let me start with you. In terms of what happened in Raqqa, and the need to continue to go after those sanctuaries, and what kind of impact it actually has on these more farther-flung operations in other countries?

MICHAEL WALTZ, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: You know, our intelligence community, law enforcement, our governments can only play so much defense. The key here is offense, and the best form of defense is offense. We have to continue to take down those sanctuaries. You know, every night that some of this terrorist leadership is thinking about a missile coming through their window is a night that they're not planning and plotting against the United States. We have to go after the sanctuaries. That's why staying engaged in places like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Niger, and other places is so critical. That's in the short term. In the long term, you know, we need a strategy in place to go after the ideology. It's relatively easy to bomb a tank, very difficult to bomb an idea, and we're at war against Islamic extremism. It's a war against us. And this is a global effort. But we cannot just sit back on our heels and hope to stop it at the borders. We have to fight it in Kabul and Kandahar, not in Kansas City.

MACCALLUM: All right. Buck, in terms of the homegrown terrorist, talk to me about what you think you're hearing in all of these little messages that are being sent from these different individuals who are very plugged in.

BUCK SEXTON, FORMER CIA OFFICER: This is a momentous week in the fight against Islamic extremism. Raqqa has fallen to our allies, and the Islamic State has been defeated, at least as a state, but it does continue on as an ideology. So now you have Islamic State affiliates, ISIS affiliates around the world, as well as those who are just adhering to the ideology looking to regain some relevance for this idea of the global jihad. They'll be looking to reclaim the leadership of jihadism once again with a mass casualty attack. They can't orchestrate a government anymore. They're on the run. They're actually being rounded.

MACCALLUM: Are they organized enough to pull off the kind of thing they pulled off on 9/11?

SEXTON: It doesn't take that much to pull off a mass casualty attack. And given the amount of resources spent, particularly in Europe and here in America to thwart the lower tech, lower skilled terrorist attacks, if you will, the edged weapons, vehicles, smaller explosives, we're not really looking at those long-term strategic possibilities, strategic terrorist attacks the same way that we were right after 9/11. And for a group like the Islamic State to regain relevance once again, I think there is an understanding in their leadership circles that they need a spectacular mass casualty attack because then they'll have recruits all over the world again, and it will restart that narrative of a global jihad that they can actually win, because right now, they're losing.

MACCALLUM: Chilling to hear the talk of airplanes and laptops again in terms of a potential plot when you look at this. I do want to take a moment with you, Colonel Waltz, while looking at what General Kelly had to say today. And we've played a lot of it at the top, and I know you had a chance to hear it.

WALTZ: Yeah.

MACCALLUM: You're a former green beret. You did operations in Niger, similar to this one. Let's put up what Frederica Wilson, the congresswoman who has been at the center of all this said after General Kelly made those comments. She said General Kelly is trying to keep his job. He will say anything. There were other people who heard what I heard, your thoughts?

WALTZ: Listen, Martha, let me be clear here, as a commander, I've had to write those letters. I've had to make those -- I've had to make those calls. There is nothing more difficult in the world to do. Those men were out there doing what they love. It's the families that have to suffer. They get three choices. They get that we don't come back, that we come back missing arms and limbs, or that were not right mentally and not the same as how we left. There is nothing more sacred than that.

MACCALLUM: Colonel Waltz, thank you for your service. And Buck, thank you. A poignant reminder of that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: We leave you tonight with this clip from the movie, "Taking Chance," about a hero who served under General Kelly, and as Kelly revealed today, was killed right next to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: So last night I read the DOD announcement of Phelps. I would be honored to escort him home.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: The remains are to travel feet first from being transported from one point to another. At each transfer point, regardless of the mode of transport, you will render honors.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: You're his witness now. Without a witness, you just disappear.

UNINDENTIFIED MALE: He'll be so honored that a senior officer brought him home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: That is The Story tonight. Thanks for sharing it with us. We will see you back here tomorrow night at 7:00. Tucker Carlson comes up next.



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This is a rush transcript from "The Journal: Editorial Report," October 21, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

PAUL GIGOT, "JOURNAL: EDITORIAL REPORT" HOST: Welcome to "The Journal: Editorial Report." I'm Paul Gigot.

A big step forward this week in the Republican tax reform effort as the Senate passed a budget blueprint Thursday night that paves the way for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts and blocks Democrats from filibustering a final deal. So can the GOP deliver on that deal before year's end?

Let's ask Wall Street Journal deputy editor, Dan Henninger, Washington columnist, Kim Strassel, editorial page writer, Kate Bachelder Odell, and columnist, Bill McGurn.

So, Dan, let's start here. Are the Republicans getting act together after health care fiasco?

DAN HENNINGER, DEPUTY EDITOR: I guess the short answer would be, yes, Paul. They actually got 51 votes to pass a budget rather than 48 or 49 and failed --

(CROSSTALK)

GIGOT: Everybody, but Rand Paul.

HENNINGER: Everybody, but Rand Paul. It's too bad that Senator Thad Cochran had to be wheeled all the way from Mississippi on his sick bed. You'd think his other fellow Senators, like Collins, Murkowski and McCain, could have committed themselves to voting for this and not make him come. But that's the way the Senate Republicans work now.

The budget was basically a conceit at this point, a steppingstone to get towards tax reform. And I do feel that these Republicans now have the sense that they are embarked on something very serious, had a little bit wind at their back, and now we are going to go forward to tax reform and do something that the president and every member of the party, perhaps with the exception of Rand Paul, really wants to do.

GIGOT: Kate, the key is $1.5 billion bogey here, which lets them cuts taxes by that amount. So they are not hostage to the scoring from the Congressional Budget Office entirely. They are not hostage to the joint tax committee, these institutions created by Democrats years ago that tend to make it harder to reform taxes.

KATE BACHELDER ODELL, EDITORIAL PAGE WRITER: That's right, yes. Basically, that's a conservative number on how much revenue we could expect to flow at the Treasury for growth.

GIGOT: Why?

ODELL: CBO says for every .1 percent you add to GDP, you get about $270 billion in revenue. CBO is not a pro-growth institution, so those are conservative estimates. And CBO also assume that is the economy grows at 1.9 percent over the next 10 years.

GIGOT: That's their estimate.

ODELL: Which is very weak. It would return to 3 percent growth, a historical norm, would produce more than $2.7 trillion under CBO's calculation. So $1.5 trillion, which is what the Senate is considering, is relatively conservative.

GIGOT: But there's no guaranty that the House Budget Committee, the House budget passed its own reform and they've had deficit neutral. There's no guaranty right now that the House will accept the Senates?

ODELL: That's right. They need to stick to this $1.5 trillion because it's the only way to finance lower rates, and they have to pay for the rates. So the House can either can pick up the Senate's version or go to conference and, in my view, they should just pick it up and pass it and we can be done with it.

GIGOT: Bill, what do you think?

BILL MCGURN, COLUMNIST: Yes, I agree. I think the Senate version is the best vehicle for getting to where they want to be on tax reform. Look, the passing of the budget is mostly symbolic. It's not so much a big victory as its defeat would have killed tax reform. That's the real importance.

GIGOT: Well, and you have to have it to get to the 51-vote threshold.

MCGURN: I'm optimistic because, look, you never know what John McCain is going to do. He voted against the Bush tax cuts when he was Senator and then ran on tax cuts when he was running for president. But I think Republicans are much more -- they're two things. They are much more comfortable making this argument about growth, incentivize and taxes than they were about ObamaCare, which was cast ObamaCare repeal, which was cast as taking insurance away from people. I think they are more comfortable on this. And I think they understand the downside of, first, the humiliation on ObamaCare repeal and then on tax reform would -- would personally come back to haunt a lot of them in 2018.

GIGOT: Kim, do you give much credit here to the much-maligned majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who behind the scenes was working with Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Bob Corker of Tennessee on the Budget Committee to try to get together a budget hawk, like Corker, and a tax cutter, like Toomey, to be able to put together this deal. Does McConnell get credit for that?

KIM STRASSEL, WASHINGTON COLUMNIST: He gets immense credit. People like to talk about the Senate as the graveyard where all good legislation goes to die but, in this case, it was the House that could not get its act together. In part, because of what Dan said, there was the conceit that the budget really matters in terms of the deficit or spending. Of course, what we all know is it bears no relationship in the end to actual spending. This was a solely a vehicle for tax reform. So McConnell went, and not only did he get Corker and Toomey and set the blueprint, which I do think the House is going to take, but he also got a lot of Senators this last week to start talking about the fact that this is only a vehicle for tax reform, to drop the allusion that the budget part of it matters, and that should pressure House Republicans to go along.

GIGOT: All right. Peer inside, if you can, Dan, the mind of Rand Paul, who is a Libertarian, claims to be, be for small government, like tax cuts. Why would he vote against something that would have -- makes tax reform possible?

HENNINGER: You know, you had me thinking there of Johnny Carson for a moment, the Great Karnack, what's in my head. Rand Paul, it's difficult to know, other than it seems to be about Rand Paul. On either health care or taxes, there was a sense in which you were doing this for the good of the country.

GIGOT: One hopes.

HENNINGER: One would hope. So Rand Paul, by definition, seems to be doing for the good of Rand Paul. And there's he's become the biggest outlier in the Republican Party and the Senate that we have seen in a very long time.

GIGOT: All right, thank you all.

When we come back, a final push by U.S.-backed forces in Raqqa ousts the Islamic State from it self-declared capital. So does the U.S. have a post- ISIS strategy for the Middle East? We will ask General Jack Keane, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIGOT: American-backed forces in Syria declared victory this week in the northern city of Raqqa, dealing a major blow to ISIS in its de facto capital. Raqqa's liberation by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab militias, may mark the end of Islamic State's self- declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. But does the U.S. have a strategy for a post-ISIS Middle East?

Let's asked retired four-star general, Jack Keane, a FOX News military analyst.

So, General, welcome. Good to have you back.

Let me ask you first, before we get to Raqqa, about General John Kelly's statement at the White House on Thursday. What did you make of that statement?

GEN. JACK KEANE, FOX NEWS MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I've never seen anything like that 17-minute message that he delivered to the American people. The eloquence of his conviction, sincerity and his emotion was a powerful civic lesson to the American people, letting them understand the most sacred process we have in this country, dealing with our fallen. And I agree with his rather crushing rebuke of Congresswoman Wilson, and entering into that process and discrediting the soldier and his family as a result of exposing it to a public discussion and debate.

GIGOT: All right, thank you.

Now, on Raqqa, how big a defeat is this losing that territory, the second capital, after they lost Mosul in Iraq? How big of a defeat for ISIS?

KEANE: Yes, it is. They're the first terrorist organization in some time that took a safe haven right in middle of a very active country like that. This is a very resilient organization. Several hundred fighters move into Syria because of the stalemated civil war. They were all Iraqi fighters in 2012. A year and a half later, under al Baghdadi's leadership and his other leaders, they grew to 30,000 when they invaded Iraq in 2014. This organization is not going away. The caliphate certainly is. They will still be a challenge for us in the Middle East. They've expanded to 30 other countries.

GIGOT: Right.

KEANE: They have attacked NATO, either inspired or directed, 39 times in the last two and a half years. Nonetheless, this is a major accomplishment for the United States. We should feel good about it. We should feel good about the coalition that did this. But we have to take their finances away. We have to take their virtual caliphate away, and stay on top of them.

GIGOT: How much credit here do you think the Trump administration gets for this victory, as opposed to the Obama administration, because the Obama administration folks say, look, all the Trump folks are doing is basically following through on our strategy. Yes or no?

KEANE: Well, the Obama administration made a strategic error. The main effort should have always been the caliphate in Syria because that was their headquarters. We made the main effort Iraq, and yet, we had to wait for a year and a half to get the troops retrained to be able to do it. During that entire time, we should have taken the caliphate away. And in my judgment, ISIS would not have become this significant iconic force it became and be able to direct activities worldwide. Five years in that caliphate was much too long.

All that said, the facts are that the Trump administration came in, took the Obama plan, but made it more effective. Easing up on the rules of engagement, putting artillery in there, Apache helicopters, giving the commanders on the ground full authority to conduct a war. No micro managing in the White House. So they deserve credit for changing how we operate and making those operations more effective.

GIGOT: OK, now let's move on from here. What now, because I don't detect, frankly, any U.S. -- clear U.S. strategy of what happens next, what we want to do next in Syria or Iraq, can you decipher one?

KEANE: Yes, we have to clear the rest of the Euphrates River Valley, southeast of Raqqa, where the leaders of Raqqa are still.

GIGOT: OK.

KEANE: They -- they have been out of Raqqa for some time. Secondly, agree with what you just said. I don't see a strategy to deal with Syria, writ large. In other words, the western part of Syria, Iran, Russia and Assad, they are in total control, and there's no taking that away from them without conducting a major military operation where there's no political will for that. But the eastern part of Syria, we should be containing Iran's ambitions to take full control of Syria by taking the east. And I don't see any strategy to stop that, Paul. And I think that's a strategic mistake on the part of the administration.

GIGOT: That's right. OK. I agree with you on that.

Now the Kurds are saying, the Kurds -- they were our fighters on the ground in clearing out ISIS out of Raqqa. And they are saying, hey, you know, we would like to keep this territory. We have a right to at least some autonomy here. Can the U.S. -- how should we treat the Kurds in -- in their ambitions going forward?

KEANE: In Iraq, the issue has always been the political end state. Can the Iraqis keep a country together with the Sunnis and the Shiites and the Kurds operating, at least coexisting together? And we knew that the challenges would be there after ISIS. And here they are right in front of us. I think the United States has got to get involved in this. The Iranians are in full, backing the government of Iraq, stomping all over the Kurds. We've got to stop that from happening. I think, yes, the Kurds should have more autonomy than they currently have. It's something we should negotiate. I'm not talking about complete independence.

GIGOT: Right.

KEANE: I think the fact that they were the fighters on the ground for 18 months while the Iraqi army was trying to get act together, there should be major concessions to them. I think maybe a higher percentage of oil that they should receive as a result of that. They -- the government of Iraq has to make some concessions to the Kurds, or else we will find ourselves likely in some kind of civil war here. The Iranians could care less about the Kurds. They have considerably more political influence over the government of Iraq than the United States have, and that's a strategic mistake the Obama administration has. And I'm hoping the Trump team steps up here and realizes how important U.S. political influence on the government of Iraq is to the future stability of the country.

GIGOT: All right. Thank you, General Keane. Appreciate it.

KEANE: Yes, good talking to you.

GIGOT: When we come back, our panel weighs on America's post-ISIS strategy in the Middle East, as well as John Kelly's powerful defense of President Trump's condolence calls to a Gold Star widow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I said to him, sir, there's nothing you can do to lighten the burden on these families. But let me tell you what I tell them. Let me tell you what my best friend, Joe Dunsford (ph), told me, who was my casualty officer. He said, Kel, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIGOT: That was White House chief of staff, John Kelly, in an emotional and very personal defense of President Trump's phone call this week to the widow of a slain Army soldier. Mr. Kelly describing on Thursday what it was like to learn about his own son's death in Afghanistan, and calling criticism of the president unfair.

We are back with Dan Henninger, Bill McGurn, and Wall Street Journal editorial board member, Mary Kissel.

Bill, you have been in the White House. You know presidents have to make calls like that. What did you make of --

(CROSSTALK)

MCGURN: Yes, when I was in the White House, I saw President Bush do this quite often, meet with the families. And in fact, I brought in two different moms of Marines that had been killed, one Jewish mom from Vermont, and one Catholic mom from Massachusetts. It's an incredible thing to watch people deal with the commander-in-chief, on whose order, son, husband, brother probably died. John Kelly brought two terrible attributions into that. One, he's the father of a Marine, so he's gone through it that way. Also, he was a Marine commander who gave orders knowing that it would result in the deaths of very good Marines.

(CROSSTALK)

GIGOT: He speaks with tremendous moral authority.

MCGURN: I urge people to Goggle it, to read the transcript. To go back and read another speech that John Kelly gave the day after his son was killed, about two Marines who stood their ground against a truck bomb. It's just an incredible kind of thing.

GIGOT: Dan, do you think there's going to be any fallout from this in the good sense that we have kind of reached the low here when we are politicizing grief and sacrifice from soldiers, which is what has happened, and politicizing a phone call from Trump? Will we all have a step back and give a pause here or are we just going to keep going down?

HENNINGER: I think most of us will step back, Paul. But the question is, are the two main parties to this fiasco going to step back? And that would be the White House press corps and the president of the United States. All right?

Look, what John Kelly was trying to say here is the he could not believe that we have reached a point where the press was playing gotcha, as they do every day of the week, and then the president was cracking back with tweets against this Democratic congresswoman. Where is the level of seriousness about the nation's business? And I think John Kelly felt he had an obligation to come forward and say, this has got to stop, if you cannot even be serious over the death of a fallen soldier, how can you be serious about the rest of the nation's business.

GIGOT: All right, Mary, let's move onto ISIS in Syria. I want to pick up where General Keane left off. What do you think about the strategy here? Do you detect one on the part of the Trump administration? What we do know now that the caliphate is gone?

MARY KISSEL, EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER: I think I'm with you and General Keane, Paul. I don't think that there's a strategy for Syria or for Iraq. And actually, in some respects, the president's strategy in the Middle East is a little bit schizophrenic. One the one hand, h did a deal with Russia in Syria, which also gave shelter to Iran and jihadi's in Syria.

GIGOT: This is for the cease-fire in southern Syria, near Israel.

KISSEL: That's right. And then on the other hand, he came out with a big speech in these last days saying, you know what, we are going to contain Iran's ambitions in the Middle East. There isn't a strategy. The war on Islamic State has not been won. We still have thousands of fighters straddling the border --

(CROSSTALK)

KISSEL: -- between Syria and Iraq, and as General Keane said, in many, many countries around the world. And, look, I just don't think you can get rid of the ISIS threat in Syria without getting rid of Assad. And it's a truth that this administration doesn't want to talk about. But I'm afraid to say, Paul, I think that's -- I think that's how it is.

HENNINGER: Another potential casualty of this is that both Secretary of Defense Mattis and NSC director, General McMaster, have made a point about the United States reconstituting the association with our allies, whether in Asia or in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia. But if the administration, the president has the kind of half in/half-out attitude towards something that Mary just described, our allies in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, the Kurds, who we just more or less abandoned to the Iraqis, are going to stand back and say, I don't know if we can get into this fight that you will try to take to the Iranians.

GIGOT: But, Mary, the president just, in the campaign, basically, what he said about the Middle East is, I'm going to defeat ISIS, I'm going to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He didn't say anything else about what to do in Syria. He had no strategy, no plan. And I don't see any real willingness to deploy any American troops back there.

KISSEL: Well, the president also said he was going to get out of Afghanistan. Remember that? And he spent six months studying the issue and he went on national television and he said, you know what, I made a mistake during the campaign, I was wrong, here's my comprehensive strategy, we are changing tactics here in the White House. And hopefully, he will do the same thing when it comes to policy --

(CROSSTALK)

MCGURN: I agree with that. I think we might never get a coherent Trump doctrine. I think that what we're likely to get is some of what we have now, where the parts are better than the whole.

I will say this victory in Iraq, in Raqqa, one of the things that it does is it exposes a complete falsehood that our choice, as Obama used to say all of the time, was between a full-scale invasion or doing nothing. It should give us hope that if you can support local forces with some troops, engineer support and some operations capacity, you can accomplish a lot. So I think we have to hope for Donald Trump. I don't think he's going to give us the kind of Reagan doctrine or Bush doctrine that we got before.

GIGOT: I think that's a fair bet.

(LAUGHTER)

Still ahead, two officials behind the so-called Trump dossier take the Fifth before the House Intelligence Committee as the wide-ranging probe in Russian's influence in the 2016 campaign continues. We will have the latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AL FRANKEN, D-MINNESOTA: First, it was, I did not have communications with Russians, which was not true. Then, it was, I never met with any Russians to discuss any political campaign, which may or may not be true. Now, it's, I did not discuss interference in the campaign.

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let me just say this, without hesitation, that I conducted no improper discussions with Russians at any time regarding a campaign or any other item facing this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIGOT: A heated exchange this week between Democratic Senator Al Franken and Attorney General Jeff Sessions over then-Senator Sessions communications with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election. That exchange at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday came the same day as two top officials at Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm behind the unverified dossier alleging Russian ties to the Trump campaign, invoked their Fifth Amendment rights before the House Intelligence Committee.

The FBI this week also posted a document suggesting that former Director James Comey began drafting his statement exonerating Hillary Clinton in the e-mail probe months before his July 2016 announcement.

We are back with Dan Henninger, Kim Strassel and Bill McGurn.

So, Kim, let's start off with Fusion GPS. Why should we care about this company?

KIM STRASSEL, WASHINGTON COLUMNIST: Well, look, Paul, we have House investigators and Special Counsel Robert Mueller looking into allegation that the Trump campaign colluded with Russians. We need the answers to that question. But it's also reasonable to want to know where some of those allegations came from. And a lot came from this dossier that Fusion GPS commissioned with the help of a former British spook, who we now know was working with some Russians. We need to understand the extent to which Russia influenced that dossier, if at all, and whether or not our law enforcement then relied on a piece of disinformation to conduct its probe into Trump.

GIGOT: So it could be, Kim, and what we are trying to find out is, did this American company commission this document and, therefore, promote -- included a lot of Russian disinformation, and then that could have actually started the FBI investigation back in 2016 into the Trump campaign? Could that have been the start of it all?

STRASSEL: It's unlikely that it started it. But it seems very clear that the FBI, in some form or fashion, may have relied on this document to ramp up its investigation, potentially, even to get some of the warrants that it used. And the House Intelligence Committee is struggling not just to get Fusion to give it information about the origin of this document and what went into it, but struggling to get the FBI to hand over information about how it ended up using the document.

GIGOT: All right, Bill, this Steele dossier -- Christopher Steele was the former spy that Kim talked about. Has this been corroborated or is it largely discredited?

BILL MCGURN, COLUMNIST: No. A lot of us call it discredited because there's been individual aspects, such as Trump's lawyer meeting in Prague, and he's never been to Prague, and so forth. So a lot of it -- I think Fusion says that they stand by it. And, again, if we are going to understand Russia's role, we would like to know who paid for this. It looks like, at one point, Christopher Steele had a relationship with the FBI to pay for some things, and they didn't pay. But we need to know that. The FBI has been very uncooperative. And, of course, Senator Al Franken would like to keep us stuck in November 2016, and focusing on Jeff Sessions. There's been no other information showing Jeff Sessions did anything improper and he rescued himself. We need a lot of answers on the other side. What's mystifying for Jeff Sessions is that the Donald Trump Department of Justice is stonewalling congressional efforts to find out about this damaging dossier on Donald Trump.

GIGOT: Well, sessions has rescued himself.

MCGURN: Yes.

GIGOT: So that responsibly would fall to Rod Rosenstein, the deputy A.G.

MCGURN: Right.

GIGOT: Why don't they turn it over, Dan? I don't understand?

DAN HENNINGER, COLUMNIST & DEPUTY EDITOR: I don't either, except these are the security intelligent services, the FBI, and usually the wagons get circled under circumstances like this. But this is one instance in which the circle should be broken because I think -- I think one of the Democrats here do protest too much. The reason they are cranking it up to this level is because, I think, A, we need to know where the dossier came from. And, B, I think there's a big question of whether the Obama administration, if I may put it this way, was colluding with the security and intelligent services. They're the ones who distributed some of this information about the possibility of Trump having involvement with the Russians, that got leaked with the press, and that's how all of this started.

GIGOT: Well, the intelligence services, they worked for the Obama administration.

HENNINGER: Well, it's supposed to be basically independent operations that make judgments on their own. They aren't a tool, a political tool of a presidential administration.

MCGURN: To Dan's point, we also have, at the same time, this parallel scandal of unmasking. And Samantha Power, we know, asked for hundreds of --

GIGOT: Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

MCGURN: Now she's saying she didn't quite ask for them. It's unclear whether she asked on behalf of other people or other people used her name. All this is coming together.

Look, the president tweeted out something, again, to Dan's point, that's outraging the Democrats, saying who paid for this Fusion dossier, was the Democrats, the Kremlin or the FBI. And it's reasonable questions, given what we know.

GIGOT: Why do we want to know this, Kim. And do we -- and are we going -- let me put it this way, are we going to get to the bottom of this? Are these people going to get away with not testifying and not cooperating?

STRASSEL: Look, let's just back up for a second. The question we need to answer is, how did Russia or did Russia influence or interfere in our elections. If it turns out that there was a document that Democrats paid for or commissioned, that Russians ended up influencing to plant disinformation about a presidential candidate and inspire law enforcement to take action, that would definitely be interfering in our election process. So we need to know.

Now, the House has sent out subpoenas. Fusion has refused today testify. But there's other ways that the House can try to get some of the information that might explain who paid for everything and -- and we will see. They could be held in contempt. We still have a long way to go on this.

GIGOT: All right. Thank you very much, Kim.

Still ahead, Facebook is under fire amid the growing furor over Russia's use of social media to influence the 2016 presidential race. But could a $100,000 in ads really swing an election? We'll ask a former Clinton adviser, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, D-FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Some of the Facebook ads specifically targeted Michigan and Wisconsin, two of the states that decided the election by razor-thin margins, which suggests that the Russian strategy was even more sophisticated than we knew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIGOT: Facebook chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, made the rounds on Capitol Hill last week amid the growing furor over Moscow's use of social media to influence the 2016 presidential election. The company revealed last month that a Russian firm with links to the Kremlin bought more than $100,000 worth of ads on Facebook between June 2015 and May 2017. But would that be enough to influence the outcome of a presidential race?

Mark Penn is managing director of the Stagwell Group. He was the chief strategist on Bill Clinton's 1996 presidential campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign and Mrs. Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.

So, Mark, welcome. Good to see you.

MARK PENN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, STAGWELL GROUP & FORMER STRATEGIST, BILL CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN & CHIEF STRATEGIST, HILLARY CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Thank you.

GIGOT: You wrote an intriguing piece for us this week suggesting that $100,000 can't buy an election. Why don't you explain that?

PENN: Well, the premise of the piece is enough fake news about fake news. That if you just took a little simple math, Facebook told us that 56 percent was spent after the election, so only $44,000 could even have been in the application, period, that most of it didn't refer to a candidate, that most of it was not in swing states. But by the time you do simple math, you get down to about $6,500 may have been in swing states during the year of the election. It's incredible that we are spending all of this time talking about something like that, that just a little math explodes.

GIGOT: All right. There's a sense that I get talking to Democrats that this election was so close in those key midwestern states, so close in Wisconsin, that if foreign agents, foreign sources just poured a little money into those districts with a message that looked to be anti-Clinton or anti-Obama, then you could actually influence the election in those states and turn the Electoral College?

PENN: I wished that it was so easy. I mean, $2.4 billion was spent on this presidential election. Hillary Clinton had a $400 million advantage over Donald Trump. And just in the last week, her super PAC put $6 million into Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Florida. To suggest that a few thousand dollars of these incredibly targeted ads, which they weren't, they didn't even know when the Election Day was, is ludicrous. And we have to be honest with ourselves. Whether this argument hurts or helps Democrats, we have to have some honest fact-based discussions in this country.

GIGOT: All right. You compared this in your piece to what the Chinese tried to do in 1996. We know that there was an attempt by foreign agents there to influence the campaign on behalf of Bill Clinton. But you say that wasn't decisive either.

PENN: Well, it wasn't decisive. It was hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was probably bigger. And, of course, money meant a little bit more in 1996. It was probably bigger, but we kept it in proportion. We did investigate it. There were fundraisers who were prosecuted. It was clear that the Chinese government had a, quote, "China plan." No, it wasn't decisive. But we didn't make it a national fixation. We tightened up validation procedures about foreign countries. And we should tighten up fake accounts and, you know, clearing ads and things like that. We should clear that up. We should take this as a warning that this wasn't something that really made a difference. But somebody could in the future.

GIGOT: All right. Your advice to Facebook, Twitter and social media sites would be basically you're going to have to dig into who the sources of these ads are in next election and make sure you screen out these foreign- sourced ads. Because, obviously, if we knew that a Russian ad -- was buying a full-page ad in the "Wall Street Journal," for example, attacking a candidate, we wouldn't take the money.

PENN: Well, technically, the Supreme Court has protected non-candidate- issued communications. So Facebook has a lot of issues to consider.

I guess the point is, look, in good faith, you should have the basic procedures that a lot of TV stations have for ads that you run through political ads. You should really do your best on fake accounts. And make sure this doesn't become a real problem because -- you know, because we got so overheated here in doing this. It could become a problem, but it wasn't.

GIGOT: Your party, the Democratic Party, are they paying too much attention here, in your view, to Russia's role in the election and saying, look, the idea that that made Trump's victory illegitimate, is that just focusing too much on that the last election and not enough on the next one?

PENN: Yes. Look, I think where the Democrats have had the strongest ground so far on health care. They clearly won the argument on health care. I think, as President Obama went out yesterday, I think they seem less divided. I think to the extent to which everybody attacks our democracy or calls it illegitimate or divides the country, I don't think anybody wins in that discussion. The people who win in the discussion are those who unit the country. Ninety-one percent in my Harvard Harris poll want Democrats and Republicans to work together, even though they dislike them all in these polls.

GIGOT: All right. Thank you for being here, Mark Penn. Appreciate it.

PENN: Thank you.

GIGOT: When we come back, a bipartisan bill on ObamaCare facing opposition from some Republicans on Capitol Hill. So how good of a deal is it for Republicans and Democrats?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIGOT: A bipartisan deal to temporarily prop up the Affordable Care Act appeared to be on thin ice late this week after President Trump signaled his disapproval. The Senate bill, sponsored by Republican Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray, would fund for two years the subsidies to health insurers that the administration cut off last week. After initially signaling his support for the plan, President Trump appeared to change course, tweeting, quote, "I am supportive of Lamar as a person and also of the process, but I can never support bailing out insurance companies who have made a fortune with ObamaCare."

We are back with Dan Henninger, Kim Strassel and Kate Bachelder Odell.

So, Kate, what do Democrats get out of this deal?

KATE BACHELDER ODELL, EDITORIAL PAGE WRITER: They get two years of cost- sharing subsidies, which let's insurers defray the cost of deductibles and copays for low-income people. They also get about $100 million in ObamaCare advertising, funding. And it's funny to imagine --

(CROSSTALK)

GIGOT: To sign people up?

ODELL: Yes. It's funny to image that the marketing is really the problem. But on the GOP side, what they get is more state flexibility. ObamaCare proponents will always tell you that states can just send in a waiver and do whatever they want, but this is not actually true. The laws have all sorts of restrictions on -- the benefits have to be comprehensive as what ObamaCare requires. They have to be at least as affordable. Essentially, is says, governors, try whatever you want as long as it's ObamaCare or single payer.

GIGOT: OK, but does this language change in this compromise actually deregulate those restrictions?

ODELL: Well, the problem is it doesn't do enough. It basically is a small language change on affordability that would allow some waivers that have been held up in this long, lengthy application process to move through, but it doesn't throw off the shackles of ObamaCare and say try to experiment with health savings account or anything else.

GIGOT: Why would Republicans like Lamar support it?

ODELL: It's basically a political choice. It amounts to, are Republicans going to take the blame for these subsidies getting cut off. Is there going to be chaos in the individual insurance market?

GIGOT: You argue that there won't be chaos because the subsidies will go up to compensate -- the subsidies, to compensate for the lack of the subsidies to insurers, but prices will go up, right, premiums?

ODELL: Premiums will go up. You're right. The tax credits will cover the cost-sharing subsidies, so insurers get paid anyway. I guess it's really more the perception of chaos. Are we going to have headlines for weeks and months about 20 percent premium increase and what do Republicans think about that? Also, this money was being spent illegally. And I think Congress should try to appropriate it and make it legal.

GIGOT: Because a federal judge -- Congress sued President Obama for the subsidies, and a federal judge said this violates the Constitution because there's no appropriation for them.

So, Kim, what do you think of the politics here? Are you with Alexander or the skeptics?

STRASSEL: With the skeptics. Look, the Republicans have this amazing opportunity right now to offer the Democrats one of the only things the Democrats care about, which is more money to spend. And if they're going to do a deal, they should drive a pretty hard bargain. So either that can be done by Lamar Alexander and continuing negotiations in the Senate. And I think that that is what President Trump is trying to push happen, with some of its skepticism, saying get a better deal here. Or, probably, even better, it would be a great thing to see House Republicans attempt to redeem themselves on health care by coming up with a stronger bargain in the House and then sending it over to the Senate and putting some pressure from that direction.

GIGOT: But, Dan, they don't want to vote on this in the House because it's not going to be repeal and replace. It's going to be essentially we are propping it up in return for some reform?

HENNINGER: Yes. I think the White House has begun to recognize that. I think probably what President Trump was saying, not being able to support this, he understands that the really big important vote coming up for him in the House is on that tax bill.

GIGOT: Right.

HENNINGER: Since they opposed ObamaCare the first time around, he does not want a repeat of disaffected House Republicans saying, they are forcing a bad ObamaCare reform on us, now we are going to have problems with the tax bill. He's not going to take that risk.

GIGOT: Kate, do you think the Democrats are going to go along with any kind of reform that Kim suggests that Republicans should seek?

ODELL: I'm not sure. I doubt it. I think what we are getting at is essential health care problem, which is can't pass the House, can't clear the Senate, and what clears the Senate can't get through the House. What's the alternative? Give up? They have to try something. I think there's a lot of reformers putting good ideas on delaying the employer mandate, on loosening or delaying or repealing or just getting rid of the individual mandate or allowing more health savings accounts or other arrangements. They have an obligation to keep trying to negotiate.

GIGOT: Kim, briefly, are you worried at all about -- I mean, the politics for Republicans is that they could get blamed for premium increases. You think they should worry about that?

STRASSEL: They should worry about it, absolutely. This is not necessarily the pottery barn rule anymore. Democrats broke it, but Republicans now own it, and they are going to have to take some efforts to fix it.

GIGOT: OK, thank you all.

We have to take one more break. When we come back, "Hits & Misses" of the week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIGOT: Time now for "Hits & Misses" of the week.

Kim, first to you.

STRASSEL: This is a miss to California, where Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that allows residents -- and this is a first ever in the country -- allows residents to choose a third non-binary gender option on all of their state I.D.s, so birth certificates, driver's licenses. Paul, I'm a big fan, in our personal relations, we need to respect each other. But that's a far cry from forcing state officials to have to choose to deal with people on their feelings rather than the facts of their birth.

GIGOT: All right.

Bill?

MCGURN: Paul, a big hit to Tom McCabe and the Freedom Foundation in Washington State. He and his merry warriors have been trying to inform home health care workers they don't need to join a union to do their job. When they did, 10,000 people opted out of the union. And the SIU (sic) sued.

GIGOT: The SEIU.

MCGURN: The SEIU. So now a judge has thrown out that suit. The SEIU was complaining that they were interfering in their business model. The judge has thrown it out. A big victory for workers' rights. It tells you something about the argument that it's the unions trying not to let workers know their rights.

GIGOT: Mary.

KISSEL: I'm giving a miss to Quebec for banning face veils. This is aimed at Muslim women who wear things like hijabs and burkas. If you have gotten to the point where you're banning things, I think you have lost the argument. I think it goes to shows two things, Paul. Controversial things do actually happen north of the border. But, secondly, look, identity politics is not just an American affliction. It happens in Canada, too.

GIGOT: Dan?

HENNINGER: OK, Paul, a big hit to a comedy group at Brigham Young University called Studio C. They have amassed one billion views on YouTube, mostly college students, despite the fact that their comedy is squeaky clean. Hard to believe you can actually still make people laugh without wallowing in the gutter. I think this Studio C at Brigham Young University, this could be the start of something good.

GIGOT: All right. Dan, thank you.

And remember, if you have your own hit or miss, be sure to tweet it to us, @JERonFNC.

That's it for this week's show. Thanks to my panel. Thanks to you for watching. I'm Paul Gigot. Hope to see you right here next week.

END

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An organization that erected Caddo Parishs Confederate monument in 1906 filed a lawsuit to stop its removal.

The Caddo Parish Commission voted 7-5 after two hours of debate for a measure to take down the monument from the grounds of the parish courthouse at 501 Texas Street. The statue was put up in 1906 in a parish once known as Bloody Caddo because so many African-Americans were killed during Reconstruction.

The United Daughters of the Confederacys Shreveport chapter filed suit late Thursday, local media reported. Their action comes amid a nationwide soul-searching over whether and how to remove monuments put up in the early 20th century to honor the Confederacy.

Jackie Nichols, president of the Shreveport chapter of the UDC, said Friday that the commission's vote was disappointing, but not unexpected. She called the vote "illegal" and said it left the United Daughters of the Confederacy no option except going to court.

R.J. Johnson, chair of a citizens' advisory committee appointed by the commission, said moving the statue away from the parish courthouse in Shreveport is about reconciling the community. This vote is an opportunity for us to shed our parish's reputation as 'Bloody Caddo,' The Times of Shreveport reported.

One of those against, Rex Dukes, told the commission, "Over 300 of my people, of my ancestors, fought in the Confederate War; probably more than anybody else in this room. The monument needs to stay where it is," KSLA-TV reported, adding that removing the monument would only further divide the country.

LEXINGTON USES PRIVATE FUNDS TO TAKE DOWN CONFEDERATE STATUES

However, the station reported, more than 80 percent of those attending rose to their feet when Commission President Steven Jackson asked those who support the monument's removal to stand.

This monument undermines a basic principle, a fundamental law, the 14th Amendment right to due process and justice under the law," Jackson said. "When individuals go to the courthouse, you have a symbol of injustice in front of a place of justice.

The monument features a large statue of a young soldier on a pedestal, surrounded by busts of four Confederate generals on lower pedestals. A life-sized statue showing Clio, the muse of history, points to a 3-foot-high (1-meter-high) book of remembrance which bears the words Love's tribute to our gallant dead.

The lawsuit contends that moving the monument would violate the organization's rights to free speech, due process and equal protection under law, the newspaper reported. The right to equal protection is in the 14th Amendment, which was passed to protect the rights of freed slaves.

The lawsuit also contends that the United Daughters of the Confederacy owns the bit of land on which the statues stand.

WHICH CONFEDERATE STATUES WERE REMOVED? A RUNNING LIST

It is not certain the UDC owns the land, Commissioner Lyndon B. Johnson told the station. He said the parish may have reserved land for the monument without donating it to the group.

He's among seven individual commissioners named as defendants for voting to remove the monument. The commission itself also is a defendant.

The monument belongs in a museum, not in front of a courthouse, Johnson said.

Commissioner Jim Middleton, who voted against removal, said, There were Daughters of the Confederacy that were 8, 9 and 10 years old when their parents left to go to the war, and when they came back may have been maimed or wounded. My personal perspective, I don't think they built the monument as a white supremacist act. I viewed it as being out love for their fathers that went to war.

Many in the audience stood to applaud the vote, The Times reported.

A motion to have voters decide the matter failed 5-7.

American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana executive director Marjorie Esman said the decision shows Shreveport is a place where freedom and equality are valued.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A retired teacher in Portland, Ore., is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16 after being convicted Friday of groping six seventh-grade girls in a single day.

Norman Scott, now 66, was working as a substitute gym teacher at Gardiner Middle School in Oregon City when he touched the girls breasts, thighs, bottoms and other parts of their bodies, the Oregonian reported.

It was the first and only day he substituted at that school, KATU-TV reported.

Most of the girls were 12 years old at the time, the newspaper said. The gropings occurred during a series of gym classes on Oct. 2, 2015.

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Jones said the girls testimony was compelling and credible, and that it was unlikely the girls had colluded to make false accusations, according to the report.

Scott was found guilty of third-degree sexual abuse and harassment.

He was indicted in June 2016, arrested in July 2016 and out on bail ever since. Scott taught in the Portland Public Schools for 36 years, the Oregonian reported.

Defense attorney Jacob Houze said Scott was falsely accused. He noted inconsistencies and contradictions in the students' statements, and said police neglected to interview other students who may have been witnesses.

In 2009 a Grant High School student posted a video online that showed Scott teaching a sex education class for 10th-grade students. He was wearing a condom on his head and a pair of red underwear over his pants with a hole in the middle.

The school district told him to never do that again.
A judge tossed a felony assault charge against a Pennsylvania woman who overdosed on heroin while pregnant -- giving her unborn child brain damage.

Kasey Dischman, 31, overdosed on June 23 at a house in East Butler while she was seven months pregnant. She went into cardiac arrest, then a coma, which resulted in doctors having to perform a cesarean section.

Dischman was facing a charge for felony assault after her child was brain damaged due to her drug use, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. However, Butler County Common Pleas Judge William Shaffer threw out the charge because he said its against state law.

BODY OF SHERIN MATHEWS, 3-YEAR-OLD TEXAS GIRL MISSING FOR WEEKS, BELIEVED FOUND, POLICE SAY

The defendant is alleged to have done a senseless, selfish, and heinous act that, allegedly, resulted in devastating and permanent injuries to her unborn child, Shaffer wrote, according to the Post-Gazette. This court is nonetheless constrained by the clear, plain, and unambiguous language of [the law].

Pennsylvania state law, according to the newspaper, says pregnant women cant be charged with aggravated assault against their own unborn children.

It's an egregious thing that happened. We have a mother who was seven months pregnant who intentionally used heroin and overdosed and left her baby brain damaged, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told WPXI.

Goldinger called the law bad and said: I dont think it was intended to protect women who are that far along in a pregnant who ingest drugs and cause an overdose. We owed it to that child to pursue these charges.

SKETCH SHOWS BOY FOUND DEAD ON TEXAS BEACH AS POLICE TRY TO DETERMINE HIS IDENTITY

However, the judge kept charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors. Dischmans 8-year-old daughter reportedly was in the home when Dischman overdosed.

Dischman spent most of her pregnancy in jail for retail theft, and was released only about five days prior to her overdose.

Dischman is being held in the Butler County Prison on a $500,000 bond.
Discriminated against in life, they were forgotten by their community in death, buried in unmarked graves in the back of the Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia.

The final resting places of the 1,146 black souls who once lived and worked there were anonymous. Though loved ones may have initially marked the spots with a homemade wooden cross or only a rock, the fragile tributes were lost to time.

For generations, segregation kept black and white Gainesville separate and unequal in life and death. On Sunday, those buried in obscurity were revered by the town in a ceremony to unveil a monument to their lives and finally welcome them as fellow residents.

Though their names, birthdates and dates of death remain unknown, six benches, along with a seven-foot, black granite obelisk stand in place of headstones for those interred in sections 16 and 17 of the cemetery.

The obelisk proclaims in gold letters: "This memorial stands as our testament that these citizens are important to this community and we embrace them as our own."

Mayor Danny Dunagan and Barbara Brooks, Gainesville's only African-American city council member, unveiled the monument Sunday. A large crowd gathered at the cemetery for the ceremony as spirituals were sung and tributes were given.

"These are home folks," said Brooks, who helped lead the effort to establish the memorial. "They're ours, and we intend to take care of them."

Alta Vista Cemetery dates back to 1872, and hold the remains of veterans from the Revolutionary and Civil wars  including Confederate Lt. General James Longstreet, a trusted adviser to Gen. Robert E. Lee. The cemetery was segregated until the mid-1960s, and the unmarked graves are believed to date from between the 1870s to the 1950s.

The project was born in 2015  in the wake of the racially motivated shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina  and is the latest effort to memorialize the buried. After being an open secret in town for decades, the full extent of the unmarked graves was discovered a few years ago after the city used ground-penetrating radar to locate them.

Rumor had the number estimated at around 200. More than five times that amount was discovered.

"They just kept finding them over and over," said Rev. Stuart Higganbotham, pastor of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, who went to the cemetery with Brooks after hearing about the unmarked graves.

"I know people at Grace had to have owned slaves," said Higganbotham, who is white. "I've done a few funerals there. There was a time when people weren't even allowed to be buried together. These were human lives."

After they were identified, the city placed numbered silver medallions on each of the 1,146 gravesites. But after Charleston, civic and community leaders wanted to do something to foster healing and reconciliation among its citizens. The idea for a memorial at Alta Vista was born.

A committee, consisting mainly of black residents, was formed to come up with a design. They wanted something big and bold that would stand out  but not a monument that would evoke white guilt for the past.

"Nobody living today can be blamed for what happened back then, but it is our duty to acknowledge what happened, and to try to bring attention to a people that really had no way to be recognized," Brooks said.

Organizers next plan to attempt to find descendants of those buried through historical documents and family Bibles. They encourage anyone who believes they may have a family member who was buried in the segregated sections at Alta Vista to contact the cemetery.

For those who already suspect as much, they will now have a place to grieve with dignity, said Higganbotham.

"Their families can come to continue that physical contact with their loved one," he said. "In a powerful way, they become alive to us again."

___

Alta Vista Cemetery: http://www.gainesville.org/alta-vista-cemetery

___

Errin Haines Whack is a member of The Associated Press' Race and Ethnicity Team. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous.
MGM Resorts International has no plans to rent the room used by mass killer Stephen Paddock to gun down 58 people and wound hundreds more, the company said.

This was a terrible tragedy perpetrated by an evil man. We have no intention of renting that room, the company told the Las Vegas Sun in a statement Friday.

The company did not say what it intended to do with the 32nd-floor suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, nor has it revealed what its intentions are for the festival grounds that were used for the Route 91 concerts.

Nearly three weeks after the Oct. 1 massacre, police have yet to piece together Paddocks motive. In addition, critical questions still linger about what exactly transpired in the days, weeks and months prior to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

On Thursday, a judge ordered MGM Resorts to not destroy anything that could be considered evidence in a trial. The order blocks Mandalay Bay from erasing video surveillance, card-swipe data and complaints coming from Paddocks hotel suite until another hearing Oct. 30, where MGM Resorts will have a chance to argue against it.

Meanwhile, Jesus Campos, a Mandalay Bay security guard who was hailed by Las Vegas police as a hero for alerting authorities to the gunmans snipers nest, appeared on Ellen DeGeneres show earlier in the week.

However, the interview did not clear up any of the unanswered questions about Paddock and the response to the shooting, including what caused Paddock to stop firing before authorities ever gained entry to his room, where Paddock was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A 7-year-old boy was attacked and killed by two pit bulls in Massachusetts after apparently entering an enclosed area Saturday, officials said.

The Middlesex district attorney's office said a preliminary investigation suggests the boy was attacked in Lowell around 6 p.m. after entering a fenced area where the dogs were located.

Officers responding to a report of an injured child at the home arrived at the scene to find the child already dead.

"I heard someone yelling, 'It's my baby! It's my baby!' and I come to find out that it was my daughter's friend's son," neighbor Annmarie Dizazzo told Boston 25 News.

Authorities said one of the pit bulls escaped after the attack before it was captured and euthanized. The other pit bull is in the custody of the city's animal control.

The district attorney's office has not yet identified the child, and charges have yet to be filed as of early Sunday.

Lowell is located about 30 miles north of Boston.
The keen nose of a dog with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered last week a stuffed animal in the back of a car was no play toy.

The CBP said in a news release that agents at an immigration checkpoint on Highway 78 near Blythe, Calif., were alerted Wednesday by a canine to an odor detected in a Dodge Challenger, prompting a second inspection.

When agents did a further search of the vehicle, they discovered nearly five packages of methamphetamine that weighed nearly 2 pounds in a stuffed toy dog on the backseat.

In addition to the toy discovery, officials also found three small bags of meth in the passenger's purse.

"Combined, the drugs were worth almost $6,000," the agency said.

The two U.S. citizens were arrested, and the drugs and vehicle "were processed in accordance with Yuma Sector guidelines."

The checkpoint was in an area where border agents routinely combat smuggling organizations in southwestern Arizona and California.
A 31-year-old police officer in Ohio was fatally shot responding to a domestic dispute during the weekend.

Girard officer Justin Leo was shot Saturday night, WFMJ reports.

Police were sent to a home around 10 p.m. regarding a domestic situation involving a firearm, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Special Agent James Ciotti said in a press conference. Upon arrival, officers approached the residence. There was a brief conversation between the officers and a male inside.

Initial reports indicate the man pulled a gun and shot a Girard police officer, he continued. The second officer returned fire and the male inside was hit and pronounced dead at the scene.

OFF-DUTY OFFICER KILLED IN VEGAS SHOOTING TO BE HONORED

Leo died at a local hospital, according to Ciotti. Leo was a five-year veteran of the department.

Out of nowhere, one shot rang out, neighbor Arron Wayland told the news station. And then immediately, three more shots. 

The incident is being investigated by the BCI.

The suspect hasnt been publicly identified.

A radio call for an officer down included an officer telling a dispatcher there was a man with several firearms who had been drinking all day.

Justin Leo was a young man I knew most of his life, Girard Mayor Justin Melfi said during the press conference. An absolute gentleman and someone who the city has been proud of since he had been here with us. Our communities, prayers and thoughts go out to Leos family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities in New York are looking for a suspect who brutally robbed an 81-year-old woman Friday as she was walking into the lobby of her apartment building.

The attack happened around 7 p.m. as Barbara Ann Davison went into the foyer of the building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.

"I paused to get my keys ready, and i think he must have seen my pausing, saw that I had a cane, saw that I was older, saw that I was having a little trouble walking," Davison told FOX 5 New York. "And, I was a good mark."

The suspect then punched her several times in the head and face in the brutal assault captured on building surveillance video.

As Davison then fell to the ground, the suspect, described as a man wearing all black, grabbed her red bag and ran off.

WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLECTING 65-YEAR-OLD BROTHER

"I felt the blows to the head, and that's when I shouted out," she said.

Davison, who has appeared in the movie "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" with Adam Sandler and the Netflix show "Orange is the New Black," only sustained bruises to her head and face and refused medical attention at the scene.

A day after the attack, police officers were posted outside the building and portable lights were placed nearby to better illuminate the area when its dark.

NEW YORK MAN, 91, DIES AFTER ELDERLY COUPLE TIED UP IN HOME INVASION

The actress said the entire ordeal would have been "so much worse," if the suspect had a weapon and had another message for her attacker.

"Get the help you need, and I'm sorry you felt you had to do this," Davison told FOX 5. "I'm really sorry you felt you had to do this."
A Florida neighborhood is on alert after three killings in 10 days within a half-mile of each other, as police acknowledged Sunday their investigation is going "painfully slow."

Interim Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan told "FOX & Friends Weekend" that the only link between the three victims was that each one was all alone at the time of their murder.

"We dont know if this in one individual. We don't know their color. We dont know their race, their ethnicity, their sex," Dugan said. "There's so many unknowns, and that's why we're hesitant to label it with anything."

Police are warning residents in the Seminole Heights neighborhood against walking outside alone, but encouraging them to go outside in groups and to pay attention to their surroundings, even handing out porch lights.

"When you have these type of incidents, I think the natural instinct is to hunker down and not go outside, and we're actually encouraging people to come out," Dugan said.

As officers are now deployed around the neighborhood, Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are offering a combined reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

"Things are moving, just not as quickly as we want," Dugan said, referring to the investigation.

On Friday, police released surveillance video from Oct. 9 of a man seen walking in the area when the first victim, Benjamin Mitchell, 22, was shot to death. The second killing took place on Oct. 13, when Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, was found dead in a vacant lot of a gunshot wound.

On Thursday, officers were patrolling the area when they heard gunshots and found Anthony Taino Naiboa dead on the sidewalk, about 100 yards from where one of the other victims was killed.

Naiboa, 20, was the oldest of five children and ended up in the area by mistake, according to Dugan.

"He took the wrong bus and ended up in this neighborhood," Dugan told "FOX & Friends Weekend."

Residents said they are shocked to see the string of killings in what is usually a "quiet neighborhood."

"My wife is scared, my kids are scared, we have to be locked up in the house, which is not right, you know," Jose Arroyo told FOX 13 Tampa.

While the killings have prompted warnings from officials, some residents are refusing to live in fear.

"I will never live in an environment where I have to feel like I am a prisoner in my own house, no matter what," Jamie Collins said.
A 28-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son were trying to cross train tracks on Thursday in Georgia by crawling below a stopped freight train -- when it suddenly lurched forward, slicing off an arm and leg, local media reported.

Kate Brown was trying to cross with three children at the time, according to WXIA.

Two of her children were able to successfully crawl underneath the train, Clayton County police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And soon after, she began to crawl underneath the train holding her 1-year-old son.

BODY OF MISSING TEXAS GIRL, 3, BELIEVED FOUND, POLICE SAY

The train began moving -- and it severed Browns leg and her young sons arm, Fox 5 added. The limbs couldnt be saved.

The disaster unfolded on tracks behind an Exxon station, WGCL reported.

Having to struggle with no vehicle, she did what she had to do, her husband Lance Brown told WGCL.

Click for more from Fox 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Illinois historical society has received a fitting donation in the Land of Lincoln.

A box made from a tree stump on which Abraham Lincoln purportedly gave one of his earliest political speeches was given to the Rochester Historical Preservation Society last week, the (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports.

Lincoln delivered a speech in the town in 1832, when he campaigned for the state House, according to the newspaper.

Terry Campbell of Green City, Missouri, gave the box to the society Friday on behalf of the Campbell family, the State Journal-Register said. The land where Lincoln spoke reportedly has been in the family for more than 130 years.

Campbell inherited the box after his father, Bill Campbell, died several years ago. Theyd discussed donating it.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN LETTER MYSTERY 'ALMOST CERTAINLY' SOLVED, EXPERTS SAY

He told me about the box and that Lincoln had stood on this stump to give his first political speech, and when he got done, members of the family cut the stump down and then built boards out of it to build a box, Terry Campbell told the newspaper. There were actually two boxes made out of the stump, both of them alike, and (my dad) had the one.

The societys president, John Runions, told the Journal-Register that the box is a great link to Lincoln for the small community outside the state capitol of Springfield.

Once I got it, I knew what it was, and my dad was the same way, Terry Campbell said of the object. He didnt use it for anything. He kept it on a shelf. We knew what it was and that was just kind of a heirloom that sat there and we looked at it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Caitlan Coleman says fond memories of her Pennsylvania childhood helped sustain her during her time in brutal captivity as a Taliban hostage.

Her memories included begging her father to take her to the local firemens carnivals, ice cream and hiking, according to a report Sunday in her hometown newspaper, the York Daily Record.

So much of my childhood and even 20s were spent in York County; it has shaped me, and my fond memories helped to brighten some of the dark days, Coleman, 31, wrote in an email Saturday, according to the paper.

Her husband says she was rushed to a hospital Monday but she told the paper she wasnt ready to talk about her hospitalization, noting only that she hoped to be discharged soon and that the Canadian medical system was "doing a pretty good job" treating her.

She also said she wasnt ready to talk about what she, her husband and their children went through during their captivity.

The paper reported that Coleman likened some of her interactions with the media to prison. She said the attention has led to scrutiny, negativity and pressure to speak before she was comfortable.

Why dont I have the right to just be myself and be with my husband and children? she wrote, according to the paper.

"Everybody says 'No, you have to come out and talk about it', but no, no I don't and everybody nice has said it's my choice and I can talk when I want, and to whom I want," Coleman wrote.

The paper reported that her husband Joseph Boyle initiated the exchange.

Coleman, her Canadian husband and their three children were rescued Oct. 11 by Pakistani troops, five years after the couple was abducted in Afghanistan on a backpacking trip. The children were born in captivity.

Boyle said after landing at Toronto's airport that the Taliban-linked Haqqani network killed an infant daughter and raped his wife during the years they were held.

In prior email exchange with The Associated Press, Boyle did not respond to a question about the fourth child, but later told Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that it was a forced abortion. The Taliban said in a statement it was a miscarriage.

Boyle told the Daily Record that he believed his wife would enjoy speaking about her memories of home.

She told the paper she spent most of her childhood and early 20s in York County and was homeschooled.

Good times and great timesare not forgotten, even now, Coleman said in the emails.

Her father told the paper his daughters rescue was a blessing.

Jim Coleman gave credit to President Trump for his daughter's release, as well as to the Obama administration for aiding and working on getting his daughter and her family freed over the last several years, the paper reported.

He recalled how his daughter always wanted him to take her to the local carnivals.

"She always wanted me to win a bear," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jordan's king has endorsed a fledgling Palestinian reconciliation agreement that is meant to end a decade-old political and ideological split between rivals Hamas and Fatah.

King Abdullah II expressed support for the Egyptian-brokered deal after meeting Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah.

The Islamic militant Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in 2007, leaving Abbas with autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The palace said that the king "affirmed Jordan's full support for this agreement" which it said would strengthen Palestinian unity. Jordan, which considers itself a key Mideast mediator, was not directly involved in reconciliation efforts.

Under an emerging deal, an Abbas-led government would run Gaza, but critical issues remain unresolved.

The U.S. and Israel say an unrepentant Hamas cannot be part of a Palestinian government.
A man with a shotgun was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly entered a bowling alley at a British shopping center and held two employees hostage.

The man was arrested hours after Warwickshire police were called to Bermuda Park about an "ongoing incident," Sky News reported. The police department wrote on Twitter that the incident was unconnected to any terrorist activity, but urged people to avoid the shopping center as the incident unfolded.

Mehdi Amshar, the chief executive of MFA Bowl, told Sky News the gunman was holding two staff members hostage and is believed to be the ex-husband or ex-boyfriend of one of the employees. The other employees and customers at the bowling alley were evacuated safely.

"All our staff, the rest of our staff, are safe and they made sure that all the customers have left the premises so everybody is in safety, with the exception of the two people who are missing," Amshar said.

Lawrence Hallett, who was at the bowling alley with his family at the time, told Sky News he saw a man was carrying the shotgun over his shoulder and ran hell for leather out of the building.

"There was no organized withdrawal. There was a guy with a gun, Hallett told the news site. "We headed for the cars in a bit of a panic.

He said the man, who he described as being in his 40s and looked rough around the edges, began shouting and swearing. A witness also said the gunman shouted, "game over."

Another witness, Sarah Fleming, was dining at a nearby restaurant when the incident happened. The restaurant was placed on lockdown.

"We got notification that someone had a shotgun inside the bowling alley," Fleming said. "Then we had notification from the police that he actually had hostages.

No injuries have been reported.

Gun crimes are rare in Britain, which has strict firearm control rules.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Animal poaching  when creatures are killed illegally  is a big problem in many parts of the world.

But last week, in the southwest African nation of Namibia, one rhino fought back.

The Namibian newspaper reported that the rhino appeared from nowhere to turn the tables on a suspected poacher -- charging and injuring the man while he was allegedly tracking it.

The incident happened in Etosha National Park after suspect Luteni Muharukua and other alleged poachers illegally entered the wildlife area in hopes of killing rhinos for their horns.

Police Officer Simson Shilongo said the rhino inflicted a severe leg injury on Muharukua after he fell while fleeing, the newspaper reported.

Shilongo said the suspect's friends found refuge for him on a nearby mountain and police arrested him there Oct. 15, a day after he was injured.

Muharukua was being treated at a hospital under police guard.

Meanwhile, authorities in South Africa say 36 suspects between ages 22 and 40 have been arrested in recent weeks on rhino poaching charges.

The poaching attempts were made mostly in the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe Game Reserve, the South African reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Syria's largest oil field was seized from the Islamic State terror group on Sunday by the U.S.-led coalition, dealing another blow to the extremist group after the loss of its de-facto capital last week.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forced, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said it captured the Al-Omar field in a "swift and wide military operation," adding that some militants have taken cover in oil company houses nearby, where clashes are underway.

The U.S.-led coalition confirmed the SDF had retaken the oil field, and that Syrian government troops were two files away from the fields, located in the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.

Syrian troops, backed by Russian warplanes and Iranian-sponsored militias, have retaken nearly all of the provincial capital of Deir el-Zour, as well as the town of Mayadeen, which is across the Euphrates River from the Al-Omar field.

The SDF have focused their operations in rural Deir el-Zour on the eastern side of the river, and have already seized a major natural gas field and other smaller oil fields.

Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist from Deir el-Zour who monitors the fighting through contacts there, told the Associated Press that SDF forces have seized control of the oil field but are still clashing with militants in the adjacent housing complex.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State fighters who had withdrawn from the oil field mounted a counter-attack overnight against government forces, but a Syrian military source denied the account to Reuters, saying there was no significant attack and fighting raged on at the same pace.

ISIS captured Al-Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day, making it a key source of revenue for the extremists. Its current potential is unknown, following a series of strikes on ISIS-held oil facilities by the U.S.-led coalition.

The government lost the al-Omar field to other insurgents in 2013.

It's not clear how Syrian troops will respond to the SDF's seizure of Al-Omar, as Assad has vowed to eventually bring all of Syria back under government control.

The two sides have accused each other of firing on their forces in Deir el-Zour province, but a rare face-to-face meeting of senior U.S. and Russian military officers last month appeared to have calmed tensions.

ISIS has suffered a series of major setbacks in recent months, including the loss of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists' self-styled capital, and the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Most of the territory the group once held has been seized by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The head of the World Health Organization revoked his appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" on Sunday after the choice drew widespread outrage and criticism. Zimbabwe's government said it respected the turnabout and that the U.N. health agency "benefited tremendously" from the attention.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus last week told a conference in Uruguay on non-communicable diseases that Mugabe, who was present, had agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

After the outcry by international leaders and health experts, Tedros said in a statement that he had reflected and decided to change his mind, calling it in the best interests of the U.N. health agency. Tedros said he had consulted with the Zimbabwe government about his decision.

The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy falls apart and the country's health care system deteriorates. Mugabe also faces U.S. sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

The United States had said the appointment of Mugabe by WHO's first African leader "clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity."

Two dozen organizations  including the World Heart Federation and Cancer Research U.K.  released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned." The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the Uruguay conference, to no avail.

Zimbabwe's government said it respected Tedros' decision to withdraw Mugabe's appointment.

Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi told state broadcaster ZBC that the U.N. health agency "benefited tremendously" from the original decision to name Mugabe to the post because of the global attention that resulted.

"On a name-recognition scale this name beats them all, but it is our business to protect its brand equity from unnecessary besmirching," Mzembi said. "So on the balance, it is wiser to let go."

The heads of U.N. agencies and the U.N. secretary-general typically choose celebrities and other prominent people as ambassadors to draw attention to global issues of concern, such as refugees (Angelina Jolie) and education (Malala Yousafzai). The choices are not subject to approval.

The ambassadors hold little actual power. They also can be fired. The comic book heroine Wonder Woman was removed from her honorary U.N. ambassador job in December following protests that a white, skimpily dressed American prone to violence wasn't the best role model for girls.

Zimbabwe once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in the southern African nation's health system, saying Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. Mugabe's policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has been criticized at home for his frequent overseas travels for medical treatment that have cost impoverished Zimbabwe millions of dollars. His repeated visits to Singapore have heightened concerns over his health, even as he pursues re-election next year.

The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.
There needs to be an increased emphasis on opioid abuse in women because when theyre affected, so are their babies.

So declared Mishka Terplan, associate director of addiction medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University during a recent all-day conference in Warrenton. The session, Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Treatment that Works, was sponsored by Fauquier Hospital and the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County.

Major themes included the fact that addiction is a complex neurobiological disorder, not a moral failing, and is best treated as a chronic health condition; that medication-assisted treatment works and people do recover, though only about 10 percent of those addicted to opioids receive it; and that the community has come together to address the crisis on multiple fronts.

Between 2004 and 2010, opioid overdose deaths nationwide increased 237 percent for men, but 400 percent for women, Terplan explained. Pregnant women are motivated to stop using opioids for the sake of their babies, but when they cant, it is defined as addiction, a brain-centered disease whose symptoms are behaviors.

Fewer than 20 percent of pregnant women in need of treatment get it, the doctor said. Most are never screened for opioid use disorder because of a fear of discrimination; a previous bad experience with a health care provider; a fear of Child Protective Services; or they dont consider their use problematic, he said.

Some physicians can be resistant too, citing a lack of time or payment and lack of knowledge about what to do if a patient screens positive.

Dr. Alta DeRoo, an associate professor and OB/GYN at the University of Virginia, cited Virginia Department of Health reports that 16 percent of pregnant women have substance use disorder. She said the drugs buprenorphine or methadone can be given, in combination with counseling, to help pregnant women cope with opioid addiction.

Elsie Mainali, neonatologist with Fauquier Healths Family Birthing Center, addressed the need for a community effort to improve the outcome of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Last year, 741 Virginia babies were hospitalized for NAS.

When an addicted baby is admitted to Fauquiers NICU, the hospitals neonatal team works to reduce the amount of stimuli the baby experiences. A baby born addicted must be:

Placed in a quiet room with dim lighting and low activity.

Moved away from telephone or high traffic areas.

Handled with slow movements and caregivers should avoid talking at the bedside.

Disturbed as little as possible.

Experience one stimulus at a time (rocking, voice, soft music, etc.)

In addition, caregivers can provide supportive therapies such as swaddling the infant, promoting skin-to-skin contact, massaging or relaxation baths, rocking gently, playing heartbeat audiotapes or decreasing stimulation at first signs of distress.

Nick Szubiak, director of Clinical Excellence in Addictions and Integrated Health Consultant for the National Council for Behavioral Health, offered advice to addiction counselors. He explained the best ways to gain the trust and cooperation of clients and spoke of stigma and discrimination as barriers to change.

He quoted Dr. Michael Miller with the American Society of Addiction Medicine: At its core, addiction isnt just a social problem or a moral problem or a criminal problem. Its a brain problem whose behaviors manifest in all these other areas.

Robin Earl is a public relations specialist with Fauquier Health in Warrenton.
Remember that scene from I Love Lucy when she and Ethel try to wrap all the chocolates coming off the conveyor belt?

Think of that image, but replace the candies with tubes of blood. And forget the part where the chocolates roll over each other and create a backlog because Lucy and Ethel cant wrap, eat or pop them into their hats quickly enough.

On this machines modern adaptation of a conveyor belt, the tubes march smoothly along several tracks on their way to the proper destination. There, the samples they contain will be analyzed for their levels of potassium or phosphate, cholesterol or sugar.

Human hands load the vials into the system, known as VITROS Automation Solution, then robotic procedures take over. The bar code on the side of the tube is married to a base containing a radio frequency identification chip. The information on the bar code tells the base where to ship it: to a centrifuge unit, analyzer or even cold storage, where it will remain for up to seven days.

The new equipment, which costs $1.4 million, makes the lab at Mary Washington Hospital look like something out of a scifi movie rather than a black-and-white TV series. Still, its hard to think of anything resembling a conveyor belt without calling up the antics of Lucille Ball.

ALL ABOUT AUTOMATION

Mary Washington Healthcare leaders and its board of trustees recently got a tour of the new equipment in pathology and laboratory medicine.

When Cindy Huffman, laboratory administrative director, first proposed the new technology in 2007, the company Ortho Clinical Diagnostics offered a instrument called the engine that provided the desired automation.

As the years passed, and the equipment wasnt purchasedbecause of other funding prioritiesHuffman kept submitting the proposal. The department called its efforts the little engine that could, even after Ortho adopted a different name for its machine.

Before hospital officials got a look at the new system, and with giant scissors, cut a bright, red ribbon, Huffman showed off a custom-made cake featuring a little train that had chugged to the top of the mountain.

Its been a 10-year journey, and the engine is automation, she said. It does the work of many people.

THE UNSUNG HEROES

The 85 people who work in the hospital lab are among 250 people employed by Mary Washington Healthcare whose jobs involve drawing blood or determining what secrets are contained within its cells.

Blood chemistry tests provide general information about how the body is functioning and are used to screen for problems with the kidney or liver, heart or adrenal glands. Or, they help monitor the health of patients with high blood pressure or low levels of potassium.

Blood thats drawn at the hospital or its outpatient sites, from Stafford to Bowling Green, ends up in the lab and in the hands of workers wearing white coats and plastic splash shields over their eyes.

Were always called the unsung heroes of the hospital because nobody knows where we are or what we do, said Judy Pope, operations manager in the lab.

She and Karla Grebenstein, laboratory supervisor, led the effort to get the new equipment in place while still processing blood samples.

The lab never closes. It analyzes more than 1.8 million tests a year. Blood chemistry screening is the larger component with about 1.2 million tests, while blood hematologywhich measures red and white cells and plateletsmakes up the rest.

When the health-care system looked at ways to do more with less and the lab was charged with more productivity and efficiency, Huffman told hospital leaders the group could do it, but were going to have to have automation.

The lab reorganized in 2014 and trimmed its staff. When workers left or retired, their positions werent filled, and Huffman stressed that no one lost a job.

From the reorganization three years ago to when the new equipment went online, on Sept. 6, the lab still had to do all the manual procedures, but with a smaller staff. And workers had to get the new equipment calibrated and ready to use.

Huffman joked that Pope and Grebenstein were moving around the department so much, they needed roller skates.

Pope said she knows exactly what they should be for Halloween: Were the walking dead.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING

The new equipment takes the manual steps out of the process. Workers dont unload vials, move them from one analyzer to another or spend several minutes, searching through stored vials to find a particular sample when a doctor decides to order more tests for the patient.

And doctors add on tests all day long, Pope said.

After blood samples are analyzed as ordered, the remaining blood and tubes are put in a cold storage unit that can hold up to 17,000 tubes. Theyre good for seven days, then the unit disposes of them.

Mary Washington is the first lab in the United States to have this up and live, Wendy Tiner, an Ortho manager, said about the cold-storage system thats connected to the automated tracks and analyzers.

As members of the health-care systems board of trustees watched the automated system move tubes of blood along its network of tracks, they agreed with Pope that its mesmerizing to watch.

This is fascinating, said Alda White, chairwoman of the board.

Jack Rowley and David Upshaw agreed, even as workers tried to explain the complicated processes involved.

Its absolutely amazing, Rowley said.

After blood samples are analyzed as ordered, the remaining blood and tubes are put in a cold storage unit that can hold up to 17,000 tubes. Theyre good for seven days.
Wells Fargo recently awarded the Rappahannock Goodwill Industries a $10,000 grant to support workforce development with the growth of the Job Help Center Program. The Job Help Centers offer free help to people in the local community in learning or upgrading computer skills, job preparation and job search skills for todays workplace. Resources available at the centers include job postings, job services and computer, internet and telephone access.

We are very grateful for the support of Wells Fargo, said Donnie Tolson, president and CEO of Rappahannock Goodwill. This funding is so important to help us reach across our territory and give more people in the Fredericksburg area the opportunity to participate in these Centers and help them overcome any barriers to employment.

RGI operates three Job Help Centers in the area and they are open to anyone. In 2016, 604 individuals were served. The philosophical principle underlying service delivery in the Job Help Centers is person-centered planning, which means that the assistance each individual receives is based on his or her own challenges, skills and interests.

At Wells Fargo, we believe in giving back to the community. Supporting Goodwill and the Job Help Centers program is a great opportunity for us to help people get the skills they need to go to work, said Dermaine Lewis, SVP Middle Market Banking for Wells Fargo in Fredericksburg and Vice-chair for RGIs Board of Directors.
Odette F. Anderson, 80, of the Falls Run Community, of Stafford County passed away Thursday, October 19, 2017 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She fought cancer courageously for the past year. Mrs. Anderson was born in Quebec Canada and immigrated to Northern Virginia in 1973. She worked as a cartographer for more than 30 years and then did administrative work. Mrs. Anderson was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church and the Red Hat Society. Mrs. Anderson was a beloved wife and mother. She had beautiful blue eyes, a bright smile and a great sense of humor. Mrs. Anderson was a talented artist and a connoisseur of oysters. She could eat her weight in oysters. Survivors include her beloved husband, Henry Fink; beloved mother to Michael Degen (Amy); granddaughters Sarah Degen and Amanda Degen; brothers Yves Charbonneau (Marilyn), Paul Charbonneau (Diane) and Louis Charbonneau (Murielle); sister Nicole Cyr (Francois); and numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, October 23 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mary Washington Hospice 2300 Fall Hill Ave, Suite 401, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. Online guestbook available at covenantfuneralservice.com.
THREE YEARS after the 9/11 attacks and based on a key recommendation from the 9/11 Commission, Congress passed the REAL ID Act of 2005, which seeks to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents by requiring proof of identity and legal U.S. residency.

The federal law, which was supposed to be fully implemented by 2008, set minimum security standards for the acceptance of IDs, including drivers licenses, that are used to board aircraft or gain access to federal buildings, military installations and nuclear facilities, according to the U.S. Deptartment of Homeland Securityor DHS.

However, state participation was voluntary. To date, only 25 states and the District of Columbia are in full compliance. Half of the states have been dragging their feet for 19 years, including Virginiaeven though nearly half of the 9/11 hijackers fraudulently obtained drivers licenses right here in the commonwealth.

Excuses for inaction ranged from it being too expensive to verify each license applicants identity, to concerns about privacy. Some people claimed the law was creating a national IDeven though the states retained control of the licensing process.

Although Virginia added some additional security features to its licensing procedures when it revamped them in 2009, DHS did not accept that effort as fully complying with the federal law. In April, Virginia finally committed to doing soby next fall. So on Oct. 6, DHS granted the commonwealth yet another extension, which will expire a year from now.

Extension requests by six states are currently under review. If the extensions are not approved, their IDs will not be accepted by Transportation Security Administration agents at commercial airport security checkpoints starting on Jan. 22. Passengers from these states would then have to submit an alternate form of IDsuch as a passport, military ID, green card or Global Entry cardto board a commercial flight.

Thanks to the extension, Virginians who wish to board commercial aircraft or enter secure federal facilities have until October 2020 to obtain a REAL ID-compliant license, which the Department of Motor Vehicles will start issuing October 2018. Applicants will have to pay a one-time fee of $10 and present an unexpired passport or U.S. birth certificate, two proofs of residency, and their Social Security card in person at the local DMV.

The federal law requires states to retain physical copies of these documents for at least 10 years, and electronic versions for at least seven years.

The REAL ID-compliant licenses will have a black star in the upper right-hand corner to distinguish them from licenses marked not for federal purposes that will be issued to persons who do not fulfill these requirements, according to DMV. The agency estimates that about half of Virginias six million licensed drivers will opt for the REAL ID-compliant version.

Were glad that we have a two-year window, so everybody doesnt have to come in during October 2018, but can do so when its convenient for them, DMV spokesperson Brandy Brubaker told The Free LanceStar.

Since the REAL ID-compliant licenses will not be required to enter museums or other federal facilities that do not require IDs, or when applying for federal benefits, registering to vote, accessing health care, or participating in law-enforcement proceedings, some people will decide they dont need one. But they will be required by 2020 for those who want to use their state-issued credentials to fly or enter secure federal facilities.

Verifying someones identity before issuing them an ID that can be used to board an airplane or enter a military base is a commonsense precaution in the age of terrorist attacks. But its disconcerting that it is taking nearly two decades after 9/11 to finally get it done.
In the 46 years that I have been on this earth, I have never seen so much hate.

Growing up, I was told to treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Our history is a part of our past and tells us how we got here and where we are today. There is history everywhere. The statues of important men and women who helped make this country what it is today.

I thought this country was "the home of free and the brave." So now, we hate thy neighbor and our past.

Sometimes people forget that if it wasn't for our past we wouldn't be here today. A lot has changed over the years. Government, schools and communities have become bigger and people killing each other for no reason.

The battle flag flying in Stafford is a big part of our history and should be flown. If you don't like it flying here in Virginia, please don't go to Tennessee. They are on the hillsides everywhere. A flag is just showing our rights of freedom of speech. If you take our right away, we will have nothing.

The men in my family fought in many wars for this country's freedom. It doesn't matter if you are white, black or purple with polka dots, we are all humans and all of our lives matters. ALL LIVES MATTER!

We need to stop fighting and killing each other and work together to make sure that it is still here for our children and grandchildren for many years to come. ALL LIVES MATTER!

Angela Theisen

Spotsylvania
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A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
Sushi and burgers on the Spanish Steps : New gastronomic offers on the Konrad-Adenauer-Platz: More planting needed

Bonn-Beuel Nigir und Gyoza? Vegetarian olive dumpling with sweet potato chips? Or rather a piece of grandmas apple pie? The new Konrad-Adenauer-Platz does not only appeal architecturally because of the two striking and prominent buildings on either side. Its rather the diverse gastronomy which makes the entrance to Beuel so attractive.

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Nigir und Gyoza? Vegetarian olive dumpling with sweet potato chips? Or rather a piece of grandmas apple pie? The new Konrad-Adenauer-Platz does not only appeal architectural because of the two striking and prominent buildings on either side. Its rather the diverse gastronomy which makes the entrance to Beuel so attractive.

I come here every lunchtime, says Norbert Wenzel and opens his cardboard box. Today on the menu: Sushi and pickled ginger. But the burgers are also absolutely fantastic, he adds and gets comfortable on the Spanish steps. He works for an advertising agency in the neighbourhood and comes here regularly for lunch. When the sun shines, there is a real Mediterranean feeling.

After a few teething troubles during the construction and marketing of the area between Friedrich-Breuer-Strae, Rathaus and St.-Augustiner-Strae, the spot is now a popular meeting point. I am happy with my location, resumes Claus Sauer of the burger restaurant Hans im Gluck after the first year. The Beuel people are affectionate and relaxed. It is not as stressfully busy here as in other places. We could not wish for a better location.

He serves his guests not only inside the restaurant but also on the large exterior area and on the steps. But not only his customers spotted the popular places with a view of the bustling activity at the bus stops. Particularly teenagers love sitting here on the steps. But unfortunately, they leave a lot of rubbish behind, which lies around for days sometimes, says Rudiger Hartung from the Mohren Apotheke. But it got a bit better recently. All in all, he has the same attitude as Sauer: The location is brilliant. I have no reason to complain. Everything else will fall into place over time and develop properly.

Anh Tuan Nguyen is also very happy. For two months already he runs the Sushi bar Eat happy at the entrance of the supermarket. I am surprised at how quickly we got popular here. Especially at lunchtime, we are very busy. At times, we nearly cant produce quickly enough as the food flies out the door.

Helga Unglaub is bothered by the hygienic state of the square. Wherever you look, theres rubbish, says the Geislar woman and looks around. This should be better looked after.After all, many people get in and out of buses here. What kind of an impression do they get of Beuel? More bins and more seating arrangements would be great, agrees Claus Sauer. I have informed the city council of these ideas. At the city council they are always very open minded and cooperative, he praises the officials. I cannot complain about the collaboration with them. To him, the underground car park with 120 parking spots is also a mark on the plus side. Bright, modern, big. For me, the underground car park at the Konrad-Adenauer-Platz is one of the best I know, says Sauer.

Although Beuel has plenty of parking spots around the city hall, there is an idea to install a proper car-park routeing system to support local trading and to make Beuel additionally attractive for outside customers, states Paul Ahrens of the Business Society Beuel. In regard to visual presentation there are still opportunities to improve. It is such a massive building. The area around it needs to be designed more freely. In this concrete desert, nobody likes to spend time, Ahrens thinks. Additional planting and more seats would boost the popularity tremendously. If the square get prettier, it would be even busier. Which would be good for everyone, he concludes.

There are constantly individual ideas to improve properties and sites, reacts Yvonne Homberg, spokesperson of Swiss Life AG, who owns the building at the Konrad-Adenauer-Platz. We are generally happy with this project. The few remaining free areas are all part of discussions with promising prospective buyers or tenants. And the underground car park is also very popular, she explained when approached by the General-Anzeiger.
bohlah at 22-10-2017 08:00 AM (5 years ago) (m)

A GISTMANIA reader based in Auchi, Benin City has revealed how her husband abandoned her with three children for the past four years. She added that the man is now engaged to another lady.

A GISTMANIA reader based in Auchi, Benin City has revealed how her husband abandoned her with three children for the past four years. She added that the man is now engaged to another lady.

The lady exclusively reported to GISTMANIA that she also contributed into his education.



She further added how he drove her out of the house when her twin babies were just a month and five days. She said he came begging afterwards and everything was fine before he finally abandoned them.





The womans husband and his new wife

The woman said: I have suffered for my husband right from school till we got married. I even paid 90% of his school fess. I have three kids for him and now he abandoned us for a small girl since for the past four years. I heard he has engaged the young lady without feeding my own children or paying their school fees, not to talk of their maintenance fee. I was told my husbands pastor introduced him to the girl. My twins were a month and five days old when he first drove us out of his house, he later came begging and we settled.



When we met in year 2000, he did not have a job rather I was the one trading from one village to another. He was respecting me back then, now GOD gave him a good job he started womanizing, lodging from one hotel to another. I became a bad wife; all my friends called me a fool for taking care of a man but turned deaf ears because I was looking at the future.



On the issue of domestic violence, the angry woman added that after she assisted in completing a two bedroom flat her husband started beating her anytime she asked about his whereabout.





Their Children

She said: I joined him in building a two bedroom flat. He started beating anytime I question him about where he slept the previous night. He even brings women to my matrimonial house. He has blocked me from accessing his Facebook profile but his friends sent me all the details. My twins turned 8 recently while my son is 11 years old. In 2011, he came back claiming it was the work of the devil and in 2013, he became the C.L.O at licensing office Igara. Afterwards he called my dad to come pack my things from the house. However, we started dating in 2000, I had a son for him and when he was in his final year at Auchi Polytechnic, I had my twin girls. That girl can never find peace in that marriage.



Nawa o! The lady exclusively reported to GISTMANIA that she also contributed into his education.She further added how he drove her out of the house when her twin babies were just a month and five days. She said he came begging afterwards and everything was fine before he finally abandoned them.The woman said:On the issue of domestic violence, the angry woman added that after she assisted in completing a two bedroom flat her husband started beating her anytime she asked about his whereabout.She said:Nawa o!

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 22-10-2017 08:00 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero
I am sometimes asked if I think the parenting pendulum is swinging back, however slowly, toward where it was 60-plus years ago or at least toward a tolerable middle point.

Before I answer the question, the reader should understand that prior to the psychological parenting revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s, there was no periodic swing in child rearing in America or any other culture. The evidence points to a parenting ethos that remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years (while everything else was changing).

This ethos consisted not of methodologies, but of timeless understandings concerning children and parental responsibilities, understandings that crossed cultural boundaries. It is, in fact, still being adhered to in cultures that have not turned to mental health professionals as the primary source of child-rearing guidance but still rely on community elders for parenting support and counsel.

In the cultures in question, children are everything American children were before experts determined that they had been anointed by some new age divinity to fix something that wasnt broken: responsible, mannerly, respectful of adults, hard-working and trustworthy. As an example, a woman who recently spent two years working in rural African schools told me that it was not unusual to find over 100 children of all ages being taught in one large space by one teacher who was dealing with virtually zero behavior problems.

That is a hallucinogenic dream in America today, yet I have met a good number of American women who taught, solo, over 90 first graders at one time in the early 1950s. Without exception, they testify to orderly classrooms where discipline was not a major issue.

The major difference between then and now is that parents in the good old days understood their obligations to their neighbors, communities and culture whereas todays parents do not have as good a grasp of these obligations. Today, the raising of the typical child is not about strengthening culture; it is all about the child and promoting his accomplishments. You know, helping him get accepted by the right university and such. (By the way, the right university for me was Western Illinois University  not generally included in a best of list.)

So, having put the original question into a proper historical context, my answer is no. I had hope for such a restoration up until recently. Then it became clear to me that most of todays parents will do such things as give their 10-year-olds smartphones on demand even if theyre aware of research saying that such devices induce changes in brain development that mimic addiction. The inmates are obviously running the asylum.

Which leads me to point out that todays parents are, as a lot, afraid of their children. They are afraid to upset them, deprive them of what their friends have, afraid of losing their carefully cultivated friendships with them. As is typical of folks in my generation, I am thankful that my parents did not care whether I liked them or not. It never occurred to me to yell I hate you! because it would not have caused them to even pause in what they were doing.

American child rearing underwent a paradigm shift 50 years ago and has been off the rails ever since. Indeed, more and more people are recognizing this and resolving to correct it in their own homes. But will the big picture ever be re-balanced? I doubt it, but thats not the point. The point is to do the right thing without needing someone else to join in, or even cheer you on.
Everything from school district size to local politics and budget priorities can drive how much school superintendents are paid in the Dan River Region.

Danville Superintendent Stanley Jones makes $150,000 annually, and Pittsylvania County Superintendent Mark Jones earns $153,500 each year. Their salaries are significantly lower than others in larger Virginia cities, however.

Several factors come into play, said Ben Kiser, executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.

Kiser, whose organization advocates for superintendents and other education leaders, said he thought the driving factor when school boards choose salaries is a desire to stay competitive with other school districts.

Superintendent positions are unique, Kiser said. They [school boards] want to be as competitive as they can.

Danville school had 5,965 students during the fall of 2017. Pittsylvnia County had 9,182 students during the same time period.

Superintendent salaries in surrounding cities and counties are relatively close to Danville and Pittsylvania County. Martinsville Public Schools Superintendent Zeb Talley makes $120,000 a year, and Henry County leader Jared Cotton makes $156,000 a year. Cotton, who signed up with the school district this year, also will receive a 1-percent raise each year of his contract, regardless of performance.

Martinsville schools had 2,042 students this year, and Henry County had 7,508.

Both local superintendents make more than the state average of $149,556, according to results of a spring survey by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. They make significantly less than the $237,579 Dana Bedden gets each year as Richmond City Schools Superintendent, however. That school district had 24,868 students at the beginning of the school year.

Stanley Jones signed a four-year, $150,000 contract with Danville Public Schools starting in the summer of 2015.

Jones came to Danville after a two-year stint as the leader of King and Queen County Public Schools. He has also served as a director of instruction for Spotsylvania County Public Schools and a director of school safety for Hanvover County Public Schools.

In addition to his annual salary, Jones secured a $7,500 performance bonus, which will be awarded each year if he meets a predetermined set of school district improvements, such as test scores, graduates rates or attendance.

Jones said he has not received the bonus yet during his time with the district.

Mark Jones originally accepted a four-year, $145,000 contract with county schools starting in 2015.

Jones came back to the district after eight years as superintendent of King William County Schools. Prior to that, he served as an assistant superintendent of instruction, director of secondary education, principal and teacher in Pittsylvania County.

As part of the contract, Jones salary increases in the years that other school system employees also receive raises.

Additionally, Jones receives $15,000 in annual annuity, which he can invest in a retirement plan of his choice.

The county superintendent said the job requires an enormous breadth of knowledge, and in his opinion, experience at several levels of teaching and administration.

The superintendent is the CEO of the school division, he said.

The Danville Jones added that, ideally, the superintendent should serve as an instructional leader, making sure all students are learning what they need to succeed on their tests and their futures.

Understanding how to lead a public entity is the most important thing, Jones added.

Kiser said, as a former superintendent himself, the job is demanding and includes little free time, even outside of work hours. The superintendent is effectively the public-facing representative of the school district.

I was on the job in church on Sunday and on Saturday night at Walmart, Kiser said wryly.
One day in 1907, a young couple decided to take a chance on Danvilles growing textile businesses and opened a store on Craghead Street, across from the Golden Leaf Prizery.

Annie and Benjamin Rippe sold sundries, buttons and fabrics, and also made hats.

Rippes was born and remains a family-owned and operated business in Danvilles downtown 110 years later.

The current owner and president  Ben Rippe, the third generation of the family to run the store  smiles as he thinks about his grandparents taking advantage of Danvilles boom-town days.

It was an immediate success, Ben Rippe said. They expanded and moved to lower Main Street within 10 years.

In that location  across from the former Kresge Department Store, now Jackies Beauty Supply, in the building that now houses Love Wig  stock changed from fabrics and buttons to ready-to-wear clothing, though Ben Rippes grandparents still made hats.

It was a more affluent time, Ben Rippe said.

In 1946, Ben Rippes father, Murray Buddy Rippe, was running the store with his wife, Esther. He learned from his landlord the building was being sold to Peoples Drug Store.

Dad went to the bank [American National] and talked to Wayles Harrison, Ben Rippe said. Wayles said not to worry and walked him to the Elks Club and showed him a 25-foot-wide alleyway across the street.

Ben Rippe said his father built the building that now houses the clothing section of the store and decided he wanted to add sportswear to the lines of better-quality fashion apparel the store carried. Annie Rippe was horrified.

She said, Who will buy that? People want dresses! but Dad went ahead and it bettered the businesses, Ben Rippe said.

Elegant spiral stairs led to the upper story, where shoes were sold initially. But, Ben Rippe said, the man who leased the space didnt do well and his father leased the space back and used for clothing and, eventually, bridal fashions.

Other products were tried  including a riding department and ski shop  and the store even expanded to a second location in Nor-Dan Shopping Center. In a 2007 Register & Bee interview about the stores 100th anniversary, Buddy Rippe said they closed that store because it was simply too much work and business downtown was sufficiently prosperous.

Ben Rippe took over the store in the early 1990s, and by the mid 2000s decided to discontinue the bridal department. It was only breaking even, he said, and bought the building next door to add shoes back into the stores inventory.

I felt Danville needed fashion casual shoes, he said.

Ben Rippe said he talked his father into carrying furs in the 1980s, and he went to school to learn how to care for and store furs. He said he works directly with the manufacturers and said feels the store has better values than anywhere.

The furs did well.

People come from all over to buy these furs, Buddy Rippe said in 2007.

Rippe said about half of his shoppers come from surrounding areas  such as Martinsville, South Boston, Chatham and Gretna  while about 30 percent comes from Danville. The remaining 20 percent comes from people who have heard about his store from friends or grew up here and return to shop.

Throughout all the changes weve seen over the past 110 years, Rippes was always there, always stable, Larking said. They kept the store relevant all those years and it continues to be a great anchor store in the River District.

Larking said he has friends in Yadkinville, North Carolina  about 100 miles from Danville  who are regular Rippes customers.

We never worried about relocating, even in the 1990s when downtown began to get so vacant, Rippe said. Retail is not booming for anyone right now. People dress more casually and they shop online. But we carry quality merchandise and will not be undersold with what we carry.

While Ben Rippe is passionate about selling the best possible merchandise, he also just likes what he does.

This is a fun and creative business to work in. Every season is something new and fresh and promising, Ben Rippe said. We curate brands with a range of customers in mind, for the young and young at heart.

Clothing, shoes, accessories and furs range from contemporary to classic to casual  what Rippe calls subtle to out there  It is like shopping little design packages aimed at varying lifestyles.

Betty Jo Foster, interim president and CEO of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, said she has shopped at Rippes for 50 years, and even purchased her wedding gown there.

A privately owned business [doing business] for that length of time says much for the value they put on the region; it speaks volumes that they stayed when so many left, Foster said. I value their customer service and appreciate the warmth of the staff when they greet you at the door. The quality of the merchandise throughout the years has remained high, and I think thats what attracts many people to their business.

A fourth generation has now joined the store. Sam Rippe, Ben Rippes son, graduated from Virginia Tech in July and has been working at the store since. He has introduced a T-shirt line and gift department, and is setting up a new software system.

Were working on bringing in more young people, Sam Rippe said.

Both Ben and Sam Rippe said this has been a busy month at the store, getting ready for their anniversary sale and celebration  which included a drawing for a $110 gift card during the River District Sip-and-Shop on Thursday, part of the festivities planned for the River District Festival.

Ben Rippe said having well-trained staff, familiar with the items carried through in-house classes, product information meetings and daily informal chats. The store carried clothing in sizes 2-24W and shoes in sizes 5-11.

We all know what runs small and what fits full, Sam Rippe said, referring to the constantly-updated training staff gets in an effort to serve their customers better.

Ben Rippe agreed.

We take pride in our work, service and the products we sell, Ben Rippe said.

Sam Rippe said he looks forward to learning everything he can about the store, and is pleased to be back home.

Some of my friends want to come back to Danville, some dont. I wouldnt be anywhere else, Sam Rippe said. I love Danville and want to be part of the family tradition.
Reports Ferrari is set to dump its team boss Maurizio Arrivabene may be premature.

Earlier, international reports suggested the German F1 broadcaster Sky had declared that, given the collapse of Sebastian Vettel's title campaign in Asia, Arrivabene would be replaced by technical boss Mattia Binotto.

But Sky's Sascha Roos insisted: "That is not true.

"We just put it out there as a possibility. We didn't say it was going to happen."

Ferrari did not comment.

(GMM)
GREENSBORO  Gene R. Nichols message was meant to make the people in his audience squirm, to remind them not to become too comfortable with the crushing poverty around the corner or across the state.

The renowned academic leader and poverty expert came to Greensboro this weekend to spread the word that the plight of poor and hungry children is not something to ignore, to learn to accept, to view as a permanent condition of American society.

Nichol spent two days with the members of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church discussing his research about the work being done to help the poor across the state and on Sunday, this non-minister took the pulpit at Guilford Park to remind churchgoers that, like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, they must become maladjusted to the common scourge of poverty.

Dr. King use to say that he was maladjusted, Nichol said. He said King would say,  Ive never been able to adjust myself to economic policies that take necessities from the many to give great luxuries to the few. So he called upon all Americans of good will to be maladjusted. Maladjusted perhaps to a nation that boasts of its Christianity but strays  from the Sermon on the Mount. From focus on the meek and the poor and the hungry.

Nichol, who is currently the Boyd Tinsley distinguished professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, has spent much of the past decade fighting poverty and, in one case, fighting a battle over his advocacy group. He was director of the UNC Poverty Center from 2008 through 2015 until it was closed by the Board of Governors for publishing articles critical of the governor and General Assembly. Since 2015, his research has been supported by the N.C. Poverty Research Fund.

Nichol was president of the College of William & Mary from 2005 through 2008, law dean at the University of Colorado from 1988 through 1995, and law dean at UNC from 1999 through 2005.

He told his audience about people across the state who are making sacrifices to help the poor, to emphasize that poor people may be often out of sight but their plight is as real as the wealth of the worlds richest country.

Despite our declarations and our pledges and our promises of equality and dignity and despite the clarion call of our faith we have found ourselves to be the richest, poorest and most unequal nation in the world, Nichol said. With this contradictory status we are apparently well satisfied.

But he told of leaders in Goldsboro, Elizabeth City and Conover who have sacrificed their own prosperity and time to take in the homeless, educate and feed poor children and to face head-on the persistent facts of hunger and inequality.

For example, Nichol talked about The Rev. Adeen George, a Goldsboro pastor who is known as the Angel of Webbtown for her work in the citys poorest neighborhood, where more than 60 percent of the children live in poverty.

He said that 30 years ago she quit a good job with a good pension to focus on the poor, eventually opening a community center without one penny of public money to feed, clothe and teach poor children life skills.

Nichol quoted George as saying,  Most dont want to be bothered with these folks. If we dont do it who will? 

He quoted another, Pastor Tony Rice of Elizabeth City, who shelters the homeless in his own home.

 Even if we cant fix everything, he said, we can make sure that nine people dont die every night in the cold in my hometown. I feel like I couldnt do less and still be a Christian. 

Nichol continued to challenge parishioners in his 20-minute talk to take action and remain dissatisfied, to remain maladjusted to being a wealthy society where mothers and fathers still have to decide which of their children will eat today and which ones wont. And school kids say, Im sorry to be cranky. Its a hard day for me. Its not my day to eat. 

Somewhere we read you reap what you sow, he said. Somewhere we read that the pursuit of justice and the pursuit of happiness can be as one and must not be in opposite directions but hand in hand.

We are not satisfied with this (level of poverty.) We are not accommodated. We are maladjusted, Nichol said. We are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
North Carolina Republicans appeared to fall just short in Tuesdays General Assembly elections of gaining large enough majorities to override Gov. Roy Coopers vetoes on their own. But their seat gains eroded further the Democrats ability to block bills on abortion and other highly contested legislation. The Senate GOP increased their seats to the number needed to have a veto-proof majority. But Speaker Tim Moore said that House Republicans were one seat shy of a similar threshold. Moore said Wednesday he's confident House Republicans can get help from Democrats in an override. But that could be more difficult on abortion restrictions, which Cooper and other Democrats campaigned against.
BERLIN (AP)  Police say a pair of wild boars have gone on the rampage and injured at least four people in the northern German town of Heide.

Authorities warned people to stay indoors after the adult boars appeared early Friday and aggressively attacked pedestrians. Public broadcaster NDR reported that a man had a finger partially bitten off.

Police said one of the boars was shot and killed outside a bank, but the other is still on the run.

Heide is 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Hamburg, near Germany's North Sea coast and the border with Denmark.
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In todays paper, Tom Kirby-Smith (letter, President did little to deserve dinner, Oct. 19) complained that Mr. Trump extracted about $2 million from the community that could have built something of lasting value right here in Greensboro. None of it was my money, or presumably his.

What other people do with resources theyve earned is none of my business, or his. As a word to others who may not support something of lasting value right here in Greensboro with your own resources, no one is stopping you.

Are some of you among the 45 percent of households who pay no federal income tax at all and thus get your federal benefits at others expense? If you are, you might say thank you.

Michael Woods

Kernersville
Editors note: This is part 3 of 4. A final story next Sunday will focus on possible next steps towards fighting the opioid epidemic.

The tentacles of the opioid crisis are attempting to place a stranglehold on family life statewide and locally.

That was one of the many topics of discussion between medical professionals, elected officials, local law enforcement and community leaders on Sept. 29 during the County Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse.

"We are dealing with a major fallout of addiction in our families," said Consolidated Health and Human Services Director Felissa Ferrell, while delivering a presentation on opioid use and the impact on families in Rockingham County with EMS Supervisor Rodney Stewart.

"The burnout in their social work department is so significant they cannot keep enough social workers hired, said Ferrell, citing a StarNews article chronicling the strain opiate addiction has had on New Hanover County.

The number of times that they go into [homes] where children are just watching TV and they are in filth, there are needles everywhere  removing children is taking a major strain on the workforce in our state," Ferrell said.

According to the numbers, the impact is drastic.

As of July 2015, 41.5 percent of children entering foster care out-of-home placement in North Carolina are doing so with parental substance abuse being listed as a factor. During a six-year period from 2009 to 2015, that total increased by 10.9 percent, according to the NC DHHS Client Services Data Warehouse, Child Placement and Payment System.

In 2016 alone, drugs were listed as a reason for entry into foster care more than 60 times locally.

Along with the strain on the health and social services workforce is the growth of emotional distress for children directly impacted through the decisions their parents make.

Ferrell shared stories that have led to distress for local children, as well as law enforcement.

One family was parked at a fast food restaurant, with both parents using drugs. When law enforcement intervened, the father attempted to attack the responding officer with a loaded syringe.

Children witnessed this event, Ferrell said.

Two days later, another report was received that a child was in a car with using parents in a Walmart parking lot. An off-duty officer witnessed the activity and attempted to stop the car by leaning in to turn it off.

With a push button start, the parents were able to pull away  with the officers arm still in the car. Despite being dragged by the car, the officer didnt sustain major injuries.

The most telling narrative shared was that of an 11-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother, both in and out of the countys child welfare system since 2013.

The boy was case managed for the first time four years ago, when he was found in a vehicle with his dad passed out in the front seat.

After trying without success to provide help for the fathers substance use disorder, both children were placed with relatives.

At the same time, the girls mother, who was also battling through substance use, went through treatment and did very well. The girl moved back in with her.

Three years later, both kids were back in the county system.

The boy, who was back with his father, was placed into the custody of his aunt and uncle after substance abuse issues resurfaced.

Within the same year, the girl told school officials the horrible living conditions at their Virginia home.

The mother and daughter were living across state lines, despite CPS officials being told by the parent that they remained in Rockingham County.

"Things were so bad at home, there were needles on the floor, there were needles in the bedrooms and there were needles outside of the home. When she got to school, she asked someone for help and we came to help, Ferrell told attendees of the forum.

After sitting down and talking with the young girl, it became clear to the social services leader that she was very traumatized and struggled with her decision to ask for help because of family loyalty.

At the same time, she instinctively knew that she couldnt live in that type of environment.

She doesn't understand why her mom just can't stop using heroin, Ferrell said.

This little girl in detail described to the social worker how her mom shot heroin in front of her every day.
GREENWICH  People constantly staring at their screens might want to look up for an event at The Field Club next month.

Adam Alter, author of the New York Times bestseller Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, will speak at the event, which is being put on by Greenwich Library.

Alter, who holds a PhD in psychology from Princeton University, will talk about how tech companies and marketers design games, apps and other uses for smartphone technology with predictable psychology very much in mind to keep people using their products. Alter is a professor at New York Universitys Stern School of Business and he will address how to navigate through all of the irresistible experiences offered by smartphones while still preserving your health and well-being.

His talk is part of Greenwich Librarys new speaker series called Worth Noting: A Forum for Ideas and Conversations Benefitting Greenwich Library. The event is co-chaired by Greenwich Library trustees Angelique Bell and Susan Carroll.

Bell said she knows just how dependent people are on their smartphones given that she has one, her husband has one and so do her four sons. And she said whats happening in her family is happening everywhere so she hopes people from all over town will attend Alters speech.

This is how we engage now, Bell said. This is how we communicate now, top to bottom. But I find myself wondering, do I really need to be checking my Instagram five times in an hour to see how many people have watched my vacation video? We have to find that balance.

More Information Are you tech-addicted? Greenwich Library speaker series Adam Alter, author of "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked" Thursday, November 2 Reception at 6 p.m., program at 7 p.m. The Field Club, at 276 Lake Avenue Tickets start at $150, and are available online at Greenwich Library or by calling 203-622-7957. See More Collapse

Bell said she recently was riding on the train and noticed how quiet everyone was being and it was because everyone was on their phones. The thing that most stood out about that was a woman she saw playing cards on her phone, which Bell said is a social game meant to be played with others and not alone and electronically.

I thought that was sad and its just one example of how we use these phones and become more isolated, Bell said. I think that shows a little bit of how far down weve gone. This technology is not going away and thats a good thing because its very important. But we need to be able to manage it so it doesnt overwhelm us or bring us down.

Adams groundbreaking study on how computers, phones and other devices are so hard to ignore is fascinating, Chip Haslun, president of Greenwich Librarys Board of Trustees said. His thoughtful and practical suggestions on how to reverse engineer behavioral addiction are invaluable.

Alters talk is the second one in the Worth Noting speaker series which launched in March with a luncheon at the Belle Haven Club featuring Marna Borgstrom, CEO of the Yale New Haven Health System. Bell said the goal of having the series at places outside of Greenwich Library is to have a little bit more intimate setting.

She said she expects more than 150 people for Alters appearance and other speakers will be invited in the future. The Nov. 2 event is sponsored by Oaktree Capital Management and Connecticut Community Bank.

We want to be on point, Bell said. We want to be contemporary. We want to find topics of interest to a large swath of Greenwich.

Tickets for the event start at $150 and can be purchased at https://www.greenwichlibrary.org/support/worthnoting/ .

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
The Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company hosted its annual open house at the station on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017.

Children and parents got a chance to meet the firefighters and go for a ride in the companys fire trucks.
On Monday, Oct. 23, the Representative Town Meeting will vote to advise the Board of Estimate and Taxation whether the BET should release funds to get a much-needed school built.

Construction was to begin over the summer, but an informal understanding between the BET and RTM means that because the state budget has not passed, the BET has gone back to the RTM to get their blessing to allow the project to move ahead. Sadly, there is a growing mountain of misinformation and misunderstanding about the project that continues to be perpetuated in RTM Committee and district meetings. I would ask that our BET and RTM members do their due diligence prior to the vote and ensure that they understand the consequences of whatever action they chose to support. I would like to provide the broader community and our community leaders with both a better understanding of the facts at hand and attempt to bring some balance to the conversation.

The money that would come from the state via this diversity grant is a reimbursement. That means, as it has with all other municipal projects the town has undertaken, that we have to spend the money before we get the money. As the construction moves along, paperwork, like the taxi receipts you submit to your employers, must be submitted and processed before the state will send the cash. This is why the full cost of the project was included (and passed) in last years budget. The money is there for the town to spend on the school. This is how it works. This is nothing new.

The governors attempts to de-fund the project have failed and he does not have line item veto power over the project. This project has passed all local and state hurdles and is only waiting for the monies to break ground. The project is one of 45-plus projects that are part of a school construction bond package. To remove a single project, one that the state itself agreed to prioritize as part of their mandated racial balance plan, would be prejudicial and would make the state and governor vulnerable to litigation by the town. Our state delegation has been on top of this project throughout the process and continues to ensure that this project remains on the priority list in the bond package and remains in the budget.

Despite Peter Sherr stating at a Board of Education candidate forum that the school as designed is intended to fit 425 students and Peter von Braun stating in his recent letter to the editor that that number is 475 students, the actual number is 373 students. This is the number in the BOE Ed Specs that were approved by the BOE in 2014 and approved by the state. It cannot be stressed enough that the school currently does not fit 260 students, that Pre-K had to be removed in 2011 due to high enrollment, that two classrooms are off-site, that to bring the common spaces and classrooms up to the standards of other schools in Greenwich, the school must be much larger than the current building.

Yes, moving three Pre-K classrooms from Parkway and adding 50 magnet seats adds more space, but it amounts to an insignificant percentage of the building. Greenwich needs those Pre-K classrooms in Byram, close to the denser areas of Greenwich with the greatest need for public Pre-K. And we already have 70-plus students who would be enrolled at New Leb attending magnet schools in the district (this number does NOT include private school students). As the mother of one of those children and friend of the parents of many others, the only reason most left New Lebanon was overcrowding or because their child went to Hamilton Avenue for Pre-K and decided to stay.

A small, but loud, contingent of naysayers have stated that there are more than 1,000 empty seats in the district. This number might have been arrived at by adding up all the classrooms and multiplying that by the caps placed on the number of students that can be enrolled in a single class before another section must be added. This is an absurd and misleading way of looking at the issue. In fact, per Dr. Jill Gildea, the district has two empty classrooms. To fill each classroom to its cap would require constant redistricting. There has to be space for enrollment fluctuations and when many are calling for smaller class sizes across the district, this idea looks even more absurd.

You should be aware that this issue affects a significant number of families in Byram, and the town at large. There are dedicated teachers and administrators and parents that have been working extremely hard to support the children at New Lebanon over the last decade-plus as the overcrowding issues have intensified and the achievement gap has widened. Fighting to get an appropriately sized school built (and all of the data points to the school being fairly full from the start) has been an exhausting burden on all of us and regardless of how facilities are utilized across the district, New Lebs overcrowding is only projected to get worse.

Even if you feel that the needs of Byram are of no concern to you, understand that by voting against the release of funds, you are voting in favor of spending more taxpayer money in the long run.

Lucy von Brachel is a Byram resident.
Dear members of the Representative Town Meeting and the Board of Estimate and Taxation,

We are writing to you to ask for your support as the RTM will hold an advisory vote for the release of already allocated funds for the construction of the New Lebanon School building.

Despite the unprecedented uncertainty surrounding the budget negotiations in Hartford, further delaying the groundbreaking of this project would be a fiscally irresponsible mistake that, unfortunately, would also risk the State Department of Education penalizing the town for failing to diversify our schools, with forced redistricting being a probable outcome.

The Town of Greenwich was first cited by the Connecticut State Department of Education as racially imbalanced in 2006 and that imbalance has continued to increase. After many years of debate, hearings, studies, and stopgap measures, it was finally determined that in order to meet the states statute on racial balance, and avoid redistricting, that the best course of action was to build a school in Byram that would accommodate pre-kindergarten and additional magnet seats.

To maintain our neighborhood schools, reduce racial and economic isolation, improve achievement, and avoid cross-town busing, the only plan to address racial balance that would be approved by the state is this current plan. As Greenwich Board of Education Chairman Peter Sherr said on Sept. 27, the state is not going away.

A benefit of this approved plan is that Greenwich was able to successfully apply for a diversity school grant through the state, which covers up to 80 percent of eligible construction costs.1 To be eligible for the grant, the applicant must first have appropriated the entire cost of the project. In 2016, the Town of Greenwich budget was approved by the RTM and BET, inclusive of $37.5 million dedicated to New Lebanon Schools new building. Every district on the school construction priority list must adhere to the same policies and procedures and allocate 100 percent of the funding. Despite this allocation, the mill rate in Greenwich has remained stable and continues to be among the lowest in the state, as is true of all large municipal projects completed in Greenwich over the last ten years.

The threat of the reimbursement being withdrawn is, in fact, minimal. Greenwichs state delegation, Sen. L. Scott Frantz, Rep. Livvy Floren, Rep. Fred Camillo, and Rep. Mike Bocchino, continue to advocate diligently for this project,. They have seen it through the process of being vetted and approved by multiple legislative committees and boards. They ensured that the project was included in the budget plan that passed both the house and senate and are advocating to make certain it stays.

Regardless, it is important to consider the real consequences of withholding the funds any longer.

For one, further delaying construction means that the town will have to pay $100,000 per month to retain the architect and contractor and will allow bids with 28 contractors to expire.

Rebidding and starting construction later will likely result in a more expensive project. More importantly, the current school building is both overcrowded and not conducive to renovation.

No one is debating that New Lebanon School needs a new building. Its important to note that if the Town of Greenwich were to build a new school based on current enrollment only, the cost per the 2014 feasibility study would be between $30 million to $35 million dollars  at a significantly lower reimbursement and a higher direct cost to the town.

The states response to our failure to uphold the agreement is to force redistricting. This is currently being discussed in Fairfield and West Hartford. If redistricting is enforced, the Town of Greenwich would be required to cross-town bus about 900 students at a minimum estimated expense of $1,500,000 per year for transportation alone. In addition our neighborhood schools would be lost which would impact all residents property values.

By not supporting the release of allocated funding to begin construction immediately, you are not only supporting considerable added expenses that will be incurred by our taxpayers, you are also supporting a possible confrontation with the state that will make Greenwich susceptible to forced redistricting of our entire elementary school community by the State Board of Education. Once again, as the BOE Chairman Peter Sherr said on Sept. 27, the state is not going away.

RTM please vote YES on item 11; BET please vote to immediately release the appropriated funds and support the urgent needs of the children of the Town of Greenwich.

New Lebanon School PTA Executive Board

PTA Council Executive Board

Parkway School PTA Executive Board

Old Greenwich School PTA Executive Board

North Street School PTA Executive Board

North Mianus School PTA Executive Board

Julian Curtiss School PTA Executive Board

ISD School PTA Executive Board

Hamilton Avenue School PTA Executive Board

Glenville School PTA Executive Board

Cos Cob School PTA Executive Board

Central Middle School PTA Executive Board

Eastern Middle School PTA Executive Board

Western Middle School PTA Executive Board

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Haiti - Social : Handing over the keys of 242 houses in Terrier-Rouge





Inaugurated for a year now this brand new village, unoccupied for unexplained reasons, will finally receive more than 200 families. Indeed, Stephanie Auguste the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor in the presence of Charles Ernest Chatelier, the Director General of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund, Yvon Buissereth, Director General of the Public Enterprise Housing Promotion (EPPLS), proceeded to hand over the keys of 242 houses to the inhabitants of Terrier-Rouge. Throughout the duration of its vacancy EPPLS, partner in this project has provided maintenance and monitoring of the village.



This project whose construction lasted two years, was funded at over 3.5 million at 75% by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and 25% by the organization "Food for the poor".



Each house is built on an area of 42 m2 with a living room, two bedrooms, a modern toilet, a kitchen and a gallery. Electricity 24 hours a day is provided by solar panels installed on the roof of each house The water supply comes from a large tank located east of the main entrance. A road service will take care of the sanitation of the village.



According to the pre-established contract, each beneficiary family will have to pay 2,000 Gourdes each month for 5 years. At the end of this period, families will become the legal owners of their homes.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Environment : Repair and construction of fishing boats in St Jean du Sud





Since the passage of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, UN Environment in partnership with the NGO Artisanal Fisheries and Integrated Development, has already promoted in the area of St Jean South / Abacou, the repair of 16 fishing boats and has built 4 others.



This initiative aims to allow fishermen whose boats have been damaged or destroyed, to go fishing on the high seas. Indeed, these sinners deprived of their boat, to meet their economic needs, fished in the immediate environments of the mangroves despite the low volume of fish caught. Some did not hesitate to cut the mangroves to make charcoal. This overexploitation of the marine area caused the deterioration of the mangrove ecosystem of the area.



Should be noted that this initiative is supported financially by the UN environment with a fund from the Government of Norway and by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Guadeloupe : CIAT seeks to be inspired by the urban renewal of Pointe-a-Pitre





Friday, as part of an Inter-institutional Support Program for Urban Functions (PAIFU) ended the 3-day mission of a Haitian delegation of the Interministerial Committee for Territorial Development (CIAT) came to Guadeloupe to take inspiration from the urban renewal carried out in Pointe-a-Pitre, considered as a reference in the region, to eventually apply what is transposable to Port-au-Prince according to the financial resources, projects and culture of Haiti.



During its stay the Haitian delegation of fifteen people visited several achievements before undertaking the visit of the urban renewal of Abymes and of Pointe-a-Pitre, considered as reference in the region. The members of the delegation also took note of the projects that remain to be built in order to have a complete vision.



From the first infrastructures visited, the members of the Haitian mission became aware of the disproportion of the limited resources available to Haiti compared to Guadeloupe "We have discovered some great achievements in this renovation. For Port-au-Prince, we managed to mobilize 32 million euros from Europe over 5 years. The challenge for us is to see what we can do with this funding, while taking into account our economic reality. We also have problems of lack of expertise and we do not have a company specializing in land planning [...]" commented the Haitian city planner Rose-May Guignard.



Nevertheless, these exchanges could create an environment conducive to collegial work experiences in order to help Haiti better understand the assembly of urban renovation operations and allow to consider their application in Haiti and to be more efficient in assembling grant application files with partners.



It was also discussed to consider a skills network between Guadeloupe and Haiti. According to city planner Francis Ampe "the renovation of downtown Port-au-Prince can be inspired by that of Pointe-a-Pitre, even if the urban and political situation and the financial means are not the same."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2017/10/21

One of the biggest pleasures of watching and reviewing films is coming across hidden gems, surprisingly good movies that had no prior testament to their prowess. Lim Dae-hyeong's debut definitely falls under this category.

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"Merry Christmas Mr. Mo" (Festival entry) is screening at London Korean Film Festival that will be on October 26 to November 19.

The story revolves around Mo Geum-san, a barber and a widower of few words, who seems to cherish his routine of time in the shop, exercising at the local swimming pool and drinking in a small local bar at the end of his day more than anything. However, his uneventful life takes a dramatic change when the doctors inform him that he has stomach cancer. Mr Mo decides to come out of his comfort zone and even shoot a movie based on his own script. In order to do so, he asks the help of his somewhat estranged son, Stephen, a film student in Seoul, and his girlfriend, Ye-won. His son is enervated by his father's behaviour at the beginning, in an attitude that becomes much worse when Mr Mo's secrets come to the fore, but eventually warms to his father wish of shooting a Chaplin-esque comedy.

Lim Dae-hyeong directs a film that moves between Charlie Chaplin and Jim Jarmusch's movies, in a surprising combination that benefits the production to the fullest. In that fashion, Mr Mo's laconic, slapstick-funny behaviour represents the first element, particularly in the short film he is trying to complete, while the general atmosphere of the misfits wondering around the country, drinking in bars and acting unconventionally, to say the least, represents the second. Add to that the precision that derives from each shot of Moon Myung-hwan's black-and-white cinematography, the combination of retro and modern images, the somewhat abrupt but equally precise editing of Park Se-young-I, and the slapstick humor that puts an almost permanent smile on the viewer's face, and you have a film that looks like a Korean version of a Jarmusch movie.

The narrative, which is split in five chapters, also moves towards the same direction, while the gradual revealing of Mr Mo's true personality, which actually lasts until the very end, also being one of the biggest traits of the film. The same applies to Ha Hyeon-jin's minimal, bluesy music that fits the general atmosphere of the movie perfectly.

Ki Joo-bong gives a magnificent performance as Mo Geum-san, managing to portray a number of psychological states in laconic fashion, and in a hilarious manner that leaves the rest of the characters constantly stupefied, with much of the film's humor deriving from this particular aspect. Jung Hwan is also quite good as Stephen, highlighting his difference with his father, and his frustration due to his lack of words. Go Won-hee as Ye-won plays the role of the catalyst in moving the relationship of father and son forward, and in that aspect, she functions quite well.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Mo" is a delightful film and a more than hopeful debut for Lim Dae-hyeong.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Merry Christmas Mr. Mo" is directed by Lim Dae-hyeong and features Ki Joo-bong, Jung Hwan, Go Won-hee and Jeon Yeo-been.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2017/10/21

Kim Yong-ok is a professor at Hanshin University, although that rather understates the sheer power of his reputation as a historian. Kim Yong-ok did screenwriting work for "The General's Son" and "Chihwaseon" merely as a historical expert. In "GOGURYEO", Kim Yong-ok uses that expertise to narrate an extended study of the lands of the historical Goguryeo Kingdom, relating it as the true heart of the Korean people, before those hoity-toity southerners in Silla took over, and signed over most of Korean Manchuria to Chinese rule.

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There's certainly a point to be made there about how an area not generally thought of as Korea does indeed appear to be Korean in every meaningful way. The people speak the Korean language, most obviously. But more than those kinds of superficial details, all the land Kim Yong-ok surveys, on foot, in tour groups, looks distinctively Korean. The intimidating mountains have Korean names. The burial mounds are all in the classical Korean style.

Even the name Korea actually derives from Goguryeo. Try saying Goguryeo fast in a slurred foreign accent, and there you go. That's where we get into the nationalistic undertones of "GOGURYEO"- for all the talk of Korea as being a hermit kingdom, Kim Yong-ok argues that Goguryeo was a critical cultural intersection between Russian, Mongolia, China, and Japan. Goguryeo could claim to be a world center in its own right. This is best demonstrated in the classical South-North oriented Gorguryeo map. We also see shades of this attitude even now with their trilingual signs.

So...why is there so little information about this internationally? That's because Kim Yong-ok's argument is, rather awkwardly, identical to the official version of classical history pushed by the North Korean government. North Korea, for that matter, is closer to Kim Yong-ok's categorization of the Korean national identity than South Korea is. We briefly see parts of North Korea from the Chinese side of the Yalu River, and that's the point Kim Yong-ok makes. These guys are all us! Why don't we know them better?

This perspective is peculiar to Kim Yong-ok's generation, who see Korea primarily in terms of its natural ambience and sparsely populated countrysides, not the larger cities more twenty-first century minded people are likely to associate with the country. And honestly, it's easy to see the appeal in his thinking. South Korea's general emphasis on Joseon being the true Korea has in many ways become a sick joke. Observe the Hell Joseon derogatory, with its implications on how bureaucracy minded "culture" is nothing to be proud of at all.

But you won't hear anything that cynical from Kim Yong-ok, who waxes on passionately and optimisitically about the ability of the Korean race to persevere, modern Goguryeo itself proof of their ability to stand the test of time. A pity the same can't be said for "GOGURYEO" technically. The visuals alternate between Kim Yong-ok passionately discoursing in his office, very simple computer graphics, and highlight reels from his trips into Goguryeo. Still, his perspective is, to my American vantage point at least, quite novel, and needs any platform it can get.

Review by William Schwartz
By William Schwartz | Published on 2017/10/21

The time is winter 1636. King Injo (played by Park Hae-il) has to choose between recognizing the Qing Dynasty with its Mongolian overlords as the new China, or sticking to tradition and trying to maintain Joseon's dignity as a sovereign state. The Qing Dynasty would probably crush Joseon in a decisive battle, but they'd rather not waste the resources. So they just stand their army outside of the titular fortress and wait for King Injo and his people to starve to death in the miserable cold.

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Only one central character, blacksmith Nal-soi (played by Go Soo) is a commoner. And yet, "The Fortress" constantly reminds us that it is the commoners, not King Injo or the ministers, who suffer the most from the war, and after the previous Mongol invasion only nine years ago, they have little interest in waging that war again. The first commoner we see openly talks of assisting the Mongols solely to avoid starving to death. The Joseon royalty he already assisted did not give him or his granddaughter any badly needed food.

These are the people who make up the backbone of Joseon's army, and their morale is in the absolute pits. We see nothing to justify any optimism on their part either. Nal-soi doesn't trust nobles, and for good reason. Most of them won't listen to a commoner like him, and it is only through the sheer luck of auspicious circumstances that Joseon's forces can even solve basic problems like fixing their firearms so that they can shoot straight.

At first glance, King Ingo's royal conferences seem like good leadership, as he frequently moderates between difficult situations to find compromises. But in the context of the actual circumstances of the siege, King Injo's compromises are laughably abstract and divorced from the reality of just how bad the situation really is. Whe Minister Choi (played by Lee Byung-hun) tries to argue for submission, he is inherently hamstrung by how the fact of Mongolian superiority flies in the face of official Joseon state ideology.

Minister Kim (played by Kim Yun-seok) is the main proponent of these ideas. Their foundation tends to be either "commoners are inspired by the awesomeness of the upper classes" or "we will in because we are the morally correct side" depending on the specific situation. For all the suffering Minister Kim causes it's surprisingly hard to hate him, because he really does sincerely believe all this nonsense, as is proven by his final humiliation.

But then everyone in "The Fortress" is ultimately humiliated. Even Minister Choi, while technically proven right by circumstances, can hardly relish the situation. Because he, too, is a hypocrite, who from the very first scene will protect the Joseon state at the expense of its people. What's the point of even having a state if it can't inspire loyalty from its own people? That gloomy sentiment, beyond the plot, is also perfectly represented via cinematography and sound design, granting "The Fortress" the uniquely dark aesthetic of showing us history from the side of the losers.

Review by William Schwartz

"The Fortress" is directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and features Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yun-seok, Park Hae-il, Go Soo and Park Hee-soon.
Published on 2017/10/22 | Source

Chung Il-young (right), president of Incheon International Airport Corporation, poses with Declan Collier, president of the World Board of Airports Council International, at the Airport Quality Service Awards in Mauritius on Wednesday. /Yonhap

Incheon International Airport has been named the best airport in the world for the 12th year in a row in the Airport Service Quality Awards. The awards event was held in Mauritius, an island nation off Africa's east coast, on Wednesday as part of the Airports Council International's annual meeting.

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Incheon ranked at the top in three categories -- best airport in the Asia-Pacific region, best airport handling over 40 million passengers per year, and best airport handling 40 million passengers or more per year in Asia-Pacific.

Overall, Incheon scored 4.994 out of five points to be named the best airport in the world for the 12th year running since 2005, only four years after it opened.

The ASQ survey rates airports based on customer satisfaction in 34 categories including friendliness, cleanliness, convenience, access, service and facility management. For the latest evaluation, it conducted one-to-One surveys of 550,000 passengers at 284 major airports all over the world last year.

The ACI also gave a special award to Incheon for making a significant contribution to improving the quality of international airport service.

Incheon Airport has decided not to participate in the ASQ Awards any longer, although it will continue to receive evaluations unofficially.
Published on 2017/10/22 | Source

A majority of older people receive no pension, and those who do get a paltry W520,000 a month, according to a study by Statistics Korea (US$1=W1,132). The payments include money from the National Pension Service and private pensions.

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Six out of 10 senior citizens say they are willing to work to make ends meet. As of May, there were 12.92 million people between 55 and 79, up 4.2 percent from a year earlier. Some 7.1 million or 54.8 percent were employed.

Senior citizens with no source of income rely either on their savings or on money from their children. Some 45.3 percent of senior citizens said they mostly live on their pension, which is usually not enough to help them make ends meet, and some 73.7 percent of those said they get less than W500,000 a month.

A mere 8.7 percent received more than W1.5 million in pensions a month, and four percent between W1 million and W1.5 million, and 13.6 percent between W500,000 to W1 million. That brings the average to just W520,000.

Because so many are unable to make ends meet, 62.4 percent said they want to work. Asked why they wanted to work, 58.3 percent of them said they need money to survive, while 34.4 percent said they enjoy working. Some 3.3 percent said they are bored and 2.3 percent said society needs them.

Asked how much longer they want to work, those between 55 and 59 said until they turn 69, and those between 75 and 79 until they turn 81. "Koreans are now living longer than ever and need more income", a Statistics Korea official said. "The improving quality of health among senior citizens is also prompting more of them to work longer".

Asked why they quit their jobs, only eight percent of respondents between 55 and 64 said they reached retirement age, while 30.6 percent said they had to leave because business was bad or the company closed. Only 19.8 percent quit for health reasons and 13 percent to care for their families. The average age when Koreans quit their longest-held jobs was 49.1.




We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
A HAIRDRESSER in Goring has won a place on a prestigious training programme.

Luke Hawkins, who works at the Marvellous Hair Company at The Arcade, off High Street, was one of only eight stylists from across the UK chosen for the Fellowship of British Hairdressings Clubstar Art Team.

Over the coming year, the 19-year-old will travel to London once a month for workshops with leading figures in the industry and will take part in photoshoots , live events and exhibitions.

Mr Hawkins, whose mother Lorraine Hawkins opened the unisex salon at the former Hamiltons premises a year ago, knew he wanted to be a hairdresser from the age of 14, when he was a pupil at Langtree School in Woodcote. He studied an NVQ in the subject at The Henley College, where he now teaches in his spare time, and completed a two-year apprenticeship at the Marc Antoni salon in Hart Street, Henley, before leaving to work alongside his mother and brother Charlie, 20.

To apply for the programme, he had to submit photographs of a female model whose hair he had cut and coloured and a mood board, a type of collage outlining his influences, as well as a video explaining why he should be chosen.

He was one of only 23 candidates to be shortlisted for the final, which took place in London and where he had to give a presentation to a panel of judges.

Mr Hawkins said: I always wanted to get into hairdressing and Im really enjoying it.

I love the creative side of it and the fact that its sociable  you actually get into trouble for not talking enough.

I was a bit nervous at the final but the judges put me at my ease and I was really excited to get through. Im looking forward to showing off what I can do and learning from some really experienced people.

Id like to have my own salon group one day and Im quite interested in teaching. Id also like to perform on stage and thats an opportunity you get through the fellowship.

Mrs Hawkins, from South Stoke, said: Its a great achievement for him, especially at such a young age.

Many people whove been on the programme go on to greater things, so it will be a good opportunity to develop professionally. Hes already building a good reputation locally and is a very talented young man.

Ive worked with a lot of young people so Im saying that as his boss, not his mum!
THE new headteacher of Sacred Heart Primary in Henley wants it to achieve the top rating from education watchdog Ofsted.

Rachel Gavin has stepped up from deputy head to succeed Gez Davis, who left at the end of last term after more than three years.

She has spent all but two of her 20 years in teaching at the Greys Hill school, beginning as reception class teacher in 1999.

Over the years she has been responsible for religious education, English, music and special educational needs as well as being deputy head for the last 10 years.

The school was rated good following an Ofsted inspection in October last year, having received a requires improvement rating in 2014.

Mrs Gavin, 42, from Wallingford, said: This is a very exciting opportunity which is going to have its challenges but ones Im fully prepared for.

What we think about Sacred Heart internally is that its an outstanding school and we want to show that at our next Ofsted inspection. Sacred Heart school is already an absolutely wonderful school. I have the advantage of knowing the school, the teachers, the parents and the children inside out, so have a very clear idea of what we need to do to get better.

My greatest challenge is to prove that to the community and make Sacred Heart a first choice for more parents. Because were a Catholic school, it is very high in the priorities that we become demonstrably active in the community.

One of our big plans is for each class to have a project that will help the community at large.

Part of the Catholic ethos is to have care and concern for others and we can start that locally.

Mrs Gavin, who has two sons, Charlie, 12, and Felix, seven, said she wanted to maintain the schools high standards and to broaden the curriculum to make it more exciting and challenging for pupils.

She said: Our results are impressive, whether judged by progress or outcomes, and we have a firm focus on educating the whole child.

Its more developing what we have got. Were already quite well known for being a musical and sporty school. Well have, for example, artist in residence weeks.

Mrs Gavin had no hesitation about applying for the job of headteacher with her experience.

She said: I wanted to be a teacher from when I was 12 years old and feel extremely privileged to have followed my dream.

I did not have a career plan in mind when I joined Sacred Heart but it was then, as it is now, a very happy, very special school within the heart of the community.

However, after working for eight different headteachers during my time at Sacred Heart, I felt the time was right. I had often joked that once the time came when a child of a child I had taught started school that would be the sign to move on.

Coincidentally, that has happened this year with a little girl starting in reception whose mother I taught when she was in reception!

Mrs Gavin said Sacred Heart had a wonderfully diverse range of students and teachers.

She said: Although I might be the first person everyone meets, its the team thats important, particularly the teachers  they are the ones that really make a difference in the school.

Teaching is a vocation and a very demanding role. It is also, I believe, the greatest job in the world.

I will miss being a class teacher but plan to keep myself firmly rooted as an educator with the needs of the children always being the priority.

Mr Davis, who was praised for his energetic and inspirational leadership by Ofsted, has taken up a headteachers post nearer his home in Iver, Buckinghamshire.
Editor's Note This is the second in a series of stories about public salaries.  This story reflects the salaries the Bristol Herald Courier obtained on Aug. 8, 2017. It does not reflect any retirements or terminations before or after that date.

ABINGDON, Va.  The collective salaries of Abingdons male employees total approximately $1.8 million more than female employees  but the gap has nothing to do with gender, according to Town Manager Greg Kelly.

There are 62 more male than female town employees. However, more women hold leadership roles than men.

We strive for diversity, not only in sex but also in race, and I pride myself on this, Kelly said. Ive probably put more females in department head positions than virtually any other local government around.

Abingdons population is approximately 8,200 people, according to Kelly. The town has 275 employees, 170 men and 105 women.

The total of all male employees salaries amounts to approximately $3.5 million, while the total of all female employees is around $1.7 million.

The Bristol Herald Courier obtained the 2017-18 salaries of town employees through the Freedom of Information Act.

While six women and five men hold director positions within the town government  excluding public safety  three men make more than the highest paid female director. This breakdown only considers employees with director in their job title.

The highest paid male director  Floyd Bailey, director of IT  makes $82,241 per year, whereas the highest paid female director  Stacey Reichler, director of human resources makes $70,000.

In addition to Reichler, the female directors are Sarita Moore, director of wastewater operations, Jayne Duehring, director of tourism, Melisha Wynee and Jennifer Johnson, co-directors of indoor recreation, and Tonya Triplett, director of economic development.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Male Employees: 1. $140,590: Town Manager Greg Kelly; 2. $91,406: Police Chief Tony Sullivan; 3. $82,241: Director of IT Floyd Bailey Jr.; 4. $80,000: Director of Finance Chuck Banner; 5. $78,750: Director of Public Services/Construction Matthew Bolick; 6. $74,000: Fire Chief John McCormick; 7. $72,000: Engineer/Interim CoDirector of Planning John Vencill; 8. $71,749: Operation Manager Waste Jerry Callahan; 9. $69,335: Police Lt. Billy Snodgrass; 10. $68,459: Sewer Maintenance Superintendent Glen Foster Sr.

In addition to Bailey, the men who hold directory positions are Chuck Banner, director of finance, Matthew Bolick, director of public services, Kevin Worley, director of outdoor recreation and Marion Watts, director of building inspections.

So there are quite a few people who are in high-up positions with the town that are in the minority status of being female, but we dont look a that [during the hiring process], we look at who the most qualified individual is when they come through, Kelly said. We try to get the best person to come in here and fit what we need and what we think the public will accept in terms of delivering the best service for them.

The town tries to be diverse while hiring, but Kelly said that Abingdon does not have a very diverse population outside of male and female.

The salary scale

Kelly said that an employees salary is based upon qualifications, including education, experience and certifications. The town uses scales to determine an employees salary.

The scales feature a minimum entry level, a middle salary and then an upper salary, so where they [the applicants] fit into that is based upon experience and education and certifications and things like that, Kelly said.

The highest paid male employee is Kelly, who makes $140,590 per year. Deborah Icenhour, the town attorney, is the highest paid female employee, making $100,394 per year.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Female Employees: 1. $100,394: Town Attorney Deb Icenhour; 2. $80,000: Assistant Town Manager/Town Clerk Cecile Rosenbaum; 3. $70,000: Director of Human Resources Stacey Reichler; 4. $67,459: Director of Wastewater Operations Sarita Moore; 5. $62,500: Director of Tourism Jayne Duehring; 6. $55,000: CoDirector of Indoor Recreation Melisha Wynee; 7. $55,000: CoDirector of Indoor Recreation Jennifer Johnson; 8. $52,250: Laboratory Supervisor Wolf Creek Reclamation Facility Connie Duncan; 9. $49,246: Tax Clerk Tammy Baldwin; 10. $47,476: Paralegal Kimberly Kingsley.

Town Council sets the salaries for the town manager, town attorney, assistant town manager, director of finance, fire chief and assistant fire chief, according to Kelly.

All appointees salaries are normally fixed by the governing body and then the management fixes all the other subordinate salaries, he said. I have nothing to do with setting my salary, Ms. Icenhours, Ms. Rosenbaums or Mr. Banners salary, those are all things that get negotiated between us and the council. All the rest of them come across my desk for my signature.

COLAs vs. merit-based raises

Town Council also handles raises. In years past, council made cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, across the board.

Since Ive been here, those [COLAs] have ranged from anywhere of 1 percent per year to 5 percent per year or nothing and this particular year there was no COLAs adjustments given, Kelly said.

Town employees can also receive merit raises, which are recommended by the department head.

The way that merit increases work is if an employee has done something extraordinary in carrying out their job, more so than he or she was required to, or theyve gone on and gained a certification that allows them to do another component of their job that requires a little expertise, Kelly said.

Each year, the town manager receives a discretionary amount of money that can be used for pay increases, other than COLAs, he said. The current council-approved amount is $75,000. An example is if an employee in the towns maintenance department earns an electrical license that could warrant a raise because, thats big to us because it saves a bunch of money on having to higher out an electrician, Kelly said.

Every town department has salary caps. If someone is hired in at the upper scale of the three-tiered system, there is the possibility of getting capped until Town Council reviews the pay scales and decides whether to adjust them, Kelly said.

Its not uncommon for pay scales to get adjusted periodically, Kelly said. The last time weve done it might have been two or three years ago and we might come in and say the Town Council ups those by 3 percent so it gives a little bit more of an opportunity for somebody who is at that upper cap to make a little bit more money.

When a town employee retires, the Virginia Retirement System plan is based upon their last three years salary, according to Kelly.

Town of Wytheville, Virginia

Just less than an hours drive from Abingdon is the town of Wytheville, which has a population of 8, 211 people, which is just 11 more than in Abingdon.

Wytheville has 165 full-time employees and 250 part-time employees. Abingdon has 130 full-time employees and 125 part-time.

Wythevilles Town Council also set the salaries of town manager, town attorney, assistant town attorney, treasurer and town clerk.

The highest paid employee for both towns is the town manager. Wytheville Town Manager C. Wayne Sutherland Jr.s annual salary is $122,707, which is around $20,000 less than Kelly.

The highest paid female employee in Wytheville is Town Clerk Sharon Corvin, who earns $67,277, a significant difference from Abingdons highest female employee, who makes approximately $100,000.

The total salary for all town employees in Wytheville was approximately $7 million in 2016. The payroll is not broken down by male and female employees.

The Abingdon Police Department

One town job whose salary is set at entry level is police officer.

When someone with no experience is hired, they receive the entry-level salary of $29,741, according to Abingdon Police Chief Tony Sullivan.

If someone is already certified in Virginia, I can boost that up [their starting salary] to like 5 percent of the set pay, Sullivan said. However, I rarely hire certified people.

The Police Departments raises are up to Town Council, Sullivan said.

The longer a person is with the Police Department, the more opportunities there are for raises over time.

But, at the end of the day, everyone walks in the door making the same amount, Sullivan said.
ABINGDON, Va.  In its long history, Whites Mill has served as a post office, a voting station, a place to swap stories and, until World War II, the site where local residents took their grain, wheat and corn to be processed.

The Whites Mill Foundation is hoping to restore the structure, tucked away on Whites Mill Road in Abingdon, so it functions as a working grist mill as well as a community hub.

And its getting closer through a partnership with Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon. Students across all majors will be involved in the project, from restoring the wheel, gathering oral histories of those connected to it, creating a website, developing marketing techniques and more.

VHCC Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Stacy Thomas elected to do his Washington County Leadership program service project with Whites Mill. The college is a sponsor for the leadership program, and each year one faculty member acts as a representative, Thomas said.

The participants form groups, and each selects a community service project. Thomas and his group coordinated a fundraiser for the mill.

Former VHCC faculty member Joe Mitchell started a conversation with Whites Mill about establishing a partnership with VHCC and encouraged Thomas group to complete their project with the mill, Thomas said.

Its going to be a great experience for our students to learn by doing, Thomas said. Its a win-win situation because it helps our students, but Whites Mill needs us, so it turned out to be a great partnership.

In 2001, the foundation purchased the mill and surrounding property. Three years ago, the foundation completed a major restoration that involved putting a new roof and siding on the mill and replacing all of the windows and structural work.

The last phase of the project is to restore the wheels gearing so the mill can operate again, according to Jennifer Kling, a board member for the foundation. The flume has also been rebuilt and will provide adequate water so the wheel can turn.

Weve been pretty much going at it as we get money, Kling said.

A barn on the property was taken down because it was unstable. The plan is to replace it with a pavilion that can be used for weddings, concerts, reunions, square dances and other events, Kling said.

We want to have a place for people to come to no matter what the weather is like, she said.

Besides restoring the mill to its former role as a community center, the foundation wants to preserve its history.

We would like this to be a living history museum that people could come to and see how things were done because weve kind of lost that connection, Kling said.

The partnership

Virginia Highlands Community College built on the relationship that Thomas formed with Whites Mill, said VHCC President Gene Couch.

For a long time, Whites Mill has been a part of the Abingdon experience, and so Dr. Thomas kind of helped shepherd and connect us to them [the mill] in a way that is [full of] pretty neat experiences for our students, Couch said.

The partnership also stemmed from VHCCs recent reaffirmation or accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, a process all Southeast schools go through, according to Couch.

One element of the accreditation process is creating a Quality Enhancement Plan [QEP]. The school chooses a project to focus on over the next five years that will have a positive impact on students.

Additionally, VHCC is focusing on enhancing the soft skills of students through a new program called LearningPLUS+. Soft skills are the opposite of technical skills that students learn in order to perform a job.

Soft skills enable students to be professional in a work setting, including being on time, dressing appropriately, communicating effectively and contributing to a team.

The four soft skills VHCC chose to focus on are communication, problem- solving, teamwork and professionalism.

LearningPLUS+ combines soft skills instruction with hands-on experiences across all majors and courses.

LearningPLUS+ in a sentence is: We are teaching [our students] soft skills through experimental learning, that is what LearningPLUS+ does, said Ken Fairbanks, director of LearningPLUS+ and director of distance and distributed learning.

What we heard from businesses and industries before taking on this project was that VHCC puts out really technical, competent students, but where there is room for improvement was in that soft skills area, he said.

VHCC officials took that need for improvement as a challenge, Fairbanks said.

Regardless of profession, regardless of your major or where you want to go or what you want to do, soft skills seems to be the determining factor as part of that success, Couch said.Its one thing to read about these soft skills, watch videos about them or have a lecture on them, but its another to have that experience.

VHCC landed on the mill because it provides the opportunity for students to engage in experimental learning and work with people in a professional way, Couch said.

Whites Mill is an opportunity to connect with our community that could use our help and our expertise, Couch said. Our faculty is connecting and plugging our students into projects to impact the work of Whites Mill.

History of Whites Mill

The foundation believes that Whites Mill dates back to the late 1790s, but its not clear whether the current mill reflects what it looked like then.

Thomas Moffett built the first mill on the site as early as 1796, according to a document obtained from the Historical Society of Washington County.

Col. James White, for whom the mill is named, acquired the property and surrounding land in 1838. White was a wealthy man who also owned a mill in Saltville, Kling said. In 1866, the mill was restored following the Civil War.

Were pretty sure its looked like this since then, she said.

The Miller family owned the mill from approximately 1920 to 1989, according to Kling. The Millers house, which is across from the mill, was purchased by the foundation in 2001.

The house was also restored in 1866, and the foundation looks to refurbish it as well.

What it would be used for, we dont really know, Kling said. It could be a residence, restaurant  thats open at this point.

In documents from the Historical Society, Guy Miller, one of the final Millers to own and operate the mill, recalled when working in the mill as a boy for his grandfather how the hill men would come sit in front of the fire and exchange tales and ghost stories.

Neighbors gathered at the mill to talk over local and national news and swap stories about the old grey beards of the mountains, Miller said.

In 1974, the mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Whites Mills significance is more than historical or architectural.  It is important as a very rare working example of the various phases in the technical evolution of grist milling all housed in a single structure, states the nomination for the mill.

At the time, Whites Mill was one of the few known working water-powered mills in operation in Southwest Virginia, according to the nomination.

Whites Mill is an excellently preserved survival from the almost vanished species of the water-powered local grist mill integral to the Virginia scene and economy less than a century ago, the nomination states.

The history within the mills walls is not just its own. Within its four stories are pieces of equipment from former mills that will ultimately be displayed as part of the living history museum.

One piece still has the instructions, which say to grease the machine with whale blubber, which Kling said gives you a sense of the time.

This place helps you gain a perception of the people before us, she said. They didnt have a computer or cranes, but they were able to do all of this with practical knowledge, as I put it.  Weve lost that.

Hands-on experiences

When the students come to the mill, its like a class, Kling said.

If youre sitting there in class talking about numbers and equations versus coming out here for the real-life situation, it sinks in [out here] more, she said. Its better preparing the students for the workforce, which is whats important.

Biology students are teaming up with the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries to conduct stream surveys to discover what fish and other creatures inhabit the waters, according to Kevin Hamed, biology professor and certified wildlife biologist.

The goal is to clean it [the pond] out, and that depends on whats in it.  We dont want any activity to negatively impact these species, Hamed said. We want to improve the pond and the present aquatic life.

This fall, 52 biology students are participating in the project, and another 50 will be involved next spring, he said.

The students will install a purple martin nesting colony, creating 28 pairs of nests. These birds are insect predators, eating about a thousand bugs a day, according to Hamed.

One of our biggest focuses is experimental learning  we want the students to have hands-on experiences, he said.

The students are beginning to gather initial data from the stream survey, and that information will guide them where to go next with the project, Hamed said.

Professors David Smith, who teaches mathematics and physics, and Tom Tidwell, assistant professor of engineering, have taken students to Whites Mill to begin looking at the gearing on the wheel.

Over the years, Smith stopped by the mill fairly frequently, and Guy Miller showed him the workings of the wood gears.

The gears fascinated me, Smith said. I had worked summers in steel mills. I didnt know there were such things as wood gears. It was a revelation to me that they could work as well as they do. Over the years, Ive kind of kept my eye on the mill  its neat being out here with my physics group.

The students will use calculus to analyze the wheel, measure its diameter and attempt to measure the water flow to see how much is available to run the wheel, Smith said.

The students are going to get an introduction to angular dynamics [and] gain really good examples of how to use calculus to analyze more sophisticated things, he said.

In the spring, VHCC will offer an Experiences in Engineering course with the hope that students can apply what they learned in the first 18 months to the project, Tidwell said.

Jared Johnson, a third-year VHCC student majoring in science with a specialization in engineering, said hes glad he could be a part of the restoration effort.

Now we get a chance to use all of the formulas and things we learned from books and put it to use, Johnson said. Being able to see it personally and have hands-on experience makes it a lot easier to learn.

VHCC student Layne Harris said it will be really cool to see the mill up and running again.

The history is just incredible, said the third-year student who is majoring in science with a specialization in engineering. Its pretty efficient using equipment that is well over 100 years old. Its just so cool to see something like this.

Harris plans to go into civil engineering and may return to the region and build another Whites Mill, he said.

I feel like people take advantage of technology now  and if they could see what it took to run a mill, to get food, get materials and to build a house, I think they might appreciate things a little bit more than they do now, Harris said.

Kling said the foundation is almost to the point where the first phase, the overall structural restoration, is complete, which will take it a step closer to bringing the community back to the mill.

I think were ready to be more integrated with the community, she said. Its ready.
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As next years big-ticket release, S.Shankars 2.0, starring Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth, nears its release date (January 2018), controversies around the film refuse to die down. Earlier this year, there were reports that both the lead actors had a conflict over the climax of the film, which later turned out to be false news. And now, reports are doing the rounds that owing to an ego clash between the two superstars, they will promote the film separately.

Rubbishing this report as just a baseless rumour, a source close to the team tells us, Its a lie from the beginning. Some people (who are spreading these rumours) are acting dirty because of reasons best known to them.

Speculation trigged ahead of the mega music launch of the film, which is slated to take place on October 27 in Dubai, and it is being said that Akshay will not attend the event. Clarifying this, the source says that Akshay is going to be there and he is looking forward to the Dubai event.

There are plans that both Akshay and Rajinikanth might arrive on a chopper at Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in Dubai. Also, around Rs 12 crore are being spent only on the music launch of the film, which has a budget of close to 400 crores, making it the most expensive film till date, reveals the source, adding that the music launch, in which AR Rahman is performing, will be hosted by none other than Karan Johar.

When we contacted the production team of 2.0 for a comment, an assistant director (AD), on the condition of anonymity, told us, As we speak, the stage has been completed and LED screens are being fixed. Im landing in Dubai on October 23 with the crew and both Rajini sir and Akshay sir are coming on 26th morning. The next day, on 27th, we are holding an international press conference for what promises to be one of the biggest music launches of recent times.

As said by @shankarshanmugh Sir, "More than a movie,it's an experience." Some insight into the experience: #2Point0 https://t.co/ddCaFZSY6U  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 7, 2017

Sharing more details about the event, he adds, The launch is happening at Burj Park near Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and 10 thousand people will watch it live at the venue. Also, with all the LED screens been put up, around 1.5 lakh people will watch it across Dubai Mall and the vicinity.

Commenting on reports of this rumoured ego clash between Akshay and Rajinkanth, the AD refutes it and calls both the actors extremely humble. He elaborates, They respect each others craft, and value each other personally and professionally. [Also] when there are biggies involved in a film, it is the audience that thinks that there is a clash. Or maybe, there are people who dont want this movie to be a hit, and thats why these constant rumours keep emerging.

Reports suggested that Shankar was going crazy trying to convince his actors to attend the historic Dubai event. Reacting to this, the AD says, Such issues may crop up if actors lack confidence in the director. But here, both Akshay and Rajini sir are very co-operative and confident about their director [Shankar].

He further adds that both Akshay and Rajinikanth have maintained a great rapport throughout the shooting of the film. They enjoyed doing the action and dance sequences. They were either making fun or having fun on the set. Whenever a scene was given to them, they never had the time to go and think about politics; rather they were always focused on what they wanted do in the shot, to make it the best.

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Shah Rukh Khan says his fame and stardom will be of no use if he finds himself getting affected by the success of his contemporaries.

The 51-year-old actor shrugs when asked how difficult it is to remain unfazed by others work after being in the industry for over 25 years.

What is the point of having become such a huge star, if you are still going to follow someone else? Or be bothered by someone else, or think about someone else or compare yourself to someone else, he asks.

Shah Rukh says - not out of pompousness or ego  that he has everything going for him, which is why he does not feel the need to look further than his mirror.

I am sure, I am being presumptuous, but there are a lot of people out there who say wish we become Shah Rukh Khan. I am Shah Rukh Khan, so why should I want to be someone else? SRK stressed in an interview with PTI that when he joined the industry, he was a nobody.

With no money, no house, no future, parents dead, I did what I felt like doing. I had nothing to lose. Now I have everything. One way to look at it is, Oh I have so much to lose, he says.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan attand late Director Kundan Shah's prayer meet in Mumbai. (IANS)

But, the actor adds, there is another way of looking at all that he has achieved.

The other way is, Ive gained so much, even if I try to lose it, it wont go away. If we were so brave when we had nothing, why should we not be equally brave in our beliefs and thoughts in what we want to do, when we have everything going for us, he asks.

The superstar believes it is silly not to do what one wants, especially for someone like him who has achieved a certain status.

I am not saying I am a path-breaking guy and I will make people follow me, make them see me as an example. No, I do what I feel like doing. I made the most expensive film in the country ever, knowing fully it wont recover the money. But I had to do it, he says.

In the last two years, Shah Rukh has made some unconventional choices - from featuring in a double role in the psychological thriller Fan to doing an extended cameo in Dear Zindagi, a film that predominantly belonged to Alia Bhatt.

The actor says he is excited by the work of his contemporaries but eventually finds solace in what he wants to do.

My belief is, if someone else has already done it, why do you want to do it? Go for something else... So many people know me, have me on their minds, they have some good and bad things to say.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan during the launch of TED Talks India: Nayi Soch in Mumbai. (IANS)

I cant assimilate all and live my life. As an artiste, actor, father, star, it has to be what I feel like in the morning.

Shah Rukh also says he does not watch as many movies as a person from a film industry is often bound to.

I dont watch films, my family has now put a condition if I want to continue as an actor, I have to watch two Hindi films in a month. They are like but how can you not watch films? You act, make films, run a company, how can you not?

The family, he adds, has made a list of films that he needs to watch.

He will be next seen as a vertically-challenged man in filmmaker Aanand L Rais untitled film, also featuring Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

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Former censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani says people like Harvey Weinstein exist in Bollywood too, and need to be exposed.

Weinstein, a popular Hollywood producer has been accused of sexual harassment or abuse by more than three dozen women, including several top actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Lupita Nyongo and Angelina Jolie.

In a recent interview, actor Priyanka Chopra spoke up about the Weinstein element being prevalent everywhere, including Bollywood.

Former CBFC Chief Pahlaj Nihalani along with actress Raai Laxmi during the trailer launch of Film Julie 2 in Mumbai on Monday. (PTI)

Nihalani concurs, and said: Priyanka is right. There are Harvey Weinsteins in Bollywood too. They continue to exploit hapless strugglers because they are not held liable for their dirty deeds. This is the time to expose them.

I am not talking about actresses who do what they do to establish a foothold in the industry. I am talking about aspiring actors and actresses being forced to offer sexual favours in exchange for job opportunities. Bollywood has a very clear list of offenders who misuse their position, added Nihalani.

His new film Julie 2, which he is presenting and distributing, is about the casting couch menace in Bollywood.

Appalled that female actors have not come forward to name these offenders, Nihalani now intends to shout out their names at a press conference.

But for that we need victims to come forward. We are in the process of getting together voices of the victims to speak up publicly. The time to nail the Harvey Weinsteins of Bollywood is now.

Ive always sided with the truth. When you have that on your side, youve nothing to fear, he added.

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His film Jab We Met enjoys a cult status in Bollywoods romcom space, but director Imtiaz Ali has revealed who were the actual first choices for the lead roles.

Shahid Kapoors introvert nature and Kareena Kapoor Khans high-spirited avatar made the audience fall in love with their characters of Aditya Kashyap and Geet Dhillon.

Apparently, Bobby Deol and Ayesha Takia were initially considered for the lead roles.

They (Shahid and Kareena) worked very hard to deserve the success that they got in Jab We Met. It turned out very well, in that way they consider themselves very fortunate, says Imtiaz.

Imtiaz adds that would have liked to make a few changes to film but wont anymore as the film continues to be a fan-favourite.

The director tells PTI, There are lot of things that I would like to change. Now that 10 years have passed and people are still loving it, I would resist myself from doing that, otherwise I will get beaten up by fans for doing that.

Jab We Met completes 10 years on October 26 and it will air on &pictures channel.

Talking about why he thinks the film was able to connect with the masses, Imtiaz says it was not the usual love story where the boy meets girl and they fall in love.

I feel elated that people love the simplicity of the movie. It is a bit different. It is about positivity, it gives you hope, makes you smile, especially that part when Geet, on the terrace of her building, tells Aditya - Life is a game. Lets enjoy it.

Getting stressed about it doesnt make it easier. I think that was the icing on the cake in the film.

Both the characters were poles apart from each other and happened to meet when their paths intersected on a train journey.

Imtiaz Ali says he wanted to change somethings about Jab We Met. (IANS)

In the second half of the film, both Geet and Aditya undergo drastic role reversals.

Talking about the chemistry between Kareena and Shahid, Imtiaz says it is not about the stars sharing an equation.

... Else it will be the same for every film. The chemistry is between characters of a story... The actors are playing those characters, thats why they look interesting together or not, he adds.

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The residents of Delhi and the national capital region are used to bursting crackers from Dhanteras onwards. But it didnt happen this year. Did the ban on the sale of crackers diminish their availability? Have the people become conscientious? Rather than wrestle with these questions, I chose to be relieved. But the peace and tranquillity didnt last for long. The noise fest that began at 9 pm on Diwali continued well after midnight. All kinds of crackers were burst  those which could be heard from a distance and those that spread the maximum pollution. A few people had turned the ban into a question of religious identity.

I dont understand it  irrespective of religious affiliations  how can the people of a country of nature worshippers praise anything that harms the environment? Apart from the damage these crackers inflict on the environment, why are people blind to the distress they cause to infants, the elderly and the ailing?

The agony caused on the night of Diwali was alleviated to an extent by the numbers which arrived the next afternoon. The air quality index of the next morning, which had touched 445 last year stopped at 340 this year. The Supreme Courts decision has provided temporary relief. But a lot still needs to be done. Delhi and the areas around it are getting choked. Why do those advocating this forget that the Capitals lungs are already running out of breath?

To gauge how alarming the conditions have become, consider this statistic. Studies by Delhis Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, AIIMS and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital indicates that lung cancer is spreading fast among the Capitals youth. Earlier, 90% of those who suffered from the disease were addicted to smoking and the remaining 10% got it because of other reasons. Compared to the past many more people between 30 years and 45 years are getting affected. One of the biggest reasons for this is the increase in the number of noxious chemicals in the air. The real problem isnt limited to air pollution alone. We are twisting the laws of nature in a number of new ways. This is having an adverse effect on the planet and its inhabitants.

Let me share a personal experience with you.

On Dussehra I was in Haridwar with my family. In this period the cleaning of the Ganga canal is suspended so that the festival of Diwali can flow without hindrances. We were surprised to see dozens of diyas immersed in a stream that is increasingly becoming extinct. A few people were doing acrobatics in the depleted stream under the garb of having a holy bath. Those throwing diyas and garlands in the water were unaware that a few metres downstream, the objects of their faith will be deposited on the dried bottom of the Ganga canal and would have to be disposed of by a municipality truck generally used to carry garbage.

From Gangotri to Ganga Sagar, this is the unfortunate manner in which lakhs of people abuse Mother Ganga. Plastic bags, articles of clothing, garlands and other assorted objects are flung into the river to pollute this cradle of civilisation. The length of the canal around Har Ki Pauri is just six kilometres. So, it is possible to clean it. But it is impossible to clean the entire 2,525-kilometre expanse from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar. Therefore, this perennial source of water is becoming shallower, say researchers with a tinge of sadness. If you really want to witness the decline of this great river, visit Allahabad. Here you can see two distinct faces of the Ganga: One before the Sangam and the other after it. In the areas of the city the Ganga passes through before meeting the Yamuna, it resembles a narrow stream. Having left the great ghats behind, this river regains power by encompassing the Yamuna within it.

Such a miraculous thing! The Yamuna lends life to the Chambal and the Ganga in turn infuses life into the Yamuna. I would like to ask those who love to engage in intellectual debates why they dont pick up a shovel and volunteer to clean up these rivers that are turning shallow every passing day? These are the rivers responsible for north Indias greenery. Do any of us like the idea of staying in a desert?

Bhajans derived from film songs were blaring at full volume at Haridwars ashrams. A fast-drying river and on top of it this commotion was something we couldnt tolerate. So, we returned just in a day. Haridwar isnt the only city experiencing such public apathy. In Bhimtal, called the gateway to Kumaon, you wake up not to the chirping of birds but the sound of the azaan from a mosque. Whether it is the subject of bursting crackers, cleaning up rivers or sound pollution, our intellectuals have chosen to pursue the path of misleading people rather than enlightening them. In the name of religious appeasement, we have given a free run to religious opportunists.

Deepawali is the festival which celebrates the triumph of truth over falsehoods. Why dont we take inspiration from it to fight the darkness growing within our conscience?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief Hindustan

letters@hindustantimes.com
DEHRADUN: The Congress and the BJP on Sunday traded charges of polarising society on communal lines after chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced cattle protection teams for Kumaon and Garhwal divisions.

On Saturday, Trivendra Rawat had announced a cow protection squad for Haridwar after complaints over increasing incidences of cow slaughter and smuggling. The CM asserted the step was taken as cow slaughter and its smuggling were banned under the Uttarakhand Protection of Cow Progeny Act.

We are all for protection of the cow progeny. However, the way this government imposed the related law clearly shows the ruling partys intention, Congress leader Surendra Kumar told Hindustan Times. The entire move is intended to polarise the society with an eye on electoral gains in the coming local body polls and the Lok Sabha elections due in 2019.

It was clear that the ruling party took the decision to polarise the society with an eye on consolidating vote bank, he said. This government has imposed the cow protection law as if it has fulfilled all the peoples basic requirements pertaining to roads, electricity, potable water and health, Kumar said. If they really want to protect cow and its progeny, why dont they construct shelter houses and initiate steps to protect them from frequent accidents.

Meanwhile, Trivendra Rawat declared his government would enforce the Act under which cattle protection teams will be formed in Kumaon and Garhwal divisions. Each Govansh conservation squad will have 11 policemen, including an inspector. The teams will keep a check on cow smuggling and take necessary legal action against those found smuggling cows, he tweeted.

The cow protection squad headquartered at Haridwar would take care of Garhwal range. Similarly, a squad will be stationed at Udham Singh Nagar, which will keep a watch in Kumaon police range, the chief ministers media coordinator Darshan Singh Rawat told Hindustan Times. The detailed rules pertaining to the Act were promulgated in 2011.

Countering the allegations, the BJP asserted the Congress ruled the country for nearly 70 years with an attitude to divide the society on communal lines. Our governments move is a step towards conserving cows which have been the societys economic backbone,BJP state vice-president Jyoti Prasad Gairola said.

Cabinet minister Prakash Pant said the move had nothing to do with the Lok Sabha and the assembly elections which were due in 2019 and 2022.

The BJPs ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh also came out in support of the Uttarakhand government. They have no option but to find fault with an innocuous step like cow protection. Otherwise, how will they run their politics? RSS prant karyavah (state general secretary) Dinesh Semwal countered.

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HALDWANI: It is not the first time that Girdharilal Sahu is in the news for wrong reasons in Uttarakhand. Sahus links with the Bharatiya Janata Party is no secret as his wife Rekha Arya is women empowerment minister in the Trivendra Singh Rawat-led BJP government.

In fact, Sahu is said to be instrumental in Arya switching allegiance from the Congress to join the BJP last year ahead of the trust vote against the Harish Rawat government.

Sahus political link came out in the open in August 2016 when BJP legislators Rajesh Shukla and Rajkumar Thukral accompanied him to the Kichha Kotwali where he was facing charges of fraud. The two MLAs extended support to Sahu, saying he was a victim of conspiracy.

A property dealer, Sahu faces 25 cases in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly under Sections 420 (fraud), 67 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code.

Last year, several cases were lodged against him at the Kichha Kotwali after some people alleged that he sold a plot to many buyers. In August last year, the high court dismissed a petition seeking stay on Sahus arrest.

KR Pandey, who is investigating the case of Sahu in which he is alleged to have cheated his servant Naresh Gangwar, confirmed that Sahus history sheet was open in Bareilly. Sahu, who earlier told this reporter that he didnt have criminal antecedents, didnt respond to phone calls.

Advocate and social activist Chandrashekhar Kargeti said it was clear that Sahu enjoyed political patronage, which led to rise in his illegal activities. Such people are involved in frauds and land grab, and get patronage from the government. The fact that his wife is a minister makes him all the more influential.

But BJP general secretary Gajraj Singh Bisht said despite Sahu being Rekha Aryas husband, there was no political patronage. The law is same for everyone and we urge the administration to go into the depth of the matter.

Congress leader Sumit Hridyesh, however, alleged Sahu had political patronage from the BJP and the government must come clean by initiating strict proceedings against him.
DEHRADUN: The Udham Singh Nagar police on Saturday arrested three people, including a woman from a bus terminus in the city and rescued six women who were being trafficked to the Gulf nations to work as domestic help, police said.

The rescued women are Nepal national who had come from Tanakpur city in Champawat district bordering Nepal and were being taken to Delhi by the alleged traffickers, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Udham Singh Nagar Sadanad Date. The vigil along the border with Nepal had been beefed up, he said.

We have asked the anti-human trafficking cell officials to talk to girls who cross over into India from Nepal to find out if they are being trafficked by checking their antecedents. The SSP further said that the local intelligence units have also been asked to step up vigil.

This is not the first time such a cross-border trafficking case has come to light. Women and minor children have been trafficked from the state earlier.

Three months back, a man was arrested at the Banbasa check post for trafficking three minor children to Delhi to work as domestic help. In June, police rescued 16 Nepalese women from the Indo-Nepal border near Chandi village while they were being trafficked to India.

The Uttarakhand police say they are aware of trafficking and have set up three anti-human trafficking cells in Kumaon region of the state in Champawat, Haldwani and Pithoragarh districts.

There has been a spike in cross-border trafficking following the April 2015 earthquake that devastated Nepal and left thousands of women and minors-- most of whom were girls-- vulnerable to trafficking. Thousands of children in dire poverty, particularly those living in Nepals border districts, are trafficked to India every year, said activists.

Most of the trafficked women and girls from Nepal end up as domestic help or as sex slaves in Indian metros like Delhi or taken to the Gulf nations on Nepalese passports, some of them said.

Gyanendra Kumar at Empowering People Society, an NGO, said they have been telling the state police about Udham Singh Nagar becoming a major corridor in the cross-border human trafficking from Nepal. Interior areas like Sindhupalchowk district in northern Nepal--one of the worst-affected districts in the 2015 earthquake-- are the major sources areas of modern-day slavery, he said.

Women and minor girls are brought to Banbasa border from where they are made to cross the border and taken to Delhi. Traffickers keep changing transit routes to evade arrest.

Impoverished Nepalese girls are lured with promise of good jobs, unaware of what misery awaits them once they land in the Gulf nations, said Kumar. There is a charm of working in the Gulf countries and the impoverished parents are lured with promises of good jobs for their daughters.

Once the parents are convinced by traffickers, most of who are fellow villagers or acquaintances, the girls are trafficked to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, he said.

Deputy inspector general of police (Kumaon range) Puran Singh says that strict instructions have been given to the police to check human trafficking from Nepal and utmost vigil was being maintained. .
With an eye on streamlining traffic in the state capital, police has come up with a plan to set up women- only parking lots in at least three places in Dehradun. This move has garnered mixed response from people of the city.

Kewal Khurana, assistant inspector general of police (AIG) traffic, said that free of cost parking lots meant exclusively for women are being set up for two wheeler riders at Ballupur Chowk, Clock Tower and EC Road. The decision was taken keeping in mind the safety and convenience of women, he said.

Activists, however, raised doubts whether such a move will help in alleviating the vehicular jams in the city, given that men and women contribute equally to it.

Issues such as traffic and parking are gender neutral. If women-only parking lots are being set up with an eye on their security, why dont they (police) work on the overall security of women in general? asked womens rights activist Deepa Kaushlam.

We welcome free parking facilities, but reserving some of them for women may not be a feasible idea. For instance, even if there is any vacant space in women only parking, men will not be able to park there, who will in turn, contribute to traffic jam by parking on roadsides, said Mahesh Bhandari, president of Doon Residents Welfare Front, an umbrella group of resident welfare associations of the city.

AIG Khurana asserted that as many as 70 parking lots in shopping complexes are being made free in the city, of which only three have been kept aside for women as of now. We have identified 70 parking lots in shopping complexes, of which 14 have already been started as free parking spaces while the rest of them will become functional soon.

Asserting that the effort was to get people to use the facility instead of parking on roadsides, Khurana added, People park their vehicles wherever they want toto promote dedicated parking, we are working to give them free (parking) options. Besides, weve also increased towing charges from Rs 400 to Rs 1000 for those who park their vehicles in no-parking areas, said Khurana.

More than 2.5 lakh private vehicles ply in the city per day on an average, besides over 270 city buses, 1,200 vikrams and over 2,500 commercial loaders and trolleys.

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Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has assured to hand over Uttarakhand land in the possession of his government for expediting the transnational Pancheshwar Multipurpose Hydropower Project on Mahakali river along Indo-Nepal border.

Sources in the government informed that assurance came at a meeting between Adityanath and irrigation minister Satpal Maharaj on Saturday late evening in which the latter stated that the Panchsehwar project - which is in the priority list of Prime Minister Narendra Modi - cannot be started unless Uttarakhand gets ample land to rehabilitated more than 130 villages.

Maharaj asserted the Trivendra Singh Rawat governments wish to resolve the pending issue of handing out UP irrigation departments landlying in Uttarakhand was stalled as the state lacks adequate alternate land bank for rehabilitating the affected population.

In such a situation, Maharaj stressed, land from Uttar Pradesh was the only solution for early expedition of the Pancheshwar Hydropower Project as Uttarakhand has no alternate land pool of its own.

The Uttar Pradesh CM assured him of resolving the issue at the earliest since the project was to be started within a period fixed by the Centre. He was positive about finalising the share of his governments contribution for the Jamrani power project to be constructed on the Gaula river in Nainital district.

The sources said the Pancheshwar project is likely to get impetus as Modi himself shown interest in it under his long-term agenda with the Nepalese government and to further improve bilateral ties vis-a-vis China. Recently, the PM directed the Union water resources minister to speed up work so that the project can be started in the first quarter of 2018.

The Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project is a mutual interest project for India and Nepal covered under the Mahakali Treaty signed by the two neighbours in 1996. New Delhi has agreed to bear 65% of project but expects only half of the 5,000 MW power to be generated by the project. The project offers benefit of regulated water for irrigation to a vast area of agricultural land in both countries along with benefit of flood control in downstream areas.
With Chhath celebrations beginning on Tuesday, political parties in power at the municipal corporations and the state government are trying to outdo each other to woo the sizeable purvanchali population living in the national capital.

In an apparent move to compete with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Manoj Tiwari, the Delhi chief of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with party leaders participated in a cleanliness drive at a ghat in Sonia Vihar on Sunday afternoon. He announced that over the next four days, his party workers would volunteer to assist the municipal corporation maintain amenities at the Chhath ghats.

We will arrange tents and other facilities for the convenience of the devotees. Chhath is not just a religious ritual but also an effort for environment protection. The devotees first clean the ghats and then use eco-friendly materials for the puja. We should use such festivals to keep the Yamuna river clean Tiwari, who also belongs to Bihar, said.

The national capital has witnessed an influx of migrants from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh over the past few decades. Their population has increased to around 40 lakh and they have assumed a decisive role in the electoral contests in the city.

Chhath puja - celebrated on the sixth day after Diwali - is dedicated to the Sun God and is one of the most popular festivals in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

A BJP leader said that around 1.5 lakh party workers are expected to work in collaboration with the party-led three municipal corporations to make adequate arrangements for the devotees.

Tiwari visited the Yamuna bank two days after the Delhi rural development minister and AAPs prominent purvanchali leader Gopal Rai took stock of the preparations at Kudesia Ghat, Kashmere Gate on Friday.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a Google Hangout session on Sunday evening said that the government had made elaborate arrangements for Chhath celebrations at 565 ghats this year compared to 268 last year. The Delhi government has constructed 50 pucca structures for the occasion and has formed a committee to monitor the festival preparations.

The government made a special financial provision in the 2017-18 budget for setting up sufficient number of Chhath ghats across the city.

Tiwari also spoke to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar requesting him to release extra water in the Yamuna to ensure availability of adequate water for the devotees till the culmination of the rituals. The Haryana CM has given assurance that the government will release additional water for the two days during the Chhath puja so that the water level can be maintained in the river, Tiwari said.

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Kuldeep Singh, 52, a bus contractor and driver, is being sought out by many suave, English-speaking entrepreneurs, all wanting to rent a piece of land he and his brothers own in Saidulajab village in south Delhi. The landkhasra number 258which till a few years back had cow shades and furniture workshops, has morphed into Parisian passageway with cafes, design studios, a reading room and handicraft shops.

The backyards of these establishments are often the venue for impromptu poetry evening, music gigs, book launches, making the place an important spot on the citys culinary and cultural map.

The passageway is called Champa Gali, and do not be surprised if you have not heard of it. Even locals havent. Auto drivers will gawk at you if you mention Champa Gali-- the Capitals best kept secret.

But those who know cannot stop gushing about it. Aditya Sharma, a childrens author, says that there is no better place in the city to think, write and meet like-minded people. The place has the vibes of a rural French street with alternative cafes that offer such a fantastic blend of coffee and culture, says Sharma. It is everything that other urban villages in the city are not.

Just come here on a rainy evening to experience its romance, says Sharma, sitting on a wooden bench under a neem tree at the backyard of a cafe in Champa Gali

It is afternoon and a group of foreign tourists are curiously looking into a design studio before settling on a wooden bench outside a tea shop; there is a young couple taking a selfie, and then there is a group of young executives from a start-up who have come for an afternoon snack. The place has the quietude of a mountain village.

I have walked the streets of most of the citys urban villages, but none is quite like Champa Gali. The street offers a best retreat in the city, says Priyanka Kapur, a freelance content writer who meets her clients in the reading room of Jugmug Thela, which describes itself as a chai shop and a community space. And interestingly, its founder, Jiten Suchede, calls himself Chief Chaiwala. But he is quick to point that his designation has nothing to do with politics. It is just that we are a tea company and this designation seems just apt, says Suchede.

The place is dotted with cafes. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

In fact, Suchede is also a man everyone in the street wants you to talk to if you want to know the history and geography of Champa Gali. After all, he was the first person to start his office and then a cafe two years back. A lot of people visited me and liked the place, and some of them decided to have their own space here, says Suchede. Frankly, Champa Gali as it is, is not a planned project. It just evolved into its current form without our conscious efforts. A lot of visitors come here driven by curiosity.

Generating a lot of curiosity are Champa Galis Facebook and Instagram pages where the goings-on in the street are notified through enticing photographs. And Champa Gali is pretty photogenic, what with hanging trees on its walls, the arty signage of its establishments, a green cloth canopy covering a part of it. Its Facebook page describes it thus: A rustic street in the lanes of Saidulajab, reviving old sheds into a places filled with life -- Art, Culture, Handmade goodness, Design, Chai & Coffee.

As for the name, Suchede says they decided to call it Champa Gali after Blue Tokai, a cafe with an on-site roastery , brought in a lot champa plants. Matt Chitharanjan, co-founder, Blue Tokai, who was born in the US to an Indian father and American mother, says what drew him to the place is its quaint, rustic charm. It has such lovely, rural vibes. Our customers include young executives, uncles, aunties, artists. Our pop-up events are as well-received as our coffee, says Chitharanjan, sitting under the shade of a tree in the backyard of his cafe that serves as an event venue.

His next door neighbour Shailesh Mehta says he used to come to Champa Gali as a customer and fell in love with the place. But it took him quite a while to convince Kuldeep Singh, whom he fondly calls Tau, to let him rent his place which, he says, was a junkyard. Mehta says it took him a few months of hard work to create Morellos, a cafe with a distinct Goan feel and join the league of the Champa Gali establishments. All of us here are trying to ensure no alcohol is served in any of our cafes. Champa Gali is a completely non-alcoholic place, says Mehta, who is quite happy with his journey from being a customer to an owner of a cafe in the street.

While Kuldeep Singh, his landlord, is not aware how his Khasra came to be called Champa Gali, he is happy that Saidulajab, the Yadav-dominated village, is transforming fast. Until the 1990s, he says, there was nothing but agricultural fields in the village. The English-sounding Westend Marg, he points out, was a narrow slushy track along the agricultural fields where you could only see tractors, bullock carts and cows. A few people opened offices in the early the 2000s.  The arrival of Metro in Saket in 2010 changed this village. These days, my phone keeps buzzing. The callers are people wanting to open new cafes in Champa Gali, says Kuldeep, who has an office in the village.

Kuldeep is not exaggerating -- in the past few years Saidulajab , barely half a km from the Saket metro station, has become a preferred destination for start -ups to open their offices. Soon, Champa Gali, which is still a work in progress, might become its enduring identity. At one end of the street, a couple of more cafes are coming up. Though what these cafes offer is not my cup of tea, I am trying to make more space to extend Champa Gali, says Kuldeep with the air of a man , who is part of a great cultural project.

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He stole hundreds of cars in Delhi and satellite cities, went under the plastic surgeons scalpel five years ago to change his looks and avoid detection, was always armed, and a junkie too.

Kunal Maheshwari was super thief in New Delhis crime league, until the law got the better of him on October 13  caught with a stolen hatchback in which he was out on a nightly spin.

Shackled with handcuffs, he gave out the names of his associates, Irshad Ali and Mohammad Shadab, the gang suspected of stealing a car almost every alternate day in New Delhi and neighbouring states of late.

The 35-year-old Maheshwari fell into a trap set for the man he was before facial surgery.

The cops were looking for Tanuj, a criminal arrested in the past but out on bail. There was a tip-off that he would come towards Nehru Place in a stolen car. They had an old black-and-white photograph to identify him.

When the policemen blocked their target on a road opposite Eros Hotel in Nehru Place, the driver got down and ran. Our team chased him for 300 meters and caught him. The car was stolen from Faridabad, said Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (southeast).

The suspect identified himself as Kunal Maheshwari and the cops were surprised as the face on the photo didnt match the suspects looks.

But his game was up when a sub-inspector at Kalkaji police station, who was part of the team that arrested him in 2013, identified him.

Maheshwari admitted he underwent a plastic surgery in 2012 outside Delhi. He is not revealing the hospitals name and the money he spent, Baaniya said.

The suspect was born Tanuj in south Delhis Garhi near Amar Colony, dropped out of school in Class 12, fell into bad company, became a drug addict and committed burglaries to fund his indulgences when he was 18, according to police.

The son of a grocery shop owner then graduated to stealing cars.

He always keep firearms and never hesitates to fire at policemen, an officer said.

He was arrested in 2013 for his suspected role in 70 vehicle thefts, but got bail this February. When he was caught that year he allegedly tried to commit suicide at Chittaranjan Park police station.

After his release from jail, Maheshwari stole over 100 cars in Delhi, Faridabad, Indirapuram, and Ghaziabad in seven months, Baaniya said.

The gang was part of a wider network that sold stolen cars, changing the engine and chassis numbers and repurposing the papers.
The silence of a rape victim cannot be taken as proof of consent for sexual relations, the Delhi High Court has observed while upholding a mans 10-year jail term for raping a pregnant woman.

Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal made the observation while rejecting a rape convicts defence that the victims silence about the incident proved consensual sexual relations.

The defence taken by the accused that the prosecutrix (victim) had consensual sexual relations with him which is pointed out from her silence about the incident, holds no ground, as mere silence cannot be taken as proof of consensual sexual relations as she has also stated that she was being threatened by the accused.

Thus, any act of sexual intercourse in the absence of consent would amount to an act of rape, the high court said while upholding a trial courts 2015 decision to convict and sentence to 10-year imprisonment one Munna, who was then 28- years old, for repeatedly raping a 19-year-old woman.

The high court also upheld the decision of the trial court to acquit Munna of the offences of kidnapping, saying there were inconsistencies in the womans statements regarding how she had reached Delhi.

It also agreed with the subordinate courts decision to acquit him and and co-accused Suman Kumar of the charge of trying to sell the woman into prostitution as alleged by her.

The high court was hearing Munnas appeal against his conviction and sentence, as well as the plea of the police challenging the trial courts decision to acquit the two men of the other offences.

According to the woman, she had come to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh in December 2010 and met Munna and Kumar who had allegedly lured her with the promise of work.

She had alleged that Munna took her to Panipat in Haryana where she was confined to a flat for around two months and was repeatedly raped by him. She had also alleged that he had threatened to kill her if she tried to escape.

Later, Munna took her to a flat in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, rented by Kumar, and from there they brought her to another flat in Shastri Park here, she had alleged.

She had also told the police that on April 1, 2011, when Kumar got to know that Munna had raped her in his absence, the two men had fought and the former had called the cops.
Something is rotten in the state of Pakistans external finances. One would think that Pakistan, the home of the flagship project of Chinas trillion dollar Belt Road Initiative, would have an overflowing external account. It is early days yet, but so far the China-Pakistan Economic Corridors economic consequences have been disastrous. The World Bank recently warned Pakistan it would face an external financing crisis next year. It noted the country would need $17 billion to cover a rising current account deficit and debt payments. The State Bank of Pakistan, the countrys central bank, had sounded a note of alarm earlier when the current account deficit for the 2016-17 fiscal year unexpectedly jumped 149% from the previous year  from less than $5 billion to over $12 billion.

There is little evidence of Chinese munificence in Pakistans foreign exchange reserves and trade figures. Pakistans foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $13.8 billion in September, the lowest since 2013. And partly because its improving connectivity with China is resulting in a flood of imports, its trade deficit has widened dramatically. While China is by far the largest source of foreign direct investment in the country, this is less impressive when one realises Pakistan attracted a total of $2 billion in FDI last year. While an improvement on the previous year, it is less than half of what the country used to attract even five or six years ago. At a time the world is flush with cheap capital and the Pakistan economy is growing at over five per cent a year, the lack of foreign investment is more than a bit surprising. Even Chinas $ 800 million plus investment flows are hardly eye-popping.

There are a number of reasons for Pakistans financial condition. It has long depended on the foreign exchange earned from remittances, flows which have halved as the Persian Gulf economies slow down. The restrictions of some Gulf states on Pakistani migrant labour is also part of the story. But what may be most telling is the lack of serious attempts to attract foreign capital. Pakistans establishment seems to have concluded that the CPEC will provide for all of their economic needs and that, therefore, they need not actually do the hard work of reforming their economy. For example, to save the Pakistani rupee from crashing, the country has twice run to China this year alone and borrowed $ 1.4 billion. The question is how long Beijing is prepared to be so generous or what price will it extract in return.
Fifty people were booked for protesting on Friday evening and blocking traffic on the stretch connecting Palam Vihar to Atul Kataria Road. Those booked are residents of the Park View Residency at Palam Vihar and Mahindra Aura, among others from various residents societies and welfare associations.

The protest was to bring attention to a 1.5-km stretch of roadlinking Sector 5 to Palam Vihar and Bijwasanthat has been under construction for nearly four years, the residents said. Almost 200 people, including children, wore oxygen masks as they protested against the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) a day after Diwali.

Aggrieved by the slow progress of work on an under-construction road, residents from Palam Vihar, Mahindra Aura, Bestech Park View residency, Dharm and Gupta colonies had held a demonstration at the said stretch of road on Friday evening. They also blocked the road for some time that led to the police case.

Station house officer of Palam Vihar police station, inspector Vikram Nehra, said, We have taken action against the residents who blocked the road and did not allow commuters to pass through despite several requests.

A case was registered against the 50 residents on Saturday at Palam Vihar police station, under sections 147, (rioting), 149 (being member of an unlawful assembly), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Indian Penal Code.

Reacting to being booked for protesting against slow civic work, residents said the police are just interested in suppressing their voice.

The police, instead of taking action against the road contractor, have lodged an FIR against the ladies of PVR who were protesting for their right to breath clean air, said the general secretary of Park View Residency, Vikas Dhull.

If the police take such action, we will protest again, a determined Dhull added.

Last year, the untimely death of a four-year-old child around Diwali due to asthma caused by air pollution in the area led to much furor. Pollution caused by prolonged construction activity and the resulting respiratory problems among local residents has become a major concern.

Residents also rue the absence of a motorable road which, they said, was leading to excessive vehicular congestion in the area; snarls are routine in the area and affect their quality of life.

The residents said they ended the protest before 8 pm when the ACP and SDM arrived there and assured the residents of speedy work.

Sarita Singhal, a resident of Park View Residency who is among the 50 people booked, said, The incharge of Bajghera police station misbehaved with me during the protest. He used derogatory and inappropriate language. I complained about this to SDM Bharat Bhushan. He had assured us that he would address this issue with the police commissioner but now they have registered an FIR against us. This is shocking.

On Sunday, a large group of residents went to meet PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh.

Though he was not available to meet the group, he is reported to have spoken with the RWA heads of Mahindra Aura and Park View Residency on the phone. He has assured the group that no one would be arrested and that he would speak to the police commissioner regarding the same.

We have been assured that suitable action will be taken and no arrest will be made for the peaceful protest, president of Mahindra Aura RWA, Yashesh Yadav, said.
Despite a ban on the sale of firecrackers in place and the Punjab and Haryana high court setting a time limit (from 6.30pm to 9.30pm) for residents to light crackers on Diwali night, city hospitals reported a spike in cases of respiratory illness after the festival.

Health experts said after Diwali, there was a sudden spurt in the concentration of suspended particulate matter in the city air, making it difficult for residents to breathe. Since PM 2.5 consists of sulphate, ammonia, nitrates, black carbon, mineral dust and sodium chloride, oxygen becomes a rarefied commodity in the air, thereby making it hard for residents to breathe.

The rise of PM 2.5 in the citys air has worsened asthma and other respiratory problems, as it settles inside the thin passage of lungs making it difficult for the organ to function. Since Diwali, the out patients department (OPD) at the government hospitals in the city have been reporting a steady stream of patients with lower respiratory tract infection, acute asthma and breathing problem.

We have reported a 20% rise in cases of respiratory illness since Diwali. The level of pollutants in the air is high in the mornings and evenings, posing a major health hazard for children and the elderly, BK Rajora, chief medical officer, Gurgaon civil hospital, said.

Doctors were of opinion that as there is a fluctuation in temperature in the morning and evening, cases of respiratory illness in the city has gone up significantly.

Read I Gurgaon air quality worsens, respiratory illnesses on the rise

Dr Manoj Goel, director, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, said, Footfall of people with respiratory distress has seen a 15-20% rise post Diwali as compared to last year. This trend could largely be attributed to a significant difference in temperature in the day and night. While the temperature remains on the cooler side early morning and at night, the mercury inches up as the day progresses.

Concerned over a rise in the number of patients with breathing problems, doctors advised residents to use face masks and also carry prescribed medicines at all times.

There has also been a rise in cases of chronic respiratory diseases flaring up since Diwali. Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have reported a steady worsening of their condition. There has been a surge in fresh diagnosis of asthma by up to 20% since July this year. People with pre-existing asthma have reported an exacerbation, requiring steroids and nebulisers for relief, Arunesh Kumar, senior consultant, respiratory and pulmonology, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon, said.

Overall, I feel there has been a substantial increase in the number patients with acute deterioration of their chronic respiratory diseases. I advise my patients to use masks when they step out and keep their reliever inhalers handy at all times, Kumar said.

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Law and order has yet again emerged as a major concern for industry owners in Manesar following burglary in Sector 8 on Saturday. The incident triggered panic among industry owners in the area.

The daylight heist at a Korean auto company was fifth major incident of crime since May in the area, with the previous four being gangrape, one abduction and two robbery cases. These incidents have left the industry community fearing for its safety and has posed a threat to the governments commitment to ensuring ease of doing business in the state. The commitment was made by none other than chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Manoj Tyagi, general secretary, IMT Manesar Industrial Association, said, Since June, three-four incidents have taken place here in Manesar. After the gangrape case, the police and Haryana state industry and infrastructure development corporation (Hsiidc) held a meeting with industry owners and decided to install CCTV cameras at all entry exit points and also erect boundary walls. Criminals abducted a factory owner at gunpoint a week back and on Saturday miscreants looted a factory. All these incidents took place after a second police station came up in Manesar six months ago. We want CCTV cameras to be installed urgently.

According to industry owners, CCTV was one of the key security measures proposed after a 19-year-old woman was gangraped and her infant daughter killed in Manesar on May 29. The police arrested three accused in the case.

IMT requires comprehensive security measures focusing on preventive plans and risk assessment which include strict vigilance , patrolling and active mechanism. At the last meeting with the police, we proposed verification of employees, tenants , registration plates on auto-rickshaws as measures to boost security in the area. But sadly, nothing has been done, Sunil Singh Panwar, an industry owner, said.

Read I Manesar gang rape, murder: Two held after one accused confesses to sarpanch

Every department should work as one in this direction. Otherwise, industries will have to bear an adverse impact of the deteriorating law and order situation. There are lot of other problems that industry owners here are grappling with, but security is of paramount importance. We should make all stakeholders to feel safe and secure. If the situation does not improve, we will consider shifting to Neemrana in Rajasthan or Gujarat. If will certainly not be in the best interest of the state, Panwar said.

As discussed in a meeting earlier, the estimate for providing CCTV cameras in Sector 1, a residential area, has been approved by the local committee and tenders will be floated in the coming week. Estimates for the remaining area of IMT Manesar are under preparation and will be sent to the head office soon for approval by the competent authority, said OP Goyal, additional general manager, HSIIDC.

Earlier, the issue was pending as residents associations had to consent to bearing the expenses for this additional work. Now, the estimates are being sent to the head office for final decision and administrative approval, Goyal said.

Industry owners have also requested the HSIIDC to replace defunct streetlights in Manesar.

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A retired sub-inspector, one of three Assam policemen arrested on October 17 for the alleged custodial death of a minor eight months ago, died at the Guwahati Central Jail on Sunday.

Tamizuddin Ahmed, who retired a few days ago, was lodged in the jail after he was arrested along with inspector Uma Kanta Borah and sub-inspector Azizur Rahman in connection with the death of 14-year-old Raja Ali on February 9.

As authorities ordered a magisterial inquiry into Ahmeds death, his family sniffed foul play, accusing jail officials and Ahmeds arrested colleagues of poisoning him.

Pulak Mahanta, additional deputy commissioner of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, told HT that an inquest (for autopsy) has already been sought.

The district covers Guwahati and certain areas beyond.

Borah was the officer in-charge of Guwahatis Bharalumukh police station when Raja was arrested on charges of theft. The boy died a few days later at a juvenile home in Boko, a town 60km west of Guwahati.

Post-mortem had revealed Raja had died due to injuries caused by a blunt object. Members of his family alleged the police had beaten him up before sending him off to the juvenile home.

Borah, Ahmed and Rahman were released from their jobs temporarily after the Gauhati high court registered a case on the basis of the autopsy report that pointed at torture. The court had ordered the city police to furnish a detailed report regarding the case within October 23.

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Five people including the director of information and public relations department of Assam have been named as accused in a multi-crore rupee advertisement scam.

The special vigilance cell of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal filed an FIR in connection with the case involving over Rs 30 crore in the court of a special judge here on Saturday.

Besides director Ranjit Gogoi, four others from three advertising and media firms namely Rajib Bora and Anjana Bora of Brahmaputra Television Network, Dilip Kalita of Delta Publicity and Apurba Lahkar of Pradip Advertising have been named as accused in the FIR.

According to preliminary investigation, Gogoi allegedly misused his position while granting projects to these firms as part of a Vision Assam, Mission Assam publicity campaign for the previous Congress government in the state.

The campaign during the fag end of the third term of Tarun Gogoi government was aimed at highlighting achievements of the Congress tenure through various media platforms ahead of the 2016 assembly polls.

Read more: No-proof of corruption by ministers; BJPs Assam unit dismisses MPs charge

But the rates of the advertisements and their coverage were allegedly inflated in order to siphon of large part of the money allotted for the campaign.

The BJP-led coalition, which came to power last year, began preliminary probe into the 'scam' in April this year after allegations surfaced about irregularities in handing out contracts for the campaign and also in payments.

As the government in power, the BJP has every right to conduct investigations. But they should be done in a fair manner without any political bias, Assam Congress general secretary-cum-senior spokesperson Apurba Bhattacharya told HT.

He accused the ruling party of propaganda in the name of fighting corruption and blamed it for failing to initiate any probe when party MP Ram Prasad Sharma accused ministers in the Sonowal government, earlier this month, of taking bribes in return for doling out contracts.

Gogoi couldnt be reached for his reaction on the allegations against him.



Officials of the vigilance cell have conducted raids at offices of the information department and the firms named in the FIR and also questioned the accused.

The case has been filed under several sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act for criminal conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust, cheating etc.

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The Assam unit of the Congress filed a police complaint on Sunday against BJP parliamentarian Kamakhya Prasad Tassa for allegedly equating Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi with garbage.

The party said the Adivasi leader of the tea tribal community, who represents the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in central Assam, should be arrested for his defamatory remarks.

The Congress washed the brains of people with garbage like Gandhi and Nehru without knowing the ideologies of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Tassa had allegedly said at a public rally on Saturday.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal attended the rally.

Congress workers burnt his effigies in Guwahati on Sunday and demanded his removal from Parliament.

This is not just an insult to our nation, to the freedom movement, to our Constitution but also a serious offence. No sensible person can make such an offensive remark, Congress state unit president Ripun Bora said.

Congress MPs from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi and Sushmita Dev, took to Twitter against their BJP counterpart.

BJP MP Kamakhya Tassas speech equating Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi with garbage is condemnable and he should issue a public apology, Gogoi posted.

BJP MP Kamakhya Tasa's speech equating Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi with garbage is condemnable and he should issue a public apology.  Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) 22 October 2017

Dev tweeted: 2014 elections gave a govt with absolute majority but the quality of Parliamentarians like Mr. Tassa is questionable. Deplorable comment.

2014 elections gave a govt. with absolute majority but the quality of Parliamentarians like Mr. Tasa is questionable. deplorable comment https://t.co/TqapH8BqJS  Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevmp) 22 October 2017

The BJP, heading the states three-party coalition government, has been facing flak from the Congress and local organisations for imposing RSS ideologies, particularly after naming some colleges after Upadhyaya.

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A war of words on Saturday broke out between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhis Twitter resurgence after news agency ANI suggested bots or web robots that can produce automated mass retweets were behind it.

Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani took to the microblogging website to suggest that the retweets were from fake accounts abroad.

Questioning whether automated bots were mass retweeting Gandhis tweets, the report said that on October 15, OfficeofRG retweeted US President Donald Trumps tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug.

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged bots with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice presidents tweets.

An internet bot is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the internet.

However, the veracity of report could not be independently ascertained.

Rajeev Shukla, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gandhi family loyalist, jumped to the party vice presidents defence, saying social media connects the whole world and retweets originating from Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia should not be considered out of place.

They (the BJP) are afraid of Rahul Gandhi and his popularity, he told TV channels.

Another Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh said it is unimportant how many times a tweet has been retweeted. He said what is important is the issues Rahul Gandhi has been highlighting through his tweets.

BJP is not answering...Where is the chowkidar? Why is he not speaking about how the turnover of a company owned by Shahzadas son rose 16,000 times in a year. Why are they not answering...Why are they not answering questions raised by him (Gandhi) about farmers? Why? Singh said.

He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on a web portals report that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah, BJP chief Amit Shahs son rose exponentially after the party came to power at the Centre in 2014. Jay Shah has filed a criminal defamation case against the portal--The Wire.

He rejected the news agencys claims that bots were behind the perceived rise in Gandhis popularity on Twitter. There is nothing like that, he said.

Union minister Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted:

In sports, this would come under Doping.... hey wait!does dope remind you of someone  https://t.co/xulfk1ENtI  Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) October 21, 2017

Amit Malviya, the head of the BJPs IT cell, asked a TV news channel why the Congress has to buy support for Rahul Gandhi.

Irani also retweeted the reactions of other netizens, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who tweeted, Desperate times call for desperate measures ?.
The government has made it mandatory for banks and financial institutions to check the original identification documents of individuals dealing in cash above the prescribed threshold, to weed out the use of forged or fake copies.

The department of revenue in the finance ministry has issued a gazette notification making an amendment to the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules.

The new rule now requires the reporting entity to compare the copy of officially valid (identification) document so produced by the client with the original and recording the same on the copy.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) forms the core of the legal framework put in place by India to combat money laundering and generation of black money.

The PMLA and its rules impose obligation on reporting entities like banks, financial institutions and intermediaries to verify identity of clients, maintain records and furnish information to Financial Intelligence Unit of India (FIU-IND).

As per Rule 9, every reporting entity will have to, at the time of commencement of an account-based relationship, identify its clients, verify their identity and obtain information on the purpose and intended nature of the business relationship.

Intermediaries like stock broker, chit fund company, cooperative bank, housing finance institution and non-banking finance companies are also classified as reporting entities.

Biometric identification number Aadhaar and other official documents are required to be obtained by the reporting entities from anyone opening a bank account as well as for any financial transaction of Rs 50,000 and above.

The same is also required for all cash dealing of more than Rs 10 lakh or its equivalent in foreign currency, cash transactions where forged or counterfeit currency notes have been used and all suspicious transactions.

All cross border wire transfers of more than Rs 5 lakh in foreign currency and purchase and sale of immovable property valued at Rs 50 lakh or more also fall under this category, according to the reporting rules.

The Gazette notification said in case the officially valid document furnished does not contain updated address, a utility bill like electricity, telephone, post-paid mobile phone, piped gas or water bill which is not more than two months old can be considered as a proof of address.

Also, property or municipal tax receipt, pension or family pension payment orders issued to retired employees by Government departments, or letter of allotment of accommodation from employer can be considered for the same purpose.
The Union law ministry has objected to the Supreme Court collegiums move to scrap the mechanism for evaluating judgements of additional judges of high courts while recommending their names for promotion as permanent judges.

The SC collegium is a body of the countrys top five judges headed by the Chief Justice of India that appoints judges. High court judges are appointed after their names are recommended by similar bodies in the countrys 24 high courts to the SC collegium.

Additional judges  appointed for an initial period of two years  were being evaluated for the judgments they delivered before being made permanent judges since 2010. On October 31, that year, then CJI Justice SH Kapadia had written to high court chief justices asking them to set up judgments evaluation committees in every HC.

The committees, comprising senior judges, assessed additional judges on the judgments they had delivered. In March this year, then CJI JS Khehar wrote to the HC chief justices saying the SC collegium had decided that the practice needs to be discontinued, sources said. The CJIs letter was sent to the law ministry in April.

Read more: Law ministry clears the way for hiking lower court judges salaries

Last month, the ministry wrote back to the collegium asking it to re-examine its decision to scrap the lone parameter for evaluating additional judges before elevating them, sources said.

The communication to the Chief Justice of India was made during the tenure of the previous justice department secretary Snehlata Srivastava, who retired on September 30. When HT tried to contact her on Saturday, she texted a message saying she had already retired.

The governments objection could spark off another controversy with the executive reacting to a move that lies in the domain of the judiciary. The ties between the executive and the judiciary have been under strain since the Supreme Court in October 2015 scrapped a new law for appointing a commission for judicial appointments and ending the current system of judges appointing judges.

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This Diwali was the quietest for three years in the national capital, but the noise level was still above the permissible limit in most areas despite a Supreme Court ban on the sale of firecrackers.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, nine of 10 monitoring sites in the city were less noisy on Thursday than last years festival of lights, celebrated on October 30.

A pollution board official, who didnt wish to be named, said the court restrictions on the sale of firecrackers till November 1 had an effect on the Diwali din.

New Delhi and most Indian cities struggle with a spike in noise and air pollution during the festival when millions of fireworks are lit, especially at night, which add to the routine high-decibel sound from traffic, construction work and loudspeakers in urban areas.

Noise pollution was worse in the south this year, the official said.

Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai were the noisiest. Daytime Mumbai and Bengaluru at night were the quietest this Diwali.

About 90% locations in seven major cities breached the safety mark, the data showed, but noise pollution was less than last year in most areas selected for sound checks.

The government-backed national ambient noise monitoring network was set up in 2011 for real-time monitoring of 70 locations in Indias seven largest cities. These sites are split into commercial, industrial, residential and silent zones. Noise standards differ accordingly.

The government has rules on sound from firecrackers, but activists say these are hardly implemented.

Rather than banning the sale of crackers we need to figure out which crackers are safe, said Sumaira Abdulali, the convener of AWAAZ Foundation, an anti-noise group.

A World Health Organization study showed five years ago that 27% of Indias billion-strong population suffered from disabling hearing loss, as opposed to 11% in high-income countries. People above 65 were the most susceptible.

Hearing disability due to noise pollution is becoming worse, Abdulali said. People most impacted are the old, sick and infants.

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President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has a sincere desire to take the Egypt-India ties to a higher level, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar has said.

Akbar, who called on President Sisi here on Saturday, described his meeting with the Egyptian leader as excellent.

President Sisis great desire for taking our relationship, which is already very good, to much higher level is very sincere and is a very powerful pillar of our bilateral relations and it gives us hope for great revival, he told PTI after the meeting.

During the meeting at Al Alamein, the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties as well as other regional and international issues.

Akbar said both countries always find new avenues for partnership and cooperation not simply on government-to- government level but how to improve partnership on a people- to-people level.

He handed over President Sisi a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The letter was to thank Egypt for its support to the Indian candidate at the International Court of Justice, the minister said.

This is a message of renewal relations and it also elaborate how we can work together both in multilateral and bilateral issues, he said, noting that India had supported the Egyptian candidate for the Secretary-General of UNESCO.

The minister also mentioned that President Sisi and Prime Minister Modi have met four times and they have developed a very good warm friendship.

Sisi had visited India in September 2016.

Akbar also condemned the killing of Egyptian policemen in a gun battle with terrorists during a raid on a militant hideout in Giza governorate on Friday.

It was also an occasion to reassert what our Prime Minister has been saying about terrorism and the message he is giving is There is no good terrorism, no bad terrorism. All terrorism is evil and President Sisi endorsed that completely, he said.

Akbar also praised the vital role which Egypt plays in the Middle East.

Egypt has always played a very important, even critical, role in shaping the Middle East. It is one of the countries which make the difference, he said.

During his short visit to Egypt, Akbar laid a wreath at Indian soldiers cemetery at Alamein and remembered their valiant sacrifices in the World War II.

Akbars visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the historic battle of El-Alamein.

The decisive battle - which began on October 23, 1942 - pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomerys against the Afrika Korps of Germanys Erwin Rommel.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.
The rest of India knows Goa for its scenic beaches, spectacular sunsets and roaring nightlife. But the tiny state is also currently being roiled by an unlikely literary controversy over a collection of poems that takes on the local caste elite.

The book  Sudhirsukt (Hymns of a Shudra)  came out four years ago and was written by former BJP MLA Vishnu Surya Naik Wagh but first surfaced in the news a month ago with rumours that it was in line to get the states highest literary award.

Since then, the award  the prestigious Goa Konkani Awards  has been called off this year, an FIR has been filed against the critically ill author on charges of using derogatory language against women and top literary figures in the state have come out in support of Wagh.

Sudhirsukt has hit the headlines for three reasons  the description of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community as exploiters, use of abusive words to describe caste elite women and the usage of a local language throughout the book, unlike the unadulterated Konkani language endorsed by the caste elite in the state.

His supporters say Wagh wrote nothing wrong and that his commentary through the poems constituted an important assertion against the GSB elite.

There is not a single wrong thing written in the book. It is a beautiful piece of work, which gives a true narrative of the society. I have read all the poems and it is only then that I decided to publish this work, said his publisher Hema Naik.

But why is it that a book published four years ago, and released by the chief minister, Manohar Parrikar, himself a GSB, sparking such a row now? The answer lies in the states history and caste dynamics.

Wagh belongs to the Bhandari caste, categorised as Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state, comprise about 16% of Goas population. Their support can make or break a political party.

A journalist, cartoonist and politician, Wagh is one of the few literary figures who openly spoke about caste oppression and took on the GSB community.

He was one of the writers who started a movement in Ponda to storm into the inner sanctums of temples that did not the entry of backward castes.

But his detractors dont agree. Writer Sanjay Verekar, a member of the award jury, said he didnt believe in caste but was against the books vulgar language. Verekars post on social media, announcing that Wagh was in line to get the award, had triggered the controversy.

Freedom of expression is good. I am not against it. But why bring abusive language to the home of students, young people and women, Verekar told HT.

Some womens groups are also against Wagh and have backed the FIR against him. Auda Viegas, president of Bailancho Ekvott, said the poems were an affront to the dignity of women and a character assassination.

I found derogatory remarks about women and therefore felt the need to come forward and complain about it, she said.

Publisher Hema Naik said the cancellation of the awards by the government was a clear sign that they were worried about upsetting the dominant castes.

Several complaints were lodged against me for publishing this book. What is there in it? The truth. Brahmans have enjoyed a coveted position in the society and have exploited the other backward castes, Naik said.

The 52-year-old writer is bedridden after he suffered a massive heart attack last year. Waghs nephew, Kaustubh Naik, said those blaming the book did not read it properly.

The derogatory language can be found at one only one instance in four poems. There is more to that writing than just abuses. It is an attempt by Wagh to democratise the Konkani language, which is otherwise very Brahmanical. The Konkani used by him is colloquial in nature. It takes in words from Portuguese, Marathi and several other slangs completely unlike the Konkani, said Kaustubh, a performance studies student at Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The state government has distanced itself from the controversy. Chief minister Parrikar on Friday said his government had no role in the FIR registered on Tuesday. Some people are trying to give it a different colour, he said. No leader from the GSB community was willing to speak to HT on the matter.

But several other writers have backed Wagh.

If one attempts to understand the simmering revolt in his poems, they wont see anything immoral. He (Wagh) deserves an award and the cancellation of the awards is the most cowardly act the government could go ahead with, said Damodar Mauzo, a noted writer. Others like Augusto Pinto are busy circulating translated version of the poems.

The Goa Konkani Academy has also maintained silence on the incident. The Academy stands defamed with this move. It is a complete loss to the academy. It is something which shouldnt have happened, said former president Madhav Borkkar.

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With two-party system ingrained in Himachal politics for long, leaving almost no scope for any third alternative, voters in the hill state have traditionally alternated between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (formerly known as Bharatiya Jan Sangh) for the past five decades.

The third option emerging in the states political scene only served the purpose of demurring. Attempts were indeed made to throw in a third front but the parties  national or regional  which tried, failed to meet the expectations.

Unsuccessful attempts

Lok Raj Party (LRP) was the first regional party formed in the state in 1967. Headed by former speaker Thakur Sen Negi, LRP had another tall leader JBL Khachi. In the 1972 assembly elections, LRP had put up candidates in 16 out of 68 constituencies and won two seats only to be disbanded by the time next elections were held.

No third party could achieve a major success for next almost two decades as power changed hands between the Congress and BJP. Come 1990 election and Janata Dal (JD) emerged on the political landscapes. Vijai Singh Mankotia, who had alienated himself from Congress, led JD to a big victory, winning 11 seats in a pre-poll alliance with BJP, which got absolute majority with 46 seats.

However, the coalition government was dismissed in the aftermath of Babri demolition in 1992. By the 1993 assembly elections, Mankotia was back in Congress and JD faded away into oblivion.

Next to try his hands was Congress veteran Pandit Sukh Ram in a bid to give a third alternative. After parting ways with Congress, he founded Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) in 1997.

HVC won five seats in 1998 and entered into post-poll alliance with BJP helping the saffron party to form government which was one seat short of majority. Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party forayed into Himachal in the 2008 election but could only secure one seat and its lone legislator Sanjay Chaudhary later joined the BJP. The 2012 election told a similar tale. But this time, BJP witnessed a split.

Maheshwar Singh, the former president of saffron party, with other disgruntled leaders formed Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) but won only one seat. The party merged with the BJP last year.

Little left for Left

Left parties  Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) that have a considerable base in few pockets of Himachal  too failed to leave a mark in the state politics. Only four left candidates have been able to make it to the state assembly since 1967. Last to win from CPI-M was Rakesh Singha in 1993, who was unseated after his conviction in a murder case in 1996.

Why no to third front?

Political analysts feel there are several deep-rooted reasons for the failure of any non-Congress, non-BJP alternative to emerge. Primarily, there is not a single instance in Himachal where a new face  like AAP in Delhi and Punjab  which is not recognised with any of the two parties, has walked into the political sphere and formed a party.

All those who made attempts either separated from the dominating parties or offered nothing new to the people. Be it TS Negi, Vijai Singh Mankotia, Sukh Ram or Maheshwar Singh. They all left their parent party for personal interests and came back after sometime, says a poll analyst.

There is a little space for any third party in Himachal. The electors here are politically smart which can be attributed to the high literacy rate and increased per capita income. Moreover, there are no caste factors and minority votes which can influence the electoral, says Harish Thakur, head of political science department in Himachal Pradesh University. Another main factor in Himachal Pradesh politics has been the strong employees force. There are around 2.35 lakh employees who have always wielded influence and successive governments have always appeased them, he adds.

As far as left parties are concerned, he says, they have failed to consolidate their strength despite leading several farmers and labourers movements.
After a bitter Twitter war between supporters of the Modi government and those rooting for Tamil film Mersal over scenes criticising government policies, the filmmakers and the BJP reached a truce.

In the film Mersal, popular Tamil hero Vijay is seen mocking the new tax regime and Digital India campaign. BJPs state president in Tamil Nadu TN Soudarrajan demanded that all those scenes which convey wrong impression should be removed.

The makers of the Vijay-starrer film met some senior BJP members to explain their point of view and agreed to remove scenes if they cause offence.

India has a long history of films being censored or forced to remove a scene or a dialogue due to political opposition. In most cases, the film makers were forced to keel over and apologise. While many Congress leaders, including party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, tweeted against the Mersal controversy, when it comes to censorship, most political parties are thin-skinned.

Heres a list of ten movies that faced censorship because of political parties:

Aandhi, 1975 : The political drama starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar was banned by the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government when it released in 1975. The film was about a chance meeting between a well-known politician and her estranged husband, and Sens look was inspired by Gandhi. Aandhi was only released in 1977, after Indira Gandhi lost the elections and the Janata Party came to power.

Kissa Kursi Ka, 1977: A political satire on the Emergency, Kissa Kursi Ka, produced by Janata Party MP Amrit Nahata, was banned by the Congress government. It is also said to be the film that brought about Sanjay Gandhis downfall. The Shah Commission, set up by the Janata Party government, to look into the excesses of the Emergency, found Sanjay Gandhi and then I&B minister It landed VC Shukla guilty of destroying the films prints.

Bombay, 1995: The Shiv Sena is a serial offender when it comes to demanding changes or cuts in movies, One of the examples was Mani Ratnams Bombay, which was set in the backdrop of the 1992 Mumbai riots. The film, which was targeted by Muslim and Hindu religious leaders as well, was only released after Ratnam yielded to changes asked by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in how he he was portrayed in the film.

Water, 2005: Part of a trilogy by Indian-Canadian film maker Deepa Mehta, Water took a long, hard look at how widows were treated. Just like Mehtas earlier film, Fire, which portrayed a lesbian relationship, Water ran afoul of right-wing Hindu groups. But the Shiv Sena also stepped in. Arun Pathak, a Shiv Sena worker, threatened to commit suicide if the shoot wasnt halted. Mehta was forced to leave Varanasi and complete the shoot in Sri Lanka.

Fanaa, 2006: After actor Aamir Khan expressed his support for those displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in Gujarat, the state government demanded an apology from the actor. Posters of the film were burnt and mobs protested against it. The Multiplex Association and the Cinematography Association of Gujarat refused to screen Fanaa citing law and order problems.

Wake Up Sid, 2009: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) objected to Mumbai being referred to as Bombay in the Ranbir Kapoor- starrer coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid. After protests in Pune, producer Karan Johar met MNS leader Raj Thackeray and agreed to insert an apology and a disclaimer at the start of the film.

My Name is Khan, 2010 : After actor Shah Rukh Khan voiced his support for the inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL, the Shiv Sena targeted his film, My Name is Khan. Party members threatened to destroy theatres and destroyed the films posters and billboards. The film was released despite the Shiv Senas protests. Producer Karan Johar met the Maharashtra government, asking for additional security outside cinemas.

Sadda Haq, 2013: Then Punjab government, led by Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal banned Sadda Haq, a Punjabi movie based on the Khalistan movement and its leader. The Punjab government justified its decision saying the movie glorified the movement and could cause tensions. The ban was later overturned by the Supreme Court.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, 2016: The Raj Tahackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) issued an ultimatum to the producers of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil against casting Pakistani actors. The Karan Johar film starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. The director had to make a public statement stating he would not work with Pakistani actors in the future, offer to donate Rs 5 crore to the army, and change Lahore in the film to Lucknow.

Indu Sarkar, 2017: Congress supporters disrupted the screening of the Madhur Bhandarkar-directed Indu Sarkar, which was on the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi government in 1975. The Central Board of Film Certification only allowed the film to be released after 12 cuts and two disclaimers.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has zeroed in on the Maoist who allegedly killed former Jharkhand minister Ramesh Singh Munda at the behest of his political rival Gopal Krishna Patar alias Raja Peter, who, too, is a former minister.

It was Balram Sahu, a close aide of alleged Maoist Kundan Pahan, who opened fired on Munda resulting in his killing, said an NIA official who cannot be named as he is not authorised to speak with the media.

Ramesh Singh Munda was a member of the Jharkhand assembly at the time of his murder in July 2008. The agency has alleged that Raja Peter paid Rs 4 crore to Maoists to eliminate Munda. Sources added that the decision to eliminate Munda was taken by the Poltiburo, the top decision making body of Maoists due to frequent statements of the leader against the Reds.

The Politburo then asked Pahan, who was the local commander to do the job, they added.

The NIA probe has blown the lid off the nexus between the political class and Maoists in Jharkhand. Interests of Maoists and an accused politician converged on killing of Munda, said an NIA investigator.

The probe also revealed that Jharkhand police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sheshnath Singh had provided information on Mundas movement to Pahan. Singh was deployed in Mundas security detail.

The agency is now planning to record statements of some of the accused before a magistrate to strengthen its case.

The probe into the almost decade-old murder case gathered pace only after the surrender of Kundan Pahan earlier this year.

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Pakistani troops on Sunday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district for the second consecutive day, an army official said.

No casualties have been reported in Sundays firing so far, the official said.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area and they fired indiscriminately for the second day running, he said.

The Indian Army personnel were giving a strong and befitting response to the ceasefire violation, he said, adding that further details were being ascertained.

In Saturdays firing, an army porter was killed while two women were injured.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Sunday that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was in the interest of the country and traders involved in tax evasion are facing problems after the introduction of this new tax regime.

Addressing BJP workers during a programme in Indore, Vijayvargiya said, The people who are involved in unlawful practices (such as tax evasion) are shouting loudly against GST. Such traders now need to run their businesses with honesty.

The honest businessmen are very happy with GST, the BJP general secretary claimed.

Vijayvargiya appealed to the party workers to put forward the BJPs side over GST among business community and traders.

He said, The Modi government has implemented GST in the interest of the country. There can be some negative talk about it along with positive things, but we should talk about GST emphatically.

Vijayvargiya said, You (BJP workers) should also tell the common people that the decisions that have been taken about GST are not the decisions made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone.

These decisions have been taken by the GST Council headed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley with unanimity. The Council includes finance ministers of all state government of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said as the chief minister he faced a hostile Centre that tried to hold back Gujarat but over the last three years his government in Delhi changed that and pushed for the states development. (LIVE UPDATES)

On his third visit in a month to his home state that is due for assembly elections in December, Modi again projected the BJP as pro-development and targeted the Congress, without naming it, as anti-growth.

When I was the chief minister, I faced hostility from the then central government. Efforts were made to stall industries and the states growth, Modi said, apparently referring to the Congress-led UPA government.

Modi launched a ferry service in Bhavnagar in western Gujarats Saurashtra region, saying it is the first of its kind project not only in India but also in South-East Asia.

This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible, he said while inaugurating the first phase of the Rs 615 crore roll- on-roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

The roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service across the Gulf of Khambhat will connect Ghogha in Bhavnagar with Dahej in Bharuch district, reducing the distance between the two coastal towns from 310km by road to 30km.

Previous governments at the Centre made it difficult to launch the ferry service, Modi said.

The ferry service was proposed in early 1960s but the work began when Modi, who was the chief minister, laid the foundation stone in 2012.

Plans were being drawn to expand the service, which would not be restricted to one route. We are planning to link other places also through ferries, the PM said, adding his government was working to give the country a transport system for the 21st century to meet the needs of a New India.

According to Ajay Bhadoo, the chief executive officer of Gujarat Maritime Board which has executed the ro-ro project, the first phase of the service is meant for passengers.

In the second phase, which will be ready in two months, cars can also be carried between the two towns.

The BJP has pitched the Gujarat assembly election as a battle between development (vikasvaad) and dynastic politics (vanshvaad).

Addressing a rally last week, Modi had dared the Congress to contest the election on the issue of development after the opposition party targeted his government over the Vikas Gandho thayo che (development has gone crazy) campaign on social media.

The election is a matter of prestige for the BJP, ruling the state for almost 22 successive years, as both Modi and party chief Amit Shah come from the western state.

The BJP is faced with anti-incumbency as well an angry Patidar community seeking quota in education and government jobs.

Not just the Patels, which were once firm supporters, the Dalits and Muslims, too, are said to be upset over violence by cow vigilantes and upper castes.

The Congress, out of power for 22 years, is looking to make the most of the situation. It is reaching out to disgruntled groups and tasted success on Saturday after other backward class (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor announced his plan to join the party.

The 39-year-old Thakor, who heads the OBC, ST, SC Ekta Manch and is the founder of the Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena, said, Rahul Gandhi will take part in our rally on October 23 and I will join the Congress.

The Congress was also confident of securing the support of Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old Patidar leader who is heading the communitys stir for reservation, sources said. It was also trying to get Dalit rights campaigner and lawyer Jignesh Mevani on its side.

The BJP, however, managed to win away two of Patels aides --- Varun Patel and Reshma Patel. The two joined the party after a meeting with chief minister Vijay Rupani, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and state party chief Jitu Vaghani during a BJP parliamentary board meeting that was also attended by Shah.

(With PTI inputs)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday inaugurate the first phase of the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service between Saurashtra and the South Gujarat region of his home state.

This is Modis third visit to Gujarat, where assembly elections are to be called in coming days.

A few things to know about the roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service described by Modi as his dream project:

1 The Rs 615 crore Ro-Ro ferry service will connect Ghogha in Saurashtras Bhavnagar district with Dahej in Bharuch district across the Gulf of Khambhat, also known as the Gulf of Cambay, along the Arabian sea coast.

2 The service is expected to reduce the distance between the two coastal towns from 310km by road to 30 km, saving time and money. The travel time will be cut by at least five hours.

3 The service will come particularly handy for those working in the diamond cutting and polishing hub of Surat in South Gujarat, as most of these workers belong to the Saurashtra region in the western part of the state.

4 The first phase to be inaugurated on Sunday would be a passenger-only service, Ajay Bhadoo, the chief executive officer of Gujarat Maritime Board that is executing the Ro-Ro project, said.

5 In the second phase, which would be ready in two months, cars, too, would be carried between the two towns.

6 In the final phase, ferries would be able to carry trucks as well.

7 The service was thought of in early 1960s but the foundation stone was laid in 2012 by Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Sunday to continue his economic reforms and asserted that the Indian economy is on the right track, defending his governments major steps such as the demonetisation drive, and the goods and services tax.

His remarks are aimed at deflecting the Oppositions flak after the economy decelerated to a three-year low of 5.7% in the quarter ended September.

After all the reforms and hardcore decisions, the economy of the country is on track and is going in the right direction, Modi said at a rally in Dahej, one of the three places he visited in Gujarat, his home state where assembly polls are due this winter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the maiden voyage of the Ro-Ro ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej in Bhavnagar, Gujarat on Sunday. (PTI)

Modis assurance couldnt cut ice with his rivals, though. As many as 13 opposition parties will meet on Monday to sharpen their strategy for a renewed attack on the government over the economy.

GST is fast becoming Grossly Scary Tax under Modi Govt as 40 lakh assesses fail to file September returns, tweeted Randeep Surjewala, the Congresss chief spokesperson.

The parties, led by the Congress, plan protests on November 8 when Modis decision to scrap two high-value banknotes in a shock recall completes a year. Programmes are likely to be held to highlight what they called the demonetisation aftershocks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi prays at Ghogha Sea Ferry Point to mark the inauguration of the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service, in Ghogha in Bhavnagar on Sunday. (PTI)

The opposition parties also accused the government of persuading the Election Commission to delay declaring the poll schedule for Gujarat and help the ruling BJP dole out sops to voters.

Modi, who was Gujarat chief minister since 2001 till he became Prime Minister in 2014, announced a slew of projects for his state on Sunday.

He inaugurated or laid the foundation for projects worth more than Rs 1,600 crore, addressed three public rallies, a road show and took a 31km ferry ride from Ghogha to Dahej, and had lunch with disabled kids onboard the boat.

The flood of promises from Modi in Gujarat, due to ECs relief by not announcing the polls. Whither One election? tweeted CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, referring to Modis previous stand seeking simultaneous parliamentary and state elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed on stage at the public meeting in Ghogha in Gujarat on Sunday. (PTI)

But the theme of Modis speeches was economic stability that was meant to address concerns of his states large business community after the economy switched to GST this July. Traders are known to back the BJP, which is in power for two decades in Gujarat.

He criticised the Opposition for questioning his visit to the poll-bound state in his speech in Vadodara, where he inaugurated and dedicated several projects.

Cant I come to Vadodara after Diwali? Some people dont like to see me coming here. As they cant directly tell me anything, they are targeting the Election Commission, he said.

He defended the projects, saying he was clearing stuck files.

Vadodara is the second constituency he won in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but gave up to retain Varanasi. He dedicated housing, drinking water and fuel pipeline projects among others to the city.

Those who managed to win (elections) after a recounting are today abusing the EC. They have no moral authority to do so, he quipped a day after former Union minister P Chidambaram carped at the poll panel for not announcing dates for the Gujarat elections along with Himachal Pradesh, the other state going to the polls this winter.

The Prime Minister also blamed the Congress-led UPA, which ruled the country for a decade before the BJP regained power three years ago, for what he called a backlog of development projects in Gujarat.

At Ghogha in Bhavnagar, where he launched a ferry service, Modi accused the previous UPA government of trying to halt development along the states coastline giving environment as an excuse. The sea ferry route cuts 310km by road to 31km.

Gujarat faced difficulties but these were solved one after another after he became Prime Minister, he said.

He advocated blending economy with ecology and hailed his governments signature decisions  demonetisation and GST. He said the fundamentals of the economy are strong and financial stability of the country will be maintained while initiating reforms.

The remarks came hours after revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia pitched for some rejig of GST rates to help small and medium enterprises.

Adhias comments gave fresh fodder to the opposition parties on the controversial GST rates.

Now this explains why the Hon PM was so happy to share credit for GST with the Congress. Hes not usually given to sharing credit anywhere, tweeted Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP parliamentarian Shatrughan Sinha joined the debate too and said: Some support GST, some dont. Some support #DeMonetisation some dont, this doesnt mean critics are anti-national.
The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to form a UP Muslim Waqf board by merging the separate Sunni and Shia Waqf boards to prevent wastage of money, minister of state for Waqf Mohsin Raza said.

He alleged that both Sunni and Shia Waqf boards are being charged with corruption, and the government will dissolve them soon.

Though things are still to be finalised, the minister said the UP Muslif Waqf board when constituted will have members of both Sunni and Shia communities and its chairman will be selected from among them.

The government has got a number of letter and suggestions from various quarters regarding the merger of Sunni and Shia Waqf boards. After which, the government has sought a proposal in this regard from the department concerned.

After Law departments review of the proposal, the government will consider it and form the UP Muslim Waqf board, Raza told PTI.

He also claimed that all states of the country except UP and Bihar have only one Waqf board.

According to Raza, having separate Waqf boards in the state is not legal.

Quoting the Waqf Act 1995, he said Shia or Sunni should have at least 15 per cent share in total Waqf units for constitution of separate boards, which he said is not the case in UP where the Shias account for only 5,000 units of the total 24,000 Waqf units.

There should be at least 15 per cent of share of Shia or Sunni among total Waqf units. In UP there are 24,000 waqf units, of which Shia waqf has only about 5,000 units, which is only 4-5 per cent. Legally it should not be like this, he said.

The minister further said that as per the Central Waqf council, there are only 3,000 units of Shia Waqf Board, and that there was no point in keeping a separate Shia Board.

Separate chairman, CEO and other staff incure heavy expenses. It is a wastage of money, Mohsin Raza said.

Reacting to the development, Shia Waqf board chairman Waseem Rizvi said there is no provision to separate Sunni and Shia boards which were constituted in 2015 for the tenure of five years.

There is no provision to dissolve the board. After the tenure ends, the government can inquire about number of Waqf units and their income to proceed further, Rizvi said.

Rizvi also alleged that the share of income of Shia Waqf board is over 15 per cent of the total income.

However, Chairman of UP Sunni Waqf Board Zufar Farooqui said they welcome the initiative of merging both the boards into one.

But with that said, he wondered why the state government is changing a decision also taken under the BJP rule in 1999 by then Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

In 1999, when the BJP was in power and Kalyan Singh was the Chief Minister he constituted separate Shia and Sunni Waqf boards. Question arises whether the present government does not endorse the previous BJP governments decision, Farooqui asked.
In a jolt to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), senior leader Vikramaditya Singh on Sunday announced his resignation from the party, saying it wasnt possible for him to continue with the PDP which disregarded the demands and aspirations of Jammu region.

Singh, the grandson of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, had joined the PDP in presence of the late party president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in August, 2015. He was a member of the state legislative council.

Today I resign from the J&K Peoples Democratic Party and from the Legislative Council. Sharing my letter of resignation to the honble CM. pic.twitter.com/jFL8RjB7nE  Vikramaditya Singh (@vikramaditya_JK) October 22, 2017

I have sent my resignation to party president Mehbooba Mufti with a request to accept it immediately. I feel that it is neither morally nor ethically right for me to continue as a member of the PDP, Singh told reporters here.

Singh, son of senior Congress leader Karan Singh, claimed, I have publicly expressed my concerns for our state in general and Jammu in particular over the last several months but the party has rejected the issues.

According to him, the issues included illegal settlement of Rohingyas and demand for a public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

It is no longer possible for me to be part of a party that continues to disregard the demands and aspirations of Jammu region, he said in his resignation letter.
Militants killed a woman and wounded another in south Kashmir on Sunday afternoon, hours after security forces gunned down a suspected militant in the northern areas of the Valley. In another incident, a man from Uttar Pradesh was shot dead by suspected militants.

Police sources said the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit could be behind the attack at Seer village in Tral in which a woman named Yasmeena died of bullet wounds.

The other woman is undergoing treatment, a senior police officer said.

The motive behind the killing is investigated.

Several incidents of violence were reported in Tral.

In a separate attack, militants threw a grenade at the house of Gulam Nabi Bhatt, a former legislator of the National Conference (NC) in Tral. Police said a hunt has been launched to nab the attackers.

Attacks on houses of political workers in Kashmir have spiked recently.

In another suspected militant attack, unidentified gunmen shot a man named Shakir Ahmed in Arwani of south Kashmir, police said. Ahmed was reportedly a native of Uttar Pradesh.

An official at the police control room in Anantnag said further details were awaited.

Reports also suggested that suspected militants ransacked the houses of some PDP officials in various areas of south Kashmir on Sunday evening. However, police were yet to confirm these incidents.

Last week, a PDP worker was killed by a group of militants. But one of the assailants died when a comrade cut him down with his gun. The next day, a mob of over 200 people burned the gunmans house.

Spate of attacks on mainstream political leaders and workers in Kashmir is alarming, threatens the existence of the democratic system in J&K, tweeted NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu.

The two attacks in Tral came hours after a militant was gunned down by security forces in north Kashmirs Langate area early morning.

Contact was established at 5am and one terrorist was killed. A weapon was seized and the operation continues, an army spokesperson said.

Around 11am, Pakistan violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Uri sector. The army spokesperson said Indian forces were retaliating strongly.

On Saturday, a porter working for the army in Uri was killed in Pakistani firing from across the border while a teenager, Nasreena Bano, was wounded.

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Virat Kohli surpassed Ricky Pontings tally of 30 centuries on Sunday to become the second batsman with most ODI centuries by notching up his 31st ODI ton against New Zealand in the first of the three One-Day Internationals (ODI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (India vs New Zealand 1st ODI Live Updates)

Kohli celebrated his 200th ODI appearance for India with a special knock, studded with only seven boundaries and a six on a tricky wicket and against a disciplined bowling line-up that made the Indian captain work hard for his runs. (India vs New Zealand 1st ODI Live Scorecard)

The innings on Sunday against New Zealand was Kohlis fifth century in 2017  a year in which he had begun with a sparkling 122 against England at Pune in a tough win.

Coming off a short break, Kohli was happy returning to do what he knows best by grinding and working his way through a memorable century.

The Indian cricket teams captain was forced to drop the anchor and look for strike rotation rather than going for his strokes, as his other teammates paid the price for being a tad aggressive.

Kohli added 42 runs for the third wicket with Kedar Jadhav in the earlier stages wherein he found the team under pressure.

But the arrival of Dinesh Karthik changed gears for India as the senior batsman took pressure off his captain to a great extent. Kohli and Karthik added 73 off 84 balls.

Kohli then went on to add another 57 runs with MS Dhoni for the sixth wicket, with the latter scoring 25 off 42 balls with only two fours.
The India Club, a restaurant and bar on the Strand near Londons West End, is trying to use its storied history to block proposals by owners Marston Properties to turn the seven storey building into an upmarket boutique hotel. This is a very historic place, we havent changed anything, Yadgar Marker, the clubs current director, told AFP during a recent lunchtime dosa -- an Indian pancake -- and various curry dishes flew out the kitchen. Even these tabletops are from the early 50s... Its like a museum, he said.

The club was set up in its current location by Krishna Menon, Indias first High Commissioner to Britain, in the early 1950s, and counted Jawaharlal Nehru, the countrys inaugural Prime Minister, among its founding members, Marker said. It has served as a meeting place for writers, intellectuals and politicians, Marker wrote earlier this month to Westminster Council, the local authority in charge of planning decisions. Marston Properties submitted its application on September 8 to Westminster Council to partially demolish and extend the building. It currently houses a bakery and convenience store on the ground floor and the India Club and Hotel Strand Continental on the upper levels.

Marker, who has run the club and hotel for the last 20 years, said he was quite surprised to learn of the plans in an email from the company. With their seven-year lease set to expire in 2019, he fears it will mean the end of the club. The club has applied for the building to receive protected status from Historic England, which recommends which sites of cultural value the British government should designate. A spokesman for the public body confirmed it had visited the club earlier this month, and would make a decision on whether to recommend listing it by January 19, 2018. Simon Marshall of Marston Properties told AFP it was cooperating with Historic England to establish the true heritage links of this building.

He said the company had commissioned its own independent historical research into the club. The extent of (the) heritage links... are not in fact particularly clear, he added. Marshall stressed no final decision had been made to redevelop building. Loyal longtime customers have been voicing their support. A petition launched by the club had garnered over 14,000 signatures by Monday. It means the world to generations of Indians, said Kalyan Thapa, a patron since the 1960s, as he ate with friends there on Monday. You cant knock it down and erase history.

High profile fans including sculptor Anish Kapoor, writer Will Self and Indian lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, have also leapt to its defence, writing letters of support that Marker has sent on to Westminster Council. I think the loss of the club would constitute another step-up in the social, ethnic and cultural cleansing of central Londons commercial environment, Self told AFP. Already, smaller and more diverse businesses are being lost from the West End in droves, it creates an arid, aseptic environment in which every cubic foot of space feels commoditised.

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Delay in getting the first list of farmers eligible for the loan waiver resulted in Osmanabad district authorities making a major mistake on October 18. They randomly felicitated 23 farmers by giving them no loan pending certificates, but the list, which they got a day or two later, didnt have even one of these farmers names.

The farmers have now been told to wait till they are part of the list of beneficiaries.

The state government is boasting of giving banks the money they had loaned to 8.4 lakh farmers. After chief minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated few farmers on October 18, guardian ministers of many districts imitated the CM by felicitating beneficiaries. Dairy development and fisheries minister Mahadev Jankar, who is co-guardian minister of Osmanabad district, handed over such certificates to 23 farmers with the assurance that their loan amounts would be immediately transferred to the banks.

It is true that the 23 farmers who were given certificates are not on the first list of eligible farmers. Until the verification of their applications against the bank records is not done by the authorities, we will not be able to credit the loan amounts. Since we got the list of eligible farmers in our district a little late and we were asked to hand over certificates to farmers on the given day, we shortlisted the probable farmers. Unfortunately they are not on the list released by the authorities, Vikas Jagdale, district deputy registrar, Osmanabad, told Hindustan Times.

The state government has prepared a green list of 8.4 lakh farmers who had unambiguous records and were fit cases for the benefits in the first phase. They were part of the green list prepared by the government for immediate disbursement. The beneficiaries with the ambiguous records have been placed in yellow and red list. Though the district administration had to choose the farmer from the green list, owing to the delay they chose them randomly. My outstanding loan with the State Bank of India is Rs1.3 lakh and Rs 10,400 with district central bank. I was given the certificate signed by the chief minister in a programme held on October 18 for the waiver. I will now visit the bank on Monday to check the status of the waiver amount, said Bharat Tambe, one of the 23 farmers who were felicitated.

Former minister and Congress legislator Madhukar Chavan said, The government promised to disburse the amount before Diwali, but they have got nothing except the certificates.

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A 26-year-old woman and her two-year-old son died after being electrocuted in Goregaon (West) on Friday night. The incident occurred when Priyanka Bharti was sitting on the window sill in her home to breastfeed her child Prince and touched the windows iron grill, which was in contact with a live wire from the Diwali lights.

The Vanrai police said the incident took place around 8pm in their home, which is on the third floor of a MHADA building in Bimbisar Nagar in Goregaon (West). Priyanka lived there with her husband and two children  Prince and their six-year-old daughter, who was present in the room when the incident occurred.

As soon as they got electrocuted, the six-year-old started crying and screaming for help as her mother had stopped responding. The neighbours heard her cries and rushed to their home. They were taken to the hospital but were declared dead. The police said it was an unfortunate incident and no one can be blamed. A case of accidental death has been registered.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday directed the district administration of Yavatmal to register cases of culpable homicide against the pesticide manufacturers and wholesalers responsible for selling unlicensed products that led to the deaths of at least 50 farm labourers and farmers in Vidarbha recently.

A preliminary investigation revealed the dealers and manufacturers violated the Insecticides Act, 1969, while selling the pesticides.

At a meeting at Yavatmal, Fadnavis instructed the district machinery to ensure farmers take precautions while spraying pesticides in their fields. Most of the pesticide-related deaths, 24, were reported in Yavatmal, a major cotton-growing district that has often been in the news for farmer suicides. The farmers died after spraying pesticides on their Bt cotton crop. Around 1,000 farmers, most of them landless labourers, suffered breathing problems, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, skin rashes, dizziness and headaches. Around 100 farmers are still recovering in hospital.

Fadnavis also visited the government-run medical college and hospital on Sunday morning and met those affected.

Officials told Fadnavis the district administration had supplied more than 8,000 new kits that would ensure farmers did not inhale pesticides. Besides, an extensive training programme was on to educate farmers about safety, protection and other techniques while spraying pesticides in the fields. Fadnavis also directed the district administration to hold joint meetings of officials concerned every day to review the situation.

The chief minister provided Rs50 lakh to the medical college and hospital at Yavatmal for farmers treatment.

Fadnavis also directed the Maharashtra state cotton marketing federation to start procuring raw cotton from next week so that cotton growers in the region get a good rate for their produce and are paid on time.

Read more:

Pesticide poisoning kills two more in Vidarbha, toll at 50
After a church in Andheri started yoga classes in its premises, Catholic groups in Mumbai are once again debating about yogas compatibility with their religious beliefs.

Yoga is a term for a wide range of practices, including asanas, breathing exercises, meditation and chanting. Its practitioners have said that regular yoga has helped their mental well-being; some have said that the exercises have made them feel fitter.

Yoga has been adopted by diverse groups. A drug de-addiction centre in Mumbai run by a Catholic order, for instance, uses yoga as part of the treatment programme.

Not everyone has embraced yoga unquestioningly; here some have likened yoga to esoteric practices done by cult-like groups. Sone church-goers feel that yogas stress on the unity of the human mind with god conflicts with their religions focus on god. We are taught to pray outward to god, whereas yoga asks its practioners to look inward, said a church member.

Credible information on yoga is hard to come by and some church members have a question: Can they practice yoga without feeling guilty of having trodden on their religious beliefs?

The Andheri group, which has been discussing the issue on social forums, said they were confused when a newsletter published by the Catholic order that runs the church featured an article on how yoga helps the mind. We wanted some clarifications, said a church member. Is yoga fine as an exercise and are we not supposed to go beyond that?

Their confusion, the church member said, has grown after a shrine in Mumbai depicted Christ dressed as an Indian ascetic, with arms in a position that could be interpreted as yogic poses. We are Indians and have no problem with Indian-syled iconography, but Christ in a yoga pose?, wondered one man who wanted guidance.

There are no answers to the questions - at least from the local church. Father Charles, the head priest at the Andheri church, said, I have no views on yoga, but in our parish we are offering (yoga) courses to senior citizens. There has been no objections to the courses and I have not received any complaints.

Another priest said that he was not aware of the local churchs policy on yoga. It depends; yoga is allowed in the church halls, but not in the main church building, the priest said.

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, is known for his more liberal views on issues like divorce and homosexuality - though many who favour ordainment of women and openly-gay people in the clergy do not think he is doing enough - but he has not made any direct reference to yoga and its practice. Recently, he is reported to have said that courses in yoga and zen - a Buddhist practice - cannot give believers the freedom that comes from belief in God. But he has also said that catechism - religious instruction, and spirituality courses do not necessarily provide the answers about God.

The debate on yoga is not new. A few years ago, an article by Bishop Thomas Dabre of Pune on the benefits of yoga, published in the local Catholic Churchs weekly newspaper, become an issue of contention.

Critics of the article said that it misrepresented the churchs position on yoga, but the bishop replied that yoga provides physical and mental benefits, and has therapeutic value.

Father Joe Pereira, founder and managing trustee of Kripa Foundation, a group that helps people with drug addiction, had told this reporter that he has been practicing yoga since 1968 and teaching it since 1971. He said that he used yoga in his de-addiction programmes. The church in India has never looked at Yoga as wrong, he had said. It is a fundamentalist view.

But some church members wanted more clarity. One person wrote last week to the archbishop of Bombay, asking for his advice on the subject. The debate (about yoga) has been going on for long, said a member of the Andheri church. Can we do it as asanas, or as a form of exercise? We want to know.

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As the sun sets, an eerie silence descends on the tribal hamlets around Film City and Aarey Colony, Goregaon (east), located in close proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The kuccha roads of these adivasi settlements are deserted, the doors are locked, and the windows shut tightly. Every night, the silence is broken only by the growl of the predator making its way through these villages in search of food.

Without basic facilities such as electricity and toilets, the inhabitants of these villages, mostly members of the Warli tribe, dont step outside, making do with buckets and lanterns as the predators shadow looms close outside their homes.

For over eight months now, as they wait anxiously for the first light of dawn, their only protection has been their stray dogs. The strays they have adopted guard their homes, warn them, and sometimes even take on the leopards.

Chandu Jadhav, one of the tribal leaders at Aarey and resident of Vanicha Pada, stays up all night protecting his village by lighting a fire outside his home. His dog Tommy stays by his side and his been attacked by leopards on a number of occasions this year. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

These settlements have shared space with the big cats forever, so what lies behind the sudden spurt in leopard attacks? This year, so far, there have been seven attacks and one death, the highest in the past 15 years, since 2002.

HT visited Chafacha Pada, Vanicha Pada, Bangurla, Khambacha Pada, Kelti Pada, and other tribal hamlets - each of them has an average of 500 residents - to try and understand what is happening and how their inhabitants are coping.

Tribal leader Prakash Bhoir from Kelti Pada believes that the rise in attacks is the direct result of a drastic decline of the leopards habitat. We have been living alongside these animals for decades, we consider them as gods. They never harmed us in the past, but suddenly we are facing a life-threatening crisis, Bhoir said. In the past year, there has been a big rise in encroachments and developmental activities, and infrastructure projects are eating into the forest area. All this has squeezed the leopards hunting area and pushed them closer to our villages, where there is access to food such as dogs, pigs, and poultry.

Aarey Milk Colony is spread across 3,166 acres, of which around 230 acres were handed over to central government bodies such as the National Dairy Development Board, Central Poultry Farm, and Reserve Bank of India in the 1950s and 60s. Over the next few decades, another 810 acres were given to state government bodies such as the Mumbai Veterinary College, State Reserve Police Force, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Film City, the most recent being 90 acres for the state polices Force One special security agency. There are also 36 cattle farms spread over another 400 acres.

Recently, the Maharashtra government started building stabling lines and a car shed for the ongoing Metro 3 project (it will connect Colaba, Bandra and SEEPZ and end on Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road with Aarey as the last stop) in the area, which has eaten up another 81.5 acres.

A total of 27 tribal settlements with 7,000 residents are scattered across around 1,000 acres of the green space. As of today, Aarey has over 15,000 illegal residents living under tin sheds spread across 600 acres, said Bhoir.

On September 30, two women (see case studies) from Chafacha Pada were attacked by two leopards late evening on the outskirts of the village. Stray dogs attacked the leopards, and both women escaped with minor injuries. Nagesh Jadhav, 46, a resident of Chafacha Pada and relative of one of the victims, said his family and other villagers lives are under constant threat from the big cats. Despite repeatedly reminding Aarey authorities, the forest department and local leaders, neither women attacked has got compensation for their injuries, he said. They have also made no arrangements for basic amenities such as toilets and street lights, nor do they send garbage collection vehicles to the village to help keep the animals away.

Just two months earlier, on July 22, a two-year-old boy, Vihaan Nilesh Garuda, whose father is an SGNP employee, was attacked and killed near Maroshipada, a hamlet near Film City. After this incident, the forest department cordoned off a five-km radius for almost two months until the leopard was caught.

The elders in the hamlets now ensure that children move around in groups of six or more while going to school. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

The elders in the hamlets now ensure that children move around in groups of six or more while going to school. The idea is to scare the leopards by making more noise. Also, if there are only a few of us, the animal can easily attack. We have managed to scare them away so far, said Rohan Lolhe, 15.

Going by a 2015 survey conducted by SGNP, there are 35 leopards living in and around the national park, and Aarey is one of their dominant habitats. Earlier this month, the forest department trapped a leopard at Film City, which they claim was responsible for all attacks since March this year. The tribals, however, disagree. They contend that there are at least three to four leopards that live close to each hamlet. We used to sleep outside our homes earlier and the leopards would pass by without harming us. But now there is fear, in both our minds, and it will only lead to more attacks if we dont get help from the government, said Chandu Jadhav, a resident of Vanicha Pada.

Villagers allege that noise from the daily artillery training by various security agencies such as Force One and State Reserve Police Force, have frightened the predators and prompted them to move closer to the hamlets. Every afternoon, from 3.30pm to 8pm and sometimes till late night, the sound of guns being fired or grenade-testing noise is heard. It is difficult for us to bear the noise. I pity the leopards, it must be unbearable for them, said Suresh Wagat, a resident of Khambacha Pada.

However, a senior officer from Maharashtra police told HT that training practices by the security agencies are routine and does not have any negative impact on the animals there. The state has handed over the land for security training, and it is being carried out for national security. There has been no harm to the animals, and there is enough space within SGNP and other parts of Aarey for leopards to move about, the officer said, on condition of anonymity. In fact, the training programme helps locals feel safer from any potential danger, he claimed.

The forest department blames Aarey authorities for not providing civic amenities to these hamlets, which has led to increased conflict situations. Forest officers said they have sent at least five letters to Aarey officials. We are in the process of drafting a letter to the heads of state at Mantralaya to bring this issue to their notice. The Warli community is not being provided even basic amenities to sustain and protect themselves. Issues such as open defecation, lack of streetlights and proper roads need to be resolved immediately, said Sunil Limaye, chief conservator of forest, Thane.

Aarey authorities, in turn, said they are facing a severe fund shortage. The state government was supposed to release funds to us at the beginning of this year, but it has not come yet. So work such as installation of streetlights, road development and better facilities at Aarey hospital are on hold, said Nathu Rathod, chief executive officer, Aarey.

Also, a central government committee formed in 2016 for development of Aareys eco-sensitive zone, headed by the BMC chief and Thanes deputy conservator of forest, needs to discuss the funds required for the development of adivasi settlements, Rathod said. Once they communicate the guidelines, we will act upon them.

However, Jitendra Ramgaokar, deputy conservator of forest, Thane, said: The committee does not take calls regarding development for Aareys original inhabitants. Time and again, the Aarey CEO has been asked to clear encroachments and provide facilities, but nothing has been done. Even basic medical facilities are not available to citizens, and they have to travel all the way to Jogeshwari for treatment, he added.

Responding to the lack of medical facilities in Aarey in case of emergencies, Rathod said: As of now, our hospital only treats Aarey employees. Once funds are sanctioned, we will develop the hospital too.

As far as compensation is concerned, we will ensure that all medical facilities are provided to victims free of cost when there are attacks, Limaye said, adding that he would look into the case of the two women attacked recently and reimburse their medical expenses, if they have not received it. The family of the two-year-old child who was killed in July has received compensation of Rs 8 lakh, he said.

Rathod promises that electricity will come to the hamlets soon. We are working with a major power distributor to light up tribal homes. All hamlets should get power by March 2018, he said.

Until then, villagers will have to make do. The forest department has provided emergency lights that blink through the night to ward off leopards in hamlets where attacks are common, Ramgaokar said.

Only a few houses have got these emergency lights, countered Bhoir. The lack of support shows that authorities want us to shift to slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) buildings and free these areas for more infrastructure development. Our future generations might choose that option, but we will continue to live here. This has been our home for over 100 years, much before skyscrapers came up around this forest, he said.

Experts said the issue is transforming from an ecological problem to a political one. The leopards and the Warlis are the original inhabitants of Aarey. There will be a solution only once the government acknowledges this and pays heed to their needs, said wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya.

Leopard attacks in Aarey in 2017 September 30:Two women are attacked by two leopards at Chafacha Pada in Aarey, but escape with injuries after their dogs attack the leopards. July 28: Aniket Dileep Page, 13, is attacked near Aarey pump house in the afternoon as he bends to scratch his leg and his friends walk ahead. He escapes as his friends shout and startle the animal. July 22: Two-year-old Vihaan Nilesh Garuda, whose father is an SGNP staffer, is attacked and killed near Maroshipada, a hamlet near Film City. May 29:A four-year-old boy from Royal Palms, Goregaon, is attacked while walking a few paces behind his father. The animal drags him a few feet, but his father creates a ruckus and passers-by come running, which scares the leopard away. May 15:Ritesh Valvi, 3, escapes with injures on his chest and throat in Khadak Pada, Aarey Colony, after villagers scare the leopard away. March 20: Pranay Rinjad, 3, is saved by his mother after leopard pounces on him and tries to drag him away in Chafacha Pada, Aarey.

CASE FILES: SPOT OF BOTHER

Two women, two leopards, and their two faithful dogs

Bayaji Dadu Bendre, 45, resident of Chafacha pada, faced her worst fears when she was attacked by a leopard outside her home. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Asha Gavit, 50, was sitting outside her house at this spot when she was attacked by two leopards and rescued by stray dogs. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Around 8.30pm on Dussehra (September 30), Bayaji Dadu Bendre, 45, a resident of Chafacha Pada in Aarey, faced her worst fear after she was forced to step out of her house. She needed to use the bathroom, so she decided to walk to the farm closest to her house. As I was walking, I heard something move behind me. First, I thought it was a snake, but when I heard the sudden ruffling of crops, I ran towards my house. An adult leopard gave chase and brought her down, clawing the left side of her stomach and her right thigh. I felt like I was going to die and began losing consciousness. Thats when my dog sprung from our verandah and leapt at the leopard. I screamed and rushed down the lane of houses shouting for help.

Asha Gavit, 50, was sitting outside her house when she heard Bendres shouts. She jumped out of her chair and asked her to take shelter in her house. Behind Bendre, she could see a dog fighting a large animal, and the duo was moving closer to her house. As she inched closer and stared in the faint light, she spotted another big cat heading towards her. The second leopard was stronger and walked towards my house. By this time, the dog could not hold off the first one, and both leopards jumped to attack me. My saree was ripped to shreds, and I was trying to pull myself into the house when, thankfully, another dog came running. Both dogs attacked the leopards, forcing them to retreat and run back into the forest, she said. The dogs were badly wounded.

Gavit, who had injuries on her arm, and Bendre were rushed to the BMCs Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre in Jogeshwari (east), where they were treated and discharged two days later.

An emergency light has been fitted outside my house, but every night even if theres the slightest movement outside and my dog barks, fear grips my heart. I dont know how I will get over this, said Bendre.

SRPF didnt open gates when we were attacked, says man

Nitin Dhiru Kharva, 32, his wife Surekha and one-and-half-year old son, residents of Chafacha pada, who were attacked by a leopard and her cub, on their way to buy medicines. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Just six days after two leopards attacked two women, on October 6, Nitin Dhiru Kharva, 32, his wife Surekha and his one-and-a-half-year-old son were on their way to a dispensary in Goregaon to buy medicines. Around 7.30pm, as they made their way through the unpaved road in Chafacha Pada to get to the main road, they came face to face with a leopard and her cub. I froze. The cub started coming closer to us and my only thought was to protect my family. I told them to turn and run, he said. The State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) quarters was just round the corner, so I told my wife and child to run there. I threw a stone towards the mother leopard, distracting the cub, and started running too.

To his shock, the SRPF did not open the gates for his family. The female leopard leapt and dug her nails into my thigh, but I managed to pull away. She was inches away, growling, aggressive and ready to attack. My heart was beating very hard, I knew that once she was done with me, it would be my child. Just as she was about to leap again, the sound of a jeep broke the silence. As soon as the headlights fell on us, the leopard and her cub ran away, said a frightened Kharva as he narrated the story. The SRPF team just grinned at us but never said why they didnt let us enter. We have stopped using that road now and only leave the village with three or four others.

She threw herself on a leopard to save her child

Pramila Rinjad and her three-year-old son Pranay. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

On March 20, Pramila Rinjad from Chafacha Pada stepped out around 9 in the night to relieve herself just outside her house, not realising that her three-year-old son Pranay had followed her out. As she went into the bushes, Pranay sat down a few feet away playing with his toy.

Suddenly, from the dense forest behind her house, a leopard leaped out. I felt something move behind me but I was not sure what it was until I heard my sons loud screams, she said. The leopard had dug its claws into the childs thigh, and was pulling him away with its teeth on his back. I didnt wait to think, I just threw myself on the leopard and started screaming and shouting for help, she said. As villagers came running, the leopard panicked and ran away. We took Pranay to the Jogeshwari trauma centre where he was kept under observation for two days and received four stitches. He might not remember the incident in detail, but it has left a scar that he will never forget, she said with a sigh. I dont let my son out of my sight at all now.

Rinjads neighbours said the leopard returned to the spot about an hour after the incident with her cub. It may have thought that it had killed the child and had returned with her cub to feed it, one of the neighbours said.

Three close shaves, but shes escaped attack

Saiti Pardhi, 40, resident of Bangurla Pada, has been confronted by leopards thrice since May this year. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Saiti Pardhi, 40, a resident of Bangurla Pada near Film City, has been stalked by what she believes to be the same leopard thrice since May, but luckily, she has not been attacked. There is an adult leopard that roams this area. Thrice when I was walking through the forest to the market near Film City, the animal came out of the woods. It came at a distance of less than 10 feet, and growled and bared its teeth. It was extremely scary, but I made a kind of loud growling sound, and it didnt attack. This happened three times, but it can attack any time, she said. Pardhi has stopped going alone now, and steps out only when she has at least three villagers for company.

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Yeh wali ladki mujhe chahiye (I want this girl), was the brazen comment one of three men made as they stopped an autorickshaw and molested two women in it on one of Mumbais main thoroughfares, the Juhu-Versova Link Road on Saturday night.

The three  Rahul Revale, 25, Adil Khan, 21, and Yogesh Shevale, 24  were arrested by the police who charged them with sexual harassment. Police are checking if the three have criminal records given the brazen manner in which they behaved, unfazed by threats to call the police. All three are residents of a slum pocket in Andheri (West) on the JVLR.

One of the women and her brother, who works in Pune, had come to visit their mother, who lives on Yari Road, for Diwali. On Saturday, they decided to go for dinner to Juhu where they met the other woman. After dinner around 2 am, they decided to return home together as they all lived on Yari Road.

The three accused, who were suspected to be drunk, accosted them as they were passing by and made lewd comments. The brother told them off and he and the women continued down JVLR in the autorickshaw. The three men then gave chase on a bike, yelling at the driver to stop the autorickshaw and abusing the women. When the driver tried to shake them off, they overtook the autorickshaw and forced it to a stop.

The three men then caught hold of one of the women and slapped and molested her. The brother of the other woman intervened but they assaulted him and molested the second woman also.

As the women and the brother put up strong resistance a passer-by came to their rescue. The three men started thrashing him too.

Someone else alerted the police who rushed to the spot and caught the three men and rescued the women.

The Versova police said they had the statement of the brother and would record the womens statements in the next few days. The police have taken blood samples of the three arrested to find out if they were under the influence of alcohol.

An FIR has been registered on a complaint filed by the brother under sections 354 (sexual harassment), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (act done by several persons with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

A police official said, We have received their police custody for a day from a magistrate court. We have subjected them to medical test. We are checking if they have any past criminal record.
The University of Mumbais decision to connect semester examinations after Diwali vacations has not gone down well with many. While teachers and students are complaining about the exam schedule, many are also putting together extra classes and mock tests for first and second year students to introduce them to the university format. This is the first time the university will be setting exam papers for all undergraduate students.

Like every semester, third year students will take their exams at their respective exam centres, whereas the first and second year students will appear for exams at their colleges, but according to the universitys schedule.

Many of these students will be appearing for a university exam in colleges for the first time and our teachers found that there is a lot of anxiety amongst the students, said Sobhana Vasudevan, principal, RA Podar College, Matunga. Some of her college teachers had called for mock test sessions during the Diwali vacations because once college reopens in November, all teachers will be busy with university exam supervision and correction of papers. Teachers have called first and second year students in the coming week to understand how the exams will be held, and to answer their queries, said Vasudevan.

While third year students are made to take preliminary examinations before their university ones every year, colleges are investing time and effort to introduce a similar format for the first and second year students as well. Our teachers made sure that regular tests were conducted in class through the semester so that all students are at the same level in terms of syllabus completion. We dont want students to feel stressed out about the university exam so such tests have helped students clear their doubts and at the same time also understand what to expect, said Marie Fernandes, principal, St Andrews College, Bandra.

Diwali vacations will end on November 8, and on the same day exams for third year students will begin. To finish mock tests before teachers get busy with supervision work, some colleges have scheduled them in the first week of November. Some teachers have complained about cutting short their holidays but we have to do this for our students, said Arundhati Menon, a professor.

For third year students, since answer sheets are barcoded for online assessment, we orient and train the students. For first and second year students, we conduct workshos to introduce them to the paper pattern, which comes from the University, said Nupur Mehrotra, vice-principal, Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

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A 32-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly impersonating a crime branch officer and making a jeweller cough up Rs84,000 by threatening to arrest him for allegedly buying stolen gold ornaments.

According to the Mahim police, the accused has been identified as Nishant Parmar, 32, and is a resident of Dahisar. The complainant Jayantilal Jain, 61, runs a jewellery shop called Sanghvi Jewellers in Mahim.

Jain received a phone call on September 23 at 6.30 am from Parmar, who used a fictitious name and identified himself as a crime branch officer from the Pune Government Railway Police (GRP). The accused said that he has arrested a woman who confessed that she had sold Jain gold ornament weighing 64 grams back in 2015 , which she had stolen from a passenger on a railway station in Pune.

He said that he wanted to make full recovery in the case and demanded Jain to return the gold ornament. Assuming that Jain would not go to police, Parmar asked him to be present before the local police and added that he will see him there.

Jain went to local police and inquired about the phone call, but on learning that no officer from Pune approached them, he went back home. However, the phone calls continued and under pressure, Jain paid Rs84,000 to Parmar through a middle man who met him in Andheri.

Jain then inquired with the Pune police and found that no such officer works with them, after which he complained to the Mahim police, who registered an FIR on October 9 under section 420 (cheating) and 170 (impersonating a public servant) of the IPC. The accused was traced based on technical evidence and arrested on Saturday from Dahisar.
A 26-year-old man was murdered after a fight broke out between two groups of people over a petty issue in Goregaon (West) on Sunday morning. The fight took place outside a hookah parlour, and the deceased was stabbed in the stomach with a sharp weapon by a person from the opposite group.

According to the Goregaon police, the deceased, Mayur Panchal, a resident of Shankarwadi, Jogeshwari, was partying with his friends at the hookah parlour around 6am.

An officer from Goregaon police said, A heated argument took place between him and the accused from another group after they bumped into each other at the parlour. This led to a fight between the two groups. He was stabbed with a sharp object in the stomach. The accused and his friends then fled the spot.

Panchals friends rushed him to Cooper hospital, where he died during treatment. The police had first registered a case of attempt to murder, which was then converted to a murder case. The police said that some of the incident has been captured on CCTV cameras, and probe is on to establish identity of the accused. No person was detained at the time of going to press, said assistant commissioner of police, Goregaon division, S.G. Shinde.
A 40-year-old ragpicker was allegedly stabbed by the friend of a vendor for not paying Rs 4, near Tulinj police station at Nallasopara near Mumbai on Saturday. He succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

A sub-inspector and two constables attached to Tulinj police station were suspended for filing a mere non-congnisable offence, not a murder case, against the vendor, Raju.

Later Raju and his friend Mahesh were arrested, while another friend Sonu who allegedly stabbed Ravi Bhagwat with a chopper is absconding, said an officer.

The incident took placed at 1 am on Saturday when Bhagwat, a resident of Dongripada in Virar (East), and his friend Banya Gamre went to the vendor, added the officer. They ordered two plates of omelette for Rs24. Bhagwat paid Rs20. When Raju asked for the rest of the money, a heated argument ensued. Bhagwat gave him Rs 5 and abused him. Enraged, the vendor and his friend Mahesh caught hold of Bhagwat, while Sonu stabbed him with a chopper, said the officer.

Bleeding, Bhagwat along with Gamre went to Tulinj police station where officers filed a non-congisable offence against the vendor and his friends. The police admitted him to a civic hospital in Vijaynagar. He was shifted to Shatabdi hospital,where he died on Sunday. Manjunath Singe, superintendent of police, Palghar, suspended three cops for not registering a murder case.

After learning about Bhagwats injuries, his wife, Manisha, registered a complaint after which the police arrested Raju and Mahesh, while Sonu is still at large. They were arrested under murder charges.

The vendors stall is illegal and the police have complained to the Vasai civic body, said the officer.
Every evening, an eerie silence descends on the tribal hamlets of Aarey Colony and Film City in Goregaon (east), close to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The kutcha roads are deserted, doors locked, and windows shut tight.

Seven attacks by leopards and one death this year, the highest since 2002, have left residents of the area, mostly the Warli tribe, so helpless that they depend on adopted stray dogs to guard their homes, warn them, and sometimes, even take on the leopards.

On July 22, a two-year-old Vihaan Nilesh Garuda, whose father is an SGNP employee, was killed near Maroshipada, a hamlet near Film City.

On September 30, two women from Chafacha Pada were attacked by two leopards late in the evening on the outskirts of the village. Stray dogs attacked the leopards, and both women escaped with minor injuries.

HT visited Chafacha Pada, Vanicha Pada, Bangurla, Khambacha Pada, Kelti Pada, and other hamlets to grasp the situation.

We have been living alongside these animals for decades. They never harmed us in the past but suddenly we are facing a life-threatening crisis, says tribal leader Prakash Bhoir from Kelti Pada, blaming the attacks on a decline of the leopards habitat due to rise in encroachments and developmental activities.

Children in the forest travel to school. They have been instructed to walk only in groups of six. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Aarey Milk Colony is spread across 3,166 acres, of which around 230 acres were handed over to central government bodies such as the National Dairy Development Board and RBI in the 1950s and 60s.

Over the next few decades, another 900 acres were given to state bodies such as the State Reserve Police Force, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Film City.

The Metro 3 operations has eaten up another 81 acres. There are also 36 cattle farms spread over another 400 acres.

A total of 27 tribal settlements with 7,000 residents are scattered across around 1,000 acres of the green space. As of today, Aarey has over 15,000 illegal residents living under tin sheds spread across 600 acres, says Bhoir.

Leopard attacks in Aarey this year September 30: Two women are attacked by two leopards at Chafacha Pada in Aarey, but escape with injuries after their dogs attack the leopards. July 28: Aniket Dileep Page, 13, is attacked near Aarey pump house in the afternoon as he bends to scratch his leg and his friends walk ahead. He escapes as his friends shout and startle the animal. July 22: Two-year-old Vihaan Nilesh Garuda, whose father is an SGNP staffer, is attacked and killed near Maroshipada, a hamlet near Film City. May 29: A four-year-old boy from Royal Palms, Goregaon, is attacked while walking a few paces behind his father. The animal drags him a few feet, but his father creates a ruckus and passers-by come running, which scares the leopard away. May 15: Ritesh Valvi, 3, escapes with injures on his chest and throat in Khadak Pada, Aarey Colony, after villagers scare the leopard away. March 20: Pranay Rinjad, 3, is saved by his mother after leopard pounces on him and tries to drag him away in Chafacha Pada, Aarey.

Going by a 2015 survey conducted by SGNP, there are 35 leopards living in and around the national park, and Aarey is one of their dominant habitats.

Earlier this month, the forest department trapped a leopard at Film City, which they claim was responsible for all the attacks since March this year. The tribals, however, disagree, saying that there are at least 3-4 leopards close to each hamlet.

Nagesh Jadhav, 46, a resident of Chafacha Pada and relative of one of the injured women, say there are no street lights, toilets or other public amenities, increasing the threat.

The forest department and Aarey authorities were engaged in a blame-game over the lack of civic amenities. Sunil Limaye, chief conservator of forest, Thane, said they had sent five letters to the Aarey officials, and were planning to inform the Mantralaya about the same. Issues such as open defecation, lack of streetlights ... need to be resolved immediately, he said.

Aarey CEO Nathu Rathod said cited a fund shortage. He also said that a committee formed in 2016 for development of Aareys eco-sensitive zone, headed by the BMC chief and Thanes deputy conservator of forest, needs to plan allocation of funds.

However, Jitendra Ramgaokar, deputy conservator of forests, Thane, said the committee does not decide development for Aareys original inhabitants.

The forest department has provided emergency lights that blink through the night to ward off leopards in hamlets ... Ramgaokar said. However, Bhoir countered that only a few houses have got these emergency lights.

Why it matters Villagers living in these hamlets are residents of the city and are as entitled to a safe life as anybody else. SGNP and Aarey are the leopards original habitats. Pushing them out would endanger their lives as well the lives of humans Aarey and SGNP are Mumbais protect citizens from severe effects of pollution The forest is a catchment area for lakes that partly supply water to Mumbai The dense tropical forest also regulates temperature, encourages precipitation and recharges ground water

Villagers also allege that noise from the daily artillery training by security agencies have frightened the animals.

However, a senior officer from Maharashtra police told HT that no animals are harmed in the training. There is enough space within SGNP and other parts of Aarey for the leopards to move about, he said.

Bhoir noted that the lack of support showed that authorities wanted them to shift to slums and free these areas for more infrastructure development.

Our future generations might do that, but we will not. This has been our home for over 100 years.

Wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya said the issue was turning political. The leopards and the Warlis are the original inhabitants of Aarey. There will be a solution only when the government acknowledges this and pays heed to their needs.

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A south Mumbai college has adopted solar energy on such a large scale that it will help them wipe out their carbon footprint over the next 25 years. Last week, the Maharashtra College of Arts and Commerce in Nagpada commissioned a 50 kilowatt-power (kWp) solar rooftop setup with 150 panels, which is the largest solar power project among all educational institutes in south Mumbai.

This is the largest capacity unit installed in south Mumbai for residential, educational and religious institutions. We estimate that such a project has a lifespan of 25 years. This means we will be able to save 927.5 tonnes of CO2 over the next 25 years by using this green energy source, said Sirajuddin Chowgule, principal of the college, which has 3,700 students.

According to a carbon footprint calculator by the US Energy and Information Administration, one kilowatt hour (kw-hr) consumption of solar energy equals 500gm of CO2 saved. The setup on the college will help it save 37.1 tonnes of CO2 every year  thats a saving of Rs7,70,000 annually.

The power source will generate 191.7 kilowatt-hour (kWh) energy per day and 70,000 kWh annually. Lights, fans, water pumps, lifts and air conditioners at the seven-storey college building and a two-floor annexe building will all run on solar energy.

Nahid Bhujwala, head of the department of accountancy, said the college researched similar projects for the past two months. We surveyed other solar projects and found that it will be extremely cost-effective and will help us save Rs 64,000 per month, he said adding, The college will generate its own electricity at a cost of Rs 2.71 per kWh for 25 years against the original tariff of Rs 14 per kWh.

The renewable energy source will not only benefit the college but also areas in the city where there is less supply of electricity. A net-metering system has been installed, which allows surplus power generated by solar setup to be exported back to the grid and any deficiency is imported from the grid. At the end of a financial year, the society will be charged by the power supplier only for the net usage, said members of Green Power Projects Pvt Ltd that installed the project. The college spent Rs38 lakh for the installation and it was self financed, said Muhammad Sohail Shaikh, chief operating officer, Green Power Projects Pvt Ltd. The project will help cover 60% of the current electricity consumption of the college. They will recover the cost of installation within the next five years.

Solar energy is a free source of renewable energy that does not cause pollution and instead reduces carbon emissions that come from burning coal, gas and oil for electricity generation. It can be used in remote areas where electricity from the grid cannot be accessed.

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Two men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing a 40-year-old tribal woman and cutting her body into pieces after a dispute over money broke out between them in the powerloom district of Bhiwandi.

The accused were identified as Jiyalal Abdul Razak Khan,38, a loom worker, and Suresh Rajgure, 40, who is unemployed. The police said that Khan was in a relationship with the woman, Vanshi Waman Korad, 40, a resident of Jawhar taluka. The men lived at Temghar in Bhiwandi.

A police officer said, After her husband died three years ago, she met Khan. They used to meet often. She would do odd jobs.

According to the Shantinagar police, Khan and Rajgure planned to drink alcohol to celebrate Diwali at Temghar. On their way to the liquor shop, they met Korad who joined them.

While drinking, Rajgure and Khan blamed Korad for not carrying money for alcohol. She was also abused for demanding money. They left the shop and went to an isolated place where another altercation turned fatal. In a fit of rage, Khan stabbed her with a chopper he was carrying. Rajgure also helped him, said R Motale, an officer from Shantinagar police station.

After killing her, the two men cut Korads body into three pieces and stuffed them into two gunny bags, said Motale. They dumped the bags at two different locations in Shantinagar on Friday, he added.The next day, a foul smell emanating from the gunny bag alerted passers-by.

After an hour, we got another call that a womans body without hands and legs was found at a different location. With the help of residents, we identified the body, said Manjeet Bagga, inspector of Shantinagar police station. The body was sent to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for a post-mortem.

The police arrested Khan and Rajgure before they could flee to their relatives place. They were remanded in police custody till October 27.

We have arrested them under murder charges and seized the chopped which was used to attack Korad. We have recorded her mothers statement and based on which we have lodged the case, said Bagga.

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Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Sunday launched a scheme for door-to-door collection of daily solid waste in 65 residential wards of the city. Officials said they will outsource work in 35 other wards to private agencies.

To undertake waste collection, the corporation on Sunday flagged off 80 hopper tipper vehicles, which will move around in residential areas and collect solid waste from households. The vehicles have the facility to store the wet and the dry waste before transferring it to the refuse compactor vehicles that will compress the waste by more than 40% of the volume.

The solid waste will later be transferred to the landfill site in a covered condition.

We expect all wards to be covered under the door-to-door collection scheme by the next month. Officials and staff of the corporation should also ensure that solid waste is collected in time and no dumping is allowed alongside major roads, said Ritu Maheshwari, district magistrate.

Ghaziabad MP General (retired), VK Singh, said, Apart from government agencies, citizens should also be a part of this system to ensure that the scheme is successful. Residents should segregate waste at home and hand it over to vehicles. Each one of us can contribute to Swachh Bharat Mission.

Under the scheme, each household will be required to pay 40 to 70 per month as user charge, while commercial establishments will be charged between 200 and 2,000 per month. The charges have duly been defined cleared by the corporation board and published under a gazette notification.

The scheme was already running in four residential wards in the city and has now been expanded to 65 wards.

Further, we are also going to come up with 10 major solid waste transfer stations in the next three-four months. Six firms have given their presentations to take up the project of waste to energy solid waste management plant at Galand. This will also be finalised in the future and solid waste will be converted to electricity, said CP Singh, municipal commissioner.

With the waste to energy plant in place, we will be able to complete the full chain of solid waste disposal that requires scientific collection, segregation and scientific disposal, as required under the Solid Waste Management & Handling Rules, he said.

At present, the city generates nearly 950 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, which is transferred to the corporations temporary landfill site at Pratap Vihar near NH-24.

In the absence of a door-to-door collection facility, the solid waste from households is collected by private collectors, who charge residents 100-150 per month.

Now, with the help of NGOs, we have roped in these private collectors to work for us and they will not be left out, following the initiation of the new process. A person, each, will be deputed for our collection vehicles and they will be paid by the respective NGOs, Singh said.

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The Uttar Pradesh government is scheduled to discuss issues pertaining to land acquisition for the Noida International airport proposed at Jewar along the 165 km Yamuna Expressway on October 25 in Lucknow.

Industrial development commissioner (IDC), Anup Chandra Pandey, has called a meeting of officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), which is the nodal agency for development of this ambitious project.

Since the UP government wants to start land procurement for this project at the earliest, issues related to land have to be discussed in detail before the work begins on the ground, officials said.

The Union civil aviation ministry had on June 24 given its approval to build an international airport at Jewar. Now, YEIDA is awaiting funds of Rs2,000 crore from the state government to acquire 1,000 hectares of agricultural land, in the initial phase of the project. On the whole, the project requires 5,000 hectares.

YEIDA officials are studying details pertaining to the land notified for the project along the expressway.

The UP government has to decide whether the land for this crucial project will be acquired by implementing Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 or through negotiation. IDC will discuss all issues, including land acquisition and funds, in Lucknow, said Amarnath Upadhyay, an additional chief executive officer of YEIDA.

Acquiring land by implementing the provisions of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, will be a challenge for YEIDA because it comprises a lengthy process, officials said.

However, if landowners are ready to sell their land for the project, the YEIDA can easily purchase the same by negotiating the price and not wasting time in the process, officials said.

We will review how much land of the 5,000 hectares is already owned by the government, the area owned by farmers, who are engaged in agricultural activities. We will discuss the land acquisition issue with farmers before going ahead with the procurement process. If farmers agree, YEIDA will fix a rate and then start registration of the land. But all these issues need deliberations, a YEIDA official said.

According to officials, the UP government wants to expedite the formalities so that the work can be started at the earliest. Some farmers can oppose the land acquisition due to land rates. To resolve issues of such farmers, the state government wants to be ready in advance so that land acquisition does not delay this project, an official said.

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Dada Dadi Park and an old age home for senior citizens in B-block of Sector 62 are not expected to be completed by the scheduled deadline of January 2018, as electrical work is yet to be started. The Noida authority is yet to select a private agency for doing electrical work in the building.

The Noida authority, in August 2016, had started work on a Dada Dadi Park and an old age home for senior citizens in B-block of Sector 62. The project is spread on 4,200 sq m land. The land for the park and the old age home is located near the campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Sector 62 and the civil structure of the five-storey building is ready and finishing touches are being given.

We have completed 85% of the civil work in this five-storey building meant for Dada Dadi Park and old age home. However, the tender for the electrical work could not be processed because private agencies are not applying to take up the job. The authority will again issue a tender to hire an agency for doing electrical work on the project, PK Garg, project engineer of the Noida authority, said.

Officials said that the facility is expected to be ready by mid-2018 if the private agency for the electrical work is selected soon. We will finish civil work by January 2018 for sure. Meanwhile, the process of issuing tenders for electrical work will be on. We hope it is done as soon as possible so that the building will be ready, said Garg.

Officials said the park and the old age home will be dedicated to elderly people who do not have a place in stay in this city. Many senior citizens are abandoned by their children and they are left with no place to stay in. This place will be dedicated to these needy people, officials said.

However, the authority officials said it will not run this facility.

The authority will hand over this facility either to the Uttar Pradesh government once the project is ready or to an NGO managed by social activists. Those who are running the NGO can manage this facility and donate money for its functioning as well. Socially active people can form an NGO and take over the management of this facility to help the needy. The authority does not want to spend funds to run this after it is ready, said Garg.

He said that people who want to support and contribute to the elderly people will be encouraged to run the facility.

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Ghaziabad: To strengthen the door-to-door solid waste collection initiative officials of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) said they will soon procure more vehicles over and above the 80 they have now. Private firms will also be roped in to cover the remaining 35 wards.

With the launch of the scheme on Sunday, solid waste from 65 of 100 residential wards here will be collected every day from the residents doorstep.

The vehicles have been procured with funds set aside for infrastructure and also from the 14th Finance Commission. The work of collecting garbage in the remaining 35 wards will be awarded to private firms and tenders will be floated soon, municipal commissioner CP Singh said.

With the induction of 80 new hopper tipper vehicles on Sunday, the corporation now has a fleet of 94 such vehicles, along with 200 tricycles and handcarts. The latter will be used in areas where lanes are too narrow for the movement of motorized vehicles.

The corporation has also procured 10 new refuse compactors which crush and reduce the size of the collected waste. Twenty new large tipper vehicles have also been purchased for daily solid waste collection, the municipal commissioner said.

All these vehicles will help us in transportation and segregation of solid waste in a covered manner. Heaps of solid waste can be seen on roadsides, and it also falls from vehicles while it is being transported to the landfill site, Singh added.

The vehicles will blow a siren to alert residents that the garbage vehicles have arrived in their residential area and the solid waste should be set out.

Under the scheme, the corporation will also distribute green and blue garbage collection bins to nearly 1 lakh households. The bins will facilitate segregation of garbage at home before it is handed over to the collection vehicles.

Further, to reduce dust on roads, the corporation has procured four new dust cleaning vehicles which will have water sprinkler and suction system. This will help clean the roads without blowing the dust around on roads, where it settles along its length and reduces the motorable area. Hung dust in the atmosphere also affects air quality and residents health.

The vehicles have been purchased directly from the company and this has helped us save funds. More vehicles will be purchased for future requirement to collect and process the citys solid waste daily. The door-to-door collection scheme will cover majority of residential colonies in Sahibabad, Singh said.

The major localities which benefit from the door-to-door scheme collection are Vasundhara, Vaishali, Surya Nagar, Chander Nagar, Rampuri, Mohan Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Rajendra Nagar, Shaheed Nagar, Model Town, Gandhi Nagar, Rakesh Marg, Nehru Nagar, Lohiya Nagar, Patel Nagar and Kavi Nagar.

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Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi set the cat among the pigeons recently at a meeting by calling to create a malnutrition-free India by 2022.

The minister came out in favour of pre-cooked foods to replace hot cooked meals, given in Indias 1.4 million Anganwadi centres. And she spoke against cash transfers to replace the take-home-rations (THRs), given for children between the age of six months and three years, and for pregnant women. But what emerged out of the high-profile meeting was only confusion. For experts, NGOs, doctors, and the government were divided on both the points Gandhi touched upon.

One reason why the nutrition story has not gone forward in India as it should have is the sharp division that has existed in the nutrition community, and almost two out of five children under five still remain stunted, despite the improvements.

It is widely conceded that the THRs, procured through the PDS system, are of sub-standard quality, sometimes fed to animals or at times consumed by the family rather than the child. Malnutrition is known to peak and irreversible damage done in this group of children. Given this, the revelation  made by the government-conducted National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) that only 10% of (6-24 month) children are adequately fed  was not surprising.

Some advocate cash transfers to the mothers account as a way to mitigate the problem. Others, like Gandhi, made a case for packaged foods because the amount transferred per month is too small (Rs 180 a month at the rate of Rs 6 per child) and will hardly enable the mother to get an adequate supply for the childs needs in the open market.

Now to another contentious issue not touched by Gandhi. There is a controversy around the provision of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) or energy dense foods, produced in India, which like medication, are given over a period of four-six weeks to pull the severely wasted child back from the brink, and there are nine million such children in India. This is different from the pre-packaged food but is often confused with it.

The NGOs campaigning against it make three points. It helps the MNCs and the suppliers lobby make profits, it has only a 50-55% efficacy rate with many children slumping back, and it is not worth the effort or money.

Though the government of India has put this on hold in the absence of a clearly enunciated policy, it raises many questions.

If you have cancer and have even a 30% chance of survival, would you not pull out all the stops to give yourself that chance, and take the necessary medication, if available? Why must children, the most vulnerable and voiceless in our society, be denied that chance to live?

Of course, powerful lobbies are at work to promote it, and will work even harder with elections around the corner. But do we stop the availability of medicines because of corruption in the pharmaceutical industry? Do we shut the PDS system for the poor because it is riddled with leaks and corruption? Should we chop the nose to spite the face?

The battle against corruption has to be fought, but it has to be fought separately and surely not at the cost of childrens lives.

There was a small study done in Meerut not long ago by a group of paediatricians who concluded that even without the RUTF, only 2-3% of the severely wasted children died, and 25% went on to recover. But it was silent on what happened to the remaining 75%, who did not recover. Malnutrition, which is emerging as the most important issue, if India is to have a future, can lead to physical disabilities, mental challenges, cognitive disrepair, and loss in productivity.

This also raises the question: What in India do we consider as an acceptable rate of mortality? And, if the RUTF is not the way to go, what is the alternative we put in its place?

It is time the government came out with a national policy on nutrition, which addresses these, and other, questions expeditiously. But it must be an evidence-based policy, with that last child at the heart of it. If we fail to evolve a consensus, our childrens tomorrow could die today.

Neerja Chowdhury is a senior journalist

The views expressed are personal
The recent and inevitable Delhi Metro fare hike raises a number of issues, though none of them are new. For those of us who use it, the way we traverse and even think about the city will never be the same. There is no going back now, but the question the fare hike raises is how to go forward?

From the start, researchers at the TRIPP Institute at IIT Delhi showed through precise economic modelling and comparative public transport analysis that the Delhi Metro would not be a sustainable form of transport compared to, say, investing big time in the citys bus infrastructure. Big time does not mean a six-kilometre stretch of bus rapid transit (BRT), but rather an integrated system of transport that both expands and greatly improves what was there before.

One could argue that the Metro project was always inherently anti-people; it was a massive, top-down infrastructure laid onto the city with great care in terms of its engineering and world-class production values, but less care in terms of its sustainability and coordination with the city itself. It was a largely Japanese-funded, diplomat-negotiated, transnational global production. In fact, the people were mostly not consulted, and people in the citys other urban and transport agencies most often didnt speak to one another, and certainly didnt work together when it came to Metro planning. Many argued this was the secret to the DMRCs success.

Now, in addition to the people, with the arrival of the Metro, we have a new idea of the public. This Metro-riding public has demands of its own, as it should. Political parties naturally will want to speak to and for this public, however accurately or inaccurately. Most people will let them; but it is this public that will have to assert its claim on the Metro and the city for anything to change, and for the future of the Metro system to be as they would like it  efficiently and safely run, affordable, integrated, maybe even beautiful. This will be the challenge and will require the citys transport and environment-related NGOs and urban research organisations to be at the table  whether with politicians or the DMRC, but ideally both.

The Delhi Metro has become a lifeline for so many in the National Capital Region  across income-levels and geographical boundaries. But lifeline carries with it a requirement of sustainability. The Delhi Metro, at least compared to malls and other world-class spaces in the city, is more of the people since it is not a space of consumption but rather offers a range of experiences to more kinds of people than most other urban projects.

Im not arguing for or against this fare hike; Im sure there has to be one, and Im sure this one wont be the last. Its also true that each fare hike will make the Delhi Metro less for the people, even if there will always be a Metro-riding public. The Metro will also likely never be sustainable, even if the DMRC increases its property and other commercial schemes. Metro systems are extremely expensive to run and maintain, and the less subsidised they are (or become) the more anti-people they will also become. But this was also engrained in the very idea of the Metro from the beginning; how could it be otherwise?

In the course of my research on the Delhi Metro, I have talked to hundreds of Metro riders, and for at least two-thirds of them affordability is a key issue in their decision to take the Metro. What makes the Metro a lifeline is precisely its ability to serve the majority of city-dwellers. If not, the very premise of the Metro disappears. This raises a larger issue that goes beyond transport. Who does government represent  visible publics or people of all stripes and income-levels? More dramatically, who lives and who does not?

This contradiction is precisely what becoming world-class entails. To have those amenities that put Delhi on par with cities around the world; to have people experience the awesome compression of time and space that Metro-riding affords; and yet to have a city that becomes ever more exclusive for an expanding, elevated public.

Rashmi Sadana teaches at George Mason University

The views expressed are personal
Barely, a week after Diwali, lights will shut down permanently on 800 primary government schools in the state. The state government has issued a notification on October 18, directing district education officers (DEOs) of the state to merge schools with less than 20 students to other schools nearby. The notification that Punjab director education department (elementary education), Inderjeet Singh, has issued also asks for an implementation report by October 25 (Wednesday).

The reasons for the merger is that even as these 800 schools each have a strength of less than 20 students, on an average, more than 1 teacher is posted at these facilities. In fact, there are 57 schools with less than five students, but they still used up 75 teachers. Following the merging process, the teachers and staff posted in these school will be shifted to other schools.

Officials said merging of schools will not only help in giving financial relief to the education department, but will fill vacancies of teachers in other schools by shifting them.

The move is expected to save money for the cash-strapped government as the state will have to maintain less of the infrastructure. Savings will also result in teachers salary, other staff, mid-day meal, electricity bills and a maintenance grant.

No child will travel more than 1km

Punjab education secretary Krishan Kumar said, There is no violation of RTE Act. No child will be forced to travel more than 1km. Where distance is more than 1 km, the school will continue as before. Largely, the schools identified are in urban areas and teachers will be posted as per their choice. In case they have any issues, we are willing to listen. If number of students increases, schools may be restarted too.

140 schools to close in Hoshiarpur

In Hoshiarpur, which has the highest literacy rate in the state at 86%, the most schools will close at 140. In Gurdaspur 133 schools will be merged. The director has also directed DEOs to provide all the basic facilities to the students getting shifted to the other adjacent schools and asked centre heads to maintain and clean the vacant buildings till they are to be used later.

The roll call for school closure in other districts is 71 in Ropar, 54 in Jalandhar, 52 in Pathankot, 50 in Patiala while 41 in each Kapurthala and Fatehgarh Sahib. Ludhiana will see closure of 39 schools; 34 in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, 30 each in Amritsar and SAS Nagar.

In Sangrur 23 schools will close with 22 shutting down in Ferozepur. The districts where less than 10 schools will be merged ar Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Fazilka, Moga, Mansa, Muktsar and Tarn Taran. At least 800 midday meal workers in these schools will be unemployed after the decision in implemented.

Unfortunate decision, says Cheema

Former education minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljeet Singh Cheema said, Closing 800 primary schools is an unfortunate decision and shows that the government is not serious about primary education in the state.

Window of hope open

Officials say that for now, most of the merged schools have been combined with a nearby school to minimise difficulty for students in accessing the facility. If admission in a school exceeds 20 students, it will be opened again. Director Public Instructions, elementary, Inderjeet Singh was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.

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In a blow to the newly set up Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU), Bathinda, most of technical education colleges under its territorial ambit are set to go back to Inder Kumar Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), Kapurthala.

The previous Akali-BJP government had transferred 165 of the 430 technical colleges in Punjab to the Bathinda university in 2015 after defining its territorial jurisdiction in 10 districts of Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala and Sangrur. The college managements had expressed resentment over this bifurcation and demanded that they should be given a chance to opt for their choice.

FINANCIAL SETBACK An institute having a strength of 1,200-1,500 student gives Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore per annum to the university in form of affiliation, examination and other fee. The government is already short of funds and is not in a position to develop infrastructure at the Bathinda university. Now, with more colleges shifting to the Kapurthala university, the financial position of the new varsity will take a hit, said a senior functionary of the Bathinda university.

At its meeting on October 16, the Punjab cabinet decided to give a chance to colleges and also to the students to opt for either of the two universities. And now, most of the colleges say they were going back to the Kapurthala university citing it as a well-established brand.

The Kapurthala university already has a well-established examination and placement system. Why would we ruin the future of students studying in our colleges? We will opt for PTU, Kapurthala, said president of the Punjab Unaided Technical Institutions Association (PUTIA) JS Dhaliwal, who runs colleges in Moga district.

The college managements also say the Bathinda university is facing fund crunch. The Kapurthala university has a corpus of around Rs 1,200 crore. Initially, the government tried to divert funds from here to set up infrastructure in the Bathinda university. But this was stayed by the high court. And the government is not in a position to pump in funds to the Bathinda university. So why to stick with a sick unit? said a Fatehgarh Sahib-based college management chief.

President of Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) Anshu Kataria said the Kapurthala university is the best option as it has well-established system for admissions, eligibility check, examination, placement and entrepreneurship activities.

Kapurthala university has earned this system by developing itself ever since it was established in 1998. Many among us who are running colleges in territorial area of the Bathinda university are shifting to Kapurthala, said Kataria, who is chairman of Aryans Group of Colleges in Patiala district.

Sources said even some colleges in Bathinda and Mansa districts are also opting for the Kapurthala university.

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As a tribute to its six martyrs, Chandigarh police have decided to send special teams to their villages and to organise functions where their stories of valour will be told and their family members will be honoured.

To kick start this initiative, Himachal Pradesh governor Acharya Dev Vrat on October 23, will pay tribute to UT police martyr ASI Amin Chand. A solemn ceremony by UT police will be held at Senior Secondary School Lunj, Himachal Pradesh, where Amin Chand had studied. His family members will be honoured.

ASI Amin Chand was martyred in 1991 during a terrorist attack. He had joined as constable in Chandigarh Police in 1981. On August 29, 1991, he was posted as driver with SSP, SS Saini. He was killed in the bomb blast in Sector 17 in which Saini had sustained minor injuries.

In a service of over 10 years in Chandigarh Police, he was bestowed with 44 commendation certificates.

Know the martyrs

Inspector Jagjit Singh hailed from Ferozepur and completed his graduation from Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh. He had joined Chandigarh Police as ASI in 1972. While posted as SHO of Sector-39 police station, on July 17, 1988, he led a raid on house in Sector 45, where some terrorists, armed with weapons had taken shelter. Inspector Jagjit Singh broke the door and rushed inside the house.

Why Commemoration Day is held The history of commemoration day traces back to October 21, 1959, when a police party of the Indian police force was deployed to defend national frontiers in the Ladakh region.They were attacked by Chinese troops hiding in the hills and 10 CRPF jawans were killed. Since then, this day is celebrated as Martyrdom Day at Central Police Organisations and Police Forces in remembrance of the sacrifice of their companions.

In the encounter that ensued, three terrorists were killed. Inspector Jagjit Singh also received fatal bullet injuries and died on the spot. During his service in Chandigarh Police, he had earned 24 commendation certificates and Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry was awarded (posthumously) on May 10, 1989.

ASI Amarjit Singh hailed from Hoshiarpur. He had joined as a constable in Chandigarh police in 1976. On December 8, 1989, while posted in Police Post-36, he was ambushed and martyred while on patrolling duty near Kajheri village by two terrorists on a motorcycle. During his service he had earned seven commendation certificates.

ASI Lalu Ram was from Kotkapura village in Faridkot. He had joined as a constable in Punjab Police in 1976 and joined Chandigarh Police on deputation in 1978. He was martyred on August 29, 1991, when he was posted as PSO to SS Saini, SSP, in a bomb blast in Sector 17.

SI Amarjit Singh was from Moga and had joined as a constable in Punjab Police in 1973. On February 25,1992, when he was escorting under trial terrorist Arvinder Singh alias Tanny to PGI for treatment, some unidentified terrorists attacked the police party. SI Amarjit Singh bravely fought the terrorists but was martyred.

Inspector Sucha Singh had joined Chandigarh Police as a constable in 1976. While posted in the traffic wing of Chandigarh Police he was on night check duty in the area of sub division central on the night of June 8, 2013. Inspector Singh questioned one suspicious couple sitting near the District Court, Sector 17, Chandigarh. He was stabbed to death by dismissed UT constable Basant Singh, alias Bunty (26), who was accused of committing three murders, along with his girlfriend Sarita Rani (23). During his service in Chandigarh Police, he had earned 39 commendation certificates.

UT police pays homage to martyrs

UT personnel during the Commemoration Day in Sector 17 on Saturday. (Karun Sharma/HT)

The 58th Commemoration Day Parade was held on Saturday at the Ground of Police Station, Sector 17, to pay homage to martyred policemen. Every year October 21 is observed as the day of remembrance for the companions who laid down their lives in line of duty. On this occasion, two minute silence was held to salute the memory of comrades who sacrificed their lives. Central Police organisations and state police observe this day in the form of Martyrdom Day.

Tajender Singh Luthra, director general of police, Chandigarh, along with other police officers paid homage to their comrades at the Martyrs Memorial Site.

In the past one year from September 1, 2016 to August, 2017, 383 police officers and personnel from paramilitary police forces and police organisations have lost their lives in line of duty.

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Wildlife photographer and conservationist, Sarosh Lodhi, greeted fellow nature lovers and near and dear ones with apt words: May you all have a Sparkling Diwali...Wish you and your family a very happy and safe Diwali. He backed words with a photograph that sparkled and yet that flaring beauty was clean and smokeless. It did not pollute the environment that had given it birth and nurtured it. That sparkler, unlike the fireworks preferred by Delhiites, did not seek to poison the air it inhaled.

I will now let Lodhi describe in his own words how his lens kindled that memorable Diwali sparkler and lit candles of joy in the souls of natures pilgrims.

Nature has its own way of celebrating festivals, albeit in a most eco-friendly manner. So, on the one hand, you find a riot of colours in varied species of birds, insects, flowers etc, and on the other, you find sparkles, too, as reflected in this photograph. In this image, which was clicked in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) recently, you can see a rain-soaked Giant Wood spider in its habitat. Droplets on the web sparkle in the backdrop of sunlight. The image was clicked at an aperture of f/10 to give out a broad depth of field considering the distance between the insect and where the web (droplets ) started from. This image signifies how a quiet, yet endowed with a beautiful sparkle, the festival of lights can be celebrated in the lap of nature in an eco-friendly way, Lodhi told this writer.

Courting the cats

The Grey mongoose with his cat lover. (Dr Shailendra Singh)

When in Rome live as the Romans do. So, when a mongoose is marooned on an island with pretty cats aplenty, what does that one do? Simple, he turns a cat and mingles as a much-loved single! So goes the saga of a male grey mongoose, endowed with an over-dose of male hormones, who found himself alone on Sajnekhali island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal. The Turtle Survival Alliances Dr Shailendra Singh, who heads the global NGOs India programme, stumbled upon an exotic bit of erotica scripted by nature during a Sunderbans expedition to conserve the critically-endangered species, the Northern River terrapin (Batagur baska).

Needless to state, Dr Singh was not only charmed by the love side-show in the Sunderbans but it pricked the pucca wildlifers curiousity no end. The mongoose was alone on the island but there were about 7-8 cats at the rangers station there. The mongoose adapted to the ways of the cats, imitated their behaviour, learnt to live and eat with them and make love to them. The cats had accepted him and we were told this mongoose has been there for years living with the cats. The veterinarians at the station have made videos of the cat-mongoose pairing though the passionate efforts have not produced any offspring or species blends despite years of multiple breeding attempts by the virile mongoose! The mongoose has taken over the role of the areas dominant male cat, Dr Singh told this writer.

Ecological agonies

Exhibited paintings depict ecological agonies of Mother Earth. (Dipali Saha)

Her paintings are ablaze with a startling red. It is not the red of passion but of danger zones engulfing beloved nature. The figurines of Mother Earth are lovely but evocative of a fading, pristine glory. They are wounded with ugly blotches of pollution, mining and developmental expansion. An animal looks sad and scared as a Mother Earth figurine stands in the background in a dejected and helpless vigil. Nature is under a siege without end, wrapped in a darkness without dawn.

Dipali Saha is more than an artist, she is an activist, a social worker championing the cause of voiceless nature. Her concerns obsess with the emerging enemy: global warming.

Her art works lament the mechanisation of civilisation, which has subjugated nature and robbed humans of their vitality. Just sample the horrors that JCB machines are unleashing in the fragile Shivalik belt looming behind the tricity: hillocks and bush jungle are being vanquished and replaced by crops and pockmarked with deep sand mine craters that underpin gleaming expressways and apartment groves. Lush crops are actually killing fields or graveyards of vanquished biodiversity, cruelly deceptive in a shroud of green.

Picassos paintings and Rabindranath Tagores hymns to nature are the Kolkata-based Sahas eternal muse. She hosted her 48th solo show last week at Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, exhibiting 30 works on a theme she has worked on for seven years: Global warming and ecological agonies. Her shows have traversed a worried globe, including Bhutan, Berlin, London and Texas, and all but four Indian states.
Retirement may be a kinder way to put it, but spacecraft also die.

Chinese space station Tiangong-1, a 8.5-tonne spacecraft launched in 2011 and called the Heavenly Palace, is likely to plummet to Earth in the next few months, reported The Guardian earlier this month.

With hundreds of satellites now orbiting the planet, space debris or more commonly known as space junk is a real problem. Satellites that are no longer operational can be hazardous to other spacecraft in the orbit, according to NASA. Scientists fear a minor collision can trigger a chain reaction of accidents.

There are places on Earth and in space where spacecraft rest after theyve exhausted their functions, studies, fuel and completed their missions.

The solution was decided in an agreement between space agencies in 1993. The forum Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordinating Committee formalised that to prevent crashes, spacecraft will be disposed by either falling towards Earth or by blasting them further away to a region in space 36,049 km above Earth, according to information by NASA and Phys.org.

Burning in air or resting at Spacecraft Cemetery

Small satellites that are closer to the Earth use their last bit of fuel to fall out of the orbit and burn in the atmosphere. The heat from the friction of entering Earths air burns up the satellite as it plunges towards Earth at thousands of miles per hour, NASA Science explained on its website.

It gets complicated for larger satellites or space stations that may not completely burn in Earths atmosphere. These objects are directed by ground operators to crash at the spacecraft cemetery, an area between Australia, New Zealand and South America in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the farthest points from land with little scope for fishing and crashing spacecraft here ensures there are no accidents or injuries to humans.

The spacecraft cemetery is one of the farthest points from land. (NASA)

An article in BBC said the area where spacecraft are dumped is known as the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area and more than 200 decommissioned objects are its occupants. It is also the resting place of the 134-tonne Russian space station Mir that disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean on March 23, 2001 after 15 years in service.

The International Space Station is likely to be part of the debris that will in decades occupy an area spanning across 1,500 sq km.

There are, however, chances that ground controllers can lose touch with the spacecraft on re-entry and it can crash somewhere else, as it happened with the first American space station Skylab; its pieces were found in Australia after its descent in 1979.

Skylab space station. (NASA)

Graveyard orbits

Satellites on higher altitudes are simply blasted farther away into stable zones 300 km above the functional geosynchronous orbits where they can remain safely out of the way. Equipments on such satellites are deactivated, their batteries discharged among other measures to make these defunct satellites mostly harmless in case of collisions, reported Slate.
Authorities in Bangladesh were bracing Sunday for another possible surge in Rohingya refugee arrivals, with thousands from the Muslim minority believed stranded along the border with Myanmar waiting to cross.

Border guards are also concerned that the relaxing later Sunday of a temporary ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal could see a surge in people-smuggling along the coast as unscrupulous captains return to the seas.

Rohingya refugees already in Bangladesh have received videos from families across the border showing thousands of displaced Muslims massing near crossing points, waiting for an opportunity to cross.

We have seen some videos sent by people across the border. There are many gathered there. The number could be big, Border Guard Bangladesh commander Lieutenant Colonel SM Ariful Islam told AFP, without giving an estimate.

Almost 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since late August, when militant attacks on Myanmars security forces in Rakhine state sparked a major army crackdown on the community likened by the UN and others to ethnic cleansing.

Around 10,000 were left stranded in no mans land near Anjumanpara village for three days last week after being prevented from crossing into Bangladesh. They were finally permitted by authorities to enter Thursday.

The influx has slowed since then, with charities and officials reporting about 200 people crossing the Naf River dividing the two countries.

(But) those that came told us thousands were still stranded on the other side of Naf, Jashim Uddin, a volunteer for the International Organisation for Migration, told AFP.

Another border guard told AFP an estimated 10-15,000 refugees were heading to Anjumanpara but had been pushed back.

We heard from their relatives that the Myanmar army has stopped them from heading to the border, said a Border Guard spokesman, Iqbal Ahmed.

Refugees arriving Sunday described violence in their villages in Rakhine and food shortages that had forced countless numbers to flee.

We hardly had any food for the last 10-15 days. They torched our home. We did not have any choice but to leave, Yasmin, who goes by one name, told AFP at the coastal village of Shah Porir Dwip.

Authorities meanwhile are on high alert for fishermen seeking to ferry refugees to Bangladesh via the open sea as the temporary fishing ban expires later Sunday.

It is risky, but you can make a lot of money ferrying Rohingya to Bangladesh, said local fisherman Shawkat Hossain.
China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the interior ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to enhance the protection of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as Chinas Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorists passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from Chinas restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistans seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Eight militants belonging to the Ansarul Shariah group, a newly emerged terror outfit, were killed during a raid by the Pakistan Rangers and the Counter Terrorism Department in Karachi, officials have said.

Among those killed in the Thursday night raid was Sheharyar alias Dr Abdullah Hashmi, the head of the militant outfit.

In a press release, Rangers spokesperson said they and the CTD conducted a raid in Raees Goth area of Baldia Town, Karachi, after receiving reports on the presence of Ansarul Shariah militants.

Of the eight, five were killed on the spot, while three others were wounded but died en route to the hospital. The exchange of fire also left one CTD official and two Rangers personnel wounded.

The Ansarul Shariah group has been involved in multiple terrorism incidents in Karachi and Mastung, according to security officials. The group first made headlines in Karachi in April in the targeted killing of a retired army colonel.

Police officials also believe the group is behind several attacks on police officials in Karachi in the past few months and an IED blast targeting security forces in Mastung.

The crackdown against the group began after the Eid-day attack on Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan last month.

Police say the outfit initially operated under Islamic States umbrella. However, differences led to the parting of the ways. Currently, it is said to be influenced by al-Qaedas Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Former US President Jimmy Carter said he will be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help diffuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website on Sunday.

I would go, yes, Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house in Plains, Georgia whether it was time for another diplomatic mission and whether he would do so for President Donald Trump.

Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had spoken to Trumps National Security Adviser Lt.-General HR McMaster, who is a friend, but so far has gotten a negative response.

I told him that I was available if they ever need me, the Times quoted Carter as saying.

Told that some in Washington were made nervous by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns war of words, Carter said Im afraid, too, of a situation.

They want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim, who, Carter added, has never, so far as I know, been to China.And they have no relationship. Kim Jong-il did go to China and was very close to them.

Describing the North Korean leader as unpredictable, Carter worried that if Kim thinks Trump will act against him, he could do something pre-emptive, the Times reported.

I think hes now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland, Carter said.

In the mid 1990s, Carter traveled to Pyongyang over the objections of President Bill Clinton, the Times report said, and struck a deal with Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader.
When Haider al-Abadi was tasked with forming a new Iraqi government in August 2014, just weeks after a lightning offensive by the Islamic State group, many believed he would fail.

Three years later, the stocky prime minister with a close-cut white beard has transformed what many in Iraq considered mission impossible into a success story.

He has rebuilt the crumbling armed forces, chased IS from more than 90 percent of territory it had seized -- around a third of Iraq -- and retaken disputed areas in the north from Kurdish peshmerga fighters.

The standard view of Abadi was that he was indecisive, weak and bit too conciliatory for Iraqi politics, says Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore.

When Abadi took over from Nuri al-Maliki he faced huge challenges, including rampant corruption, poor infrastructure, falling oil prices and the jihadist threat.

Abadi was up against the worlds hardest job, says Sajad Jiyad, director of the Baghdad-based independent Al-Bayan Centre for Planning and Studies.

But dressed in military garb or suit and tie, Abadi over time announced several military victories while trying to battle corruption by rolling out sweeping reform.

His policies won him supporters.

He is the best prime minister in Iraqs history. He speaks little but acts a lot, one of Abadis 2.5 million followers on Facebook recently wrote.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud gestures as he speaks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 22, 2017. (Reuters )

Analysts say Abadi has succeeded where other Iraqi premiers failed.

His calm and conciliatory manner and his openness to dealing with a broad array of actors (inside and outside Iraq) stand in stark contrast to his predecessor, says Haddad.

A recent survey carried out by an Iraqi polling institute found the Shiite premier has a 75 percent approval rating, even including Iraqs Sunni minority, Jiyad notes.

From exile to politics

A member of the Dawa party, Abadi was born in 1952 in a wealthy Baghdad district but lived in exile for much of Saddam Husseins rule, including in Britain where he earned a doctorate in engineering from the University of Manchester.

Two of Abadis brothers were arrested and executed by Saddams regime for membership of the Dawa party, which opposed his rule, while a third was imprisoned for a decade on the same charge.

Abadi returned to Iraq after Saddams overthrow in 2003 and was communications minister in the interim government set up after the dictators fall.

In 2006 he was elected to parliament, chairing an economy, investment and reconstruction committee and then a finance committee.

He was voted deputy parliament speaker in July 2014, before being tapped to form the government a month later.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment since then was to rebuild the Iraqi police and army which had been weakened by decades of conflicts, including the 2003 US-led invasion.

Abadi succeeded in remobilising tens of thousands of force members with help from Iraqs allies, including the United States, which stepped in to train and equip them.

Under his command, Iraqs forces chased IS jihadists from more than 90 percent of the territory they had seized, dealing a major blow to the groups self-proclaimed caliphate.

And earlier this month, Iraqs army retook Kurdish-held positions in and around Kirkuk province, outside the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

International player

These achievements have transformed Abadi into a hero, almost worshipped by many Iraqis.

Today there seems to be a bit of a cult following growing around Abadi, says Haddad.

One hopes it doesnt go to his head; after all, Maliki in 2008-2009 was in a similar place to where Abadi is today, he adds.

Analysts say Abadi won the day thanks to his step-by-step approach.

He also embarked on a battle against corruption and under his tenure several officials have been arrested and tried for graft.

Jiyad notes that Abadi also deftly positioned Iraq on the international stage and succeeded in securing the support of international allies.

Diplomats based in Baghdad describe Abadi as someone who knows how to establish himself and command respect.

On Sunday, Abadi visited Saudi Arabia in a bid to ease years of tension between Shiite-majority Baghdad and the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

The trip -- which Haddad says would have been unthinkable under Maliki -- is seen as another diplomatic coup for Abadi, whose government is allied with Saudi rival Iran.

But despite his many achievements, it is important to recognise the limits on what Abadi can do, says Haddad.

Iraq, he says, faces gargantuan challenges, including reconstruction and the issue of people displaced by fighting, that are beyond the control of any one actor.
Israeli police have arrested 15 suspected Jewish extremists following an undercover investigation into a group accused of tracking down and threatening Arab men dating Jewish women, authorities said Sunday.

Israeli radio said that among those taken in for questioning was Benzi Gopstein, a prominent leader of the extreme-right group Lehava, but police would not confirm or deny the reports.

Arrests and searches for evidence were carried out simultaneously at addresses in Jerusalem, northern and southern Israel and in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, police said.

Fifteen suspects known to the police as active in the Lehava organisation were arrested or detained for questioning during the night as part of a police investigation on suspicion that they acted to locate and threaten (Arab) minority members with connections to Jewish young women or girls, a police statement said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that the suspects were being interrogated and it was not yet clear whether any would be charged.

Lehava opposes inter-marriage. In August 2014, its activists staged a rally where racist slogans, including Death to Arabs!, were shouted at the wedding near Tel Aviv of a Muslim man and Jewish woman.

Arabs account for some 17.5 percent of Israels eight million population, and are descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land following the creation of Israel in 1948.

In April, six Israelis, including two soldiers, were arrested for racist attacks against Arabs with knives and other weapons and charged with terrorist offences.

Police said they were influenced by a Lehava video.

Gopstein was also questioned by police in 2015 after he condoned torching churches in Israel, in accordance with a mediaeval Jewish commandment to destroy places of idol-worship.

The police statement said that the latest arrests were the result of an undercover investigation.

It uncovered organised and pre-meditated activity believed to have been carried out by the suspects, known members of Lehava, it said.
As Jagmeet Singh, the newly elected leader of the Canadas New Democratic Party (NDP), is busy with a countrywide introductory tour, he has made it clear he considers self-determination to be a basic right in places such as Punjab, Catalonia or Quebec.

Singh was quoted by Huffington Post as saying during a news conference in Ottawa last week: So whether it is in Punjab, for the people of Punjab, or whether it is in Catalonia, for the people of that region, whether it is in Basque, wherever that is, whether it is in Quebec, its a basic right. Everyone should be able to do that.

The 38-year-old politician has already been criticised for his support for the legal right of the province of Quebec to break away from Canada.

Huffington Post also quoted him as saying on the issue of self-determination, It is a right that is so fundamental and if people choose their future, I am completely in agreement with their decision. I, personally, would love us to stay together, but at the same time I respect the decision without fault.

But in equating self-determination and the issue of recent separatist movements to the demand for a separate Sikh homeland, Singh is echoing the strategy adopted by hardline groups such as Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which is spearheading the so-called Khalistan 2020 Referendum effort.

This may be a coincidence, and SFJs legal advisor Gurpatwant Pannun said that while he had communicated with Singh in 2010-11, there had been no contact since then.

Pannun was in Irbil, the capital of the region of Kurdistan, as a referendum was held there and afterwards, he travelled to Barcelona for the Catalonian vote for separating from Spain.

He is in currently in Italy, where two regions are seeking partial autonomy. Speaking to Hindustan Times from Milan, Pannun said, Im visiting these places to see the procedure, to see the outcome, and the legalities and the formalities  how they are handling it.

Pannun did not react to the similarity in Singhs stance with that of the SFJ, saying, I wouldnt comment on what he says because he is a political person and we are running a campaign for the independence of Punjab.

Shuvaloy Majumdar, Munk Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, who has written in favour of a free Kurdistan, felt it was a bit opportunistic for votaries of Khalistan to tie themselves to the movements in Kurdistan or Catalonia, because the circumstances in India were different.

The idea they (Sikhs in India) are perpetually persecuted is not a reality, he argued.

But Majumdar was scathing in his assessment of the NDP leaders position: There doesnt appear to be a secessionist cause that Mr Singh cant help being romantically drawn to. Conflating Quebec and Khalistan is just subversive to Canada  by fomenting separatism from within, and justifying terrorism abroad.

It appears, however, that the issue of Khalistan will continue to be a factor that could figure frequently in Singhs rhetoric as he continues his campaign leading the NDP.

Singh, who was denied a visa by India in December 2013 and has been critical of the Narendra Modi government, is a member of the Ontario provincial parliament.

He also introduced a motion in the Ontario Assembly in 2016 for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India to be termed genocide.

Soon after election as the new head of the NDP, Singh attracted controversy with his refusal to condemn the practice at some Canadian gurdwaras of displaying portraits of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the man considered the mastermind of the Air India flight 182 bombing in 1985 that claimed 329 lives.

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Pakistans former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

The Sharif brothers - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif - twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s, Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore yesterday.

Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but I have refused.

I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor, he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan.

The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistans then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them, he added.

They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly, Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election.

We will be on strong footing after next year poll, he added.

Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28 by a Supreme Court bench.

There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs.
On Saturday, former premier Nawaz Sharif backed Pakistans missing anti-establishment bloggers and commented that those who spoke in favour of democracy should not be punished for it.

This was the latest salvo fired in an apparent battle between Sharif and the army high command.

It is widely believed the bloggers were picked up by military intelligence services earlier this year as their posts were critical of the army operation in Balochistan. Speaking in their favour is a clear indication of being critical of the intelligence agencies.

With this latest statement, most Pakistanis are wondering who will win this round and what that means for the country. Some say they are hopeful Sharif will be able to highlight many issues the army doesnt want discussed. Others say this confrontation will help strengthen democracy in the long run.

As things stand, the gloves are off. No effort is being spared in accusations and counter-accusations. Since Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court, a war of words has broken out between the elected government now led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the army high command, as well as what the local media calls the establishment.

Sharif privately blames the army for his ouster. In several veiled references, he has said it was not the judiciary but other forces that didnt let him complete his third term as premier.

Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa. (AP File)

In response, army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa rejected as unfounded the impression that his force was behind Sharifs ouster and said he is an ardent supporter of democracy. He made the remarks at a parliamentary committee hearing, but few are convinced of Bajwas intentions.

Instead of things calming down after a flurry of contacts between the army and the civilian leadership, the confrontation continues as one side blames the other for past wrongs and future mistakes. Leading the charge against the military and its political allies are two key members of the ruling PML-N  interior minister Ahsan Iqbal and foreign minister Khawaja Asif.

Soon after assuming his post in September, Asif acknowledged Pakistan needs to rein in terror groups to avoid embarrassment on the global stage. We need to tell our friends that we have improved our house. We need to bring our house in order to prevent facing embarrassment at the international level, he told a TV channel, much to the anger of military circles.

The army retaliated with a statement but Asif stuck to his guns, only conceding he may have spoken a bit too much about Hafiz Saeed of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah when I said he was wined and dined in Washington along with other militants.

This was followed by Iqbal not being allowed by Pakistan Rangers personnel to enter the anti-graft court where corruption cases against Sharif were being heard. Technically, the paramilitary Rangers come under the interior ministry, so Iqbal was furious when he was barred and ordered an inquiry.

Pakistan interior minister Ahsan Iqbal talks to the media outside an accountability court in Islamabad on October 2, 2017. (AP)

It transpired that security at the court had been taken over by the military, which was deciding matters without the knowledge of the government. Nothing came of the inquiry, except that Iqbal was able to show how much control the army has on what is essentially in the civilian domain.

In October, Bajwa told a gathering of businessmen in Karachi that Pakistan needs to expand its tax base, bring in fiscal discipline and ensure continuity of economic policies to be able to break the begging bowl.

He said the economy is showing mixed indicators - growth had picked up but debts were sky high. Infrastructure and energy had improved but the current account balance was not in the countrys favour.

Bajwas comments were seen as a direct attack on the government. This line was toed by the militarys chief spokesman, who expressed similar sentiments in a TV interview.

In response, interior minister Iqbal said the military spokesman, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, should refrain from commenting on the economic situation. This brought the confrontation out in the open.

In principle, the army has the high moral ground as it attacks the corruption of the Sharif family through parties loyal to it, while in the larger frame of things, there is hope of change in the power structure in favour of the civilian government.

The army has pushed the civilian government too far. Now they are fighting back, said Abid Hussain, an Islamabad-based journalist.

Others disagree. It is a battle for survival, said Ejaz Haider, an analyst on a leading TV channel.

But in what was seen as a setback, former president Asif Zardari broke ranks with the Sharifs and demanded their family be arrested on graft charges.

Ghulam Jamali, a journalist who has covered the Pakistan Peoples Party, said Zardari had been made promises by the army for a future political set-up. It is the same cycle. The same divide and rule that the army has been doing with Pakistans corrupt and unprincipled politicians for several years now, he said.

And yet, others are hopeful Sharif will be able to break the cycle this time round.

Supporters of Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif hold his pictures during his appearance before an accountability court in Islamabad on September 26, 2017. (Reuters)

There is great pressure, and talk of a rift between the brothers Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, or a forward bloc in the PML-N. All sorts of news stories are being planted but so far Sharif is seen to be in a strong position, said an observer.

The former premiers biggest strength is that he is from Punjab, the most politically important and populous province. If there is anyone who can challenge the army, it is someone from Punjab, said the observer.

Many are hopeful that this will go in favour of the civilian government.
Several rounds of closed-door negotiations between Indian authorities and the Chinese military were held to peacefully resolve the military standoff in the Donglang region, a Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) officer said on Sunday.

Hailing the resolution of the standoff as the result of efforts by both sides, Liu Fang, staff officer from International Military Cooperation wing of the Central Military Commission, said the issue is safely resolved right now.

Liu was speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th national congress of the Communist Party of China.

He said officers from the Chinese military and other ministries worked very closely and held several rounds of negotiations with Indian officials.

All this contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the China-India cross-border dispute, Liu said.

In June, China had accused Indian troops of trespassing into Donglang, a disputed territory on the China-Bhutan-India trijunction. Beijing claims it to be Chinese territory but Bhutan disputes it.

The standoff was resolved towards the end of August, after India said it had agreed with China to pull back troops. Reports from Donglang also suggested Beijing has halted work on a road that triggered the row.

The resolution was announced days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to China to attend this years BRICS Summit.
Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

His statements come at a time when political circles have said that Zardari may be entering an understanding with the countrys military high command.

Zardari, 62, told party workers in Lahore that Nawaz and Shehbaz plotted his murder when he was serving a eight-year sentence in connection with corruption cases filed against him. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing. In another incident, the Sharif brothers ordered jailers to cut out his tongue, he claimed.

The Sharif brothers twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s, Zardari said, adding that he would not honour an agreement signed between his deceased wife Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz, called the charter of democracy. Under the charter, both parties were supposed to support each other when under threat from non-democratic forces.

He said: I have not yet forgotten what they (the Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto and me. We forgave them. They cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them.

Zardaris claims come a month after former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf accused him of being involved in Bhuttos assassination. The one responsible for all miseries of the Bhutto family...is none other but Zardari, Musharraf had said in a video message released from Dubai.
Millions of Japanese head to the polls Sunday in a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the worlds third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea.

If pre-election polls are correct, Abes conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse.

Abe shocked Japan by calling the snap election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual national crises of an ageing population and North Korean tensions.

Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12-day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to sink Japan into the sea.

Nationalist Abe has taken a hawkish line during the crisis, binding Japan to the US stance that all options are on the table to counter Pyongyangs nuclear threat and urging maximum pressure via sanctions.

When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver, an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally.

We must not yield to the threat of North Korea.

Observers say North Koreas sabre-rattling has helped Abe, as voters tend to plump for the incumbent at times of heightened tension.

Factors such as uncertainty over North Korea are likely to drive voters towards the current government, which is seen as the conservative choice, noted Katsunori Kitakura, an analyst at SuMi Trust financial consultants.

Another uncertain factor clouding the vote is the weather.

The campaign has taken place under near-constant drizzle and an election-day typhoon is expected to lash Japan with heavy rains and winds, possibly weighing on turnout.

This has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in campaign minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

- Weak opposition -

Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in the country and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity.

But he faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japans sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old-school politics and vested interests.

Her new party sparked the implosion of the former main opposition party as dozens of lawmakers left to hitch their colours to Koikes mast.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koikes popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election.

As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless, said Michael Cucek from Temple University.

Koike herself will not even be in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor.

The Constitutional Democratic Party, made up of centre-left lawmakers not running with Koike, may benefit from her decline and carries some momentum into the vote.

But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abes coalition will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house.

This is significant because it allows Abe to propose changes to Japans US-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

- Abenomics: limited impact -

Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime ministers trademark Abenomics policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories.

While the stock market is enjoying its longest run of gains in half a century and stands at a 21-year high, the benefits have been slow to trickle down to the general public.

Abe has vowed to use part of the proceeds from a proposed sales tax hike to provide free childcare in a bid to get more women working but Koike wants to scrap the tax hike altogether.

Polling stations open at 7:00am local time (2200 GMT Saturday) and close at 8:00pm when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls.
The United States is totally prepared to respond to threats from Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, while also emphasizing his exceptional relationship with Chinas leader.

Were so prepared like you wouldnt believe, Trump told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures while discussing tensions with North Korea, which have soared over Pyongyangs nuclear program.

You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be, said Trump, who has in recent months engaged in a fiery verbal tit-for-tat with North Koreas leader.

Would it be nice not to do that? The answer is yes, Trump went on, appearing to allude to potential conflict.

Will that happen? Who knows, the US president said.

The North has drawn international ire in recent months for conducting a sixth nuclear test and tests of long-range missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

Asked about US policy towards China, the Norths longtime ally, Trump praised Beijing for helping the US by enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Hes for China. And Im for the US, he said of Chinese President Xi Jinping. But we do have a very good -- I would say an exceptional relationship. And Chinas really helping us. With respect to North Korea.

China is big stuff, he added, saying Xi has got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea.

In a separate development, former US president Jimmy Carter told The New York Times he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, though he has not been asked.

The 93-year-old Democrat, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had told the Republican presidents National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he was available if they ever need me.
Rohingya Muslims who return to Myanmar after fleeing to Bangladesh are unlikely to be able to reclaim their land, and may find their crops have been harvested and sold by the government, according to officials and plans seen by Reuters.

Nearly 600,000 Rohingya have crossed the border since August 25, when coordinated Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts sparked a ferocious counteroffensive by the Myanmar army.

The United Nations says killings, arson and rape carried out by troops and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs since late August amount to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has no control over the military, has pledged that anyone sheltering in Bangladesh who can prove they were Myanmar residents can return.

Reuters has interviewed six Myanmar officials involved with repatriation and resettlement plans. While the plans are not yet finalised, their comments reflect the governments thinking on how Suu Kyis repatriation pledge will be implemented.

Jamil Ahmed, who spoke to Reuters at a refugee camp in Bangladesh, is one of many Rohingya who hope to go back.

Describing how he fled his home in northern Rakhine state in late August, Ahmed said one of the few things he grabbed was a stack of papers - land contracts and receipts - that might prove ownership of the fields and crops he was leaving behind.

I didnt carry any ornaments or jewels, said the 35-year-old. Ive only got these documents. In Myanmar, you need to present documents to prove everything.

Rohingya Muslim refugees wait to receive food distributed by a Turkish aid agency at Thaingkhali refugee camp in Ukhia on October 21, 2017. (AFP)

The stack of papers, browning and torn at the edges, may not be enough, however, to regain the land in Kyauk Pan Du village, where he grew potatoes, chilli plants, almonds and rice.

It depends on them. There is no land ownership for those who dont have citizenship, said Kyaw Lwin, agriculture minister in Rakhine state, when asked in an interview whether refugees who returned to Myanmar could reclaim land and crops.

Despite his land holdings, Myanmar does not recognise Ahmed as a citizen. Nearly all the more than 1 million Rohingya who lived in Myanmar before the recent exodus are stateless, despite many tracing their families in the country for generations.

Officials have made plans to harvest, and possibly sell, thousands of acres of crops left behind by the fleeing Rohingya, according to state government documents reviewed by Reuters.

Myanmar also intends to settle most refugees who return to Rakhine state in new model villages, rather than on the land they previously occupied, an approach criticised in the past by the United Nations as effectively creating permanent camps.

The government has not asked for help from any international agencies, who are calling for any repatriation to be voluntary and to the refugees place of origin.

OWNERLESS CROPS

The exodus of 589,000 Rohingya - and about 30,000 non-Muslims - from the conflict zone in northern Rakhine has left some 71,500 acres of planted rice paddy abandoned and in need of harvesting by January, according to plans drawn up by state officials.

Tables in the documents, reviewed by Reuters, divide the land into paddy sown by national races - meaning Myanmar citizens - or Bengalis, a term widely used in Myanmar to refer to the Rohingya, but which they reject as implying they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugees line up to get food from Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) near Balukhali refugees camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (REUTERS)

Kyaw Lwin, the state minister, confirmed the plans, and said there was a total of 45,000 acres of ownerless Bengali land.

Two dozen combine harvesters operated by officials from the agriculture ministry will begin cutting stalks this month in areas under military control.

The machines will be able to harvest about 14,400 acres according to official calculations contained in the plans. It is unclear what will become of the remaining crop, but officials told Reuters they would try to harvest all the paddy, recruiting additional labour to harvest manually if necessary.

An acre of paddy in Myanmar typically makes more than $300 at market, meaning the state will gain millions of dollars worth of rice.

The harvested rice will be transported to government stores, where it would either be donated to those displaced by the conflict or sold, Rakhine state secretary Tin Maung Swe told Reuters by phone.

The land was abandoned. There is no one to reap that, so the government ordered to harvest it, he said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson, said the government should at least guarantee that the rice would be used for humanitarian support and not for profit.

You cant call a rice crop ownerless just because you used violence and arson to drive the owners out of the country, he said.

A Rohingya Muslim boy, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, carries drinking water and crosses a flooded field on a footbridge at Thaingkhali refugee camp, Bangladesh. (AP)

MODEL VILLAGES

Many refugees are fearful to return and are sceptical of Myanmars guarantees. Those who do decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centres, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters, before mostly being relocated to model villages.

International donors, who have fed and cared for more than 120,000 mostly Rohingya internally displaced persons (IDPs) in supposedly temporary camps in Rakhine since violence in 2012, have told Myanmar that they will not support more camps, according to aid workers and diplomats.

The establishment of new temporary camps or camp-like settlements carries many risks, including that the returnees and IDPs could end up being confined to these camps for a long time, said U.N. spokesman Stanislav Saling in an emailed response.

Satellite imagery shows 288 villages, mostly Rohingya settlements, have been fully or partially razed by fires since Aug. 25, according to HRW.

Refugees say the army and Buddhist mobs were responsible for most of the arson. The government says Rohingya militants and even residents themselves burned the homes for propaganda.

The hamlets where Rohingya farmers lived were not systematic, and so should be rebuilt in smaller settlements of 1,000 households set out in straight rows to enable development, said Soe Aung, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

In some villages there are three houses here, four houses over there. For example, theres no road for fire engines when fire burns the villages, Soe Aung said.

Rohingya refugees who crossed the border from Myanmar this week take shelter at a school in Kotupalang refugee camp near Cox's Bazar. (REUTERS)

IDENTITY CHECKS

Those who decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centres, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters.

At the centres, officials said, the returnees will fill out a 16-point form that will be cross-checked with local authorities records. Immigration officials have for years visited Rohingya households at least annually for checks, photographing family members.

For refugees who lost all their documents, the government would compare their photos to those that immigration authorities have on file, said Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

Officials will accept as evidence national verification cards handed out in an ongoing government effort to register Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. The card has been widely rejected by Rohingya community leaders, who say they treat life-long residents like new immigrants.

We are not going to go back like this, said Mushtaq Ahmed, 57, a farmer from Myin Hlut village now living in the Tenkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh, where Jamil Ahmed is also staying.

If I can go back to my house, and get my land back, only then I will go. We invested all our money into those paddy fields. They are killing so many of us with swords and bullets, and killing the rest of us like this.
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the resulting #MeToo movement, many high-profile men have taken to social media to share their stance. On Saturday, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange added his voice, tweeting about male feminists. But Assanges tweet was anything but well-received.

Assange, who is one of the Twitter users randomly chosen to test out the 280-character feature, used his additional space to put out the following tweet regarding Weinstein: Women, I will let you in on a male secret. Men know that constantly self-proclaiming male feminists are often predatory sleaze bags. They are intensely disliked by other men because of their manipulative qualities and not, in general, because they are viewed to be sex traitors.

Women, I will let you in on a male secret. Men know that constantly self-proclaiming male 'feminists' are often predatory sleaze bags. They are intensely disliked by other men because of their manipulative qualities and not, in general, because they are viewed to be sex traitors.  Julian Assange  (@JulianAssange) October 21, 2017

The tweet received more than 12k retweets and 31k likes, as well as some support.

But commentators on social media blasted Assange for two reasons.

First, Assange stands accused of rape and molestation. In August 2010, the Swedish Prosecutors Office issued an arrest warrant for Assange, and a Swedish court subsequently denied him citizenship. Assange maintains that the allegations were without basis.

He has been living inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London since June 2012, and is fighting a legal battle to stop his extradition to Sweden.

To be clear, Julian Assange is mansplaining feminism to women. https://t.co/aj1HQ8YYZr  Pe Resists (@4everNeverTrump) October 21, 2017

To be clear, Julian Assange, who holed up in an embassy to avoid sexual abuse allegations, is lecturing women about "predatory sleaze bags."  Peter Corless  (@PeterCorless) October 21, 2017

Secondly, Assanges tweet is incredibly condescending in the tone it uses for women. His opening gambit, Women, I will let you in on a male secret, assumes that the women he is addressing are clueless about the performative allyship of male feminists and need to be lectured by him. A whole host of tweets mocked Assanges patronising tone using his own words.

Women, I will let you in on a male secret. We know the next person is statistically more likely to be a woman but leave the seat up anyway. https://t.co/bgY6W6E5YD  juux (@juux) October 21, 2017

women, I will let you in on a male secret, when we go down the stairs behind the sofa, we are actually just hiding behind the sofa  joe (@mutablejoe) October 21, 2017

I have to ration every punctuation mark but Twitter gave Julian Assange 280 characters to mansplain feminism https://t.co/Pq7w0zdzcE  Sulome Anderson (@SulomeAnderson) October 21, 2017

Women, I will let you in on a male secret. Only some of us are paranoid narcissists who think we know everything about everything. https://t.co/VWug4VQZDt  russjackson (@docrussjackson) October 22, 2017
A difficult period lies ahead for Indo-China ties, with New Delhis interests in the South China Sea likely to be undermined by an assertive Beijing under Xi Jinping, a leading scholar has said, adding that it would be a mistake to assume the Chinese president has a predetermined plan to contain India.

You will see increasingly powerful China (and) to a certain extent it may undermine Indias interest in the South China Sea. It is going to be difficult period in many ways when you see these two most populous countries (who) still have a poor understanding of each other, Li Cheng, director of the John L Thornton China Centre at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said.

The important thing to understand for both the Americans and Indians is that nothing is predetermined. It will be a mistake to see that the Chinese leader already has a strategy to control the world or the region. No, its not like that, he told Hindustan Times, asserting that Xi is Chinas strongest president in the last two to three decades.

Nothing is predetermined, nothing is inevitable. It requires imagination, it requires out-of-the-box thinking. I hope that thinking will lead to peace and cooperation rather than preparation for military conformation. Indias smart politicians will not miss that, Li said.

He said China is worried about Indias stronger ties with the US in the same way New Delhi is worried about Beijings expanding footprint in South Asia.

The expert, however, said Xi did not want a military conflict during the two month long Donglang standoff partly because of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) congress, currently in progress.

It is true that Xi did not want to have a military confrontation. If that had happened, the whole thing of the 19th party congress would have been in jeopardy... No, I dont think, Xi Jinping is interested in military conflict.

There is very good reason to avoid conflict... as there will be no winner. Both India and China will be losers... It will jeopardise both Indias and Chinas development, he said.

Li dismissed speculation that said Donglang confrontation was triggered by Peoples Liberation Army officers who wanted to undermine Xis authority.

I dont want to go that far. By then he was already in control of the military. Not like four years ago, when he was still quite weak and some members could create a crisis. But I dont buy that... Some people speculate that chief of staff Gen Fang Fenghui was behind (the standoff). No, I think by that time, he was already marginalised.

Li said it was good for China and neighbouring countries that Xi had a grip over the Central Military Commission.

My point is that to consolidate the civilian administrations grip, to make sure that the military will obey the order of the commander-in-chief is a good thing. It is a good thing for China and also a good thing for neighbouring countries because if you have more players, more military figures, it will be more dangerous in a conflict.
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I first saw the words at the bottom of a menu in a restaurant in Venice, Calif.

"Changes and modifications politely declined."

I didn't think much of it at the time. It's pretty rare that I ask for changes when I order in a restaurant - I might occasionally swap fries for a baked potato.

But this wasn't a fries-and-baked-potato kind of place.

Gjelina is known for its chef-driven cuisine, with dishes such as mushroom toast and kabocha squash agnolotti. Chefs at certain high-end restaurants do not take kindly to guests tweaking their immaculate creations on a whim. Translation for those words at the bottom of the menu: "I'll serve you what I want, and you'll like it."

Which is fair enough. If you've got the culinary cred to dictate what your guests can order and still pack them in, why not decline the caprices of a fickle diner?

Such a dictatorial attitude doesn't work in all restaurants, however, especially barbecue joints. Many barbecue aficionados tend to skew Libertarian, and they want to have it their way.

One famous exception is Kreuz Market in Lockhart. Upon entering, guests are confronted with a prominent sign that states, "No barbecue sauce, no forks, no kidding."

That mandate is, of course, a throwback to Central Texas meat markets, where barbecue was served on butcher paper and you ate it with your hands. Though most Central Texas-style joints still adhere to the spirit of this tradition, they will typically rustle up utensils or sauce if you ask politely.

Several years ago, a new Central Texas-style barbecue joint called Lockhart Smokehouse opened in Dallas. It has family connections to Kreuz Market and adhered to the "no sauce, no forks" rule when it opened.

Some diners were displeased - including Leslie Brenner, the restaurant critic at the time for the Dallas Morning News. In her middling one-star review, she criticized the strict policy. The restaurant responded with a "Fork you Leslie Brenner! Day."

Ultimately, Lockhart Smokehouse loosened the rules and is today considered one of the best barbecue joints in the state.

I'm not aware of any barbecue joint in Houston that enforces such a policy. Our own East Texas-style barbecue even encourages the use of sauce, and some traditional dishes all but require the use of utensils. Just try eating dirty rice with your hands.

There are some unspoken rules, however. A big disconnect between contemporary pitmasters and (usually older) guests is how brisket is ordered.

With the rise of "craft barbecue," most pitmasters now trim briskets with a generous fat cap still attached. This layer of fat soaks up the smoke and adds flavor to the meat.

The fat cap is relatively new in the annals of Houston barbecue. Twenty years ago, if you ordered "sliced beef" you were served dry strips of brisket with all traces of fat removed. These sad strips were often a mere delivery mechanism for barbecue sauce.

Much like the high-end restaurant chefs who balk at menu substitutions, many contemporary pitmasters cringe when a guest orders the dreaded "extra lean" brisket. Extra lean is a nice way of asking the pitmaster/meat cutter to manually trim off every bit of fat from a slice of brisket.

The frequency of such a request often depends on the history of a barbecue joint. At Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue, which opened more than 80 years ago, pitmaster Josh Scott estimates that 10 percent of his daily brisket orders are for extra lean. At Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue in Tomball, which has been open only a couple of years and whose clientele trends more toward craft-barbecue tastes, pitmaster Scott Moore estimates he gets a lean-brisket request once or twice a week.

Either way, most pitmasters aren't about to challenge the wishes of paying customers. It will be a long while, if ever, before we see a sign in a barbecue joint that reads, "Requests for extra lean brisket politely declined."
Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who lambasted Donald Trump at last year's Democratic National Convention, on Sunday criticized the now-president's chief of staff for his handling of the controversy over Trump's military condolence calls.

Khan said John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, had "made the situation even worse" by defending Trump and joining him in attacking Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Fla., after she criticized Trump's call to the widow of one of four service members killed in an ambush in Niger.

"Instead of advising the president that restraint and dignity is the call of the moment, former general Kelly indulged in defending (the) behavior of the president and made the situation even worse," Khan said during an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Our political leaders, elected by the people, are deserving of equal dignity and equal respect instead of being maligned on misstated facts. And that was beyond the call of the moment."

During an appearance before reporters Thursday, Kelly called Wilson an "empty barrel" and falsely claimed that she had taken credit for securing funding of a federal building in a 2015 speech.

Khan, who is promoting a new book, also criticized Kelly's handling of Trump's response to a deadly melee in Charlottesville at a gathering organized by white supremacists in August.

"I was shocked - I was shocked -to see citizen Kelly standing next to the president when ... the president could not have the proper words to condemn the attack on the blessed city of Charlottesville, Virginia, by neo-Nazis," said Khan, a resident of Charlottesville.

Khan's son Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004. While speaking at the Democratic convention last year, the elder Khan challenged Trump, at one point saying, "You have sacrificed nothing and no one." He also held up a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution, asking whether Trump had read it.
As a general matter, I believe that politicians should live by the principle doctors are sworn to: first, do no harm. And after this year's long debate about the state's role in regulating school bathrooms, I suspect most Texans can see some advantages to that approach.

With that said, there are a few things the state is required to do, and it's occasionally appropriate for our leaders to exert themselves beyond that. From time to time, we might even expect them to.

Let's imagine, for example, that representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada, while attempting to renegotiate NAFTA, reach an impasse after the Americans present a series of proposals so obnoxious that even the Canadians get worked up enough to say so in public. In that situation, Texas leaders should speak up, obviously. Trade deals fall under the federal purview, but we kind of have a horse in that race.

That is, of course, the situation we are in, as of this week, and our leaders haven't said a word about it. Greg Abbott, for example, has not weighed in since August, shortly after the trilateral talks began. Donald Trump already had announced that he expected them to fail, and that it might be necessary to terminate NAFTA so that he, the president, could replace it with a better deal.

More Information A new voice We're pleased to introduce readers to Erica Grieder, a fresh voice for the Houston Chronicle. Grieder is the author of "Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn From the Strange Genius of Texas," and she is a member of the Emerging Leaders Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Before joining the Chronicle, Grieder spent four years as a senior editor at Texas Monthly; prior to that she was the southwest correspondent for The Economist. She has a bachelor's degree from Columbia University, a master's of public affairs from The University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, and she has a lot to say about life, politics and policy in Texas. Nancy Barnes, Editor See More Collapse

But the governor's office, having deigned to answer a few questions from The Dallas Morning News, was not unduly concerned. "The governor believes that in the end the Trump administration will see the benefit of an improved NAFTA that will be good for jobs and the economy in the U.S. and Texas," said a spokesman, John Wittman.

A reasonable goal

Most observers were similarly sanguine, at that point. The president notwithstanding, the Trump administration's official line has been that we want to renegotiate NAFTA in order to modernize it, not as a passive-aggressive way of ending it. This was plausible, on its face. Like all trade deals, NAFTA is best understood as a framework, and since its implementation, in 1994, all three of the countries signatory to it have experienced significant economic growth and change. That being the case, modernizing the agreement is a reasonable goal; John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, our U.S. senators, are among the elected officials who have suggested doing so since Trump was sworn in as president.

But is it actually our goal? After the fourth round of trilateral talks, which concluded on Tuesday, the question has to be confronted. At a joint press conference that afternoon, representatives of the three governments explained that they had been unable to resolve their differences on a number of proposals that the United States had brought to the table - and that, in fact, over the course of the week "significant conceptual gaps" between the parties had been revealed.

That being the case, they had decided to postpone the next round of talks, which was scheduled for later this month, and extend the overarching deadline from December until March.

All three negotiators said that they were still hoping to reach an agreement, but none of them seemed optimistic. The tension was palpable, and the United States was, by all accounts, the culprit. Our proposals were "unconventional" and "troubling," according to Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian foreign affairs minister.

"We all have our limits," said Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico's secretary of the economy.

Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, explained that he had been "surprised and disappointed" by their resistance, and denied that the proposals he had put forward were designed to elicit it. Our two largest trading partners, in his telling, were ignoring the central problem with NAFTA: "Right now, it's a great deal for the Mexicans and the Canadians, in my opinion."

Many Americans would disagree, but Trump, the president, is not among them. He is a longtime skeptic of free trade, and has opposed NAFTA, specifically, since the 1980s. While campaigning for the Republican nomination, he declared it "the worst trade deal ever" and repeatedly vowed to end it. Republicans in Texas were oddly unfazed by this, as I recall; they may not have been taking him seriously or literally, but what's done is done. Or almost done, as the case may be.

Deal good for Texas

Is NAFTA dead? "Not yet," according to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, who fielded the question on Wednesday.

In retrospect, in other words, NAFTA has been at risk since the election. After this week, that is impossible to deny. And so the silence of our leaders, in response, is telling. Most of them still support NAFTA, presumably.

Politics aside, the agreement has been good for Texas, and there's no serious debate over how its termination would affect us; the only mystery is how catastrophic the damage would be. The state has enough to worry about as it is. Houston, of course, has additional challenges, including that the Houston Chronicle just gave this platform to a San Antonio Spurs fan.

Trump, however, has made his views clear enough, and as president, he's in a position to act unilaterally. Withdrawing from NAFTA would not be as straightforward as abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but that doesn't mean Trump would be dissuaded from trying. In April, he was reportedly on the verge of initiating the process until Sonny Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture, paid an emergency visit to the White House, armed with maps that his staff had frantically prepared, showing where American farmers live and where their exports go.

In fairness, all of that leaves Republican leaders like Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in an awkward position. They have no formal role in the NAFTA renegotiation process; it may be impossible to successfully intervene. Making matters worse is that the risk now at hand is among the ones they encouraged Texans to overlook when they endorsed Trump's bid for the presidency - and exhorted their own supporters, many of whom were profoundly ambivalent, to set aside their concerns and support the nominee.

Meanwhile, the decision to slow things down buys them some breathing room. The Republican primary will be held March 6, before the new deadline rolls around, and lots of things could happen between now and then. Perhaps Canada and Mexico will start to cooperate, or Robert Mueller will finish his investigation.

Maybe things will just work out, so that NAFTA survives. The markets seem to think it will, and I hope that's right. We don't know that, though, and the ensuing uncertainty is a problem in itself, especially since, as Texans, we can be confident about a few things: NAFTA has been good for us. Withdrawing from it would not. Our leaders know that, and could say so. But if standing up for Texas means disagreeing with a president they loyally support, they won't.
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After a bizarre death row confession plot between two prisoners slated for execution, the correctional officers' union is calling for more staffing they say could have prevented the scheme that ultimately derailed the state's effort to put to death a Houston-area serial killer.

"This was definitely a security breakdown," said Lance Lowry, who heads the Texas Correctional Employees union based in Huntsville. "You're playing Russian roulette when you don't have enough security."

Texas prisons have more inmates per officer than other large states like New York and California, he said, adding that death row in particular needs "a lot more officers."

But the Texas Department of Criminal Justice begged to differ.

"Death row is appropriately staffed and all critical positions are filled," spokesman Jason Clark said Friday. "Staffing played no role in this confession scheme between death row offenders."

The hand-wringing over staffing questions stems from an alleged plot hatched between condemned inmates Anthony Shore and Larry Swearingen, which came to light this week (Oct. 18) only hours before Shore was set to die by lethal injection.

A judge late Wednesday stayed Shore's execution for 90 days after prosecutors said the four-time killer had admitted to an abandoned plan to confess to Swearingen's crime, the 1998 killing in Montgomery County of college student Melissa Trotter.

Swearingen has long professed his innocence, though the Willis man is still slated for execution in November.

Shore, on the other hand, has consistently admitted to the 1992 killing of Maria del Carmen Estrada - for which he was convicted - as well as the gruesome strangulations of 14-year-old Laurie Tremblay, 9-year-old Diana Rebollar and 16-year-old Dana Sanchez.

But sometime in July, he allegedly agreed to take responsibility for Trotter's murder as well, even stashing material from the Montgomery County murder - including a hand-drawn map marking the supposed location of more evidence - in his death row cell at the Polunsky Unit near Livingston.

When prosecutors discovered the suspicious items in Shore's cell, it threatened to muddy the waters in the already troubled Swearingen case.

Then on Tuesday - about 24 hours before Shore's scheduled execution - Shore told investigators he'd only considered confessing to get his friend off, and not because he'd actually committed the crime. The multiple murderer also agreed to answer questions about other cases, and a judge greenlit pushing back his execution till January.

It's still not entirely clear how the two prisoners became friends, or how Shore managed to acquire materials relating to Swearingen's case. TDCJ officials declined to offer specifics citing an ongoing investigation, but were willing to speak in generalities.

It's not difficult for men to talk to each other on death row, even though they spend most of their day alone in a cell, according to Clark.

"It's something you really can't prevent," he said.

When prisoners are let out for recreation, they may be able to talk to other death row inmates in neighboring caged recreation areas. And even when they're in their cells, they're able to talk by shouting out the door slot, through the vents, or sometimes through toilets, Lowry said.

But passing letters, legal materials or other items is not allowed - and a little trickier to pull off.

Instead of old-fashioned cell bars, death row cells have a solid door, but the crack underneath offers a way to push out small notes or "kites." To reel in illicit missives from neighbors, prisoners will go "fishing" with hand-made contraptions fashioned from bedsheets, paper and other readily available materials. But sometimes, locked-in prisoners get help from inmate workers known as porters.

"Porters passing notes is something we've dealt with with all inmates," Clark said. "They have a lot of time on their hands so they try to come up with new and inventive ways to beat our security measures."

Clark declined to say whether Shore and Swearingen had been housed near each other leading up to the plot, though Lowry said death row inmates are moved to different cells on a weekly basis for security.

"We need a lot more officers on those cell blocks," the union chief said. "A lot of people think those inmates are locked in a cell so they can't do anything, but that's not always the case."

But even more officers probably wouldn't have been enough to stop the supposed friendship between Shore and Swearingen, Lowry admitted, though it may have prevented any potential transfer of case materials.

"With the current staffing levels and security levels, they can't stop it," he said. "I think people need to take a more ethical look at the amount of work these guys do - and they're incredibly understaffed."
By reflecting on death, Imam Rizwan Khan chose a life of faith.

Khan's path was inspired after asking himself a profoundly familiar question: "When I reach the end of my life and look back on it, what is the most meaningful way to spend it?"

In response, Khan devoted his life to developing a relationship with his creator and preparing for life beyond this world. "One of the things that makes us unique is the capacity for religion," he said. "If I devote my life to that which makes us unique as humans, that would be a life well spent."

When he chose to dedicate himself to a life of faith, Imam Khan was prepared to go wherever he was called to serve. And recently that journey brought him to a mosque in north Houston.

Khan is an imam in the Ahmadiyya community of Islam. Founded in 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a revival movement within Islam and the fastest-growing sect of Muslims in the 21st century.

A khalifa, or spiritual leader, oversees the international movement, assisted by regional amirs who help place imams in local mosques. In September, Khan was assigned to the Baitus Samee Mosque, a 700-member congregation on Spears Road. Later that month, he moved to Houston with his wife and two young children.

More Information Ahmadiyya Islam Founded: In 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans more than 200 countries and comprises tens of millions of followers, which some observers estimate to be 1 percent of Muslims worldwide. In most countries they represent a minority of Muslims, and in some places, such as Pakistan, it is illegal for them to identify as Muslim. The current Ahmadiyya headquarters are in England. There are at least 15,000 Ahmadiyya Muslims in the United States. Khalifa: That is the title for a leader in Islamic tradition; it means "successor" or "steward" of the tradition of the prophet Muhammad. Sunni and Shia Muslims differ on whether succession should follow the prophet's bloodline (Shia) or spiritual election (Sunni). The Ahmadiyya community is a subset of Sunni Islam. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908): The founder of Ahmadiyya Islam was believed by his followers to be the long-awaited messiah. He preached an end to religious wars and the pursuit of justice and peace, and he advocated for the separation of mosque and state. Ahmad further declared that "jihad by the sword" should have no place in Islam. Five khalifas have succeeded Ahmad since his death in 1908. The fifth and current head is His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam Mirza Masroor Ahmad. All told, the movement has built worldwide more than 16,000 mosques, 500 schools, 30 hospitals and a global disaster relief organization. See More Collapse

Khan was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area to Pakistani Muslim parents. To become an imam he trained for seven years at the Jamia Ahmadiyya in Toronto, the movement's seminary serving North America. Khan spent several months doing missionary work in Africa, where Ahmadiyya Muslims now outnumber those in South Asia. When he became an imam, he anticipated being sent to a distant land. Coincidentally, his first assignment was in Chantilly, Va., not far from his childhood home.

Khan's parents emigrated to the United States in the late 1970s. They came to this country, Khan said, for the American dream. Persecution may have played a role, too.

In 1974 Pakistan declared Ahmadiyyas to be non-Muslims in the eyes of the law and later banned them from participation in Muslim rituals. Ahmadiyya Muslims follow the five pillars of Islam and the Quran, but their belief that their founder was the prophesied messiah sets them apart from other Muslims. Some Muslim authorities consider their beliefs heretical.

Here in America, the Khan family could practice their faith freely - and devoutly. Khan credits his parents for starting him on his spiritual path. His mother, he learned, had dedicated him to the service of religion before he was born. In Islam, Khan explained, "you are not born a faith, but your parents raise you in it. Then as an adult you make a choice."

Among his generation - Khan was born in 1984 - choosing to be a person of faith, let alone an imam, is countercultural.

"I recently learned I'm a millennial," he said with understated humor. "If a person in our age group makes a decision around faith, atheism is the prevailing thought."

When asked about outreach to millennials, Khan is quick to respond that an imam, like any pastor or rabbi, is called to be the spiritual head of the entire community, no matter what age. But he acknowledged that because he happens to be in his early 30s, he can speak to youth and try to make Islam relevant and accessible.

The local Muslim youth leader, Alamzeb Khan, agreed that Imam Rizwan - he refers to him by his first name - brings a youthful energy that will be new for the Houston North Youth Chapter.

"Most of our missionaries have been older in age," he said, "so there's an automatic gap - we show respect for our elders, of course, but there is a gap."

Alamzeb Khan said that the arrival of a new imam is always a time of excitement, which includes a bit of natural apprehension as everyone wonders how the new leader will relate to each segment of the community. He said the imam's rigorous training and thoughtfulness will allow him to connect with the entire community, including the youth.

"All our previous missionaries were trained elsewhere," he added. "Imam Rizwan is our first who was born and raised and trained here in North America. This is one of our guys."

Connecting with everyone in the community is essential for Imam Khan to fulfill what he feels is his responsibility to convey the truth of his faith to others.

Sometimes people go too far in their attempt to spread their truth, crossing lines into militance and bigotry. Sharing the truth of one's religious path, he said, must be done with wisdom and common sense. Khan will call on these virtues as he works toward stopping Islamophobia by challenging misconceptions about Muslims and addressing efforts to demonize them.

"We want to bring people together," Khan said. "We want to re-humanize us."

He's not just talking about Muslims - for as a man of peace he believes we all need less demonization and more humanity.

"Politics have made us so distant that we no longer see each other as people," he said. "This allows us to do acts of inhumanity."

Teaching, leading prayer, counseling and interreligious dialogue are all in the toolbox Khan brings to Houston. He hopes those skills will help him spread his message, to fellow Muslims and to his neighbors of every faith.

"We are Muslims for peace, for loyalty to country, for sacrifice for the purpose of saving lives," he said. "This is the true way of gaining nearness to God."

Khan comes by those values thanks in part to his parents' immigration to the United States. As he reflects on their experience, he locates the heart of patriotism in the immigrant's journey.

"Our community in many parts of the world is persecuted," he said. "It makes us appreciate the freedoms given here, the principles that make this country a beacon of light to the world."

Khan will rely on his depth of commitment - to country and to God - to continue to sustain him through the challenges of spiritual leadership.

The name of his new mosque might offer Khan some guidance. Baitus Samee means "House of the All-Hearing," named, like many mosques, for an attribute of God.

The imam knows that to be a messenger of his faith he must cultivate the ability to hear. Alamzeb Khan, the youth leader, already has noticed that Imam Rizwan is more soft-spoken than previous imams and more mellow in his style of prayer.

"Maybe that's a way for him to make sure we are listening," he said.
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Hundreds of tweens squealed in delight, the flashes on their phone cameras blinking away. Deafening screams of "I love you" and "You're the best" filled the air. The praise Saturday was aimed not at musicians or athletes, but at 25 authors on the South Houston High School auditorium stage.

Saturday marked the seventh annual Tweens Read book festival, one of the nation's only literary gatherings aimed specifically at middle school students. Founded by Margaret Hale, a professor at the University of Houston's College of Education, and Julie Mulkey, a retired school librarian, the all-day event sought to celebrate a love of reading that modern educational systems may overlook.

"High-stakes testing is pushing teachers to do a lot of test prep and not necessarily have students engaged in reading a book they love," Hale said.

A 2014 Scholastic Corporation survey found that only 51 percent of children ages 6-17 read for fun, a number that has dropped by 9 percentage points since 2010. The publishing company found that interest in leisure reading tends to decline around age 8, which Hale noted as a time when reading in school becomes more of a chore for answering practice test questions from small passages.

Yet on Saturday, students from more than 20 Houston area school districts defied the downward trend, packing the school's hallways eager to spend the day meeting authors and chatting with friends about favorite scenes and characters from books they clutched to their chests.

"It's her mom, she's really here," said Yanneli Garza, as she yanked on her mother's sleeve.

The 10-year-old from Carter Lomax Middle School in Pasadena sat a few feet away from Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning graphic novel "Roller Girl."

Star struck

For two months Garza reminded her mother about the festival and that her favorite author would be there. As Jamieson answered audience questions in one of the high school gyms, Garza flipped through the worn pages of her paperback copy of "Roller Girl."

"I've read it 10 times," she said. "When I read, I like to connect with the characters and I feel that with this book."

"I roller skate too," she added, pointing to the illustrated protagonist on the cover.

As the panel session ended, Garza slowly approached Jamieson, with the well-worn book tucked under her arm.

Just seconds before, Garza spoke to her mother a mile-a-minute, gushing about how much she loved Jamieson's story. Now, standing face-to-face with the author, she went speechless.

"H-Hi," she finally stuttered.

Jamieson introduced herself and asked Garza which books she liked to read. As the author's autograph took form on her copy of "Roller Girl," Garza relayed titles, mostly graphic novels since she loves how the artwork adds to the written story.

"My third favorite is 'The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea.' My second favorite is 'Sisters,'" she said, pausing as Jamieson handed her the signed copy.

"And my No. 1 favorite is 'Roller Girl,'" Garza exclaimed, jumping up and down.

As Garza left the gym, shoving the book in her mother's face, asking her if it was real, lines formed inside the school library where students were buying copies of visiting authors' latest titles.

"Whoever says kids don't want to read anymore is kidding themselves," said Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop, one of the festival sponsors, along with the Pasadena Independent School District.

The day's selections included "The Losers Club" by Andrew Clements, "The First Rule of Punk," by Celia Perez and "Chasing Space" by keynote speaker and astronaut Leland Melvin.

A great escape

In a quiet room off to the side, Zamanta Tapia, 13, picked up a prize she won for scanning a special QR code: a copy of "Ghosts of Greenglass House" by Kate Milford.

"I love ghost stories and mysteries," the North Shore Middle School seventh-grader said.

Prize in hand, she browsed through the available titles, picking out two in a series by James Hannibal: "The Lost Property Office" and "The Fourth Ruby."

"Reading is a great escape from the real world," Tapia said.

Taking a seat in one of the library armchairs, she flipped through her purchases, eyes scanning the pages as children and chaperones whirled around her.
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WASHINGTON - Former presidents are shedding a traditional reluctance to criticize their successors, unleashing pointed attacks on the Trump White House and the commander in chief - but without mentioning him by name.

Remarks on the same day by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama raise the prospect that more dissenters will follow in defiance of President Donald Trump and his policies.

"What they are doing is laying down a marker for acceptable public discourse," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of political communication and rhetorical theory at the University of Pennsylvania. "They're saying, 'We don't stand for that kind of language and behavior. These are our values, these are our principles.'"

More public fueding

Bush and Obama themselves were preceded by other prominent figures. In recent weeks, Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Arizonans John McCain and Jeff Flake have taken swipes at a president who has pushed the limits of polite political discourse and has seemed to relish public fights over sensitive subjects, including nuclear war, race relations, immigrants and, this week, the war dead.

Bush last week delivered a speech that was remarkable for its takedowns of key features of the political movement that put Trump in power.

"Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children," he said in New York.

Never a fan of Trump's, Bush drew his biggest applause with this line: "The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them."

Three hundred miles to the south, Obama, a Democrat, used a similar approach to denounce Trump's brand of politics.

"Why are we deliberately trying to misunderstand each other and be cruel to each other and put each other down? That's not who we are," he said during a political appearance in Richmond, Virginia.

At the White House on Friday, presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration believes the former presidents' remarks "were not directed toward the president."

Trump said Friday he does not believe that feuding with Republican senators could get in the way of his agenda for tax cuts and a new health care law.

"I think, actually sometimes it helps," Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network. "Sometimes it gets people to do what they're supposed to be doing."

However coincidental, Bush and Obama's comments capped periods of reticence for both men during Trump's tumultuous first months in office. Neither mentioned Trump's name, but the pair left no doubt who they were talking about. Trump has pursued a ban on Muslim immigration, feuded with disabled Americans, hurricane victims and Gold Star parents and bestowed belittling nicknames on critics - including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Bush's brother, during the 2016 GOP primary.

To be sure, there remains a long slate of Cabinet members and lawmakers who try not to cross Trump in public - from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to most of the Senate Republican caucus.

In the age of social media and under a president with a delicate Twitter trigger, the retaliation can be brutal.

"In 1982, I could have said anything and my constituents may or may not have known about it," said Dan Glickman, a former member of the House from Kansas. "But now, the comments and the reaction beams around the world instantaneously."

Most of Trump's loudest critics within his own party aren't running for public office again and don't need his support.

McCain and Trump have been on prickly territory since Trump said in 2015 that McCain is "not a war hero." It was only exacerbated when McCain's Senate votes helped kill Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obama's signature health care law.

McCain has denounced Trump and his supporters multiple times, including last week when he accused them of trading international leadership for "some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems."

Trump warned McCain in a radio interview: "I fight back." The Arizona senator, tortured for more than five years in Vietnam and now fighting brain cancer, replied: "I have faced tougher adversaries."

Competence questioned

Corker has long questioned Trump's competence as president and said the people around the president are what's saving the country from Trump-fueled "chaos." Earlier this month, after announcing his retirement from the Senate, Corker described the White House as an "adult day care center." Trump on Twitter nicknamed him "Liddle' Bob Corker."

Flake, the only one of the three seeking re-election, has a GOP primary opponent backed by some Trump supporters, including former adviser Steve Bannon.

The senator has been confronting Trump since 2016, when he stood up in a private caucus meeting and introduced himself to Trump as the senator from Arizona "who didn't get captured."

Then there's Tillerson, who was quoted as calling the president "a moron" in private after a July meeting. After the comment was reported, Tillerson tried to patch things up in an extraordinary news conference in which he described Trump as "smart." A meeting with Trump and interviews followed, with Tillerson insisting his fraught relationship with the president is actually strong.

But though a Tillerson aide denied Tillerson had called Trump a moron, the secretary of state himself never has.
CLEVELAND - Ohio State University has denied a request to rent space for an appearance by white nationalist Richard Spencer, citing risks to public safety.

An attorney representing Ohio State said in a letter sent Friday that the university consulted with law enforcement and considered Spencer's appearance at the University of Florida earlier in the week before deciding to turn down the request from Cameron Padgett, a Georgia university student organizing a tour of campuses by Spencer.

"The University values freedom of speech," the letter said. "Nonetheless, the University has determined that it is not presently able to accommodate Mr. Padgett's request to rent space at the university due to substantial risks to public safety, as well as material and substantial disruption."

Earlier Friday, a lawyer for Spencer's associates said he planned to follow through on a threat to file a lawsuit against Ohio State.

"The die is cast," attorney Kyle Bristow said in a Twitter message written in Latin.

The university said last week it couldn't accommodate a Spencer event as requested on Nov. 15 for safety reasons but would decide by the end of this week whether viable alternatives existed. Bristow said he'd sue the university if it didn't decide by 5 p.m. Friday to allow Spencer to speak.

The University of Cincinnati was faced with a similar deadline but decided last week to allow Spencer to hold an event there. Both universities were contacted last month about allowing Spencer to visit but delayed making final decisions until Bristow threatened to sue.

The Ohio universities are the latest among a string of universities targeted for appearances by Spencer since he participated in an August white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that led to deadly violence. The Charlottesville rally left universities across the U.S. struggling to ensure campus safety in the face of recruiting efforts by white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups while balancing concerns over freedom of speech.

Spencer spoke Thursday at the University of Florida, where counter demonstrators greatly outnumbered his supporters, drowned out his speech with anti-Nazi chants and booed him off the stage. Three Houston-area men were arrested after a shot was fired after the speech.

The same day, another lawyer filed a federal lawsuit against Pennsylvania State University for denying a request to rent space for Spencer to speak, claiming free speech violations. Penn State's president said when turning down the request that the university supports free speech but such an event could result in "disruption and violence."
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DOHA, Qatar - As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Middle East this weekend, he'll hope to achieve something that has eluded top American diplomats for a generation: sealing a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would shut the doors of the Arab world to neighboring Iran.

While the United States strives to heal the rift between the Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and resolve civil wars in Yemen and Syria, Tillerson is the Trump administration's point man on an even more ambitious and perhaps even less likely geopolitical gambit.

U.S. officials see a new axis that unites Riyadh and Baghdad as central to countering Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly as the Iraqi government struggles to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way. He arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and planned to visit Qatar on Monday.

The effort to wean Iraq from Iran and bond it to Saudi Arabia isn't new, but U.S. officials are optimistically pointing to a surer footing they believe they've seen in recent months. They're hoping to push the improved relations into a more advanced phase Sunday when Tillerson participates in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh.

Tillerson will seek Saudi financial generosity and political support for Iraq, its embattled northern neighbor. Two U.S. officials said Tillerson hopes the oil-rich Saudis will contribute to the massive reconstruction projects needed to restore pre-IS life in Iraqi cities such as Mosul and lend their backing to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He is treading delicately among a host of powerful countries on Iraq's borders which are increasingly trying to shape the future of the ethnically and religiously divided nation.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly preview Tillerson's plans.

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Nevertheless, the relationship is still plagued by suspicion.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter-century, and earlier this year unblocked long-closed border crossings. But the emergence of arch-Saudi rival Iran as a power player in Iraq continues to gnaw at Riyadh and Washington.

Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, following last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

President Donald Trump wants to see "a stable Iraq, but a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran," H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, said this past week. He suggested Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role.

The U.S. view is that the alternative may mean more conflict in Iraq, which endured years of insurgency after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion and ethnic warfare when the Islamic State group rampaged across the country in 2014.

"Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other," McMaster said Thursday at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is something they share with groups like ISIS, with al-Qaida. They pit communities against each other because they use tribal and ethnic and sectarian conflicts to gain influence by portraying themselves as a patron or protector of one of the parties in the conflict and then they use that invitation to come in and to help to advance their agenda and, in Iran's case, I think is a hegemonic design."

Trump and his national security team have framed much of the Middle East security agenda around counteracting Iran, which they see as a malign influence that poses an existential threat to Israel and other American allies and partners in the region. They also accuse Iran of menacing the United States and its interests at home and elsewhere in the world.

Shortly after taking office, Tillerson identified improving Saudi-Iraqi ties as a priority in the administration's broader policy to confront and contain Iran. Officials say he has devoted himself to the effort.

On his second official trip abroad, Tillerson in February canceled a planned "meet and greet" with staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to focus on the matter, according to one of the U.S. officials.

Tillerson's decision to skip that gathering was widely criticized at the time as a sign of disengagement with his employees, but the official said Tillerson adjusted plans to speak by secure telephone to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the Iraq rapprochement.

Tillerson, according to the official, implored al-Jubeir to visit Baghdad as a sign of Saudi goodwill and commitment to the effort to defeat ISIS, which then still held about half of Mosul.

Al-Jubeir agreed. Two days later, he made a surprise trip to the Iraqi capital. He was the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in 27 years.
CAIRO - Dozens of Egyptian police were killed in clashes with militants in the country's western desert on Friday, one of the deadliest attacks this year suffered by Egypt's security forces fighting persistent and spreading Islamic militancy.

At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout about 80 miles from the Egyptian capital, the Associated Press reported, citing security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Several other local media reported similar death tolls.

Growing militancy

The violence was a stark indication of a core challenge facing the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a vital American ally in the Middle East. Ever since he led a military coup to oust the elected Islamist government of Mohamed Morsi four years ago, Sissi has portrayed himself as a linchpin in the fight against terrorism. In the name of combating the Islamist militancy, critics say he has suppressed political and social freedoms and jailed thousands of Islamists. Egypt is one of the world's largest recipients of U.S. military aid.

Yet the militancy is growing - and spreading. In the past year, hundreds of Egyptian security forces have been killed combating an Islamic State affiliate based in the northern Sinai, whose cells have also targeted minority Christian communities and bombed churches in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas. In recent months, another group called the Hasm Movement also has targeted security officials and judges, adding a deadly new dimension to the security threats facing the country. The insurgency has continued even as Egypt's military and police forces claim to have killed thousands of suspected terrorists.

In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry acknowledged Friday's operation but said the gun battle resulted in 16 policemen being killed and 13 injured. The ministry also reported that 15 militants were killed. But Western diplomats and security officials described the death toll as in the dozens with few militants, if any, being killed. It was unclear whether the Interior Ministry was referring to its own personnel killed and not a total that included forces from other security-related branches.

Deadliest assault?

If the higher death toll is true, it would be the single deadliest assault on Egypt's security forces by Islamist militants in recent memory.

The incident took place late Friday after security forces received intelligence that suspected Islamist militants were at a hideout in the Baharia Oasis, south of the capital. As they approached, they were ambushed by gunmen using rocket-propelled grenades and bombs.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The militants, according to local media reports, belonged to Hasm, which Egypt's security forces claimed to be the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement led by Morsi that is now outlawed.
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Daniel Albert's unorthodox approach to his job as City Council's highest-paid staffer has assumed added importance this fall with his pursuit of the District VI seat on the Houston ISD board of trustees.

Albert asks voters to weigh his qualifications and let him help lead the nation's eighth-largest public school system: His bachelor's in biomedical engineering from Tulane University, his law degree from North Carolina Central School of Law, his three master's degrees.

He highlights his public service as chief of stafff for freshman City Councilman Steve Le, citing his work with city departments to clean up illegal dump sites, install speed bumps and replace street lights in District F.

Many civic leaders in southwest Houston view Albert's work differently, however, saying they rarely see him in the district and struggle to get answers when they contact Le's office.

This may be due partly to Albert's infrequent presence at City Hall. City records show Albert uses his employee badge to swipe into city buildings less than three days a week, on average - a clear outlier among the 16 chiefs of staff for Houston's council members.

Albert certainly has plenty to keep him busy.

In addition to his full-time job in Le's office and his campaign for school board, he is an attorney with a private legal practice specializing in real estate and tax law. Until last May, he also was a student in an online Auburn University master's degree program for real estate development.

Le, who took office at the start of 2016, said he has no problem with Albert working outside the office via cell phone and email, and calls him an exemplary employee.

It also is not clear that Albert has violated city employment rules, which require only that he work 80 hours every two-week pay period to earn his $116,100 salary. City rules let full-time salaried workers like Albert list 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workdays on their timecards even if that is not accurate - employees, for instance, could work six hours one day and 10 the next - as long as they reach a full 80 hours biweekly.

Still, the city's Office of Inspector General, in response to questions from the Houston Chronicle, is looking at whether Albert is fulfilling that obligation.

Albert defended his work, saying he often handles city tasks from his home or law office, works remotely on out-of-town trips, and attends evening and weekend events that ensure he puts in the 40 hours per week reflected on his timecards.

"I make sure my boss knows what I'm doing. I communicate with him frequently, all the time," Albert said. "I'm still making all the phone calls I need to make, I'm still monitoring my staff, I'm still making all the approvals, I'm still reading every email and responding to them."

Le praised Albert's performance and called questions about his work habits a "witch hunt."

"The bottom line is, all the tasks that I have assigned to him, have they been done? And if they've been done according to my satisfaction, then he's accomplished the job I hired him for," Le said. "Sometimes, he'll come here and he'll stay here overnight, like sleeping here. I've never seen Daniel to slack off. That's not in his nature."

Albert, 39, filed his HISD candidacy in August, reporting that he had lived in Texas continuously for three years and in District VI for 12 months. County records show no evidence he voted until Le was on the city ballot in November 2015; the only other election in which he has participated, records show, was the next month's municipal runoff.

Albert's web page lists one campaign plank: Accountability.

"Financial accountability requires sorting through the $2.1 billion dollar budget line by line and asking does it make sense?" Albert's website states. "Is this spending require(sic)? Is it a need or a want?"

Records raise questions

Albert's first responsibility is to his boss, and Le says he is fully satisfied.

Cell phones, email and the Internet have blurred the lines between personal time and work, and Albert, after all, is under no obligation to report daily to City Hall. Nonetheless, Albert said in an interview that he only works remotely on Fridays.

City records suggest it's even more frequent than that: He swiped into city buildings on 222 days between the start of last year, when Le took office, and Aug. 11. That's an average of 2.7 days per week.

Albert's 15 peers - who make, on average, $82,100 to his $116,100 - reported to a city facility on 364 days during the same period, an average of 4.4 days per week.

Albert, in fact, repeatedly has gone more than a week without using his employee badge to swipe into a city facility, records show.

Payroll records also show Albert went all of 2016 without recording any time off other than city holidays, not using a vacation day until March, his 15th month with the city. In that case, city officials said an administrative aide amended his timecard on his behalf two weeks after the fact to list a cruise to Australia and New Zealand as a vacation rather than as days worked. That change came three days after the Chronicle requested his payroll records.

Albert also confirmed he traveled to Auburn to graduate with his master's degree in real estate in May, then went on a cruise with his family. He did not swipe into a city facility on 25 of that month's 31 days, including one stretch of 13 straight days, city records show. With the exception of four vacation days and Memorial Day, however, his time card listed him working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday each week. He said he worked remotely during the trips, which he is permitted to do.

Twice this year, Albert also appeared in a Fort Bend County courtroom on behalf of legal clients in divorce cases, even though paperwork he filed with the city authorizes him to do legal work only on weekends. A city ordinance also requires that outside work permission forms be renewed annually; Albert's authorization expired in June, before one of the two hearings.

Le said Albert has blanket permission to work a flexible schedule - such as working late after attending a morning court hearing - as long as he works the required number of hours. He said Albert's outside employment form should have been updated to reflect weekday work, however.

"Originally, before he opened up his practice, that was our intention," Le said of weekend-only legal work, "but there should have been an updated version that he filed."

Former city attorney David Feldman, who left the city a year before Le and Albert came to City Hall, said the process of tracking whether an employee is working a full 80 hours per pay period warrants review, adding that if there is evidence someone is not doing so, it would be a serious matter.

Le said he would be concerned if inaccurate timecards were filed, but said Albert's performance has given him no reason to suspect he has failed to work the required number of hours.

"If he was not working, then he should file that he's on vacation or taking time off or whatever, but if he's working off site then he's working off site," Le said. "I haven't had any reason to doubt it because the work he's performed for me actually exceeded what I expected."

Mayoral spokesman Alan Bernstein confirmed the city's Office of Inspector General, a group housed within the city attorney's office that probes allegations of employee misconduct, is examining the issue.

"This matter will be given the appropriate consideration by OIG," he said.

Mixed reviews

Albert said the quality of the District F office's work is more important than when he does it or which desk he sits at, adding he believes all but a few constituents would say Le's office is responsive.

Albert said he's at City Hall less frequently than his peers because he must stand in more often for Le, a physician who operates clinics in Cleveland.

"The only thing I can think of is that I have more responsibility than others, and I have to go to more events than others on behalf of my boss," he said. "I'm always working. I'm always checking my email, I'm always out and about, I'm always going to events."

District F, which covers the southwestern corner of the city, struggles with civic engagement, recording the lowest voter turnout of the 11 council districts in each of the last three municipal elections. Many civic clubs are dormant, and representatives of about 40 neighborhoods and groups could not be reached; a dozen others declined comment.

Of the more than two dozen District F civic leaders interviewed about Albert and the district council office, almost all said they do not see Albert at events. Most of those who had cited the same large town hall gatherings at which numerous public officials and civic leaders were present.

A few civic leaders, mostly the heads of Vietnamese groups, said they had no complaints about the office and said they see Albert regularly.

Anh Tran, of the Vietnamese Community of Houston & Vicinities, said Albert attends many of his events, of which there are about three each month. The group also has hired Albert to do legal work, he said.

"He's a lawyer, so whatever advice we need, we also seek, and he's very open to us," he said. "He offers whatever we need, but I think we've used him only one time."

A few others said Albert or his colleagues have been fairly responsive, but most civic leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the District F office.

"I don't know what he does, but I know they're not in the office a lot," said Marie Lee, who is known as the "mayor of Alief" and is president of Alief Community Association. "If I need something I do call them, but it takes an arm and a leg to get an answer."

Sally Leidal, a Parkglen civic leader, said it takes her four to five emails before she can get an answer out of the District F office.

"There's a serious failure to communicate," she said. "They never seem to know what's going on."

To attain the District VI seat, Albert must convince voters to give him a shot ahead of appointed incumbent Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca and serious challenger Robert Lundin.

Albert launched his campaign by lending himself $30,000, campaign filings show, helping him fund banner advertisements now hanging at Hong Kong City Mall. The loan also let him enter October with more money on hand than either of his opponents, even though he collected just four campaign contributions totaling $750 as of Sept. 28.

Whether that advantage translates into votes will become clear Nov. 7. Early voting starts Monday.

***

Mike Morris reports on the policies and politics of the nation's fourth-largest city. Email him here and follow him on Twitter here.
AUSTIN - The election almost no one is paying attention to could lead to Texans winning a cash prize for depositing money into their savings account.

Seven amendments to the state's constitution are the Nov. 7 ballot, including one that would allow credit unions and other financial institutions to conduct promotional activities, such as raffles, to encourage their members to save more money.

Proponents of Proposition 7 say allowing financial institutions to award cash incentives may entice more people to set money aside, which will help them better plan for emergencies and other unforeseen expenses.

Several studies, including a Bankrate 2017 survey, found that most Americans don't have enough savings to cover a $500 or $1,000 unplanned expense.

"It encourages people to save, but there is also another incentive to save," said Jeff Huffman, president of the Texas Credit Union Association. "It seems to be a win-win from all the feedback I have received from other states that have implemented the program."

The program would work something like this: Credit union members will get one entry into a raffle for every $25 they deposit into a savings account. The more money they save each month, the more chances they get to win the prize.

Encouraging savings

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing financial institutions to offer raffles, but it was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott. His office argued a constitutional amendment was needed to exclude the practice from the state's definition of gambling.

This year, Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, authored a bill to put Proposition 7 on the ballot. When he wrote the bill, Johnson said he was looking for "innovative ways" to encourage personal savings and increase financial security in low-income communities.

"I also wanted to combat payday lending, and prize-linked savings accounts do that by reducing the demand for the types of loans payday lenders offer," Johnson said in a written statement.

Huffman, the credit union association president, said if Proposition 7 passes, there are already several credit unions that have indicated they will offer prize-linked savings accounts. Early voting starts Monday.

Similar programs are already in place in about 20 states.

"People's money is never going to be at risk like with a lottery - that money is gone," said Jessica Thelen, product manager with Save to Win, a prize-linked savings program in credit unions in various states. "With this type of program, you are investing money into yourself, and on top of that you are earning entries to win a prize."

States join the program

Save to Win started in Michigan in 2009. The state was one of the few that already had a law allowing financial institutions to incentivize savings. During the recession, many people were not saving money, Thelen said. The first eight credit unions to offer the program believed the raffles could encourage more savings.

More credit unions from other states joined the Save to Win program after the passage of a 2015 federal program called The American Savings Promotion Act.

Save to Win now serves credit unions in 13 states, including Washington and Illinois.

The financial institutions want to target people who are considered "financially vulnerable - those who don't have any assets other than a home and who don't save, Thelen said. If Proposition 7 passes, credit unions could also join Save to Win or hold their own raffles.

"We are seeing a lot more young people save, and we are helping decrease the amount of financially vulnerable people," Thelen said.

Each month, credit union members who use Save to Win can earn one entry for ever $25 they deposit into their savings account. They are also entered into a quarterly drawing. Save to Win awards 150 $25 prizes per month, and 30 quarterly prizes ranging from $500 to $5,000.

"Regardless of the drawing outcome," Thelen said, "you are still building a positive savings account, and bettering yourself financially."
The federal government's relentless effort to prevent an unaccompanied minor from getting an abortion, even after a Texas state district judge has waived her need for a guardian's consent, is shameful.

On Wednesday, a federal district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that federal agencies detaining the 17-year-old unauthorized immigrant cannot prevent her from having the abortion.

Nor can the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement or its parent agencies retaliate against the teen, only identified in the lawsuit as "Jane Doe," for choosing to end her unwanted pregnancy, said U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. The federal departments also must not reveal her decision to have an abortion to anyone else, Chutkan ruled.

However, on Friday the U.S. Court of Appeals blocked the teen's access to an abortion and instead said the federal government had until Oct. 31 to release her to a sponsor - avoiding the question about her right to choose.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is led by an anti-abortion rights advocate who informed Jane's mother about her pregnancy. It also took her to a crisis pregnancy center for a medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound, though it balked at transporting her, as she wished, to an abortion clinic.

Whatever the outcome in this case, teenage girls in desperate situations remain at risk of having their constitutional right abrogated, and the Trump administration's head of the ORR office, Scott Lloyd, is unlikely to cease his harassments.

For 17 years, I have fought back against the state of Texas for their ever more intrusive curtailment of the rights of Jane Does. I represented the first Jane Doe in Austin who needed an abortion just after Texas passed the law requiring parental notification or a judicial waiver for a minor seeking an abortion. Since then, I have remained committed to helping these young women who, under dire circumstances, are asserting their fundamental right to determine the course of their lives. As a board member of Jane's Due Process, I am appalled by the federal government's treatment of another Jane Doe.

In the latest case, the 17-year-old was pregnant when she arrived in this country. Presumably, she believed she had found here a place of refuge where she could seek asylum from an abusive family and violent home country.

From the beginning, she stated that she wanted an abortion. With the help of local counsel and Jane's Due Process, she obtained a judicial bypass from a state district judge that allowed her to consent to her own abortion. But for more than three weeks, Jane has been on lock-down, prohibited from activities and followed everywhere by a shelter worker. Her travel to a clinic must be personally authorized by the federal refugee agency's director. He has spent his career as an anti-choice lawyer on a crusade to control women's reproductive decisions. He is abusing his position of power to force the minors under his custody to continue their pregnancies against their will.

This is not the first case, and I expect, will not be the last case where an anti-choice advocate from Washington is making very personal decisions for a pregnant immigrant, thousands of miles away.

As a family lawyer, I am familiar with coercion and abuse. The fact that the federal government proactively denied this Jane Doe access to the medical care that has been approved by the state district judge is abuse. It appears as though Trump administration officials intend to detain all Jane Does until they submit to their religious opinions or agree to be deported to the violent countries they have fled.

I stand with this Jane Doe and all of the other Janes Doe under government control.

Ausley is a board member of Jane's Due Process.
In the U.S., impeachment is a constitutional process by which Congress can remove high officials, including the president, the vice president, federal judges, and Cabinet members, from office.

The Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War had a clear sense of the dangers of - and how to combat - a tyrannical, badly functioning, negligent, or incapacitated official in power. They foresaw U.S. civil officers as human beings prone to the same harmful tendencies and disabilities as the British king and his minions.

The remarkably well-educated American victors thoughtfully adapted British law to suit the needs of the new United States. They'd debated, reworked, and polished language to forge a constitution containing what we know as the "Impeachment Clause." The new American statesmen wanted a noncriminal, orderly process - not "tumults and insurrections" - to deal with the "misconduct of public men," as they focused on injuries done to "society itself." Related constitutional clauses that describe the process give Congress (the legislative branch of government) sole power to impeach and remove a badly performing high official.

The U.S. impeachment process can result in the removal - but not the criminal punishment - of a U.S. public official who would cause substantial harm: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." U.S. Const. Art. II, Sec. 4.

The special phrase "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" is lifted directly from ancient British impeachment law and forms the cornerstone of the U.S. impeachment process. It is a term (legally, a "term of art") that bears no resemblance to what we know as "crimes" or "misdemeanors" today. It requires no charging of a crime, no intent to do a wrong, and no lawbreaking. When presenting a case for impeachment, Congress may charge civil officers as acting with intent, treachery, criminal misconduct, and law-breaking, but the Constitution requires no proof of such - none -in order to impeach.

The United States Congress has impeached and convicted officials regardless of their mental state - even a person conceded as "insane," in the words of the 19th century, as well as persons capable under the law of forming intent. Congress has also impeached calculating, treasonous, corrupt, swindling, or profiteering officials who could substantially harm us.

While many of these stories involve crooks and swindlers who intentionally betrayed trust, sexually assaulted their employees, bribed, stole, sold out their country to enhance the value of their vast landholdings, violated America's foreign policies, fomented war, covered up misdeeds, obstructed justice, committed perjury, and tampered with witnesses, the key factor in considering the impeachability of public officials for "other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" is the harm they can cause; it's not the motive or intent of the official. The greater the potential for harm, the greater the case for impeachment and removal.

This book traces American impeachment history from the country's founding to today, using the 19 cases of U.S. impeachment of judges, a cabinet member, a senator, and presidents, plus other important examples of impeachment activity that did not reach the stage of formal House impeachment. But behind the history of the Impeachment Clause in the United States lie centuries of British law and legal practice related to impeachment, which greatly influenced the Founding Fathers' thinking as they created our system of government laid out in the Constitution. Our foundational documents, including the Constitution and its phrase "high Crimes and Misdemeanors," are interpreted by looking to the thinking - that is, the intent - of the Founding Fathers and framers of our country's foundational documents.

So, while it's important to understand that harm to society is the significant element emerging in the history of U.S. impeachment cases, it's equally important to know what the Founding Fathers' intentions were as they debated, crafted, and finalized the Constitution's impeachment clause. The Constitution was written and adopted at a national convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and then became effective in 1788 as a result of votes in state ratifying conventions. The Founding Fathers recorded for posterity their intent to adapt the British law of impeachment, as they displayed-in articles, books, argument, and advocacy at Constitutional Convention debates and then on the floor of Congress - a sophisticated understanding of British history, law, and terminology adapted for use in American impeachment proceedings.

Radnofsy is an attorney and author of "A Citizen's Guide to Impeachment."
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aysia Airlines Bhd chief executive Peter Bellew is resigning his post after just one year on the job, and speculation is rife about the real reason for his exit.Bellew, who joined the airliner in 2014, is the second foreigner to lead Malaysian Airlines and also the second one to quit after a short time. His predecessor, German aviation turnaround expert Christopher Muller, also quit well ahead of his three-year contract.A local source for New Straits Times said Bellews resignation was due to differences with Khazanah Nasional, the sovereign fund which solely owns the airline.Khazanah was reportedly meddling and micromanaging in the running of the national carrier, The Independent reported.There were cases where Khazanah bypassed the MAB board, NSTs source said.Khazanah said last year that Mullers resignation was due to a change in his personal circumstances.The Independent said it is believed Bellew could not agree to some of the decisions made by Khazanah over the running of the airliner.Another reason could be Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razaks commitment to Boeing and US President Trump that the airline would order long-range aircraft, even as Bellew had insisted that Malaysian Airlines would now focus on short-range flights.The airline issued a statement denying its CEOs sudden exit amid talk he would re-join Irish liner Ryanair where he served until 2014, his most recent post being Director of Flight Operations.He said that he was happy to be in Malaysia and that the turnaround of Malaysia Airlines would be the greatest achievement of my life, said MAB.Meanwhile, Ryanair announced on the London Stock Exchange that Bellows would be rejoining it on December 1 as chief operations officer. He will be responsible for flight operations, ground operations, and engineering.
Mohannad Khatib

Yemenis who have not been killed in coalition airstrikes led by Saudi Arabia are facing an unbearable humanitarian crisis due the imposed blockade.

The blockade, which began in 2015, has left an already impoverished nation in a state of desperation. According to UN figures, more than 21million people, about 82% of the population are in need of humanitarian assistance with seven million in famine.

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Despite the staggering figures, it's hard to imagine the scale of destruction and suffering due to very little media coverage on the conflict. Wanting to know more about the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Yemenis, I spoke to Mohammed Humran, a geopolitical analyst for the Yemen Geography Society based in Sana'a, Yemen. His story is one of despair and of a nation living in abject poverty with no help available.

He began by saying: "those who haven't been killed by Saudi jets, will die from a heart attack. Sudden deaths through the horrors of war are something that has increased in Yemen. Everyday we've been hearing about the death of family and friends because of heart attacks.

One day (last month) I came home and heard my uncle's son died, he was still young, aged 30 and left behind two children. One of my friend's also died from a heart attack. He was a teacher in a secondary school in the community. At his funeral, I was speaking to an elder, who told me during the week from 15 to 21 September this year, more than eight people died from heart attacks in the suburbs of Sana'a.

In 2016 my uncle's wife also suffered a heart attack and died. She lived in fear from the missile attacks. Before she died, she came to my house looking for water, I was joking with her and said I'd charge her 209 Riyals. She was taken to hospital and passed away. One day her husband was sitting with my brothers, suddenly he couldn't breathe or move. They took him to the hospital, but he too died of a heart attack.

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I've been speaking to people and because of the war and the blockade they can't live - famine, no medicine, no school, and no salaries. People feel under pressure. When they return home they have nothing to give to their families. So this is a slow death for Yemenis these days. They can't do anything. The pressure they feel is very high.

Farmers can't plant because there's no oil; their livelihood is on hold. Yemeni people are struggling to survive. You can see young kids on the streets begging, they don't have anything to eat. To sum up: Yemeni people are living miserable lives and feel worthless."

Mohammed's disturbing story echoes the concerns of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and international sanctions, Idriss Jazairy, who has spoken about the dire situation of Al Hudaydah Port, an important lifeline for Yemenis. In the aftermath of the airstrikes, the port is now partially operating; despite the fact the country is 80-90% dependent on aid.

"Despite assurances from the coalition forces, the situation on the ground remains desperate," Mr. Jazairy says. "The blockade involves grave breaches of the most basic norms of human rights law, as well as of the law of armed conflict, which cannot be left unanswered." Furthermore he spoke of his "deep concern at this man-made famine which is generated by the conflict."
The Board of Selectmen are still finalizing the warrant for Nov. 14th's special town meeting.

Lanesborough Again Considering Joining Mosquito Control Project

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  Lanesborough voters will be asked a second time if the town should join the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project.

At November's special town meeting, voters will be asked to first sign onto the project and second to spend $4,500 to allow the project to get the preliminary work done in the spring  to be ready for the peak of mosquito season.

"They have some really chilling numbers on mosquito incidents in Berkshire County," Town Manager Paul Sieloff said. "There are concerns about some of the newer disease you can get."

Voters had already rejected the item at town meeting in 2016. The question was to join the project and spend $15,000 annually on it  a cost that is automatically taken out by the state in the town's unrestricted aid allocation every year.

At that town meeting, the item came fairly late in the evening; it was the very last article to vote on. The debate among residents was regarding the cost and scope of the program mostly, with additional concerns being raised about the health of residents and wildlife.

Eight other Berkshire municipalities are already in the project: Clarksburg, Hinsdale, Otis, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, and Tyringham.

The Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project starts each year with observation. Workers seek outstanding pools of water where mosquitoes breed, treat catch basins, and reduce as much of those common sources of high mosquito populations as possible. The project follows up with a larvacide control at mosquito breeding grounds.

During the summer, mosquitoes will be trapped from locations throughout town and sent to the state for testing. The state is looking for West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis. If those diseases are found or the population numbers reach certain thresholds, then the truck will be brought out to spray sections of the community where those thresholds or diseases were hit.

Because Lanesborough would be a new town, however, additional work will be needed up front. Last year, program Superintendent Christopher Horton said a global position satellite mapping would be done of the entire town to find breeding sites including flood areas, spring pools, tire dumps and other likely mosquito population areas.

By July, when a new fiscal year begins, the project is mostly monitoring and using truck-mounted sprays as deemed needed. The second article on November's warrant asks for $4,500 to allow the project to do the mapping, treating of breeding groups and set up the traps.

Mosquito control is a topic that has divided opinion. A group of advocates against the use of the spray pushed hard on the Pittsfield Board of Health to halt the program. They provided scientific studies that claim the spray, Duet, does not kill mosquitoes nearly as much as portrayed while at the same time causing health concerns among childhood development and wildlife reproduction.

Health officials responded with studies of their own saying the chemical has not been proven to have negative consequences. Horton has said the spray dissolves in the air, kill flying mosquitoes but never making it onto vegetation. They believe reducing the risk of the two diseases, which in rare occasions can be fatal, is worth the extra effort and monitoring.

The special town meeting will also ask voters to increase the local sales tax option on marijuana sales from 2 percent to 3 percent, once shops are able to open legally. Previously, towns were limited to 2 percent, which voters in Lanesborough accepted, but lawmakers have increased the local portion to 3 percent.

The town meeting will also ask for new solar zoning bylaws. That hasn't been finalized as of yet. The town is also looking to expand its business district on Route 7.

The big-ticket item, however, at the meeting is the regionalization vote.

Another special town meeting is expected in February as well.
The group held its second meeting at the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority on Thursday.

North/South Rail Group Narrowing Potential New York City Market



The group includes representatives from various stakeholders in the county. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Who will actually use the possible New York-to-Pittsfield passenger rail?

That's the question the NYC/Berkshire Passenger Rail Working Group is now looking to answer. The group has been tasked by the Legislature to examine the possibility of a Cape Flyer-like model for passenger rail transit in the Berkshires. To understand the feasibility of expanding in that the north/south corridor, it must first know the market.

"We need something more targeted on people who are already coming here, expressed interest in coming here, or have a link to the area," Rail & Transit Administrator Astrid Glynn said.

The group, which consists of representatives from a wide range of sectors, set to task on Thursday to identify exactly how to find that out. Clete Kus, a transportation planner with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, had already mapped out all of the county's attractions, summer camps and places to lodge. That list and map details the places tourists from New York City could be going.

"It was very informative to see what areas of the metro area of New York are coming from," Kus said.

Erin Kiley, from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, suggested that the next step be to ask for Airbnb data.

BRPC Executive Director Nathaniel Karns said he is unsure how much Airbnb will be willing to share because of privacy issues. But, Karns said the company has provided data that shows there are 35,000 in-bound guests in Berkshire County per year. Those are reservations and if there are two people per reservation, Karns put that at some 70,000 coming to the Berkshires  and 70,000 people who might be interested in taking a train.

Meanwhile, 1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler has a list of some 80,000 emails of people who requested to be on the agency's email blasts. He hopes to glean some type of data to understand the demand.

"We only know the origin information on 62 percent of them. On those lists, you don't always know where they are from," Butler said.

Butler said each of the cultural institutions, the ones who tend to be the biggest driver of tourism, keep their own lists. Each institution would have to be approached, but it could add to the collection of information regarding who, and at what numbers, people are coming.

"We have a good idea of where our visitors are coming from, staying in the traditional lodging. I think you can say the same for the Airbnb," Butler said.

1Berkshire does its own tourism marketing campaigns, focusing in Boston, New York, Hartford, Conn., and New Jersey but the demographics change based on the campaign. While the cultural institutions attract one demographic, Butler said other campaigns focused on recreation and food can attract different ones.

Another demographic coming to the Berkshires, and possibly by train, would be second homeowners. William Keane, of the Berkshire County Board of Realtors, said his group has been working on creating an aggregated list of second-home owners but hasn't been successful. Glynn suggested going through assessor's data to find people who list a primary mailing address that is outside of the county.

Pittsfield's Community Development Director Deanna Ruffer said the city has done similar extractions of information before. She said she has pulled data to find out how many property owners are actually city residents, and if not, where they are primarily from.

"You can get a fair number of them from the tax bill location," Ruffer said.

Glynn questioned if the group was missing short-term rentals  such as a week. But Keane said Airbnb has essentially taken over that type of market. The next group of privately rented homes isn't worth researching, he said.

"The privately rented homes are done for a three-month period. I'm not sure if that is the targeted market we are selling tickets to," Keane said.

Karns said Kus' list encompassed most of the rental options out there. It would only be small bed and breakfasts that aren't showing a presence online or somebody renting by word of mouth only.

Glynn said the group cannot physically do surveys of all of New York City to find out the market. The data gleaned from those sources will help identify the market to target its research and surveys too.

"We are looking for a database of people in New York who have expressed interest or habit in being up here, who might be interested in taking a train," she said.

Butler added that the average visitor of the Berkshires comes once a year and stays for three nights. That can help dictate a schedule for the train system.

"It is predominately weekends and long weekends. That's when the culturals are doing their programming," Butler said.

He added that a look at the times people are arriving and going are worth extra research. The schedule for the Cape Flyer may not be a fit here because there is a difference in the attractions. Eddie Sporn, a consultant, rents through Airbnb and said many of his visitors arrive on a Friday in time for an evening event.

Sporn added that with scheduling, the group should reach out to cultural institutions to work on scheduling for specific events. He used Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art as an example, saying trains can be scheduled to accommodate the Fresh Grass Music Festival or Solid Sound.

"I don't think we want to lose sight that a big part of this is people from the Berkshires traveling to New York," Keane added but was faced with opposition from Glynn.

Glynn said Cape Flyer began with a focus on one-way transportation. There was only one trip per day from Boston to the Cape, and the focus was on setting a schedule to accommodate those heading to the Cape, not the other way around. That led to an inconvenient schedule  arriving late at night or early in the morning  for those going the other way, and thus ridership was decreased.

She said the legislation specifically called for a Cape Flyer model for the Berkshires  which has been dubbed Berkshire Flyer  with the intent to bring passengers from New York City to the Berkshires.

"My job is to meet the legislative command and produce a report in March. I think having a report that includes other things that should be looked at is appropriate, but I want to make sure we meet the legislative direction," Glynn said.

Kevin Chittenden from Amtrak said the market from New York City to the Berkshires, and from the Berkshires to New York City calls for the same departure time  3 p.m. There is no way the train can accommodate both with just one trip back and forth.

"All of the Empire [Service] sets right now are five car sets and the capacity of each car is 70 people, roughly. So we are equipment restrained unless Massachusetts wants to buy more equipment," Chittenden said.

Glynn added that running extra trains means adding more cost. The intent of the project would be to craft a self-sufficient model for the trips.

"At some point, we may have to make a choice in terms of what we ask Amtrak to price out for us," she said.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, however, said the focus shouldn't just be on one or the other. She said the demand of Berkshire residents to get to New York City could be part of the economic model.

"People are going to want to go both ways. I would not take this legislation and use it as a concrete block. We can meet the needs of the legislation and say this is how it can be better," Farley-Bouvier said. "We should not box ourselves into somebody else's model."

But even when those from New York City get here by train, there is a problem. How do they get anywhere?

"The limits on the level of service, particularly on weekends, are such as that it is not going to be visitor friendly," Karns said the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority's bus schedule. "It would take a significant enhancement in levels of service to really serve this market."

Farley-Bouvier added, "at this time, nobody goes to cultural attractions on public transportation."

Glynn said public transportation is moving away from the traditional bus model and transportation is being served through an array of models. She used the example of a rural part of the state in which eight communities worked together to use Council on Aging vans to set up shuttles to the college and the hospital. A model like that in the Berkshires could be crafted.

Sporn added that Mass MoCA has already had discussions on that level regarding its program and other loading places have been expanding the use of their vans to shuttle people around. Ruffer added that a lot of businesses are hiring locally limousine services to drive people around.

"There are more people shuttled in and out of here than what might appear," Ruffer said.

But maybe the answer falls in the transportation options that haven't truly taken hold here. Butler suggested the trains would create the entrepreneurial opportunity for people to run transportation programs. Farley-Bouvier said Uber would be able to grow in the Berkshires with the added customers. ZipCar and Turo can both find a presence in the Berkshires, some suggested.

Keane added that if that final piece of transportation can be figured out, the market for people from New York City who do not have a vehicle will open to the Berkshires. Kiley suggested trying to find out where those people are going to instead, such as upstate New York, and try to get a better sense of that potential.

Glynn highlighted that the group was called a "working group" and not a "commission" and handed out homework assignments for the various individuals to handle. She said she'll be checking in on the progress in a few weeks and another meeting will be scheduled before the end of the year.

Thursday's meeting was just the second one the group has held. It was formed in response to legislation put forth by state Sen. Adam Hinds. The Berkshires have been seeking passenger rail for some years now, with the most recent attempt to purchase and rebuild the tracks from Pittsfield to New York City ultimately failing.

Hinds put forth the creation of a study in part of the budget process, though it requires no money, to develop this other model. That report is due early next year.




iciHaiti - Politics : The Mayor of PAP speaks with the new Ambassador of Romania





Thursday, the Mayor of Port-au-Prince Ralph Youri Chevry and his deputy Bernard Joseph, received a courtesy visit from the new Ambassador of Romania accredited to Haiti, Gentiana Serbu https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22467-icihaiti-diplomacy-two-new-ambassadors-accredited.html which was accompanied by Huswald Timothee, the Honorary Consul of Romania in Haiti.



During their meeting held in the conference hall of the town hall, it was discussed among other concerns of the two countries and especially those of Port-au-Prince.



Considering this visit as the gateway to a great friendship between the two countries, Mayor Chevry took the opportunity to report on the different areas in which the Municipality of Port-au-Prince has the most needs and therefore those for which he would like this friendship to bring concrete and lasting solutions.



Ambassador Gentiana Serbu emphasized her country's willingness to establish a model of collaboration with Haiti, which takes into account the complexity of its problems by offering expertise and material resources to respond to certain weaknesses and needs.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Atwater Real Estate Professionals Among Four Indicted

Fresno, California - On October 12, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against John Ballard, 55, and Judy (Calderon) Ballard, 54, of Atwater and Sherry Herbert, 54, and Andrea Todd, 53, of Fresno, charging them with conspiracy, wire fraud and bank fraud in connection with a fraudulent short-sale scheme, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to the court documents, Ballard and Calderon were both licensed real estate salespersons and they owned a home in Atwater, which was their primary residence. When the couple defaulted on a loan on the property, they asked permission to short-sell the property to Herbert and Todd, but had no intention of actually transferring the property to them. They used a series of false and fraudulent representations to obtain approval from banks to conduct this transaction and caused these financial institutions to approve the charge-off of funds and the financing for the short-sale.

Herbert and Todd were arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Erica P. Grosjean. Ballard and Calderon's arraignments are currently set for November 29, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stanley A. Boone.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Merced County District Attorneys Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael G. Tierney and Christopher D. Baker are prosecuting the case.

If any of the four defendants are convicted, they face a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Developing a digital bloodhound

Rochester, Minnesota - Andrew Harrison could have been a musician or a physicist or a biologist. But he fell for medicine and clinical informatics: using systems to organize data to improve care for patients. I love it, he says. And patients will too. Because although he followed an unconventional route in his training, Harrison is a prototype for medical students trained to heal both patients and the health care system.

Stopping Sepsis

As an example of what clinical informatics can do, while still a student in Mayo Clinics Medical Scientist Training Program, Harrison helped refine a computerized tool to detect a potentially life-threatening response to infection called sepsis. With some infections, chemical alerts flood the bloodstream. They trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body, instead of at the sight of infection. These systemic responses can damage organs and lead to severe blood pressure drops.

More people in the U.S. die from sepsis each year than from breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer combined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says sepsis kills a quarter million patients annually, out of 1.5 million diagnosed.

With sepsis, doctors must treat patients quickly or the syndrome can worsen, leading to long-term complications or death. To do that, they needed a tool to help identify early-stage sepsis patients in the emergency room. Harrison was part of a team of physician-scientists who developed a computer application designed to sniff out patients with sepsis. To play his part, he called on the variety of skills he amassed prior to his medical training.

From Math to Medicine, and Back Again

From his first physics class, Harrison aimed to put math to work. It was not pure math but applied math in the world we live in, he explains. I saw a lot of possibilities in physics.

While working on a double major in physics and genetics from Rutgers University, the New Jersey native attended Mayo Clinics Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. The program offers a laboratory experience for college students considering a doctorate in biomedical sciences. Harrison planned to get a Ph.D. in physics, but after researching virology in the first summer and immunology the second, he enrolled in Mayo Clinics M.D.-Ph.D. program.

Before starting the MD part of the program at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in 2010, Harrison attended a presentation on data sniffers by Vitaly Herasevich, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo clinical informatics researcher.

Dr. Herasevich was developing computer applications that sort through the electronic health record of an ICU patient and alert clinicians to early signs of dangerous syndromes.

I knew nothing of clinical informatics, Harrison recalls, but he was intrigued that computers could be taught to conduct surveillance and that data analysis could improve clinical decision-making. He says Dr. Herasevich s perspective was revelatory, tying together workflow, underlying disease, impairments, personal preferences, organizational barriers, data overload, attitudes all of which affect patient outcomes.

Harrison was also introduced to Ognjen Gajic, M.D., a critical care specialist and clinical informaticist. Dr. Gajic also heads the Multidisciplinary Epidemiology and Translational Research in Intensive Care (METRIC) group. This band of researchers and clinicians strive to decrease complications and improve outcomes for critically ill patients through systematic research and quality improvement.

Harrison enrolled in a one-week elective course with METRICs Dr. Herasevich. He was hooked, becoming a regular on METRIC projects that help transform the practice of medicine, making it more effective and efficient.

The Road Less Traveled

After two years at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Harrison transitioned to Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to work on his doctorate. He spent a year of rotations in basic science labs, then veered from mainstream laboratories to focus on computerized systems for clinical decision-making.

Most students in the M.D-Ph.D. program enter a lab in basic science, says his mentor, Dr. Herasevich. Andrew was one of the first to go into clinical informatics. He likes to drill down into the details.

In opting for the Clinical and Translational Science Track, Harrison learned how to conduct research to answer health questions and translate resulting discoveries into better health outcomes. But instead of searching for breakthroughs under a microscope, he discovered statistical enlightenment  the kind that becomes a best practice and improves care around the world.

Sniffing out Sepsis

Harrisons first project was to improve a first-generation sepsis sniffer application.

Sepsis is linked to more than a dozen measurable physiological changes, including rises in body temperature, respiration, pulse and blood counts of white cells, creatinine, bilirubin and lactic acid. Harrison reviewed EHRs of past sepsis cases to determine the most telling indicators and optimized the algorithm for automated detection of sepsis.

In a clinical study, the improved sniffer accurately identified patients with sepsis and did it sooner than bedside clinicians. Because the study also revealed that multiple human factors delayed timely treatment, Harrison repeatedly refined the sepsis sniffer to command attention by reducing false-positive alerts and allowing clinicians to choose the method of alert (pager, electronic health record system or smartphone/tablet).

He did it all, Dr. Herasevich says. It was like applied product development. He talked with clinicians about what they needed. He developed a solution, tested the solution, and validated the effectiveness in a real-life setting.

In 2015, the same year Dr. Harrison completed his doctorate, his work came to fruition. The sepsis sniffer became a component of the Ambient Warning And Response Evaluation (AWARE) platform, used in Mayo Clinic critical care units to facilitate decision-making.

The Finish Line

Following a final year of clinical rotations, Harrison is scheduled to complete his M.D. in May 2018. He will be the rare new physician with expertise in clinical informatics  at least for a couple years.
Presidential Delegation for the Royal Thai Kings Funeral

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump will send a Presidential Delegation to Bangkok, Thailand to attend the Royal Cremation Ceremony of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 26, 2017. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will lead the delegation as the Presidents Special Envoy, joined by United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand Glyn Davies.

President Trump extends his profound condolences on behalf of the American people for the passing of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He was a champion of the Thai people and the United States-Thailand alliance. His innovative work, diplomacy, and 70 years of selfless service will ensure that his legacy will live on for many generations to come.
Ongoing U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Rakhine State Crisis, Burma

Washington, DC - The U.S. government has provided nearly $40 million in life-saving emergency assistance in direct response to the Rakhine State crisis since August 25. This brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance in FY 2017 to displaced Burmese in Burma and the region to nearly $104 million.

U.S. assistance goes to our international organization partners on the ground, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the World Food Program (WFP), which help provide protection, emergency shelter, food and nutritional assistance, as well as health care and psychosocial support for the more than half a million displaced Burmese in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region.

We applaud the Government of Bangladeshs generosity in responding to this severe humanitarian crisis and appreciate its continued efforts to ensure assistance reaches people in need.

We call for an immediate end of the violence in northern Rakhine State, and for the Burmese government to allow refugees to return home voluntarily, safely, and with dignity. We welcome Burmas commitment to bringing long-term peace and stability to Rakhine State by implementing the recommendations of the Annan Commission report.

The United States also calls upon the Burmese government to allow for unhindered humanitarian access to people in Rakhine State, Burma, so we can more fully address pressing humanitarian needs. We also urge other donors to join us in providing additional humanitarian assistance for those affected by the crisis.
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Sean Young is the latest to come forward with accusations against Harvey Weinstein.

The actor, best known for her role in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, said on the Dudley and Bob with Matt Show podcast that Weinstein exposed himself to her in the early 1990s, when she was starring in the Miramax-produced Love Crimes - a production company that Weinstein headed at the time.

"I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me," she said. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really dont think you should be pulling that thing out, its not very pretty.'" Young never worked with Weinstein again after the incident.

"The minute you actually stand up for yourself in Hollywood, youre the crazy one," she added. "I think thats why a lot of women dont come out and didnt come out about their experiences about that kind of lewdness and ridiculousness with Harvey."

Young is one of over 40 women who have now come forward with accusations against the Hollywood producer. This follows an explosive report by The New York Times, which alleged "decades" of sexual harassment.

Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Show all 42 1 /42 Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein Harry Weinsteins reputation as one of Hollywoods leading executives was long cemented in stone. The acclaimed movie mogul, who produced Oscar-winning films Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, and The Artist, clocked up box office successes and accolades aplenty. But this has quickly changed since a chorus of women have come forward to accuse the Hollywood producer of sexual harassment and assault. Since the New York Times bombshell report disclosed sexual harassment and rape allegations against the film mogul dating back decades, Weinstein has been fired from his namesake company, expelled from the Oscars and has had his wife leave him. Weinstein has apologised for having caused a lot of pain but has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Annabella Sciorra The Sopranos actor alleged Weinstein raped her after shooting The Night We Never Met, a 1993 movie that Weinstein produced. Similar to the stories told by other women, Weinstein drove the actor home, only to reportedly burst into Sciorra's apartment and start unbuttoning his shirt. He shoved me onto the bed, and he got on top of me, Sciorra said. I kicked and I yelled. Weinstein then allegedly locked her arms and forced sexual intercourse on her. After the incident, Sciorra found it increasingly hard to get work, many filmmakers saying 'We heard you were difficult', something the actor claims was because of the 'Weinstein-machine'. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Natassia Malthe The model and actress, who has appeared in around 50 films, said she met Weinstein at a BAFTA after party in 2008 while she was working as a spokeswoman for LG. She told a press conference in New York that she felt pressured into telling Weinstein she was staying at the Sanderson Hotel after being put on the spot. Malthe, now 43, said after her shift on February 10 she went back to her room and went to sleep, but was awoken by "repeated pounding" on her door, from someone yelling: "Open the door Natassia Malthe, it's Harvey Weinstein." Feeling humiliated, she said she opened the door. She alleged Weinstein began implying sex would get her a role in an upcoming film while semi-undressed and then he began to masturbate. "I was sitting on the bed talking to Harvey when he pushed me back and forced himself onto me. It was not consensual. He did not use a condom," she said. AP Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sean Young The actor, best known for her role in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, said that Weinstein exposed himself to her in the early 1990s, when she was starring in the Miramax-produced Love Crimes - a production company that Weinstein headed at the time. "I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me," she said. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really dont think you should be pulling that thing out, its not very pretty.'" Young never worked with Weinstein again after the incident. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lupita Nyong'o In an op-ed for The New York Times, the Oscar-winning actor said she was invited to Weinsteins family home in Connecticut on the premise of watching a film shortly after they met in 2011. But she said shortly after it started he "insisted" in front of his children that she follow him and she was led to his bedroom. The Kenyan-Mexican actress, now 34, said she felt pressured into giving him a massage after he offered her one. "Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants," she wrote."I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that." Over the years that followed, he continued to get in touch, Nyong'o said, and when she declined another proposition she felt her career was threatened. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lena Headey Writing on social media, the Game of Thrones actor claims she first met Weinstein at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 where, after taking her for a walk by the water, he made some suggestive comment and gesture. Headey claims she bumped into Weinstein years later where he kept asking her questions about her love life. She alleges that, when Weinstein invited her to his hotel room to show her a script, the "energy shifted. The actor notes how, after saying she was not interesting in anything but the work, Weinstein was furious, apparently marching her back to a lift, "grabbing and holding tightly to the back of [her] arm." She claims that, after paying for her car, he whispered in her ear: "Don't tell anyone about this, not your manager, not your agent. Headey finished the post, writing: I got in the car and I cried. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Laura Madden Madden, a production assistant who worked at Miramax for a decade, told the Times that Weinstein allegedly prodded her for massages at hotels, a common theme among the sources the Timess reporters spoke with. On one occasion, she claims she locked herself in his hotel bathroom, sobbing Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Judd recounted for the Times how Weinstein allegedly harassed her while she was filming Kiss the Girls in 1996, inviting her to his hotel room and asking her for a massage, then inviting her to watch him shower. Judd first went public with the allegations in a 2015 interview with Variety during which she discussed the experience without naming the producer involved. She described Weinsteins alleged behaviour as coercive bargaining; I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask, she told the Times AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rose McGowan McGowan reportedly reached a previously undisclosed $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997, over an incident that occurred in a hotel room Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emily Nestor Nestor had been temping at the Weinstein Company for only one day in 2014 when Weinstein allegedly offered to boost her career in return for sexual favours, according to the Times. She declined and reportedly complained of his behaviour to colleagues, who later passed the information on to senior executives. An internal Weinstein Company document cited by the Times describes Nestors encounter with Weinstein as follows: She said he was very persistent and focused though she kept saying no for over an hour Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ambra Battilana In March 2015, Battilana, an aspiring model and actress, was reportedly summoned to Weinsteins office on a Friday night to discuss her career. According to a police report cited by the Times, Battilana claimed she was assaulted by Weinstein, who grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt. Weinstein later claimed that Battilana had set him up, according to colleagues of his who were interviewed by the Times. The Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, later declined to press charges, and according to the Times, made a payment to Battilana. On 5 October, the International Business Times reported that after Vance dropped the charges, he received $10,000 from Weinsteins lawyer Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lauren OConnor Lauren OConnor, an employee of the Weinstein Company, penned a memo to executives alleging a toxic environment for women at the company. The memo cited numerous incidents of Weinstein harassing or coercing women who worked for him. She expressed fear that Weinstein was using her and other female employees to facilitate liaisons with vulnerable women who hope he will get them work. That same year, Weinstein allegedly reached a settlement with OConnor Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Kate Beckinsale The actor, who starred in the Weinstein Company films Serendipity and The Aviator, alleges that she was invited to Weinsteins hotel room at the age of just 17. When she approached the door, the producer reportedly greeted her dressed in just a dressing gown. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him, she wrote on Instagram. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Gwyneth Paltrow The actor alleges that after he cast her in the title role of the film Emma when she was 22, he took her to his hotel room, placed his hands on her and suggested massages. I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified, Paltrow told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Asia Argento Italian actress Asia Argento has alleged that in 1997 Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly told him to stop. When I see him, it makes me feel little and stupid and weak, Argento told The New Yorker. After the rape, he won. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Cara Delevigne The British model and actress penning an Instagram post claiming that Weinstein had ordered her to kiss another woman in his hotel room, and tried to kiss her on the lips. AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Ashley Judd said she rebuffed Harvey Weinsteins unwanted sexual advances by offering to consent only after she had won an Oscar. When she was initially invited to a meeting with Weinstein, Judd said, she was surprised to learn the producer was in his hotel room - a tactic that recurs in other womens accounts. Echoing the accounts of other women, Judd said Weinstein suggested she give him a massage and then invited her to watch him shower. After a volley of nos she said she would only after she wins an Oscar, fleeing after making the comments. Reuters/Mike Segar Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Judith Godreche French actress Judith Godreche said when she was 24 Weinstein invited her to his hotel room and asked to give her a massage. The next thing I know, hes pressing against me and pulling off my sweater, she told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mira Sorvino The Oscar-winning actor said she found herself in a hotel room with Weinstein in 1995 where he started massaging my shoulders, which made me very uncomfortable, and then tried to get more physical, sort of chasing me around. According to an interview in The New Yorker Weinstein subsequently arrived at her apartment late at night and she had to call a friend to come over to pose as her boyfriend in order to get Weinstein out of the house. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Katherine Kendall The actress said Weinstein undressed and chased her around a living room when she was just 23. She subsequently felt that telling others meant Ill never work again and no one is going to care or believe me, she told the New York Times. WireImage Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Tomi-Anne Roberts As an aspiring actress and working in a restaurant in New York, Tomi-Ann Roberts encountered Weinstein who encouraged her to audition for one of his films back in 1984. She subsequently went to meet him and found him naked in the bath and invited her to get naked and get into the bath with him, she told the New York Times. She said she left feeling manipulated. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Myleen Klass It has also been alleged that the disgraced film producer propositioned Myleene Klass with a sex contract at Cannes Film Festival in 2010. One of the singer and television personalitys friends reportedly told The Sun, Klass had told Weinstein to f*** off. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sophie Dix Sophie Dix, best known for her role as Captain Sadie Williams in Soldier Soldier, described her encounter with Weinstein when she was 23 as the single most damaging thing thats happened in my life. She told The Guardian Weinstein had pushed her to her bed and was tugging at her clothes. She rushed to the bathroom to escape, but when she came out she found him standing there masturbating. I quickly closed the door again and locked it, she said. Then when I heard room service come to the door I just ran. Rex Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lea Seydoux The actor and director claims she had to fight off Weinstein after he brought her to his hotel room during what she remembers to be 2012. He suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself. Hes big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted, she wrote in The Guardian. AFP/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Claire Forlani British actress Claire Forlani wrote on Twitter that she had evaded Weinsteins advances on five occasions at the age of 25. At meetings with the Hollywood a-lister, she says massage was suggested, and that Weinstein had boasted of all the women hed had sex with. Mark Douet Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Florence Darel French actress Florence Darel claimed Weinstein relentlessly pursued her in the mid 1990's and propositioned her while Eve Chilton, his wife at the time, was in the hotel room next door. I was astonished, she told People magazine. When you have someone so physically disgusting in front of you, continuing and continuing as though this was all perfectly normal What happened to me may not be illegal but it was inappropriate. Very inappropriate. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lysette Anthony Lysette Anthony, who starred as Marnie Nightingale in Hollyoaks, has claimed Weinstein raped her in the late 1980's after turning up to her London home in the late 1980s. She described the disgraced film producers alleged attack as pathetic and revolting and said it left her feeling disgusted and embarrassed. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Dawn Dunning Dunning said she met Weinstein in 2003 when she was 24-years-old and the disgraced film producer suggested she have a threesome with him and someone else. She told the New York Times Weinstein got angry when she refused. Youll never make it in this business, she said he told her as she left. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Arquette was already well known for her role in Desperately Seeking Susan, when she said she met Weinstein at his hotel to pick up a script in the early nineties. Weinstein was dressed only in a dressing gown, and tried to put her hand on his erect penis. Speaking to the New York Times, Arquette said as she left she told him: I will never be that girl. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emma de Caunes Caunes, a French actor, claimed Weinstein took her to his hotel room in 2010 supposedly to retrieve a book he was making into a film, but once there he went into the bathroom. De Caunes said he then emerged naked, with an erection and told her to lie on the bed. She fled the room. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Zoe Brock Model Zoe claimed that she had to lock herself in a bathroom at Weinsteins hotel in 1997, after the mogul had sent all of the assistants out of the room, and then appeared naked. I was alone with Weinstein, she told ITVs This Morning programme. He very quickly left the room and came back naked. He chased me naked. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Barth Actress Jessica Barth described an encounter with Weinstein in 2011 in an interview with The New Yorker in which she said Weinstein veered between offering her roles in films and demanding a naked massage. She alleges the producer said to her: So, what would happen if, say, were having some champagne and I take my clothes off and you give me a massage? When she tried to leave, he then promised to give her the number of a female executive at the company. He gave me her number, and I walked out and I started bawling, Barth said. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Romola Garai The actress told The Guardian she felt violated after she went to a meeting with Weinstein at the age of 18 and he met her in his hotel room wearing nothing but a dressing gown. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Heather Graham Graham claimed that during a casting opportunity in the early 2000's Weinstein had told her he had an open relationship with his wife. He could sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town. I walked out of the meeting feeling uneasy, Graham told Variety. There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there. Graham was never hired to work in a Weinstein film. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Hynes Spaced and W1A star Jessica Hynes tweeted about an encounter with Weinstein earlier this week, but subsequently deleted the tweet. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louisette Geiss The former actress said she met Weinstein to pitch a film script she was working on. During the meeting, Weinstein allegedly went out and reappeared naked and got into a jacuzzi where he masturbated in front of her and said he would make the script into a film if she stayed and watched. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Liza Campbell Liza Campbell, a British writer and artist, alleged that Olympically ugly Weinstein asked her to join him in the bath and began getting undressed at a hotel. In a piece for The Times, Campbell claimed she was forced to sprint to the door to escape. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louise Godbold Writing in a blog post, Louise Godbold, a non-profit director in Los Angeles, said her encounter with Weinstein took the form of an office tour that became an occasion to trap me in an empty meeting room. She said then Weinstein was begging for a massage, his hands on my shoulders as I attempted to beat a retreat.

It opened the pathway for multiple women to begin coming forward, with claims ranging from sexual harassment to rape, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Lupita Nyong'o, Cara Delevingne, and Asia Argento.

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The UK backers of the upcoming Paddington 2 film are looking to back out of a deal with the Weinstein Company to distribute the title in the US, in the wake of the allegations of sexual assault against co-founder Harvey Weinstein.

A source told The Guardian that Heyday Films, which co-produced both Paddington films with French company StudioCanal, wants to avoid any further association with the company.

It is deeply frustrating that a film made with such love and care and a character of such positive and generous spirit might, in some way, be tarnished with the brush of these horrific, wholly unacceptable, acts, they stated.

Over 40 women have now come forward with accusations against Harvey Weinstein, following an explosive report by The New York Times, which alleged decades of sexual harassment, including many high-profile names such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Lupita Nyongo, Cara Delevingne and Asia Argento.

Its a move that would certainly send out a clear message to those currently attempting to salvage the company with a new deal; the sequel was one of the biggest projects on its slate, with the first film earning $268m (203m) globally, the fourth biggest gross for any film the Weinstein Company has had involvement with.

Bob Weinstein, Harveys brother and TWC co-founder, actually used Paddington 2s release as attempted proof the company was still on solid ground.

Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Show all 42 1 /42 Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein Harry Weinsteins reputation as one of Hollywoods leading executives was long cemented in stone. The acclaimed movie mogul, who produced Oscar-winning films Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, and The Artist, clocked up box office successes and accolades aplenty. But this has quickly changed since a chorus of women have come forward to accuse the Hollywood producer of sexual harassment and assault. Since the New York Times bombshell report disclosed sexual harassment and rape allegations against the film mogul dating back decades, Weinstein has been fired from his namesake company, expelled from the Oscars and has had his wife leave him. Weinstein has apologised for having caused a lot of pain but has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Annabella Sciorra The Sopranos actor alleged Weinstein raped her after shooting The Night We Never Met, a 1993 movie that Weinstein produced. Similar to the stories told by other women, Weinstein drove the actor home, only to reportedly burst into Sciorra's apartment and start unbuttoning his shirt. He shoved me onto the bed, and he got on top of me, Sciorra said. I kicked and I yelled. Weinstein then allegedly locked her arms and forced sexual intercourse on her. After the incident, Sciorra found it increasingly hard to get work, many filmmakers saying 'We heard you were difficult', something the actor claims was because of the 'Weinstein-machine'. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Natassia Malthe The model and actress, who has appeared in around 50 films, said she met Weinstein at a BAFTA after party in 2008 while she was working as a spokeswoman for LG. She told a press conference in New York that she felt pressured into telling Weinstein she was staying at the Sanderson Hotel after being put on the spot. Malthe, now 43, said after her shift on February 10 she went back to her room and went to sleep, but was awoken by "repeated pounding" on her door, from someone yelling: "Open the door Natassia Malthe, it's Harvey Weinstein." Feeling humiliated, she said she opened the door. She alleged Weinstein began implying sex would get her a role in an upcoming film while semi-undressed and then he began to masturbate. "I was sitting on the bed talking to Harvey when he pushed me back and forced himself onto me. It was not consensual. He did not use a condom," she said. AP Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sean Young The actor, best known for her role in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, said that Weinstein exposed himself to her in the early 1990s, when she was starring in the Miramax-produced Love Crimes - a production company that Weinstein headed at the time. "I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me," she said. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really dont think you should be pulling that thing out, its not very pretty.'" Young never worked with Weinstein again after the incident. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lupita Nyong'o In an op-ed for The New York Times, the Oscar-winning actor said she was invited to Weinsteins family home in Connecticut on the premise of watching a film shortly after they met in 2011. But she said shortly after it started he "insisted" in front of his children that she follow him and she was led to his bedroom. The Kenyan-Mexican actress, now 34, said she felt pressured into giving him a massage after he offered her one. "Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants," she wrote."I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that." Over the years that followed, he continued to get in touch, Nyong'o said, and when she declined another proposition she felt her career was threatened. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lena Headey Writing on social media, the Game of Thrones actor claims she first met Weinstein at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 where, after taking her for a walk by the water, he made some suggestive comment and gesture. Headey claims she bumped into Weinstein years later where he kept asking her questions about her love life. She alleges that, when Weinstein invited her to his hotel room to show her a script, the "energy shifted. The actor notes how, after saying she was not interesting in anything but the work, Weinstein was furious, apparently marching her back to a lift, "grabbing and holding tightly to the back of [her] arm." She claims that, after paying for her car, he whispered in her ear: "Don't tell anyone about this, not your manager, not your agent. Headey finished the post, writing: I got in the car and I cried. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Laura Madden Madden, a production assistant who worked at Miramax for a decade, told the Times that Weinstein allegedly prodded her for massages at hotels, a common theme among the sources the Timess reporters spoke with. On one occasion, she claims she locked herself in his hotel bathroom, sobbing Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Judd recounted for the Times how Weinstein allegedly harassed her while she was filming Kiss the Girls in 1996, inviting her to his hotel room and asking her for a massage, then inviting her to watch him shower. Judd first went public with the allegations in a 2015 interview with Variety during which she discussed the experience without naming the producer involved. She described Weinsteins alleged behaviour as coercive bargaining; I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask, she told the Times AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rose McGowan McGowan reportedly reached a previously undisclosed $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997, over an incident that occurred in a hotel room Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emily Nestor Nestor had been temping at the Weinstein Company for only one day in 2014 when Weinstein allegedly offered to boost her career in return for sexual favours, according to the Times. She declined and reportedly complained of his behaviour to colleagues, who later passed the information on to senior executives. An internal Weinstein Company document cited by the Times describes Nestors encounter with Weinstein as follows: She said he was very persistent and focused though she kept saying no for over an hour Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ambra Battilana In March 2015, Battilana, an aspiring model and actress, was reportedly summoned to Weinsteins office on a Friday night to discuss her career. According to a police report cited by the Times, Battilana claimed she was assaulted by Weinstein, who grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt. Weinstein later claimed that Battilana had set him up, according to colleagues of his who were interviewed by the Times. The Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, later declined to press charges, and according to the Times, made a payment to Battilana. On 5 October, the International Business Times reported that after Vance dropped the charges, he received $10,000 from Weinsteins lawyer Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lauren OConnor Lauren OConnor, an employee of the Weinstein Company, penned a memo to executives alleging a toxic environment for women at the company. The memo cited numerous incidents of Weinstein harassing or coercing women who worked for him. She expressed fear that Weinstein was using her and other female employees to facilitate liaisons with vulnerable women who hope he will get them work. That same year, Weinstein allegedly reached a settlement with OConnor Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Kate Beckinsale The actor, who starred in the Weinstein Company films Serendipity and The Aviator, alleges that she was invited to Weinsteins hotel room at the age of just 17. When she approached the door, the producer reportedly greeted her dressed in just a dressing gown. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him, she wrote on Instagram. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Gwyneth Paltrow The actor alleges that after he cast her in the title role of the film Emma when she was 22, he took her to his hotel room, placed his hands on her and suggested massages. I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified, Paltrow told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Asia Argento Italian actress Asia Argento has alleged that in 1997 Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly told him to stop. When I see him, it makes me feel little and stupid and weak, Argento told The New Yorker. After the rape, he won. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Cara Delevigne The British model and actress penning an Instagram post claiming that Weinstein had ordered her to kiss another woman in his hotel room, and tried to kiss her on the lips. AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Ashley Judd said she rebuffed Harvey Weinsteins unwanted sexual advances by offering to consent only after she had won an Oscar. When she was initially invited to a meeting with Weinstein, Judd said, she was surprised to learn the producer was in his hotel room - a tactic that recurs in other womens accounts. Echoing the accounts of other women, Judd said Weinstein suggested she give him a massage and then invited her to watch him shower. After a volley of nos she said she would only after she wins an Oscar, fleeing after making the comments. Reuters/Mike Segar Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Judith Godreche French actress Judith Godreche said when she was 24 Weinstein invited her to his hotel room and asked to give her a massage. The next thing I know, hes pressing against me and pulling off my sweater, she told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mira Sorvino The Oscar-winning actor said she found herself in a hotel room with Weinstein in 1995 where he started massaging my shoulders, which made me very uncomfortable, and then tried to get more physical, sort of chasing me around. According to an interview in The New Yorker Weinstein subsequently arrived at her apartment late at night and she had to call a friend to come over to pose as her boyfriend in order to get Weinstein out of the house. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Katherine Kendall The actress said Weinstein undressed and chased her around a living room when she was just 23. She subsequently felt that telling others meant Ill never work again and no one is going to care or believe me, she told the New York Times. WireImage Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Tomi-Anne Roberts As an aspiring actress and working in a restaurant in New York, Tomi-Ann Roberts encountered Weinstein who encouraged her to audition for one of his films back in 1984. She subsequently went to meet him and found him naked in the bath and invited her to get naked and get into the bath with him, she told the New York Times. She said she left feeling manipulated. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Myleen Klass It has also been alleged that the disgraced film producer propositioned Myleene Klass with a sex contract at Cannes Film Festival in 2010. One of the singer and television personalitys friends reportedly told The Sun, Klass had told Weinstein to f*** off. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sophie Dix Sophie Dix, best known for her role as Captain Sadie Williams in Soldier Soldier, described her encounter with Weinstein when she was 23 as the single most damaging thing thats happened in my life. She told The Guardian Weinstein had pushed her to her bed and was tugging at her clothes. She rushed to the bathroom to escape, but when she came out she found him standing there masturbating. I quickly closed the door again and locked it, she said. Then when I heard room service come to the door I just ran. Rex Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lea Seydoux The actor and director claims she had to fight off Weinstein after he brought her to his hotel room during what she remembers to be 2012. He suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself. Hes big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted, she wrote in The Guardian. AFP/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Claire Forlani British actress Claire Forlani wrote on Twitter that she had evaded Weinsteins advances on five occasions at the age of 25. At meetings with the Hollywood a-lister, she says massage was suggested, and that Weinstein had boasted of all the women hed had sex with. Mark Douet Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Florence Darel French actress Florence Darel claimed Weinstein relentlessly pursued her in the mid 1990's and propositioned her while Eve Chilton, his wife at the time, was in the hotel room next door. I was astonished, she told People magazine. When you have someone so physically disgusting in front of you, continuing and continuing as though this was all perfectly normal What happened to me may not be illegal but it was inappropriate. Very inappropriate. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lysette Anthony Lysette Anthony, who starred as Marnie Nightingale in Hollyoaks, has claimed Weinstein raped her in the late 1980's after turning up to her London home in the late 1980s. She described the disgraced film producers alleged attack as pathetic and revolting and said it left her feeling disgusted and embarrassed. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Dawn Dunning Dunning said she met Weinstein in 2003 when she was 24-years-old and the disgraced film producer suggested she have a threesome with him and someone else. She told the New York Times Weinstein got angry when she refused. Youll never make it in this business, she said he told her as she left. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Arquette was already well known for her role in Desperately Seeking Susan, when she said she met Weinstein at his hotel to pick up a script in the early nineties. Weinstein was dressed only in a dressing gown, and tried to put her hand on his erect penis. Speaking to the New York Times, Arquette said as she left she told him: I will never be that girl. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emma de Caunes Caunes, a French actor, claimed Weinstein took her to his hotel room in 2010 supposedly to retrieve a book he was making into a film, but once there he went into the bathroom. De Caunes said he then emerged naked, with an erection and told her to lie on the bed. She fled the room. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Zoe Brock Model Zoe claimed that she had to lock herself in a bathroom at Weinsteins hotel in 1997, after the mogul had sent all of the assistants out of the room, and then appeared naked. I was alone with Weinstein, she told ITVs This Morning programme. He very quickly left the room and came back naked. He chased me naked. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Barth Actress Jessica Barth described an encounter with Weinstein in 2011 in an interview with The New Yorker in which she said Weinstein veered between offering her roles in films and demanding a naked massage. She alleges the producer said to her: So, what would happen if, say, were having some champagne and I take my clothes off and you give me a massage? When she tried to leave, he then promised to give her the number of a female executive at the company. He gave me her number, and I walked out and I started bawling, Barth said. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Romola Garai The actress told The Guardian she felt violated after she went to a meeting with Weinstein at the age of 18 and he met her in his hotel room wearing nothing but a dressing gown. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Heather Graham Graham claimed that during a casting opportunity in the early 2000's Weinstein had told her he had an open relationship with his wife. He could sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town. I walked out of the meeting feeling uneasy, Graham told Variety. There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there. Graham was never hired to work in a Weinstein film. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Hynes Spaced and W1A star Jessica Hynes tweeted about an encounter with Weinstein earlier this week, but subsequently deleted the tweet. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louisette Geiss The former actress said she met Weinstein to pitch a film script she was working on. During the meeting, Weinstein allegedly went out and reappeared naked and got into a jacuzzi where he masturbated in front of her and said he would make the script into a film if she stayed and watched. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Liza Campbell Liza Campbell, a British writer and artist, alleged that Olympically ugly Weinstein asked her to join him in the bath and began getting undressed at a hotel. In a piece for The Times, Campbell claimed she was forced to sprint to the door to escape. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louise Godbold Writing in a blog post, Louise Godbold, a non-profit director in Los Angeles, said her encounter with Weinstein took the form of an office tour that became an occasion to trap me in an empty meeting room. She said then Weinstein was begging for a massage, his hands on my shoulders as I attempted to beat a retreat.

TWC has had nothing to do with the making of Paddington and Paddington 2, they simply acquired the North American distribution right, the source added. When dealing with peoples lives it feels inappropriate to comment on the business of film. Suffice to say our hope is that another distributor will be found.

Channing Tatum has also severed his ties with the company, pulling his directorial debut Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, which deals with sexual abuse.

The brave women who had the courage to stand up and speak their truths about Harvey Weinstein are true heroes to us. They are lifting the heavy bricks to build the equitable world we all deserve to live in, Tatums statement on the decision read.

Our lone project in development with TWC  Matthew Quicks brilliant book, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock  is a story about a boy whose life was torn asunder by sexual abuse. While we will no longer develop it or anything else that is property of TWC, we are reminded of its powerful message of healing in the wake of tragedy.

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Governments across the world are battling with technology companies to decide the future of the internet. And it is a matter of life and death.

The UK Government is currently leading a fight to force technology companies to delete content at will, a power they claim is necessary for counter-extremism projects but which experts say will enable censorship and could even put people at great risk of attack.

And the result of that fight is likely to be profound: countries across the world are following the UK in attempting to decide whats published online.

In recent years, the Government has focused more and more on removing the ability to discuss or spread terrorist propaganda from the internet. That marks a major departure from its previous, abandoned, strategy, which had originally focused on the security tools that were being used to protect messages.

Recommended Tech giants told to delete terror posts within an hour

Initially, that shift came when Theresa May was home secretary, and she attempted to force technology companies to stop using strong encryption so that intelligence agencies could read messages. This resulted in severe pushback from technology companies, which argued it wouldnt be possible to break the security just for terrorists without endangering all of their users.

A growing agreement on that argument has led the Government to instead focus on terrorist content, not the delivery tools used to spread that content. And so the focus has become the social media and technology companies like YouTube and Facebook, rather than messaging companies like WhatsApp and Apple.

The climbdown has happened quietly but it had some major flashpoints. After the San Bernardino attack in 2015, for instance, the US government tried to force Apple to break into a phone so that it could read the messages contained inside  Apple refused and pursued legal recourse, in a tussle that was widely thought to be a test case for future collisions between technology and anti-terror police.

That dispute took place entirely in the US but it was watched around the world. That shows just how international the debate about terrorist content and propaganda is  and how impossible it is to make one decision in isolation.

 Theresa May: The internet provides a safe space for extremist ideologies to breed

The UK has pursued far more intense and intrusive snooping powers than any other government in the developed world, for example. And European courts have been much more happy about applying regulation to tech companies  forcing a number of recent decisions on to them, including the right to be forgotten, which forced technology companies to remove information about people that was old and unnecessary.

Even the US  a country famous for allowing its tech companies a great deal of freedom and eschewing the idea of social justice that animates European and UK courts  has signalled that it wants to limit what theyre allowed to publish, and may follow the European model.

Experts warn that because of the intensely global nature of such regulation, it becomes a race to the bottom  as soon as one government does something, other authorities will feel validated in pursuing such powers. Technology companies are so large that they require international governance and consensus, since any differences in regulation are likely to mean that companies may be forced into acting illegally in one country or the other.

The 2017 Conservative manifesto promised that the UK would become the global leader in the regulation of the use of personal data and the internet. That was a comment seized upon by both supporters and opponents, who claimed that it showed how far Britains snooping laws had intruded into peoples lives, and that its leadership would be followed by oppressive regimes who could now call on the UK example for legitimacy.

That has come true. The UKs interventions in technology regulation and snooping are thought to have become a model for other countries around the world. The UK Investigatory Powers Act, recognised to include some of the widest spying powers anywhere in the world, has now become law.

The latest intervention came from the very top of the Government this week.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Ms May repeated her belief that technology companies need to do more to get rid of content from the internet.

A colleague, Conservative MP Lucy Frazer, asked: Yesterday, the director general of MI5 said that internet companies had an ethical responsibility to deal with terrorist material online.

The Prime Minister has previously indicated that if they do not meet this challenge she will consider regulation. Will she confirm that if regulations are necessary they will be robust and enforced?

Ms May answered with a long response that said it is a real issue that we need to address.

We need to work together but I want those tech companies to recognise their social and moral responsibility to work with us to do something about this material, she continued.

She also made several references to work that she and Home Secretary Amber Rudd had done with technology companies. She praised the Ms Rudd's important work, for instance, with the tech companies, which have come together and formed a global forum looking at how to deal with terrorist material on the internet, and praised herself for having hosted a meeting at the UN General Assembly that was attended by tech companies and countries from across the world.

But representatives of tech companies who have attended those meetings are less glowing about their effects. Several have described them primarily as PR exercises, for which there is little need to fly out all the way to San Francisco.

Despite those criticisms, internet companies are doing more to tackle terror  and making that work as public as they can. Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube this summer founded the Global Internet Forum to Combat Terrorism. It is supposed to help create new technological solutions like tools to detect bad content, and pass those findings to smaller companies.

Google, for instance, has been working on counter-speech work, which attempts early intervention before people have actually been radicalised, and tries to change peoples mind when they begin searching.

If people appear to be looking for terrorist content or propaganda  like searching how to join Isis", for instance  then Google will intervene with content intended to change their mind. Google has also given out Adwords grants, so that non-governmental organisations can buy ads on problematic searches for free, on which they can put links to counter-extremist content.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. 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The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

The technology companies claim that is a much more effective approach than the one currently being pursued by the UK Government  rather than being compelled to do the inefficient and expensive work of taking down every post, as the Government appears to want them to, they can instead use technological solutions to disrupt the marketplace of ideas.

But the problem isnt simply practical or technical  it boils down to questions about what exactly technology companies are and do. Social media companies tend to refer to themselves not as publishers, which would make them liable for any content hosted there, but as platforms, a designation for which there is a much less clear regulatory and ethical framework.

The problem is the very idea of the social media system  it is ungovernable, said Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Facebook is designed as if we are nice to each other. And were not.

Ms Mays most recent comments came in the same week that the US committed to some of its most sweeping internet regulation law yet. A bipartisan bill is being introduced in the senate that would force internet companies to be more transparent and critical of the advertising they run online.

Russia attempted to influence the 2016 presidential election by buying and placing political ads on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, reads the announcement of the bill, which is backed by senators including John McCain. The content and purchaser(s) of those online advertisements are a mystery to the public because of outdated laws that have failed to keep up with evolving technology. The Honest Ads Act would prevent foreign actors from influencing our elections by ensuring that political ads sold online are covered by the same rules as ads sold on TV, radio and satellite.

The provisions of the bill are relatively limited  especially when compared with regulations in Europe  but they may be the beginning of more sweeping powers. Tech companies are thought to be stepping up their lobbying efforts in anticipation of more criticism and legislation, and experts suggest that the European powers may come to be more reflected in the US, too.

I anticipate the EU will be where many of these issues get played out, said Sarah T Roberts, an assistant professor of information studies at UCLA who has studied efforts to monitor and vet internet content. Objectionable content is the biggest problem going forward. Its no longer acceptable for the firms to say that they cant do anything about it.
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The phrase has become so ubiquitous that we almost dont hear it anymore. Youre still my best friend, Michelle Obama effused to Barack Obama in an Instagram post celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

Its common at award shows, as when Justin Timberlake said not long ago: I want to thank my best friend, my favourite collaborator, my wife, Jessica.

Its common on how-to sites, where authors write articles on nurturing a friendship with your spouse. Like the living dead, another oxymoron, spouse-friends, are all around us these days. Maybe its the heightened attention on friendship in social media; maybe its the decline of actual friends in our lives; maybe its because we all have access to public declarations of once-private relationships.

Whatever the reason, referring to your spouse as your bestie, your bud, or your #BFF has become rampant. So rampant, in fact, theres even a backlash. Why Your Spouse Shouldnt Be Your Best Friend, one marital advice blog declares.

So which is it? Is considering your spouse your closest friend a sign of hard-earned intimacy, attachment and trust, or is it a sign youve become so enmeshed in the day-to-day logistics of managing your lives that youve given up sexual attraction, passion and erotic play? Has marriage become little more than benefits with friendship?

There is some research into this question. John Helliwell is a professor at the Vancouver School of Economics and the editor of the World Happiness Report. As he researched social connections a few years ago, he found that everyone derives benefits from online friends and real-life friends, but the only friends that boost our life satisfaction are real friends.

But while the effects of real friends on your well-being is important for everybody, he says, they are less so for married people than for singles. Thats how we got to the idea that marriage is a kind of super-friendship.

Helliwell and a colleague discovered that a long-running study in Britain had data that may illuminate this question.

Justin Timberlake with his wife and best friend Jessica Biel at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles in January (Getty)

From 1991 to 2009, the British Household Panel Survey asked 30,000 people to quantify their life satisfaction. In general, married people expressed higher satisfaction, he says, and were better able to manage the dip in well-being that most people experience in middle age, as they face work stress, caring for ageing parents and other pressures. But an entirely separate part of the study asked people to name their best friend.

Those who listed their spouse were twice as likely to have higher life satisfaction. Slightly more men than women made that choice, he says, which makes sense, because men tend to have fewer friends. Is feeling this way about your spouse necessary for a good marriage? I asked. Absolutely not, Helliwell says. The benefits of marriage are strong even for those who are littered with outside friends. Its just bigger for those who consider their spouse their closest friend. Its a bonus.

Others are not so sure. Amir Levine is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Columbia University, and the co-author of Attached. A student of social relations, Levine says everyone has what he calls a hierarchy of attachment, meaning if something bad happens to us, we have a ranking of the people we call. In our early decades, those on the highest rungs are usually our parents or other family members.

The problem as you grow older is, how do you let somebody close whos basically a total stranger? he says. Nature came up with a trick: Its called attraction. Sexual attraction brings down all the barriers, lets you get close to a new person in a physical way that you dont get close to your family. Over time, of course, this physical connection wanes. While many bemoan this loss of titillation, Levine celebrates it.

Its smart, he says. If youre going to be crazy about the other person all the time, how are you going to raise kids? How are you going to be able to work?

Instead of complaining, we should view this new phase as an achievement: OK, now I have this person Im attached to. I have the feeling of security. Thats what allows me to be an individual again and self-actualise.

Its this feeling of security, Levine says, that leads us to describe our spouses as friends. But that language is not quite right, he says. First, couples still need what he calls maintenance sex, because it re-establishes physical closeness and renews attachment.

Second, the term friendship is an underwhelming representation of whats going on, he says. What people basically mean is, Im in a secure relationship. Being close to my partner is very rewarding. I trust them. Theyre there for me in such a profound way that it allows me to have courage to create, to explore, to imagine.'

Levine summarises this feeling with the (somewhat awkward) acronym CARRP; your partner is consistent, available, responsive, reliable and predictable. But dont we already have a word, spouse, that fits this description? Why are we suddenly using the expression best friend when that doesnt seem to fit at all?

Because not every spouse provides that, he says, and were indicating we dont take it for granted. What we should probably be saying is secure spouse.

Theres yet another problem with calling your husband or wife your best friend. The words mean totally different things. Peter Pearson and Ellyn Bader are founders of the Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California, and the authors of Tell Me No Lies. Theyve also been married for more than 30 years. Pearson says theres a critical difference between a best friend and a spouse. One of the criteria for a best friend is you feel unconditionally accepted, he says.

Do I care if my buddy Mark is messy in the kitchen, leaves his bathroom a shambles and doesnt pay his income taxes? But with a spouse, he says, you cant avoid these topics.

Bader says that when couples are just getting to know each other, they often say theyre companions, and shes fine with that. When couples have been together 30, 40 or 50 years, they use similar language, and that can be the mark of a healthy relationship.

Its the in-between ones, when they use the language of friendship, my stomach turns, Bader says. Its a red flag for a lot of conflict avoidance and intensity avoidance. It often means theyve given up on the complexity of being with somebody. Instead of saying, Oh, well, thats who they are, its better if they try to work things out.

Bader says that she wished popular magazines would challenge the notion that you shouldnt get married to change someone. I think thats what marriage is about, she says. Its where some of the juices come from, and its also how you get the best out of the person you marry.

A good marriage, she says, is when people push each other, challenge each other, encourage each other and, yes, change each other. Asked if they were best friends, they laugh. Were good friends, Pearson says.

Really good friends, Bader says. Hes lots of things that my best friend isnt, but my best friend is lots of things hes not.

And that may be the point: Calling the person youre married to your best friend may be shorthand for saying that you actually like your spouse and that you have shared history, shared lives and shared dreams. But in the end, the expression doesnt do justice to the full meaning of marriage or to the full meaning of friendship. After all, if your spouse is your best friend, then whom do you complain to your spouse about?

 The New York Times
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President Donald Trump has said he plans to allow the release of classified government documents about the assassination of President John F Kennedy. The deadline set in law by US Congress mandating the public release of the secret files has been set for this Thursday. The documents, which include FBI and CIA reports, may or may not confirm the revelations in a book published earlier this year: a first-hand insiders account of the CIAs plots against Kennedy, Castro and Che Guevara.

Antonio Veciana is an 88-year-old great-grandfather living out his retirement in Miami. Yet in his prime, he was at the heart of some of the most momentous events in modern US history. These included the CIAs anti-Castro operations and anti-communist covert plans in Latin America, as well as inadvertently witnessing the meeting of a top CIA operative with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the assassination of President John F Kennedy.

Veciana has co-written his memoir Trained to Kill with veteran Pulitzer-winning journalist Carlos Harrison. He went public with his astonishing claims at a conference held in 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Warren Commission report. The commission had been set up by President Johnson, and arrived at the official conclusion that Oswald was the lone assassin in the murder of JFK.

Veciana started out as a bank accountant in Cuba and initially aligned himself with Castros guerrilla war, participating in the overthrow of despised dictator Batista  who was backed by the US. Batista presided over extensive corruption while keeping his own people in a state of abject poverty.

22 November, Dallas, Texas, 1963: JFK and his wife Jacqueline minutes before the assassination (Getty) (Keystone/Getty)

The direction of the Cuban revolution was not inevitably destined for socialism. However, when Washington refused to deal with Castro following his victory, he was forced to turn to the Soviet Union. Veciana would himself turn against Castro, and was recruited by the CIA in their covert action operations. This secret war, waged relentlessly against Cuba, consisted of economic and industrial sabotage, as well as acts of terrorism. Veciana concedes that he was an unlikely terrorist: a skinny, asthmatic, insecure youngster.

Once his prominence brought him to the attention of Cuban security services, Veciana had no option but to flee for Miami on a boat. With funding and support from the CIA, he founded Alpha 66, which became one of the most notorious Cuban exile groups. In 1963, Veciana and Alpha 66 would make headlines all over the world after holding a press conference claiming responsibility for an attack on a Russian vessel in Cuban waters.

According to Richard Helms, who would later become director of the CIA, the Kennedy brothers pushed hard for the overthrow of Castro. However, JFK had been ambivalent about the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, and withheld air cover  thereby guaranteeing its miserable failure with scores of fighters killed and over a thousand taken prisoner.

Yet David Talbot argues in The Devils Chessboard  a biography of legendary CIA spymaster Allen Dulles, which reads more like a Hollywood thriller  that the Bay of Pigs was deliberately designed to fail, in order to force JFK to acquiesce to it. This event, early in the Kennedy presidency, earned the undying animosity of diehard anti-Castro exiles such as Veciana, and their virulently anti-communist CIA handlers including future Watergate burglar Howard Hunt and David Sanchez Morales.

Shots heard around the world: the murder sent shockwaves throughout the US and wider global population (Getty) (Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty)

Such animosity only intensified within the ranks of the CIA and the Pentagon, with the refusal of JFK to invade Cuba at the height of the 1962 missile crisis. The ensuing agreement with Khrushchev not to invade Cuba, in return for the withdrawal of Russian missiles from the island, was effectively strike three for the young President. As far as hardliners in the military industrial complex were concerned, the prospect of coexistence with communism was untenable.

JFK was cognisant of such dangers, pushing Kirk Douglas to produce a film version of political thriller Seven Days in May about a military coup detat in the US. Robert Kennedy would later confess that, at the height of the missile crisis, they sent word to the Russians that they might not be able to control their gung-ho generals. It is worth recalling that French President Charles De Gaulle survived assassination attempts and a military coup over his decision to grant Algeria independence.

In 1975 (during the aftermath of Watergate), the Church Committee revealed the FBIs Counter Intelligence Programme of mass surveillance and infiltration of anti-war and civil rights groups, as well as the CIAs Executive Action assassination apparatus, code-named ZR/Rifle. As a result, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was set up, reopening investigations into the murders of JFK and Martin Luther King.

Gaeton Fonzi was one of the Congressional investigators for the HSCA when he managed to track down Veciana. Fonzi did not fully disclose his role, merely stating that he was investigating the links between Cuban exile groups and intelligence agencies. As Fonzi relates in his breathless, page-turning account The Last Investigation, Veciana unburdened himself to Fonzi, revealing that his CIA handler went by the code name of Maurice Bishop. He had even witnessed an extraordinary meeting in Dallas in September 1963, two months before the assassination of President Kennedy.

The window of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, from which Lee Harvey Oswald is thought to have fired (Getty) (Hulton Archive/Getty)

Veciana had turned up early for the meeting with Bishop at the towering Southland Centre. He saw Bishop with a pale young man, who was introduced as Lee  although this man did not utter a single word. It was only two months later that he recognised the television and newspaper pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald  the alleged assassin  as the man he had met with Bishop.

Veciana realised it would be prudent not to speak of what he had seen. Throughout this revelatory conversation, Fonzi tried hard to act nonchalant  but he later admitted that in his mind he fell off his chair. Veciana was essentially confirming long-held suspicions directly linking the CIA to the JFK assassination.

Fonzi now dedicated his mission to unmasking the true identity of Maurice Bishop, enlisting a professional police artist to sketch a portrait of Bishop based on Vecianas description. By chance, one of Fonzis committee colleagues, Senator Richard Schweiker, suggested that the picture had an unerring resemblance to CIA operative David Atlee Phillips, who had been running anti-Castro operations and would later rise to the illustrious position of the CIAs head of the Western Hemisphere division. Fonzi eventually arranged a surprise meeting in an attempt to confirm this. He took Veciana along to a meeting of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers  a lobbying group Phillips had founded after retiring in 1975.

Antonia Veciana, who could be the key to the last centurys most compelling conspiracy (Youtube)

When confronted, Phillips denied any knowledge of having ever met Veciana, in spite of his high-profile status as the leader of a major Cuban exile group. In turn, Veciana denied that Bishop was Phillips  but their body language betrayed a different story. Veciana could not take his eyes off Phillips, whilst Phillips was nervous and shaken. The HSCA compelled both Phillips and Veciana to testify.

Veciana already suspected Bishop as being behind the trumped-up charges which landed him in jail on bogus narcotics charges, in order to curtail the formers unsanctioned operations. Fonzi would eventually resolve that Veciana was using the HSCA in an effort to protect himself from the CIA, making it clear that he was capable of damaging exposures.

The final HSCA report, published in 1979, would conclude that there was a probable conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy partially based on acoustic analysis of Dictabelt recordings revealing two gunmen. This contradicted the Warren Commission version of a lone gunman, but did not confirm the identity of any supposed conspirators.

A few months later, Veciana was shot in the head and left for dead  but somehow survived. He remains unsure of the perpetrators, but was aware that he was now a liability in the aftermath of the HSCA investigation. However, he also suspected that Castros G2 intelligence was working its way through a hit-list of state enemies.

Lyndon B Johnson takes the oath of office as president, shortly after the assassination (Getty)

In any case, he maintained a vow of silence in his desire for self-preservation. Until now, that is.

Veciana is at the end of his life and his wife has passed away. His children have grown up. He is ready to exorcise the ghosts of the past. Veciana finally concedes that he lied to Gaeton Fonzi. Maurice Bishop was indeed, as long suspected, David Atlee Phillips  the man he saw with Oswald.

As David Talbot points out in the foreword to the book, the classic anti-conspiracy argument is that somebody would have spoken. Yet Veciana is simply the last in a long line of whistleblowers, from Oswalds self-exonerating Im just a patsy to Jack Rubys claims of a wider conspiracy, right up to Howard Hunts apparent deathbed confession.

So what was really going on? I decided to ask Jefferson Morley, who has interviewed Veciana twice and is one of the pre-eminent historians of the JFK assassination, having written on the subject for several decades. His website JFKfacts.org treats the subject as a live case with developments continuing to unfold. He is the author of Our Man in Mexico, which details the story of Winston Scott (head of the CIA station in Mexico City during this period).

Morley, based in Washington, points out that we now know a cadre of CIA officers, including the protean James Jesus Angleton (chief of CIA counter-intelligence 1954-75), had a pre-assassination interest in Oswald. Incidentally, Morleys forthcoming book is a biography of Angleton, titled The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton. The declassified documents contradict the testimony of Helms and Angleton denying any foreknowledge of Oswald, and revealed that the fingerprints of intelligence were all over this callow twenty-something.

The book promises to shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of our time

These CIA officers had what Morley describes as a granular knowledge of the beliefs, movements and history of the alleged assassin, going back at least to his time as an apparent defector to the Soviet Union. In fact, as Morley emphasises, the information pertaining to Oswald all went back to Angletons office rather than representing a failure to connect the dots.

Oswalds biography poses the thorniest questions for the official version. The presidential assassin was immediately portrayed as a fanatical communist. Yet if this was the case, then it is difficult to explain away his return to the US with no questions asked following his defection to the Soviet Union. In fact, not only did the State department hand back his passport, but it gave him a loan to facilitate his settling down.

Oswald then spent much of 1963 with hardcore anti-communists in New Orleans, such as CIA pilot David Ferrie and ex-FBI turned private eye Guy Banister. Both were involved in anti-Castro ops, as unearthed by the Garrison investigation. Then Oswald was integrated into the White Russian exile community in Dallas. As Oliver Stone points out in his magnum opus JFK, this was a strange way for a Marxist to spend his spare time.

Oswalds trip to Mexico City in the weeks leading up to the assassination is at the heart of this tangled web. Oswald apparently travelled to both the Cuban and Russian embassies in the Mexican capital, and failed to obtain a visa for travel to Cuba and onwards to the Soviet Union. He supposedly met with Valery Kostikov, who just happened to be a KGB assassinations agent.

The funeral procession of JFK into Washington: the youngest man elected President, and the youngest to die (Getty) (Newsmakers/Getty)

Yet when the CIA was asked to produce evidence of this trip, the photographs from their round-the-clock surveillance of the embassies were of another man. The official excuse was that the cameras were either turned off or not working. Furthermore, taped recordings of Oswalds phone conversations were conveniently destroyed.

It seems more plausible that Oswald was a CIA asset, starting with his stationing at the Atsugi base in Japan, from where the top secret U2 spy planes originated. It appears that his mission to the USSR saw him being dangled as part of Angletons hunt for a KGB mole at the highest levels of the CIA.

We may never know exactly what he was up to in New Orleans and Dallas. It has been suggested that he was also a paid FBI informant, as first alleged in the early days of the Warren Commissions investigation. In which case, he may have been asked to infiltrate pro-Cuban domestic groups.

In those final mysterious weeks of his short life, what exactly did this gauche young man think he was doing? Was he even being asked to penetrate an assassination plot on the President in an effort to sabotage it?

Some have speculated that Oswald was being sheep-dipped as a Marxist as an elaborate cover story by the assassination planners wishing to pin the blame on Castro and the Soviets, in an attempt to catalyse long-sought-after regime change in Cuba. This might explain the role of Bishop/Phillips  considered a master of black ops and propaganda  as Oswalds purported handler, and that infamous meeting so close to the assassination.

Jackie at the funeral: Jacqueline Kennedy, her two children Caroline and John Jr, as well as brothers-in-law Ted (left) and Robert (right) (Getty)

If all of this sounds far-fetched then one has to only consider the official existence of Operation Northwoods  a false flag 1962 Pentagon plan prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to perpetrate terrorist attacks on US soil in order to justify the invasion of Cuba.

The ingenuity here is that the same logic was used to close down investigation channels; with Lyndon Johnson in effect tasked Chief Justice Earl Warrens eponymous commission to arrive at the conclusion of a lone nut assassin. The reason? Based on Hoovers confidential disclosures of Oswalds trip to the Soviet embassy in Mexico, the morning after the assassination, Johnson believed that a wide-ranging investigation could trigger a third world war.

Over five million pages of documents pertaining to the JFK assassination have already been released. This final batch contains hundreds of files on Phillips, Hunt, Angleton and Helms. It is unlikely that there will be a smoking gun to solve the greatest whodunit of the 20th century.

However, in just a matter of days, we might have the answers to some of these tantalising questions  as long as the agencies do not obstruct their release. Even if they do, the final decision will belong to President Trump  himself an inveterate conspiracy theorist engaged in a self-proclaimed war with the deep state. Its all set for a showdown, and a dramatic climax to over half a century of intrigue, disinformation and speculation in the ultimate postmodern labyrinth. The final countdown begins.

Youssef El-Gingihy is the author of How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps published by Zero books
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A man armed with a sawn-off shotgun has taken at least two people hostage at a bowling alley in Nuneaton.

Warwickshire Police said they were "dealing with an ongoing incident" at Bermuda Park and urged members of the public to avoid the area.

They later tweeted to say the situation was "unconnected to any terrorist activity."

The Chief Executive of the MFA Bowl confirmed two staff members were taken hostage.

One eye-witness, Dean Rogers, told the Coventry Telegraph there were up to 30 armed officers at the scene.

Another, Lloyd Weightman, told the paper a man with a shotgun commanded him to "get the f*** out" of the bowling alley.

He said he and his two sons, aged seven and three, went into a nearby Odeon cinema, which is now in lockdown.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We currently have an ambulance, two paramedic officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team, and an emergency planning manager at the scene."

It tweeted to say there had been no casualties.

Replying to Warwickshire Police's post about the "ongoing incident" on Twitter, Paul Edgington said: "I'm stuck in the cinema. Are we safe? How long are we expected to be locked down?"

In a Facebook post, Chris Carpenter said: "Madness up in Nuneaton bowling man got two hostages and a shotgun, just saw him walk a hostage to the door with a shotgun to his head."

Footage shared on social media appeared to show armed police at the scene, along with a helicopter hovering overhead.

Nearby roads have been blocked off by the police and an air ambulance had landed at the scene along with three other ambulances, local media reports said.

The park includes an Odeon cinema, children's play centre, Nuffield Health gym, Holiday Inn hotel and other pubs and restaurants.

A staff member in the retail park said: "We are on lockdown."

One witness told BBC News: "When we were leaving there were police standing around the bowling alley, there were police cars outside the main entrance, with police officers in full body armour."

Another witness, Sarah Fleming, said a police officer confirmed to her an armed man was holding hostages at MFA Bowl.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant 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London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group 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in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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She told Sky News: "We got notification that someone had a shotgun inside the bowling alley.

"We were inside Frankie and Benny's and obviously we went on lockdown, no-one was allowed in or out.

"Then we had notification from the police that he actually had hostages.

"Everyone has been a bit up in the air, don't know what's going on and obviously there is a lot of children in here as well which has been quite an experience for them.

"So everyone is a little bit scared at the minute."

The restaurant was put on lockdown after a manager went to the nearby cinema, where staff confirmed the situation, she added.

Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones told Sky News: "It is a situation where I think we need to let the police do their job and I think this is an extremely concerning situation.

"But I have every confidence that Warwickshire Police are capable and are able to deal with what looks like a very difficult situation."
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In the shadow of what was once the notorious Calais Jungle thousands of refugees have become living targets for smugglers and human traffickers as their plight becomes increasingly perilous.

A year on from the demolition of the shantytown, dozens of displaced families are sleeping rough in woodland in the region waiting for their chance to be smuggled into Britain by criminals  often after paying extortionate amounts to guarantee their passage across the Channel.

Hundreds of lone teenagers who dont have the means to pay are meanwhile increasingly prone to exploitation at the hands of these gangs, who are promising them a free crossing in return for work upon arrival in the UK.

The refugees desperation is exacerbated by the looming winter coupled with the dearth of any form of state or official aid. Since the UK Home Office ended funding for an anti-trafficking service in the region in April 2017, there has been no state agency tackling the problem, leaving the market open to criminals who wish to exploit refugees.

Official figures indicate the number of gangs targeting the refugees in the area since the Jungle was demolished has increased, with 20 smuggling networks having been dismantled by French police since the start of the year  matching the figure for the whole of 2016.

There were just over 8,000 refugees living in the Jungle before it was destroyed, and more than 10,000 at its peak. Following its closure people were transported away from the region to reception centres across France, but in the last 12 months the numbers have been slowly rising again. Between 1,500 and 2,000 refugees are currently sleeping rough in Calais and Dunkirk, according to charities on the ground.

Aerial view of the Jungle camp before its demolition in October 2016 (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

The site of the Jungle camp after the demolition (Jim Bennett)

Ari, a Kurdish Iraqi in his late thirties, fled religious persecution in Iraq with his wife and three young children in January after an attack by a terrorist group left his arm permanently damaged. They arrived in France in August after an eight-month journey through Turkey and Europe.

Sitting with his 11-month-old son on a patch of grass in Dunkirk, the former meat trader told The Independent he had paid 15,000 to a smuggler to get his family to the UK, where he said they hope to join his aunt and cousins  the only relatives they have outside Iraq.

Ari and his 11-month-old son Mandella

Now he carries his phone at all times in case the smuggler calls, having identified a sleeping driver in a lorry, at which point Ari will take his family immediately to the location and make the dangerous attempt to board the vehicle without being heard.

He says, come, come now, and I get my family up and we all get in, Ari explained. Weve tried many times but no luck. After one or two hours the driver wakes up. Im hoping it will work eventually, because we have no other choice. Of course this is dangerous for my children, but I dont have any solution.

Several miles east in Calais, hundreds of teenagers and young people meander in a small field close to the now inaccessible land where the Jungle used to be. Late at night, they go to nearby parking lots to try to board lorries. But with smuggling gangs controlling many of these areas, they are exposed to increasing danger.

Hundreds of young refugees still sleep rough in Calais in the hope of one day reaching the UK

Rishal, 28 and one of the eldest of around 20 women and girls in the area, said her family has paid 10,000 to smugglers so far for her crossing from Eritrea to join her younger brother in Cardiff. She explained that now the money has run out, and she is trying to cross to the UK unassisted.

I try often in the night, sometimes early in the morning. We try to get into lorries. Spending six hours in a truck is hard, and then you get out and you arent in England, she said, rubbing the back of her neck. She explained that it is painful from the last attempt she made four days ago.

The Eritrean woman doesn't explicitly state the risk of traffickers, but she expresses her fear of Kurdish and Afghan men who often guard the lorry parking areas. They are dangerous, she said. They have knives. I dont like go near them.

Michael McHugh, of the Refugee Youth Service, a Calais-based charity that keeps records of children in the region, said refugees, particularly the younger ones, are being exploited by people smugglers.

What were becoming increasingly aware of is that young people are being exploited while on the move. They are being moved for the purpose of exploitation. The opportunities to cross the border have become more limited, and theres been an increase in prices  so smugglers by default are becoming traffickers. The market has opened up for it, he said.

Theyll say: Ill get you across and you dont have to pay now but I do have a friend that you could work for in the UK. Children are becoming more desperate and susceptible. Weve had many young people who weve believed are in the UK but who we now cant find.

The Refugee Youth Service refers any young person they suspect to have crossed to the Britain to a UK-based anti-trafficking agency. The charity has sent 22 referrals for minors since the beginning of August this year, of whom just seven have been located safely.

Shrubland where hundreds of young refugees reside day to day in Calais as they attempt to board lorries to the UK

Mr McHugh said a lack of a joined-up approach between British and French authorities to track the youngsters, particularly since the Home Office cut funding for an anti-trafficking service in the region, means he and other volunteers feel increasingly helpless in their efforts to protect them from trafficking.

We have young people who we are trying to engage with, and we can feel the presence of adult interference. This is what gets the alarm bells ringing, but we are powerless to do much about it, he added.

Hannah Stott, programme manager of the Barnardos child trafficking advocacy, said her agency is working with dozens of young people in the UK who were brought from northern France to the UK by traffickers, who then use sophisticated grooming techniques to lure them into forced labour.

They use coercion through threats of violence or whatever it might be to then lead onto that exploitation in France, on route and then when they arrive in the UK. They offer to get them to the UK for free, but then on arrival they have to pay back X amount of money  were talking thousands or sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, she said.

Recommended Refugees in Calais suffering trench foot from squalid conditions

Many are experiencing labour exploitation, such as working in car washes, the construction industry and agriculture, with others victims to criminal exploitation, including being forced into petty crime and running drugs for highly organised criminal gangs.

Ms Stott said that along with high numbers of Vietnamese and Albanian child trafficking victims, whose plight is fairly well-documented, there has been a notable rise in the past year of young people from Sudan and Afghanistan  two of the most common nationalities sleeping rough in northern France.

When asked what the UK was doing to prevent child trafficking from northern France to the UK, a Home Office spokesman said: We provided funding to [French organisation] France Terre dAsile to help identify and protect victims of trafficking in the Calais camp, which was cleared in autumn 2016.

The UK and France worked extremely closely to coordinate the clearance and ensure those in need of protection were moved to suitable facilities. We transferred over 900 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK from other European countries last year, including more than 750 from France as part of the UKs support for the Calais camp clearance.

We continue to work closely with our French counterparts to target people traffickers and enhance security at the border.

Calais refugee camp evacuation Show all 15 1 /15 Calais refugee camp evacuation Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees run past a fire in the makeshift migrant camp known as 'the jungle' in Calais, October 2016 AP Calais refugee camp evacuation French authorities say the closure of the slum-like camp in Calais will last approximately a week in what they describe as a "humanitarian" operation, October 2016 AP Calais refugee camp evacuation A painted message saying 'Bye Jungle' on a tent in the camp in Calais, October 2016 Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees set rubbish bins alight as a protest in the makeshift camp 'the Jungle' in Calais, France, October 2016 EPA Calais refugee camp evacuation French riot police advance through tear gas and smoke from a fire to disperse refugees throwing stones and lighting fires at the Jungle migrant camp Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation French CRS riot police secure an area on the eve of the evacuation and transfer of refugees to reception centers in France Reuters Calais refugee camp evacuation Journalists run away from smoke during clashes near a makeshift refugee camp known as 'the jungle' in Calais AP Calais refugee camp evacuation French CRS riot police secure an area on the eve of the evacuation and transfer of refugees to reception centers in Franc Reuters Calais refugee camp evacuation Migrants queue for transportation by bus to reception centres across France, from the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees line-up to register at a processing centre in the 'jungle' near Calais, northern France, as the mass exodus from the migrant camp begins PA wire Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation French far-right Front National (FN) party's member of parliament Marion Marechal-Le Pen (L) delivers a speech next to a banner reading "They arrive in Vaucluse, no migrants in our place" as she attends a rally against the hosting of refugees in La Tour d'Aigues Getty Images Calais refugee camp evacuation French police forces secure the area near the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees carry their belongings and transfer to reception centers in France

The local authority in Calais said border police in the region, supported by the Ocriest, the French agency responsible for tackling illegal immigration, were fighting every day against the smuggling channels across coast.

Since the beginning of 2017, the police have already dismantled 20 clandestine immigration networks, as much as throughout 2016. In addition, 15 investigations are currently under way, nine of which are related to the Calais region, a spokesperson said.

The judicial authority imposes heavy penalties on smugglers.
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Witnesses to the Nuneaton hostage incident said the gunman was armed with a shotgun and shouted game over as he took hostages at the bowling alley.

The head of the MFA bowling alley said that two of his staff were being held hostage by the male gunman.

Medhi Amshar suggested the gunman might the boyfriend or husband of one of the staff members, but this has not been confirmed.

We believe from what my manageress tells me that he is an ex-husband or a boyfriend of a member of staff, he told Sky News.

That is what I know, I can't confirm that for definite.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant 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winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Armed police surrounded the West Midlands complex shortly after the incident began at around 3pm this afternoon.

There are unconfirmed reports that those taken hostage have been released.

Shortly after 6.30pm a series of loud bangs could be heard - and about 10 minutes later an ambulance was allowed through the cordon and two people got out.

Recommended Two bowling alley staff held hostage by man with sawn off shotgun

The gunman had brandished his weapon above his head and yelled "game over" after arriving at the bowling alley, one witness said.

A children's soft play area is in the same complex as the bowling alley and parents described their terror when they realised the danger they were in.

Alex Moore-Holland told Sky News: "We were just having a game ... and a man who was also bowling ran across our lane and he was like 'get out, get out', shouting.

"I was like 'What's going on?' so I turn around and there was a white guy, greyish beard, weird-looking man, he's got a gun up here, like this over his head.

"He was saying 'game over, game over', everyone shouting, screaming, panicking, trying to get out and I didn't know what to make of it, really.

"I ran, got my things as quickly as I could and get out of there."

Asked about the man's weapon, his friend Liam Roberts said: "It was a shotgun, a long-looking thing.

"I thought it was like a sword or a big knife but the second time when he came out near the door about 10 minutes after, this was to try and scare people, we knew it was a shotgun."

Around 40 or 50 people, including children, were inside the complex at the time.

"There was probably about 20 kids, crying, that were trying to get out - about five people at a time trying to get through a door."

They speculated that the hostage taker was trying to clear the building of people at first.

Mr Roberts said: "I think he was trying to make people scared, to know he was there."
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One of the last-known letters written on board the Titanic has sold at auction for a record-breaking 126,000.

Written on embossed Titanic stationery by first-class passenger it was sent by Alexander Oskar Holverson on 13 April 1912, the day before the ocean liner sank.

It is one of the last known letters to have survived the sinking and the last-known letter written on board by a victim.

Auctioned by Henry Aldridge & Son, the letter, addressed to Mr Holversons mother, reads: This boat is giant in size and fitted up like a palatial hotel. If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday AM.

Mr Holverson, a successful salesman, had been on holiday with his wife in Buenos Aires and was returning to the US via the UK.

The Titanic struck an iceberg on the evening of 14 April 1912 and sank in just over two hours, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Mr Holverson did not survive and the letter was discovered in a pocketbook when the victims body was recovered from the Atlantic and returned to his family, along with his other effects.

His wife survived the sinking.

The note, stained with seawater, mentions the food, music and elite passengers on board the ship - which is extremely rare among artefacts retrieved from the Titanic.
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Boris Johnson will urge Donald Trump to row back on threats to quit the Iran nuclear deal which he will cite as a diplomatic blueprint for solving tensions with North Korea.

The Foreign Secretary will point to the success of the Iran deal while calling for "toughness but engagement" with Pyongyang following increasingly warlike rhetoric between the US President and Kim Jong-un.

In a speech in London, Mr Johnson will say the President was right to keep military action on the table in the face North Korea's increasing nuclear capabilities but he will also praise US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for opening the door to talks.

It comes after Mr Trump described the North Korean leader as Rocket Man on a suicide mission and threatened to totally destroy the pariah state in his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

Mr Trump also drew international concern when he decertified the 2015 pact with Iran and last week repeated threats to pull out of the landmark deal.

The Foreign Secretary will urge Mr Trump to invoke the spirit of the 1970 nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), which avoided a "Gadarene Rush to destruction" by turning the world into a "great arena of Mexican stand-offs".

Speaking at the Chatham House annual conference, he will praise the "extraordinary" achievement of the treaty which has contributed to the "unprecedented epoch of peace and prosperity that we have all been living through".

Mr Johnson will add: "It has helped avoid what might otherwise have been a Gadarene Rush to destruction, in which the world was turned into a great arena of Mexican stand-offs, a nuclear version of the final scene of Reservoir Dogs.

"That far-sightedness is now needed more than ever, not only to keep the NPT, but also one of its most valuable complementary accords, the nuclear deal with Iran."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA

Mr Johnson will praise Mr Tillerson for reinforcing South Korea's promises not to seek regime change in the North or seek to deploy forces over the border or reunify the pensinsula, saying they opened up a path to talks and de-escalation.

But stressing the need to keep military options on the table, he will say: "That is the model - of toughness but engagement, each reinforcing the other - that we should have at the front of our mind as we try to resolve the tensions in the Korean peninsula."

He will urge the North Korean regime to change course and show that it is once again capable of the "diplomatic imagination" that produced the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and the Iran deal.
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Labour would back Tory rebels to force Theresa May to give MPs a veto on the final Brexit deal, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Shadow Brexit Secretary said his party would back a Tory revolt unless Ms May accepted a number of changes to the Brexit bill, which will transfer EU law onto the domestic statute books after Britain withdraws from the bloc.

The ultimatum will come as a blow to the weakened Prime Minister, who is trying to shepherd the flagship legislation through the Commons despite losing her Tory majority in the general election.

Sir Keir accused the Government of stalling the bills progress over fear of defeats, as Tory backbenchers joined opposition parties in tabling more than 300 amendments and new clauses to the repeal bill.

Some 13 amendments have been tabled by Conservative rebels, including a key move by former attorney general Dominic Grieve that would require an act of Parliament to enact Brexit.

Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Keir said: I believe there is a consensus in Parliament for these changes. And there is certainly no majority for weakening rights, silencing Parliament and sidelining the devolved administrations.

There is a way through this paralysis.

Labour will work with all sides to make that happen.

The general election result left Ms May relying on votes from the Democratic Unionist Party to pass business through the Commons, meaning a small revolt by Tory MPs could derail the bill.

Sir Keir has demanded:

:: MPs get the final say on whether to approve the withdrawal agreement and how best to implement it.

:: The transition period requested by the Prime Minister is added into the legislation.

:: A completely different approach to the use of Henry VIII powers, which the Government argues it needs to make technical changes to regulations repatriated from Brussels, but which Sir Keir described as silencing Parliament and handing sweeping powers to ministers.

:: A guarantee that workers and consumer rights, as well as environmental standards, are not watered down after Brexit.

:: A concession to devolved administrations who want repatriated powers, which would normally fall under their remit to go straight to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, rather than first being taken over by the Westminster government.

:: Putting the EU charter of fundamental rights into UK law.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

The Liberal Democrats said the move was "too little too late" and outlined their commitment to fight for Britain to remain a member of the European Union.

Tom Brake, the partys Brexit spokesman, said: "It's entertaining to see the Labour front bench attempting to have a backbone, but it's too little too late.

"Despite similar posturing back in March, Corbyn and Starmer backed the Tories to trigger Article 50, and they are still denying the British people a say on the final deal.

"Only the Lib Dems are offering an exit from Brexit, and an opportunity for the UK to remain a member of the EU."

The intervention comes after EU leaders agreed to begin considering trade talks, but they made clear Britain must make further concessions on its divorce bill to unlock talks on a future trading relationship.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will travel to Paris for dinner with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday after France emerged as one of the more hardline EU states on the matter of the exit bill.

President Emmanuel Macron suggested figures coming out of Britain were far from what was needed for settling its financial settlement  which is estimated to be at least 20bn.

Meanwhile, the European Parliaments chief Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt has told the Prime Minister to confront Boris Johnson and other Brexiteers, offer concessions to the EU, and outline what sort of trade deal the Government wants.

He told The Mail on Sunday: This may require Theresa May to face down Boris Johnson and others in her own party who refuse to accept the reality of the Brexit they campaigned for ... Brexiteers failed to outline the extent of UK liabilities in Europe.

Nevertheless, what is clear is that it will not be the taxpayers of the European Union who pay Britains bar bill.

Ms May is due to update MPs on the recent Council summit in the Commons on Monday, when she will reaffirm her commitment to three million EU nationals living in the UK who make an extraordinary contribution, saying we want them to stay.
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Expats will be allowed to continue living in Spain even if Britain leaves the European Union without striking a withdrawal deal, the country's foreign minister has said.

Alfonso Dastis said his government would ensure that the lives of ordinary Britons in Spain are "not disrupted" in the event of a "no deal" Brexit.

Spain is host to the largest number of British citizens living in the EU (308,805) and just over a third (101,045) are aged 65 and over, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Theresa May is facing pressure from some Tories to leave the EU without an agreement so Britain can free itself from Brussels regulations, avoid a costly "divorce bill" and take what some see as full advantage of the benefits of Brexit.

Mr Dastis's comments may be seized upon by Brexiteer Tories as evidence that a no deal Brexit is a workable solution.

The minister told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I do hope that there will be a deal. If there is no deal we will make sure that the lives of ordinary people who are in Spain, the UK people, is not disrupted. As you know, the relationship between the UK and Spain is a very close one in terms of economic relations and also social exchanges.

"Over 17 million Brits come to Spain every year and many of them live here or retire here and we want to keep it that way as much as possible."

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

The Prime Minister is continuing to negotiate so-called withdrawal issues with the EU, including expats' rights, a financial settlement and the Irish border.

Only when "sufficient progress" is made in these areas will Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier recommend that EU leaders give the green light to talks on a future trading relationship.

Press Association
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Liam Fox has stood by claims that securing post-Brexit trade deal would be the easiest in human history as he claimed trade talks would only be complicated if the EU chose to punish Britain for leaving.

The International Trade Secretary, an ardent Brexiteer, urged European leaders to prioritise the future prosperity of their citizens over pursuing political objectives when drawing up a trade agreement for when Britain leaves the bloc.

Dr Fox also said that Britain could only come up with a figure for the so-called divorce bill after Brexit once the shape of an overall deal had become clear  and insisted that crashing out of the EU without a deal was not exactly a nightmare scenario.

It comes after European leaders gave Theresa May a minor boost by agreeing to scoping work for future trade talks, although they made it clear that Britain must make further concessions on its divorce bill to allow progress.

Dr Fox has been mocked for his buoyant statement on trade prospects, which he made in an interview in July, particularly after Brexit Secretary David Davis later told the Commons nobody pretended Brexit would be easy.

Asked if he regretted his comments, Dr Fox told ITVs Peston on Sunday: No I dont. The point I was making was that it is unique because, as I said, in most trade deals you are trying to reduce a distance but in the European Union trading agreement we are already at the point where we have no tariffs and we have complete regulatory equivalence. That has never happened before.

He went on: I dont think they are difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics.

In other words, how much does the European Commission and European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal right to leave the European Union, thats the thing.

What will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision?

I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda, not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level.

Dr Fox also said it was completely wrong to suggest that Brexiteers were bluffing over the prospect of a no-deal outcome, as the Prime Minister had not mentioned it herself when she spoke to EU leaders during last weeks summit in Brussels.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said Britain was heading for no deal because Ms May could not control her own party.

What we may be seeing is the Europeans trying to make it clear that it is not their fault that there are these difficulties, Ms Thornberry told The Andrew Marr Show. The intransigence does not come from their side, it comes from Theresa Mays side.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

She added: I think the reality is the intransigence is on Theresa Mays side, because she doesnt have the strength or the authority to be able to control her backbenchers, let alone her cabinet.

And I think we are heading for no deal. And I think that is a serious threat to Britain and it is not in Britains interest for that to happen. We will stop that.

Labour has said it would back Tory rebels in a Commons revolt to force Theresa May to give MPs a veto on the final Brexit deal.
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Gina Miller has called on the Government to release 50 secret reports detailing the effects of Brexit on different sectors of the British economy to all MPs.

Ms Miller, who was responsible for hauling the Government to court over its refusal to consult Parliament to trigger Article 50, told The Independent she believed the reports contained the ramifications of a no-deal Brexit and Downing Streets official legal position on the potential revocation of Article 50.

She claims that without the release of the documents to MPs they would have to vote "blind" should a no-deal scenario arise in the coming months.

It comes after David Jones, a former Brexit minister, confirmed in a letter that the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) had conducted analysis of over 50 sectors of the economy.

 Liam Fox backs claim Brexit trade deal will be 'easiest in history'

DExEU has already been threatened with legal action over its refusal to publish the reports by lawyers acting for the Good Law Project alongside Molly Scott Cato, a Green party MEP. They have given the Government 14 days to make the dossier public or face a challenge in the High Court.

And last week 120 MPs wrote to the Brexit Secretary David Davis demanding he publish the secret advice on the effects of Brexit, as politicians accused of him of keeping not only Parliament but the public in the dark.

But ministers have, so far, resisted calls to publish the conclusions of the investigations in full  arguing that some findings would undermine the Governments ability to negotiate the best deal for Britain if made public.

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I have to say Ive always been of the opinion that the Government should publish all the reports that they have done, Ms Miller said. Their view is that gives away their negotiating position but its not true. The reports are not going to say what it is youre going to negotiate, what is says is these are the consequences.

But rather than releasing them to the public, Ms Miller believes the secret dossiers should be released to MPs across all parties.

She added: These reports should be made transparent. There are two questions here: are they made visible to the public or are they made visible to MPs? Because we are not in a world of direct democracy, were in a world of representative democracy and if we have that then actually every party, every MP in that House should have sight of those documents.

 Theresa May: No Brexit breakthrough on the cards

At the moment most of them are pushing for them to be made public and I dont think necessarily a good thing because that then can be used to fuel whatever position different people, pick and choose and take them out of context. But I do honestly think that the MPs should have sight of them  all MPs across parties.

She added that her suspicion was that the dossiers contained scenario planning for a no deal  an outcome favoured by some leading Brexiteers. The other thing I think they dont want to share is that somewhere in one of those 50 documents is probably a legal position on the revocability of Article 50, she said.

I could bet my bottom dollar that in those 50 sector reports, WTO comes and it specifies and it touches on  to greater and lesser degree  what no deal means and thats why they are not publishing them.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Ms Miller said that if the Government fails to release the documents and Parliament is asked to vote on a no deal in the short term then they would be voting blind in effect.

Labour MP Stephen Doughty, a leader supporter of Open Britain, which campaigns against a hard Brexit, also told The Independent that the Governments refusal to publish the documents only heightens suspicions that they reveal the destructive consequences a hard Brexit would have for jobs, prices and our wider economy.

He continued: The Prime Ministers ideological choice to wrench this country out of the single market and the customs union is putting trade with our biggest economic partner at risk, threatening Britains prosperity.

Its time Ministers stopped hiding the facts from the public. They must come clean with the British people and release these studies, so that MPs and voters can be fully informed about the full consequences of this Governments headlong rush towards hard Brexit.

A Government spokesperson said: As we have said before, we will be as open as possible subject to the overwhelming national interest of preserving our negotiating position.

The full list of sectors will be published shortly.
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A senior Cabinet minister has been condemned for refusing to say whether he would commit Government cash to fit sprinklers in tower blocks in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid repeatedly failed to confirm that ministers would give councils money to retrofit sprinklers in all high-rises, despite backing for the safety measure from fire chiefs.

Town halls, including Nottingham, Croydon and Wandsworth councils, say they have had multimillion-pound funding requests for sprinklers turned down by the Government following the devastating blaze in the west London building, which killed around 80 people.

Recommended Labour accuses Government of breaking promises to Grenfell survivors

Theresa May told MPs last week that town halls were responsible for making decisions on the fire safety measures, which attracted criticism over how councils would fund the improvements.

Mr Javid said he had to wait for the results of an official probe into building regulations and fire safety before deciding whether to make retrofitting sprinklers a legal requirement for all tower blocks.

Safety assessments are being carried out across the country and that whatever essential fire safety work needs to happen, should happen, and if the assessment is that requires sprinklers, then that should happen too, he said.

But he refused to commit to funding the work, telling The Andrew Marr Show: We will provide them with the capacity to access those funds and that can be done in a variety of forms. Were working out exactly whats the best way.

Mr Javid added: We will make sure that any essential work by any local authority, they will get the support they need to make sure its done, and thats the most important thing, that the works done.

Installing sprinklers in high-rise buildings was one of the key recommendation from an inquest into the deaths of six people in the Lakanal House fire in Southwark in 2009, and fire chiefs have said that no one has ever died in a fire in a building with properly fitted sprinklers.

Mr Javid said all new tower blocks since 2007 are required to have sprinklers but there was no legal requirement to retrofit sprinklers.

Referring to Grenfell Tower, he added: The correct response after this terrible tragedy was to review that law and many other fire safety measures.

And its exactly why we asked Dame Judith Hackitt to have an independent review of both the building regulations, which I think there are clearly questions around that, and also fire safety measures, and thats the correct way to look at it.

When she reports back, and those recommendations whatever they are, and Im not going to second-guess them, they will be taken very, very seriously, thats the correct way to do this.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA

Labour accused Mr Javid of neglect towards high-rise residents and urged the Government to offer immediate funding to help councils.

Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey said: Conservative ministers were told four years ago to get sprinklers retrofitted into high-rise buildings following two fatal tower block fires, but failed to act.

Today, even after the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, Sajid Javid has confirmed the Government is still refusing to provide any funding to install sprinklers.

This is a neglect of governments responsibility to worried residents across the country. Ministers should act now and help fund these vital fire safety measures, starting with the highest risk blocks.

The Independent recently revealed that the Metropolitan Police has advised Kensington and Chelsea Council to block the release of correspondence that would shed light on what action was taken to mitigate fire risks at Grenfell Tower.
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Concerns have been raised over a major shake-up of probation after new figures revealed a sharp rise in offenders being sent back to custody for breaching bail.

Official statistics show that prison recall rates have been steadily rising since 2007/08 but shot up by nearly 5,000 in 2015/16, when more than 22,400 inmates were sent back to jail. Last year some 21,700 people were recalled to prison.

The growing use of recall has cast doubt over the effectiveness of the Governments flagship probation overhaul in 2015, when supervision on release from prison was extended to offenders serving sentences of less than 12 months.

Recommended BME inmates twice as likely to have bad prison experiences

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the rise was in line with an increased number of people on probation but critics said the influx of recalls could heap pressure on prisons that are struggling to cope with a toxic cocktail of drugs, violence and soaring suicide rates among inmates.

Some offenders are sent back to prison for just 14 to 28 days for breaching their bail conditions on issues as minor as getting a taxi without permission or being late to meet their probation officer, according to prison reform campaigners.

Shadow justice minister Imran Hussain, who obtained the figures through a parliamentary question, said the broken probation system was making it difficult to reduce reoffending.

He said: This sharp rise in the number of prisoners being recalled to prison not only demonstrates how our prisons and probation system are failing to rehabilitate people, but it is placing a severe strain on an already overcrowded prison system that is close to breaking point.

Where prisoners have reoffended and have committed serious licence breaches, they should, of course, be recalled to prison.

But we now have a situation where far too many are being recalled for minor breaches, which is further burdening prisons and destroying any progress that offenders are making in turning their lives around.

A joint report from HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons last year concluded that nowhere near enough was being done to help prisoners under the privatisation of probation services.

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said bringing minor offenders back into prison for short periods also risked trapping them in a cycle of offending.

He told The Independent: What does 14 days in prison do? What purpose does that achieve?

It is just heaping pressure on the already overcrowded prisons and its dumping people in this violent and chaotic environment then turning them out into the community.

Mr Neilson added: This is not helpful at a time when prisons are struggling to even put up the image that they are a safe environment.

It comes as one charity working to help prisoners coming out of jail said their work was being hampered by budget cuts.

Helen Attewell, chief executive of North East Prisoner Family Support (Nepacs), which helps prisoners and their families in the north east, said some services to help newly released prisoners had seen a 30 per cent cut in funding.

Trustee and former local councillor, David Abrahams said: Those living in high unemployment areas, particularly throughout the former East Durham Coalfield, often arent able to access lifes chances and drift into a life of drugs and alcohol abuse.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA

An MoJ spokesman said: Offenders on licence are subject to a strict set of licence conditions and supervision on release. Those who fail to comply with their licence conditions can be recalled to prison.

In 2014, we reformed our approach to probation so that for the first time ever, all offenders given a custodial sentence are given probation support and supervision on release.

It is therefore misleading to compare the number of recalls prior to our reforms with subsequent figures, as the number of people on probation and subject to recall is now significantly higher than before.
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Theresa Mays flagship plan to cap energy bills has been cast into doubt after evidence emerged that Whitehall officials are laying ground for it to be shelved next year.

The Independent has learnt the Government has already told energy investors Ms Mays draft proposal will be ditched if it feels the Big Six power firms are doing enough to tackle high bills, an approach now also confirmed by civil servants.

It comes amid a months-long cabinet rift over her election promise to end rip-off energy price rises by introducing a cap, a pledge fleshed out in her conference speech less than three weeks ago.

Tory insiders who back a cap now fear the Draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill brought forward by Ms May will never be written into full legislation, let alone passed before the current parliamentary session runs out of time.

The cabinet split over the cap follows others over Brexit and university tuition fees, as the Prime Minister strains to keep her administration on track in the wake of Junes election.

Despite pressure from Tory backbenchers who promised voters a cap in June, The Independent has been passed a transcript of a telephone call in which an energy investor is told by an official at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that the Draft Bill could be dropped in early 2018.

The investor asks whether elements of the cap-proposal can be changed and is told the draft still has three to six months pre-legislative scrutiny before it is even introduced to Parliament as a Bill.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA

The official adds: There will be a decision point from the Secretary of State, based on the state of the market and the process made by [energy regulator] Ofgem on its cap, on whether there is any need for a Bill.

Asked if the whole process could be halted if energy companies scrap the standard variable tariffs, or SVTs, that are at the heart of the energy bills row, the official says: Yes.

The civil servant goes on: Ministers will take a view on whether to proceed on the basis of progress in the market and any announcements by suppliers  but they would need to be highly effective.

The Big Six are already suggesting that abolishing the SVT is their preferred solution, with three having scrapped them. But many fear the tariffs will be replaced by fixed contracts which might be just as expensive.

A source close to Business Secretary Greg Clark said he is committed to taking action and determined to make energy companies act more fairly.

Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid is said to have doubt about a price cap (Reuters)

Conservative MP John Penrose recently orchestrated a cross-party letter, also signed by some 80 Tories, calling on the Government to live up to election promises on a price cap.

He said: If these Big Six proposals are simply a re-naming of rip-off default tariffs then theyre just a con. I cant believe that anyone would be so easily fooled by it.

Instead, the Big Six should be transferring customers onto their best deal or something very close to it. Thats the only way to repair their tarnished reputations.

Ms Mays cap was first promised in May during the election campaign, but she was accused of a U-turn when it emerged that the job of imposing it would be passed to regulator Ofgem, which raised concerns over whether it had legal authority.

The Draft Bill then published after her conference speech at the start of October outlined provisions for providing Ofgem with a duty to impose the cap, but there was confusion as to why Ms May had not pushed ahead with a full Bill.

One Conservative insider said: It is by no means certain that any actual Bill will ever see the light of day.

 John McDonnell: "Rail, water, energy, Royal Mail... we're taking them back"

There is up to half a year of scrutiny of the draft before they even think about writing one that they would then have to put to Parliament, at the same time that they are talking about sitting extra hours because theres not enough time to get Brexit through.

It could very easily be delayed, put off because the companies give a little ground, pushed back and pushed back again, until there is no time. And not everyone would shed tears about it.

The Independent understands that Chancellor Phil Hammond and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid are among those with concerns about a cap, though spokespeople for the ministers would not comment.

As well as believing the move to be anti-business, there is a feeling among opponents that it would play into the hands of Jeremy Corbyns interventionist agenda, inadvertently confirming to voters the Labour leaders approach is the best way of tackling the countrys problems.

In his own conference speech, Mr Hammond said Mr Corbyns solutions should be dismissed and then gave a full throated defence of the market economy, saying it is the best system yet designed for making people steadily better off.

Business Secretary Greg Clark on the BBC's Andrew MarrShow (BBC)

When ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband proposed a cap, Boris Johnson said it would be catastrophic, would eventually lead to higher energy prices and deter investment, while Michael Fallon said it would be extremely dangerous.

Other Conservatives want the energy market blown open, with a plethora of new little firms being encouraged to trigger a price revolution in the industry like that driven by taxi firm Uber.

None the less, Ms May re-committed to the cap at conference which is seen not only as a manifesto pledge, but a key plank of her domestic agenda. One senior Tory insider told The Independent Ms May would even be willing to move Business Secretary Mr Clark from his post if she does not feel she is getting enough movement on the issue.

A recent Competition and Markets Authority revealed that customers are currently paying 1.4bn more than they would be in a fully competitive market.

Price comparison service uSwitch also warns today that households could see their bill rise by up to 395 a year from November as popular fixed deals come to an end and customers return to STVs.

Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said: The Tories can't be trusted on the energy price cap. In the general election campaign, they promised a price cap for 17 million households but then backtracked in the summer, passing the buck to Ofgem and letting millions of people's bills rise still further.

Theresa May promised to legislate for a price cap again during her conference speech, but the Government has only produced watered down draft legislation. And now it appears they are trying their best to escape even these limited proposals.
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All five living former presidents have appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a benefit concert for communities affected by Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey.

Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared on stage together at the event promoting The One America Appeal.

Donald Trump did not appear in person at the Reed Arena in Texas, but recorded a video message which was played to concert goers.

The existing President spent much of the weekend at his golf course in Virginia.

He said his wife Melania "and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance.

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and our devotion to one another."

Lady Gaga also made a surprise appearance, and tweeted: "Nothing more beautiful than everyone putting their differences aside to help humanity in the face of catastrophe. #OneAmericaAppeal"

The fundraising appeal has so far raised $31m (24m) for the relief effort.

This Atlantic hurricane season has been one of the worst in recent years. Irma killed 87 people in the US and its territories, while the US death toll from Maria now stands at 24, all in Puerto Rico.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are expected to cost the US between $150 (113) and $200bn (151bn) in combined property damage, according to the Moody's credit ratings agency.

In Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of people are still without running water and electricity.

President Trump has been criticised for his response to the hurricane in Puerto Rico, including from the Mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Ms Cruz recently issued a public plea to Donald Trump to do more to help the country.

I ask every American that has love, and not hate in their hearts, to stand with Puerto Rico and let this President know we WILL NOT BE LEFT TO DIE, she wrote on Twitter.
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Oscar winning director Roman Polanski has been accused of molesting a woman when she was 10-years-old after photographing her when she was naked.

Marianne Barnard, an artist from Santa Barbara, California, has now launched a petition calling for him to be removed from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She says she encountered Polanski at Will Rogers State Beach in Malibu with her mother in 1975.

Barnard said the director wanted to take pictures of her in a fur coat, which she thought would go in a magazine.

I had on a bikini and I thought that it was a modelling shoot, she said in a separate interview in The Sun. I had modelled as a child so this wasnt out of the ordinary for me.

First he was taking pictures of me in the bikini, then it was with the coat then he said take off the bikini top, which I was comfortable with as I was only 10 and I often ran around with no top on.

The artist said Polanski then asked her take her bikini bottoms off before molesting her.

Barnard said her mother was not there when the assault took place and believes she may have been paid off to leave.

She added she kept silent until now because she was afraid to speak up.

I wish that I had been brave enough to speak out, tell a friend, their parent or even a teacher, she wrote alongside her petition. Maybe if I had, the other girls wouldnt have been molested by Polanski (a convicted statutory rapist) also. Thats a terrible heartache to carry.

Barnard listed four other women who have made allegations against the director.

Earlier this month, German actress Renate Langer said she was assaulted by Polanski when she was a teenager in 1972.

Polanski, 84, spent 42 days in prison before fleeing to France from the US after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in California.

Samantha Geimer said Polanski drugged and assaulted her in 1977.

Earlier this year, a judge denied Ms Geimers request to drop the 40-year case against Polanski, after she said she was tired of the media spectacle and courtroom drama.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Barnard has asked online users to sign the petition to see Polanskis Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board membership revoked, in light of the boards decision to remove producer Harvey Weinstein following a string of sexual harassment and assault allegations.

It is a small consequence for him considering his crimes and the great amount of harm he has caused me and his other victims, she wrote.

More than 13,000 people had signed the petition at the time of publication.
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A teacher has resigned after being accused of having a two-month relationship with a teenage student.

Jaclyn Truman, 30, allegedly had a relationship with the 15-year-old female pupil last year while serving as a substitute teacher at Hagerty High School in Seminole County, Florida.

The student told investigators she had consensual sex with Ms Truman between five and 10 times in a classroom at the school between March and May 2016, ABCs WFTV reported.

Ms Truman had been working as a sign language teacher at Lake Howell High when her employers were informed of the allegations on 2 October.

She had reportedly handed in her notice of resignation five days earlier, which was due to become effective on Friday.

Ms Trumans resignation became final on Thursday instead after she came forward to police.

The former teacher has been charged with two counts of lewd acts on a minor and booked into the John E Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Officials said Ms Truman was cooperating with the investigation.

Seminole County Sheriffs Office spokesman Bob Kealing said the classroom should be a safe zone for children.

Thats why we are especially concerned about this because its brazen in nature, he said.

And were concerned that there potentially could be other victims here.
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A university professor publicly shamed his students by publishing a complete list of the class's internet browsing history.

Entitled "Things I Noticed EARTH 222/ENVIRON 232 Students Doing During Class", the disgruntled academic used a Powerpoint slide to demonstrate that his charges were not paying attention during the Earth 222 lectures.

University of Michigan undergraduate senior Tahany Alsabahi shared an image of the findings on social media.

Her post has been widely shared.

 Bob Stewart: Teacher told son "nobody should talk to him because hes the son of a Conservative MP"

The list exposed common methods of procrastination such as browsing sites like Facebook and Amazon, to more obscure browsing, including "looking at pictures of sliced bread" and "photoshopping President Trump onto muppets".

Other bizarre items included, buying $240 worth of turtle necks and looking up pornography.

Certain items on the list were featured next to an x, with the professor, who has not been identified, explaining: "An (x) means I've seen it a lot, as in multiple students everyday."

Popular activities included; surfing Amazon, Reddit, Facebook and Tumblr, writing job applications, reading news sites and general shopping.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Many students saw the funny side but others questioned whether surveying students' browsing habits was an invasion of privacy.

Ms Alsabahi told university publication Fresh U: "Most people found [the slide] funny, [Im] sure some people were embarrassed but overall we thought it was hilarious."
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Donald Trump said he was open to compelling technology companies to release more information about political advertisements.

Earlier this week a trio of senators unveiled a bill that would require major tech companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to disclose who is purchasing ads on their platforms. They said they were responding to a drumbeat of revelations that Russia-linked actors purchased political ads, part of what intelligence agencies have called a wide-ranging effort to disrupt the 2016 election.

As multiple probes explore potential links between Russia and the Trump campaign, the president has been adamant in dismissing that effort as a politically motivated witch hunt. He and his allies have characterized efforts to explore Russia's role as an attempt by Democrats to justify losing.

His CIA director, Mike Pompeo, claimed this week that the intelligence community concluded Russian meddling did not affect the election outcome, an inaccurate remark the CIA later walked back. Mr Trump also lashed out at suggestions that content on Facebook aided him.

Despite the Trump administrations resistance to suggestions of Russia election influence, Mr Trump signaled on Sunday that he might embrace a proposal to regulate tech companies like the one that emerged last week.

Asked by Fox News interviewer Maria Bartiromo about whether the tech industry merited more regulation - you have these companies that are more powerful than ever before, she noted - Mr Trump said I can go either way on it.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Some people talk about freedom and other people talk about we want to know who's taking ads or doing whatever and I would imagine something is going to come down along the line like were doing right now fora normal broadcast company, Mr Trump said, referencing the fact that political advertisements on television must disclose their funders.

 Dove says it deeply regrets 'racist' Facebook advert

Technology companies are girding for a long fight, deploying lobbyists to shape the new proposal. They are under intense political scrutiny, with representatives of Facebook, Twitter and Google invited to testify in an open hearing next month.
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Donald Trump has gone on yet another Twitter tirade, this time attacking Hillary Clinton and Facebook after claims Russian-bought Facebook adverts were used to support his presidential campaign.

Downplaying the significance of the ads, which many investigating politicians and law-enforcement agents believe were intended to influence the election result, Mr Trump went on the offensive.

Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did. Facebook was on her side, not mine! he said.

Another tweet read: Keep hearing about tiny amounts of money spent on Facebook ads. What about the billions of dollars of Fake News on CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS?

Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg last week admitted the company made mistakes during the 2016 campaign, including selling more than $100,000 (76,000) in ads to a Russian company linked to the Kremlin.

Separate investigations led by the intelligence committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives are reviewing the Facebook advertisements used by both candidates as they attempt to probe the alleged Russia ties.

Some believe the intention was to lower the turnout by discrediting Ms Clinton, with Russian troll factories allegedly paying people to spread fake news stories across social media around the clock.

Google reportedly sold at least $4,700 (3,600) worth of ads to accounts believed to be tied to the Russian government, according to the New York Times.

More than 3,000 Russian-bought adverts turned over to Congress by Facebook are currently being examined.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Their aim was to sow chaos, said Democratic Senator Mark R Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In many cases, it was more about voter suppression rather than increasing turnout.

Republican Senator John McCain and two Democratic senators have put forward a bill that would force Facebook, Google and others to disclose who is purchasing online political advertising.

Mr Trump also revisited the topic of the so-called dirty dossier leaked by the media and containing unsubstantiated allegations of the existence of a Russian sex blackmail tape against him.

Suggesting the dossier, believed to have been compiled by British spy Christopher Steele, had been a put-up job, he said: Officials behind the now discredited Dossier plead the Fifth. Justice Department and/or FBI should immediately release who paid for it.

To plead the fifth refers to the constitutional right in the US to remain silent when under arrest in order to avoid incriminating oneself.

This week, Mr Trump blasted two officials of a Democrat-aligned opposition research firm, Fusion, who refused to testify before the House Intelligence Committee about the sensational dossier.
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Donald Trump put almost $500,000 (379,000) of his own money towards the legal bills of his administration staff and campaign aides who are embroiled in investigations into Russian meddling in the US presidential election.

The President has dismissed claims his campaign team may colluded with Moscow, but the an investigation into the allegations is being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

It is unclear how the $460,000 (348,000) will be accessed and who will be able to request it, but campaign aides' legal costs are expected be considerably more than half-a-million dollars.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a White House offiicial told political news website Axios that the structure of the payouts was yet to be decided.

Mr Mueller's team has been interviewing current and former White House officials in their probe, and Trump campaign officials and others turned over tens of thousands of emails and documents to federal and congressional investigators.

One former campaign aide, Michael Caputo, has spoken publicly about the financial toll the legal bills have taken on his family, revealed he had been forced to empty out his children's university savings accounts.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the President's re-election campaign have been covering some of the costs, including payments to the law firm representing his eldest son.

Donald Trump Jr is set to be grilled by Mr Mueller's team over a 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked Russian who promised to dish up dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The President's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his then campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting at Trump Tower in New York.

Mr Trump has reportedly promised to use his personal finances to match the $430,000 paid by the Republican National Committee towards Mr Trump Jnr's legal bills.

 White House confirms Trump influenced his son's false statement regarding Russia meeting

The money will "defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides", an official said.

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied he colluded with Russia to win the election and has voiced scepticism about the conclusion by US intelligence agencies that Russia had a clear preference or his victory in the November 2016 election.

Last month Facebook said 10 million users saw adverts that ran on the company's social media platform last year that have been linked to a Russian internet agency which allegedly sought to influence the election.

Most of them did not name a presidential candidate but promoted divisive messages on issues such as immigration, gun control, and gay rights.

The continuing investigations and attention on the Russia allegations have infuriated Mr Trump, who claims the probes are an attempt to delegitimise his presidency.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," he tweeted on Saturday. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Norman Eisen, an ethics lawyer in Barack Obama's administration, said Mr Trump's pledge to spend his personal funds "raises substantial questions under federal criminal law and federal ethics law," including whether the money might be construed as part of an effort to glean more favourable testimony and whether current federal employees are allowed to accept such gifts.

"Whenever an individual who is the focus of an investigation, as President Trump is the focus of this investigation, offers anything of value to witnesses who may be able to affect the course of the investigation, that raises very serious questions on a variety of legal authorities," he said.

He said he would have hesitated to recommend such an offer and warned it would likely draw prosecutorial scrutiny.

Last month the US government ethics watchdog was accused of quietly scrapping a policy that banned lobbyists from making anonymous donations towards the legal bills of White House staff.

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) appeared to have reversed a revision to guidance which prohibited government employees accepting contributions to legal funds from unnamed donors.

A legal defence fund has reportedly been set up for Trump aides likely to face questioning in the investigation into Russian interference in last year's election.
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Republicans are still uncertain what Donald Trump wants to do on healthcare and are awaiting the Presidents direction, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said.

What Im waiting is to hear from President Trump what kind of healthcare bill he might sign, Sen McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said during an appearance on CNNs State of The Union.

Despite both houses being controlled by Republicans Congress has repeatedly failed to repeal Barack Obamas landmark healthcare law, falling short on a longstanding conservative campaign pledge. With legislative efforts foundering, Mr Trump moved to dismantle a central aspect of the law by revoking payments to health insurers.

Amid warnings that the pullback would upend insurance markets, Republican senator Lamar Alexander and Democrat Patty Murray announced a deal to sustain the payments - a bill that has since attracted support from both parties. The president has sent mixed signals on the bill, saying Im not going to do it and then thats a very good solution during the same appearance next week.

Asked about what comes next, Sen McConnell appeared uncertain about the Presidents intentions.

We need a bill the president will actually sign and Im not certain yet what the Presidents looking for here, but Id be happy to bring a bill to the floor if I knew the president would sign it, Sen McConnell said.

Faces of Obamacare: The health scheme at the centre of the shutdown Show all 3 1 /3 Faces of Obamacare: The health scheme at the centre of the shutdown Faces of Obamacare: The health scheme at the centre of the shutdown obama.jpg Faces of Obamacare: The health scheme at the centre of the shutdown obama2.jpg Faces of Obamacare: The health scheme at the centre of the shutdown obama3.jpg

In a separate interview on Fox News, Mr Trump praised the authors of the new bill but was vague about whether he would support the measure. He noted that the secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services has tremendous leeway to administer the law (his pick to lead the agency, Tom Price, recently stepped down amid reports of his use of private and military aircraft) and said he believed a full repeal would still advance.

Well have that long before the election in 2018, Mr Trump said.

 John McCain draws gasps and applause as he votes no on Obamacare repeal

The President has clashed with Sen McConnell and other Senate Republicans over their failure to advance a healthcare repeal bill and, increasingly, over their questioning his foreign policy. Asked about his public spats with Republican senators Bob Corker and John McCain, both of whom have warned that Mr Trumps foreign policy is destabilizing the world, Mr Trump said the bickering and feuding was useful.

Sometimes it helps, Mr Trump said. Sometimes it gets people to do what theyre supposed to be doing.
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If North Korea continues to carry out nuclear missile testing, the regime "will seek to die", a prominent Chinese academic has warned.

Chong Sho-Hu, professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University, said Pyongyang was "standing on the edge of a deep cliff" and warned that "one light blow" could push it off the precipice.

He added the long-standing relationship between the two countries should be determined by the "national interest" rather than friendships and enemies.

"North Korea is now in an awkward situation. No country on earth has come under such tough sanctions. If North Korea does not do anything and just sits there, this regime and this country will sit to death," he told BBC Radio 4.

"But if North Korea is there to take a further military provocation or nuclear test - an ICBM test - then I think North Korea will seek to die."

Presenter Tim Franks then asked: "So you think one more nuclear test could be the breaking point?"

He replied: "I think now North Korea is standing on the edge of a deep cliff and one light blow could push this country off the cliff."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Tensions between the countries have been escalating for months, but China has insisted it would not want to see military action taken to resolve the crisis.

It comes some weeks after China's foreign minister Wang Yi warned the situation on the Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and could not be allowed to spin out of control.

In September, Beijing's ambassador to the US warned China would never accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, just hours after leader Kim Jong-un said his country was on course to achieve that final goal.
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At least 340,000 Rohingya Muslim children are living in dire conditions without adequate access to food, water and healthcare in Bangladesh refugee camps, the United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) has said.

An estimated one in five children under the age of five are acutely malnourished and requiring medical attention, the organisation added.

Almost 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Burma's northern Rakhine state into Bangladesh since 25 August after the military began a campaign in the region.

The Burmese government claims its forces were retaliating against attacks by Muslim insurgents.

But the response has been almost universally condemned by the international community and the UN has accused the Burmese army of a campaign of ethnic cleansing".

It is the worlds fastest-developing refugee emergency, up to 12,000 Rohingya children are arriving in Bangladeshi camps every week. Many are still traumatised by the atrocities they have seen and suffered, Unicef said.

This isnt going to be a short-term, it isnt going to end anytime soon, said Simon Ingram, who authored its Outcast and Desperate report on the problems facing the refugees.

The majority of Rohingya living in Burma are stateless and fled to Bangladesh without identity documentation, he added. This prevents their reintegration into society.

Mr Ingram said it was "absolutely critical that the borders remain open and that protection for children is given and equally that children born in Bangladesh have their birth registered, .

He added that there is a chronic lack of clean, safe drinking water and sanitation in the camps and settlements, which poses a severe risk of diseases such as cholera.

In a sense its no surprise that they must truly see this place as a hell on earth, Mr Ingram said.

The agency is seeking $76m (58m) under a $434m (329m) UN appeal for Rohingya refugees for six months, but is only seven percent funded, he said.

UN agencies are still demanding access to northern Rakhine, where an unknown number of Rohingya remain despite reports of villages being burned to the ground.

Earlier this month, the UN labelled Burmas refusal to grant access to the state unacceptable.

Half a million people do not pick up sticks and flee their country on a whim, head of the United Nations humanitarian office, Mark Lowcock said at the time.

He stressed that the scale of the exodus was evidence of a severe crisis in northern Rakhine.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After releasing his report Mr Ingram said Unicef wanted to "repeat the call for the need for protection of all children in Rakhine state."

He said: "This is an absolute fundamental requirement. The atrocities against children and civilians must end. We just must keep putting it on the record, we cannot keep silent.
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New Zealands South Island has been struck by a big 5.4 magnitude earthquake, causing landslides.

The quake struck near the town of Kaikoura on Sunday, at a depth of 13km, causing strong shaking.

No casualties were reported after the earthquake struck.

Looks like that was a bit of a rattle. Hope everyone who felt that is doing ok, tweeted the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

Residents and tourists were shaken but unhurt by the quake, which was followed by number of lighter aftershocks.

Hotel manager Ross James said it was a big one.

He told the New Zealand Herald: "It certainly felt like a [magnitude] five... It was short and sharp. It was very, very sharp, quick and then it was over.

"There are people here from China who only just arrived but they took it extremely well - they said 'We've got earthquakes in China as well' so they're all happy."

Another Kaikoura hotel employee, named Warren, told Stuff: "We've got eight rooms full - all bar one couple are from overseas and they weren't sure what it was all about.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"It's not an experience they get to witness all too often. I wish it wasn't one that came around too often for me either."

Outside Kaikoura, landslides were reported in the surrounding hills and dust was seen rising from them.

The region experiences frequent earthquakes. Last year, two people died and 57 people were hurt after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Kaikoura.
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The centrist ANO movement led by populist Andrej Babis stormed to victory in the Czech Republics parliamentary election in a vote that shifted the country decisively to the right and paved the way for the eurosceptic billionaire to become its next Prime Minister.

With all votes counted, the Czech Statistics Office said ANO had won by a landslide, capturing 29.6 per cent of the vote, or 78 of the 200 seats in the lower house of Parliament.

Its a huge success, 63-year-old Mr Babis  who some regard as the Czech equivalent to Donald Trump  told supporters and journalists at his headquarters in Prague.

Mr Babis is the countrys second-richest man, with a media empire including two major newspapers and a popular radio station.

Although he was a finance minister in the outgoing government until May, many Czechs regard him as a maverick outsider with the business acumen to shake up the system.

Since the leader of the strongest party is generally able to form a new government, Mr Babis could be the countrys next leader despite being linked to several scandals, including being charged by police with fraud linked to European Union subsidies. He denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

The charges could make it difficult for Mr Babis to find the coalition partners he needs to build a parliamentary majority, as several parties have indicated they will not work alongside him in government.

He did not immediately say which parties he preferred but has invited all parties that won seats for talks.

In a blow to the countrys political elite, four of the top five vote-getting parties had challenged the traditional political mainstream.

Some have campaigned on a ticket of opposing mass immigration and perceived Islamification and have attacked the countrys memberships of the EU and Nato.

Mr Babiss anti-establishment rhetoric has convinced many he can fix the countrys problems, from graft to transportation, with parallels being drawn with Mr Trumps Make America Great Again! slogan.

A record nine parties won seats after all ballots were counted.

The opposition Conservative Civic Democrats came in a distant second with 11.3 per cent of the vote, or 25 seats.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The Social Democrats, the senior party in the outgoing government, captured just 7.3 per cent  15 seats  while the Christian Democrats, part of the ruling coalition, won only 5.8 per cent support or 10 seats.

Its a voting hurricane, analyst Michal Klima told Czech television, referring to the poor results for the mainstream parties.

The Pirate Party won seats for the first time, coming in third with 10.8 per cent of the vote, while the most radical anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, anti-EU party, the Freedom and Direct Democracy, was in fourth place with 10.6 per cent support. The two parties won 22 seats each.

Mr Babis played down his eurosceptic views after his victory.

Were oriented on Europe, he said. Were not a threat for democracy. Im ready to fight for our interests in Brussels. Were a firm part of the European Union. Were a firm part of Nato.

Some experts predict a clearer shift to the right for the Czech Republic if Mr Babis works out a coalition government with Tomio Okamura, head of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, who wants to ban Islam and organise a referendum to exit the EU. He has also urged Czechs to walk pigs near mosques.

We want to stop any Islamisation of the Czech Republic, we push for zero tolerance of migration, Mr Okamura told reporters after the news of the result came through.

Should (Babis) join forces with Okamura, the Czech Republic would be facing difficult times, Mr Klima warned.

Additional reporting by AP
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Maltas government is offering an unprecedented reward of 1m (890,000) for information about who killed a prominent investigative journalist with a car bomb.

Authorities described the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose reporting on corruption targeted the Prime Minister and other senior political figures, as a case of extraordinary importance which requires extraordinary measures.

The 53-year-old was killed last week when a remotely detonated bomb tore apart her car as she drove away from her home on the Mediterranean island.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had told his countrys parliament last week that the government would offer a substantial reward to anyone with information about the crime.

Ms Caruana Galizia regularly criticised Mr Muscat in her popular blogs, in which she relentlessly highlighted cases of alleged high-level corruption and targeted politicians across party lines, as well as prominent businesspeople.

Her family said they had been informed of the governments plans for a reward but had refused to endorse it despite unrelenting pressure from the President and Prime Minister of Malta.

We are not interested in justice without change, her sons Matthew, Andrew and Paul said in a joint statement on Facebook. Justice, beyond criminal liability, will only be served when everything that our mother fought for  political accountability, integrity in public life and an open and free society  replaces the desperate situation we are in.

Police and forensic experts inspect the wreckage after a car bomb killed Ms Galizia (Getty) (Getty Images)

They added: A government and a police force that failed our mother in life will also fail her in death. The people who for as long as we can remember sought to silence our mother cannot now be the ones to deliver justice.

Her sons called on the Prime Minister to resign and said his last act before doing so should be to replace the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General for failing to act over their mothers claims of corruption.

Senior European Union officials have denounced Ms Galizias murder as an attack on journalistic freedom and urged for rule of law to prevail in the tiny member nation.

The Maltese government has previously offered a reward in a bank heist case but this is believed to be the first time it has posted a reward in a murder investigation.

In the last decade there have been 15 Mafia-style bombings or similar attacks in Malta, and many of the crimes have gone unsolved.

In a statement, the government said it was fully committed to solving the murder and bringing those responsible to justice.

It also promised full protection for informants.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Ms Caruana Galizia had unearthed Maltese links to the Panama Papers leaks, and wrote that Mr Muscats wife had an offshore account that was used to move money from high-level figures in Azerbaijan. The Muscats denied having such an account and any wrongdoing.

Several other top officials, including a minister and Mr Muscats chief-of-staff, had launched libel suits against the journalist.

Her work on the explosive tax evasion case, which involved some of the richest and most powerful people in the world, prompted political news website Politico to hail her as a one-woman Wikileaks, crusading against untransparency and corruption in Malta.

FBI agents and Dutch forensic experts have been helping with the investigation.

A group of NGOs known as the Civil Society Network was planning to hold a national protest against the killing.

At 3pm on Monday, a week to the hour when Ms Galizia was murdered, Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna will hold a Mass in the mostly rural area where she died.
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Thousands of Maltese citizens joined a rally to honour an investigative journalist killed by a car bomb.

But the prime minister and opposition leader who were chief targets of Daphne Caruana Galizias reporting stayed away from the gathering on Sunday.

Participants at the rally in Maltas capital, Valletta, placed flowers at the foot of a memorial to the 53-year-old reporter that sprang up opposite the law court building after her killing on Monday.

Some wore T-shirts or carried placards emblazoned with words from Ms Caruana Galizias final blog post: There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.

Police removed a banner describing Malta as a Mafia state.

Hundreds of participants later held a sit-in outside police headquarters, demanding the resignation of Maltas police commissioner.

Some hurled tomatoes, cakes and coins against an enlarged photograph of the commissioner spread out on the street.

The murder of a journalist who devoted her career to exposing wrongdoing in Malta and raised her three sons there united many of the nations fractious politicians, at least for a day.

Ms Caruana Galizia had repeatedly criticised police and judicial officials.

Maltas two dominant political forces, the ruling Labor and opposition Nationalist parties, participated in the rally which was organised to press demands for justice in her killing.

But Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told his Labor partys radio station a few hours before the events start time that he would not attend because he knew the anti-corruption reporters family did not want him to be there.

I know where I should be and where I should not be. I am not a hypocrite and I recognise the signs, he said, adding that he supported the rallys call for justice and national unity.

Nationalist leader Adrian Delia also skipped the rally, saying he did not want to stir controversy.

Today is not about me, but about the rule of law and democracy, he told reporters.

Mr Muscat and Mr Delia, while fierce political rivals, have another thing in common, as both brought libel lawsuits against Ms Caruana Galizia.

Mr Delia withdrew his pending libel cases last week after her killing.

Ms Caruana Galizias family has refused to endorse the governments offer of a 1 million (890,000) reward and full protection to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of her killer or killers.

Instead, the family, which includes a son who is an investigative journalist himself, has demanded that Mr Muscat resign.

In their quest for a serious and efficient investigation, Ms Caruana Galizias husband and children also want Maltas top police office and attorney general replaced.

The killers decided to silence her, but they wont silence her spirit, they wont silence us, Christophe Deloire, a French journalist from the journalism advocacy organisation Reporters Without Borders, said.

From us they will not have more than one minute of silence.

On Sunday morning, all seven national newspapers printed black front pages in Ms Caruana Galizias memory. Printed in bold letters against the black backgrounds were the words: The pen conquers fear.

Just before her death, Ms Caruana Galizia had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were crooks everywhere in Malta.

The island nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the EU and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe.

The journalist focused her reporting for years on investigating political corruption and scandals, and writing about Maltese mobsters and the islands drug trafficking.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

She also wrote about Maltese links to the so-called Panama Papers leaks about offshore financial havens.

After the rally ended, several hundred participants walked to police headquarters and sat in the street outside shouting Shame on you! and Resign!

Malta President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca received a delegation from the Civil Society Network, a non-partisan organisation of university professors, businessmen, opinion writers and authors in Malta.

The car bombing was an attack on all of us, every single one of us, she told them.

We need to see how we are going to work together. We need to unite to have the reform that is needed.

AP
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British tourist Jamie Harron has been sentenced to jail in Dubai after accidentally touching a mans hip, campaigners have said.

He faces three months in prison but his lawyers plan to appeal.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said Mr Harron, from Stirling, Scotland, was angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next.

He is not being held in custody while the appeal is considered, according to DiD chief executive Radha Stirling.

Recommended What not to do in Dubai

But his passport has been confiscated and he cannot leave Dubai.

The 27-year-old electrician was on a stopover in the Gulf city state when he brushed past a man in a bar.

Mr Harron is said to have been holding a drink, moving through a crowded bar and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it on himself or others. He then touched a man on his hip to avoid impact.

He was later arrested for public indecency.

Ms Stirling said: Now Jamie has been sentenced to three months; there is no telling whether a judgement on appeal will be better or worse.

 Jetpack firefighters launched in Dubai

He has already suffered tremendously as a result of these allegations, and now faces the likelihood of incarceration.

His family was unable to visit him during this critical time because they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAEs cyber crime laws which forbid criticism of the government.

At this point, Jamie will definitely be pursuing civil action against his accusers when he does eventually return home, as it appears that he will not be able to find justice in the UAE.

She added: He feels betrayed and exploited by the system, which did not investigate the reports of key witnesses in his defence and led him to believe that the case would be dropped.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The electrician was working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in the United Arab Emirates in July when he was arrested.

He since lost his job because of his detainment.

A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. We are providing consular assistance.
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Russia has accused the US-led coalition in Syria of wiping the city of Raqqa off the face of the Earth with carpet-bombing, in the same way America and Britain bombed Germanys Dresden during World War Two.

The Russian Defence Ministry, which has repeatedly been forced to deny accusations from activists and western politicians of indiscriminately bombing Syrian civilians, said it looked like the West was now rushing to provide financial aid to Raqqa to cover up evidence of its own crimes.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov, chief spokesman for the Defence Ministry, said around 200,000 people had lived in Raqqa before the conflict in Syria but no more than 45,000 people remained.

 Isis completely driven out of Raqqa by US-backed forces

Raqqa has inherited the fate of Dresden in 1945, wiped off the face of the Earth by Anglo-American bombardments, he said.

Most of the German city was destroyed in Allied bombing raids just before the end of the Second World War.

US-backed militias in Syria declared victory over Isis in Raqqa, the groups de facto capital, last week, raising flags over the last jihadist footholds after a four-month battle.

Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters celebrate victory in Raqqa atop of military vehicles REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces march past destroyed buildings as they celebrate victory REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces evacuate a civilian from the stadium REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures A civilian prays after she was rescued by fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces from the stadium REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters ride atop of military vehicles as they celebrate victory in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures Syrian Democratic Forces fighters celebrate victory in Raqqa REUTERS Syrian Democratic Forces take Raqqa from Isis  in pictures A fighter of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrates in Raqqa Reuters

Though he said Russia welcomed western promises of financial aid to rebuild Raqqa, Major-General Konashenkov complained that numerous Russian requests for the West to give humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians in other parts of the country had been rejected in previous years.

What is behind the rush by western capitals to provide targeted financial help only to Raqqa? he asked.

Theres only one explanation  the desire to cover up evidence of the barbaric bombardments by the US air force and the coalition as fast as possible and to bury the thousands of civilians liberated from Islamic State in the ruins.

The US-led coalition says it is careful to avoid civilian casualties in its bombing runs against Isis in both Syria and Iraq, and investigates any allegations.

The coalition has previously denied killing civilians in air strikes on Raqqa, saying its goal is zero civilian casualties.
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The Spanish government has suspended Catalonias self-rule, 78 years after Francos fascists did the same. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has decided he doesnt like the democratically elected government of Catalonia and has announced he will replace its members with his own ministers.

He has also decided to prevent the Catalan parliament from choosing a new president, to validate all the legislative initiatives it may table in the future and to call for a snap Catalan election in the coming months. According to several high-ranking Peoples Party officials, pro-independence parties could be banned in the run-up to the vote, or just after it.

Rajoy has also announced that his cabinet will have full control of the Catalan governments finances (it already has it) and seize control of the Catalan public broadcasting service (TV, radio and news agency). This is how he plans to change the political will of Catalan citizens: by abusing the most basic democratic principles, the rule of law and the due respect for his fellow citizens.

Rajoy, the politician who irresponsibly started a Spain-wide campaign against the new agreement on Catalonias home rule 10 years ago, has now taken a step that no other Spanish politician dared to take in a democracy, not even during the worst times of the Basque violent conflict.

By suspending Catalonias home rule, the Spanish government, with the incredible support of the Socialist party, has destroyed one of the basic consensuses that led to democracy in the late Seventies: the recovery of Catalonias self-rule. By doing so, Rajoy has staged a coup detat against Catalonias institutions and against democracy in the whole of Spain.

It is more than evident that this is an escalation, without precedent, of tensions and will provoke hundreds of thousands of Catalan citizens to take to the streets to defend Catalonias home rule and institutions, as already happened yesterday.

Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Show all 17 1 /17 Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man faces off Spanish Civil Guards outside a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police form a security cordon around the Ramon Llull school in Barcelona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police evict a young woman during clashes between people gathered outside the Ramon Llull school in Barcelona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Spanish Civil Guard officers break through a door at a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Spanish National Police clash with pro-referendum supporters in Barcelona on Sunday AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Crowds raise their arms up as police move in on members of the public gathered outside to prevent them from voting in the referendum at a polling station where the President Carles Puigdemunt will vote later today Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters People confront Spanish Civil Guard officers outside a polling station Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Three man hold each other as they try to block a Spanish police van from approaching a polling station AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A woman shows a ballot to a Spanish Civil Guard officer outside a polling station Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man wearing a shirt with an Estelada (Catalan separatist flag) and holding carnations faces off with a Spanish Civil Guard officer Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Police try to control the area as people attempt to cast their ballot at a polling station in Barcelona Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man is grabbed by officers as police move in on the crowds Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Two women argue with a Spanish National policeman during clashes between Catalan pro-independence people and police forces at the Sant Julia de Ramis sports centre in Girona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Sant Julia De Ramis in Spain Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Confrontation outside a polling station in Barcelona, where police have tried to stop people voting AFP/Getty Images Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A Spanish National Police officer aims a rubber-bullet rifle at pro-referendum supporters in Barcelona AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police clashed with voters as polls opened in Barcelona Sky News

With this step, Rajoy has scorned Catalan President Carles Puigdemonts gesture to suspend the effects of the declaration of independence, a gesture that confounded more than a few of Catalonias citizens who understood that the 1 October referendum gave a clear mandate to declare independence, especially after they stoically withstood blows from the Spanish polices batons as they peacefully queued to democratically express their views by voting.

There are many gestures that Rajoy could have made to de-escalate the crisis and that he neglected to take. He could have removed the 10,000 paramilitary police sent to stop the referendum, who are still housed on three large cruise ships tied up in Barcelonas and Tarragonas ports. They are the ones who are responsible for what Human Rights Watch concluded was an excessive use of force against peaceful citizens that injured 893 people.

Or he could have tried to stop all the court cases the Spanish government has triggered against Catalan politicians and elected officials. The leaders of the two main grassroots pro-independence organisations were sent to prison with no bail and accused of sedition last Monday; the President of the Catalan parliament is facing three criminal charges for allowing a debate on self-determination; the mayors of 800 Catalan towns are indicted for having collaborated on the 1 October referendum; 200 Catalan government and civil society websites have been shut down; and dozens of young people are charged with having replicated the removed websites.

Instead of taking measures towards de-escalation, the Spanish government has doubled down and pushed the Catalan government into a dead-end street. With not many alternatives to counter this unprecedented attack against Catalonias self-rule and democracy, the Catalan parliament will hold a plenary session next week, which will become a historic one.

Albert Royo-Marine is secretary general of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT)
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There is one question about the future of Spain that overrides even that of Catalan independence itself: the prospect of a violent conflict between some of the more militant of the Catalans on the one side, and the more harshly nationalistic elements among the authorities in Spain on the other side of a wall of mutual incomprehension. The next few days will define how this dangerous conflict is to be resolved: through talks and dialogue or via physical force.

So far there has been far too little jaw-jaw. The Catalan question is a political one, infused with linguistic identity, economic power, historic grievances and cultural divergences  though Spanish and Catalans (like Scots and English) have more in common than they like to admit.

It is complex, not least because the desire for independence is hardly unanimous, and arouses the strongest of passions across the whole of Spain. It is not, though, a military issue requiring a military solution  but it is misguidedly becoming so. Sooner or later a bullet will be fired if things go on like this.

As the irresistible force of Madrids determination to take back control meets the immovable object of Catalan resistance, it is difficult to see how some physical force is to be avoided. It has already been experienced in saddening scenes of suppression during the referendum. Since then there have been more arrests, incarceration and talk of sedition.

It may not be long before democratic, if rebellious, politicians in Catalonia are locked up on the most serious of charges. The process of escalation of this crisis has already begun: who can tell what dark places it may take Spain into? The oppression of the Basque people and a virulent campaign by Basque terrorists mark a chilling precedent.

No attempts to sack the Catalan regional police or lock up civil servants and ministers will end the crisis. Past experience almost everywhere in the world tells us that it wont, and that it will only exacerbate tensions, add to the risk of bloodshed and lead to more violence  the familiar cycle. If Madrid has all too easily responded to the Catalan challenge and been exasperated by Barcelonas more skilful media spin, then the Catalans are also very obviously guilty of wilfully winding up their Spanish counterparts. It seems to have grown into a deadly cat and mouse game. That must now end.

Sooner or later the leader of the provincial Catalan administration, Carles Puigdemont will have to get real and admit that a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of the kind now being discussed will be futile internationally and counterproductive internally. The European Union has already said it will not recognise the breakup of Spain, and neither would many other international bodies or nations. Spain controls the currency (through the EU) and the sinews of sovereignty. A UDI by a Catalan Republic would merely make the idea  which has a dignified history  merely look foolish, a political stunt.

Spain, a proud if confused and paranoid nation terrified of disintegration, must also see that it will never be able to govern Catalonia without the consent of the Catalan people, which is why autonomy for some regions is such an important part of the Spanish political system. Trying to disband the police and take over the TV stations will also raise tensions. Slamming Mr Puigdemont in jail, as some demand, would merely turn him into a Catalan Nelson Mandela. It would suit him perfectly well to be a national martyr. The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy would never be forgiven, and would once again make Spain seem brutal and fascistic.

The stakes for Europe are also high. Nationalism is turning the continent into a patchwork of mini and micro states. There is currently also a legal non-binding referendum on separation being held in Italys northern provinces of Trentino and Veneto, wealthy and tired of their current financial position of subsidy payers to the rest of their countries, and thus following a parallel path to Catalonia, though with much less urgency and energy. Flanders, Scotland, Corsica, even Bavaria all have their aspirations to self-rule to a greater or lesser extent.

Where once, by the end of the 19th century, the whole of Europe from the Atlantic to the Steppes was welded into a few mighty blocs by powerful empires, now the existence of the EU itself lends credibility to the idea that small countries can have it both ways. They use membership of the EU to gain access to a vast market and global currency, and to express their international views.

Yet they still have the trappings of self-government. If tiny Malta, Cyprus, Estonia and Luxembourg can be independent then why not much bigger territories?

Still, this fracturing of Europe into dozens of Ruritanian entities isnt something automatically to be encouraged, given the generally negative consequences of nationalism. That is why some sort of accommodation between Madrid and Barcelona is so desired by their neighbours, for the sake of all.

Increasingly divided by their distinct languages, the Spanish and Catalans no longer seem willing to listen and discuss things with one another. If there were the possibility of a peaceful division, such as the velvet divorce that split Czechoslovakia up in 1992, it might not matter so much. The Spanish constitution, and hardly uniquely, expressly states the Kingdom of Spain is an indivisible whole, and a peaceful independence is not currently possible. It is in the interests of all to break that deadlock and start talking  in whatever language they wish.
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A new piece of theatre coming to London reminds us why Shakespeare is still essential  to hold the mirror up to nature and to one of the most pressing humanitarian disasters of our time, the plight of refugees.

Whither Would You Go? is the brainchild of Ella Smith and Emma West. Their eureka moment occurred one year ago, while Donald Trump was threatening to send back Syrian children from the US, and Smith and West were in LA reading Shakespeares plea for refugees. In The Book of Sir Thomas More, he spoke of wretched strangers plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation and ruffians [who] would shark on you, and men like ravenous fishes Would feed on one another.

Smith said, That was when were realised that nothing much has changed in 400 years. Our fear of the other, and a global diaspora  it was already happening back in 1600. The language may be old but the conflict is fresh.

 Refugee loneliness: The deaf Syrian father learning British Sign Language to combat isolation

As Shakespeare said, your mountainish inhumanity  the inhumanity of our governments and the far-right protest groups trying to block rescue ships  needs to be addressed urgently. The issue has swelled into mainstream culture and it is no surprise that Whither Would You Go?, having gone down a storm in LA, is being brought to the West End.

The message of the play is that refugees are us; we are all human.

It features Jay Abdo, who was born in Damascus, the son of a Christian mother and a Muslim atheist father. In August 2011 the actor was leading a celebrity lifestyle in Syria  a star of stage and soap opera, he had all the privileges, he could travel anywhere, he was courted by princesses and presidents. Then, while filming in Beirut, he happened to give an interview to a journalist from the LA Times. When she switched off the tape recorder, he spoke about Syria, and how his friends had disappeared and been tortured. The interview appeared the next day, citing his views on the Assad regime and revealing his full name. He was forced to flee to Minneapolis, where his wife, Fadia Afashe, had a Fulbright scholarship, and where he found work delivering pizzas. Now, in his mid-fifties, he is at the Harold Pinter theatre for one night only on Sunday, together with a cast of British actors, telling his own story in the words of Shakespeare.

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The show juxtaposes a series of videos of events taking place around the world with extracts from Shakespeares plays: we see a woman suffering in Myanmar followed by the To be or not to be soliloquy; a Syrian child bride followed by a scene from Romeo and Juliet; a torture scene and Richard II.

Its all about humanity, said West. Shakespeare lets us into the mindset. Were presented with characters who are going through what were going through  what we all have in common.

Its all about pain, added Smith. And Shakespeare just says it better.

Jamie Lloyd, who has been called the new Sam Mendes, is directing, and the scenes are delivered by actors who are giving their services for free, including Martin Freeman, Olivia Williams, Roger Allam, Celia Imrie, and Lee Evans, emerging out of his retirement from the stage.

But this is more than just virtue-signaling. Olivia Williams, who performed in LA, said, Contributing to 'Whither Would You Go?' is the answer to the question, What can I do to help? The show has already raised around $30,000 for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

After six years of conflict in Syria, there are so many stories that will never be told. When Jay Abdo was growing up in Damascus, he said he was brainwashed into worshipping the regime of Assad (at that time the father of the current Bashar al-Assad). Children and their parents could be arrested for saying anything out of line regarding the four pillars  religion, sex, politics, the military. Now he can say what he likes on those subjects and in fact deliver speeches on stage about them in any one of several languages.

It is such a relief, he said.

Whither Would You Go? is timeless reportage. Harold Bloom said that Shakespeare invented the human. He is just as good on mountainish inhumanity too.

In 2016, there were at least 3,740 migrant deaths as they tried to reach Europe, surpassing the death toll in 2015. And in the 1600s, Shakespeare saw death as the only place from which no refugees are sent back: the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. It is time to revisit his words.

Whither Would You Go? is playing on Sunday October 22 at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London. Tickets can be booked on www.whitherwouldyougo.com
Benedicte Duval, Air France-KLMs general manager for the UK and Ireland, says the French airline is testing the waters with Airbus A318s here. Photo: Christophe Leroux Air France

Business is booming between the Brexit job-chasing cities of Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam. Air France-KLM's new head of the UK and Ireland, Benedicte Duval, revealed that the airline's Dublin routes have outperformed those in the UK so far this year.

With load factors (filled seats) of 87.5pc to Amsterdam and 87.2pc to Paris Charles De Gaulle, the airline group is expanding its services here.

From October 29, KLM will be operating five flights a day to Amsterdam, two using mainline Boeing 737 aircraft and three on KLM Cityhopper Embraer 190s.

Air France is switching from full codeshare on smaller CityJet planes to a daily service, two operated by Air France mainline Airbus 318s, one on its Hop subsidiary with Embraer 190s and one with CityJet using an AR8. The airlines will be fighting for market share with Aer Lingus to Paris and with Aer Lingus and Ryanair to Amsterdam.

Both airlines could expand their services further, with Duval saying Air France is "testing the waters" at Dublin, and could put more, and larger, Air France mainline aircraft on the route. "During the past 18 months the curve, following the economic recovery in Ireland, has been up," Duval said.

She conceded that the mix of aircraft on the Dublin-Paris route could be confusing for business passengers wanting consistency of service in the cabin, saying "ideally all the services would be mainline".

While Amsterdam and Dublin are both competing for London City jobs, their airports are also in competition as global hubs. Schiphol is some way ahead of Dublin (68 million passengers to under 30 million), but Aer Lingus has stated its aim is to develop Dublin further as a gateway between Europe and North America.

Air France is also aiming to push Charles De Gaulle as a transcontinental hub for more Irish passengers, along the lines of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul.

Paris and Amsterdam are mirror images - just 29pc of traffic to Amsterdam is point to point, with 29pc of passengers transferring to medium-haul destinations, and 42pc to long haul.

With Charles De Gaulle, over half (53.5pc) is to Paris only; 38pc is medium haul and a mere 8.5pc long haul. The breakdown reveals where the Irish are doing business and travelling - Moscow, Denmark, Kiev and Luxembourg on the short haul side, and Minneapolis-St Paul, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Shanghai and Beijing long haul.

With Paris, medium haul is provincial France (Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier) and Moscow, while long haul is similar to Schiphol: Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Beijing, Lagos (Nigeria) and Johannesburg.

Duval concedes that the competition for business passengers on some of its niche routes will heat up, given Aer Lingus's transatlantic ambitions, the arrival of Cathay Pacific on the Dublin-Hong Kong route and reports of Hainan offering Dublin to Beijing in the near future.

"We're never confident," she said. "We have to be competitive as it's always a challenge."

n Organisers of the recent Connect17, Ireland's summit on business tourism, might be blowing their own trumpet a bit, but someone's got to do it.

Corporate travellers are well aware of the scale of conventions abroad (Cologne's colossal Koelnmesse alone hosts 2,000 conferences a year), but it's not a sector that gets that much attention here at home.

Connect17 brought together 200 buyers as well as international speakers, including the Sunday Independent's Gina London) to explore the MICE (meetings incentives, conferences and exhibitions) space, and it's certainly a lucrative one. Even here, business tourism is reckoned to employ about 21,000 people and was worth 715m (up 7pc) last year. The aim now is to create a 1.1bn industry, employing an additional 8,000 people, by 2028.

n Dublin's InterContinental Hotel in Ballsbridge has been named Ireland's best business hotel for the second year running. And while this column can't give a thumbs up or down to the facilities (not a regular visitor), one thing is clear - it's popular among the business community.

A recent visit revealed a lobby filled with the top brass of about-to-be-sold tech company Vox Pro, blue chip accountancy firm figures and a host of airlines executives.

It might be out of the way from the central business district hubs, but it came across as a mini-IFSC in the heart of D4.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox outside 10 Downing Street, London, after Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to "accelerate" efforts to find a Brexit deal but offered little sign of tangible progress. Steve Parsons/PA Wire

Brexit talks on a future trade relationship will only be complicated if the European Union decides to "punish Britain for having the audacity" to leave, Liam Fox has said.

The International Trade Secretary warned Brussels to put the prosperity of EU citizens ahead of any desire to make the UK pay a price for quitting the bloc, and sign a mutually beneficial trade agreement.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry warned that "intransigence" from Theresa May has left Britain "heading for no deal".

And Dr Fox said leaving without an agreement and trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was "not exactly a nightmare scenario".

But he stressed he would "prefer to have a deal because it would give greater certainty and almost certainly greater openness" and said reaching agreement does not need to be complicated if there is political will.

"I don't think they're (the negotiations) difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics," Dr Fox told ITV's Peston On Sunday.

"In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave the European Union.

"That's the thing.

"And what will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision?

"I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level."

Dr Fox also dismissed suggestions from French president Emmanuel Macron that "secondary players" in the UK were "bluffing" about the possibility of a no deal outcome because Mrs May did not mention it when she addressed EU leaders over dinner on Thursday.

The International Trade Secretary said Mr Macron was "completely wrong about that" and the Government was working out the potential costs of no deal and how to mitigate them for different industries.

Reports suggest the Government may use the coming weeks to step up preparations for no deal in an attempt to force the EU's hand in negotiations by showing the UK is ready to leave without a trade agreement, in the hope that it could lead to a more favourable outcome including fewer concessions on an exit payment.

But Ms Thornberry warned that it was Tory splits holding up Brexit negotiations rather than inflexibility in Brussels.

"I think what we may be seeing is the Europeans trying to make it clear that it is not their fault that there are these difficulties, the intransigence does not come from their side, it comes from Theresa May's side," she told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show.

"And in the end I think the reality is intransigence is on Theresa May's side, because she doesn't have the strength or the authority to be able to control her backbenchers, let alone her Cabinet, and I think we are heading for no deal, and I think that that is a serious threat to Britain and it is not in Britain's interests for that to happen.

"We will stop that."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will join forces with Tory rebels in an attempt to force the Prime Minister into giving MPs a veto on the final Brexit deal.

The shadow Brexit secretary demanded six changes to the "paused" repeal Bill, formally known as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, including Parliament being given final approval of the exit agreement, warning that the Government faces defeat if it does not listen to MPs.

Pro-EU Labour MP Chuka Umunna said there has been "an unprecedented" level of cooperation among backbenchers of all parties over Brexit.

"In the end you've got to put aside the party political stuff on this issue, because history is not going to be kind to people who if you do, say, do things in their own self-interest here," he told Marr.

"For me this is one of those issues, a bit like when you're voting for military action, you don't simply blindly follow your whips, you do what you believe is the right thing by your principles and your constituents."
It's all about milk and honey at Kevin Collins's dual enterprise farm in West Cork where it's a toss up every year as to whether the cows or the bees will bring in the most profit.

"I'd say it's about 50-50. The milk price can go up and down while the honey is sold at the same price, so it probably favours the cows with prices the way they are at the moment," says Kevin.

He farms 230 acres in Timoleague where he runs a pedigree-registered herd of up to 200 Holsteins, some British Friesians along "with a bit of Jersey thrown in."

He supplies milk to Barryroe who are currently paying "43c/l with high fat."

"The price this year is okay especially when compared to the previous two years. We are making a margin. We are not living on the minimum wage. But you need over 30c/l to make a decent wage and milk prices have a habit of diving when they hit the 40c/l mark," Kevin enumerates.

When not milking the herd Kevin switches his attention to the honey business. This involves 300 bee hives which are located at Timoleague and across host farms from Kinsale to Macroom.

Expand Close Kevin Collins's Father Jerry farmer based in Timoleague, Milk and Honey Molaga Honey Pic. Emma Jervis Photography / Facebook

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Kevin produces his own Black and Green labelled honeys under the Molaga brand. The brand's name derives from St Molaga who ministered in the Timoleague area in ancient times and was a friend of St David, the patron saint of Wales and, some would say, the patron saint of bees.

He has distribution agreements with Tesco and Musgraves for the Molaga brand and also organises distribution to MACE and other outlets himself.

The Black label brand is produced from the 300 "home hives" and some locally bought-in honey. About two tonnes of honey are used for the Black label while an extra seven tonnes is imported from Portugal for the Green label brand.

Three generations of the Collins family have kept bees. Kevin learned the art from his father, Gerry who still manages the apiary on the Timoleague farm to this day.

Both enterprises create spin-off work locally with the dairy employing a full-time man and the hives creating work for a few local lads and a part-time office administrator.

Kevin, who has an infectious enthusiasm about bees, is always puzzled why honey curds are not very popular with consumers. "The older people tend to buy them but there seems to be no interest among the younger people for them. The curds always have the best honey in them," he says.

Expand Close Kevin Collins farmer based in Timoleague, Milk and Honey Molaga Honey. Pic. Emma Jervis Photography / Facebook

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Kevin says it is important where the hives are sited. He had a hive near an ESB power line once and he immediately noticed that the bees began to die off quickly, but when he relocated them away from the power mast, they thrived once again.

"All the honey, whether Irish or Portuguese, is fully traceable down to the last barrel," he stresses.

Kevin, who has been farming with his father since he completed his agricultural studies at Clonakilty in the mid 80s, is married to Kay and the couple have four children - Caoimhe (15), Mira (13), Riona (11) and Darragh (9).

Off farm, his interests centres on the local GAA club and with helping to organise the annual Timoleague Harvest Festival.

He has been working with the festival committee for over 10 years now.

It attracts top like Nathan Carter, Mundy and Aslan, it puts another buzz into the rural life around the old parish of St Molaga in West Cork.

In conversation with Ken Whelan
John Conroy is a keen student of global politics and its impact on the business environment. Picture by David Conachy

Three years ago, John Conroy walked away from Merrion Capital, the firm he founded with six of the country's leading brokers in 1999, taking with him a key lesson on building up a successful business. Finding the right people is as important as identifying an opportunity in the market.

Having kept a low profile since then, Conroy has this month launched his new venture, the Acton Health and Wellness Fund, again bringing on board an impressive team.

The fund, which has been gestating for some time, brought in Olympian Eamonn Coghlan and former Eircom vice-chairman Con Scanlon at an early stage. Several leaders from business, the food sector and medical world have also now come on board, including: Niall Fitzgerald, the former chairman of Unilever; Paul Finnerty, the former chief executive of ABP Food Group; and renowned US investment banker John Duffy.

For Conroy, he wanted to mark his new project out by the calibre of the people involved.

"There are a huge amount of investment ideas coming through any family office now. I think we have an advantage because a lot of people have a personal interest in what we are doing," he says. "It gets us in the door. After that, it is down to the quality of the product and the people."

The new fund seeks to ride the growing wave of interest in wellness and the opportunity which technology might bring in terms of making us healthier.

Conroy explains: "What are the issues today? From a governmental perspective, the very high spending on health worldwide and an increasing burden on the budget as people are living longer.

"You have this dichotomy, a section of the population is fitter than ever and another section has major health issues."

There are several opportunities for businesses delivering solutions, such as "trying to reduce the reliance on primary care and other trends are that more people want to take control of their own health and more people are using more technology.

"The two silos we are focusing on are consumer-focused digital health and also functional foods. We feel that the opportunity is big in these areas," he says. "So we are looking to invest in companies operating in those sectors, mainly in Ireland."

Conroy believes that Ireland also has an advantage in these areas, with 18 of the world's leading medtech companies having operations here. In addition to this, Ireland has produced Kerry and Glanbia, two world leaders in the food sector.

He says that in the area of functional food "not many people have made money out of it yet but I think we are at an inflection point".

Conroy, originally from Portlaoise, started his career by studying civil engineering in UCD, before joining Dublin County Council and being seconded out to McCarthy & Partners. With an innate interest in business, he took an MBA in the evenings at Trinity College, Dublin.

Conroy was then recruited into NCB stockbrokers in 1986, which was at the time breaking the mould in Dublin's cosy stockbroking world.

He impressed people with his appetite for hard work, his intellect and ability to read world politics and business and understand its implications for Irish business. Starting off as an equity analyst, he soon moved into managerial roles, eventually becoming head of equities.

NCB was later bought by Ulster Bank and in the late 1990s after a new ceo had taken the reins at the broker, Conroy decided to break away from NCB and set up a new firm with several of his colleagues. The team included Adrian O'Carroll, who Conroy says was "the best stockbroker in Dublin".

"Merrion was an exciting enough adventure," recalls Conroy. "The critical thing for us was at the outset to get a good partner on board. We talked to many, many people, both domestically, in the UK and one or two in New York."

He was introduced by the Smurfits to Allen & Co, a renowned but low-key boutique investment bank, which went on to take a 30pc stake.

As far as Conroy knows, Merrion has been its only investment outside of US.

Allen & Co has tremendous business links in the US and is behind the annual Sun Valley conference, which attracts the likes of Tim Cook, John Malone and Rupert Murdoch.

Allen & Co heavyweights Walter O'Hara and Paul Gould joined Merrion's board.

"We were very privileged, this tiny little start-up in Ireland getting these power players from the US and guys whose reputations stood above a lot of global players.

"Allen didn't want to own us," says Conroy of the minority stake. "Their attitude was, 'you do well and we'll do well'. That suited our entrepreneurial spirit at the time.

"The question was whether or not there was room for another stockbroker. We had to make room. So for us, it was very important to differentiate ourselves and we did that by being independent and objective."

It was not without its challenges, however. Merrion launched in 2000 and the tech bubble burst soon afterwards. There were also other headwinds, like the Enron scandal and 9/11.

"It wasn't a good time to be setting up a business. But we came through it," says Conroy.

"By the mid-2000s, from a standing start, we were making 25m-26m a year," he says.

"Any time we looked to make a very significant move, I would ask how would this sit with the reputation of Merrion, because I don't want to damage it. And it was a good discipline and we minded the brand really well."

In November 2005, they started talking about a possible sale to Iceland's Landsbanki and a deal was done by December. Under the deal, 50pc of the sale price was paid up front, with the remaining 50pc sold over three tranches and linked to performance. The 2008 payment never happened as the Iceland economy felt the bite of the recession ahead of Ireland and others in Europe.

"We could see it, they were distracted," he says. "What happened in Iceland was a harbinger of what happened here."

Merrion, once again backed by Allen, bought the business back. "It wasn't as easy as people think. The public sentiment turned against the banks and asset sales. Landsbanki had gone on a shopping spree across Europe. In London, Paris.. a lot of it was rubbish."

However, Merrion had been a prized asset bringing the Icelanders into the high-profile deals, such as the Aer Lingus IPO, for example.

In 2014, there was again a change of ownership at Merrion, with Conroy exiting and taking some time out. Looking back on Merrion, Conroy counts his exposure to the US through Allen & Co's involvement as a huge positive. By nature, he is hugely interested in world politics and business.

"I have been observing the US for a while and I have great admiration for the might of the economy and their military force and all of that. However, what I'm seeing is that the US is losing itself.

"What has sustained the US is the entrepreneurial culture they had and still have and the technology lead."

Conroy also believes that the US has benefited from strong leadership. "This has all allowed the US to be the dominant force in our lives anyway.

"Looking at it now, the entrepreneurial culture is still there. On leadership, I'm not a fan of Trump; he is divisive and will only become more divisive."

He says that the election of Donald Trump as president may be a reaction to the lack of leadership on both sides over the past two decades.

A Democrat by nature, he says recent presidents have been 'nothing to write home about'.

"The few recent presidents have pursued their own agenda, which has tended to be narrow."

However, from an Irish perspective, this presents an opportunity. "There is a great opportunity for us because there is a dearth of leadership in the US and the UK where not alone is there not a governing party, there is no opposition.

"Having said that, we don't do plans in Ireland, we do forecasts. There is no sense of where we need to be, which areas of the economy we need to be promoting, etc."

He believes there are many creative and entrepreneurial Irish companies out there. "But we have a natural disadvantage due to our small population and so a lot of these good ideas never make it.

"If you were in the US, you would be much more inclined to hold on for the bigger pay cheque.

"I would contend that we could help companies in terms of managing and mentoring, commercialisation, getting what I would call the shelf space and that means getting products accepted by some of the big players."

His hope is that several investments backed by the fund will become "national champions and international success stories".

Name

John Conroy

Age

58

Position

Chief executive and founder of the Acton Group

Lives

Dublin

Education

Civil engineering, UCD and MBA Trinity College Dublin

Previous experience

Founder of Merrion

Family

Married to Yvonne, three children

Interests

Sport, theatre, reading, and interesting people
Falcon's share price has already gone up fourfold this year but could jump even higher if Justice Rachel Pepper's long-awaited report recommends the lifting of a ban on all fracking in the Northern Territories. (stock picture)

An Australian judge is due to issue a report within weeks that could have a profound impact on the future of Irish oil and gas exploration company Falcon Oil & Gas.

The Dublin-headquartered company, headed up by exploration veteran Philip O'Quigley, owns a 30pc share of the huge Beetaloo Basin shale gas field, 600 miles south of Darwin, where it and partner Origin Energy believe they have a major gas discovery, which they claim could help tackle Australia's growing energy shortages.

Falcon's share price has already gone up fourfold this year but could jump even higher if Justice Rachel Pepper's long-awaited report recommends the lifting of a ban on all fracking in the Northern Territories that was implemented by the province's government in September of last year.

The judge has since carried out an extensive examination of the issue and has said she will publish her report early next month. The inquiry has looked at the impact of fracking in the sparsely populated region from a range of different standpoints, including economic, scientific, environmental and social.

Origin, Australia's largest integrated energy company, which farmed into Falcon's acreage and is paying for and operating a nine-well drilling programme at Beetaloo, the last four of which will be drilled if the moratorium is lifted, has estimated a contingent resource of 6.6 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas, up to 100 times the size of Ireland's Corrib gas field and comparable to some of the biggest shale gas fields in the world.

O'Quigley told this newspaper that he believes the publication of Pepper's report, which will make a recommendation on the moratorium to the government, could be "the next major catalyst for the share price of this company."

"I can say this with confidence because we have lived with the moratorium for over 12 months. It's coming to a conclusion," he said. "We are more than hopeful that the report will contain a positive determination to the moratorium."

The implementation of the fracking ban has become a hugely political issue in Australia. But O'Quigley said that the Northern Territory's chief minister had already come out and confirmed that he will act in accordance with the determination.

"This is where it gets really, really exciting. Assuming I am right, and that we get a favourable determination; and assuming I am right and the government moves to lift that moratorium, we are back drilling. And back drilling means drilling five more wells on our property.

"Four of them are what I like to call 'all-singing, all dancing' multi-frack wells, estimated to cost $115m at zero cost to Falcon as part of the deal we negotiated three years ago," said O'Quigley.

The aim of the new drilling programme will be to move the field from resource potential to a declaration of commerciality, he added.

Earlier this year, Davy, which acts as broker to Falcon, predicted "considerable additional upside" for the company, saying that it could double to over 40 pence per share from its current price of around 22 pence.

"In any event, Falcon's business model was always to create value at the asset level and exit prior to the development and production stage," it said.
Irish companies should look east to find a rising marketplace for quality goods and services.

Increased middle-class income has transformed dynamics in the Chinese market. Until recently, competing on price was a serious barrier for exporters targeting China, but a shift in consumer preferences has expanded opportunities for overseas businesses.

With the review and comment sections of e-commerce websites increasingly influencing purchasing decisions, price is no longer the consumer's main priority; product quality has become almost as important. This has created opportunities for Irish exporters to invest in e-commerce and serve a growing taste for quality goods.

Irish companies and brands already have the advantage of being perceived by Chinese consumers as supplying premium products and services associated with a high level of quality. One such exporter, Felim Meade, MD of Emerald Green Baby, describes the commercial landscape that attracted his company to the region: "Everyone knows the Chinese market has huge potential. With the government's five-year plan for 6.5pc annual growth and its 'Belt and Road' initiative driving connectivity between Eurasian countries, the opportunities for growth are endless.

"The challenge lies in accessing China's potential in a cost-effective way. Emerald Green Baby has been selling in China for three years but spent years researching how to sell there. China is a very sophisticated and dynamic market, far more advanced than we are used to in Europe and America. The potential for e-commerce is clear: in China 51pc of goods are bought online and 80pc of online sales are done by mobile phone."

China is the world's top online shopping market, accounting for over 40pc of global e-commerce retail sales. Two of China's biggest e-commerce players played a major part in that growth. In 2016, Alibaba's profit almost doubled to $2.1bn and Tencent's grew 70pc to $2.7bn.

WeChat agency WalktheChat expects the cross-border e-commerce market to reach a 7.5 trillion RMB volume (1 trillion) in 2017, demonstrating how appealing foreign brands are to local consumers. This year, the Chinese government announced it plans to establish more cross-border e-commerce pilot zones to support international companies' attempts to gain access to the Chinese market. While China's regulatory environment can still pose a challenge to cross-border opportunities, these pilots are an example of how the situation has relaxed in recent years.

Enterprise Ireland has increased support to encourage more companies to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the Chinese e-commerce market in 2018.

Several Enterprise Ireland client companies, including Emerald Green Baby, Ovelle, Irish Breeze and Clevamama, already sell on e-commerce platforms in China.

Irish companies considering China are encouraged to conduct diligent market research and visit the region to ensure they understand consumer preferences in their sector before committing to a plan.

Market research will also help companies to determine which e-commerce platform best suits their offering. Some local platforms are not well known outside China, but they are no less important within the market itself. Enterprise Ireland's Market Research Centre will help companies considering e-commerce expansion to China.

When visiting the region, Irish companies should aim to meet potential partners and distributors to get a practical sense of the market and explore demand for their products or services. Relationship building is essential to doing business in China and often must be done face-to-face. Many businesses credit interpersonal relationships as key to successful business in China. It is a reminder that, in some markets, personal connections and recommendations outweigh simpler considerations - like price.

Sarah Connelly is a Marketing Executive at the Enterprise Ireland office in Shanghai
Peter Bellew's return to the Ryanair fold fires the starting gun on the race to succeed Michael O'Leary as the boss of Europe's largest airline.

On Tuesday, Ryanair announced that Bellew would be rejoining the airline as chief operations officer. Bellew had previously spent 14 years with Ryanair before leaving for Malaysian Airlines in 2015. He takes over from Michael Hickey, who left Ryanair abruptly following the pilot-rostering fiasco that forced the airline to cancel 18,000 flights and left 800,000 passengers inconvenienced.

So why is the prodigal son coming home? Bellew had first been deputy chief executive of Malaysian Airlines and, since July 2016, its chief executive. With 16 million passengers a year, Malaysian Airlines is only a fraction of the size of Ryanair, which carried 120 million passengers in the year to the end of March.

There have also been reports in the Malaysian media that Bellew had had a difficult relationship with the airline's sole shareholder, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah. Malaysian Airlines has had a tumultuous few years since 2014, when one of its planes vanished in the Indian Ocean and another was shot down by Russian-backed rebels over Ukraine.

Even allowing for the fact that Khazanah may have been an occasional back-seat driver, with Malaysian Airlines getting through three chief executives in as many years, Bellew is going from being boss of an airline to being no more than one of the chasing pack at Ryanair.

Why?

When asked why he was quitting Malaysian Airlines, Bellew replied: "It [Ryanair] is Ireland's greatest company. They need my help and there is a big challenge. It is a form of national service."

Erm, yes.

A decade or more ago a feature of every Ryanair results press conference was O'Leary dangling the prospect of his retirement in "a year or two".

Of course it never happened and as O'Leary approached and then passed the Big Five-Oh we heard less and less of his retirement plans.

While Hickey's unscheduled departure may have bought him some time, there is little doubt that the rostering fiasco has brought the end of O'Leary 23-year reign as Ryanair's boss a lot closer. After almost a quarter of a century of being synonymous with the airline, we may soon have to get used to the idea of Ryanair without O'Leary.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter there is little doubt that Ryanair's relationship with its pilots, without whom it cannot fly its planes, is difficult. After years of being able to dictate terms to its pilots, a recovery in the demand for pilots from other airlines means that the shoe is now on the other foot.

This is happening at the same time as Ryanair's growth from upstart to being the largest airline in Europe, with a forecast 130 million passengers in the current year, means that not alone is its previously cavalier attitude to its pilots and other staff no longer working, it is downright counter-productive.

As his recent derogatory comments about Ryanair's pilots demonstrate, O'Leary seems to have difficulty fully grasping this fundamental change.

The Ryanair statement announcing Bellew's appointment made it clear that he had been hired to fix the rostering mess. He will have "specific responsibility for pilot production, training and career development with a mission to ensure that the pilot-rostering failure which Ryanair suffered in early September will never be repeated".

If, and given O'Leary's apparent recalcitrance that could be a very big "if", the 52-year old Bellew succeeds in this task he could then be in pole position to take over the controls at Ryanair whenever O'Leary finally decides to spend more time with his racehorses and Aberdeen Angus pedigree cattle.

Is Bellew's second coming at Ryanair merely the first step in a canny strategy that will ultimately see him become boss of his own airline, in this case the biggest in Europe, once again?

Financial regulation still not fit for purpose

Shocking as the misbehaviour of the banks in wrongly taking customers off tracker mortgages was, what it tells us about the state of financial regulation in this country is even more disturbing. Almost a decade on from the crash, our system of financial regulation is still not fit for purpose.

The Central Bank had been pushed "to the limits of its powers" and "all lenders did not sufficiently recognise or address the scale of these unacceptable failings," Central Bank governor Philip Lane told the Oireachtas Finance Committee on Thursday.

The previous day, Financial Ombudsman Ger Deering revealed that of the 700 cases his office had adjudicated on since 2009, the banks had only restored the tracker mortgage in 25pc of them.

The picture that emerges from the committee's hearings is one of at least some of the banks feeling free to treat their "regulators" with contempt. This is despite all of the reforms that have been put in place since the banking crisis first struck nine years ago.

So can anything be done to address the regulatory failings that have been highlighted by the tracker mortgage scandal? What the affair demonstrates once more is the inability of the Central Bank to combine its prudential role, i.e. ensuring that the banks don't go bust, with its consumer protection role, i.e. stopping the banks from robbing us blind.

With the banks still on life support and the State retaining 75pc shareholdings in AIB and PTSB along with a 14pc stake in Bank of Ireland, the Central Bank is hopelessly conflicted.

At least 13,000 customers are now known to have been wrongly moved off trackers, a number that will surely rise. This means that the final cost of the tracker scandal will run into the hundreds of millions and possibly billions of euro. Wearing its prudential hat, the Central Bank would certainly have an incentive to encourage the banks to minimise these losses.

To fix our broken system of financial regulation we need to strip the Central Bank of its consumer protection role and hive off the function to a new agency with the resources and powers to do the job properly.
According to the firm's 2017 Black Hat survey of 250 hackers, one third of them choose privileged accounts, while 27pc said that getting access to email accounts was the easiest way to unlock sensitive information. Photo: Getty Stock

The castle wall - the ultimate in safety and protection. And not just as a medieval fortress. For many years now, the castle has been used as a metaphor to teach the basic concepts of cyber-safety and security.

But such a simplistic approach to cyber-security is no longer appropriate, now that cyber-attacks are not just happening more frequently but are also becoming more sophisticated.

"The method of getting into the castle is different, it's no longer the front door," said Joseph Carson, cyber-security strategist at Thycotic, which is a provider of privileged account management (PAM) solutions.

"The new cyber-security perimeter must incorporate an identity firewall built around employees and data using Identity and Access Management technology controls, which emphasise the protection of privileged account credentials and enhancing user passwords across the enterprise with multi-factor authentication."

Once hackers are in, though - whatever the route - it would seem that they go for some of the fastest and easiest targets.

Recent research from Thycotic shows that these targets are often privileged accounts.

According to the firm's 2017 Black Hat survey of 250 hackers, carried out to get their perspective on what works and what doesn't when it comes to protecting critical data, one third of them choose privileged accounts, while 27pc said that getting access to email accounts was the easiest way to unlock sensitive information.

"Privileged accounts are the keys to the kingdom, whether it's a business or personal. We're talking about key information, the Coca Cola secret sauce.

"Depending on the type of company, it could be customer lists, IP, credit card information.

"Whatever it is, it's the core information that enables an organisation to keep running."

In addition, the same survey showed that 73pc of hackers found that traditional perimeter security, like firewalls and antivirus, were now irrelevant or obsolete.

According to Carson, the traditional view that cyber-security was the responsibility of the IT department is no longer true; nor is it fair.

"From the boardroom down to the front office and/or janitor, anyone who has access to technology is responsible," he said.

"And the most sensitive information needs the most aggressive form of protection.

"We look at setting boundaries but the approach is wrong. It should be twofold - both data-centric and people-centric.

"While many companies have taken some security steps, we need to stop making software like it's 1999."

According to Carson, data-centric means understanding what data is of value to the company and understanding that value. What is the core?

But the approach must also address the key role that employees can play in the detection and awareness of cyber-security, he explained.

While the same Black Hat survey showed that 80pc of hackers blamed humans for security breaches, Carson added that employers have to take responsibility and support their staff.

Dublin Information Sec 2017 Podcast. Irelands cyber security conference, addresses the critically important issues that threaten businesses in the information age.

It is, he said, incumbent on employers to remember that staff are also victims when hackers hit and organisations have to empower and enable their workers, rather than punish them.

"We must increase our cyber-security awareness to help us protect and secure both our personal assets and our company assets.

"The time for a people-centric cyber-security approach is now, which means that cyber-security is everyone's responsibility," he said.

"The protection and security of employees' work and personal lives are no longer separate. They have been intertwined with evolving trends of social networks, the internet of things and unlimited connectivity."

Carson is just one of the speakers at Dublin Information Sec 2017 cyber-security conference, which takes place on November 1 at the RDS.

He will address The Anatomy of a Privileged Account Hack, detailing the process hackers use to breach the traditional cyber-security perimeters of organisations, from SMBs to the enterprise.

Other speakers include: Jeanette Manfra, the US assistant secretary for cyber-security; Brian Honan, chief executive at BH Consulting; and Bradley C Birkenfeld, banker and whistleblower.

Dublin Information Sec 2017, Ireland's cyber-security conference, addresses the critically important issues that threaten businesses in the information age. For more on INM's Dublin InfoSec 2017 conference, go to: independent.ie/infosec2017
Ending restrictions on dual aspect, parking numbers and height could increase the number of planned residential units in the Docklands by 70pc. Photo: Maxwells Photography

Housing minister Eoghan Murphy delivered what many will see as welcome news at the recent Irish Planning Institute Annual Autumn conference. At it he said he would tackle the "faintly ridiculous restrictions" on using scarce land in an effective and efficient way.

These restrictions include height limitations, the number of car park spaces that have to be provided, and burden of having to build dual-facing apartments.

The minister referred to two of these in his speech, saying they could be changed in parts of Dublin City between the canals. But he specified it must be where the sites are close to good public transport.

The obvious place for this to work would be the Docklands area which has Luas stops, a Docklands station and other transport links.

So who would benefit in the Docklands and how high could they go? The truth is that such a change could substantially increase the number of residential units built along the river, quite quickly.

This includes the Block Three site near the new Central Bank building. It has planning for 500 units.

Another big winner would be the site near North Wall Quay known as Block Nine.

Also standing to gain would be CIE, which is still a major land owner in the area.

Residential developer Michael O'Flynn is also a big owner of sites in the area. He is developing the old Tedcastles site beside the Point Village. This used to be owned by Treasury Holdings.

Former Treasury Holdings founder Johnny Ronan has planning permission on a CIE site at North Spencer Dock for 620 student-accommodation units. This is based on a seven-storey building. It is adjacent to buildings that are 11 and 12 storeys. Matching those could add another 500 units.

It all depends on how high they can go. But property sources suggest that doing away with the restrictions on dual aspect, car parking numbers and height could increase the number of planned residential units in the Docklands by 70pc.

That might go a long way towards improving our residential offering in attracting jobs to the IFSC or just providing a lot of people with an affordable place to live.

Nobody is talking about Manhattan, but it seems the minister has now seen the scope for a relatively quick and significant increase in residential units in some areas.

The State could win on the double, given that two state bodies would be among the biggest beneficiaries.

Coillte's 'flipping' energy plan

When it comes to State companies benefiting from their land banks, few have bigger plans than Coillte. The state forestry company is looking for a joint venture partner to develop 1.3bn worth of wind farm assets on 12-15 sites around the country. The strategy could see a big payday for Coillte further down the road, because its current plan is to develop the assets and then sell them.

It wants to become a wind farm developer rather than a wind farm owner. To illustrate the point, chief executive Fergal Leamy said during the week that he plans to sell its existing portfolio of four wind farms in which it has a 50pc stake.

Leamy reckons their 300 megawatts of wind power are worth around 2m to 3m per megawatt.

After debt, they could be worth 150m to Coillte after a sale. But what to do with the money? Leamy wants to use it to double or treble up and put it into a new mega wind venture, which it would in turn sell on.

It could pay out big time for Coillte, but what would it do with that money? A good problem to have, but it isn't clear how it fits in with the long-term strategy for the company. Leamy suggested that keeping the wind assets after they are operational would be akin to making Coillte into a utility. Why not?

It isn't that long ago since a full merger of Bord NaMona and Coillte was planned by a more naive and fresh-faced Fine Gael in 2012. After deliberating on it, they agreed to form a commercial joint venture with Bord na Mona on renewable energy. That resulted in a joint wind farm project in Roscommon, which now looks like being sold on. Coillte and Bord na Mona have definitely shaken off those merger proposals.

Leamy has brought a fresh approach to many aspects of the Coillte business and he has lifted its public profile, with sales of land to Center Parcs in Co Longford, and to Apple for its data centre in Athenry.

He has also showed that he is keen to develop leisure activities across Coillte's land base which accounts for 7pc of the land of Ireland. Building and then flipping wind farm assets may well prove quite lucrative, but exactly to what long term end for Coillte?

Black Monday: this time it's different

Thirty years after the stock market crash of Black Monday there was some nervousness in the US about whether it is all going to happen again. The consensus was "probably" but not just yet. In the year up to Black Monday the S&P 500 index shot up by 72pc. In the last year it has gone up by around 17pc. Twelve-month earnings across the index went up by 17pc before the 1987 crash. In the last 12 months earnings are up 121pc.

That suggests it is all a lot more solid this time round - for now at least.

But US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said some troubling things to Congress during the week. He said if they didn't pass corporate tax reform measures, the stock market would fall, because it had been built into the price.

Clearly it doesn't say much for Mnuchin's faith in the fundamentals of stock valuations at these levels when he believes a chunk of their value is already built on the premise of tax benefits down the road.

Analysts were quick to say they haven't priced these cuts into their valuation models. But who can say how much of the current record stock price highs are built on sentiment that could easily evaporate.

Bombardier jobs safe - sort of

The good news for Belfast this week was that 1,000 Bombardier jobs look safe. Airbus agreed to buy a majority stake in the C-Series jet which had been the source of controversy with Boeing and prospective tariffs on US sales of 300pc.

Before breathing a sigh of relief, there are still some hurdles to jump. The Airbus deal will take around a year to get regulatory clearance. In the meantime, the US could slap on the tariffs.

The new deal will prevent the tariffs by assembling the planes at the Boeing facility in Alabama. Bombardier has assured staff this will not affect its assembly plant at Mirabel in Quebec. But how can they make that assurance unless they are simply going to put stickers on the planes in Alabama?

A 150-seater jet isn't something you can just box in one location to pretend it was made there. Jobs in Belfast look more secure because the wings are made there but this deal won't fly unless some additional jobs get transferred to the US from somewhere.

These planes may defy gravity but the business cannot defy economics.
Bullying is a sensitive area and can be daunting and sometimes difficult to handle. Stock photo

Q One of my employees says she is being bullied by her manager. I understand that the company dignity and respect policy should be followed and I want to ensure the process is undertaken correctly. How should I proceed?

A The purpose of such a policy is to ensure a working environment free from bullying and harassment. It should apply both at work and at work-related events such as meetings, conferences and office parties, whether on or off the premises. The policy should also apply to customers or other business contacts.

Bullying is a sensitive area and can be daunting and sometimes difficult to handle. You should listen patiently, be supportive and discuss the options open to the employee. Assure her the policy is in place for her protection and the company takes such allegations very seriously. It is important that you remain impartial, because at this stage there is only an allegation, and both parties are entitled to a fair hearing.

The policy should have informal and formal procedures to deal with such issues. Any employee who complains about bullying or harassment should have the option of which procedure they wish to follow. In this case your first step is to speak with the employee, to outline both procedures.

It is often preferable for all concerned that complaints are dealt with informally whenever possible, as an informal approach can often resolve matters quickly and effectively with the minimum of conflict and stress.

Mediation could also be an option under the informal procedure, when a trained mediator arranges a meeting with both parties, if they agree. This option is particularly effective where personality conflicts are the core of the problem.

If an informal approach is inappropriate or if after the informal stage the issue persists, the employee may request that the formal procedure be invoked. There can be slight variations to the formal procedure from company to company, but all procedures need to ensure that:

The employee should make a formal complaint, in writing;

The manager (who is the subject of the complaint here) should be notified in writing that an allegation of bullying has been made against them and what the process involves;

Both parties must have the right to be accompanied by a representative at all meetings;

The complainant should meet the investigator nominated by the company to carry out the investigation into the allegations;

No assumptions should be made by the company about the guilt or otherwise of the manager or the motivation or intent of the employee;

Though procedures will vary slightly between organisations, the important thing is to ensure your company procedure is followed and both parties afforded natural justice and fairness;

This procedure must be open and transparent, with confidentiality a key factor.

The Labour Relations Commission Code of Practice on bullying in the workplace defines bullying as "Repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work and/or in the course of employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to dignity at work. An isolated incident of the behaviour described in this definition may be an affront to dignity at work but, as a one-off incident, is not considered to be bullying".

Ensuring positive moral and employee relations after the investigation is important, to ensure both parties can work together as the business requires. Open communication and possible mediation at this stage is key in that regard.

We all want to work in an environment that respects the dignity and work of all. Fostering a culture in which unacceptable behaviour is nipped in the bud immediately by all stakeholders is a key ingredient in promoting this culture.

Caroline McEnery is managing director of The HR Suite, which offers Ireland-wide specialist human resources and business solutions; a member of the Low Pay Commission and an adjudicator in the Work Place Relations Commission. She is also the author of The Art of Asking the Right Questions, a team manager's toolkit of HR-related tips
Denmark has completed its first Apple data centre and is working on a second. Photo: Reuters

I've always winced at the remark "how very Irish". I hate its connotations around a cultural predilection toward being "cute". But the events surrounding Apple's proposed data centre in Athenry brought the phrase to mind.

As the High Court adjudged last week, one of the main objectors to the Galway development, Brian McDonagh, was also trying to promote his own Wicklow-based site to Apple for the investment project.

"In his affidavit, (Stephen Griffin)outlines a conversation in which Mr McDonagh asked whether, in the light of the judicial proceedings which had been initiated in respect of the Athenry development at that time, he could make it known to Apple that there was a site in Co Wicklow which had the benefit of planning permission for a data-centre development," wrote Judge Paul McDermott in the court's ruling.

So one factor in the two-year delay of a major infrastructural amenity in an under-served part of the country involves someone thinking he might make a few quid in stopping it.

How very Irish.

The High Court dismissed McDonagh's grounds of relevance.

"The applicant has no connection with the proposed development, in that he is not resident in the area where it is located, nor will he personally be affected by it," wrote the judge.

McDonagh, he added, had objected "on the grounds of local and conservation interests in the destruction of forest in the county of Galway".

However, "he had not hitherto raised any concern or adduced any relevant evidence in respect of the proposed effect of the development on forestry or any other aspect of the environment in Co Galway."

Let's take a step back from this for a second. Anyone has the right to use our judicial system to remedy something they believe to be unfair or outside the law. And in fairness to Brian McDonagh, he has every right to use the system as it is constituted to advance any potential interest - commercial or otherwise - he sees. But why are we allowing appeals like this to take almost three years?

It is simply taking too long to adjudicate on issues that hold up billion-euro projects, which are otherwise widely accepted as industrial progress.

To be clear, there was more to the Athenry objections than issues raised by McDonagh.

A separate objection made by local residents Allan Daly and Sinead Fitzpatrick was based on environmental concerns.

Other points, such as the potential strain on the national power grid, have also emerged in looking closer at the issues involved.

These issues are interesting and worth discussing.

But there has to be some sort of resolution to them - whether objections are sustained or rejected - in a period quicker than two years.

Let's not forget that in the same time as our Irish system has been faxing and dial-up-calling its way through a relatively straightforward industrial planning application, Denmark has completed its first Apple data centre (of the same size and investment level) and is now starting a second one.

"There has been reputational damage to Ireland from what is happening in Athenry," says Tanya Duncan, managing director of Interxion, one of the biggest 'carrier-neutral' data-centre companies operating in this country.

"This is especially so among the hyperscale players at the level of the Amazons and the Googles.

"There will be big companies who are thinking about putting their data centres in Ireland and now wondering, 'Is there something up here?'

"Maybe when they dig into it, they'll discover that this sort of thing won't affect them. But certainly, there would now be certain organisations questioning the option where they wouldn't before."

It's one thing not to want a data centre built. It's another to want it but to let the project drift away because we're Irish, with Irish ways of doing things.

I've heard arguments suggesting that data centres aren't worth getting worked up about, that they don't result in many jobs beyond the initial construction project, so we shouldn't care too much.

Don't tell that to the people of Athenry. Having spoken to many people in the area, there are few who don't regard a huge project like this as anything other than an opportunity.

It's not just the 50 permanent jobs to come from it (although 50 decent-paying jobs in an area such as that create an economic-multiplier effect that few in leafy areas of cities seem to appreciate).

It's the boost they get in confidence. Confidence is a huge thing. It can be the difference between someone deciding whether to leave an area or stay there.

Many believe that if a major facility goes into an area, that area is less likely to be overlooked for other infrastructural projects and services, possibly including broadband or roads.

In Ireland, they're probably right. Our industrial history over the last 20 years is full of examples where a multinational company dips its toe into an area and gradually deepens its investment, often adding other elements to its presence, such as support, sales, finance and engineering operations.

Like it or not, Ireland's greater economic welfare is still inextricably bound to such external investment here.

And things may soon get a lot tougher for Ireland to attract these multinational projects, particularly if the EU presses ahead with tax-harmonisation proposals.

The IDA, which is the entity most likely to hear of concerns about investing in Ireland first, is acutely aware of all of this. It recently initiated a process by which potential new data-centre sites around the country could see planning permission sought ahead of actual tenants being found for the sites.

It's a shame that the state body has to go to these lengths. Ireland can no longer afford to be so slow at planning.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that can either be held as an investment, or used as a foundation for future applications through the blockchain, its underlying technology.

Bitcoin surged to a record high of more than $6,000 last Friday, pushing its market capitalization to $100bn at one point, as investors continued to bet on an asset that has a limited supply and has paved the way for a whole slew of crypto-currencies.

The original virtual currency has gained over 500pc this year, more than any other tradable asset class. Bitcoin though is very volatile - posting gains and losses as high as 26pc and 16pc respectively on any given day. Last Friday, bitcoin hit a record peak $6,000.10 on the BitStamp platform, and was last at $5,964.24, up 4.7pc on the day.

Bitcoin is a digital currency that can either be held as an investment, or used as a foundation for future applications through the blockchain, its underlying technology. The blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions.

It is more scarce though than most people realize. The number of bitcoins in existence is not expected to exceed 21 million.

Analysts said it was a combination of factors that drove Friday's surge in price.

Charles Hayter, co-founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare in London said hopes that China will soften its regulatory stance on crypto-currencies helped bitcoin's cause. "As China ... fears fade, the price is unlocked and driven by demand and buyers entering the markets," said Hayter.

Over the summer, China has banned the practice of raising capital through the sale of tokens to the public in what is known as initial coin offerings. It has also ordered the shutdown of digital currency exchanges.

But many in the market believe the Chinese ban is temporary.

"China would not want to be left out of the digital currency market nor the development of blockchain applications in general," said Jason English, vice-president of Protocol Marketing, at Sweetbridge, a global alliance in Zug, Switzerland that aims to use blockchain to create a liquid supply chain.

"As much as 60pc of the world's bitcoin mining is happening in China, and therefore, many of the large ... investments in ICO projects have also been coming from crypto-currency holders in China, whether directly or indirectly," English added.

Sean Walsh, a partner at venture capital firm Redwood City, Ventures in Redwood City, California, also believes investors have been going back into bitcoin given the still uncertain global regulatory environment on crypto-currencies.

A big part of bitcoin's recent surge was the ICO craze, which exploded this year. Bitcoins and ether, another digital currency, are used to purchase tokens for ICOs.
Since her early 20s, Cassidy has been working consistently and making a living from acting, but for a long time she used to say she was 'trying' to be an actress. Even now, when people ask her what she does, it's the last thing she says.

Unlike most people about to be interviewed, Elaine Cassidy gives me a hug. I'm surprised, and not just because she's gone beyond the standard slightly wary handshake. I suppose I'm expecting someone else, one of her characters perhaps - a sign that she's good at her job. Since her breakthrough role as a vulnerable, preyed-upon young girl in Felicia's Journey in 1999, she has had a steady acting career and if anything distinguishes her choice of parts, it's their variety.

We meet two days before the first episode of Acceptable Risk, RTE's new six-part thriller, is to air. Cassidy's character, Sarah, is a successful lawyer whose world changes when her husband of 18 months - a man she realises she barely knew - is shot dead. Up until the murder, Sarah has accepted the murkiness of the world of Big Pharma in which she is embroiled. She's competitive, morally ambiguous; she probably wouldn't give a stranger a hug.

"I function on a different level to Sarah," says Cassidy, when we're settled at a window table in the conservatory of a South Dublin hotel. "That's why it's fun getting to play different characters. She's got a great house. She's got a great car. She gets her nails done, which I did for the shoot. Gel nails. That was the first time I'd got them done, wrecked my nails for three months."

Expand Close Elaine wears dress, Tariz Ediz, 95 to rent from Covet, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Elaine wears dress, Tariz Ediz, 95 to rent from Covet, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2

Again I'm surprised - maybe I've imagined acting for the screen involves fancy manicures along with make-up and hair - but Cassidy is extremely down to earth. Wearing a check shirt and with her hair in a ponytail, she has a winning naturalness; when her coffee comes with two biscuits, she offers me one. "Are you sure?" she says. "They're lovely. I had one yesterday."

Passionate about her job, she throws herself into each of her characters, though when the role of Sarah first came up, she disregarded it straight away. It meant spending three months in Dublin and initially that seemed like too long.

She grew up in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, and now lives in London with her husband of 10 years, the actor Stephen Lord, and their two children, Kila (eight) and Lynott (four). Her work often necessitates travel. Since 2015, she's been playing Dinah, a headstrong Mancunian/Polish policewoman in the Channel 4 drama No Offence. About to go into its third season, the series is shot on location in Manchester, which means that for five months at a time, she's away during the week.

"It's a mental shoot," she says of No Offence. "Any midterm breaks, any long weekends, the kids would come up to me because I didn't have any days off. If I finished a little bit early on a Friday, I was straight on that train and it's only two hours on the train. It was tough because I love my family. This is how I earn my living. This is what I love doing."

The fatigue that comes with such a long shoot makes her assess things a little bit differently: "Is this worth the price that it costs me to be away?"

She knew Sarah in Acceptable Risk was a strong role but it was Lord - who played Jase Dyer in EastEnders between 2007 and 2008 - who encouraged her to take it. To prepare, she read Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre.

"Brilliant book," she says. "I don't know how helpful it was for Sarah. I don't know how much she thinks about that side of it because even though she's working for a pharmaceutical company, she's a lawyer, so it's the buzz of winning - finding that loophole. It's like a game of chess."

She went straight from working on No Offence to working on Acceptable Risk without a day off in between. When she got to Dublin, she "slogged".

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"Being away from my family, it was living, breathing, sleeping this job and then learning the lines... TV's so quick. I guess it's never budgeted to have a rehearsal period, especially on a clever piece like this. You draw from that."

Acceptable Risk was block-shot, which means that rather than shooting one or two episodes at a time - the norm in TV - on a given day, the actors could be shooting scenes from any of the six episodes.

It's a challenging way to work, she says, especially because her character is on so many different journeys: the journey with her children, with her sister, with her dead husband, with Gumbiner-Fischer, the pharmaceutical company at the centre of the plot. But she did her prep and she trusted the director, Kenny Glenaan, with whom she had worked on BBC costume drama The Paradise in 2012 and 2013.

"He's got great taste, and it was a collaboration, and if he'd asked me, 'Elaine will you come through that door, do a cartwheel across the room?' You'd be like, 'Okay.' And if it was crap, he'd never use it."

The day before we meet, her mother watched a preview of the first episode and loved it. "She's very honest. Sometimes she'd be like, 'Why did you do that?'"

Her mother has had two decades to assess her daughter's choice of roles. As soon as Cassidy understood what the word 'act' meant, she knew what she wanted to do.

"I didn't say it to many people because I was mortified. I never thought it would happen - especially, I guess, in the time I grew up.

"It's a different time now, isn't it? And there are more opportunities and there's more awareness."

She went to drama classes all the way through secondary school. When she was just 18, she was cast opposite Bob Hoskins in Felicia's Journey, directed by Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan, and based on the William Trevor novel.

In the film, Hoskins plays Hilditch, an almost likeable serial killer obsessed with his dead mother. Cassidy is Felicia, the naive and pregnant protagonist who leaves Ireland and goes to Birmingham to search for the boyfriend she believes is over there working in a lawnmower factory.

Cassidy was widely praised for her expressive portrayal of Felicia and the film launched her career. When she found out she was going to Cannes to promote it, though, she was totally unprepared.

"I didn't even know what Cannes was," she says. "My friends did, because they lived in Bray and they had MTV. I lived in Kilcoole and I didn't have MTV. I remember when they said, 'You'll go on the red carpet,' I said, 'What's the red carpet?' I didn't know what that meant. Everybody knows what a red carpet means nowadays."

When she got to the red carpet, she was taken aback by all the stopping and starting for the cameras, and by the Champagne on offer at 11 o'clock in the morning. But she wasn't seduced by the glamour of the celebrity world.

"Of course it's had an effect on me because it's happened and it's been an experience, and life is about experiences and that's what shapes you," Cassidy says. "But I think I handled it really well, actually. Because I just automatically did this thing of 'When you're in Cannes... that's make believe, that's fantasy,' and then I go back to real life.

"So it was like, 'Isn't this great? I get to have a little dabble in fantasy and I wear a fancy frock and the next day I'll be in a Primark dress for 10,' when I was in a Chanel for 10,000 the night before. And I kind of got a buzz out of the extremes.

"On that junket [Cannes] people would always say, 'How did they find you?' And I used to go, 'I wasn't lost, I was always here: they didn't have to find me.'"

Her next big role after Felicia was as Runt in Disco Pigs, directed by Kirsten Sheridan and adapted by Enda Walsh from his 1996 play. Like the play, the film tracks the fracturing of the bond between teenagers Pig and Runt, born within moments of each other and given to terrorising the inhabitants of their native "Pork City". Pig and Runt speak their own language - a hybrid of Cork slang and baby talk. Cassidy worked in a bistro in Cork for two months to perfect the accent.

"There are some characters ... they never fully leave you," Cassidy says. "I learn from them. I like to think I've gained something from them because I've opened up a part of me that I'd never even thought to think about through exploring them."

The character of Runt lingered past the shoot of Disco Pigs. In 2003, she was at the IFTA (Irish Film and Television Awards) ceremony in Belfast with her mother. It was before the awards were televised and she'd been nominated for Best Actress for Runt.

"They called my name," she says. "I won. I got up. All of a sudden, breathing was something that wasn't second nature to me. It was a tiny auditorium. I had to speak. And then I just started breathing and I allowed Runt to speak, allowed her energy to calm me down - because she was the calm between the two in the film version. It's the only time I've ever done it, but I drew from her to calm me. Sounds a bit mad but she really helped me in the moment."

As well as The Paradise, Cassidy has starred in the BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith and, in 2009, in the CBS horror mystery Harper's Island. Her talent is evident, yet she's not exactly a household name. Arguably she's been a bit unlucky: Harper's Island - which could have been her big break in the US - only ran for one season, but she's sanguine about her career. She focuses on picking the right roles and working as hard as she can.

At the moment, TV is her "bread and butter". And while the actress has also worked in theatre - her London stage credits include Brian Friel's Fathers and Sons in the Donmar and Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the National Theatre - her favourite medium is film.

"I love that wider frame," Cassidy says. "I love that way of telling a story. I love hard work - it's not laziness - but less of the onus in film falls on the actor to tell the story. You are just playing a character, because it's told visually. And you've got an hour-and-a-half to tell a story. With TV, you've got to tell it with words. There's no reason they couldn't do it in a similar way to film but it's not the trend at the moment. So I think you've got to be a better actor to do TV, in a way. You're at the mercy of the cut."

For a number of years, up until her daughter was three, she and Lord lived in LA for six-month periods at a time. "Rejection's better in the sun," she laughs. "Serotonin, vitamin D. I think that's why I love LA. And I guess there is that excitement of 'anything could happen'."

While she still travels for the right work, relocating now would be a bigger decision, but she's glad motherhood hasn't dampened her passion for acting.

"Of course you change, but you just take on another title," Cassidy says. "You have to wear another hat. I love challenges, and having children is the ultimate challenge and I take that responsibility seriously. I have run with it.

"I chose to bring them into the world and I have to do right by them and society - contributing good people. So I'm conscious of that. And I enjoy that. It's not like I ever needed a reason to be fussy with work, because I always have been, but with children you really just go, 'Do I want to be away from my kids?'"

From a young age, her children have understood what both of their parents do; they see them learning lines. When Kila was two, she watched her mother kiss a man who wasn't her father on screen in The Paradise.

"She just looked at me and went, 'They're gonna get married,'" Cassidy says.

When she's not working or spending time with her children, she knits - not in a relaxing way, more of a "start, middle and end" way.

She likes the process of maths: when she cooks and bakes, she follows recipes. "Every now and then, I'll freestyle."

She's always been environmentally conscious and in London walks from A to B as much as she can. "As a kid, if there was half a copybook left, I would always take out the pages and re-use them ... We're in a disposable time - and it's a fast time - and with the world we're living in now, with all these attacks, we need to pull together."

Cassidy was on the Tube -though not near Parsons Green - when the explosion happened in September. Her sister phoned to check she was safe while she was still on the train. She got off and took a taxi to where she was going instead.

In the aftermath of terror attacks, Londoners are often urged to go about their business as normal, but she's honest about the reality of living with fear.

"My head goes to my children. It's not about me. I won't know when I'm dead. They'd be left."

While recognising that she still has to make a living and take pleasure in daily life, she does go about things slightly differently because of the recently elevated terrorism threat.

She and Lord went to a Sigur Ros gig recently and Cassidy found herself weighing up the safety of the event in advance. During the summer, she avoided bringing the children into Central London.

But with this, as with most aspects of her life, she seems to maintain a healthy sense of perspective. She's nothing if not rounded.

"We're all made up of a million-and-one things," she says. "Acting is a huge, prominent part of me but being a mother is as well, and a wife and a daughter and a sister and a friend. I'm a shit friend." She laughs. "Because I just don't have time, with kids.

"And I'm Irish. I'm all these things. I just love exchanging with people on a human level. 'Do we get on?' 'Do we have a connection?' 'Do we like the same things?' 'Are you a nice person?' That's basically for me the bottom line. Are you a decent person? Whether we get on or not, then I can respect you being you."

Acceptable Risk is on RTE One on Sunday at 9.30pm

Photographer: Kip Carroll

Stylist: Nikki Cummins Black

Assisted by: Emily Callan

Hair: Albert Halpin at Callan

and Co; callanandco.ie

Make-up: Donna Morris

Conlan at Make Up For Ever,

Clarendon Street, Dublin 2;

makeupforever.com

Photographed at Radisson

Blu St Helen's Hotel,

Stillorgan Road, Booterstown,

Dublin, (01) 218 6000;

radissonblu.com
Cara Delevingne begins our interview with a question of her own. "Where in Ireland are you from?" the supermodel demands, but I don't have a chance to finish answering as she interrupts to tell me she's playing an Irish character in her next screen role, a TV series for Amazon. "I have an Irish accent so I'm very excited," she trills in her clipped London tones, before immediately launching into what sounds like a mad howaya Dublin accent, tinged with hints of a Carlow drawl.

"It's not great, but it's all right - I'm getting better at it slowly," she warbles.

When I tentatively ask where her character is supposed to be from, she shoots back: "Where do you think it's from? Where's Saoirse Ronan from? I kind of based it on her, but I don't know where that is. Oh God!" she hoots, her accent starting to slip, before I politely remind her our time is limited and we need to discuss her latest venture. "Oh, sorry, the book! That's what I'm meant to be talking about"

Yes, the book. It's a bit of a surprising time for the 25-year-old to be turning her hand to literature - for the past two years, her focus has been on acting, and she has kept busy with starring roles in teen romance Paper Towns, super- hero blockbuster Suicide Squad and Luc Besson's sci-fi epic Valerian.

Delevingne famously hates labels ("STOP LABELLING, START LIVING", screams her Instagram bio) but is something of a quintessential 'slashie': she has been modelling since her school days, after being scouted by her classmate's mother, Sarah Doukas, founder of the famed Storm modelling agency. She enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom, landing campaigns for luxury labels such as Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry, before stepping back from modelling in 2015 to pursue a career as an actress. She has dabbled in fashion design, working on capsule collections for DKNY and Mulberry, and in July she released her first single, I Feel Everything, from the soundtrack for Valerian.

It's a lot to be getting on with, but in the background Delevingne has also been tapping away at her first novel. In her spare time, she says, she prefers reading non-fiction and psychology books, naming Malcolm Gladwell and Esther Perel as her favourite authors, but she wanted her own book to offer something for teenagers. The result, a product of 18 months' work, is a young adult novel called Mirror Mirror, released earlier this month.

"Not only was it a creative endeavour, not only was it cathartic, but I felt it was a duty for me to give something back to teenagers because, as a teenager, for me things were kind of turbulent and it was difficult growing up - whether it was sexuality or identity and finding out who I was or mental health and all those sorts of things," Delevingne explains.

"I wanted this book to be a gateway, a little window into what it's like to be a teenager and what a rollercoaster it is, and also to say it's okay to not know who you are, to make mistakes, but that friendship and support are the things that can help you."

Last week, as the scandal engulfing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein continued to grow, Delevingne added her voice to the mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, detailing her own experience of sexual harassment when she was starting out as an actress. In an Instagram post, she recounted a call from Weinstein where he quizzed her about her sexual history. She described meeting Weinstein and a director to discuss an upcoming film in a hotel lobby a year later, but was soon left alone with him: "He began to brag about all the actresses he had slept with and how he had made their careers and spoke about other inappropriate things of a sexual nature," she recalled. She said she declined an invitation to his room, but his assistant said her car wouldn't arrive for some time "and I should go to his room".

"At that moment I felt very powerless and scared but didn't want to act that way hoping that I was wrong about the situation," she wrote. In his room, she was relieved to find another woman and believed she was safe, only for Weinstein to ask them to kiss. She refused, and said she had to leave, but claimed he stood in front of the door and tried to kiss her as she struggled to get out of the room.

Delevingne continued that she was given the part: "Since then I felt awful that I did the movie. I felt like I didn't deserve the part. I was so hesitant about speaking out," she said. "I didn't want to hurt his family. I felt guilty as if I did something wrong."

This kind of honesty is characteristic of Delevingne, and her decision to share the story is further example of how eager she is to leverage her position to help other women, especially teenagers. A key plotline in Mirror Mirror traces how men luxuriating in positions of authority abuse their power to take advantage of vulnerable young women, and how girls and women are affected by sexual assault and manipulation.

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The novel follows Red, Leo and Rose, a group of teenagers in London, as they attempt to track down their missing friend and bandmate, Naomi. It's an enjoyable read: it has all the excitement of a mystery thriller combined with the tender exploration of identity typical of a coming-of-age story, and it tackles weighty issues such as sexual assault, addiction and gang crime with a light touch. Much of this, no doubt, is due in part to the work of Delevingne's co-writer, Rowan Coleman, the best-selling author of 12 novels, including 2014 hit The Memory Book.

Books by celebrities are frequently treated with scorn - earlier this month, the debate flared up again as children's authors in Britain slammed the celebrity- heavy line-up for next year's World Book Day, which included titles by Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and TV presenter Clare Balding. But Delevingne is open about the co-writing process. She met the Hertfordshire-based Coleman in person just a couple of times, and the pair spent months firing emails back and forth while Delevingne was filming in Canada.

"This is an idea I've had for a while, about teenagers and growing up in London and the mystery elements I grew up loving. I spoke to my agent a lot about these ideas and she said, 'Why don't you write a book?'" Delevingne recalls. "Obviously I would never have said I want to write a book, because I never really believed in myself that I could, so she put that idea in my mind and that's how it came to fruition.

"I sat down with a few different writers to see if they could bring something to the table, because I wanted this to be a collaborative process. Not only is Rowan an incredible author but she makes everything come to life; if I had an idea, she'd say, 'Why don't you add this?' We had this connection with each other where we just sparked off each other. It was wonderful."

At first glance, Delevingne's background may seem idyllic, far too comfortable to provide any inspiration for a gritty young adult story. Behind the scenes, however, things were not as glossy as they looked.

"I grew up with a very privileged background," Delevingne admits. The daughter of Charles, a property developer, and Pandora, a former socialite, she was raised in the wealthy London neighbourhood of Belgravia with two older sisters, Chloe (32), a charity campaigner who maintains a low profile, and Poppy (31), also a model.

Her mother had struggled with an addiction to heroin and prescription medications before Cara was born and relapsed when Cara was just six years old. At her worst, Pandora would leave the family home for long periods at a time, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

"It shapes the childhood of every kid whose parent has an addiction," Cara said in 2015. "You grow up too quickly because you're parenting your parents."

The publishers are keen to emphasise that Mirror Mirror is not autobiographical but it's difficult not to identify some similarities in the story, and the lead character being forced to take on a parental role amidst her mother's struggles with alcoholism.

Delevingne pinpoints the moment a child realises their parents are not the superhumans they grew up believing in, but instead real, flawed human beings, as the most difficult part of growing up.

"It is that thing of being a kid and thinking that your parents are always right: they teach you everything and what they tell you is the way it is, but then that's actually not correct. Sometimes your parents are wrong and they do make mistakes, and knowing that and finding that out is one of the most shocking things in the world," she says.

Delevingne has previously spoken about falling into depression aged 15 when she discovered her mother's addiction. She began to self-harm, and credits the hours spent drumming with her band and writing poetry with helping her recovery.

"All of the experiences that I've had inspired this book, in a way," she says. "It's not a complete depiction of reality, but it's definitely inspired by that. I find myself in each of the characters, there's a hint of me in there."

There indeed seems to be a hint of her in the narrator, Red, an outwardly shy 15-year-old and the drummer in the band, Mirror Mirror. She is gay, a matter that is dealt with in an interesting way: 10 years ago, it would have likely taken up the whole plot of the book but now it's merely one thread in the story, as Red navigates her parents' and peers' differing responses to her sexuality.

Delevingne's own sexual orientation has been the subject of much tabloid fascination. She has described first falling in love with a woman at 20, and has since had relationships with both men and women, including the American musician Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, whom she dated for roughly 18 months until last year. In 2015, she told US Vogue: "I think that being in love with my girlfriend is a big part of why I'm feeling so happy with who I am these days. And for those words to come out of my mouth is actually a miracle."

"I think it's incredible that young kids now are so open," she says today. "I'll have 15-year-olds tell me, 'I don't know if I like boys or girls.' If I was able to even perceive that concept of not knowing, I would have been so happy. I was like, 'No, no, I like boys!' because that's what I was meant to do; that's just ingrained, so it's an amazing thing to be able to have that [openness] now."

Delevingne often asks me to clarify my questions, a habit I initially worry is a sign of her reluctance to stray too far off topic. I'm under strict instructions to stick to the book, and that no questions about her personal life, family or friends will be permitted. To make sure things are kept above board, we are joined during the interview by Delevingne's publicist and two more publicists from the publishers. But after cautiously elucidating one of my questions, Delevingne apologises profusely, and it becomes clear she is just carefully considering each of her answers, and doesn't want to deliver a rehearsed soundbite.

This authenticity is a large part of the appeal for her teenage audience - Delevingne has 40.6m followers on Instagram, and young people regularly send her messages about their struggles with mental health, sexuality and family troubles. "I definitely have a connection with teenagers. That's my crowd - that's my people," she says.

Mirror Mirror is also the rare novel that understands how social media works, and how important it is in young people's lives, in both positive and negative ways. WhatsApp messages and Instagram posts are peppered throughout, and while they look clunky on the page, they give the novel a feeling of digital fluency that will appeal to its target audience.

"There are definitely different pressures [for teenagers] now. The fact that it's changed so much from when I was 15 is crazy. There's so much social media, and I didn't necessarily grow up with social media," she says. "It's a blessing and a curse: they're able to express themselves and connect in so many ways, which I definitely wasn't, because I felt a lot more alone. But is that too much? Where is that boundary? Is it real or is it fake?

"I have boundaries, of course, I'm not going to take a picture of myself on the toilet! I think there is a sense of having to be real and keeping that side on your social media, but you're also selling yourself. It's not who you are, social media is not a complete reflection of yourself - it's the way you want to be perceived at that time," Delevingne surmises.

I'm utterly charmed by her: we speak the night after her book launch, and she sounds a bit hoarse, interrupting our conversation with the occasional bark of a cough. After coming to global attention as a model, many of Delevingne's projects off the catwalk have been met with scepticism, but she says she doesn't fret about people judging her before even reading her work.

"I don't worry about that kind of stuff. Of course any good criticism, I'll take it, but this isn't for those people: this is for the people who will connect with this book, or for the adults who want that glimpse into another world and to escape into a book, not for the people who just want to critique it. Critics are out to critique; that's their job," she says, matter-of-factly.

Next up for Delevingne is filming the aforementioned Amazon show Carnival Row, a hard-boiled detective series set in a neo-Victorian fantasy world, co-starring Orlando Bloom as a police inspector. "I'm playing a fairy called Vignette Stonemoss, and I'm a badass, so that's pretty cool."

Early next year sees the release of Life in a Year, a teen drama in which Delevingne stars as a cancer patient making the most of her last days with boyfriend Jaden Smith. It was the role for which she shaved all her hair off (a look she's letting grow out naturally, but has just swapped the icy-blonde shade for a chocolate brown).

She is keen to keep catering to her teenage fans with more books, as Mirror Mirror has given her a taste for writing. "Definitely I'm going to keep writing - I still have many ideas for things I want to do, whether they're books or other projects. I think, though, these four kids in this book, there's still a lot to be said for them."
Wicklow teenagers Conor (15) and Sean (18) Price are one step closer to their X Factor dream after making it through to the live finals.

The pair are over the moon after beating off competition from thousands of hopefuls to make it down to the last 12 to go through to the last stage of the cut-throat competition.

In an episode aired this evening, viewers saw the busking brothers join five other groups at Simon Cowells luxury villa in the south of France as he put the remaining hopefuls through their paces.

He was joined by former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole in one of her first TV appearances since having baby Bear with One Directions Liam Payne six months ago.

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The new mum looked stunning as she arrived at Chateau Cowell by helicopter and met with the six final groups who were battling it out for a place in the X Factor final.

Speaking beforehand during the tense episode, the two Irish siblings described it as a make or break moment for them.

Were really looking forward to our performance for Simon and the celebrity judge. Its going to be one of our biggest performances yet, they said.

Youve gotta leave everything out there so were ready for that.

They performed Pinks monster hit What About Us? to a clearly impressed Simon and Cheryl.

That was the best I think youve sang, he told them.

You looked happy and relaxed. That was great guys, well done.

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Youre so natural and confident, added Cheryl.

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They said afterwards it felt brilliant and had no regrets about their performance.

Honestly I think were more comfortable with this intimacy, said Sean.

As they deliberated afterwards over whether or not to pick them, Cheryl clearly favoured the two siblings.

Theyre likeable, theyre really fun and theyre different. Theyre great, great value, she said.

As they stood in front of Simon awaiting his final decision, he told them they had a really charming naivety to them.

You dont know how good you are. Youve made it through, he told the over-joyed teens.
A catnapper is allegedly at large, with more than 90 felines now missing from Irish homes across the country.

Pet Connection, a pet shop based in Newry that is tracking the disappearances, is urging the public to protect their pets as there may be something sinister at play.

Emma OHare, who has worked at the store for 10 years, said: "I believe there is definitely something malicious going on. Either the cats are being poisoned and the bodies lifted before owners can find them, or theyre being stolen for dog fighting or a similar cruel activity.

"It is unlikely they are being sold on as they are not pedigree cats being taken, many of these cats were rescued by their owners as kittens.

Believing it could be a copycat ofthe notorious M25 Cat Killer, who has killed more than 300 cats across the U.K.,the concerned pet owner said: "We first had reports of cats going missing at the beginning of September. It started in Newry, right up to Belfast and there are cats missing in Dublin too.

"There is a case in England at the minute and its known as the M25 Cat Killer, who has been covering a huge distance killing cats. He has been leaving bodies, which is completely different to this case because they simply disappear.

The pet shop is now pinning reported disappearances to a map on their Facebook page.

"If it was dogs that were going missing there would be much more outrage over it. If one dog goes missing there is uproar on Facebook and we have 90 cats missing and nobody seems to care," said Emma.

Encouraging pet owners who are searching for missing cats to come forward, she added: The more people that know about our Facebook page,the more people can contact us and let us know that their cats are gone missing.

"We are asking people to look at our map and if it seems that there is even one cat missing nearby to keep your catinside until we figure out what is going on.

The store has advised owners to protect their pets by ensuring they are microchipped, wearing a collar and a tag
Every survivor of trauma needs to be supported by their family and friends, but also by the society around them, whether that be by putting up accident black spots on roads, or by making counselling services available for soldiers coming home from war.

Rape survivors are exactly the same. The role family and friends play in helping a rape survivor get through their first few days after their attack all the way up to the months and years on is vital. My rape was two years and three months ago and I still need to lean on my support network to get through trauma episodes. These episodes include flashbacks, nightmares or anxiety attacks I have about being around people who look like Keith Hearne, or just men in general.

This is the problem for a lot of rape survivors, often a whole gender can send a survivor into a traumatic spiral, possibly to alcoholism, drug abuse, self-harm or suicide just to get away from their pain. But such a spiral is completely preventable with a good support network and counselling in place.

We as a society need to support rape survivors in the best way we can but the problem is no one teaches us how. My friends and family had to learn on the fly, which is just wrong in a society thats supposed to be in the information age. And when the crime of rape and sexual abuse happens to 1 in four women and 1 in 33 men, shouldnt tips be written on the sides of buses, on billboards, on television?

And now we must learn step by step.

1. Finding out.

Someone has told you to sit down and tells you theyve been hurt. If the situation seems serious and you suspect they have been raped, sit quietly. Let them speak in their own time. This is very important. The person sitting in front of you, man or woman, had all their power taken away. In this moment, it is essential for you to not break their trust by rushing them.

They may never use the word rape. They might say I was attacked, someone hurt me. Let them expand as far as they are comfortable.

Ask them to answer a yes or no question, Were you raped? You need to know this answer because it will quickly fall to you to carry out the next few steps.

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2. SATU (Sexual Assault Treatment Unit)

Now has come the time for some tough love. Many survivors will want to deny what has happened, despite already confirming they were raped. What they need is to be seen by a doctor in their nearest SATU. Reassure them that everything said and done there will be kept confidential, that nothing will be reported to the gardai unless they give their express permission. But it is crucial that they attend, in case they have contracted an STI.

From the outside looking in, it might be difficult to understand why someone would not want to report such a serious crime, but this isnt a burglary or a car theft. Rape is an abuse of power, a power trip for the rapist.

I talk about power a lot when it comes to rape. This is because rape has very little to do with the act of sex. Rape is forcing someone to do something so intimate, so personal, something they would never do if they havent been forced to. The survivor needs to be shown that they still have power, that their decisions are respected.

Deciding to report to the gardai is a part of regaining their power and their control of their being. The nurses will talk to the survivor, on their own or with you in the room. Let the survivor decide. SATU will make sure they are healthy by taking blood, doing internal exams. There will be one injection to protect them from Hepatitis B and four tablets for Chlamydia. The nurses will also make a follow-up appointment. It is your job in the coming weeks to make sure they go.

Phone numbers, should you need them, are included below.

3. The First Few Months and Beyond

The staff in SATU will give the survivor all the other vital steps they need for their mental health, such as counselling and contacting their doctor if they give permission. If not dont worry, the numbers you need for making an appointment are listed below. Even if the survivor is in counselling and attending SATU, this is not the time for you to slack off. You are part of this persons support network and they will need to talk and vent their emotions to someone. Make yourself available to them.

There are a number of things you can do that are really easy and show that you care. What you are trying to do essentially is prove to them they havent changed in your eyes. Many survivors feel tainted, dirty or used. Show them they are still a normal person to you. Continue doing the things you used to do before, like gaming or watching movies.

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4. Taking Care of You

Communicate with other people in the survivors support group to make sure everyone in is pulling their weight because supporting a rape survivor is not a one-person job. Supporting someone is hard and its okay to ask for help, or even back off completely.

The support network the survivor has can support each other too, to make things easier.

If you have any worries or questions, ring the RCNI and they will be happy to answer any questions you have, or tweet me at @DominiqueMeehan and I will endeavour to find an answer for you. Support networks are essential for a rape victim to become a rape survivor, and it doesnt happen overnight. We all need to learn to rally around survivors and protect vulnerable people in our community.

Services
Free GP care for children between the ages of six and 12 could cost parents 5 per visit or be capped at four appointments a year, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The Government has long promised the extension of the free GP care scheme to all children under 12.

However, it is now prepared to introduce nominal charges and appointment caps as part of an effort to appease doctors who are resisting the extension of the scheme which currently applies to all children under six.

Doctors have complained that the current free GP care scheme is clogging up their waiting rooms with young children who are not in need of medical care.

Extending the scheme to under-12s would benefit the parents of almost 200,000 children.

There are no plans to charge parents of under sixes for GP visits or introduce appointment caps, but it is hoped the proposed changes to the scheme could speed up the timeline for introducing free GP care for under-18s.

There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to introduce free GP care services for all children under 18 by the end of the current Dail term.

The Government's long-term healthcare plan set out in the Slaintecare Report proposes free GP care for the entire population which would cost an additional 91m.

The report also recommends introducing no-cost and low-cost medical service in the community.

Minister for Health Simon Harris is determined to meet commitments set out in the report but his officials are examining ways of extending the free GP care with low costs in an attempt to secure the support of doctors.

Department of Health officials are currently locked in negotiations on drafting a new GP contract and the extension of the free GP care scheme is central to these talks. Proposals on nominal fees and appointment caps have not yet been offered.

Mr Harris announced a 25m primary care fund in the Budget and it is expected that some of this funding will be used to persuade doctors to extend the free service for children.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned there will be a shortfall of more than 2,000 doctors by 2025 if the Government extends free GP care for the entire population.

In its pre-Budget submission, the IMO said there would be massive difficulties hiring new GPs in the coming years as many new doctors are emigrating due to poor salaries and conditions in Ireland. A survey of newly qualified GPs found 17pc are working abroad while many more are planning to emigrate.

The survey also found more than half of all GP trainees are undecided as to whether they will remain in Ireland while one-eighth are resolved to leave and just one-third plan on remaining to practise here.

The IMO is seeking the reversal of cuts to GP contracts introduced during the crash and new incentives to keep doctors in Ireland.

"Without a significant increase in GPs and investment in general practice services, the expansion of GP care will be impossible to implement and lead to further poor morale and burnout among GPs, and accelerated difficulties in recruiting GPs, while patients will rapidly begin to experience waiting lists for GP appointments," the IMO said.
EXPLORING THE DAMAGE: After a scary couple of days indoors Elsa (7) and Tom (5) Dollard and their dog from Centre Park Road, Cork inspect the fallout of Hurricane Ophelia including the downing of dozens of 100 year old trees. Photo: Mark Condren

Strong winds and rain will continue to hit coastal parts of the country today in the wake of Atlantic Storm Brian which swept across the country yesterday.

Gale force winds and torrential rain hampered clean-up operations and work to restore electricity supplies lost after Hurricane Ophelia struck last Monday.

Areas in the west woke to rising waters yesterday with Limerick, Galway, Cork and Kerry hit by spot flooding. The storm forced road closures and warnings from Met Eireann and local authorities.

A yellow warning was in place until last night but conditions should improve today and help crews working to repair the damage done by Ophelia and Brian.

However last night the River Blackwater was in flood in Mallow, and it also broke its banks in Fermoy. Cork Co Council warned of possible road closures, adding that it is likely to be after lunchtime today before the waters peak in Fermoy.

Storm Brian brought significant rainfall and high winds, making for treacherous conditions in many rural areas. Gusts in excess of 100km/h were recorded in Cork, Clare and Galway. These hampered the massive operation to restore electricity to homes that have been without power since Ophelia struck last Monday.

Expand Close Rough seas at Poolbeg during Storm Brian yesterday. Picture: Colin O'Riordan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Rough seas at Poolbeg during Storm Brian yesterday. Picture: Colin O'Riordan

The number without power last night was 15,000. While the figure is down from a peak of 385,000 after Hurricane Ophelia passed, they also included a number of power outages brought about by Storm Brian.

Denis Cambridge, ESB Network's south division manager, said: "We have several thousand additional affected customers overnight again. There are calls coming in from the south, the south west and the south east.

"The winds are fairly gusty again, but we have not stood down and are monitoring the situation hour by hour."

At least 3,500 ESB front-line repair staff remained deployed across the southern region this weekend, with an additional 1,000 staff offering logistical support. The army is still being deployed. The operation is one of the biggest power restoration efforts in ESB Network's history. The ESB was monitoring weather events last night and warned crews would be stood down if conditions worsened further.

Many of those without power were in coastal parts of Cork, Waterford and Wexford. ESB crews were also at work in rural parts of counties Tipperary and Clare last night.

Although Hurricane Ophelia threatened to unleash the worst damage in Limerick city last week, it was Brian's blast that had the biggest impact for some. A small number of houses close to the banks of the River Shannon were flooded. River swells breached flood defences at Clancy's Strand, making routes impassable for a few hours.

In Corbally, Tom Bolger could only look on as the River Shannon swept into his home.

"We got three inches of water in right across the house. It was the tide and the wind together that did it," Tom said.

"After it went out, we started to mop up. We've been flooded around five times since the 1970s. The worst was 2014 - there was 20 inches of water that time in the house."

Last night he faced an anxious wait with a second high tide due but a Limerick City and Co Council spokesman said they were not expecting any additional flooding during the second high tide. Across the river, the city centre survived the deluge as the Council's flood barriers and rows of sandbags held back the tide.

Merchant's Quay also flooded, as did the tax office at Sarsfield House. Council emergency workers, however, reacted quickly, pumping out muddy flood waters.

Ambulance paramedics, gardai, as well as divers from Limerick Marine Search and Rescue Service and local firefighters responded to a call of a person in trouble in the river, only to discover two kayakers who told them they did not require any assistance.
In the 2014 film The Imitation Game, it is said of the protagonist Alan Turing, the famous codebreaker of Bletchley Park, that "sometimes it's the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine". This adage can equally apply to one of Ireland's lesser-known heroes of World War II.

During the war, one of Nazi Germany's most notorious communication codes was broken by a mild-mannered librarian and family man from west Limerick, Dr Richard J Hayes. His day-job was as director of the National Library of Ireland - but during wartime Europe, he secretly led a team of cryptanalysts as they worked feverishly on the infamous "Gortz Cipher", a fiendish Nazi code that had stumped some of the greatest codebreaking minds at Bletchley Park, the centre of British wartime cryptography.

But who was Dr Hayes? He was a man of many lives. An academic, an aesthete, a loving father and one of World War II's most prolific codebreakers. But how has a man who achieved so much been largely unheard of by most Irish people? The truth is Hayes' story has been hidden in plain sight for years.

Earlier this year, I came across an old article in a newspaper property section about the sale of a house at 245 Templeogue Road. The article had been shown to me by a teaching colleague who quipped "there's a story there" to me as I read through it. The house had been known colloquially as the 'Nazi house' and its story was that of local lore in Dublin 6. It was erroneously said that the Art Deco house looked like a Swastika in aerial photographs.

Truth, however, is always stranger than fiction. In 1940, it was used as an IRA safe house and a man named Hermann Gortz had stayed there on an ill-fated mission to Ireland to spy for the Third Reich. Given my interest in history and a keen eye for a potential documentary idea, I decided to investigate the matter further.

After much research, I came across the name of Dr Richard Hayes. He had interrogated Gortz during his incarceration in Arbour Hill prison and subsequently broke the communication code he was using. A similar cipher had baffled staff in Bletchley Park, and such was its importance, MI5 had an entire hut with 16 staff working on breaking it.

Astonishingly, Hayes wasn't a military man at all. He had been seconded to Irish Military Intelligence for his obvious intellect. He spoke several languages, including fluent German, and was also a highly skilled mathematically. He uniquely possessed all the talents needed for the job that was at hand.

Totally unassuming

I was fascinated that a man such as Hayes was almost virtually unheard of in Ireland, given his achievements in the field of cryptanalysis and his contribution to the Allied war effort. The striking thing was that the more I read about Hayes, the more it became apparent how unassuming he was. He cycled to work every day in the library and after work he cycled to McKee Barracks near Phoenix Park to work on the German codes that had been intercepted during the day.

Often he would take messages home to work on while simultaneously raising his young family. In his spare time, he compiled a bibliography of Irish manuscripts that was still being used up until the 1990s. Despite Hayes' obvious achievements, finding written material on him was a difficult task. He was merely a footnote in the more 'interesting' stories of others from that period.

A 'colossus' in cryptography

But he is spoken about in glowing terms in MI5 and OSS accounts of World War II as "a colossus of a man" and "having gifts that amounted to genius" in the field of cryptography. His contribution was so important that if he hadn't done the work he did at the time he did it, Gortz could well have scuppered Allied plans for the invasion of Europe in June 1944.

The strategic deception of Germany through counter-espionage was the major tactic being used by the British and Americans during the war. Any information leakage from Ireland could have had disastrous consequences, and Ireland was very fortunate to have had Hayes in situ in the right place at the right time. As Dr Mark Hull, an associate professor of military history at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, remarked to me: "I would hate to think of the consequences if he wasn't."

The striking thing is that much of this work was done with very poor resources and without the complete backing of the government. Hayes wrote to De Valera quite prophetically in 1946: "We must be prepared for the next emergency with a nucleus of codebreaking staff, no matter how small. We must start in the next war where we left off in this one, not surely from scratch again."

The fact that many prominent TDs and ministers of the day attended Gortz's funeral in 1947 and that Hayes' own funeral was a small family affair tells its own story.

Still Hayes masterminded the Irish counter intelligence programme during World War II and helped ensure that Germany felt it could not directly invade Ireland. Whitehall in London is adorned with statues of Montgomery and Churchill, and Alan Turing has been honoured with a statue in Manchester, yet to most people in Ireland, Hayes and other Irishmen who played such a crucial role in World War II sadly remain largely forgotten.

It is my hope that now, 41 years after the death of Richard Hayes, the story of his life reignites public debate on how we commemorate World War II in Ireland. Sometimes heroes aren't statesmen, they aren't soldiers, they aren't statues carved of marble on city streets. Very often it is those who work quietly in the shadows to whom we owe the greatest debt of gratitude.

Documentary On One: Richard Hayes: Nazi Codebreaker is on RTE Radio One today at 2pm, and repeated tomorrow at 7pm
A mother of a young son with autism has been fighting to find him a school place for five months.

Linda Hansard, from Donaghmede in Dublin has been trying to find a school place for her nine-year-old son, Kyle.

Kyle has autisim and is non-verbal. He had been a pupil at Scoil Bhride in Donaghmede for five years which had an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) unit.

The school caters for children with autism up to the age of eight and Kyle finished up for good in June when the school term ended.

His mother has been applying for schools but has been unable to find a place for Kyle.

"We've been applying since before Christmas, he needs to be in a special school. Unfortunately, the waiting list is too long and it hasn't reached him yet," Linda said.

Expand Close Kyle Hansard (9) from Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kyle Hansard (9) from Dublin

Linda had Kyle's name down in another school for four-and-a-half-years so he could join as soon as he finished Scoil Bhride.

However, just before Christmas she got a letter from the school advising her that they were changing their application policy and from January they would no longer be accepting children from the waiting list.

They had adopted a first come, first served policy which subsequently reduced his chances of getting a place.

"I had his name down for so long. I'd been prepared. He was in the top ten of that waiting list. I'd no chance of getting him in once they changed their policy," said Linda.

Frustrated with the lack of opportunities available to Kyle, she met with Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, in February and various TDs who brought her case to the Dail.

"I'm still in the same situation though," she said. "Nothing has changed. Kyle is still without an education.

"He needs a routine. All children need routine but for children with autism it's especially important.

"He's at home, completely out of his routine, and he's destroying the house. I don't want to see him getting steadily worse when I know it doesn't have to be this way. It's really tough.

"He got on well in his old school because he loved the routine of getting the bus in the morning and they had a proper schedule for him every day. It was really good for him and I could see how important it was to have that steady school education."

In June she was advised that Kyle is entitled to 20 hours per week of home tuition. It's a solution of sorts but one that doesn't suit the family's situation.

"I applied because I didn't have any other choice but it doesn't suit. It wouldn't suit Kyle to be educated at home and it wouldn't suit me. I work nights and I can't be around during the day to supervise.

"I work for Cadbury's and they've been very good to me and allowed me to make some changes to my hours but if it comes down to my job or Kyle being home schooled, I'd have to chose my job. Without my income, what could we do?

"I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Every mother wants the best for her children. Kyle needs to be in a school. He deserves an education like any other child."

The Department of Education told Independent.ie that they are aware of the situation but they cannot comment on individual cases.

"Of the 1,300 special classes currently in place nationally for the 2017/18, 115 special classes are in the North Dublin area, of which 92 are ASD special classes," a Department of Education spokesperson said.

"The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through their network of Special Education Needs Officera (SENOa), continue to work with the relevant education partners in north Dublin to ensure that the required additional special class placement(s) are available."
Jacques Van't Hart came to Ireland from the Netherlands back in the 1980s, to set up a factory for a company involved in veterinary pharmaceuticals in Trim, Co Meath. He was immediately taken with the area, particularly the social aspect of life in Co Meath and the absence of traffic, and started looking for a site on which to build a family home.

Van't Hart's search took a few years - he wanted land surrounded by mature trees for privacy - but eventually he found what he was looking for and set about designing Moyfern House, with the assistance of a developer friend. They built the house in 1996.

"Because of the lack of light in Ireland in the winter months, we designed Moyfern according to the German principle," explains Jacques. "That means that the rooms are arranged to follow the sun throughout the day. The kitchen faces east, to get the morning sun, and the sitting room faces west, to capture the evening sun. The south facing side of the house is made almost entirely of glass, to maximise the amount of heat and sun."

The result is a fine family house with 3,175 sq ft of living space that looks quite different to the typical Irish dormer bungalow. Moyfern is set well back from the road, behind electric gates imported from Belgium, and surrounded by 23 acres of pasture land, with the mature beech trees that attracted Van't Hart to the location at the outset now supplemented by many more that the Dutchman planted himself.

Despite its rural location, Moyfern has a contemporary feel. The large entrance hall doubles as an office/study, and has a feature marble staircase, wooden flooring and dual aspect windows. The kitchen - which has an island unit and breakfast and dining areas - has views over the surrounding fields, and direct access onto the patio at the rear of the house, making it ideally suited to entertaining. The family room and lounge have patio doors leading out to the deck, while the basement houses the utility room and has plenty of storage space.

Upstairs, the bedrooms all have views over the surrounding countryside. The master is an en-suite with a Jacuzzi bath and separate shower, and has a secluded balcony area and walk-in wardrobe. There are three further bedrooms and a family bathroom, as well as a large attic space that could be put to a variety of different uses.

Moyfern holds a special place in the hearts of horse-racing aficionados as the birthplace of Best Mate, the three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, trained in the UK by Henrietta Knight. The gelding was known as the nation's favourite horse until his sudden death at the age of 10 and a statue of him stands beside the winners' enclosure at Cheltenham. He was inducted into the Cheltenham Hall of Fame alongside Desert Orchid in 2007.

Jacques Van't Hart described himself as a hobby breeder back in 1995, when Best Mate was born. He had bought the dam, Katday, for what he describes as a 'suspiciously low price' (the equivalent of approximately 1,200), on the basis that he would get his money back if he failed to get the mare into foal. He introduced her to the stallion Un Desperado and she foaled on her own in the middle of a snowy field at Moyfern in January 1995, two weeks ahead of her due date.

The little bay foal almost didn't make it, but thanks to the care and attention that he received from Van't Hart and his vet, he survived. Because Van't Hart had to go abroad for work soon after the foal was born, he sold him on for a modest 2,500. Katday's subsequent foals sold for upwards of 120,000, and Best Mate went on to win over 1m in prize money over the course of his career.

"I missed out," says Van't Hart, ruefully.

This part of Meath is prime horse country, and it will be open to new owners to see if they can emulate Van't Hart's success. Moyfern comes with a few loose boxes, and plenty of room for grazing, so even if the idea of trying to breed a champion racehorse does not appeal, there is ample space to keep and enjoy ponies or hunters.

Trim lies approximately 25 miles from Dublin, on the banks of the River Boyne, and is convenient for the M50 and Dublin Airport. The town is known as the location of Trim castle (also known as King John's Castle), Ireland's largest Norman castle, built in the late 12th century following the Norman invasion of Ireland. Trim and the surrounding lands were granted to Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, and a Norman baron, and Richard II stayed at the castle before he was ousted from power. In the 16th century, Trim was one of the outposts of the Pale and sessions of the Irish Parliament were held there from time to time.

Moyfern House

Trim, Co Meath

Asking price: 850,000

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, (01) 2376300 and Sherry FitzGerald Heffernan, (046) 943 1525
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Brendan O'Connor Opinion Mid-life Crisis: Meeting my match in the flight queue

I could sense the tension from behind me. I had got up and started the queue for boarding the plane. I know, Im that person. But someone has to do it. And what with everyone carrying a small suitcase on these days, Im more relaxed standing there, knowing I will get my bag into the overhead, than I would be sitting down.
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Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so.
There is a widespread view that The Irish Times is sailing perilously close to the edge with its 'exclusive' talks to purchase Landmark Media Investments, the disaster-prone publishers of the Irish Examiner newspaper.

Many believe the reason for this move is to hold on to the lucrative printing contract for the Cork-based newspaper.

This contract, even with its declining circulation, has been making a serious contribution to the Tara Street publisher's income since it was snatched from the wreckage of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings receivership in 2013.

Landmark Media Investments, led by Tom Crosbie of the Cork publishing family, is according to its directors' report "in the final stages of negotiating the sale of the group to an experienced company operating in the industry".

Despite a decline in revenues this year and the need, according to Irish Times managing director Liam Kavanagh to "look at our costs", the Dublin-based broadsheet is the suitor, although it appears only to be interested in the Irish Examiner, with other buyers sought for a string of provincial newspapers and several radio stations.

This is the second time that the Irish Examiner has failed in less than five years. When Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH) went into receivership in early 2013 the titles were moved into a new company, Landmark Media Investments, with the support of its banker, Allied Irish Banks, which was owed in the region of 15m at the time.

According to banking sources, The Irish Times is now "caught between a rock and a hard place" with the ailing Irish Examiner. Buying another broadsheet newspaper, or to put it less kindly, a daily provincial newspaper with daily sales of 28,000 and a large staff, is probably the last thing it really needs in what are trying times for the publisher. But spurning the offer could lead to the departure of the Examiner printing contract, which according to sources, could have a devastating effect on The Irish Times' own balance sheet.

While the editorial apparatchiks in The Irish Times are fretting about who will control the content, they appear unaware of the real danger that the purchase could bring for the 'mother ship' which shed a huge wad of its spare cash a decade ago with the disastrous purchase of MyHome.ie for 50m.

According to recently released interim figures, The Irish Times' Designated Activity Company, which runs the newspaper, made a net loss of 1.2m in 2016 due to restructuring costs of 1.4m. But it made an operating profit of over 1m, compared with a loss of 1.1m in 2015.

The newspaper, which has 444 employees (according to its 2015 accounts, up from 423 the previous year), has become hugely reliant on the Examiner printing contract and buoyant property advertising to support its payroll costs.

But with newspaper sales falling by around 4pc a year, the purchase of the Irish Examiner could prove a defining move for The Irish Times, and disastrous if it gets it wrong.

With profits and losses fluctuating at approximately 1m a year, any unexpected events, like another property crash or a collapse in advertising revenues, has the potential to put the entire enterprise into a tailspin.

There is also a glaring contradiction in the strategy in buying into the Examiner's niche market. For the past five years The Irish Times has focused its energies and a huge amount of resources on a 'digital first' strategy, which its management now appears to be dumping for the short-term objective of protecting the print revenues from the Irish Examiner.

There are those who believe that there is a future for newspapers, just maybe not the mass circulation titles of the early 1990s - but then The Irish Times was never a mass circulation newspaper anyway.

To really protect that core business, The Irish Times management would have to face up to some very harsh realities, that it appears over-staffed for the production of one newspaper, it suffers from delusions of grandeur and has an over-reliance on the property market. According to the dismal figures filed in recent weeks for Landmark Media Investments for the year to December 2015, the business has been in trouble for some time.

That it is up for sale indicates - and that the position has worsened in the last 12 months - it was probably putting it mildly when the annual report said its bankers AIB "has expressed support for the proposed sale".

According to these figures losses of 57,089 (2014) widened to a staggering 14.9m to the end of 2015 on turnover of 48m.

Bank debt stands at 18.7m "payable on demand" and total liabilities for the group have risen to 20m.

The big questions around its sale are how much The Irish Times is prepared to pay for this basket case and how much the bankers are prepared to write off to get the deal over the line.

When asked about the purchase, The Irish Times managing director said, "there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet".

Things could well change, however.

Will Independent News & Media's new CEO Michael Doorly have a look at a move for Landmark? It could make a lot of sense for INM, the publishers of this newspaper.

Trinity Mirror may also be interested in the Cork-based title.

Whatever the outcome, life is about to get a whole lot tougher at The Irish Times.

The employees of what used to be the 'Old Lady of D'Olier Street' must be hoping that they are not swamped by the dangerous backwash from Landmark Media Investments.
From the outset the Government has adopted a deliberate strategy to side with the European Union's 27 countries in negotiations between the EU and UK on Brexit, adopting a view that to diverge from Europe would be the worst possible position to take. This was a wise course to take.

Since his election, the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has hardened Ireland's position in this regard, if anything, to apply increased public pressure on the UK to devise its own proposals to concur with the decision by referendum of its citizens to leave the EU.

Since that referendum, and the subsequent triggering of Article 50, negotiations between the EU and the UK has been tortuous to say the least, culminating to date in a European Council Summit last week which offered relatively encouraging signs that at least some progress can be made before the end of the year.

However, the EU's formal announcement remains that "sufficient progress" on the withdrawal arrangements has not been achieved. Obstacles remain in relation to money, a deal on citizens' rights, said to be "within touching distance", and discussions on Northern Ireland. That said, the EU has decided to open its internal preparatory discussions on transition and trade, as encouragement to the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who is in the most dreadful domestic political circumstances.

Ireland's strategy all along has been to make our problems the EU's problems. In effect, this is an implicit admission that should Ireland isolate itself we really will be on our own, that we are too small to matter to either the EU or the UK, although that would never be stated publicly. In these negotiations Ireland can not be seen to be playing both sides. However, it remains to be seen for how long that delicate position will be sustainable. Both the EU and the UK are still aiming to secure a comprehensive free trade agreement, with close cooperation on other issues such as defence and security. Walking away without a deal remains neither side's first preference, and would be economically damaging to both, but particularly to Ireland. As the UK positions itself toward a less integrated relationship with the EU, a lot of the so-called 'no-deal' preparations are underway. Notwithstanding the improvement in mood music last week, it would be advisable for Ireland to also prepare for a 'no deal' outcome. Indeed, it would seem remarkably little preparation has been made in this regard, and that is remiss.

The time has perhaps come for the Taoiseach to make clear that should we end up with a hard Brexit, with the UK outside the customs union and single market, as it intends, and in the absence of proper trade arrangements, that Ireland will seek from the EU special treatment in the form of substantial financial aid for this country, and for a lengthy period, to transition and adapt to what will be a stark new landscape. While Ireland will remain a member of the EU, a relationship which, by and large, has been positive and productive for this country, there is also reason to recall that, in the recent past, Ireland has, indeed, seemed 'too small' to matter. The opportunity now exists for Ireland to make its voice heard. That opportunity should not be missed, whether privately at this stage or publicly in due course.
They wondered about him, what his life was like before hard times hit, before something else consumed his days.

He was tall, but very thin. He struggled to hold onto his clothes, maybe as he struggled with life.

But what caught the volunteers' attention as they huddled in a small marquee at the front of the priory house was the immaculate manners of the young man.

Being down in his luck hadn't changed his personality.

It was getting late, the misty rain falling discreetly on the already wet pavement, when walked up to the gates and peered in.

Rita Hanratty stepped forward to greet him. With a sort of shyness, he asked could he have a cup of tea.

It was offered without hesitation.

He spotted a bottle of 7 Up and asked could he swop the tea for a drink of'that instead. They offered him both. He was shocked.

A sandwich followed and he ate heartily. When a chocolate biscuit appeared, heaven - appropriately enough for where he was standing - suddenly opened up.

They watched as he soon departed back up Dominic Street with a packet of biscuits in his hand - it could have been a bar of gold to him.

In seconds he had disappeared, gone back to his world - wherever that may be in the darkened corners of a rapidly changing Drogheda.

Others came and went, the generosity of some people overwhelming.

Fr Jim Donleavy looked about and pondered on the experience, the very act of stepping into the community, into a community that needed him and the volunteers most.

During the night they headed off onto the streets, collecting funds from those that wanted to contribute and ironically stopping off to help those cuddled into sleeping bags in doorways.

As the new day beckoned, people again arrived with buns and sweets and vitally - funds for the cause.

'It opened eyes', Fr Donleavy remarked as tired eyes sparked brightly.

During the course of the night they had spoken about doing something more than a one night mission.

'We must put a more permanent situation in place and we'll do that', he stated.

A Dominican 'outreach' will be formed, perhaps every second night a team of volunteers will take to the streets with tea, snadwiches' blankets, or just to chat, to help those in need.

'It's something we will need volunteers for, from the entire community, because Drogheda does have a problem', he stated, 'and we have seen it.'

What really struck a cord with the volunteers was the reaction of the people of the town.

One man arrived with a bag of coal for a fire they had lit, cars pulled up, dropped in money and went on.

Fr Jim said it reminded him of Edinbugh. When the Simon Community opened there, he gave a year helping them. It stood to him last Friday as the rain fell.

'Would I do it again?" he pondered. 'Yes, I would', was the hearty answer.

Last Friday was but a moment in time - but for one man - with his packet of biscuits - it was a chance to sample a past way of life, to feel important again and be treated with human dignity.

For that alone, it was an incredible success, never mind the fact that over 3,000 has been raised to date.
The five living former US presidents appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert to raise money for hurricane victims across America and the Caribbean.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H W Bush and George W Bush stood united in support of their fellow countrymen at the One America Appeal concert at the Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, on Saturday night.

The relief effort has already raised 31 million US dollars (24 million) since it began on September 7.

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In a pre-recorded video message broadcast at the start of the concert, the five ex-presidents explained why they were backing the appeal.

Mr Obama said: As former presidents we want to help our fellow Americans begin to recover.

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And Mr Clinton added: People are hurting but, as one Texan put it, weve got more love in Texas than water.

The former presidents were originally inspired to come together in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which unleashed devastating flooding that threatened hundreds of thousands of Texans.

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The appeal has since expanded twice to include recovery efforts in Florida from Hurricane Irma, and in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands from Hurricane Maria.

Speaking ahead of the concert, 41st US president George H W Bush said: Its important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, were with them for the long haul.

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The concert featured performances from stars such as Lady Gaga and four-time Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett.

Current US president Donald Trump also sent a video message for the concert, in which he congratulated his predecessors for spearheading the relief effort.

He said: This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and our devotion to one another.
A male secret shared by Julian Assange has received a novel response from men on Twitter.

The WikiLeaks founder, using Twitters extended 280 character limit, wrote that men who claim to be feminists are often predatory sleaze bags and intensely disliked by other men due to being manipulative.

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Assanges tweet attracted a huge amount of attention online, with more than 13,000 retweets and 32,000 likes  and while some did agree with his view, there was also a significant number of negative responses.

Some accused the 46-year-old of mansplaining while another, Glenn Fleishman, said Assange is an expert on being intensely disliked by other men.

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However, others who seemed to disagree with Assanges view decided to take things a step further  mocking him by coming up with some male secrets of their own.

For example, Joe here revealed that sofa stairs magic is indeed a trick after all.

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This guy had something to say about the great toilet seat debate.

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Meanwhile, this bloke offered a revelation on pockets.

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And finally, Mark here appeared to reveal that men are actually robots.

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Assange has lived in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 after the country granted him asylum under the threat of extradition to the United States for WikiLeaks publication of sensitive state documents.

This year a seven-year investigation into sex-related allegations against him was dropped by Swedens prosecution authority.
Japanese voters have returned Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition to power in national elections, exit polls suggest.

Japanese media released result projections shortly after polls closed at 8pm local time on Sunday.

Mr Abe dissolved the lower house less than a month ago, forcing the snap election.

He judged that the timing was right for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting until the end of its term next year.

Up for grabs were 465 seats in the more powerful lower house, which chooses the prime minister.

Media projections indicate a disappointing showing for a new Japanese opposition party that briefly excited voters.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK projected that the Party of Hope would win 38 to 59 seats in the lower house of parliament.

Party head Yuriko Koike called the results "very severe" in a televised interview from France. She is in Paris to attend a mayor's conference as the governor of Tokyo.

Ms Koike launched the Party of Hope in the same week that Mr Abe dissolved parliament to force the snap election.
Protest placards reading Out al Shabab, left, and Oh God, have mercy on the dead near the scene of an earlier truck bombing in Mogadishu (AP)

A roadside bomb has killed six people and injured three others travelling in a minibus near the Somalian capital of Mogadishu.

The minibus was carrying farmers near the town of Bal'ad, just north of the capital, on Sunday.

The bombing comes little over a week after at least 358 people died in a massive truck bombing in Mogadishu in Somalia's worst attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest bombing in an area where government forces and fighters have clashed with the al Qaida-linked al Shabab extremist group.

Al Shabab carries out guerrilla attacks across large parts of southern and central Somalia, and the country's president has told troops to prepare for a "state of war" and a new offensive against al Shabab.

AP
Police at the scene at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where they are dealing with an ongoing incident Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Emergency services near Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where police are dealing with an ongoing incident Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Emergency services at the scene at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where a gunman was holding two bowling alley members of staff hostage Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Police at the scene at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where a gunman was holding two bowling alley members of staff hostage Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

A gunman who held two members of staff hostage at a bowling alley in Warwickshire has been arrested.

Bermuda Park in Nuneaton was locked down when the suspect held two male employees inside MFA Bowl for more than four hours.

The hostage-taker was arrested and taken to hospital, and both staff members - a duty manager and a lane host - were unharmed.

Chris Clegg, operations director of MFA Bowl, said: "He (the suspect) has been arrested and the two staff are safe."

Expand Close Police at the scene at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where a gunman is holding two bowling alley members of staff hostage Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire / Facebook

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Officers are currently dealing with an ongoing incident at Bermuda Park, #Nuneaton. Please avoid the area.  Warwickshire Police (@warkspolice) October 22, 2017

I'm stuck in the cinema. Are we safe? How long are we expected to be locked down?  Paul Edgington (@_edgy_) October 22, 2017

People, including children, were evacuated from nearby properties in the retail park during the incident, which police confirmed was not terror-related.

Mr Clegg said the suspect was handcuffed and the two employees were checked over for shock.

He said: "Two people were taken to a safe place, obviously they were checked over because obviously they might be in shock.

"It's obviously not an everyday situation. The ambulance, police were all checking them and making sure they were OK."

Warwickshire Police said specialist firearms officers and police negotiators, along with other emergency services attended the scene at 2.30pm on Sunday.

The force announced shortly after 7pm that the suspect had been arrested.

Chief Superintendent Alex Franklin-Smith said: "We would like to thank local people for their patience and co-operation while officers dealt with this incident.

"We are pleased that we were able to bring this incident to a peaceful resolution and that there were no injuries."

Shortly after 6.30pm a series of loud bangs could be heard and about 10 minutes later an ambulance was allowed through the cordon and two people got out.

The gunman had brandished his weapon above his head and yelled "game over" after arriving at the bowling alley, one witness said.

Alex MulHolland said: "We were just having a game ... and a man who was also bowling ran across our lane and he was like 'get out, get out', shouting.

"I was like 'what's going on?' so I turn around and there was a white guy, greyish beard, weird-looking man, he's got a gun up here, like this over his head.

"He was saying 'game over, game over', everyone shouting, screaming, panicking, trying to get out and I didn't know what to make of it, really.

"I ran, got my things as quickly as I could and get out of there."

Asked about the man's weapon, his friend Liam Roberts said: "It was a shotgun, a long-looking thing.

"I thought it was like a sword or a big knife but the second time when he came out near the door about 10 minutes after, this was to try and scare people, we knew it was a shotgun."

Around 40 or 50 people, including children, were inside the complex at the time.

"There was probably about 20 kids, crying, that were trying to get out - about five people at a time trying to get through a door."

They speculated that the suspect was trying to clear the building of people at first.

Mr Roberts said: "I think he was trying to make people scared, to know he was there."
Builders have discovered a secret basement in Josef Fritzls guesthouse almost a decade after he was jailed for keeping his daughter captive.

The notorious Austrian rapist imprisoned Elisabeth in a cellar, sexually assaulting her thousands of times over a 24 year period and fathering seven children with her. The case made headlines around the world.

But it now appears that he had built another concealed basement at his guesthouse just outside the city of Salzburg.

Workers found a staircase behind an improvised wall while measuring the building, according to local media. It was part of a routine building inspection.

It is unclear whether police will investigate the building.

Fritzl ran the Seestern guesthouse along with his wife Rosemarie in the town of Unterach am Mondsee before the couple moved to Amstetten in 1996.

Expand Close A hidden bedroom at the house and hiding place, where Fritzl imprisoned his daughter for 24 years / Facebook

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There, he would keep his eldest daughter as a sex slave in a cellar, which included a kitchen and bathroom.

She was also forced to bear his children without any medical help.

Three were sent "upstairs" as small children and lived relatively normal lives looked after by Fritzls unsuspecting wife.

The serial rapist told Rosemarie that Elisabeth had run away to join a religious sect and had dumped her newly born children on her parents doorstep. This was the same story he told to social services.

Expand Close Josef Fritzl pictured during his trial in Austria. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook

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The other four were not allowed to leave the cellar which resulted in the death of one baby boy when Fritzl let the child die from breathing problems rather than call a doctor.

He then cremated his infant son in a wood-burning stove.

That property converted into a block of flats and the basement filled with cement by Austrian authorities, after Fritzl was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes against his daughter.

He is currently being held in a special facility for mentally abnormal criminals at Austria's Stein prison.

Elisabeth, 51, has a new identity and lives in Village X near to the house where she was held along with her remaining children.
The websites used for presentation of the Czech Republic's election results were hacked on Saturday afternoon, the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) said on Sunday, adding that the vote count was not affected.

Czechs voted on Friday and Saturday in the parliamentary election, with the results then shown on two websites that CSU maintains with an outside provider.

"During the processing (of the vote), there was a targeted DDoS attack aimed at the infrastructure of the O2 company used for elections," CSU said on its website.

"As a result, servers volby.cz and volbyhned.cz had been temporarily partly inaccessible. The attack did not in any way affect either the infrastructure used for the transmission of election results to the CSU headquarters or the independent data processing."

The anti-establishment ANO party won 29.6 percent of the vote but may struggle to find coalition partners. Many parties expressed reluctance or rejected outright any coalition with the ANO while its billionaire founder and leader Andrej Babis fights off fraud charges.

Czech President Milos Zeman said on Sunday that he would name Andrej Babis prime minister.

In the last similar case, in January, the Czech Foreign Ministry said that hackers had breached dozens of its email accounts in an attack resembling one against the U.S. Democratic Party that the former Obama administration blamed on Russia.

On the European Union level, the threat of cyber attacks has been taken more seriously in recent months after hacking attempts detected by some of the 28 member states.

EU defence ministers tested their ability to respond to a potential hacking attack in their first cyber war games in September. The exercise was based on a simulated attack on one of the bloc's military missions abroad.
MARCHING TO A showdown: The Catalan regional leadership, with Carles Puigdemont centre, lead a march of Catalan pro-independence groups in Barcelona yesterday. Photo: Lluis Gene/Getty

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said on Sunday he hoped that people in Catalonia would disregard any instruction from the regional leadership if Spain moves to suspend the region's autonomy.

"All the government is trying to do, and reluctantly, is to reinstate the legal order, to restore the constitution but also the Catalan rules and proceed from there," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"We are going to establish the authorities who are going to rule the day-to-day affairs of Catalonia according to the Catalan laws and norms ... I hope everyone will disregard whatever instructions they will be planning to give because they will not have the legal authority to do that."

Meanwhile, the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's attempt to "humiliate" Catalonia is an "attack on democracy".

He made a veiled independence threat, telling politicians to counter Spain's planned takeover.

Mr Puigdemont spoke out after Mr Rajoy said he wants the country's senate to give him direct power to dissolve the regional Catalan government and call an election as soon as possible.

Mr Rajoy said after a cabinet meeting that the central government needs to take the unprecedented step of assuming control of Catalonia to "restore order" in the face of a secession effort backed by the regional government.

He is proposing that the powers of Catalan officials be taken over by central government ministers.

Mr Rajoy's government is activating a previously untapped constitutional article to take control of Catalonia.

The move is aimed at blocking the independence movement that has gained pace since a disputed October 1 referendum on separating Catalonia from Spain.

Mr Puigdemont wants the regional parliament to debate and vote on how to respond to what he called the Spanish government's "attempt to wipe out" Catalonia's autonomy.

In a televised address late on Saturday, he called plans by Mr Rajoy to replace him and his cabinet an "attempt to humiliate" Catalonia and an "attack on democracy".

His comments were a veiled threat to push ahead with an independence declaration for the prosperous region in north-eastern Spain.

They came after he joined a large protest in Barcelona on Saturday where many were aghast at the plans announced earlier in the day by Mr Rajoy.

Mr Puigdemont called Mr Rajoy's move the "the worst attack" on Catalan people and institutions since General Francisco Franco abolished Catalonia's regional government in 1939.
The boss of Britains biggest online trading platform has issued the latest stark warning over Brexit as he said the loss of banking jobs to the continent was already doing long-term damage to the UK economy.

Chris Hill, the recently appointed chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown, told the Press Association banking giants were voting with their feet on Brexit by pulling jobs out of the City ahead of the UKs divorce with the EU.

He said uncertainty created by the negotiations was the biggest concern among financial services firms and was filtering down to retail investors.

The big banks are moving people overseas  thats long-term damage to the UK economy, he said.

His comments come after outgoing London Stock Exchange boss Xavier Rolet said earlier this week that more jobs would be lost overseas unless details of a transitional period were agreed by the end of the year.

Major players such as HSBC, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have already said they plan to move hundreds if not thousands of UK jobs to the EU after Brexit, when the UK is expected to lose passporting rights for financial services.

Fears are escalating over Prime Minister Theresa Mays negotiations and ability to secure a transition as the Government appears to be in a deadlock with the EU over its divorce settlement.

Mr Hill remained tight-lipped on his Brexit stance, but insisted Hargreaves Lansdown was neutral on the subject, despite co-founder Peter Hargreaves being a prominent supporter of the UKs withdrawal from the EU.

Mr Hargreaves pumped more than 3 million into the Leave campaign, while co-founder and former business partner Stephen Lansdown backed Brexit as well, although less vocally.

Mr Hill also joined other investment fund giants in cautioning over the fragility of stock markets amid mounting fears of an impending correction.

Indices in the UK and US have hit new all-time highs in recent days, seemingly oblivious to global political turbulence, with the FTSE 100 in London notching up its record close of more than 7550 in the face of Brexit worries.

Mr Hill said Britains stock market could turn in either direction, adding that any escalation of geopolitical tensions wont help the mood music.

He said: There is no doubt that the outlook is as uncertain as it has ever been and liquidity is such that negative news can have a significant impact on individual shares.

But he offered some comfort to concerned investors, insisting that more money is lost by investors not investing than in the corrections themselves.

Mr Hill took on the top job in April, replacing Ian Gorham, who left after seven years at the helm.

He is aiming to steer the Bristol-based group through its third stage of growth, with plans to tap into other areas of the 2.4 trillion savings and investment pool.

The group, which also has a 100-strong financial advice team, is planning a soft launch of its Active Savings cash management service later this year, with a full roll-out in 2018, in what some experts believe will be a transformative move for the sector.

It will add another string to the groups bow, while growth is showing no signs of slowing at its online fund supermarket, which now has nearly one million clients and saw assets under management swell by another 4% to 82 million in the latest quarter.

Mr Hill said technology was key to the groups growth plans, but he stressed his reservations over so-called robo advice, which is taking the financial services sector by storm.

Its people youre talking to and theyre all very different  you have to communicate with people in different ways, he said.

He said the drop out rate is far too high among prospective investors, with many put off by a lack of confidence and understanding.

Thats the challenge for us and everybody, he said.
'Tarantino has now admitted that he should have confronted his friend.' Photo: Getty

Quentin Tarantino was greeted with condemnation this weekend after admitting that he knew about Harvey Weinstein's behaviour and should have done more to stop it..

The 54-year-old movie director, who describes himself as having a father-son relationship with the 65-year-old producer, acknowledged that Weinstein nurtured his career.

Tarantino has now admitted that he should have confronted his friend.

"I knew enough to do more than I did," he said. "There was more to it than just the normal rumours, the normal gossip. It wasn't second-hand. I knew he did a couple of these things."

He told how his then girlfriend, actress Mira Sorvino, recounted Weinstein's aggressive pursuit of her, and how the actress Rose McGowan told him of her abuse at his hands.

"I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard," he added. "If I had done the work I should have done then, I would have had to not work with him."

The pair first worked together on 1994's Pulp Fiction, and Weinstein has produced every one of Tarantino's films since then.

Some mocked Tarantino for his confession, coming two weeks after the October 5 bombshell expose, published by The New York Times, which set off a torrent of further accusations from women in the movie industry.

"Quentin Tarantino knew for decades and did nothing," said Melissa Silverstein, founder of campaign group Women in Hollywood. "Just let that sink in."

"Tarantino profited so he didn't really care," said Lindsey McBride, a PR executive from Chicago. "All these guys are complicit."

Tom Cooper, a property developer, tweeted: "Damn you Tarantino for not speaking up sooner. You knew and did nothing."

However, Amy Siskind, president of The New Agenda organisation, said she was pleased Tarantino had spoken out. "The epidemic in our country that has become so visible with the 'me too' hashtag can only be solved when good men speak out against the acts of the evil men who have been harassing, assaulting and raping women," she said.

"Do I wish it did happen earlier? Yes. But we are sitting in the midst of what could be a real moment of sustainable change. So I applaud any man who comes out now and speaks truth to power."

Yesterday a sixth woman, an unnamed 38-year-old Italian-American actress in Los Angeles, accused Weinstein of rape, following accusations from actresses Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, Lysette Anthony and Lucia Evans.

An unnamed woman also told The New Yorker that Weinstein raped her.

New York police already have two active sex crime inquiries and UK police are investigating allegations made by three women.

The new allegation in California could be legally troubling for Weinstein because it falls within the 10-year statute of limitations that existed at the time of the alleged incident.

Weinstein has denied all accusations of forced sexual contact.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A banner with a photo of Malta police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar outside the Malta police headquarters after a rally to honour Daphne Caruana Galizia (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)

Thousands of Maltese citizens joined a rally to honour an investigative journalist killed by a car bomb.

But the prime minister and opposition leader who were chief targets of Daphne Caruana Galizia's reporting stayed away from the gathering on Sunday.

Participants at the rally in Malta's capital, Valletta, placed flowers at the foot of a memorial to the 53-year-old reporter that sprang up opposite the law court building after her killing on Monday.

Some wore T-shirts or carried placards emblazoned with words from Ms Caruana Galizia's final blog post: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate."

Police removed a banner describing Malta as a "Mafia state".

Hundreds of participants later held a sit-in outside police headquarters, demanding the resignation of Malta's police commissioner.

Some hurled tomatoes, cakes and coins against an enlarged photograph of the commissioner spread out on the street.

The murder of a journalist who devoted her career to exposing wrongdoing in Malta and raised her three sons there united many of the nation's fractious politicians, at least for a day.

Ms Caruana Galizia had repeatedly criticised police and judicial officials.

Malta's two dominant political forces, the ruling Labor and opposition Nationalist parties, participated in the rally which was organised to press demands for justice in her killing.

But Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told his Labor party's radio station a few hours before the event's start time that he would not attend because he knew the anti-corruption reporter's family did not want him to be there.

"I know where I should be and where I should not be. I am not a hypocrite and I recognise the signs," he said, adding that he supported the rally's goals of call for justice and national unity.

Nationalist leader Adrian Delia also skipped the rally, saying he did not want to "stir controversy".

"Today is not about me, but about the rule of law and democracy," he told reporters.

Mr Muscat and Mr Delia, while fierce political rivals, have another thing in common, as both brought libel lawsuits against Ms Caruana Galizia.

Mr Delia withdrew his pending libel cases last week after her killing.

Ms Caruana Galizia's family has refused to endorse the government's offer of a 1 million euro (890,000) reward and full protection to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of her killer or killers.

Instead, the family, which includes a son who is an investigative journalist himself, has demanded that Mr Muscat resign.

In their quest for a serious and efficient investigation, Ms Caruana Galizia's husband and children also want Malta's top police office and attorney general replaced.

"The killers decided to silence her, but they won't silence her spirit, they won't silence us," Christophe Deloire, a French journalist from the journalism advocacy organisation Reporters Without Borders, said.

"From us they will not have more than one minute of silence."

On Sunday morning, all seven national newspapers had their front pages black in Ms Caruana Galizia's memory. Printed in bold letters against the black backgrounds were the words: "The pen conquers fear."

Just before her death, Ms Caruana Galizia had posted on her closely followed blog, Running Commentary, that there were "crooks everywhere" in Malta.

The island nation has a reputation as a tax haven in the EU and has attracted companies and money from outside Europe.

The journalist focused her reporting for years on investigating political corruption and scandals, and writing about Maltese mobsters and the island's drug trafficking.

She also wrote about Maltese links to the so-called Panama Papers leaks about offshore financial havens.

After the rally ended, several hundred participants walked to police headquarters, and sat in the street outside shouting "Shame on you!" and "Resign!"

Malta President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca received a delegation from the Civil Society Network, a non-partisan organisation of university professors, businessmen, opinion writers and authors in Malta.

The car bombing was "an attack on all of us, every single one of us," she told them.

"We need to see how we are going to work together. We need to unite to have the reform that is needed."

AP
Generations of conspiracy theorists have spent decades steeped in the details of the JFK assassination. In coming days, they'll be able to pore through thousands more files kept classified for 54 years.

Yesterday morning, US president Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he will authorise release of the remaining documents.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," he tweeted.

Those who are sure that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone are eager for vindication and new jigsaw pieces to fill the void spots in the puzzle.

So are those who blame the mob, Fidel Castro, the Soviets or the military-industrial complex.

Lost on neither camp is the fact that the authority to decide which secrets to keep sealed for another decade or more rests with a president known for indulging conspiracy theories.

The deadline is October 26 - a date set by US Congress a quarter-century ago after Oliver Stone's conspiracy-minded JFK movie reignited demands to open the files on John F Kennedy's murder in Dallas on November 22, 1963. By coincidence, Trump plans to be in Dallas for a campaign fundraiser on Wednesday - the day before the deadline.

Anyone who expects to see a holy grail - a document that spells out exactly what happened to America's 35th president, who did it and who could have stopped it - will probably be disappointed.

The wording of Trump's announcement yesterday left open the possibility of a last-ditch push by the CIA or another agency to block some material.

Still, said John Tunheim, who led the panel Congress created in 1992 to review and release the files, "Everything should come out... I can't believe we'd be compromising anything from the 1950s and 1960s."

His view: Oswald was the lone gunman, though he could have had help - and we may never know.

"I don't think there are big revelations," said Tunheim, now US district judge for Minnesota, adding that he's sure secrets have been kept too long.

He's not alone in seeing little hope for a major breakthrough. Still, researchers will remain nervous until the remaining cache is unsealed.
An election worker checks the electronic voting system at the Berchet School polling station in Milan

Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome.

While the twin referendums are non-binding, a resounding "yes" vote would give the presidents of the neighbouring regions more leverage in negotiations to seek a greater share of tax revenue and to take more responsibility from Rome.

The leaders want more powers in areas as security, migration, education and the environment.

Lombard president Roberto Maroni has lowered expectations, saying he would be happy with a 34% turnout among the region's 7.5 million voters, equal to the national turnout in a 2001 referendum.

The Veneto autonomy drive will die if voter turnout is below 50% plus one of the region's 3.5 million voters.
The WHO appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been rescinded

The head of the World Health Organisation has withdrawn his appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador".

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said he decided to rescind his appointment of Mr Mugabe, 93, after listening to the flood of outrage and concerns voiced by international leaders and health experts.

He said he revoked Mr Mugabe's position in the best interests of the WHO.

Mr Ghebreyesus said he had consulted with the Zimbabwe government about his decision.

Mr Ghebreyesus last week told a conference in Uruguay on non-communicable diseases that Mr Mugabe had agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

But he said in a statement on Sunday that he had "reflected" over the past few days on the criticism of the decision. "As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment," he said.

Mr Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has been criticised at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy falls apart and the country's healthcare system deteriorates.

Mr Mugabe also faces US sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

AP

Zimbabwe's government says it respects the decision by Mr Ghebreyesus to withdraw the appointment.

Foreign affairs minister Walter Mzembi said the UN health agency "benefited tremendously" from the original decision to name Mr Mugabe to the post because of the global attention that resulted.

"On a name-recognition scale this name beats them all, but it is our business to protect its brand equity from unnecessary besmirching," said Mr Mzembi.

"So on the balance, it is wiser to let go."

The decision to name Mr Mugabe was met with shock and condemned by health officials and countries including the US.

AP
Kenya Mining Forum is a premium annual mining investment event that showcases Kenyas open for business potential.

The forum will be a stakeholder-led gathering focused on a specific delegate profile with a distinct end goal  the search for credible investors in Kenyas mining industry, as well as associated support services.

Supported by case studies and presentations, growth strategies and market data, the inaugural edition of Kenya Mining Forum will showcase the country as an emerging destination for mining.

Our discussion with the Ministry of Mining and key stakeholders in the region highlighted the fact that is an opportune time to promote investment in Kenya as they recently approve the Mining Act in May 2016, providing more transparency and credibility for investors. Moreover, Kenya has been working with McKinsey on a 20-year mining plan that already highlighted a potential of USD 62.4b mining revenues. This is going towards the objective to contribute to 10% of the GDP in 2030 against 1% in 2015.



Kenya Mining Forum is an early-to-market investment platform bringing stakeholders together to facilitate investment and development of Kenyas mining sector. Kenya is still in early exploration of its mineral potential. To become the annual high-level meeting place supporting Kenya to position itself as a regional mining sector hub for Eastern Africa.

Kenya Mining Forum is an annual meeting place for East Africa mining stakeholders to share and present their policies setting in the region. Evolving the mining conference toward a regional exhibition will allow us to create a consistent platform for Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda, existing solid trade partners.
Raqqa Destroyed To Liberate It By Eric Margolis October 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The so-called Islamic State organization was primarily a bogeyman encouraged by the western powers. Ive been saying this for the last four years. I asserted, as a former soldier and war correspondent, that IS would collapse like a wet paper bag if proper western ground forces attacked their strongholds in Syria and Iraq. This week, the western powers and their local satraps finally took action and stormed the last IS stronghold at Raqqa. To no surprise, IS put up almost no resistance and ran for its miserable life. The much-dreaded IS was never more than a bunch of young hooligans and religious fanatics who were as militarily effective as the medieval Childrens Crusade. In the west, IS was blown up by media and governments into a giant monster that was coming to cut the throats of honest folk in the suburbs. IS did stage some very bloody and grisly attacks  thats what put it on the map. But none of them posed any mortal threat or really endangered our national security. In fact, the primary target of IS attacks has been Shia Muslims in the Mideast. Many of the IS attacks in North America and Europe were done by mentally deranged individuals or were initiated by under-cover government provocateurs, such as the 1993 bombing of New Yorks World Trade Center. IS was notorious for falsely taking credit for attacks it did not commit. Other lone wolf attacks were made by Mideasterners driven to revenge after watching the destruction by the US and its allies of substantial parts of their region. Think Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, and the murderous brutality of Egypts-US backed regime. IS appears to have been shaped by western intelligence in an effort to duplicate its success with the Afghan mujahidin in the mid 1980s that helped defeat the Soviet Union. CIA, Pakistani and Saudi intelligence, and Britains MI-6 recruited some 100,000 volunteers from across the Muslim world to wage jihad in Afghanistan. I observed this brilliant success first hand from the ranks of the mujahidin. The western powers, led by the US, sought to emulate this success in Syria by unleashing armies of mercenaries, disaffected, unemployed youth, and religious primitives against the independent-minded regime of President Bashar Assad. The plan nearly worked  at least until Russia, Iran, and Lebanons Hezbollah movement intervened and reversed the tide of battle. The canard promoted in the west that IS was a dire military threat was always a big joke. I said so on one TV program and was promptly banned from the station. Im also the miscreant who insisted that Iraq never had weapons of mass destruction and was consequently blacklisted by a major cable TV news network. The CIA cobbled together two small armies, one of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and the other of Iraqi mercenaries. Both were directed, armed, equipped and financed by Washington. Shades of the British Empires native troops under white officers. The Kurds and Iraqi Arabs are now in a major confrontation over the Kirkuk oil-rich region. Raqqa and Mosul were so close to western forces that they were merely a taxi ride away. But it took three years and much token bombing of the desert before a decisive move was made against IS. Once the US-led campaign against Damascus failed, the crazies of IS were no longer of any use so they were marked for death. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Like Fallujah in Iraq and Mosul, Raqqa was flattened by US air power, a stark message to those who would defy the American Raj. The ruins of Raqqa, the IS capital, were occupied by US-led forces. This historic deja vu recalled the dramatic defeat by British Imperial forces at Omdurman in September 1898 of Sudans Khalifa and his Islamic dervish army. The remnants of IS had melted into the Euphrates Valley and the desert. They will now return to being an irksome guerilla group with very little combat power. Anti-western IS supporters still cluster in Europes urban ghettos and will cause occasional mayhem. A few high-profile attacks on civilians may be expected to show that IS is still alive. But none of this is likely to influence the course of events. ISs rival, al-Qaida, is likely to resurface and lead attacks to drive the west out of the Mideast. The Islamic State bogeyman was very useful for the western powers. It justified deeper military involvement in the Mideast, higher arms budgets, scared people into voting for rightwing parties, and gave police more powers. By contrast, these faux Muslims brought misery, fear and shame on the Islamic world. We are very well rid of them. And its about time. Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times, Nation  Pakistan, Hurriyet,  Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other news sites in Asia. https://ericmargolis.com/ Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2017 See also - Russia compares US-led bombing of Raqqa to WWII destruction of Dresden After Raqqa falls, Trump says defeat of IS in sight
US Secretary of State Tillerson demands Iranian militias leave Iraq

By MEE and Agencies

October 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday demanded that Iranian "militias" leave Iraq. He was speaking at a press conference in Riyadh, where the US diplomat is holding talks with top Gulf officials.

"Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against [the Islamic State group] is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Tillerson said.

"All foreign fighters need to go home."

There are thought to be as many as 120,000 fighters belong to the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMUs), volunteer fighting groups comprised of previously existing organisations and groups formed after a call by religious leader Ali al-Sistani in 2014 to protect Iraq from IS.

Although the groups are largely paid by the government in Baghdad, the most-established groups are ultimately loyal to Iran and have engaged in sectarian reprisals against Sunnis.

Tillerson's Gulf visit comes as part of concerted efforts to curb Iran's influence in the region including boosting the clout of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia in Iraq, where Iran backs Shia militias fighting in the north.

As well as talks with senior Saudi officials in Riyadh including King Salman, Tillerson attended a landmark meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at upgrading strategic ties between the Arab neighbours.

The meeting appears aimed at boosting Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia's clout in Shia-majority Iraq, part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen.

Tillerson's visit comes after President Donald Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal, leaving its fate to the US Congress, and laid out an aggressive new strategy against Tehran in a bellicose speech.

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"This event highlights the strength and breadth as well as the great potential of the relations between your countries," Tillerson said at the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in Riyadh.

Following years of tensions with Riyadh, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the meeting as an "important step toward enhancing relations," while King Salman warned of the dangers of "extremism, terrorism, as well as attempts to destabilise our countries".

The question of Iranian influence has also been at the heart of the diplomatic conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and Tillerson headed to Doha later on Sunday for talks on defusing the crisis between two key US allies.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.
North Korea  As Trump Threatens, the Nation Still Struggles with Americas Lethal Legacy By Felicity Arbuthnot October 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed or disappeared  More often than not, the United States shares the blame. (Amnesty International, 1996.) As the US threatens to decimate North Korea again  if not the entire planet, given Donald Trumps chillingly casual approach to the use of nuclear weapons  an article (1) has revealed the criminal legacy remaining from Americas last attack, ending sixty four years ago, on a country smaller than Mississippi. (North Korea is a landmass of 120,540 square kilometers, Mississippi is 125,443 square kilometers.) Experts say it will take a hundred years to clean up all of the unexploded ordnance, says Major Jong Il Hyon: but I think it will take much longer. Major Jong has lost five colleagues in the still ongoing ordnance disposal work and carries a lighter one gave him before he died. He also bears a scar on his left cheek from a bomb disposal mission gone wrong. In Hamhung, the countrys second largest city three hundred and seventy mortar rounds were found in an elementary school playground in October last year, with a rusted, lethal round discovered nearby in February this year. Bombs, mortars and pieces of live ammunition are still found in thousands. Virtually all of it is American, but over a dozen countries fought on the US side and every now and then their bombs will turn up as well. In the region this lethal legacy is mirrored in: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and even Japan, with a huge amount of unexploded ordnance needed to be disposed of by those courageous enough to risk their lives, daily, doing it. The scale of the regional horror is near incomprehensible. For example: From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions  equal to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, twenty four hours a day, for nine years  (2.) Laos, 1983. An intensive bombing campaign, coupled with artillery battles on land, has left the landscape in some areas of Laos filled with craters. Photo: Titus Peachey It is thought that possibly a third of the bombs did not explode and over twenty thousand people have been killed by unexploded ordnance since. Moreover: Over 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War (210 million more bombs than were dropped on Iraq in 1991, 1998 and 2003 combined); up to 80 million did not detonate. Less than 1% of these munitions have been destroyed, with commensurate deaths and maimings ongoing. The US is undoubtedly the Leader of the Free World in one thing: killing. It is also clearly the undisputed king of overkill and the most murderous of legacies, ensuring its actions will never be forgotten or indeed forgiven by the populations affected. Which of course, is why North Korea is trying to ensure it is powerfully enough armed to deter another attack. Whatever it has or has not achieved in this respect, compared to Americas planet threatening nuclear arsenal, it is utterly insignificant, for all Washingtons undiplomatic, bombastic bluster. North Korean missile launch on March 6, 2017. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson statement regarding North Korea that: (Trump) has made it clear to me to continue our diplomatic efforts  which we are. As Ive told others, those diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops, is hardly likely to encourage anything but frantic efforts at armed deterrence  whilst still clearing the poisoned legacy from over half a century ago. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Major Jongs bomb squad is one of nine  one for each province. His unit alone handled 2,900 left over explosives  including bombs, mortars and live artillery shells, last year. This year: they have already disposed of about 1,200. North Korea has said that 400,000 bombs were dropped on the capitol, Pyongyang: roughly one bomb for every resident at the time. 32,500 tons of napalm was also dropped on the country. Some bombs are not easily recognizable to the untrained eye, Major Jong pointed out, thus an eleven year old lost his fingers investigating an item he had found. There are a surprising variety. He described one as a butterfly bomb which had wing like attachments to disperse small bomblets over a wider area. It was devised by the Nazis in World War 11. The US revised its design and used them in North Korea, points out Associated Press. Aging bombs become even more unstable, rust erodes detonators, thus the slightest movement causes them to explode. Im sure that my daughters generation will also suffer from this problem, said Major Jong: I want the world to know. Historian Charles Armstrong of Columbia University points out that the saturation bombing: marked something of a turning point for the United States and was followed by the use of an even heavier version during the Vietnam war. He also makes the point, ignored by the blinkered and apparently supremely ignorant new incumbent in the White House that: To this day the North Korean Government and media point to the American bombing as a war crime and a major justification for the continued mobilization of the North Korean people  as well as the development of nuclear weapons  in defence against nuclear attacks. Has anyone on Capitol Hill heard of cause and effect? Notes 1. https://globalnews.ca/news/3620192/north-korea-digging-up-bombs/ 2. http://legaciesofwar.org/about-laos/secret-war-laos/ This article was originally published by Global Research -
Ashrawi: Israeli Settlement Activity in the West Bank Amounts to War Crimes By MA'AN October 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - BETHLEHEM ( Maan) -- Following announcements that Israel had advanced plans for nearly 3,000 illegal settlement units in the occupied West Bank, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi strongly denounced the move as a blatant disregard for the two-state solution. The Israeli Civil Administrations High Planning Committee convened on Tuesday and Wednesday, and advanced plans for 2,615 housing units in illegal Israeli settlements. In blatant disregard of the requirements for the two-state solution and the chances for peace and stability, Netanyahu and his extremist, racist coalition continue to persist with their egregious policies of colonial-settler expansionism, Ashrawi said. Israel is deliberately working to enhance its extremist Jewish settler population and to superimpose Greater Israel on all of historic Palestine. Undoubtedly, it is bent on annexing the entire city of Jerusalem, systematically wiping out the Palestinian presence and continuity on Palestinian soil, and destroying the territorial and demographic contiguity of the future Palestinian state. Ashrawi went on to highlight that Israels settlement activities are illegal under international law, and may amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter We call on governments worldwide to intervene immediately and to hold Israel accountable with serious punitive measures to put an end to its unlawful unilateralism and acts of land theft and colonialism once and for all, Ashrawi said. Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967 , between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis have moved into Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international law. The estimated 196 government recognized Israeli settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory are all considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Israeli rights group BTselem reported that in 2016 Palestinians experienced the highest number of Israeli demolitions since the group began recording the incidents. At the same time, Peace now reported that Israels illegal settlement construction in the West Bank increased by 34 percent in 2016 , with Israeli authorities initiating construction on 1,814 new settler housing units. This article was originally published by MA'AN -
Trump Bows to Neocons, Netanyahu

Rather than expand U.S. exports to Iran  and create more American jobs  President Trump fell in line behind Israels P.M. Netanyahu, decertifying the Iran-nuclear deal and risking more war, as Gareth Porter explains at The American Conservative.

By Gareth Porter

October 22, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - President Donald Trumps new Iran policy clearly represents a dangerous rejection of diplomacy in favor of confrontation. But its more than that: Its a major shift toward a much closer alignment of U.S. policy with that of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Whether explicitly or not, Trumps vow to work with Congress to renegotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, and his explicit threat to withdraw from the deal if no renegotiation takes place, appear to be satisfying the hardline demands Netanyahu has made of Washingtons policy toward Tehran.

Specifically, Netanyahu has continued to demand that Trump either withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or make far-reaching changes that he knows are impossible to achieve. In Netanyahus Sept. 19 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu declared, Israels policy toward the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it. And he made no secret of what that meant: If Trump doesnt cancel the deal, he must get rid of its sunset clause and demand that Iran end its advanced centrifuges and long-range missile program, among other fundamentally unattainable objectives.

Trumps statement on Oct. 13 managed to include both of the either/or choices that Netanyahu had given him. He warned that, if Congress and Americas European allies do not agree on a plan to revise the deal, then the agreement will be terminated. He added that the agreement is under continuous review, and our participation can be canceled by me, as president at any time.

One provision the administration wants Congress to put into amended legislation would allow sanctions to be imposed if Iran crosses certain trigger points, which would include not only nuclear issues but the Israeli demand that Iran stop its long-range missile program. Ballistic missiles were never included in the JCPOA negotiations for an obvious reason: Iran has the same right to develop ballistic missiles as any other independent state, and it firmly rejected pro forma demands by the Barack Obama administration to include the issue in negotiations.

Trump went a long way towards Netanyahus cancel option by refusing last week to certify that Iran was keeping up its end of the JPCOA. That move signaled his intention to scrap the central compromise on which the entire agreement rests.

Although the Middle East is very different today than during the George W. Bush administration, some parallels can be found in comparing Trumps policy toward the JCPOA and Bushs policy toward Iran during the early phase of its uranium enrichment program.

The Likud Wing

The key figures who had primary influence on both Trumps and Bushs Iran policies held views close to those of Israels right-wing Likud Party. The main conduit for the Likudist line in the Trump White House is Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, a primary foreign policy advisor, and a longtime friend and supporter of Netanyahu. Kushners parents are also long-time supporters of Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank .

Another figure to whom the Trump White House has turned is John Bolton, undersecretary of state and a key policymaker on Iran in the Bush administration. Although Bolton was not appointed Trumps Secretary of State, as hed hoped, he suddenly reemerged as a player on Iran policy thanks to his relationship with Kushner. Politico reports that Bolton met with Kushner a few days before the final policy statement was released and urged a complete withdrawal from the deal in favor of his own plan for containing Iran.

Bolton spoke with Trump by phone the day before the speech about the paragraph in the deal that vowed it would be terminated if there werent any renegotiation, according to Politico . He was calling Trump from Las Vegas, where hed been meeting with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the third major figure behind Trumps shift towards Israeli issues.

Adelson is a Likud supporter who has long been a close friend of Netanyahus and has used his Israeli tabloid newspaper Israel Hayom to support Netanyahus campaigns . He was Trumps main campaign contributor in 2016, donating $100 million. Adelsons real interest has been in supporting Israels interests in Washington  especially with regard to Iran.

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In a public appearance in Israel in 2013, when Adelson was asked about his view on negotiating with Tehran, he suggested dropping a nuclear weapon on a desert in Iran and then saying to the Iranians, See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development.

The Likud Party policy preferences on Iran dominated the Bush administration in large part because of the influence of David Wurmser, a Likudist who was a Middle East adviser first to Bolton and later to Vice President Dick Cheney. Wurmser was a co-author, with Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, of A Clean Break , the 1996 paper that advised Netanyahu to carry out military strikes against Syria and Iran and to remove the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Wurmser convinced Cheney that the administration should seek a pretext for attacking Iran.

But it was Bolton who worked with Israeli officials to plan a campaign to convince the world that Iran was secretly working on nuclear weapons. His goal was to sell key European nations on a U.N. Security Council resolution accusing Iran of developing a nuclear program. Bolton explains in his memoirs that the assumption of his strategy was that either the Security Council would strip Iran of its right to have a nuclear program or the United States would take unilateral military action.

Ratcheting Tensions

In the summer of 2004, a large collection of documents allegedly from a covert Iranian nuclear weapons research program was suddenly obtained by Germanys foreign intelligence agency. Those documents became the sole alleged evidence that such a program existed.

But this writer found more than one telltale sign of fraud in the papers , and a former senior German foreign office official told me on the record in March 2013 that the source who passed on the documents was a member of the Mujihadeen e-Khalq (MEK), the armed Iranian opposition group. The MEK has allegedly worked with Israels Mossad for some time.

Neither the Bush administration nor the Trump administration viewed the alleged danger of nuclear proliferation by Iran as the priority problem per se; it was rather an issue to be exploited to weaken the Islamic regime and ultimately achieve regime change.

Hilary Mann Leverett, the NSC coordinator in the Persian Gulf from 2001-03, told this writer in a 2013 interview that Wurmser and other Cheney advisers were convinced that the student protests of 1999 indicated that Iranians were ready to overthrow the Islamic Republic. In his statement last week, Trump blamed Obama for having lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran just before what would have been the total collapse of the Iranian regime.

After Netanyahu became Israeli prime minister in early 2009, his administration worked assiduously for four years to maneuver the Obama administration into giving Iran an ultimatum over its enrichment program. Obama rejected such a proposal, but Bolton has repeated his call for the United States to bomb Iran year after year.

Now the Trump administration is playing out a new chapter in the drama of the Likudists and their patrons in Washington. Their objective is nothing less than using U.S. power to weaken Iran through military means if possible and economic sanctions if necessary. The remarkable thing is that Trump is cooperating even more eagerly than did Bush.

Gareth Porter is an independent journalist and winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for journalism. He is the author of numerous books, including Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare . Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter

This article was originally published by

Consortium News

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Former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, on Saturday in Ibadan said the Peoples Democratic Party would win the governorship in Oyo State in 2019.

Wabara, who stated this during the Ward 7 congress of the party at Ona-Ara, said, I am confident that the PDP will reclaim Oyo State which we lost because of the internal wrangling (the party experienced) in 2011.

The conduct of party members and leaders in the state during the ward congresses indicated the resolve of the party to win again. It is important to let the people of Oyo State see the PDP as a re-energised party that is strong enough to win elections in 2019.

At the congress were the former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide; the Chairman of Oyo State PDP Caretaker Committee, Tunde Akogun; and the Secretary of the committee, Dr. Kola Ademujinmi.

Also at the congress were the Social Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state during the last election, Seyi Makinde; and a former Director of Media of the Labour Party in Oyo State, who is now a member of the PDP caretaker committee in Ona-Ara council area, Taiwo Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in the state has commended Governor Abiola Ajimobi and Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, for the Thursday re-opening of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Olawale Sadare, the APC said it regretted the situation that led to the closure of the institution since last December.

We, therefore, urge the management, staff, students and other stakeholders to cooperate with the state governments of Oyo and Osun to make LAUTECH the best state-owned university in the country while we count on the governments to prioritise adequate funding of the institution, Sadare said.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned back to the country after a four-day working visit to Turkey.

The president left Nigeria for Turkey after presiding over Wednesdays Federal Executive Council meeting.

While in Turkey, the president held bilateral meetings with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan. He also attended the meeting of the group of eight developing nations, D-8.

Source: ( Premium Times )
The Nigerian Law School has released the final Bar examination results conducted from April 22 to 28, 2017 and guess what?

Two exceptional Uniuyo law students, Inyene John and Kuseme Iseh made the University proud. They were among the 29 students that graduated with First Class.

Hurray! They were the first to achieve such feat since the inception of the University. Congratulations to the duo! Thank you for making us proud. Best wishes ahead.

See their photos below:-

Source  Nairaland
At a time when there are fears that the Yoruba language may become endangered soon because the new generation of its people are not being taught the language, a Dutch-Nigerian, Dorien Jacob, aka Oyinbo Jesu, has chosen to sing entirely in Yoruba language.

Speaking to Sunday Scoop, she said, When God gives you talents, it flows. Im married to a Yoruba man who loves his culture and music so much. I also love music and thats one of the bases of attraction between us. My husband is an amazing teacher and he was the one who stirred my interest in singing in Yoruba language. Singing in Yoruba enables one to pass a lot of messages that some other languages may not be able to accommodate. My husband writes the songs, we arrange them together, and I perform them.

Somehow, Oyinbo Jesu cannot speak Yoruba for now.

Even though I cannot speak Yoruba language, I understand it amply. I love the Yoruba culture because it is so colourful and warm. Thus far, I have two albums, Oluwa Modupe (I thank God) and Ijo Ayo (Dance of Joy), but I also have countless songs that havent even been released, she added.

On the reaction of her family to her decision to marry a Yoruba man, Oyinbo Jesu said, I come from a close-knit home; so, we never had any problem as my family totally supported our marriage. However, they had to get used to the cultural differences because the Nigerian culture is very strong, she said.

Speaking on her praise programme, she stated, We put Unstoppable Praise together so that everybody can come and praise God in a conducive atmosphere. It is absolutely free, but we have been able to fund this by the grace of God. There is no point in having a programme to praise God, and people cannot afford it. The good thing is that this is my husbands home, and he knows the right people and places to go for help. We put in our best in making this programme a reality, but with the understanding that without Gods support, it would all be a waste. We thank God because He has been faithful.

Source: Punch
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Collateralized Mortgage Obligation (CMO) vs. Mortgage-Backed Security (MBS): An Overview

Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO) are different types of asset-backed securities that use mortgage-backed securities as collateral. Securities are investments that trade on the secondary market. Collateralized mortgage obligations are one type of MBS, which are divided into tranches based on their risk classifications.

Key Takeaways A collateralized mortgage obligation, or CMO, is a type of MBS in which mortgages are bundled together and sold as one investment, ordered by maturity and level of risk.

A mortgage-backed security, or an MBS, is a kind of asset-backed security that represents the amount of interest in a pool of mortgage loans.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligation

While "mortgage-backed security" is a broad term describing asset-backed securities, a collateralized mortgage obligation is a more specific class of mortgage-backed security. A CMO is one type of MBS that is divided into categories based on risk and maturity dates. A CMO involves pooling mortgages into a special purpose entity, from which different tranches of the securities are then sold to investors.

For example, one type of CMO tranche is the Z-tranche or accrual bond. This is one of the riskiest tranches of CMOs because it does not receive interest or payment until all of the other tranches are paid.

Some investors like investing in CMOs because they want to be able to have access to mortgage cash flows but not have to be responsible for originating or buying any actual mortgages. Hedge funds, banks, insurers, and mutual funds are among the biggest buyers of CMOs.

Collateralized mortgage obligations and mortgage-backed securities allow interested investors to financially benefit from the mortgage industry without having to buy or sell a home loan.

Mortgage-Backed Security

An MBS is a type of asset-backed security that represents the amount of interest in a pool of mortgage loans. For example, assume an investment bank buys mortgages from a mortgage broker, which lent property owners money. The investment bank has thus become a lender to these property owners and their mortgage payments go to the bank.

Then, the investment bank sets up a special purpose entity, or corporation, to hold the mortgages. The investment bank divides the special purpose entity into shares and begins to sell them to investors; the individual shares are known as MBS.
Today's job market is competitive. Those who are in need of work undoubtedly know how difficult it can be to compete for the top jobs. This competitive environment has led some unscrupulous job seekers to embellish or exaggerate their experience in order to improve their chances of obtaining jobs. What are the consequences for the employee who has embellished on their resume they get caught?

Is It Illegal to Lie on a Resume?

As resumes are not official, legal documents, it is not technically illegal to lie on a resume. However, this depends on the extent to which the lie is taken--for example, if an educational diploma, a passport, or other legal documents are falsified, this could result in prosecution for falsifying documents. Also, many companies will request applicants transfer their resume information onto an official company job application, which is an official, legal document. Lying on such a document would therefore be illegal.

Generally speaking, employees who have lied on their resumes have no legal recourse against their former employers. This can also impact a former employee's ability to seek legal recourse for an employer's actions which may have been legitimately illegal. This is known as the "after-acquired evidence" theory.

If the employment relationship was found to be based upon fraudulent information to start with, illegal acts that occurred during the employment relationship may not be actionable by law. It's sad to think that employees could lose what limited rights they do have in employment relationships as a result of unethical decisions made during recruitment.

What Constitutes a Lie

A lie doesn't necessarily have to be an outright false statement. Omissions can be just as dishonest as an out-and-out lie. It's suggested that the education section of the resume is where embellishments are most frequent. This often comes in the form of an individual claiming that they have completed an educational program that they may have only started. Embellished titles, exaggerated job duties, altered dates of employment, and even false references are also common.

Job seekers may also provide fictitious information during the recruitment process, such as reasons for leaving previous positions. Though it may be tempting to assume that only a small amount of the population would be guilty of this sort of unscrupulous behavior, some studies have suggested that a majority of the population has at least a small amount of misleading or inflated content in their resumes.

A 2022 study from ResumeLab that surveyed over 1,000 people showed that 36% of respondents admitted to lying on their resumes and 93% said that they knew someone who lied. The most common area of lying was job experience, followed by skills and job duties. A 2020 survey from reference-checking firm Checkster surveyed 400 hiring managers and 400 applicants, and found that 78% of applicants lie on resumes. The most common area of lying was having a mastery of a skill they in fact barely use, or claiming they worked at a company longer than they did.

Lies to Cover Lies

As almost everyone learns at some point, lies can get out of hand quickly. You have to create more lies to cover the initial lie. Just think of how one lie on a resume can balloon in the workplace as coworkers ask questions about your background and you have to perpetuate the false information.

Inability to Complete Job Duties

If someone were to make a false statement on their resume regarding their job duties or skills in past positions, there is a chance they would have difficulty in meeting the expectations set out in the new position. As suspicions arise from the inability to complete job duties, employers have been known to seek out more information and dig deeper into their employees' job histories. Even if this information was not discovered in the initial employment references, this doesn't mean that employers won't seek out more information at a later date, especially if an employer feels that its employee is not meeting expectations.

Broken Trust

Once an employee has been found to have lied on their resume, the employer has the right to terminate the employment contract. The employee and employer relationship is one that's built upon trust. Finding out that the job was granted based on fictitious information causes this trust to be breached. It may seem like a little white lie when someone covers up the reason they left a previous job or says they graduated from college even though they're a semester shy.

From an employer's point of view, however, this lie is seen as a serious character flaw. Even if an employee decides not to fire an employee that lied on their resume (or is unable to for other reasons), their future growth in the company will always be hindered. If an employee lied about something small, what else are they willing to lie about?

Damage to Your Reputation

You can pretty much kiss your employment references goodbye if you're found to have provided false information on your resume. Even if your employer doesn't terminate the employment relationship for the fraudulent information, you'll still have to suffer the embarrassment of having your employer know you lied.

Additionally, our digital-age lives make it easier and easier for us to network with other professionals in similar industries. In fields that are small or specialized, word can travel pretty quickly. If someone lost a job due to dishonesty, there's a good chance the word will get out. Some recruiters have even been known to flag candidates who have been found to have fraudulent information on their resumes. A simple lie could have career-long consequences.

1:19 How Long Should My Resume Be?

The Bottom Line

Given the relative ease of digging up the truth and the unpleasant potential outcomes of lying to a new employer, it's hard to believe that anyone would risk putting false information in a resume. However, we've all heard the phrase "desperate times call for desperate measures." It's true that tough economic times make some people resort to risky behavior. However, this creates an unfair advantage over honest, legitimate candidates who aren't lying on their resumes.

For those who are considering providing false information to a potential employer, the risks are not worth the benefits. There are honest ways to deal with absences from the workplace, incomplete degrees, or even dismissals from previous jobs that won't hurt your chances of getting a new job.
ON a Tuesday morning in June 2016, Nathan Brown, a reporter for The Times-News, the local paper in Twin Falls, Idaho, strolled into the office and cleared off a spot for his coffee cup amid the documents and notebooks piled on his desk.

His first order of business was an article about a city council meeting from the night before, which he hadnt attended. Brown pulled up a recording of the proceedings and began punching out notes for his weekly article.

Because most governing in Twin Falls is done by a city manager, these meetings tend to deal with trivial subjects such as lawn-watering and potholes, but Brown could tell immediately this one was different.

We have been made aware of a situation, said the first speaker, an older man with a scraggly white beard who had hobbled up to the lectern. An alleged assault of a minor child and we cant get any information on it. Apparently, its been indicated that the perpetrators were foreign Muslim youth that conducted this  I guess it was a rape.

Brown recognised the man as Terry Edwards. About a year earlier, after The Times-News reported that Syrian refugees would very likely be resettled in Twin Falls, Edwards joined a movement to shut the resettlement programme down.

After he finished watching the video, Brown called the police chief, Craig Kingsbury, to get more information about the case. Kingsbury said that he couldnt discuss it and that the police reports were sealed because minors were involved.

Brown made a couple phone calls  to the mayor and to his colleague at the paper who covers crime. He pieced together that, 12 days earlier, three children had been discovered partly clothed inside a shared laundry room at the apartment complex where they lived.

There were two boys, aged seven and 10, and a five-year-old girl. The younger boy was accused of attempting some kind of sex act with the girl, and the 10-year-old had used a mobile borrowed from his older brother to record it.

The girl was American and, like most people in Twin Falls, white. The boys were refugees; Brown wasnt sure from where.

Local reporter Nathan Brown

That weekend, Brown was on his way to see a movie when he received a Facebook message from Jim Dalos Jr, a 52-year-old known to Twin Falls journalists and police as Scanner Man. He lives at the apartment complex, Fawnbrook, where the laundry-room incident occurred.

Dalos told Brown he had seen the police around Fawnbrook and that the victims mother told him that the boys had been arrested. He also pointed Brown to a couple of Facebook groups that were created in response to the incident.

Brown scrolled through them on his mobile and saw links flying back and forth with articles that said that the little girl had been gang-raped at knife point, that the perpetrators were Syrian refugees, and that their fathers had celebrated with them afterward by giving them high fives.

The stories also claimed that the city council and the police department were conspiring to bury the crime.

Over the weekend, Brown ploughed through his daily packs of cigarettes as he watched hundreds, then thousands, of people joining the groups.

The details of the Fawnbrook case, as it became known, were still unclear to Brown, but he was skeptical of what he was reading.

For one thing, he knew from his own previous reporting that no Syrians had been resettled in Twin Falls. He woke up early on Monday to get a head start on clarifying things as much as possible in order to write a follow-up article.

Before he got into the office, a friend texted him, telling him to check the Drudge Report. At the top, a headline screamed: REPORT: Syrian Refugees Rape Little Girl at Knifepoint in Idaho.

As the only city of any size for 100 miles in any direction, Twin Falls serves as a modest hub within southern Idahos vast agricultural sprawl. Its population of about 45,000 nearly doubles each day as people travel there to work, primarily in the thriving agribusinesses.

The wealth of easy-to-find, low-skilled jobs made Twin Falls attractive as a place for resettling refugees, and they began arriving in the 1980s, at that time mostly from Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia. Nearly 2,500 refugees have moved to the town over the years.

Most Twin Falls residents are churchgoing, and about half of those are Mormons. Over the past decade and a half, as conflict spread across North Africa and the Middle East, Twin Falls started to resettle larger numbers of refugees with darker skin who follow an unfamiliar religion  two things that make it difficult to blend into a town that is 80% white.

On a national scale, an ascendant network of anti-Muslim activists and provocateurs has exploited the fears brought on by these changes, finding a platform and a receptive audience online.

The narrative they espouse  on blogs with names such as Jihad Watch  is that America, currently 1% Muslim, is under an Islamic invasion. Central to the worldview of these bloggers is that Muslims have a propensity toward sexual violence.

What happened in Twin Falls was sadly somewhat commonplace, but not in the way the activists believed. The local police department investigates sex crimes on a weekly basis, and, in about half a dozen of those that proceed to court each year, the victims and the accused are both minors.

If its younger kids, its them being curious, JR Paredez, the lead investigator on the case, explained.

Two weeks after the incident, the boys were charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour against a minor. (The 14-year-old who lent his mobile to the boys was initially charged with the same crime. He was not present in the laundry room, and his charge was eventually reduced to make him an accessory.)

In Idaho, this statute applies to physical contact done with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of such person, such minor child, or third party.

Paredez said that the mobile video made clear what specifically had happened between the children, but that he couldnt show it to the reporters who asked him about it, because doing so would have constituted criminal distribution of child pornography.

He called most of the details that he read about the case on the internet 100% false, like not even close to being accurate. The family of the accused declined to comment.

As more time passed without a solid account of what happened in the laundry room, lurid rumours continued to surface online and came to dominate conversations in shops and at school events. And while the city council members did not have control over the case, the bloggers who wrote about it placed much of the blame on them.

On the Monday when Twin Falls was the top story on Drudge, the city council held another weekly meeting. Normally only a handful of people attend, and Brown is one of the few reporters among them.

But that night, the auditorium filled until there was standing room only, and television news crews appeared from Boise and other nearby cities. When it came time for public comments, one man got up and praised the citys handling of the case, followed by more than a dozen others who laid into the council members.

Edwards handed each of them a small copy of the US Constitution and told them to do their jobs. A woman named Vicky Davis, her hair in a satiny white bob, stood up and proclaimed that Islam had declared jihad on America.

They are not compatible with our culture, she said. They hate us. They dont want to be Americans. They dont want to assimilate. What do you need to see? What more proof do you need?

Chief Kingsbury read from a statement while fumbling with a thicket of microphones piled onto the lectern by visiting reporters. In between exasperated breaths, he explained why he could not disclose the details of the incident but said that he could address some of the misinformation that was spreading online.

There was no evidence of a knife, he said, or of celebrations afterward, or of a cover-up, and no Syrians were involved: The boys were from Sudan and Iraq.

Im a kid who grew up in Idaho, he said. Law enforcement takes these types of allegations very seriously. However, we cant act on them within an hour. Its not like a crime show.

He told the audience that the boys had been arrested, to applause.

But online, Kingsburys words only inflamed activists more. Just after midnight, someone posted his work email address on Jihad Watch, along with those of the council members and the mayor.

A commenter on another website called The Muslim Issue posted the phone numbers and email addresses for the towns government officials, the head of the refugee-resettlement centre, and some administrators at the college, which runs the refugee resettlement programme.

From there, the information spread to more blogs and to the comments sections of far-right news outlets with massive audiences.

The Twins Falls story aligned perfectly with the ideology that Stephen Bannon, then the head of Breitbart News, had been developing for years, about the havoc brought on by unchecked immigration and Islamism, all of it backed by big- business interests and establishment politicians.

Steve Bannons Breitbart News helped to whip up the anti-Syrian feeling in a small town in Idaho, despite no refugees from that country being resettled there.

Bannon latched onto the Fawnbrook case and used his influence to expand its reach.

During the weeks leading up to his appointment in August 2016 to lead Donald Trumps campaign for president, Twin Falls was a daily topic of discussion on Bannons national radio show, where he called it the beating heart of all that the coming presidential election was about.

He sent his lead investigative reporter, Lee Stranahan, to the town to investigate the case, boasting to his audience that Stranahan was a pit bull of a reporter. Were going to let him off the chain, he said.

Lee Stranahan, former reporter with Breitbart News

Stranahan, then 50, arrived in Idaho in August, after covering the national party conventions. The sealed nature of the case prevented any journalist from an exhaustive examination, and the accused and the victims families refused to speak to the mainstream media.

But Stranahan thrived in the absence of facts. He was granted one of the few interviews with the victims family, but his account of the crime offered little more information than others had  and far more inaccuracies, according to the police and the county prosecutor.

He described it as a horrific gang rape and wrote graphic details about the incident, which the Twin Falls Police say are untrue.

On Breitbart radio, Stranahan openly wondered whether Shawn Barigar, the mayor, was a big, you know, Shariah supporter.

Shawn Barigar, mayor of Twin Falls.

Stranahan says his Breitbart editors sent him to Twin Falls to report on the Muslim takeover of the town. (Breitbart denies this and says its absurd.)

But he soon became enamoured of a grander theory about what was happening in southern Idaho: Globalism. He wrote that local businesses received government kickbacks for employing foreigners instead of Americans. (Stranahan did not cite any evidence of this, and it is untrue, according to the Department of Labor.)

And he often referred to a Syrian refugee crisis, though no Syrians were ever resettled there. Then, to bring the story full circle, he claimed these Muslim refugees were being used to replace American workers and that the government, big business, and law enforcement were either conspiring to conceal the sex assault case or intentionally looking the other way, in order to keep the machine turning.

Later, it turned out that fake Facebook accounts linked to the Russian government helped to spread stories about Twin Falls and even organised one of the rallies there.

The event was also poorly attended but is the first known Russian attempt to spark a demonstration on American soil.

Stranahan eventually quit his job at Breitbart, which he said was being mismanaged in Bannons absence. He is now based in Washington, and hosts a drive-time FM radio show with Sputnik, a state-run Russian news outlet.

During our handful of conversations over the past year, each one lasting several hours, he expressed no contrition about the reporting he did in Twin Falls, though many of the conclusions that he drew on the radio and online have been debunked.

Many of the outlets that covered the Fawnbrook case, including Breitbart, made only minor tweaks to their stories or did nothing at all. The falsehoods that Stranahan and other reporters wrote still rise to the top of a Google search for the city.

In our discussions, Stranahan struck me as passionate about his stories; not about their veracity but about the freedom he and the critics of refugee resettlement should have to speculate as they wanted without being belittled by the fact-mongering mainstream.

When I reached him by phone in June, he told me he was planning to travel back to Idaho for more reporting on Fawnbrook, now that he was no longer constrained by his editors at Breitbart.

I started to ask why anyone should be allowed to publish false information for the express purpose of angering their audience and pushing them further away from those with whom they disagree, but Stranahan cut me off.

Hey, Im walking into the White House right now, he said. He had just arrived for a press briefing with the presidents spokesman. Let me call you back.

This April, the boys accused in the Fawnbrook case admitted guilt  the juvenile court equivalent to pleading guilty  and were sentenced in June.

The judge prohibited city officials from commenting on the outcome of the trial, but juvenile justice experts told me that the boys would most likely be placed on probation and required to attend mandatory therapy to correct their behaviour.

Their sentencing, which leaked to the public through the same blogs that initially covered the case, sparked another barrage of attacks against city officials, a year after the initial onslaught.

Part of the reason a fear of Islam has persisted in Twin Falls is because the local leadership refused to defuse it, according to Matt Christensen, 36, the editor of The Times-News.

While Brown wrote articles that sorted out the truth about the Fawnbrook case, Christensen was publishing commentary that castigated the people who were spreading falsehoods.

He told me that he had closed-door meetings with city officials, in which he asked them to write guest editorials doing the same, but none of them did.

Christensen suspected that they were afraid of one of the most reliable political dangers in the region; being outflanked on the right is the quickest way to lose your job.

The refugee resettlement centre received a dramatic increase in donations from local residents during the last year. But those in the town who support the programme have often been drowned out by the relatively smaller, but louder, group of activists who oppose it.

Brown said he expected to see an anti-Shariah bill introduced in the US State Legislature when the next session starts in 2018.

There are a lot of people who feel like society is changing too quickly, like the community is changing too quickly, he told me.

And who view other people not like them or who dont speak their language as a threat or a sign that their culture is going to be weakened. And they want to do what they can to stop that.

Adapted from an article that was first published appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
It's not like it wasn't predicted the Iranians would get blamed for something sooner or later.( and there is kim, making expensive missles and submarines, he should be shooting tourists over lol )is there money California can get from the feds if they fake a terrorism charge?Terror attacks receive five times more media coverage if perpetrator is Muslim, study findsMuslims carried out just 12.4 per cent of attacks in the US but received 41.4 per cent of news coverageFamily members of three victims in the deadly 2015 terrorist attack on a San Bernardino, Calif., health facility filed a lawsuit this week against Twitter, Facebook and Google, alleging that they knowingly and recklessly provided the terrorist group ISIS with accounts and aid in the spread extremism.The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) (Pub.L. 114222)is a law passed by the United States Congress that narrows the scope of the legal doctrine of foreign sovereign immunity. It amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act in regards to civil claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism.Gotta lawyer up and do like the brits and their spanish food poisoning lawsuits and dig in!
Q: Please print an address where cash (check) donations can be sent to benefit the people of Puerto Rico.

S.C.N.

Answer: One of the most direct ways you can help is through UNICEFs hurricane relief fund, at 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 or online at www.unicefusa.org/Hurricane/Donations.

The One America Appeal is also working to help victims of hurricanes Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida and Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Checks can be sent to GBPLF One America Appeal, P.O. Box 14141, College Station, Texas 77841-4141. You can read more about them at www.oneamericaappeal.org/#donations.

The United Funds for Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 191914, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00919-1914, was started by the First Lady of Puero Rico, Beatriz Rossello, and is working with both the Red Cross and the United Way on relief efforts.

And there are many more groups working on relief. Charity Navigator, a website that looks at how charities use their money, has links to various other groups that are providing relief for Puerto Rico and beyond; we have created a direct link to that page at tinyurl.com/CharityNavPR.

Q: With the additional traffic that will be using Peters Creek Parkway during the Business 40 construction, I am trying to understand why they would eliminate the southbound ramp from Business 40 to Peters Creek. Only having one ramp for both northbound and southbound on Peters Creek Parkway seems like it would unnecessarily cause traffic to back up on the ramp.

W.W.

Answer: We evaluated the southbound off-ramp during planning for the Business 40 project, said Pat Ivey with the state Department of Transportation. Our traffic studies showed that the marginal benefits of providing this ramp were negated by the additional property impacts that would have resulted from the construction of a new ramp.

Since the new Peters Creek Parkway ramp intersection will be controlled by a traffic signal, the interchange will operate at an acceptable level of service.

Q: Several months ago, the state was paving our roads in my development in Pfafftown and one of the trucks ran into my mailbox and tore it up. One of the guys took a picture and said they would take care of it. We still do not have a mailbox. Who do I need to contact to get this handled expeditiously?

M.W.

Answer: Jeremy M. Guy, a district engineer for the state DOT, said that the contractor responsible for hitting the mailbox has been notified and is aware of the situation. Guy said that his assistant was getting in touch with you to resolve the situation. If you dont hear from them or need further assistance, you can call Guys office at (336) 747-7900.

Q: Does WXII have someone who does the makeup and hair for their reporters and anchors?

B.G.

Answer: Our on-air talent is responsible for managing their hair and make-up themselves, said Michelle Butt, president and general manager of the station. That is customary in a market of this size. There is no one in-house to get them ready for air each day.
"Me Too."

The two little words may be deceptively simple and quaint, but for sexual-assault survivor Em Jackson, they represent the worst moment in her life and the chance to join the chorus of millions.

After all this happened, I didnt feel like sharing anything, but as I heard similar stories, it encouraged me to come forward, Jackson, 24, said of her experience in college five years ago. Not only am I a survivor of sexual assault but also a very abusive relationship. Im very open about my story and hope it brings some light to others.

Me Too has taken social media by storm as a way to stand up against sexual assault and harassment after being kindled by actress Alyssa Milano, who was among the first to share the hashtag.

If youve been sexually harassed or assaulted write me too as a reply to this tweet, Milano posted on Twitter last Sunday.

By midweek, 1.4 million tweets included the hashtag #MeToo, along with more than 13 million posts, comments and reactions on Facebook.

One in 6 women will be raped in their lifetime, according to national statistics. The Me Too campaign helps bring attention to the magnitude of the issue and lets survivors know theyre not alone, said Jackson, who lives in Winston-Salem.

When youre standing in a crowd of people, you can do the math in your head and realize how many people around you have experienced this, she said. Me Too brings a sense of unity, but also a weight and a heaviness to how common this problem is.

The fight against sexual assault was reignited in the midst of the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal, in which the Hollywood movie mogul is accused of sexual misconduct by at least 47 women, including actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The Me Too movement  originally started in 2007 by activist Tarana Burke to aid sexual-assault survivors  is framed as a springboard for change.

Jackson said that, in some cases, the issue can be traced back to a lax boys will be boys mentality that progresses into more.

Little Timmy might pull on your pigtails or punch your shoulder because he likes you, but that progresses into locker-room talk and the idea that young women are a thing you can obtain, she said. Men in this society need to take a stand with us.

Uphill battle

Paige Meltzer, the director of the Womens Center at Wake Forest University, said the Me Too movement has united men and women in the uphill battle against sexual assault and changing societal mentalities.

I think its really important for women to hear from each other about their experiences and hear Youre not alone and We believe you, Meltzer said.

Social media has become a very powerful worldwide platform to connect people with common experiences. Meltzer said one of the things that initially struck her was the sheer number of Me Too posts in her Facebook feed.

I hope this emphasizes how widespread this issue is and causes people to question more the water we swim in that allows this culture to survive and the silence that surrounds it, she said. Moments like this have a cumulative impact. Were in a different place than we were 10 or 20 years ago.

Not alone

For some sexual-assault survivors, Me Too is both empowering and validating because it reinforces the fact that theyre not alone.

But for others, it can serve as a trigger as they scroll through their Facebook feeds unable to escape the reminders of a traumatic event.

Not everyone is able or ready to share their stories, and thats OK, Winston-Salem resident Emily Euliss said.

For every woman who wrote Me Too, theres another person behind it perpetrating the assault or harassment, said Euliss, a mother of two sons. What if we made the conversation about keeping accountable the astonishing number of men who commit criminal acts of violence against women, and not just labeling it as a womens issue?

The narrative, she said, needs to focus not only on the women who have been assaulted but also on the men who commit acts of violence against women.

It would be really encouraging to see my male friends commit to listening to the women in their lives as we discuss a very real problem  not asking what the hell they were wearing when they were attacked, Euliss said. Doing simple things like calling out locker-room talk for what it is: the volatile verbal degradation of humans created in the image of God.

Shared stories

The idea of Me Too has brought Olympians, Hollywood stars and everyday women together to share their stories. Men, too, have taken to social media to share their opinions.

One of the best things many of us, especially straight, white men, can do is listen, said Andrew Cox of Pfafftown, who also shared #MeToo on Facebook. Beyond that, it is easy to veer dangerously into unhelpful mansplaining.

Its two simple words, but Cox said he hopes that is all that is needed to make a change and bring awareness to how pervasive the issue is. He said he is listening.

Keep being courageous, whether you speak out publicly or not, you are amazing and have full support, he tells survivors of sexual assault. May we listen. Then, may we all do better and our actions speak louder than any small words we could add.
Afghan soldiers and police brought to the United States for training go absent without leave at far higher rates than those of any other country, potentially imperilling efforts to assist Afghan security forces, a U.S. watchdog said on Friday.Of the 320 foreign military trainees who left while on courses in the United States from 2005 to 2017, 152 - or more than 47 percent - were Afghans, said a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).The State Department called that number unacceptably high. SIGAR found that the rate of asylum seekers among Afghan military trainees rose in recent years as violence in the Islamist Taliban insurgency spread across Afghanistan and security forces sustained heavy casualties.more
When work starts on the Business 40 upgrade Monday night, folks in West Salem will be among those feeling the greatest immediate impact.

The neighborhood is losing a dozen houses, and dozens of other residents are perched on a hill and likely to experience the noise and dust of construction when Business 40 is closed almost two years for a total rehab.

Academy Street, which cuts through West Salem east and west, will likely see a big increase in traffic, since it is among the cross streets motorists are likely to pick when finding an alternate route.

Still, folks in this neighborhood are resilient: Although they have worries about increased traffic during construction, many say they look forward to the benefits an improved Business 40 and Peters Creek Parkway will bring.

The project will give the neighborhood a specially-designed pedestrian bridge to replace the unsightly Green Street bridge. The roadway itself will be enhanced with brickwork and other aesthetic enhancements.

West Salem residents will be close to a multi-use path running alongside the new Business 40. And projections show that traffic on Broad Street will decrease once the street no longer has its interchange with Business 40.

All the bridges are going to be more walkable, said Melissa Honan, who lives on Academy Street and works from her home. The strollway and the bridges will connect and enliven the neighborhood. Im excited about the Peters Creek Parkway upgrade. It will result in some houses being taken and that is a shame, but I have to see the positive in that.

Heres whats happening:

Starting Monday night and continuing each night until early December, workers will close the inside lanes of Business 40 at the Peters Creek Parkway interchange in order to build bridge supports for the new Peters Creek Parkway bridge. The closures start at 9 p.m. nightly with lanes reopening at 6 a.m. daily.

For most of that period, eastbound Business 40 traffic after midnight will also be detoured around the intersection using the Peters Creek Parkway ramps. Meanwhile, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., traffic on Peters Creek Parkway will also be reduced to one lane in each direction.

Peters Creek Parkway will also experience some daytime lane closures during non-peak traffic hours.

Starting in early December, the inside lanes on Business 40 will be closed all day and night for a 45-day period.

This first phase of the Business 40 project involves the replacement of the Peters Creek Parkway bridge with a seven lane bridge and revamped access ramps. The new bridge should be finished by late 2018.

Then work should be getting ready to start on the big show: The closure and total replacement of a mile-long stretch of Business 40 downtown, with new bridges to boot. Business 40 reopens in stages and should be completely reopen during the summer of 2020.

Salvador Patino, president of the West Salem Neighborhood Association, said that he is not convinced highway planners have done enough to consider the impacts of more traffic on his neighborhood.

They told us that most of the traffic will come through downtown, but Im not sure that is really the case. Academy Street is going to get a lot more traffic. I think in general our neighborhood already has a little resentment against the project because we had to lose houses.

Patino said Peters Creek Parkway does need improvements, but he wishes the solution had not involved losing the houses on Gregory and Apple streets.

Those houses are going because plans call for the relocation of the ramp that takes traffic from Business 40 to Peters Creek Parkway. The ramp will curve through an area where Gregory and Apple streets now meet.

The N.C. Department of Transportation paid the property owners an average of $62,000 for the houses, most of which were on the tax books for less than $50,000. Most of the houses were no longer owner-occupied when the state bought them. Now, they stand empty and awaiting demolition.

Some other houses on Salem Pointe Lane nearby will give their occupants a box seat for watching construction on both the parkway and Business 40. They can already get a great view of the fireworks at BB&T Ballpark across Business 40 from their houses.

Annette Boles, who owns one of the dwellings closest to Peters Creek Parkway in Salem Pointe, said shes actually excited about getting the chance to see the work going forward on the freeway  even if it does get a bit noisy and dusty.

When the work is finished, Salem Pointe will have a noise wall , but Boles said she doesnt want it.

I like watching the cars go by, she said. And she likes watching the activity at the ballpark. Once they put the wall up I might not be able to see anything.

But her next-door neighbor, Jessica Serrano, said that while she likes where she lives, shes not eager for the roadwork.

It is pretty quiet here but I am not too excited about the construction, she said. I cant do anything about it for the next three years. I know they are going to build a noise wall. I like that.

Serrano sees plenty of challenges during construction: traffic is already picking up in the neighborhood, she said, suspecting that people are already looking for back roads to take. Shes worried about traffic on Academy Street and the safety of her children at the bus stop.

But when the work is done, she said, it is a really good improvement for our city.

West Salem owes most of its development to the growing industrialization of Winston-Salem, especially in the early part of the 20th century, according to Winston-Salem city historical resources. The construction of Business 40 as the first section of interstate highway in North Carolina in 1958 severed the neighborhood from others to the north, and the construction of Peters Creek Parkway in the 1950s and 1960s did the same for areas to the west.

One thing the state is doing to help traffic flow during construction is a reworking of the intersection of Academy Street and Peters Creek Parkway. Academy Street westbound toward the intersection gets an additional lane, so that two lanes of traffic can turn right from Academy and go north on Peters Creek.

West Salem folks say that should help, but some believe the state should also eliminate a dogleg where Academy Street intersects Granville Drive.

Pat Ivey, the division engineer for state highways in Forsyth County, said straightening out the dogleg was a concept examined, but one that didnt make the cut.

Most of the off-site projects are pretty much improvements in the existing right of way, Ivey said. The ones where we are acquiring right of way are the ones where those improvements provide a significant benefit when the road is closed.

One longtime resident of West Salem said the project is good overall for the neighborhood.

It is going to be a big interruption and a headache and all that, but in the long run it will be a benefit, said Pam Elliott, who has lived on Franklin Street since 1985 and was one of the earlier people to move in and fix up an older house. Elliott said Academy Street may get more traffic, but that she avoids it anyway going back and forth to her job at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Another Franklin Street resident, Kate Giminez, called the Business 40 projects outcome awesome, even though heavier traffic in the neighborhood will be a shorter-term annoyance.

It is going to be very inconvenient when it happens, but (when it is finished) it is going to be better for downtown and all these neighborhoods around downtown, she said. Little by little they are cleaning up.

Carol Faley has to deal with the construction project from two different perspectives: As a Poplar Street homeowner and the owner of Goat Feathers, an antique shop on Broad Street.

My biggest concern is how is this new Business 40 going to affect Broad Street, Faley said. Closing the exit will be a good thing in the long run. It will be missed at first.

Faley said she isnt worried that less traffic on Broad will hurt her business, but that people will continue to speed downhill as they go down Broad Street, exit or no exit.

Faley, like many in West Salem, said she looks forward to the completion of the Green Street pedestrian bridge.

Vernetta Cockerham, who rents the house closest to the bridge, said she likes the idea of the new bridge but not the sound wall. She worries the wall will take away the views she enjoys of the city skyline, the ballpark and the fireworks.

The existing Green Street bridge was closed to motor vehicle traffic in 2006 after a truck slammed into it as it tried to pass beneath. Cockerham said shes happy that is being replaced.

It has been an eyesore to the community for a long time, Cockerham said.

Joseph Cronin, who lives on Wachovia Street, said he thinks the work will be good for property values and good for the community.

You cant have progress without a little inconvenience, he said.

As work goes forward on the Business 40 project, residents say they are glad to have a strong neighborhood association.

We have worked very hard to make this neighborhood a good place to live, with a lot of diversity, Faley said.
ROCKY MOUNT  State Sen. Rick Horner can quip with the best of them. During a recent debate about school construction needs in North Carolina, the Wilson County lawmaker and former school-board chairman argued that the state lottery ought to fulfill its original mandate by producing more money for local facilities.

Theres nothing more important than running a casino honorably, Horner deadpanned.

It was a funny line, and got lots of laughs from his audience of educators, community leaders, journalists and parents assembled at the Booker T. Washington Theatre in Rocky Mount. Horner, a Republican, joined Sen. Erica Smith (D-Northampton), John Locke Foundation analyst Terry Stoops and North Carolina Justice Center analyst Matt Ellinwood on the panel for the debate, which was hosted by Loretta Boniti, a reporter and anchor for the statewide cable channel Spectrum News.

But Horners point was a serious one. For decades, advocates of a government-run lottery for North Carolina promised that its net revenues would boost education spending in the state.

Opponents, including me, predicted that whatever the original language of a lottery bill might be, future legislatures would find it convenient to redirect money to whatever budget hole lawmakers wanted to fill at the time  even if that meant supplanting current education funding, derived from generally applied taxes, with gambling proceeds.

I dont think the government should prohibit gambling, mind you. I believe in individual freedom, including the freedom for individuals to make incredibly bone-headed decisions coupled with the responsibility of living with and learning from the results of those decisions.

What I and others objected to was putting state government in the gambling business, with a monopoly that would manipulate its marks into bearing a disproportionate share of the cost of government services. The propensity to play the lottery isnt equally distributed, and the resulting tax bite is a regressive one  poorer households spend a larger share of their incomes buying tickets than wealthier ones do.

To swap broader taxes on sales, income or property with a narrower revenue source was, of course, one of the main attractions of the state lottery for some proponents, who didnt plan to play themselves but welcomed the idea of someone else paying governments bill. This was and is bad public policy, however.

One way to lean against it  and one that Horner, Smith, Stoops and Ellinwood all endorsed in some form  would be to restore the share of net lottery proceeds dedicated to school construction to the original 40 percent contained in the 2005 law that created the lottery. In recent years, that percentage has dropped into the teens, although state leaders already seem to be headed in the direction of pushing it back up.

As the lawmakers and policy experts emphasized during the Rocky Mount forum  the first in a series of Hometown Debates on education hosted by the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership and its local partners  school construction has traditionally been the primary responsibility of local government, not the state. Thus dedicating more lottery funds to it poses less of a risk of supplanting other state funding streams, at the very least.

During the debate, which was broadcast on television by Spectrum News and on radio by the North Carolina News Network, the panelists disagreed about other funding approaches for school facilities. Smith and Ellinwood said the legislature ought to place a $2 billion school-construction bond on the statewide ballot in 2018.

Stoops said the 2016 Connect NC bond package should have included K-12 capital needs, while Horner questioned the wisdom of statewide borrowing for local school construction, arguing that local communities are in the best position to determine and address their own needs and that putting out lots of capital projects for bid at the same time across the state would bid up the price tag, given the limited number of contractors available.

I dont think a radical rewrite of the division of labor between the state and localities is warranted. But a more-honorable government casino would be welcome.
Winston-Salem has a large community of mental-health advocates, including people who themselves have mental-health challenges. For years we have watched in dismay as our public mental-health system has failed us as citizens: people who use or need services, family members and caring stakeholders in our community. We have written individual and even collaborative letters to state leaders and legislators about many, many concerns through the years. Yet few elected or appointed to their leadership roles have addressed our concerns.

All this has come to the forefront by the decision of the Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions board last week to cut CEO Richard Toppings salary by $400,000, so he would have to get by on just over $200,000 annually if he continued in his position. That cut was needed, but even more important is addressing the culture of political and managed-care-organization leaders not responding to the mental-health community.

We have worked to become well-informed and may be one of the best educated advocacy communities in our state. But this has not mattered. In recent years we have experienced the exclusion of citizen input by our mental-health agency and the refusal to treat some uninsured citizens even though funds were available. We have also experienced the abuse of power, including the deliberate lack of transparency and no accountability for how dollars are used. And it was so even before Cardinal Innovations became such a huge business.

Citizens have wanted higher quality services, better outcomes in peoples lives and services accessible to more of our citizens who have needed them. What we have received instead is higher productivity, even if not often very effective, by managed-care-organization administrations and their contracted service providers. Success has been measured, then, in terms of dollars and cents and not in terms of how much the health and lives of services recipients were improving.

The extravagant expenditures from all the revenue gained by Cardinal Innovations must put a focus on its organizational culture. This culture, which is evident throughout much of our states mental-health system, is now undeniable, and it is simply based in the wrong values. Gov. Roy Cooper and the Department of Health and Human Services and our legislators can no longer ignore this. More need to join state Rep. Donny Lambeth of Forsyth County in this work, and his engagement with the community is all the more important.

The values that drive system outcomes are not aligned with the values of citizens who want public dollars to purchase acceptable results. Abuse and mismanagement has happened in many parts of the state for years. Advocates are not so surprised by the current situation.

And the fact remains that citizens with first-hand understanding of illness or disability and what actually helps have been so little regarded because of stigma and misunderstanding of their challenges and treatment. Our voices as advocates have become minimized as our mental-health management businesses have grown.

Yet consumers and families have seen up close how much our public dollars have been misused  and no doubt the loss to our state financially and the unfortunate repercussions to the intended beneficiaries have been far greater than Toppings salary.

Consumer and family advocates are an asset that has been ignored far too long.

It has taken this big ugly fact of someones exorbitant salary to gain the attention of our leaders to the fact that there is something gravely amiss about how we go about helping some of our most vulnerable citizen populations in North Carolina. We have a system whose culture, from top to bottom, has not focused on the value of the citizens served and therefore there has been placed little emphasis on how our dollars have been spent. We are tired of feeling so helpless while we watch the evolutions without solutions in our states mental-health system.

It is, without question, time that our legislators and our governors administration value, respect and utilize their relationships with the citizens they intend to serve and the communities who stand with them as they look for real solutions for a troubled system.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he intends to allow the release of classified government documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy "subject to the receipt of further information."

Trump's tweet comes as he is staring down an October 26 deadline set in law by Congress mandating the public release of the still-secret documents -- including FBI and CIA files -- barring any action by the President to block the release of certain documents.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump said, appearing to leave open the possibility that some documents could still be withheld.

A White House official told reporters Saturday: "The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise."

The White House said in a statement to Politico earlier this week that the White House was working "to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public" by next week's deadline.

Trump himself is no stranger to the controversies and conspiracy theories that have long swirled around the assassination of the 35th president.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump made the unfounded claim that the father of GOP rival Sen. Ted Cruz was associated with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, a claim he has never reneged nor apologized for.

Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone, who helped launch Trump's campaign for president, is also an avid conspiracy theorist who wrote a book about the wild claim that President Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's vice president, was involved in Kennedy's assassination.

Stone tweeted Saturday morning that he urged Trump to release the classified documents.

Republican members of Congress, including Senate judiciary committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, have urged Trump to allow the full release of the documents.

"No reason 2 keep hidden anymore," Grassley tweeted earlier this month. "Time 2 let American ppl + historians draw own conclusions."

Historians who have studied the assassination do not believe the documents will lead to any bombshell new conclusions in the Kennedy assassination, but the documents could shed more light on facets of the investigation and Oswald's mysterious trip to Mexico City weeks before the assassination. Some have expressed concerns that the documents could be embarrassing to Mexico and damaging to US-Mexico relations.

Trump can withhold the release of certain documents if he believes their release could pose harm to US intelligence, law enforcement, the military or US foreign relations.

"There's going to be no smoking gun in there," Gerald Posner, the author of "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK," told CNN's Michael Smerconish. "But anybody who thinks this is going to turn the case on its head and suddenly show that there were three or four shooters at Dealey Plaza -- it's not the case."

"Oswald did it alone," Posner continued. "But what the files are doing and why they're important to come out is they fill in the history of the case and show us how the FBI and CIA repeatedly hid the evidence."

Posner said that the conspiracy theories about the CIA and mob working together to assassinate a head of state are true -- but the target was Cuban leader Fidel Castro, not Kennedy.

"They tried seven times and they couldn't even wound him. ... They couldn't get rid of Castro, but somehow these same guys who were an 'F' there pulled off the perfect crime in Dallas, and 54 years later we can find not a shred of evidence about it. I just don't buy it," he said.

Ken Hughes, a presidential researcher at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, told CNN the files could shed light on the US involvement in the attempts to assassinate Castro as well as the US-approved coup of South Vietnamese leader Ngo inh Diem in 1963.

"There's a lot for conventional historians -- we non-conspiracy theorists -- to look forward to," he said.

CNN's Eric Levenson, Melissa Mahtani and Allie Malloy contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sequent, a leading tokenization provider, today announced that Sequent Platform 17.11the newest release of Sequents card tokenization and distribution solutionwill be available next month. The new Sequent Platform offers two feature sets to all existing Sequent customers and the broader mobile cards issuing community. Sequent Platform: Enterprise Edition meets the elevated operational expectations of large scale commercial mobile cards deployments while Sequent Platform: Developer Edition focuses on low-effort, low-commitment access mobile cards capabilities for card issuers and mobile wallet developers.

Sequent Platform: Developer Edition

Advanced tokenization features

Token orchestration with popular TSPs

Sequent cloud and on-premise options

Hardware and software HSM support

Sequent Platform: Enterprise Edition

Advance tokenization features

Token orchestration with popular TSPs

Sequent cloud and on-premise options

Highest up-time and security

Fast scale-up / scale-out options

Advanced administrator management

Sequent rapid response SLA

The latest advancement of the Sequent Platform continues Sequents push to accelerate the adoption of digitized cards in smartphone apps and connected devices with tokenized card data. With Sequent Platform, mobile banking app providers can easily enhance both existing and new apps with comprehensive wallet functionality.



Meet the Sequent team at Money 20/20 USA, October 22  25 in Las Vegas, to see live demonstrations of how Sequent Platform orchestrates tokenized card data from popular TSPs in mobile apps. To schedule a meet-up, email us at marketing@sequent.com.

As always, application developers can experience Sequent Platform token orchestration and token vault capabilities at no charge from Sequents hosted, PCI-DSS Level 1 certified, developer environment by contacting Sequent at contactus@sequent.com.

About Sequent

Sequent Platform brings cards to mobile and makes them useful for consumers. Sequent enables banks, transit agencies, access control providers, and other issuers to securely digitize their credit, debit, transit, loyalty, or ID cards and distribute them to their own applications or popular wallet apps. Sequents simple APIs empower the app developer community to add tokenized cards to all apps on mobile, wearable and other connected devices and enable their consumers to make payments, redeem offers, open doors, and ride transit systems. Sequent Platform includes: Token Service Provider (TSP), Token Orchestration (TR-TSP) and Trust Authority. For more information, please visit www.sequent.com, like us on LinkedIn and Facebook at Sequent Software, and follow us on Twitter @sequentsw.
For the past two months, first responders in the Houston area have been helping rebuild their city, so the Ford Motor Company decided to repay.

More than 200 first responders and their families were bused from Houston to a pre-concert reception located at Texas A&M, prior to the "Deep from the Heart" concert, as a thank you to all that they have done following Hurricane Harvey.

"They worked around the clock days on in with minimum food and no relief, and they just kept going," said the Houston Fire Department's Executive Assistant Chief, Richard Mann.

Volunteers like Jeff Mahoney and his son, said they never would have though twice about giving a helping hand.

"I feel like everybody from the City of Houston and the surrounding areas should be here it's an honor, and it's an honor to be here surrounded by such great people," said Mahoney.

Mahoney said he helped save multiple people from the floods, and his 15-year-old son stood by his side the entire time.

"You know, we really wouldn't have thought twice about helping because those people are my neighbors, my family and as Texans and being from Houston, we help one another," said Mahoney.

The reception started at 4 p.m. with food and beverages, and ended before the "Deep from the Heart", where the first responders and their families were then escorted to their seats.

Richard Mann with Houston Fire Department says being a part of the event, is a moment he will never forget.

"It's overwhelming for us to have this amount of support, obviously with the people coming together to put this event on for first responders, Ford for putting it on for us, we just really appreciate it," said Mann.


How a Fractured Election Outcome in Germany Will Impact the EU





Germans on Sunday voted themselves into a tricky political environment that could leave the country torn between the far left and the far right  without a good in-between alternative.



Chancellor Angela Merkels center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led the pack in the federal elections to the Bundestag, the German Parliament, with about 33% of the vote. But it lagged behind the mark it set four years ago, as did the results for the partys coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), which had just a little more than 20% of the vote.



Merkels victory was tempered by the SPD immediately announcing that it would not work with her to form a coalition. That leaves Merkel and the CDU with just one possibility for forming a functional government  the so-called Jamaican option (the colors of three parties involved are the same as the Caribbean nations flag)  which in this case would mean a three-way coalition with the libertarian Free Democrats (FDP) and the progressive Green party.



Also troubling for Merkel were the gains made by the far-right anti-Islam AfD party, which came in third with 12.6% of the vote  nearly triple its support four years ago. Alexander Gauland, the co-leader of the AfD, pledged that the party will hunt Merkel and investigate her policies on refugees and immigration.



The changes to the political landscape in Germany  Europes largest economy  has implications both for the country and also for the European Union as a whole. It also brings up serious questions as to whether Merkel will be able to end her political career on a productive note  and about who will succeed her as de facto leader of the EU.



Has the Tumult Come to an End?



Were done with the big elections in Europe, thank God  it was a tough year, said Wharton finance professor Joao Gomes. You can interpret the French election [of President Emmanuel Macron in May] in different ways, but neither one of these leaders comes up with a very strong mandate.



The good news, according to Wharton adjunct management professor Saikat Chaudhuri, is that the election of Macron in France, Merkel in Germany and Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Netherlands means that the wave of far-right populism on the rise in Europe and the U.S. has been kept at bay to some extent. He noted that while the AfD gained ground in Germany, the party itself is in turmoil, as evidenced by co-leader Frauke Petrys decision to quit hours after the election. The most important result for me is that, despite all the disappointments suffered by the major parties, Angela Merkel is back, said Chaudhuri, who is also executive director of Whartons Mack Institute for Innovation Management. It will be very, very important for her to at least try to create the right footing for Germany and for the EU together with other partners, even though theyre weakened.



The German elections close a very tumultuous period of 16-18 months that saw the effects of Brexit, the U.S. presidential election and high-stakes elections in the EU.



Now maybe we can have a phase where no one will be complaining, and we can get things done at the European level, said Olivier Chatain, a professor of strategy at HEC Paris and senior fellow at the Mack Institute. But that will depend a lot on the eventual composition of the coalition and the type of balance of power, he added. Chatain and Daniel Kelemen, a political science professor at Rutgers University, appeared on the K@W SiriusXM show days before the election to discuss its likely impacts.



You can interpret the French election [of President Emmanuel Macron in May] in different ways, but neither one of these leaders comes up with a very strong mandate.Joao F. Gomes



Kelemen saw a trade-off between the German peoples desire for stability and the extremism that could come about with stronger parties on both the far-right and the far-left.



A lot of people would like to see the same government return to power, and the same grand coalition [between the CDU and the SPD] that brings stability, and with their big majority they could pursue their mandate, he said. But in the long term that kind of a grand coalition of the two major parties breeds extremism, because people feel like they dont have an alternative between the left and the right between elections.



The SPDs decision not to continue the grand coalition leaves Merkel and the CDU having to find a way to work with the Free Democrats, who are socially liberal, but very much pro-business, Chaudhuri said, and the Greens who in many ways are seen as a detriment to pro-business.



Undoubtedly the coalition dynamics are going to be complex, he added. Angela Merkel is very seasoned and right now she will be able to put something together. But whether she can sustain that momentum is really the question. At a time when Europe needed to come back strong, I think everyone is hoping it will be that way.



Gomes predicted that three-way coalition may not have staying power for an entire four-year term. At some point the Upper House of Parliament may be lost and maybe the Greens will bail out and well have an early election and the SPD will win, he said. They want to be on the outside, they want to be in the opposition.



The End of an Era



The election results leave Merkel without a clear mandate going into her fourth and final term. How that will impact her policy efforts remains to be seen, but Gomes doesnt seen Merkel as the type of leader who feels like she needs to go out with signature wins.



Shes not as driven by ego as you might see in other leaders, Gomes noted. One goal she laid out in her last term was that she is acutely aware of the aging of Germany and the need for renewal in Germany and the need for some sort of transformation. I dont know how much she feels like he still has the time and energy to do, but I dont think she has ambitions to make some big Eurozone reforms  if she does, I think shell be very frustrated.



Angela Merkel is very seasoned and right now she will be able to put something together. But whether she can sustain that momentum is really the question.Saikat Chaudhuri



But the outcome of the German elections will undoubtedly have major impacts on the Eurozone, and Macrons ambitious plans to reform the economic and monetary union. Macron has called for the appointment of a Eurozone-wide finance minister, a budget for the currency bloc and even a micro-parliament.



Chaudhuri and Gomes noted that the urgency for wide-ranging reforms has waned as the economic fortunes of the countries in the Eurozone have improved.



What characterizes Merkel is that shes a pragmatist. So from that point of view, she wont start with unrealistic ambitions, Chaudhuri said. Thats one of the reasons for her success; shes been able to adjust for what the needs were during each election and if that happened to be different needs from her party and from her personally, shes adjusted to that pretty well.



He added that if Merkel doesnt envision that big reforms for the EU are possible, shes not going to push for it. But shes going to do things she believes need to be done and move it forward perhaps in a smaller way.



One issue that isnt going away for Merkel is how best to shape immigration policy for Germany and the EU and how that interacts with concerns over security. Whats going to be critical for Merkel is to balance an ability to be somewhat open-minded, or send the signal that Germany is open, that the EU is open, while being pragmatic and saying the plans she had earlier are not going to work in terms of immigration.



He noted that one way to undermine the security threat from terrorism and usurp the far-rights anti-immigrant agenda would be to seek a milder policy. We want to be open, but we need to be careful; you want to find a balance of the two  not anti-immigrant, but we need security.



Now maybe we can have a phase where no one will be complaining, and we can get things done at the European level.Olivier Chatain



Merkels Successor



As Merkel enters her final term, its not clear who will be her successor  both as the leader of Germany and as a strong force within the EU. Chaudhuri noted that SPD leader Martin Schulz has greater ambitions and, by opting not to form a coalition with the CDU, is gambling that hell be able to gain more prominence by going it alone.



On the European side, Im very hesitant to say that Macron will take the mantle, Gomes said. French presidents tend to have a peak that doesnt tend to last and were already seeing the beginning of some unrest in France. Im not sure how long [Macrons] moral authority will carry him.



Macrons ability to enact reforms in France were dealt a blow over the weekend when his party won fewer seats than expected in the French Senate elections. Macron and Merkel realize they need each other to some extent, given their mandates and situations, Chaudhuri said.



Macron is new, he wants to get a lot of things done, he comes from a totally different background and hes shaken up the French system. Merkel, while continuing her winning streak, has been considerably weakened. Germany and France have to find ways to bond  a lot of that will determine the future of the EU and the future of succession at the EU level.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
REXFORD, KANSAS  All the milk from all 8,200 cows on the McCarty Family Farms in western Nebraska and Kansas ends up in one place: a Dannon yogurt plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

When the McCartys shop for Dannon yogurt products at Walmart back home, they take pride in knowing where the main ingredient came from and how it was produced.

Its a big change from how they, and Dannon, used to do business.

Like most dairy farmers, the McCartys  Tom and Judy; their sons, Mike, Clay, David and Ken; and their wives and children  used to sell their milk to a dairy co-op, where milk from many farmers is comingled, processed and sold to multiple customers.

They didnt know where it ended up. And the price they received depended on the ups and downs of the market.

Today, the McCartys say, things are different. Thanks to a contractual relationship with the single buyer, they say theyve been able to double their herd size, better weather market fluctuations, turn a consistent profit and invest for the future with more confidence.

It allows us to focus on things that were truly passionate about, Ken McCarty said. Thats farming, raising cattle and producing milk  not sweating commodity markets.

Most livestock, dairy and crop producers in Nebraska still look to an open marketplace to sell a commodity product: standard varieties of corn or beef, all headed for a grain bin, plant or feedlot. While they have strategies to weather ups and downs, they can suffer when prices tumble, as they did this year, when many grain farmers are selling their product for less than it cost to grow.

So the use of marketing contracts in farming is a practice that stands to continue to grow, said Jay Rempe, economist for the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Those contracts are arrangements in which a farmer works directly with an end buyer to produce a specific product at a set price or margin.

The contract between the McCartys and Dannon works on a cost-plus model. Dannon pays a price that fluctuates based on the McCartys costs of production, but always covers the costs, while adding in a steady profit, Ken McCarty said.

The McCartys might miss out on a big windfall in the occasional market rally, but they also dont have to worry about how to cover their debt and bills, or invest for the future, when prices plunge.

McCarty declined to disclose how much he is paid, but said his profit margin is equivalent to what an average dairy farmer might earn over time, taking into account good years and bad. The benefit is that the margin is consistent. Dannon said about 40 percent of its milk today is purchased directly from farmers like the McCartys; it expects this to climb to about 80 percent.

Rempe said these types of deals are likely to be more popular.

Producers look to negotiate deals that will ensure they can cover the costs of raising higher value specialty crops or livestock.

Big food manufacturers, out to slash costs, want to cut down volatility in price, assuring themselves of a steady supply at a known price.

And consumers, selective about what they put in their grocery carts, are driving manufacturers to lock in a supply of specialty ingredients. That way, food companies can use labels that highlight specialty attributes such as non-GMO, organic, gluten-free, humanely raised, cage-free, and so on.

Those companies are trying to keep their brand value high in part so they can better compete with the growing number of private-label products, and sell their products in more types of stores, like Whole Foods, said Michael Boland, agricultural economics professor and director of the Food Industry Center at the University of Minnesota.

They go straight to the farm source to get more control over ingredients.

Theres a broad trend going on: Were setting up a segregated supply chain, he said.

All of those pressures are at work in Dannons deal with the McCartys.

It started about seven years ago, when Dannon wanted to control volatile milk costs by developing relationships directly with farmers, said Axel Lundstrom, director of farm relations for Dannon in Minster, Ohio.

At the same time, the company was looking to lighten its environmental impact, and to respond to growing consumer interest in natural ingredients.

What we found was that once you know your farm pretty well, you know everything about your supply, Lundstrom said. That meant the company could get involved in more than the price of milk; it could have input into safety and environmental sustainability matters, too.

Typically, food manufacturers have little say over the on-farm practices used by ingredient growers. And many farmers wouldnt have it any other way.

But the McCartys saw advantages that made them willing to let Dannon get involved. Under the arrangement with Dannon, theyve expanded the variety of audits their farms get from an outside firm, Urbandale, Iowa-based Validus, whose slogan is, Helping the world feel good about farming.

Validus checks on animal welfare, environmental practices, on-farm security, and worker care at McCarty Farms, said Matt Jones, vice president of operations at Validus.

The fact that a farm is willing to open itself to outside scrutiny, Jones said, Its trying to maintain that trust with the end consumer.

The McCartys also source and grow non-GMO feed, so products made with their milk can carry the Non-GMO Project Verified label. Non-GMO products are those that dont contain genetically modified organisms, or arent altered through genetic engineering. Most corn grown for livestock feed in the U.S. is genetically engineered.

Dannon announced in September that several of its products now carry that label. That was a key tenet of its Dannon Pledge, made in 2016, that it would put in place more sustainable and transparent production practices.

Ken McCarty said many of those practices align with how the McCartys wanted to run their farm anyway.

And its been worth it, he said: Because they get a known profit margin for a known volume of product, the deal has allowed them to invest for the long term in ways that they say otherwise wouldnt have been possible.

They built a plant at one of their Kansas farms that condenses milk to about a third of its original volume, saving money on trucking costs.

The plant reclaims about 50,000 gallons of water a day from the milk, reducing pressure on the local water source: the Ogallala Aquifer.

Theyve also invested in equipment to make their cattles lives more comfortable, such as sunshades and backscratching brushes. And as theyve grown their business and their families, the McCartys and the people they employ are contributing more to the communities where they have farms: Beaver City, Nebraska; and Bird City, Rexford and Scott City, Kansas. The McCartys are also involved in a partnership that plans to build a dairy in Ohio, also to supply Dannon.

Farmers do have to be cautious when entering contracts, Rempe said, and should consult an attorney.

But there are advantages, too, he said, in reducing the risk for a farmer who wants to try something new.

It not only provides that stability and certainty from year to year, but it also can help them obtain the financing they need, he said. They can go back to their banker: Look, Ive got this contract. 

As consumers expect more transparency from food manufacturers, farmers will want to consider these niche markets as a way to generate more value from their farm operations, said Brad Lubben, agricultural economics professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

It might be chasing that direct market, or it might be producing livestock according to somebodys supply chain and stewardship protocols, he said.

Other Nebraska farmers said theyve experimented with contracts for specialty products, with varying degrees of success.

Scribner cattle feeder Allan Ortmeier produces cattle that eat strictly non-GMO feed. He sells them under contract to Kansas specialty processor Creekstone Farms, which sells the beef online at a big premium. Ground beef goes for about $12.50 a pound, about three times higher than supermarket prices for ground beef that isnt non-GMO-verified.

But that doesnt mean triple profits for Ortmeier.

His extra costs add up: trucking feeder cattle from California, trucking slaughter-ready cattle to Kansas and fees for auditors to vouch that his program is non-GMO.

Its not what we hoped for, he said. When everybody was losing money last year on cattle, we were, too.

Still, hes sticking with his program, in his belief that non-GMO products are more healthful and in hopes that consumer demand for non-GMO products will continue to grow.

Many farmers chafe at the growth of non-GMO products or those with other specialty-label claims. The National Milk Producers Federation called out Dannons non-GMO labels in a campaign launched in August against what it calls deceptive food labeling. The group says the labels play on consumers food safety fears and misconceptions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says food products made with genetically modified crops are not materially different from those made with conventional crops, and that there is no evidence of a safety risk.

Dannon said using the non-GMO label on its yogurt is about choice.

To offer a Non-GMO Project Verified option is a reflection of our commitment to provide as much choice as shoppers are interested in, spokesman Michael Neuwirth said.

Another Nebraska farmer, Tom Schwarz, said producers are right to leave behind what he called a commodity mentality.

If the customer says I want purple cows delivered on the 14th of February, its not my place as a producer to say Thats the stupidest thing Ive ever heard of,  he said.

Schwarz transitioned his farm, south of Lexington, to organic production in the late 90s. With just 700 acres to work with  compared with some farmers several thousand acres  he said producing a specialty product was a way to stay in business.

He contracts with companies including Frito-Lay and Preferred Popcorn to sell varieties of food-grade organic corn, wheat and popcorn. Frito-Lay in September launched a line of organic snacks  including organic Doritos. Preferred Popcorn, based in Chapman, northeast of Grand Island, this summer broke ground on a new plant in part because it needed to accommodate segregated organic production.

Without that kind of business model, Schwarz said, I dont know that we would have survived.
FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2017 photo, President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Trump intends to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election. A White House official confirmed the plan, which was first reported by the website Axios. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe poses for photographers before the start of a press conference at his Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. Abe pledged to tackle what he called Japan's two national crises, the military threat from North Korea and an aging and shrinking population, after his ruling coalition was returned to power in Sunday's elections. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
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A helicopter drops water outside a fire guard line as B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters conduct a controlled burn to help prevent the Finlay Creek wildfire from spreading near Peachland, B.C., on Thursday, September 7, 2017. Climate change didn't directly cause major wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia this year but it did contribute to their extreme nature, says a University of Alberta researcher. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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According to recent Ohio statistics, 1.3 million people have limited or no access to primary care physicians. Based on the 2015 Ohio Primary Care Assessment, 60 of 88 Ohio counties have medically-underserved populations. The Patient Access Expansion Act (HB 273), co-sponsored by Representative Theresa Gavarone (3rd District) and Representative Terry Johnson (90th District), specifically addresses health care access by prohibiting physicians from being required to comply with maintenance of certification (MOC) as a condition to obtain licensure, reimbursement for work, employment or admitting privileges at a hospital or other facility.

Recently, I spoke with Representative Gavarone on the critical importance of this legislation for Ohio. Physician family members have grumbled about the expense of MOC compliance however, a practicing cardiologist better clarified the connection between MOC regulations and the growing physician shortage. He shared his frustrations at the time and money involved participating in a program that has absolutely no scientifically-proven benefit for patient outcomes, said Representative Gavarone. The cardiologist discussed numerous hours wasted preparing for an exam with little to no bearing on his day-to-day work serving his patients.

While the public may not be familiar with the harm of MOC regulations, many have experience searching for a new physician when their doctor retires earlier than anticipated. Patients are waiting months for appointments, said Representative Gavarone. As physicians leave their practices through cutting back or early retirement, this translates to reduced access to care for everyday Ohio citizens, she said.

Gavarone is touching on a vital issue facing practicing physicians across the country: there are fewer incentives for compassionate, brilliant minds to enter the field of medicine.

Oklahoma was the first state to enact anti-MOC legislation, and six more states (Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas) have passed laws prohibiting the use of MOC as a condition for obtaining medical licensure and hospital admitting privileges. Doctors are being boarded to death. To become licensed to practice medicine in the U.S., we must pass four exams, each lasting 16 hours in duration over two days. The U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) has three parts: USMLE Step 1 and 2 are taken during our second year and fourth years of medical school, and Step 3 is taken over a two-day vacation during internship year.

After a three-to-five year residency program, we must pass a specialty-specific board exam, such as internal medicine, pediatrics or surgery to become licensed. While drowning in more than $100,000 in educational debt, the $1500 exam fee seemed exorbitant, yet passing the pediatric certification exam was only a one-time requirement. States already mandated completion of Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours annually for physician licensure, so why were additional requirements necessary?

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) eliminated lifetime certification to shore up their financial outlook; a modification having little to do with quality and much to do with rate of return. Between 2003 and 2013, the ABMS member boards assets ballooned from $237 million to a staggering $635 million, an annual growth rate of 10.4 percent. MOC is outrageously lucrative. Almost 88 percent of their revenue came from certification fees.

The testing environments to which physicians are subjected are abominable; those who are disabled, ill, pregnant or nursing find their requests for accommodations in accordance with federal ADA guidelines denied, having no recourse for blatant discrimination. MOC requirements violate our basic right-to-work, an intrusion deemed intolerable in other professions.

Groups lobbying heavily against anti-MOC legislation will likely be hospitals, insurance companies and specialty groups, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons (OVSPS), who are out of touch with front-line physicians. Both organizations vehemently opposed a tax on elective (read: unnecessary) procedures projected to add $25 million to the state budget, calling it discriminatory, economically damaging and fiscally unsound.

They oppose HB 273 on the grounds that allowing board certification to lapse will prevent patients from receiving the highest quality of care; a statement that is altogether unproven, misleading, and deceitful.

If you like your doctor, support HB273  the Patient Access Expansion Act  so you can keep them. The MOC program forces physicians to spend time away from our patients, clinics, and families for no demonstrable benefit. Financial corruption touches every facet of MOC; the American Board of Medical Specialties has $701 million reasons to oppose this bill.

Representatives Gavarone and Johnson are David bravely battling Goliath. Physicians and patients must help them fight for high-quality, affordable health care to be delivered by physicians free of futile testing regulations.

Niran S. Al-Agba is a pediatrician who blogs at MommyDoc. This article originally appeared in the Health Care Blog.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Many of the shows for Kilkenomics, are sold out as the city prepares to be taken over by economists and comedians from Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 12.

Kilkenomics is the worlds only economics festival with a guaranteed laugh, bringing together some of the worlds leading economists, financial analysts and media commentators with the funniest and sharpest stand-up comedians.

This Davos with jokes has a mission to bridge the gap between the academics of economics and the public affected by economic decision.

This year, its eight edition, is set to be bigger than ever before with a stellar line-up of national and international economists, commentators and comedians arriving in Kilkenny for four days of economics with a comic twist in an intimate setting.

Returning this year are firm favourites Yanis Varoufakis, economist and former Greek Finance Minister; Gillian Tett, US Managing Editor of the Financial Times; Martin Lousteau, former Argentine Ambassador to the US and former finance minister; Mehreen Khan and Robert Shrimsley of the FT; Rory Sutherland of Ogilvy Advertising; and Pippa Malmgren, former economic adviser to George W Bush. 2017s new contributors joining the festival party are Patrick Honohan, former governor of the Central Bank of Ireland; Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times; Harald Malmgren, senior aide to four US Presidents and two Senators; Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics; Katie Martin of the Financial Times; Marie Hicks, author of Programmed Inequality; Marla Dukharan, chief economist of Bitt Inc. and Caribbean economic expert; Mihir Desai, professor of finance at Harvard Business School, Steve Moore of think tank, Volteface; and Rafael Behr, political economist with the Guardian.

For businesses looking for a life- changing opportunity Pitchenomics @Kilkenny is a new proposition for 2017 that gives Irish start-ups/SMEs a chance to fast-track their business development through investments of up to 100,000 and access to a network of investors, mentors and customers. Funded by Mike Driver, Founder Convex Capital and Kilkenomics, 12 shortlisted businesses will be selected in advance and invited to make their pitch to Mike and two other judges - Vikas Nath, CEO for UK and Europe, Adani Group and Sarah OConnor, co-founder of Cool Food Company and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.

The festival will, as always, delve deep into the hottest stories of the day including sessions on Trump, Brexit, the German elections, the EU and our collective future on the planet.
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A new Irish tourism organisation - the National Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions  will hold its inaugural forum in Kilkenny next Tuesday.

The forum  a meeting of 60 of Irelands leading visitor attractions - will take place at Kilkenny Castle and in the Medieval Mile Museum.

Launched in May, the Association is officially up and running since September with more businesses joining every week and it already boasts three Kilkenny sites.

Colette Byrne, chief executive of Kilkenny County Council and chairperson of Kilkenny Civic Trust said: AVEA already has three members from Kilkenny; The Castle, The Smithwicks Experience and The Medieval Mile Museum.

Where better than a Medieval Castle and Irelands Medieval Mile to convene the first meeting of AVEA members?

Tourism is very important to Kilkenny city and county and our rich tapestry of build and natural heritage are pivotal to motivating visitors to come here.

We have and will continue to invest and support tourism as a key component of our local economy.

Paul Carty, Guinness Storehouse Managing Director and Chairman of AVEA, will open the forum taking place in Kilkenny Castle.

He said: Visitor Experiences and Attractions are key drivers of the business of tourism in Ireland - we are a huge part of what motivates overseas visitors to come to Ireland.

Attractions and experiences tell the stories of Ireland through the ages and we are blessed with some of the most spectacular sites around the country.

What we add to the overall destination experiences are holiday memories that endure a lifetime and, when shared, encourage even more visitors to come to this great Island year after year.

This inaugural forum meeting marks the first time that the sector has come together to engage on matters that impact on performance and explore how AVEA can deliver on its core objectives.

John Ruddle, chief executive Shannon Heritage and board member of AVEA said: [The forum] is about listening and hearing from our members how we can support them.

Its also about members meeting members in a setting that encourages collaboration and good engagement, where people are meeting like-minded businesses and sharing knowledge and expertise  its a very positive experience and one we intend to repeat regularly.

Guest speaker at the event, Paul Keeley, Director Business Development at Failte Ireland, welcomed the establishment of AVEA saying, that "Failte Ireland is very pleased to support AVEA in terms of advice and funding".

AVEA is a national membership organization established to provide a strong voice for this sector within the Tourism Industry

Membership is open to all Visitor Attractions and Experiences.
CAIRO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to lift a ban on imports of Egyptian agricultural products, the Egyptian agriculture ministry said in a statement on Sunday. A number of Gulf countries have banned Egyptian agricultural imports over the past year on concerns over pesticide residue.

(Reporting by Ehab Farouk; writing by Arwa Gaballa; editing by Jason Neely)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - The Spanish government on Sunday urged Catalans to accept direct control from Madrid and ignore instructions from the restive regions secessionist leadership once it has been removed from power.

Sundays message came a day after Madrid resolved to take the unprecedented constitutional step of firing the Catalonia government, a last resort to thwart its independence campaign and calm fears of unrest and economic turmoil in the heart of the euro zone.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont rejected the decision, to be implemented this week, and thousands of pro-independence protesters marched in Barcelona on Saturday.

The regional parliaments speaker, Carme Forcadell, said she would not accept Madrids move and accused Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of staging a coup.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis responded on Sunday with the call to obey Madrid.

All the government is trying to do, and reluctantly, is to reinstate the legal order, to restore the constitution but also the Catalan rules and proceed from there, Dastis told BBC TV.

We are going to establish the authorities who are going to rule the day-to-day affairs of Catalonia according to the Catalan laws and norms ... I hope everyone will disregard whatever instructions they will be planning to give because they will not have the legal authority to do that.

However, Dastis sought to calm nerves in the region, saying Madrid would not conduct arrests among the pro-independence leadership, though two prominent secessionists were detained on court order this month on allegations of sedition.

We are not going to arrest anyone, he said.

Catalonias leaders say they will not accept direct rule imposed by Madrid, raising the prospect that they and their supporters will seek to defy the Spanish government when the time comes to remove them from office.

Rajoys plan still needs Senate approval in a session set for Friday. Once it gains the expected approval Madrid can take full control of Catalonias finances, police and public media and curb the powers of the regional parliament for up to six months, until fresh regional elections.

Street protests for and against independence in Catalonia have involved hundreds of thousands of people. Though a violent crackdown by national police during Catalonias Oct. 1 independence vote left hundreds injured, according to regional authorities, the protests have remained peaceful so far.

But Rajoys unprecedented plan to use special constitutional powers has angered both sides and raised concern over the potential for unrest if Catalan leaders resist and call for civil disobedience.

ECONOMIC FEARS

They have not done that, but investors are worried about the possible fallout from such moves by a region that makes up a fifth of Spains economy. Hundreds of companies have shifted their headquarters outside the region and Madrid has made downward revisions to its economic forecasts.

Mikel Lekue, a 24-year-old Spaniard studying in Barcelona, said he did not support Catalan independence but criticized Rajoys tactics in invoking article 155 of the national constitution for the first time to take control of a region.

I dont agree with article 155. For all the errors the Catalan government has made, and they have made many, I dont think the solution is to remove Catalan autonomy, he said as he walked in central Barcelona with a friend.

I think they need to sit down and talk.

Rajoy, who acted with backing from King Felipe and the main opposition party in Madrid, said the crisis was jeopardizing political and economic stability in the euro zones fourth-largest economy.

Puigdemont, who made a symbolic declaration of independence on Oct. 10 after the referendum, called Rajoys move the worst attacks against the people of Catalonia since Spains military dictatorship.

He stopped short of saying he would make good his threat to push ahead with a parliamentary vote on independence before direct rule takes effect.

But he has called the Catalan parliament to meet next week to agree on a response to Madrid, something many observers said could pave the way for a formal declaration of independence.

The regional assembly is expected to decide on Monday when it will hold a session.

Several influential Catalan newspapers called on Puidgemont on Sunday to resolve the crisis by calling a snap election before direct rule becomes effective.

Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull, however, told Catalan radio this was not an option and instead suggested that the parliament could move forward with secession.

Catalonia will be what decides the parliament, which is the legitimate representative of the citizens, and not what others decide, Turull said.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London and Isla Binnie, Carlos Ruano and Tomas Cobos in Madrid; Editing by Mark Bendeich and David Goodman
* Follows rare joint meeting between Iraq and Saudi Arabia

* U.S., Saudi trying to counter Iranian influence in Iraq

* Baghdad and Riyadh cut ties after 1990 invasion of Kuwait

(Adds Tillerson-Jubeir presser)

By Jonathan Landay and Stephen Kalin

RIYADH, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday it was time for Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers who helped Iraq defeat Islamic State to "go home" after a rare joint meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The United States is concerned that Iran, a Shi'ite regional rival, will take advantage of gains against IS there and in Syria to expand the influence it gained after the U.S. invasion in 2003, something Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia also oppose.

"Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Saudi foreign minister Adel Jubeir.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after IS seized a third of the country's territory, forming the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus.

A senior U.S. official said Tillerson had been referring to the PMF and the Quds Force, the foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iraq's military, armed by the United States but supported by the PMF, ejected the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militant group from Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq this year. Several thousand U.S. troops are still in the country, mostly for training but also to carry out raids against IS.

The campaign to uproot the militants left whole cities in ruins and has hit Iraq's economy.

A new joint body between Iraq and Saudi Arabia convened an inaugural meeting earlier on Sunday to coordinate their fight against IS and on rebuilding Iraqi territory wrested from the group.

Jubeir emphasized historic ties between the two neighbours, which share a border, vast oil resources and many of the same tribes.

"The natural tendency of the two counties and people is to be very close to each other as they have been for centuries. It was interrupted for a number of decades. We're trying now to make up for lost ground," he said.

The rare senior meeting, signalling a thaw between states that have been at loggerheads for decades, was also attended by Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"We have launched a program for the future of the region based on development and security rather than the differences and wars that we have suffered," Abadi said.

WINNING THE PEACE

Tillerson said the council would contribute to reforms to build Iraq's private sector and encourage foreign investment.

"This will be critical to winning the peace that has been earned through the hard-fought military gains," he said.

State media said the council had expressed satisfaction with global oil markets' recovery orientation as a result of a deal with other countries to boost prices by limiting production.

The council also agreed to reopen a Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) office in Iraq and grant Saudi agriculture company SALIC an investment licence.

A second meeting will be held in Baghdad but no date was mentioned.

Tillerson and Jubeir also discussed Washington's hawkish new policy towards Iran, including a possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and new sanctions on the IRGC.

"Both our countries believe those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the world really do so at great risk," said Tillerson.

Relations between Riyadh and Baghdad have been cut since the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, is wooing Baghdad now in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of arch-foe Iran.

Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Iraq on Saturday to call for increased economic cooperation and praise existing coordination to boost crude oil prices, the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades. A commercial Saudi airplane landed in Baghdad last week for the first time in 27 years, and in August the two countries opened a border crossing for trade which had been closed just as long.

Tillerson's six-day trip will also take him to Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tillerson lands in Riyadh at start of Gulf, South Asia tour ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by David Goodman and David Evans)
"Iron Seated Buddha" from the 9th century / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea



By Kwon Mee-yoo

Iron is the most widely used type of metal, accounting for over 90 percent of metal production from the ancient world till today. It provides high durability at a low cost and has contributed to human development by being the material for machinery. However, its strength also has shepherded humans to gratify their ambition of pioneering and conquest.

"Metal, Iron and Steel: The Cultural History of Iron," an exhibition at the National Museum of Korea (NMK), sheds light on how iron has become the most actively used metal in our lives through 735 artifacts representing metal culture in East Asia, mostly Korea, China and Japan.

The exhibit consists of three sections "Iron Meets Human," "Iron Makes Power" and "Iron Enters Life."

Pure iron is relatively soft, so it is commonly combined in alloys with other metals to make stronger steel. The first part of the exhibit deals with how mankind discovered the metal from meteoric iron and developed smelting and steel-making skills.

At first, iron made farming tools and then was used for weapons. As early as the Three Kingdoms era in Korea, starting B.C. 1st century, iron was used for burial accessories, which hints materials and techniques for steelmaking were established.

Iron was also used to strengthen wheels, which was the strongest power force before the invention of the steam engine.

The emergence of iron has led to increased productivity as well as wars, and iron armor and firelocks are on display.

"We can say the increased productivity through iron means growth, while war caused by power means destruction. Part 2 goes down to how iron-birthed power had created numerous contradictory events," the NMK curator said.





"Vertical Plate Armor" on display at the "Metal, Iron and Steel: the Cultural History of Iron" exhibition / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea



Iron is an indispensable material for daily life as well. In "Iron Enters Life," iron is shown being used for practical reasons such as building materials and tools and at the same time used for creating religious icons such as Buddha statues and colorful ceramics. Folk paintings from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) contain many iron tools used for basic living, ancestral rites and rituals.

The exhibit continues to very contemporary use of iron, presenting a photograph of an iron bridge across the Hangang River, a structure that people use very often.

Also on view is visual artist and set designer Yoon Jeong-sup's 1995 sculpture "Iron Plate+Wires+Plumbum," which uses various types of metal to describe diverse shapes of the human figure.

"People often say gold lasts forever and iron gets rusty and disappears. However, as we've seen the history of iron, iron might exist in perpetuity," the curator said.

The exhibit runs until Nov. 26 and then travels to the Jeonju National Museum from Dec. 19 to Feb. 20, 2018. Admission is 6,000 won for adults. For more information, visit museum.go.kr or call 02-2077-9000.
Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol speaks during a press conference at the central bank in Seoul, Thursday. Under Lee's leadership, the BOK has never raised the policy rate but he hinted at doing so in line with the new government's policy of stopping monetary easing. / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Questions have been raised about the neutrality of Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol, as the central bank's monetary policies appear to have leaned toward two different presidents' economic views over the past three years.



The BOK is supposed to decide its benchmark rate independently, based on its view of the broad economic situation within and outside Korea. But in recent years, the central bank has faced pressure from senior bureaucrats and appears to have followed their wishes since Lee's inauguration in 2014.



This has prompted observers to say Lee is currying favor with incumbent administrations.



Last week, the BOK kept the country's key rate at a record-low 1.25 percent for the 16th consecutive month. However, Lee dropped hints of a change, saying "conditions are getting ripe for the central bank to reduce the extent of monetary easing."



Following the remark, experts predicted the rate will rise as early as next month, boosting the government's drive to control soaring real estate prices and contain snowballing household debt.



Household debt amounted to 1,388 trillion won ($1,225.6 billion) at the end of June and is estimated to surpass 1,400 trillion won now.



A rate hike could cause insolvency because it weighs on borrowers. At the same time, however, liquidity in the market declines and getting a loan becomes difficult, causing household debt growth to slow.



The government has been branding the BOK's low-rate policy as a major culprit behind ballooning household debt.

Observers say Lee may have felt this pressure.



And the timing is right from the perspective of the Moon Jae-in administration, which began after the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye, who sought expansionary monetary policies.



Following Lee's remark on a rate hike, the government will release policies and regulations this week to contain household debt.



This is not the first time the BOK under Lee's leadership has been accused of playing up to the economic guidelines of the incumbent administration.



In April 2014, when Lee became central bank chief, the Park administration tried to boost the country's economy by expanding the real estate market. To do so, then-Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan attempted to make borrowing easier so more people could buy homes.



Lee was in full support of the policy. Before Lee's tenure, the BOK kept the key rate at 2.5 percent, but Lee halved it to 1.25 percent in two years and kept it there throughout the Park administration.



Critics say the low-interest-rate policy greatly contributed to the household debt crisis and the unusual rise in real estate prices. Both are seen as major threats to Asia's fourth-largest economy.



"Unlike the government, which focuses on economic growth, the central bank is mandated to seek neutrality from political power and stability of its policies," a Seoul-based economist said. "One of the duties of the BOK is containing the government's expansionary policies."



Lee's four-year term will finish next March.
Officials are warning hikers to use caution after a mountain lion sighting and deer kill were reported on the south side of Mount Helena.

The mountain lion was spotted in the 4300 block of Bear Gulch Road off Grizzly Gulch Drive, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said in an announcement. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported the deer kill in the same area Saturday morning, he said.

"When hiking, keep your children in the middle of your group, so they are not attacked from the rear," the announcement says, adding that mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare.

"Never run away, don't turn your back on the mountain lion. Maintain eye contact. Make a loud noise and yell, wave your arms and make yourself look bigger."

Do not play dead if you are attacked, the sheriff advised. Try to remain standing, protect your neck, and fight back using your hands, legs or anything else you can find, he said.

"FWP is actively working the case," the announcement says.

Anyone who sees a mountain lion is urged to leave the area and call the sheriff's office at 406-447-8292.
CENESS Director and Nuclear Club Editor-in-Chief Anton Khlopkov (left) and Choe Son-hui, Head of the North America Department of North Korea's Foreign Ministry, attend the 2017 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference at the Centre for Energy and Security Studies, Oct. 21. / Tass-Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

A North Korean diplomat says Pyongyang will not return to multilateral talks until it resolves issues with the United States, according to a source Sunday.

Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North American department of the North's foreign ministry, said the crisis on the Korean Peninsula is due to the United States' hostile policy to the North.

In a session at an international forum on nonproliferation in Moscow on Saturday, she said Pyongyang will not return to any multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, until it deals with Washington, according to the source who attended the event. She said the North will continue developing its nuclear program if the U.S. does not give up on its hostile policies toward Pyongyang.

Diplomats, former government officials and private-sector experts from about 40 countries, including South Korea that sent a deputy nuclear envoy, attended the conference. It raised expectations that the two Koreas could make contact but it did not eventuate.












The image of typhoon Lan in progress released on Oct. 19 / Screen captured from National Typhoon Center



By Bahk Eun-ji, Park Si-soo

Typhoon Lan, recently classified as "powerful," is approaching the Korean Peninsula.

The typhoon is moving toward Japan's Okinawa from 1,080 kilometers east of the Philippines as of 3 p.m. Thursday, at a speed of 18 kilometers an hour, according to the state weather agency. Japan and the southern part of Korea are expected to come under its influence from Saturday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration plans to issue wind warnings for southern regions during the weekend. It has told mariners to stay informed of the typhoon's direction.
By Kim Bo-eun



The Korean Medical Association (KMA) is stepping up its campaign against the Moon Jae-in administration's plan to expand insurance coverage.



Dubbed "Moon Jae-in care," the health care policy is aimed at providing insurance coverage for all medical fees with the exception of those for cosmetic purposes, as a means to ease the burden of medical expenses on the public.



Under the plan, insurance will cover costly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and sonograms as well as additional expenses for more experienced doctors and hospital rooms accommodating fewer patients.



Doctors oppose the policy for a number of reasons.



The doctors claim medical fees will fall, as insurance coverage will force doctors to provide services at lower costs. They say this will lead to an overall deterioration in the quality of medical treatment.



They also claim patients will more likely visit general hospitals rather than small local clinics, with their medical fees subsidized. This is because large hospitals are known to provide better-quality services, yet at higher costs.



The doctors' group has vowed to hold a rally at Gwanghwamun Square next month, where 30,000 members will likely take part.



The group said it will seek support from 30,000 local clinics across the country. The KMA is also considering a strike by 130,000 doctors nationwide, if the government does not agree to negotiate.



"Moon Jae-in care" is one of the President's key pledges put forth during his candidacy.



It is based on the fact Korea is among the OECD countries with the highest private per capita health expenditures, according to data for 2016.



Data shows the burden of high medical costs results in household bankruptcy for one in 20 individuals.



Doctors are also questioning the costs of the plan, as the government will need to secure a huge amount of insurance funds.



The Moon administration said the plan will require 30 trillion won in funds. The National Health Insurance Service currently holds surplus funds of 20 trillion won, which will be available for use.



The government has also pledged to contribute 7 trillion won of state subsidies yearly, in order to minimize the additional health insurance costs for the public. It said it would raise the national insurance rate by 3.2 percent each year.



But there are concerns health insurance funds will be depleted by 2025, due to the aging society.




By You Soo-sun

The first round of review of the "comfort women" archives submitted for UNESCO listing is slated for this week, Tuesday to Friday.

The UNESCO International Advisory Committee will hold its general meeting, held every two years, to review applications for its Memory of the World register, established to preserve documentary heritage throughout the world.

This year it is expected to examine around 130 applications, including one for the comfort women, a term used to refer to sex slaves of the Japanese during World War II.

Around 2,744 documents for consideration have been submitted by civic organizations from 14 countries including Korea, China, Japan and the Netherlands.

This will be the first review to take place since the application was filed.

The Korean government is seeking to have it pass the review board before the incumbent UNESCO secretary general's term ends next month.

This may be unlikely, however, due to opposition by Japan which funds about 10 percent of the program and whose influence has grown after the United States recently pulled out its funding of the program.

The Japanese government has been delaying to pay its share this year, which some critics believe is an attempt to prevent the enlisting of the comfort women archives.

The UNESCO board has stated its intention to follow regular protocols in determining which documents to put on its list.
By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea is putting the final touches on its nuclear and missile programs and will complete its nuclear armament soon, according to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.





Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha

"It is true that North Korea is quickly approaching the completion of its nuclear armament," Kang said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Brussels Saturday.The top diplomat also said the Kim Jong-un regime is capable of conducting an additional nuclear test at any time without notice.

She is visiting European countries to seek international cooperation on the North Korean issue.

Kang said some of the North's underground tunnels appeared to have collapsed following its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3, during which it detonated what it claimed to be a hydrogen bomb to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).












By Kim Bo-eun



Gwanghwamun was filled with opposing groups of protesters over the weekend, a year after large-scale rallies began calling for the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.



A group representing the bereaved family members of the Sewol tragedy gathered at Gwanghwamun Square, denouncing Cheong Wa Dae's alleged fixing of records of reports of the ferry's sinking to the former president.



Earlier this month, Cheong Wa Dae disclosed that records had been manipulated under the Park administration so reports about the ferry's sinking were made 30 minutes later than they were actually made.



"In 30 minutes, the lives of 304 victims could have been saved," a family member said at the rally.



Earlier in the day, a group of office workers called for the arrest of former President Lee Myung-bak, for his alleged irregularities such as the manipulation of public opinion in the 2012 presidential race, as well as defense sector corruption and failed resource diplomacy.



"Lee was able to avoid investigations into the irregularities he committed during his term, by helping Park become president through manipulation of public opinion," members said.



Meanwhile, ultra-conservative supporters of Park gathered in front of Daehanmun, the front gate of Deoksu Palace across from City Hall, to protest the extension of Park's detention.



Around 35,000 supporters also gathered at Marronnier Park in Daehangno, northeastern Seoul.



"Park was unfairly impeached, and now has become subject to murderous political retaliation as well as confinement," they said.



They denounced the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) ethics committee's approval of the request for Park to leave the party, calling for LPK Chairman Hong Joon-pyo to step down.



The rallies are bound to continue for the time being.



The civic group that led the move to impeach Park will hold a rally marking the anniversary of its first protest on Oct. 29, 2016, at Gwanghwamun Square this coming Saturday.



Sewol tragedy rallies will be held every Saturday until the National Assembly passes a bill on investigating tragic societal events.




Man claims he wanted to see his wife in North Korea



By You Soo-sun



A man fell short in his attempt to return to North Korea when police caught him in Incheon on Wednesday, 78 days after he escaped from a mental institution.



Yoo Tae-joon, 48, was found hiding in Namdong-gu, Incheon, after breaking loose from an ankle monitor at a psychiatric facility in South Jeolla Province where he was detained in police custody for attempted murder.



Equipment including a life jacket, swimming fins and a snorkeling mask, which Yoo planned to use to return to North Korea, were found in his room.



"I ran because I wanted to see my wife in the North," Yoo said in a statement. "Send me to North Korea  the National Intelligence Service here has been preventing me from leaving."



Yoo also testified he hid on a mountain for a day after he escaped, then came to Seoul using public transportation. He then worked in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province to earn money.



"I tried to find a way to get to the North, but it was impossible," he said.



According to police, Yoo withdrew 1 million won ($884) from his bank account two weeks before his escape and had been working at a construction site after he spent the money.



Police are looking into possible charges of breaching the National Security Act based on Yoo's testimony as well as phone records showing he looked up information about the North many times.



Yoo claimed he opened a phone account and found a room using the name of a person he met early last month. The acquaintance, identified by his surname Jin, was a homeless man. He claimed that no one had a direct role in his escape.



Yoo defected from the North in 1998, but returned three years later to bring his wife to the South. He was caught, but managed to escape again in 2002.



In 2004, Yoo was given a three-year prison sentence and 10 years of medical treatment in custody for attempting to murder his half-sibling.



Yoo was put on probation even though he showed signs of delusion about the North.



Police plan to issue an arrest warrant after more investigation, including looking into his motivation for escaping and the possible existence of a coconspirator.




By Kim Hyo-jin





Suh Chung-won

Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) lawmakers loyal to former President Park Geun-hye rebelled against the party leadership in protest at its move to expel the ousted president.



Suh Chung-won, an eight-term lawmaker who was also asked to leave the party, called on party chairman Hong Joon-pyo to resign, accusing him of managing party affairs self-righteously and causing internal division.



"Party members asked Hong to consolidate the divided party and help the party become the main pillar of the conservative bloc, but he is disappointingly stepping backward," Suh said during a press conference Sunday.



"His arrogance and dogmatism crushed the desire of party members and the people. Hong's leadership should end now for the sake of the party and the country."



The backlash followed the decision of the LKP ethics committee Friday to expel Park over the corruption and power-peddling scandal that put her on trial.



In a meeting held at Hong's request, the committee decided to ask Park and her loyalists, Reps. Suh and Choi Kyung-hwan, to leave the party voluntarily for harming its interests.

Hong Joon-pyo





Suh and Choi clearly expressed their opposition and launched a political offensive against Hong, heralding deepening in-house conflicts between Park's followers and the others.



Noting Hong is waiting for a Supreme Court ruling over a graft scandal, Suh questioned his qualification as an opposition party leader. He even claimed Hong asked him to help during the prosecution's investigation, indicating that he could testify against Hong's interest.



Choi immediately hit back at the expulsion decision, claiming it should be nullified for procedural errors.



"The committee has no independence and impartiality, considering that it took a disciplinary measure on the matter that had already been sorted out earlier, just at the request of the leader," he wrote on a Facebook post.



Hong reinstated Suh and Choi in May before the presidential election, citing party unity, four months after their party membership was suspended over the presidential scandal and the impeachment of Park.



Their collective protest could hurt Hong's leadership, especially when he seeks to merge with the minor conservative opposition Bareun Party before local elections next June.



The LKP's split with Park was a precondition of some of the Bareun Party lawmakers who are backing the merger. For the LKP's part, the merger is critical to surviving the presidential scandal and regaining public support.



Hong firmly responded to the backlash, alluding that he will push for the process of expelling the Park loyalists.



"I'll never be swayed by a fuss made by shameless people who became blind due to excessive greed for their personal interest," he wrote on a Facebook post.



"I took the leadership role for a historic mission to rebuild the nation's conservative bloc that had lost public trust following the mismanagement of state affairs. I'll just relentlessly power through difficulties in seeking this mission."



Hong is expected to hold a Supreme Council meeting later in the week  after he returns from a five-day trip to Washington, D.C.  to confirm the ethics committee decision.

Regarding the decision, Park is required to submit written consent in 10 days. If she refuses, the party can deprive her of her membership.



In the case of Suh and Choi, the expulsion needs support from two-thirds of the party lawmakers at a general meeting. Hong is also expected to proceed with the voting sometime in November, party officials said.
Shinn Yong-wook, right, Korean National Airline CEO and pilot, with pilot Kim Jin-young and an unidentified American pilot on the airfield in Yeouido, in this photo taken in the 1950s. / Courtesy of Choi Yearn-hong



By Yearn Hong Choi





Korea observes Aviation Day on October 30. Why? How? Some may question why and how Aviation Day was set on October 30 on the Korean calendar. The Ministry of Transportation made the decision to set up the day for the advancement of the Korean aviation industry and technology for commercial flight and space science exploration. The ministry chose October 30, the first day a flight took place from Seoul to Busan in 1948 after the first government was established after liberation. It was the Korean National Airline's first flight in the First Republic.

Today, everybody recognizes KAL, Korean Air Lines, one of the top airlines in the world. But only a few may remember KNA  the Korean National Airline. The KNA was the first Korean airline in the country's history. It was a small airline company basically flying between Seoul and Busan. Captain Shinn Yong-wook was a first-class pilot who had completed his Oguri Aviation School training program in Japan and studied further at the Japan Doah Aviation College in Tokyo in the 1920s and then flew over the sea between Japan and Korea in his own airplane, Salmoosongin. He was a sensational pilot. His first flight over the skies of Seoul was hailed by all Korean people, after taking off from the Yongsan runway in 1925. In the same year, he founded an aviation school and trained pilots in Korea. In 1931, he started the Chosun Airline Company, his own airline to transport passengers, airmail and packages from Seoul to major cities all over the Korean Peninsula. Once he helped fishing boats find a school of sardines massively migrating in the East Sea. He also used his small airplane and a helicopter to spread pesticides and fertilizer on rice paddies for his hometown farmers. He was a popular pilot elected twice for the Kochang district National Assembly seat.

He headed one of the main construction crews to build major airports in the nation and runways, aircraft hangars and safety facilities. At that time, Korea was undivided, even though it was under Japanese rule. The runways were not nearly as long as we see today. They were green flat meadows.

He was born of the landed gentry class in Kochang, North Jolla province, in 1901. He graduated from Wheemoon High School and then went to an aviation school in Japan. He met Ahn Chang-nam at Wheemoon High School. Since the Wright Brothers flew for the first time for a few minutes in history in 1903 on a North Carolina beach, flying was the dream for many boys. Ahn and Shinn were two who dreamed of flying. Ahn was one year older than Shinn. He went to the Oguri Aviation School in Tokyo before him. They trained together. Ahn earned his second-class pilot license and returned to Korea. Shinn completed his first-class pilot training and studied airplanes more scientifically at the Doah Aviation College. He returned to Korea piloting his own small wooden airplane. He became a sensational young pilot when he flew over the sea between Japan and Korea in 1925. As the son of an affluent family, he could purchase a small airplane and flew it to his home country.

His ambition to operate his aviation school and airline company must have been approved by the Japanese colonial government. During the 1930s, Japan controlled Manchuria and established its puppet regime there after it had invaded mainland China. I am sure he and his company were commandeered by the Japanese in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Under these circumstances, Shinn was not given the choice to be free from Japan's war campaign. Here, some may be critical about pro-Japanese collaboration under Tokyo's rule.

On this Aviation Day, I will not review Captain Shinn and his life with KNA in detail. His life under the Japanese colonial ruler could be tainted with close collaboration between the two. However, I can understand his dream to fly, compromising his good conscience and his acts of collaboration. Life under Japanese rule could not be easy for him or for any Koreans. In order to earn a living, some willingly cooperated with the colonial rulers and surely did this against their good conscience. Captain Shinn wanted to sustain his life as a pilot and continued to keep the same dream he had as a teenage boy until his death by suicide at 59 following bankruptcy in 1961. General Park Chung-hee, as a coup leader, ordered him to pay back the government loan he had received. He chose suicide by drowning himself in the Han River while looking at his airplane on the Yoido runway. He built the runway when he started his life as a pilot in the 1920s. I feel sympathy for him and want to pardon him.

I want to place him next to the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes in aviation history.

More than seventy years have passed since liberation. Debating and killing continuously pro-Japanese collaborators is a waste of our precious time. Life is not as simple as some may think.

Let us look back upon our remarkable aviation history from the KNA to KAL and Asiana. The first part of that history has been a stepping stone to the second stage of history and further progress. Let us see the future under a bright blue sky.





Dr. Choi is a Washington-based poet and writer.
Not going will likely send NK wrong message



Pros and cons are being discussed in Washington as to whether U.S. President Donald Trump should visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the forefront for the inter-Korean standoff since the 1950-53 Korean War, during his forthcoming visit to South Korea.



True, Trump's visit may provoke the North at a time when he has been engaged in a war of words with Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-un over the latter's pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile systems.



Also, it may make the host, President Moon Jae-in, uncomfortable as he sees the hard-line Trump approach only jacking up tension on the Korean Peninsula and depriving Seoul of its chance to speak directly with the North.



But there is more to lose from Trump's "no-go."



First, the North may think Trump is following his predecessors and moderates with his tough talk, which would strengthen the North's hand in pivotal negotiations that might prevent it from completing its nuclear misadventure and, if they fails, to freeze its arsenal on a strict set of terms.



Second, from Seoul's perspective, Washington's pressure tactic shouldn't be seen as unilaterally blocking Seoul's bid for a say in seeking a deal with the North. The North has insisted the U.S. stop its hostile policy toward it, a stance it sticks to believing Trump will yield and eventually cut a deal with it. But if Washington does not yield and Seoul becomes a bit more patient, it could force the North to take the South's dialogue proposals more seriously. Choe Son-hui, the North Korean diplomat, claimed in a Moscow meeting over the weekend her country will not cease its nuclear program, calling for direct talks with the U.S.



Third, the U.S. commander-in-chief would look simply silly if he doesn't show up at the frontline, breaking the tradition set by his predecessors. The world would view it as an act of chickening out and think of his tough words as nothing but hot air. The loss of credibility would be the last thing he needs at this moment. Especially since there is a sizable U.S. show of force involving two aircraft carriers, submarines and strategic bombers, it is unthinkable for Trump to back down.



Last but not least, Trump can use his DMZ visit as a bully pulpit to make public a peace-based North Korea policy. Stepping aside from his usual bellicose rhetoric, he could offer the North survival guarantees and promise to help ease its way into joining the international community. Seoul worries what fiery provocations would come out of Trump's mouth so his DMZ visit may be used to put their worries to rest, too.




By Stephen Costello





Economic development remains the key to resolution of ongoing crises surrounding the Korean Peninsula. This was a central insight for Kim Dae Jung and other proponents of realistic and mutually beneficial agreements over the years. When the issues surrounding Pyongyang's dilemma were reduced to denuclearization without that key ingredient, they have failed, and will continue to do so. When they incorporated it, as they did in the 1994 Agreed Framework and South-North engagement, they have led to progress.



The sad spectacle of the third US administration in a row  16 years now, and possibly 20 or more  rejecting the primary economic interests of all the Northeast Asian countries, confirms the US's inability to help for the foreseeable future. Confusion and amateurishness among Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and President Donald Trump, were on display again last week as Tillerson visited China and Trump publically undercut him.



Their bumbling, however, should not obscure the fact that there is no plan for denuclearization or any other practical goal on the US side. Not one US official or supporter has offered one. The fuzzy "talks" sometimes referred to are exclusively transactional, imagining what "price" the DPRK would demand in exchange for weapons controls, and ignoring US untrustworthiness.



In this situation other parties are, thankfully, not standing still. One of the most promising was the visit to Washington last week of Chung Dong-young, senior People's Party leader, former Unification minister and former democratic presidential candidate. I've known Chung for over 15 years, and his convictions about the requirements for progress remain smart and compelling. He met Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang and went knee-to-knee with Dick Cheney in Washington. No other Korean leader can claim that kind of experience. We talked for three hours.



Chung carried a short hand-out with him during his US visit. The most striking page contained two simple relationship charts. In one the tensions between North Korea and China, between China and the US, and between South Korea and China formed a destructive mutually-reinforcing cycle. In the other chart the real interests of South Korea, China, North Korea and the US  both security and economic  formed a constructive cycle. One could fanaticize that even Trump might grasp the truth of this concept.



And Chung is not alone. Many of the most experienced and knowledgeable Assemblymen, former ministers, diplomats, journalists and officials agree on the emptiness of US ideas and the role Korea needs to play. Among those who continue to remind us of today's rare opportunities on the Peninsula is Donald J. Johnston, former head of the OECD and Canadian politician. Madam Lee Hee Ho invited him to speak at the KDJ Peace Institute on the anniversary of the breakthrough North-South meetings of June 2000.



Johnston highlighted the contemporary importance and relevance of the Joint Declaration of 15 June. Its principles still form the bedrock for North-South and North-International engagement. He pointed out that in 1998 Kim Dae-jung led Korea's turnaround from the Asian financial crisis, in which the economy went from a 6% contraction to 10% expansion in 18 months. Since then Korea's GDP has more than doubled to over 1.5 trillion USD. Johnston suggested that Korean leadership, South and North, will now be required to grab possibilities that begin on the Peninsula but spread out positively to neighboring countries. How to help the North do what has been possible, and potentially transformative, for 17 years?



Johnston has proposed an intensive and honest economic survey of the DPRK, to support its own roadmap to development. The idea is both brilliant and timely. It could be done by the OECD. A similar proposal has been sketched out to North Korean representatives for 20 years by World Bank specialists. In any case, he says, "A team acceptable to North Korea and financed by independent foundations could take the lead and seek a mandate from North Korea to undertake such an exercise as soon as possible." From the DPRK viewpoint, it would be hard to argue with this survey, as it tracks so closely to the expressed and logical hopes and plans they still harbor.



There is no reason why the United Nations could not support and facilitate such a project. UN Secretary-General Gutierres has offered his "good offices" to convene and help link interested parties to peacefully resolve the North Korea issues. And there would be many of those interested parties, beginning with South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, Sweden, Norway and Germany, just as a start. The possibility that the survey could become the rallying point for a new roadmap  including economic, security and political aspects  makes it irresistible.



Such a project would conflict with the current "extreme" global economic and political war being led by the Trump group. But it would also illuminate the degree to which that war is primarily a doomed gambit by amateurs and ideologues with fantastical worldviews. Assemblyman Chung's arguments are a reminder that political and policy debates are still ongoing in Seoul, and that forces largely responsible for the success of President Moon Jae-in's presidency are not satisfied with his performance.



Senior figures who would support new non-US activism to incorporate economic plans into new comprehensive initiatives include our best thinkers and doers. From William Perry to Robert Gallucci to Jimmy Carter. From Bill Clinton to Madeline Albright to Kofi Annan. Many are working behind the scenes today on Track II meetings. But they need a plan and a leader. It is just possible both are now being prepared.





Stephen Costello is a producer of AsiaEast, a web and broadcast-based policy roundtable focused on security, development and politics in Northeast Asia. He writes from Washington, D.C. He can be reached at scost55@gmail.com.
By Tong Kim





As President Trump will visit Asian capitals next month, including Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing, many analysts are busy figuring out what impact his trip may have on the prospect of a solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile threat. Upfront, I do not see the likelihood of any dramatic change in the current course of a "pressure campaign" that is spearheaded by Washington, with the strong support of its allies and partners.

There will be no big deal with China, no "Korea passing," no agreement on a trilateral alliance that will include Japan, no clarification of military options and probably no toning down of bellicose rhetoric. There will be no announcement to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to Korea; no change to the goal of denuclearization. And, certainly, no consideration for accepting a nuclear North Korea.

There will be reconfirmation of the alliances and the U.S. security commitment to its allies in Japan and South Korea with the full spectrum of U.S. military capability. There will be a renewed pledge for close coordination on the North Korean issue. The U.S. will seek cooperation with China. Trump will welcome Seoul's plan to enhance its deterrent through the acquisition of advanced weapons systems.

Trade issues are also high on Trump's agenda. There will be a discussion of the renegotiation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), which actually begun after Trump threatened to terminate it unilaterally. Fair or not, Trump says every trading partner is taking advantage of the United States. What he will say to the Asian leaders with regard to U.S. trade imbalances will be an indicator of the sustainability of the neo-liberal trade order that the U.S. has established over the years since the end of World War II.

Against North Korea, Trump has made several threatening statements  including dire warnings of "fire and fury," "to totally destroy North Korea", "the calm before the storm" and "only one thing will work." While in Korea, Trump may issue a new threat, again without clarifying what that threat is. A high frequency of such bellicose rhetoric raises tensions and risks losing the efficacy of its intended intimidation, especially when such rhetoric is not supported by most Americans.

From recent developments, one can see what diplomacy means to the Trump administration in dealing with North Korea's nuclear threat. Diplomacy is reduced to building the pressure of the international community against the regime in Pyongyang through multilateral and bilateral sanctions, including "secondary boycotts."

In a traditional sense, the role of diplomacy is to resolve a dispute or a conflict through dialogue and negotiation. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said last week in Tokyo that the U.S. is "not ruling out eventual direct talks with North Korea." I hold hopes in "eventual talks" that can help prevent any military action likely to trigger a war that will kill millions of people.

At this point, it is clear that Trump has no interest in talks. Nobody  not White House chief of staff John Kelly or anyone of his security team  can control Trump's dangerous and bullying tweets. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was told "he was wasting his time in trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," swallowed his humiliation, stayed on the job and complimented his boss by characterizing Trump's tweets as "action-forcing events."

When senior U.S. officials say they prefer a diplomatic solution, it means that they will first try to apply maximum pressure, not ruling out any eventual military option. Yet there is no guarantee that sanctions  including the toughest version by the latest United Nations Security Council resolution  will work this time. Nobody knows how long it will take the sanctions to effect change in the regime's strategy.

On Oct. 18, South Korea's unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, confirmed the conventional wisdom that the North will not give up its nuclear weapons. "Right now, no chance," he said. Cho said it was Pyongyang's claim that discussion of the North Korean nuclear weapons issue can only take place if the U.S. suspends its hostile policy towards the North.

President Moon, while supporting the maximum pressure campaign and strengthening the military deterrent against the North, does not exclude the possibility of dialogue. He has no other choices, as the North is moving fast toward the completion of its nuclear force.

Trump and his counterparts in Asia should focus on finding a peaceful resolution to the North Korean issue, beyond sanctions. What's your take?





Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies.
By Kang Seung-woo



Founders of the nation's top two portal sites are on the hot seat as the National Assembly has urged them to attend a National Assembly audit later this month.



The National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee said Sunday that it summoned Naver's Lee Hae-jin and Kakao's Kim Beom-soo for questioning on Oct. 30.



Lawmakers from the ruling Minjoo Party of Korea as well as the opposition Liberty Korea Party and People's Party are set to file a charge against them if they refuse again. They were asked to take the stand in an Oct. 12 session, but they did not, citing planned overseas business trips.



Instead, the two companies asked the committee to accept the proposal allowing other executives to attend, which was rejected.



Under a National Assembly law, those who refuse to testify in front of lawmakers will face up to three years in prison or 30 million won in fines.



Such a strong push came as there is a bipartisan consensus on asking them questions regarding the two portal sites' alleged unfair business practices.



Lawmakers claim that the two portal service providers are exploiting their market dominance of messenger services and search engines in various sectors such as shopping, real estate brokerage and chauffeur service.



In addition, the Liberty Korea Party is raising allegations that Naver has arranged news articles unfavorable to the party on its website allowing more users to read them.



To make the two firms' situations worse, some lawmakers are set to ask about personal allegations surrounding Lee and Kim.



In response to the National Assembly's request, the two companies have yet to come up with any decision.



Lee is currently in France, where Naver announced plans, Friday, to invest an additional 100 million euros (133 billion won) in French technology fund K-Fund I. Kim is said to have returned from his business trip to Japan last week.



Some business leaders have been punished for non-attendance at the annual political event.



Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin was fined 10 million won, and Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin was fined 15 million won for ignoring the Assembly's requests without proper reasons in 2013.



Chief executives of the nation's three wireless providers were also selected as witnesses for the Oct. 12 questioning, but SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho was the only one who appeared, receiving rare praise from lawmakers. KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu and LG Uplus Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo have been summoned to appear at the Oct. 30 session.












Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wears off earphone as he attends at headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 22, after close of vote of the Lower House election. / EPA-Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a victory in a snap election Sunday and vowed to "deal firmly" with threats from North Korea that dominated the campaign.

Abe's conservative coalition was on road to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from private broadcaster TBS, possibly making him Japan's longest-serving leader.

The election win is likely to stiffen Abe's resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as Japan, the key U.S. regional ally, seeks to exert strong pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

Abe was predicted to grab a "landslide win", the Yomiuri daily said, as the premier's risky bid to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off. But some media had also said it fell just short for his coalition to retain its two-thirds "supermajority" that requires 310 seats.

A "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's U.S.-imposed constitution that forces Tokyo to renounce war and limits its military to a self-defense role.

Abe said he would deepen debate on the divisive issue in parliament, according to the Associated Press. He also stressed that he "doesn't plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone" but "we'll make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible."
Frederic Remington, an artist renowned for capturing the Old West, confronted struggles in his career, a noted authority on the late-19th century painter said Saturday.

One of the things that Remington had to overcome all his life was that he started off as an illustrator, Peter Hassrick, editor of the book Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonne II, said during a Saturday afternoon talk at the Billings Public Library. He dreamed of becoming a fine art painter.

Hassrick was one of a number of authors featured in panels during the annual four-day High Plains BookFest in Billings. His book also was a winner at the High Plains Book Awards, all who were announced at a banquet Saturday night.

Hassrick, director emeritus and senior scholar at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, used a slide show as he talked to an audience of 35 people about Remingtons life. Remington completed 3,000 paintings in his lifetime, as well as bronze sculptures and sketches.

He also was a writer, penning 107 short stories that were published in noted magazines of the day and seven books, one which was made into a Broadway show.

This was a guy who was somewhat ambitious, Hassrick said.

Remington did all of that, despite the fact that he died at age 48 in 1909 of peritonitis from a burst appendix. He was at the absolute height of his creative genius when he died, Hassrick said.

The artist was a blend of an impressionistic painter, especially later in his career, and a narrative storyteller painter. The two sides to Remington were almost disparate in terms of American artistic tradition, Hassrick told his audience.

In his mid-20s, Remington decided to use his talents as an illustrator, and he managed to establish his career pretty quickly. By 1886, one of his illustrations ended up on the cover of Harpers Weekly, which Hassrick compared to Time Magazine today.

Remington used the same composition for that illustration, which depicted a scout in the Geronimo Wars in Arizona, as he did in a painting hed done in art school of the Civil War. At the behest of a friend, he adapted the illustration into a painting.

When he was illustrating a lot of times he would take photographs and adapt them into paintings that were published in magazines, Hassrick said.

Interestingly, Remington often featured the African American or Hispanic cowboys he saw and sketched during his travels. But he would transform his subjects into Anglos in his paintings, Hassrick said, because that was what buyers wanted.

By 1889, Remington was exhibiting paintings in the National Academy of Design in New York, which was the leading arbiter of American art of that day. He desperately wanted to become a formal academician, to be recognized by the academy for his works.

Ten years later, exhibiting his latest painting, he was once again not given the recognition he desired. And Remington never exhibited at the academy again.

One of the last paintings that Remington completed was titled The War Bridle. Its featured on the cover of A Catalogue Raisonne II.

One of Remingtons neighbors in Connecticut, H. Barton Hepburn, had been to Wyoming and hunted with two men, brothers, in the Wind River Mountains. Hepburn had captured the brothers in a photograph as they saddled a horse and he asked Remington to adapt the photo into a painting.

How does an impressionistic painter paint from a photograph? Hassrick asked.

The artist had been to Cody the year before where he painted and sketched the mountains and light and shadow, and he knew what the buildings looked like. Remington was able to blend the photograph with his previous work to create a painting that Hepburn loved.

All 3,000 paintings have a story like this, Hassrick said.
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine  A company that operates nine ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada will require workers to wear safety helmets when working on the mountains.

The new policy follows the death in March of Alexander Witt, who wasn't wearing a helmet and died while working on a steep trail at Sugarloaf USA in Maine. The resort was fined $11,400 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

A spokeswoman for Boyne Resorts told New Hampshire Public Radio that the new policy now applies to all its resorts, which also include Maine's Sunday River and Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. The company also owns resorts in Michigan, Montana, Utah, Washington and British Columbia.

The National Ski Areas Association says the industry in general is moving toward such policies.
Trustees & friends at PNG High Commission, Canberra: (L-R) Andrew Abel, Hillary Miria, Jonathan Ritchie, Zenaleze Abage, Catherine Nolan, Nancy Simeon, Jackson Zabala, Michael Mel, Norah Vagi Brash, Gregory Bablis

GREGORY BABLIS

PORT MORESBY - In Papua New Guinea in 2016 there was a national court case between the National Museum and Art Gallery and Sir Michael Somare as plaintiffs and the former speaker of parliament, Theo Zurenuoc as defendant.

The case, in which the court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, related to the destruction and demolition of cultural objects and imagery that adorned the front, hallways and grand-hall of PNG's national parliament.

It was a landmark decision that upheld the significance of the National Cultural Property Preservation Act, which the National Museum and Art Gallery oversees.

This watershed moment in PNG's cultural history defended the value of the countrys culture and heritage, which underpins the very fabric of PNG society and nationality. It also preserved and protected these various artefacts for future generations.

Over the years, there have been many challenges that have faced the National Museum and Art Gallery. The current trustees (president, Julius Violaris, his deputy Andrew Abel ML and Dr Michael Mel and Norah Vagi Brash OBE) have worked tirelessly to ensure the institution accomplishes its mandated roles and responsibilities.
A 65-year-old hunter from Kalispell who apparently suffered a heart attack was rescued from a steep ridge about 5 miles west of Lima Saturday morning.

The hunting party had cell service in the area and called 911 to report that the man had experienced severe cardiac symptoms.

The Lima Fire Department ambulance crew, Beaverhead County Sheriff Frank Kluesner, and other members of the sheriff's department responded.

Because of the rugged country where the hunter was, about a quarter mile from Little Sheep Creek Road, a life-flight helicopter was called, Kluesner said. The Lima ambulance crew, consisting of emergency medical technicians and a nurse, was able to hike to the man and transport him a short distance by stretcher to the helicopter. He was flown to St. James Healthcare in Butte, where he was reported to be in good condition Sunday.

"The terrain is very steep," Kluesner said. "He was only about 300 yards from the road but probably another 300 yards up in elevation."

The sheriff's department had "lots of activity" because of the opening day of elk season, Kluesner said, but the rescue was the only serious incident.

Sheriff Roger Thompson of Madison County reported Sunday that two hunters in the south Madison Valley on the Gravelly Range did not return to their arranged rendezvous spot and were missing all night.

Madison County Search and Rescue found the hunters Sunday morning, and they were fine, Thompson said.
Like a pub crawl with a literary bent, the fifth annual Lit Crawl L.A. parades through North Hollywoods Arts District on Wednesday for an evening of readings, live storytelling, literary quizzes and more. Spanning just a few blocks, Lit Crawl takes over local galleries, restaurants and bars for an overlapping list of literary happenings  all within walking distance. This years crawl has more than 40 presenters; here are a few top picks.

Duel of the Typewriters: Melrose Poetry Bureau Squares Off

Part poetry reading, part improv, the Melrose Poetry Bureau adds an element of theater to its live literary show, placing the clack of typewriter keys front and center of a stage performance. Members of the Bureau type impromptu poems based on audience suggestions, and for a dash of healthy competition, they also face off against one another in poetry duels. How many people can say theyve witnessed a live, typewritten poetry battle in a design-your-own pizza shop? Heres one chance.

7 p.m. at the Pizza Press, 5077 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

Shades and Shadows: Eat Your Heart Out!

The theme of this reading is matters of the heart, but considering the lineup, it may skew more scary than sappy. Shades and Shadows is a reading series and nonprofit organization that promotes the visibility of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, noir and speculative fiction in Southern California, and for Lit Crawl L.A. it has collected authors to share potentially spooky, or at least surreal, stories. Hear from Mallory Reaves, who co-wrote The Silver Dream with Neil Gaiman, Ben Loory, whose latest collection is Tales of Falling and Flying, and more. On theme for Halloween, plus more pizza!

8 p.m. at the Pitfire Pizza Patio, 5211 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

Ben Loory, who reads Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Out of the Mouth and Into the Fire: Jack Jones Presents Black Women Poets Reading from the Body

Established in 2015 by writer Kima Jones, Jack Jones Literary Arts is a local book publicity company that works predominantly with women of color and has already gained a national profile, including representing the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, Tyehimba Jess. For Lit Crawl, Jack Jones presents Natalie Graham, winner of 2016s Cave Canem poetry prize, Allison Conner, Ashaki Jackson and Shauna Barbosa. Readings will touch on the segregation of southern California, the cruel beauty of the deep south, murdered black children, queer lovers making love despite the world outside, celebrity, domestic violence and what it means to be black, female, alive, determined, bruised. Hosted by Lilliam Rivera, author of The Education of Margot Sanchez and deejayed by Peter Woods of L.A.s Writ Large Press.

9 p.m. at NoHo Plaza, 5223-5225 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

Still standing? The crawl reaches the finish line with a closing party, where guests will have a chance to mingle with favorite readers and any presenters they missed.

10 p.m. at the Eclectic, 5156 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

agatha.french@latimes.com

@agathafrenchy
Tesla has entered an agreement to build its own factory in Shanghai, a first-of-its-kind deal for a foreign automaker, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

The agreement between the Elon Musk-led carmaker in Palo Alto and the Shanghai government could help bolster Chinas fast-growing electric vehicle market, which already leads the rest of the world in EV sales. Details of an announcement about the deal were being finalized.

Chinas home-grown manufactures currently produce 43% of total vehicle sales in China but 96% of all-electric vehicles.

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The new factory could mean lower production costs for Tesla but not likely eliminate Chinas 25% import tax.

Tesla declined Sunday to comment about the report. But it referred to a statement the company made in June, which stated, Tesla is working with the Shanghai Municipal Government to explore the possibility of establishing a manufacturing facility in the region to serve the Chinese market.

Reports of the deal come after China has moved to ban new vehicles powered by gasoline and diesel engines. China plans to set a deadline for carmakers to stop selling cars that run exclusively on gasoline or diesel fuel.

China is the worlds largest emitter of greenhouse gases and has been trying to recast itself as a global leader of environmental initiatives.

ivan.penn@latimes.com

For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn
After scientists at UCLA created a breakthrough treatment for prostate cancer, it generated more than half a billion dollars for the university.

But deals struck with drugmakers also obligated university officials to help pursue patent protection for the drug around the world. Now, consumer activists claim that UCLAs efforts are propping up the drugs high prices  which can top $130,000 a year for a cancer patient in the U.S.  and keeping poor patients in less-developed nations from getting cheaper versions.

The university holds the patent on the chemical compounds its researchers developed that were used to create the drug called enzalutamide, which is sold under the name Xtandi.

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UCLA in 2005 licensed the drug to San Francisco biotech firm Medivation Inc., which sells the drug in partnership with Astellas Pharma Inc. of Japan.

Sales of the drug have skyrocketed since it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2012.

In 2015  the final year Medivation was a stand-alone company and broke out its financial results  Medivation reported worldwide Xtandi sales of $1.9 billion, up 80% from the prior year, and $1.2 billion of those sales were in the U.S. market. The industry journal FiercePharma.com estimates global Xtandi sales could reach $4.78 billion by 2020.

The drugs potential was a major factor behind pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. buying Medivation for $14 billion last year.

UCLA currently gets no money from sales of the drug. The university and others involved in the drugs discovery sold their royalty rights in early 2016 to a firm called Royalty Pharma for $1.14 billion, with $520 million going to UCLA itself. The school said it would use the cash for additional research, scholarships and fellowships.

Now UCLA and the companies are seeking a patent for the drug in India, sparking protests from at least two consumer groups, the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT) and Knowledge Ecology International (KEI).

India is home to a major generic-drug industry, and the activists believe that if UCLA and Xtandis makers drop their efforts to secure a patent there, it will pave the way for the manufacturing of cheaper, generic versions of the drug.

They also believe that the generics would become more available in other countries if those nations knew that substantial generic supplies were available from India.

The activists assert that Medivation and Astellas should not be allowed to sell Xtandi at excessive, unaffordable prices in India because UCLA developed the drug using taxpayer funds through grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Armys prostate cancer research program.

This is a drug invented on government grants that has generated billions in sales since entering the market, Manon Anne Ress, UACTs acting director, said in a Sept. 20 letter to Dr. John Mazziotta, vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences.

Astellas is pricing Xtandi for high-income countries and elites only in developing countries, Ress wrote. This is a direct consequence of UCLA management of its patent rights.

But UCLA contends that the school  because it owns the intellectual property underlying the drug  is contractually obligated to help pursue patents overseas under its licensing agreement with Medivation.

The [UC] Regents are obligated to use their best efforts to keep the patents licensed to Medivation from lapsing, Mazziotta said in a Sept. 7 letter to the activists.

UCLA, as part of its sale of its royalty rights, is entitled to possible additional payments if the drugs future global sales reach a certain level. But in its statement to The Times, UCLA said it was highly unlikely that threshold would be reached even if the patent in India is granted.

(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men after skin cancer, and there were about 3.3 million American men who were living with a prostate cancer diagnosis as of Jan. 1, 2016, according to the most recent figures from the American Cancer Society.

An additional 161,360 American men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, the society says.

A cancer patient typically takes four Xtandi pills a day or 120 a month, and 120 capsules in the U.S. market are priced at $11,463, according to the website GoodRx.com. That would be $137,556 for a years supply.

Prostate cancer is among those cancers showing significant increase in incidence rates in India and the prostate is the second leading site of cancer among males in large Indian cities including Delhi, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The activists last year asked the U.S. government to allow other companies to sell Xtandi at lower prices in the U.S. market, again arguing that Uncle Sam had that right because UCLA scientists had used the taxpayer-funded grants to discover the drug.

The government rejected their request and, with Xtandi sales protected from that threat, Medivation quickly became a takeover target. The sale to Pfizer followed a bidding war that more than doubled Medivations stock price.

Medivation, UCLA and its partners already have made one attempt for a patent in India but it was denied by the Indian Patent Office. UCLAs group is appealing to the Delhi High Court, an appeal the activists have urged the university to drop.

Whats special about this case is the fact that the University of California is going against their own licensing policy by aggressively seeking a patent in India on this drug, KEI Director James Love said.

That policy, as UCLA summarized in a statement to The Times, is intended to facilitate all populations having access to medications and other products and services made possible by UCLA innovation.

But UCLA also noted the concerns about prescription drug pricing among the activists and others and said it was willing to explore the problem further.

The school said we are convening a working group to evaluate our approach to technology licensing in ways that benefit California, the nation and the developing world while also continuing to give drug companies enough incentive to commercialize its discoveries, just as Medivation did with Xtandi.

In the meantime, the activists contend that a daily dose of Xtandi is selling in India for roughly 40 times a persons daily income in that nation, which they called excessive and shamefully unaffordable.

james.peltz@latimes.com

Twitter: @PeltzLATimes
THEATER

Capsule reviews are by Philip Brandes (P.B.), F. Kathleen Foley (F.K.F.), Margaret Gray (M.G.), Charles McNulty (C.M.), Daryl H. Miller (D.H.M.) and David C. Nichols (D.C.N.) Compiled by Matt Cooper.

Openings

Chisme y Queso Short sketches and improv; presented by Center Theater Group; 21 and up only. Eastside Luv Wine Bar, Boyle Heights, 1835 E. First St., Boyle Heights. Sun., 7:30 p.m. Free. www.centertheatregroup.org

Bright Colors and Bold Patterns A gay couple prepare to tie the knot in Palm Springs in Drew Droeges solo comedy. Celebration Theatre @ the Lex, 6760 Lexington Ave., Hollywood. Sun., 7 p.m.; Mon.-Wed., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 25. $30. (323) 957-1884.

An Enemy of the Pueblo Playwright Josefina Lopez puts a feminist Chicana spin on Ibsens classic political fable An Enemy of the People. Casa 0101 Theater, 2102 E. 1st St., Boyle Heights. Sun., next Sun., 5 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 12. $15-$20. (323) 263-7684.

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Lost in Yonkers Staged reading of Neil Simons classic comedy. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Mon., 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted. (626) 355-4318.

Trial By Jury: A Case of Deportation Interactive theater event examines immigration policy. The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. Mon., 7:30 p.m. $25 and up. (310) 434-3200.

Wet: A DACAmented Journey Alex Alpharaoh explores life as an undocumented American in this solo drama. Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village. Mon., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m.; ends Oct. 30. $15-$20. (818) 839-1197.

Chicos Angels  Chicas Are 4Ever The drag trio returns in this mystery comedy. Cavern Club Theater, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A. Thu., 8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 9 p.m.; next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Nov. 5. $35, $40. (323) 662-4255.

LEtat de siege (The State of Siege) Theatre de la Ville  Paris stages a revival of this dystopian fable by Albert Camus about a fortified city under strict government rule; in French with English supertitles; presented by CAP UCLA. Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood. Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m. $49-$99. (310) 825-2101.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses Members of the French aristocracy play games of sex and seduction in a partner-cast staging of Christopher Hamptons adaptation of the scandalous 18th-century novel. Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Broadway, Glendale. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Dec. 10. $30, $34. (818) 506-1983.

Mateluna Chiles Teatro Santiago a Mil presents the U.S. premiere of Guillermo Calderons dark fable about art, politics, violence, etc.; in Spanish with projected English subtitles. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A. Thu.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; ends Oct. 28. $16-$25. (213) 237-2800.

Solo Queens Fest Three shows in repertory: Kristina Wongs The Wong Street Journal, Elizabeth Liangs Alien Citizen: an earth odyssey and Valerie Hagers Naked in Alaska; schedules at www.bootlegtheater.org. Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; ends Nov. 19. $15-$30; passes, $50. (213) 389-3856.

All Shook Up Romantic musical based on Shakespeares Twelfth Night and the songs of Elvis Presley. Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 5. $22, $25. (805) 583-7900.

Horror UnScripted Impro Theatre improvises scary stories based on audience suggestions. The Edye at the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 5 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 and 5 p.m.; ends Oct. 29. $45. (310) 434-3200.

Little Women Four Japanese American sisters try to find a place for themselves in late-1940s Los Angeles in Velina Hasu Houstons reimagining of Louisa May Alcotts classic novel. Playwrights Arena at Chromolume Theatre, 5429 Washington Blvd., L.A. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 4 p.m.; ends Nov. 20. $25, $30; discounts available. (800) 838-3006.

The Radiant Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie carries on following the tragic death of her husband in Shirley Lauros new bio-drama. The Other Space at The Actors Company, 916A N. Formosa Ave., West Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 19. $30, $40. (323) 960-7712.

BOO-tanicum Family-friendly Halloween event features ghost stories, a haunted house and more. Will Geers Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Sat., 4 to 10 p.m. $10, $15; 5 and under, free. (310) 455-2322.

End of the Rainbow Legendary entertainer Judy Garland prepares for a comeback concert in 1968 London in this bio-musical; Angela Ingersoll stars. La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 12. $20-$70. (562) 944-9801.

The Red Dress Inspired by a true story, Tania Wisbars new drama tells a tale of romance, art and politics in Germany between WWI and WWII. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 19. $30. (323) 960-5521.

The Secret Life of Suitcases An office worker goes on a magical journey in this family-friendly puppet play. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sat., 1 p.m.; next Sun., 1 and 3:30 p.m.; ends Oct. 29. $20. (714) 556-2787.

See What You Mean: An Evening of Insurrections with Harry Gamboa Jr. Artists, musicians and performers explore the contemporary urban Chicano experience. The Getty Center, N. Sepulveda Blvd. & Getty Center Drive, L.A. Sat., 6 p.m. Free. (310) 440-7300.

Taking Sides A German composer in post-WWII Berlin is accused of having been a Nazi sympathizer in Sir Ronald Harwoods fact-based drama. Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Sat., 7 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 12. $50, $55; opening night only, $100. (805) 667-2900.

Theatre Fortys Halloween Readings Spooky stories by Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker, et al. Westwood Branch Library, 1246 Glendon Ave., Westwood. Sat., 2 p.m. Free. (310) 474-1739.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble Fundraiser features readings from Shakespeares Macbeth, a haunted maze and more; with Harry Hamlin. The Shakespeare Studio, 1238 W. 1st St., L.A. Next Sun., 6:30 p.m. $35-$75. (213) 489-1123.

Opening Doors Theatre veteran Robert Yacko performs in this cabaret show. Sterlings Upstairs at The Federal, 5303 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Next Sun., 7 p.m. $20; food and beverage minimums apply. (800) 838-3006.

Strays: We All Feel a Little Lost Sometimes Lisa Wharton explores abandonment and adoption, both human and animal, in this hourlong solo show. The Secret Rose, 11264 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Next Sun., 3 p.m.; ends Dec. 3. $28. (800) 838-3006.

Critics Choices

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey If youre the kind of person who enjoys human-centered stories, James Lecesnes off-Broadway sleeper about the disappearance of a teen whose fabulousness doesnt conform to restrictive Jersey Shore gender expectations is what youve been waiting for. (C.M.) The Old Globe, San Diego, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. Sun., next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; Tue.-Wed., 7 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Oct. 29. $30 and up. (619) 234-5623.

Fixed Amid drag balls and cross-dressing massage parlors, Boni B. Alvarez tells a tale of two people who might find love if the world would just leave them alone. His new play powerfully addresses identity and authenticity. (D.H.M.) Echo Theater Company, Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A. Ends Sun., 4 p.m. $20, $34. (310) 307-3753.

The Madwoman of Chaillot With this tricky balance of sharp-edged social satire and utopian fantasy, master stylist Stephanie Shroyers direction shows why Jean Giraudouxs classic fable resonates most vividly in times of beleaguered idealism. (P.B.) A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 11. $25 and up; student rush, $20. (626) 356-3100.

Resolving Hedda Hedda Gabler has a bone to pick with Henrik Ibsen. After 126 years of being backed into a corner and left with suicide as her only freedom, shes had enough. So shes trying to wrest control of Hedda Gabler and disrupt its plot. In Jon Kleins boisterous new comedy she is ferociously embodied by Kimberly Alexander. Maria Gobetti nimbly directs. Laughing audiences clearly are on Heddas side. (D.H.M.) The Big Victory Theatre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Sun., next Sun., 4 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 12. $24-$34. (818) 841-5421.

Rhinoceros With darkly hilarious urgency, this superbly staged and disconcertingly timely revival illuminates playwright Eugene Ionescos absurdist warning about the seductively corrosive lure of herd mentality and the fragility of civilized norms we take for granted. (P.B.) Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice. Sun., next Sun., 3 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 26. $25-$34; discounts available. (310) 822-8392.
Lupita Nyongo relates her story of inappropriate Harvey Weinstein encounters

Lupita Nyongo with her Oscar after winning Best Actress for 12 Years a Slave at the 86th Annual Academy Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

With stories about women allegedly harassed by Harvey Weinstein surfacing all around her, Oscar winner Lupita Nyongo decided she couldnt keep her own story squashed down any longer.

She thought the things that had happened were unique to her, not a larger pattern of what she on Thursday called sinister behavior. She blamed herself for much of it.

I had shelved my experience with Harvey far in the recesses of my mind, joining in the conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years, Nyongo wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times.

The 12 Years a Slave actress was still at Yale School of Drama when she and Weinstein crossed paths at a 2011 awards ceremony in Berlin, where he was introduced to the then-aspiring actress as the most powerful producer in Hollywood. Dinner companions told her he was a good man to know in the biz, but someone to be careful around because he could be a bully, she wrote.

The interactions that followed between her and the producer went back and forth between seemingly appropriate and uncomfortably inappropriate, Nyongo said.

The invitation to screen a movie with Weinstein and his children at his Connecticut home turned into a restaurant lunch where he tried to bully her into drinking alcohol, she wrote, followed by him cutting short her viewing of the movie after 15 minutes and taking her to his bedroom where he offered to give her a massage. She said she flipped the situation around.

I began to massage his back to buy myself time to figure out how to extricate myself from this undesirable situation, the actress said. Then he wanted to take off his pants, she wrote.

He couldnt make it to see a production she was in, but invited her to bring anyone she wanted to see a staged reading of Finding Neverland, one of his. Dinner followed, with her friends relegated to a non-Harvey table.

The talk was shop the whole time and Harvey held court with ease. He was charming and funny once more, and I felt confused about the discomfort I had previously experienced, Nyongo said.

Lupita Nyongo accepts the supporting actress Academy Award for her work in 12 Years a Slave on March 2, 2014. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A couple of months later, he invited her to a screening of W.E. followed by a trip to the Tribeca Grill, which she said she assumed would be another group meal. It was not. His assistants, she said, had seemed uncomfortable as they set up the logistics with her.

Before the starters arrived, he announced: Lets cut to the chase. I have a private room upstairs where we can have the rest of our meal. I was stunned, Nyongo wrote. I told him I preferred to eat in the restaurant. He told me not to be so naive. If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing. He said he had dated Famous Actress X and Y and look where that had gotten them.

She declined, and his tone changed, she said. As he escorted her out, sans meal, she checked in with him to make sure they were still good after shed said no.

His response, according to the actress: I dont know about your career, but youll be fine, he said. It felt like both a threat and a reassurance at the same time; of what, I couldnt be sure.

They didnt cross paths again until the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, which she was attending in support of 12 Years a Slave.

At an after-party, he found me and evicted whoever was sitting next to me to sit beside me, she wrote. He said he couldnt believe how fast I had gotten to where I was, and that he had treated me so badly in the past. He was ashamed of his actions and he promised to respect me moving forward. I said thank you and left it at that. But I made a quiet promise to myself to never ever work with Harvey Weinstein.

Our business is complicated because intimacy is part and parcel of our profession; as actors we are paid to do very intimate things in public. Thats why someone can have the audacity to invite you to their home or hotel and you show up.  Lupita Nyongo

The following year, after her Oscar win, he tried to get her in one of his films, showering her with talk of a star-vehicle film in the offing for her later if shed first take a role in a Weinstein Co. movie shed already turned down. She held firm.

When she first met the now-disgraced producer, she wrote, she was entering into a community that Harvey Weinstein had been in, and even shaped, long before I got there. He was one of the first people I met in the industry, and he told me, This is the way it is. And wherever I looked, everyone seemed to be bracing themselves and dealing with him, unchallenged.

Since then, she said, she hasnt encountered treatment like that from anyone else. Still, she talked about the often-blurry lines in the workplace known as Hollywood.

Our business is complicated because intimacy is part and parcel of our profession; as actors we are paid to do very intimate things in public, wrote Nyongo, who is now 34. Thats why someone can have the audacity to invite you to their home or hotel and you show up. Precisely because of this we must stay vigilant and ensure that the professional intimacy is not abused.
He prowled the streets of Manhattan looking for attractive young women, usually in their early 20s, sometimes college students, on occasion a high schooler. He approached them in Central Park, standing in line at a bank or drug store or at a copy center while they worked on their resumes.

His opening line had a few variations. One went: My names James Toback. Im a movie director. Have you ever seen Black and White or Two Girls and a Guy?

Probably not. So hed start to drop names. He had an Oscar nomination for writing the Warren Beatty movie Bugsy. He directed Robert Downey Jr., in three movies. The actor, Toback claimed, was a close friend; he had invented him. If you didnt believe him, he would pull out a business card or an article that had been written about him to prove he had some juice in Hollywood. That he could make you a star.

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WATCH: The Times Glenn Whipp explains how he broke the James Toback scandal story

But first, hed need to get to know you. Intimately. Trust him, hed say. Its all part of his process.

Then, in a hotel room, a movie trailer, a public park, meetings framed as interviews or auditions quickly turned sexual, according to 38 women who, in separate interviews told the Los Angeles Times of similar encounters they had with Toback.

I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends. And I deserved not to tell anyone.  Adrienne LaValley, actress

During these meetings, many of the women said, Toback boasted of sexual conquests with the famous and then asked humiliating personal questions. How often do you masturbate? How much pubic hair do you have? Hed tell them, they said, that he couldnt properly function unless he jerked off several times a day. And then hed dry-hump them or masturbate in front of them, ejaculating into his pants or onto their bodies and then walk away. Meeting over.

The womens accounts portray James Toback as a man who, for decades, sexually harassed women he hired, women looking for work and women he just saw on the street. The vast majority of these women  31 of the 38 interviewed  spoke on the record. The Times also interviewed people that the women informed of the incidents when they occurred.

As is often the case, none of them contacted the police at the time. When contacted by The Times, Toback denied the allegations, saying that he had never met any of these women or, if he did, it was for five minutes and have no recollection. He also repeatedly claimed that for the last 22 years, it had been biologically impossible for him to engage in the behavior described by the women in this story, saying he had diabetes and a heart condition that required medication. Toback declined to offer further details.

The women interviewed during The Times investigation offered accounts that differed from Tobacks recollections.

The way he presented it, it was like, This is how things are done, actress Adrienne LaValley said of a 2008 hotel room encounter that ended with Toback trying to rub his crotch against her leg. When she recoiled, he stood up and ejaculated in his pants. I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends. And I deserved not to tell anyone.

In a weird sense, I thought, This is a test of whether Im a real artist and serious about acting, remembered Starr Rinaldi, who was an aspiring actress when Toback approached her in Central Park about 15 years ago. He always wanted me to read for him in a hotel or come back to his apartment, like, How serious are you about your craft?

He told me hed love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes.  Louise Post, guitarist and vocalist for Veruca Salt

And the horrible thing is, whichever road you choose, whether you sleep with him or walk away, youre still broken, Rinaldi continued. You have been violated.

Like Harvey Weinstein, Toback, now 72, was a big, hulking man with a reputation, so much so that he titled his 1987 semi-autobiographical movie The Pick-up Artist. He has been a writer/director since 1974; his most recent film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman starring Sienna Miller, premiered at this years Venice Film Festival. Media profiles often referred to him as a womanizer. Lurking underneath were darker rumors of creepy behavior, reported in 1989 by Spy magazine and, more recently, by Gawker.

According to the 38 women who spoke to The Times, the scope of Tobacks behavior was far more serious.

He told me hed love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes, said Louise Post, who met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College. Post, now a guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Veruca Salt, added: Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible.

In the wake of Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein being fired after reports revealed decades of sexual misconduct, many women have been coming forward with tales of harassment, abuse and assault. On the Twitter hashtag campaign #MeToo, Toback has his own special universe. The Veruca Salt account tweeted on Monday: Us too: by bosses, boyfriends, male babysitters, taxi drivers, strangers and movie director/pig #jamestoback #metoo.

I have my own story about #jamestoback from when I was 18. It was vile & disgusting. He was around 50 at the time. That's why I believe her https://t.co/qurkJDVOzQ  Kelley Raleigh (@kelleyraleigh) September 17, 2017

Its a common thread among many women I know  after someone mentions they were sexually abused by a creepy writer-director, the response is, Oh, no. You got Toback-ed, said Karen Sklaire, a New York drama teacher, actor and playwright who said a 1997 meeting with Toback in an office ended with him grinding against her leg. The numbers are staggering.

Toback always kept his credentials handy when he introduced himself to women. He had amassed a solid body of work over four decades: His 1974 debut, The Gambler starring James Caan, the three movies with Downey Jr., a sympathetic documentary about boxer Mike Tyson and, of course, that Oscar-nominated screenplay for Bugsy, the 1991 portrait of gangster Bugsy Siegel, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Beatty and Annette Bening.

Tobacks movies often examine extremes  gambling, drinking, womanizing  that he says overlap with his own demons. The idea is not to have a separation between my life and my movies, Toback said in a 2002 Salon interview. His characters are often on edge  Harvey Keitels pianist in Fingers, the teenagers infatuated with hip-hop culture in Black and White.

I was shocked and frozen and didnt know what to do. I thought if I resisted, it could get worse. He could overpower me.  Terri Conn, actress

As a writer/director, Toback liked to push the envelope sexually. The widely panned 2004 drama When Will I Be Loved opened with a five-minute shot of Neve Campbell masturbating with a shower nozzle.

Off-screen he constantly brought up those provocative scenes, say the majority of the women interviewed by The Times, to see how far they were willing to go, both during the audition process and, should they be cast, in his movies.

The more time you spend with him, the weirder it gets until its like just like one giant red flag, said Los Angeles radio reporter Anna Scott.

Scott was an 18-year-old senior at Manhattans Hunter College High School when Toback approached her at a deli across the street from her campus. He told her he was working on a movie called Black and White, that it starred boxer Tyson and he was casting complete unknowns. He asked if Scott was interested in acting. She was about to attend USC to study screenwriting. She thought she had made a fortuitous connection.

Toback invited Scott to a taping of the Charlie Rose show, where he was part of a panel. After the taping, he told her, they could talk more about the movie. But as they walked the streets of Midtown, the conversation quickly veered into sexual territory, including queries about masturbation and pubic hair.

It was disgusting and embarrassing, Scott said. I tried to extricate myself from it without causing a scene.

Us too: by bosses, boyfriends, male babysitters, taxi drivers, strangers and movie director/pig #jamestoback #metoo  Veruca Salt (@verucasalt) October 16, 2017

Instead, Toback steered her into a restaurant where, she said he told her, You have to be ready to turn yourself completely over to me. Finally, she abruptly stood up and fled.

In his trailer on the set of Black and White, Toback knelt in front of actress Echo Danon and, she says, put his hands on her thighs, telling her, If you look into my eyes and pinch my nipples, Im going to come in my pants right now. She resisted. She felt helpless. Eventually he backed down.

Everyone wants to work, so they put up with it, Danon said. Thats why I put up with it. Because I was hoping to get another job.

Toback approached Sari Kamin at a Kinkos in Manhattans Upper West Side in 2003. He pulled out a DVD copy of Two Girls and a Guy and told her hed like to cast her in his next movie. He said he felt an instant connection to her.

After several dinners over the course of a few months, Kamin says, Toback convinced her to accompany him to a hotel room, telling her that he needed to experience a real connection with her. Alarms went off, she says. She knew she wouldnt sleep with him, but she felt like if she could make it through the evening, maybe shed finally land a part.

Once in the suite, Kamin says, Toback asked her to take off her clothes. She protested. Toback berated her, saying that if she couldnt reveal herself to him in the hotel room, how would she be able to act in a provocative sex scene in front of a movie crew? She gave in, removed her clothes. After commenting on her body, he knelt down before her and began to vigorously rub his groin against her.

I felt really paralyzed, Kamin recalled. And I asked him, Are you trying to get yourself off? And he said, Absolutely. She jumped out of her chair, grabbed her clothes and ran.

Not all of the incidents in the womens accounts occurred in private. Terri Conn was 23 and acting on the soap opera As the World Turns when, she says, Toback approached her on the street. She was intrigued by his credentials and dreamed of being in an edgy independent film. Toback asked her to meet him in Central Park to discuss his process. He took her to a somewhat secluded area  there were people yards away  and told her the best way to get to know someone is to see their soul. And the way you can see someones soul is to look into their eyes when theyre experiencing orgasm. And he knelt before her and began humping her leg, telling Conn to look into his eyes.

I was shocked and frozen and didnt know what to do, Conn said. I thought if I resisted, it could get worse. He could overpower me. He quickly ejaculated into his khakis, got up and asked her to meet for dinner later to continue the process. Conn ignored his subsequent phone calls and never saw him again.

Chantal Cousineau was 19 and living in Toronto when, she says, she was asked to meet Toback for an audition for Harvard Man in 2001. The encounter began in a hotel restaurant and ended in his hotel room, with Cousineau prepared to walk away after Toback kept talking about masturbation. When she reached the door, he told her, Calm down, youve got the part, as though the whole thing had been a test.

Cousineau didnt believe him, but her modeling agent called shortly afterward to confirm the casting. During a rehearsal for a monologue in which her character  a drug dealer  looks directly into the camera, she heard Toback, 10 feet away, on the other side of a half wall where the sets portable monitors were located, grunting, his hands rubbing, loud and rapid, against his windbreaker pants as he masturbated. After issuing a pronounced grunt, she said, Toback told the crew to break for 15 minutes.

When he returned to the set, Toback excused the camera man and sat two feet from Cousineaus face as she delivered her monologue, the first time she had ever been on film.

I felt so violated, she said. And there was my abuser, inches away from me.

Several of the women The Times interviewed quit acting after their encounters with Toback. Some returned to school. Some got married and buried their incident, never telling their husbands because of a sense of shame. Then the Weinstein scandal hit, and, for many, the news dredged up memories they had long repressed.

Today, I cried for the first time since then about it, Post said. I was crying for the 20-year-old woman who lost something vital that day  her innocence.

But even as an ever-growing list of high-profile women recount their sexual abuse on social media and in first-person accounts, many women remain afraid. Several women said he told them intimidating stories, some of which verged on the ridiculous, like when he informed flight attendant Ashly McQueen in 1998 that he killed someone at the racetrack with a pencil.

This woman asked to remain anonymous; she still feared for her safety 23 years after Toback humped her leg in his office until he ejaculated in his pants. Others interviewed for this story requested anonymity as well, fearing retaliation. One woman recounted the time when she met Toback at his New York home and he wouldnt let her leave until she grabbed his nipples and looked into his eyes while he masturbated.

Another well-known actress had a similar experience in 2000 at a Los Angeles hotel during what she thought was to be an audition. As with so many other women, Toback told her he felt a connection with her but that she needed to display the sexual confidence the role required. She needed to remove her clothes. I am really uncomfortable, she replied.Thats the whole point of this exercise, she says Toback told her.

The young woman, then a rising Hollywood star, wondered why she was so uncomfortable, why she couldnt just be naked in front of someone. So she took off her sweater, but started to cry. She stumbled through the monologue Toback had given her, thinking, God, I really am a bad actress. I cant concentrate. Im just trying to get through this.

Toback brought up all the famous people he had worked with, boasting about how he had made their careers and telling her he could do the same for her  if she trusted him. She thought maybe he was right. But she still wanted to leave. She pulled on her sweater. He blocked the hotel room door. He told her he needed to ejaculate and she had to help him.

People who go against me  I know people that hurt people, he warned her. Then he asked if shed have sex with him. No. Would she jerk him off? No.

She went for the door. He told her he couldnt let her go unless he had sexual release. All she needed to do was pinch his nipples and look into his eyes and he would press himself against her and come in his pants. She felt she had no choice. And while it was happening, she tried to look away, but he grabbed her head and made her stare into his eyes.

Her manager told her not long afterward that he wanted to see her again. Her reply: Hes a vile person. And you shouldnt ever send another woman to him.

Times staff writer Victoria Kim contributed to this report.

See the most-read stories this hour glenn.whipp@latimes.com

Twitter: @glennwhipp

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A mechanical tool is following an intricate signal.

These are coaxial speakers, and the tweeters in the throat of the woofer.

Now you have 16 sets of stampers for a set of lacquers.

The language can get pretty heady when Bernie Grundman is talking shop at his sprawling, 20,000-square-foot studio in the heart of Hollywood.

One of the music industrys most respected mastering engineers, Grundman specializes in an arcane yet crucial part of the recording process  the last step, essentially, before a piece of music is readied for mass consumption on CD or vinyl or, as is most often the case these days, as a stream of digital information beamed down from the cloud via Spotify or Apple Music.

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Mastering involves striking the final balance of the various elements in a mix, getting the dynamics just right, controlling the amount of silence between tracks  each of which can significantly affect an intricate production like some of those Grundman has mastered, including Michael Jacksons Thriller and Steely Dans Aja.

Yet for all his facility with the nuts and bolts of audio technology, Grundman, 73, insists that what he really deals in  the reason A-list producers and pop stars have been coming to him for decades  is feeling.

Our object here is to make sure that these recordings connect emotionally with the listener, he said on a recent morning at his studio, where hes scheduled to present a seminar Monday as part of the month-long Red Bull Music Academy series that has also featured performances by St. Vincent and Ryoji Ikeda. We want them to feel all the depth and the value of the music, that expression of the human experience.

Grundmans studio, which he opened 20 years ago following earlier stints in other buildings around town, reflects that intimate aspiration.

A former Social Security office just a few blocks from such storied Sunset Boulevard recording studios as United and EastWest, the high-ceilinged place houses six separate mastering suites for staff engineers including Mike Bozzi (who mastered Kendrick Lamars three studio albums) and Patricia Sullivan (who regularly works with film composers such as Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer). Each is decorated slightly differently, with specific lighting schemes and wood finishes.

In Grundmans suite, a row of framed snapshots  there he is with Tom Waits  sits behind a cozy sofa; in each picture, he looks like somebodys favorite uncle, grinning warmly as though the other person had just caught a 10-pound bass or won first place in a spelling bee.

Grundman in his studio with the members of No Doubt in 1999. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times )

Im one of the old-timers, he said with a self-effacing chuckle. Grundman was dressed in a button-down shirt and jeans, his hair parted neatly on the side. As he and I spoke, a young assistant placed a demitasse cup before me.

Now, see, thats important, Grundman said. Youre getting our secret weapon. This comes from Rome; its one of the best espressos Ive ever had. Very smooth.

I took a sip.

No bitter aftertaste, he noted with pride. You dont need anything in it.

The creature comforts may be a natural extension of Grundmans friendly nature. But they also make good business sense at a moment when his uncommon technical skill  his ability to make a recording sound alive  isnt quite as valued as it once was.

Not that hes hurting, exactly. Last year, Grundman mastered the latest album by rapper Childish Gambino (the stage name of actor, writer and director Donald Glover of Atlanta), which spun off the Top 40 radio hit Redbone.

But in an era when many music fans are abandoning physical formats for lower-quality digital streaming (and listening through crummy earbuds), Grundmans pricey mastering work strikes some acts and labels as an unnecessary expense.

Budgets are low, he said, one result of a dramatic drop in record sales that began around 2000 with the advent of peer-to-peer software like Napster. And because a lot of records only come out on iTunes or Spotify, these inferior formats, youre not going to hear the difference between what Grundman does and what a computer plug-in can do.

Say what I do for somebody is 30% better, he continued. Well, when you put it through the coding device that does the digital compression [for streaming], that 30% is now only 10 or 15.

In its effort to reduce the size of a digital file, the compression makes all the instruments sound like each other, he said. They start to lose their individual integrity, which is precisely the thing Grundman says hes seeking to preserve.

But some people dont mind that, because it doesnt distract them from the other things theyre doing. Now we can work on our computer or look at our phone and not be distracted by the music. His face flashed a rueful expression.

Its kind of sad.

Grundman shows off his machine for cutting master discs for vinyl production. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

Grundman is making up for some of that lost business with a boom in work he once thought was destined to dry up: remastering classic albums for reissue on vinyl.

According to the music tracking firm BuzzAngle, vinyl sales were up 20% in the first half of this year versus 2016, driven in part by a nostalgic impulse among some listeners to hold a record in their hands.

In recent years, Grundmans operation has handled reissues from U2 and Pink Floyd, and he recently oversaw a new rollout of Buffalo Springfields catalog.

During our chat, he led me out of his suite to a cramped space at the rear of the building in which two hulking machines sat  solid aluminum lathes tricked out with computers designed to carefully etch grooves into vinyl discs.

When we moved in here, we thought discs were half-dead, Grundman said. Now this is probably our busiest room.

Grundmans goal in mastering vinyl is crafting records that will sound good on a wide range of record players  from the $100 jobs Urban Outfitters sells up to the high-end models that go for thousands.

Hes not dismissive of those cheapo numbers, either. Whatever gets people listening to music more intently  which vinyl requires, he said, because you have to take the record out of the jacket, put it on the turntable, flip it over to the other side  is a positive development in his view.

You hear stories that kids, teenagers and stuff, are actually getting together and listening to records, he said. Thats good!

Grundman certainly listened deeply when he was a kid. Growing up in Phoenix, he had his mind blown by Study in Brown, the 1955 album by jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach; around the same time, he started hanging out in the projectionists booth at a small theater where his mother worked as the bookkeeper.

His fascination with film and audio equipment eventually led him to cobble together his own primitive sound system with money he earned parking cars. Later, as a 19-year-old, he opened an after-hours jazz club and befriended local musicians whose sets hed often record.

In 1961, he joined the Air Force and expanded his technical knowledge working on radar-jamming equipment. After four years, he left the service and drove straight to Hollywood and walked into Capitol Records, he said, and asked the head of recording, OK, what do I need to do to be a recording engineer?

A few years (and a few jobs) later, he was running the mastering department of A&M Records, which he did for 15 years. Then, in 1984, he opened Bernie Grundman Mastering, working first out of the Ocean Way building on Sunset before moving to the firms current spot.

In addition to Thriller and Aja, Grundman is well known for his work on Princes Purple Rain and Dr. Dres The Chronic. When I asked him what he thought attracted hip-hop and R&B heavyweights to him, he said it was probably his sensitivity to rhythm, which he said matters more in that music (and in his beloved jazz) than it does in, say, rock n roll.

Yet he was quick to add that one key to excellence in mastering is keeping yourself open to all genres  an ethos in sync with the playlist-ruled streaming culture thats threatening his livelihood.

You cant be prejudiced against a certain style, he said, just before he ducked into a session with Adam Sandlers producer, Brooks Arthur, who had arrived at Grundmans studio to prepare vinyl reissues of Sandlers comedy records.

We all have the same emotions; its just different points of view, he said. So when youre sitting in front of the speakers, with whatever comes in, you have to use yourself emotionally to know if youre getting anywhere with this stuff.

If I turn this knob, am I making this a more fulfilling experience than it was before?

mikael.wood@latimes.com

Twitter: @mikaelwood

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Zain Jaffer, a 29-year old CEO of a Silicon Valley tech firm, was fired this week after his arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a child and battery of an officer, authorities said.

Jaffers father reportedly called police to the family house in Hillsborough, a tony community south of San Francisco, around 4 a.m. on Oct. 15, according to local media reports.

Jaffer was arrested for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, battery upon an officer and emergency personnel, lewd act upon a child and oral copulation of a person under 14, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Department website..

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The attempted murder charge has since been dropped, according to some reports.

Daniel Olmos, Jaffers attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times on Sunday.

Jaffer ran Vungle, a start-up that makes video ads tailored for mobile devices.

We are aware of the extremely serious allegations leveled against our former CEO, and we are shocked beyond words, the companys new CEO, Rick Tallman, said in a statement announcing Jaffers termination on Friday. While these charges are completely unrelated to his former role at the company, they are obviously so serious that it led to his immediate removal.

Jaffers next court date is Nov. 1, according to his profile on the sheriffs website.

jack.dolan@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter at @JackDolanLAT
In a closely divided election, a UC Irvine student who led an insurgency against establishment politics won a bitter battle Saturday for control of the California College Republicans, a triumph for provocative conservatism over a more moderate approach.

Ariana Rowlands, an ally of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, led a slate called Rebuild, which advocates aggressive actions in campus culture wars and taking on college administrators and liberals who try to suppress the conservative voice.

Her opponent, USC graduate Leesa Danzek, works for a centrist Republican state legislator, favors inclusion and encourages students to help GOP candidates with phone banking and electioneering. She headed the Thrive slate and had led the state organization, which supports about 70 campus chapters, over the last year.

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Rowlands defeated Danzek, 88-64, in the first contested election in nearly a decade but the 14-member executive board ended up evenly split between the two sides. The divide between them reflects the national battle between GOP establishment insiders and insurgents inspired by Trump.

In remarks after the vote, Rowlands told students she would stand up to attacks from peers who seem to hate you more than ever before.

We are the voice of the conservative movement on college campuses, we will continue to do so, and we will be louder and prouder than ever before, said Rowlands, a UCI senior majoring in political science.

Danzek, for her part, thanked students for their enthusiasm and urged them to come together. Were in this for each other, she said. Were in this for the party.

Rowlands victory was hailed by students who said they feel besieged and suppressed on Californias liberal campuses. Many said they believed Thrive represented a status quo that had failed to increase the conservative student movement.

I love Rebuild because its about activism, getting the message out there, embracing an actual conservative approach rather than trying to appease liberals or work with administration, said Dylan Martin, a senior at UC San Diego. Its nice to have an approach that wants to fight back just as much as the other side is fighting us.

But several Thrive members expressed concern about how to heal the wounds inflicted in the contentious battle.

Kavya Maddali, a senior at St. Marys College of California in Moraga, said she was concerned that Rowlands combative tactics and penchant for headline-grabbing actions would alienate those who prefer Thrives approach of inclusion and in-the-trenches work to elect Republicans.

Andrew Mendoza, president of the UC Davis College Republicans, said several Thrive members were thinking of leaving the state organization because they feared Rowlands leadership style  which they perceived as intimidating. The fact that this is our leadership is abhorrent, he said.

Tensions raged between the two sides even before voting began at the state GOP convention in Anaheim. The election was supposed to have taken place at the California College Republicans convention in April but was postponed to Saturday after arguments between the two sides over who was allowed to vote.

Those resentments resurfaced Saturday, when Rebuild members accused Danzek of using her influence over the state organization to withhold information about the election and improperly disqualify some students from voting  including one of their slates candidates, Christian Chacon.

Danzek said that Chacon was excluded because he was not listed on the membership list and that she was following clear procedural rules, but Rebuild leaders said they intended to challenge his exclusion.

As students checked in for their voting cards, Rowlands hovered nearby, objecting every time one of her supporters was denied one. Danzek, harried as she tried to handle the drama and dissension, repeatedly told the crowd to quiet down and urged them to follow the rules.

Oh, now you want to follow the rules! Rowlands yelled.

Read more: In California, the battle over the future and soul of college Republicans 

Students line up to receive their voting cards for the California College Republican election, held Saturday in Anaheim. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

After the vote, Noah Ritter, a Rebuild member elected as Southern Region vice chair, said he was confident the two sides could work together on such actions as a protest against the state gas tax increase, scheduled to take effect next month. Nick Steinwender, a California Lutheran University student and Thrive member who was elected as Rowlands co-chair, said other top issues were free speech, getting more Republicans elected in 2018  and healing the divide among students.

Well hopefully be able to unite as one organization and move forward  and help lead the fight to bring the Republicans out of the super-minority in 2018, Steinwender said. My focus moving forward is leaving behind Rebuild, leaving behind Thrive and just being the California College Republicans.

In the end, Rowlands and Danzek made a show of coming together.

Sharing the podium, each woman addressed the students, shook hands and posed for a photo.

As students looked on, some called out: Say cheese! Say its over! Democrats suck!

Both young women smiled.

(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times )

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Follow @RosannaXia and @teresawatanabe for more education news
The last two of eight prototypes for President Trumps proposed border wall took shape Thursday at a construction site in San Diego.

The prototypes form a tightly packed row of imposing concrete and metal panels, including one with sharp metal edges on top. Another has a surface resembling an expensive brick driveway.

Companies have until Oct. 26 to finish the models, but Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco said the last two have come into profile, with crews installing a corrugated metal surface on the eighth model on a dirt lot just a few steps from homes in Tijuana, Mexico.

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As the crews worked, three men and two women from Nepal, ages 19 to 30, jumped a short rusted fence from Tijuana into the construction site and were immediately stopped by agents on horseback.

Francisco said there have been four or five other illegal crossing attempts at the site since work began Sept. 26.

The models, which cost the government up to $500,000 each, were spaced 30 feet apart. Slopes, thickness and curves vary. One has two shades of blue with white trim. The others are gray, tan or brown  in sync with the desert.

Bidding guidelines call for the prototypes to stand between 18 and 30 feet high and be able to withstand at least an hour of punishment from a sledgehammer, pickaxe, torch, chisel or battery-operated tools.

Features also should prevent the use of climbing aids such as grappling hooks, and the segments must be aesthetically pleasing when viewed from the U.S. side.

The administration hasnt said how many winners it will pick or whether Trump will weigh in himself.

There are currently 654 miles of single-layer fence on the 1,954-mile border, plus 51 miles of double- and triple-layer fence.

Im sure they will engage in a lot of tests against these structures to see how they function with different challenges, U.S. Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte (R-Va.), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday after touring the construction site.

Trump has asked Congress for $1.6 billion to replace 14 miles of wall in San Diego and build 60 miles in Texas Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.
DECATUR  Former Decatur Police Chief Mark Barthelemy has self-published his first book in a series that details the history of the city's police department.

The book, straightforwardly titled "The History of the Decatur, Illinois Police Department, Volume 1: 1856-1899," captures snapshots of not just the life of early American law enforcement officials and the crude methods they used to uphold the town's order, but also the evolution of a frontier supply station into an industrial Midwestern center fueled by multiple railroads.

"People today, when ... they hear about the shootings and say, 'Boy this town used to be safe and we never had these things,' they'll learn as far back as the story goes there were murders, and heinous ones at that, and major crimes that occurred," Barthelemy said.

A Millikin graduate with a degree in sociology, Barthelemy served with the Decatur Police for 30 years, more than four as its chief, until 2006. He then started a job as the city's human relations officer, working to investigate discrimination claims, for eight years until his retirement in 2014.

He said his research and writing on the city's police started 20 years ago and was meant to be a piece of reference for the current officers on the force.

"I'm a first-time author, really a reluctant author, and there were a few folks who said you need to publish this ... everybody in the world will be interested in this," Barthelemy said.

But the stories and perspective of the history may have an even stronger impact on his fellow Decatur officers.

"I think that you realize why law enforcement is the way it is today, and why there is public resentment in some aspects of law enforcement, because people don't generally like to be told what to do," Barthelemy said.

When patrol officers were hired in Decatur later in the 19th century, Barthelemy said they often worked 12-hour shifts with no days off.

Current Decatur police Chief Jim Getz said he's eager to get his copy. "I'm very interested in reading it, and I think there's a lot of interesting history that I don't know," Getz said.

Barthelemy will be having a release event at the Decatur Civic Center on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m., where he said he'll be selling a limited number of copies.

Paperback copies of the book can be ordered at lulu.com, an independent publishing platform.

"I was already proud of my career and the things I accomplished, but I think the actual link to a past that I had not the slightest idea of, it was just, it added to the pride I felt as being apart of that."
Annette Pernell, a council member in this Texas town, was aghast when she heard about plans to construct a Confederate memorial that would be visible from the interstate and loom over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

But there was nothing she or anybody else could do about it. The land was private.

And so the Confederate Memorial of the Wind slowly went up on a grassy half-acre. A total of 13 concrete columns  one for each Confederate state  rise from a circular concrete pedestal. Eventually it will be surrounded by as many as 40 poles topped with Civil War battle flags.

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Its as if weve gone backwards, said Pernell, who is 54 and black. I didnt think, at this age, I would see what Im seeing now. A Confederate memorial is a slap in the face of all Americans, not just African Americans.

More than 150 years after Robert E. Lees surrender at Appomattox, local officials across the Deep South are removing contentious Confederate monuments from prominent perches in busy town squares and government buildings. In August, violence at a rally of white nationalists seeking to preserve a statue of Lee in Charlottesville, Va.  and comments by President Trump opposing its removal  brought renewed national attention to the issue.

A Confederate memorial is a slap in the face of all Americans, not just African Americans.  Annette Pernell, resident of Orange

Less publicized has been the quiet rise of a new generation of Confederate markers  on private land, in cemeteries, on historic battlefields.

In South Carolina last month, a granite monument dedicated to the immortal spirit of the Confederate cause was unveiled on a spot where Civil War enthusiasts gather each year to reenact the Battle of Aiken. In Alabama in August, a gray stone memorial was dedicated in a private Crenshaw County park to unknown Confederate soldiers. In Georgia last year, a black marble obelisk was erected on public land in the mountain town of Dahlonega in memory of the countys nearly 1,200 Confederate veterans.

In all, more than 30 monuments and symbols to the Confederacy have been dedicated or rededicated since 2000, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. A historian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, W. Fitzhugh Brundage, conducted an inventory of his own state and found that 20 monuments had gone up there over that time  the most since the early 20th century.

The people funding the monuments  often the great-great grandchildren of Confederate soldiers  say they simply want to remember their loved ones and ensure their legacies live on. More controversially, many also promote a revisionist history in which slavery was not a major cause of the war.

We just want to honor our ancestors, said Hank Van Slyke, a 62-year-old engineering specialist and commander of a local Sons of Confederate Veterans brigade that put up the monument in Orange. The group is an association of male descendants of Confederate soldiers, and was formed in 1896 to hail the hallowed memories of brave men and record of the services of every Southern Soldier.

Throughout history, whoever wins the war and conquers the nation, they get to write the history books, he said. Weve always studied that we had a good cause and our ancestors fought for what they thought was right.

We just want to honor our ancestors.  Hank Van Slyke, Sons of Confederate Veterans

While most historians agree that the root cause of the Civil War was slavery, a significant number of Americans, particularly in the South, have been taught the war was about states rights in general. Six years ago, a Pew Research Center survey found that 48% of Americans said states rights were the reason for the war, while 38% cited slavery.

The debate is particularly charged in Texas, where the State Board of Education in 2010 adopted new academic standards listing slavery as third among the causes of the war, after sectionalism and states rights.

Theres a kind of historical symmetry, in that many of these men now fighting the battle to defend the Lost Cause are predisposed to see themselves as under threat, Brundage said.

The new monuments tend to be more modest than older ones. At the turn of the 20th century, when Confederate organizations enjoyed enormous cultural prestige in the South, large bronze and marble monuments were erected in conspicuous public spaces and etched with politically charged plaques. Now, Brundage said, they often focus less on defending the Confederacy and more on memorializing unknown soldiers or listing those who died.

Even in its unfinished state, the new Confederate memorial in Orange has stirred more public controversy than most new ones.

We know this makes our town look bad, said John Jack Smith, the city attorney for Orange, a town of 19,000 near the Louisiana state line whose motto is Small town charm, world class culture.

Smith said the monument didnt reflect the values of Orange residents, and he slammed the Sons of Confederate Veterans as a racist hate group.

Were very concerned that this could send the wrong signal about Orange as people drive down the highway, he said. But what can we do about it? Its a matter of free speech. We cannot stop them from building the thing on private land.

Just over a third of Orange residents are black  a greater share than in any other town in the predominantly white county, which has long grappled with racism. In the 1990s, members of the Ku Klux Klan protesting federal attempts to integrate public housing held marches in the nearby city of Vidor, which was notorious as a sundown town because African Americans were not safe after dark.

In 2013, word spread that Granvel Block, then Texas division commander for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, had quietly bought a small plot of land near Interstate 10 for less than $10,000 and acquired a city building permit to construct a Civil War monument. The local chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and several residents attended a City Council meeting to oppose the project.

The monument also sparked an online petition and an editorial from a local newspaper, the Beaumont Enterprise: The last thing Southeast Texas needs is a large memorial to the Confederacy, it said. Simply put, it would be divisive and offensive.

Still, when the newspaper conducted an online poll asking Do you want a Confederate monument here? more than 70% of respondents clicked Yes. The Confederate Army and Civil War are part of our history.

Block responded by publishing a lengthy Call to Arms on his groups Facebook page.

If we do not stand up when our ancestors are being attacked and break the stigma that our opponents attempt to attach to anything Confederate, we run the risk of everything Confederate as we know it, being condemned and exterminated, he wrote. These new Confederate memorials will be the turning point, and will open the doors and dialog for an accurate account of history to be taught.

Rather than just follow the easy path of honoring ancestors in the ways which are acceptable, he argued, the group should focus on challenging the idea that the war was fought over slavery.

Yet in a sign of how controversial the monument has become, Block now declines to meet with reporters or speak on the record for fear of upsetting his wife.

In a telephone interview, Van Slyke, the local brigade commander, said that although slavery may have been a small part of the war, it was pretty far down the list.

Karen L. Cox, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, said that those putting up new monuments to the Confederacy represented a minority point of view.

They continue to believe in the sort of version of history that mythologizes the Confederacy and its heroes, but its so obvious its disingenuous, she said. Theyre not honoring history; theyre commemorating the principles and objectives of the war.

While Orange city officials decided they could not legally stop the monument there, they sought to limit its impact by regulating the size of the Confederate flags and placing restrictions on parking. In 2013, the council passed an ordinance to limit flagpoles to 35 feet tall and ban any flags larger than 4 by 6.

While many people prefer not to talk about the monument, defenders arent hard to come by.

John Broussard, 54, an industrial electrician, and John Shaver, 33, a millwright machinist  both white  said those who criticized the monument, and its position near a street named after a slain civil rights leader, didnt understand it.

I dont think its intended to be malicious to any race, Shaver said. A Confederate memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive could bring the community and two racial groups together. Being a Confederate monument, the first thing that pops up in your mind is segregation and slavery, but it isnt about that.

Nathaniel Colbert, 68, an African American and retired plant operator who lives on the other side of the interstate less than a mile away, believes the monument was a deliberate insult.

At first, Colbert said, it really bothered him to drive by the memorial. Now he just whizzes on by in his pickup truck, barely noticing it.

Its an affront, but Ive dealt with ignorance most of my life, he said. Right now, its just the beat of the drum.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.

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Theres a tendency among English professors to pitch and plead for our subject as, counterintuitively, a practical choice for the student of today facing the job market of tomorrow.

We arent wrong about that. Study after study backs us up, while at regular intervals yet another corporate CEO or Silicon Valley guru trumpets the value of a degree in English or Philosophy or Classics. English majors are making a perfectly pragmatic decision, one that will help them cultivate the soft skills employers want  critical thinking, communication, creative problem solving, collaboration  while also nurturing the intellectual curiosity and mental agility that will serve them well when the careers of the future turn out to be ones we couldnt predict. Liberal arts graduates are not doomed to serve Frappuccinos to MBAs: They are teachers and journalists, writers and doctors, artists and executives. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was an English major; so were Sting, Sally Ride, Clarence Thomas and Emma Watson. There is no straight line from a BA in English to one specific job  but thats an advantage, not a drawback.

Yet the myth persists that an English degree is at best decorative and at worst debilitating, and the number of English majors is declining. Why should this be? How can it be, when the facts are on our side? Its both disheartening and baffling.

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Lately, Ive been thinking that its partly our fault  that our self-promoting argument, though a sound one, is the wrong one, and also a self-defeating one. Because heres the truth: If your priority is to improve your marketable skills, you certainly can do that  indeed, you will do that  in my class on the Victorian novel, but you do not actually need my class on the Victorian novel, or any other literature class, for that purpose.

Literature both reflects us and shapes us. We dont need any excuses for taking it seriously.

Studying Middlemarch is simply not a necessary condition for learning critical thinking or communication skills. Many other classes will help with that, and they might do it more efficiently. Reading Middlemarch is taking the long way around to those generic ends.

The only thing youll get in a class on the Victorian novel that you wont get anywhere else is an education in the Victorian novel. If we want students to choose an English degree over other programs equally able to improve their soft skills, we need to make our best case for that specific experience  not just for the value of studying Bleak House, Jane Eyre or Middlemarch, of course, but for the importance of engaging with our vast, diverse, vexing and exhilarating literary culture, from Beowulf to the Beat poets, from Tennyson to Toni Morrison. The utilitarian defense weve been relying on tacitly concedes the fundamental irrelevance of our actual subject. No wonder were demoralized. No wonder it sometimes seems as if our own students  or, more to the point, our prospective students  dont know what we have to offer.

So what is the best case for studying English? I could start with the research psychologists are doing on the crucial role that reading fiction plays in developing empathy, or with the eloquent case philosopher Martha Nussbaum has made for the ethical advantages of seeing the world as a novelist does  one like Henry James on whom nothing is lost, or one like Charles Dickens, who in Hard Times, delivers a stinging rebuke to just the kind of reductive economic utilitarianism currently dominating conversations about higher education. Or I could point to programs such as Changing Lives Through Literature, which show the transformative potential, both personal and social, of the imaginative exercise literature demands.

But these arguments still skip over what made most of us readers first and English majors second: the thrill of discovering what words can do, and of thinking hard about what they mean. Literature is not just a means to other ends. Like all art, it deserves attention for its own sake  and also for ours. Literature is the record of the many stories we have told about ourselves and our world, and of the many ways we have found to use language artfully and beautifully, but also cruelly and obtusely. It both reflects us and shapes us. We dont need any excuses for taking it seriously.

Standing up for what we actually teach might turn out to work better than we imagine. Even those who claim to see no use for literature often implicitly acknowledge its importance, especially at times of high emotion or deep significance  weddings, for instance, or funerals. How often do people turn to poetry because they recognize, on some level, that it offers them something they cant find anywhere else?

But even if this isnt a winning strategy, at least we would be advocating for our classes in a principled way, rather than trying to convince people that they should study George Eliot to practice their teamwork.

Dont major in English if your goal is to acquire marketable skills. Or at any rate, dont take my class on the Victorian novel for that reason. Take it because youve heard that Middlemarch may be the greatest 19th-century English novel and you want to experience it for yourself. Youll probably end up a better thinker because of it, but Middlemarch itself is reason enough to be there. It will be my job and my pleasure to help you understand why.

Rohan Maitzen is an associate professor of English at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

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Last week, U.S.-backed forces in Syria expelled Islamic State from its self-proclaimed capital of Raqqah, a major victory after three years of fighting against the caliphate that once terrified much of the West. But there was strikingly little celebration. President Trump made no formal announcement of success. There was no banner declaring Mission Accomplished.

That was partly because the struggle against Islamic State is no longer the main event. The Trump administration has already declared a broader war in the Middle East, this time against Iran.

The [Iranian] regime remains the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, Trump said Oct. 13. The longer we ignore a threat, the more dangerous that threat becomes. He said the United States will escalate its efforts  political, economic and military  to prevent Iran from expanding its influence across the Middle East.

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Heres the problem: The Trump administration doesnt actually know how to accomplish that goal. Or if it does, its not telling anyone.

U.S. officials charge that most of the troops fighting for Assad in the Syrian civil war are Iranian-led proxy forces, not Syrian Army units.

Although the White House released a New Strategy on Iran this month, the four-page document was mostly a laundry list of grievances against Tehran, with no clear description of consequences for alleged misbehavior.

There is no strategic plan, complained James F. Jeffrey, a former senior official in the George W. Bush administration, who has advised Trump aides. Theres no organizing principle.

Hes challenged Iran to a duel, but he hasnt gotten any pistols out, he said.

In Syria, Iran is projecting its power already. The Damascus government of Bashar Assad depends heavily on Iran for military and economic aid. And U.S. officials charge that most of the troops fighting for Assad in the Syrian civil war are Iranian-led proxy forces, not Syrian Army units.

Worse, Assad and his Iranian allies appear to be winning. The regime has gradually consolidated its control over most of western Syria, and now  amid the collapse of Islamic State  its moving into eastern Syria, too.

Last week, Iranian-backed government forces moved into Mayadeen, a town southeast of Raqqah that U.S.-backed rebels had hoped to seize. The area is important for two reasons: Its a crossing point on the Iraqi border, and its near an oil and gas field that is a major prize in the war.

At this point the Trump administration faces a dilemma: Should it continue to supply training, weapons and air support to the Syrian rebels who took Raqqah, at the risk of clashes with government forces who not only have a friend in Iran, but also Russia?

It also needs to decide if it will keep hundreds of U.S. advisors inside Syria. The rebels, unsurprisingly, have said they hope the Americans will stay  for decades to come, one spokesman said recently.

Pulling them out would mean withdrawing help from a force the United States organized, trained and  last week  praised for its valor in battle. And it would deprive the United States of a tool to help prevent the Assad regime and its Iranian allies from taking over the territory that the rebels now hold.

If youre serious about pushing back against Iran, you have to stay involved, said Frederic C. Hof, a former State Department official who now heads the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Otherwise, youre just standing by as the Assad regime, the people who created the vacuum that allowed IS to grow, come back.

But the advisors were deployed to help Syrian rebels in their fight against Islamic State, not in the civil war against the Assad regime.

Jeffrey, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, suggested another alternative: a stronger U.S. alliance with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and other regional powers to bolster the Syrian rebels and keep Iran out.

What we need to do is form an alliance to keep Iran from projecting its power further, he said. Thats not happening.

As before, Syria offers only unappetizing choices. The United States can keep its troops in the country, at the risk of enmeshing them in Syrias civil war. Or it can pull them out, which could mean acceding to increased Iranian influence  the problem Trump has promised to address.

The administration hasnt chosen its course. That may be the worst alternative of all: drifting ahead without a clear plan.

That, after all, is what happened in Iraq after an earlier military success, the U.S. conquest of Baghdad in 2003. Military officials coined a bittersweet term to describe the results. It was, they said, a catastrophic success.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

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On a Thursday morning in September, I pulled up to the east side of the UC Berkeley campus and quickly determined that it was going to be one of those days. It was only 7:45 a.m. and already parking-enforcement officers had erected white barriers, blocking off the street where I usually leave my car. I had no choice but to park where I was and walk an extra-long route to class, passing students with to-go breakfasts and police officers with bomb-sniffing dogs.

I soon learned that someone named Ben Shapiro was coming to campus. Ben Shapiro, I thought, trying to ascertain if I knew the name, I have a cousin named Brian Shapiro. By noon, I had figured it out: Ben Shapiro was yet another conservative political commentator scheduled to speak on campus. His goal was obvious: to stir up the student body and, by extension, the media.

Few of my fellow students, however, seemed perturbed by Shapiros visit. We were more put out by the administrations decision to preemptively close six buildings and hire what seemed like a platoon of militarized police officers. These security precautions would reportedly cost the school an estimated $600,000. By late afternoon, fearing that my car would get stuck behind a blockade, I decided to ditch my evening class, a preemptive move not unlike the calculation made by the administration  potentially wise, possibly unnecessary, definitely disruptive.

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I was used to such disruption, of course. Ever since the former Breitbart editor and alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was evacuated from campus amid violent protests in February, Berkeley has been the site of sporadic culture-war battles, most of them around pro-Trump rallies or scheduled appearances by conservative speakers.

The truth is that daily life at UC Berkeley is, for the most part, rather ordinary.

The media narrative around these events has tended to frame Berkeley students as the violent protesters  and, very often, as intolerant obstructionists and militant liberals intent on destroying our universitys legacy of free speech. We are also cast as excessively sensitive millennials who fear the aggressions, micro or otherwise, of conservatives and the alt-right.

But in these moments of high drama, very few of the actors are actual Berkeley students. The large pro-Trump rallies have not been organized by Berkeley students, and, for the most part, the large counter-protests have not been organized by Berkeley students. Although a conservative student group, Young Americas Foundation, invited Shapiro to campus, it wasnt students who led the angry response, but outsiders such as the Refuse Fascism organization.

And even if that werent the case, even if every single protester at such events were an undergraduate enrolled at Berkeley, the selection would be far from representative of the student body. Most on-campus protests have attracted only a few hundred people. At a school of 30,000 undergraduates, a crowd of several hundred does not impress.

The truth is that daily life at UC Berkeley is, for the most part, rather ordinary. Students work and study, striving to rack up credits and minimize debt. Professors lecture, do research and hold office hours. An understaffed administration slogs through the mini mountain of paperwork that accompanies each potential graduate.

Life gets out of whack only when high-profile speakers descend on campus, at which point the students become collateral damage. We receive email alerts advising us to avoid protest areas. Teachers, citing safety concerns, cancel classes that fall at the same time as the speaking engagement. The police materialize with unsettling speed.

The dissonance between these two states is rivaled only by the dissonance between the reality of campus life and the story unfolding in the national media.

When Yiannopoulos was unable to speak on campus in February, our student newspaper, the Daily Californian, reported that, in a crowd of about 1,500 people, 150 or so violent protesters set off fireworks, threw bricks and broke windows. But those masked agitators, as the school would come to call them, were neither students nor affiliates of the university. I repeat: No Berkeley students were involved in any acts of violence.

You wouldnt know this from much of the media reaction, though. College students destroying their own campus to block free speech they dont agree with, a Fox News host narrated on air, conflating the masked protesters with Berkeley students. The birthplace of the free speech movement has become its graveyard, the conservative commentator Todd Starnes said.

President Trump was quick to up the ante, tweeting: If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view  NO FEDERAL FUNDS? Perhaps most surreal, the HBO talk show host and comedian Bill Maher invited Yiannopoulos onto his show to commiserate over Yiannopoulos poor treatment at the hands of Berkeley students. Maher would go on to rant about how Berkeley is a cradle for ... babies.

In April, Berkeley administrators were unable to find a suitable place and time for Ann Coulter to speak safely, so her appearance was canceled. To read the spin, youd think Berkeley students had joined hands to refuse Coulter entrance to some amphitheater.

In September, the four-day Free Speech Week was canceled, comically, by the small conservative student group that had organized. Theyd encountered massive logistical hurdles. Some openly speculated that the whole point of organizing the event was to cancel it, to suggest, again, a volatile campus atmosphere in which intolerant students have the power to shut down opposing opinions.

Although UC Berkeley is not the explosive environment outsiders imagine it to be, these occasional blips make for a nervous campus environment. In the last month alone, the Berkeley Police Department has sent students 15 protest-related alerts. These notifications give us a play-by-play of road closures and reopenings, inform us of where small crowds gather and often quickly disperse, and warn us about suspicious activities that turn out to be nothing at all. Students also receive a steady stream of emails from figureheads in the administration, always repeating the same refrain: We condemn the hateful rhetoric, we uphold speakers right to come to campus, we implore you to stay safe.

Through it all, we go to class, study for tests, and try our best to ignore the hype.

Samantha Shadrow is a senior at UC Berkeley studying journalism and media.

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To the editor: Retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, attempted to explain what President Trump meant when he spoke to the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson. (John Kelly, who lost a son in combat, gives an emotional defense of Trumps calls to military families, Oct. 19)

Over these many months, I have heard too many members of the present administration try to explain what the president meant after he had spoken publicly.

I was a middle school teacher for 31 years and am proud to say that I have received numerous kudos for the way I did my job. Can you imagine the scenario if my principal had to come into my classroom day after day to explain to my students what I had actually said or meant to say?

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How this same scenario can be considered acceptable today when our president speaks is beyond me. How long would I have been allowed to keep my job?

Linda Lambert, Ojai

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To the editor: Like Kelly, I am also surprised by the criticism of Trumps message to a grieving widow. Not everyone thinks it is insensitive to tell the family of a slain soldier that he knew what he signed up for.

A childhood friend of mine and fellow Marine, 1st Lt. Lee Roy Herron, died heroically in Vietnam, receiving the Navy Cross posthumously. When I first visited with his mother to express my condolences, she immediately told me that he had died doing what he wanted  fighting for our country. It was apparent to me that knowing this was her greatest consolation.

Trump should not be maligned over so-called insensitivity in his statements. His message may not be much consolation right now to a grieving widow, but she rightfully can be proud that the president expressed that sentiment to her.

David Nelson, Houston

..

To the editor: While I applaud Kelly for trying to help Trump say the right thing to Gold Star families, there is a big difference between a decorated Marine Corps general saying that a fallen soldier knew what he was getting into by joining that 1% and the same words coming from the mouth of someone who avoided military service because of bone spurs.

In this case, you cant separate the message from the messenger.

Faith Morris, Laguna Niguel

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Orange County at center of fundraising in Californias most contested races By Sarah D. Wire More than half of the money raised for the most contested House races in California is going to candidates in Orange County, another indication of its starring role in the Democratic effort to win back control of the House next year. Of the 80 or so challengers in California, 27 are running in Orange County. A Los Angeles Times analysis of this years campaign finance filings found it is also where the cash is going to: About $15 million of the nearly $28.5 million raised this year for 13 key races went to candidates in just four Orange County districts: Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown plans climate trip to Vatican, Belgium, Norway and Germany By Chris Megerian (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown has mapped out a busy European travel schedule that includes attending the next United Nations conference on climate change in Bonn, Germany. While the White House declares war on climate science and retreats from the Paris Agreement, California is doing the opposite and taking action, Brown said in a statement. We are joining with our partners from every part of the world to do what needs to be done to prevent irreversible climate change. Roughly two dozen public events are planned over 10 days, starting with a speech at a Vatican symposium on Saturday. Brown wont be the only California politician at the conference. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) is speaking later that day, and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) is scheduled to appear Friday. After the Vatican, the governor is bouncing between Germany and Belgium, plus a stop in Norway to meet with scientists. Hes holding press conferences with the president of the European Parliament and the minister-president of Baden-Wurttemberg, a German state that has collaborated with California on an international climate pact. Once the Bonn conference begins, much of Browns focus will be on how states, provinces and other local governments can tackle climate change absent stronger action from national leaders. He was named a special advisor to the U.N. conference for states and regions earlier this year. Brown is scheduled to appear with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Nov. 11 and speak at numerous other events, a packed itinerary much like the one he kept at the Paris climate conference two years ago. His last event is expected to take place Nov. 14. Facebook

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California business tax incentive program should end, legislative analyst says By Liam Dillon California no longer should give specific tax incentives to businesses and instead should provide broad-based tax relief, the states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office said in a new report. The analysts office examined California Competes, a program that began four years ago to give tax credits to businesses looking to move to the state or remain here, and found it puts existing companies that dont receive the awards at a disadvantage without clear benefits to the overall economy. Picking winners and losers inevitably leads to problems. In the case of California Competes, we are struck by how awarding benefits to a select group of businesses harms their competitors in California, the report said. We also think the resources consumed by the program are not as focused as they should be on winning economic development competitions with other states to attract major employers that sell to customers around the country and the world. California Competes has allowed the awarding of nearly $800 million in tax credits. The legislative analyst found that more than a third of the credits awarded through California Competes resulted in no change to the overall economy and put the states existing businesses at a competitive disadvantage. The analyst couldnt assess the value of the remainder of the credits because its impossible to know how businesses would have reacted had they not received them. California Competes is scheduled to end next year. The analysts office recommends replacing it by lowering business taxes overall or, should lawmakers want to keep it, tailor the program more narrowly to focus on attracting and retaining high-value companies. Facebook

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Electric companies found at fault in North Bay fires wont be able to pass costs onto residents under proposed bill By Liam Dillon Jason Miller, 45, plants an American flag on the charred remains of his house in Coffey Park. He had lived in the Santa Rosa neighborhood for 23 years. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) If electric utilities are found at fault in the recent wildfires in the North Bay, a group of state lawmakers want to ensure they dont pass along their costs to residents. Victims of devastating fires and other customers should not be forced to pay for the mistakes made by utilities, state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said in a release. Hill is one of four Bay Area legislators who said they plan to introduce a bill when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January to block any effort by utilities found at fault to recoup any costs from ratepayers. Investigators have not identified the cause of the wildfires that ripped across Northern California this month that left more than 40 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed. But the lawmakers said their legislation is motivated by San Diego Gas & Electrics efforts to recover costs from wildfires in that region a decade ago. Co-authoring the bill with Hill is Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael). Facebook

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Proposed initiative would end early release for some crimes, allow more DNA collection By Patrick McGreevy (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) A coalition including police officers and prosecutors on Monday proposed a California state initiative that would end early release of rapists and child traffickers and expand the number of crimes for which authorities could collect DNA samples from those convicted. The ballot measure is sponsored by the California Public Safety Partnership, and would reverse some elements of Proposition 47, which was approved by voters in 2014 and reduced some crimes deemed nonviolent from a felony to a misdemeanor. The proposed initiative would add 15 crimes to the list of violent crimes for which early release is not an option, including child abuse, rape of an unconscious person, trafficking a child for sex, domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. These reforms make sure that truly violent criminals stay in jail and dont get out early, said Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert, a leader of the coalition. The initiative would also allow DNA collection for certain crimes, including drug offenses, that were reduced to misdemeanors under Proposition 47. Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) said there have been 2,000 fewer hits matching DNA to cold cases annually in recent years. He cited one case from 1989 involving the murder of two young girls in Sacramento that was solved last year by DNA taken from a man in a drug case before those were excluded from DNA collection. If that case happens today, right now, it does not get solved, said Cooper, a former sheriffs captain. Changes in law also made theft of goods valued at less than $950 a misdemeanor, so some criminals are committing serial thefts and keeping each one to $949 or less, Cooper said. The initiative would make serial theft a felony. The measure also mandates a parole revocation hearing for anyone who violates the terms of their parole three times. A Whittier police officer was recently murdered by a parolee who had violated parole five times, said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Craig Lally, who supports the initiative. A representative of the group behind Proposition 47 said it was not reasonable to blame the ballot measure for an uptick in some crimes in some parts of the state. Fluctuations in crime have much more to do with economic and social policies and practices, said Tom Hoffman, a spokesman for the group Californians for Safety and Justice. Its so much more complicated than one piece of legislation as an issue. The proponents of the initiative need to collect signatures from 365,880 voters by the end of April to qualify the initiative for the November 2018 election. Facebook

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When men with power go too far: After years of whispers, women speak out about harassment in Californias Capitol By Chris Megerian Tina McKinnor, left, Sadalia King, Amy Thoma Tan, Jodi Hicks and Sabrina Lockhart have come forward to talk about their experiences with sexual harassment at the Capitol. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) It started with a dinner invitation from a former assemblyman more than twice her age. He had offered his services as a mentor, but his hand reaching for her knee under the table revealed other intentions. Then came the late-night phone calls and unexpected appearances at events she had to attend for her job in the Capitol. Fresh out of college, Amy Brown did what she thought women were supposed to do in these situations  she reported him. The former assemblyman accused her of slander, an experience that left her so humiliated that she left Sacramento for a new job in San Jose. I immediately got the hell out of town, Brown said. I felt like the people  the person  I was relying on for advancement in my career was preying on me. Stories like these have taken many forms through the years. Sometimes its a professional meeting that turned inappropriately sexual, or its a groping hand on a backside. In one case, a woman said a lawmaker masturbated in front of her in a bar bathroom. No matter the details, each story involves a man with power  the kind of power bestowed by voters, an influential lobbying client or a supply of campaign cash. And instead of wielding that power to shape politics or public policy, the man used it to proposition women or to touch them inappropriately. Read More Facebook

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Big jump in the number of House challengers isnt great news for California Republicans By Christine Mai-Duc So far this year, 80 challengers have reported raising money across California for the 2018 midterm elections, more than triple the number who had done so at this point in the 2016 election. Collectively, theyve raised more than $14.9 million, and 70% of that has gone to the four Republican-held districts in Orange County that Democrats consider key to their chances. There havent been this many congressional challengers in Californias House races this early in the game since at least 2003, and that could be bad news for Republican incumbents. Read More Facebook

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Californias Senate culture doesnt encourage women to file complaints. Heres how that could change By Melanie Mason Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), shown in September, acknowledged that the Senate could improve its procedures for reporting misconduct. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In 2014, reeling from scandals that led to the suspension of three Democratic senators, Californias state Senate changed its policies to make it easier for employees, members and the public to sound the alarm about misconduct. A Times analysis of those rule changes shows a lack of follow-through to make reporting complaints more accessible. And the lawmaker who worked on changes in the Senates operations after that scandal says more could have been done. Then-Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) suggested at the time that the move would lead to positive cultural change and strengthen the integrity of this great institution. But as the Capitol now soul-searches over allegations of widespread sexual harassment, the current legislative leaders acknowledge the culture still does not encourage women to file complaints. The Senates effort to reform itself three years ago  and how it fell short  is instructive as both legislative houses embark on a new round of self-improvement. Read More Facebook

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Have you experienced sexual harassment in government or politics? Tell us your story If you work in government or politics and have experienced sexual harassment, wed like to hear from you. Please tell us your story using the form below. We will not share your personal contact information. Facebook

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California Assembly Speaker applauds Capitol staffers bravery in going public with complaint against assemblyman By Melanie Mason Gyore spoke publicly for the first time about a 2009 complaint she filed against Bocanegra. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said Friday that the experience of a staffer who filed a complaint eight years ago against now-Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra illustrates why the Capitol culture must change. Elise Flynn Gyore told The Times about her experience filing a complaint against Bocanegra, who was then a legislative staffer, after she said he groped her and followed her in a manner she found threatening at a 2009 after-work event in a Sacramento bar. The Friday morning story in The Times was the first time she had spoken publicly of the incident and the complaint, which resulted in Bocanegra being disciplined. I appreciate Ms. Gyores bravery in bringing this incident forward. We have to change the culture in the Capitol and in society and her experience shows why, Rendon said in a statement Friday afternoon. How incidents of harassment were handled in the past can inform our current efforts to improve the system and to build a future where these injustices are prevented before they happen and no employee has to fear harassment or abuse. Bocanegra, who was first elected in 2012, is part of Rendons leadership team, serving in the position of majority whip. A top lieutenant to Rendon, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), also chimed in with support for Gyore on Friday. I dont know Elise Gyore. But, I believe her & Im grateful for her bravery. This is unacceptable.  Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) October 27, 2017 Former Speaker John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles), who led the Assembly from 2010 to 2014, said he was unaware of the complaints existence until The Times report. He said he had never heard of any complaints  formal or informal  against Bocanegra, nor had he witnessed any inappropriate behavior from the Pacoima Democrat. Also on Friday, the organizers of We Said Enough, a recently launched campaign against harassment, thanked Gyore for sharing her story. This is an act of true courage  and we support every woman who chooses to do so. Sadly, this story is just one example of how the existing system fails victims and survivors. We are resolute in our call for action, the group said in a statement. The groups organizers added that they are calling for an overhaul to the complaint process  such as confidential reporting, an independent oversight body and whistleblower protections  to better guard against harassment. Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown says California Republicans have slavish adherence to their partys tax plan By John Myers (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) Gov. Jerry Brown took aim at the sweeping tax overhaul plan in Congress and Californias Republican delegation on Thursday, saying their support of the plan is wrong economically and morally. Brown, who joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a conference call with reporters, aimed most of his fire at the provision to cancel deducting local and state taxes paid from federal taxes. Both governors said it could have a profound impact on their states bottom lines. Brown criticized Californias 14 Republican House members for their Thursday budget vote, which allows for a $1.5-trillion deficit to help finance tax cuts. I know there is a lot of slavish adherence to the Republican leadership, Brown said. Its bad for California. Theyre doing a disservice. California and New York taxpayers have long been able to deduct the cost of paying local and state taxes from their federal tax liability. Both governors said Thursday they believed the effort by President Trump and Republicans to be at least somewhat motivated by their states voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump last November. Its using a handful of states to finance the tax cuts for their states, Cuomo said. Brown, who sent personal letters to all California GOP members of the House urging them not to go along, said the proposal was particularly unfair in light of how it would not apply equally to corporations. Its a gross manipulation of our tax code, he said. Its a Hail Mary pass by the Republicans. Facebook

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Heres why Republicans could help send Dianne Feinstein back to Washington  even if they cant stand her By Mark Z. Barabak Its the voters like Republican Larry Ward  conservatives who feel voiceless and adrift, bobbing like red specks in a blue sea  who could help usher the 84-year-old Dianne Feinstein back to Washington with a new lease on her Senate seat. Like most voters here in El Dorado County, Ward supported President Trump. He cant understand why Democrats and the media pile on and keep him from cutting taxes and fulfilling a campaign pledge to repeal Obamacare. He certainly doesnt think Feinsteins been too kind to Trump  the argument made by her newly announced challenger, Kevin de Leon. The state senator from Los Angeles and others on the left were spitting fire a few weeks back when Feinstein allowed as how she hoped, given time and a radical transformation, Trump might end up being a good president. Read More Facebook

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Car runs into immigration protesters outside Rep. Ed Royces district office By Sarah D. Wire  A vehicle drove into a group of protesters outside of GOP Rep. Ed Royces office in Brea on Thursday afternoon, but no injuries have been reported to police so far. (Tony Mendoza / Unite Here) A vehicle drove into a group of protesters outside GOP Rep. Ed Royces office in Brea on Thursday afternoon, but no injuries have been reported to police so far. The alleged driver, 56-year-old Daniel Wenzek of Brea, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked and released pending further investigation, according to Lt. Kelly Carpenter of the Brea Police Department. Organizers say several hundred people were protesting outside Royces office, many of them arriving on buses after a morning news conference with elected officials and labor leaders in Los Angeles MacArthur Park. They were trying to deliver letters to Royce (R-Fullerton) about what losing temporary protected immigration status would mean to them, said Andrew Cohen, a communications specialist with the organization Unite Here. Read More Facebook

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California Secretary of State Alex Padilla backs Gavin Newsom for governor over former colleague Antonio Villaraigosa By Seema Mehta California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the highest-ranking Latino in a statewide elected position in California, endorsed Gavin Newsom for governor on Thursday. Padilla said he had known Newsom for more than a decade and admired his track record as mayor of San Francisco and now lieutenant governor. Its always important to [have] leaders that are committed and get it done, and thats what Ive seen in Gavin Newsom over and over and over again, Padilla said, speaking to dozens of Newsom supporters at a union hall in downtown Los Angeles. The endorsement was seen as a slap at former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is one of Newsoms top rivals in the governors race. Padilla was president of the Los Angeles City Council during the two years Villaraigosa was a member of the body, and for the first six months of Villaraigosas tenure as mayor. But the two men have never been viewed as close allies. They come from different power bases for Latino politicians in Los Angeles  Villaraigosa from the Eastside and Padilla from the San Fernando Valley. They also have not supported each others political pursuits. In 2001, Padilla backed James Hahn over Villaraigosa in the mayoral race. In 2006, Villaraigosa backed Cindy Montanez in a state Senate race over Padilla. Padilla said he has a relationship with all of the top Democrats running for governor. This is a tough one because I do know Antonio Villaraigosa and I know John Chiang and I know Gavin Newsom, but I think that because of whats happening in the political environment at this time, this isnt one where we can sit back, Yeah. OK. Cool, lets see who wins and well work with whoever, Padilla said. If there is a candidate I believe is best for the future of California, Im compelled to weigh in and thats what Im doing today. Luis Vizcaino, a Vilaraigosa spokesman, said the announcement was to be expected and noted that Padilla had a leadership role in Newsoms short-lived 2009 gubernatorial campaign. The only surprise here is we thought Alex had endorsed Gavin months ago considering he was Gavins Campaign Chair the first time he ran for governor, Vizcaino said in an email. Villaraigosa and Chiang, the state treasurer, have also received key endorsements from Latino politicians. Villaraigosa has the backing of the Latino Caucus in the state Legislature, former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Lucille Roybal-Allard. Chiang has won the support of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar. Updated at 2:07 p.m.: This post was updated to add a comment from Villaraigosas campaign. Facebook

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Californias Rep. Paul Cook picked to lead Foreign Affairs subcommittee By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) has been named chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) made the announcement in a news release Thursday morning following the former subcommittee chairman Rep. Jeff Duncans (R-S.C.) departure from the committee this week. As a former Marine Corps colonel, Rep. Cook is deeply committed to defending U.S. interests worldwide. I look forward to working with him to continue holding the [Raul] Castro and [Nicolas] Maduro regimes [of Cuba and Venezuela, respectively] accountable for their brutal repression, while increasing U.S. commercial opportunities throughout the hemisphere, Royce said in a statement. California holds several leadership positions on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) is the chairman of the Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats subcommittee. Rep. Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks is the highest ranking Democrat on the Asia and the Pacific subcommittee and Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles is the highest ranking Democrat on the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations subcommittee. Facebook

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GOP tightens restrictions on Rep. Dana Rohrabachers subcommittee because of scrutiny over his Russia connections By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Dana Rohrabacher speaks to Russian lawmakers at a meeting in the Russian parliaments lower house in Moscow in 2013. (Misha Japaridze / Associated Press) The congressional subcommittee led by California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) is being heavily monitored by GOP leaders because of allegations the Orange County congressman has been overly influenced by his connections to Russia. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) will be more involved in guiding the direction of the subcommittee that is in part responsible for examining U.S. policy in Russia, said a senior congressional aide who asked not to be identified in order to discuss internal committee matters. Rohrabacher has long said that the United States needs a better relationship with Russia, puzzling colleagues who have speculated privately about why hes willing to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Connections between Rohrabacher and Russian officials have been newly highlighted as Congress investigates Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Read More Facebook

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Californias GOP members vote in favor of Republican budget, paving way for tax overhaul By Sarah D. Wire All 14 California House Republicans on Thursday voted in favor of the GOPs budget, which paves the way for overhauling the U.S. tax system. The budget, which allows for a $1.5-trillion deficit increase that sets the stage for President Trumps tax cuts, passed 216 to 212, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats in opposing it. At the root of their objection is the potential repeal of the federal deduction for state and local taxes, which would hit especially hard in wealthier states like New York and California. Gov. Jerry Brown had implored the GOP members not to support the budget, saying there hasnt been enough time to fully understand what it will mean to the estimated 1 in 3 Californians who claim the deduction. Democrats are targeting nine of the states 14 Republican-held districts, and have said theyll make the elimination of the tax deduction an issue in the campaign. Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale said he voted for the budget because hes been assured that a fix will be made to the tax plan that will address or offset the potential tax increase caused by the elimination of the tax deduction. The tax plan is scheduled to be unveiled next week. Still worried about it, still working on it, Knight said after the vote. I am confident [it will be fixed], but Ive also said that is my No. 1 priority, so if we cant get it fixed then were going to have problems. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown urges California GOP House members to vote no on budget bill: First lets get the facts By Sarah D. Wire Gov. Jerry Brown implores each GOP member of California delegation to vote no on budget today over end of state and local tax deduction. pic.twitter.com/bkCihAtvFG  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) October 26, 2017 Gov. Jerry Brown implored Californias GOP House members to oppose their partys budget bill over a provision that will end a deduction for state and local taxes used by one in three Californians. In letters to each Republican member of the California congressional delegation, Brown asked the members to at least ask for more time to learn the specifics of the plan. First lets get the facts. Then, debate the issue. And then we can decide whats the right thing to do, Brown says in his letter. The potential repeal of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction  the federal income tax deduction for state and local taxes paid  would hit especially hard in wealthier areas. The vote is scheduled to take place Thursday morning. Facebook

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Six female California lawmakers back Dianne Feinstein in Senate race By Sarah D. Wire Assemblywomen Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, right, and Susan Talamantes-Eggman in May. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Six California Assembly committee chairwomen endorsed Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday over their state Capitol colleague, Senate leader Kevin de Leon. In a statement released by Feinsteins campaign, Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), Blanca E. Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) said the state needs Feinstein in these uncertain and difficult times. We are proud to endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been an inspiration for all of us. The first woman to serve on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Feinstein is now the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. In that position, she is defending California against the Republicans and the Trump administration on critical issues like immigration, womens rights, federal judicial appointments, LGBT rights, civil rights, and gun control, they said. De Leon is the highest-profile Democrat to announce plans to challenge Feinstein in her bid for a fifth full term. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon vows to back Medicare for all, signaling key issue in 2018 Senate campaign By Sarah D. Wire State Senate leader Kevin de Leons opening salvo in the U.S. Senate race against Sen. Dianne Feinstein takes on one of the main frustrations progressives have voiced with her, a refusal to support single-payer health care. I believe that every family, it doesnt make a difference who you are or where you come from, deserves to have quality healthcare. It is a universal right, De Leon says in a video released by his campaign Wednesday. Its not the exclusive privilege of the elite and the wealthy. The concept of single-payer healthcare has grown in popularity among Democrats since the 2016 election, with some members of the so-called Sanders wing of the party urging Democrats to use support for it as a litmus test in 2018. Such a program is unlikely to become law while Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Feinstein has said she doesnt support expanding Medicare to the entire population at this stage and has cited the cost of doing so as a reason. If he were elected, De Leon would join Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and 15 other Democratic Senators as co-sponsors of the bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Facebook

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Sen. Kamala Harris wont back federal spending bill without DACA fix By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she wont back a bill that allows the federal government to spend money unless Congress has a legislative fix to address the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children. I will not vote for an end-of-year spending bill until we are clear about what we are going to do to protect and take care of our DACA young people in this country, Harris said. Each day in the life of these young people is a very long time, and weve got to stop playing politics with their lives. President Trump announced in September that he was giving Congress until March before the program would shutter and recipients would begin losing work permits and protection from deportation. An estimated 200,000 of the nearly 800,000 recipients of the Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals program live in California, giving the Golden State an outsized stake in resolving their legal status. Harris spoke at a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday with other members of the California delegation to urge quick action on the issue. It is absolutely urgent that we pass the legislation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said. We are determined that the Dream Act will be the law of the land before the year is out. Democrats and Republicans are negotiating the details of a fix, and when something could pass. Pelosi has hinted that if Republicans dont have the votes within their party to pass the end-of-year spending bill, which Congress has to pass to keep the government open, Democrats will offer their votes  for a price. Facebook

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Rep. Dana Rohrabacher gets a second Republican challenger By Christine Mai-Duc A second Republican is jumping in to challenge GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, and hes pitching himself as an alternative for conservatives who are fed up with Rohrabachers controversial antics. Paul Martin, 52, is a freelance writer and self-proclaimed Reagan Republican who lives in Costa Mesa. Rohrabacher is himself a former speechwriter for Reagan. Martin grew up in Anaheim with an Italian immigrant mother and a Mexican American father, and says hes opposed to many of the policies coming out of the Trump administration. Ive had enormous struggle with the rhetoric thats coming out of Washington, D.C., and even more so with the rhetoric that comes out of Dana Rohrabachers mouth, Martin said in an interview. Its just not in the spirit that I grew up with. Following President Trumps travel ban announcement, Martin started the Christian-Muslim Alliance, a campaign aimed at fostering dialogue between people of different faiths. He describes himself as a raging centrist on a personal blog, where hes criticized Trumps response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., and Rohrabacher for taking money from the National Rifle Assn. Still, Martin says hes a true conservative who wants to focus on issues of human dignity and bring better-paying jobs to the district. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott send a message with their World Series bet By John Myers (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) As governors of states hit hard by natural disasters, the leaders of California and Texas hope to send a message with their wager on the outcome of the World Series. The winner will receive food or drink from either Californias wine country or Houstons best barbecue joints. The bet, made Tuesday before the start of the first World Series game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros, came with a request from both Gov. Jerry Brown and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for tourists to come back to those regions as soon as possible. While we dont expect to have to send any vino to Texas, we hope travelers from all over the world  yes, even the Lone Star State  will continue to visit California, said Brown in a written statement. If the Dodgers win, Abbott will send Brown Texas-style barbecue and a six-pack of Houston-brewed beer. Should the Astros prevail, Brown has promised wine from the Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino regions. Texas and California are recovering from some of the worst natural disasters our states have ever encountered, Abbott said in a joint statement from the two governors. As we work to overcome these challenges, our two states are united by Americas pastime as we cheer on our home teams in the World Series. Go Astros! Facebook

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California Assembly to hold public hearings to address sexual harassment By Melanie Mason Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, right. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) The California Assembly will hold public hearings next month to address sexual harassment in the Capitol, Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday, as allegations of pervasive mistreatment continue to ripple through Sacramento. The announcement comes one day after the California Senate announced it has hired lawyers and human resources consultants to investigate allegations of widespread sexual harassment and evaluate Senate procedures. In a joint statement, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) said that sexual harassment of any kind is intolerable. The lawmakers say a three-pronged approach is necessary to confront the issue: changing a climate that has been permissive to sexual harassment, offering victims have a safe place to discuss complaints and ensuring that sexual harassment is dealt with expeditiously and that the seriousness of consequences match the violations committed, they said in a statement. Vowing a comprehensive effort to address these issues, lawmakers said there will be public hearings in November to discuss how the Legislature can tackle the issue. The panel, tasked to discuss harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention and response, is chaired by Friedman and was formed in June, though it has not yet met. The panel is a subcommittee of the powerful Rules committee, chaired by Cooley, which functions as the chambers de facto human resources department. As we move forward, we must remember that the bottom line is harassers need to stop their abusive actions, the statement said. The rest of us need to call out harassment and abuse by its name and stigmatize this behavior each and every single time we see it. Adama Iwu, who helped organize the public letter published last week decrying an atmosphere of sexual harassment in the Capitol, said she and some of the women who signed the letter were concerned if any victim would be asked to testify with no legal guarantee against retaliation. Furthermore, we are concerned about the divergent paths of the Assembly and Senate, Iwu said in a statement. It is imperative that we work with outside experts, as part of a public independent review with whistleblower protections, to address the pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the Capitol community. Meanwhile, the trade association representing lobbyists, the Institute of Governmental Advocates, said in a statement Tuesday that it unequivocally supports [the women who signed the letter] and any other person in our Capitol community who has suffered harassment. Dates for the hearings, which are expected in late November, have not been set. Facebook

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Recall effort against Sen. Josh Newman still on track after too few voters request to remove their names from petitions By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), left, listens to debate in June on a measure to change the rules governing recall elections. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Of the more than 70,600 voters who signed petitions to hold a recall vote on state Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton, only 849 asked that their signatures be withdrawn by the deadline, clearing a major hurdle for an election on whether to oust the Democratic lawmaker, officials said Tuesday. Opponents of the recall needed to get more than 7,000 voters to withdraw their signatures to deprive supporters of the 63,593 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot, under a new system approved recently by the Democratic-controlled Legislature that slows down the process. Sen. Josh Newman has spent months lying to his constituents by claiming people were duped into signing the recall petition against him, and with todays tally, he has been unmasked again as a pathological liar who is unfit to hold office, said Carl DeMaio, a Republican activist heading the recall drive. We eagerly look forward to voters having a chance to vote him out for his lies and his decision to increase the gas tax. Newman won a close contest last November in a district formerly represented by a Republican. He was targeted for recall by Republican activists for voting in April for a $52-billion transportation plan that raises gas taxes and imposes a new annual vehicle fee. A successful recall would deprive Democrats of a supermajority in the Senate. Once Secretary of State Alex Padilla certifies that there are sufficient valid signatures based on the data collected Tuesday, the new process calls for him to notify the state Department of Finance, which will be given 30 business days to prepare a cost estimate for the recall election. Once the estimate is prepared, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee will have 30 calendar days to review and comment on the estimate, said Sam Mahood, a spokesman for Padilla. On the following business day, the secretary of State will certify to the governor that the recall has qualified for the ballot. That could happen as late as Jan. 11 if the reviews take all the time allotted. Gov. Jerry Brown must then call an election to be held 60 to 80 days later, or within 180 days if there is a regularly scheduled election within Senate District 29 during that period. There will be a June 2018 primary election for the Assembly districts that make up the Senate District, so Brown could consolidate the Senate recall vote with that state primary. However, the new, longer process could end up being abandoned if supporters of the recall are successful in a lawsuit alleging the new rules are improper. At the same time, opponents of the recall have filed a lawsuit to block the recall, alleging petition circulators misled voters by saying their signatures would help repeal the gas tax. The underhanded methods used to qualify this recall likely represent one of the worst cases of voter fraud in California history, said Derek Humphrey, a consultant for the Newman campaign. Now, millions of tax dollars will be wasted to redo an election the Sacramento special interests lost barely a year ago. Its a shameful waste of money that voters will soundly reject and vote to keep Josh Newman fighting for them in the state Senate. Facebook

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Rep. Devin Nunes announces investigation into Obama-era uranium deal By David S. Cloud House Republicans are opening investigations of the Obama administrations 2010 decision to approve the sale of American uranium mines to a Russian-backed company, and California Rep. Devin Nunes is at the forefront. Nunes (R-Tulare), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said at a news conference that his panel and the House Oversight Committee would jointly probe the deal, which President Trump has called the real Russia story. Nunes and other Trump supporters have raised the 7-year-old uranium deal while four congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III are looking into Russia interference the 2016 election and whether Moscow had any direct links to the Trump campaign. Read More Facebook

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Former deputy director of California tax agency says he was fired for whistleblowing By Patrick McGreevy The state Capitol (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A former deputy director of the state Board of Equalization said Tuesday he was improperly fired this month after cooperating with a state Department of Justice investigation into allegations that agency officials improperly used public resources. Mark DeSio was fired Oct. 12 as the director for external affairs of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which recently was split off from the board in an agency shakeup. He has filed a whistleblower complaint and appeal to the state Personnel Board seeking reinstatement to his position. He alleges the agency before its split up was rife with nepotism and that there is improper hiring and use of employees from one fund to instead help elected board members in field offices. For more than a year, DeSio gave information about the BOE to the Department of Justice and several state agencies and auditors, right up until the time of his firing, said a press release from his attorney, Mary-Alice Coleman. Despite being pressured, DeSio refused to engage in certain activities. DeSios job was threatened multiple times during the course of his employment. In April, Gov. Jerry Brown called for a Justice Department probe of allegations that employees of the state Board of Equalization misused state resources assigning high-paid tax auditors to tasks such as directing traffic for community events promoting elected board members. Brown also set in motion steps that broke up the agency in June, putting the five-member board in one office, and tax collection and appeal system in two other offices. At the time, Brown cited serious problems of mismanagement identified in a Department of Finance audit of the agency, which is responsible for collecting $60 billion in tax revenue annually. DeSio said he has also provided information on alleged improprieties to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which investigates political wrongdoing. Days before he was notified of his termination, DeSio said he told Department of Justice investigators that the board had misused 30 information officer positions as personal staff for board members. He also said supervisors overruled him when he refused to hire 10 new call center employees from funds not set aside for that purpose. He said 10 people were hired even after Brown had revoked the agencys hiring power. DeSios complaint alleges that in August 2016, board member Jerome Horton pressured DeSio to promote a particular employee who was funded by DeSios office, but actually worked in Hortons office. When DeSio refused, saying the employee was not the top-scoring candidate, the complaint says Horton became angry and his chief of staff threatened DeSio. Board Executive Director David Gau, the complaint alleges, contacted Desio and told him to either do what Horton wanted or be fired. After meeting with Department of Finance auditors, DeSio said he was contacted by Horton in November 2016. Horton demanded to know what DOF had asked and what documentation Desio had provided in response. DeSio said he refused to disclose what he gave the auditor. Horton threatened DeSio, saying, I only need one more vote to take you out, the complaint alleges. Horton disputed the allegations. If he has filed a complaint, the facts will show that I had an excellent professional relationship with Mr. DeSio and the allegations are not true, I had nothing to do with his termination, Horton said in a statement. Gau did not immediately respond to requests for comment. DeSio also alleged multiple cases of nepotism in the agency. In one example, he alleges agency officials improperly orchestrated the hiring of the man whose wife worked for a top manager at the agency. Updated at 3 pm to include comment from Board member Jerome Horton. Facebook

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Want the Sierra Clubs endorsement? Here are its standards By Chris Megerian The Sierra Club is setting some ground rules for California gubernatorial candidates that may want its endorsement. No. 1 on the list is independence from the oil industry, which has been a fault line in the Capitol during debates over climate change policies. This year, given how important Californias role has become to the nation for leadership on the environment, it made sense to lay out in advance what some of the overall characteristics that the endorsement committee will be looking for in candidates, said Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California. Other requirements include independence from the tobacco and e-cigarette industry and a commitment to public health, environmental equity and transparency. Facebook

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California Senate hires investigators to look into sexual harassment allegations By Melanie Mason California Senate leader Kevin de Leon will hire two outside firms to look into allegations of a widespread culture of sexual harassment in the state Capitol. De Leon announced Monday he has hired the law office of Amy Oppenheimer to conduct an external investigation into harassment and assault allegations, and the consulting firm CPS HR Consulting to review Senate policies on harassment, discrimination and retaliation. De Leon also sent letters to lobbyists in the Capitol community detailing how existing rules protect non-employees. Theres always more employers can do to protect their employees, De Leon said in a statement. Everyone deserves a workplace free of fear, harassment and sexual misbehavior and I applaud the courage of women working in and around the Capitol who are coming forward and making their voices heard. The women behind an open letter sent last week calling out a pervasive culture of mistreatment in the political industry said that De Leons actions were insufficient. More than 140 women, including legislators, Capitol staff, political consultants and lobbyists, signed the letter. To find the truth and rebuild trust, we need a truly independent investigation, not a secretly hand-picked self-investigation, said Adama Iwu, a government affairs director for Visa who spearheaded the campaign. We need full transparency. How was this firm selected? Who will they report their findings to? What exactly are they investigating? Is the Assembly involved? Meanwhile, the women who have signed the letter, who have coalesced into a group called We Said Enough, announced they were formalizing their advocacy efforts on Monday by launching a nonprofit organization. The group plans to hold forums to outline a plan of action for improving how harassment and abuse complaints are reported, investigated and addressed. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon has millions in state campaign accounts that cant be rolled over to his Senate race By Patrick McGreevy State Senate leader Kevin De Leon has millions of dollars socked away in state campaign accounts, but federal law prohibits him from rolling over the money into his federal campaign for the U.S. Senate. So what options does the Los Angeles legislator have as he puts together a campaign to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, in next years election? Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown heads to Washington to talk about the threat of nuclear war Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: What happens next in Sacramentos discussion of sexual harassment is important By John Myers Theres a big, challenging question beyond the initial shock of sexual harassment stories told by women working in California politics: What happens next? On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we discuss the allegations that have emerged from an open letter first reported by The Times on Tuesday. And a key part of the next chapter is how legislative leaders and the states major political parties respond to the concerns raised in the letter signed by more than 140 women. We also take a closer look at the new effort by wealthy activist Tom Steyer to demand impeachment proceedings against President Trump, and whether the San Francisco Democrat is thinking seriously about jumping into the U.S. Senate race. And with Gov. Jerry Browns action on hundreds of bills complete, we offer up a few notable decisions in those final signings and vetoes. Im joined by Times staff writer Melanie Mason and Marisa Lagos of KQED. Facebook

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Sen. Tom Cotton chides Californians: Your sanctuary cities werent enough, you had to have a sanctuary state instead By Phil Willon Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton addresses the California Republican Party at its fall convention in Anaheim. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton told California Republicans they should expect better days ahead, in part, because of liberal overreach by California Democrats on taxes, immigration and other issues affecting the daily lives of working-class Americans. Cotton invoked the memory of former president and California governor Ronald Reagan as a guiding light, and ridiculed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as a harbinger of doom. All it takes is a little new thinking applied with old principles. The principles of Ronald Reagan, Cotton told a packed ballroom at the California Republican Partys fall convention in Anaheim on Saturday. Cottons keynote address hewed toward traditional conservative themes and was peppered with light moments and witty jabs about the Democrats grip on California politics. When Jerry Brown has to veto your legislation because its too liberal, you might have to take a look in the mirror, Cotton told the crowd. It was a big departure from the speech the night before by GOP firebrand Steve Bannon, President Trumps former political strategist. Bannon unleased attacks on former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He told Republicans they needed to rise up in California or else the progressive left and lords of the Silicon Valley would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years. Cotton, who at 40 is the youngest member of the U.S. Senate, is widely believed to be eyeing a run for higher office. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, he was the most active politician on the breakfast circuit, visiting the South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire and California delegations. California, of course, is home to more than 5 million Republican voters and has been a wellspring of political cash for GOP presidential candidates. Cottons message of hope has been a running theme throughout the three-day GOP gathering as the state party tries once again to turn things around in left-leaning California. The partys share of the state electorate has fallen to 26% and no Republican has been elected to statewide office since 2006. Cotton, however, told the party faithful to remain upbeat. Californias Republican members of Congress play a pivotal role in Washington, and there are ample opportunities to rekindle the partys presence in Sacramento and throughout the state. Cotton zeroed in on the new gas tax and vehicle fee hike in the state, which would raise $5.2 billion annually for transportation and mass transit improvements, saying it would hurt ordinary Californians. If you live in West L.A. or San Francisco and you have the money to afford a Tesla, maybe youll be OK, Cotton said. What about the farmer in the Central Valley who has a pickup truck and needs to fill it up three times a week? He also took shots at the so-called sanctuary state law signed this month by Gov. Jerry Brown, which will limit law enforcement agencies from questioning and detaining people for immigration violations. Your sanctuary cities werent enough, you had to have a sanctuary state instead, Cotton said. So all your citizens will face greater danger no matter where they live. Before he took the stage, the state GOP played a short video introduction of the Arkansas senator, focused on his experiences serving as an Army officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Washington, Cotton was a harsh critic of President Obama and is considered a hawk on national defense. During a hearing in June, Cotton also openly mocked the idea of the Trump administration colluding with Russia. Facebook

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticizes Gov. Brown, lauds Trump at California GOP convention By Seema Mehta McCarthy is lauding Trump for his "character and vision and understanding," compares him to Reagan. #cagop17 pic.twitter.com/AlyvgOvQWF  Seema (@LATSeema) October 21, 2017 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) on Saturday blasted Gov. Jerry Brown over Democrats positioning the state as the liberal resistance to President Trump and for legislative efforts to circumvent the presidents policies. Brown, he warned, could be viewed similarly to southern governors who sought to pick and choose which federal laws to uphold during the civil rights era. He focused on Browns recent signing of a bill to make California a so-called sanctuary state, which will limit law enforcement agencies from questioning and detaining people for immigration violations. I dont think history will be very kind to Gov. Brown, McCarthy told a few hundred delegates and guests at a luncheon at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim. California is a critical part of Democrats efforts to retake the House of Representatives, with a focus on seven Republican-held districts that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Only one of the Republican representatives of those targeted districts had appeared at the convention as of Saturday afternoon, Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine. McCarthy said Vice President Mike Pence raised $5 million for the efforts to protect the seats during a recent three-day fundraising trip through California, but he did not otherwise go into detail about the congressional battle expected in 2018. He instead lashed out at Republican members of the state Legislature who voted for Democratic policies. My advice to those Assembly members in Sacramento: You will not win a majority by thinking youll be Democrat-light. You will win the majority by showing the differences in the party, McCarthy said. You will not win the majority by voting against your own principles on a Democratic policy, and let Democratic targets vote no. You will not win the majority if youre concerned about being able to stand behind a podium with a Democratic governor instead of giving the freedom to Californians across this entire state. McCarthy did not name the members he was speaking about, but it was clear he was referring to Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) and other Republicans who voted for an extension of the states cap-and-trade program this year. Mayes stepped down as Assembly Republican leader under pressure from others in his party who were upset over his vote for the climate change program, which requires companies to purchase permits to release greenhouse gases. McCarthy spoke a day after former Trump White House advisor Stephen K. Bannon addressed the group. Bannon has declared war on the GOP establishment, of which McCarthy is a member. McCarthy did not push back at Bannons remarks, which included criticism of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Rather, McCarthy lauded Trumps vision, compared him to former President Reagan and pointed to economic gains and regulatory reform since Trump took office. What a difference nine months and one election makes, McCarthy said. What a difference: A man who ran for president on issues and keeps his word and actually enacts the things he promised to do. Trump has tried to enact many of his campaign promises but has been unsuccessful on several priorities, including a travel ban on citizens from Muslim-majority countries and a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Tax reform is the latest priority on the Republicans agenda, and McCarthy promised that Congress would push a package by Thanksgiving that includes lowering rates for small businesses and corporations, and simplifying the tax code from seven income tax brackets to three. He also spoke out in support of one of the more controversial parts of the proposal: eliminating the deduction of state and local taxes. I dont think its fair for somebody else to subsidize poor management in California, McCarthy said. Look at the entire [tax reform] bill when it comes out, you will pay less. But no longer can Sacramento say, Im going to raise the rates just because Ill have the federal government subsidize it. They will have to be held accountable for when they want to raise taxes. Facebook

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Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who clashed with Trump during the election, goes after him again in California By Phil Willon Khizr Khan at the National Union of Healthcare Workers conference in Anaheim on Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq who feuded with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Saturday criticized the Trump White House for its clash with a widow of a fallen soldier this week. Khan, speaking to reporters after addressing a National Union of Healthcare Workers conference in Anaheim, said the families of all military members killed in combat deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, especially in the days and weeks immediately following the death of their loved one. It was disappointing to see the behavior of [the White House], Khan said, before criticizing Trump administration officials for standing in front of the cameras and providing a defense for the indefensible behavior. Khans comments came just days after the uproar over Trumps call to the widow of Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson of Florida, one of four U.S. soldiers who died in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson of Florida was with Johnsons wife, Myeshia Johnson, in a car when the widow took Trumps call on speakerphone. Wilson publicly described Trumps comments as insensitive, saying he suggested that the sergeant knew what he was getting into when he joined the Army. White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, whose son was killed in combat, defended the presidents comments, saying that he advised Trump on what to say and that the president was trying to praise Johnsons unselfish military service as well as offer words of comfort to his widow. Khan avoided attacking Trump directly or expanding on his remarks, saying he will address the controversy in more detail after Johnsons memorial services. The clash between Khan and Trump ignited after Khans speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. There, Khan ripped into Trump, then the Republican nominee for president. Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son the best of America. If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America, Khan said at the convention. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities  women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country. Trump responded by questioning whether Khans wife, who stood by her husbands side during the couples high-profile appearance, was silent because of her Muslim faith. The controversy ignited by Trumps jabs at a Gold Star family dragged on for days, and he drew rebukes from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). During his speech to the healthcare union Saturday, Khan lamented the loss of civility in national political discourse and pointed squarely at the president. He said the current White House has sown division by attacking immigrants and belittling political rivals. Facebook

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California Teachers Assn. votes to endorse Gavin Newsom for governor By Seema Mehta Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with participants of a march in Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide in April. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The politically influential California Teachers Assn. on Saturday endorsed Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for governor, praising his support for public schools and his promise to hold charter schools more accountable. Gavin has long supported increased funding for education and is committed to making investing in students a top priority as governor, CTA President Eric Heins said in a written statement Saturday. He supports a public education system that attracts, not attacks, teachers, universal preschool and affordable college for all. The move is not entirely surprising given the antagonism between one of Newsoms top Democratic rivals, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and teachers unions in California. Villaraigosa launched his career as a union organizer, including for United Teachers Los Angeles, and labor played a critical role in getting him elected to office. But after he tried to gain control of Los Angeles schools, he questioned policies fiercely guarded by teachers unions, such as seniority protections that resulted in regular layoff notices to younger teachers who tend to staff the most challenging schools. He grew to support using student test scores to evaluate teachers and other overhauls opposed by union leaders. Villaraigosa, who eventually gained control of more than a dozen struggling city schools through a nonprofit, ultimately blasted the citys teachers union where he once worked as the largest obstacle to creating quality schools. The teachers association also passed over Democrat Delaine Eastin, a long-shot candidate who jumped into the 2018 governors race last year. Eastin, who served as Californias state superintendent of public instruction, has vowed to put education at the forefront of her campaign. The key question going forward is how much CTA plans to invest in the governors race and how it plans to spend it. In 2014, the union spent $12 million to defeat Marshall Tuck, a huge sum in an obscure race to be state superintendent of public instruction. A Democrat and former charter school leader, Tuck was hired by Villaraigosa to run the nonprofit that oversaw his schools. Tuck, who narrowly lost his race in 2014 against an incumbent, is running for state superintendent again in 2018. CTA on Saturday also endorsed his opponent, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond). Facebook

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Bannons mention of Sen. John McCain, George W. Bush draws boos at California GOP convention By Seema Mehta  Former Trump White House advisor Stephen K. Bannon ripped into former President George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain Friday night at the California Republican Party Convention in Anaheim, saying there has not been a more destructive presiden Mere mentions of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) drew loud boos and catcalls as former Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon derided the GOP leaders in his address to California Republicans on Friday night at their fall convention in Anaheim. Bannon, who runs the far-right website Breitbart News, blasted Bush for his harsh assessment of Trump and his policies, which the former president delivered at a policy seminar in New York on Thursday. Bush suggested that Trump has promoted bigotry and falsehoods, violating this countrys values. President Bush to me embarrassed himself. Speech writers wrote a highfalutin speech, Bannon said. Its clear he didnt understand anything he was talking about.  Just like it was when he was president of the United States. Bannon, who was ousted from the White House in August but said he considers himself Trumps wingman, didnt stop there. He ripped into Bush, saying he allowed China to grow as a world power under the premise that global engagement might shepherd the county toward democracy. Theres not been a more destructive presidency than George Bushs, Bannon said. Bannon also had no love for McCain, who has openly clashed with Trump and helped torpedo Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The crowd at #CAGOP17 just booed George W. Bush and John McCain. "Hang him!" one man yelled about McCain.  Seema (@LATSeema) October 21, 2017 He praised McCains military service, but said as a politician, Hes just another senator from Arizona. The boos from the crowd of Republican donors and activists show how much the state party has changed as its influence has waned and its numbers have dwindled in California. The brand of conservatism belonging to Bush and McCain resonated with Californias GOP voters during their presidential campaigns. Both men forged deep ties with the states Republican elected leaders and donors, raising tens of millions of dollars here for their political campaigns. In California, Bush received 1.1 million more votes in the November 2004 presidential election than Trump did last November. McCain received almost 600,000 more votes in the November 2008 presidential election than Trump received in the state in 2016. Read More Facebook

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College journalists say covering Bannon at GOP convention prepares them for Yiannopoulos on campus By Anh Do Student journos Amy Wells + Brandon Pho of #CalSrateFullerton say peers are interested in party politics, esp info collected by young ppl. pic.twitter.com/b2MikBGnQD  ANH DO (@newsterrier) October 21, 2017 Student journalists Amy Wells and Brandon Pho from Cal State Fullerton teamed up outside Anaheims Marriott Hotel as night descended, assigned to cover Stephen K. Bannons speech and protesters targeting him. We dont underestimate how movements can pull in more youth, especially if they hear other youth pushing it on social media, said Pho, a sophomore majoring in journalism. Were always on the lookout for more policy to dig into because we have a lot of undocumented students on our campus and theyre way aware of national issues, added Wells, a senior pursuing a journalism degree. Pho and Wells said reporting on the small crowd of protesters will prepare them for much larger turnouts when provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos visits their campus at the end of this month. While Bannon is more provocative, he doesnt have the reach of someone like Milo who knows how to engage an online audience, said Pho, 19. We learn from watching how different public figures do outreach. Wells, 22, described the nights gathering as having the feel of a college campus protest. And of course, that feels familiar, with people here maybe figuring out what to do next. Small steps. Facebook

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Indivisible members rally ahead of Stephen K. Bannons speech to California Republicans By Anh Do Michelle Fowle, founder of The Resistance - Northridge, Indivisible, along w 100 supporters, launch protest vs. #SteveBannon in #Anaheim. pic.twitter.com/1yEdrUm9Si  ANH DO (@newsterrier) October 21, 2017 Growing up as a Republican in Southern California, Michelle Fowle said she automatically registered to join the party because her parents were also members. I didnt know the right civics, recalled the Northridge activist, 50. I didnt really know women died for the right to vote. I just voted for whoever I saw on signs, or whose names I remembered. Now Fowle is the founder of The Resistance - Northridge, Indivisible, which united supporters outside the California GOP convention in Anaheim on Friday to protest an appearance by Stephen K. Bannon. She joined a crowd of about 50 people across the street from the Anaheim Marriott on Friday night as they denounced President Trumps former advisor. They were separated from conventiongoers by metal barriers and a cordon of private security guards while police officers observed from nearby. Information and exposure and understanding show us that he is dangerous. Hes a very, very good manipulator, Fowle said of Bannon. His goal is to try and get rid of established Republicans and bring in more extreme people. Bannon is using whatever base Trump has left to recruit. Carolyn Criss, a retired film industry researcher, drove from Sherman Oaks to protest. Bannon is a clear danger to our democracy, she said. Criss said Trumps election awoke her dormant activist tendencies, and she now regularly attends protests against the president. She said she thought Bannons visit was an effort to amplify his voice while also helping the GOP raise money. I really hope the GOP just wants to make some money off him and doesnt believe what he says, she said. Facebook

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California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to protect workers who exercise right to free speech By Mina Corpuz San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, left, take a knee during the national anthem in a 2016 game against the Rams. (Daniel Gluskoter / Associated Press Images for Panini) A California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would help protect workers from employer retribution for exercising their right to free speech. Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) said Friday that the state should be a sanctuary for free speech, including the kind that some might find offensive. He said he will introduce a measure when the Legislature is back in session in January. It doesnt matter if youre Ben Shapiro speaking at UC Berkeley, a brave female employee standing up to misogyny in her workplace through the #MeToo movement, or a Dallas Cowboy playing in California this Sunday, he said in a statement. The Constitution does not limit speech based on value judgments so long as it doesnt harm others. Stern said the presidents attempt to urge NFL owners to fire players who kneel during the National Anthem is a troubling attack on the 1st Amendment. The Constitution trumps Trump, he said. Americans of all political stripes ought to stand up and defend it. The legislation would also help public institutions fund security for events that could include offensive speech. Public institutions and law enforcement shouldnt have to bear the cost of ensuring constitutional protections for such events, Stern said. Stern, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is part of the ongoing work to define hate speech and find a way to address it while upholding the Constitution. Facebook

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Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom fights NRA over gun control law in federal court By Patrick McGreevy Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Tim Berger / Times Community News) Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the courts to lift an order that blocks Californias ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines, which was approved in November by voters when they passed Proposition 63. In June, a federal judge in San Diego ruled in favor of a request by the National Rifle Assn. to temporarily delay the magazine ban until the court could make a final decision on the law. U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez wrote then: If this injunction does not issue, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of otherwise law-abiding citizens will have an untenable choice: become an outlaw or dispossess ones self of lawfully acquired property. In a friend-of-the-court filing, Newsom and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence argued the ban on large-capacity magazines is needed to help prevent the occurrence of high-fatality gun massacres, and to reduce the bloodshed when these tragedies occur. Newsom, a candidate for governor, sponsored Proposition 63 with the law center. Its a tragic reality that as time passes, we are presented with more and more evidence on the devastating power of large-capacity magazines, which are consistently the accessory of choice in mass shootings for mass murderers, Newsom said Friday in a statement, predicting the federal courts would uphold the ban. Facebook

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State GOP leader says the new gas tax and high poverty rate make Democrats vulnerable in California By Phil Willon California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte, center, addresses GOP delegates at the state partys convention in Anaheim on Friday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte kicked off the state GOPs fall convention with a speech to delegates that outlined why he thinks Democrats will be vulnerable in the upcoming 2018 elections. Brulte zeroed in on the new gas tax and policy declaring California a sanctuary state  both approved by Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic-controlled Legislature and both, he said, unpopular with California voters. He said Democrats have tried to deflect voter attention from these issues, as well as Californias high poverty rate and an uptick in crime, by continually attacking President Trump. Here in California, the reason they want to talk about Donald Trump is because they dont want to talk about the record they created, Brulte said. They broke it. They own it. If Donald Trump were not president, we would still have 22% of Californians living below the poverty line. Thats not Donald Trumps fault. Thats the Democrats who control California. The state GOPs three-day convention at the Anaheim Marriott will kick off in earnest Friday night when Trumps former political strategist, Steve Bannon, takes the stage for a keynote address to delegates. Facebook

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Far-right blogger Chuck C. Johnson gave bitcoin donation to Dana Rohrabacher By Christine Mai-Duc Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) speaks to Russian lawmakers at a meeting in Moscow in May 2013. (Misha Japaridze / Associated Press) Right-wing blogger and provocateur Chuck C. Johnson gave Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) a $5,400 campaign contribution weeks after he said he helped arrange a meeting between the Orange County congressman and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The donation, the maximum amount allowed by law, came in the form of bitcoin, a virtual currency. Johnson, who previously was banned from Twitter after soliciting donations toward taking out a prominent black activist, is listed on campaign finance forms as a self-employed investor who lives in Rosemead. Rohrabacher campaign spokesman Jason Pitkin confirmed the donor was the same person who helped arrange the Assange meeting. Johnson also recently sat in on a meeting between Rohrabacher and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in the Capitol. Pitkin said they discussed Assanges legal situation and cannabis policy, among other things. Rohrabacher previously said Assange had emphatically stated that the Russians were not involved in hacking the 2016 elections but claimed his plans to bring the information directly to President Trump have been thwarted by White House staffers. Pitkin said Johnson approached the Rohrabacher campaign shortly after his trip to London and said he wanted to donate. He said, Do you take bitcoin? and I said, I think we can,  Pitkin recalled. The campaign then set up a bitcoin wallet to receive the funds, Pitkin said. Rohrabacher is not the only California House candidate this cycle who has accepted contributions in bitcoin. Democrat Brian Forde, who is challenging GOP Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine, reported raising more than $59,000 in bitcoin donations between July 1 and Sept. 30. Facebook

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Government needs more women, Nancy Pelosi says By Colleen Shalby Nancy Pelosi has 30 years worth of insight for women starting out in politics. Shes run into plenty of naysayers over the years, but said she hasnt let other peoples doubt stop her. Her advice for those at the beginning of their career is simple. Know your purpose, she said in an interview Wednesday night before a Summit event hosted by the Los Angeles Times and the Berggruen Institute. The House minority leader said she hopes more women will run for office, calling their participation a necessity for government and the future. Whether its education, the environment, equal rights, womens health  whatever it is. Master your subject. Have a plan on how you will implement your ideas and you will attract support. Facebook

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This Los Angeles representative spent $105,500 on Hamilton tickets By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Tony Cardenas asks a question of Lin-Manuel Miranda during a town hall at Panorama High School in Panorama City. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Hamilton fever has caught at least two Los Angeles area members of Congress whove used campaign funds to purchase tickets to the hit musicals run at the Hollywood Pantages. Rep. Tony Cardenas campaign and his political action committee Victory by Investing, Building and Empowering PAC spent $105,500 in April buying tickets to the show, which is playing in L.A. until Dec. 30. Two fundraisers using the approximately 400 tickets have raised more than $300,000, a spokesman for the congressmans campaign said. For both Cardenas campaign and the PAC, the tickets were the single most costly expense of the year. Basically they saw this as an opportunity to have a nice fundraising opportunity and go to a show that celebrates American democracy, campaign spokesman Josh Pulliam said. The Los Angeles Democrat is friends with the father of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning creator of Hamilton. When the show opened in Los Angeles in mid-August, Miranda spoke to nearly 1,000 students in Cardenas largely Latino San Fernando Valley district . He raffled off some tickets to the show as an online fundraiser in September. Miranda has a history of supporting Democrats, and Hamilton has been used as a fundraiser before. In July 2016, Hillary Clintons presidential campaign hosted a special showing of the musical for donors, with a starting ticket price of $2,700. Cardenas held two fundraisers tied to the show. Miranda did not attend either event, Pulliam said. Pulliam said a few dozen tickets went to people in the community as gifts. He also raffled off some tickets to the show as an online fundraiser in September. Cardenas isnt in a particularly tough race for 2018. A Democrat and a Green Party member have filed to run in his district, but neither have raised or spent enough to require them to file campaign finance reports. Cardenas most recent report, which covers what he raised and spent in the last three months, shows he raised $232,389 and had $481,049 in the bank as of Sept. 30. Its fairly common for lawmakers or candidates to use sports events or concerts as major fundraising opportunities, especially when big names such as Taylor Swift or Bruce Springsteen play concerts in Washington. Rep. Maxine Waters campaign spent just under $11,000 on tickets to Hamilton in August. Reached by phone, the Los Angeles Democrat seemed surprised reporters were asking about the tickets. She said her campaign made $110,000 at a fundraiser using the tickets. Everybody does it, whether its a concert or a baseball game, she said. Several conservative groups have targeted Waters, an outspoken critic of President Trump, for the 2018 election. She won in 2016 with 76% of the vote over Republican Omar Navarro, who is challenging her again. In a statement released by her campaign, Waters stressed that fundraising at an event means the campaign doesnt have to rent space or buy food. These fundraising activities are similar and sometimes less expensive than the amount of money a candidate would spend to host a fundraising dinner within a private room at a restaurant or hotel  once you factor in associated catering costs, she said. The price for the Hamilton tickets was similar to what one would have to pay at these venues. There was nothing improper or unusual about the expenditure. Facebook

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California Republicans increase security at state convention ahead of Steve Bannon speech By Seema Mehta (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press) The California Republican Party is ramping up security at its weekend convention in anticipation of protests at the Friday night keynote speech by Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Trump and the executive chairman of Breitbart News. Part of providing a good experience for our convention goers is assuring your safety, state party Executive Director Cynthia Bryant wrote in an email to attendees on Thursday describing the security measures. Attendees will pass through metal detectors and their property is subject to be searched before they are allowed to enter the ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott, where the speech and dinner are taking place. Weapons, noisemakers and signs are prohibited. We did not make the decision for the additional security lightly and we know that it does impact your convention going experience, Bryant wrote. I sincerely regret that. Its a level of security rarely seen at political party gatherings in California. Convention attendees were also screened when Donald Trump, then a candidate seeking the GOP presidential nomination, appeared at the spring 2015 convention in Burlingame. That decision was made in consultation with the Secret Service, which had already begun protecting Trump. That convention attracted large-scale protests that at times turned into tense stand-offs between activists and police officers. Bannons speech is also expected to draw protests. Bannon, a conservative media leader, promoted Breitbart as a platform of the alt-right and needled establishment Republicans when Trump selected him to be the chief executive of his 2016 presidential campaign. His views as a nationalist, economic populist and nativist indelibly shaped Trumps message to voters. Once Trump was sworn in as president, Bannon was named White House chief strategist. He was a divisive figure in the administration, disparaging his colleagues to the media before he left the White House in August. He has since declared war on the GOP establishment, including supporting challengers to incumbents and other candidates backed by Trump. Facebook

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L.A. County Supervisors unanimously back Sen. Feinstein for reelection By Sarah D. Wire L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) The five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have all endorsed Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senators campaign announced Thursday. The announcement comes as factions of California Democrats begin weighing in on the Senate race between Feinstein and state Senate leader Kevin de Leon next year. Its a snub for De Leon, a native Angeleno who has represented part of the city for more than a decade in the Assembly and state Senate. Sen. Feinstein has been our strong partner on the critical issues confronting L.A. County  homelessness, healthcare, and transportation. Her support for our county hospitals, including her commitment to our new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, has been essential to our countys healthcare system, Board Chairman and 2nd District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement. Ridley-Thomas said the board members support Feinstein -- including the lone Republican on the board, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who said in a statement that California needs Feinstein in the Senate. Ive worked with Sen. Feinstein for many years. Shes extremely knowledgeable and always prepared on the tough issues we confront. Shes a problem solver we can count on now and in the future, Barger said. Feinstein already has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which traditionally backs incumbents. Soon after he announced a challenge, De Leon was endorsed by Democracy for America, the progressive political action committee formed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in 2004. Facebook

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Northern California wildfires mean thousands of families will flood the regions already strained housing market By Liam Dillon Tom and Shelly Lanning, from left, talk with Lannings mother, Jeannie Anderson, on Oct.17, 2017. The Lannings have been staying with Anderson since they lost their home in wildfires. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Even before devastating wildfires struck Northern California last week, the regions housing market was in crisis. Home values and rents already were at or near record highs, and decades of slow construction has left few homes available for the thousands of displaced residents. The number of new families flooding the market is giving rise to fears of widespread displacement and even higher costs. The scope and magnitude of the rehousing is unfathomable, said Larry Florin, chief executive of the nonprofit Burbank Housing, one of Santa Rosas largest low-income housing providers. If you take 3,000 units being demolished in a market that was already dramatically constrained, its hard to imagine whats going to happen, where people are going to go. Read More Facebook

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California lawmaker wants to ban secret settlements in sexual harassment cases after Weinstein scandal By Melanie Mason State Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), shown speaking at a 2016 news conference for ending the statute of limitations for rape, wants to ban confidentiality provisions from sexual harassment settlements. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) A California state senator says she intends to introduce a bill next year to ban confidentiality provisions in monetary settlements stemming from sexual harassment, assault and discrimination cases. Secret settlements in sexual assault and related cases can jeopardize the public  including other potential victims  and allow perpetrators to escape justice just because they have the money to pay the cost of the settlements, Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) said in a statement Thursday. This bill will ensure that sexual predators can be held accountable for their actions and ideally prevent them from victimizing others. The measure comes after revelations of decades-long alleged sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Some of those incidents were obscured from public view thanks to monetary settlements whose terms required confidentiality. The issue has a renewed resonance in Sacramento after scores of women working in state politics renounced a pervasive culture of harassment and abuse in the Capitol in a public letter this week. Leyva told the Times she intends for her proposed settlement ban to include both private employers and public ones, such as the Legislature. 9:41 a.m.: This post was updated to specify Leyvas proposal would apply to private and public employers. This post was originally published at 8:54 a.m. Facebook

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Nancy Pelosi: Its your problem if you dont recognize that women are ready to do any job By Colleen Shalby Nancy Pelosi knows what it feels like to have to prove herself in politics simply because shes a woman. She says she experiences the pressure every day. But its your problem if you dont recognize that women are ready to do any job, the House minority leader said in an interview before a Summit event hosted by the Los Angeles Times and the Berggruen Institute on Wednesday night. When she decided to run for a leadership position in Congress, Pelosi said a man questioned her move. As if a woman had to be told she could run, she recalled. We just laughed and said poor babies. In the midst of a growing sexual misconduct scandal centered on Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, many women are sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault. No industry has been spared  women at Californias Capitol signed an open letter Tuesday outlining pervasive harassment in Sacramento. Pelosi said she wasnt prepared to share a so-called me too moment, but she thanked the women who have. The sheer numbers speak eloquently to the fact that we should get to zero tolerance, she said. Facebook

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Watch: The View from California political panel with John Myers Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers hosted a panel discussion about the view from California as part of our L.A. Times and Berggruen Institute Summit series. Joining him were state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), Republican strategist Luis Alvarado, UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck and Alma Hernandez, executive director of SEIU California. We also had a conversation with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Watch that here. Facebook

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Watch: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi talks to the L.A. Times House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) spoke Wednesday about her view of national news, working with the Trump White House and the future of the Democratic Party. The event was co-hosted by The L.A. Times and the Berggruen Institute. Following that conversation, Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers hosted a panel discussion about the view from California. Joining him were state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), Republican strategist Luis Alvarado, UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck and Alma Hernandez, executive director of SEIU California. Watch that here. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon: My whole life, Ive been told to wait my turn and know my place You know, my whole life, Ive been told to wait my turn and know my place. Well, its Californias turn to lead. And Californias place to be a shining example for the world and a stark contrast to the failures of Washington.  State Senate leader Kevin de Leon, kicking off his U.S. Senate campaign Read More Facebook

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Pelosi, in Los Angeles visit, calls on Congress to pass Dream Act By Makeda Easter Rep. Nancy Pelosi meets with young immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called on the GOP-controlled Congress to pass the Dream Act by years end. Pelosi appeared at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights with community leaders and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients in Los Angeles. The San Francisco Democrat said she has confidence Republicans and Democrats will be able to work together to pass the Dream Act. President Trump said we had shared values when we spoke to him, Pelosi said. I trust that he will honor that commitment because the American people want him to do so. The Democratic leader had conversations with Trump about continuing DACA after his heartless decision to end the program. Pelosi said that President Reagan was great on immigration and noted his immigration agenda protected a larger percentage of people than President Obama did with his executive order regarding DACA. She added the last three Republican presidents strongly acknowledged the value of immigration to America. A majority of the estimated 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children live in California. These newcomers make America more American, Pelosi said. She noted there have been a handful of Republicans who support forcing a Dream Act vote via a procedural move. Still, her party is in the minority. You can have all the conversation in the world that you want, but youve got to have the votes, she said, encouraging moderate Republicans to support the Dream Act. She was joined by Democratic Reps. Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles, Judy Chu of Monterey Park and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Downey, the first Mexican American woman elected to Congress and original co-author of the Dream Act. Roybal-Allard said the so-called Dreamers have lived in this country, they have grown up here, they have pledged allegiance to our flag. To do anything else but to protect them by passing the Dream 
When the votes were tallied in Californias 2014 primary, the political world buzzed that a Republican was the top vote-getter in the race for state controller. That kind of support hadnt been seen in a statewide race since 2006.

Fast forward to four years later. Theres not even a GOP candidate in that race.

As Republicans wrap up their weekend convention in Anaheim, a lingering question is whether the party  whose share of the registered electorate has shrunk by almost 10 percentage points since 2007  will continue to atrophy if it cant produce viable candidates for a variety of Californias statewide offices.

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The candidate who won those 2014 primary election votes for state controller, former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, was later defeated by Democrat Betty Yee.

Swearengins political strategist later criticized GOP leaders for not helping to raise enough money to allow the Central Valley candidate to be competitive in the fall.

The partys woes are well-documented. It trails Democrats by almost 4 million registered voters, holds fewer than a third of the seats in the Legislature and only about one-quarter of those in Californias congressional delegation. Democrats remain the undisputed campaign cash champions, and Republicans have spent decades sparring over the partys direction  including this year when a handful of GOP legislators voted to extend the life of the states cap-and-trade climate program.

Political Road Map: California Democrats dominate the dollars spent on state campaigns Slowly, Republican candidates have emerged for down ticket statewide races, those below the race for governor. The latest is Mark Meuser, a Bay Area Republican who last week launched a challenge to Secretary of State Alex Padilla, criticizing the Democratic incumbent for inaccurate voter registration records  an accusation based on a conservative think tanks still-unproven summertime analysis.

But as with Swearengin, who spent almost all of her cash before the June 2014 primary, money is likely a problem. In 2014, the seven Democrats running for the statewide offices below governor collectively spent five times as much as their Republican challengers. And donors like to back candidates who they think can actually win. Only two Republicans have won a statewide race since 1998 and both of those victories  former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner  were in 2006.

Even in the governors race, the Republican hopefuls are far from household names. Thirteen party members have opened exploratory committees of one variety or another, with Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox and Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen leading the pack. Some wonder whether a weak GOP field, plus Californias top-two primary rules, could result in multiple statewide races on November 2018s general election ballot to be between two Democrats  as was the case in the June 2016 primary for the U.S. Senate.

The state GOP chairman, Jim Brulte, has focused more on legislative races and shoring up the partys finances than expensive high-profile campaigns. Before last winters state convention, he told The Times that Republicans believe there is a path for victory in statewide races come 2018. First, though, the party needs credible candidates. Or in the case of the California controllers race, any candidate at all.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

ALSO:

Political Road Map: Democrats and Republicans would like to kill Californias top-two primary in 2018

Political Road Map: A sloppy signature could keep your 2018 ballot from being counted

Updates on California politics
DECATUR  Tom Stowell did not know what to make of his pain as he drove to St. Marys Hospital last year.

The Decatur resident had been dealing with ailments such as pain in his arms for about a week before his fateful trip to the hospital, and family members had asked him to get checked out.

The diagnosis was an unwelcome surprise.

They told me I needed to have double bypass (heart surgery) right away, Stowell said. Looking back, its amazing I was even able to drive there.

After a successful surgery, Stowell began rehab to improve his cardiovascular strength. And it was there that he learned of the chance to meet with others who shared his health scare and to come together and raise awareness for cardiac issues.

Stowell and his family were among the estimated 400 in attendance Saturday morning at Fairview Park for the annual American Heart Association Macon County Heart & Stroke Walk. Survivors of cardiac attacks and strokes, as well as friends, family and others came together to help raise funds to support cardiovascular research and educational programs.

The fundraiser is still going strong after nearly two decades, which AHA development director Karen Gedrose attributed to the the widespread impact of the disease.

Everyone is touched, I dont think you can talk to anyone who doesnt personally know someone who has died due to heart disease, she said.

The goal is to raise $65,000 from the event as donations will continue to be collected over the next month, Gedrose said.

The fundraise included the option for participants to either run or walk a one-mile or three-mile route.

Betty Pritchett was not going to let her age or her health stop her from walking with her daughter.

The 85-year-old suffered a heart attack in 2010, but Saturday marked her third straight year walking at the event.

Her daughter, Mary Pritchett, said shes thankful that her mother remains in such shape that they can participate in the event together.

It gives me hope that maybe I can do the same as I get older, she said.

Support for survivors was on full display under the pavilion at Fairview Park, with plenty of red-shirts in sight to go along with the red and white hats worn by those who survived cardiac arrest or strokes.

Among those were Kat Stowell, who came down from Chicago on Friday night to be with her dad during the event. Her sister, Tori, and niece, Lucy, were also on hand to join Tom Stowell during his first time at the event.

The family has always been close, said Kat Stowell, and that the events of the past year-and-a-half has only brought them closer together.

Theres nowhere else Id rather be today than with my dad and our family, she said.
Re: Saving Money in Paradise, by Debbi K. Kickham, Oct. 15: From chocolate-covered macadamia nuts to Kona coffee, we have always found Mauis Walmart to be the best place for variety and prices.

It is our go-to place each time we visit, a few minutes from the airport and with a section devoted to souvenirs and gifts.

Leslie Nagby

Riverside

Englands senior deal

Re: Real Fantasyland, by Rosemary McClure, Oct. 8: I have just returned from England, where I was happy to discover that as an over-60 senior I was eligible for a senior rail card for 30 pounds a year, or about $40.

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This saves 30% off rail fares, and anyone over 60 is eligible even if traveling from a foreign country. There are some restrictions about when you can travel, but it saved me quite a sum. It is available online or at a station. Info: senior-railcard.co.uk

Alison Davis

Rancho Palos Verdes

New Mexicos film resume

Thanks for the article featuring the Puye Cliffs of northern New Mexico [Carved Into History, by Frank O. Sotomayor, Oct. 8]. I was born in that area.

Matthew Broderick shot some scenes of a 1996 movie called InfInity at Puye Cliffs. It was his directorial debut, and his mother wrote the screenplay. The film was about a scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos in the 1940s.

In the story line, the main character, played by Broderick, brought his wife, played by Patricia Arquette, from the East Coast to New Mexico to help her with her respiratory issues. Its not a bad little film.

Jeff Padilla

East Hollywood

Before you leave, a to-do list

The article by Catharine Hamm, A Wet Welcome Home [On the Spot, Oct 8], about turning water off before vacationing, was right on.

Another task to add to the before we leave home list would be to put a lock on the outside electrical box. If someone turns off the power, you could lose the protection of your security system and come home to a thawed freezer as well.

Marcy Boswell

Menifee
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scored a landslide victory on Sunday as his conservative ruling party and a coalition partner secured a two-thirds majority in parliament that will allow him to push ahead unimpeded in his quest to change Japans pacifist constitution.

Not even a typhoon battering Japans Pacific coast could impede Abe  and may have helped by contributing to a turnout figure of just under 54%, the second lowest in the postwar period. Low turnout has traditionally benefited Abes Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power for most of the last 60 years.

The LDP and partner Komeito party needed 310 seats for a two-thirds majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives. By Monday morning, with four seats yet to be declared, the ruling coalition had claimed 312 seats.

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I think the results reflected the voters preference for a solid political foundation and their expectations for us to push polices forward and achieve results, Abe told the Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The battle to become the official opposition party was a close race between the right-wing Party of Hope, with 50 seats, and the left-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party, with 54. Both parties have been in existence for less than a month.

The snap election was called late last month by Abe, who said he was seeking a mandate to divert revenue from a sales tax increase, allowing it to be spent on child care and education rather than paying down Japans huge national debt. However, the increase, from 8% to 10%, wont happen until October 2019 and most analysts said Abe was taking advantage of opposition disarray and concerns about North Korea to strengthen his position.

The challenge from the new Party of Hope, formed in late September by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, faded fast. Meanwhile, the centrist opposition Democratic Party split, part of it joining Koike and the rest launching the Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike acknowledged that her refusal to allow liberal former Democratic Party lawmakers to run on her partys ticket unless they backed policies such as constitutional reform had not gone down well with voters.

My use of the term exclusion was harsh. I hadnt intended to offend anybody, Koike told reporters in Paris, where she was attending an international conference on the environment.

Despite scant enthusiasm for many of Abes policies, particularly his planned reform of the constitutions pacifist Article 9, his position rarely looked seriously threatened. On top of a weakened opposition, the economy has posted consecutive quarters of solid growth after decades of stagnation, the stock market is at a 20-year high and there are 1.5 vacancies for every job seeker.

In the suburb of Ikuta in Kawasaki, just outside Tokyo, a steady stream of voters were braving torrential rain Sunday evening to make it to the polling station before it closed at 8 p.m.

Two people struggle against the wind in Tokyo on Oct. 22, 2017. (Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP/Getty Images )

Most voters said they had cast their ballots for the status quo of the LDP, but some were looking for change.

I was working in manufacturing, but business worsened and I got laid off. I want better conditions for workers, so I voted for the Japanese Communist Party, said Tomoka Kobayashi.

The Communists had been expected to pick up some seats after a strong showing in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections in July and with the upheavals in the rest of the opposition. But Japans oldest political party saw its seats drop from 21 to 12.

Typhoon Lan lashed Japan on election day, and caused a delay in counting votes from some remote districts. It also was probably a factor in the record 15.6 million people who cast early ballots by Friday.

This is the first House of Representatives election in which 18- and 19-year-olds were able to participate, after the voting age was lowered from 20. In the election for the less-powerful House of Councilors in July 2016, a higher proportion of 18- and 19-year-olds turned out for the LDP than their older counterparts, confounding conventional wisdom that younger voters lean liberal.

With a so-called super majority in both houses of parliament secured, Abe will probably press ahead with his reform of Article 9, widely seen as his true political mission.

Reform of the constitution is not decided by the election or even parliament, but must be put to a national referendum. We must seek to gain the understanding of the public, said Abe when asked by NHK about Article 9.

A constitutional reform bill requires approval by two-thirds of both houses, and then a simple majority in a national referendum. The vote in the latter is all but guaranteed to be far tighter than Sundays election.

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Blair is a special correspondent.

UPDATES:

5:20 p.m.: This article has been updated with latest results, quotes from Koike, voter.

This article was originally published at 11:15 a.m.
In Barcelonas medieval Gothic Quarter, the enormous crowds of demonstrators who thronged the narrow streets a day earlier had vanished, supplanted by cafe-goers and tourists and shoppers. It might have been any languid Sunday in one of Europes most charming cities, with friends sitting in a neighborhood bar talking politics.

But that would be leaving aside the scrawled notes affixed to police barricades, the wary-looking guards in front of City Hall and the seat of the regional Catalan government, the single-starred regional flags fluttering from metal balcony railings  and the knowledge that this week, Catalonias long-simmering secessionist struggle might well come to a full boil.

Like 16 other Spanish regions, this triangular wedge of northeastern Spain is formally designated as autonomous, though its powers of self-rule are limited. Catalonia jealously guards its own language, culture and traditions, but until now, even while seeking to expand its control over its own day-to-day affairs, the region seemed inextricably tied to the rest of Spain.

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That changed Oct. 1, when a violence-marred referendum resulted in an overwhelming call for independence. But the balloting was marked by a turnout of less than half of the electorate and denunciations by the central government, which called the vote illegal.

After three weeks of increasingly bitter exchanges, during which Catalonias president, Carles Puigdemont, failed to renounce independence aims, Spains Senate is now expected to approve Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys call to impose direct rule on Catalonia. That vote, expected Friday, would strip regional officials of control over Catalan police, public media and finances.

Many see the regions struggle for independence as an inevitable pushback after years of chafing under the central governments control.

Its not really about independence, its about human rights, said Marcelli Murillo Gol, a psychologist who took to the streets Saturday with hundreds of thousands of others. As a gay man, he said, he resents that he doesnt have the same rights in Spain as in other parts of Europe. He fears that as more people are jailed for their political views, he could be next.

Friends who joined Murillo on Sunday night at a neighborhood gathering spot, Bar Brusi, all voted for independence. All recalled the restrictions they faced growing up in Catalonia, despite a resurgence of the regional language, Catalan, in recent years.

They took our culture, our language, our identity  we couldnt speak Catalan, said Judith Sabanes Parramon, 57, who wore a bracelet emblazoned with the regional flag. If they saw three people in the street talking they said, Whats happening? In families, people still spoke Catalan, but secretly.

The Catalan regional government refused anew on Sunday to back off from its independence bid, even as Madrid harshly chided secessionist leaders and branded as illegal any move to try to break away from Spain.

The independence furor in Spains most affluent region has sent shock waves across Europe, with neighboring governments fearing that the Catalonia showdown  the most serious constitutional crisis in Spains four decades of democracy  could galvanize separatist sentiment elsewhere.

Leaders of Italys two richest regions, Veneto and Lombardy, claimed victory Sunday for nonbinding autonomy votes aimed at giving them greater freedom from Rome.

Angry exchanges between senior officials on both sides of Spains divide have become the norm. Speaking Sunday on the BBC, Spains foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, responded acidly to a contention by the speaker of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell, who said Spains plans to impose direct rule in Catalonia were a de facto coup detat.

If anyone has attempted a coup, retorted Dastis, it is the Catalan regional government.

Jordi Turull, the chief spokesman for Catalonias regional government, said Sunday that although the regional parliament had not voted on a formal declaration of independence, that might yet happen.

What Catalonia is will be decided by the parliament legitimately elected by the citizens, he said in an interview with RAC1, the main Catalan-language private radio station.

Spain again warned sharply against any further secessionist moves. Dastis said the imposition of direct rule was a step that Madrid was reluctant to take, but he insisted it was necessary to restore order.

We are going to  rule the day-to-day affairs of Catalonia according to the Catalan laws and norms, he told the BBC.

In a sign of what may be an emerging government strategy, Dastis also questioned the veracity of widely seen images of police engaging in aggressive acts against voters and would-be voters during the referendum on Oct. 1. Independence backers said hundreds of people were injured.

Many of the pictures proved to be fake pictures, the foreign minister said. If there was any use of force, it was a limited one meant only to enforce the law.

Rajoys decision to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution takes the dispute into uncharted territory. The provision, granting the government broad powers in the event of a serious breach of law in any of Spains semiautonomous regions, has never been utilized.

Approval of the Senate, which Rajoys party controls, is almost a certainty, which means the administrative takeover could go into effect immediately afterward.

The government has said steps under Article 155 would cover matters including security, public order, finance management, taxation, the regional budget, and public media outlets.

Puigdemont, speaking Saturday, excoriated the anticipated actions by Madrid as the most serious attack on Catalonias foundations and principles since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who died in 1975 after a repressive four decades of rule.

Speaking on Catalan TV  one of the now-imperiled media outlets  he declared that he would consult with the regional parliament about how to respond to these attacks on democracy. If the takeover by Rajoys government goes ahead, Puigdemont could face criminal charges, Spains attorney general has said.

On both sides of the secession divide, many feared serious economic fallout. Catalonia accounts for one-fifth of Spains economy, and Barcelona is a world city that draws millions of visitors. But dozens of companies are decamping, or preparing to do so, moving headquarters elsewhere in Spain in anticipation of possible civil strife and legal limbo if the secession drive continues.

The sun sets over Barcelona, capital of Spains Catalonia region, on Oct. 22. (Jack Taylor / Getty Images )

In the Spanish capital, Madrid, sentiment tilted strongly in the governments favor, with many voicing solidarity with Rajoys self-described attempts to keep the country together.

It is the Catalan government that has decided to place itself outside the law, damaging democracy, said Mario Perales, a 46-year-old civil servant in Madrid. The rule of law has to be imposed.

Even in Barcelona, the Catalan capital, pro-independence sentiment was far from unanimous. Nouria Oliver, 81, said her neighborhood and Catalonia as a whole are divided.

Her husband, who died last year, supported independence. She and her son do not. Old enough to vividly remember the Franco dictatorship, she welcomed the semiautonomy that modern Spanish democracy brought.

Now, though, she fears that Catalonia could become an island without support in Europe or the world. Politicians on the left and right alike have become so sidetracked by political arm-wrestling, she said, that they are failing to address pressing problems like unemployment and political corruption.

Its a comedy, its a tragedy, said Oliver. We dont know what will happen next.

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A movie about a czars love affair ignites violent protest from Russias religious right

In Spain, police suspect the seed for recent Islamic State attacks was planted years ago

Hennessy-Fiske reported from Barcelona and King from Washington. Special correspondent James Badcock contributed from Madrid.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

UPDATES:

5:15 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional comments from voters, background, details.

This article was originally published at 1:25 p.m.
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Lincoln Hills School for Boys has been plagued by stories of prisoner abuse, violent incidents and prisoner unrest. Changing the juvenile prisoner system would be expensive, but the current facility is pricey with the potential to get much pricier, reporter Patrick Marley said.
Gerrymandering in Pennsylvania is a joke -- a bad joke that needs a constitutional correction.

The good news is that court and legislative scalpels are being sharpened that could -- the key word being "could" -- cut up distorted voting-district maps and inject some fairness into this process.

But first, a quiz:

What do U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, and a nonprofit group called Fair Districts PA have in common?

They hold the future of democracy in their hands -- at least the part that says the people's representatives in Washington and state capitols should, proportionately, reflect the feelings and leanings of the folks back home.

Gerrymandering defeats this principle. It allows a party in power (Republicans or Democrats, they're equally opportunistic), to pack legislative and congressional districts by party registration to dominate elections.

Pennsylvania is considered by many observers the most gerrymandered state in the U.S.

That assertion is borne out the freaky districts themselves, breaking up towns and communities, snaking around in search of Rs or Ds. The tortured 7th Congressional District in suburban Philadelphia may be the best (or worst) example in the country. The 17th District, which connects the Easton area to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, is an abomination, too. It's a "super" Democratic enclave, which allows for a greater number of majority-Republican districts around Pennsylvania.

Consider that Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state, 5 to 4. Helped by a GOP-directed redrawing of districts, Republicans hold 13 of Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts.

Unfair? Yes.

Unconstitutional? That's what we need to find out.

The case before the U.S. Supreme Court, argued earlier this month, alleges that Republican legislators in Wisconsin used majority power and highly evolved computer programs to tilt districts in their favor. The court heard a similar case from Pennsylvania in 2004 and declined to overturn anything -- but Kennedy, the swing vote that 5-4 decision, left the door open to court action if things were to get worse.

Today's gerrymandering has taken a giant step forward. In past years the Supreme Court has rejected a stacking of the deck against minority voters; the question now is whether partisan shakedowns in redistricting violate the Constitution's guarantee of representative government.

We believe that it does -- and the proof is in the electoral pudding.

With the high court divided, it will be up to Kennedy, still the swing vote, to decide if Wisconsin's districts have taken an unconstitutional turn. Any reversal could have a limited impact -- or it could establish a standard applicable to other states.

It's time for the court to upset a badly loaded apple cart -- if not in time for the 2018 elections, to guide the 2020 elections -- and most critically, the redrawing of districts after the 2020 Census.

Meanwhile, the fight goes on in two other avenues.
Neighbors in a Slate Belt rural community where police say a man shot and killed another male family member expressed sorrow and shock a day after the homicide.

Vicki Hughes sat on her front porch recalling when 10124A Upper Little Creek Road in Lower Mount Bethel Township -- the scene of the killing -- was a secluded area for idling teens.

She said that property and several hundred surrounding acres, many of which now have homes built on them, were then known as "Quaker's Woods."

The land had been owned by the Stevens Family before it was sold to the Diehl Family, Hughes said. Northampton County property records show the land currently is owned by Charles and Anna Diehl.

Hughes' late grandparents bought one of the properties and built a house. Next door was a property owned by her late father, Donald Rosenberg. Hughes said neighbors are so quiet, you can hear a front door close.

"It's so peaceful," Hughes said of her father's former home. "I come out here for peace and quiet. This is just so tragic."

Pennsylvania State Police in Belfast said Dennis Maurice Long, 52, who lives at the Upper Little Creek Road property, at about 10 p.m. Saturday began arguing with a 26-year-old male later identified as Ryan Craig Boomer, no address provided.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Sunday Long and Boomer were family members, but he wasn't sure exactly how they were related. The argument was about "family issues," Morganelli added.

At some point during the heated argument, Long is accused of shooting Boomer with an undisclosed weapon. Boomer was found dead by investigators and pronounced at the scene Saturday by the Northampton County Coroner's Office.

State Police did not state where Boomer was found on the property, but said he was shot in the upper torso. Long was found outside the home and arrested without incident, according to police.

A male contractor a few houses from where the shooting took place described the neighborhood as a "very quiet, beautiful area."

"Unfortunately, we have stuff like this when it comes down to civil matters," he said.

Renee Schoof, who also lives a few houses down from where the shooting happened, said she had no idea about the incident, also noting the tranquil country road she lives on.

"We never heard anything," she said. "We had no clue."

Some neighbors believed Long was a tenant in a trailer rented in back of the property. They said he is married with a stepson.

Long has been charged with a single count of homicide. He was arraigned before District Judge Nancy Matos-Gonzalez without bail. Long was then sent to Northampton County Prison.

Morganelli said no other charges are being filed in the case at this time.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Phillipsburg's council president will soon end his career as an elected official, but has already landed a new job with another public agency.

Todd Tersigni, who announced in March that he would not seek re-election this year, was hired last month by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, a commission spokesman confirmed this week.

Tersigni interviewed for an entry-level maintenance position with an annual salary of $34,656, spokesman Joe Donnelly said. His start date was Oct. 10.

"Maintenance work runs the gamut, by the way," Donnelly said. "Laborer, snow shoveling, snow plowing, sign repairs, building repairs, landscaping, carpentry, the list goes on."

The bridge commission owns and operates bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania north of Philadelphia, including those for Interstates 80, 78 and 95. A number of current and former elected officials have worked for the commission or been appointed to its board of commissioners over the years.

Tersigni said he is qualified for the job from his nearly three decades in construction work and as a landlord. He said he still owns Liberty Construction Co. in Phillipsburg, but the bridge commission job will be his priority.

"I believe it's a new opportunity for me," he said.

The council president also said he would recuse himself from any bridge commission business before the town council between now and when his term concludes at year's end.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Two striking sculptures with a mental health theme created by a local artists and Clonaslee school students are currently on display at Mountmellick Library.

Art for Arts Sake is the name of a collaborative project between Clonaslee College transition year students, their art teacher Amanda Harkin and local artist Tom Joyce from Glenbarrow, Rosenallis.

The organisers say that every day at home or in school, as we interact with others, people are usually unaware of what experiences they may be going through in their lives.

It is hoped the sculpture will promote an awareness and realisations that often private anguish, might be hidden behind a mask that can be as tough as steel. The organisers quote Plato: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard a battle.

Read more below photo

The theme of the project is mental health and general well-being. The sculptures were created using a variety of materials and construction techniques.

This project is part of the Artists in School scheme administered by Laois Arts office. Why not drop in and see them for yourself.

Tom will give a talk on the techniques and materials used on Tuesday October 24 at 6.30pm. This talk should be of particular interest to any Junior or Leaving Certificate Art students. All are welcome!

Meanwhile, congratulations to Claire OBrien who received an IPad for winning the 19 and over Europe Direct Soapbox competition. The under 19 competition is on Wednesday October 25 at 6 pm.

In other news, the Junior Chess Club is on Saturday November 4 from 10.30 am to 11.30 am for ages 7-13 years of age. All are welcome but knowledge of basic chess moves is necessary.

An adult chess club has also started on Saturday morning at 12 noon.

The adult colouring group meets on Thursday mornings from 10.30 onwards. Drop in do some colouring and have a cup of tea and coffee and a chat.

If interested in any of the above ring 057-864-4572 to book a place or call into Mountmellick Library. All are welcome.
A Portlaoise man who claimed that substance abuse issues was the reason he stole loose change from unlocked cars in a local housing estate has been given community service in lieu of prison.

Andrew Murphy (23), with a previous address listed at 115 Hillview Drive, Knockmay, Portlaoise, first came before the district court in Portlaoise in July.

At that court, Inspector Maria Conway gave evidence that in the early hours of May 10 this year, at Rathevan View, Portlaoise, two males were observed entering unlocked cars in the area.

They attempted to flee the scene, but the gardai located them and they were arrested.

At the garda station they were searched and loose change stolen from the cars was found on them.

The accused had six previous convictions, including assault causing harm.

Defence, Mr Philip Meagher said that his client had experienced substance issues at the time, but these are now dealt with.

Mr Meagher said that Murphy had cut all his former associations in the town and if the court was willing to give him a chance he would not come to adverse attention again.

Judge Catherine Staines said that even though it was only 3 that was taken the incident must still have been very upsetting for the owner of the car.

Ordering the accused to pay 100 compensation, Judge Staines imposed 150 hours community service in lieu of six months in prison.

The matter was adjourned to October 12 for a community service report.

At last weeks court, the accused was found suitable for the community service and Judge Staines imposed 150 hours community service in lieu of six months in jail.

Other charges against the accused, including obstructing a garda, were adjourned, with bail granted on condition he observe a curfew, sign on at the garda station, and reside at Mountain View, Portlaoise.
A radical plan for hospitals in Dublin, Laois, Offaly and Kildare should be scrapped according to Government Minister Charlie Flanagan.

The Laois TD was responding to the leak of the Strategic Plan to his Laois Sinn Fein counterpart Brian Stanley TD. Details revealed would involve a dramatic shakeup in hospital services in Dublin and the midlands. Naas and Portlaoise hospitals would be bypassed if implemented.

The contents had been rumoured for some time and Minister Flanagan has opposed the proposal. In a statement to the Leinster Express, the Minister for Justice reinforced his opposition to the plan drawn up by the HSE's Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG).

"I'm disappointed with reports on the document which I haven't yet seen. I don't support the Susan O'Reilly (DMHG chief executive) HSE plan. Once again The HSE fails the acknowledge the importance of services for the Laois region as they did with Abbeyleix and Shaen (community hospitals).

"Dr O'Reilly and HSE should now reverse engines and scrap the plan as reported and adopt the more realistic and visionary plan drawn up by the Laois medical practitioners who know best," he said.

Laois GPs have said the contents of the plan are 'indefensible'. Minister Flanagan called on the HSE to adopt their plan instead of downgrading the Laois A&E.

"I fully support the (Laois) doctors' plan and I accept that as medical practitioners they know best. In the meantime Government has neither seen nor discussed the reported 'plan'.

"It should be noted that the HSE has not met the Health Minister (Simon Harris) on this. I am in constant contact with both the Taoiseach (Leo Varadkar) and Minister Harris and I have told the HSE that what's reported will not work," he said.

The Fine Gael Minister called on Dr O'Reilly and her team to visit Laois as she promised. He said she should meet with councillors and stakeholders in the county as she has not done to date.

The HSE does not comment on hospitals overseen by the DMHG. The group had no comment on the leak which also revealed that nearly 40,000 go through Portlaoise's A&E in a year.

The DMHG, Minister and HSE have refused to publish the report. The man requests included one made through the Freedom of Information Act by Dep Stanley.

The Minister has the report since late 2016. An original draft of the plan was completed by the autumn of 2015.

In the past the DMHG has said that any changes would be based on the best clinical advice and in the interest of patient safety. The group has previously confirmed that it has drawn up a plan that is with the Minister. It came about as a result of the crisis in maternity services. The DMHG says services for pregnant women are now safe.

The future of Portlaoise hospital was the biggest issue in Laois during the General Election of 2016.
It is only once youve seen the horrifying black and white grainy pictures of a lynch mob standing around a tree with two black men hanging from it that you truly realise the value of having a functional legal system.

A Google search will reveal dozens of these awful pictures, usually featuring numerous white people who are eager to get into the picture, and a caption indicating that the dead man was caught stealing chickens or some other petty crime.

Hanging these men (and occasionally women) from a tree was, the mob believed, justice.

Did the punishment match the crime? Had they caught the right man?

Any mob that is happy enough to be photographed beside a limp hanging body  even though it was obviously against the law  is probably not overly concerned with such details.

In fact on occasion the lynching had less to do with a specific crime and more to do with an appetite for blood lust and a desire to assert racial superiority. Rules of fairness or due process were neither considered nor applied.

The legal system that most countries have is concerned that justice be fair, transparent and that people could have faith that the guilty would be punished and, much more importantly, that the innocent would not.

There are numerous rules in how a case must be prosecuted. Those doing the accusing are heavily burdened with the requirement to prove what they allege. These are not just quaint legal niceties  they mean that in a democracy, you can live without the fear of being lynched, or of being accused, rightly or wrongly, without the right to defend yourself.

Otherwise the mob rules  and if the mob rules, well shortly be back to drowning women suspected of being witches.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Facebook lit up like a Christmas tree after a vigilante group filmed and broadcasted themselves approaching a man in Naas.

In the broadcast, they accused him of grooming a 14 year-old girl online and attempting to meet her.

No evidence was presented of this alleged crime during the course of the broadcast.

The group, calling itself Silent Justice said during the broadcast that they had evidence  but presented none of it on camera.

They rang the Gardai while they were there. The Gardai arrived and the man was taken away. At the time of writing he has been released from Garda custody without any charge whatsoever, and Gardai are investigating the whole matter.

We dont know whether that man, or any of the men that Silent Justice have approached in the UK and in Northern Ireland, would be found guilty of anything in a court of law.

Unless they appear before a court and are convicted of a crime, they are, in the eyes of the law entirely innocent?

Surely, in light of recent events, the people of Kildare in general, and Monasterevin in particular, are wary of calling anybody a paedophile?

There is also enormous doubt as to whether, even if a person was guilty of what Silent Justice claim they are, they could be either prosecuted or convicted for it given the manner in which that group entraps people and broadcasts the moment they approach them.

A number of Gardai and lawyers the Leinster Leader spoke to say the best thing the public can do if they have evidence is to present it to the Gardai and let them do their work. They are the experts.

At the time of writing, the video has been watched 600,000 times, more than 6,000 people have shared it and almost 10,000 people have commented under it, mostly along the lines of congratulating Silent Justice and indicating some things theyd like to see done to sex offenders.

The men have been convicted  without a scrap of properly presented or tested evidence  in the court of public opinion.

Its not just that this is dangerous and unfair for the men in question  and it is.

This is mob rule and thats dangerous for all of us.
Thirty-four-year-old Newbridge native Oisin Hurley has developed an exciting new app aimed at helping parents improve their toddlers speaking skills.

The former PBS student and his team  speech and language therapist, Suzanne Kirwan and app developer, Paddy Byrne  are looking for participants in an exciting pilot study.

Last April, the app was awarded a place on the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Academy Programme and the project also made it to the next stage of the Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) programme.

My parents Siobhan and Donal Hurley have been local business owners for 25 years running An Chistin restaurant on George's Street. Its where I got my entrepreneurial spirit from, said Oisin.

As a family we launched the evening restaurant Bistro Nua together. Unfortunately this didnt prove the success we had hoped for, but the lessons taken have been instrumental to inspiring Talk2MeMore.

Having graduated from DIT in software engineering, Oisin spent five years in Melbourne before returning home, where he graduated from Smurfit Business School UCD with a Masters in Digital Innovation.

He said the pilot study attempts to learn more about the disparity of language across professional, middle income, and welfare families to identify if the scale of difference is consistent in Ireland compared to other studies. The app monitors the amount of words and the types of language a child is exposed to within the home.

Based on the recorded interactions, it provides activities, tips, and tailored book recommendations to ensure the children receive the recommended exposure to words and language.

We are looking for parents of children between the age of 0 to 3 to participate in a nationwide study ran by the National College of Ireland. The study has been provided ethical approval and expected to launch early November, said the Newbridge man.
Kildare Toastmaster newcomer Lorraine Howard will represent the club in the final of the Humorous Speech Contest today, October 22 in Clonmel.

Lorraine recently took second prize at the Area final in Maynooth on October 10 last with a speech entitled Arachnaphobia.

Joining her also in Clonmel in the Table Topics final is fellow club member Maureen McCowen.

It is described as a big achievement for Lorraine who joined Kildare Toastmasters in May 2016

Club President Mary Caulfield congratulated Lorraine on her achievement adding that this is the first competition for Lorraine to enter and she has done the club and herself proud.

Fellow member David Clinton and winner of the area final for Table Topics also advances to the Division D Final representing Toastmasters Athy.

This is the first time that Kildare Toastmasters has three members taking all three prizes in the Table Topics impromptu speaking area competition in addition to a second prize in the Humorous Speech Contest. An historical moment for the club yet to be achieved by any other club. . The club meets the regularly at the Silken Thomas Pub at 7.45pm.
A LIMERICK TD has appeared on the cover of a celebrity magazine for a joint interview with his actress girlfriend, in which he admits that he loves the cut and thrust of politics.

Fine Gael TD Tom Nevilles relationship with Fair City actress Jenny Dixon has been well-documented since the pair met at last years Richard Harris Film Festival, and things are going from strength to strength for the increasingly higher profile couple.

Trained actor Tom Neville, Croagh, has recently wrapped filming on his first feature - and has also just been promoted to secretary of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party.

His girlfriend Jenny stars as Kerri-Ann in Fair City, and it is the pairs shared passion for the arts that they say has made the relationship stick.

I dont feel like Im talking in a different language when Im talking about my passions, said Jenny.

The interview in RSVP magazine offers a glimpse into the struggles of maintaining a new relationship, while serving in the political sphere. Both Neville and Dixon work unusual and long hours, and are often based in opposite sides of the country.

We both understand each others schedules, but it also makes you appreciate every moment you do have together. Even coffee during a busy work day and simply catching up can be lovely; you really appreciate that and enjoy it, said Jenny of their demanding work lives.

The actress said that understanding was the key to their busy relationship.

Theres an understanding of what each other does and theres an appreciation that we have for each other. Our hectic lives are just how we work, so its nice that we both understand that.

Politicians in all parties can come under fire from colleagues and the public, but Dixon said that she dwells on the positive feedback directed at her partner.

Mr Neville said that he is humbled that the people of Limerick have allowed him to pursue full-time politics.

I love what I do. I am honoured to be given the position. Meeting people is one of my favourite parts. No two days are ever the same. Some can be very rewarding and others can be challenging, said the TD.

When asked about his ultimate role in politics, Deputy Neville said that he tries to do his job to the best of his ability, and his work ethic remains as a template regardless of the position.

But I believe it [the work ethic] fosters and cultivates future positions that may arise, he added.

And when asked if he finds it awkward to watch his partner cosy up to her on-screen husband Decco Bishop, he replied: No, but it is funny when Im told the Bishops will be after me!
A WOMAN who never got behind the wheel of a car in her life must have been driven to distraction when she was summonsed to court in Limerick for speeding.

She was caught driving at 62kms on OConnell Avenue in the city - 12kms over the limit  on March 29, 2017.

Her solicitor, Brendan Gill said in Kilmallock Court that it was an unusual case as his client has never driven in her life.

The car was registered in her name by a former partner. She didnt receive the fixed charge penalty notice in the post.

If she had received one in the post she would have nominated her former partner on the form, said Mr Gill.

The woman took the stand and said she doesnt drive.

Ive never held a driving licence. I didnt realise the car was registered in my name.

I would have nominated the person if I had received the notice, she said.

Judge Marie Keane asked if she has reported the individual to gardai?

Yes, I did, she replied.

Judge Keane struck the speeding offence out and the woman left Kilmallock Court with her unblemished driving record intact.
ENABLE Irelands no phone survival challenge is designed to support young women and men like Mikey ODoherty.

By giving up your mobile for 24 hours on October 24 you can help children and adults with disabilities who have no choice but to rely on technology 24/7. Sponsorship cards can be downloaded from enableireland.ie.

Mikey, who is 24 and from Montpelier, has been using the services of Enable Ireland, Quinns Cross in Mungret for the past six years after spending his formative years in St Gabriels. He is very active in the community and he is a member of the team which raises funds for Limerick services.

Mikey is a well-known personality in the city where he attends many functions and social activities. He is currently enrolled in Mary I where he will be studying for his BA in History and English.

Born with Cerebral Palsy, walking has always been difficult for him. Although he is able to get around without using his wheelchair, he finds that when he is walking for extended periods he experiences muscle and back pain.

Mikey currently uses an Auto box B400 wheelchair but was without it for a period of time earlier this year when the motor malfunctioned.

In speaking with Mikey on his dependency on technology he stressed how importance it is to him. We can survive without our mobile for 24 hours but he cant survive without his wheelchair.

To me, technology is very important. I cant imagine being without my wheelchair. It is my lifeline and I would find everything so much more difficult without it. I depend on my wheelchair for everything I do. It gives me independence and a life that I enjoy. I dont have to rely on others to transport me to places, I can get up and do it myself. With it, I can live my life to the fullest - just like everybody else.

I found it very difficult when my chair was out of action recently and I hated relying on others. It was also a very expensive time for me as I had to pay for taxis as buses did not always cover the routes where I wanted to go.

My motto in life is no matter who you are you can always follow your dreams. Technology has allowed me to follow my dream and I intend living my life to the fullest and hopefully I will be able to access new, more hi-tech wheelchairs in the future, said Mikey.

He also uses his chair to participate in his extensive social life which includes attending Munster matches at Thomond Park, nights out in well-known Limerick establishments an,d of course, to get him to and from Mary Immaculate College to participate in his studies. Mikey also took part in the Barringtons 10k event last year using his chair.

Schools across the country are eagerly signing up to raise money for local services and vital technologies that people like Mikey rely on with Enable Irelands no phone survival challenge.

It asks students to give up their phones for 24 hours to highlight the incredible impact such technology can have in the lives and independence of people living with disabilities. To find out how you can join in on October 24 visit enableireland.ie/nophone or email nophone@enableireland.ie

Double U-21 All-Ireland winner and Limerick senior hurler Cian Lynch and Colaiste Chiarain in Croom were among the first to sign up in the county and they hope as many as schools and individuals as possible follow his lead.
A BRAVE Limerick girl who is battling a brain tumour is calling on the people of Limerick to knit Christmas characters in aid of Beaumont hospital.

Ten-year-old Aine Ryan, from Raheen, has already undergone surgery and is now embarking on a journey of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Beaumont is a centre of excellence. Myself and Aine were talking about how wed like to give something back to the hospital, and we found out about Knitivity, said Aines mother Trish Ryan.

The fourth class pupil at St Nessans, Mungret, has been in St Raphaels ward in Beaumont since September.

After noticing a little bit of a wobble in Aines walk in late August, Trish decided to bring her to the doctor - thinking that there could be a small problem in her hip.

I had a gut feeling that something wasnt right. I never dreamt it would be a tumour, but I took her in to get a brain scan. It was all diagnosed very quickly, thank God, said Trish.

The symptoms were very slight  her balance was off very slightly. But you know your own child.

Seeing her 10-year-old being diagnosed with a tumour is every parents nightmare, but Aine has had a smile on her face all the way.

Raheen priest Fr Richie Davern, who has been a source of support to the Ryans since Aines diagnosis, put the call out at Mass for knitters  and the community has rallied behind the local child.

More than 300 knitters have signed up nationwide  and at least 50 of those are supporters of Aine who have pledged to take up the needles. Shes hoping to inspire even more people to get in touch and knit.

In fairness to UHL, I couldnt but praise them. They got us out in an ambulance and they got us to Dublin super fast  they really pulled out all the stops, added Trish.

The fundraiser invites people countrywide to knit one, or all, of three Christmas characters. The knitted creations will be sold as gifts from the hospital or online at www.beaumontfundraising.ie. Knitters can also sell their characters locally at Christmas fairs and donate the funds raised to the hospital.

When knitters sign up to the Christmas campaign, they are sent patterns and Freepost mailing bags to return their work. The Foundation is asking knitters to return their characters by November 6.

If you would like to get involved, contact Beaumont Hospital Foundation on 01 8092457 or email hello@beaumont.ie to register for the Knitivity pack, said a spokesperson.
At least three men convicted in Wisconsin have been cleared in separate cases in which DNA testing proved that earlier microscopic hair analysis was wrong.
A Santa Clara police officer shot and wounded a suspected car thief when the suspect rammed a patrol car after he was pulled over and attempted to escape, police said Saturday.

The suspect, Omar Gomez, 24, of San Jose stole the car from a Sunnyvale home shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, police say, prompting authorities in that city to issue a bulletin with a description of the car.

A patrol officer spotted the vehicle at 1:40 a.m. on El Camino Real in Santa Clara. He and another officer stopped the car at the intersection of Scott Boulevard, police said.

The officers got out of their vehicles, and thats when the driver put it into reverse and rammed the front of the patrol car, said Lt. Dan Moreno of the Santa Clara Police Department. Then he put it in drive and revved the engine. He was heading toward the officer when he fired.

Moreno said the officer, whose name was not released, fired more than one shot because he feared for his life after the suspect failed to listen to commands.

The officers provided Gomez with first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to a local hospital. He underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition Saturday.

Gomez, who does not possess a drivers license, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, driving a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and violating his parole on an earlier burglary conviction.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on routine paid administrative leave while the investigation continues, Moreno said.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
Call it the benefit concert's most unlikely collaboration.

The five living former U.S. presidents put aside political differences and made a cameo appearance onstage at the "Deep From the Heart" concert in College Station, Texas, on Saturday to help raise money for victims of a recent spate of natural disasters.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter waved to the crowd as the image of an American flag was displayed behind them and people snapped photos.

The U.S. mainland and its territories have been walloped by one natural disaster after another. In all, hurricanes and wildfires have killed more than 100 people and left residents with billions of dollars in damage that they have only begun to clean up.

Massive donation drives have been started, and on Saturday, they got a boost from five men who are used to being fundraiser in chief.

The retired presidents got praise from the current occupant of the White House.

"The American people have done what we do best," President Donald Trump said in a recorded video message. "We came together. We helped one another, and through it all we became resilient.

"All five living presidents are playing a tremendous role in helping our fellow citizens recover ... This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and our devotion to one another."

It was a brief moment of detente. Obama and Bush, who've kept relatively low profiles since leaving office, have recently criticized Trump.

As The Washington Post's David Nakamura reported, Obama has called on Democrats to "send a message to the world that we are rejecting a politics of division, we are rejecting a politics of fear."

And the younger Bush gave a rare political speech at the "The Spirit of Liberty" event last week, telling attendees: "Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone and provides permission for cruelty and bigotry. The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them."
This involved dredging up long forgotten memories, both my own and those of my family and friends.

This contrast between then and now prompted me to start putting together a memoir, Midnight Blue, of those early years and the way Elizabeth shaped my life.

Elizabeth in those early years was a great place to live. It was an entirely new and modern town full to the brim with optimism for the future.

I arrived in Australia in 1956 as an eight year old child of migrant parents. I grew up in Elizabeth, the town where the last Australian built car rolled off the production line last Friday.

TUMBY BAY - When an old man or woman in the village says, I remember when ., and starts to hum a traditional song, many young Papua New Guineans switch off and start to play with their iPhones. Little do they realise what they are missing.

During that process I learned how deeply memories can be buried in the mind and, importantly, how they can be revived. I especially learned the value of memory prompts or markers in that process.

These markers can be both physical and mental.

From my work with elders in Papua New Guinea and Aboriginal elders in Australia I know the value of these markers in accessing memory and the accompanying knowledge.

Heres an example.

When I was living in Hervey Bay in Queensland, the local Butchulla people would say to me, The mullet will be running soon, we should go across to Moon Point ready for them.

When I asked how they knew this, they would say, The native pine are nearly ready to flower, the mullet always come when the native pine flowers.

But how do you know the native pine are ready to flower?

Theyd look at me as if I was dumb and reply, The stars are telling us; that star in the east thats just become visible means the pine trees will soon flower.

And sure enough, the native pine would flower and people at Moon Point on Fraser Island would catch heaps of mullet.

Those were physical markers. Mental markers are a bit different.

We in the west have long lost the ability to use them because we write things down and dont need them.

In non-literate societies it is the traditional songs, stories and dance that provide the markers that stimulate the memory and uncover the knowledge buried there.

And that knowledge, like that accessed by my Butchulla friends by observing the stars and plants, can be immense.

It is also an untapped source of great value. Some of the ideas and knowledge buried in the minds of non-literate people have not yet been uncovered or have not even occurred to modern literate people.

This is why it is so important to preserve these markers, both physical and mental, and the objects, songs, stories and dances. Otherwise we risk losing a source of knowledge.

In my own case hardly any of the memories I wanted to explore had been written and I had to go looking for the markers instead.

These came in all sorts of obscure ways, an old penknife found in a drawer or an ancient envelope tucked inside a book. Once discovered these led to other long forgotten memories buried deep in the recesses of my mind.

In Papua New Guinea, as in Australia, non-literate markers are being rapidly lost, both in the passing of individuals whose minds, like unaccessed hard drives, still house vast amounts of knowledge and in the physical markers, like the carvings removed from the lintel of parliament house, that show the way to where this knowledge and wisdom lies.

Next time that lapun in the village starts to hum a traditional tune it might be wise to sit and listen.
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Come Monday, one polling site in each of Webb County's four precincts will be open for business as early voting kicks off.

This off-year election is very unlikely to draw the 58,000 Webb County voters who cast ballots last November. In fact, Oscar Villarreal, Webb County elections administrator, foresees that between 8,000 and 10,000 people in the county will come out to vote this year.

However, a local, big-ticket proposition sits poised for voters' pens: a $125 million bond to fund a new county jail and law enforcement complex.

This bond will raise taxes for Webb County residents by about $0.0441 per $100 of assessed property value. This means the owner of a $100,000 home will be paying another $44.08 each year. The owner of a $500,000 home will be paying an additional $220.40 per year, and so on.

Early Voting Schedule MAIN EARLY VOTING SITE Billy Hall Jr. Administrative Building, 1110 Washington St. Monday, Oct. 23 thru Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 film Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. BRANCH EARLY VOTING SITES Finley Elementary School, 2001 Lowry Rd. Monday, Oct. 23 thru Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 thru Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Providence Health Center, 230 Calle del Norte Monday, Oct. 23 thru Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 thru Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. City Hall Annex Bldg., 1102 Bob Bullock Loop Monday, Oct. 23 thru Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 thru Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. McKendrick, Ochoa, Salinas Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Monday, Oct. 23 thru Friday, Oct. 27, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 thru Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. See More Collapse

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Less than half of the $125 million  $52 million  will be spent on the jail facility itself. An additional $16 million will be spent on a building for booking, the kitchen and the infirmary; $11.4 million is budgeted for the land purchase; $8 million for the architecture and engineering fees; $7.3 million for utilities and contingency funds; $7.4 to build a new Sheriff's Office headquarters; $2 million on furniture, fixtures and equipment; $6 million to renovate the current jail and tunnel; $5.8 million for a vehicle training facility; $3.6 million for a vehicle maintenance building; $4 million for a training center; and $1.5 for a firing range.

The Sheriff's Office says the current jail on Victoria Street is outdated, and with 570 beds, at capacity.

Recently, signs have been popping up encouraging people to "vote no" to Proposition A  "No to higher taxes; no to a $125 million jail."

These signs are paid for by the Coalition to Lower Taxes. At one of their recent meetings, former 49th District Court Judge Manuel "Meme" Flores spoke about why he believes Webb County does not need this new facility.

The jail is not a penitentiary, Flores said  it's a holding tank. The people who are held there are serving time on a misdemeanor charge, waiting to make bail or are being held after they are convicted as they wait to be transported to a prison. If the jail is full, it's due to mismanagement, Flores said.

"How many misdemeanors are there that are serving time? There's not going to be that many. ... When you look at the full picture, you realize we do not need 500 beds if we are competent. It would be a lot less if people were moved out efficiently," he said.

And there are alternatives to incarceration, Flores said. The county could build a halfway house or use home confinement with electronic monitors.

"You could use any number of alternatives to avoid housing the very low-level offender that is not a problem, not a danger, and will not abscond," Flores said. "If they were to use all these, we don't need that big of a jail."

The Sheriff's Office has also said the current jail is not sufficient to house mental health cases, which are becoming increasingly common. With a new facility, they could better facilitate these prisoners, they've said.

Flores says people with mental health issues do not belong in jail. They should be transported to the San Antonio State Hospital, as the Sheriff's Office currently does, he said.

READ MORE: Fourth local jailer who was fired after jail assault was 'Officer of the Year', complaint states

"If you give (the Sheriff's Office) 1,000 beds, they're going to fill it. If you give them 2,000 beds, it's going to be at full capacity. They don't need that," Flores said.

David Almaraz, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said he thinks this money would be better spent building schools instead of prisons.

"Just throwing people in jail and locking away the key is not going to fix the crime rate," he said. "We need to find some sort of alternative to detention, detention, detention."

The U.S. needs to start looking at countries like Portugal, Sweden and Norway, Almaraz said. They're shutting down prisons, focusing on education, and their recidivism rate is not as high, he said.

"Keeping people in jail won't solve anything," Almaraz said.

Colin Strother, a senior adviser for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and a political strategist who is directing the public education campaign on the jail for Webb County, rebuffed these views.

If a judge has determined that someone should be held, then it's the sheriff's obligation to hold that person, Strother said. And if you ask a woman who has been a victim of domestic violence if she would feel safe with her husband walking around with an ankle monitor, she's going to say no, he said.

"That perspective is ignorant at worst and ill-informed at best," he said.

RELATED: Laredo city officials tout tax-raising bond to help pay for $125 million jail

Plus, the City of Laredo has millions of dollars they cannot collect because there's no room in the jail to conduct a warrant roundup, Strother said.

He argues that the Coalition to Lower Taxes is ultimately advocating to kick the can down the road. Capital improvement projects never get cheaper, and in the meantime, the county cannot hold everyone that needs to be jailed, Strother said.

Add-ons

Another area of complaint is that millions of the proposed bond revenue would fund what some deem unnecessary: renovations to the current jail, a new Sheriff's Office, a vehicle training facility, a vehicle maintenance building, a training center and a firing range.

This issue was brought up by Webb County Commissioner John Galo when Commissioners Court voted in August to hold the bond election. He said he had heard complaints from constituents about the accessories to the jail, and recommended that these additional facilities be put in separate propositions so people would be more likely to approve the bond for the jail.

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said he believed the project should be placed in one proposition, which is what commissioners ended up approving.

Almaraz has issues with these accessory costs too. And rather than the county building the jail from the ground up, they should consider buying the CCA detention center on U.S. 83, which will be closing soon, he said.

Local attorney Maria Elena Morales said she does not want to pay another single cent in taxes, and the $125 million that's proposed will include all these add-ons, and only increase the total beds to 738.

Plus, Cuellar has said that ideally the new jail would be outside city limits, but a straight shot to downtown.

Morales noted that if the county is concerned about the cost of transporting prisoners, why are they moving this jail further away?

A flyer being handed out by the Coalition to Lower Taxes notes that in April, Bexar County approved to pay for a 512-bed jail annex for $32 million.

MORE ON LMTOnline.com: Serial restaurant burglary suspect nabbed by Laredo PD

Strother called this purchase a "makeover" to the existing building, and noted that the proposed cost per square foot for Webb County's new jail is at or below what other counties have.

Federal inmates

If the bond passes, the county plans to renovate the current jail so that it can be up to par for federal inmate standards.

If they can fill up the current 570-bed jail with federal inmates at a cost of $60 a day, the county could generate about $12.7 million a year, Strother said. That revenue would go the county's general fund.

Over the 25-year life of this bond, the county has the potential to make enough money housing federal inmates to pay back the $125 million, plus the county's existing $76 million in debt, Stroher said.

Flores believes this projection is off because it will be years after the new jail is finished that the old one is renovated. And the turnaround for the feds to start paying the county will be about six months after their inmate leaves, he said.

"They may or may not pay you, they may or may not send prisoners. You don't know what the future holds," Flores said.

Plus, the county will have to hire a good number of guards if they want to fill both facilities, Flores said.

"Then you have to feed them. Imagine having to feed 750 inmates, plus whatever the feds send you. There's laundry, uniforms, and the list goes on, gas, drivers," Flores said.

Sheriff Martin Cuellar said earlier this month that the operation costs will not change much. If the number of prisoners remains the same, for instance, then they would not need to hire more deputies to work in the jail. They would hire around two people to work in the vehicle maintenance building, and the firing range, for instance, would be self-sufficient, Cuellar said.

Morales argues that the purpose of a county jail is not to house federal inmates.

"You don't levy taxes on taxpayers from the county to get paid by federal government contracts," she said.

Jails are not money makers, Flores said, and if the county can't secure contracts with federal entities, they would be set up to lose a lot of money in bond debt.

"This is really out of the ordinary  to want to spend $125 million," Flores said. "Even King Arthur didn't have that."
Following the devastation brought by Hurricane Harvey, Texas A&M International University's AmeriCorps program provided assistance to victims through a bilingual phone bank effort.

AmeriCorps members made their way down a list of about 2,000 people, returning calls to hurricane victims who were left unaided because of a language barrier. The importance of bilingualism shone during the six weeks members were able to connect with victims of Harvey.

Over the course of the year, AmeriCorps members commit a certain number of service hours serving as a literacy tutor.

Osvaldo Guzman, TAMIU student and AmeriCorps member, said he believed in being a mentor for students transitioning from Spanish into English, and so he joined. Members also participate, however, when a disaster relief arises. Guzman expressed how vital bilingualism is during times of crisis.

MORE ON LMTOnline: Laredo ISD counselor suspended four months after being charged for taking weapon from an officer

"Some citizens, obviously they're just like everyone else, they went through the same disaster," Guzman said. "It's very unfortunate that there wasn't people at that moment taking the calls on the spot for those that were in need of Spanish."

Fortunately, a group of AmeriCorps members, through their Spanish-speaking skills, were able to step in and offer assistance to connect volunteering organizations with the victims. As they removed the language barrier, members completed work orders for residents whose homes were damaged.

"We were able to really serve as a bridge in connecting the people that were in need and to give the exact help that they needed," Guzman said.

READ MORE: Laredo support efforts provide relief for Harvey victims

Among the numerous calls made, there were certain ones that stood out. Sonia Herrera, TAMIU graduate, said many of the conversations were touching, especially because they only spoke Spanish and were not able to previously share their experience.

"There was a barrier there," she said. "I did a call where I called this lady and she was so thankful that finally someone would speak her language and she went all out telling me everything that had happened. Very, very personal stuff because they had lost their homes and everything."

The AmeriCorps members were also impacted from their involvement with the Hurricane Harvey phone bank.

RELATED: Harvey donations pour in at Laredo Police Department

"Something I will not forget is one phone call that I had. They asked 'When is help going to arrive?' and I mentioned that I really couldn't tell them exactly when," Guzman said. "That was probably one of the hardest things  telling citizens when and if they do come across your work order, we hope that they do because it's obvious that you need the help."

Guzman added, "The takeaway from this has given me sort of an emotional understanding about what goes on in the environment around us, but also it's a very beautiful thing to see when people actually go out of their way to help other people and in some of these instances you know they mentioned that they had a church come in and help them or neighbors helped and moved a tree out of a bedroom. It's a good thing to see the connection that people have when these things happen and that we're able to really support each other."
Two men from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico were recently arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle more than $900,000 in heroin and methamphetamine, according to court documents.

A federal judge ordered Alfredo Mario Alberto Ruiz Esparza Navarrete and Raul Cardenas Camarillo, both 41, detained, pending further court proceedings, according to court records obtained this week.
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A suspected serial burglar accused of breaking into several local restaurants has been arrested, according to Laredo police.

Authorities served arrest warrants on Omar Campos Zamora, 34, on Friday charging him with burglary of a building and theft. He was then taken to the Webb County Jail.

Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on him. A detainer is placed on immigrants who have entered the country illegally and have been arrested on local criminal charges, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website.

READ MORE: Laredo ISD counselor suspended after being charged for taking weapon from an officer months ago

ICE states they also possess probable cause to believe that the immigrants are removable from the United States, so that ICE can take custody of them when they are released from local custody.

Campos has been deported at least four times, authorities said.

On Wednesday, LPD had requested assistance from the community in identifying a suspected burglar who allegedly broke into Taco Mais, Don Pablo's, Tacos Cantu, Tacos Kissi and Mariscos Costa Azul.

Authorities said they developed information on the case and obtained a warrant to search a home in the 1400 block of North Meadow Avenue.

RELATED: Laredo police searching for suspect in string of taco shop burglaries

"Among the items seized at the location were clothing, caps, and shoes linking Omar Campos Zamora to various burglaries. Also recovered were two computer towers and a monitor, an LCD TV, and a medical wheel walker," police said in a statement. "With the evidence obtained at the apartment, suspect's vehicle, surveillance video from businesses, and prints lifted at the crime scenes, (crimes against property investigators) investigators are in the process of obtaining warrants on approximately fourteen various cases."

For now, Campos is facing charges in connection with a break-in at La Hacienda Restaurant. Police said he broke a glass door valued at $300 and stole $200 from the cash register.
A Cleveland man indicted for felony evading was finally captured Oct. 18 after reportedly trying to give police the slip a second time, according to Capt. Scott Felts, spokesperson for Cleveland Police Department.

Jose Santos Venegas, 25, is now facing additional charges related to his reported attempt to evade capture by police Wednesday.

Venegas' arrest came after Officer Charles Ortega spotted him standing at a residence in the 200 block of Harding Avenue around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Ortega, aware of the indictment against Venegas, drove past him, parked his patrol vehicle a block away and walked back to the residence only to find the front door of the house was locked, according to Felts.

"He walked to the rear of the residence and spoke with a female standing in the yard. At this time, Jose Venegas ran from the front of the residence and Officer Ortega gave chase," Felts said.

Other officers arrived to help in the pursuit and a perimeter of several blocks was cordoned off.

A half-hour after the incident began, Ortega and Felts were reportedly standing in front of a residence in the 500 block of E. Hanson St. when they heard movement behind the house and went to investigate. Venegas allegedly was found hiding in a patch of tall bamboo.

"Upon seeing the officers, he began to flee east on Taft Avenue. As the officers chased Venegas, he ran into a residence on the 200 block of Taft Avenue," Felts said. "Officer Ortega caught up with Venegas during the foot pursuit and followed him into the residence. Ortega was able to apprehend Jose Venegas inside the residence without incident."

Felts praised Ortega's actions for spotting the fugitive and being key to his apprehension.

"We have had several instances where an apprehension was attempted for Mr. Venegas in the past but to no avail. Officer Ortega's determination is what eventually led to the arrest. I have to give kudos to Officer Ortega for his apprehension of this wanted person," Felts said.

Cleveland Police Department was assisted by the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Cleveland ISD Police Department.
Once disparaged as borderline quackery, the total ankle replacement is gaining acceptance as a treatment for crippling arthritis and serious injuries.

For years, doctors discouraged patients from getting the procedure - called ankle arthroplasty - because of persistent controversy over the earliest techniques, which involved cementing metal ankle reconstruction devices to bone. Sometimes the parts loosened prematurely or caused infections, leaving patients in worse shape than before.

Rather than surgery, doctors prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers and recommended that patients wear comfortable shoes laced up to the ankles. In extreme situations, they sometimes recommended ankle fusion surgery, which uses screws, plates and bone grafts to fuse the bones on each end of the ankle joint into one continuous bone. However, that procedure left patients with little ankle flexibility and an unusual gait.

But now some orthopedic surgeons are performing total ankle replacements, in which bone and tissue are removed to make way for highly sophisticated metal and plastic implants. These doctors say that the procedure, which has taken decades to improve, is highly effective at relieving arthritic pain and enabling patients to regain the use of their ankle and resume a more active life.

This turnabout in medical treatment is due largely to the development of a half-dozen implant devices that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration beginning in the early 1990s. These prosthetic devices - made of advanced metal alloy and plastic - cover both the major shin bone and the ankle bone and are engineered to interact with each other and the patient's body in a way that maximizes mobility and flexibility.

At the same time, the medical profession has made great strides in developing better surgical techniques to ensure that the implants remain in place and function properly for years. As part of the typical two-hour operation, the Achilles' tendon is often lengthened to improve the ankle's range of motion without causing swelling or pain. (Surgeons can lengthen a contracted tendon by making small cuts on it at the back of the ankle. As the wounds heal, the tendon stretches out.)

Improved surgical techniques and instruments allow doctors to put the artificial ankle in the correct position, said Selene Parekh, a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon at Duke Health in North Carolina, which performs many of these procedures. "It is critical to make sure the ankle is balanced so that it has no unusual stress on it," he said. "Just like a new set of tires, if they are installed with an alignment issue on the car, they will wear out quickly. This is the same analogy that goes to an ankle replacement."

Still, for all of the improvements, the long-term success and patient satisfaction with total ankle replacement are not as high as for knee and hip replacements, although some ankle surgeons say they are closing the gap. And the surgery - which can cost $40,000 or more - is more challenging and risky than other types of procedures.

Although Medicare generally covers ankle replacement surgery provided certain medical requirements are met and FDA-approved implants are used, many private insurers have long denied coverage for the procedure, asserting that it is still experimental and risky.

"You have your general surgical risks, which include infection, healing problems of the wound, integration of implant into bone, blood clots, things like that," said Gary Feldman, a Washington, D.C.-area podiatrist and surgeon. "When it comes to ankle replacement - probably more so than other major joints - you have the risk of developing arthritic changes in the adjacent joints. That's always been a concern."

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms often show up first in the foot and ankle and gradually spread to other joints. However, Parekh insists that osteoarthritis is no more likely to spread as the result of an ankle replacement than a knee or hip replacement. "When you have a fusion of any joint, you can develop arthritis of any of the adjacent joints above or below the fused joint," he said. "It's the same for the whole body, not more so in the foot and ankle."

Although ankle replacement has been around since the 1970s, Feldman insists that it is "still in its infancy."

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, an association of 2,200 orthopedic surgeons and specialists, says the number of ankle replacements is "increasing dramatically." But a precise number is hard to come by.

A study published in the journal Orthopedics in 2016 found that 2,340 total ankle replacements had been performed in academic-related hospitals between 2007 and 2011 and that the annual figure had more than doubled - from 290 in 2007 to 632 in 2011 - "as the procedure gained popularity among orthopedists."

A report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, cited 4,435 "hospital encounters" or discharges involving total ankle replacements in 2014. That appears to be the most recent official count of ankle replacement surgeries

Whatever the number, it pales by comparison with the more than 750,000 hip and knee replacements performed every year in the United States and the approximately 25,000 ankle fusions performed annually as of 2010.

As many as 90 percent of total ankle replacement implants are intact five years after the surgery, but that the number drops to 80 percent after eight years, according to an analysis of recent studies that was done by Washington University Orthopedics of St. Louis. The analysis concluded that most patients will probably need some type of corrective procedure within a decade or so of the surgery.

One of the biggest challenges is the sheer complexity of ankles, compared with the ball-and-joint structures of knees, hips and shoulders. Ankles and feet consist of hundreds of bones, joints and muscles as well as a network of nerves, tendons and ligaments. They provide extraordinary flexibility and mobility. And ankle joints serve as shock absorbers for the body, with a very small surface area to bear the weight. Once injured, they are hard to repair, especially in older people.

The foot and ankle society said the procedure is appropriate for patients who do not respond well to more-conservative treatment, such as prescription drugs to relieve pain or ankle braces to provide added support.

A 2016 study by the group, comparing total ankle replacement with fusion surgery, praised ankle replacement for its "preservation of functional range of motion" - something that is sacrificed in ankle fusion. But there were also big downsides to ankle replacements, according to the report, including the risk of "severe osteoporosis" and significant "bone defect."

The apparent increase in total ankle replacements comes as a large and active baby boomer population and older athletes and runners are looking for relief from ankle pain. Millions of Americans seek treatment for ankle problems every year, including an estimated 50,000 who are experiencing what is called end-stage ankle arthritis. That occurs when the ankle cartilage has been worn away completely by bone-on-bone friction.

Kay Hedrick of Jacksonville, North Carolina, who suffered for decades after breaking her right leg in a roller skating mishap in Indiana in 1967, is a believer in total ankle replacement.

The wife of a Marine officer who spent much of her life raising a family at military installations across the country, Hedrick said she suffered ever-mounting pain in her ankle, which, unknown to her and her doctors, had also been injured in the fall. Over the years, the bones in the ankle deteriorated while near-crippling arthritis set in.

"It was just one of those progressive things, where we could do less and less," she said. "I was bound and determined not to let it affect me too much ... but I was never comfortable, let's put it that way."

Hedrick, 76, said she was forced to cut back on many of the activities she loved most, including three-mile walks with her husband. She wore a brace for a time and experimented with homeopathic ointment to try to relieve the pain. One doctor recommended ankle fusion, but she resisted for fear of losing the up-and-down movement of her leg. (Research shows that fusion procedures alter the biomechanical performance of the foot and ankle and may result in postoperative complications.)

Five years later, a foot specialist she visited while vacationing in Arcadia, Florida, broached the subject of a total ankle replacement and said that she would qualify for the procedure. Back in North Carolina, she made an appointment at Duke Health with Parekh, who performed the operation April 25 of this year.

Parekh cut into the front of the ankle and down through the soft tissue all the way to the bone. Then he cut away from both sides of the joint to make way for the implant. He removed enough bone to install two metal pieces and a plastic piece - called the Cadence total ankle replacement - to hold the ankle together and provide it with flexibility. Then he stitched up the repaired joint.

Most patients can begin to walk with crutches after two to three weeks as long as they wear a protective boot. But specialists say rehabilitation can take another six to 12 weeks, and in some cases additional months of physical therapy is required.

By September, Hedrick seemed to be well on her way to a full recovery and spent time with her husband, Vince, at a campground in Mount Airy, North Carolina. "I've got pretty much full use" of the ankle, she said. "I don't have full range of motion yet, but it takes a full year when you have ankle replacement to totally heal."

"It's so nice not to be in pain all the time," she said. "I feel very blessed to have gotten that good a result from the surgery."
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida is bracing for the possibility that thousands of demonstrators will descend Thursday to protest a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer even as administrators pleaded with students to stay away from the corner of campus where Spencer is scheduled to appear.

In an interview Wednesday, UF president W. Kent Fuchs said he believes Spencer benefits from demonstrations.

"I really believe that the protests are the oxygen on which the white nationalists and white supremacists survive," Fuchs said. "I want the protesters to not give them what they seek. We need to speak up on our own platform, not [Spencer's]."

Signs of Spencer's impending visit were already evident Wednesday on Florida's Spanish moss-shrouded campus.

At least 100 Florida state troopers gathered outside the Phillips Center on Wednesday to walk through preparations. A few students waiting at a bus stop watched silently as the troopers marched through the parking lot in formation and then stood around their commanders in two groups, listening to instructions.

A couple of local television news trucks were parked outside the Curtis Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where Spencer is set to deliver his afternoon speech Thursday. Huge stacks of metal barricades that were ready to be erected into crowd control fences sat gleaming in the grass.

Authorities had already set up thick plastic barricades along Hull Road, fencing in the Harn Museum of Art, which resides within the same complex as the Phillips Center.

Metal barriers had been erected along a pathway that curves around the art museum and up to the Phillips Center, past a pond where a sign warns of alligators and snakes, and past the screened walls of the natural history museum's celebrated butterfly rain forest exhibit. The museums will be closed Thursday.

The Jewish student center extended its hours - with extra security. UF has more Jewish students than any other university in the nation, according to Hillel International, a prominent Jewish student organization.

As Spencer's speech approached, the faculty union at the state's flagship university denounced the address and called on administrators to cancel the event "in the interest of safety of students and faculty."

Students handed out "Gators not haters" T-shirts and took selfies with them. They created hashtags and videos and posters. They marched and shouted through bullhorns.

The school is giving Spencer the right to speak, said Ardyst Zigler, an Orlando, Florida, senior who was one of many asking that classes be canceled Thursday. "But I think the safety and well-being of students should come before anything else," she said.

Some students said they planned to avoid campus Thursday, and others planned to tune in to alternative programming, such as the virtual assembly that student leaders are conducting with a message of diversity and unity.

Fuchs said school administrators are aware that possibly thousands of demonstrators will be on campus to protest Spencer.

The weeks leading up to the speech have been stressful for the school, Fuchs said.

Spencer, who leads the National Policy Institute, was not invited by the university or its students, and UF leaders have rejected his message as hateful. But - after hearing from a lawyer representing Spencer and his supporters - university officials reluctantly acknowledged Spencer's First Amendment right to speak at a campus venue they rent out.

More than 500 law enforcement officers are expected on campus Thursday, Fuchs said.

"It just has a different feel when you have that many on campus," he said.

Fuchs said the final tab for the school to provide extra security and logistics for Spencer's visit will probably top $600,000.

It is unfair, he said, that large public research universities are expected to pick up the cost for these events. "At some point, the courts will have to weigh in," he said. "We can't be the only ones sharing this burden."

The University of California at Berkeley has spent more than $2.5 million on security for divisive speakers this year, starting in February with protests that turned violent when far-left extremists inflicted so much damage so quickly that university police canceled a speech by writer Milo Yiannopoulos before it even started.

Fuchs said he knows some students don't want to hear his message about staying away from the event, especially if they believe that white supremacists need to be confronted directly. He thinks Spencer benefits from protests.

"By giving him attention and confronting him, it allows him to be portrayed as a victim and draws sympathy to him in some quarters," Fuchs said.

And the UF president acknowledged some students and faculty are "very upset" with his decision to allow Spencer to speak.

If there is a silver lining in Spencer's appearance at the school, Fuchs said, it is that it has led to "many good discussions about race, white supremacy and the First Amendment."

But it has also been wearying for all involved.

"I'll be glad when Friday comes," Fuchs said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Susan Svrluga contributed to this report.
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Beneath a stone-columned gazebo on the North Side, a group of adults gathered Saturday morning to honor a man they called the angel in their lives.

They were orphans, homeless and abandoned, suffering from neglect, abuse and trauma when they arrived at the Baptist Childrens Home, where Leland Hacker was the executive director.

But with his guidance, they became accountants, teachers, military members and fundraisers.

So many of you came from unimaginable circumstances, Hacker told the several dozen who showed up for a reunion held Saturday at the Churchill Estates rec center. And now, look at you. We made it through and thats what counts; my heart just fills with this.

Saturday was the first time in more than 20 years that former foster children, house parents and staff members from the group home had held a formal reunion. Now called Baptist Child and Family Services, the nonprofit home served 120 children, from 2 to 18 years old, at any one time.

Former resident Michael Gibson, who organized the reunion, said Hackers guidance helped him overcome his anger when he first came to the home in 1987. At the time, he was an immigrant from Vietnam named Thuy Huynh. He didnt get along with his father and ended up at the home. While talking to the group, Hacker recalled being present when Gibson took the oath to become a U.S. citizen.

Im very proud of who we are and what we stood for, said Gibson, now 47. What they did for us as kids shouldnt go unnoticed.

I never lost a child, Hacker, 87, said of his 30-year career. It wasnt perfect, but we tried to give them a sense of home.

Gibson hopes the group will use the reunion as a launchpad to help children in need.

Hackers daughter, Robin Hacker Trevino, worked as a house parent and caseworker while his late wife, Jerri, worked in the public relations office at the home.

This is a really big day for my dad, said Trevino, 52. He influenced so many kids, theyre like a family to him.

In addition to getting together for a reunion, they also were there to celebrate Hackers birthday. Hes turning 88 next week.

Hacker said he taught the children the value of a honest days work by having them rise early in the morning to tend to farm animals on the property. Some of them liked the work enough that they ended up joining 4-H clubs. Gibson ended up raising a champion Simmental steer.

Stacey Willingham, 41, arrived at the group home at the age of 4 and stayed until she was a high school freshman. She said she often wonders what her life would be like without Hacker and the home.

You had stability, Willingham said as she thumbed through a photo album and found a faded picture of her first date.

Melody Mayhugh, a former house parent, learned about the event from one of the several boys who lived in the cottage she managed. Mayhugh, 66, said she worked at the campus because she had grown up in a childrens home and knew the care they needed.

LLyas Salahud-din, 37, recalled his arrival at the home when he was 7. A woman came up to him and said, Young man, youre going to be OK; youre in a safe home.

Schlahud-din said Hacker hired case workers, mentors and tutors who helped them reached their potential.

It was a safe space, he said, and an opportunity for us to learn and grow as kids. He did it with a loving heart.

vtdavis@express-news.net
A man died and a woman was critically injured when their motorcycle collided with a deer Saturday in the town of Mazomanie, the Dane County Sheriff's Office said.

The 61-year-old man and a 60-year-old female passenger were thrown from their motorcycle when the crash happened just before 5:30 p.m. on Highway 78 about two miles south of Highway Y, the Sheriff's Office said. Both of them were unresponsive when first responders arrived.

The man, who was driving the 2001 Harley-Davidson, died on the scene, and the woman was taken to a hospital by helicopter with life-threatening injuries, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Neither of them had helmets on during the time of the crash, the Sheriff's Office said.
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Local stylist, Wendy Louise Knight will be hosting a workshop at the Aisling Festival on Wednesday, October 25 from 4-5pm.

Wendy was born in the United Kingdom but is now situated outside of Newtown Forbes.

Wendy is an immensely talented milliner who has made a career for herself selling fabulous womens hats of her own design.

She has prior experience with the Aisling Festival when she mentored TY students from Scoil Mhuire, Longford, on a project facilitated by the Aisling Festival.

Wendy taught the students Millenary skills, enabling them to create hats based on the theme of 1916, which they wore in the parade.

Aisling Festival reporters, Declan Craig and Luke Casserly spoke to Ms Louise Knight and asked her a few questions about her career and her involvement in the Festival.

How did you get started as a milliner?

I have always adored hats and millinery and have always sewn. My grandparents had a small hat factory in Luton England so I suppose it is in the blood. I studied photography in college and did various jobs in the UK. When I moved to Ireland 18 years ago I saw an opening for bespoke Millinery and the rest is history.

How did you train to become a milliner?

I started off teaching myself by deconstructing hats and working with the fabrics to see what was possible. At the time, the only millinery course in Ireland was part of a fashion degree in Dublin and as I had very young children, that wasnt a possibility.

I found a retired teacher from Grafton Academy who gave me private lessons - I didn't have the luxury of being able to intern with a designer.

Do you design any other clothing pieces?

I produce a casual range of retro headbands and cotton baby hats. I also work alongside a local bridal designer who uses my studio for fittings and consultations.

What skills does a person need to become a milliner?

Well obviously an eye for colour and 3D design, sewing skills, lots of patience, the ability to work to deadlines and most of all to be a people person as you have to be able to work with clients.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

I would say the fabrics I work with inspire me in the first instance, followed by looks and muses from the archives when hat wearing was more widespread. Using these ideas and collaborating with modern shapes and new ways in thinking, hats have become more like pieces of art. Milliners and fashion designers I aspire to would be the likes of Vivian Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Steven Jones.

Is your field of work dominated by female designers?

Not at all. I know many highly skilled and exceedingly successful male milliners.

What is the funniest request youve ever gotten for a design?

Definitely a giant teapot shaped hat.

Do men get hats made?

Yes, I don't have any mens sized blocks but if there was a demand I would make them as the process is the same as womens hats.

Who would you love to make a hat for?

Jay from Jamiroquai and Victoria Beckham.

Do you have an iconic or typical design that people could associate your name with?

I work a lot in peachbloom felt using iconic pillbox shapes with a modern twist.

Do you think Longford people are creative?

I would say yes but a lot of my creative associates are blow-ins like myself! But there is a lot of local talent. I think the craft and design area is sometimes not considered a real career which is a shame.

What are you looking forward to this years Aisling Festival?

This year I am taking an hour workshop with children from age seven upwards, making funky headbands using scrap fabrics and bits and bobs.

Children's craft is all about using the imagination and there are so many crafts which are so structured with instructions. Workshops like mine are all about using the imagination and passing on simple skills.

You worked with Aisling Festival before - tell us about your 1916 project and the inspiration behind it.

The inspiration really came from a discussion with the girls involved, we had a brief of the 1916 rising but we just asked the girls to explore the history and look into ideas for the hats from there.

We also took an emphasis on the forgotten women of the rising. Many of the girls involved were non-nationals and had a different concept of the rising and war.

I totally gave the girls free range and guided them on how to construct the hats. It was an inspirational project.

If people are interested in taking part in your workshop do they need experience or need to bring materials?

Contact Aisling Festival as places are limited. No materials or sewing skills are necessary.

Are there any other projects you are involved in?

I am involved with a new four-county craft network, Inside Craft, bringing together artists and crafters from the four regions with funding that came out of USEFA, the enterprise boards and EU funding.

We have been working hard to produce a network website, new craft trail and a series of pop up shops.

The Longford phase will kick off alongside the Aisling Festival on October 22 in the Backstage Theatre, where our pop up shop will be showcasing high-quality art and craft from the four counties, which will be available to purchase. Check out www.insidecraft.ie.

I have also just worked on a creative project with the Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD) in conjunction with the Westbury Hotel in Dublin.

National milliners were asked to produce a hat, which the head pastry chef transformed into a cake-inspired afternoon tea. The hats were then displayed in the Westbury Hotel and the art of Millinery afternoon tea was served for a month - a great honour!

Wendy Louise Knights workshop can be found at the Aisling Festival on Wednesday October 25 from 4-5pm. You can also find Wendy at Wendy Louise Designs on Facebook.
The progressively less fruitful United States involvement in Somalia, in East Africa, has continued in the past week.

A visit by the U.S. military commander for Africa to Mogadishu was followed days later by an enormous truck bomb attack that killed more than 320 people, conveying a message to Somalis and Americans.

U.S. military involvement in Somalia started in late 1992, when President George H.W. Bush sent forces there to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian relief to Somalis suffering from hunger and disease. Their own government had collapsed in January 1991, and remains in a precarious, unelected state to this day.

By 1992 Somali militias had turned the effort of the West and nongovernmental organizations to care for starving Somalis into a profitable shakedown racket.

U.S. forces were withdrawn by President Bill Clinton after the 1993 Black Hawk Down attack, which resulted in 19 dead American soldiers. The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu was closed subsequently, when its situation came to be considered by Washington to be too dangerous for the U.S. diplomats there.

The United States was pulled back into Somalia when Islamic-oriented local organizations became what Washington considered to be too involved in governing parts of a fragmented Somalia. What was initially an intelligence operation grew rapidly into what is now a presence of 400 U.S. troops there and a full-fledged U.S. military base  with drones, fighter bombers and thousands of U.S. troops  in bordering Djibouti, the former French Somaliland.

It is the only U.S. base in Africa. Other African countries have declined to host one, considering the presence to be inconsistent with their sovereignty. Djibouti is poor, and its government considered to be corrupt. France and China have bases there, too.

The latest episode in the U.S.-Somalia chronicle is the visit to Mogadishu by senior U.S. Africom officers recently, followed days later by the bomb attack, unprecedented in its size even for Somalia, in a downtown area of Mogadishu, which injured at least 400 in addition to the more than 320 killed.

The bomb exploded at a busy intersection outside of a popular hotel, though investigators believe the terrorists intended target was the nearby airport compound, which houses embassies and the African Union peacekeeping force. The president of Somalia blamed the attack on the militant group al-Shabab, which has not claimed responsibility.

It is likely that Somalias resurrection as a country, with a functioning government and sustainable security, depends, as it probably always has, on the Somalis working out their problems among themselves, without foreign military intervention. Now, in the wake of the linked Africom commanders visit and the stupendous bombing attack, should be a time for Washington to pull the cord again on U.S. involvement in that tragic country.

We can go back when the Somalis sort themselves out. After 26 years of disorder and many, many deaths, they should be ready to.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 19 percent of Americans trust government in Washington, D.C., to do what is right. And no wonder. Many of our politicians refuse to work with each other to solve problems that affect real people.

That culture must change.

We aim to change it at the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

If one thing defines the enduring spirit of Americans  and certainly us Wisconsinites  it is our ability to solve problems by working together. We understand that when we listen to each other and cooperate, we can solve any problem.

Its a simple idea that has worked well in the past: Identify a problem. Come together. Combine your knowledge. Solve the problem. Repeat.

These are the truths that characterize the Thompson Center, which was announced last spring and included in the state budget.

Our mission at the Thompson Center, on the UW-Madison campus, is to understand public leadership and apply leadership to contemporary problems. We will provide an environment to study, discuss and improve leadership objectively and professionally.

We must produce more effective public leaders today. And to produce them, we will identify and understand effective public leadership, teach leadership skills to future generations of leaders, and reach out to policymakers with the research we perform.

This fall, we will host a bipartisan conference dedicated to identifying leadership skills among public leaders in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the state and federal government. Our goal will be to uncover useful leadership practices and inform our public leaders about them.

This spring, we will host a conference on criminal justice reform. Our question: How can we reform the criminal justice system in a way that improves justice for all, saves money and protects individual liberties? We will examine prosecutorial discretion, prisoner re-entry, and civil forefeiture reform.

Similarly, in the coming years, we will examine health care reform, transportation reform, tax reform, and other areas in need of improvement. At the Thompson Center, we are united in our desire to improve public leadership.

People want to see public leaders from both parties work together in a spirit of trust. We aim to help those leaders in doing so.

We are fortified with the knowledge that many public-spirited leaders are in Wisconsin now from both political parties. We are eager to work with them to accomplish great things and help move Wisconsin forward.
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These five people have a shared vision of creating a culture of creativity and caring in which young women feel confident in their ability to work hard, dream big and face with courage any obstacle that stands in the way of making their dreams come true.

That's why they were selected as the inaugural recipients of the ToGetHerThere Awards from Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

The honorees were selected from five categories by a panel of business, community and civic leaders.

They include:

* Entrepreneur: Cassandra Abramson, president and founder, ECi Stores;

* Financial Literacy: Amy Roberts, vice president of human resources, Balise Auto Group;

* Health and Wellness: Katie Gauvin, regional safety director, Sodexo, and Air National Guard major with the Logistics Readiness Squadron at the 104th Fighter Wing;

* Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout: Timothy Murphy, attorney and partner at Skoler, Abbott & Presser; and

* STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): Martha Baker, University of Massachusetts College of Natural Sciences associate dean.

"The ToGetHerThere Award winners embody Western Massachusetts' spirit of courage and determination," said Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the regional Girl Scout council. "We are humbled and inspired by their efforts. These individuals remind us that we all hold the power to inspire hope and build up communities. We all can be a force for good."

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts will honor the winners at a luncheon on Nov. 3, at the Tower Square Hotel in Springfield. Tickets are $50.

Roberts, a former Girl Scout, is honored and humbled by the award, saying, "There are so many people doing great things for our community, it is such an honor to be considered a part of that group."

She grew up around strong women who encouraged her to try new things and pave her own path, Roberts says. "I still remember my mom telling me to be true to myself, don't just follow the pack (and) that it was OK to be different," she said.

"I am really honored and humbled especially when I consider the amazing things that other men do on behalf of young people, young women in particular," Murphy said. "I think the award recognizes the importance of nurturing strength, independence, and character in young women. The world will be a better place when more young women feel strong and empowered and are encouraged to act that way."

Humbled is also the word Gauvin used to describe her reaction to the award. "I am a recipient amongst some very impressive individuals and am getting recognized for things I absolutely love to do," said the former Girl Scout and leader.

Commenting on her award in the financial literacy category, Roberts said financial stability is something every person deserves, but it is not the case for many.

"We did not have a lot of money growing up. I knew from a very early age that if I wanted the trendy outfit I would need to pay for it myself. So from early on, I knew that if I had my own money I could make my own decisions about how to spend my money," she said. "While I didn't always make the best financial decisions back then (see trendy outfit), I learned how to have my own money and what it could do to help me achieve the goals I had for myself."

The more persons learn, understand and put into action, the more control they have over the quality of their life, she continued. "In some cases, I think that was a driving force in my professional success. I wanted to have the freedom to make my own choices no matter what. When you establish solid decision making around financial matters, create plans to work towards and stay focused on your goals, you have a very powerful tool to get you where you want to go."

Gauvin said Girl Scouting is important for the community because it shows the girls their community through different lenses.

"They get to see what the community is doing to help one another, what the community needs for help and that their community isn't just what's around them it stretches out far to include the entire globe," she said. "Girl Scouting gives girls the opportunity to learn life basic needs, how to have fun, how to help others, how to be leaders, gives them confidence and most importantly memories and experiences that will last them a lifetime, experiences that help mold them into the brilliant young ladies and women of the future."

Murphy said everyone has a role to play in helping to mold young women into successful adults. "The Girl Scouts have an unparalleled track record of doing that. The Girl Scouts is as relevant and important as ever to all of us," he said.

To order tickets for the awards luncheon and for more information, visit the website, gscwm.org, or contact Melanie Bonsu by calling 413-584-2602 ext. 3623 or email to mbonsu@gscwm.org.
John M. Greaney had no idea what he was in for when he was appointed by Gov. Francis W. Sargent to open a new Housing Court for Western Massachusetts in Springfield.

With a bare-bones staff and limited budget, he remembers being "in desperate need of help" back in the summer of 1974. TV station WWLP gave the new judge an assist, letting him share his needs for the court in a news broadcast.

Two people quickly came to his aid, Greaney recalls.

One was a 70-year-old woman who had retired from the Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Co. and volunteered to do his typing. She stayed with him and the court for some time.

The other was "a young law student who wandered in" and offered to help for the summer while she was home from studies at Hofstra University School of Law.

That was four decades ago, and the path of justice proved a common road for Greaney, who would go on to become a member of the state's Supreme Judicial Court, and the law student, Carol J. Kantany Casartello, who retired recently after spending the past 25 years as clerk-magistrate of the Westfield District Court which today bears Greaney's name.

Casartello came to the law by happenstance when, in the mid-1970s as an English major at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, she was on the precipice of deciding on a career path. "I was trying to figure out something to do rather than teach English because I was told by my college advisors there weren't a lot of jobs," she recalled recently.

One of those advisors, Casartello remembers, helped arrange an internship for her at the Northampton Juvenile Court. It proved to be a turning point for her as she discovered a professional passion.

If our parents are among those who most inspire us to lead lives of doing good for others, Casartello was surrounded by a wealth of inspiration growing up in Springfield as the daughter of the late Christopher and Jane Kantany. Both delivered the message that she could be whatever she wanted to be in life, and her mother, long active in Girl Scouting, especially underscored that message at a time when women's rights were in the forefront of America's consciousness.

"My mother was the kind of woman who, if she had had the benefits of growing up when I did, I'm guessing she might have been a physician," Casartello says. "She had a powerful presence in my life. Both my parents did."

Casartello's more than three decades of public service began in the office of Hampden District Attorney Matthew J. Ryan Jr., for whom she worked from 1979 through 1988. Among those with whom Casartello crossed paths when both were young lawyers in Ryan's office was Elizabeth D. Scheibel, who would go on to become the state's first woman district attorney.

"For me, what stood out about Carol then and now is she was steady, calm, gracious, always kind and considerate, professional and fair-minded," says Scheibel. "She really is the very best face of a public servant."

As a prosecutor, Casartello spent the bulk of her time presenting cases to the grand juries that weighed indictments on everything from murder to child abuse, arson to drug trafficking. It was a place, says Scheibel, where Casartello's skills in retaining a calm demeanor as she dealt with people facing the most emotional of circumstances were surely honed for future work as a court clerk.

"Depending on one's involvement in the court system, it can be a very volatile situation, and (Carol) just could bring that right down and defuse a situation to keep it where it should be in a professional manner," shared Scheibel.

After a stint in private practice, Casartello applied to be a court clerk. It was in 1992 that Gov. William F. Weld nominated her to the Westfield court post for which she had been most enthusiastic because, as she said then, "throughout Hampden County and Western Massachusetts, one always hears what an efficient and supportive court it is."

The presiding judge there was - and remains - Philip A. Contant, who is among those who will most miss her presence in the John M. Greaney District Courthouse in downtown Westfield. He jokes that he spent most of that time looking at the back of her head as she sat in the clerk's seat in front of the judge's bench. It meant he became an expert at reading some of her reactions just by how she moved her head and shoulders.

Contant and Casartello first met many more years ago when he was running for a seat on the Springfield City Council. "We joke sometimes about the fact that she's followed in my footsteps," Contant shares. "From White Street School to Forest Park Junior High to Classical High, she was four years behind me. When we started working together, we made all the connections and marvel at the number of people in common in our lives."

Before Casartello even applied for consideration to be a court clerk, she was already on Contant's radar, the judge says. "I knew of her good reputation when she was in the DA's office and I was in private practice. I already had a favorable impression of her, so I had no reservations when she was appointed."

"I thought we would work well together. I had no idea how well," he shared on the eve of a party he planned with Casartello's husband, attorney Charles Casartello, to honor his retiring clerk. "It's been an amazing partnership."

To a person among the crowd of several hundred well-wishers, not an unkind nor less than exemplary word was spoken about Casartello, by co-workers, by friends, by family, by all those who know her best. Remarked her husband, "She is unrivaled as a spouse and a parent. She's good as gold, and we treasure her."

As she greeted the party-goers at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, Carol Casartello mused that she would have preferred to be seeing the night unfold from afar so she could truly savor the moment. That wasn't an unexpected response as admirers will tell you she's someone who is more concerned about everyone else and not so concerned about herself.

"In her personal life, I know of many people for whom she's done extraordinary acts of kindness," said Contant. "She has left other people in awe in how she has dealt with situations. It's the whole thing of empathy, understanding and comforting, of Carol's going way more than the extra mile to help people."

The trust and respect that evolved over their quarter century as work partners is in many ways difficult for Contant to describe, the judge says. "I always had complete confidence in her. I never had to worry about any decision, she made. In these whole 25 years, I don't think we've ever had cross word or disagreement about anything. In some courts, there may be problems that affect the entire office and interferes with functioning of the court. I was the envy of many people, judges who know what she is like."

Like the judge, James Lyons, of West Springfield, believes he was the envy of many probation officers thanks to Casartello. He's among those who first met Casartello when she was in the DA's office. Their paths crossed most recently when Lyons, recently retired from a career as a probation officer, landed in the Westfield District Court to head its probation department. He regards Casartello as "the best thing that ever happened to me."

"In the District Court, the judge, the clerk and the probation officer are a triumvirate that has to work together. It's the only way the court works well," says Lyons. Casartello's dedication and "caring attitude" to the clerk's job were key aspects of how their professional partnership worked.

Greaney says it's all of those "essential qualities" - professionalism, dedication, patience and understanding - which combined to have Casartello evolve as a role model for clerks in the District Court where the credo is "to serve those without bias or prejudice."

Contant describes it simply as a "magic touch."



"There are metrics to measure a court clerk like the number of cases in a court, but they don't count for her. She's really extraordinary in that emotional quotient," he says. "It's a measurement that is really unbelievable. You need only watch her work with people, comfort those in distress or at least put them at ease. It's her magic touch in terms of compassion, (and) many times it's literally a touch, whether she put a hand on someone's shoulder or touched someone's hand. She's the best clerk in Massachusetts."



Cynthia G. Simison is managing editor of The Republican. She may be reached by email to csimison@repub.com.
LOWELL - A seven-year-old boy was killed Saturday night after suffering injuries in an apparent pit bull attack, according to The Boston Globe.

Police responded to a city residence on Clare Street around 6 p.m. for a report of an injured child. Upon arriving at the home, police found a boy dead, officials said.

The Middlesex District Attorney's office said that preliminary investigation into the incident has shown the boy somehow entered a fenced area where two pit bulls were being kept and was attacked.

One of the dogs subsequently escaped over a fence but was later caught and euthanized, the district attorney's office said. Animal control officials have the other dog in custody.

The identity of the victim has not been made public and no charges have been filed at this time.

The incident remains under investigation by the district attorney's office, along with State and Lowell police.
By GABRIEL SANCHEZ | The Ground Truth Project

SPRINGFIELD -- Tre'ana Taylor listened to a sermon about not losing faith as she replaced the little white shoes her niece would lose while running atop the pew. In some regards, the minister was preaching to the converted.

In 17 years of life, Taylor has experienced challenges that would daunt most adults. Beyond attending a public-school system mostly made up of economically disenfranchised students, she has persevered through a teenage pregnancy and the death of her infant son, the early memory of her mother's shooting in another state, and breaking up with her first love.

Despite these tribulations, she has kept her commitment to her education.

Taylor, now a senior at the High School of Commerce, is working to obtain her diploma at a school with a reputation for high dropout rates -- partly to honor the memory of her son.

"I was interested in other programs in different schools," she said, explaining that other schools in the district offered the nursing vocational track she wanted to take. Taylor, who plays the alto saxophone, also wanted to attend other schools for their band programs.

"I wanted to go to a school that had a band because I love band," Taylor said. "I didn't know Commerce had one at the time."

At Commerce, she discovered ROTC and became commander of the unarmed exhibition team -- the step team, for short. Though she studies at her last choice, last chance high school, Taylor is determined to graduate.

"I had this huge motivation when I got pregnant," she said, "and I was like, 'I'm going to make it for him.'"

Because she was 15 when she became pregnant, Taylor was considered a high-risk pregnancy, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Taylor explained she went into early labor because her uterus couldn't carry the pregnancy to term.

"It gets me," Taylor said about the loss of her son, C.J. "They told me if I would have been five months and three weeks, they would have been able to hook him up to the machine to strengthen his lungs. I was five days under. I lost him, but I still want to [finish high school] for him."

Taylor also considers her prospective children when motivating herself for academic success.

"I need a high school diploma to get most jobs nowadays," she said. "I want to be able to get older and have more kids, and I don't want them to have to worry about money."

Taylor's financial consideration is reflective of her upbringing in a school with a high concentration of poverty. Of the 1,250 students at Commerce, nearly 74 percent are economically disadvantaged, and a high number them are living in foster care, boarding houses or on their own, Commerce Principal Diane Bauer said.

Like many students at the high school, the trauma Taylor has endured may impact her academic performance. According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, children who "[experience] some type of trauma are likely to struggle in school with language and communication, attentiveness to classroom tasks, regulating emotions, and engaging in the curriculum."

More from The Ground Truth Project:

Taylor's first memory is of her mother being shot.

When she was 4, she and her sister waited outside of a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, convenience store as their mother, Ivy Lytle, was shopping. When their mother didn't come back, Taylor and her elder sister walked into the store to check on her. As they entered, Taylor saw red spots on the floor and heard her mother say, "don't let Tre'ana see my face!"

Too young to understand what was happening, Taylor followed the spots to her mother.

Lytle survived because the bullet broke on her teeth. The assailant was never caught.

"We assume they were trying to rob her," Taylor said, "but they didn't take anything." After the injury, Lytle decided to bring the family back to Springfield, where she also attended Commerce and graduated in 1992.

Taylor's 3-year-old niece, whom she held at the Sunday church service, has become a large part of her life. Because she shares the three-bedroom apartment she lives in with six other people, Taylor, her sister and her niece share one bedroom. And apart from sharing a space, Taylor shares her after-school hours to help her family.

"She used to babysit her niece a lot," said Lytle, explaining that the time she spent babysitting may have contributed to a drop in Taylor's school performance.

When Taylor was making her school selections, Lytle told her she did not want her to go to Commerce.

"I remember going to school and having some of the same issues," Lytle said. "We were given leeway and rushed through. We weren't taught and weren't held accountable."

Instability, both at home and at school, can also contribute to academic challenges. Taylor's family lost a home after a leaking radiator caused parts of the house to collapse. And Commerce has been known for high turnover among administrators. "Every document I read had a different principal on it," Bauer said of the 2014 start to her tenure. When she returned the next year, students were surprised to see her again.

Since 2012, the school has improved attendance, graduation and proficiency rates on some of the MCAS exams. Bauer attributes the improvements to a returning administrative team.

"They've seen some stability, so that's helped in part," she said. "They know what to expect." Despite the improvements, the school's four-year graduation rate is 58 percent and the 8 percent dropout rate is nearly double the district at large.

"The expectation levels tend to be higher in suburban communities," said Henry Thomas III, president of the Urban League of Springfield and a member of the University of Massachusetts board of trustees.

He explained that in urban schools like Commerce, "there's a default to say if we can keep their behavior right, and if they at least make an attempt, we can move them along."

Lytle, whose children have attended other schools in the district, said expectations are comparatively low at Commerce. "She's allowed to lag, so she's OK with getting a C," Lytle said.

Taylor anticipates to graduate from Commerce next year. Though she doesn't have specific plans, she hopes to join the Air Force to become a nurse. If she can't do that, she intends to enter the medical field.

That's her plan. However, if Taylor should face a new hurdle, it's her perspective and faith that will carry her through.

It's a philosophy she uses to advise her peers.

"They're not in this alone," she said of students facing difficulties. "There's other people who are going through the same exact thing. You always have to think: you have a story that may be horrible, but there's someone who always has a story that's worse than yours. But, the main thing is to pray. Even if they' aren't religious, I'd just ask them permission and pray with them."

This story was produced as part of The GroundTruth Project and WGBH's "Crossing the Divide" initiative, a cross-country reporting journey that explores economic, social and political divisions across America.
A Mansfield firefighter is facing child endangerment and drunken driving charges in court after Attleboro police say he was driving drunk with a child in his car Friday evening, The Sun Chronicle reports.

James Devine was arrested around 5 p.m. Friday on Flora Road in Attleboro, the newspaper reports. He is facing child endangerment, negligent driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, second offense, and other charges.

Authorities told The Sun Chronicle that a child was inside Devine's vehicle when it was stopped.

A review of the Mansfield Fire Department's website shows Devine is listed as a firefighter EMT-Paramedic. Mansfield fire officials confirmed Devine is a member of the department, but declined to discuss his arrest further, the newspaper reports.
WESTFIELD - The Massachusetts Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing will be holding night training flights in the upcoming week.

The missions with the F-15 Eagle jets will be taking off and landing in the dark until about 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, from Barnes-Westfield Regional Airport, Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey said.

The night training is required to ensure flight crews and maintenance personnel are prepared for future missions. The pilots will be training on critical homeland defense and overseas wartime aviation skills, she said.

"We appreciate our community and their outstanding support of the 104th Fighter Wing's mission," said Col. James Suhr, commander of the 104th. "We want to ensure the community understands how important night currency is to our combat readiness and is not surprised by our planned night flying."
SPRINGFIELD -- Pete Gray, owner of Pete's Sweets in East Longmeadow decided every breast cancer survivor walking in the annual Rays of Hope walk on Sunday deserved a little something sweet and special.

"We baked 700 cupcakes and are so happy to be here today," said Gray who was joined by Ali Larew as the two handed out cupcakes to survivors. More than 40 volunteers decorated the cupcakes with bright pink frosting and sprinkles.

The 24th annual Rays of Hope walk and run was held in Springfield on Sunday morning with more than 20,000 survivors and supporters participating.

"What makes this event so special, so unique is that the money raised here is used to help women and families right here," said Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, a veteran oncologist and chair of the Baystate Health Breast Network. The walk and run have generated more than $13 million so far.

Makari-Judson and Lucy Giuggio Carvalho, founder of the walk spoke at the event before teams began their walk through Forest Park. Joining them was Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and his two daughters.

"It's incredible what Baystate has done for all of the women who are survivors of this disease and their families," he said. "To think that it started as an idea formed around Lucy Giuggio's kitchen table more than 20 years ago and look where we are today."

This year's chairwoman of the event was Midje Theulen, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 19 years ago.

"I went through a very aggressive clinical trial. My kids were 5 and 7, and I really didn't think I was going to survive," said Theulen, who went on to participate in her first Rays of Hope walk just two weeks after her last chemotherapy treatment.

"I walked into the pink hope survivors tent and spoke with women who were one year, three years, five years out and it just gave me the strength to think I could beat this. I've been volunteering ever since," she said.

For the past three years Virginia Carrasco, of Springfield, has been joined her daughter Rosa Diaz and other family and friends to walk through Forest Park in support of breast cancer research. Their team names is "Fight United."

"You have to keep fighting, no matter what," said Carrasco, who was diagnosed three years ago with pre-cancer, a condition that is usually diagnoses on a mammogram when it is so small that it has not formed a lump.

Danielle Lipoff, a breast surgeon at Baystate Breast and Wellness Center, said women, even as young as their 20s and 30s, should be conducting self breast examinations every month.

"There has been an upsurgance of younger women under the age of 50 diagnosed with breast cancer," she said. "The American Society of Breast Surgeons, we all recommend monthly self breast exams. It's really not so much looking for something, but being aware of what your breast tissue feels like and noticing any chance."

Lipoff said common things to look for include skin changes, dimpling, nipple retraction, or a frozen pea or marble-sized lump.

She said there is a lot of new research in genome therapy, which helps determine if a woman would actually benefit from chemotherapy or if other treatment options would have a better response. Baystate is now offering 3-D mammograms to patients as well.

"We are still waiting on full FDA approval because some insurance companies won't accept it, but 3-D mammography is decreasing callback rates, which is excellent," she said. "There are a lot of exciting and encouraging things happening when it comes to research and treatment."
By RACHEL CRAMER | The Ground Truth Project

SPRINGFIELD -- At the rear of the High School of Commerce -- around the corner from the main entrance where 1,100 students line up each morning for a security screening process that can take up to 45 minutes -- a smaller group of teens, dressed in white button-down shirts and ties, pass through a metal detector guarded by two smiling administrators.

These are the students of the Springfield Honors Academy, which launched this fall with 62 freshmen selected from the top performing eighth-graders across the district.

Both the Academy and Commerce are very different schools under one roof, but they have something in common. They're both part of Springfield's "Empowerment Zone" -- a public-private partnership also in place at nine struggling middle schools in the city. The program is designed to give principals and teachers more control over curriculum, schedules, staff and budgets.

The Empowerment Zone board voted to unanimously in October 2016 to bring Commerce into the fold, and the new honors program was announced in January.

High School of Commerce Principal Diane Bauer welcomes the progress she may be able to make for Commerce with help from the Empowerment Zone.

"We've done surveys and focus groups with the kids here," she said. "What is it that they want? What is it they are looking for in a career or college? And then come together and look at a goal and vision for the High School of Commerce."

With the freedom from the Empowerment Zone, Bauer says administrators hope to roll out a career development program next fall. They also have a teacher-led team that's looking into solutions specific to their school's needs, such as transportation.

For Springfield Honors Academy Principal Grace Howard-Donlin, the autonomy allowed her to choose which teachers to hire, to add a leadership class and even to implement a no-profanity rule without a district-wide approval process.

It also let her create a system to keep GPAs high.

"I feel like we have some safety nets put in place" to keep students from falling through any cracks, she explained."Any student drops below 75 in a class, it's mandatory tutoring until they pull a grade up above 75. So we're going to do everything we can to make sure GPAs are headed in a direction for four-year college success."

If students cannot maintain the high GPA, Howard-Donlin says they may lose special privileges, such as college visits and extracurricular activities.

There is not yet any public data showing whether the Empowerment Zone experiment in Springfield is working. But that hasn't stopped the idea from catching on. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker wants empowerment zones for underperforming schools across the state. And in September the legislature's education committee heard testimony on two related bills.

Teachers union officials initially signed off on the Springfield Empowerment Zone, but they're skeptical of efforts to expand it statewide. They say the bills jeopardize local control and undermine teachers' collective bargaining rights.

School within a school

Despite sharing a building, students at Commerce and the Honors Academy are not allowed in each other's territories. Some students at Commerce -- which falls into the state's Level 4 designation based on MCAS scores, and is described in official language as among the state's "lowest achieving and least improving" -- feel like this school within a school creates a rift.

"We don't ever like see them because they have their own hallway, so we never run into them," said Erick Perez, a junior at Commerce.

"They even have their own door. Like when you come through the back, they have their own sign and everything," said Kyshaeli Almeida, also a junior.

Howard-Donlin, the Honors Academy principal, says the separation is not meant to create a sense of inferiority among the Commerce students.

"There's always a danger of that perception that, 'oh, this is an elitist group that's taken up residence at Commerce,' and this sort of idea," she said. "I think we really want to push back on that mentality -- and to say that at the end of the day, all our students are equally capable of what is meant for them. And it's up to us to pull that capability out of them as individuals."

She says the Academy is filling a gap in the Springfield Public Schools district by challenging its top-performing students. "Our intent here is to just give a little more attention to a group of students who have been proving themselves all along that they want this type of learning environment that's extra rigorous and pointing directly towards college."

More from The Ground Truth Project:

Bauer, the Commerce principal, says it's not that her students aren't smart -- the problem is a lot of them are dealing with trauma or problems at home. At Commerce, 85 percent of the student body is classified as high-needs, meaning they're either low-income, English language learners, or have learning disabilities.

The way students are selected for the Honors Academy is a form of tracking -- creating a separate educational path for high-achieving students.

It's an approach that can cut both ways, says Paul Reville, a professor of educational policy and administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the state's former education secretary.

"Sometimes it's a logical and plausible approach," he said. "Sometimes it has a segregating impact."

Tracking isn't just an issue for schools like the Honors Academy and Commerce, he pointed out -- it also crops up at regular public high schools where high-achieving students only take honors or AP courses.

"The research on tracking has shown that it's quite negative for, particularly for low-performing students and that has a -- you could argue -- a deleterious effect on the system overall but probably a beneficial on those students lucky enough to be selected," he said.

Like some of her classmates at Commerce, Sulmarie Huertas, a freshman at the Honors Academy, says it can be difficult having two schools in one building.

"I can hear a lot of people talking about our school and how we're treated differently, but we earned this," Huertas said. "I know I worked hard to get here, and no one's words will get in the way of that."

This story was produced as part of The GroundTruth Project and WGBH's "Crossing the Divide" initiative, a cross-country reporting journey that explores economic, social and political divisions across America.
AMHERST - A UMass Amherst student is in critical condition after being struck by a car Friday night, according to The Daily Collegian.

The victim is Silas Watkins, 20, is currently at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Watkins was struck by a car as he was crossing Eastman Lane in Amherst around 5:48 p.m., UMass Police News and Media Relations spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski told the paper.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Watkins, 18-year-old Charles Willingham, could not see Watkins due to solar glare, according to UMass police.

"Watkins was transported from the scene with severe injuries, including head trauma, by Amherst Fire Department. [Charles] Willingham and a passenger in his vehicle were uninjured," Blaguszewski said in a statement.

Massachusetts State Police were also called to investigate due to the severity of injuries involved.

Blaguszewski also apparently said that police had previously posted notices warning drivers that late afternoon solar glare could be a driving hazard.
Songkick To Shutter In November

Ticketing company Songkick revealed that they plan to cease operations at the end of the month, according to a client letter from the company.

_____________________________

Songkick, which allowed artists to sell tickets directly to fans, said in the letter that they plan to continue their lawsuit against Live Nation and their ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster, but would effectively shutter the company next month,

In the lawsuit, Songkick alleges that after they acquired the ticketing company CrowdSurge in 2015, rival Ticketmaster hired one of CrowdSurge's senior execs who Songkick claims absconded with proprietary internal databases which he then provided to Ticketmaster. Songkick alleges that the misappropriated data allowed Ticketmaster to poach their prospective clients.

In February, Live Nation said that the lion's share of Songkick's original suit had been dismissed by the court and said that Songkick's amended lawsuit lacked legal merit.

In July, Songkick sold off a number of key assets to Warner Music, including their concert discovery app and website, as well as the Songkick trademark. For now, its business as usual for artists wanting to use Songkick to promote their dates across the web.

The letter obtained by Variety in full:



Before I say anything, let me say thank you. Thank you to the artists and managers who entrusted us with their tickets and audience; to the agents, labels, promoters and venues that partnered with us to make artists visions into realities; and to the many  always committed and now nearly all former  employees of CrowdSurge and Songkick who worked tirelessly over the last 10 years with nothing short of a remarkable passion to better the live experience for artists and fans. With that said, Im sad to write that on October 31, Songkick will bow to pressure from Live Nation and Ticketmaster and complete the shutdown of all ticketing operations (including the design and maintenance of artist webpages) we began earlier this year when Ticketmaster and Live Nation effectively blocked our US ticketing business. Songkicks concert discovery app, which was sold to Warner Music Group in July, will continue uninterrupted under the WMG umbrella. Our antitrust, trade secret misappropriation and hacking lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster will continue unabated, with trial currently scheduled to begin in the second week of November, just a month from now. Many of you receiving this note have helped us immensely as we prepare for our day in court, and even as we shutter our business, we will remain focused on pursuing a legal victory and making the live music industry better for artists and fans. If you are an artist, promoter or venue for whom we have sold tickets to a show occurring on a future date, you will be contacted individually over the following three business days to arrange for payment. All outstanding amounts will be paid in full. If you are an artist, promoter or venue currently using our services to sell tickets, list shows, store customer data or power parts or all of your website, these services will become unavailable on October 27. On behalf of myself and all of my colleagues, its been a pleasure to work with you. Once again: thank you, for everything. All the best,

MJ (Songkick founder Matt Jones)

via Celebrity Access

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We must confront corruption, for it is a causenot a resultof global instability.

"I cant imagine a more important book for our time." Sebastian Junger

***

Trump flouting norms risks venal turn in US

Sarah Chayes, author of "Thieves of State," talks with Rachel Maddow about why Donald Trumps business with corrupt foreign governments risks spreading corruption to the United States.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-flouting-norms-risks-venal-turn-in-us-1078348355534

***

The world is blowing up. Every day a new blaze seems to ignite: the bloody implosion of Iraq and Syria; the East-West standoff in Ukraine; abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria. Is there some thread tying these frightening international security crises together? In a riveting account that weaves history with fast-moving reportage and insider accounts from the Afghanistan war, Sarah Chayes identifies the unexpected link: corruption.

Since the late 1990s, corruption has reached such an extent that some governments resemble glorified criminal gangs, bent solely on their own enrichment. These kleptocrats drive indignant populations to extremesranging from revolution to militant puritanical religion. Chayes plunges readers into some of the most venal environments on earth and examines what emerges: Afghans returning to the Taliban, Egyptians overthrowing the Mubarak government (but also redesigning Al-Qaeda), and Nigerians embracing both radical evangelical Christianity and the Islamist terror group Boko Haram. In many such places, rigid moral codes are put forth as an antidote to the collapse of public integrity.

The pattern, moreover, pervades history. Through deep archival research, Chayes reveals that canonical political thinkers such as John Locke and Machiavelli, as well as the great medieval Islamic statesman Nizam al-Mulk, all named corruption as a threat to the realm. In a thrilling argument connecting the Protestant Reformation to the Arab Spring, Thieves of State presents a powerful new way to understand global extremism. And it makes a compelling case that we must confront corruption, for it is a causenot a resultof global instability.
Ever get lost? Then you know not every place on earth has an easy-to-find address. In this quick talk about a big idea, learn about a clever new system that divides the entire planet into three-meter squares and assigns each square a unique three-word identifier. The system is being used already (in surprising ways); co-founder Chris Sheldrick explains the benefits of giving everyone an accurate address  from finding help in disaster zones to, yes, delivering a pizza.

Watch now https://ted.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07487d1456302a286cf9c4ccc&id=7d6121a4e3&e=d3135666a2
Montana State University researchers have received $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation for a project to study methane-consuming microbes and develop ways of using them to make commercial products such as plastics.

The NSF awarded a total of $6 million in August to the research team, which includes collaborators at MSU, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of Oklahoma.

By Marshall Swearingen MSU News Service

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/msu-researchers-receive-million-to-study-methane-converting-microbes-in/article_3bd4856b-f269-5860-b670-e498e5c9870e.html


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You just can't forget 'Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali' from 'Big Bang Theory' with his god-awful sweater vests and a naive yet kind heart. Portrayed by Kunal Nayyar, Raj's character is just too hard to ignore. Raj is one of the five main characters to appear in every episode. For people who don't know much about his character, Raj is Howard Joel Wolowitz's (Simon Helberg) best friend, the two have an amazing on-screen presence and their bromance is hysterically awesome. However, at times things do take an awkward turn due to his metrosexuality.

Well, Kunal recently made a brief appearance on the 'Ellen Show' and the discussion the two had is already making waves thanks to its hilarious content.

(c) CBS

When an actor appears on Ellen DeGeneres' show you know what to expect. Fun, embarrassing moments, intimate topics and of course, pure insanity. And that's exactly how Kunal and Ellen's conversation went down.

From him admitting that he waves to literally anyone....even if he has no idea who they are, to his religious commitment to eating, the entire episode was filled with moments that leave you in splits.

However, what grabbed our attention was when the two started talking about the festival of lights. The actor went on to explain how Diwali is celebrated in India and what people usually do during those days.

He told her about 'Choti Diwali' and explained, It's like small Diwali and then today is the actual Diwali. People start partying a week before.

(c) The Ellen Show

Ellen even asked him if people eat or drink a certain item to which Kunal said, No just alcohol and food.

The concept of partying way before the actual festival began left Ellen feeling considerably jealous as she said, You should have a small holiday before a big one, why don't we have one before the big one?

And later she came up with an epic idea of having Thanksgiving in Diwali style. Well, that's an interesting take. The two are so natural and spontaneous that you can't get enough of them.

This clip is still trending on 49th position in YouTube and just within few days has got over 3,70,000 views.

Check out her Ellen's full response because it's too good to miss.
It's okay to have celebrities as role models when it comes to your fitness goals. Having a pro bodybuilder, a professional athlete or even a fitness trainer as a role model is great. Yes we know it takes hard work, vision, dedication to get to a level where you deserve applause and praises but it can also be a little boring to be constantly following people who behave like monks. A balance of work and pleasure is very healthy and also a great way to go about life. Here are 5 celebrities who I think know how to strike the balance between their fitness lifestyle and their work. Also, more than anything, these dudes saty fit year round and don't just get in shape when the camera's watching.

1) Jason Momoa

You may know this boisterous, strong long haired man for his role as Khal drogo in game of thrones. He is also all set to break records with his most anticipated role that is coming up this year with Aqua Man. Jason Mamoa is one damn fit mofo, standing at 6.3 in height; he has the musculature of a Greek god. His style of working out is very unique when compared with other celebs. Loves doing cross fit and is a mountain climber at heart. In fact, Momoa has been into climbing for decades now. Nothing is too risky for this man. When he is not shooting or climbing random rocks he is either riding bikes or drinking Guinness beer and getting drunk. Girls seem to love the beer froth that gets on his moustache and beer while he sips. How does one maintain such an amazing physique and abs and still drink like a fish is something to think about?

2) John Abraham

What is so special about this Indian hunk of an actor is his true dedication to the term fitness. And he does it without making his life look boring. While most Indian male celebs drink, smoke and do drugs, this man stays away from all these habits. He is a very clean eater. Leads a regimented lifestyle and never misses a workout. A long time ago his bike accident made news, however the next day his instagram posts showed he was up at 6 am working out and pumping up those muscles in spite of his injuries . What is really great about this person is that, he has time for his passion which is riding bikes, makes time for his marriage, and for his parents, and also runs a production company producing some good movies. Now there's nothing boring about this guy.

3) Arnold Schwarzenegger

While most youngsters were 'just doing things' Arnold dedicated himself to becoming the best built man in the world. And indeed became Mr. Universe at just 21 years old. What happened after that is rock and roll history. Every set he performed at the gym got him closer to his goal of being the best and one day taking over Hollywood by storm. He invested into multiple businesses even before he acted in his first movie. While people told him he would never make it big in Hollywood, he made time to learn English, study business, understand the craft of acting and made history. Even though he made all his dreams come true, having a net worth of over 300 million USD at the age of 70 as you read this, he still workouts twice a day. He wakes up at 5 am to do his cardio followed by some breakfast and news paper reading, finish off all his work for the day and then back at the gym in the evening to lift weights. This man made a lot of sacrifices as a youngster but he sure as hell made time to have some fun by keeping up with the hippie era by smoking weed , or messing around with a lot of women at the Venice beach . He did it all and yet managed to get all he wanted in life.

4) Conor mc gregor

The only UFC star to dare challenge Floyd 'Money' Mayweather at his own sport, Mc Gregor was much applauded for his fighting spirit in the ring. Taking home a 100 million dollars at 29 years old is no joke either. His training is unmatchable, his discipline and dedication to each and every practice session is what got him where he is today. It took a lot of hard work, tears and sweat for this young man to be on the news and have such a fat bank account. His flamboyant lifestyle of wearing the best of designer clothes, top end cars and best vacation spots is how a bad boy who has earned it all would live.

4) Christian Bale

When it comes to transformations, this man needs no introduction. Some of his transformations were so extreme that it makes you wonder how someone could have the will to go through something like that. What is even more amusing is how he regained all that lean muscle and weight back for his role in batman after losing it all in the Mechanist. What you can learn from this man is that if you put your mind to something, there is nothing you can't do. Christian bale's multiple transformations teaches us that, give your all and set goals and targets and then go ahead. Although his skinny physique is not what fitness enthusiasts should look for, it's his dedication to literally look unrecognizable just by making changes in nutrition and workouts is what can be looked up to.

Helius is one of Mumbai's most promising fitness professionals and part time kettle bell lecturer. His knowledge on nutrition and trainer soft skills management is well recognized. To know more about him CLICK HERE, and mail your queries about fitness to heliusd@hotmail.com.
After spending so many years on this earth we have realized that life is anything but perfect, yet there are times when we just want to laugh at our own miseries, struggles and the realities we were distant from until now. We don't know about anything else, but at least the 'laughter' part has been taken care of by Matt Shirley.

As kids, we all spent most of our childhood drawing graphs and charts. While, we left them at our school's doorsteps, Matt Shirley chose to include charts in his daily life to discuss the struggles that life brings with it and we are glad he did that.

From understanding the dynamics of a relationship from a single guy's perspective to decoding the cycle of adulthood, Matt's charts make the most complicated things look incredibly simple and can be easily understood by even a kindergarten kid.

While we were busy cribbing about our lives, Matt was busy channeling his inner frustration and the result is in front of us - amazing and clever charts that are tying people with the thread of humour and laughter. If you want to know why we are bowing before him and hailing him as Instagram's chart God, check these out:

You're gonna be single forever.

First date locations: pros vs. cons. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Oct 17, 2017 at 4:19pm PDT

We guess all dads use this universal code to communicate with their kids.

I like dad's approach better. (And if you must know mom: yes, never, no.) A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Oct 3, 2017 at 4:55pm PDT

Now we know why some people take longer than others while taking a shower.

Everyone does it. Some even do 4 and 5 at the same time. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Sep 26, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT

Getting out of this ethical dilemma is going to be tough. Who said being decisive is easy?

Make your choice. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Sep 14, 2017 at 3:42pm PDT

This is the most hilariously accurate depiction of our life.

I was thinking about the weekend so I decided to compare the two days. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Oct 19, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

These life choices are killing us.

Choose wisely. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Oct 18, 2017 at 4:25pm PDT

Dating advice 101make your choice.

Make your choice. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Sep 14, 2017 at 3:42pm PDT

I am sure this will hit many people right in their feels.

A night out: Single vs. In a Relationship A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Sep 13, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT

Basically, every person who drives between Delhi and Gurgaon.

I thought of this when a cop was behind me in traffic and I couldn't write it down until I got home. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Sep 5, 2017 at 5:23pm PDT

Me standing in front of the microwave: WTF, 2 minutes aren't over yet.

"That was only 2 minutes??" - me A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Jun 12, 2017 at 6:51pm PDT

Netflix is life.

The rare Sunday chart. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Jun 11, 2017 at 4:55pm PDT

This excuse translator can give any lie detector a run for its money.

The excuse translator, social edition. A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Aug 16, 2017 at 6:10pm PDT

Sex Every Week? Hahahaha. This rhymes better than our nursery poems.

Game of Thrones vs. My Life A post shared by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee) on Aug 14, 2017 at 4:46pm PDT

We guess heat and sweat aren't the only things that kill us during summers. 'Expectations' contribute as well.
Exceptionally gifted people often do not lead normal lives. What is it about them that sets them apart? Their genius, their skill, is not the only thing that makes them different. It is often accompanied by a hunger to succeed and an eccentric personality. Nikola Tesla, one of the most famous and successful inventors of the last century, was one such man. Popularly nicknamed the 'mad scientist', Tesla was the brain behind a lot of technological inventions, the alternating current system being the most popular among them.

'Mad Scientist' Who Barely Slept

 Wikimedia Commons

Born in what is now Croatia, Nikola Tesla was as geeky as they came. The famous inventor had a dedicated routine that often left him with as little as 2 hours to sleep every day. He worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and would resume his work after dinner, often ending up awake all night. So rigid was his routine that even his dinner had to be served at exactly 8:10 p.m. and by the same person at the Delmonico's in New York where he often went to dine. It was this headstrong obsession with his work that led him to create a plethora of designs and inventions, besides the alternating current system. His path-breaking work in electric motors, x-ray, wireless lighting, radio and the famous Tesla coil was an immense contribution to modern technology.

A Morbid Fear Of Germs And OCD Tendencies

 Wikimedia Commons

Tesla had his quirks. There is no great person in this world without eccentricities. The famous scientist had obsessive-compulsive tendencies and was obsessed with the number 3. He had a fear of germs and carried a stack of 18 napkins with him. A terrible bout of cholera in childhood was plausibly the cause of this phobia. Not just that, Tesla had an irrational fear of pearls. Yes, pearls. He would refuse to talk to any woman wearing pearls; he is said to have sent his secretary back home when one day she turned up at his work place wearing pearls.

The Suave And Good-Looking Genius Who Mostly Kept To Himself

 Wikimedia Commons

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 64 kilos, Nikola Tesla was a lean and stylish man. It is believed he walked over 15 km every day and was quite particular about his clothes and grooming, something he considered important from a business point of view. He believed that in order to be successful, you had to look the part too. His impeccable dressing sense and gentle mannerisms made him popular amongst those who knew him, but he preferred to stay away from company mostly. Tesla never married; his work remained his single most obsession all his life.

When Ideas Came To Him As Strange Visions

 Wikimedia Commons

We often find ourselves wondering how a genius's mind works. World-famous scientists, inventors, writers, artists  how do ideas come to them, how do they think of all that? In what comes across as a rather uncanny occurrence, Tesla often saw visions accompanied by flashes of light since childhood. Of course, he was quick to dismiss their uncanny nature, being the scientist that he was. But he saw ideas in these visions and could soon visualize entire inventions in his head before he even put pen to paper. It was really all in the head.

(L to R)Tesla and Edison  Wikimedia Commons

Nothing came easy though. During his stint at the Edison Machine Works, a joint venture by Thomas Edison and Charles Batchelor, he worked hard to improve Edison's lighting tech and come up with better street lighting systems, something Edison's direct current technology was unable to support. Despite his exceptional work, there was a fallout and it is believed Tesla was not paid his due. He struggled to keep his head afloat after leaving the company.

Tesla ran pillar to post trying to gain support and investors for his alternating current system, finally landing a patent and an investor. Edison is said to have influenced public opinion against Tesla's model of AC system, even though eventually, Tesla was able to patent his invention and find a market for it too.

In his lifetime, Tesla secured around 300 patents for his various inventions. His extensive work laid the foundation of many technological advancements that were to come and change the face of the modern world.

For more of this author's work, click here; to follow them on Twitter, click here.
ABC News(SEOUL, South Korea) -- Off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, U.S. and South Korean Navy ships prepared for an event they hope will never happen: a North Korean land and air attack against the south.



The annual bilateral Maritime Counter Special Operations Force exercise involved the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier; the USS Stethem, a destroyer; as well as other U.S. and South Korean aircraft, ships and submarines.



ABC News' Martha Raddatz was aboard the Reagan in the Sea of Japan for the exercise, which came ahead of President Trumps first official visit to Asia next month.



Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, commander of Navy's carrier strike group in the Pacific, said the U.S. is committed to defending itself and its allies.



"This exercise is an example of how we train with our allies in order to be ready to respond to a range of crises," he said.



North Korea's continued ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have highlighted the importance of the Reagans mission to bring peace and stability to the region, Dalton told ABC News.



For the Reagan's top officers and pilots, that means a focus on preparedness, not the fluctuating rhetoric of Kim Jong Un and President Trump or North Koreas latest military actions.



This makes exercises such as the Maritime Counter Special Operations Force all the more important.



"This is what we have been training for," said Cmdr. Alex Hampton, who has flown with the U.S. Navy for 16 years. "Are we prepared for war? Absolutely. And I am confident in our abilities to execute anything that our nation command authority gives us to do."



North Korea is increasingly hostile and technologically advanced. Over the summer, it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with the ability to hit the continental United States. In September, the regime claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.



This week, CIA Director Mike Pompeo told a Washington think-tank that North Korea could be just months away from perfecting the capability to attach a nuclear weapon to an ICBM.



But it's not just North Korea's advances that are increasing tension in the region.



U.S. presidents have spent decades trying to counter North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, but President Trump has taken a different approach with his blunt rhetoric toward Pyongyang.



In August, Trump said North Korean threats toward the United States would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."



North Korea responded, saying the regime had plans to target Guam in mid-August, though those plans were never carried out.



As for the 5,000 sailors on board the Reagan, they hope their presence off the coast of the Korean Peninsula can deter a North Korean strike that would lead to war.



"By demonstrating our ability to defend ourselves, the idea is that we don't have to," Dalton said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
John DeFrancisco's car was in need of a wash.

The automobile had transported the Republican state senator and potential 2018 gubernatorial candidate to the Dutchess County GOP's annual dinner Wednesday. After the car wash, he headed to Orleans County for another Republican event.

On Saturday, he attended the Allegany County Republican Committee's fall dinner.

DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, has five more appearances scheduled and will likely add more as he crisscrosses the state. His upcoming schedule will take him to Monroe, Orange, Steuben, Wayne and Albany counties.

He has already visited at least a dozen counties, including a speech at a recent GOP rally in Cayuga County.

Over the summer, DeFrancisco announced he would explore a run for governor in 2018. He believes the state needs new leadership after a decade of Democratic governors. The incumbent is Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who will likely seek a third term next fall.

"There's a uniform feeling that there's gotta be a change in the state," DeFrancisco said during a phone interview Thursday. "There's people upstate leaving the state of New York and they're indicating their displeasure by leaving."

Another concern he's hearing from New Yorkers is the "constant spin on everything." He panned how Cuomo handled the revelation that Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer who has been accused of sexually assaulting or harassing numerous women, donated more than $110,000 to his campaigns.

Cuomo's campaign initially said it would return $50,000 that Weinstein gave during the 2018 election cycle. However, the campaign added that it wouldn't return the remaining donations because the funds were already spent on past races.

The campaign, which has more than $25.6 million in the bank, reversed its decision and pledged to return all donations given by Weinstein.

"That doesn't show leadership," DeFrancisco said of how Cuomo handled the situation. "It just shows someone who's constantly trying to see what he can get away with and who he can blame as opposed to doing the right thing from day one."

DeFrancisco also noted that the state is facing a $4 billion deficit next year. He reiterated his concern about the state's population decline and how that's affecting tax revenue.

The political environment reminds him of 1994 when Cuomo's father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, lost his re-election bid to then-state Sen. George Pataki, a Republican.

"There's a lack of trust and a lack of leadership and that's gotta change," DeFrancisco said.

There are a handful of Republicans interested in the 2018 gubernatorial race. DeFrancisco crossed paths with, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, at Wednesday's event.

Molinaro, who is in conversations with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, another potential GOP candidate for governor, about possibly forming a joint ticket for the 2018 race, introduced DeFrancisco at the dinner.

Molinaro's remarks, DeFrancisco said, were "very complimentary."

So far, the prospective Republican candidates  corporate restructuring expert Harry Wilson is the other  have been civil. GOP leaders have said that they want to avoid a primary and focus their energy on unseating Cuomo.

DeFrancisco agrees.

"We gotta band together and give a unified front because of the importance to the state of New York. Everybody realizes that," he said. "A break in that unity is almost a guarantee for the governor to win."

DeFrancisco doesn't have a specific timeline for deciding whether to enter the 2018 race. The state GOP will likely hold its nominating convention in the spring.

The earliest he will make his decision is December or January. But it may come later, possibly March or April.

"That's when things will start shaking out," he said.
Editor's note: This feature was in the Senior Scope in Saturday's Huron Daily Tribune.

KINDE  Ronald (Ron) Szymarek wasnt born in Kinde, but he came from a community very similar to the Kinde/Port Austin area.

I came from Manistee which, ethnically, is almost exactly like here, said Szymarek. When I got here, I knew how to pronounce the names.

Szymarek will never forget the date when he first arrived in the Upper Thumb: Aug. 15, 1967. He had recently graduated from college and the Kinde school system was his first teaching job. He didnt know if he would like the area, much less how long he would last in this small community as a teacher.

But Kinde seemed to be the perfect fit. He taught Spanish and English for 35 years at Kinde/North Huron, and he drove a school bus for 45 years. Even after retirement, he continued to teach part time at the Port Hope School and at St. John Lutheran School in Port Hope.

In the early days in his teaching career, all of the students were from the local area. In those days, the school district ran from Stoddard Road to Filion Road and from Pinnebog to the Verona area. If you lived outside that area, you didnt come to Kinde.

Although he wasnt employed at the school when it burned, he learned a lot about the big fire and the schools reconstruction. After the fire, the school was rebuilt in stages. North Huron school is now several times larger than the building that was built after the fire.

During the rebuilding, classes were held at various churches in the community. The Kinde Presbyterian Church had the largest gymnasium in town. It was used as a community gym and then the school gym after the fire.

One of the biggest changes during his teaching career was the annexation of Port Austin School in the late 1970s.

The biggest problem was the rivalries between students, he said. I felt more like a bouncer than a school teacher.

Fortunately, the rivalries declined dramatically after the older high school students graduated and the younger classmates acclimated to North Huron School.

Other things have changed over the years. In his early years, students could take time off school to do seasonal farm chores.

Back then, kids could take time off to burn bean straw, he said. I didnt understand that back then, but I learned.

There were other differences. There are fewer children in each family today than when he first arrived in Kinde. He estimates 80 percent were farming families then. There are much fewer farm families today.

The Polish heritage was much stronger back in the 1960s and 70s than today. In addition, dividing lines were drawn between churches.

At that time, there were two Catholic Churches in Kinde.

The Catholic churches didnt have much to do with one another. he said. The churches were based on ethnic heritage. Plus, the Catholics and Protestants didnt interact much.

Fortunately, many of these feelings have changed over the years.

While talking about differences, Szymarek brought up the subject of school curriculum. In his early teaching years, the school boards controlled the curriculum. Now, curriculums are controlled by the state and federal governments. He thinks this is less suited to this area.

Classes have change over the years. For example, in his early years of teaching political science, students were taught the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and learned how the Supreme Court worked.

"Thats all changed," he said. "I saw a lot of changes just as I was leaving (retiring).

Some changes have really helped students and the parents of students who plan to go to college. They can now take college courses while in high school. One major advantage is the cost. These classes have little or no cost to the students. They can actually accumulate several college credits before ever graduating from North Huron.

Although Szymarek was an instructor for three and a half decades, teaching was not the only thing he did to generate an income. His business ventures included a gas station in downtown Kinde and a tire sales and service. The company is called Old Guy Tire Service, and many of the locals know him as the Old Guy.

I got into it by accident," he said. "I couldnt afford tires when I first came here, so I got tires at the junk yard.

Soon, friends started asking him to change their tires. The business, which has grown over the years, is on Szymarek's property at 1190 Cross Road, just outside Kinde. As he looked back in time, he remembered the business used to be hard work. He now looks at the tire business in a whole new light.

Its not really work anymore, he said.

He claims he does more talking to the customers than he works.

Im always happy when Im doing this, and (the customers), they like it," he said. "I had students in high school who were my customers. Now, I have their kids coming here. I think they like the prices and the personal service.

Szymarek explained his customers come from far and near to purchase tires from the Old Man. He said he has customers coming from Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Essexville, Bay City and Saginaw.

While living in the Kinde area for the past 50 years, Szymarek has seen many changes  some in his own life.

He has been married to the love of his life, Martha, for the past 51 years. In fact, they were married before he arrived in Huron County. The couple have one child, Penny Schmidt, and two adopted children, Linda and Ernie. They also have three grandkids.

Local residents may be surprised to learn the couple has had 72 foster kids over a period of several years. They wanted to adopt, and they felt dealing with the foster system could give them an advantage.

That helped facilitate us adopting our first kid, he said.

Other than his family, Szymarek has seen many physical changes to the area.

I saw a decline and a rise, he said.

Part of the decline was a major recession in the 1970s. In addition to the recession, offspring of local business owners were not taking over the family businesses as they had for generations.

Szymarek says the old general store is gone, and the Kinde elevators parking lot has taken its place. The Hubbard State Bank is gone and has been replaced by the Pasta House. At least one party store closed. He thinks there were five gas stations in town, one of which was a gas station owned by he and his wife.

The tractor store is gone, and the skating rink no longer exists. Other businesses that closed included the Wagon Wheel Bar, the movie theater, a barber shop, and the dance hall. He noted Meagher Ford Dealership also no longer exists. At one time, it had the largest sales in the state of Michigan.

It's not all sad news.

While the elevator in town burned, it was resurrected better and larger than ever.

Its considerably larger in size, Szymarek said. I think theyve tripled in size.

A couple lumber yards failed in the past, but the elevator started one at their location in downtown Kinde and it has had good success.

Ive heard Kinde beans are used at the White House to make bean soup, he said.

Szymarek feels Kevin and Helen Wiley may have been one of the best things to have happened to this small town. The couple is extremely active in the community and was instrumental in starting the Kinde Polka Fest and creating new Kinde Palace.

The couple owns the Pasta House. According to Szymarek, the restaurant is known state-wide. During their ownership, they expanded the operation to include a ballroom. The facility now sits where the bank, a Ford dealership and a pharmacy formerly were located.

In addition, North Huron School has grown tremendously in physical size. The schools population may not be as large as it was at its peak, but it still houses students from Port Austin, Kinde and Port Hope. Over the past years, it has benefited greatly from the profits of the Kinde Polka Fest.

Szymarek is very involved in the local community. One of his important duties is acting as clerk and billing agent for the Kinde Area Fire Department. He also has very strong ties to his church, Kinde Presbyterian.

Im very active in my church, he said. Im in the choir. I take care of much of the maintenance.

He is also on the church board. One of his crowning achievements was the creation of a vocal group he founded more than two decades ago.

I founded All for Hymn, a multi-church choir in 1995, he said. Its a musical ministry that goes wherever its needed. Weve been together for 22-and a half years.

He went on to say its members range in age from 12 to 72 years. The group has performed in Midland, Saginaw, at the Pigeon Farmers Festival, and at the Huron Community Fairgrounds. He estimates they have sung at between 15 and 20 churches in the Upper Thumb.

Several want us to come back each year, he said.

Szymarek seems to have a bright outlook on life. He enjoys his tire business and sees no need or desire to close up shop.

Im 72 years old and have no plans to retire," he said. "My friends say Ill probably die at my tire machine.

He plans to stay as active as he can.

I plan to stay as active as possible in my church," Szymarek said. "My biggest fear is Ill get to a point where I cant sing anymore. But Im still doing pretty darn good for being 72. I thank the good lord for everything I have.
Older or disabled Americans with Medicare coverage have probably noticed an uptick in mail solicitations from health insurance companies, which can mean only one thing: It's time for the annual Medicare open enrollment.

Most beneficiaries have from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 to decide which of dozens of private plans offer the best drug coverage for 2018 or whether it's better to leave traditional Medicare and get a drug and medical combo policy called Medicare Advantage.

Some tips for the novice and reminders for those who have been here before can make the process a little easier.

Pay attention to the mail.

If you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, carefully read the "annual notice of change" or "evidence of benefits" letter from the insurer. It is not another sales pitch or more insurance mumbo-jumbo. This required letter highlights the cost and benefit changes in store for next year. Ask your insurer for another copy if you can't find the one you should have received by now.

"Some people just tend to get that mail and throw it all in the trash, but it's really important that they read it," said Francine Chuchanis, director of entitlement rights at Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities, an Ohio group that assists older adults and people with disabilities.

Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage?

The open enrollment period is your opportunity to switch plans, including moving between the government-run traditional Medicare program and Medicare Advantage.

Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers that receive payments from the federal government to help cover the costs of beneficiaries. They restrict members to their network of doctors and hospitals and a list, or formulary, of covered drugs. With some rare exceptions, you cannot leave the plans midyear - even if the plans drop drugs from the formulary and even if your hospitals, physician specialists or suppliers of medical equipment leave the plan.

But unlike traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans often cover dental, hearing and vision care, and they cap your out-of-pocket expenses. Once you reach that limit, the insurer pays for covered services and you pay nothing. But details of these plans - such as the caps on member spending, the premium prices and service areas - can change from year to year.

On the other hand, with traditional Medicare, patients can go to any provider who participates in the program, as most providers do. Because there is no limit on the share of medical expenses beneficiaries pay, most purchase "Medigap" supplemental policies or have other insurance to lower those costs.

Check your plan's network.

If you're tempted to choose a Medicare Advantage plan, contact your doctors, hospital and other providers to find out whether they are in the plan's network. Be sure to give them the plan's full name, not just the name of the insurance company because insurers offer multiple plans that may have similar names, said Gina Upchurch, executive director of Senior PharmAssist in Durham, North Carolina. If you have the plan's code numbers, she said, share them as well.

Confirm where your drugs are available.

When choosing a drug plan under Medicare's Part D, your total costs are most important, which means you'll need to consider factors beyond the premiums. You may pay different amounts when the plan begins each year than when you're in the coverage gap called the doughnut hole and after you get out of that hole. Find out whether the lowest price for a drug that you use is available at your favorite pharmacy or if you must travel elsewhere to get that price. Most plans offer their lowest prices only at in-network pharmacies.

Also, ask what other restrictions apply. For example, do you need prior authorization or might you be required to try another drug before you can get the one your doctor prescribed? Also, will the price vary depending on the frequency or the quantity of your prescription?

"You can save thousands of dollars just by switching pharmacies," said Christina Dimas-Kahn, director of the San Mateo County office of the California Department of Aging's Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. That's because a drug plan's prices can depend on whether a drugstore is a preferred pharmacy within the plan's network. Dimas-Kahn said she helped a senior reduce his drug bill last year from $119,000 to $18,000 after changing pharmacies.

Do you qualify for a subsidy?

Low-income people can qualify for the "extra help" subsidy that pays for the premiums of certain drug plans and other costs. They may also be eligible for assistance to reduce their share of medical costs in traditional Medicare. Premiums and subsidy amounts can change each year, so if you already have the subsidy, confirm that it is enough to cover the plan's premium next year. Otherwise, you may be billed for the difference.

Check the calendar.

There's a lot to consider and only a few weeks to do it. And remember, this enrollment period is different from the Affordable Care Act's marketplace enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Dec. 15.

Federal officials have granted seniors who live in areas affected by this year's hurricane damage - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands - or depend on caregivers in those areas until the end of December to make their choices.

- - -

Individual assistance is free from the federally funded Senior Health Insurance Information Program (shiptacenter.org) and the Medicare Rights Center (800-333-4114 and its website Medicare Interactive (medicareinteractive.org) as well as from Medicare's plan finder website and help line (medicare.gov, 800-633-4227).

Still, studies have shown that most Medicare beneficiaries don't switch plans.

"They are likely to stay with whatever plan they're in because they are afraid to make a change," said Bonnie Burns, a consultant for California Health Advocates.

- - -

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service and an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, is demanding an investigation into how President Donald Trump is handling hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

Blumenthal noted that Trump tweeted a video purporting to show successful relief efforts in Puerto Rico that was later shown to have been favorably edited to demonstrate a robust federal response.
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NEW HAVEN  Before arriving in Connecticut last month, Idalmis Crespo found herself spending hours finding basic necessities: Three hours to find water, two hours for food and eight hours for gas.

Eventually, it was going to be very difficult to keep living in Puerto Rico, Crespo said in Spanish. We decided, without thinking about it too much, to come here because  for better or worse  we would be better off here than Puerto Rico.

The Crespos are among thousands of families now relocating to the mainland following the devastation left by Hurricane Maria. Crespo came to New Haven on Sept. 29 with help from her cousin, Alder Jose Crespo, D-16, who helped her and five other family member relocate to the city. Crespo is now housing all six members and has helped one find a job. He said his father is still living on the island.

These are our families, Jose Crespo said. This hits close to home. Were trying to help as much as we can.

Idalmis Crespo spoke Wednesday to a group of students from Fair Haven School, who sat near an educational installation premiering across the street at Junta for Progressive Action on Grand Avenue. The installation calls attention to climate change, which scientists have suggested is contributing to more powerful hurricanes due to rising sea levels and warmer oceans.

I at least was able to come here, but not everyone in Puerto Rico has that (opportunity), Crespo said in Spanish. But there are a lot who have been able to leave and are arriving to the United States and we are grateful for anyone who can help.

Junta Program Director Paola Serrecchia said their organization, which provides community services for Latinos in the region, has already met with six families from Puerto Rico this week alone. Serrecchia said theres been an increase in Puerto Ricans seeking their assistance.

Our doors are open to everyone, Serrecchia said.

Armando Caceres, of Humacao, Puerto Rico, lost everything to the hurricane. He carries the evidence on his phone, where he took photos displaying a tattered blue home filled with debris and remnants. The photos are misleading, since they were taken on a sunny day, as if disaster had never struck.

He arrived in New Haven in dire straits: Hes preparing for an emergency surgery for kidney cancer. Caceres said he received his diagnosis two days before the hurricane struck. He was able to relocate to New Haven with help from his brother. Junta is working with Caceras to provide him with medical insurance.

Theyre going to perform the surgery here, thank God, Caceres said. Were looking for all available help.

Most of the students who visited Wednesday have families from Spanish-speaking countries, sixth-grade bilingual teacher David Weinreb said. Most students hands shot up after being asked who had family in Puerto Rico.

Lynette Ramos, 11, was one of the children who raised their hands. She, like the other children, had many ideas about what could be done to help.

They need to send help to the most affected towns, Ramos said.

Her idea wasnt too far off from what Crespo suggested for fellow Puerto Ricans displaced by the storm.

Were not asking for extraordinary help, were asking for ordinary help, Crespo said in Spanish. Food, clothing, social services, and more than anything, housing, because we dont have anywhere to live.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901 or esteban.hernandez@hearstmedia

ct.com
Long before the winds of Hurricane Maria reached Puerto Rico, another disaster had been wrenching and scattering the lives of island residents.

During the decade before Maria, economic decline and depopulation, a slower-moving catastrophe, had been taking a staggering toll: The number of residents had plunged by 11 percent, the economy had shrunk by 15 percent, and the government had become unable to pay its bills.

It already ranked among the worst cycles of economic decline and depopulation in postwar American history, and projections indicated that the island's slide could continue for years.

Then came Maria.

Now, even as officials in Washington and Puerto Rico undertake the recovery, residents are expected to leave en masse, fueling more economic decline and potentially accelerating a vicious cycle.

"We are watching a real live demographic and population collapse on a monumental scale," according to Lyman Stone, an independent migration researcher and economist at the Agriculture Department. The hurricane hit "might just be the kick in the pants Puerto Rico needs to really fall off this demographic cliff into total epochal-level demographic disaster."

Whatever happens with Puerto Rico, moreover, will have far-reaching effects, because while the disaster is felt most keenly on the island, the accelerated exodus is already being felt on the mainland.

Cities popular with Puerto Ricans, such as Orlando, Florida, Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield Massachusetts, are bracing for more students, many of whom come from families living below the poverty level.

Politicians, meanwhile, are weighing the potentially significant electoral consequences of a wave of migrants expected to lean Democratic - especially in Florida. The swing state already boasts half a million Puerto Rican-born residents, and more are expected in Maria's aftermath.

Indeed, at a news conference last week, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello warned that without significant help, "millions" could leave for the U.S. mainland.

"You're not going to get hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans moving to the States - you're going to get millions," Rossello said. "You're going to get millions, creating a devastating demographic shift for us here in Puerto Rico."

Puerto Rico Treasury Secretary Raul Maldonado has warned, meanwhile, that without more aid, the government could suffer a shutdown by the end of the month.

Prolonged bouts of economic decline and depopulation have afflicted parts of the United States before. During seven years in the 1950s, the number of people living in West Virginia dropped by 8 percent. New York lost 4 percent of its population in the 1970s. And during one stretch in the 1950s, Arkansas shed a whopping 11 percent of its people.

But in depth, the cycle of economic decline and depopulation on the island of 3.4 million people may prove the most punishing.

"Even before Maria, you had what looked like a death spiral going on," said Gregory Makoff, a bond researcher who worked on the Treasury Department's Puerto Rico team and now is a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation. "Now it's no longer theoretical. In a week's time, they've lost another huge chunk of the population."

---

For years before the economic slide, companies such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo had saved tens of millions or more annually under a key tax break that gave U.S. companies an incentive to set up operations on the island.

But in 2006, the tax break was eliminated, taking away a key incentive for companies to operate there. It was one of many factors blamed for the island's decline.

Among the others: The island's electrical power system is outdated and saddles islanders with bills roughly double what they are on the mainland; an exodus of doctors has opened holes in the health-care system; and the economy's most critical sector, manufacturing, has been shrinking even more rapidly than the rest of the economy, affected not just by the lost tax break but also by global competition.

Only about 40 percent of people in Puerto Rico are employed or seeking work. By contrast, the U.S. figure for what economists call "labor force participation" is about 63 percent.

Finally, the government's inability to pay off more than $70 billion in debt has provoked a congressionally mandated oversight board and a new fiscal plan that calls for efforts to raise taxes and significant cuts to the government. Even with optimistic assumptions, that plan predicted continuing shrinkage of the economy.

As a result, for Washington and Puerto Rican officials planning a recovery, the ongoing exodus poses a multifaceted dilemma

"They've got to start from the ground up," Makoff said of any new plan for the island.

In the short term, at least, the island is likely to see an economic boost; rebuilding after a hurricane often injects a jolt of spending into local economies.

But according to recent research of 90 years of natural disasters in the United States, published as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, major natural disasters also have unfavorable effects: They increase out-migration, lower home prices and raise poverty rates.

Like many on the island, Sergio Marxuach, policy director for the Center for a New Economy, a San Juan-based think tank, said a massive federal investment is necessary.

"We're going to need some significant government intervention - essentially a big rescue package, not only to rebuild the economy but get it growing," he said. "People are saying, 'I don't want my children to grow up in a place where the economy is going to be devastated for the next 10 years.' If enough people think that way, it's going to be a self-reinforcing downward spiral."

---

In addressing complaints about ongoing struggles on the island, President Donald Trump noted this week that the disaster in Puerto Rico in many ways had begun years ago.

Puerto Rico "was in very poor shape before the hurricanes ever hit. Their electrical grid was destroyed before the hurricanes got there. It was in very bad shape, was not working, was in bankruptcy."

Indeed, interviews with Puerto Rican businesspeople indicated that even if the obstacles left by Maria can be overcome - most notably the widespread lack of electricity - a return to economic life as it was before the storm is untenable.

Take Frank Joseph Sugden, 51, the owner of an established family tuxedo and gown business in Bayamon. His company, Top Hat, once had three stores but now has just one. With the reductions over the years, he's had to lay off 10 employees.

Now, after Maria, weddings and other formal parties have been largely canceled through December, so his store is closed. Two of his remaining eight employees are considering leaving for good. His wife wants him to leave, too. To make up for the lost business, he's started to do insurance work on the side.

He worries whether Puerto Rico is in a death spiral.

"I think so, yes, and I'm not too sure we're going to come out of it," Sugden said. "We've just been kind of shrinking, shrinking, shrinking, and this is kind of a lethal blow."

Leo Aldridge, a lawyer with offices in San Juan and New York, described the post-Maria migration from the island as the "Jet Blue revolution. People are buying a ticket and getting the hell out."

But the trouble began long before the storm. After a law class he teaches at the University of Puerto Rico, he said, his students frequently ask how they can arrange a bar exam and job on the mainland.

"All the time, kids come up to me to say, 'What do I have to do to get off the island? What bar review do I have to take?' " Aldridge said. "This was all before the hurricane. . . . People are leaving and leaving and leaving."

Even those who evince optimism acknowledge that more difficult times lie ahead.

"We will move forward better than we were before," said Joaquin Fernandez Quintero, the president of Telemedik, a telehealth company that employs about 400 people.

But he said that about 10 percent of the employees in his Mayaguez office will move to the States in the coming weeks, several of them "high-level" employees. And he's not sure when they will be coming back.

"People are getting frustrated and depressed," Fernandez Quintero said. "A lot of small and medium companies will be closing because they cannot maintain their operations. It will be a complicated process."

---

Steven Mufson contributed to this report.
The idea of spending your precious weekend visiting estate sales just so you can sift through piles of dusty castoffs might seem tedious to the uninitiated. But if you have the fortitude, shopping estate saleswhere just about an entire home's belongings are up for purchasecan yield a trove of home decor treasures. That is, at least once you learn which pieces are worth your time and effort.

Want to know how to spot those hidden gems quickly? We've got you covered. Our experts have ID'd seven statement-making prizes you should keep your eyes on this weekend.

1. Solid wood pieces



Photo by Wana Cabinets & Furniture

Whether it's a 100-year-old farm table or a set of Mid-Century Modern chairs, try to seek out solid wood furniture at every estate sale you visit, urges Pablo Solomon, a vintage furniture expert.

"Many of today's pieces are made from pressed wood with junky veneers," he laments. Seek out furniture with good joinery made from walnut, cherry, or olive wood, he recommends.

Heidi Ferguson, owner of Stitches & Rust, an antiques shop in West Palm Beach, FL, agrees. "Pay attention to solid wood pieces (dressers, hutches, nightstands, tables) from the 1940s to the 1970s," she says. Weight matters, so try to lift the item you're considering. If it's heavy, it's a quality piece.

2. Wingback or club chairs



Photo by About:Space, LLC

Keep an eye out for upholstered wingbacks or leather club chairs, both of which are lucky finds. Sure, you might be envisioning the ugly, worn-out, brown chairs from your childhood. But either can be easily updated with new fabric and stuffing to bring them into the modern era. And for the perfect touch of patina, dig deep for chairs made of leather.

"My favorites are from France and made in the 1950s," says Andrea Stanford, senior vice president of brand marketing and partnerships at Everything But The House, an online estate sale marketplace.

"The best club chairs show distress to the leather, but not significant cracking or peeling," she adds.

If you can't get ones with the original leatheror the leather is too much the worse for wearfocus on chairs that have been rebuilt with vintage material, she adds.

3. Silver platters

Silver tea set pelucco/iStock

Silver platters are versatile and give your home a touch of old-world glam. You'll almost always find the real thing at an estate sale or your local flea market, says Julie Muniz, an art curator and consultant in San Francisco.

"The best part is that they're inexpensive at these markets, so you won't mind as much if they get stained or tarnished by moisture or wax," she adds.

Muniz recommends placing candlesticks on them, or putting them under plants. Alternatively, give a large silver platter a good polish and top it with liquor bottles for a DIY tabletop bar.

4. Leather-bound books



Photo by Antique Farmhouse

Need to fill a new set of bookshelves? Check the attic or garage at an estate sale, says Reyne Hirsh, a former appraiser on "Antiques Roadshow."

"Leather-bound books are usually cheap and in good condition because no one really reads them," she says.

Buy as many as you can, and line them up for a bold statement. "They are the perfect vintage addition to a home office," Hirsh adds.

5. Wrought iron



Photo by Hartert-Russell

If anything exudes "expensive" and "timeless," it's wrought iron. But don't be fooled by imitations. As with wooden furniture, the ironwork you're seeking should be solid and heavy, Solomon explains.

"A hand-forged iron fixture, whether it's a chandelier, hinges, or a door knocker, is far superior to the hollow-core reproductions of today," he notes.

And if you hit a trove of metal, be on the lookout for cast-iron machinery as well.

"Iron bases, like the ones found under treadle sewing machines, are perfectly repurposed with a wood, marble, or tile tabletop," says Randeen Cummings, an estate sale appraiser.

6. Vintage accents

handcrafted copper coffee pots mariusz_prusaczyk/iStock

In this category you should zero in on tabletop gems, including colored bottles or bottles with unusual shapes, graphic tin cans, antique boxes, or anything gilded, embossed, or engraved, Cummings says.

"Arrange any of these on a mirror, and your room will be beautifully accented," she adds.

Look for candlesticks, too.

"Everyone wants pairs, but buy the singles instead," Hirsh recommends. They're cheaper, and when staggered together on a mantel or dining table, the look can be stunning, she adds.

Lastly, don't forget about picture frames, which are usually piled into boxes or stacked on shelves at an estate sale.

"Scan for Tramp art, anything from the arts and crafts period, or frames that appear to be hand-carved," Solomon says. And don't worry if you're not keen on the picture inside. "It's not unusual for a frame to be older and worth more than the 'art' it holds," he adds.

7. Oriental rugs



Photo by Kathy Corbet Interiors

A well-made vintage rug is much more interesting than one that's new, Stanford points out.

"Handwoven carpets made from wool and silk hold their value, so look carefully at the craftsmanshipyou don't want anything machine-made," she says.

Try to find a rug that's been cared for, which means not too faded or exposed to overzealous vacuuming.

"You want a rug that's worn, but worn evenly," she adds.

The post Happy Hunting: 7 Gems That Could Be Hidden Amid the Junk at Estate Sales appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
An Indigenous airman, who had to cut his braids when first joining the Air Force two years ago, is now one of the first in...
Metro Detroit loves its coney islands, from the famous pair downtown to the mall staples to suburban startups.

Among the oldest is Red Hots Coney Island in Highland Park, where owner Richard Harlan - part of the third generation in the family business - dishes out the same recipe that customers found in the same storefront just after World War I.

The restaurant opened in 1921 at 12 Victor Street, just off Woodward Avenue. Today, it's one of Highland Park's few remaining independent restaurants, located midway between Oakland County's wealth and Midtown Detroit's resurgence.

But when Red Hots opened, Highland Park was a boom town. It was a year after the latest census had recorded an astonishing 1,081 percent population growth in the city where Henry Ford started his Model T assembly line in 1913.

During the first several decades the Ford employees were a big part of its success. Harlan recalls how the workers had short breaks and needed fast food; some even saved enough time eating their coney dogs that they could stop at the bar across the street on their way back to the plant.

"They would come flying over here in the mornings," Harlan said. "It its heyday, there were 60,000 people working here."

Today, the city is home to just 25 percent of the number of people who'd rushed to be a part of Highland Park's growth alongside the automotive industry. Many are poor; the median household income in 2010 was $20,205.

The decline of Highland Park began as Ford reduced the number of cars it produced in the city in the 1950s, ending production in 1973. A decade later, Chrysler moved its headquarters.

Yet from the opening by Greek immigrants Thomas and Kalliopi Nickolson through a few transitions, Red Hots stayed in the city - and remained family owned. The Nickolsons turned it over to a cousin; eventually Harlan's parents bought it.

Customers stayed loyal, and coney islands remained a big part of the region's restaurant scene.

"Nowhere in the world is as crazy about coney dogs as metro Detroit," wrote Joe Grimm in his book with Katherine Yung, "Coney Detroit."

City workers ate at Red Hots. City jail inmates did, too, thanks to an agreement to send food to the police department. Celebrities who've stopped by include Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Lewis and Muhammad Ali.

By 1967, 13-year-old Richard started his role in the restaurant, serving coffee and refilling the soda machine. His parents expanded the seating area to include four booths and a few tables along with the counter. They even added French fries to the menu - a move that meant offering customers ketchup for the first time.

In those days, Harlan recalls, the hot dogs sold for about a quarter; loose burgers were 5 cents more. Cigarettes cost 24 cents, and the pack would have a penny taped to the package as change.

In part because of Red Hots, Harlan felt connected to Highland Park, making friends there, hanging out and meeting his wife, Carol, who grew up a half-mile north on Woodward on Pilgrim.

Harlan bought Red Hots in 1985. "I always wanted it," he recalls. "But I never knew I'd own it."

The work never lets up. The restaurant is open six days a week, and Harlan is there seven. He looks back and recalls one vacation in 40 years. "I'm always working."

He's tried a few more things, expanding the menu to two boards above the grill. A small case holds bottled beer. Sliders now can be ordered. But don't look for salads.

"It didn't work out," Harlan recalls. And he adds that neither desserts nor fish and chips sold fast enough to ensure the food was fresh.

But one unique item survives - it's a mixture of beans, hamburger, chili and onions that once was named after Harry. Then Vince. As of four years ago, it's the Milton Special.

Customers travel miles to Red Hots, thanks to notoriety following its makeover in 2015 by the Food Network on "American Diner Revival."

But they also walk in, or drive a short distance from homes in Highland Park and Detroit.

Some of them have been making the trek for longer than Harlan's been alive.

"I'm proud of this establishment," said William Clark, 80, as he was taking his favorite carryout - chili with beans and a hot dog - from the counter on a sunny fall day.

Clark moved to the area as a three-year-old, when his family headed north from Memphis, Tennessee. He's been a "pretty regular" customer since World War II and got to know each family generation who operated it.

Clark was with Darell Ruffin, whose been a customer since he was 10. "It's my favorite place," he said.

Harlan rode out the decline of Highland Park, where the city and schools both suffered repeated financial crises. Now he sees attempts at growth, including newer retail stores - like an Aldi - on Woodward Avenue.

Business, he said, was "very, very, very poor for the last 10 years or so."

At one point, he was ready to sell.

"Then I started feeling really bad about the people around here," he said, saying he'd miss his regular customers. "All the people know me really well."

When the buyer started talking installment payment, the deal was off. And Harlan stayed behind the counter at Red Hots, working with Carol and another person or two.

The makeover in 2015 came at a good time. It refreshed the little restaurant and revived Harlan's business, along with his enthusiasm. He sees the nearby transitions, like new stores and the sale of the long-time bakery to the east, and thinks there's room for growth. Harlan is partnering in remaking an adjoining building, and looks at Red Hots as still viable.

It's unclear whether a fourth family generation will take it over in coming years, just as it's undetermined whether Detroit's resurgence will fuel a turn around in Highland Park.

Harlan says he'll stick with his basic business philosophy.

"Put out a decent product. Stay kind of clean. You don't have to overprice everybody," he said. "You'll be OK."

And as for the city, Harland says Red Hots lasted 96 years there and is aiming for 100. Highland Park has its troubles, but it's home. Harland wants people to know: "It's not as bad as people think it is."
The Grand Valley State volleyball team earned a big 3-0 sweep over GLIAC rival Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Oct. 21) afternoon. The Lakers won by scores of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-17 and now move to 12-10 on the year with a 7-4 mark against GLIAC competition.

The Cardinals led the Lakers in most statistical categories, which can be attributed to a solid Laker defense that tallied 12.0 team blocks and forced Saginaw Valley State to just a .055 hitting percentage. SVSU led GVSU in kills (36-33), assists (35-30), and digs (39-37) but the Lakers tallied nine more blocks than Saginaw Valley, while also tallying only nine errors to the Cardinals 30.

Nobody on GVSU reached double-digit kills, but four different Lakers tallied seven or more throughout the match. Leading the way was junior Jayci Suseland and senior Sydney Doby, as they both tallied eight kills. Suseland tallied a .533 hitting percentage to go along with her five block assists and one solo block. The outside hitter also didn't commit a single error all afternoon. Doby also racked up an impressive attack percentage, hitting .389 while picking up a match-high 11 digs and a block assist. Juniors Shannon Winicki and Staci Brower each picked up seven kills apiece, while Winicki posted a match-high .700 hitting percentage, as she also did not commit an error all match. Brower picked up six block assists and two aces as well.

Once again, Katie Olson and Frankie Cavallaro shared time at the setter position, as Olson collected 14 assists and Cavallaro collected 11 of her own. Cavallaro also served up three aces to go along with her eight digs.

The Lakers fell behind early in set one, as the Cardinals opened up a 4-2 lead, which they were able to stretch out to 15-10 about halfway through the first stanza. After a Laker timeout, GVSU was able to regroup and rattled off eight straight points for the 18-15 lead. After the Cardinals answered with a four-point stretch of their own, the Lakers answered right back with five straight to regain the lead at 23-19. GVSU would use an attack error by the Cardinals and a final kill from Suseland to complete the comeback victory in set one, 25-21.

The teams played a much more even set in the second stanza, as neither team would hold more than a two point lead until the Lakers pulled ahead 10-7. GVSU then pushed their lead out to 15-10, but the Cardinals fought back and found themselves down only one point, with the GVSU lead now just 19-18. The Lakers quickly shut the door however, by scoring six straight points for the 25-18 victory in set two.

The third set opened up much like the second, with both teams scoring points back and forth. GVSU and SVSU would be tied at points one, two, three, four, five, seven, nine, and 10, before the Cardinals would take a 13-10 lead over the Lakers. GVSU would answer by scoring four of the next five points to once again tie the match at 14-all. After a brief 15-14 lead for the Cardinals, the Lakers would rattle off eight of the next nine points for the 22-16 lead. GVSU would close out set three with a kill from Doby followed by a kill from Winicki and finally one last kill from Doby to secure the 25-17 victory and the 3-0 sweep in the match.

The Lakers will hit the road once again, as they are set to travel down to Ohio to take on the Dragons of Tiffin and the Eagles of Ashland next weekend (Oct. 27-28). Friday's matchup between the Lakers and Dragons is set to start at 7:00 PM, while Saturday's contest against the Eagles will start at 2:00 PM.
FLINT TWP, MI -- Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools has issued a second stranger danger warning in less than one week's time after multiple students were allegedly followed home.

The most recent incident took place around 6:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20 on Sun Terrace Drive, near Beecher and Dye roads, in Flint Township and involved students heading to a bus stop.

"Two Carman-Ainsworth High School students and one Carman-Ainsworth Middle School student were approached by a stranger while walking to the bus stop," reads a letter from Superintendent Eddie Kindle.

Kindle added, "The individual was standing in a ditch, dressed in dark clothing, and followed them back to their home."

The letter was the second last week notifying parents and guardians of a stranger danger incident, with the first coming Oct. 18 after a student was allegedly followed home by a pair of strangers from a bus stop near Court Street and Yorktown Drive.

Stranger danger incidents have been reported in recent days by the Clio Area School District, Fenton Area Public Schools, as well as Grand Blanc Community Schools.

Kindle offered a list of tips for students to remain safe such as walking in groups; avoiding distractions such as cell phone and being aware of their surroundings; running away and seeking help if approached by a stranger; and, reporting any incident that makes them uncomfortable.

Anyone with information on the incidents may call the Flint Township Police Department at 810-600-3250 or contact their student's building principal with any questions or concerns.
LANSING, MI - It's been more than nine months since state officials revealed that a glitch in a state computer system had potentially exposed the names, social security numbers and wages of 1.87 million Michiganders, and a Michigan State Police investigation is still ongoing.

"Work is ongoing in this matter, but to date, investigators have found no indication that the HR professionals with access to this system accessed anything other than their own organization's personally identifiable information," said MSP spokeswoman Shanon Banner.

The investigation started in February, when the state announced it had identified a computer glitch within the Unemployment Insurance Agency that mistakenly allowed human resources professionals with payroll processing companies to access the names, social security numbers and wages of employees whose information they were not authorized to view.

At the time, the state noted that those who could potentially have accessed the data are professionals who are routinely handling sensitive information.

But Gary Nitzkin, an attorney with the Michigan-based Credit Repair Lawyers of America, said there have been instances in which professionals like doctor's office workers, accountants and others have stolen identities.

"If the state is saying that this is not a big deal because only other HR professionals have looked at this data, the state is absolutely lying to the public. You should see the number of people who are getting involved in identity theft," Nitzkin said.

Banner said the investigation had so far turned up no evidence that information was compromised, but if it did direct victim notifications would have been made.

Tom Holt, a professor in Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice, said it made sense that such an investigation would take some time. Aside from determining if any human resources officers had accessed the information, the investigation may need to branch into whether each one of those with access had secure passwords and if the portal they were accessing was secure.

"That means you've got a lot of leads to track down and a lot of people to talk to," Holt said.

If no one can tie any identity theft to the state's computer glitch at this point, it's a good thing, Holt said. But it's a good idea for anybody to monitor their credit and set up fraud alerts.

"Unfortunately, we're at a time where it's incumbent on us as individuals to be vigilant about the security of our information because it could be available in so many different spots," Holt said.

Nitzkin, too, said people should set up fraud alerts or, at a minimum, pull their free credit report as allowed under federal law once per year. What you're looking for is any activity you don't recognize or addresses you've never been associated with, either of which could indicate your identity has been compromised.
JACKSON, MI - The Michigan Court of Appeals has confirmed the conviction and sentence of a man who broke into a house with an assault rifle and demanded money from a woman.

This means Willie Anderson II, also guilty in 2006 of shooting to death a convenience store clerk, will continue to serve a long prison sentence, unless he is able to successfully appeal to a higher court.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson ordered him in January 2016 to serve at least 26 years in prison. His earliest possible release date is in 2038, but he could remain incarcerated until, at most, 2064, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Police and prosecutors alleged Anderson, 28, broke into a home on Mound Avenue in October 2013. He threatened the woman with the weapon. Anderson asked her for money and she said she had none and ran out of the home.

His brother, Josephus, now 26, testified against him and also is serving a prison sentence.

The younger Anderson, however, later recanted his testimony, saying he committed the robbery with another man, but Wilson concluded Willie Anderson would still have been convicted of his crimes, even if a jury was presented with this altered testimony. Wilson believed Josephus Anderson told the truth at trial.

"Recantation testimony" is generally regarded as suspect and untrustworthy and some information presented in court contradicted Josephus Anderson's later account, the Court of Appeals reported in the Oct. 19 opinion. It found Wilson did not err in denying a motion for a new trial.

The only error it identified was defense lawyer Alfred Brandt's failure to object to testimony by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agent Stan Brue. Because the phone went "dark" after the home invasion, Brue concluded the user "was certainly involved - possibly involved." The phone was associated with Anderson, said to be trying to thwart any investigation or tracking efforts.

"Under the circumstances, we are not convinced that (the agent's) personal experience reviewing cell phone records, standing alone, was sufficient to demonstrate that his opinion was reliable and thus admissible," the decision states.

The Court of Appeals found it is unlikely, however, that this changed the trial outcome.

The victim testified Anderson was the man who entered her house, and another eyewitness testified that she was 95 percent sure she saw Anderson in the woman's driveway, the Court of Appeals notes.

At the time of the crime, Anderson was on parole.

In February 2009, Wilson sentenced Anderson to six to 15 years in prison for shooting Kang four times in the back during a holdup Sept. 4, 2006 at Chuckles Party Store, 103 W. High St.

After a long murder trial involving mostly circumstantial evidence, a jury in 2008 could not reach a consensus and the judge declared a mistrial. Anderson later agreed to plead no contest to manslaughter.

At his latest sentencing hearing, he claimed his innocence. "Bulls---," he said as Assistant Prosecutor Nick Mehalco Jr. recounted the night of the home invasion.
WEST MICHIGAN -- Two West Michigan police chiefs are among 10 finalists for a position in Florida.

Grand Rapids Police Department Chief David Rahinsky and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley will interview for the job of Punta Gorda police chief in November, according to WINK News. Hadley has been in Kalamazoo since 2008, while Rahinsky has served as the Grand Rapids chief since 2014.

It would be a kind of homecoming for both chiefs.

Rahinsky served in multiple departments in Florida, including the Broward County Sheriff's Office, which serves the greater Fort Lauderdale metro area. He received degrees from Florida State University and Florida Atlantic University.

Hadley obtained a degree in criminal justice from Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Florida, and was a patrol officer in the Cape Coral Police Department.

The demographics of Punta Gorda starkly contrast with Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Punta Gorda has a population of around 18,800, according to the U.S. Census, and a poverty rate of 11 percent.

That means it's around 9.5 percent of the population of Grand Rapids, and a quarter of the size of Kalamazoo. It has half the poverty rate of Grand Rapids, and a third of poverty rate of Kalamazoo.

The city of Punta Gorda has fired its police chief following an internal affairs investigation into the accidental shooting death of a 73-year-old retired librarian. The woman was shot and killed by a police officer during a training exercise.

Hadley and Rahinsky did not respond to calls Sunday afternoon.
Michigan goes for it on fourth-and-11 inside PSU territory, but O'Korn dropped for a sack. Now it's just a matter of not getting embarrassed too badly. After 49-10 last year, don't be surprised if James Franklin looks to keep pouring it on.

Scott DeCamp
FILE PHOTO: A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at the Lukoil owned Imilorskoye oil field near Kogalym, Russia, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

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Crude prices have surged above the USD 52 mark as President Trump refused to certify that Iran is following the spirit of the 2015 Nuclear agreement. This puts the 2015 accord in jeopardy.

Crude prices were also boosted as Iraqi troops seized parts of the oil-rich Kurdish region.

The fear is that Trump's refusal to certify may be the first step in the abrogation of the treaty.

Iran and the group of P5+1 ( The 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council  USA, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) had signed the deal in Vienna on July 14, 2015.

Under the deal, Iran offered to cap its nuclear programme in exchange for allowing it to export crude oil.

If the US was to abrogate the treaty then sanctions would be back on oil exports to Iran, which could lit a fire under the crude pot as a million barrels suddenly vanish into thin air.

We for one believe that even if the sanctions were to return on Iranian exports this would be the last hurrah for oil.

Secondly, the Kurd Oil fields continue to pump, albeit under Iraqi supervision now. There has been no destruction of fields.

We do not foresee the WTI Crude ever crossing the USD 60 a barrel in the near future, and definitely not on a sustained basis.

How much would crude oil supply vanish?

Last month, Iran produced 3.827 million barrels a day and exported 2.28 million barrels per day (bpd). It consumed around 1.5 million barrels per day.

Before the deal, Iran was producing close to 2.78 million barrels a day and exporting around 1.7 million barrels a day. Exports prior to the deal were allowed on humanitarian grounds.

The deal has essentially put 0.58 million barrels a day more in the market. So this is at the most that will go off exports.

Discordant notes in the P5+1

Trumps refusal to certify that the Iran is following the spirit of the 2015 agreement is quite in contrast to the view of the P4+1. Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China and the UN nuclear watchdog all say that Iran has abided by the terms of the agreement.

There could be a division in the P5+1 and it would mean status quo of Iranian exports.

We think that the US will not abrogate but even if it does, we do not see WTI Crude going beyond the USD 60 a barrel mark.

Why USD 60 A barrel is just a dream



U.S. shale will increase supply



Electric vehicles will reduce demand



We believe that USD 60 a barrel in WTI is just a dream because of two reasons.

The rest is just plain simple arithmetic.

US Shale  The Original Enemy

US shale has been the bane of OPEC. In 2014, Saudi Arabia gambled by cutting down prices of oil but increasing production in order to shut down shale oil as not all producers make profit below USD 50 a barrel.

But Saudis had to blink in 2016 when they brought back the quotas in OPEC to maintain prices.

Any surge in crude beyond USD 60 cant last as shale oil producers will flood the markets. The US has now become a swing producer with the ability to produce more if it is profitable.

Electric vehicles  emerging alternative that will reduce demand

As the worlds largest auto market, Chinas electric-vehicle (EV) policy, which is still being formulated, could supercharge the race for EVs. China is expected to come down heavily on autos that cloud its skies with pollution.

According to the Financial Times, China plans to produce 7 million EVs per year by 2025 and to spend at least USD 60 billion on related subsidies between 2015 and 2020.

India has already taken a lead by having an auto policy that sees all new vehicles on road in 2030 to be electric.

With two of the most populous nations working towards EV push, crude oil is likely to see less demand. A Bloomberg New Energy Finance report predicts EVs will cut crude demand by 8 million barrels a day by 2040. This could send chills down the spines of oil sheikhs.

Then, there are others who think growing interest in alternative energy fuels could drive oil prices to USD 10 a barrel over the next six to eight years.

OPECs Own Enemys within

While OPEC puts quotas in place to control production, they are never honoured in full. The OPEC countries have been used to the ill-gotten wealth and accordingly increased their expenses.

Now at half the rates that prevailed 3 years ago, they have to curtail their public expenditure, which could result into an uprising any time. If crude prices rise, OPEC producers will produce more than the quota.

And if this time the crude falls below USD 40, it will probably never recover because they know that electric vehicles will kill the demand, which means that they will then produce as fast as they can. The OPEC quotes will cease to exist.

Straws in the wind:

Saudi Aramcos IPO seems to have been shelved, but its very thought originated from the Saudi Belief that Crude Oil is on a downhill. Saudis probably wanted to sell Aramco before crude collapsed.

Reliance Industries has also sold off its overseas oil assets. They will probably now work on the battery energy and its solutions.

Conclusion

We believe this is the last hurrah for crude oil prices and investors will do well to lighten their commitments in the upstream oil companies.

There are lessons for the government as well. They should privatise the upstream oil business as fast as they can and also break up Coal India and divest as the energy sector will change without adequate notice.

Otherwise, ONGC, Oil India, and Coal India will go the way of BSNL.

(Disclosure : Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.)

(Disclaimer: The author is Head PCG & Capital Market Strategy at HDFC Securities Ltd. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.)
By PTI: Hyderabad, Oct 22 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said his government has signed memorandums of understanding with 22 companies which will invest Rs 3,900 crore in the upcoming Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in the Warangal district.

Rao, who laid foundation stone for the textile park at Shayampet in Chintapalli village, also said that since the states formation, Telangana has attracted over Rs 1.07 lakh crore of investment under the new industrial policy TS-iPASS.

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"I proudly state that today we signed MoUs with 22 companies which are going to set up factories in the textile park. This will provide direct employment to 27,000 people and create about 50,000 indirect job opportunities," he said.

It would be the largest textile park in the country, Rao added.

Unlike other textile hubs such as Solapur in Maharashtra, Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and Surat in Gujarat, the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park would focus on all types of fabrics and garments, Rao said.

The textile park will come up on 1,200 acres in the first phase and eventually occupy 2,000 acres of land. Zero liquid (effluent) discharge will be ensured to avoid pollution, the chief minister assured.

Rao also announced that the TRS government is planning to bring in a law during the Assembly session which will start on October 27 to convert about 4,000 tribal `tandas (settlements) into full-fledged village panchayats.

The government has so far distributed nearly 26 lakh sheep to eligible persons under a scheme, he mentioned.

Rao also laid foundation stones for various other projects including the Warangal Outer Ring Road, a road overbridge and expansion of Madikonda IT Incubator Centre. PTI GDK KRK RDS

--- ENDS ---
Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to consider next month a proposal to credit a subscribers' share of its ETF investments to their provident fund accounts which can be redeemed at the time of withdrawal.

"Employees Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) apex decision-making body the Central Board of Trustee (CBT) headed by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar will meet in November. They are likely to consider the proposal to credit ETF investments to members' accounts," a Labour Ministry official told PTI.

The official said that the issue was listed on the agenda of the CBT meeting held earlier this year and was referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) .

The official said that the CAG had agreed to the proposal in principal but sought few clarifications.

As per estimates, EPFO's investment in ETFs is expected to touch Rs 45,000 crore by the end of the current fiscal.

EPFO had started investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) in August 2015, putting 5 per cent of its investible deposits in stock linked products. It was raised to 15 per cent for the current fiscal.

Once approved, the share of subscribers in the form of ETF units will be credited to their accounts.

An ETF is a security that tracks an index, a commodity or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange.

EPFO, which has about 5 crore subscribers, manages a corpus of over Rs 10 lakh crore.
New India Assurance (NIA), the largest general insurance company in the country, is set to hit the capital markets with around Rs 10,000 crore IPO in the first week of November.

The offer comes soon after the Rs 11,370 crore IPO of GIC Re, which will be listed on October 25. It has already been oversubscribed by over 1.35 times.

The street has seen a couple of more IPOs in last one and half months, which include ICICI Lombard and SBI Life.

The IPO of the insurance multinational having operations in 28 countries will be completed in the first week of November, government sources told PTI.

The exact amount and pricing for the IPO will be announced by the company early this week.

Recently, the company's top management had completed the overseas road shows and had seen robust response for the issue.

Earlier, the company had appointed five merchant bankers -- Kotak, Axis Bank, Nomura, IDFC and Yes Bank for the IPO.

The company, which is targeting Rs 26,000 crore premium in the current fiscal, is the largest general insurer in terms of premium, profits, market share and distribution network.

New India Assurance has assets of over Rs 69,000 crore and solvency of 2.27 despite growing at CAGR of over 15 per cent for last five years.

NIA's networth, including fair value of investments, increased to over Rs 38,100 crore as of June-end.

Its market value of investments stood at Rs 63,100 crore at the end of June quarter of the current fiscal.

The company, which will be celebrating its 'centenary year' in one year, has a rich legacy and sustained its market leadership despite 31 players being there in the industry.

In fact, New India's market share has increased in the last five years and currently hovering around 16 per cent.

India Inc's top business houses are long-time customers of NIA.

New India is the country's only direct insurer with an international 'A' rating and has operations through a desk at Lloyd's, the world's largest specialist insurer.

Some of the other insurers' IPOs, which are likely to hit the street in near future include HDFC Life and National Insurance Company.
Representative Image

Leasing of retail space in malls rose by 55 percent to nearly 23 lakh sq ft during January- September period this year in the eight major cities on better demand, according to property consultant Cushman & Wakefield.

However, the supply of space in shopping malls fell by 63 percent to 19.5 lakh sq ft during the first three quarters of 2017 calendar year compared to the same period last year.

These eight cities are Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

According to the data, the leasing activities in Chennai rose sharply to 3,11,088 sq ft during January-September 2017 from 85,857 sq ft in the year-ago period.

Leasing of space in Hyderabad stood at 3 lakh sq ft in January-September 2017 against nil in the same period of 2016.

Shopping malls in Bengaluru saw 70 percent increase in leasing at 5,07,250 sq ft in the first three quarters of this calendar year, followed by Kolkata that witnessed 55 percent rise at 2,76,181 sq ft.

The leasing of retail space in Delhi-NCR's shopping malls rose by 31 percent to 4,71,456 sq ft in January-September.

Mumbai and Ahmedabad saw 5 percent growth in leasing at 1,68,770 sq ft and 1,50,420 sq ft, respectively.

However, Pune was the only city that witnessed decline in leasing of space in shopping mall at 1,11,800 sq ft, down 57 percent from the corresponding period last year.

"With the estimated size of retail sector pegged at Rs 1 trillion by 2020, at an approximately 15 percent CAGR between 2016-2020, the scope for retail real estate remains high," C&W India Country Head and Managing Director Anshul Jain said.

With foreign retailers entering the country and expanding aggressively, he said brands prefer to open shops in malls that are likely to see higher occupancy levels.

"Hence, over the next few years, investors will be on a lookout for professionally managed, well-run malls that would witness yields improving and rental values inching up, thereby improving returns for investors," Jain said.

The consultant also said that as many as 34 new shopping malls, covering 13.6 million sq ft area, are expected to come up in these eight cities by 2020.

Hyderabad will see maximum 11 malls by 2020, followed by Delhi-NCR 8 malls, Bengaluru 6 malls, Chennai 4 malls, Kolkata and Mumbai 2 malls each and Pune one mall. No new supply is expected in Ahmedabad.

"There is now a regained confidence amongst developers to pay heed to this sector as investors show greater commitment towards it," C&W said, adding that an estimated Rs 7,959 crore has been invested by private equity funds in malls since 2016.
Zakir Naik

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year- long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.

Thereafter, on April 21, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naik's appearance before it.

After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke his passport.

The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, addresses the audience after inaugurating power projects in Allahabad

With the tagline "US in UP", 26 major American companies will interact with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath here tomorrow to explore investment opportunities in the state.

"Headed by Boeing, 26 US firms are on their way to Uttar Pradesh to explore investment avenues in the state. The tagline is 'US in UP' on the lines of 'Vibrant Gujarat'," senior cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh told PTI here.

The delegation will visit the state under the aegis of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Singh, who is UP Health Minister, said.

The USISPF is committed to creating the most powerful strategic partnership between the US and India and promoting bilateral trade is an important task, the Forum said.

"But, our mission reaches far beyond this. It is about business and government coming together in new ways to create meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens," the USISPF said.

It said in a statement that investment incentives offered by the state under the new chief minister "translates into a business-friendly climate for industry."

Singh said taking a cue from 'Vibrant Gujarat', the idea of 'US in UP' has been mooted to showcase the state's investment avenues in chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cement, gems, textiles and engineering sectors.

He said a small delegation had visited this state two months back and realising the "tremendous investment potential" in the state, a bigger delegation will be travelling to the state tomorrow.

Singh said the foundation for the high-profile tour was laid when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States in June and invited CEOs of top US companies to invest in India, saying GST was a game changer that made the country a business-friendly destination.

UP Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar will brief the delegation on investment opportunities along with the UP Industries Development commissioner and principal secretary for industries.

The delegation will make a courtesy call on the chief minister, who is likely to explain the investment incentives offered by the state after BJP stormed to power in UP earlier this year.

Officials from the US Embassy and US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will also be a part of the delegation, which will include representatives from Facebook, Adobe, Coca Cola, Mastercard, Mosanto, Uber, Honeywell, P&G, Oracle and GE Health, besides Pratt & Whitney, Merck, Medtronic, Azure Power and Cargill.

Uttar Pradesh has recently come up with an Industrial Investment & Employment Promotion Policy to create a framework to stabilise and make existing industries more competitive and to attract and realise new international and national investments in the industrial sector.

A session on healthcare has also been organised to help the US companies like Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, GE Healthcare and Medtronic to focus on initiatives, programmes and best practices to overcome roadblocks to greater access and affordability for health care services in UP.

Merck is an American pharmaceutical company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Executives from Mastercard, Azure Power, Cargill and Pratt & Whitney will also discuss technology, innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities with UP functionaries.

Besides, USISPF along with UC Berkeley will launch its first co-innovation laboratory in Allahabad, which has been identified under the 100 smart cities mission.

The co-innovation lab initiative will provide local solutions to local problems by roping in young innovators and startups primarily in the areas of energy, transportation, waste management, healthcare, artificial intelligence, climate and smart agriculture, the USISPF said.
Law professionals | Corporate lawyer- Rs 6,10,000 | Senior attorney- Rs 9,50,000 | Interpreting and using the rule of the law to win arguments in favour of the client is a lucrative profession. The best lawyers earn several lakhs, even crores for a case. So much so that lawyers give up offers to become a judge so that they can maintain their incomes as lawyers! Being a lawyer requires a high level of patience, education and communication skills.

The government has red-flagged a decision of the Supreme Court collegium to do away with the professional evaluation of additional judges while recommending their name for promotion as permanent judge.

The decision of the collegium and the subsequent opposition to the move by the law ministry could trigger a fresh round of confrontation between the executive and the judiciary.

A senior functionary said the government has told the collegium--a body of top five judges of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of India--that it does not agree with the decision to end the practice of evaluating the professional performance of an additional judge before recommending his or her name for evaluation as a permanent judge of a high court.

The judgements evaluation committees used to evaluate the judicial performance of additional judges till recently.

The government has urged the collegium to have a relook at its decision to end the practice of evaluating the judicial performance of additional judges.

The then Chief Justice of India J S Khehar had in March informed high court chief justices that the Supreme Court collegium has decided to end the system.

He had cited a 1981 judgement of the apex court to say that the practice of evaluating the judicial performance of additional judges ran contrary to the order.

Justice Khehar had also informed Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad of the decision to do away with the system.

The evaluation was part of the guidelines issued by the then CJI S H Kapadia in October, 2010.
20:28 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Sunday over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was 2017, not 1817.

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. Its 2017, not 1817, Gandhi tweeted. He also tagged a news report titled Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts.

The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without

prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media. It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority. The state government said in a release last night there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

20:19 Spains foreign minister has promised no arrests will be made when the Catalan government is dismissed as early as this week, reports Bloomberg.

Speaking in a BBC television interview on Sunday, Alfonso Dastis said there were no plans to arrest anyone when Spain ousts Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his government.

The ouster is part of a barrage of planned measures including taking control of the regional police force and public television and radio channels that are scheduled for a Senate vote on Friday. The governments plans, based on a powerful constitutional tool, are likely to meet resistance from the Catalan regional government.

We are not going to arrest anyone, said Foreign Minister Dastis. All the government is trying to do is reinstate the legal order, restore the constitution but also the Catalan rules and proceed from there.

18:45 The Congress today released its second list of seven candidates for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats including the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency currently held by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Virbhadra Singh has demanded the party ticket for his son and Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, and has publicly declared that the latter will contest from his seat.

The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

The party has also withheld the name of its candidate for the Mandi constituency from where state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa has demanded the party ticket. Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency.

Tomorrow is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on October 18 announced its first list of 59 candidates.

18:36 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election today, winning a mandate to harden his already hawkish stance on North Korea and re-energise the world's number-three economy, reports PTI.

Abe's conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection published by private broadcaster TBS, putting the blue-blooded nationalist on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader.

The comfortable election win is likely to stiffen Abe's resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to exert maximum pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

18:00 The JFK files Donald Trump announced the release of contain thousands of documents related to the assassination of the late President stored in the national archives, reports The Independent.

Trump announced: Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK files to be opened.

Speculation mounted among his critics that Mr Trump might have readily agreed to release the files in order to distract from the ongoing investigation into his alleged ties with Russia  although their publication was required by law following the 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act.

17:47 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling coalition may retain its two-thirds parliamentary majority in Sundays general election, an NHK exit poll showed, bolstering his chances at becoming Japans longest-serving leader, reports Bloomberg.

Abes Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito are set to win between 281 and 336 seats of the 465 up for grabs, according to the public broadcaster. Opposition parties were set to split the rest, with the left-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party projected to come in second. Actual results are now being counted.

Im very grateful that the cabinet won the publics confidence, Toshihiro Nikai, the LDPs secretary-general, said in a televised interview after the exit poll was released. Im happy. We should properly respond to this without lowering our guard.

A large win for Abes coalition would pave the way for more ultra-easy monetary policy and flexible fiscal stimulus that has helped Asias second-biggest economy grow for six straight quarters. It would also give U.S. President Donald Trump a reliable partner in pushing a hardline stance against Kim Jong Uns regime in North Korea.

For full report, click here.

17:40 Virat Kohli on Sunday surpassed the legendary Ricky Pointing to become the second highest century maker in ODIs en route his 31st hundred during the opening match against New Zealand today.

Kohli is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar, who amassed 49 ODI hundreds besides a staggering 51 centuries in Tests. The Indian captain has 17 hundreds to his name in the five-day format.

Meanwhile, electing to bat first, India scored 280 for 8 in the first ODI against New Zealand in Mumbai.

17:27 Leasing of retail space in malls rose by 55 percent to nearly 23 lakh sq ft during January- September period this year in the eight major cities on better demand, according to property consultant Cushman & Wakefield.

However, the supply of space in shopping malls fell by 63 percent to 19.5 lakh sq ft during the first three quarters of 2017 calendar year compared to the same period last year.

These eight cities are Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

4:10 pm Tens of thousands of people across Japan were advised to evacuate, hundreds of flights were cancelled and train services were disrupted on Sunday as a typhoon roared toward the coast, bringing heavy rain and strong winds on a national election day.

Typhoon Lan, classified as an intense Category 4 storm by the Tropical Storm Risk monitoring site, was south of Japan and moving northeast at 40 kph on Sunday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

An agency official told a news conference that while Lan appeared to have weakened slightly from its peak, it was still a powerful storm that could pound parts of Japan with more than 80 mm (3 inches) of rain an hour. It may make landfall near Tokyo early on Monday.

Click here for full story.

2:56 pm China needs to create jobs for 15 million people every year and will maintain support for entrepreneurship to help achieve this, the countrys labor minister said on Sunday.

1:55 pm: PM inaugurates ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej in Guj. Read more on our live blog: Modi in Gujarat LIVE: Sagarmala project expected to create 1 crore jobs

12:38 pm Issues including visa, greater market access for goods and intellectual property rights are expected to figure in the trade policy forum (TPF) meeting between India and the US on October 25 in Washington, an official said.

11:54 am Tens of thousands across Japan were advised to evacuate, hundreds of flights were cancelled and rail services disrupted as heavy rain and wind lashed a wide swathe of Japan on Sunday, a national election day, as a powerful typhoon neared.

11:17 am The Indian economy is expected to see a rebound in the July-September quarter of this year with a GVA growth rate of 6.3 percent, says a Nomura report.

11:13 am Prime Minister Modi reaches Gujarat (his third visit to the state in a month). He will be inaugurating a slew of projects in the state.

11:12 am ONGC has drawn a blueprint to raise crude oil production by 4 million tonne (MT) and almost double natural gas output by 2020 to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of cutting India's import dependence by 10 per cent, Chairman Shashi Shanker has said.

10:40 am Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to consider next month a proposal to credit subscribers' share of its ETF investments to their provident fund accounts which can be redeemed at the time of withdrawal, reports PTI.

10:21 am Chinas unemployment rate has hit its lowest point in multiple years at 3.95 percent by end of September, but employment still faces challenges as the economy pushes ahead with structural reforms, Chinas labour ministry said on Sunday.

10:19 am Quota spearhead Hardik Patel's key aides--Varun Patel and Reshma Patel--have joined the ruling BJP in poll-bound Gujarat in a dramatic turn of events. The development came yesterday hours after state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki invited Hardik Patel to join hands with the party, reports PTI.

9:48 am An unidentified militant was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Langet area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.

9:35 am Japanese voters deliver their verdict on Prime Minister Shinzo Abes nearly five years in power in an election on Sunday that will determine if he has the clout to push ahead with his cherished goal of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution.

Welcome to News Live Blog. What to look out for today: PM Narendra Modi's visit to Gujarat (his third in a month), India-New Zealand ODI match. Around the world, Japanese Prime Minister Abe eyes resh term as the country votes under N. Korea threats. And many more developments. stay tuned.
Rohingya Muslims who return to Myanmar after fleeing to Bangladesh are unlikely to be able to reclaim their land, and may find their crops have been harvested and sold by the government, according to officials and plans seen by Reuters.

Nearly 600,000 Rohingya have crossed the border since Aug. 25, when coordinated Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts sparked a ferocious counteroffensive by the Myanmar army.

The United Nations says killings, arson and rape carried out by troops and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs since late August amount to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has no control over the military, has pledged that anyone sheltering in Bangladesh who can prove they were Myanmar residents can return.

Reuters has interviewed six Myanmar officials involved with repatriation and resettlement plans. While the plans are not yet finalised, their comments reflect the government's thinking on how Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge will be implemented.

Jamil Ahmed, who spoke to Reuters at a refugee camp in Bangladesh, is one of many Rohingya who hope to go back.

Describing how he fled his home in northern Rakhine state in late August, Ahmed said one of the few things he grabbed was a stack of papers - land contracts and receipts - that might prove ownership of the fields and crops he was leaving behind.

"I didn't carry any ornaments or jewels," said the 35-year-old. "I've only got these documents. In Myanmar, you need to present documents to prove everything."

The stack of papers, browning and torn at the edges, may not be enough, however, to regain the land in Kyauk Pan Du village, where he grew potatoes, chilli plants, almonds and rice.

"It depends on them. There is no land ownership for those who don't have citizenship," said Kyaw Lwin, agriculture minister in Rakhine state, when asked in an interview whether refugees who returned to Myanmar could reclaim land and crops.

Despite his land holdings, Myanmar does not recognise Ahmed as a citizen. Nearly all the more than 1 million RohingyaA who lived in Myanmar before the recent exodus are stateless, despite many tracing their families in the country for generations.

Officials have made plans to harvest, and possibly sell, thousands of acres of crops left behind by the fleeing Rohingya, according to state government documents reviewed by Reuters.

A A A Myanmar also intends to settle most refugees who return to Rakhine state in new "model villages", rather than on the land they previously occupied, an approach criticised in the past by the United Nations as effectively creating permanent camps.

The government has not asked for help from any international agencies, who are calling for any repatriation to be voluntary and to the refugees' place of origin.

"OWNERLESS" CROPS

The exodus of 589,000 Rohingya - and about 30,000 non-Muslims - from the conflict zone in northern Rakhine has left some 71,500 acres of planted rice paddy abandoned and in need of harvesting by January, according to plansA drawn up by state officials.

Tables in the documents, reviewed by Reuters, divide the land into paddy sown by "national races" - meaning Myanmar citizens - or "Bengalis," a term widely used in Myanmar to refer to the Rohingya, but which they reject as implying they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Kyaw Lwin, the stateA minister, confirmed the plans, and saidA there was a total of 45,000 acres of "ownerless Bengali land".

Two dozen combine harvesters operated by officials from the agriculture ministry will begin cutting stalks this month in areas under military control.

The machines will be able to harvest about 14,400 acres according to official calculations containedA in the plans. It is unclear what will become of the remaining crop, but officialsA told ReutersA they would try to harvest all the paddy, recruiting additional labour to harvest manually if necessary.

An acre of paddy in Myanmar typically makes more than USD 300 at market, meaning the state will gain millions of dollars worth of rice.

The harvested rice will be transported to government stores, where it would either be donated to those displaced by the conflict or sold, Rakhine state secretary Tin Maung Swe told Reuters by phone.

"The land was abandoned. There is no one to reap that, so the government ordered to harvest it," he said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson, said the government should at least guarantee that the rice would be used for humanitarian support and not for profit.

"You can't call a rice crop 'ownerless' just because you used violence and arson to drive the owners out of the country," he said.

'MODEL VILLAGES'

Many refugees are fearful to return and are sceptical of Myanmar's guarantees. Those who do decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centres, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters, before mostly being relocated to model villages.

International donors, who have fed and cared for more than 120,000 mostly Rohingya "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) in supposedly temporary camps in Rakhine since violence in 2012, have told Myanmar that they will not support more camps, according to aid workers and diplomats.

"The establishment of new temporary camps or camp-like settlements carries many risks, including that the returnees and IDPs could end up being confined to these camps for a long time," said U.N. spokesman Stanislav Saling in an emailed response.

Satellite imagery shows 288 villages, mostly Rohingya settlements, have been fully or partially razed by fires since Aug. 25, according to HRW.

Refugees say the army and Buddhist mobs were responsible for most of the arson. The government says Rohingya militants and even residents themselves burned the homes for propaganda.

The hamlets where Rohingya farmers lived were "not systematic", and so should be rebuilt in smaller settlements of 1,000 households set out in straight rows to enable development, said Soe Aung, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

"In some villages there are three houses here, four houses over there. For example, there's no road for fire engines when fire burns the villages," Soe Aung said.

IDENTITY CHECKS

Those who decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centres, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters.

At the centres, officials said, the returnees will fill out a 16-point form that will be cross-checked with local authorities' records. Immigration officials have for years visited Rohingya households at least annually for checks, photographing family members.

For refugees who lost all their documents, the government would compare their photos to those that immigration authorities have on file, said Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

Officials will accept as evidence "national verification" cards handed out in an ongoing government effort to register Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. The card has been widely rejected by Rohingya community leaders, who say they treat life-long residents like new immigrants.

"We are not going to go back like this," said Mushtaq Ahmed, 57, a farmer from Myin Hlut village now living in the Tenkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh, where Jamil Ahmed is also staying.

"If I can go back to my house, and get my land back, only then I will go. We invested all our money into those paddy fields. They are killing so many of us with swords and bullets, and killing the rest of us like this."
The two parties are vying with each other to court the Capital's sizeable Poorvanchali community that dominates more than 20 assembly constituencies.

Over 20 assembly constituencies in Delhi are dominated by the Poorvanchalis comprising 17% to 47% of vote share.

By Rakesh Ranjan: The Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party have dived headlong into the Capital's Chhath vote-bank days ahead of next week's four-day festivities to worship the sun god.

The two parties are vying with each other to court the Capital's sizeable Poorvanchali community that dominates more than 20 assembly constituencies.

So the BJP city unit announced that it will deploy nearly 1.5 lakh workers to collaborate with municipal corporations in preparing Chhath ghats across the city, a day after the AAP government announced sprucing up of the sites for the festival.

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Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari on Friday night met nearly 300 representatives of Chhath puja committees in Delhi and promised them proper facilities during the festival as he also accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in petty politics over the issue.

Chhath puja has always been a political issue in Delhi given the large population of Poorvanchalis in the city. There are an estimated 50 lakh migrant voters from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, who are called Poorvanchalis. More than two dozen assembly constituencies in Delhi have Poorvanchali population of up to 47 per cent.

POORVANCHALIS DOMINATE 20 CONSTITUENCIES

The Poorvanchali dominated assembly constituencies are Burari, Seemapuri, Gokalpuri, Karawal Nagar, Kirari, Badli, Nangloi, Rithala, Matiala, Vikaspuri, Dwarka, Uttam Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Deoli, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Patparganj, Laxmi Nagar, Wazirpur and Rajinder Nagar.

While AAP is Delhi's ruling party, the BJP is in power at the Centre and in the city's civic bodies.

Office bearers of the Chhath puja committees told Tiwari that no arrangements for the prayers were made in many parts of Delhi including Kirari, Mehrauli and south Delhi. They also alleged that only four days were left and temporary ghats in parks as announced by Kejriwal were yet to be constructed.

Tiwari assured them that all the three municipal corporations of Delhi and thousands of BJP workers will try their best to solve the problems being faced in observing Chhath puja.

"The Delhi BJP workers will help the officers and employees of the Municipal Corporations and also do 'shramdan' at the ghats so that the devotees do not face any problem. The sentiment of lakhs of Poorvanchalis is associated with Chhath festival. BJP will arrange for tents and other amenities at Chhath ghats for the convenience of devotees," said Tiwari.

Party insiders said about 1.5 lakh Delhi BJP workers will join the municipal employees to clean and make the necessary arrangements in the city at the puja ghats for four days. Tiwari himself will do shramdan on Sunday afternoon at a Chhath ghat on Yamuna banks in Sonia Vihar.

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For maintaining adequate water level in the river, Tiwari also spoke to Haryana chief minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar. "The Haryana CM has assured that the government will release additional water for two days during the Chhath puja," Tiwari told Mail Today.

Leader of opposition in Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta too accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of cheating over 50 lakh Pooravanchalis.

--- ENDS ---
"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
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
State officials announce $2.85M for new police station in Upper Moreland
For the first time in Tamil Nadu politics, a ruling party's minister has called out the same party's MP accusing him of not doing anything for the constituency.

By Pramod Madhav: For the first time in Tamil Nadu politics, a ruling party's minister has called out the same party's MP accusing him of not doing anything for the constituency.

The incident occurred yesterday night at Ramanathapuram. EPS cabinet's Information and Technology Minister Manikandan challenged AIADMK MP Anwar Raja for an open debate. The reported spat grew out of hand as Anwar Raja had accused Manikandan of not knowing the chain of command over sending a letter to the Prime Minister.

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"If you are going to talk in such ways, come and lets have an open debate. What have you done after becoming an MP to this constituency. You have been an MP before 2016 itself but there was no development here. There is development occurring in this place only after I became a minister. Don't betray the people. If I've sent a letter about my work appreciate it", IT minister Manikandan said.

Apparently MP Anwar Raju was not happy with the way Manikandan had earlier stated about EPS government having a cordial relationship with the Center and has criticised him in an earlier meeting.

Contradicting the party Co-convener Edapadi K Palanisami (present CM) and the party's Convener O Panneer Selvam's (present DCM) statements that there is no faction within AIADMK and that its working as a family, news about spats between ministers and other leaders are on the rise.

Such inner circle scuffles being brought into the open platform has only made people wonder what kind of control CM EPS and DCM OPS have over the party with the dual-leader profiles.

AIADMK which always boasted about its 'military discipline' apparently has gone down the hill with the death of its 'permanent general secretary' Jayalalithaa.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) The Army is finalising a plan to modernise around 2,000 military stations and develop them in line with the governments smart city initiative.

Army officials said 58 military stations have already been identified as part of the pilot project to implement the ambitious initiative.

They said all cantonments will be part of the project.

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"We are looking at developing the military stations as smart cities where all modern amenities will be made available. Developing state-of-the-art IT network will be a key feature," said a senior Army official.

Top Army brass had deliberated extensively on the implementation of the project during the recent commanders conference.

"We are planning to develop all military stations across the country in a time-bound manner," said the official.

The initiative is part of the Armys overall modernisation drive that envisages significantly ramping up infrastructure at all its military installations across the country.

Another official said the Army is also moving forward with the implementation of the reform measures recommended by the Lt Gen (retd) D B Shekatkar committee which includes redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks to enhance the combat capability of the force.

The panel had suggested optimisation of signals establishments, closure of military farms and army postal establishments in peace locations as well as restructuring of repair echelons in the Army. The officials said steps were being taken to implement the recommendations.

The officials said the 65 reform measures recommended by the Shekatkar committee will be implemented by December 31, 2019. PTI MPB ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
Out of the Rs 133-crore worth projects announced by the UP government for Ayodhya, not a single scheme focuses on Saryu.

Ayodhya saints feels the Saryu river has been ignored by the UP govt

By Rajat Rai: The saints of Ayodhya are upset over the cold-shouldered treatment accorded to Saryu river in the development schemes announced by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Sources told Mail Today, that the saints were hoping for a cleanup of Saryu as a part of the developmental initiatives. However, out of the Rs 133 crore worth projects not a single one focuses on Saryu

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It may be noted that about 20 small and big drains flow into Saryu and there has been a constant clamour from the local community to find a permanent solution to the problem.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chief, Ram Janma Bhoomi Nyas (RJBN) and a long time crusader for clean and pollution free Saryu feels that the river has been left out, said his close aide Pawan Shashtri.

"Mahantji had also filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in this regard before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court nearly three years ago," Shashtri told MAIL TODAY.

"So the expectations of the saints were high ever since BJP came to power," said Shashtri. "Mahantji had handed over a memorandum to Yogi and the latter had promised to fulfill it," he added.

The memorandum also demands the official renaming of Ghaghra River as Saryu.

A sewage distribution plant constructed at the Ram Ghat about one-and-a-half-years ago is still in the testing phase. Locals say that if the plant starts working in its full capacity, it could lessen the woes of the temple city.

Meanwhile, another saint and member of RJBN, Ram Vilas Vedanti, expressed hope that construction of Ram Temple will begin before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We have full faith that the Supreme Court will announce a decision in our favour," claims Vedanti. "However, if a solution is not reached, the central government must then pass a law in Parliament and ensure the construction of Ram Temple," he added.

And regarding the construction of masjid, Vedanti feels that it should be constructed outside the peripheries of the Panch Kosi Parikrama and in a Muslim populated area. "The Masjid should not be named after Babar", he said.

--- ENDS ---
When Connie Rubio started treatment for breast cancer, her sister-in-law, Tessie, offered support. Just months later, Tessie was diagnosed with the disease.

I knew what she was feeling, so I was so upset for her, Connie said. It also made me a little stronger because I felt I have to be there for her. Were going to get through this together.

Tessie was comforted in knowing she could turn to a relative after her diagnosis. She has been a part of the Rubio family since she married Connies brother 23 years ago.

I always had somebody to ask questions, Tessie said. If I didnt feel right or something, I always knew I could call her.

Tessie uses social media posts to inform women about the importance of self-examinations and mammograms for early detection. She was 44 when she discovered in December she had breast cancer. She soon turned to her faith for guidance.

She was already pretty religious before that, but her faith really got strong, said her husband, Lalo. After [she] got through the first hurdle, she was very confident that God was with her.

For Connie, yoga has been a way to relieve stress. She received a breast cancer diagnosis when she was 39 and immediately considered what it would mean for her daughter.

I felt fear through the whole thing, said Connie, who was diagnosed in April 2016 and later learned through genetic testing she had increased risk for the disease.

Throughout their journeys, Connie and Tessie said family members in the Midland-Odessa area offered support. The two also checked in on one another.

When Connie had chemo, I would go on my lunch breaks and take her lunch, and she did the same for me, Tessie said.

The sisters-in-law have undergone treatments at Texas Oncology  Midland Allison Cancer Center and want others to realize they dont have to go out of town for care. Connie said staying locally has given her loved ones a chance to see her go through daily tasks.

I think it helps them to not be so afraid, she said. They see us every day.

Local treatment also allowed the women to continue working and maintaining their younger childrens schedules. Erica, Tessies daughter, said going to her mothers nearby appointments was significant.

It was everything, she said. I went to every chemo with her. I would have been devastated if I couldnt go.

After their diagnoses, Erica has noticed her mom and aunt form closer bonds.

It was very sweet to see because theyre not biological sisters, she said. But you wouldnt have been able to tell the difference.
By PTI: Peshawar, Oct 22 (PTI) A beheaded body of a transgender person has been found in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistans Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the latest attack on the community in the conservative country.

The body of the brutally tortured transgender person was recovered from Ashiqabad area near Warsak Road in Peshawar yesterday, Dawn reported.

The body, police claimed, was three days old and bore signs of torture.

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Senior Superintendent of Police Sajjad Khan said that the police have not been able to identify the body so far, though fingerprints and DNA samples have been collected.

The police had asked the local transgender community if they could identify the body, however, none of them was able to recognise the deceased, the official said.

The chief of transgender association, Laila Khan, said that the slain pwerson was not from Peshawar, the report said.

A case has been registered by the police against unidentified persons.

Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world to legally recognise a third sex in 2009, allowing transgender people to obtain identity cards.

In August, armed men opened fire on a group of transgender people, killing one, in the port city of Karachi.

More than 50 transgenders were killed in 2015 and 2016, according to TransAction President Farzana ? a rights organisation in Peshawar.

The status of the transgender community, also known as khawajasiras, is opaque in the country, to say the least.

They number at least half a million in the country, and according to several studies ? up to two million, claims TransAction. PTI AMS ZH AMS

--- ENDS ---
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Hurricane Irma pushed back an annual event for Orange County Fire Rescue.

343 Hero Challenge event held Saturday

Event honors fallen firefighters of 9/11

Event usually held near 9/11 anniversary; pushed back due to Irma

The 343 Hero Challenge honors fallen firefighters of 9/11 and is traditionally held in September near the anniversary of 9/11.

It was postponed until Saturday and was held at the Orange County Fire Rescue Training Facility in Winter Park.

The workouts and firefighting tasks simulate the actions of the 343 fallen firefighters on 9/11.

"It was tough but it was worth it. I try to do something--either compete or volunteer--every year," said firefighter Janice Davis.

"We start with a 3 minute and 43 second box climb which simulates the guys climbing up to the floor where they were going to fight fire," said firefighter James Geering.

Geering said the event is also a way to honor all injured or fallen firefighters. He wore the names of local firefighters for all to see during the challenge. 

"It's just a way to remember 9/11, because some people tend to forget what it cost, so it's an honor to do it for them," firefighter Lindsey Gay said.

About 100 people participated.

Officials said this is the largest United Way fundraiser for Orange County Fire Rescue.

Money raised goes to the Florida Chapter of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, so it directly impacts firefighters in Florida.
Bharat Thakur's works are an ode to the aghoris and his own experiences of the realm of the uncontained.

By Chinki Sinha : Beyond the fantastical tales of the snow and the aghoris who are masters of dreams and drift in the icy wilderness of the remote Himalayas, there are the brush strokes that are almost like dreamscapes, of paint cascading down the canvas and in that journey, representing narratives one can see. Art is mostly uncontained, as is manifest in his paintings and the title of one of them.

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The yogi Bharat Thakur, who says he was intrigued by the "world out there" having been brought up in the remoteness of the mountains that hadn't seen habitation in eons by the aghoris, has been painting for a long time with hands, feet and brushes and only last year exhibited his work. In Delhi, at the India Habitat Centre last Friday, the artist and yoga guru, said he would rather let his art speak.

Bharat Thakur, with his works. Picture courtesy: Instagram/bharatthakurartisticyoga

That was all he said. Called Aureola - The Colours You Are - the canvases are meant to be "pure" for he follows no particular style or school. The canvases were a tribute to his aghoris and an ode to his own experience of the layers of cosmos stretching beyond rivers to the realm of the uncontained. A red split the monotony of black and white abstraction.

Also Read: Take a tour of Budapest, the city of stained glass and glory, through this exhibition

He has titled it "Monastery" and a verse that accompanies the represented painting in the catalogue goes "a place with no rules...But one rule applies...Come prepared to lose...For the monk asks of you...Nothing else if you wish to win". Black brush strokes on a yellow background could look like fish of a different world, or birds from a place of differently colored skies. But in the artist's vision, it is the Ancient Devil Frog from the prehistoric times that devoured the mightiest. The black is a potent portent of many things to come or the losses to be encountered, borne and renunciated like the victories on the path to find that balance between life and death.

As his teachers believed that aghoris are beyond the questions of right and wrong, the canvases are the manifestation of celebration and mourning in a detached way, a state of nirvana sought by many, and achieved by only a few.

Bharat Thakur was born in a family of landlords in Bihar in 1972 and as a child, he was identified as someone marked for a different life by the spiritual preceptor of his family, Sukhdev Brahmachari. As a child, he had sought answers. In fact, it is said that when he first saw a baby elephant he thought it was a pig because he had stayed away for so long. In 1992, he enrolled in Rani Laxmibai College of Physical Education and later, he reached out to the world with his mission of enabling others to harness the limitless potential of the mind. In 2002, he founded his company called Bharat Thakur Artistic Yoga and is now a known name.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/bharatthakurartisticyoga Picture courtesy: Instagram/bharatthakurartisticyoga

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With regards to his painting, curator Manoj Nair says that Thakur is a possessed painter who follows no single style and is in search of a style that could be singularly his. There is no alienation of material or medium. There is an unrestrained movement in the terra-cotta structures of the yogis he has made. Of course, abstraction is his playground and by the virtue of "not knowing" he has freed his art from cultural and artistic impositions.

Nair compares Thakur to William Faulkner's fictional character Joe Christmas in Light in August who is described as "there is something rootless about him, as though no town nor city was his, no street, no walls, no square of earth his home. And that he carried this knowledge with his always as thought it were a banner with a quality ruthless, lonely and almost proud."

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Also Read: Indian art now a $250 million industry of which $98 million dedicated to contemporary

You could call his art a witness and a manifestation of his solitude, his pantheistic philosophy and his own meditated reality. A canvas titled Naga Sadhu II is a portrait in almost blue and black of a yogi looking up at the sky. The verse says "dead to the ties of the world... He lives a life so intense... Consumed in penance... He destroys all desires and ego..."

The painter calls it "glorious blue".

Picture courtesy: Instagram/bharatthakurartisticyoga

India Today's Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa said Thakur deals with naked reality and once told him he didn't believe in kingdoms."It is about the absence of presence and duality of experience. Experience is the reward," he said.

Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it was like witnessing 40 years of life with aghoras and saints and putting it into sculpture and paintings. "He may have some vision," he said.

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Perhaps that vision was encapsulated in the canvas called Shoonya (nothingness). It is a portrait against the potent black of a sadhu looking into oblivion with the grace of no expression.

And the verse said "expressionless like a new born...

His meditative gaze locked far away...

He dives deep with his eyes open...

He watches the world go round..."

And maybe amongst his art, the artist was absorbed in the state of "shoonya" which he said was "a mere emptiness in his mind and soul."

--- ENDS ---
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Residents in part of Santa Rosa were allowed to re-enter their neighborhoods Saturday as firefighters neared full containment of a series of blazes that caused mass destruction across Northern California.

The recent rain that swept through the fire zones of Napa and Sonoma counties  more than six-tenths of an inch  gave firefighters a boost in holding containment lines. Full containment for all of the fires is expected by Wednesday.

But a little rainfall and success on the fire line does not mean California is safe from wildfire. Strong winds and hot weather are expected in Southern California over the next few days, officials said.

In the North Bay, residents in hard-hit Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa were allowed to go back to their neighborhood Saturday morning, while those who lived in Coffey Park were also allowed to survey the damage in their area. The fires in those neighborhoods were so intense that they caused tornadoes that flipped cars and uprooted trees. Elsewhere, residents were allowed to return to parts of Sonoma Valley and Geyserville, along with the Bennett Valley and Kenwood areas.

Now Playing: Santa Rosa residents return home for first time after wildfires. Alex Savidge reports Video: KTVU

The deadly blazes across eight California counties destroyed about 8,400 structures, forced 100,000 people to evacuate and killed at least 42 people. Firefighters are continuing to investigate the cause of the wildfires, and at least 25 people are unaccounted for in Sonoma County and three in Napa County.

On Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order allowing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to help local officials remove hazardous debris like pipe insulation and flammable liquids.

The 36,793-acre Tubbs Fire, which destroyed an estimated 5,300 structures in Sonoma County, became the most destructive wildfire in modern state history this week. The fire now is 94 percent contained. The Nuns Fire, which grew almost 2,000 acres Friday night and early Saturday morning to 56,216 acres, is 86 percent contained, while the 51,624-acre Atlas Fire was at 90 percent containment. The Redwood Valley Fire, which killed eight people in Mendocino County, was at 36,523 acres and 95 percent containment.

We are doing our very best to wrap up here  were getting high up in our containment numbers, said Shira Laux, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, which is slowly decreasing staffing in the area.

In Santa Cruz County, the Bear Fire held steady at 391 acres as crews increased containment to 65 percent. Evacuation orders remained in place for certain areas, like Bear Creek Canyon Road. In total, four structures have been destroyed in the blaze and nine firefighters injured. One firefighter remained hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in the incident.

Firefighters are now looking south, where hot weather combined with dreaded Santa Ana winds could spell trouble. The National Weather Service warned of 50 mph gusts in Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz
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Albany

In the wake of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's indictment on fraud and extortion charges in February 2015, his successor embarked on what seemed like a major reform.

Speaker Carl Heastie was praised for conducting a nationwide search for the leader of the newly created Assembly Office of Ethics and Compliance. In September 2015, Heastie announced that Jane Feldman, a respected former top ethics official in Colorado, would lead the office, whose stated mission was to "strengthen ethics and introduce greater transparency and accountability in the New York State Assembly."

But only a few months after taking the position, Feldman began to doubt that Heastie was serious about reform. Looking back, Feldman regards her hiring in large part as a public relations move by the legislative chamber's leadership.

She had expressed concern about her role to Assembly staff and others. "I would tell them it was a waste of money," Feldman said in an interview last week. "I didn't do anything."

Feldman left the Assembly in June and returned to Colorado, disillusioned with the glacial pace of progress in New York.

For nearly six years ending in 2014, Feldman had served as the first executive director of the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission. When she interviewed with Heastie in 2015 for the Assembly post, she told the speaker that she only wanted the job if he was truly serious about reform.

"Yes, we're very serious about this," she recalled Heastie saying.

For Feldman, who had lived in Denver since 1989, the move to Albany was something of a homecoming: She grew up in New York City and attended Cardozo Law School; early in her career, she had worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

For Heastie, the hiring drew praise. In contrast to the often-maligned Joint Commission on Public Ethics  the six-year-old state watchdog entity whose three executive directors had previously worked for Gov. Andrew Cuomo  the Assembly had hired someone independent of the Albany political ecosystem.

But when she got to Albany, Feldman was set up in a windowless office on the ninth floor of the Legislative Office Building. She brought in an air purifier and a fan to make the place tolerable. The office had been created from part of an Assembly conference room, and frequent meetings would still take place within her earshot.

A turning point came in March 2016, when Feldman was watching the news at her Center Square apartment. She saw that Heastie had rolled out the Assembly's ethics reform package  without consulting the chamber's new chief ethics official.

"If he's introducing ethics reform when I didn't even have a chance to look at it, it became very clear that they didn't want to make changes," Feldman said.

This week, Heastie spokesman Michael Whyland said that while he didn't want to discuss a personnel matter in the press, there was a disconnect between the Assembly leadership's expectations and Feldman's.

"No one is questioning the former director's credentials, but the office was created as a training and expertise resource for members and staff and independent of the speaker's office," Whyland said. "It was never meant as a position that would craft policy and take part in negotiations, something that would obviously compromise the independent nature of the office.

"The contention that this position was created as a PR move is ridiculous," he said.

Whyland argued Heastie had taken part in numerous reform efforts, including establishing a rule ensuring lawmakers' outside income conforms to the law, working to reform oversight of lawmakers' per diem payments, stripping pensions from corrupt public officials and instituting "many reforms" to the Assembly's operations.

Four months after Feldman's exit, Whyland said the Assembly is looking to fill her former post with "someone who understands New York law, truly grasps the serious responsibilities of the office and its independent and bipartisan nature, and is willing to carry out its mission in full."

The initial job posting for Feldman's position, however, seemed to indicate the head of the ethics and compliance office would play a policy role.

When Heastie announced a nationwide search for the position in May 2015, he stated the selected candidate would be "proactive in identifying areas where our rules and regulations need improvement" working with the ethics counsel of both the majority and minority conferences. Yet Feldman says when she arrived in Albany, her voice was largely ignored.

One reform to state law that Feldman unsuccessfully pushed for was related directly to a core job mission.

Lawmakers often reach out to the state's Legislative Ethics Commission for advice about whether they can take certain types of outside income. Yet Feldman, as the Assembly's top ethics official, was by law not allowed access to the written advice the LEC was giving to the chamber's members. Unlike other ethics commissions across the country, the LEC does not post the vast majority of its opinions on its website, making it impossible for the public to learn its guidance in specific situations.

Feldman also had concerns about whether LEC opinions were consistent.

For instance, a lawmaker asked Feldman about taking an honorarium for giving a speech about Martin Luther King Jr. Feldman said a lawmaker could only take such money if it was totally unrelated to official duties.

The LEC, however, told the lawmaker such income was only prohibited if the speech was "directly related" to being a public official  which is contrary to what is taught in training sessions, Feldman said.

Lisa Reid, executive director of the LEC, said that, "I don't recall any instance where the advice we gave was contrary to our training."

Feldman also found the Assembly's per diem policy problematic. Some lawmakers would come to Albany on the Sunday night before a session week specifically to get paid an extra per diem, she said. Some of these lawmakers owned houses or rented apartments within a short drive of the Capitol, but still took the per diem.

And Feldman was troubled by the lack of hearings on important legislation, as well as the practice of not publicizing which bills would actually be debated on a given day.

Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, a Democrat from Syracuse, was on the search committee that selected Feldman. Magnarelli said that Feldman did not indicate during her job interview that she wanted to play a role in policy formulation, but it quickly became clear when she got to Albany that she wanted to push for certain changes.

"Once she got here, it became obvious that something had to give," he said. "Either the institution would give, or Jane would give. I found that unfortunate, because Jane is extraordinary. If she had stayed, she would have done extraordinary things for Assembly ethics."

Magnarelli said that Feldman "didn't give enough time for the office to grow" and, as a newcomer, didn't stay long enough to gain the trust of the veteran conference leadership. He did say that Feldman's efforts had helped create some internal movement to make more LEC opinions public.

Feldman said she liked living in Albany more than she had expected. But the frustrations with her job finally prompted a move back to Denver after this year's legislative session.

The contrasts between the political cultures in Colorado and New York were stark.

Feldman said that when she tells former Colorado legislators about New York's political culture, "They are appalled. I think it's just a totally different attitude."

New York Assembly members would complain that they don't make enough money, though at a base salary of $79,500 their pay ranks third in the country.

By contrast, Colorado legislators make $30,000 a year. Yet Feldman said during Colorado's legislative session  from January to mid-May  lawmakers consistently hold session days Monday through Friday without taking the weeks-long breaks on New York's legislative calendar.

Feldman says she spent $20,000 out of her own pocket on moving costs from Denver to Albany and back. She is now restarting an ethics consulting firm, and lives on a pension.

Feldman recalled New York Assembly members telling her that the ethics climate had improved in Albany over the past 10 years. For Feldman, the pace of change was not nearly fast enough.

"I don't care if things are better than 10 years ago," Feldman said. "It really is not good."

cbragg@timesunion.com  518-454-5303
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Galveston police need help identifying a young boy whose body was found Friday evening not far from the ocean surf line in a case that they are treating as a possible homicide.

Local police, surrounding authorities and federal agencies have searched databases but could not find any missing persons cases matching the boy, who is believed to be 3 to 5 years old, officials said at a press briefing in Galveston Sunday.

"The circumstances are without a doubt suspicious," he said. "There are no answers at this point."

The circumstances surrounding the death grow "more and more suspicious as time goes on," said Joshua Schirard, operations bureau commander at the Galveston Police Department.

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This case is unusual because the vast majority of drownings that occur over the summer tourist season across 37 miles of Galveston beach are witnessed or reported by someone accompanying the victim, Schirard said.

"Someone saw them go in the water. Someone tried to save them. Someone helped pull them out and it was just too late," he said. "That's what makes this so different. We don't have bodies just wash up on our beach with no story behind them, much less 3 to 5-year-old children."

The young boy, who may have been at least partially of Hispanic descent, was found by a 911 caller at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the 700 block of Seawall Boulevard. It's a stretch that Schirard described as "not a heavily traversed part of our beach," lying somewhere between two major Galveston beaches, Stewart beach and the region's primary beach near Seawall Boulevard.

Schirard described the child as roughly 3 feet tall, around 30 pounds, with brown hair roughly 3 to 4 inches long.

There were no distinguishing characteristics that could have led police to identify the child, he said. The boy's body did not appear to have sustained trauma, and was found unclothed  not unusual in drowning cases, in which a few minutes in the surf can remove clothing from a person, Schirard said.

But it is not clear if the child washed up on the surf or if the body was planted in the area. Police have not ruled out human trafficking, and contacted agencies in surrounding counties, federal agencies and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for any records matching the case. Nothing turned up.

Authorities are treating the case as a homicide and enlisted Texas forensic artist Lois Gibson to sketch a portrait of the child, based on photos provided by detectives, over the weekend. Police and Gibson said the body was not severely decomposed and "fairly intact" with no missing limbs.

Officials said they are still waiting for an official report from the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of the child's death  it is not clear the boy had drowned  and asking anyone with information to contact police at 409-765-3776.

"These detectives are working so hard to try to make sure we can get some headway very early on in this case," Schirard said. "Identifying this child is going to be one of the biggest things we can do to direct this case and make sure we can figure out how this happened and what happened out there."
Vanesa Brashier

Members of the Cleveland Rotary Club applaud fellow Rotarians Ernestine Belt and Tommie Daniel for their generous, consistent donations to the Rotary International Foundation.

As a result, both are now members of the Paul Harris Society, which supports vital work including eradicating polio, providing clean water and sanitation, supporting education, and many causes around the world.
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Moving day came weeks ago, but on Oct. 16, dozens of firefighters, police, city council and well-wishers gathered for the grand opening of the City of Dayton's new Public Safety Building on N. Cleveland St., the headquarters for the police and fire departments, and municipal court.

The new facility  two buildings, one to house the fire department and another for the police department and municipal court  were funded by $7.2 million in municipal bonds and built in a 16-month time frame by Christensen Building Group of Houston. Groundbreaking for the facility was held in May 2015 after months of planning.

The new 9,000-square-foot fire station is named for W.E. "Bill" Boyett, who served as fire chief from 1976 to 1988, and devoted more than 23 years of his life to the fire department. He also was the father of former Dayton Fire Chief Terry Boyett, who served as chief from 1994-95 and 2001-2016, and has dedicated 43 years and counting to the department. The entrance into the fire station from N. Cleveland St. has been named for former chief Bill Moreau.

The municipal court and police department are sharing a new 14,200-square-foot building. The municipal court was named in honor of the late Glenn Pruitt, the longtime municipal court judge. The police department has no tributes to former chiefs or officers at this time.

Moving in just before Hurricane Harvey, the fire and police departments were immediately able to test the capabilities of their new locations.

"It was incredible for us," said Dayton Asst. Fire Chief David Rodgers. "We put it into full swing during Harvey and it proved itself invaluable. We were serving four meals a day for any first responder who wanted to come here for a meal. A lot of them had to come use the showers and were eating here because they had problems with their homes. It did exactly what we designed it to do."

When the fire station was being planned, Rodgers said the kitchen area kept being expanded, which proved to be a smart decision.

"People wanted to know why the kitchen kept getting bigger and bigger, but during times of natural disaster, everyone seems to congregate here," he said. "Every one of our firefighters had a place to stay. During the day, there were 40-plus people here. Plus we had people coming by who were helping us out with water rescues by running their boats."

Rodgers expects the kitchen will prove invaluable again and again during the all-volunteer fire department's fundraisers.

"When we have our big plate sales, we will cook all the barbecue at Station 2 and then bring it over here to slice and serve," he said.

The fire station has four double bays, capable of comfortably housing eight fire trucks. Currently the station has six fire apparatus in the building, including brush, pumper and fire trucks. Station 2, located on N. Clayton St., is housing a rescue truck, fire engine and brush truck.

The new station has gear lockers for 40 firefighters, a large meeting room, a large day room and six bunk rooms with beds for 12. There are also new washers and dryers to clean the bunker gear.

"We have four offices in the station for the chief, assistant chief, captain and a joint office for secretary and treasurer. We have zero full-time personnel. We are 100 percent volunteer since 1930," Rodgers said.

The fire department has 32 active volunteer members.

Rodgers believes the city built the new fire station with an eye on projected growth.

"We definitely designed it with future growth in mind," he said.

NEW POLICE STATION LONG OVERDUE

After years of being cramped in a 3,000-square-foot building at 111 N. Church St., Police Chief John Headrick is stretching out a bit and enjoying all the perks of his department's new building.

Instead of six offices in the previous building, the police department now has 14 offices and room to add a couple more if needed.

The new facility has a classoom/meeting area that can comfortably hold up to 40 students.

"We can put in more but it's set up for 40 students. When we have a class, we can add more," Headrick said. "Police are constantly training and there is mandated class time every two years. Then there are other requirements ever four years."

Improved officer and public safety measures were built into the new building.

"We have a sallyport now. We didn't have one of those before. We also have an evidence and property room that is a whole lot bigger than what we had in the past. Our evidence and property room was packed full in the other building," he said. "We also have a fenced-in area where we didn't have one before."

The police department and municipal court staff will also benefit from the improved technology in the new building.

"All of our networks, phone system and dispatch systems are modernized and up to date," Headrick said.

Like Rodgers, Headrick believes the public safety buildings will adequately serve the city's needs for years to come.

"Once we get the major growth that has been projected, we will probably need to add some substations," the chief said.

Dayton Police Department currently has 29 employees, including the chief, a captain, administrative assistant, 13 officers and two sergeants on patrol, seven full-time people in communications and three officers in investigations. Another investigator is being added in the coming weeks.
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BOGOTA, Colombia - Not so long ago, Cesar Parra's world changed with a cup of coffee - a freshly brewed, richly aromatic ambrosia served at one of this nation's fast-multiplying quality cafes.

"It came as a shock, having a good cup," said Parra, 47, a late-to-the-game coffee lover who spoke on the sidelines of a master class for baristas. "I was born and raised in Colombia. And all my life I'd been drinking bad coffee."

For decades, this South American nation harbored a dirty little secret. In the land of Juan Valdez and his mule, Conchita - the fictional characters who have hooked the world on rich mugs of Colombian coffee since the 1950s - it was nearly impossible to get a good cup of Joe.

The reasons are well established. The finest arabica beans from Colombia's emerald hills were mostly exported, leaving domestic coffee lovers to drink the proverbial dregs. Some of the coffee consumed locally actually came from cheap imports from as far away as Vietnam. Then there's the way filtered coffee is prepared here. The most popular style is tinto - a weak and watery concoction with a shelf life rivaling Spam.

"Even at five-star hotels in Bogota, you'd have a hard time," said Roberto Velez, chief executive of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. "We grew the best. But Colombians just weren't used to drinking quality coffee."

Now globalization is changing that - specifically a wave of well-traveled Colombian entrepreneurs who, along with a number of foreign investors, are upping the quality of domestic coffee roasting and brewing. Together, they are fomenting a revolution in Colombia's coffee-drinking culture.

In Latin America, the better-coffee trend is percolating well beyond Colombia's borders. Supermarkets in Brazil were long known for peddling a few cheap and lower quality brands. But as consumers there clamor for a better brews, grocery stores are stocking locally produced gourmet beans.

Panama, meanwhile, is world famous for cultivating Geisha - a prized coffee variety known for its subtle, almost tea-like favor. Yet for years, it was as infamous as Colombia for serving up bad brews at home. That has changed, however, with a new crop of "third wave" coffee houses - reflecting a movement to produce and serve artisanal coffee.

In Colombia, domestic consumption of coffee - which lagged global trends for years - is skyrocketing, with experts citing the wider availability of better-quality coffee as a major factor.

Hundreds of new cafes have opened in recent years, with much of that growth coming from just one chain, Tostao. Since opening in December 2015, the company has democratized good coffee, offering prices so low that even maids and construction workers can afford a quality cup.

Yet the most elaborate new brew houses are elevating coffee to an art form, replicating the almost laboratory-like cafes pioneered by hardcore java hipsters in places like New York, Berlin, Seattle and Tokyo. The good coffee has excited the senses of Colombians like Parra, who feel as if they are discovering their nation's most famous (legal) export for the first time.

An aspiring cafe owner, Parra said he became inspired after sampling the brews at one of the capital's new high-style cafes. His obsession drove him one recent afternoon to downtown Bogota, where he joined 14 students for classes at Varietale. One of the capital's hippest coffee shops, it serves, among other things, blends produced via vacuum and heat in glass siphons.

For the attendees - from simple aficionados to baristas - the classes offer the kind of minutiae about coffee qualities typically reserved for agribusiness schools. In one exercise, students placed 12 grams of grounds from different batches into cups before dousing them with hot water. They smelled the bouquet, then slurped and spit, as in wine tastings.

"As drinkers, I think Colombians only now are really understanding what good coffee tastes like," Parra said.

Colombians began to get a taste of premium coffee at least as far back as the early 2000s, when Juan Valdez - the now-global chain established by the national coffee federation - began opening cafes. The quality of Colombian coffee beans was already on the rise. In the early 1990s, when coffee commodity prices collapsed, Colombia responded by encouraging its farmers to better compete globally by producing finer varieties of beans. The government has additionally deployed experts to help teach farmers to better judge well-balanced taste and acidity levels.

But experts say the spurt in quality coffee shops began more recently.

The idea came in large part from Colombian entrepreneurs who had traveled to Europe and the United States and experienced coffee-drinking epiphanies. Abel Calderon, co-owner of Varietale, for instance, opened his first branch in 2015 after sampling what Colombian coffee could taste like at cafes such as Storyville in Seattle.

"We had to taste our coffee outside of Colombia to appreciate what it could be like here," he said.

Pedro Gasca, a former executive with the Colombian airline Avianca, co-founded Tostao after visiting global chains like Pret a Manger.

The concept was tweaked for Colombia. Realizing that the majority of the high-end coffee shops here were priced out of reach for most Colombians, Tostao instead went for volume - selling coffee that has earned approving nods from specialists for as cheap as 40 cents a cup.

Coffee drinking per capita in Colombia still lags places like the United States, France and Brazil. But between 2009 and 2014, the most recent data available, coffee consumption soared 33 percent in Colombia, compared with 15 percent globally. That rush to java is evident in Tostao's rapid growth. In just 20 months, it has leapt to 200 locations - becoming as ubiquitous in Bogota as Starbucks is in the United States.

"We discovered that Colombians - I mean all Colombians, including the working class - really wanted a good cup of coffee," Gasca said.

At the same time, international entrepreneurs have spotted the odd hole for better-quality coffee in Colombia's market. Starbucks arrived in 2014. Tyler Youngblood, a native Californian, launched a coffee-roasting operation in Colombia in 2010. His company, Azahar Coffee Co., opened its first Bogota coffee shop in a makeshift metal container in 2013. This month, it opened a far larger cafe.

The firm uses some of the highest-quality beans available - the kind almost always exported in the past.

"I think the point is that Colombians have a right to drink their own best coffee," Youngblood said.

Another boost for coffee culture, local entrepreneurs say, came from peace.

The official end last year of Colombia's half-century-long war with the left-wing FARC guerrillas, as well as an easing of paramilitary violence in some coffee-growing regions, has opened up swaths of the country to local farm-to-table restaurateurs and coffee shop owners, some of whom are striking direct deals with farmers.

Alejandro Gutierrez, chef at Salvo Patria - a Bogota restaurant that started as a coffee shop six years ago - recently tasted coffee grown and roasted in the battled-scarred Meta region. Meta is not one of the country's better-known coffee regions, and Gutierrez was surprised by its quality. He ended up ordering batches for his restaurant, which lists coffee-growing regions for blends on its menu in the same way it does for wines.

"That whole state was FARC territory, and you wouldn't have thought about it before as an option for good coffee," he said. "But here you have this great coffee coming from there, and who knew? Well, now we know."

---

Wesley Tomaselli in Bogota and Anna Jean Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
As thousands of people attended an automobile rally in Australia's blue-collar heartland on Sunday, many knew it was also a funeral procession for the nation's car industry.

General Motors closed its Holden factory in the South Australian suburb of Elizabeth Friday, ending more than a century of car manufacturing in the country. Hundreds of workers were left jobless, just weeks after Toyota shut its plant in neighboring Victoria state, where Ford closed two sites last year.

The closures mark the end of home-grown icons such as the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon driven by Mel Gibson in the original "Mad Max" movie. But they also strike an economic blow, especially in the rust belt state of South Australia, where recent signs of recovery haven't been enough to stop people leaving in droves.

"It is clear that the automobile industry is a very significant industry that once it is gone, will leave a very deep economic gap, an investment gap and an employment gap," said John Spoehr, a professor of economics and director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute at Flinders University in Adelaide. "Holden injects a billion dollars plus into the South Australia economy. So its loss is going to be very significant."

More than 25,000 people attended the weekend parade in Elizabeth, including Holden workers past and present, to watch around 1,200 vintage models take to the streets. The last car rolled off the production line Friday more than 50 years after the factory opened.

South Australia, which is 60 percent desert, gained little benefit from the mining boom that spread wealth among other resource-rich states. Instead it suffered from the side effects of the soaring currency and rising wages. While its jobless rate has this year dropped from 7 percent to 5.8 percent, a record 6,900 more people departed the state than arrived last year.

The state has a "solid foundation from which to absorb this shock," South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said in a television interview Friday morning. "Of course it will put upward pressure on the unemployment rate, but I think it will be temporary, I think it will be manageable."

Victoria is better placed to absorb the shock of its closures. The state is booming, with net interstate migration soaring over the last five years to a record 18,000 arrivals in 2016 as workers moved for jobs and slightly cheaper homes than New South Wales, the most populous state.

"Victoria's economy is more diverse and has stronger business services and financial services sectors, and stronger population growth, which help mitigate impacts," said Spoehr. "The opportunities for workers in other sectors of manufacturing are more substantial too."

Still, the jobs market in Australia has been an economic bright spot of late. Despite losses from car manufacturing, more than 800,000 roles have been created since the first closure was announced four years ago. In the past 12 months, most new jobs have been in healthcare, construction and education.

Australia's car industry traces its roots to 1901, when land surveyor Harley Tarrant built the first petrol-driven car in a small workshop in Melbourne. By the end of the century, Holden's Commodore was the country's best-selling car and remained so until 2011. As well as the currency, there was fierce competition from low-cost labor in countries such as China and Thailand.

The pressures took their toll. Ford, Holden and Toyota said separately in 2013 and 2014 they would cease production Down Under. At that time, just over 11,000 people were employed directly by the three car makers in Australia, according to the Productivity Commission.

"If only Australia had held its nerve, the car industry might have just hung on, and taken advantage of new innovation in hybrids, driverless cars etc.," said Tim Harcourt, an economist at The University of New South Wales Business School, who advised on a state-commissioned review of the car industry in 2008. "Australia failed. To hang out the car industry to dry is very sad."

Since the announcement of the closure of the Elizabeth plant, almost three quarters of departing workers have found roles, according to Holden, which has provided career counseling, interview training and other services. While many of the 950 workers who remain at the factory woke up without a job on Saturday, others will also feel the pain.

"We are more concerned with workers of the supplier companies, and then the general ripple effect on the wider community as the economic activities slow down," said Peter Sandeman, chief executive officer of AnglicareSA, a Christian charity which helps South Australian communities.

Sandeman estimates another 2,500 jobs will be lost in the region from suppliers, and the effect will be palpable. Over the past year, his organization has seen an increasing demand in Elizabeth for emergency assistance, including groceries and meals, and he expects that to only rise further following the Holden plant's closure.

The Holden factory in Elizabeth was completed in 1962 and a year later, Queen Elizabeth II, after whom the suburb was named, visited and toured the plant. Filling its gap will be daunting: the last car plant closure in the state -- Mitsubishi Motors in 2008 -- triggered the biggest annual exodus of people to other states in 12 years.

There are some brighter spots on the horizon. The government has announced an A$89 billion ($70 billion) shipbuilding plan, which includes constructing 12 submarines mainly in South Australia and should generate thousands of jobs. But the key part of the program isn't scheduled to start until the early 2020s.

"That's four or five years away," Scott Batchelor, South Australia vehicles secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, said in a telephone interview. "That's a long time between the auto industry closing-down and then people getting employed in shipbuilding."

---

Bloomberg's Michael Heath and Kimberley Verschuur contributed.
WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has made it his mission to try to convince the American public that the Supreme Court is something unlike other Washington institutions - different from the gridlocked mess across the street in the Capitol, more disciplined and respectful of its place in the constitutional constellation than the bellicose White House down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The nine justices are not Democrats or Republicans, he often says, leaving unmentioned the political process that got each of them installed in their lifetime appointments. They put aside their personal and partisan preferences and go where the law and the Constitution lead them, he says.

Roberts, beginning his 13th year as the chief justice of the United States, is usually self-confident and sure-footed in his task.

But in the biggest political case of the Supreme Court's term, Roberts' actions opened him up last month more for criticism than praise. In the court's examination of partisan gerrymandering, Roberts lamented the predicament the court would be in if called upon regularly to choose winners and losers among Democrats and Republicans.

Critics on both the left and right called him out, saying it sounded as though he were more worried about polishing the court's reputation than fulfilling its duty.

The case was about whether Wisconsin's Republican legislative leadership had so gerrymandered the state's legislative districts as to make GOP control inevitable and Democratic opposition practically futile. In the first election after the district lines were drawn, Republican legislative candidates got 48 percent of the statewide vote but captured 60 of 99 General Assembly seats.

The court's decision could reshape the nation's politics. While the court has been vigilant about guarding the redistricting process against racial gerrymandering, the justices have never rejected a state's plan because it was too partisan.

Roberts was skeptical that the court had a role to play, because the political redistricting process might belong exclusively to the people's elected representatives. That is not so unusual - the last time the court considered the issue, in 2004, four of the nine justices said the court should stay out of partisan redistricting.

And Roberts was also leery of the mathematical test challengers had come up with to try to measure when normal politics became unconstitutional bias. (One version is called the "efficiency gap," or EG.) That's not so unusual either. There are plenty of skeptics of the plan.

But Roberts's real objection seemed to be that forcing the court to make such decisions would put the justices in a no-win position and tarnish the reputation that they - he - had worked hard to burnish:

"We will have to decide in every case whether the Democrats win or the Republicans win. So it's going to be a problem here across the board. And if you're the intelligent man on the street and the court issues a decision, and let's say, OK, the Democrats win, and that person will say: "Well, why did the Democrats win?"

The answer that a mathematical test found a way to gauge when partisan gerrymandering was too prevalent will not be convincing, Roberts said.

"The intelligent man on the street is going to say that's a bunch of baloney. It must be because the Supreme Court preferred the Democrats over the Republicans. And that's going to come out one case after another as these cases are brought in every state. And that is going to cause very serious harm to the status and integrity of the decisions of this court in the eyes of the country."

As quickly as anyone could say Bush v. Gore, or Citizens United v. FEC, criticism came from both left and right.

"Wait," conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin wrote in The Washington Post. "Especially for a 'conservative' justice, where does it say in the Constitution that the court should 'ignore constitutional violations if it makes the court less respected by people who don't read opinions'? This is an entirely illegitimate concern."

Joseph R. Fishkin, a University of Texas law professor writing on the liberal legal blog, Balkinization, said he had a "simple and realist answer" for Roberts: "That thing you are worried about, where the Court's intervention is perceived as partisan and thereby erodes respect for the Court? It is not going to happen."

More likely, Fishkin wrote, is that Roberts' imaginary intelligent man on the street will say: "What a bunch of baloney. The Court is refusing to fix this problem even though they're the only ones who can fix this problem. I guess they are part of the problem."

There was more.

In expressing his skepticism of the test the challengers said the court could use to decide when a redistricting plan became an outlier, Roberts went a little far in his self-deprecation.

"The whole point is you're taking these issues away from democracy and you're throwing them into the courts pursuant to - and it may be simply my educational background, but I can only describe as - sociological gobbledygook," Roberts said.

No one's ever doubted Roberts' brain, and it's unlikely the Harvard grad who dazzled at Harvard Law School was underserved by his professors.

Paul Smith, the lawyer representing the challengers, responded: "Your Honor, this is - this is not complicated."

Justice Elena Kagan served up the droll observation that if state legislators could use enhanced voter technology to draw maps to lock in majorities for election after election, surely judges could use the same techniques to determine when those plans had gone too far.

And the American Sociological Association weighed in on Roberts as well, in a somewhat snooty letter released publicly.

We "are particularly concerned about a person of your stature suggesting to the public that scientific measurement is not valid or reliable and that expertise should not be trusted," wrote Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, the association's president. "What you call "gobbledygook" is rigorous and empirical."

He added: "Should you be interested in enhancing your education in this area, we would be glad to put together a group of nationally and internationally renowned sociologists to meet with you and your staff."

That doesn't seem likely.

Roberts, of course, has a point. The Supreme Court has a mandate from Congress to review decisions about redistricting from the lower courts and either affirm or reverse those decisions. The court in recent years has been drawn into redistricting battles in Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas.

If the court decides charges of partisan gerrymandering should receive the same scrutiny as charges of racial gerrymandering, there will no doubt be more challenges making their way to the high court.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, 81, probably holds the deciding vote in the case. But he may not be around to review the redistricting challenges that would follow the 2020 Census.

It would be Roberts and the court he heads that would be left to apply the gobbledygook and avoid the baloney.
By India Today Web Desk: Bigg Boss 7 winner Gauahar Khan, who had earlier tweeted in favour of Bigg Boss 11 contestant Shilpa Shinde, again took to Twitter to show her support for rapper Akash Dadlani.

The actress was mighty impressed with Akash, as she wrote, "A-kash or akash ... Ure real, loyal , all heart ... I don't know u , but I hope u go long in this show !!! N u are grounded ! (sic)

A-kash or akash .... Ure real , loyal , all heart ... I don't know u , but I hope u go long in this show !!! N u are grounded !?- Gauahar Khan (@GAUAHAR_KHAN) October 21, 2017

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This tweet by Gauahar came after Friday night's episode, where Akash was called overconfident by Hina Khan, during a talk show segment, where all the nominated contestants were asked to speak on why they deserved to stay in the house.

Her tweet didn't go down well with Hina Khan's friend and former Bigg Boss contestant Rohan Mehra. He slammed the actress for supporting Akash and tweeted, "This Akash DADLANI u r supporting @GAUAHAR_KHAN. Also next time tag @eyehinakhan if u have the guts or any sort of issues. From #ruderohan." (sic)

This Akash DADLANI u r supporting @GAUAHAR_KHAN. Also next time tag @eyehinakhan if u have the guts or any sort of issues.From #ruderohan- Rohan Mehra (@rohan4747) October 21, 2017

The war of words continued between the two, as Gauahar replied to him in a series of tweets. She wrote, " So apparently if u say something nice about someone , ppl in this world interpret that as an attack on some 1 else .. lol.

If I wanna diss someone I will say so n tag ppl too , Dnt need no permission! But until then stop ur assumptions n spreading hatred." (sic)

So apparently if u say something nice about someone , ppl in this world interpret that as an attack on some 1 else .. lol ?????- Gauahar Khan (@GAUAHAR_KHAN) October 21, 2017

If I wanna diss someone I will say so n tag ppl too , Dnt need no permission! But until then stop ur assumptions n spreading hatred- Gauahar Khan (@GAUAHAR_KHAN) October 21, 2017

Rohan played Hina Khan's son in Star Plus' popular show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.

--- ENDS ---
BEIRUT - U.S.-backed forces seized control of Syria's biggest oil field on Sunday, accelerating a race with the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies to take over the last major strongholds of the Islamic State in the east of the country.

Kurds and Arabs fighting under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces captured the al-Omar oil field in Deir al-Zour province after charging about 60 miles through the desert and launching a surprise assault, according to U.S. military and SDF officials.

The capture of the oil field came five days after the SDF declared victory in the Islamic State's de facto capital, Raqqa, freeing up forces for what is expected to be an intensified effort to drive the militants out of their remaining positions in neighboring Deir al-Zour, said Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S. military.

Deir al-Zour is where most of Syria's oil is located, and it is emerging as a key front in the wider war for influence in the Middle East, between the United States and its allies and the Iranian and Russian alliance that is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The capture of al-Omar gives the Kurdish-led SDF control over a vital strategic asset that could serve to give it leverage in any future negotiations over the status of Kurds in Syria and to fund the fledgling autonomous region they are building in northeastern Syria.

It also risks triggering a confrontation with the Syrian government, potentially drawing the United States into a fight with Syria, Russia and Iran.

Syrian government loyalists advancing from the west had reached the outskirts of al-Omar only days before and had seemed poised to take the oil field until the SDF launched its offensive. The oil field contains roughly a quarter of Syria's oil reserves and had been a significant source of income for the Islamic State as it attempted to build a statelike structure in the vast areas it once controlled in Iraq and Syria.

The surprise assault was intended to leave the militant group no time to sabotage the oil field's infrastructure, as it typically does when retreating from important areas, Dillon said. The U.S. military provided support in the form of intelligence and combat advice, he said. But Dillon declined to say whether U.S. Special Operations forces deployed in Syria alongside the SDF had participated in the operation. "We put our forces where they need to be to support our partners," he said.

Al-Omar was taken without "significant damage" to the oil facilities there, according to a statement issued by Liliwe Abdullah, a spokesman for the SDF operation. SDF fighters are now battling with Islamic State holdouts who retreated to a workers' housing complex nearby, the statement added.

Dillon said the U.S. military and its allies are not in a race with the Syrian government to take territory from the rapidly disintegrating forces of the Islamic State. The battle there, nonetheless, is shaping up as a competition between rival powers for control over an area that contains most of Syria's oil reserves and a key regional trade route.

The next major prize is the town of Bukamal, which straddles the highway linking the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to the Syrian capital of Damascus. Control over the border town would enable Iran to reopen a vital land route between Tehran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in Beirut, deepening its strategic reach into the heart of the Middle East.

The United States and its SDF allies are also planning to advance toward Bukamal, where the Islamic State has now concentrated its forces, Dillon said. First, however, they will have to clear and consolidate their hold over the large area that was seized Sunday.

"Our mission is to defeat ISIS," he said, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State. "Our priority was the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa, and now that defeat has happened. They (the SDF) have made this very quick sprint down to al-Omar, and they have to reinforce that area. The offensive operations on Bukamal will be difficult and will take a lot of forces."

---

Zakaria reported from Istanbul.
The World Health Organization has rescinded its appointment of Robert Mugabe, the longtime president of Zimbabwe, to a "goodwill ambassador" role.

WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus said in a statement Sunday morning that he had "listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns" in making his decision.

The appointment had provoked global head-scratching and outrage because of Mugabe's track record of human-rights abuses, including violent crackdowns on political dissent, which had earned Zimbabwe international sanctions.

The outcry rocketed around the world after this week's announcement and seemed centered around one primary point: Can you be a "goodwill ambassador" if the world widely regards you as a violent, tyrannical despot?

Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian who became the first African to hold the post this year, made the announcement earlier this week at a Uruguay conference on noncommunicable diseases, saying Mugabe would be an advocate for fighting diseases such as cancer and diabetes in Africa.

Ghebreyesus had described Mugabe's Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies" and told attendees that Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" on the issue.

The Noncommunicable Diseases Alliance - representing a lot of the other people at the conference where Mugabe's appointment was announced - immediately condemned the move.

NCD members were "shocked and deeply concerned to hear of this appointment, given President Mugabe's long track record of human-rights violations and undermining the dignity of human beings," the alliance said in a statement. "... While we support WHO and Dr. Tedros in their ambition to drive the NCD agenda forward, we are unable to recognise President Mugabe as a champion for NCDs."

The appointment "embarrasses" WHO and its director, said Iain Levine, program director for Human Rights Watch.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the U.S. State Department said "this appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity."

The unofficial response on Twitter was just as strong: "Who next, Kim Jong Un?" quipped one person, referring to the despotic president of North Korea.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of United Nations Watch and a human rights activist, wrote: "Shame on you, @WHO, for legitimizing brutal tyrant Mugabe, who devastated the health system of Zimbabwe & flies abroad for his health care."

Like Neuer, many found it odd that a man accused of destroying Zimbabwe's health-care system is now speaking out on global health issues.

As the New York Times wrote in 2009, a delegation from Physicians for Human Rights "found that the Mugabe regime destroyed the country's healthcare system and pursued policies that ruined what had been a vibrant agriculture, depriving all but a tiny elite of proper nutrition, water, and a sustainable livelihood. One result has been a cholera epidemic and the spread of other diseases."

The hospitals in Zimbabwe have gotten so bad, many have said, that Mugabe flies to other countries for medical treatment.

A 2008 U.S. diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks said the Zimbabwean president was battling prostate cancer, according to Reuters. The cable said his physician urged him to step down from office to heal.

He celebrated his 90th birthday in a Singaporean health clinic. On state television, officials said he was "as fit as a fiddle" and that the out-of-country visit was for a long overdue cataract surgery. But he spoke slowly and had a "puffy" appearance, according to Reuters, adding to the rumors.

The Zimbabwe Herald called the nonagenarian's recent appointment a "new feather in President's cap" and said he would "spearhead the fight against noncommunicable diseases."

Goodwill ambassadors hold little power but usually travel the world, using their celebrity to champion their organizations' key issues, in this case, noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Both Ricky Martin and Shakira have been goodwill ambassadors for UNICEF, for example. And Mugabe will replace former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

But it is by no means a lifetime post.

Some goodwill ambassadors have sparked controversy before - and been fired. Wonder Woman was fired as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, for example, after a large outcry that a white woman in skimpy clothing who solves most of her problems with violence wasn't a good role model for girls.
If and when the last remaining government documents about President John F. Kennedy's assassination are made public next week, historians may have to hold their noses and thank "JFK" - a 1991 blockbuster that conflated the historical record with conspiratorial fantasies.

Oliver Stone's barely factual retelling of a prosecutor's effort to prove the CIA killed Kennedy grossed hundreds of millions of dollars, and pushed Congress to order the release of nearly all assassination documents within 25 years, or by Thursday.

As the government agency called the Assassination Records Review Board once wrote, the film "disturbed" the public and elected officials with its suggestions of a secretive government coverup.

But as many reviewers and journalists have noted, "JFK's" most compelling scenes are totally made up.

In his defense, Stone never claimed the film he directed and co-wrote was truth.

"It is not a true story per se," he told the New York Times a few months before it was released in 1991. "It explores all the possible scenarios of why Kennedy was killed, who killed him and why."

But Stone promised a certain level of accuracy. He pointed the reporter to his studio's research department, stuffed with documents from the Warren Commission hearings and other investigations that concluded Lee Harvey Oswald, alone, killed Kennedy in 1963.

What ended up in theaters in time for Christmas opened like a documentary, with a montage of news footage from Kennedy's presidency and final motorcade.

But for the next three hours, Edward Jay Epstein wrote in the Atlantic, the film leapt seamlessly and confusingly between reality and fabrication. It "demonstrated yet again how easily pierced is the thin membrane that separates the mainstream media from the festering pools of fantasies on its peripheries."

"JFK" is loosely based on the late-1960s trial of a New Orleans businessman, accused of conspiring with Oswald and the CIA to kill Kennedy.

A jury acquitted the man after less than an hour of deliberation, the New York Times wrote. The district attorney was accused of concocting bizarre theories to gain attention, and the trial left what the New Orleans Times-Picayune called "a lasting stain on the city's justice system."

But in "JFK," the trial was portrayed as a heroic effort to unshackle the truth from government clutches.

Two examples:

In the actual trial, a key witness recalled participating in the conspiracy only after being given so-called "truth serum" and hypnotized. In the movie, as Epstein noted, Stone simply swapped the problematic witness out for a fictional neo-Nazi with a good memory, played by Kevin Bacon.

Another key suspect in the alleged New Orleans conspiracy, David Ferrie, maintained his innocence until he died of natural causes, Epstein wrote.

But in "JFK," Epstein noted, Ferrie admits to working for the CIA, mentoring Oswald and knowing who Kennedy's real killers are - and is then promptly "murdered by a baldheaded man who forces pills down his throat."

For all the film's detailed fabrications, the New York Times complained in its review that Stone's central conspiracy "remains far more vague than the movie pretends."

"The conspiracy includes just about everybody up to what are called the government's highest levels," the Times wrote. "But nobody in particular can be identified except some members of the scroungy New Orleans-Dallas-Galveston demimonde."

The furor around the film only grew as it went on to win Oscars, and Stone defended the research behind it.

"I had never made a movie where I had to defend it six months later in the press," Stone recalled to Variety. "The media was very nasty and they'd set me up on shows. At some point I had quite a bit of research on my side, but I'd have to recall it all [on the spot] and I couldn't do that."

And yet, as the Assassination Records Review Board wrote several years later, the film successfully "popularized a version of President Kennedy's assassination that featured U.S. government agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the military as conspirators."

Though "JFK" was largely a work of fiction, the board wrote, the government wasn't helping dispel mistrust by keeping investigative reports on the assassination under seal until 2029.

So less than a year after the film hit the big screen, facing reelection, President George H.W. Bush signed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act - promising to release all relevant documents by this month, unless doing so would threaten national security.

The government began to make good on the promise almost immediately, in 1993, when National Archives workers wheeled out boxes stuffed with more than 800,000 pages of once-secret documents.

As The Washington Post noted at the time, the papers largely proved a disappointment to conspiracy theorists who lined up to sift through them, containing nothing to refute conclusions that Oswald acted alone.

But Stone, like fans of his movie, was not dissuaded.

"I'm amazed there is any single adult left in the U.S.A. who would not think that Lee Harvey Oswald was the one and only assassin," he wrote in USA Today in 2013, for the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death.

The "counter-evidence" was still being stifled, Stone wrote, and accused the powers that be of replicating "a Soviet-era manufacturing of history in which the mainstream media deeply discredit our country and continue to demean our common sense."

And the public appears to still be with him.

While belief that others were involved in Kennedy's death has dipped since the 1990s, it was still the viewpoint of a solid majority of the American public - as it has been in Gallup polls ever since the assassination.

President Donald Trump said he plans to release the final assassination documents next week - a quarter century after "JFK" was released, and twice that long since the assassination.

As the Chicago Tribune wrote, whatever is in the papers is certain to inspire conspiracy stories for the future.

- - -

Part of a continuing series about facets of the past that remain relevant.
After Diwali, pollution in Delhi was such that breathing was equal to smoking 50 cigarettes a day - that is what a doctor had to say about the quality of air in the national capital.

Air quality in Delhi is reportedly better than last year, but the level of toxic pollutants in the air remains the say, experts say (Photo: K Asif)

By Priyanka Sharma: Breathing in the Capital's toxic air is like smoking 50 cigarettes a day, say doctors.

Just 48 hours after the Diwali festivities, cases of respiratory illnesses at city hospitals have shot up by about 30 per cent with patients complaining of chest congestion, breathlessness and cough. Delhi's top medical institutes are witnessing a massive rush in OPDs and casualty wards with doctors fearing that for many of the patients the next stage is pneumonia.

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Experts say though the air quality is reportedly better than last year, the toxic pollutants levels are still the same- the only difference is visibility whas improved this time.

Since Diwali night, the doctors at the casualty ward of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) have witnessed a sudden surge in the number of patients complaining of breathing difficulties who had no previous problems in the recent past.

"I saw three patients in the OPD who did not have any respiratory issues for the past year. Within a few hours of the festivities, their symptoms exacerbated. Now, they have been advised inhalers and nebulisers. Moreover, we have witnessed patients with preexisting chest aliments," said Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman of the centre for chest surgery at SGRH.

"After Diwali celebrations, pollutant levels were such that it was equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a day! The bursting of firecrackers is so harmful that the chemicals remain in the atmosphere for many months and are being inhaled by us. Most vulnerable groups are children and the elderly."

The pollutants which are a grave threat to residents are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM2.5) and PM 10. These particles are so small that they get ingested deep into the lungs and cause damage.

The Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in Delhi is also seeing a record number of patients post festivities. Doctors here are concerned about the other polluting factors such as vehicles, construction sites, indoor air pollution, and fumes from roadside dhabas.

"Obviously, pre-Diwali festivities, there were not many cases. Post celebrations, the cases have shot up by 20 to 30 per cent. Patients are coming in with severe symptoms of breathing difficulty. Most of them are children above 12 years of age and the elderly," said (Prof) Dr Raj Kumar, head of pulmonary medicine at the institute.

SC BAN ON SALE OF FIRECRACKERS

The Supreme Court this month banned the sale of crackers in and around Delhi till November 1 in a bid to prevent a repeat of the 2016 air pollution, the worst the national Capital recorded in 20 years.

(Prof) Dr Sanjeev Bagai, director of Manipal Hospital, told Mail Today: "Air pollution slowly creates morbidity and mortality by critically affecting several organsystems such as nervous system, kidneys, liver, intestines, skin, and blood. The younger population and pregnant mothers are more vulnerable. Banning of firecrackers was definitely a good step by the government, but more stringent measures should be taken to control air pollution."

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The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has seen a nearly 20 per cent jump in patients complaining of breathing difficulty in the past 48 hours. "People with pre-existing respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and cardiac diseases are suffering more due to poor air quality," said Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS.

According to the latest Global Burden of Disease study, India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

It stated that of 32 lakh deaths by COPD, 8 lakh happened in India. Of 4 lakh deaths caused by asthma, 1 lakh were in India. The findings of the study were published this week in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal. Health experts suggest air pollution is one of the major risk factors.

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A man jumped to his death from the balcony of a Hilton Palacio Del Rio Hotel room early Saturday afternoon, the San Antonio Medical Examiner's Office confirms.

Little information is available, but San Antonio police told KSAT the individual was in his 20s, and hit a tree before landing on a stairwell.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m.

San Antonio Fire Department confirmed they responded to assist SAPD with a DOA at the hotel. The medical examiner's office confirmed they received the remains of a person who jumped from the hotel, but did not release any other information.

Portions of South Alamo Street were closed for about two hours following the incident, KSAT reports.

Authorities have not said if the incident happened on the street, or river side of the hotel.

An operator with the hotel said they had no information about such an incident happening at the hotel Saturday, and a manager on duty was not available and did not return calls.

In 2014 a man jumped to his death from the 18th floor of the hotel following a fight with his wife.

More on this story as information becomes available.

Starr Writer Alexandro M. Luna contributed to this report.
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UPDATE 8 A.M.: An hours-long standoff with police ended late Saturday night when a man was shot by police after he refused to comply with their orders as he approached officers.

The man is in serious, but stable condition at Brooke Army Medical Center. No officers were injured.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Authorities continue to negotiate with an armed individual who locked himself inside a Terrell Hills residence and then fired a gun Saturday evening, police said.

Terrell Hills Police Chief, William Foley, said officers responded to a call of a suspicious person on the 300 block of Elizabeth Road about 6 p.m.

When approached by police, they said the man turned and walked into his family's home and then fired a round from a firearm.

Terrell Hills police, assisted by police from San Antonio, Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, then set up a perimeter around the home with multiple units armed with long rifles.

Foley said the man's family has made contact with him and that he appears to be in good health.

No one has been harmed in this incident. Police did not say what motivated the man to fire the gun. Nor did they say what type of gun the man used.

Police warned neighbors to avoid the area as the standoff continues.

Earlier reports had that the man fired two shots at officers. Police later clarified that the man fired a single round within his residence.

This story will be updated as details become available.

aluna@express-news.net | @alexluna801
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A standoff with an armed man Saturday in Terrell Hills came to an end after nearly five hours when the subject was shot after he approached officers and refused to comply with their commands, police said.

Terrell Hills Police Chief, William Foley, said officers responded to a call of a suspicious person on the 300 block of Elizabeth Road about 6 p.m.

When police arrived they found an individual sitting on a curb in front of a residence. Officers said while they tried to determine if the man was the focus of the call, he became agitated and walked away.

RELATED: Police engaged in a standoff with a man in Terrell Hills

According to officials, the man entered the residence and then officers heard a gunshot from inside the home.

Terrell Hills police then surrounded the home and were assisted by police from San Antonio, Alamo Heights and Olmos Park.

Officers negotiated with the subject for several hours, during this time several more shots were fired inside of the residence, police at the scene said.

At about 11 p.m. the man walked out of the residence into the backyard. Police said the man approached officers and refused to comply with their commands, he was then shot by a single round.

Police did not say where he was wounded, but he was taken into custody and transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

Police said no one else was injured during the incident. No other information has been released.

Nbautista@express-news.net | @_NBautista

Staff writer Alexandro M. Luna contributed to this report.
Even among U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rouke's biggest fans the question looms.

How exactly can an underfunded Democrat from El Paso pull off what would be one of the colossal upsets in modern political history in defeating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the reddest of Red States?

As much as O'Rourke's fans used a town hall meeting in Austin Sunday to pepper him with questions about his public policy stances, several kept asking how exactly O'Rourke thinks he can overcome a history in Texas in which a Democrat has not won statewide since the early 1990s. The questions come at a time when early polls show nearly two-thirds of voters still don't know who he is with the election now just over one year away.

O'Rourke assured more than 350 people on the University of Texas campus in Austin that he knows the odds are steep, but is convinced he is doing things that Democrats before him have failed to do in statewide races. Specifically, the 45-year-old talked about the cities and towns he has been to over the last six months, places he said Democrats have for too long written off and not even tried to compete in. He talked about meeting with business leaders in Lubbock and Republican voters in LaGrange. He said in many of those places people are telling them they haven't seen a Democratic challenger for the Senate even try to get their vote.

"What have we been doing for the last 40 years," O'Rourke said.

O'Rourke told the audience that by showing up to unconventional locations for Democrats, he's connecting issues people are facing to Democratic values. He said on issues like health care, education and the environment, he's making valuable connections with people who historically would not have considered voting for a Democrat.

"It may defy measurement in the polling and the pundits, but in being in communities throughout Texas it is very clear people across the state want something better," O'Rourke said in an interview after the town hall.
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) Mot Hennessy India has partnered designer Manish Malhotra to create limited edition bottles for its Made in India brand Chandon as it aims to seed it into the consumption repertoire during festive season.

Chandon is part of the portfolio of Mot Hennessy India ? a wholly owned subsidiary of Mot Hennessy, the champagnes, wines and spirits division of LVMH.

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"This is the first time that Chandon India has collaborated to create special bottles. Since Chandon launched in 2013, we have built the market for sparkling wine here by educating consumers as well as sharing with them concepts and experiences relevant to their lifestyles," Mot Hennessy India Managing Director StAphane de Meurville told PTI.

Meurville said a collaboration with another brand or an individual helps the company go beyond winemaking and engage with its consumers.

"With this collaboration, our aim is to seed Chandon into the consumption repertoire during the most important season of the year," he added.

These limited edition bottles for the Chandon Brut, the -- priced at Rs 1,450, will be available for the festive season until January 2018.

When asked about the challenges of operating in Indian market, Meurville said: "India was the first country in Asia to launch Chandon. With every passing year, we have grown the pie for sparkling wine in the market..India is a nascent yet growing market for sparkling wines and has an evolving pool of young consumers, who are knowledgeable and aware of well- crafted wines..This growth will only increase further."

When asked if the company plans to increase portfolio of India made products, he said: "Our imminent focus is on sparkling wines with Chandon. While there is no immediate plan to diversify the Made in India portfolio, if we see an evident demand-supply gap in another category we will definitely look into it when the time is right."

Chandon - currently available in three variants-- is made in India at the companys winery in Dindori, Nashik.

Besides Chandon, the companys international portfolio of brands include Mot&Chandon, Dom Perignon, Krug, Veuve Clicqut and Ruinart, Cloudy Bay, Terrazas and Lapostolle, Hennessy, Belvedere, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. PTI SVK ADI MKJ

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About a half-dozen people were injured in an explosion at a bed and breakfast in Connecticut on Saturday evening, officials said.

The explosion tore through the Spring Hill Inn on Route 195 in Mansfield shortly after 5 p.m.

Firefighters, emergency responders and police from nearby towns descended on the inn, with officials saying five to seven people were injured.

At least one person was airlifted to Hartford Hospital, although officials said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

A sign outside the building said there was a wine tasting fundraiser at the building that night.



A photo from the scene shows ambulances and fire trucks surrounding the inn and police tape wrapped around the area.

It wasnt immediately known what sparked the explosion; there were reports that gas may have caused it.

Connecticut State Police fire and explosion detectives are investigating, along with other local departments.
President Donald Trump intends to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election, a White House official said Saturday.

NBC News has not independently verified the story.



It's the first such commitment by Trump, who has dismissed the ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia as a "witch hunt" invented by Democrats to explain Hillary Clinton's loss.

It wasn't immediately clear exactly how the payouts would be structured or which aides would be receiving them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the president's plans, which were first reported by the website Axios.

Trump and his aides have been racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees as Special Counsel Robert Mueller and House and Senate committees dig deeper into Russia's role in the campaign. Mueller's team of investigators has been interviewing current and former White House officials in their probe, and Trump campaign officials and others have been turning over tens of thousands of emails and documents to federal and congressional investigators.

One former campaign aide, Michael Caputo, has spoken publicly about the financial toll the legal bills have taken on his family, including having to empty out his children's college savings accounts.

The Republican National Committee and the president's re-election campaign have been covering some of the costs, including payments to the law firm representing Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who in June 2016 met with a Russian lawyer and others who had promised to deliver dirt on Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly denied that he colluded with Russia to win the election and has voiced skepticism about the conclusion by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had a clear preference for Trump in the 2016 campaign.

The continuing investigations and attention to the issue have infuriated the president, who sees the efforts as an attempt to delegitimize his presidency.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," he tweeted Saturday. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Facebook has said ads that ran on the company's social media platform and have been linked to a Russian internet agency were seen by an estimated 10 million people before and after the 2016 election.

Norman Eisen, an ethics lawyer in the Obama administration, said the offer "raises substantial questions under federal criminal law and federal ethics law," including whether it might be construed as part of an effort to glean more favorable testimony and whether current federal employees are even allowed to accept such gifts.

"Whenever an individual who is the focus of an investigation, as President Trump is the focus of this investigation, offers anything of value to witnesses who may be able to affect the course of the investigation, that raises very serious questions on a variety of legal authorities," he said.

He said he would have hesitated to recommend such an offer and warned it would likely draw prosecutorial scrutiny.
California billionaire Tom Steyer announced Friday that he will dump at least $10 million into a national television advertising campaign calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment.

In the ad, Steyer argues Trump should be ousted from office because he has edged the country toward nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI and threatened to shut down news organizations he does not like. He urges viewers to call their members of Congress and tell them to bring articles of impeachment.

"People in Congress and his own administration know this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons," Steyer says in the ad. "And they do nothing."

Steyer plans to spend eight figures to air the television ads nationally, but he would not give an exact amount. His investment comes as he considers running against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, and as Democrats in Washington argue over whether efforts to impeach Trump are smart or worthwhile.

"If Democrats want to appease the far left and their liberal mega-donors by supporting a baseless, radical effort that the vast majority of Americans disagree with, then have at it," said Michael Ahrens, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

Republicans will focus on "issues voters actually care about," such as the economy and cutting taxes, he said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Steyer also said he will spend seven figures on an accompanying digital ad campaign.

An impeachment resolution brought last week by Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas died before coming up for a vote. Green has vowed to try again.

But Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California think impeachment attempts are not worthwhile because they will fail in the Republican-led Congress and could energize GOP voters heading into the next election.

Steyer has poured his wealth into a variety of political efforts, mostly focused on stopping climate change.
The father of a 3-year-old boy fighting for his life after his older brother shot him in the head with a handgun has been charged, police said Sunday.

The little boy was shot in the left side of his forehead by his 6-year-old brother Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, police have said. They and a third brother, who is 12, were allegedly home alone at the time.

The father, identified as Sirhaven Williams, 36, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering the welfare of a person, police said. The reckless charge is a misdemeanor of the second degree and the child endangerment charge can be filed as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the severity of the allegations.

The unidentified child is "in very critical condition," police said in a statement Sunday.

The shooting occurred inside a house on the 3600 block of North 18th Street in the Tioga section about 3 p.m. The 6-year-old boy grabbed a handgun from a second floor bedroom and opened fire, striking his 3-year-old brother in the left side of his forehead, police said.

Neighbors heard the gunshot and called the child's family. The toddler was then taken to Temple University Hospital.

"To come home to hear about this is very disturbing and I hope and pray that he's going to be alright," said Charlene Aiken, a neighbor.



Police had been waiting for a warrant to search the home.


The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money."

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

"They can't get away from the politics of the moment," he said of current White House occupants. "Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nation's grandfather."

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.
The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad has written to Pakistan's Interior Ministry, saying that a terrorist tasked with attacking Ambassador Yao Jing has entered Pakistan.

China fears its new envoy to Islamabad may be killed (Image for representation)

By Hamza Ameer: China has asked Pakistan to increase security for its new ambassador in Islamabad, after receiving intelligence information that terrorists were planning to attack him.

The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad has written to Pakistan's Interior Ministry, saying that a terrorist tasked with attacking Ambassador Yao Jing has entered Pakistan.

The Embassy asked that Islamabad take immediate action, and increase security for Yao. Sources say a letter written by the focal person for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), identifies the terrorist as Abdul Wali, who is from the banned East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM).

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The ETIM largely operates in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang, home to many minority ethnic groups, including the Turkic Uyghur Muslims.

The letter contains details about the Wali's passport, and demands that he be arrested immediately, and handed over to the Chinese Embassy. This, the letter says, won't just help foil the terrorist's nefarious designs, but will also facilitate the capture of other terrorists involved in the plot.

The multi-billion dollar CPEC project, dubbed a 'game-changer' for the region, will connect the Xinjiang region with Pakistan's deep sea port in Gwadar, through a rail and road network.

(With inputs from PTI)

ALSO WATCH | Narendra Modi is a terrorist, says Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khwaja Asif

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Southern California resident Jovita Mendez doesnt speak English. She cant read or write, in any language. But she longed for a better future for herself and, this week, she achieved that by finally becoming a U.S. citizen.

I didnt think that I would be able to accomplish this, but I did it, Mendez told Telemundo 20 and NBC 7 in Spanish, holding back tears after being naturalized in a ceremony alongside 700 immigrants in downtown San Diego on Wednesday.

I did it because my kids are here. They told me I needed to do this for myself, to have a future here, she added. Im happy.

Mendez, originally from Mexico, has lived in the United States for 20 years. She has always wanted to become a U.S. citizen but illiteracy and the language barrier have held her back.

I dont know how to read, I dont know how to write, Mendez explained.

Until recently, she had never had the confidence to take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization test, which consists of 10 civics questions randomly selected from a list of 100 questions.

To pass, applicants must orally answer correctly at least six out of the 10 questions. The only way to effectively do that is to study all 100 civics questions, which cover everything from U.S. history to politics.

Encouraged by her children, Mendez decided to take the test. She took classes led by local Maribel Solache.

Shes a special case. She doesnt know how to read or write, Solache told NBC 7. When she came to me, she was filled with insecurities and fear. She didnt know how to tell me that she couldnt read or write.

Solache said Mendez also didnt know she could qualify for special accommodations for the oral test given her age and time spent living in the U.S. Per USCIS rules, if youre over the age of 50 and have lived in the U.S. for 20 years or more, you can take the civics test in your native language. This also applies to those age 55 and older, who have lived in the U.S. for 15 or more years.

Solache told Mendez that the language barrier and not being able to read or write didnt mean she couldnt become a citizen. She just needed to be sure of herself.

My job was to empower her and make her believe that she could do it  that her limitations were in her head. It wasnt the language barrier; it wasnt that she couldnt read or write, it was her own insecurities, Solache said.

With that, the women got to work.

Mendez said Solache would read the civics questions to her several hours each week, and she would repeat each word three to four times until she memorized everything.

Solache said she started with the easiest, timeliest questions on the test: the political parties, the name of the president of the United States and other political topics. The teacher also downloaded an app to Mendezs phone where she could listen to the questions.

At home, Mendezs husband would quiz her, too. On the weekends, she repeated the words to herself, keeping them fresh in her mind.

Eventually, she memorized all 100 civics questions and the answers.

I learned the words, she explained.

Mendez was ready to take her test.

On her first try, she failed.

But she didnt let that get her down. Solache and Mendezs children pushed her to keep studying.

On her second attempt, she passed.

And, for Mendez, Wednesdays naturalization ceremony was the culmination of hard work and a lifelong dream.

I am a U.S. citizen now, she said, crying, while proudly holding up her naturalization certificate. I wanted something more for myself, and I did it.

Mendezs family and three children attended the ceremony.

Im happy that shes now free to live her future, Mendezs daughter said. Shes done so much for us.

Solache was there to support her too. She said Mendezs story is an example of the story of many immigrants who have arrived in the U.S.

People came here to work hard and make a good life for their families and their children. This test, today, is an opportunity for them to do something for themselves; to feel the satisfaction of becoming a U.S. citizen, she said.
A 7-year-old boy is dead after getting attacked by two pit bulls in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The incident happened 6 p.m. Saturday night at a Clare Street residence.

Police say the boy entered a fenced-in area where the two pit bulls were, and that's when he was attacked.

One of the pit bulls escaped but was eventually found and euthanized.

The other is in the custody of animal control.

A neighbor who saw the boy's mother right after the attack told NBC Boston that she was in shock, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

Police have not released the boy's name and are calling this an on-going investigation.

No charges have been filed.


Andy shares Christian faith with Norwich students Andy shares Christian faith with Norwich students

St Thomas church in Norwich has welcomed Andy Woodman to the team, with the remit to work with churches in the city to reach students with the gospel message.



Andy grew up in Cambridge, and later studied theology at Ridley Hall. He was ordained this year, and prior to that he worked in the health and homeless sector and volunteered on the Soul Survivor team.



Andy is curate at St Thomas in Norwich and lives in Earlham parish in the city. His role is to develop student ministry and he is excited about the potential of so many students in Norwich having the opportunity to explore their faith during their time at university. The vast majority of people come to faith before the age of 21, often when they are studying and have the time and environment to explore their ideas of faith. Andy said, University age is an important mission field. Churches put a lot of resource into children and youth work  and rightly so  but 18  21 is a crucial age window. Its a key age where people come to faith.



The fact that we have two international universities in the city - UEA and NUA  presents an incredible opportunity for churches to work with students as they are surrounded by a captive audience.



Andy is inspired by Charles Maliks quote Change the university and you change the world, as he understands that university is the place to reach future leaders, such as politicians, doctors and scientists.



Andy moved to Norwich in July with his wife and two daughters, aged 5 and 7. His attention in these first few months is on starting to build a team of people and to scope out the area to see what is currently going on. He is keen to connect with key people and would be interested to hear from churches or groups who have an established student ministry.



Andy observes that some students on arrival at university are motivated to join a church and get involved straight away. But he said, The vast majority wont and will have no engagement with the church during their years studying. He hopes to set up student Alpha and connect groups whilst also encouraging students to link to the Christian Union and to go to other churches in the city.



He said, Its easy to get lost in a crowd. We want students to belong to a community, be part of serving and get plugged in. He plans to develop student leaders within connect group settings.



He acknowledges that university can be a challenging time, with a lot of pressures on students. His desire is to see young people thrive rather than just survive their time here.



Andy has settled in to Norwich and described it as a well-kept secret and a lovely place. He said, I can see why many students settle here. Its a wonderful place to live.



His passion is for the local church to serve students really well and to make a home for them.


Indie short goes down well with Los Angeles Film Festival critics

A SHORT film shot in Woolton Hill has picked up two prizes at the Los Angeles Film Festival Awards.

Finding Hope, which was written and produced by villager Jean Maye and directed by Krysten Resnick, won Best Indie short film and Inspiring Woman in a film.

It tells the story of a mother and father grieving the loss of their infant daughter through cancer, but finding hope which changes their future.

Producer Jean Maye said: I have felt rather shocked that the film has done so well in the few festivals that I have entered, mainly because we had to cut various scenes during the editing process.

I suppose the message here is to not to be afraid to put work out there in fear of rejection.

As a writer, this is something you just have to get used to and live with, but I guess its the same with any creative form.

Unless you just go for it, how does one learn and develop?

The film has won a series of awards in the last two months, including Best First Time Director, Best Cinematographer and Official Selection for Best Film & Actor in the Festigious Awards, Los Angeles.

The film was also shortlisted for numerous other awards.

Director Krysten Resnick said: Im super stoked about all the awards the film has won. I really want to let the crew know.

What Im most proud of is the performance of the main actors. I didnt want to do them an injustice in the final cut.

It was a really loving working environment, and a really difficult one, just because of the subject matter.

The lovely crew totally got what the film was about. It really was a passion project.

The cast of Finding Hope performed for no fee, and included actress Crystal Leaity, from Poldark, Kevin Leslie from The Fall of the Krays and Dirty White Lies and Paul Butterworth from The Full Monty.

Ms Maye said: I would love the opportunity to formally thank all of the extras, who gave up their time to be in the film.

Many of them were also cut during the editing process due to the directors vision, but also the need to focus close up on the two main characters.

All of them came from the Newbury area.
Amit Agnihotri By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who had torn a UPA ordinance aimed at protecting tainted politicians, attacked Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje for bringing a new law to shield bureaucrats, ministers and lawmakers.

"Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817, Rahul tweeted.

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017

Rahul had publicly torn an ordinance brought by the Manmohan Singh government to protect corrupt politicians in 2013, embarrassing both the Congress and the prime minister.

The controversy over Rajasthan government ordinance has given the Congress an opportunity to target the BJP, which has been talking of fighting corruption at the national level.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) 2017 is slated to come up before the state government for its nod on Monday. The Congress has opposed the state government for passing the ordinance that will not allow courts to take up private complaints against government officers, legislators and ministers.

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot accused chief minister Vasundhara Raje of institutionalising corruption in the past four years. Cong party will oppose this tooth and nail.This is the"unmasking" of the BJP..protect the corrupt, take away powers of the court&gag the media, Pilot tweeted.

Cong party will oppose this tooth and nail.This is the"unmasking"of the BJP..protect the corrupt,take away powers of the court&gag the media https://t.co/oqWjD4Mhe3  Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) October 22, 2017

If this isn't arrogance of power and display of intent to protect the corrupt, then what is?, he said.

Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot said the ordinance showed panic within the BJP as assembly elections are due next year. The BJP government has started to panic as elections are approaching and the results are written on the wall. The amendment in CRPC by way of ordinance prohibiting even investigation into its corrupt deeds shows the panic in Rajasthan BJP govt, Gehlot tweeted.

The BJP government has started to panic as elections are approaching and the results are written on the wall. #RajasthanOrdinance #Rajasthan  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 22, 2017

The state government has countered the Congress charge saying there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials. The issue is likely to snowball with elections for Himachal and Gujarat assemblies getting closer.

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who had torn a UPA ordinance aimed at protecting tainted politicians, attacked Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje for bringing a new law to shield bureaucrats, ministers and lawmakers. "Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817, Rahul tweeted. Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017 Rahul had publicly torn an ordinance brought by the Manmohan Singh government to protect corrupt politicians in 2013, embarrassing both the Congress and the prime minister. The controversy over Rajasthan government ordinance has given the Congress an opportunity to target the BJP, which has been talking of fighting corruption at the national level. The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) 2017 is slated to come up before the state government for its nod on Monday. The Congress has opposed the state government for passing the ordinance that will not allow courts to take up private complaints against government officers, legislators and ministers. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot accused chief minister Vasundhara Raje of institutionalising corruption in the past four years. Cong party will oppose this tooth and nail.This is the"unmasking" of the BJP..protect the corrupt, take away powers of the court&gag the media, Pilot tweeted. Cong party will oppose this tooth and nail.This is the"unmasking"of the BJP..protect the corrupt,take away powers of the court&gag the media https://t.co/oqWjD4Mhe3  Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) October 22, 2017 If this isn't arrogance of power and display of intent to protect the corrupt, then what is?, he said. Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot said the ordinance showed panic within the BJP as assembly elections are due next year. The BJP government has started to panic as elections are approaching and the results are written on the wall. The amendment in CRPC by way of ordinance prohibiting even investigation into its corrupt deeds shows the panic in Rajasthan BJP govt, Gehlot tweeted. The BJP government has started to panic as elections are approaching and the results are written on the wall. #RajasthanOrdinance #Rajasthan  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 22, 2017 The state government has countered the Congress charge saying there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials. The issue is likely to snowball with elections for Himachal and Gujarat assemblies getting closer.
The Congress today released its second list of seven candidates for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats including the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency currently held by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

By PTI: The Congress today released its second list of seven candidates for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats including the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency currently held by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Virbhadra Singh has demanded the party ticket for his son and Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, and has publicly declared that the latter will contest from his seat.

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The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

The party has also withheld the name of its candidate for the Mandi constituency from where state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa has demanded the party ticket. Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency.

Tomorrow is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on October 18 announced its first list of 59 candidates.

According to party sources, the Congress is taking its "one family, one ticket" formula, whereby only one member of a family would be made party candidate, seriously and this is the reason for it not declaring candidates for Shimla Rural and Mandi seats.

In the second list of candidates, the Congress fielded Kewal Singh Pathania from Shahpur and Ashish Butail from Palampur, currently held by outgoing Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did not want to contest this time. Ashish Butail is the son of the outgoing Speaker.

The Congress fielded Deepak Rathore from the Theog Assembly constituency, earlier represented by state minister Vidya Stokes.

Hari Chand Sharma has been declared as the party candidate from Manali, while Surinder Thakur will be the Congress nominee from Kullu.

The Congress fielded Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar, while Lakhwinder Rana has been fielded from Nalagarh.

In addition, the party replaced its candidate from Anni. Paras Ram will contest from the seat in place of Bansi Lal, whose name was declared in the first list.

The Assembly poll results will be declared on December 18.

--- ENDS ---
US investigating reports that Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland

A senior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people, the Associated Press reported.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 29F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
According to sources, Congress is going to play on the 'youth' card big time in upcoming days.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: With 65% of population of Gujarat below 35 years of age, Congress is keen to ride on the 'yuva shakti' to dethrone BJP from the state.

Bharat Singh Solanki, president, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, while talking to India Today said, "Fresh young candidates will be given more preference during ticket distribution by the party."

With 39-year-old OBC leader Alpesh Thakor joining Congress along with his supporters in the presence of party V-P Rahul Gandhi in Gandhinagar on Monday, the Grand Old Party will roll out its 'Mission 125+'.

Congress will wear a young look in the Gujarat polls

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Congress has also extended its invitations to other two young leadersHardik Pateland Jignesh Mevani tomeet Gandhiin the state Capital on Monday in an attempt to send out a message to BJP that youngsters are with the Congress.

According to sources, Congress is going to play on the 'youth' card big time in upcoming days.

The party strategists have gone back to boardroom to update their poll campaign as well as add in more 'wishes' of Gujarati youth in their manifesto.

"To generate employment for youth is our top most priority. Also, to provide a basic stipend as monetary support for unemployed youth. We will focus on female education and will talk in detail about the steps that we intend to take as per our manifesto," added Solanki.

According to Congress, this time Gujarat will have 50 lakh first time voters who can easily turn the tide against the saffron party.

They have some backing from the 2011 Census released in 2016, which states that almost half the population of Gujarat was born after 1990.

According to Census 2011, 48.13% of Gujarat's population was 24-year-old or less.

Congress secretary incharge of Gujarat, Rajiv Satav said, "Youth will play a massive role in the Gujarat Assembly election. They want jobs as well as development. We are working on a youth-specific campaign and manifesto."

Interestingly, the Congress leaders add that for the last 22 years Gujarat has witnessed uninterrupted rule of the BJP. And being a two-party state, youth will be tempted to experiment the way they did in Delhi and will cast the ballot in favour of the Grand Old party.

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Former Chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry, texted his wife Rohiqa on October 24, 2016 that he was being sacked, just minutes before the all-important Board meeting.

These claims were being made in a blog by Nirmalya Kumar, who was part of the core group executive council (GEC) formed by Mistry.

Kumar also said that just minutes before the meeting, board member Nitin Nohria had informed Mistry about the decision. "He (Mistry) is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming Board meeting. Ratan Tata chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage," wrote Kumar.

During the meeting, Mistry had argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before a resolution, like the one where he was sacked, could be taken up.

"Another Tata Trust nominee, Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date," said the blog.

"The conference room is where Cyrus first got a chance to sit down, visibly shaken, and asked for a cup of tea. They knew they needed a public relations agency and a lawyer immediately. What they did not know was that Tata had already engaged six major public relations companies and booked many of the most prominent lawyers in the country in a bid to squeeze the resources available to Cyrus post firing..."

According to Kumar, Mistrys ouster stood out because the Tata Group had a history of only six chairmen over 148 years. Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years," wrote Kumar.

On October 24, Tata Sons announced that its Board has replaced Cyrus P Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons at a meeting held in Mumbai. The board has named Ratan Tata as interim chairman of the over $100 billion salt-to-software conglomerate.

The Tata group had come out with a press statement, after the entire episode created a PR debacle for both parties, stating that there were conflict of interest issues with Mistry and that despite his four-year tenure, he had not implemented any promised reforms, while only increasing expenditure without increasing income.

Mistry was chosen as Tata's successor in November 2011 and was appointed Deputy Chairman of Tata Sons, whose board he had entered in 2006.

On February 21, former head of TCS N Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman of Tata Sons, four months after Mistrys ouster.
New Delhi: Ahead of Infosys' second quarter earnings announcement, analysts expect the outcome of the board meeting to reflect on long term stability in the business along with short term confidence building measures like date for share buyback and employees' salary hike.

A meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held at registered office on October 23 and October 24, 2017 to consider consolidated and standalone financial results and recommend payment of interim dividend, Infosys said in a regulatory filing.

"The financial results would be finally approved by the board of directors on October 24, 2017," the filing said. This will be first financial result that Infosys is set to announce under second innings of co-founder Nandan Nilekani at the helm of company's affairs and after controversial exitof Vishal Sikka as its chief executive officer.

"The Infosys Board has two key issues to manage currently -- one, ensuring stability by way of managing stakeholder sentiment and two, offering visibility by way of sharing concrete guidance," Greyhound Knowledge Group CEO and Chief Analyst Sanchit Vir Gogia told PTI.

He further said while multiple short-term tactics like share buyback, employees salary hikes and active client conversations can be expected to ensure stability, it is the concrete guidance that needs most focus and work.

Infosys has been in the headlines since the beginning of 2017 due to sharp differences between its founder N R Narayana Murthy and the company's board under R Seshasayee as Chairman and Sikka as CEO over governance issues.

Murthy had also expressed concern over Rs 1,250 crore acquisition of Israel based IT firm Panaya based on anonymous letter, which alleged wrong doing in the deal. An audit done by international law firm Gibson Dunn and Control Risks found no evidence of wrong doing in the Panaya acquisition.

Sikka resigned from the company on August 18 after series of allegations levelled by Murthy. Seshasayee and Infosys Co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan resigned in the following week. Nilekani returned to the board of the company after a gap of about seven years as non-executive chairman on August 24. His appointment seems to have settled the dust of controversies around board, however, stakeholders are now looking for uptake of the company's business under Nilekani's regime.

Infosys Chief Operation Officer UB Pravin Rao was given interim charge of managing director and CEO on August 24. The announcement of regular MD and CEO is due from the company.

"While visibility on the new CEO announcement is important, we at Greyhound believe Infosys board must also offer concrete guidance on the companys stand on some of the initiatives that were launched in Vishals term, steps being taken to ensure development of mid-management and reduce senior level exists and most importantly reforms that are either already being executed or planned to ensure zero governance issues in the future," Gogia said.

Shareholder's advisory firm Stakeholders Empowerment Services (SES) , which recently critically examined Murthy's stand, has suggested that allegations levelled by the Infosys founder on the basis of unknown whistleblower should be investigated, plug governance loopholes and make the report public.

"SES is of the view that if the report is not made public in full, NRN (Murthy) will lose his credibility and prove that he was firing wrong shots ostensibly to hurt individuals he disliked and which undeniably caused irreparable damage to the baby he gave birth to," SES report had said.

Besides answers to the controversies, the stakeholders will be looking at dates for the its Rs 13,000 crore share buyback plan. Infosys has fixed price of Rs 1,150 per share, about 24 percent more than its stock closing pricing of Rs 927.1 a unit.

As per an analyst of a banking investment firm, who did not wished to be named due to business reason, said that as per their research, investors will focus on changes in Infosys digital and growth strategy, demand environment across verticals it operates specially financial services and progress on automation and artificial intelligence which gathered pace under Sikka's regime.

The firm expects Infosys to cut constant currency revenue growth guidance for current fiscal from 6.5-8.5 percent to around 6-7 percent.

The company had posted 1.3 percent increase in net profit to Rs 3,483 crore for the June quarter, helped by client wins in key markets, and raised its annual US dollar revenue outlook.

Its revenue grew 1.7 percent to Rs 17,078 crore in the first quarter of 2017-18 as against Rs 16,782 crore in the year-ago period.
New York: Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad reacted to the Jharkhand girl dying of starvation controversy by stating that no one can be denied basic benefits with or without Aadhaar card.

I have asked the Jharkhand government to take action against the officer concerned in the case. Basic benefits cannot be denied to any person with or without an Aadhaar card, said the Union Minister to CNBC-TV18.

Santoshi Kumari, an 11-year-old girl in Simdega district, starved for eight days and died on September 28 after being denied ration because her familys ration card was not linked to the Aadhaar number.

The provision to ensure basic benefit accessibility has been covered under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Law. No poor person has complained about Aadhaar linkage with service delivery. It was the previous government that started Aadhaar only with a notification, we have framed a law. We have a robust system in place, said Prasad.

Kumaris family lives in abject poverty and was fully dependent on food grains entitled under the National Food Security Act. Her father is mentally disabled and her sister and mother, who are daily wage workers, earn about Rs 80-90 a day.

Kumari was studying at a local school, where she used to get cooked lunch under the mid-day meal scheme but due to Durga Puja the school was closed.
A recent report by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) has revealed that more than 100 cases of custodial deaths have been recorded in the state in the last six months.

By Indrajit Kundu: A recent report by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) has revealed that more than 100 cases of custodial deaths have been recorded in the state in the last six months. A figure that has raised an alarm among rights activists in Bengal.

The WBHRC report, which has recorded deaths from the period between November 23, 2016 to May 16 this year, states that 110 prisoners have died in custody across various prisons or correctional homes under the Bengal administration. Among those deceased, many were under-trial prisoners who have either died in police custody or during their stay in jail.

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One such case is that of Kushinath Halder (42), a doctor by profession, who died in custody last week at the state-run Dumdum prison. He was arrested in May for working with fake medical degrees. Halder begun working as a government medical officer since 2011 and was posted at a block-level health centre in Alipurduar district during his arrest by the Bengal CID.

Halder had spent more than five months in various prisons across the state, failing to get a bail. He died on October 14 at Kolkata's Dumdum prison. His wife alleges foul play and claims he had injury marks over his body.

The family now questions the state health department on how he was appointed in first place if his medical degrees were fake. They also claim that Halder had to bribe health department officials to get himself the job.

"He had severely lost weight, yet no one bothered. He wasn't eating properly. After he fell sick, he was hospitalised, but we were not informed. It was only when he passed away that we were intimated," claims Sarani, Halder's daughter.

"He has been working for so many years, so how is it that the health department did not know that his papers were fake, " asked one of Halder's relatives.

While the Bengal rights panel is yet to elaborate on the possible reasons behind such a finding, activists have questioned the state administration over amenities in jail.

"When a prisoner is in custody, his well being is the responsibility of the government. Specially the condition of food and medical service inside jails are terrible. However, the Bengal government is not willing to recognize the problem in the very first place. Thus, we urge the National Human Rights Commission and Government of India to take note," said Ranjit Sur, member of rights body APDR.

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping his body and hiding it in a refrigerator after he suspected him of having an affair with his wife in South Delhi's Mehrauli.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in the same area, Police said.

Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.

Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police officer said.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Mandal then fled to his in-laws' house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata in his search after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village.

But he was not found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela.

Badal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.
Beijing: The 73-day-long Doklam standoff was "safely resolved" after several rounds of talks with India, a top Chinese military official said on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing Congress of the ruling CPC.

People's Liberation Army (PLA) official Liu Fang spoke about the resolution of the Doklam standoff citing it as an example of how the Chinese military is trying to resolve issues through dialogue mechanisms with different countries.

"We also conducted a lot of practical cooperation," she said referring to the Doklam standoff which began on June 16 when the Chinese military attempted to build a road in the territory claimed by Bhutan close to the Chicken's Neck area connecting India's north eastern states with the mainland. The standoff ended on August 28 with mutual understanding after China halted the construction of the road.

"Of course it is safely resolved right now," Liu said.

"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and held negotiations with the Indian side many times," while China clearly reiterated its position, she said.

"All of this contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of China-India cross border dispute," she said, referring to the standoff.

Observers attach significance to the PLA acknowledging peaceful resolution of the Doklam standoff, at the CPC Congress which is set to endorse a second term for President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese military is working hard to build up new platforms and measures to improve international cooperation she said, adding, "we already have dialogue mechanisms with 28 organisations".

Referring to the address of President Xi at the once-in-five-years Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on October 18, Liu said she is "very very inspired" by the report delivered by him outlining "tremendous progress and achievements".

In his address, Xi had spoken about plans to turn the PLA into a world class force.

Terming the speech as "profound and fundamental," she said "we totally agree with it".

Besides being president, Xi also heads the CPC and the country's military as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the 2.3 million-strong PLA, the world's largest army.

Liu said China is playing a larger and greater role in increasing its international influence.

China is making efforts in international peacekeeping, maritime cooperation and disaster relief.

"All this shows our responsibility as a big power nation. We keep our voice louder and louder at the international stage," she said.

The Chinese military is showing its confidence in the international arena and its spokesmen actively interacted with the international media to explain the version of Chinese army and also correct misunderstandings, she said.

"By doing so we want to convey the correct, clear and accurate information about China's military development," Liu said.

She along with other young military officials interacted with the media sharing their experiences in the military and their appreciation of Xi's leadership.

The Chinese military, which has undergone a massive reform drive since Xi took power in 2012, has an annual budget of over USD 141 billion, next only to the US.
Bhavnagar/Dahej: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of a 31-km Ghogha-Dahej 'roll-on, roll-off' (Ro-Ro) ferry service, a first-of-its-kind in India, saying it was "a landmark project for entire South-East Asia".

The Rs 650-crore service links Ghogha in Bhavnagar district of Saurashtra region and Dahej in Bharuch district across the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.

Calling it his dream project, Modi said the ferry service was his "invaluable gift to India" and claimed that the even for South-East Asia this was the first project of its size.

The Prime Minister later travelled on the ferry to Dahej in company with many handicapped children whom he called his "special guests".

"This may be a project between Ghogha and Dahej but it is a landmark project not only for India but also for entire South East Asia. The ferry service is a first of sorts. It is a dream come true for people of Gujarat."

Addressing a gathering later in Dahej, PM Modi said the governments new mantra is P for P  Ports for Prosperity.

"Ports are the gateway to prosperity for the country. Understanding this, we have launched the Sagarmala project in which old ports are being upgraded," he said.

Highlighting the importance of waterways, Modi said goods can be transported through waterways at a cost of 20 paise per tonne, while it will take Re 1 through railways and Rs 1.5 by road.

"The earlier government had not given any importance to transportation by waterways. Before we (NDA government) came, there were six waterways. Now we have identified more than 100 waterways," the prime minister said.

"We have 21,000 km of waterways which includes 7,500 km of coastal waterways and 14,000 km of inland waterways through rivers. India is naturally blessed with it. But our earlier government did nothing about it," he said.

Modi also blasted previous Congress governments for "creating procedural factors that made it impossible for projects like Ro-Ro service to see the light of the day".

Modi said the earlier central governments wanted the Ro-Ro service provider to build terminals. "Tell me, do aircraft operators build airports or bus operators build roads? It is the government's job. So, we took up the job."

The Prime Minister claimed that earlier central governments tried to stall several development projects of Gujarat but after he took charge many issues challenging the growth of the state had been sorted out.

"When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, we faced hostility from the then central government. Several efforts were made to stall industries and the state's progress. Over the last three years we have changed that."

The ferry service had been getting delayed for various technical and financial issues since 1995 and was first thought of in early 1960s. The foundation stone for current works was laid by Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister in 2012.

The ferry can take up to 500 passengers. In subsequent phases, the ferries would also be able to transport cars and trucks across the Gulf.

The project would be a boon for over 25 lakh people from Saurashtra settled in diamond and textiles hub of Surat in south Gujarat.

The Prime Minister said plans were afoot to expand the ferry service to Hazira and the union territory Diu-Daman at a later stage and various places in Saurashtra. Modi said the services would also not be restricted to only one route.

"We are planning to link other places also through ferries. I am told that a pre-feasibility report for a similar project across Gulf of Kutch is ready."

Calling coastal areas as gateways to progress, he said that over the last three years, his government had been trying to develop coastal infrastructure.

"We seek to create over a crore employment opportunities."

After travelling to Dahej on the ferry, Modi flew to Vadodara to address a public rally and inaugurate more projects.

(With agency inputs)
Dhaka: India is "deeply concerned" at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where normalcy will be restored only with the return of "displaced persons", External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said amid the raging Rohingya refugee crisis.

Nearly 600,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where the army has launched a crackdown against militants.

Myanmar doesn't recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

Bangladesh has sought India's "sustained pressures" on Myanmar for its resolution.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State," Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

She, however, preferred not to use the word "Rohingya" and said "we have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population".

Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali. "It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state.

"The only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the State," she said.

Ali said Dhaka was "happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian cause related to Rohingya in Bangladesh".

"We further urged India to contribute towards exerting sustained pressure on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the including sustainable return of all Rohingyas to their motherland," he said.

India has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities, Swaraj said.

India has supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report.

India and Bangladesh today discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh and comes after the recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a $4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister hit back at Union minister of state for skill development Ananth Kumar Hegde's public refusal to be a part of events marking the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan.

As part of the government, he shouldnt have written it, Siddaramaiah said. "It is being made into a political issue. There were four wars against British and Tipu fought them all, he added.

Earlier, Hegde wrote to CM Siddaramaiah's secretary asking the government not to include his name with anything related to Tipu Jayanti, which is to be held on November 10. Hegde had in 2016 condemned the state governments plan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, former ruler of princely state of Mysuru.

Tipu Sultan was a tyrant. He massacred thousands of Hindus and committed atrocities on the people of Kodagu, Hegde had said.

Meanwhile, the incumbent Congress government claims that Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter and that celebrating his birthday is not minority appeasement as is being claimed by the BJP.
Srinagar: A terrorist was killed on Sunday during an encounter with security forces in Kashmirs Handwara district.

Army sources said the gunfight erupted after a cordon and search operation early this morning. The operation is still underway.

This incident occurred just a week after top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Waseem Shah and another member of the terrorist outfit were killed in an encounter in south Kashmirs Pulwama district early on October 14.

Shah, 23, also known as Abu Osama Bhai was killed at Litter area in Pulwama, a place considered to be a safe haven for militants. This is the first counter-insurgency operation in Litter area in four years.

Jammu and Kashmir police have been tracking the movements of Shah, who is considered as the don of Heff, another traditional stronghold of militants in south Kashmirs Shopian district.

Shah along with his bodyguard Nisar Ahmed Mir made an attempt to flee the area, but could not penetrate the cordon which had been strengthened by the presence of CRPF and Army, they said.
New Delhi: The silence of a rape victim cannot be taken as proof of consent for sexual relations, the Delhi High Court has observed while upholding a man's 10-year jail term for raping a pregnant woman.

Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal made the observation while rejecting a rape convict's defence that the victim's silence about the incident proved consensual sexual relations.

"The defence taken by the accused that the prosecutrix (victim) had consensual sexual relations with him which is pointed out from her silence about the incident, holds no ground, as mere silence cannot be taken as proof of consensual sexual relations as she has also stated that she was being threatened by the accused.

"Thus, any act of sexual intercourse in the absence of consent would amount to an act of rape," the high court said while upholding a trial court's 2015 decision to convict and sentence to 10-year imprisonment one Munna, who was then 28- years old, for repeatedly raping a 19-year-old woman.

The high court also upheld the decision of the trial court to acquit Munna of the offences of kidnapping, saying there were inconsistencies in the woman's statements regarding how she had reached Delhi.

It also agreed with the subordinate court's decision to acquit him and co-accused Suman Kumar of the charge of trying to sell the woman into prostitution as alleged by her.

The high court was hearing Munna's appeal against his conviction and sentence, as well as the plea of the police challenging the trial court's decision to acquit the two men of the other offences.

According to the woman, she had come to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh in December 2010 and met Munna and Kumar who had allegedly lured her with the promise of work.

She had alleged that Munna took her to Panipat in Haryana where she was confined to a flat for around two months and was repeatedly raped by him. She had also alleged that he had threatened to kill her if she tried to escape.

Later, Munna took her to a flat in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, rented by Kumar, and from there they brought her to another flat in Shastri Park here, she had alleged.

She had also told the police that on April 1, 2011, when Kumar got to know that Munna had raped her in his absence, the two men had fought and the former had called the cops.
Have you ever heard of Aston Martin One -77? No? It is the top line, the cherry-on-the-cream luxurious car. Forget it sir, you wont be able to buy it, the salesman at the showroom brushes you away with a shrug amidst that blanket of politeness he pulls over his eyes.

Sorry, we are here for whisky.

Tell me. What are the Aston Martins in the world of whiskies? I mean, the top ones. What? Cant hear you. Scotch whiskey? Part the answer. It is just like shooting me the reply, a Mumbaikar to the question: who is the greatest batsman in the world. Be specific.

You know that the world of whisky is divided into many classes. You know the basics of whisky. Malted barley + water + yeast = W.

Now the process. You boil the mashed barley. Taking the heat and the cue, the alcohol in the fermented grain with its low boiling point evaporates from the mess, soars up, and billows out as steam into a nearby cold chamber where it condenses down as clear liquid  almost whisky.

No, not yet, dont leap to it. You cant drink it now.

This liquid is so concentrated and fiery and immature that it should be schooled down by putting it away in casks which are then stored in dark and dingy warehouses for a pretty long time. A minimum period of three years is necessary to make the famous Scotch whisky.

Now listen carefully. If a popular distillery collects the liquid from the cask after the minimum period of three years, bottle it and sell it as such, (of course after adding enough water to cut down the cask strength), the dedicated brand drinkers will be hugely disappointed. They will soon look out for some other whisky.

Why! Simple. Its almost impossible to reproduce the taste of a particular distillation in the next batch, even if it is in the case of a whisky from the same distillery. So many factors influence the taste, including the sort of cask used, the space inside it, the particular position of that cask inside the warehouse etc etc.

So the taste of Johnny Walker changes with every bottle. Burning all his pockets to remain loyal to the brand, could a Johnny fan tolerate a taste that takes him for a swing every time?

The whisky world took this as a huge challenge. People behind put their brains and of course noses together. And came back in the 19th century composing the greatest symphony in the drink world: Blended whisky!

The idea was simple. They found that a particular whisky coming out from a cask is like a small strain of music emanating from an instrument (The problem was that its note and timbre changed with each batch of the distillation). But what if you blend it with a whisky of another age from another cask, and then with a third whisky and then with a fourth? Complicated, eh? But for whisky nosers, who know every note of individual whisky by its taste and smell, it is not impossible to compose a symphony of different taste notes, which can bizarrely be repeated.

Its just like my daughter creating the colour, 'cyan by blending individual colours. She knows what she wants; she knows the technique to mix; and she creates cyan and leaves a helluva lot of its splotches on my study whenever I leave. The process of cyan making is pure magic to the eyes Single-Malts into the world of painting. I am stunned watching it take form from colours that do not carry a hint of it. Blending is, I learned, part art part science part voodoo. Only a few know it.

Using the same method, great nosers sit down and mix things with a drink that exists only in their mind. They have brought whiskies from distilleries across the land to create the new blend that matches the one in their fancy. A brand taste is soon created in the world of whisky: a taste that would not vacillate with every blending. Johnny Walker began to hit the same pleasure centre every time a bottle is opened in any corner of the world. Once they pull a hit with a particular symphony of whisky, they keep the recipe under lock and key. But sometimes big brands replace a component whisky (when it gets unavailable as that distillery shuts down) with a new one, subtly changing the taste.

They invite wrath. Rarely they garner applause.

Blended Whisky

Youve drunk only this version of Scotch. I mean. Most of you. 90% of whisky coming from Scotland and the rest of the world belongs to the category. Johnny Walker, Grants, Chivas Regal, Teachers etc are some classic examples.

Heres the good malt whisky married off to cheaper grain whiskies (not barley, but wheat or maize is used to make grain whisky)  a marriage beneath its station. The sharp tang of malt is trimmed down by the bland grain whisky, producing a sweeter, rounder appeal on the palate.

Blended whisky is like Hollywood films, popular, appealing to one and all. Whiskies from many distilleries across the terrain of Scotland (sometimes 20 to 50 whiskies are mixed to make a blended whiskey) are blended to create this wonder.

Single-Malts

Many consider them to be the Rolls Royce in the world of whiskies. Theres a popular misconception that Single Malt is SINGLE. No. It is also married, merrily to too many whiskies. The word single refers to the distillery.

Unlike blended whiskies where the house whisky is married off to whiskies from other regions and distilleries, a single malt inbreeds, marries its own cousins  the distillerys own whiskeys of different ages.

Anything that inbreeds tends to reflect the character and terroir of the house style strongly. So is Single Malt. Ah, the taste of Speyside! You can wonder after taking one sip. Even if you havent understood why you just said it.

Single malt is award movie, esoteric, appealing only to a few who have grown into its small world. When you go higher up in the family of blended whiskies you can see products that are blends of only single malt whiskies, without much of the inferior grain whisky.

Single Cask whisky

I dont know whether you have seen the superstar among the whiskies: the single cask ones. As the name suggests, it is taken from a single cask. It is bottled on special occasions with the knowledge that the unique taste can never be repeated.

So the whisky nosers spent almost ages to choose the right cask for bottling the essence of the special moment for which this mode of whisky is hand-chiselled.

As the promise goes when you get one you will let me know.

(Manu Remakant is a freelance writer who also runs a video blog  A Cup of Kavitha  introducing world poetry to Malayalees. Views expressed here are personal)
Mumbai: Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar lashed out at BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao over his remarks that most Indian film stars have "very low IQ and very low general knowledge".

"How dare you, sir?" an angry Farhan tweeted and tagged the BJP leader.

"And to all film people in his ranks... Here's what he thinks of you. Shame sir," the actor wrote.

How dare you, sir?? @GVLNRAO And to all film people in his ranks.. heres what he thinks of you. #shame https://t.co/6C8v6hZa23 Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) October 22, 2017

Farhan's comment was in reaction to an interview Rao gave to a news channel over the ongoing controversy on Tamil film Mersal that has scenes critical of the GST and the Digital India initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rao, criticising the movie and its makers in the TV interview, said: "In any case, most of our film stars have very low IQ, very low general knowledge."

Mersal, Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, is in the news after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded removal of specific dialogues which take a dig at GST and Digital India.

Politicians, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader MK Stalin, apart from actor Kamal Haasan, slammed the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism regarding its policies.

Directed by Atlee, Mersal stars Vijay in the roles of a village head, a doctor and a magician.
Mumbai: Former censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani says people like Harvey Weinstein exist in Bollywood too and need to be exposed.

Weinstein, a popular Hollywood producer has been accused of sexual harassment or abuse by more than three dozen women, including several top actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Lupita Nyong'o and Angelina Jolie.

In a recent interview, actress Priyanka Chopra spoke up about the Weinstein element being prevalent everywhere, including Bollywood.

Nihalani concurs and said: "Priyanka is right. There are Harvey Weinsteins in Bollywood too. They continue to exploit hapless strugglers because they are not held liable for their dirty deeds. This is the time to expose them.

"I am not talking about actresses who do what they do to establish a foothold in the industry. I am talking about aspiring actors and actresses being forced to offer sexual favours in exchange for job opportunities. Bollywood has a very clear list of offenders who misuse their position," added Nihalani.

His new film Julie 2, which he is presenting and distributing, is about the casting couch menace in Bollywood.

Appalled that actresses have not come forward to name these offenders, Nihalani now intends to shout out their names at a press conference.

"But for that, we need victims to come forward. We are in the process of getting together voices of the victims to speak up publicly. The time to nail the Harvey Weinsteins of Bollywood is now.

"I've always sided with the truth. When you have that on your side, you've nothing to fear," he added.
Next weekend, many Protestant churches will be celebrating Reformation Sunday. This is in honor of Martin Luther, who was said to have nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. What is often neglected in this celebration is what the Unitarian Universalist Harvard church historian George Hunston Williams called the Radical Reformation.

The Radical Reformation used the opening created by Luthers break from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and began challenging church doctrines and sacraments. They were obviously much smaller groups. Rather than using large village or city churches, they met in houses and small places where they could work out new ways of being in religious community. The Unitarian Universalist Harvard professor James Luther Adams referred to these groups as voluntary associations because individuals voluntarily joined them, rather than being born into them, or becoming a member of the religious group because you lived in a specific area and the ruler established the religion as the sole legitimate and authorized religious body. For example, one group, the Anabaptists, practiced what came to be known as believers Baptism, taking the position that people should voluntarily choose Baptism once they reached the age of understanding. This was a direct affront to sacrament-driven religious practices, such as the baptism of infants and the Jewish practice of circumcising male babies when they were 6 days old.

Forget church hierarchies for a moment. Think of what this has to say about God. The idea that a child who has not been baptized will not be able to enter heaven or be with their parents or God is an insult to God. It is antithetical to the concept of a God of unlimited love and mercy. Yet history is replete with stories of people who were either drowned or tortured for professing Anabaptism.

Because they faced persecution, the churches of the Radical Reformation were the first to espouse a separation between church and state. The church had too often used the state to maintain its power and to enforce its teachings. One of the most blatant examples of this occurred when Michael Servetus, a gifted physician as well as a religious reformer, was burned at the stake by John Calvins followers in Geneva in 1553. Servetus had written a couple of books, On the Errors of the Trinity and The Restoration of the True Christian Faith, which challenged the notion of the Trinity as being unbiblical. Servetus was a proto-Unitarian, so we revere his knowledge and courage to this day.

Ironically, Servetus was arrested when he showed up in Calvins church on a Sunday morning, and he was recognized. When I asked my history professor, Why would Servetus even show up in Calvins church? he told me that he would have gotten into trouble if he had not been in church. That is what happens when you have no separation between church and state.

The execution of Servetus by Calvins followers caused an uproar. It was the first time that a Protestant had been killed by fellow Protestants for their religious teachings. Some of the groups participating in the Radical Reformation fled to places where they could have sanctuary. One example was a group of Italian humanists who moved to Rakow, Poland, where a dissenters colony was started. They would eventually become known as the Socinians, after their leaders, Laelius and Faustus Socinus.

Another reaction was the issuing of the First Edict of Religious Toleration by Queen Isabella Jaggielon, of Transylvania, in 1559. In this, she wrote: "Each person (should) maintain whatever religious faith he wishes, with old or new rituals, while we at the same time leave it to their judgment to do as they please in the matter of faith, just so long as they bring no harm to bear on anyone at all."

Today, we recognize religious toleration as a central tenet of all secular democracies. It is what separates us from theocracies, which brave people flee. Not surprisingly, followers of the Radical Reformation religious groups were among the earliest to settle in our country. Groups such as the Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, Moravians and the Brethren are all descendants of the Radical Reformation. While their theologies and practices are very different from Unitarians, Schwenkfelders and other groups that came out of the Radical Reformation, it is important to acknowledge our common roots in ideas such as voluntary associations, believers baptism and the separation of church and state.

Our nation and our society are better because of the contributions of these religious dissenters. They taught us that the strongest religious arguments can be made without resorting to violence. I will be addressing this topic in greater depth on Sunday, Nov. 5. Our services are at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome.
Ahead of Chhath Puja, Tiwari was in Sonia Vihar to begin a cleaning drive. He took this potshot at his AAP rival upon seeing the condition of the Yamuna.

By Manideep Sharma: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari has given Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal an unusual challenge: drinking water from the polluted Yamuna river.

Tiwari even said that the Yamuna would become clean only when Kejriwal had clean thoughts.

Ahead of Chhath Puja , Tiwari was in Sonia Vihar to begin a cleaning drive. He took these potshots at his AAP rival upon seeing the condition of the river.

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The Delhi BJP President said he's asked for water from Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, his BJP colleague, and that the water level in the Yamuna would increase on the day of the puja.

He accused Kejriwal of not giving funds to old Chhath Puja committees, but creating new ones. He also said the CM was threatening not to provide funding to committees that didn't use his and other AAP MLAs' photos.

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Five Opposition parties - Congress, TMC, BSP, SP, and DMK - will meet on Monday to chalk out a strategy to take on the BJP-led government at the Centre on the first anniversary of demonetisation. The meeting will be another attempt to forge unity between parties from across the spectrum.

The parties could plan another protest, possibly on the streets, against the note ban, a drive declaring 500 and 1000-rupee notes as illegal to eradicate corruption and black money menace.

A year ago, when PM Modi launched the demonetisation, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by a number of other Opposition leaders, had marched to the President's house demanding the withdrawal of the exercise.

However, the movement came a cropper after it failed to change people's perception that demonetisation indeed was for the better of the public at large.

The ruling dispensation was able to construct a view that the Opposition was objecting to demonetisation because they were scared of losing their black money. Problems worsened when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, then a strong face in the Opposition, backed the notebandi.

Facing corruption charges, the Opposition failed to convince the country that demonetisation was going to "bring ruin". However, after the RBI figures revealed that almost 99% of the demonetised currency had come back, and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha criticised the Modi government's handling the economy, the Opposition is planning to ramp up its attack on the BJP.
New Delhi: With the Congress hoping for OBC consolidation in its favour in Gujarat and Karnataka, the BJP is likely to play up the opposition party's decision to stall the Modi government's OBC commission bill in Parliament to counter it in the two poll-bound states.

A day after the Congress received a boost with the decision of Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore to join the party, BJP sources sought to play down its impact, saying Thakore is an untested electoral player.

Thakore had also met BJP chief Amit Shah some time ago before he made his announcement on Saturday after meeting Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

"Unlike the Congress, we have a string of well-entrenched community leaders across Gujarat. We could not have conceded so much to an outsider as the Congress, which has been out of power for over 22 years and has seen desertion by its top leaders," a BJP leader said, noting that its pre-eminent leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hails from an OBC caste.

A key pro-OBC plank of the saffron party in the western state will be a bill that the central government had brought in Parliament in the Monsoon Session, seeking to give constitutional status to the OBC commission, putting it at par with the SC and ST commissions.

The BJP will also highlight the Centre's decision to raise the creamy layer cap for OBC families to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 6 lakh, and then to form a commission to look into sub-categorisation of other backward classes (OBC) quota.

While raising of the creamy layer cap will mostly help the relatively well-off among the OBC castes, the proposed sub-categorisation of quota is aimed at helping economically and socially weaker OBC castes, a social group being wooed aggressively by the BJP under Modi and Shah with considerable success so far.

The constitutional amendment bill, however, could not be passed as the Congress stalled it in the Rajya Sabha, following its passage in the Lok Sabha.

Top state BJP leaders besides Shah have addressed OBC meets in Gujarat.

The sources said the BJP would rely on a similar plank in Karnataka where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who himself hails from a backward caste (Kuruba), of the Congress is relying on a coalition of OBCs, Dalits and minorities to win a second term.

Gujarat Assembly polls are slated for December, while Karnataka is likely to face it early next year.
New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's son was named the Congress nominee from Shimla Rural on Sunday as the party announced the names of its candidates for the remaining nine seats, just a day before the filing of nomination comes to an end.

Relaxing the "one family, one ticket" formula, the party fielded Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh from the prestigious Shimla Rural constituency, earlier held by his father, and state minister Kaul Singh Thakur's daughter Champa Thakur from Mandi for the November 9 Assembly polls.

The Congress had initially dithered over announcing the candidatures of Vikramaditya Singh and Champa Thakur, but gave in to pressure at the last minute, party sources said.

According to the party sources, the Congress was taking its "one family, one ticket" formula, whereby only one member of a family would be made party candidate, seriously and this was the reason for the delay in declaring the candidates for Shimla Rural and Mandi seats.

Earlier in the day, the party released its second list of seven candidates, withholding the names of its nominees for just two seats  Shimla Rural and Mandi.

About an hour later, the party, however, cleared the nominations of Vikramaditya Singh and Champa Thakur. Virbhadra Singh had earlier publicly declared that his son would contest from his seat. The chief minister has moved to the Arki Assembly seat in Solan district and the party has declared his candidature from there.

Champa Thakur's father Kaul Singh Thakur has been fielded from the Darang Assembly constituency. Champa Thakur's seat, Mandi, was held by former Union minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma. Anil Sharma has quit the party and is now the BJP candidate from the seat.

Monday is the last day for filing of nominations for the election to the 68-member Assembly. The Congress had on October 18 announced its first list of 59 candidates.

In the second list of candidates, the Congress fielded Kewal Singh Pathania from Shahpur and Ashish Butail from Palampur, currently held by outgoing Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did not want to contest this time. Ashish Butail is the son of the outgoing Speaker.

The Congress fielded Deepak Rathore from the Theog Assembly constituency, earlier represented by state minister Vidya Stokes.

Hari Chand Sharma has been declared as the party candidate from Manali, while Surinder Thakur will be the Congress nominee from Kullu.

The Congress fielded Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar, while Lakhwinder Rana has been fielded from Nalagarh.

In addition, the party replaced its candidate from Anni. Paras Ram will contest from the seat in place of Bansi Lal, whose name was declared in the first list.

The Assembly poll results will be declared on December 18.
Jammu: In a big blow to the ruling PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, senior leader Vikramaditya Singh on Sunday resigned announced his resignation from the party.

Vikramaditya is the son of senior Congress leader Karan Singh and grandson of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. He said it wasnt possible for him to continue with the PDP which disregarded

the demands and aspirations of Jammu region.

Vikramaditya had joined the PDP in presence of the late party president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on August 2015. He was a member of the state legislative council.

I have sent my resignation to party president Mehbooba Mufti with a request to accept it immediately. I feel that it is neither morally nor ethically right for me to continue as a member of the PDP, Singh said.

He claimed he had publicly expressed concerns for the state in general and Jammu in particular over the last several months but the party has rejected the issues.

According to him, the issues included illegal settlement of Rohingyas and demand for a public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

(with PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has attacked Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for the state's new ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in the state from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.

"Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817 (sic)," tweeted Gandhi.

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017

This comes after Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria defended the government's decision on Saturday.

People keep putting out false allegations against public servants. Even if it is a completely baseless allegation, the harm would have been done. Therefore, we have put some restrictions but if the truth in the claims can be verified after a limited period of 180 days, which is stipulated in the Bill, action would be taken," Kataria had said.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also seeks to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe is obtained.

No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant," reads the ordinance which provides 180 days immunity to the officers.

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curbs on publishing and printing, publicising, in any case, the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.
Jaipur: The Rajasthan government will on Monday table a controversial bill in the Assembly that seeks to shield serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants from being investigated for on-duty actions without prior sanction.

The Code of Criminal Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill will be introduced by state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria to replace an ordinance passed by the government on September 7.

The ordinance had also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations against the judges and bureaucrats till the sanction to proceed with the probe is obtained.

"No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant," read the ordinance which provided 180-day immunity to the judges and officers.

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The Congress, which has hit out at the ruling BJP over the controversial ordinance, will register its protest with black arm bands both inside and outside the Assembly.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the controversial ordinance, saying the current year is "2017, not 1817".

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017

Defending the ordinance, Gulab Chand Kataria had said on Saturday that the move was aimed at protecting officials from false allegations. People keep making false allegations against public servants. Even if it is a completely baseless allegation, the harm would have been done. Therefore, we have placed some restrictions, but if the truth in the claims can be verified after a limited period of 180 days, which is stipulated in the Bill, action would be taken," he said.

Opposition to the bill has also come from within the BJP with party leader Ghanshyam Tiwari saying it is "aimed to strangulate democracy" in the state.

The rebel BJP leader wrote to Kataria, saying he should see his letter as a form of political protest and urged him to reconsider the decision.

"The bill that you will introduce in the Assembly in next few days will pave the way to form a law, which will shield the open loot of the chief minister, ministers and public servants," Tiwari wrote in the letter.

He said it will be a "dark day for democracy" when the bill will be introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly.

"As the bill is related to your department, I request you to reconsider it in the Cabinet. If it is introduced in the assembly, I will protest against the bill, which is aimed to strangulate democracy in Rajasthan," he added.
Jerusalem: A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo, briefly describing his theory on happy living, has surfaced after 95 years and is up for auction in Jerusalem.

The year was 1922, and the German-born physicist, most famous for his theory of relativity, was on a lecture tour in Japan.

He had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics, and his fame outside of scientific circles was growing.

A Japanese courier arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to deliver Einstein a message. The courier either refused to accept a tip, in line with local practice, or Einstein had no small change available.

Either way, Einstein didn't want the messenger to leave empty-handed, so he wrote him two notes by hand in German, according to the seller, a relative of the messenger.

"Maybe if you're lucky those notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip," Einstein told the messenger, according to the seller, a resident of the German city of Hamburg who wished to remain anonymous.

One note, on the stationary of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, says that "a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest."

The other, on a blank piece of paper, simply reads: "where there's a will, there's a way."

It is impossible to determine if the notes were a reflection of Einstein's own musings on his growing fame, said Roni Grosz, the archivist in charge of the world's largest Einstein collection, at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

While the notes, previously unknown to researchers, hold no scientific value, they may shed light on the private thoughts of the great physicist whose name has become synonymous with genius, according to Grosz.

"What we're doing here is painting the portrait of Einstein -- the man, the scientist, his effect on the world -- through his writings," said Grosz. "This is a stone in the mosaic."

The two notes will go on sale on Tuesday at the Winner's auction house in Jerusalem, alongside other items including two letters Einstein wrote in later years.
Lahore: Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

"The Sharif brothers - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif - twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s," Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore yesterday.

Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but "I have refused".

"I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking the help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan.

The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistan's then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

"The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them," he added.

"They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election.

"We will be on a strong footing after next year poll," he added.

Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28 by a Supreme Court bench.

There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort, he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs.
Jakarta: Indonesia said on Sunday its military chief had been refused entry to the United States and asked Washington for an explanation.

General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta on Saturday.

Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency. Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said.

"Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta.

"The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP.

The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel.

It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Marsudi for any inconvenience.

"The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the General's travel to the United States," it said. "We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples."

The conference of national defence chiefs is on countering violent extremism.

Since being appointed armed forces chief by President Joko Widodo in July 2015, Nurmantyo has been at the centre of several controversies.

Earlier this year, he abruptly suspended all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials, and has been rebuked by members of Widodo's cabinet for making misleading public remarks.

He helped stoke a wave of anti-communist sentiment sweeping Indonesia by ordering the screening of an anti-communist propaganda film to members of the military Nurmantyo will step down as leader of the armed forces in 2018 and many analysts believe he has political ambitions.
At least 5 thieves entered the building and used gas cutters to break through three lockers. The entire heist took place in over 10 hours.

By Shalini Lobo: While the people of Delhi were celebrating Diwali on Thursday, the national capital also witnessed a gold heist like no other. Gold and diamonds worth around Rs 13 crore were stolen from two manufacturing units from Delhi's Prasad Nagar in Karol Bagh.

At least five masked men entered the building and robbed gold and diamonds from two manufacturing units.

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According to police, the thieves entered the building after which an accomplice locked the building from outside. They used gas cutters to break through three lockers. The entire heist took place in over 10 hours.

Two FIRs have been filed in the case. The police have recovered CCTV footage from the intervening night of October 19-20 and have identified the men.

The investigation is underway and teams have been dispatched to arrest the robbers. However, it is yet to be established if there is an insider role in the theft.

The owners of the manufacturing units were unavailable for comment.

--- ENDS ---
Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election Sunday and immediately vowed to "deal firmly" with threats from North Korea that dominated the campaign.

Abe's conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from private broadcaster TBS, putting the nationalist premier on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader.

The resounding election win is likely to stiffen Abe's resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to exert maximum pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

"As I promised in the election, my imminent task is to firmly deal with North Korea," Abe said.

"For that, strong diplomacy is required," stressed Abe, 63.

Abe was heading for a "landslide win", the top-selling Yomiuri daily said on its website, as the premier's gamble to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off.

But it was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the vote whether his coalition would retain its two-thirds "supermajority," requiring 310 seats, as some media had it falling just short.

A "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Abe said he would "deepen" debate on the divisive issue in parliament but stressed: "I don't plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone. We'll make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible."

'Very severe result'

Millions of Japanese braved torrential rain and driving winds to vote as a typhoon bears down on the country, with many heeding warnings to cast their ballots early.

"I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," said Yoshihisa Iemori as he cast his ballot in a rainswept Tokyo.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago.

Support for the Party of Hope founded by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fizzled after an initial blaze of publicity and it was on track to win around 50 seats, the TBS projection suggested.

Speaking from Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the world's biggest city, a sullen-faced Koike told public broadcaster NHK she feared a "very severe result".

"As the person who launched the party, I will take responsibility."

The new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party fared slightly better than expected but still trailed far behind Abe with 58 seats.

"The LDP's victory is simply because the opposition couldn't form a united front," political scientist Mikitaka Masuyama from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, told AFP.

'Sink' Japan

The short 12-day campaign was dominated by the economy and the global crisis over North Korea, which has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and engaged in a war of words with US President Donald Trump.

Hawkish Abe stuck to a hardline stance throughout, stressing that Japan "would not waver" in the face of an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang.

But many voters said reviving the once-mighty Japanese economy was the top priority, with Abe's trademark "Abenomics" growth policy failing to trickle down to the general public.

"Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don't feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.

Although voters turned out in their millions to back Abe, he enjoys only lukewarm support and surveys showed his decision to call a snap election a year earlier than expected was unpopular.

"I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken," said 84-year-old voter Etsuko Nakajima.

- 'I'm quite disappointed' -

Koike briefly promised to shake up Japan's sleepy political scene with her new party but she declined to run herself for a seat, sparking confusion over who would be prime minister if she won.

In the end the 65-year-old former TV presenter was not even in Japan on election day.

"I thought that I would vote for the Party of Hope if it's strong enough to beat the Abe administration. But the party has been in confusion ... I'm quite disappointed," said 80-year-old pensioner Kumiko Fujimori.

The campaign was marked by a near-constant drizzle in large parts of the country and rallies frequently took place under shelter and a sea of umbrellas.

But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.
London: A personal letter found on the body of a man killed in the sinking of the Titanic sold at auction on Saturday for 126,000 pounds ($166,000), a record price for correspondence from the doomed liner.

The letter is one of the last known to have survived the sinking and still carries stains from its time in the Atlantic.

Written by first-class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson on embossed Titanic "on-board" stationary, the letter to his mother describes his impressions of the palatial ship, praising the food and music.

"If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday A.M.," Holverson wrote the day before the ship's fateful encounter with an iceberg.

Holverson was a Minnesota-born salesman, who was travelling on the ship with his wife, Mary Alice, who survived the sinking.

The letter was sold by the Holverson family at an auction held by Henry Aldridge & Son in the southern English town of Devizes. Iron keys from the Titanic also sold for 76,000 pounds.

"The prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic and her passengers and crew," said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.

"I'm delighted with the new world record for the Titanic letter. It reflects its status as the most important Titanic letter we have ever auctioned."

In his letter Holverson also described his experiences rubbing shoulders with one of the ship's most famous passengers.

"John Jacob Astor is on this ship," he said of the American financier and real-estate investor, who was one of the world's richest men at the time.

"He looks like any other human being even though he has millions of money. They sit out on deck with the rest of us."

The Titanic was the largest ocean liner in service when it struck an iceberg on April 14 1912 in the Atlantic while travelling from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died.
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the defeat of Islamic State fighters in their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa as "a critical breakthrough" in a worldwide campaign against the militants.

On Friday, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced Raqqa's liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said the city would be part of a decentralized federal Syria.

"Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control," Trump said in a statement.

"The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight."

Trump said the US campaign against Islamic State, which was launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, would soon enter a new phase, in which the United States would "support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again."

"Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honours the will of the Syrian people," he said.

Trump's statement made no mention of the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He also did not spell out how the United States would support local security forces.

A White House spokesman said U.S. policy towards Assad "remains the same." U.S. officials have said Assad has no future governing Syria and U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said last month a stable Syria was not possible while he remained in place.

The fight against Islamic State has taken place amid a wider, multi-sided civil war between Assad's government, which is backed by Iran and Russia, and an array of rebel groups supported by other powers, including the United States.

Experts believe the defeat of ISIS at Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain an insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples with defining a comprehensive strategy in Syria.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France's military would continue its fight against Islamic State in Syria, but that the fall of the militant group's bastion in Raqqa needed to lead to an inclusive political system to restore stability.
Moscow: Russia accused the US-led coalition in Syria on Sunday of wiping the city of Raqqa "off the face of the earth" with carpet bombing in the same way the United States and Britain had bombed Germany's Dresden in 1945.

The Russian Defence Ministry, which has itself repeatedly been forced to deny accusations from activists and Western politicians of bombing Syrian civilians, said it looked like the West was now rushing to provide financial aid to Raqqa to cover up evidence of its own crimes.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry, said in a statement that around 200,000 people had lived in Raqqa before the conflict in Syria, but that not more than 45,000 people remained.

US-backed militias in Syria declared victory over Islamic State in Raqqa, the group's capital, last week, raising flags over the last jihadist footholds after a four-month battle.

"Raqqa has inherited the fate of Dresden in 1945, wiped off the face of the earth by Anglo-American bombardments," said Konashenkov.

Most of the German city was destroyed in Allied bombing raids just before the end of World War Two.

Though he said Russia welcomed Western promises of financial aid to rebuild Raqqa, Konashenkov complained that numerous Russian requests for the West to give humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians in other parts of the country had been rejected in previous years.

"What is behind the rush by Western capitals to provide targeted financial help only to Raqqa?," said Konashenkov.

"There's only one explanation - the desire to cover up evidence of the barbaric bombardments by the US air force and the coalition as fast as possible and to bury the thousands of civilians 'liberated' from Islamic State in the ruins."

The US-led coalition says it is careful to avoid civilian casualties in its bombing runs against Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq, and investigates any allegations. It has previously denied killing civilians in air strikes on Raqqa, saying its goal is "zero civilian casualties."
New York: An online and TV advertising campaign has been kicked off in the US by billionaire Tom Steyer asking people to write to their Congress members for President Donald Trump's impeachment.

In a one-minute-long video ad posted on Youtube, Steyer calmly listed the reasons why the president should be impeached, including "brought us to the brink of nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI, taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organisations that reported the truth," Xinhua reported.

Steyer also blamed the members of Congress in the ad, saying that "people in Congress and his own administration know this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons, and they do nothing."

So Steyer called on people who viewed the ad, which was paid by himself for $10 million, to raise voices together to tell their members of Congress that they have a moral responsibility to "stop doing political, start to doing right."

Steyer, a former hedge-fund manager, at the same time launched a website www.needtoimpeach.com in order to collect signatures for the petition.

On the website, Styer wrote an open letter to "elected official," saying "I am asking you today to make public your position on the impeachment of Donald Trump and to urge your federal representatives to remove him from office at once. "

Steyer is a leading Democratic activist and fundraiser.

The 60-year-old billionaire became one of Barack Obama's most prolific fundraisers in 2012 and was reported contributing more than $87 million in funds exclusively to liberal candidates during the 2016 election cycle.

(With IANS inputs)
Washington: The United States is "totally prepared" to respond to threats from Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, while also emphasizing his "exceptional relationship" with China's leader.

"We're so prepared like you wouldn't believe," Trump told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures while discussing tensions with North Korea, which have soared over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

"You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be," said Trump, who has in recent months engaged in a fiery verbal tit-for-tat with North Korea's leader.

"Would it be nice not to do that? The answer is yes, Trump went on, appearing to allude to potential conflict.

"Will that happen? Who knows," the US president said.

The North has drawn international ire in recent months for conducting a sixth nuclear test and tests of long-range missiles capable of striking the US mainland.

Asked about US policy towards China, the North's longtime ally, Trump praised Beijing for "helping" the US by enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang.

"He's for China. And I'm for the US," he said of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "But we do have a very good - I would say an exceptional relationship. And China's really helping us. With respect to North Korea."

"China is big stuff," he added, saying Xi has "got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea."

In a separate development, former US president Jimmy Carter told The New York Times he has offered to go to North Korea on behalf of the White House to try to allay rising tensions, though he has not been asked.

The 93-year-old Democrat, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had told the Republican president's National Security Advisor HR McMaster that he "was available if they ever need me."
New York: Former US President Jimmy Carter said he would be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help diffuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website on Sunday.

"I would go, yes," Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house in Plains, Georgia whether it was time for another diplomatic mission and whether he would do so for President Trump.

Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had spoken to Trump's National Security Adviser Lt.-Gen. H. R. McMaster, who is a friend, but so far has gotten a negative response.

"I told him that I was available if they ever need me, the Times quoted Carter as saying.

Told that some in Washington were made nervous by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's war of words, Carter said "I'm afraid, too, of a situation."

"They want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim," who, Carter added, has "never, so far as I know, been to China."And they have no relationship. Kim Jong-il did go to China and was very close to them."

Describing the North Korean leader as "unpredictable," Carter worried that if Kim thinks Trump will act against him, he could do something pre-emptive, the Times reported.

"I think he's now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland," Carter said.

In the mid-1990s, Carter travelled to Pyongyang over the objections of President Bill Clinton, the Times report said, and struck a deal with Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader.
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping may not have his way at the ongoing CPC Congress, as his closest aide is likely to step down from the powerful Standing Committee, belying speculation that he would be retained beyond the party's retirement age limit, a media report said on Sunday.

Wang Qishan, 69, Xi's feared anti-graft 'tsar'  billed as 'China's second most powerful man'  is likely to step down from the Standing Committee on Wednesday.

Also, the once-in-five-years Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) may keep the number of members of the Standing Committee, which virtually rules the country, to seven, contrary to Xi's reported preference of restricting it to five, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting sources.

The new seven-member committee which will be revealed on October 25, may retain the balance of power among various factions within the party, though Xi, who is expected to get the endorsement for a second five-year term, may still remain powerful with the induction of some of his close associates into the Standing Committee, the report said.

The Post, bought by Alibaba chairman Jack Ma a few years ago, has become a major source of "leaks" considering the secretive nature of the power politics of the CPC.

Speculation about Wang's future dominated overseas media coverage ahead of the CPC Congress as he was regarded as the lynchpin of Xi's massive anti-corruption drive in which over a million officials, including some top officials like security czar Zhou Yongkang, were punished.

It is understood that Xi has carefully weighed his options and consulted Wang. In the end, the president decided to let Wang retire from the Politburo Standing Committee largely because he had reached the unofficial retirement age, the Post report said.

Trey McArver, co-founder of Beijing-based research firm Trivium China, said Xi could change or negotiate some sort of exception to the norm if necessary, but he would back off if it risked undermining party stability.

"Part of the reason Xi is so powerful is because he has a broad range of support at the top of the party. He would seek a consensus if he wanted to keep Wang on, but if he perceives there would be a political cost, or there was no buy in from other members of the political elite, I think he might back off," he told the Post.

Since 2002, all top leaders of the CPC have followed an unwritten rule of retiring at the age of 68. Xi, regarded as the most powerful Chinese leader in recent times heading the party, the presidency, and the military, is also expected to retire by 2022 after his second term.

But speculation is rife that he would break that retirement age convention and may continue for a third term considering his powerful stature in the party, that equals that of party founder Mao Zedong.

In that respect, Wang's continuation despite the retirement age norm, was regarded as a signal. However, Wang might take up a position at the powerful National Security Commission (NSC) to continue to be associated with the government. Established in 2014, the NSC provides unified leadership for different security apparatus, the Post report said.

The CPC Congress which began on October 18 is scheduled to end on October 24 and the leadership is expected to be officially announced on October 25.

Barring Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, 63, the other five members of the Standing Committee will be new faces with hints of a future successor to Xi.

The Post also reported that "based on information from several sources", the five new faces to join China's top decision-making body will be Li Zhanshu, Han Zheng, Zhao Leji, Wang Yang, and Wang Huning.

"Together with Li Keqiang, they will form a new team to support the Standing Committee's 'core' member Xi, who is set to emerge as the most powerful leader in decades," the Post report said.

Wang Yang, 62, is most likely to become China's executive vice-premier while Shanghai party chief Han Zheng, 63, may head the advisory body Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Besides Wang Yang, who is regarded as a close confidant of Xi, another Xi loyalist Li Zhanshu, 67, is expected to be inducted into the Standing Committee.

Han Zheng, 63, is regarded as loyalist of former president Hu Jintao, while Zhao Leji, 60, has roots in Shaanxi province, the home province of Xi. Wang Huning, 62, is a politburo member and a party theorist.

It is to be seen whether this particular group of leaders projected by the report will get into the Standing Committee which will balance various factions of the party.

"The promotions show that Xi wants to maintain political continuity and stability, according to one source. They also show that political norms such as respect for seniority and the balance of power among factions still matter," the Post report said.
Geneva: The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread uproar.

"Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for (Non-communicable diseases) in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment" the head of the UN agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a statement.

Tedros, who took charge of WHO in July, said he had "listened carefully" to those who condemned the decision and spoken to the Harare government.

"We have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organisation."

Tedros had announced the appointment earlier this week during a speech in Uruguay, where he praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

But activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States swiftly denounced any prospective role for Mugabe, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under his 37 years of authoritarian rule.

Tedros said on Sunday his goal was "to build political leadership and create unity around bringing health to all."

'Damage done'

The WHO boss had faced mounting pressure to reverse the decision, including from some of the leading voices in global public health.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, told AFP in an email shortly before the WHO decision was announced.

"Reversing will actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public," he added.

The US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done.

"The only person whose health 93-yo Mugabe has looked out for in his 37 year reign is his own."

Multiple critics noted that Mugabe, who is 93 and in increasingly fragile health, travels abroad for medical care because Zimbabwe's health care system has been so severely decimated.

Richard Horton, the editor of the leading medical journal The Lancet said: "WHO DG stands for Director-General, not Dictator-General. Tedros, my friend, retract your decision, consult with colleagues, and rethink."

Tedros is the former health minister of Ethiopia.

His election as the first African leader of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation's work is based.

But his decision to honour one of Africa's most controversial leaders has raised questions about his leadership just four months into his tenure.
According to the ban introduced in the three ISBTs of Delhi - Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan - the drivers will be fined Rs 500 for honking and Rs 100 for shouting and soliciting destination to passengers.

The Delhi government has issued orders banning the use of horns at ISBTs (Photo: K Asif)

By Arpan Rai: The Delhi government's bid to curb noise pollution at the Inter State Bus Terminals has failed to make a dent a day after the ban was rolled out, as the situation remained largely the same.

According to the ban introduced in the three ISBTs of Delhi - Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan - the drivers will be fined Rs 500 for honking and Rs 100 for shouting and soliciting destination to passengers.

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The conductors and bus drivers remained largely indifferent to the order issued by the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTDC).

During a visit by the Mail Today team, it was found out that not only did the drivers admit to honking without fear, some also added that the ban was impractical as the bus station was catering only to middle class crowd and not the elite class.

According to the data given by transport department, the number of challans issued attests to the lack of seriousness in implementation of this order, as indicated by several bus drivers and conductors.

Barely 24 hours after the ban kicked in, the transport department officials fined 51 challans.

"We have fined 32 challans for honking in all three terminals combined. As for soliciting and shouting in the terminus premises, the department fined 19 challans in all the three terminals, which are plying a total number of 5,703 buses on a daily basis," confirmed V K Mongia, deputy commissioner, Delhi's transport department.

OFFICIALS PROMISE STRICTER ENFORCEMENT

Special commissioner of Delhi's transport department K K Dahiya has promised stricter enforcement to bring down the noise pollution levels.

"We are experiencing some teething problems, but we are well on our way to introduce more infrastructures to contain the situation. In another 30 days, passengers can expect RFID system being rolled out along with upgraded infrastructure to help passengers navigate better," Dahiya told MAIL TODAY.

In addition, the officials also admitted to lack of manpower to monitor those openly violating rules and regulations.

"We will deploy more officers on ground to ensure stringent implementation as this requires a minimum of 10 officials to bring down pollution," said a state department official.

The Kashmere Gate Bus Terminal witnesses footfall from passengers travelling to Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand and according to the vendors, the soliciting and alerting of passengers creates an alarming level of noise pollution, especially by the buses destined for Haryana.

Conductor for a private Haryana roadways Randeep Mallik said, "We have seen conductors of Haryana state buses honking and shouting at the highest pitch possible to attract passengers."

The DTIDC had introduced the order after transport minister Kailash Gahlot's visit to the Kashmere Gate terminal earlier this week. The officials observed noise pollution levels at ISBTs and confirmed that it has reached an alarming level requiring intervention to reduce the pollution.

--- ENDS ---

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The court's order came on a plea filed by the student who is suffering from thalassemia, a blood disorder that is recognised as a disability.

The court said he was the only student who was deprived of admission. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain)

By Mail Today Bureau: The Delhi High Court has directed the Indraprastha University here to admit a student suffering from thalassaemia to its MBBS course under the disability category in any of its three colleges.

The court's order came on a plea filed by the student who is suffering from the blood disorder, which said thalassemia was one of the disabilities recognised under the statute and he cannot be denied admission under the persons with disabilities (PWD) category.

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"The petitioner (student) is entitled to the relief he prayed for. He be granted admission in the MBBS course by respondent no 1 (IP University) in any of the three colleges," Justice Indermeet Kaur said in a recent order.

The three medical colleges under Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, North Delhi Municipal Corporation Medical College and Hindu Rao Hospital and Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital.

The order noted that the status of the youth was changed from general category to PWD on July 16, 2017. Moreover, the student had participated in the two rounds of counselling on July 24 and August 12 this year.

"The fact that he was under the bonafide impression that his case was being considered favourably after these rounds of counselling was his rightful expectation of the candidate that he was being considered in the PWD category," the order noted.

Talking to Mail Today, the university officials said that they are waiting to receive the order to grant admission to the student.

"We will admit the student in our medical college as soon as we receive the order," said Nitin Malik, registrar of Indraprastha University.

According to the new act, thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder, falls under the category of benchmark disability.

The new Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has also increased the reservation of persons with disability category from three to five per cent.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill - was passed by the parliament to replace the PwD Act, 1995.

The new law is in line with the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory. This will fulfill the obligations on the part of India in terms of UNCRD.

--- ENDS ---
Smoking Pot May Not Be

as Safe as You Think
Consider these two numbers: 5.57 inches and 6.69. The first is the average erect penile length, according to a study of 1,661 American men. The latter is the minimum length that standard condoms have been required to be. If that seems like a disconnect, well, it is, and change is comingthough not without some difficulty. In a look at the condom industry, the New York Times explains that revolution is challenging in large part because of the Food and Drug Administration. It classifies condoms as medical devices, which means any new product has to go through pricey clinical trials to gain approval. Case in point: The Gates Foundation gave Mark McGlothlin $100,000 to pursue his idea of making condoms from things like cow tendon, but he's far short of the $2 million he says the trials would cost.

And the makeup of the tests themselves have been problematic. One is called the "hang-and-squeeze," and it's much like it sounds like: A condom is filled with water and then squeezed to look for leakage. But make a condom for the 5.57-inchor lessman, and filling it with the required water volume doesn't work. The FDA and two standards organizations have started to acknowledge the limitations and tweak the requirements and tests, and that's opened the door for Boston-based Global Protection Corp. to begin selling condoms that come in 60 sizes. Per a press release, 28 of those sizes are larger than the length, width, or both of the "leading XL condom," while 27 are smaller than the typical one. (This study found a slightly different average penile length.)
Next month, the last painting ever completed by Winston Churchill is going on sale at auction, and it's expected to bring in upwards of $100,000, Sky News reports. The former prime minister finished "The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell" in 1962 and gave it to his bodyguard, Sergeant Edmund Murray, who looked after the former prime minister during the last years of his life. Chartwell was Churchill's beloved country home in Kent and, according to Frances Christie, the head of Sotheby's Modern and Post-War British department, "a very special place for him, right until the end of his life, was the goldfish pool," per the Irish Examiner. An earlier, larger painting of the pond sold for more than $2 million in 2014.

Churchill took up painting as a hobby in the 1920s and during his life completed 544 works. Christie says "The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell" represents a development in his technique as "it verges on the abstract which is very unusual for him. You can see flashes of orange which mark out the goldfish.  He had a really confident, bold brushwork." Churchill's final work goes on sale at Sotheby's in London on Nov. 21. (Read more Winston Churchill stories.)
When an Australian journalist wanted to find out how to correctly pronounce the name of New Zealand's incoming prime minister, heunwittinglywent straight to the top, reports the AP. According to the New Zealand Herald, Tiger Webb of Australia's ABC Radio called the New Zealand Parliament on Friday to find out how Jacinda Ardern, who takes over as prime minister this coming week, pronounces her surname. Webb was transferred to the Labour Party's offices, and none other than Ardern herself answered the phone. She told Webb that her last name is pronounced "AH-durn." "It was funny. I was in a meeting and my desk phone started to ring and it doesn't ring much so I went over and I saw it was an international number and I just picked up," Ardern told the Herald.

The brief phone conversation sparked some lively Twitter banter after an impressed Webb tweeted about the incident. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark tweeted, "That's New Zealand!!" Ardern, 37, will be New Zealand's youngest leader in more than 150 years, and hopes to take the country on a more liberal path following nine years of rule by the conservatives. (Ardern wasn't having one interviewer's questions about pregnancy.)
The previously unmarked graves of more than 1,100 black souls buried in a Gainesville, Georgia, cemetery will be honored with a memorial to be dedicated Sunday, AP reports. Alta Vista Cemetery dates back to the 1870s and was segregated until the mid-1960s. Recently, the city discovered the extent of the unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar.

City and community leaders worked together to create the monument, born out of a desire for racial healing and reconciliation after the Charleston church shootings in 2015. The graves are also marked with a numbered silver medallion. Organizers are also hoping to identify descendants of the buried using historical records and family documents. Anyone who believes their loved one may be buried at Alta Vista should contact the cemetery.

(Read more Georgia stories.)
The battle over the future of the Affordable Care Act continued on the Sunday morning news shows, with Senate leaders from both parties offering some hope for bipartisan legislation. On CNN's State of the Union, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would be willing to bring the bipartisan health care bill written by senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to the floor if he could be sure Donald Trump would sign it, Politico reports. "I'm not certain yet what the president is looking for here but I'll be happy to bring a bill to the floor if I know President Trump would sign it," McConnell said. The short-term Obamacare fix would extend cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments for two years. Trump said last week his administration would cease making those payments.

On the other side of the aisle, the Hill reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on McConnell to bring the Alexander-Murray bill to the floor, where, he said, "it will pass by a large number of votes. "This is a good compromise. It took months to work out. It has a majority. It has 60 senators supporting it, we have all 48 Democrats, 12 Republicans," Schumer said on Meet the Press. As of Thursday, the bill had 24 co-sponsors, 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans, per CBS. It is unclear, however, if Trump would sign the bill into law. Over the last week he has called the Alexander-Murray bill both a "very good solution" and a bailout for insurance companies, something he said he "can never support." (Read more Mitch McConnell stories.)
A Scottish tourist says he was just trying not to spill his drink while at a Dubai bar, and he'll spend time in jail for it. The BBC reports Jamie Harron, 27, was handed a 3-month sentence for touching a man's hip, something Harron says happened while he was walking with a drink in the crowded Rock Bottom Cafe on July 15; he says he put out his hand "to avoid impact" with a patron, but the incident led to a public indecency charge. Though the BBC reports the man whose hip Harron brushed dropped the complaint (the Guardian is less firm on this point, and says there are no court records to back this up), prosecutors went ahead with the case. The group Detained in Dubai has been championing Harron's cause and complaining about what it sees as deficiencies in his defense, including "key witnesses" who were not asked to testify.

It says an appeal is planned, "though this will prolong his increasingly difficult circumstances in Dubai, and compound the enormous financial losses he has suffered as a consequence of the ongoing case." The group's CEO adds that his family hasn't been able to be by his side, as "they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAE's cybercrime laws which forbid criticism of the government." Harron, an electrician, stopped off in Dubai for a couple days en route to a job in Afghanistan. The Guardian reports Harron's court ordeal isn't over, as he still faces additional charges related to drinking alcohol and allegedly swearing at the man he brushed up against. (Read more Dubai stories.)
TTV Dhinakaran camp and O Panneerselvam camp which is now merged with Edappadi Palanisamy team are fighting for AIADMK's two leaves symbol.

The Election Commission will hear AIADMK's two leaves symbol case tomorrow. TTV Dhinakaran camp and O Panneerselvam camp which is now merged with Edappadi Palanisamy team are fighting for the party symbol.

After the death of J Jayalalithaa, AIADMK had split into two with Sasikala and OPS on the other side. The affidavits were filed by both the sides to allot party's two leaves symbol to them. In twist of events, EPS and OPS factions merged. Now, the fight is between TTV camp and the merged EPS team.

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EPS team is claiming that the AIADMK general council conducted by them endorsed them and V K Sasikala has been removed as the general secretary. However, TTV team is claiming that as per laws of AIAMDK, a general secretary who was elected by council members cannot be removed.

Meanwhile, ahead of the third hearing of the AIADMK symbol dispute, senior party leader K P Munusamy of EPS camp has accused the rival faction headed by V K Sasikala of submitting fake affidavits to the Election Commission (EC) claiming a majority support in the party.

Talking to reporters, Munuswamy said the rival faction was trying to delay the hearings by submitting fake affidavits.

"The rival faction doesnt want us to get the two leaves symbol. It was evident during the last hearing that they had submitted fake affidavits," he said, adding that the ECs verdict would be in favour of his faction.

During the second hearing on October 16, the faction led by Sasikala and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran had requested the poll panel to freeze the coveted two leaves symbol permanently. They have also questioned the authenticity of the documents submitted by the rival group.

The EC had adjourned the hearing. It is slated for 3:00 pm tomorrow.

The Supreme Court has given the EC time till November 10 to decide on the two leaves symbol case.

With inputs from PTI

--- ENDS ---
On Monday Bowe Bergdahl learns his fate, which will come at the hands of a military judge. Bergdahl pleaded guilty last Monday to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his military base in Afghanistan in 2009, and he faces five years for the former and up to life in prison for the latter. On the eve of his sentencing, the Sunday Times is out with the result of what it says is "the only face-to-face interview in the world" with Bergdahl, a piece by journalist/one-time Taliban hostage Sean Langan titled "Bowe Bergdahl: the homecoming from hell." Their first meeting was in March 2016, in the privacy of the tool shed of a farmhouse located near the base Bergdahl has been stationed at in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl "told me [coming home has] been worse than his time as a hostage," writes Langan.

Says Bergdahl, "At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, 'I'm the guy who's gonna cut your throat.' Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor who's going to sign the paper that sends me away for life." But his time as a hostage was certainly hell. He describes pulling out the hairs of his beard, of being kept in a steel cage suspended off the ground. "The bars cut into my feet. That's why I ended up having permanent nerve damage. After the first winter in the cage, I lost the feeling in my feet." But Langan notes it's possible "Bergdahl endured such bad treatment ... because he hopelessly misread the situation." Bergdahl told Langan, "I can't say for certain, but they may have been poisoning my food." Langan sees that as ludicrousif they wanted him dead, they would have executed himand "by rejecting their offers of cooked food, Bergdahl committed a sin in Pashtun culture. ... So they treated him like a dog." Read the full piece here. (Read more Bowe Bergdahl stories.)
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By PTI: Dhanbad (Jharkhand) Oct 22 (PTI) The death of a rickshaw puller at Jharia in Dhanbad has whipped up a fresh controversy after family members alleged that the man died of hunger while the district administration said it was due to a prolonged illness.

Rickshaw puller Baijnath Ravidas (45) died at his Tarabagan house in Jharia on Friday evening. After completing the last rites on Saturday, his wife Parwati Devi alleged that he died of hunger as he had not eaten for the past two days. The family didnt even have any money to buy medicines.

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"The oven in my house was not ignited for the last two days and he (Baijnath) succumbed to hunger," Parwati told reporters at a press conference today.

Baijnath left behind five children including three sons -- Ravi (20), Suraj (14), Neeraj (10) -- and two daughters Suman (16) and Sulekha (8).

After coming to know about the incident via social media, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner A Dodde presented the family Rs 20,000 and assured to provide 50 kg of food grains immediately.

?He had been bedridden for the last one month. After reports of his death, a probe was conducted. It was found that he died of illness and not hunger," Dodde said.

The family members said Baijnath had applied for ration card in the second week of October. However, all the family members have Aadhar Card.

Baijnaths neighbours said he had breathing problem and was bedridden for several days and a local doctor had prescribed medicines for him.

Baijnaths wife works as a domestic help and their elder son Ravi lives with his maternal grandfather in Gaya. while three children study in government school.

A district administration officia, however, claimed that Baijnaths family had officially informed that he had died of illness.

The official also said that post-mortem examination could not be carried out since the family members performed the last rites without informing the authorities. PTI CORR JM LNS

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi:

For the first time since the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Narendra Modi government has accepted that the new tax scheme has loopholes that need correction.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia in an interview to News agency PTI has said that a complete overhaul of the tax rates is now required to reduce the burden on small and medium businesses.

"There is a complete overhauling that is required... it is possible that some items in the same chapter are divided. There is a need for harmonisation of items chapter wise and wherever we find there is a big burden on small and medium businesses and on common man, if we bring them down, there will be a better compliance," Adhia said.

Opposition parties and some of Senior BJP leaders has criticised Modi government for poorly implementing the GST, which amalgamates more than a dozen central and state levies like excise duty, service tax and VAT.

Senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha had termed GST a badly conceived and poorly implemented havoc.

Medium and small businesses are facing hassles in paying taxes and filing GST returns. India's economic growth slipped to a three-year low of 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal.

However, Adhia was hopeful that the situation will improve and it will take at least one years time to stabilise the GST system.

"It will take one year. Because it is a new system for everybody... There has been a complete overhauling of tax system in GST so one year is needed," Revenue secretary said.

Since the launch of GST on July 1, the GST Council has agreed on several changes in the new tax regime following problems faced by common man and small-medium businesses.

The 23rd meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising of representatives of all states, will be held in Guwahati on November 10.

(With PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi :

Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi is once again in the news, this time as a victim. A caller named Munna Pujari had called Pancholi several times and asked for extortion money of Rs 25 lakh.

As per police reports the caller has been traced to have called from Thane by using three different numbers from UP. A report on the same has been registered at the Versova police station.

Pancholi said he has been receiving such calls for the past couple of days. Recently he and his wife had gone to Andheri police station for registering a complaint against top bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut.

Earlier this year filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt also received calls regarding death of wife Sony Razdaan and daughter Alia. However the caller was latter arrested by the police whose name was Sandeep Sahu, who demanded Rs 50 lakh.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Gurugram:

In a bid to help Gurugram Police personnel combat air pollution after Diwali, a private company and a hospital donated 5,000 masks to the department on Sunday.

Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said the N95 masks will be given to field officials, especially those deployed in the traffic department, on PCR vans and volunteers.

Khirwar said Gurgaon suffersone of the worst spells of air pollution after Diwali. "These masks will help minimise the impact of alarming pollution levels on police personnel", he said.

The air pollution levels had risen in Gurgaon after Diwali.

The PM2.5 level - which refers to particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, which is about 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair - had reached up to 300 cubic metres in the Millennium City after Diwali.

The volume of pollutants, however, have come down due to strong wind movement after Diwali fireworks had pushed Delhi's air quality into the 'severe' zone for the first time this year.

Read more: Karnataka government to ban pillion seats in two-wheelers with less than 100cc engines

"Police of NCR is among those highly vulnerable who, in line of their duty, spends hours breathing toxic air", said Arvind Chabra, head of Blueair India, which donated the masks.

"Pollution levels have spiked inspite of all-round efforts to control it although some progress has been made. At the frontline of this battle are the policemen on the ground who are responsible not only for regulating things like traffic but responsible for enforcing all other regulations", said Himanshu Garg, head of respiratory and critical care at Artemis Hospitals.

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New Delhi:

Delhi Police arrests a man for lifting more than 1000 cars in the Delhi and neighbouring areas on Sunday early hours.

The arrested car-lifter has been identified as Kunal. The arrested was infamous as super-chor.

Delhi Police said, Kunal was wanted for more than 1000 car-lifting incident.

According to police, the car-lifter to evade arrest had gone through a plastic surgery.

According to sources in the Delhi Police the arrest was made after a tip off provided by a close aide of Kunal.

(More details awaited)







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New Delhi:

Delhi Police on Saturday has arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with murder and chopping the youth before hiding it in a refrigerator area.

On October 14, a youths chopped body was recovered from a refrigerator in Mehrauli area. The body was chopped in three parts. The deceased was identified as Vipin Joshi.

The arrested has been identified as Badal Mandal alias Swapan Singra.

Police said, Mandal severed head of Joshi with a meat cutting knife and hid his body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat.

Mandal and Joshi worked in the same restaurant and were friends.

During interrogation, Mandal told the police that he suspected Joshi had an affair with his wife.

The arrested further told the police that Joshi regularly visited his house in his absence which raised his suspect.

The police during investigation had learnt that Mandal had applied for leave at his workplace before planning the murder.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Police further said that Mandal was arrested from Odishas Rourkela. After carrying out the murder Mandal had fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata. On reaching Kolkata police learnt that he had left for Jamshedpur.

Also read| Delhi: Youth missing for three days found chopped into pieces inside refrigerator



Delhi Police team in hunt of Mandal reached Jamshedpur from where they got the lead that Mandal was hiding in Rourkela.

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New Delhi:

Joining the opposition parties in questioning the announcement of dates for Gujarat elections, the DMK on Sunday rebuked the Election Commission (EC) for not announcing Gujarat's election schedule.



The Tamil Nadu party said that the EC should work with the principle "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion".



The EC has announced election dates for the Himachal Pradesh assembly but did not announce it for Gujarat.



"Many political leaders have pointed out that the EC has now presented an opportunity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend various events in Gujarat and announce new schemes by delaying the announcement of the poll dates as there would be no model code of conduct," DMK working president MK Stalin said.



He added that his party had often highlighted what he termed as the "one-sided" approach of the Election Commission.



"We are duty bound to point out that such allegations against the EC, which has to work by the principle Caesar's wife must be above suspicion, will malign its autonomous functioning," Stalin said in a letter to party workers on a day when PM Modi is in Gujarat to launch various initiatives.

Also read: Chidambaram slams EC for not announcing Gujarat poll schedule



Also read: CPI blames Election Commission of speaking BJP's language on simultaneous polls

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New Delhi:

Jharkhand woman, whose daughter allegedly starved to death because the familys Aadhaar card was not seeded with ration card, was attacked by villagers and forced to leave her house.

A local activist Taamani Sahu informed the media that the mother of the girl who allegedly starved to death had to escape from her village, Karimati in Jharkhands Simdega district, after she was attacked.

Taamani Sahu is the whistleblower of the alleged starvation death of the minor girl.

She travelled more than eight kilometers to escape the attack, added Sahu.

According to activists, the attack was orchestrated by the PDS provider.

Simdega deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said, I have received complaints regarding the attack on Devi. We are verifying the facts and a probe has been ordered.

I have directed the district police to provide security to Devi and family, said Bhajantri.

The district commissioner also told the media that villagers have claimed that Devi was not attacked by anyone.

Sahu further informed the media that she travelled all the way till she got shelter at Sahus residence.

Koyli Devis 11-year-old daughter Santoshi Kumari had died on September 28 after allegedly starving for four days.

According to reports her family was struck off the government welfare rolls for not linking Aadhaar with ration card.

Also read: Girl dies after being denied ration for non-linking of Aadhaar, mother says she died saying Bhat Bhat



After Santoshis death due to starvation was reported in media, the Jharkhand government directed a probe into the incident. State Food Minister Saryu Roy also directed that Aadhaar card linkage not mandatory to get rations.

However, three member probe team formed by the administration denied Santoshis death due to starvation and claimed that the death of the girl was due to malaria.

However, activists quoting Devi disputed the probing teams claim and said, My daughter was crying for bhaat (rice) while breathing last. She did not die of malaria."

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New Delhi:

The Karnataka government has decided prohibit pillion riding on two-wheelers with an engine capacity of less than 100cc. The decision came in wake of the safety of pillion riders who are often seen as easy victims of road accidents.

Transport Department issued a notice to this effect on October 16 in compliance of the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. The rules clearly states, "No pillion seat shall be attached to motorcycle with less than 100 cc engine".

Read more: Modi to visit home state, will inaugurate project worth Rs 2000 crore

The report also says that the ban won't affect two-wheelers that are already in use, but only the new vehicles that are being sold and the upcoming models.

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New Delhi:

An encounter has broken out between security forces and terrorists in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning.

One terrorist was killed in the encounter as the operation continues.

According to top police officials, nine para-military and other security forces are jointly carrying out the operation and heavy firing is going on.

#UPDATE J&K: Grenade, rifle and Pakistani currency notes recovered from terrorist killed in Handwara encounter. pic.twitter.com/JqpdQoS4lG  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

Earlier on September 24, Indian Army busted a terrorist hideout in Handawara district and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The 47 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army searched the forest area of Chak Kigam Handwara and a large cache of explosive material, arms and ammunition including one anti-aircraft gun.

Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC 15 Corp termed the mission successful and informed more such operations will follow in future to bring peace in the region.

ALSO READ: Srinagar: Army jawan beaten up by mob on suspicion of braid chopping

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Moments before the Tata Sons board unceremoniously removed Cyrus Mistry as chairman, he sent a text message to his wife saying, "I am being sacked", a former Tata executive claimed in a blog post.

Cyrus Mistry was fired as the chairman of Tata Sons on October 24, 2016 (Reuters file photo)

By India Today Web Desk: On the evening of October 24, 2016, Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, announced the dramatic firing of Cyrus Mistry from the post of chairman.

The news, announced via a press statement released after a board meeting of Tata Sons in Mumbai, threw Dalal Street, business newspapers and corporate India into a tizzy.

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Stocks of various Tata companies fell anywhere between 1 and 2.5 per cent the next day (Cyrus Mistry's ouster was announced after markets closed on October 24) as journalists frantically dialed sources in an attempt to figure out what had led to Mistry's firing.

Mistry was fired as the chairman of Tata Sons, which is the promoter of most of the companies that form the Tata Group behemoth, around four years after he took over the mantle from Ratan Tata.

Following Mistry's sacking, Rata Tata returned to the group's helm where he remained until earlier this year when Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed as the new Tata Sons chairman.

The firing quickly turned into one of India's most followed boardroom dramas with Mistry and the Tata Group trading allegations and counter-allegations. Mistry even wrote an explosive letter in which he said he had been reduced to a "lame duck" chairman.

Ousted Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry writes letter to Tata Sons board members. Watch what Mistry wrote #ITVideo #TataTurbulence pic.twitter.com/iL2BZKyIVN- India Today (@IndiaToday) October 27, 2016

Mistry's exit from Tata Sons was shocking in part due to the conglomerate's tradition of stable leadership - the group has had just eight chairmen (including Chandrasekaran) over its nearly 150-year history.

Now, a former high-ranking Tata executive named Nirmalya Kumar has revealed what exactly happened on the fateful Monday of October 24 when Mistry was unceremoniously fired by the Tata Sons board.

Kumar, who too was fired on the same day, was the head of strategy at the Tata Group and was hired by Cyrus Mistry himself. Kumar was part of the six-member Group Executive Council (GEC), which was formed by Mistry around a year he took over from Rata Tata in 2012.

Writing a blog post titled 'How Cyrus Mistry was Fired as Tata Chairman', Nirmalya Kumar provides a near minute-by-minute account of how Cyrus Mistry was let go as chairman on October 24.

Kumar's version of Mistry's firing was not independently verified by IndiaToday.in nor have the characters mentioned in the blog post commented publicly on the for GEC member's claim.

It all started, Kumar writes, with a knock on Cyrus Mistry's office door.

A SURPRISE VISIT

According to Kumar, on October 24, 2016, Cyrus Mistry was in his Bombay House fourth floor office, going over the agenda for a Tata Sons board meeting scheduled for 2pm.

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Earlier in the day, rumour mills had churned out gossip that some of the Tata Sons board members had held an informal meeting in the morning. But, since what had transpired between the board members was unknown, Mistry "did not give it (the meeting) much further thought", Kumar writes.

As Mistry went over the agenda for the board meeting, a knock on his office door announced the unexpected visit of his predecessor Rata Tata.

THE BOMBSHELL

Rata Tata was accompanied by Nitin Nohria, a member of the Tata Sons board of directors. Nohria was and continues to be a Tata Trusts nominee to the Tata Sons board. The allied trusts hold a majority of Tata Sons's equity capital.

Inside Cyrus Mistry's office and with Ratan Tata by his side, Nitin Nohria proceeded to deliver the bombshell: "Cyrus," Nirmalya Kumar quotes him as saying, "as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working."

So, Nohria reportedly said, Tata Trusts had decided to move a resolution asking the Tata Sons board to remove Cyrus Mistry as chairman.

Click here to Enlarge Cyrus Mistry replaced Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Sons in 2012 (Reuters file photo)

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Kumar writes that Nohria went on to offer Cyrus Mistry two options: He could either write his own resignation letter or take the ignominious route of being fired by the board during the meeting that was minutes away. At this point, Kumar says, Ratan Tata "chimes in... to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage."

Mistry, according to Kumar, chose not to go down without a fight and told Rata Tata and Nitin Nohria that he would see them at the board meeting.

However, the chairman by that point seemed to have realised the fate that was about to befall him.

'I AM BEING SACKED'

After their chat with Cyrus Mistry, Rata Tata and Nitin Nohria walked over "to the other end of the hallowed 4th floor of Bombay House, where the board room (sic) is located," Kumar writes.

Mistry quickly texted his wife, "I am being sacked" before making his way to the boardroom. There he sat in the chairman's seat and welcomed Rata Tata, who Kumar says had never been to a Tata Sons board meeting since handing over the mantle to Mistry.

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Cyrus Mistry then informed the board that Ratan Tata and Nitin Nohria had some matters to discuss regarding the board meeting's agenda.

At this point, Kumar says, Nohria told that meeting that Tata Trusts had asked its Tata Sons board nominees to propose moving a motion.

Amit Chandra, another Tata Trusts nominee, reportedly added that directors of Tata Trusts had met earlier in the day (likely the meeting that was rumoured to have been held earlier in the day) and had decided to move a motion asking Cyrus Mistry to step down as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons.

According to Kumar, Chandra said Tata Trusts had lost confidence in Mistry for a variety of reasons, but did not elaborate on the issues.

THE FIRST BLOW

Kumar writes that Mistry protested that the move was illegal as the introduction of any such motion required a 15-day notice period. Chandra, Kumar says, responded saying that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary.

Chandra then reportedly proposed that Vijay Singh, another Tata Trusts nominee, be appointed as the chair for the remainder of the Tata Sons's board meeting. Venu Srinivasan, an independent director, seconded Chandra's proposal even as Mistry continued protesting its illegality.

Kumar's blog says that voting soon followed with six directors - Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen, Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh - backing the proposal. Farida Khambata and Ishaat Hussain abstained from voting.

'OVER IN A MATTER OF MINUTES'

With Vijay Singh installed as chair of the meeting, Venu Srinivasan proposed that inclusion of a total of seven resolutions on the agenda for the board meeting, Kumar says.

The resolutions, posted on Kumar's blog, essentially dealt with the removal of Cyrus Mistry, the appointment of Ratan Tata as interim chairman, and the setting up of a committee to hunt for a new chairman.

The resolutions were put to vote and they were all passed under the same voting pattern, according to Kumar, who writes, "Khambata abstained on each, Mistry objected to each as being illegal, while the others voted for them."

"It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal."

THE DENOUEMENT

After the meeting, Cyrus Mistry went back to his office and began packing his personal items. The now ex-chairman of Tata Sons reportedly asked the group's Chief Operating Officer FN Subedar whether he should return to office the next day.

Subedar, Kumar says, "checked with Ratan Tata and reported that it was unnecessary."

Click here to Enlarge A file photo of the nameboard at Bombay House, the headquarters of Tata Sons (Photo: Reuters)

Mistry then called up friends, one of them a top lawyer, who whisked him away to the headquarters of Forbes & Company Ltd, a company related to Mistry's family firm, Shapoorji Pallonji.

There, sitting in a conference room, Cyrus Mistry finally came to terms with what had just happened. "Visibly shaken," Kumar writes, Mistry asked for a cup of tea as he proceeded to figure out his next course of action.

Ending the blog post, which also includes an account of how he himself found out about the news, Kumar says that Mistry's firing "was the start of a furious two months".

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New Delhi:

Criticising the NDA governments move of demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan called them as attacks on the economy.

While speaking to the reporters in Karad (his hometown in Satara district), he said The government mistakenly assumed that currency in cash is black money. It is sometimes a provision for emergency situations but the government ignored this aspect and went ahead with note ban. Now, everybody knows the note ban has failed miserably.

The BJP-led Union government also failed to build up a proper system required for the implementation and execution of the GST. Now it is affecting the economy, he added.

These two moves of the Modi government are an attack on the nations economy, former Maharashtra CM said.

ALSO READ | 66 machines being used for counting demonetised notes: RBI

The government has completely ignored that black money could be in the form of real estate, jewellery items or even in some land purchases. It looks like the government completely ignored these areas and focused on scrapping high valued currency notes in circulation, Chavan said.

The Congress leaders across the country are working on strategies to counter and corner the BJP government on these fronts, he added.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accuses Cong of opportunism, hails GST, demonetisation

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday for the third time this month, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts.

Earlier on October 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his two-day tour to Gujarat by visiting Dwarkadhish temple.

During his second visit of the month, the prime minister also addressed a massive rally organised by the state BJP to celebrate the conclusion of the saffron party's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' (march for Gujarat's honour).

1) On his first visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Okha- Bet Dwarka bridge. Okha- Bet Dwarka bridge which is major pilgrimage centre visited by lakhs of Shree Krishna devotees every year.

2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of barrage over Narmada River, flag off Antyodaya Express.

3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched an intensive immunisation drive from Gujarat's Vadnagar, saying no child should suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease.

Through the 'Intensified Mission Indradhanush' or IMI, the government aims to reach every child below the age of two years and pregnant women still uncovered under the routine immunisation programme, an official statement said.

4) PM Modi announced setting up of an institute for marine security in Dwarka.

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New Delhi :

Civil rights group PUCL today demanded that a Rajasthan government ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction be repealed, even as state home minister Gulabchand Kataria defended the move.

Kataria said the ordinance was brought to check those who intend to put hurdles in the government's work for publicity.The Vasundhara Raje government issued the ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistratesand public servants in Rajasthan from investigation for on- duty action without the state government's prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

State president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Kavita Srivastava said the amendments and provisos wereto "gag the media" and "clipping" the powers of the magistrate to order a probe, investigate or take cognisance of complaints against public servants including judges and magistrates.

"We will go to the high court tomorrow against the government's move. The ordinance should be repealed," she said. "It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court," Srivastava said.

The state government in a release tonight said there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials. "The state government has maintained a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and there is no provision in the ordinance which gives protection to corrupt officials.

The only aim of the ordinance is that no one can tarnish the image of honest officials by misusing section 156 (3) of the CrPC."

Section 156 (3) of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to order investigation following a complaint. Earlier today, home minister Kataria told reporters in Udaipur that sanction will be deemed granted if there was no decision on the sanction request after the stipulated time period of 180 days.

He said a bill will be introduced in the assembly session beginning Monday to replace the ordinance. The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, "No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant."

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean thatsanction has been granted. The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants. Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.

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New Delhi:

A latest study led by a group of scientists from American space agency NASA, a brand new model is capable enough to enhance the searching ability of the habitable exoplanets beyond our solar system that might support life.

The research will further refine our understanding regarding the atmospheric conditions across three different dimensions instead of one, as in previous models.

"Using a model that more realistically simulates atmospheric conditions, we discovered a new process that controls the habitability of exoplanets and will guide us in identifying candidates for further study," lead author Yuka Fujii of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), New York, New York and the Earth-Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan was quoted while talking about their latest models based on new NASA research.

Moreover, an exoplanet which has some significant sign of supporting life should allow liquid water to be present on the surface of it for a sufficient time (billions of years) as water is one of those principal things on an alien planet for life.

Also Read: NASA's Dawn spacecraft to get a closer look at dwarf planet Ceres

In order for water vapor to rise to the stratosphere, previous models predicted that long-term surface temperatures had to be greater than anything experienced on Earth - over 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 Celsius).

These temperatures would power intense convective storms; however, it turns out that these storms aren't the reason water reaches the stratosphere for slowly rotating planets entering a moist greenhouse state.

"We found an important role for the type of radiation a star emits and the effect it has on the atmospheric circulation of an exoplanet in making the moist greenhouse state," Fujii added further.

Moreover, while the new model supports three-dimensional system, the previous one was only one dimensional, vertical.

Also Read: Explore dozen of planets and icy moons with Google Maps

The study has recently been published in the Astrophysical Journal on October 17.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Led by Catalonia's separatist president Carles Puigdemont, hundreds of thousands of independence supporters protested in Barcelona today, shouting "freedom" and "independence" after Madrid announced drastic measures to stop the region from breaking away.

"It's time to declare independence," said Jordi Balta, a 28-year-old stationery shop employee, adding there was nolonger any room for dialogue. The protest in the centre of the Catalan capital had initially been called to push for the release of the leaders of two hugely influential grassroots independence organisations, accused of sedition and jailed pending further investigation.

But it took on an even angrier tone after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced his government would move to dismissthe region's separatist government, take control of its ministries and call fresh elections in Catalonia.

Municipal police said 450,000 people rallied on Barcelona's large Paseo de Gracia boulevard, spilling over onto nearby streets, many holding Catalonia's yellow, red and blue Estelada separatist flag. Protesters greeted Puigdemont's arrival at the rally with shouts of "President, President."

The rest of his executivewas also there. "The Catalans are completely disconnected from Spanish institutions, and particularly anything to do with the Spanish state," said Ramon Millol, a 45-year-old mechanic.

Meritxell Agut, a 22-year-old bank worker, said she was "completely outraged and really sad." "They can destroy the government, they can destroy everything they want but we'll keep on fighting."

Catalonia is roughly split down the middle on independence, but residents cherish the autonomy of the wealthy, northeastern region, which saw its powers taken away under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

As such, Madrid's move could anger even those againstindependence. Barcelona's Mayor Ada Colau, who opposes the independence drive, tweeted: "Rajoy has suspended the self-government of Catalonia for which so many people fought.

A serious attack on the rights and freedoms of everyone." As a police helicopter hovered above, protesters booed and gave it the finger. "I wish they would just go," said Balta, looking up at the sky.

The Spanish government's proposed measures still have to be approved by the Senate. But the upper house is majority-controlled by Rajoy's ruling Popular Party and he has secured the support of other major parties, meaning they will almost certainly go through.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Navigating ongoing rifts on the political left, Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez said party unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an "existential threat" to the nation.

"We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history," Perez said as he addressed the first national party gathering since his election in February.

The former Obama Cabinet officer blistered "a culture of corruption" that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, HouseSpeaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities and leadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee.

Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the DNC younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep.

Keith Ellison over Perez in the postelection race for party chairman. Perez spent considerable time during the week's proceedings meeting privately with some frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint.

He apologised publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members beforehe announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim. "If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing ofthe Democratic Party," he said, "because you're trying to get done.

That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We'retrying to move the ball forward." To some extent, the latest developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race,but they also highlight lingering resentments from Sanders backers who accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favour.

Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's superdelegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat fromRepublican control. Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House.

They facean uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won lastNovember. Democrats also want to increase their gubernatorial roster from the current 15 state executives.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Families of all 39 Indians labourers who went missing in Iraq's second largest city of Mosul three years ago have been asked to undergo DNA tests.

"All of us have been asked to undergo DNA test; don't know why. We are very nervous", Gurpinder, the sister of Manjinder, who is one among the 39, told ANI.

39 Indians, mostly from Punjab, were reportedly abducted by ISIS in 2014 when they were trying to leave the city.

As per the reports from Hindustan Times, External affairs ministry has sent a letter to officials in Punjab asking for the samples as the team is set to visit Iraq on October 23.

Read more: Donald Trump commends ex-presidents as 'finest public servants

Earlier, Iraqi authorities too wrote to Indian officials for DNA samples as it would serve as great help in the search.

Taking these two strands into account, the external affairs ministry decided to request the governments of the states, to which the missing men belonged, to take DNA samples of their relatives, a source told Hindustan Times.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
By Biswadeep Ghosh: PAUL Beatty, an American author, won the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sellout last year. This year, the winner is George Saunders, another American. Overcoming competition from Paul Auster's 4321 and Emily Fridlund's History of Wolves, among others, Saunders won the coveted prize for Lincoln in the Bardo, his first full-length novel.

The author teaches creative writing at Syracuse University, but he is not the typical writer one identifies with. He worked as a technical writer and geophysical engineer with an environmental engineering firm in New York. He was also associated with an oil exploration crew in Sumatra. However, the life of a teacher and storyteller is what he was destined to lead. The Booker win has ensured that Lincoln in the Bardo finds a place in the collections of booklovers, who will possibly explore his works beyond reading the ingeniously crafted novel about the great American president Abraham Lincoln, his dead son Willie and ghosts.

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Also Read: American author George Saunders wins Man Booker Prize 2017

Bardo, in Tibetan Buddhism, is the intermediate state of existence between death and rebirth. The notion plays the central role in Lincoln in the Bardo, which is set in 1862. Willie, Lincoln's 11-year-old son, has died of typhoid fever. Grief-stricken, the president visits the spot where the young lad has been interred - at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown.

Spirits living in a state of unease at the cemetery describe Lincoln's visits, and also share their personal sorrows and failures. Among those who talk are a murderer, a rape victim, a scholar, a clerk, an old man who has died before consummating his marriage, and a hunter. The consequence is a chorus, at times a little monotonous, but which effectively portrays the American community during the Civil War.

Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders, Bloomsbury; Rs 599. Photo: Mail Today

Saunders, a Buddhist himself, is at his best while writing about Lincoln, who has been impacted by his son's loss and the nightmarish war. The Civil War president is in a bardo of sorts, and a reimagining of the emotions within is the highlight of the novel.

Although a novel has been the architect of his most famous moment worldwide - after the win, many who didn't know about him, will - Saunders has been recognised as one of the best short story writers in modern times.

Also Read: #NoMeansNo: Now, a book on Pink, the movie that changed lives

CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, his first collection, was his dystopian take on a future in which theme parks entertain the rich while the rest of mankind fights over scarce resources. The workers, who are up against a pitiless marketplace, must continue to fight - and lose. Pastoralia, too, has protagonists who are generally very average. The circumstances confronting them are powerful, presenting a set of insane challenges that these ordinary creatures need to face. Notably, however, they never give up.

Saunders' dark humour can make us laugh even as we experience discomfort deep inside. He is an American who showcases America with its unsettling qualities of discrimination and divisiveness. Saunders' choice of themes is an indication that politics and the man aren't far apart.

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Saunders doesn't hesitate to use the whip of satire in his stories. An allegorist and a fabulist, he is equally adept at describing realities that exist around us. His deep concern is the individual's war against bigger forces at work. He writes about it, giving a reality check some of us badly need.

After all, it is not just about America.

The writer is is the author of 'MSD: The man, the leader'.

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General Motors Corp. and four other tenants are the latest to flee Matrix Corporate Center for greener Class A pastures elsewhere in Danbury, leaving some brokers to ponder the fate of the giant building in the woods near the New York border.

GM, Chipman & Mazzucco, Jack Morton Worldwide, Agency 720 and Martin Retail Group have all signed leases at 44 Old Ridgebury Road, a 126,000-square-foot building located less than a mile away from the Matrix.

They are the latest Matrix defectors, joining companies such as Praxair and Boehringer Ingelheim, and creating even more space in the 1.2 million-square-foot building.

In contrast, after being less than 50 percent occupied just six months ago, 44 Old Ridgebury is now 92 percent leased and is the latest Class A office in Danbury to reach near capacity. Lee Farm Corporate Park on Wooster Heights Road is also close to 100 percent leased.

Todd Payne, president of Goodfellow Real Estate, said there should be an asterisk attached to commercial real estate numbers for greater Danbury, reflecting the drag created by Matrix Corporate Center. The overall vacancy rate in Danbury is more than 20 percent, but that includes the Matrix and its hundreds of thousands of unoccupied square footage.

If the Matrix were repurposed it would give us a vacancy rate in the high single digits or low teens and put greater Danbury in position, for the first time since the 1990s, to build new (multitenant) office space. Its difficult to prepare a proper market analysis, Payne said. Other than build-to-suit, theres been nothing built in Danbury since the 1990s  thats basically my entire career in commercial real estate.

Greater Danbury has about 6 million square feet of office space, Payne said. About 3 million of that is Class A space and the Matrix accounts for more than a third of that total.

The market is as tight as its been since the 1990s, without the Matrix, Payne said.

History of the Matrix

The Matrix Corporate Center was built in 1982 as the corporate headquarters for Union Carbide, which once had thousands of employees in the building. It was designed by noted architect Kevin Roche and sits on 5,000 pillars so that land obstacles did not have to be removed. The Matrix is divided into 15 pods, all of which are interconnected.

Other tenants started moving into the building as early as 1986 and it was renamed the Corporate Center in 1992. Union Carbides presence in the building declined even further when it was purchased by Dow Chemical in 2001. The building was sold to a private investor in 2007 for $80 million.

In 2009, Matrix Realty Group purchased the building for just under $73 million and renamed it Matrix Corporate Center. Glen Nelson, CEO of the Long Island-based real estate group, was enthusiastic about the prospects of the building and had it more than 70 percent leased with a major renovation planned. He died in a car accident in December 2015.

Then the major tenants started to flee. Praxair, which had occupied an entire wing, left the building for another Danbury location in 2016. Later that same year, Boehringer Ingelheim announced layoffs and consolidated its operations at it Ridgefield headquarters. That left another vacant wing at the Matrix as BI had once leased as much as 300,000 square feet there.

Following Nelsons death, the real estate group planned to cut back on the space available for lease and repurpose much of the building with uses such as a convention and banquet hall, senior living and a hotel.

None of those plans came to fruition, and it remains a multitenant office building that is losing tenants at a faster rate than it is signing them. With its vast corridors and spacious pods, the Matrix is suited for large companies seeking 200,000 or more square feet. Those are rare these days as corporations rethink their office space needs.

So whats next?

Nor do the problems end there for the building, which was last owned by Gera Danbury, an entity controlled by Nelsons estate. Gera Danbury lost the building to foreclosure earlier this year following proceedings with Deutsche Bank. The building is now in receivership by commercial real estate firm CBRE. Officials with CBRE could not discuss immediate plans for the building.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said he has not heard anything recently about plans for the Matrix. He has said previously the building has been hurt by a lack of corporations seeking large spaces.

Boughton, like many other city leaders, is making a pitch to attract Amazon for its second headquarters. He is including the architecturally important Matrix among the possibilities for the online retail giant to relocate.

Short of Amazon setting up shop in west Danbury, the question remains: What do you do with a largely vacant 1.2 million-square-foot building in receivership?

Exact vacancy rate figures are difficult to find as there is no official spokesman for the buildings ownership due to the foreclosure. The latest report from real estate information company CoStar Group lists no space available for the Matrix. Broker estimates, however, have the building at about 10 to 20 percent occupied, leaving hundreds of thousands of square feet vacant.

Chris Smith, CEO of Allegiance Realty Corp., said he wouldnt take the building at any price as the cost of maintaining and just keeping the lights on would be too great.

The carry is too huge. Its so much space youd spend years trying to figure out how to use it, Smith said. The cost of demo would be massive, too. If you wanted to make the land residential, it would be tens of millions of dollars to take it down.

Smith did gamble with 44 Old Ridgebury Road and that investment is paying off with only 8 percent now available. Other Class A buildings in Danbury are in a similar position. Payne said the largest block of space now available in Danbury, other than in the Matrix, is 17,000 square feet.

The Matrix has impacted our market for a long time, but weve never been in this position before, Payne said. In my opinion, there is not enough of a market now (to keep the Matrix a multitenant building.)
When Ames Mayfield's Cub Scout den met with a Colorado state senator last week, the 11-year-old came prepared with a long list of typed-up questions. He excitedly raised his hand to ask his first one.

Ames pressed the Republican state senator, Vicki Marble, on an issue he knew was important to her: gun legislation. The Cub Scout in Broomfield, about 20 miles north of Denver, asked her a slew of questions about previous bills she had sponsored in support of the right to bear arms, and he wasn't shy about inserting his opinion.

"I was shocked that you co-sponsored a bill to allow domestic violence offenders to continue to own a gun," Ames said, according to a video posted to YouTube by his mother. "Why on earth would you want someone who beats their wife to have access to a gun?"

After Ames's questions went on for more than two minutes, a leader in his group cut him off to allow the state senator to answer. Both the senator and the leader commended him for his "thorough" list of questions.

But after the meeting, the leader of Ames's Cub Scout pack, which oversees various dens, requested a meeting with his mother. The leader told Ames's mother, Lori Mayfield, that her son was kicked out of his Cub Scout den, the mother said in an email to The Washington Post.

The son's den leader was apparently upset over Ames's questions, particularly the one on gun control, Mayfield said. The mother was told her son's question was disrespectful and too political.

"I had to go home and tell my son he was kicked out," Mayfield said. "My son was heartbroken because he really liked this den leader and couldn't understand why his question was inappropriate."

Ames was less than four months away from transitioning from the Cub Scouts to the Boy Scouts, his mother said.

The Scouts did not explicitly say he was kicked out of the den. In a statement to The Post and local media outlets the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts said only that he remains a member of the larger pack, and that the organization is working with the family to offer him options that will "allow him to continue his Scouting experience in a way that fits his and his family's needs."

The Boy Scouts and the Denver Area Council are "committed to working with families interested in Scouting to find local units that are the best fit for their children," the statement read.

But local news reports of Ames's apparent removal from his den drew anger across social media, with many arguing that Ames was punished for asking tough questions of a state lawmaker. After all, the den had specifically assigned the scouts to prepare questions for the senator.

Ames's story drew the attention of gun control advocate and former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was shot in the head by an assailant in 2011, suffering a severe brain injury.

"This is exactly the kind of courage we need in Congress," Giffords tweeted Thursday. "Ames, call me in 14 years. I'll campaign for you."

Giffords's husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, called Ames and his mother Thursday night to talk about what happened, according to Fox 31.

In a statement to the Denver Post, Marble said that decisions about "who is in or out of a den are internal organizational matters that I won't second guess."

"I don't blame the boy for asking the questions, since I believe there was an element of manipulation involved, and it wasn't much different from the questions I normally field in other meetings," Marble told the Denver Post. "The invitation to meet with the Scouts was never intended to cause friction and controversy."

The focus of the Cub Scouts' assignment, Mayfield said, was to meet with a government leader and discuss an important issue facing the community. Cub Scouts were instructed to decide on one or two questions, and to be prepared to ask the official about an issue in the local news.

Ames researched the senator before the meeting and decided he would focus his questions on gun control, his mother said. After all, the majority of the videos on Marble's site deal with gun rights legislation.

"Given that the Las Vegas shooting happened, I felt that it should be a reasonable thing to ask," Ames told a Denver Fox affiliate. "I don't feel like I did anything wrong."

His mother went along to the meeting and filmed it, because "it's not every day you get to meet with a senator," Mayfield told The Post.

Other Scouts asked the state senator about her views on President Trump's proposed border wall and fossil fuel dependence. One Cub Scout wanted to know "why people voted for Obama just because we've never had a president with the skin tone of a black person." Marble responded that she doesn't know either, and she wondered about that question herself.

Ames also asked Marble about controversial comments she made at a 2013 legislative hearing regarding mortality rates among black people.

According to the Denver Post, in 2013 Marble said: "When you look at life expectancy, there are problems in the black race. Sickle-cell anemia is something that comes up. Diabetes is something that's prevalent in the genetic makeup, and you just can't help it."

"Although I've got to say," she added at the time. "I've never had better barbecue and better chicken and ate better in my life than when you go down South and you, I mean, I love it. Everybody loves it."

Marble responded calmly to Ames's questions by saying the controversial statements were "made up by the media."

"We have multicultural foods within the United States and we are very blessed to have it," she said. "And we all love it and we all eat it. And we just better figure out our genetics and if they aren't eating properly find out how to do better."

After Mayfield posted the videos on YouTube, the website Colorado Pols published a story about the senator's exchange with the Cub Scouts. It was after this article published that Ames's pack leader requested a meeting with his mother.

Mayfield said she was told by the pack leader that Ames should not have brought up the topic of gun control, although Mayfield asserts the Scouts weren't given any parameters before the meeting. The pack leader, she said, told her words Ames used were disrespectful, such as "why on earth," the mention of "Republicans" and the phrase, "if you truly represent your constituents."

"I completely disagree and felt my son followed the directions of the assignment and asked hard-hitting, but certainly not disrespectful, questions," Mayfield said. She argued that other students' questions were just as political.

Ames "has taken great interest in politics," his mother said. The fifth grader was so troubled by recent events that he ran for student council and executive council treasurer at his school. He won both elections, voted in by his peers.

This was her son's fifth year in Cub Scouts. He has the top seller of his pack's popcorn fundraiser, taking in $2,750 in just two weeks to pay for his dues and all of his activities for the rest of his time in Cub Scouts.

"Sadly, he will not get to reap the full benefit of his hard work," his mother said.

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https://youtu.be/6TDMJfE07Go
Singh, whose father is senior Congress leader Karan Singh, announced his decision to leave the Legislative Council, and shared the same on Twitter.

PDP MLA Vikramaditya Singh announced that he will resign from the Assembly. (Photo: Twitter | @vikramaditya_JK)

By India Today Web Desk: People's Democratic Party (PDP) MLA and grandson of Jammu and Kashmir's former ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, Vikramaditya Singh today announced that he will resign from the Assembly due to differences with his party over Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's Jammu policy.

Singh, whose father is senior Congress leader Karan Singh, announced his decision to leave the Legislative Council, the upper house of the bicameral legislature, to the media here.

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He took to Twitter to share the letter of resignation to Mehbooba Mufti.

Vikramaditya Singh shared the resignation letter on Twitter.

Singh told reporters that he had written an open letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti highlighting the issues over which serious differences had arisen between him and the party.

He said the demand of the people of Jammu to declare a state holiday on September 23 to commemorate the birthday of the former Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, the inclusion of the period of Dogra rule in text books and the issue of Rohingya settlers in Jammu were emotional issues close to the heart of Jammu people.

He told reporters that there was a growing regional divide in the state which can be bridged by addressing the issues highlighted by him.

He said he had written to senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders too asking them to address these issues but there had been no response from them.

"Mehbooba Mufti is the chief of the entire state and not just of one region."

-With IANS inputs

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WOODBRIDGE  Within the next few weeks, the history, art and culture of the Palestinian people will be on display at a museum in town.

Faisal Saleh, who was born in Ramallah on the West Bank, is executive director of Palestine Museum US, which is creating the museum that he believes will offer a fuller, more intricate portrait of his people than Americans see in the news media.

The mission of the museum is to preserve Palestinian history and celebrate the artistic achievement of Palestinians in the U.S. and Palestine and tell the Palestinian story through art and literature and other forms of artistic expression, said Saleh, 65, who lives in Wallingford and works in the employee benefits field.

Palestinians are a people without a state. According to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, 4 million of the worlds 10.3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip, occupied since the end of the 1967 Six Day War by Israel. Millions more live in Jordan and Israel, and 239,000 live in the Americas, according to the institutes website.

A two-state solution, which would create an independent Palestine alongside Israel, has been endorsed by the United Nations and longstanding U.S. policy, but attempts to bring it about so far have failed. Saleh said his museum, run by an independent nonprofit organization, will not be overtly political, but will tell the story of a people who have suffered over almost the last 100 years through a whole series of historic progressions.

The area was part of the Ottoman Empire, then overseen by the British mandate of 1917 until the state of Israel was founded in 1948, at which time hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, which is the majority of Palestine, were displaced and a good number of them were living in about 35 refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, Saleh said.

The history will be presented through photographs and art, Saleh said. It will not take any political posture and political position on issues.  It will be quite independent and will not be influenced by any political organizations.

The first exhibit will be of old photographs from before 1948 that depict the history of Palestine at the time, he said.

Future exhibits will draw on the work of some of the thousands of Palestinian artists in Palestine, in most of the countries around the world, Saleh said. Their art covers the whole gamut of painting, drawing  films, poetry.

Saleh said while there are Palestinian museums elsewhere, including in Birzeit in the West Bank and Bristol, England, this will be the first in the United States.

He called the museum, which will open in November or December, a nucleus. Eventually we can see a larger museum in a major city like Washington, D.C., or New York, he said. Saleh said Woodbridge was chosen because there was some opportunity to have some space there without spending a lot of money.

Judy Alperin, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, which is based in Woodbridge, said, We know Faisal. He is a friend of the Jewish community and came forward to help at the time of the crisis of the fire in our building. The Jewish Community Center suffered serious damage in a Dec. 5 fire and Alperins temporary office is in the same building as the museum, she said.

She said of the museum, We see it as a further opportunity for us to build better friends and relationships between our two communities and maybe even more of a cultural exchange.

Its a great opportunity for us to show whats possible  that we can not just peacefully coexist, living side by side, but we can extend a hand in friendship. Alperin said that the federation is on record as supporting a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

While Woodbridge land records identify Saleh as owner of 1764 Litchfield Turnpike (Route 63) and town Building Official Terry Gilbertson said there is an application on file to turn the first-floor space into an art gallery, Saleh would not identify the address as the location for his museum. I think theres concern that people would not want to have something like this in a particular area, he said.

He also said, Were going to be showing art and photographs and I dont see how that could be a problem for anybody. We welcome everybody to come visit the museum once its open.  We hope to have a dialogue with everybody.

First Selectwoman Beth Heller said she didnt have enough information about the project to comment on it.

Salah Al-Bakri of West Haven, who was born in Bethlehem on the West Bank and lived in Jerusalem until 1968, said of the museum, I think its a great idea, a great move, and I cant wait until it opens up because people like us left Palestine at a very young age and we havent seen very much of the culture, so something like this would introduce it to us.

Al-Bakri said his family immigrated to the United States because of the war and because of the lack of work and opportunity and the situation in general in Palestine.

He said the museum will help correct distorted images of Palestinians as anti-Israeli terrorists. All we know is stuff that we read about or see in the media, he said. Its very beneficial to all Palestinians that are not able to go back and live that culture [of] Palestinian art and social life. Saleh is going to be able to show it to us up close and personal.

Contact Ed Stannard at edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com or 203-680-9382.
NEW HAVEN  Josh Wagner has completed a 5K run. He had to walk some of the way, but he finished it.

Ten years ago, a two-block walk would have done him in. His legs would stiffen and he would collapse, exhausted, into a chair.

Wagner has gained the ability to take hikes, live independently and put away his motorized scooter because hes been part of a clinical trial of an experimental drug called ataluren. But Wagner could lose access to the medication, depending on an impending decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration whether to approve it for commercial sale.

Wagner, 24, has Becker muscular dystrophy, a less severe form of MD than Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Despite having to take time off from school for personal and unrelated medical reasons, he will graduate next spring as an accounting major from Southern Connecticut State University .

If the FDA doesnt approve ataluren, its manufacturer, PTC Therapeutics Inc., will have to choose whether or not to continue to provide the drug, free of charge, to 400 patients in its clinical trial.

Wagner had been misdiagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and so was able to be enrolled in PTCs trial for ataluren, which is targeted for Duchenne. He was allowed to continue in the trial once he was diagnosed with Becker.

My muscles, when I walk too much or stand too long, they become tight, Wagner said. In elementary and middle school, Wagner remembered, it took me several hours before I was able to recover a little bit.

Before he began taking ataluren, he could walk at most a half mile, Wagner said. Between sixth and 10th grade, he used a motorized scooter to get between classes and to go on vacation with his family.

But once he started on ataluren, The summer after junior year I was able to take a mile-long hike with minimal resting, so it was definitely able to help me.

Three years ago, I started working out at the gym, walking and jogging on a treadmill and lifting weights of 35 pounds. He has gained enough strength in his muscles so that hes progressed from not being able to do a single pushup to being able to do sets of 20, Wagner said.

Last spring, I participated in a 5K, he said. I alternated between walking and running but I felt good. I was able to complete it. Hes able to recover much more quickly when he gets tired, he said.

Ataluren is marketed by PTC of South Plainfield, New Jersey, in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Israel and South Korea under the brand name Translarna, according to the companys website .

But when an FDA advisory committee of outside experts held a full-day hearing on Sept. 28 in Silver Spring, Maryland  Wagner was among those testifying  it voted 10-1 that the data are inconclusive, and more work would be needed to establish whether ataluren is effective, according to the meeting minutes .

It is rare for the FDA not to follow its advisory committees recommendations, which come after hearing witnesses and receiving hundreds of testimonies. An exception was a 2016 case, when Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, overruled her staff to approve eteplirsen, with the brand name Exondys 51 , as the first drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Both Duchenne and Becker affect the skeletal, heart and lung muscles, but Duchenne sufferers tend to weaken more quickly and die at a younger age. Both are caused by what are called nonsense mutations in the same gene that affects the production of the dystrophin protein.

According to PTC, the FDA will notify the company by Tuesday whether or not ataluren has been approved. According to Sandy Walsh, an FDA spokeswoman, the agency will either approve the drug or issue a complete response advising PTC what it must do in order got ataluren to be considered for approval.

Asked what the company would do if ataluren were not approved, the company would not commit to continue manufacturing the drug. In a statement, the company said, PTC has provided ataluren to any patient who participated in our clinical trials, some as long as 10 years. The majority of our patients have chosen to remain on therapy. Our goal is to make ataluren available to patients around the world who can benefit from treatment, however the company will evaluate the best path forward once a decision is reached by the FDA.

PTC has provided ataluren to 400 patients in its clinical trials, including Wagner. In another statement, the company said, We believe the results show that ataluren provided benefits that was meaningful to patients. These benefits were reflected in the testimonies of the dozens of physicians, patients and caregivers at the advisory committee as well as in the over 100 testimonies that were sent to the FDA, as well as the support of approximately 150 physicians across the world who wrote to the FDA after the advisory committee meeting in support of the approval of ataluren.

Wagners mother, Suzanne Burger, said of her son, I think the drug has helped him in remarkable ways. He had gradual progression of the disease when he was a small boy. Although he was always able to walk, even a couple of city blocks would fatigue him, she said.

Wagner started using a wheelchair at about age 6 and then the scooter. When he was fatigued his legs would get very, very tight, sticking straight out when he dropped into a chair. He even had a hard time lifting a gallon of milk, she said.

Since taking the medication, he has gotten remarkably stronger, Burger said. He lives independently. He doesnt have his motorized scooter with him.  Hes gone on hikes with us, which are quite strenuous.  It was a new era for us.

Both Wagner and his mother are worried about the potential of losing ataluren.

Im deeply concerned if Josh no longer had access to it, Burger said. I think he would very quickly lose the muscle mass, the muscle strength that hes been able to develop and I worry not only about the physical implications but the emotional implications.

Wagner said, I dont know what would happen, but I couldnt keep up my fitness the way I used to and, I dont know, maybe Id get to the point where I wouldnt be able to walk, and I dont want to find out whether thats true or not. Id rather keep taking the drug and keep improving.

Contact Ed Stannard at edward.stannard@

hearstmediact.com or 203-680-9382.

Editors note: This story was edited to correct that Wagner was unable to lift a gallon of milk before taking ataluren.
WASHINGTON  One of President Donald Trumps top economic advisers said elimination of the state and local tax deduction would actually put middle-class taxpayers in Connecticut in a better financial position  if the entirety of the Trump tax plan is enacted.

If you look at the complete picture, absolutely, thats what everyone should expect from this, said Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, in a meeting Thursday with regional reporters here.

Hassetts assertion flies in the face of Democratic lawmakers from Connecticut, who argue that elimination of the state-and-local tax  SALT, for short  deduction would wreak havoc on the finances of middle-class taxpayers statewide.

Its just wrong, Rep. Elizabeth Esty said. It would be an enormous transfer from high-income states like ours to states like Texas and Florida, which are already trying to take our jobs.  I will fight it tooth and nail.

The Republican plan would consolidate tax brackets from seven to three, with the top rate going from 39.6 percent to 35 percent. The bottom rate would go from 10 percent to 12 percent.

It would also reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, which the White House claims would add $4,000 in income to the average American household.

And it would double the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples.

Possible modifications

The future of the SALT proposal remains in doubt, with Trumps top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, saying it is not a red line for us in the same way as the must-have corporate tax deduction.

Hassett, a conservative Ph.D. economist who advised the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney, is the chief of Trumps in-house economics think tank.

In the meeting with reporters, he shied away from predicting whether the SALT measure would get included in the final legislation or wind up on the cutting-room floor. Lawmakers also are discussing modified versions of the SALT elimination.

The Trump plan is essentially an outline, with the details to be filled in by congressional tax writers. As such, the exact impact on middle-class taxpayers wont be known until crucial blanks  such as location of brackets on the income ladder  are filled in.

Nevertheless, Hassett offered a spirited defense of the SALT change. Asked what happens if the numbers dont add up for middle-class homeowners in Connecticut, Hassett said: I dont think thats possible. They will work.

He echoed the words of lawmakers from states without income taxes like Texas that their taxpayers are, in effect, subsidizing taxpayers from states like Connecticut.

Government should take its finger off the scale and be neutral toward how the state decides to interact with its citizens, he said. Right now, its favoring the states that have large governments and large taxes. So I think the economic reasoning behind (the SALT elimination) is pretty sound.

Esty and tax experts pointed out that Connecticut is among the states that send more tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in federal aid. According to an Associated Press study earlier this year, Connecticut gets back 83 cents on each dollar that goes to the IRS, one of the nations worst rates.

Hassett said his confidence that middle-class taxpayers in Connecticut and other such states would benefit is based on all elements of the GOP plan working in unison.

What were proposing is we eliminate a whole bunch of the complex deductions, simplify so that people will be able to fill out their taxes hopefully on a postcard, and give them a big standard deduction to replace those complexities, he said.

The aim, he added, is to make sure middle-class taxpayers are better off with a lower marginal tax rate.

dan@hearstdc.com
The victim, Shakir Ahmed, is from Uttar Pradesh. Police have begun an investigation into the killing.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a man from Uttar Pradesh in South Kashmir's Aarwani.

The victim, Shakir Ahmed, had been running a snack shop for many years there.

Police have begun an investigation into the killing.

Earlier, terrorists entered and vandalised the home of PDP Zonal president Farooq Ahmed's house in Ashmuji in Kashmir's Kulgam.

Sources said Farooq somehow managed to flee from the house.

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Before leaving the spot, militants also fired three shots in the air.

It was the fifth attack on political workers in the last 24 hours.

WATCH | Operation Villains of Valley: India Today reveals how Pakistan funds Hurriyat to burn Kashmir

--- ENDS ---
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned to Abuja after a successful four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey.The Presidents official aircraft which took off from Ataturk airport, Istanbul at about 12 p.m (Turkish time) local time, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 4.05p.m.Buhari, accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammad Bello and other presidential aides.While in Ankara, Buhari was hosted by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyeb Erdogan for a fairly long one-on-one meeting, on Thursday, before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations.In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Presidents Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the outing was Buharis first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, 2016.He said that Buharis objective during both visits focused on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation and trade cooperation. Others were education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.Shehu noted that the visit had achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives. Buhari, who participated in the 9th D-8 Summit in Istanbul on Oct. 20, also held bilateral meetings with some member-countries.The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the `D-8 member-countries and the establishment of a positive working relationship, especially between Buhari and Erdogan, Shehu said.The presidential aide noted that Nigeria and Turkey, during the visit, had agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human, drugs, and arms trafficking.Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organisation FETO which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot in 2016, which the Turkish population gallantly resisted.There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organisation and for which reason their passports have been declared invalid by their country.Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organisation which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organisations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more. Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organisations for which they need each others help.There is equally the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbors, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands.On the issues of the suspected terrorists of Turkish origin in Nigeria, Shehu said that Erdogan received the best assurances from the Nigerian leader that the country would not allow any person or organisation to use her territory for any subversive activities.He stated that President Buhari used every given opportunity to denounce the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey. The Turkish citizens who have sought and already obtained assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) since they became stateless persons have been warned not to engage in any political activities while they are in Nigeria.Turkish authorities on their part gave all assurances that no subversive activities against Nigeria will be permitted of their citizens or on their territory. Shehu also said that Nigeria and Turkey discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the Northeast.According to him, Turkey has the experience in handling about five million refugees in her territory. On the issue of arms smuggling, Shehu stated that Nigeria reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future smuggling of illicit arms into Nigeria.It would be recalled that Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.), the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), had on Sept. 21, at a briefing in Lagos, said that a syndicate based in Turkey had been discovered to be behind illegal arms imports into Nigeria.Ali was part of Buharis entourage to the just concluded four-day working visit to Turkey. The Tin-Can Island Command of the NCS, had in September, intercepted 2,671 pump action rifles imported from Turkey, making the seizure the fourth at the Lagos port within eight months.Shehu revealed that Nigeria would in the coming weeks sign an agreement with Turkey against trafficking in weapons, humans and drugs.Our team which included the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) and the Comptroller-General of NCS Ali reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration.Others on the Presidents entourage included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama; Defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (rtd); Education, Adamu Adamu and Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah.The National Security Adviser, retired Maj-Gen. Babagana Munguno (NSA), the acting Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Arab Yadam and Nigerias Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda also accompanied Buhari to the occasion.
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has disclosed that there are 37 career openings for young Nigerians in the world body.Mohammed disclosed this, weekend, at a Cultural Night organised by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems.She said the openings are available via the Junior Professional Officers Programme, including internship for young graduates.JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria  one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system, she said referring to older Nigerians.We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we dont give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes.According to Mohammed, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.She said: Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.And its really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.Its not just what we do for the world. Cant we take those expertise back home?The UN too official further condemned what she termed alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria, saying it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.She said: When I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, cant recover from.But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl.She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; thats violence against girls; thats violence against women.But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play.I know we would spend some money in Nigeria on this initiative but we all have a part to play individually and collectively in trying to bring it to zero.
The Nigerian Law School has said that 1, 272 of its students representing 21.6 per cent of those who participated in the final bar examin...

The Nigerian Law School has said that 1, 272 of its students representing 21.6 per cent of those who participated in the final bar examinations conducted in August, failed.The institution also said 29 students were graded first class.This is contained in the executive summary of the results of the Council of Legal Education which runs the NLS.The document signed by the Director-General of the NLS, Mr. Olanrewaju Onadeko (SAN), and released to journalists in Abuja on Saturday stated that 5,891 students participated in the examinations.
Some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, staged a peaceful protest in Turkey on Saturday to demand their own country.The protest took place just as President Muhammadu Buhari ended his visit to the country.The protesters were seen carrying paraphernalia of the group such as flags and T-shirts.The IPOB supporters staged the protest under the watchful eyes of the police.Photographs were shared by Turkish businessman, Abdulkadir Erkahraman, on his Facebook page.
A constitutional lawyer, Mr. Johnmary Jideobi, has dragged President Muhammadu Buhari before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that he approved illegal appointments in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.The Abuja based legal practitioner is praying the high court to declare that it was unconstitutional for President Buhari to unilaterally approve appointments or any form of re-organisation in the NNPC without input and consideration of its Board of Directors.Aside President Buhari, other defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/990/2017 are the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, the NNPC itself and its Board of Directors.Specifically, the plaintiff, is praying the court to among other things, determine Whether in view of section 2 subsection (1) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as amended, read alongside Section 5(1) (a) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, either of the 1st Defendant or the 4th Defendant (Baru and Buhari), is entitled in law to unilaterally make or approve appointments into any position within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 2nd Defendant herein] or any other form of reorganization in the 2nd Defendant, without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 3rd Defendant herein] ? Whether the purported appointment made by the 1st Defendant [on the 29th day of August, 2017] into various positions within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations and the purported approval of same by the 4th Defendant, without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, [the 3rd Defendant herein] is not unlawful and therefore liable to be set aside? Whether in view of Section 13 of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights [Ratification and Enforcement] Act Cap 10, Laws of the Federation (LFN), 1990, the Plaintiff herein is clothed with the requisite locus standi to prosecute this claim? Against the background of the answers that may be given to the above questions of law the plaintiff claims the following reliefs from this Honourable Court.Upon deterninion of the questions, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that in view of section 2 subsection (1) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 as amended, read alongside Section 5(1) (a) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, neither the 1st Defendant nor the 4th Defendant is entitled in law to unilaterally make appointments into any position within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, or approve any form of reorganization in the 2nd Defendant without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 2nd Defendant herein].A declaration that it is patently unconstitutional for the 4th Defendant to unilaterally approve of any appointments in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or any other form of reorganization therein without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of Directors the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as envisaged by the law establishing the 2nd Defendant.A solemn declaration of this honourable court that it is unlawful and therefore invalid for the 1st Defendant to unilaterally make appointments into any position(s) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 2nd Defendant herein] without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as envisaged by the law establishing the 2nd Defendant.An order of this honourable court nullifying and setting aside the purported appointment unilaterally made by the 1st Defendant [on the 29th day of August, 2017 as shown by exhibit NNPC1 into various positions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 2nd Defendant herein] without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of the 2nd Defendant.An order nullifying and setting aside the purported approval of the 4th Defendant for the appointments unilaterally made by the 1st Defendant into various positions within the 2nd Defendant [on the 29th day of August, 2017 as shown by exhibit NNPC1, without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of the 2nd Defendant, the said approval being unconstitutional.As well as, An order of perpetual injunction restraining both the 1st Defendant and 4th Defendant from further making any other appointment(s) by whatever name called into any position or office in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [the 2nd Defendant herein] or effecting any other form of reorganization of the 2nd Defendant or approving of same without the prior input, consideration and approval of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as required by the law setting up the 2nd Defendant. Meantime, no date has been fixed for hearing of the matter.
Senator Buruji Kashamu (PDP, Ogun East)has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intensify effort in the corruption trial of former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, describing his ambition to become the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party as A mockery of democracy and assault on the anti-corruption war.In a statement issued on Sunday, the lawmaker said Daniels declaration was as repugnant as his utterances at the event which was held last Wednesday at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Integrity is indeed a function of perception, otherwise, how can Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD) seek to become the face of the opposition in modern Nigeria and possibly become the leader of a party in government? Truth be told, OGD is like a rotten mackerel in the moonlight; he shines from afar but stinks badly at close range! Its therefore high time that those of us in the PDP realised that the current economic adversity of Nigeria cannot become a licence to take Nigerians for granted by presenting proven corrupt people for high public offices. Ignominious corrupt public office holders of the recent past shouldnt be allowed to shamelessly brace up for a criminal continuation as if all is well.Daniels speech at his declaration for the PDP National Chairmanship race was a compendium of mockery of our democracy and direct assault on the anti-corruption war. In that speech, there was nothing OGD didnt call himself whereas he is actually the exact opposite of all these attributes. He insultingly eulogised the undemocratic past of which he was eminently involved; when our elections were characterised by shameless rigging, as if current efforts and legislations to ensure free and fair elections are unworthy.Furthermore, he sought to trivialise his ongoing EFCC case where he is truly being accused of converting Judges quarters into his private mansion, converting government land and other innocent peoples land acquired fraudulently under the pretence of public use, into his commercial hotel project, etc, etc and sundry corruption allegations and visible abuse of office. He has indeed by this, thrown an open challenge at the EFCC and by extension, the Federal government, the statement read in part.Kashamu further added that the recent public outing by Daniel is an attempt to turn attention away from his trial, even as he called on government to revisit the case urgently. I implore the federal government and particularly Ogun State, to show more interests in the OGD -EFCC affairs; more so now that prosecuting witnesses are being scared off from appearing in court. This unholy arrangement has already emboldened OGD as capable of weakening the chances of his conviction.Candidly, this current pretensions and public bravado of a chairmanship contest by OGD is truly aimed at turning his corruption cases and sundry pending criminal assaults and killing allegations into cases of political victimisation and assault on the opposition. As much as one calls on the government to take needed necessary actions by refusing to be cheaply blackmailed; more importantly, the leaders of PDP need to ensure that our party and indeed, all of us, are unwittingly not dragged into an avoidable, disgraceful and infamously criminal corruption saga.Away from corruption, the lawmaker also enjoined the Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation to reopen investigation into the alleged politically-motivated killings during Daniels eight years in office (2003-2011). He added: "I wish to reiterate and appeal to the Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation to expedite actions on the multiple killings in Ogun State while he was governor. I have much earlier, written detailed petitions to the Police on these to which OGD has made statement to the police.Also, confessional statements and implicating accounts, some of which are in affidavits by witnesses are already with Police. Few of these killings and unlawful assault include but not limited to: killing/disappearance in Shagamu of Age Omolemomu; killing of Arojo from Yewa, Ogun State; killing/disappearance of Awoyemi in Ikenne, Ogun State; and the multiple killings of over hundred of the Olabisi Onabanjo University students on protest against OGD administration whose corpses were callously dismembered and thrown into the river.It is public knowledge that when OGD was Ogun State Governor, nobody dares to disagree with him without being assaulted, maimed or killed unceremoniously by his government-aided cultists and/or killers squad. Most interesting is the multiple assaults on the current Ogun Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun when OGD was majestically reigning as violence-loving governor without caution and decorum. The lawmaker also accused the former governor of being perpetually broke financially, making him a continuous extortionist and expert cash flow manager. As he rakes in money, he pumps straight into property developments; ranging from hotels to houses in proxys names.This is a habitual corruption trait he must have developed as a serving governor when he actually started building his chain of hotels and sundry property developments locally and internationally, to cover his tracks. Kashamu also said Daniel is flirtatious, duplicitous and greedy, stressing that, Now, out of office and with his declining lift engineering business, OGDs present occupation is political extortion of gullible aspirants, majorly Ogun gubernatorial hopefuls. He is currently awkwardly combining the mentoring of the conflicting gubernatorial aspirations of PDPs Ladi Adebutu with APCs Yayi! Isnt this amazing?I understand that just late last week, he collected N40 million cash, in two Ghana-must-go bags, from Chief Kensington Adebutu for his phony chairmanship declaration alongside multiple political swindling of other unsuspecting wealthy people using PDP promising opposition status.
As Auburn looks to raise a statue of American icon and longtime resident Harriet Tubman, one of her biographers will visit the city to talk about places that have done so already.

Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, author of "Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero," will give the talk Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Cayuga Museum Carriage House Theater. The next night, the historian will make an appearance at Auburn Public Theater to discuss the Tubman biography itself, as it happens to be the 2017 Cayuga Reads book selection.

Larson's Cayuga Museum talk is sponsored by the Harriet Tubman Boosters, the Harriet Tubman Downtown Memorial Committee and the city of Auburn. It'll serve as a fundraiser for the statue effort, which the committee launched in March. Its goal is to commission an artist to install a bronze sculpture of the abolitionist somewhere in downtown Auburn.

Larson said she'll discuss statues of Tubman that have already been raised. There are eight: in Harlem; Boston; Battle Creek, Michigan; Salisbury, Maryland; Dorchester County, Maryland; Bristol, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and St. Catharines, Ontario. Efforts to raise more are underway in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall; Annapolis, Maryland; and Beaufort, South Carolina.

Though it was more than 150 years ago that Tubman led slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad and liberated hundreds more as a Civil War spy, the push to memorialize her is only a couple decades old, Larson said. She attributes that to her and other recently released books about Tubman, as well as rising interest in the Underground Railroad.

More than anything, though, Larson believes that behind the push to memorialize Tubman is a collective belief that it's simply her time.

"I think with a lot of historical characters and agents, there's a moment in time when they sort of burst on the scene if they haven't been celebrated," she said. "She rose to the top and really inspired people, and that's why I think so many people are paying attention to her, to honor her and also use her as a vehicle to show the diversity of our past."

As Auburn joins other places eyeing Tubman memorials, the push finds even more momentum in the the recent conversation about monuments to Confederate generals like Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest, Larson said. Though some have suggested placing statues of Tubman, Frederick Douglass and other black icons alongside the racist ones, the historian is less compromising.

"I'm unequivocal about this: It is time that women and people of color are represented in all aspects of our lives where we commemorate our history and our legacy and what our nation stands for," she said. "To have Confederate statues standing to represent that is a disgrace to our country. I can't see that adding African-American statues and statues of women can make it OK to have those."

Larson continued, "When people say today that those statues represent Southern heritage, it infuriates me because I feel that historians like myself and others have done a bad job teaching Americans that there were also 4 million Southern enslaved people of color during the Civil War, and their heritage is not to have a statue of (future Ku Klux Klan leader) Nathan Bedford Forrest."

Larson will also touch on tributes to Tubman through other mediums, such as a Dorchester County mural painted by a descendant and an underwater tunneling machine in Miami given her name after a campaign by local Girl Scouts. The historian said it was symbolic to bestow Tubman's name upon a machine that "moves obstacles out of the way so they can get where they need to go."

Larson said she'll also talk Tuesday about what she believes are the best ways to memorialize Tubman.

Monuments that depict her as not just a hero but a human do her memory a service, Larson said. She favors statues that acknowledge Tubman's youth, family and womanhood over the frail, elderly "Mother Tubman" or "Aunt Harriet." Harlem's statue, depicting a young Tubman dragging tree roots out of the ground as she strides forth, is "remarkable in its power and interpretation," Larson said.

The author believes the selection of "Bound for the Promised Land" as the 2017 Cayuga Reads book will support that dimensionalization of Tubman's memory. Larson was "really grateful and happy" the biography was selected by the countywide program, which assigns the Cayuga County community a book to read and discuss together every year.

When Seymour Library and the Tubman Boosters bring Larson to Auburn Public Theater Wednesday, she'll talk about how research on Tubman's life continues, she said. "Bound for the Promised Land" is 14 years old, Larson noted, so the internet and the digitization of records have since produced much more knowledge about who the American icon was.

Larson hopes her message also inspires people to research their own family history, particularly people of color who may think they can't trace it past the Civil War.

"That research can be done so we can celebrate Harriet Tubman and all people who were so brave and determined to bring freedom, to take freedom, to ensure freedom for everyone," she said. "If we can appreciate and understand what people went through in the past to secure freedom, we won't be so cavalier about fighting to secure the gains we've made in 150 years."
The SCERT conducted a survey seeking responses from 33,460 students from classes 9 to 12 in all of the Haryana's 23 districts

65 per cent kids are not at ease at Haryana government-run educational institutions (Photo for representation)

By Ajay Kumar: All is not well in the Haryana education system, with 65 per cent of students not being mentally at ease inside government-run educational institutions.

This is according to a survey conducted by the State Council of Education and Research and Training (SCERT), Haryana. The SCERT conducted the survey seeking responses from 33,460 students from classes 9 to 12 in all of the state's 23 districts.

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The survey report expressed dissatisfaction with the physical growth of 18 per cent of students and noted that 13 per cent of students were often offered drugs by fellow students while 6.25 per cent of students, both male and female, had experienced sexually assault.

The SCERT survey divided its set of questions into four categories. In the first category, the council asked 14 questions related to students' family members, the level of education, and food.

In second segment, the council posed 10 questions related to health while 13 questions were asked in the third segment, which pertained to drugs and alcoholic consumption. The final section had 19 questions related to physical complications, curiosity and sexual abuse.

"It appeared during the survey that students are hesitant to reveal their own thinking, approach and especially giving the answers of sexual abuse and drugs related questions," Brahma Prakash, a specialist in the SCERT population wing, said.

"These are basically the problem or complication (sic) generated among teenage students in continuous process and hence SCERT has decided to prepare district wise report (sic) and will upload it on the portal so that necessary action would take up by competent authorities for proper and healthy growth of students in future," he further said.

DRUG USE

The survey report threw up a disturbing fact regarding the students' drugs and alcohol habits. 7.5 per cent of students admitted to having taken drugs in the past with some saying that their drug use is regular.

Haryana's culture of hookah consumption found a mention in the survey with 52 per cent of the students saying that their family members take drugs, smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol or use hookah.

The survey report also said that 59.20 per cent students have personal issues with their fellow students leading to mental disturbances, 24.93 per cent face issues with parents while a miniscule 2.80 per cent have problems with their teachers or other faculty.

STRESS

Of the 65 per cent students who admitted to experiencing stress, nearly two-thirds said that they knew what stress was.

Of the subset, 61.23 per cent students said they were stressed due to examinations, 34.57 per cent blamed it on family problems while 7.94 per cent said they were stressed because of other factors.

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When asked what they did while stressed, 9.82 per cent of students said yoga helped and 55.30 per cent said they listened to music. 25.30 per cent of student said they read literature to combat stress while 29 per cent said they played games. Less than one per cent of students said they either smoked or consumed alcohol to beat stress.

"We have obtained very important information about students of our state in a survey conducted by population wing of SCERT. We have decided to take necessary action for betterment of students," said Dr Kiranmayi, director of SCERT.

"We also will encourage teachers to make healthy contacts with students so that latter would not hesitate to share their daily problems. The teachers will also undergo training about adolescence," she added.

--- ENDS ---
A former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on Saturday, warned that if Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, was not stopped from...

Nasarawa governor

A former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on Saturday, warned that if Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, was not stopped from the sale of assets belonging to the state, he would one day sell off the Government House.He called on Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, to conduct a referendum on the planned sale of some assets belonging to the state which are in Lagos, Kaduna and Plateau states.Maku, who made the call while addressing journalists in Adevi, said it was only a referendum that would justify the state governments position on the sale of the assets.He said, I challenge him (Al-Makura) to conduct a referendum and find out whether the people of Nasarawa State want the assets to be sold.The former minister argued that the states needed assets to function well.Maku added, How can a state be without assets? If we do not stop Governor Al-Makura from selling the assets, one day, he will sell the Government House and the next governor will have to pay rent to occupy it.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday mocked the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for reabsorbing the wanted ex-Chair...

The Ministry of Interior confirmed on Sunday that Maina, who is still on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions wanted list, was reabsorbed and promoted to the position of Director of Human Resources at the ministry following recommendations from the Office of the Head of Service.Maina is expected to run for governor of Borno State in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.In his reaction, however, Fayose, who is also under probe by the EFCC, said on his official Twitter handle that, Someone accused of stealing billions of pension fund was returned to the FG civil service and you still think Buhari is fighting corruption?
There seems to be no end in sight to the downward operational performance of Nigerias refineries since the beginning of 2017 despite several interventions made to reinvigorate the facilities by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.The latest monthly oil and gas report released by the national oil firm showed that the cumulative capacity utilisation of the nations three refineries dropped further from 12.73 per cent in June to 11.94 per cent in July 2017.On individual performance, the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company remained dormant for the two consecutive months as it processed no crude oil in the period under review.Other refineries, Port Harcourt Refining Company and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, also performed far below expectation.While the WRPC moved up marginally in its performance, processing 1.87 per cent of crude oil in July, as against the zero output it recorded in June, the PHRCs capacity utilisation dropped from 26.98 per cent in June to 24.18 per cent in July.Going by the data provided by the NNPC, no refinery was able to perform up to 30 per cent, as none of them could utilise up to half of the crude oil allocated to them in July this year, as had been the case in many other preceding months.It had been reported in September that the performance of the facilities with respect to the capacity utilisation dropped by 44.87 per cent, after an analysis of their activities showed a decline in output from 20.09 per cent in May to 12.73 per cent in June.Further findings by our correspondent also showed that the facilities had been recording consecutive monthly decline with respect to their cumulative capacity utilisation since January this year.After recording a consolidated capacity utilisation of 36.73 per cent in January, the performance of the facilities maintained decline to 13.46 per cent in March.The performance moved up to 24.59 per cent in April 2017, but this was not sustained as it crashed on a monthly basis till it dropped to 11.94 per cent in July, which was their latest operational performance as released by the NNPC.An analysis of the corporations latest data showed that the total crude processed by the three refineries dropped from 231,836 metric tonnes in June to 224,584 MT in July..Their losses increased from 2.44 per cent in June to close at 2.59 per cent in July, while their cumulative plant consumption dropped to 8.30 per cent in the month under review, as against the 10.92 per cent that was recorded in the preceding month.As part of plans to revamp the refineries, the NNPC on several occasions had stated that its 12 Business Focus Areas would help address the shortcomings at the facilities.It had repeatedly stated that BUFA would see to the upgrading of existing refineries and creating the opportunity for refining expansion; focusing on renewable energy and frontier exploration; revamping the oil and gas infrastructure; pursuing profitable ventures and common services, among others.In September, the NNPC disclosed that it would shortly close down three of its refineries for a comprehensive rehabilitation aimed at bringing them back to their nameplate production capacities.The NNPCs Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru, told reporters in Abuja that the shutdown of the refineries would allow the corporation to undertake their rehabilitation in ways that were different from what had been done in the past.According to Baru, the refineries will come back on stream as new facilities when the corporation concludes the rehabilitation project ahead of the countrys plan to exit petroleum products importation in 2019.As you know, it has been the perception of the public that the repairs of the refineries are never done thoroughly. So this time, our intention is to shut down the refineries when we are ready, and then fully bring them back to what they should be as new refineries, the GMD had said.
Chief Babatunde Osolanke, Caretaker Committee Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dead.He slumped on Saturday at Ikeja Airport Hotel.The deceased was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where he was confirmed dead.Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the caretaker committee, Otunba Femi Careena, said Osolanke died while preparing to hold a meeting on the rescheduled partys congress.We are in a mourning mood as I speak with you now, everyone is sad, Careena told newsmen.He recalled that the deceased earlier attended a reconciliation meeting organised by the PDP leadership.The parley was meant to resolve the face-off between Chief Bode George and Chief (Mrs.) Aduke Maina, both members of PDP Board of Trustees.
The Nigerian Air Force, NAF said at the weekend that it has carried out air strikes against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast r...

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF said at the weekend that it has carried out air strikes against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast resulting in the death of a number of them and destroying their structures.According to the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya the air interdiction was conducted by one Alpha Jet aircraft following intelligence reports indicating the presence of Boko Haram terrorists in the area.Adesanya said in a statement supported with a short video clip of the operation that the aircraft acquired and attacked the target twice with bombs which resulted in neutralizing most of the Boko Haram Terrorists.The statement reads:  On 19 October 2017, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF ) Component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE conducted an attack on a location in URGA area close to KONDUGA. Previous intelligence reports, gathered through Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF ISR platforms, had indicated the presence of a large number of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in DURWAWA settlement in the outskirt of URGA. Accordingly, one Alpha Jet aircraft was detailed to carry out air interdiction on the target. Overhead the location, the aircraft acquired and attacked the target twice with bombs.Subsequent Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the aerial attack set off a fire, causing damage to the Boko Haram Terrorists structures within the settlement and neutralizing most of the Boko Haram Terrorists while a few of them fled the location.The aerial attack by the NAF is in furtherance of efforts at ensuring the complete decimation of the Boko Haram Terrorists and breaking their will to continue their terrorist attacks on innocent Nigerians.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, has confirmed the reinstatement of sacked chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.Maina was secretly recalled to the service and promoted to head a directorate in the Interior ministry.In 2013, Maina was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFC C.He is still on the wanted list on the agencys website with the following message: Dark complexioned Maina is allegedly complicit in the over N2 billion Pensions Biometric Scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He remains at large, after charges were filed against his accomplices.Confirming Mainas recall, Dambazau, in a statement by his press secretary, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, said the ex-fugitive is now in charge of the Human Resources Department of the ministry.It noted that Maina was posted few days ago to the Ministry of Interior by the Office of the Head of Service on an Acting capacity to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the Director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry.The minister said Mainas recall was on the orders of the Offices of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission.He said the two bodies are responsible for issues relating to Discipline, Employment, Re-engagement, Posting, Promotion and Retirements of Federal Civil Servants.It is understood that Mainas last posting was with the Ministry of Interior, and that is probably why he was re-posted back to the Ministry, the statement added.In 2012 , Maina was accused of a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion.Maina was invited by the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration, which upon completion of its investigation issued a Warrant of Arrest against him.Maina thereafter sued the Senate and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar .He went into hiding (reportedly in the United Arab Emirates) after being declared wanted by the police.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, said his administration had degraded the Boko Haram sect to the point that even the opposition party recognised that there was a considerable improvement of security in the North-East under his leadership.He did not name the political party he was referring to but the Peoples Democratic Party is believed to be the major opposition party in the country.According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi of Pakistan, on the margins of the ninth D-8 summit in Istanbul, Turkey.Buhari was said to have told the Pakistani Prime Minister that Boko Haram terrorist group remained degraded.He said, We have moved them out from their strongholds in the North East, we have denied them space and even their attacks on soft targets are becoming less often.Even the opposition (party) recognises that there is a considerable improvement of security in the North-East.The President said the Nigeria-Pakistan Joint Commission would be revamped as a veritable platform to strengthen economic and trade relations between both countries.Buhari, who expressed satisfaction at the level of defence and military cooperation between both countries, however, agreed with the Prime Minister that there was still room to do more.He regretted that same could not be said on the economic and trade fronts, which he said had fallen far short of what could be achieved by both countries.Nigeria-Pakistan cooperation is very historical. Military training has been very consistent and I am impressed with the efficiency of officers trained in Pakistan.But the performance of our countries in relation to trade and industrial cooperation had been very disappointing, Buhari said.In his remarks, Abbasi said both countries had similar prospects and challenges, including large population, key regional players in economy and security; the fight against terrorism, improving governance and the domestic economy.He said Pakistan would continue to share experiences with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism towards developing effective strategies and results.Meanwhile, Buhari has urged African leaders to speak with one voice independent of foreign influence.He said this was necessary to achieve economic integration, development, peace, and security on the continent.Buhari, according to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.He said, African leaders should learn from history. They should effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.The statement added that the two Presidents, who met on the margins of the ninth D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.Buhari assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current chairman of the African Union, that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address the current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.Conde praised Nigerias leadership on the continent, particularly Buharis great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.
The police have arrested four persons for paying N13,000 to buy a five-month-old baby boy.

The police have arrested four persons for paying N13,000 to buy a five-month-old baby boy.Appearing before a magistrates court in Kano on Friday, the suspects pleaded not guilty.Magistrate Aminu Fagge, who presided over the case, granted the four suspects bail.Fagge imposed N300,000 bail condition on each of the four suspects.Among the suspects were Itohan Pius, 32, of ECWA Eye Hospital Kano; a couple from Rivers State, Sandra Bob-Manuel, 39;Charles Bob-Manuel, 42; and one Charles Akindoji, 30, from Kaduna State.The suspects are standing trial on a two counts of criminal conspiracy and buying or selling minor for immoral purpose, which contravene the provisions of sections 97 and 278 of the penal code.The police prosecutor, Yusuf Sale, told the court that the suspects committed the offence on October 10, in Sabon Gari Quarters, Kano.According to Sale, the accused approached one Fatima Ahmad, mother of the baby, to buy the child.The suspects paid N13,000 out of the negotiated N15,000 to buy the boy but Fatima later reported the matter to the police and we effected the arrest of the suspects, he said.The case was adjourned to November 15.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned to Abuja after a four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey.

Buhari, accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammad Bello and other presidential aides.While in Ankara, Buhari was hosted by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyeb Erdogan for meeting, on Thursday. He also attended the meeting of the group of eight developing nations, D-8.In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Presidents Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the outing was Buharis first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, 2016.He said that Buharis objective during both visits focused on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation and trade cooperation.
President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan hosted Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria for a fairly long one-on-one meeting in Ankara, the Turkish capital on Thursday before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations.This was President Buharis first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with President Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, 2016.Though the meeting of the group, Developing Eight, simply D-8 in Istanbul was what President Buhari set out to attend, he spent an earlier 24 hours in the capital, Ankara to round off the technical meetings of delegates from both governments in what can be summed as a compressed State Visit.President Buharis overarching objective during this visit for both occasions was to focus on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation; trade cooperation; education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.Expectations on major concrete deliverables out of the trip had been loudly suggested by our officials, even before the meetings began and from the early outcomes we got, there is every reason for that excitement. The visit has achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives.The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the G 8 members and the establishment of a positive working relationship especially between Presidents Buhari and Erdogan.This is an added bonus.Here are some takeaways from the bilateral meetings between Nigerian and the Turkish government leaders:Security and Partnerships on Transnational Crimes:The two governments agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and arms trafficking.Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organization FETO which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot last year which the Turkish population gallantly resisted.There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organization and for which reason, their passports have been declared invalid by their country.Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organization which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organizations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more.Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organizations for which they need each others help.There is, equally, the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbors, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands.On the issues of the suspected terrorists of Turkish origin in Nigeria, President Erdogan received the best assurances from our leader that Nigeria will not allow any person or organization to use her territory for any subversive activities.President Buhari used every given opportunity to denounce the failed coup attempt.The Turkish citizens who have sought and already obtained assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) since they became stateless persons have been warned not to engage in any political activities while they are in Nigeria.Turkish authorities for their part gave all assurances that no subversive activities against Nigeria will be permitted of their citizens or on their territory.Nigeria and Turkey also discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the Northeast, especially that Turkey has the experience in handling about five million refugees in her territory.On the specific issue of arms smuggling, our team which included the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau(Rtd) and the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration.Industry, Trade, Investment and TransportationThe primary objective of the visit by the President was to seek ways to increase the size of trade and investment between both countries had in many ways been realized.After the various meetings, the delegations agreed that there are basic complementarities between both countries which should result in more trade and investment relations between them.Turkey serves as a hub and intersection for transport, trade, religion and cultures.Nigeria as a large domestic market and is considered as the access to a West African market (which together is twice its size).The volume of trade between both countries fluctuates severely (from Turkeys perspective) and does not seem to follow a pattern.For instance, there have been swings of 40 percent trade surplus in a year to a trade deficit of 30 percent the next year.In addition, the level of trade generally between D-8 Member States is also low. The proportion of trade between member states is only about 7 percent, while the European Union (EU) has about 65 percent trade relations between member states.It was agreed by them all to boost the amount of trade between the D 8 member states.To achieve this, certain concrete steps aimed at increasing the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria, Turkey and the D 8 were outlined and these included:The setting up of a technical committee to analyze the trade relations between both countries with a view to increasing the volume.This committee will come up with a roadmap with timelines for defining and measuring key goals.Presently, there are Forty-Eight (48) Turkish companies operating in Nigeria, with investment of about 600million dollars, whereas Ethiopia, a smaller economy, has investments of over 3,000million dollars from Turkey.Our government is determined to understand why Nigeria with stronger innate complementarities with Turkey, is not attracting similar or larger investment.Some of the agreements that both countries agreed that will potentially advance these objectives include a treaty against double taxation, investment promotion and protection agreement, banking regulation, and preferential trade agreement.Nigeria also gave commitments to make further efforts to diversify the economy and make the environment attractive for investment.Some of these measures include diversifying the economy from relying primarily on Oil & Gas, to developing other areas of comparative advantage; enhancement of initiatives and programmes.The programmes currently being implemented including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP); creating the enabling for business and investment; industrialization programs; extensive build-out of hard infrastructure (including roads, rails, power, etc.) and focus on deepening trade relations with strategic partners (including Turkey).The team from Nigeria also brought home lessons from Turkey, which included; using their Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model for the funding of infrastructure requirements.For instance, the Turkish Government has just completed a 26billion dollars BOT arrangement with a consortium to build and expand the Istanbul airport into the largest in the world.The BOT arrangement does not cost the government anything, as the private sector partner fully funds the financing.The Turkish Government recommended the BOT arrangement for Nigeria, especially as government funding takes exceedingly long time and is fraught with a lot of bottlenecks and bureaucracy.Civil AviationIn regards to this specific sector, Turkey made a demand for increased slots of air transportation for their airline, the Turkish Airline and in addition made a case for a Turkish Company seriously interested in bidding for the concession of the Abuja Airport.They were informed that the airport concession process in Nigeria is ongoing and Turkish Investors are welcome to participateEducation and Health MattersNigeria and Turkey reached very important agreements on matters concerning education and health.These are key areas in which Turkey has made a lot of progress.There are existing Turkish investments in these areas in Nigeria and it is on record that a number of countries in the world, including some in Africa have shut down schools and hospitals on the request of their home government following allegations that they are owned and operated by this organization accused of terrorism.The smart thing the owners of some of these businesses did is that they transferred part or full ownership to Nigerian citizens at the onset of the crisis.The Nigerian government delegation has accepted offers by the Turkish authorities to support a new group, the Maarif Organization intent on setting up of schools and specialist hospitals as new investors who are not tainted by such accusations.It was in this regard that this new organization, the Maarif Foundation for educational was introduced to the Nigerian delegation.A delegation from the foundation will visit Nigeria to commence the process of registration as well as following the procedures of establishing the new schools.The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of scholars, exchange of students and exchange/sharing of ideas, skills and education technology and to improve scholarships for Nigerians to study in Turkey.They also agreed to resolve the issues relating to Nigerian students in Turkish universities that are facing exclusion due to visa challenges.Nigeria and Turkey have equally agreed to strengthen and promote investments in health institutions and this, as promised by the President will proceed quickly, that is as soon as the details of the various agreements reached in the bilateral discussions are laid on his table.DefenceThe two countries agreed to strengthen defence and military cooperation initiated by them a few years ago.This had already lead to the establishment of the Defence section in the Turkish Embassy, Abuja in 2013 and Nigerias Defence section in Ankara in 2016.In the latest rounds of discussions, Nigeria and Turkey penned an agreement on military training.They also agreed to collaborate towards the development of the Defence Industries Corporation, DIC in Kaduna into a Military Industrial Complex of Nigeria, which is a key agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.Furthermore, two Turkish companies have taken the giant stride to collaborate with the DIC in the production of arms and ammunition.Of the two companies, one is establishing a rifles production line and the supply of raw materials, technical assistance and training while the second one is partnering the DIC in the conceptualization, designing, consulting, invention, manufacturing, marketing, sale, exportation and sale of military industrial products.Ninth Summit of the D 8The ninth summit, which took place in Istanbul on Oct. 20 also marked the 20th Anniversary of the organization.It also witnessed the handover of the baton of its leadership from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sahid Khaqan Abbasi to President Recep Tayyep Erdogan of Turkey.At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government adopted a communique which spelt out the direction of the organization for the coming two years under Turkey.Immediate next steps:*The Turkish Minister of Economy plans to visit Nigeria as part of the Trade Ministers of the D-8 Conference holding in Abuja between November 14 and 17, 2017.*Nigeria will consider hosting the Joint Action Committee (JACO) on boosting the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria and Turkey in January 2018.This will also include a business forum with the private sector of both countries.The Turkish Ministry of Economy will send a formal notification to the Nigerian Government in the coming days.*The Turkish Government will prepare a case study of the BOT model used to fund airport and other infrastructure projects to Nigeria. Specifically, the case-study on the successful builds and expand Istanbul Airport project.*Turkey will invite Nigeria for the Turkey-Africa Business Forum that will be taking place in Istanbul sometime in Autumn.*Nigeria will work on ratifying the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of the D-8.*Nigeria and Turkey will in the coming weeks sign an agreement with Turkey against trafficking in weapons, humans and drugs.*Nigeria will raise a technical committee to advise her on how to ramp up trade and investment with Turkey as well as with other members of the D-8.Taking everything concerning the trip as a whole, the two meetings, i.e the bilateral between Nigeria and Turkey and that of the D-8 in which the country participated, it can safely be concluded that this is perhaps one of the best outings byPresident Muhammadu Buhari in a little over two years of his administration.The President was accompanied on this mission by his wife, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), Defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (Rtd), Education, Adamu Adamu and that of Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah.The rest included the National Security Adviser, retired Maj-Gen. Babagana Munguno (NSA), the acting Director-General. National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Arab Yadam, the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Col. Hamid Ali (Rtd) and Nigerias Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda.
By PTI: By Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Oct 22 (PTI) India and Bangladesh today discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

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"We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," she said.

Swaraj, who arrived here on a two-day visit, said "India has been a longstanding and reliable development partner of Bangladesh".

"Totally, three lines of credit amounting to USD 8 billion have been extended by India to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide," she said.

India has also been extending grant assistance for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh. In the past three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed which include construction of students hostels, tube-wells, cultural centres, and orphanages among others. Presently 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation, she said.

"India is now supplying 660 MW of much needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future. We will work together as founding members of the International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession. This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable," Swaraj said.

The two nations have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline that will link Siliguri with Parbatipur, for the benefit of the people of northwestern Bangladesh, as a grant in aid project.

The setting up of LNG terminal, supply of natural gas by pipeline and investments in the upstream sector are also under consideration, she said.

She said restoration of pre-1965 links encompassing road, rail, water and coastal shipping links is being planned to increase connectivity, citing increase in frequency of the Dhaka-Maitri express.

The inaugural run with end-to-end Immigration and Customs services for the Maitri Express and the inaugural commercial run of the Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan service are all expected soon, she said.

In order to facilitate people-to-people contacts, she said the Indian Mission and Posts in Bangladesh issued 9.76 lakh visas in 2016 and these are expected to grow to about 14 lakh visas in 2017.

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Swaraj said India will also offer five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshi freedom fighters and is planning a scheme for their medical treatment in India.

She will also hand over some memorabilia of the 1971 liberation war to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be displayed in museums.

This is Swarajs second visit to Bangladesh and comes after the recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a USD 4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during Hasinas visit to India in April.

The development is also seen as Indias attempt to counter rising Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures. PTI AR ZH KUN AKJ KUN

--- ENDS ---
There are 37 career openings for young Nigerians under the United Nations bureaucracy, according to UN deputy secretary-general, Amina Mo...

There are 37 career openings for young Nigerians under the United Nations bureaucracy, according to UN deputy secretary-general, Amina Mohammed. Mrs. Mohammed speaking at a cultural night organised by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems said the openings are available via the Junior Professional Officers (JPO) Programme, including internship for young graduates.Nigeria, she said, has the opportunity to sponsor its youth for UN careers through the JPO, but regretted that the nation has not seized the opportunity in a long while.JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria  one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.At the cultural night, Amina asked older Nigerians to pave the way for the youth by creating leadership opportunities for them.She urged them to stop competing with the younger ones for employment opportunities. Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system.We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we dont give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes, she said.According to her, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.And its really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.Its not just what we do for the world. Cant we take those expertise back home, Amina said, urging them to make the best use of every opportunity they got. She condemned what she termed alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria, saying it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.So when I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, cant recover from.But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl. She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; thats violence against girls; thats violence against women.But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play, she said.Mohammed also lamented how girls were left behind in education, stressing that everyone needs to have an education  the boys and the girls.The boys we didnt educate are the same ones that kidnap the girls that we educated. So education for everyone is exposure for everyone; it matters so much; it really does give us the basis, the moral compass to help us navigate through life. Nigerias Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje, commended the Nigerians in the UN and particularly lauded the appointment of Mohammed as the UN Deputy Chief.Itegboje said Nigeria was proud of Mohammed, describing her as an ultimate authority and a reference point when it comes to Sustainable Development Goals issues.The Nigerian envoy said: Nigeria is a great country; we are a happy people, you cant take that away from us; we have gone through difficult times but we are happy that we have a government that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of dear people of Nigeria.Col. Jolly Abu (rtd), President, United Nations Staff Recreation Club Nigeria Association, said the cultural night was organised to showcase Nigerias culture.According to him, the Nigerians in the UN are very proud of their culture adding, it is also for them to mingle, rekindle and renew their bonds.The UN encourages that we should meet and foster unity among ourselves and also enjoy ourselves; so thats what were doing, Abu said.Amb. Audu Kadiri, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN Office and Other International Organisations in Geneva and Nicholas Ella, acting Consul-General in New York also attended the event.
What President Donald Trump does with Twitter, Martin Luther did five centuries ago with the new invention of the printing press.

The media reports every Trump Tweet and then discusses ad nauseum what it signifies or doesn't. Luther took advantage of the new printing press to disseminate his "95 Theses," which he then nailed to the church door in Wittenberg 500 years ago, on Oct. 31, 1517.

Today, Luther would be at the top of Amazon's list of books for a long time. In 1517, his scholarly challenge to his Catholic church set off the Protestant Reformation whose reverberations are still being debated.

All debate aside, though, next Sunday Lutheran churches all over the world will mark the occasion with special services and events. While most churches will mark the anniversary at their regular Sunday services, several Hudson County churches have planned special events.

St. Matthew Trinity in Hoboken will host a free block party with food, games for kids and adults, and church tours. They hope to attract 500 people. Get it?

"All residents and visitors to Hoboken are invited to participate in a festive worship service and block party to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation," Pastor Rose Beeson said.

Grace Lutheran, the last surviving Lutheran church in Bayonne, will mark its 110th anniversary at their 11 o'clock Holy Eucharist. During that service, two high school students will be confirmed in what they call an Affirmation of Baptism.

"The message is looking forward," Pastor Gary Grindeland, dean of the Gateway churches, said. "Faith is always looking forward, not a nostalgic trip down memory lane."

Some 26 churches from Montclair to Rahway in Hudson, Essex and Union counties will mark a special celebration at 4 o'clock next Sunday at Grace Lutheran.

They have invited me to be their guest homilist, which is a singular honor for me. Over these last weeks, I have been immersing myself in all things Lutheran. But my most memorable experience was as a 9-year-old boy living on Magnolia Avenue in Jersey City.

My elderly neighbor, Bertha Astill, asked me to take out her garbage and occasionally go to the corner store for her. She would ask me to sit and chat for a while and that's the first time I heard the word "Lutheran," which meant nothing to me growing up in a Catholic ghetto.

I knew she used to worship at St. Paul's Lutheran on Five Corners but could no longer get there. I told her I wanted to become a priest and she was very encouraging.

She would have been proud that a woman, Pastor Jessica Lambert, has been at the helm at St. Paul's for the last 10 years. There, they will sing special Reformation hymns at the 10 o'clock Eucharist next Sunday.

"I feel very blessed and excited to reflect where the church has been and where the Holy Spirit is going to lead us into the future," Lambert said. She wants to celebrate Luther's ministry as a pastor and not just as an outspoken monk or professor.

"A loving pastor has to communicate the love of God to people in the pews,'' Lambert said.

But next Sunday they will get out of the pews and witness re-enactments of Luther nailing his 95 Theses at the Hoboken block party. Grindeland has taken it a step further by constructing the Wittenberg church on the lawn outside his Bayonne church.

I doubt Luther could pass this church door without leaving something for people to read. You will have to come and see.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030. FAX: 201-659-5833; Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken.

If you go ...

500th Anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017

Grace Lutheran Church, 836 Avenue C, Bayonne, (201) 339-3685, hosts the Gateway Mission Lutheran Churches at 4 p.m. followed by a Reception.

St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church, 57 Eighth St., at the corner of Eighth and Hudson streets, Hoboken, (201) 659-4499, holds a Festival Service of Word and Holy Communion at 10 a.m. with a free block party from noon to 4 p.m.

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 440 Hoboken Ave, Jersey City, (201) 963-5518, Holy Eucharist at 10 a.m.

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3511 Palisade Ave., Union City. (201) 863-6630. The church, along with at least four other congregations, will host a special Mass in English, German and Spanish at 10 a.m. An organist, flutist, trumpeter and North Bergen opera singer Rhonda Denise Reid will participate. A pig roast follows with proceeds going toward Puerto Rico disaster relief. $30; tickets must be bought in advance.
TRENTON -- Growing up in South Trenton wasn't easy for Ariel Matos.

He was the youngest of six. His family didn't have a lot. His parents spoke very little English.

But Matos believes his experiences and struggles he's overcome have all been so he can help inner city youth overcome similar hurdles.

The 33-year-old is currently an Assistant Director of Multicultural Admissions at his alma mater The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), but his path to earning a college degree was far from typical.

"There were a number of times where I stopped coming to TCNJ and took a semester off or took two semesters off, where I would think that maybe I don't need a college degree," Matos said, "and I feel like that is an issue that a number of students from inner city communities experience."

Matos' parents immigrated from Dominican Republic and not speaking English made it tough to land high-paying jobs. His father became a pastor at a Pentecostal church and his mother worked as a nanny.

"Because my parents didn't have typical jobs they always encouraged us to do as well as we could in school because they felt like education was the passport to a better career and a better way of life," he said.

The admissions process was difficult for Matos, although he had the support of his parents and his older siblings, he hand to handle filling out financial aid and admission applications mostly on his own.

He enrolled in the college as an English major after graduating from Trenton Central High School in 2002, as part of the Education Opportunity Fund (EOF) program, which provides financial and educational support to students who come from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

While many undergraduates follow a four-year path, Matos often worked multiple jobs and often had to temporarily stop attending class to pay his way and help support his parents.

It ultimately took him eight years to earn his bachelor's degree.

He credits his mentors in the EOF program for keeping him grounded and checking up on him even when he wasn't enrolled. Those eight years it took to earn his degree, and the years since, have taught Matos a lot about life, he says.

"I've certainly learned a lot, I've gone through a lot things that students from the inner city often go through," Matos said.

"I'm just passionate to helping more students getting into higher education and ultimately to graduate, especially students from Trenton, I'm all about my Trenton kids," he said.

Matos' story has come full circle.

After working for various non-profits in Trenton and Mercer County, he went to earn a master's degree in organizational leadership with a concentration in higher education, at Rider University.

Now, he's back at TCNJ working to recruit potential students that come from inner cities around the state.

"When I meet new students now wherever I go, whether it's in Trenton, Ewing, Newark, or Jersey City, when I talk to students I feel like they are much more receptive towards me because there is a commonality there," Matos said.

One of his trademark ways to break the ice when meet potential students is to introduce himself in English and then say a quick catchphrase in Spanish.

"Immediately upon saying that you can see the smiles on their faces, and the students will usually say 'de lo mio,' that's someone from where I'm coming from," he said.

Despite his vibrant personality and his career success, Matos doesn't label himself as a role model for students, instead he hopes they view him as an example.

"I don't say I want you to be like me. If anything I say if I made it then I know that you can make it," he says.

"My whole bit is that I can provide a positive example for them, to know that someone from the inner city who struggled and went through different things and that if he made it then you can make it. And then I always view it as my responsibility to help make it a bit easier for them."

When speaking with current TCNJ students, Matos always makes it a point reveal the ways in they are similar. He'll share the challenges that came with his girlfriend dropping out of college, or the friends back home who questioned why he was changing the way he was thinking.

Matos emphasizes that sometimes the people from your social circle in high school don't have your best interests at heart.

But his core philosophy is to always give back to the places and people that shape you.

"Never forget where you came from, there is always a story there of, you know, overcoming challenges. There is a great story there that will ultimately help benefit somebody else if you are willing to share it."

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook
WEST WINDSOR -- Mercer County Community College signed an agreement Friday that allows students pursuing degrees in math, engineering or science to transfer to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, a school statement said.

MCCC president Jianping Wang and USciences president Paul Katz signed an agreement that allows students to transfer up to 90 credits -- enough to qualify as a junior -- from MCCC to USciences.

Students majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering science or mathematics are eligible to transfer their credits to one of USciences' 14 science degree programs as long as they meet GPA requirements for each major and grade standards for certain courses.

MCCC students majoring in business administration will also have the opportunity to transfer to UScience's degree program in pharmaceutical and healthcare business.

"Students choosing careers in these challenging STEM disciplines deserve every opportunity to succeed, and this agreement with USciences provides a clear academic path leading to rewarding careers," MCCC President Wang said after signing the agreement. "We welcome USciences as a partner in our efforts to ensure student success."

USciences is a private institution in the Spruce Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. The school's enrollment is 2,664 students, compared to MCCC's of approximately 11,300, the statement said.

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
HOWELL - An international scheme to steal thousands of dollars from ATM customers by using a device that captures debit card information has infiltrated Monmouth County, police said.

Police said these two suspects used an ATM "skimmer" to steal thousands of dollars from hundreds of customers. They have been spotted making fraudulent withdraws at ATM machines around Monmouth County and one bank location in Middlesex County. (Howell Police Department)

The two, unidentified suspects are responsible for cashing in on more than $70,000 in fraudulent ATM transactions in September at banks around Monmouth County and at least one bank in Middlesex County, police said.

A device, known as an ATM "skimmer," was placed on an automated teller machine at the Manasquan Bank location at 185 East Main Street in Manasquan from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4 and again on Sept. 8 to Sept. 11, according to police.

The device looks like a real debit-card reader and is placed over the bank's original ATM card slot. It captures the information from every card that goes through it while allowing the customer to proceed with the transaction. This elaborate scheme also included the use of a second device to capture an ATM user's pin number as the customer entered it in the keypad, police said.

At the Manasquan Bank on Route 9 in Howell, police said bank employees noticed the two suspects used lip balm to blur the camera as they made "numerous" ATM withdrawals from multiple account holders one after another.

Police said most of the $70,000 obtained through fraudulent transactions at Manasquan Bank locations in Howell, Manasquan and Wall, and the First Constitution Bank in Fair Haven, as well as several other banks and ATM locations in the area, came from cardholders in countries outside of the United States.

So far, police said, none of the fraudulent transactions have affected bank customers in Monmouth County. However, police are urging customers who used the ATM at the Manasquan Bank on East Main Street in Manasquan in early September to notify the bank and "take immediate action on their accounts" to avoid fraud.

Police have released surveillance photos in hopes of identifying the two suspects.

Police said the suspects have used two rental cars from an agency in Brooklyn, which have since been returned. One of the suspects used the fake identity "Michele Toto" and presented a driver's license from Italy to rent the vehicle, according to police.

Police urged anyone with information to call Howell police Detective Robert Ortenzi at 732-938-4575 ext. 2894 or email him at rortenzi@howellpolice.org. Anonymous tips can also be left at www.p3tips.com.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
AVON-BY-THE-SEA -- From the Clinton Hill neighborhood in Newark to the beloved Jersey Shore, Schneider's Restaurant has been serving generations of families since 1960.

But early on Saturday, the family-owned restaurant, which served authentic German cuisine and homemade ice cream, fell victim to a fire that tore through the inside, leaving parts of the structure the Schneider family labored in for decades badly damaged.

Johann "John" Schneider, 74, rushed from his home in Mercer County to the restaurant in Avon-by-the-Sea around 5 a.m. to find dozens of firefighters and police he served many meals to ripping apart the walls and the roof his 94-year-old mother, Theresia, worked feverishly in for the past 48 years.

"It's devastating," John Schneider said by phone on Sunday. "You think it's a nightmare. ... You're sort of not sure if you're watching a movie in your dreams, but then reality sets in. You look at it and you walk around, and it's surreal and devastating."

Avon-by-the-Sea police Chief Terence Mahon said the fire began just after 4 a.m. and does not appear to be suspicious. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

3-Alarm Fire at Schneiders Restaurant in Avon, NJ. Posted by Shore Area News Dispatch (S.A.N.D.) on Saturday, October 21, 2017

John Schneider said he's unsure at this point if the family will rebuild the restaurant, located on Main Street in Avon-by-the-Sea since 1970. The family will survey the damage on Monday.

"I don't know what we're going to do," he said. "At this point, I have to wait until tomorrow to see what we can salvage."

The damage is "pretty extensive," he added.

Peter and Theresia Schneider opened up Strubbe's on Clinton Avenue in Newark in 1960. It was a candy store and an ice cream parlor, where skilled employees would chit-chat and craft hand-dipped chocolates. On holidays, lines extended out the door for the chocolate hearts and rabbits.

"It was amazing to watch," John Schneider recalled.

On his day off, Peter Schneider would go down to the Jersey Shore. He fell in love with the area and in 1968-69, he relocated the family business to Avon-by-the-Sea, a tiny seaside borough located just north of Belmar in Monmouth County.

The chocolates weren't as popular at the Jersey Shore, but people loved the ice cream, especially in the summer.

Theresia Schneider, known as "Mrs. Schneider" or "mom" to the locals, used to cook for the merchants near her husband's shop in Newark. She incorporated her German-Austrian-Hungarian style dishes at the new location in Avon-by-the-Sea.

Peter Schneider passed away in 1975. But Mrs. Scheider, 94, continued to work the deli section of the shop, preparing dinner platters with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, sauerbraten, roast pork, bratwurst, among others.

John Schneider said he's experienced a roller coaster of emotions since the fire.

"You get memories from the old times, then you get sad and then you (remember) good times and you're so happy for the experiences," he said. "What does the future hold? I don't have the answer."

The loss of Schneider's Restaurant leaves a void in Jersey for authentic German cuisine, John Schneider said. He said on Saturday, he met people who drove down from North Jersey looking for German food. He said he wasn't sure where to direct them.

"People are lamenting that another German place is gone," he said.

Schneider was left searching for a silver lining and said he found one in the fact that no one was inside the restaurant when the fire started.

And all the great memories, he said, they will never go away.

"You meet so many interesting people, nice people," Schneider said. "You build a rapport. They come in, they bring their kids. Over the last 48 years in Avon-by-the-Sea, we wound up with four generations (of customers). We still had people from Newark come down.

"It's extremely gratifying," he continued, "that you've had an impact on people's lives just by feeding them."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
RIVERSIDE -- A man was found dead on a New Jersey Transit train Sunday morning, an official said.

The male was discovered unresponsive in a car at the Light Rail Line's Riverside station in Burlington County around 7:45 a.m., according to Jim Smith, spokesman for NJT.

Local and NJT Police arrived on the scene and the man was found to be dead, Smith said.

It was not immediately clear who discovered the man. He was found in a car on a southbound train.

The body was turned over to the Burlington County Medical Examiner, Smith said.

The train car where the man was found remained at the Riverside Station as part of the investigation.

No major delays in service were caused by the incident, according to officials.

Smith said the investigation into the man's death is continuing.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
How is it possible that the biggest blockheads so often make the most money?

It happens in the business world all the time. One respected academic study in 2010 looked at the numbers and came to this head-scratching conclusion: "The more CEOs are paid, the worse the firm does."

This year, it's happening in New Jersey politics. The stupidest mistake in this election, by far, is the work of the million-dollar meatheads who run the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union.

The NJEA has spent about $5 million so far in a long-shot bid to knock off Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), the legislature's most powerful Democrat. They're almost sure to spend another $5 million before it's over, all in support of an unknown Republican who loves Donald Trump and Chris Christie.

If you've ever seen someone step on the end of a metal rake, and watch the handle flip up and whack them in the nose, then you've got the basic idea. Let's count the ways this is nuts.

Number One: The money. Normally, this kind of cash, which shatters all records, would do the trick. But not against Sweeney. The NJEA has chosen the one target in the Legislature with the ammo to fire back.

Sweeney, as Senate president, has the power to single-handedly block any piece of legislation, a power that every lobbyist respects. And he is closely allied with George Norcross, the regional power broker in South Jersey, whose muscular super PAC has even more.

So, Norcross and Sweeney have spent $5 million, too, at last count. And if the NJEA spends more, they vow to keep pace, at least.

"We'll spend more," Norcross says.

Polls show that the NJEA's Trump guy is losing, and losing badly. Democratic cite polls that put the margin at 11 or 12 percent; even Republican polls put it at 6 points.

So, middle-class teachers should know what their union is delivering: The full-on hatred of a Senate President with the power to block any bill their union wants.

Number Two: The candidate. The NJEA's man is Fran Grenier, an arch-conservative who is a fan of Trump, and is so fond of Christie that he rushed to New Hampshire to volunteer during the presidential campaign.

Take that, classroom teachers: Your union is backing a cheerleader for your arch-enemy, with your money.

Grenier is no friend of public education. He's dancing to the NJEA's tune now, and is being richly rewarded for it. But when he was on his own, as the GOP chair in Salem County, he voiced support for Christie's radical school funding plan, since abandoned, that would have cut aid to urban districts by more than half, forcing mass teacher layoffs.

"My biggest fear was that Grenier was a straw candidate and would drop out in favor of Mary Poppins," Norcross says. "The NJEA's own membership won't vote for a Trump candidate."

Number Three: Sweeney is a good friend of public education. He is the senator who finally broke the long state freeze in education aid this year by fighting to insert a bump of $100 million. He also got $25 million to expand preschool.

Granted, teachers resent him for moving the pension reform bill in 2011, but without that, their depleted pension fund would be even closer to bankruptcy today. He also broke a promise to move a Constitutional amendment requiring full pension payments, but most pols I talk to agree with Sweeney that the measure would have backfired after voters rejected it.

Randi Weingarten is the national president of the other big teachers' union, the American Federation of Teachers. She's been campaigning with Sweeney, saying he is a sturdy friend of teachers, and students.

For the NJEA: Awkward.

"He's fought for funding for those who need it most," Weingarten says. "He's fought for pre-k, for universities, for health care. He remembers he's an ironworker, and he has working folks in his heart and on his sleeve. Of course, we're going to support him over a Trump and Christie supporter."

I wanted to ask NJEA leaders about that, but they're not talking. What could they say?

Number Four: It's not just Sweeney who is furious; most Democrats are.

The reason is the money. Norcross and Sweeney usually send millions around the state to fortify the party. Not this year.

"Every dime of this would have gone elsewhere," Norcross says. "Historically, the Super Pac has not spent a nickel in (Sweeney's) district."

District 11 in Monmouth County is one of three districts that are up for grabs this year. The Democratic challenger there, Vin Gopal, is endorsed by the NJEA and getting help from local teachers. But the race is is tight, and Sweeney's spigot is dry.

"I think he'd like to dump $1 million in this district, but he can't," Gopal says.

Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) says out loud what many are whispering: "They basically have declared war on all of us. It's foolish and short-sighted. I don't think they're going to get the warm and fuzzy reception they've gotten in the past anymore."

And finally, Number Five: Greed revealed. The executive director of the NJEA, Ed Richardson, earned $1.2 million in 2015, according to public tax records. The top five union leaders, including President Marie Blistan, earned $764,000 on average. That's just gross.

The union denied it when I first published the numbers. So, I published the IRS documents filed by the union itself. Now we know they are not just greedy; they are liars.

Classroom teachers need to rise up. These guys are Keystone cops who are depleting any credibility the union has. Some legislators tell me the union needs to clean house and install a new leadership team if they want to get anything done in the Legislature next year.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Note: An earlier version of this column incorrectly states that NJEA's poliltical efforts were funded by union dues. It is a combinnation of dues and voluntary donations.
Phil Murphy, the Democratic candidate for governor, is prepared to follow the lead of states like Colorado by legalizing marijuana in New Jersey and taxing its sale. His Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, would go only half as far. She wants to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but would continue to arrest and imprison those who sell it.

So, which is the wiser course?

The first reflex, when faced with a dramatic change like this, is to dip a toe in the water before jumping in. Legislators say that Guadagno's half-step would be far more likely to win approval next year.

But when it comes to America's ruinous war on drugs, the baby step that Guadagno proposes is simply not enough. This is a time to seize the moment, and to join the eight states that have already made the jump.

Start with the violence on our city streets. If the illegal marijuana trade continues, as it would under Guadagno's plan, then so will the violence that comes with it. Dealers will still fight for turf in our cities, innocent people will still be shot dead by stray bullets, and working families will continue to be terrorized in their own neighborhoods.

Guadagno, a former sheriff who presents herself as a law-and-order candidate, offers an approach that drug dealers would celebrate. Decriminalizing marijuana would no doubt increase the demand for it; but the trade would be left in the hands of criminals. It would be a boon for the gangs and thugs who profit from this trade.

And let's talk about race. New Jersey's prison population is more skewed by race than any in the country, according to data collected by Sentencing Project in 2016. African-Americans are imprisoned here at a rate 12 times that of whites, more than double the national gap.

Marijuana arrests, which outnumber arrests for all violent crimes combined, help explain that gap. New Jersey's notorious school-zone laws, in place for decades, imposed mandatory sentences for dealers arrested within 1,000 feet of a school. That essentially set up two-tiers of penalties, one for dealers in the white suburbs, and a far harsher one for dealers in cities, where almost all the turf is within 1,000 feet of a school.

The law has been softened to give judges more discretion, but thousands of black men remain its victims, their lives derailed by a law that was flatly racist, with blacks and Latinos accounting for 96 percent of those arrested under its terms. Even now, the rates of marijuana arrests for blacks is more than four times the rate for whites, according to a study by the ACLU, while rates of marijuana use are roughly the same.

Finally, the money. Legal sales of marijuana will produce tax revenues this state desperately needs, money that could be used to expand treatment for addicts of much stronger drugs. Murphy puts the number at $300 million a year, but even half that would be most welcome.

In the debate Thursday, Guadagno raised one serious objection, arguing that "marijuana-related" traffic deaths in Colorado have jumped by 48 percent since legalization. So, let's take a close look.

The 48 percent figure comes from a study published by the Governors Highway Safety Association, one that was paid for by a non-profit group funded by alcohol distillers. It counted the number of drivers with traces of marijuana in their systems at the time of the crash. But it did not conclude the drivers were high at the time of the accidents, conceding that traces of marijuana can linger in the system for days, even weeks.

There is good reason for skepticism. Two more recent studies reached a dramatically different conclusion. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied three states that had legalized marijuana, and found the rate of accidents were 3 percent higher than in neighboring states that had not. A second study published in the American Journal of Public Health found no increase at all.

The concern about car crashes is a valid one, especially since police have no good roadside test for marijuana intoxication, as they do for alcohol. But Guadagno's red alarm is way overblown. Study after study has found that alcohol presents a far greater danger on our roads.

The prohibition against marijuana has been a tragic failure, just as the prohibition against alcohol was. Surveys show that most Americans have smoked marijuana. The ban has left blood on our streets, filled our prisons with non-violent offenders, and pushed billions of dollars onto the black market. Guadagno's baby step would change none of that.

Murphy is right on this one. Let's make New Jersey the 9th state to call a cease-fire in the misguided war on pot.
The first time it happened, I was 13, a few weeks shy of my 14th birthday, the birthday that would enable me to get working papers.

I was, as was common, working under the table at a souvenir shop in Atlantic City. There was shortage in the cash register. The boss wanted to talk to me about it in the back. Why did she want to talk to me? I wasn't working the register. But when I got back to the manager's office, she wasn't there. Instead, there was the owner, an older man - successful, an icon in the area.

But he didn't bring me into the office. He told me to sit down in the locker room where we left our purses and coats. He sat next to me. Even at that age, I knew this wasn't going to end well. As he moved his hand up my thigh (I can remember the navy blue shorts and Journey concert shirt I wore), talking about the cash register shortage and the fact that I could get in trouble because I didn't have working papers, I bolted out the door and ran to the bus crying.

Brigid Callahan Harrison

I came home and told my mother, who called the store manager. "She's only 13!," my mother shouted. The boss denied it, alleged that I was responsible for the cash shortage.

After my birthday, I applied to work at another shop, and as the owner took my application and saw where I had worked for three weeks, remarked "Oh honey, don't worry, that doesn't happen here." Everyone knew.

Fast forward to college: I was a 19-year-old studying Chinese language and politics when the full professor who was my language teacher pinned me against the wall in his office, kissed me and groped me. I was repulsed and also angry. I went to a female senior faculty member for advice and was told that it was common knowledge that this particular instructor harassed women students and that I shouldn't go to his office and just " slough it off," which I did.

Because of it, I also changed my entire course of study (he was the only Chinese language instructor at the college). He was later fired after getting a student pregnant. Again, it turned out, everyone knew.

I could go on.

If social media is a good gauge, so could nearly every woman in the United States. And while the #MeToo campaign has served as an important reminder to many of us about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, for many of us - those over age 45 - it is just a reminder.

Remember Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearing? Remember Anita Hill, another woman whose career was shaped by the predatory behaviors of a supervisor, one who described pubic hairs in the Coca-Cola, his affinity for Long John Silver? Remember the outrage surrounding the fact that it was an all-male Senate Judiciary Committee hearing her testimony? Remember the political "Year of the Woman" that partially resulted from that? I mean, really, didn't everyone learn these lessons before?

Apparently not.

But I also remember another result of that national discussion that played out time and again in universities, businesses, newsrooms, government offices, and medical facilities across the country: successful senior men became wary of mentoring - and sometimes, though illegal, of even hiring --young women. As one of my (male) mentors at the time explained, normal non-predatory men were fearful that their everyday interactions could be perceived as harassment.

But watching the #MeToos that have filled up my social media, I would assure him and others with those concerns that the differences between harassment and light-hearted mutual flirtation, comedic banter, or even unrequited romantic interest are consistent and staggering clear.

No one is #MeTooing about Ted in IT who asked a co-worker on a date, or Fred the waiter who harmlessly flirts with the other servers.

What is common among the #MeToos is the palpable sense of repulsion, the desire to run, to escape, the "unevenness" of the relationship in which the harasser is always dominant. Women being harassed feel threatened -- physically, emotionally, and professionally. And in almost all situations the women I know have described, saying "no" would have serious consequences: jobs lost (or impossible to stay in); grades lowered or scholarships not granted; medical residencies lost. Interestingly, in so many cases, women's reaction is to actually vomit (hint: if you believe your actions might cause the other party to throw up, chances are, it's harassment).

When a romantic move is made but gets rebuffed, or a flirtation goes too far, there is shared embarrassment, a feeling of "gee, that was awkward." And these moves typically don't result in one party running from the scene, vomiting, or looking for a new job.

Harassment is dark, it is predatory, it is aggressive, it is unmistakable.

Ultimately, harassment is not about sex but about those with power dominating those without. And so while the discussion of #MeToo shows the pervasiveness of the experience, it also demonstrates the need for those with power- both men and women - to ensure that those without are protected. When everyone knows, then everyone - not just the victims - needs to stop the predators.

Brigid Callahan Harrison is professor of political science and law at Montclair State University, where she teaches courses in American government. A frequent commentator on state and national politics, she is the author of five books on American politics. Like her on Facebook at Brigid Callahan Harrison. Follow her on Twitter @BriCalHar.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
One woman was killed and another injured as terrorists fired at them in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir today.

By India Today Web Desk: Militants today gunned down a woman and critically injured another at Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, the police said.

The deceased woman has been identified as Yasmeena, a resident of Khonmoh, and the injured as Ruby, a resident of Seer Tral, they said.

A police cordon was put in place around the area to nab the culprits. The police blamed the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit for the attack.

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Yasmeena was the daughter of Ghulam Rasool Bhat, a resident of Khonmoh. Injured woman, identified as Ruby is the daughter of Muhammad Shafi, resident of Seer Tral.

The injured woman was shifted to hospital. A search operation was launched after the incident.

(With inputs from agencies)

--- ENDS ---
By Michael Reagan



We know Hollywood moguls are infamous for taking advantage of aspiring young actresses.



The movie producer's casting couch has been a "tradition" since Tinsel Town began.



But Harvey Weinstein must be setting some kind of record. His sexual rap sheet gets longer every day.



Since the New York Times broke the stories about his serial misconduct earlier this month, more than 40 actresses, studio workers and models have come forward to accuse the powerful producer of everything from sexual harassment to rape.



Now the L.A. Times is reporting that the LAPD is investigating charges by an Italian model-actress that Weinstein raped her in 2013 - within the statute of limitations.



She's the sixth woman to accuse Weinstein of rape or forcible sex acts. Over the years eight others reportedly received civil settlements from Weinstein's movie company.



What a charming guy.



I feel for all these women who are coming out and telling the world what sex acts Weinstein allegedly did to them or in front of them when their dreams and careers were at his mercy.



It takes courage for those women to admit that they too were humiliated, abused and taken advantage of by an A-list Hollywood slime ball.



But everyone knows Weinstein isn't the only powerful producer or director in Hollywood who regularly expected sex in exchange for making someone a movie star.



There are other Weinsteins, and lots of people in the film community know exactly who they are.



Actresses and actors warn their friends to watch out for Producer X or Director Y, but they never make their names public. They should.



Instead of merely tweeting "Me too," the women who say they have been sexually harassed and assaulted in Hollywood (and everywhere else) need to start naming names.



This could be a chance for women in Hollywood to put a stop to the casting couch culture Weinstein took full advantage of for three decades.



Times have changed. Women are listened to now when they report sexual misconduct by their bosses or colleagues.



They're protected by harassment laws and supported by the media. They're no longer shamed publicly for revealing that they have been victims of sexual predators in the workplace.



In the end, Hollywood is all about money. You can even be an open conservative Republican in Hollywood -as long as Hollywood is making money off you.



It's the same with top actresses -- the A-listers. They make a lot of money for Hollywood, so they have power to change things.



A-list actresses need to join together and start naming the names of the other Weinsteins.



That way they can protect the B-listers and the future young stars -- girls and boys -- from becoming new victims of an immoral and rotten culture that has been tolerated in Hollywood for way too long.



Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com.
Those two gubernatorial debates are now over. They contributed little to the public's understanding of the candidates and the issues.

There are a few obvious reasons. One is that the debates were held in the evening. That meant the reporters covering them had to file their stories mere minutes after the debates ended.

And then there were the panelists. For some inexplicable reason the debate sponsors choose TV talking heads from Pennsylvania and New York to cover an election in New Jersey.

A couple of questions on transportation from last week's debate at William Paterson University in Wayne showed the weakness of the current format.

One came when CBS-TV talking head Kristine Johnson asked the candidates what they would do to offset the impact on New Jersey drivers of congestion pricing in Manhattan that would mean they would be "paying double."

The correct answer was: No, they won't. Jerseyans using the Holland and Lincoln tunnels would keep paying the current $15 toll under the plan being put forward by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

That plan focuses on funding the subway system by putting a $5.54 toll on the East River bridges. There would also be a toll to go below 60th Street, but that would be collected through E-Zpass and commuters using the George Washington Bridge could easily be exempted.

That means Jersey commuters would actually benefit from congestion pricing. They'd face less traffic and find it easier to park.

If either Republican Kim Guadagno or Democrat Phil Murphy had known that simple fact, he or she could have said something like, "I'm glad to see New York drivers will finally start paying a few shekels toward the cost of running mass transit, the way Jersey drivers have been doing for decades."

Neither did, however. Both supported giving Jersey drivers a tax credit to offset any congestion-pricing charge. Or in other words they supported what would be yet another transfer of our tax revenues to New York. That's the last thing we need, given the fact that New York already collects the income tax paid by Jersey commuters.

Another question on the issue of mass transit deserved more coverage than it got - which was zero if my internet search results were any indication.

That came when Alfred Doblin of the Record asked both candidates about the sorry state of NJ Transit. Guadagno gave her stock answer, which was about requiring "an audit" of the system.

But it was Murphy's response that showed an effort to run out the clock that seems to be succeeding in this debate format.

That came when Doblin asked the former Goldman Sachs executive about what he would do about implementing Positive Train Control on NJ Transit. This is an accident-avoidance system that is supposed to be installed on trains by December of 2018 under federal regulations.

Murphy at first said that the federal deadline must be met, but he dodged the question of how he would fund it. Doblin kept pressing him and finally asked "Where would the funding come from?" Murphy's reply was a masterpiece of evasion:

"First of all we have to grow the economy again. We've left tens of billions of dollars on the table of economic growth in this administration, that's two to three billion dollars at least of state revenue annually, and that would be well enough to deal with positive train control."

There was no time for Doblin to follow up in this 60-minute debate format. But the obvious question is how this "economic growth" could possibly produce revenue that would be available in the budget for the state's next fiscal year.

That budget must be passed by July 1 of next year. But if Murphy wins the race, he wouldn't take office until Jan. 16. At that point he would have all of five and a half months to get the economy heated up in time to spin off the funding he'd need.

That's about $200 million according to my go-to guy on transit matters, former Long Island Rail Road executive Joe Clift.

In fact, Clift said, NJ Transit has already begun testing the system and is on target to have it "substantially completed" - in fed jargon - by December of 2018 and totally completed by the end of the next year.

That's enough to satisfy the feds, he said. But he said NJ Transit has problems that are far greater than that - most of which went unexamined in those two short debates.

Don't expect to see those problems addressed in depth by either of the candidates by two weeks from Tuesday when this race ends.

There is no political race that affects the average resident as much as the race for governor. But this campaign is coming to a close with most voters barely aware of what's at stake.

And that's undebatable.

BELOW: Here's the complete video of the debate, which ran at the same time as a Yankee playoff game. Go to the 24-minute mark for the exchange on transportation which is followed by the exchange on congestion pricing. During the exchange on congestion pricing, ask yourself why we would have a debate moderated by someone who believes even more New Jersey tax money should be given to New York interests.

Then ask yourself why neither candidate objected to that.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has waded into the Maryland governor's race, endorsing a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who won his seat with the help of Gov. Chris Christie and then endorsed him for president.

Booker announced his endorsement of Ben Jealous, former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and one of several Democrats seeking the nomination to take on Hogan next year.

"I'm grateful to receive Senator Booker's support as we continue building a movement to get Maryland back to doing big things again," Jealous said. "Senator Booker is a great friend and a fierce advocate for working families."

The endorsement provides Booker, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, with another effort to reach out to supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Jealous endorsed Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential race.

Hogan's victory over then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was the biggest upset of 2014. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Christie funneled $1.2 million into the final month of the race.

Christie spoke at Hogan's inauguration. The Maryland governor later endorsed him for president and traveled to New Hampshire to campaign with him.

And when Hogan was being treated for cancer, Christie wore a green "Hogan strong" bracelet. After Hogan was diagnosed as cancer-free, he cut off Christie's bracelet at a New Hampshire campaign event.
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans could spare New Jersey residents from losing their deduction on state and local income and property taxes and still raise enough cash for their tax cut plan by ending a big break for the wealthiest Americans.

But they are not even considering it.

The tax break in question is the lower rate charged on profits from investments, known as capital gains. Under current law, these profits are taxed at a lower rate than salaries paid to workers.

More than two-thirds of that tax break, 68 percent, goes to the richest 1 percent of taxpayers, according to a 2013 Congressional Budget Office report.

"The whole tax code, including capital gains, should be on the table," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., a member of the House Ways and Means Committee that has jurisdiction over tax legislation.

Ending the tax break for the wealthy could actually generate more cash than killing state and local tax deductions.

Lower capital gains rates were worth $1.3 trillion to investors over 10 years, while eliminating the state and local tax deduction would bring in $1.1 trillion, according to the 2013 report.

Furthermore, raising capital gains taxes affects all wealthy taxpayers, while ending the income and property tax deduction singles out residents only in New Jersey and other higher taxed states.

"The Republicans crafting this tax plan favor wealth over work and it would be an outrage if their bill raised taxes on New Jersey homeowners to pay for further tax breaks for investors," Pascrell said.

Besides keeping the lower rate for capital gains, the Republican tax framework eliminates the inheritance tax expected to hit 5,400 estates this year, all them worth at least $5.5 million and less than 1 percent of them small businesses or family farms, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive research group in Washington.

While the estate tax hits only multimillionaires, the state and local tax deduction primarily goes to the middle class, statistics show.

Of the 44.3 million taxpayers who took the state and local tax deduction in 2015, 38 million, or 86 percent, reported income of $200,000 or less, according to the Government Finance Officers Association.

The deduction is especially important in New Jersey where homeowners pay the nation's highest property taxes.

Trump's chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett, said the tax outline agreed to by the president and congressional Republican leaders gives lawmakers the ability to direct tax cuts to the middle class rather than the rich.

"That's something that gives the politicians on the Hill the flexibility they need to design something that has a broad appeal," Hassett said.

In the 1986 bipartisan rewrite of the U.S. tax code, President Ronald Reagan agreed to tax capital gains at the same 28 percent rate as other income to avoid giving wealthy Americans most of the benefits.

When President George H.W. Bush and congressional Democrats in 1990 raised the top tax rate to 31 percent, they kept the capital gains tax for investments for more than one year at 28 percent.

The discrepancy exists to this day. Those in the highest bracket pay 39.6 percent on income, but just 23.8 percent on capital gains.

Senate and House Republicans recently took action to fast-track the tax bill by passing budget resolutions that include a parliamentary maneuver designed to exclude Democrats and make it easier to repeal the state and local tax break.

Reps. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., and Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist., were the only New Jersey lawmakers to back the measure.

"It says, 'We don't need you, we're just going to rush it through, just with our votes,'" Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., acknowledged that the fight over state and local taxes was a major hurdle, calling higher-taxed states such as New Jersey a "special interest" during a recent speech to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group in Washington.

"We're propping up prolifigate big government states and we're having states that actually got their act together pay for states that didn't," Ryan said in the face of statistics showing the opposite.

Of the 10 states where residents most take the deduction, six send more money to Washington than they get back, according to data from the Tax Foundation and the State University of New York's Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Ryan's home state of Wisconsin received $1.02 for every $1 sent to Washington in 2015, according to the Rockefeller Institute study. Kentucky, home of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, got $1.90, fifth highest among the 50 states.

Meanwhile, New Jersey received just 74 cents per $1 its taxpayers sent to Washington. No other state fared worse.

"What I say to all these states, either you start taking back what you pay into the kitty or don't turn and try to take more from New Jersey by passing an anti- competitive tax provision," said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist.

Republicans are under political pressure to pass a tax bill, and it remains to be seen whether GOP lawmakers from New Jersey and other high-tax states will buck their party and vote against legislation that hurts their constituents.

More than a quarter of New Jersey taxpayers, 26.4 percent, would pay higher federal tax under the GOP plan, according to a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive research group in Washington. Only Maryland, at 30.5 percent, would be harder hit, the group said.

Another study, released by Americans Against Double Taxation, a coalition opposed to eliminating the state and local tax deduction, also forecast tax hikes for those living in high-tax states.

The report, based on 2015 Internal Revenue Service data compiled by the Government Finance Officers Association, found that the average family of four in a sample zip code in Frelinghuysen's district would see its taxes rise by an average of $4,409, more than anywhere else.

Those represented by MacArthur and Reps. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., and Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist., also face tax hikes under the Republican plan, the study said.

"This new data makes it crystal clear that many middle-class homeowners throughout the country will see their tax bills increase, often by thousands of dollars," said Bob Chlopak, co-director of the advocacy group.

MacArthur, Lance and Frelinghuysen were among the 27 GOP lawmakers hit with a new $600,000 digital ad campaign by the American Action Network, a nonprofit that does not disclose its donors and shares office space and staff with the Congressional Leadership Fund super political action committee linked to Ryan.

While following Reagan's lead and raising the capital gains tax hasn't been discussed, there is talk about limiting deductions for state and local taxes. Under this scenario, wealthier taxpayers would either lose their deduction or get a smaller amount.

Such a cap could encourage richer residents to move while making it harder for high-tax states like New Jersey to raise the money needed for services, Chlopak said.

"I don't think there's any question that higher-income people who are paying more taxes have great mobility," Chlopak said. "If they lose the deduction, there's more incentive to flee."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro and his staff are accused in a lawsuit of using fake subpoenas to arrest victims and witnesses. (Ken Daley, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By PTI: New York, Oct 22 (PTI) Hollywood actress Angelina Jolies admission that she had the BRCA gene - linked to high risk of breast cancer - may have encouraged women to get tested, according to a study which found that there was an 80-fold increase in genetic testing between 2003 to 2014.

Researchers from University of Georgia in the US also noted that there was a big spike in 2013, the year in which Jolie revealed she carries a mutation.

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A breast cancer (BRCA) gene test is a blood test to check for mutations in genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. This test predict the risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

"BRCA testing and counselling provide important information on the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers among women with family history of the cancers," said Zhuo Adam Chen, an associate professor at University of Georgia.

"Appropriate use of BRCA testing would lead to reduction in avoidable cancer mortalities and morbidities," Chen said.

Women with hereditary BRCA gene mutations have a 45 to 65 per cent risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, compared to seven per cent in the general population, according to the US National Cancer Institute.

The study, published in the journal Genetics in Medicine analysed testing rates, payment to the provider, and out-of- pocket costs for patients from 2003 to 2014, and compared findings to reported revenue from Myriad Genetics, the only provider of the test until 2013.

Researchers noted that overall, BRCA testing increased 80-fold during those 11 years, with a large spike in testing occurring in 2013.

That same year Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in The New York Times promoting BRCA gene testing and the Supreme Court struck down the patent on BRCA gene testing, researchers said.

"This could provide insights on the impact of the policy changes and the media coverage of celebrity endorsement," said Chen.

Though it may be tempting to connect the whirlwind of media coverage surrounding Jolies decision to have a double mastectomy following a positive BRCA test, the available data cannot point to which event had a greater impact, researchers said.

"Jolies op-ed, the Supreme Court decision on BRCA gene and the USPSTF recommendation occurred in a very compact timeline," Chen said.

"In a companion study, we did examine whether women had follow-up surgical procedures and found an urban and rural disparity in the follow-up rates," said Chen.

"Women residing in urban areas consistently had a higher rates of follow-up surgical procedures than those in rural areas, though the gap is narrowing," Chen added

As genetic testing becomes more accessible, potential for individuals to make more informed decisions about their health, researchers said. PTI APA MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---

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A story about the killing of Fred Johnson from the Oct. 28, 1917, Sunday States.
Today

Thunderstorms with locally heavy downpours. Low 57F. ESE winds shifting to WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Tonight

Thunderstorms with locally heavy downpours. Low 57F. ESE winds shifting to WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Tomorrow

Cloudy skies. High 61F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Today is the beginning of Opioid Awareness Week in Iowa.

The purpose of Opioid Awareness Week is to highlight efforts and initiatives underway in Iowa and introduce an action plan for the state going forward, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds office said in a news release.

A recent report from the University of Iowa noted rates of prescription opioid overdose deaths in Iowa have quadrupled in the past 20 years  making Iowa one of only a handful of states with such a large increase. The UI report also recommends ways to reduce opioid overdoses and deaths.

Thanks in part to the response to the growing epidemic, Iowa is on track to see a 10 percent decline of opioid sales for 2017 amid the national concerns about the abuse of such prescriptions.

The executive director of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, Andrew Funk, relayed the information to a legislative committee studying opioid abuse, The Des Moines Register reported.

Funk said Iowa health care practitioners are trimming prescriptions of opioid painkillers. He said Iowa is expected to reach about 270 million prescription pills sold for 2017, down from 301 million pills in 2016.

Funk said this years total still comes to 90 pills for each man, woman and child in the state.

The totals are determined by Iowas Prescription Drug Monitoring system, which tracks pharmacies sales of addictive prescription medications.

Committee members said the figures are a promising development amid a national epidemic of abuse of addictive narcotics.

About 200 Iowa residents died last year of overdoses related to opioids, including prescription pills and heroin, state experts said.

Experts nationwide have urged doctors, nurse practitioners and dentists to be selective in prescribing painkilling pills. They want health care professionals to consider other methods of pain control; limit the number of pills given in each prescription order; and watch for signs that patients might be becoming addicted to their medications.

Year-round prescription drug take-back sites in the metro area include the Walgreens at 2508 West Broadway and Pottawattamie County Jail at 1400 Big Lake Road in Council Bluffs, the Shopko Pharmacy at 902 S. Locust St. in Glenwood and Eby Drug at 103 N. Fourth Ave. in Logan. Go to odcp.iowa.gov/rxtakebacks for more information.

 The Associated Press contributed to this story.
An astronaut who graduated from Lewis Central High School as an exchange student from Cologne, Germany, returned to Council Bluffs for a visit this week.

Hans Schlegel, who now lives in Houston, came back to see his American mom, Zella Duchman, and other friends. He has good memories of his time in Council Bluffs and of graduating in 1969 with his American brother, Loren Duchman.

Zella Duchman wasnt sure they got off on the right foot when he came to stay with them.

The first night he was here I had roasting ears, and I found out in Germany they only feed corn to the hogs, she laughed. (That, of course, has changed.)

At the time, Schlegel wondered if eating the corn would expose him to a hazardous chemical, he said.

Living in a foreign country and using another language, he discovered that relationships with other people are what matter most, he said.

After returning to his homeland, Schlegel served as a paratrooper in the German armed forces for two years, becoming a second lieutenant, according to his biography on the European Space Agencys website. He received additional training in the reserves and was promoted to reserve lieutenant in 1980.

Along the way, he studied physics and experimental physics at University of Aachen, where he earned a masters degree. It was while working as a solid state physicist at a laboratory at the university that he decided he wanted to become an astronaut.

A group of scientists who used the lab had an experiment that had been started on the first German space mission. He applied to the European Space Agency in 1986 and worked as a non-destructive testing specialist at another lab until his acceptance in 1988.

Schlegel trained for two years at the DLR German Aerospace Center, according to his biography. In 1990, he was assigned to be a payload specialist on the Spacelab D-2 mission. He trained in Cologne and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

He flew on the STS-55 Spacelab D-2 mission on the space shuttle Columbia from April 26 to May 6, 1993 as payload specialist, conducting experiments that ranged from life sciences to robotics with one other German astronaut and two Americans.

We had to do 89 experiments in 10 days, Schlegel said.

One was tracking his own blood pressure and its changes during launch and weightlessness.

In 1995, Schlegel went to Moscow to train as a backup for the German-Russian Mir-97 mission. He coordinated ground-to-air communications during the 1997 mission. Later that year, he received additional training and became certified as a flight engineer for Russias Mir space station.

Schlegel moved to the United States in 1998 and has been stationed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston ever since  but still as an employee of the European Space Agency, he said. In 2008, he flew to the International Space Station on the space shuttle Atlantis mission STS-122 to deliver and install the ESAs Columbus laboratory.

As part of this project, he experienced the thrill of walking in space for almost seven hours. Once outside the shuttle, he took a minute to enjoy the view of the Earth.

It was so coincidental that, when I was working outside, we flew over Germany and it was sunny  in February, and that is very unusual, he said.

Schlegel was able to identify Germany and even the city of Cologne from his vantage point in space.

Cologne I saw very much in detail, he said.

Seeing the Earth from space had quite an impact on Schlegel, as it has on many astronauts.

Its when you realize that our world is just a big spaceship, and we need to take care of it, he said.

Schlegel now works in the ESA liaison office at the Johnson Space Center.

My task is, when astronauts are training, and when they come from Europe to the JSC, Im helping them get access, find their way and support them in all their training, he said.

Schlegel has returned to Council Bluffs several times and was listed on the Lewis Central High School Wall of Fame. He has spoken at school assemblies and at the 2003 National Honor Society induction ceremony, and he has encouraged students to chart their own course sin life.

Its up to you what you do in life and how you perform, he summarized. Its not up to you how far you go, but its up to you how hard you try.

Schlegel is married to Heike Walpot, a German physician and former Olympic swimmer who was active as a payload specialist astronaut from 1987 to 1993. He has seven children, including a son in college and a son and daughter still in high school.
The opioid crisis isnt going away anytime soon, at least if history is any indicator.

Iowa has seen a profound increase in prescription opioid overdose deaths  the rate has quadrupled since 1999, according to a recent University of Iowa analysis funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The problem has gained in national awareness, as well as in Council Bluffs, with reports of several people being treated for fentanyl overdoses within a one-week span this summer.

Reporter Mike Bell explored the issue for The Nonpareil (see "Synthetic opioids bring national crisis to streets of Council Bluffs"), and he found a potentially lethal situation where drugs are easy to obtain and legally accessible.

You can order it online and kill yourself right now, said Christine Gabig, forensic chemist with Douglas County Forensic Services Division in Omaha, discussing fentanyl.

The CDC says 91 Americans die every day from opioid ODs, which include prescription drugs like oxycodone as well as heroin. A connection has been drawn to some people starting to take a legitimate prescription painkiller to eventually finding themselves hooked and, due to accessibility and affordability, turn to street drugs.

Researchers from the University of Iowa have offered some suggestions on how to make a difference in Iowa (see 5 priorities to reduce opioid overdose deaths). But these are long-term strategies, and direct intervention with the problem is a challenge.

To be sure, there are some steps that can be taken.

Having more ready access to the drug that helps counteract overdoses would reduce the body count. Building awareness is important, too: After all, this is a challenge that stretches across the country, including into our community.

One important step to take is to understand that victims of the opioid crisis shouldnt be shunned or rejected by society. A lot of factors go into addiction, and often abusers of opioids got started to deal with real pain  pain thats then magnified if they dont keep using the dangerous drugs.

We need to welcome anyone who is struggling to come forward and ask for help. There are ways to break the cycle of addiction. Call BAART Omaha at 402-341-6620 to seek treatment. If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately.

Together, we can overcome this challenge. But it will take each of us doing our part.
Before leaving the spot, militants also fired three shots in the air. Sources said the PDP leader somehow managed to flee from the house.

By India Today Web Desk: Terrorists entered and vandalised the home of PDP Zonal president Farooq Ahmed's house in Ashmuji in Kashmir's Kulgam.

Sources said Farooq somehow managed to flee from the house.

Before leaving the spot, militants also fired three shots in the air.

This is the fifth attack on political workers in the last 24 hours.

In another incident, terrorists vandalised the house of PDP youth president Sheraz Ahmed's house in Nunmai Kulgam.

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Earlier today, militants hurled a grenade at the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in the Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in injuries to a CRPF jawan, police said.

This was the third grenade attack targeting politicians in south Kashmir in the last three days.

WATCH | Operation Villains of Valley: India Today reveals how Pakistan funds Hurriyat to burn Kashmir

--- ENDS ---
North Platte welcomes newest air ambulance

As organizers prepared for an open house to commemorate North Plattes newest air ambulance Saturday afternoon, some its flight crew received a call: a patient at Great Plains Health needed flown out.

North Plattes fixed-wing base  a PC-12 airplane  arrived in April, joining a medical helicopter thats been here for the last few years. Today, the need that Air Methods saw in the region for the extra aircraft is coming to fruition, said Ryan Penrose.

Penrose is a spokesperson for Air Methods, which partner with Great Plains Health and other hospitals across the United States.

The medical airplane can reach cities faster than the helicopter  it takes about 45 minutes to get to Denver, versus an hour in a helicopter, said Joshua Burke, a flight emergency medical technician. Ideally, a medical airplane is more likely to take a hospital patient, while a helicopter will respond to an emergency scene, lift and transport the patient to the hospital.

Though, Penrose said, factors of every situation are determined on a case-by-case basis.

While flights from North Platte typically land in Denver, Omaha or Rochester, Minnesota, individual aircrafts contract with hospitals all over the country and can service hospitals all over the U.S., Penrose said. Recently, the fixed wing assigned to North Platte serviced a hospital in Oklahoma in order to take a patient to Texas.

When requests come in to transport a patient by flight, staff at a dispatch center in Omaha and a control center in Denver triage to see what paths and aircrafts are available. After all 385 of Air Methods aircraft and their pilots paths are checked, the aircraft is cleared  all within 3-5 minutes.

The aircraft are like a flying intensive care unit, Penrose said. In the air, patients have access to all the same medical equipment and medications a patient in the ICU would. The aircrafts can carry premature babies and the heaviest adult patients, and the airplane has a seat for a parent, spouse or loved one, Penrose said.

One flight paramedic and flight nurse rides on each flight, with a special team for premature babies, Penrose said. Nurses know skills like pharmacology and longterm medical care, said Kristin Johnson, a registered nurse who works as a flight nurse. Paramedics know more emergency care, Burke said.
Militants lobbed a grenade at the residence of Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, son of former NC MLA Mohammad Subhan Bhat, in Tral town, a police official said.

By Press Trust of India: Militants today hurled a grenade at the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in the Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in injuries to a CRPF jawan, the police said.

The militants lobbed the grenade at the residence of Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, son of former NC MLA Mohammad Subhan Bhat, in Tral town, a police official said.

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He added that a CRPF jawan was injured in the grenade attack.

This was the third grenade attack targeting politicians in south Kashmir in the last three days.

Earlier, militants had hurled grenades at the houses of ruling PDP MLAs at Real and Zainapora in Shopian district.

WATCH | Operation Villains of Valley: India Today reveals how Pakistan funds Hurriyat to burn Kashmir

--- ENDS ---
Visitors bureau honored at banquet on Oct. 18

The Nebraska Tourism Commission selected the North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau for its Outstanding Marketing Campaign award on Oct. 18 at the Celebrate Nebraska Awards Banquet.

The inspiration for the marketing campaign was drawn from the success of the new Kentucky Fried Chicken marketing campaign, said NPLCVB executive director Lisa Burke.

I guess when you look at the statistics for just six months of the marketing campaign, it increased the activity on our website by 50 percent and over 600,000 impressions on Facebook and Instagram, Burke said. It speaks volumes to what that marketing campaign is doing for our community.

The results of the campaign, Burke said, will hopefully result in an increase of people coming to the community. She said there was a risk in going this route, but it has been worth the effort.

Hes a slap-stick figure, Burke said. We used Buffalo Bill, a legend in his own mind type of person, but hes not in any way, shape or form the original Buffalo Bill.

Burke said the marketing campaign Buffalo Bill is a bit risky, but thats kind of what gets peoples attention.

The state tourism commission said, The campaign provided a consistent message, the home of the historical home of Buffalo Bill offers a lot, and created abundant awareness across multiple platforms.

Also at the banquet, the 2017 Henry Fonda Award, the states highest tourism award representing leadership, vision and dedication to the tourism industry, went to Mitch and Patty Glidden, of Mullen.

The Gliddens are the owners and operators of The Sandhills Motel and Glidden Canoe Rental and have been for a number of years.

Their business not only offers lodging but also bird watching opportunities and summer and winter river adventures, a tourism commission press release said.

The Friend of Tourism Award went to Derryl Barr, formerly of North Platte. Barr is a retired school teacher, business owner and eclipse enthusiast.

He began planning for the Great American Eclipse in 1995, collecting climate data in our state, the tourism commission press release said.

And finally another western Nebraska community won The Outstanding Event Award for communities with populations up to 9,999. The Broken Bow-NE150 DRIVE was a new event put on this year by the Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the states sesquicentennial. The DRIVE took participants on a 150-mile road trip through Custer County with eight unique stops along the way.

Western Nebraska was definitely well represented, Burke said.
Scot P.J. MacDonald, executive director of Valparaisos Memorial Opera House, says a lot has changed with his venue and theatrical company over the last few years.

There was a time where people would say Memorial Opera House? Never heard of it, he said. Now its become something thats in the front of everybodys mind. They want to come for quality shows and to come here for the concerts.

Located in Valparaiso at 104 Indiana Ave., the beloved venue will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2018. Built in 1893, the hallowed halls have seen luminaries from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to comedy icons The Marx Brothers grace its hallowed halls in the early 20th Century.

MacDonalds affiliation with Memorial Opera House started in 2007, when he volunteered his time and talent. He moved up the ranks over the years and assumed the role of executive director in March of 2016.

During his tenure thus far, MacDonald and the Memorial Opera House staff have put together theater programming to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. This year, they have brought productions ranging from the classic comedy You Cant Take it With You the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which played to a packed house each night of its run and jazz-themed Drowsy Chaperone.

The venue has also been a Region hotbed for live concerts. Its ongoing monthly Lunchtime Cabaret series focuses on styles prominent in the early and mid-20th century, while nighttime concerts find Chicagoland favorites such as Local H and Michael McDermott and songwriting icons such as Jimmie Dale Gilmore gracing the stage.

We really want to make sure we are engaging the community with our product, MacDonald said. Whether its a play or a musical or a concert, its going to be something that is going to engage the community."

Memorial Opera House has also found success with its LimeLights Youth Theatre program. According to MacDonald, more than 175 Region youngsters have participated in its programs this year.

Our mission is to use the theater and the arts to build a community and to create a sense of belonging, and I think that were doing that, MacDonald said.

Memorial Opera House concludes its 2017 season with A Christmas Story: The Musical, which runs Nov. 24-Dec. 10.

The 2018 season commences Feb. 16 with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and includes Blithe Spirit, which opens April 27, the musical Legally Blonde, scheduled to open July 13, Sweeney Todd, opening Sept. 28 and concludes with a musical version of Its a Wonderful Life, slated to open Nov. 30.

We wanted it to be things that were new and bring in a new audience, MacDonald said of the upcoming season. We also wanted to pay tribute to our roots and to our past with the 125th anniversary.

For more information on Memorial Opera House, call 219-548-9137 or visit MEMORIALOPERAHOUSE.COM
Founded by Polish families in 1892, back when Calumet City was called West Hammond, St. Andrew the Apostle Church survived after being destroyed by a tornado and later a fire.

The majestic Romanesque church that stands today at 768 Lincoln Ave., which was designed by the architectural firm Sandel & Strong and resembles a European cathedral, went up in 1931.

The Catholic parish in Calumet City marks its 125th anniversary on Nov. 5. Archdiocese of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Bishop Joseph Perry will celebrate 10 a.m. Mass, which will be followed with a luncheon for current and former parishioners.

"It's a major milestone that shows the church stood the test of time," said Ed Zdanowski, the bulletin editor since 1980 and the co-chairman of the 125th Anniversary Committee. "It was the first Catholic Church in Calumet City. The city and church grew up together."

St. Andrew the Apostle has endured because of its faithful parishioners, Zdanowski said.

"It's stood the test of time because of the people, who have always been generous with their time and treasures and talents," he said. "When father asks for help, they reply, 'What time do you want me there?' The people are willing to work with St. Andrew for the good. They know, love and serve God and our neighbors. Parishioners live our mission statement."

Like other churches, Catholic and Protestant alike, St. Andrew has seen its congregation age as religious participation rates wane across the country.

"A lot of the parishioners are getting older," Zdanowski said. "It's difficult to get younger people to participate. We're still working at it."

St. Andrew is known as the "church of beauty" for its finely wrought craftsmanship and extensive use of lustered marble that was quarried by hand in Pietra Santa, Italy. The church features a solid marble altar, copper Stations of the Cross, a painting of the Black Madonna Patroness of Poland, German-made stained glass windows depicting the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary, and several statues and shrines, including a large intricate shrine crafted from Belgian marble dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The Pour Souls Shrine includes an alabaster figure of Christ in the tomb that was copied with permission from a statue in Spain.

Pastor Jacek Dada, who hails from Poland, said it was like saying Mass in the old country, where he was baptized and grew up.

"It's a tremendous feeling that thousands and thousands of people have prayed here for more than 100 years," he said. "It's an amazing experience to worship in such a beautiful church. Twelve pastors and countless priests have praised the Lord here. It's a beautiful experience, no doubt about it it. Such a beautiful church helps one to have contact with the Lord."

For more information, visit www.saintandrewparish.com or call 708-862-4165.
The slain terrorist has not been identified as yet, however, two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants managed to escape.

One terrorist has been killed in the Kupwara encounter. (Photo: ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: One terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of North Kashmir today morning. While the slain terrorist has not been identified as yet, two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants managed to escape.

The encounter broke out when security forces of 9 Para Army SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police were intensifying cordon Anawan village of Hajin in Kupwara.

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A grenade, rifle and Pakistani currency notes have been recovered from the terrorist killed in the encounter.

Pakistani currency and weapons recovered.

Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said the security forces launched an operation against militants in Anawan area atround 5 am."One terrorist has been killed and a weapon has been recovered in the operation which is still ongoing," Kalia added.

-More details awaited

ALSO WATCH | J-K: LeT commander Waseem Shah, another terrorist killed in Pulwama encounter

--- ENDS ---
Since enumerators began counting residents across the United States in 1790, the U.S. Census has been considered a snapshot of communities and its people. Thats true in the Region also.

This installment looks at how old we are in the Region. It might surprise you to learn that residents of LaPorte County have the highest median age of those in the three-county area based on the U.S. Census 2011-2015 American Community Survey.

The median age range for LaPorte County residents is 39.9 years. Porter County residents are just a bit younger at 39.2 years. And Lake County residents? Why theyre just young whippersnappers with a median age of 38.1 years.

What community is the home to our youngest residents? How about our oldest?

Would it surprise you to learn that East Chicago residents have a median age of 31.3 years? It shouldnt. Running close behind is Westville at 32.6 years and Hebron at 33 years.

As for communities with residents racking up the highest median age, that honor goes to tiny Dune Acres on Lake Michigans shore in Porter County with a median age of 65. Other lakefront communities seem to attract an older crowd with Beverly Shores (right next door to Dune Acres) having a median age of 63 years and Long Beach and Michiana Shores in LaPorte County having median ages of 61.8 and 60.4 years respectively.

Check out these interactive charts to see where your community lands:
To submit Halloween events or trick-or-treat hours, email annette.arnold@nwi.com

Trick-or-treat hours

Burns Harbor, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Calumet City, 3 to 6 p.m.

Cedar Lake, 5 to 7 p.m.

Chesterton, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Crown Point, 5 to 7 p.m.

Demotte, 5 to 7 p.m.

Dyer, 5 to 7 p.m.

East Chicago, 5 to 7 p.m.

Gary, 5 to 7 p.m.

Griffith, 5 to 7 p.m.

Hammond, 5 to 7 p.m.

Hebron, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Highland, 5 to 7 p.m.

Hobart, 5 to 7 p.m.

Homewood, 3 to 7 p.m.

Kouts, 5 to 7 p.m.

Lake Station, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Lakes of the Four Seasons, 5 to 7 p.m.

Lansing, 4 to 7 p.m.

LaPorte, 6 to 8 p.m.

Long Beach, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Lowell, 5 to 7 p.m.

Merrillville, 5 to 7 p.m.

Michigan City, 5 to 7 p.m.

Munster, 5 to 7 p.m.

New Chicago, 4 to 7 p.m.

Ogden Dunes, 5 to 7 p.m.

Portage, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Porter, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Rolling Prairie, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Sauk Village, 4 to 7 p.m.

Schererville, 5 to 7 p.m.

South Holland, 4 to 7 p.m.

St. John, 5 to 7 p.m.

Unincorporated Porter County, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m

Valparaiso, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Wanatah, 5 to 7 p.m.

Westville, 6 to 8 p.m.

Whiting, 5 to 7 p.m.

Winfield, 5 to 7 p.m.

EVENTS

Halloween in the park

LAKE STATION  Halloween in the park is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at 2701 Ripley St. Tickets being sold in the park office or at the door are $5. Parents will be able to buy food and hayride tickets separately that night. This is sponsored by Lake Station Park Department.

Trunk or treat

The city of Portage will host its trunk-or-treat event 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Founders Square Park.

Trick or Treat downtown

CHESTERTON  Duneland business community's Halloween event is from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 27 in downtown Chesterton for Duneland children and their families.

Haunted trails of Sunset Hills

VALPARAISO The Haunted Trails of Sunset Hills are presented by Region2 Porter and LaPorte County Abate. Hours are 6:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28. Admission is $10 per person; children 6 and younger free with adult admission. Three will be a concession stand with food, drinks and bake sale. Call 219-616-7777.

The Haunted Forest

CEDAR LAKE  The Haunted Forest, an extreme scare event, will be held 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28 at Cedar Lake Knights of Columbus, 13039 Wicker Ave. Cost is $7 per person. Not recommended for small children. Call 219-374-4294.

Haunted house weekend

HAMMOND  A haunted house will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28 at St. John Bosco Hall at 171st and Columbia. Cost is $7 for adults, $6 for high school students and $5 for younger children.

Bieker Woods Night Walk

MUNSTER  Munster Parks and Recreation will hold its Bieker Woods Night Walk Oct. 27 and 28. The Oct. 28 event is from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and this is the not-so-scary night. Tours begin at 6:30 and cost is $5 per person. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult. The Oct. 28 event is scary and is from 6 to 10 p.m.

Trunk or treat

CEDAR LAKE  The Town Grounds will hold a trunk-or-treat event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 28 at 7408 Constitution Ave. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their costumes to visit different vehicles that will be full of treats. In addition to safe trunk or treating, guests are encouraged to visit the craft area to make their own Halloween keepsake. People can also visit the welcome booth to enter to win a chance for four tickets to Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. Call 219-374-7000, ext. 105.

Trunk or treat

First Baptist Church of Valparaiso, 2205 Campbell St., will have a trunk-or-treat community event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31. There will be free candy, kid-friendly games and more. Call 219-462-8754.

Trunk or treat

CROWN POINT  St. Anthony Village is hosting a trunk-or-treat event for community from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27 in the main parking lot at 203 Franciscan Drive. Call 219-661-5168.

Halloween program at National Lakeshores Douglas Center

A Halloween program is set for 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores Douglas Center, 100 N. Lake St., Miller. Kim Hoover, of Hoots to Howls rehabilitation center, will bring an assortment of native owls under their care and share their stories from 6 to 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Jim Louderman, of the Chicago Field Museum, showcases the benefits and diversity of insects and spiders in our world. He'll lead a night hike, weather permitting, to search for bats and bugs in Miller Woods. Call 219-395-1821.

Halloween blessing

GRIFFITH  On Oct. 31, ghosts and goblins in the form of children are invited to come for a special blessing before going trick or treating at St. Mary Church, 525 N. Broad St., Griffith. Children, accompanied by an adult, will receive a special blessing from St. Mary pastor the Rev. Theodore Mens and then get a special treat bag. For more information, call the rectory office at 219-924-4163.
SCHERERVILLE  The Town Council adopted Scherervilles 2018 budget on second reading during its October business meeting.

The proposed budget, coming in at $18.7 million, will be sent to the Department of Local Government Finance for review and final approval.

Also during the October meeting, Safety Village representative William Jarvis, also vice president of the towns plan commission, reported on the progress of two new museums at Safety Village. The new Veterans Museum is close to completion and will have a grand unveiling at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 7, at Safety Village.

Construction of a Fire Museum also is planned, once labor on the Veterans Museum is completed. Labor on the project has been donated by the carpenters union, which plans eventually to construct its own building on-site as a learning opportunity for Safety Village visitors.

Significant financial support for Safety Village this year came from Strack & Van Til and NIPSCO.
PORTAGE  A 46-year-old Ohio man is dead after being struck by a hit-and-run driver late Saturday night while walking on the south shoulder of U.S. 20, according to authorities.

According to Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris and Portage police, Brian N. Bradford, of Minford, Ohio, was walking in the 6000 block of U.S. 20 by the Travel Inn Motel after visiting a local gas station when an eastbound pickup truck struck him.

The impact of the crash caused Bradford's body to be thrown into the middle of the road where he was pronounced dead on scene of massive blunt force injuries.

Witnesses told Portage officers the pickup truck fled eastbound from the scene and was possibly last seen turning south onto Crisman Road.

Witnesses described the suspect vehicle as a dark gray Dodge Ram pickup truck with blue tinted HID driving lights mounted low on the front end and amber-colored marker lights across the roof. The vehicle also has a loud defective exhaust system and should have some front-end damage, police said.

The Portage Police Department says officers responded at 9:58 p.m. Saturday to 6075 U.S. 20 for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.

The Portage Police Department Crash Reconstruction Team responded and the road was closed to traffic until 1 a.m.

The coroner's office will perform a forensic autopsy and toxicology as part of the investigation.

Portage Fire Department also assisted at the scene.
By PTI: Washington, Oct 22 (PTI) Ketamine - a medication commonly used for pain relief and depression - may help alleviate migraine pain in patients who have not been helped by other treatments, a study has found.

The study of 61 patients found that almost 75 per cent experienced an improvement in their migraine intensity after a three- to seven-day course of inpatient treatment with ketamine.

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The drug is used to induce general anaesthesia but also provides powerful pain control for patients with many painful conditions in lower doses than its anaesthetic use.

"Ketamine may hold promise as a treatment for migraine headaches in patients who have failed other treatments," said Eric Schwenk, director of orthopaedic anaesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in the US.

"Our study focused only on short-term relief, but it is encouraging that this treatment might have the potential to help patients long-term. Our work provides the basis for future, prospective studies that involve larger numbers of patients," said Schwenk.

An estimated 12 per cent of the US population suffers from migraines - recurring attacks of throbbing or pulsing moderate to severe pain.

A subset of these patients, along with those who suffer from other types of headaches, do not respond to treatment.

During a migraine, people are often very sensitive to light, sound and may become nauseated or vomit. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men.

The researchers reviewed data for patients who received ketamine infusions for intractable migraine headaches - migraines that have failed all other therapies.

On a scale of 0-10, the average migraine headache pain rating at admission was 7.5, compared with 3.4 on discharge.

The average length of infusion was 5.1 days, and the day of lowest pain ratings was day 4. Adverse effects were generally mild, researchers said.

"Due to the retrospective nature of the study, we cannot definitively say that ketamine is entirely responsible for the pain relief, but we have provided a basis for additional larger studies to be undertaken," Schwenk said. PTI MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---
The opioid epidemic is an escalating crisis for Hoosiers and all Americans. Overdoses have been rising at alarming rates in recent years, and drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50.

Contributing to this toll is the influx of deadly synthetic opioids, fentanyl and carfentanil, which are even more potent than heroin.

While we have made some significant steps forward in our efforts to tackle this epidemic, there is still much more work to do.

Last year, I helped enact the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which expanded access to prevention, treatment and recovery services and the 21st Century Cures Act, which provided funding to every state in America to increase treatment availability.

I was proud to support these efforts, which together brought more than $11 million to Indiana in 2017 in addition to millions of dollars in other federal grant funding.

I am continuing to look for ways the federal government can effectively assist states and local communities in confronting this epidemic. To that end, I have proposed legislation in the Senate this year with my colleague, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, that would help address the shortage of addiction treatment providers and another package of bipartisan bills that seek to expand addiction treatment services in rural areas.

I recently met with law enforcement leaders in Northwest Indiana, who are members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board. HIDTA is a federal program that brings together law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking. In Indiana, Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Marion counties coordinate to target drug trafficking organizations.

I met with law enforcement leaders from these counties in Crown Point, and they shared their ongoing concerns about heroin and other drugs being trafficked into the United States from Mexico and growing concerns about fentanyl arriving in Indiana, sent from abroad through the mail.

In addition to our efforts to expand prevention and treatment services, there is more we can do to support our border security operations in their efforts to interdict shipments of illegal drugs.

First, as Congress discusses ways to enhance our border security, any of those conversations should include as priority items measures to ensure our land ports of entry, especially along the southern border, are fully equipped with the personnel and tools needed to better identify drugs coming into the United States from Mexico.

We should also ensure that we are fully supporting vital intelligence  sharing initiatives that help to disrupt cartel activity.

Additionally, to counter the threat posed by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids arriving in the United States by mail, we should look to enhance resources available to assist the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Postal Service to identify shipments of these dangerous substances.

As one step in this direction, I support the goals behind the bipartisan STOP Act, which would require the U.S. Postal Service to work with foreign postal systems to collect advance electronic customs data, such as shipper information, on all packages destined for the United States.

If we ensure the Postal Service has the resources and time to implement the bill effectively, this data would help Customs and Border Patrol to better screen packages for fentanyl and other illegal substances.

I also support funding to provide Customs and Border Patrol with additional screening devices, laboratory equipment and personnel to analyze screening results as they come in from the ports of entry and mail facilities.

As we continue to pursue a comprehensive approach to end the opioid epidemic, these are common-sense steps we can take to strengthen our border enforcement and disrupt drug trafficking. It will require all of us to work together if we want to overcome this crisis, and I continue to look for ways for Congress to partner with law enforcement, public health officials, local leaders and others to make progress toward that goal.
A recent state audit did more than reveal additional apparent past financial improprieties within the Munster school district.

The audit results also should serve as a wake-up call to all Region school districts  and other units of local government  that opulent benefits ought not be a part of the compensation for part-time public servants.

The Indiana State Board of Accounts recently released a special audit of the School Town of Munster, asking former School Board member Carrie Wadas to repay nearly $30,000 in insurance benefits to which she wasn't entitled.

Wadas resigned from the School Board in January 2014 but continued to be covered under the school corporation's health insurance plan until August 2015, even though she didn't meet the criteria for benefits, the audit concluded.

The matter also has been referred to the Lake County prosecutor and Indiana attorney general.

It's bad enough Wadas appeared to have been allowed to collect tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-supported benefits to which she wasn't entitled.

But the bigger issue is that Wadas, whose role as an elected School Board member constituted part-time employment, was afforded health insurance benefits in the first place.

Munster schools arent alone in local government entities offering such benefits to officials, many of whom don't work full time in their public positions.

The practice should stop.

How many of these public officials' constituents are afforded such benefits for part-time jobs?

Many Region residents toil in multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet for themselves and their families. Health insurance doesn't typically accompany such positions in the private sector.

In the Wadas case, the availability of the benefits evolved into an apparent abuse.

It never would have happened with sensible changes in local government policy.
For years Joan Nampewo had already exhibited special skills in fashion designing well before she completed her A-level at Kiboga Progressive SS in 2014.

However, she was hesitant to pursue that career even after her aunt advised her to do so.

My dream was to do journalism and mass communication at university because it is what I really wanted. I loved fashion and design but I didnt want to do it because I somehow thought that it was for the uneducated and I wouldnt make enough money from it, recalls Nampewo.

Joan Nampewo

Given how difficult it was for her parents to pay her school fees, Nampewo soon realised she had little choice. If keeping you in a school where you pay less than Shs 200,000 is hard, where will you get the money to pay the millions required at university? she recalled what her aunt told her.

Without even waiting for her results, Nampewo set off to join her aunt in Nansana, who quickly linked her to a trainer.

Nampewo would soon enrol as a trainee at Kiyembe arcade in the city centre. After six months, reality crept in when she was left to fend for herself as a tailor at the nearby Magoba shopping arcade.

The only equipment she had was a rented sewing machine. Competition was tough and the most experienced tailors in the building had their own loyal clients; so, making money wasnt that easy for her.

For the remainder of 2015, Nampewo sat home because she didnt have the money to acquire her own sewing machine.

But in early 2016, she acquired a sewing machine at Shs 450,000 and also booked space afresh in Magoba arcade.

Still, she was not able to make a financial breakthrough.

I wasnt making enough money yet I had to eat, transport myself to and from Nansana, Wakiso district and provide for my family back in Kiboga. I used to drink water for lunch and walk from town to Bakuli to board a Matatu home, said Nampewo.

To supplement her income, Nampewo used to make paper bags, which she supplied to restaurants and chapatti stalls around Nansana. She also joined a savings group called Pewosa, where she deposited Shs 2,000 daily.

I used to get home and cook while making paper bags at the same time. Most times when I didnt make money from Magoba, I would use money from the paper bags to survive, she said. After some time her savings in the Pewosa savings group increased to Shs 5,000 daily.



Turning Point

Just as she was thinking of quitting tailoring to venture into something else, a phone call from a relative rejuvenated her energy.

An aunt who owned a school in Kiboga wanted Nampewo to help with sewing new uniforms. She thought of it and packed her bags and left for Kiboga and while there, Nampewo continued saving with Pewosa. When the uniform deal ended, she got an idea of buying different garment pieces from Kampala to make dresses for people in Kiboga.

I travelled to Kampala and bought pieces worth 30,000 in St Balikuddembe market [Owino] and Kiyembe, she said.

After, she visited a couple of friends around Kiboga town and one particular one, a nurse, liked one of her fashions. On receiving her dress, the nurse was so excited by Nampewos work that she referred her to other friends. Soon, Nampewo was choking with work and it is here that she realised she could make more money from her new venture.

At first they thought I was a very big woman but they were all surprised that it was a tiny short girl making the dresses, said Nampewo. From the initial capital, I got a profit of Shs 30,000 within a few days. I realised I can make money from this.

She repeated the routine of buying material in Kampala and turning it into fashion designs. Currently, Nampewo owns a garment shop in Kiboga and has just started up her own tailoring training school called Joan fashion school in the town.

Using profits made over the past eight months; she has been able to acquire two advanced sewing machines, paid rent for new space and enrolled a number of students in her budding fashion and design school.

Although she is yet to taste the full extent of her success, Nampewo believes that with her skills and work etiquette, her business and school will be able to grow. She believes it will help a number of children, especially girls, acquire hands-on skills just like she did.

One of my principles is that when someone gives me an assignment, I do it to the best of my abilities. This has really helped me in my line of work. I no longer worry about anything. I can provide for my family and yet I keep saving, she confesses.

The 22-year-old hopes that in 2018, she will be able to break through as a renowned businesswoman.



abumay1988@gmail.com
Police officers using excessive force against civilians during the ongoing 'age limit' consultation meetings will be individually liable for their actions, the police leadership has said.

Police spokesman, Asan Kasingye, says they have received various complaints from the public implicating some officers for using excessive force on unarmed civilians. Kasingye says the implicated officers will be personally liable for the crimes committed against civilians.

He added that when managing crowds, police officers are trained to respond to situations in the same measure and should not use violence far and beyond than the situation presents.

"If you shoot an unarmed person you are going to be questioned. It is about understanding the nature of the public order challenge, understanding if there is violenceI think in law, we say if there is a violence, we shouldnt use violence which is more than what the people are using. We believe it should be legal. And it is exactly what it is. So if any member of the police is using excessive force then he or she is responsible for his or her actions", Kasingye said.



Ever since Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga sent MPs to go and consult the populace on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No.2) 2017 currently before the committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, police has increasingly come under public criticism for excessive force while breaking up opposition consultative meetings.

It has also been accused of being partisan and being used by the government to fight political wars on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni the expected and most immediate beneficiary of the age limit amendment. Museveni would not be eligible to seek for reelection in 2021 if the age limit is not lifted as he will be above the 75-year cap.

On Wednesday this week, Edison Nasasira was shot dead by police officers in Rukungiri who were blocking Dr Kizza Besigye's supporters from accessing Rukungiri stadium for a Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party rally. Six other people sustained bullet wounds and are currently still hospitalised.

Chaos broke out after police started firing teargas and live bullets at a peaceful crowd who were chanting anti-age limit amendment slogans. The charged crowd responded by pelting the officers with stones, forcing them to flee. One police officer was injured during the violent clashes.

The very next day in Rubaga South, police again fired teargas and live bullets into the crowd who had gathered for the consultative meeting organised by the area MP, Kato Lubwama.

Our reporter saw one of the commanders restraining an officer from aiming at the crowd. Kasingye insists that the officers are briefed to manage the crowds within the prescribed law before they are deployed.

Vincent Ssekate, the spokesperson of the Professional Standard Unit, said they would look into the conduct of their officers during the Rukungiri district clashes between opposition supporters and police that claimed the life of Nasasira.

Interestingly, police arrested Besigye in Kabale and a string of charges including the murder of Nasasira and attempted murder of police officers brought up against him by the police.

The commandant Kampala Metropolitan Police, Frank Mwesigwa, warned opposition MPs that they risk facing the full force of the law if they don't comply a police directive that barred joint MPs consultations. Police said MPs were only allowed to consult within their own constituencies.

The polices resolve flew in the face of protests by opposition figures and civil society activists who described the directive as absurd and illegal.

If they dont comply with our directive, we shall break up their meetings because the law allows us to prevent crime and our security assessment has concluded that whenever MPs consult in constituencies that are not theirs, they bring people who cause trouble, Mwesigwa said.

By last week, MPs were holding peaceful joint meetings in the constituencies collecting public views on the proposed amendment of Article 102(b) that caps presidential age limits at 75.

On Friday, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the FDC secretary general was arrested and spent a night in the cells of Tororo central police station. Nandala was picked up by police from Mbale town on Friday afternoon on his way to his constituency in Budadiri West to consult on the proposed presidential age limit removal.



He was driving in his vehicle accompanied by his supporters dressed in Red T-Shirts and and wearing red ribbons on their heads when they were intercepted by police. Police intercepted Nandala's convoy at Kayira Complex along on Kumi road, leading to a fierce scuffle between his supporters and the officers.
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) Focused on evolutionary steps, the Uday Kotak panel report on corporate governance is not a "magic wand" that will cleanse functioning of listed companies overnight but provides for measures that will hold good for next generation of reforms, according to some committee members.

As part of proposing far reaching measures for improving corporate governance at listed companies, the panel has recommended limiting chairmanship to non-executive directors, appointing at least one woman as independent director and increasing the number of board meetings to five in a year.

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The report of the committee, headed by noted banker Uday Kotak, which was submitted to markets regulator Sebi earlier this month has elicited mixed responses. Union minister Piyush Goyal had opined that the report has gone "completely off the mark" even as he opined that there are many things good as well as inappropriate in it.

According to four members who interacted with PTI, the committee adopted an approach of evolution rather than revolution even as they opined that the effort was to create the next generation of corporate governance and make companies future ready.

"This (report) is not an academic treatise on how a company should be governed, but is practical in outlook... the recommendations have largely been made with the longer term outcomes in mind. This (report) is not a magic wand that will cleanse companies overnight," Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP Managing Partner and CEO N Venkatram said.

KPMG in Indias Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar said the committee was driven by two guiding principles relating to governance at the board level - protection of the interests of minority shareholders and long-term value creation for all shareholders.

"Corporate governance in India is like the proverbial curate?s egg; excellent in parts but whole there is room for improvement," he said.

Among others, the committee has suggested that companies should be required to disclose the list of expertise that its board members actually possess. In recent times, there have been instances of alleged corporate governance lapses at some leading corporates.

"We took it as our dharma to basically not be incrementalist and not just tweak things here and there but do things that will hold good for the next generation of reforms," said Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Associate Professor of Finance & (Inaugural) Alumni Endowment Research Fellow, at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

Subramanian, who is also the Executive Director, Centre for Analytical Finance at ISB, said the effort was to create the next generation of corporate governance and try to make a structural break.

"If we want consistent growth of 8 per cent or close to double digit growth apart from other reforms corporate governance has to shape up," he added.

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The panel has also recommended that all companies with public holdings of more than 40 per cent would need to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO by 2020 and Sebi may extend it to others by 2022.

As the CEO is the management position responsible for driving those operations, having a combined role results in monitoring oneself, once again opening the door for abuse of the position, Kumar said.

He also said a board led by a chair is more likely to identify and monitor areas of the company that are drifting from its mandate and to put into place corrective measures to get it back on track.

About the recommendation on splitting the posts of chairman and managing director, Venkatram said the chairmans primary role is governance.

"When we merge the role of chairman and CEO, then we are legitimising the role of chairman as chairman of the company," he said, adding that there is a subtle difference between the chairman of a board, which is an oversight and governance role, and that of chairman of a company. ICAI President Nilesh S Vikamsey said the recommendation would have significant impact on public sector companies and hence the committee has suggested that for select listed firms the same should be applicable from April 1, 2020.

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The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the apex body of chartered accountants.

"The committee has adopted an approach of evolution rather than revolution... While several changes are applicable from April 2018, many others are staggered between October 2018 and 2020 and in some cases up to 2022," Kumar said.

Venkatram also noted that the panel report recognises how current day Indian companies are functioning, the practical difficulties they face and governance and disclosure standards listed companies should aspire to attain not only for today but also for tomorrow.

On the flip side, the implementation of the recommendations could pose challenges at least for some listed entities.

While many of the recommendations would enhance corporate governance, Vikamsey said some would be a challenge for companies on account of reasons such as "overlapping of regulators/ regulations" and increase in cost of compliance.

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"In a world which is changing rapidly, this (report) does not only look in the rear view mirror to see what events transpired in the past. It looks more holistically to what the future holds, identifying potential governance changes that we need going forward," Venkatram said. Public comments have been sought on the report prepared by the more than 20-member committee. PTI RAM ANU

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 22 (PTI) Old-generation private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB), which used to have a low Casa base for long, has turned around the deposit-elephant of late, thanks to separation of the credit function from branches and making them focus on deposit mop-up. Its consistent drive to ramp up deposits has led to a 6 percentage points spike in low-cost Casa (current account/savings account) deposits in the September quarter to 19.34 per cent which as a percentage of total deposits rose to 20.97 per cent from 17.3 a year ago. For the quarter, Casa grew by 32.5 per cent, helping the bank improve its cost-to-income ratio to 48.27 per cent from 51.44 per cent. And the management of the bank, which is also planning to raise Rs 800 crore through a rights issue next month, is sure to retain Casa at 20 per cent level consistently this year and take it further to 25 per cent over next two years. Traditionally, LVBs Casa was hovering at 13-14 per cent. The Casa turnaround began when the 91-year-old lender centralised its credit function some years back and created special credit centres and made branch managers to focus mainly on deposits. Today none of its 510 branches do lending. "Too much time of the branch management goes in credit and recovery matters, leaving them with little time to focus on the Casa and fees business," LVB chief executive P Mukherjee says.

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"So, we decided to end this practice and took away the lending part from him. Now weve a centralised credit centre in Chennai for corporate loans and 11 loan centres for SMEs across key geographies. For retail we have a centre in Chennai and one in Bengaluru," he told PTI here over the weekend.

Earlier this month, LVB reported a whopping 83 per cent plunge in net income at Rs 10.50 crore as its provisions for bad loans jumped three times to Rs 187.4 crore. The asset quality plunged sharply with gross NPAs almost doubling to 5.50 per cent while net NPAs soared to 4.33 per cent from 1.87. ICICI Securities last week named LVB along with four other South-based old-generation banks, like Federal and South Indian, as the ones to lead the next growth wave among small private lenders due to their niche positioning and the overall improvements in all the key growth metrics.

"South-based private sector banks like Federal Bank, LVB, City Union, Karur Vysya and South Indian are poised to register accelerated earnings growth going ahead as their asset quality ratios have peaked out and loan growth is likely to revive after remaining muted over the sometime. "Niche positioning in their home states, expertise in small-ticket loans to the self-employed and relationship-based banking model would ensure higher-than-industry growth for these banks," ISecs said in the report. The report said these banks have potential upside of 5 to 19 per cent as they are set to see loan growth of 11-22 per cent and earnings by 12-25 per cent in next two years. Mukherjee, who joined LVB from Axis Bank last year, has identified his challenges--to increase net interest income (2.8 per cent in Q2); arrest NPAs that has taken a big blow in Q2 "due to some legacy accounts", and to raise core capital. The core capital issue should be more or less settled with the forthcoming rights issue, he said. "Our Casa was hovering around 14 per cent till three years ago. Because our branch managers had no time for Casa mobilisation. Then we decided to end branch-based lending and make branch managers focus on deposits alone. This resulted in around 1,200 Casa accounts being opened daily now that too without offering higher prices," he said. For the other two key issues he is tackling, he said currently its non-core income is only 8-10 per cent, which he wants to bump up to 30-35 per cent and he expects fee-based businesses like insurance sales and wealth management through Centrum Broking to help this. Admitting that the current NPAs are not acceptable, he however blamed it mostly on the legacy chunky accounts in the power and steel sectors, plus nine of the RBI named accounts. "But the silver lining is that all the Rs 600 crore fresh slippages came in from these legacy accounts only in Q2 and I dont see much pains going forward too. All of my NPAs are syndicated accounts and came in the Rs 2,300 crore watch- list it had identified earlier," he said. PTI BEN IAS GK

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OWASCO  Elsa from the movie "Frozen," the comic book character Deadpool and a ninja were all sword fighting in Owasco Saturday.

Children and a smattering of adults were in costumes for the Old-Fashioned Halloween event at the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum and Dr. Joseph F. Karpinski Sr. Educational Center. A parade, trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, horse rides and a costume contest were among the early holiday activities available.

Infant Trevor Schug, dressed as a giraffe, won the contest for best animal costume. The crowd let out a collective "Aww!" as Trevor, in the arms of his mother, Nicole Schug, got a prize from a nearby table.

Nicole Schug said she believed Trevor, his lips and tongue a dark blue mess from a sucker, had a good time. Nicole said that she hadn't heard of the museum until someone mentioned the Halloween event a week ago. She said she was glad she and her little jungle animal attended.

Roger Gunn was one of the many volunteers on candy duty. Sometimes Gunn asked the children to show him a trick after they shouted "Trick or treat!" and was largely greeted with silence and blank stares in response.

Gunn, a veteran museum volunteer, said he is proud of the work the facility does for the community.

"The appeal is that we are a unique museum. We have things no other museum has, and everything we do is free," Gunn said.

Kayla Side, who spent hours at the event with her daughter Allie Coates  decked out as a vampire  and a group, said she enjoyed the event despite going to the activities instead of writing a research paper she was supposed to have been working on.

Heather Whitten came to the event as television personality and fellow Cornell University alum Bill Nye. Whitten said she believes taking children to events can often be draining on wallets, while the museum's Halloween event allowed families to get candy, play and do other activities for no cost.

"Honestly, I think (the museum) is like a best kept secret, but it needs to not be a secret," Whitten said.
A 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly murdering his colleague after suspecting the latter of having an affair with his wife.

By India Today Web Desk: Delhi Police yesterday arrested a man for allegedly murdering his colleague, dismembering his body and storing in a refrigerator at his home in south Delhi's Saidulajab, Mehrauli area.

The man, identified as 31-year-old Badal Mandal, murdered Vipin Joshi allegedly because he suspected him of having an affair with his wife, police said. 26-year-old Joshi's body was found on October 15 after he went missing and his family members launched a hunt.

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Mandal, also known as Swapan Singra, and Joshi worked at a restaurant together. Mandal was from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

According to police, Badal told cops that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one would suspect him of killing Joshi, a senior police officer said.

On the day of the murder, Mandal took a meat cleaver from the restaurant he worked at and drank alcohol with Joshi drank alcohol at his Mehrauli flat. Mandal then killed Joshi with the cleaver and then used the weapon to sever the dead body's head, police said.

Mandal then hid the body parts in a refrigerator and fled to his in-laws' house in Kolkata.

On the hunt for Mandal, a Delhi Police team reached Kolkata after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village, but he wasn't found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela. Badal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.

(With PTI inputs)

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The unstable state of higher education has contributed to faculty dissatisfaction with Doane Universitys president, the chief executive said.

Doane President Jacque Carter said last week that rising costs, the technological revolution, demographic changes in the student body and competition for a fairly flat number of high school graduates have put pressure on all colleges and universities.

You have to adapt, he said, and a college president must hang in there.

When you sign up for the Army, sometimes war breaks out, he said.

Some Doane faculty members this fall expressed discontentment with Carters performance and suggested that a vote of professors confidence  or lack thereof  be taken.

Of professors who responded to a Doane Faculty Council survey this month, more than half said they have little or no confidence in Carters leadership. That wasnt a formal vote, however.

The Doane board of trustees has officially backed Carter. Board Chairwoman Jill Smith said that Carter and the faculty should work together to improve communication to move Doane forward.

Carter said he was pleased with the boards endorsement.

I had confidence that they would see the good that we were doing here and reaffirm that, Carter said Wednesday. He said Doane changed from a college to a university last year. That meant installing deans, and it changed the system of communication, he said.

Im an optimist, he said. I believe that well get a good handle on that this year.

Ten Doane faculty members recently wrote a seven-page statement in opposition to Carter, who has been at the university in Crete since 2011.

The statement said Doane has tremendous potential but that the university wont progress with an ineffective and divisive leader.

Among many criticisms, the statement says Carter has failed to raise money; that partnerships with Chinese universities have produced few students; that a College of Professional Studies program in Omaha has only 25 undergraduates; that Carter micromanages and retaliates; and that he shows little interest in Doane students or their academic needs.

Cole Bauer of Fairbury, Nebraska, a junior studying history and journalism, said students are interested in the conflict between Carter and faculty members.

Bauer said Doane has excellent faculty members, and when professors make assertions against the president, it has a lot of influence on the students.

Bauer, who writes for the Doane student bodys online paper, said Carter is not necessarily popular or unpopular with the students, but it seems that many students dont know him on a personal level.

Doane has about 1,070 students this fall. Doane had about 1,050 in 2010, the year before Carter arrived.

Timothy Hill, a political science professor and head of Doanes Faculty Council, said the Doane boards support of Carter changes the situation.

And how the faculty reacts to that is still a question mark, Hill said. The Faculty Council wants to work with Carter, he said, even if professors have expressed concern about the presidents openness, communication style and other things.

Carter, 64, described a variety of projects taking place in a short period, resulting in flux at Doane.

The college president said he is in the quiet phase of raising money for theater and music facilities.

Doane started a four-year program in engineering last year. The university is making major investments in online education, he said.

Doane seeks to expand its international partnerships and recruitment to include institutions in China, Japan and Panama, he said.

Sometimes faculty members have inadequate or inaccurate information, he said, and working out lines of communication better will improve that.
She was beautiful and generous, a real free spirit who loved her children.

She was also broke and in trouble for taking money from work.

And it could probably be said of the Florida woman whose body was found in Nebraska that she was desperate.

Desperate enough to put a 19-year-old loose acquaintance in charge of her three younger children as she fled Florida. Desperate enough to lie about where she was going. Desperate enough to take a Nebraska mans one-way plane ticket to Omaha, follow him into the woods west of Weeping Water and, on Aug. 1, kill herself.

In the wake of a strange and gruesome news story about assisted suicide, a portrait of Alicia Wilemon-Sullivan is starting to emerge.

According to public records and interviews with three people who said they knew her, the 38-year-old mother of four from Orange City, Florida, seemed an unlikely candidate for suicide.

She did not seem depressed, said Warren Clatterbuck, a fuel tank driver in Orange City who identified himself as her former fiance.

Clatterbuck said Wilemon-Sullivan complained about physical ailments  a foot that was smashed in an old accident; a hysterectomy a year ago; low blood pressure from bad iron, as he put it; nights of vomiting.

She even told him she had cancer  something the Nebraskan charged in connection with her death had told authorities. Clatterbuck never believed she had it. He took her to the doctor and to emergency rooms, and cancer never came up.

Matthew Stubbendieck, a 41-year-old man who lived in Florida until June, when he returned to Nebraska, told Cass County Sheriffs Office investigators that Wilemon-Sullivan had stage 4 cancer and was going to die. Thats why he helped her commit suicide, he said. An autopsy, though, did not find masses or lumps.

Regenia Yoder, who employed Wilemon-Sullivan for less than a year at her family-owned sign shop in Maitland, Florida, said Wilemon-Sullivan never mentioned cancer. She said the receptionists death was tragic and mind-boggling.

Yoder described Wilemon-Sullivan as so naturally beautiful she didnt wear makeup, and with a demeanor that was angelic. She said the mother would always talk about her children  ages 19, 15, 12 and 7  and especially seemed to dote on the youngest, her only daughter.

Sweetest person you ever met. I know that she loved her kids. They were everything to her, Yoder said, adding: I just cant wrap my mind around her having killed herself.

But Wilemon-Sullivan allegedly stole from Yoder. According to a Seminole County sheriffs report, Wilemon-Sullivan forged and cashed three checks totaling $1,183 in the month before she died. Wilemon-Sullivan flew to Omaha on July 31 and likely died the next day after apparently cutting herself during an ordeal that lasted at least seven hours. Authorities found her body Aug. 5.

Yoder declined to comment on the alleged theft, saying only that she wished Wilemon-Sullivan had reached out for help.

Wilemon-Sullivan did reach out  to Kenny Johnson, the 19-year-old friend of her oldest son, Seth, of Mississippi. Seth, Kenny and a third young man briefly lived with Wilemon-Sullivan and her three younger children earlier this year. Kenny described Wilemon-Sullivan as a cool mom, someone who welcomed and fed them.

So when she called out of the blue in July for a favor  to watch the three younger kids while she went to the Florida Keys on vacation  he said yes. Johnson, who by then had moved out of her home, was attending a family reunion in Detroit. Wilemon-Sullivan asked when he was returning to Orlando. He told her July 31.

She met him at Orlando International Airport, handed him $200 and her truck keys. She was crying, hard. Johnson chalked it up to the emotion of leaving her kids for a week. She texted him later that day to see if day care pickup had gone OK; it had. He tried to call her but his call to her phone went straight to voicemail  something he didnt question. Maybe she had no cell service in the Keys.

Johnson said he never heard Wilemon-Sullivan say she had cancer. And he hardly knew Stubbendieck, just a hey and a hi and thats it the one time theyd met.

Johnson said the man they all knew in Wilemon-Sullivans life was Clatterbuck.

It was Clatterbucks name that Wilemon-Sullivan had given Yoder as an emergency contact. It was Clatterbuck who called authorities when she was missing. It was Clatterbuck who later cleaned out her house and watched her repossessed furniture get carted away.

None of what Clatterbuck has heard about Wilemon-Sullivans death makes any sense to him.

Not her outward bearing: She showed no depression. None. None at all.

Not her suicide. She left nothing for me  nothing, he said, referring to an explanation.

Certainly he did not understand Stubbendieck, who since Wilemon-Sullivans death has texted Clatterbuck and members of the family about coming to Florida to see the kids. Clatterbuck met him once earlier this year, finding Stubbendieck curled up on the couch with Wilemon-Sullivan, asleep. Clatterbuck had trouble shaking them awake.

Clatterbuck demanded to know who he was.

Im her husband, Stubbendieck answered him.

Clatterbuck said he hit Stubbendieck and left. He said Wilemon-Sullivan later told him that Stubbendieck was an old friend from work, but she had cheated on him before.

I loved this girl with all my heart, you have no clue, Clatterbuck said. We went to church together. We did everything together. For seven years.

Clatterbuck said Wilemon-Sullivan was born in Florida, spent some time in a group home and had a rocky, distant relationship with her parents, Don and Shirley Wilemon of Florida. He said Wilemon-Sullivan had Seth when she was a teenager. She later married Andy Sullivan, who Clatterbuck said works in the engineering field and moved around a lot for his job. The couple finally divorced in 2015.

For a while, Wilemon-Sullivan and Clatterbuck lived together in the Panhandle city of Crestview. Clatterbuck moved to Orange City. He said Wilemon-Sullivan followed him there to work things out.

She still regularly drove to the Panhandle, a seven-hour trip from Orange City, ostensibly to take her kids to see their dad.

Yoder, her boss, saw this as part of Wilemon-Sullivans generosity, along with her willingness to take in those three 19-year-olds and her invitation to fellow sign shop employees with no place to go for Easter dinner to share a big ham at her house.

She was a great mom. And a truly good person.

Her memorial service was small and held at the home of her parents, Clatterbuck said.

Don Wilemon has declined to talk about his daughters life except to say she loved her children. He said the family pushed for prosecution.

Stubbendieck was charged Oct. 10 with felony assisting suicide. He pleaded not guilty last week and is awaiting a couple of scheduled hearings: one Tuesday on his request for lower bail and a Nov. 9 preliminary hearing. He was still housed in the Cass County Jail as of Saturday.

Stubbendieck grew up in Weeping Water, where his father, Howard, was mayor. Nebraska court records show multiple but low-level alcohol- and drug-related misdemeanors and one bad-check charge.

Florida court records show a 2004 charge for loitering and prowling in Florida and a short-lived marriage in 2006. According to his father, Stubbendieck has a young daughter in Florida whom he rarely gets to see. He last lived in Chipley, which is in the Florida Panhandle.

On his Facebook page, Stubbendieck has a photo of himself with Wilemon-Sullivan. He listed his relationship status as engaged.

An investigator said that text messages between the pair showed they had planned this act for about a month. They had lined up medication  among the chemicals found in her body was morphine. Wounds on Wilemon-Sullivans forearms and wrists were consistent with self-inflicted cutting. Stubbendieck told authorities he had tried to suffocate her but could not go through with it.

His father said that he couldnt make sense of it either  but his son had told him he did it out of love. She had told the Stubbendiecks at dinner she didnt have long.

The two spent her final hours in some woods near an old quarry lake that is scenic and quiet, a mile west of Weeping Water. According to legend, the town in western Cass County got its name from an old Indian battle where lives were lost. And a creek formed.

From tears.
DES MOINES  Democrats in the Midwest know that the way to win back voters in states such as Iowa is to talk about the economy, but theyre debating how exactly to do it.

As a state that can make or break presidential campaigns  and one that had regularly sent liberal Democrats to Washington  Iowa now serves as a test of whether Democrats can win back white voters who have swung toward the Republican Party over the past decade. But Iowa Democrats are divided over how populist their message should be, and whether voters here will buy it.

Iowas 3rd Congressional District, which covers southwest Iowa as well as Des Moines, is in some ways one that should be prime pickings for the party.

The district voted for President Barack Obama twice. Active voter registration is roughly evenly divided in the district: 34 percent of active registered voters are Republican, 32 percent are Democrat and 33 percent are not affiliated with either party.

But while the 3rd re-elected Obama in 2012, incumbent Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell lost to Republican Rep. Tom Latham in his new district, which had been changed through redistricting.

When Latham retired in 2014, Republican David Young won the open seat by almost 14 points, and had no problem holding on to the seat last year while Donald Trump was carrying the district by 4 points.

Democratic losses in the 3rd District mirror the partys decline statewide.

Democrats occupied the Iowa Governors Mansion from 1999 to 2011, first with Tom Vilsack, who served two terms, followed by a single term for Chet Culver.

While the state has been represented in the Senate by Republican Chuck Grassley for four decades, liberal Democratic stalwart Tom Harkin was the states junior senator for 30 years.

But the bottom started falling out in 2010, when Terry Branstad, Vilsacks four-term predecessor, beat Culver to reclaim the governorship. Republicans also took over the Iowa House.

Four years later, after Harkin announced his retirement, Republican Joni Ernst succeeded him, defeating Rep. Bruce Braley by 8 points in the GOP wave election.

Democrats hit rock bottom last year when they lost the Iowa Senate and Trump won the state by 10 points.

Obama winning Iowa in 2008 and 2012 kind of papered over a lot of the very serious structural deficiencies in the Democratic Party, said Pat Rynard, a former Democratic campaign staffer who now runs the website Iowa Starting Line.

The county parties started to kind of wither away. The thing was, it was all obvious, but Democratic campaigns here in the state did not change up their strategies. They were still running the same raise a bunch of money, poll test the top three issues and then run all of your campaign ads on those top three issues, and it just hasnt been working, Rynard said.

There is a feeling among some in the rural areas that Democrats have not focused enough on their needs.

These are people who said they havent seen someone down in their counties and their towns in a heck of a long time, said Cindy Axne, one of several Democrats challenging Young next year. One even said (not) since Sen. Harkin.

Democrats such as Axne say they want to focus on issues aimed at helping rural voters, such as expanding broadband access and cellphone services.

We dont even have that in these communities, said Axne, a small-business owner and former state employee. So how are they supposed to start entrepreneurial opportunities, small businesses, participate in economic opportunities, if we dont have those sorts of things?

Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, who leads Midwest engagement efforts for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, spoke Sept. 30 at the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry, a showcase for the partys candidates.

Though Trump carried her district last fall, Bustos won re-election by 21 points. She said for Democrats to win back Midwestern districts, the focus should be on the economy.

There are so many issues that divide us as a nation. I dont know why anybody would walk into a room starting with an issue that divides, Bustos said.

That notion plays well in Iowa.

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, another steak fry attendee, received loud applause when he said that Republicans have frequently tried to divide people along lines of race, gender and sexual orientation, and that the Democrats focus on tailoring their messaging to groups based on identity played into the Republicans hands.

If we dont get into power, none of the individual groups are going to be able to do a damn thing, he said. We will always be and fight for equality and justice for everyone. But what we have to let everyone know is we are going to fight for their economic well-being.

Thats a sentiment Axne shares. Though she said talking about protecting civil liberties and the environment are incredibly important, she said Democrats also need to talk about helping families provide for themselves.

Pete DAlessandro helped run Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in Iowa last year, which came close to pulling off an upset over Hillary Clinton in the states Democratic caucuses.

DAlessandro is now challenging Young for the 3rd District seat on a robust Sanders-inspired platform that supports a $15 minimum wage, single-payer health care and free college tuition at state schools.

My problem with the politics that has happened in the last generations is weve nuanced the issues too much and we lost those working-class people, he said.

DAlessandro said the district isnt a bunch of backwoods people who voted for Donald Trump, and is adamant it can be in play for Democrats in the future. But like the national debate, there is a divide among Democrats in Iowa about how far to the left they should tack.

While businesswoman Theresa Greenfield, another 3rd District Democratic candidate, called the minimum wage of $7.25 an abomination, she was less clear on what it should be.

I dont know what the right number is, she said. I want to focus on how to get those kinds of opportunities to people so they have a living wage.

Greenfield said she wants to focus on helping people at trade schools and those who complete apprenticeships as well as helping those who choose to go to community colleges.

Democrat Heather Ryan, another Young challenger, is trying to approach politics with the same blunt style that Trump used.

Ryan, who is not related to the Ohio congressman, was almost banned from speaking at the steak fry for her use of coarse language when talking about the incumbent. I talk like a sailor because I am a sailor, she told attendees, highlighting her service in the Navy.

But Bustos said during her speech that a better approach was one proposed by some of the other candidates: listening to the needs of Iowa voters and not simply being anti-Trump.

We need to show them we understand their fears but also (their) anxieties and aspirations, she said. Frankly, my fellow Democrats, they dont want resistance, they want results.
A state lawmaker who has drawn criticism after asking about the legality of quarantining people with HIV has said her comments were misunderstood and intended to be "provocative" and "rhetorical" in a broader conversation about curtailing the virus.

Georgia State Rep. Betty Price, a Republican, first made the controversial statement Tuesday, at a study committee meeting on barriers to adequate health care. Committee members had been discussing, she later said, why Georgia ranks second in the nation when it came to new HIV cases.

"What are we legally able to do? I don't want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it," Price asked Pascale Wortley, the head of the Georgia Department of Public Health's HIV Epidemiology Section, as seen in a video of the meeting.

Price, whose district includes parts of Atlanta's northern suburbs, is a former anesthesiologist and has served on the boards of the medical associations of Atlanta and Georgia, according to her legislative biography. She is married to former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

"Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition, so we have a public interest in curtailing the spread," she continued. "Are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?"

Wortley did not directly address Price's question about quarantining people with HIV. She instead explained efforts by state health-care officials to help people newly diagnosed with HIV to identify sex partners, to link people with HIV to care, and to locate people who are out of care.

"It seems to me it's almost frightening the number of people who are living that are potentially carriers, well they are carriers, with the potential to spread, whereas in the past they died more readily and then at that point they are not posing a risk," Price added.

"So we've got a huge population posing a risk if they are not in treatment."

Neither Price nor Wortley responded to requests for comment Friday. On Saturday, Price clarified in a written statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she did not support a quarantine of HIV patients.

"I made a provocative and rhetorical comment as part of a free-flowing conversation which has been taken completely out of context," Price wrote. "I do, however, wish to light a fire under all of us with responsibility in the public health arena  a fire that will result in resolve and commitment to ensure that all of our fellow citizens with HIV will receive, and adhere to, a treatment regimen that will enhance their quality of life and protect the health of the public."

The idea of quarantining people with HIV and AIDS is not new, and was seriously discussed at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

More than half of respondents in a 1985 Los Angeles Times poll supported isolating AIDS patients.

"There is this idea of building a wall against infection," Harvard University medical historian Allan Brandt told NPR, adding that strong opposition curtailed any efforts to enact such measures.

In 1987, Jesse Helms, then a Republican senator for North Carolina, called for quarantining people who test positive for HIV, and that same year, former education secretary William Bennett suggested that prisoners infected with HIV should be kept in custody even after serving their sentences if they threaten to spread the infection to the general population.

Online, news of Price's comments were met with outrage.

In an interview with Stat News, Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said Price's comments were "incredibly disturbing" and show that HIV is still stigmatized.

"It's very troubling to hear comments like that," he said. "It shows the amount of work that still needs to happen to educate elected officials on the reality of the lives of people living with HIV. I'm hoping Rep. Price would be open to sitting down, meeting with folks, hearing how those comments sound, and recognizing that's not the direction we need to go in."

Georgia ranked fifth in the United States for the number of adults and adolescents infected with HIV in 2015, according to a fact sheet from the Georgia Department of Public Health. A total of 54,754 people were living with HIV at the end of 2015, with nearly two-thirds of those living in the Atlanta metro area.

Carlos del Rio, a co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research, told Stat News that he saw Price's comments as "unfortunate" but "not mean-spirited."

Dazon Dixon Diallo, the founder and executive director of SisterLove, a nonprofit organization focused on women's AIDS and reproductive justice, told Project Q Atlanta that Price's comments showed that there was a lot more educational work to be done.

"When we come into spaces like this and we hear questions around how legally far can we go to isolate people or even quarantine people, then it just lets you know that we have a real uphill battle," Diallo said.
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By PTI: (Eds: Recasting overnight story)

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) A 31-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping off his body parts and hiding them in a refrigerator after suspecting his colleague of having an affair with his wife, police said.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in south Delhis Mehrauli, they said. Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.

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Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police official said yesterday.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the formers flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Mandal then fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata after tracking his cellphones location to Purulia village. But he was not found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshis relatives said he was in Rourkela.

Mandal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said. PTI SLB ABH ASK ASK

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by  Graham Pierrepoint



The ongoing spat  though that may be putting too light a head on matters  between the US and North Korea  and all the other countries muddled up in between  is causing something of a political tidal wave. Not only is the worlds safety at risk, but theres increasing tension between some of the most vocal leaders on the planet  and with US President Donald Trump reportedly prepared to go to war  against the reclusive Pyongyang should US territories come to any harm at their hands, we are living in what some may be calling the Second Cold War  though Russias Vladimir Putin has been keen to advise that discussion may be the only safe route  out of such tensions.

North Korea and Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, have reportedly been seeking out allies against Trump through their Foreign Affairs Committee and DPRK Supreme Peoples Assembly  as it appears that letters may have arrived on embassy doorsteps the world over. One such doorstep the communication landed on  quite surprisingly  was Australia, where Foreign Minister Julie Bishop went public on the missive she received from Mr Kims foreign outreach.

The note is believed to be an open letter to various parliaments  decrying Trumps beliefs that he could bring the DPRK, a nuclear power, to its knees through nuclear war threat, and that any action he takes would be an expression of ignorance. In brilliant Aussie fashion, however, the antipodean government were having none of North Koreas spiel, with its figurehead describing the outreach as basically a rant about Donald Trump.

The letter allegedly offers Australia assurances of its highest consideration  something with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has outright dismissed. The fact of the matter is that North Korea is the one that is in breach of UN Security Council resolutions, advised Turnbull to 3AW, a Melbourne-based radio station, according to ABC. It is North Korea that is threatening to fire nuclear missiles at Japan and South Korea and the United States.

Australia may be fairly removed from much of the hustle and bustle of world politics on the odd occasion, but as can be seen in this circumstance, they are still regarded as a potentially valuable ally. Thankfully for the West  and a fair chunk of the East  Turnbull and his government are hardly ready to accept North Koreas most recent rhetoric via post.
NYTimes.com 27 Sep 2021

After briefly holding Carles Puigdemont on a Spanish arrest warrant, Italian authorities released him and he left the country on..
Actor Vishal on Sunday slammed the BJP leader H Raja for watching the pirated version of Vijay-starrer Mersal.

By India Today Web Desk: Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council president and actor Vishal has vehemently criticised the BJP leader H Raja for 'shamelessly' watching the pirated version of Mersal. This comes after Raja, in an interview to a Tamil channel, said that he watched the film on the internet.

Taking it to Twitter, Vishal, wrote, "Dear sir, I as a sincere citizen, true workaholic and a man who thinks twice to do anything wrong, seriously, I wonder how a political leader like you can watch a pirated version of a film which sets a bad example. Totally insensitive and uncalled for."

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Ever since the release of Mersal, the Vijay-starrer has been making news for the wrong reasons. It all started when the Tamil Nadu BJP's president Tamilisai Soundrajan objected to some 'factually incorrect' dialogues that criticised the Centre's GST (Goods and Services Tax) and Digital India schemes.

The issue spawned several heated debates across the country after the BJP demanded the scenes to be removed from the film. In fact, the controversial GST scene had gone viral on the internet. Mersal was unanimously supported by celebrities and political parties. Veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who's close to Vijay, backed the film on Twitter.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.- Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

After much hullabaloo, the producers on Saturday clarified that they're willing to remove scenes/dialogues if need be.

Thx to everyone who stood by us. Thx govt.Thx BJP friends.We are willing to change anything if required. But thx again! #PeaceBro #TSL100- Hema Rukmani (@Hemarukmani1) October 21, 2017

Meanwhile, Mersal has reportedly grossed Rs 100 crore in just three days. Directed by Atlee, Mersal tells the story of Vetri and Maaran, who fight against medical mafia.

Made on a budget of Rs 120 crore, the film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Akkineni, Nithya Menen and SJ Suryah in important roles.

ALSO WATCH: Mersal vs Modi | Don't filmmakers have right to be critical and make political statements?

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NEWS BLOCKS:

Hotels in Oman Welcome the Opening of the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre

On October 10, The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre celebrated its first anniversary in business. Now, its clear to say that the venue had a powerful and successful start. The citys hospitality industry in general and Oman hotels, in particular, benefited from this launch as within just one year the convention centre hosted 101 events that attracted more than 750,000 visitors.



At the moment, only the first phase of the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) is open. Thats the exhibition space of 22,000sqm. Al Nimr Expo by Infra Oman was the first event that took place in OCEC. Infra Oman returned to the venue with another event, the 7th International Exhibition for Infrastructure & Industrial Projects, one year later, making it the 101st event right on the first anniversary of the center.



By the end of this year, OCEC will host two important events, so local hotels will enjoy higher bookings again. The first event is the ACI Airport Exchange 2017 conference and exhibition. Its the largest event for the airport community of the Gulf. The meeting takes place just ahead of the opening of the Muscat International Airport that is highly anticipated by both industry insiders and travelers. The second event is no less important  UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture. As many as 65 ministers from different countries of the world have already confirmed their attendance.



The majority of venues for many exhibitions and conferences are chosen on a bid basis, so the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre regularly participates in such draws. At the moment, the centre has already won bids for 11 large conferences of both local and international importance. The reservations are open for several years ahead, up to 2024. In future, the centre will have its second phase finished. This includes the opening of an auditorium for 450 seats, a tiered theatre with 3,200 seats, 20 meeting rooms for up to 360 delegates, two ballrooms primarily for banquet purposes for up to 1,200 visitors, and a VIP pavilion.



The opening of two hotels has been already confirmed for The OCEC. These are the five-star JW Marriott Hotel that will have a direct exit to the convention centre and the four-star Crowne Plaza hotel. Both the hotels will offer more than 600 guest rooms. The OCEC itself is a key component of Madinat al Irfan  the remarkable urban project that is currently developed by Oman Tourism Development Company.

22.10.2017Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.
BY KNUTE BUEHLER

After three years in office, Gov. Kate Brown has provided Oregonians with a sense of how she defines leadership: Raising taxes on pretty much everything Oregonians purchase, use, need and enjoy.

At first, Brown was an accidental governor. But her obsession with new taxes is no accident at all, whether proposing her own tax hikes or falling dutifully in line behind various special interest plans.

First, Brown fell in line behind Measure 97, the government employee unions' proposed $3 billion annual tax on corporations' sales in Oregon. Then, in her first budget, she proposed $897 million in new taxes at a time of record state revenues. She even supported absurd new taxes on paddleboards, bikes, health insurance and beer. Now, environmental groups have told her to raise a new "carbon tax" when the legislature meets for 35 days in February. Brown's proposed energy sales tax will cost hardworking Oregonians $1.4 billion every two years. And, it will cost family-wage jobs across the state and drive manufacturing jobs and businesses elsewhere.

As governor, I won't define leadership by how high I can raise taxes. I'll balance the budget and deliver results without raising taxes. I oppose this new energy tax and its companion $1.4 billion slush fund. Oregonians don't need to pay higher taxes and Salem politicians don't need another honey pot to offer hand-outs and subsidies to whatever well-connected special interest comes knocking.

My definition of leadership is to actually lead, not follow. For example, Brown has had almost four years as governor - and 30 years in Salem - to fix what's wrong with the funding and quality of our public schools. Her failure to lead means at least 20,000 kids have dropped out of school over the past three years alone. Where Brown has failed to lead on pension reforms to fix school funding, I will fix it. And where she's been afraid to challenge unions that defend the status quo in our schools, I will lead. Helping these 20,000 kids and improving education should be our top priority, not passing a new energy tax scheme.

As governor, I will build durable bipartisan solutions through independent leadership. I won't acquiesce to demands by special interest groups to raise billions in new taxes bulldozed through on a party-line vote during 35 days this winter.

Brown's embrace of this latest tax highlights all that's wrong with her leadership. It's a $1.4 billion tax and slush fund scheme. Oregon is already a leader in reducing carbon and restricting green-house gas emissions. We're the sixth lowest in the nation for per-capita carbon dioxide emissions. That's the result of steps Oregon leaders have already taken and that Oregonians are already paying for through gasoline and power costs. I supported 2016 legislation to replace coal energy in Oregon with cleaner sources by 2040 because it was the right thing to do and because of assurances it would be done with minimal rate increases by utilities. Now, with the ink barely dry on that law, Brown wants Oregonians to pay more - in higher taxes, higher energy costs and lost jobs.

Where will the money go? Straight into a $1.4 billion slush fund for politicians and their favored "green energy" friends and special interests to divvy up. Oregon is just beginning to clean up the mess from its notorious business-energy tax credit scandal, which sent millions of tax dollars to energy speculators and well-to-do investors that could have been better spent on Oregon students. A billion dollars lost. Chaos, corruption and incompetence at Oregon's Department of Energy. Resignations and firings. Criminal investigations and at least one prison sentence.

And now the governor wants a do-over. No thanks.

Oregon needs a change. And I'm ready to provide it through independent leadership that can deliver bipartisan results and restore fiscal sanity to state government. Our first step should be stopping this misguided and cynical effort to pass a $1.4 billion energy tax on working Oregonians in February.

Republican Rep. Knute Buehler represents House District 54 in Bend.
BY AJ Wahl

This is difficult. Talking about sexual assault summons feelings of helplessness, weakness, of being prey. I feel embarrassment, shame, not wanting to be seen in this tarnished light. To open myself up to being invalidated, having my veracity questioned, being marginalized. I don't want family and friends to feel as though they have somehow failed in protecting me, or worse, tell me it didn't happen because denial is easier on our conscience than acknowledgment. It is only because of the countless stories other brave women have shared, their courage, that I am able to share my story. To add to our story.

I was very young, 5 maybe. My parents had friends over and there was music, dancing and laughter. It was fun. An older male was tickling me, and suddenly his hands were where no one's hands had been before. I will never forget the look in his eyes, the look of any person in that position of power and strength: a monster, getting away with the unthinkable. I realized that no one had seen anything, and he knew that my fear and embarrassment would keep me quiet. As he rejoined the adults, the face of the monster was gone. It happened that fast, I was that young, and it wouldn't be the last time. Tickling stopped being fun.

It isn't just grown men. An older boy, maybe 10, once made me go into the closet where he used his toy flashlight to do a "physical examination" of me. I was so embarrassed and so thoroughly violated, the next time he came over, I ran away crying and locked myself in the bathroom. I couldn't talk about it, because how do you describe the indescribable? At least by that age I knew it was wrong, and could start being more guarded.

Growing up, the grabs and comments became more frequent. I've had to learn that when I'm anywhere, whether it's at a bar, school, workplace, church, walking on the street, in a doctor's office for an annual examination, or simply sitting by myself on a public bench, I am a target. It doesn't matter what I'm wearing, whether I brushed my teeth, whether as a poor student or an aspiring attorney - I am at risk. It's not just physical, the comments that were "only meant as jokes" if overheard have become mundane, boorish. But they still chip away at confidence and self-worth. It doesn't matter the packaging: old, young, attractive, ugly, healthy, sick, poor or professional. Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not assaulted every day, but because it happens so often, I, and every other "Me Too" are on guard every day. Always.

I'm no longer ashamed of my reality and my story, but rather, I'm ashamed because so many of us share this story. Because it's a big problem. Because the unthinkable keeps happening. Because words often fail us after the indescribable. Because so many saying "Me Too" begs the question: What do we do now? I think first, we share. Thank you to those who already have.

AJ Wahl lives in Gearhart.

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Courtesy of Brenda Haskins

By HILLARY BORRUD

The Oregonian | OregonLive

Note: this story has been updated to include new information.

After months of fighting the state of Oregon over custody, the Kentucky family that wants to adopt a 4-year-old girl from Klamath Falls claimed victory on Friday.

Oregon child welfare officials sent Laila Sloan to live temporarily with her aunt and uncle in Kentucky two years ago, with the understanding they would likely adopt her.

But last year, the state decided it would be better for an unrelated Klamath Falls couple to adopt Laila. The goal was to reunite Laila with a younger brother shed never met who already lived with the Oregon foster family.

Hailey Scoville Bonham, a Kentucky attorney who represents the Sloans, said on Monday that Oregon officials dropped their effort to regain custody of Laila and stop the Sloans from adopting her.

We have received correspondence from Oregon and the Department for Human Services that they will not be pursuing any challenges and they will be communicating that information to the Klamath County juvenile court proceedings, Scoville Bonham said. Given the confidential nature of the matter, that is all that I am able to communicate to you.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Angela Sloan

Lailas Kentucky foster parents, James and Angela Sloan, hired lawyers in both states to fight Oregons decision. And over the summer, a Kentucky judge granted the couple custody and the right to adopt Laila, according to a lawyer appointed to represent Lailas interests in the Oregon foster child system. Most court records regarding adoption are sealed.

Oregon officials were not ready to give up, however, and The Oregonian/OregonLive reported earlier this month that they hired lawyers in Kentucky to fight the judges decision.

It was unclear on Friday whether the parties resolved the case through a settlement, court ruling or another avenue. But for Lailas aunt and foster mother Angela Sloan, one thing mattered most.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Brenda Haskins

It is official, she is staying with us, said Angela Sloan, who declined to comment further upon the advice of her lawyer.

The Sloans lawyer also announced the win on her firms Facebook page.

We are overjoyed to announce that our mission is complete and Laila will remain with her family here in Kentucky, Scoville Bonham wrote Friday afternoon. This has been an incredible journey and there have been numerous moving parts and people to get us to the finish line.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Brenda Haskins

Andrea Cantu-Schomus, a spokeswoman for Oregons Department of Human Services, said she could not comment about a specific case due to confidentiality.

The Department's policy and practice is always to consider and weigh all its legal options and make decision that are consistent with the best interests of the children in the Department's care and custody, Cantu-Schomus wrote in an email.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, whose lawyers represent the child welfare program, did not immediately respond to a call for comment Friday afternoon.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Brenda Haskins

It is opportunities to help a family like this that make our career so fulfilling, Scoville Bonham, the Sloans lawyer, wrote. I want to personally thank Jamie Sloan and Angela Sparks Sloan for putting their trust in us to get them here. It has been a highlight of my career.

Laila's grandmother in Klamath Falls, Brenda Haskins, was also elated at the news. Best news we have received in over two years, Haskins wrote in a text message.

-- Hillary Borrud

hborrud@oregonian.com

503-294-4034; @hborrud

Don't Edit
By Shreya Goswami: When it comes to festive occasions, we often end up overdoing things. Our clothes turn out a little too shiny, the jewellery too chunky or blingy, and the makeup goes OTT. But Mouni Roy just showed that you can avoid all of these things, and still pull off looking absolutely stunning during festivals.

When the Naagin-star recently attended a Diwali party at her brother's place, she donned an outfit that was so simple, and yet, so sexy that we just couldn't stop feasting our eyes on her.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

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Also Read: Mouni Roy is sending our hearts racing in this white number

Mouni posted a number of photos on her Instagram account, and stood out even in the group shots, thanks to the understated brilliance of her attire.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

The Roshni Chopra creation basically had a simple, beige lehenga skirt. The A-line long skirt fit snugly around Mouni's hips, and the flare of the skirt gave her a regal look.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

The highlight of the outfit was, however, the outstanding, off-shoulder blouse. The embroidered floral motif in orange and yellow was beautifully complemented with the pale-pink patterns and mirror-work. The bronze and silver sequins on the blouse shone through--including the tiny, bronze tassles on the border.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

The elegant, studded and beaded choker went perfectly with the outfit. The delicate jhumkas and maan tikka only added allure to the look. Mouni chose to do her hair in a neat bun, and adorned it with a gajra--which was a good choice, because it kept the focus on her face and ensemble.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

Also Read: Mouni Roy in this one-shoulder dress is ruining reds for us

The bright, pink lip colour complemented the colours of the outfit, and so did the simple kohl-lined eyes and minimal makeup. Mouni's Diwali look was completely relatable, proving that garish or gaudy isn't necessarily the way you have to go to look sexy on special occasions.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

On the contrary, try the simple elegance that Mouni just floored us with, and you'll be an instant hit.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/imouniroy

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Two key associates of Hardik Patel have joined the BJP at a time when Congress is extending offers to join hands against the ruling party in Gujarat.

By India Today Web Desk: Giving BJP a much needed boost, two close associates of Patidar leader Hardik Patel have joined the party ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gujarat visit. PM Modi is scheduled to attend a series of public events today in Bhavnagar and Vadodara.

Quota spearhead Hardik Patel's key aides - Varun Patel and Reshma Patel - joined the ruling BJP in poll-bound Gujarat in a dramatic turn of events. The development came yesterday hours after state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki invited Hardik Patel to join hands with the party.

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Solanki even promised to give an additional 20 per cent reservation to economically backward classes in the state if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.

Varun Patel and Reshma Patel were among the prominent faces of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the agitation.

They joined the BJP after a meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and state party chief Jitu Vaghani during its parliamentary board meeting, which was also attended by BJP president Amit Shah.

After joining the BJP, the Patidar leaders alleged that Hardik Patel had become a "Congress agent" and was trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government.

"Our agitation was about getting reservation under the OBC quota, not about uprooting the BJP and bringing the Congress to power," Reshma Patel told reporters.

While the BJP always supported the community and accepted a majority of our demands, Congress is only trying to use Patels as a vote bank. We do not want to be part of such malicious conspiracy," she claimed.

"This agitation was not of Hardik Patels alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. Varun and I are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfil our demands," she claimed.

Varun Patel said the Patidar community would never allow the Congress to take over the reins of Gujarat by "inciting" Patel youths.

"The BJP government (in the state) held talks with us in the past to resolve various issues. However, the Congress never held such talks, as they were not committed. We have decided to join BJP because we do not want to run the agitation by becoming Congress agents," he said.

"The BJP government even promised us to represent the issue of reservation to the OBC Commission. BJP leaders also promised us to provide legal help in case we want to take up the matter with the Supreme Court," he added.

Unfazed by the announcement of his key aides, Hardik Patel said in a tweet he that will continue to fight for the people.

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"The centipede will continue to run even if some of his legs break. People are with me, and I will continue to fight for them," he said.

(With PTI inputs)

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New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
BLOOMINGTON  With his murals brightening the streets of Chicago, London and Amsterdam, Eric Lee always wanted to bring his talent home to Bloomington-Normal.

Lee is an artist from Chicago, but grew up in the Twin Cities and graduated from Normal Community High School in 1998. His art, which has been shown in galleries in Chicago and Paris, often carries themes of pop culture and comic book characters. His whimsical street art often fools the eye with 3-D techniques.

Ive been doing street art all over the world. To do something in the place where I grew up is a privilege, said Lee.

On Saturday, he continued his work on a mural stretching along a brick wall at the corner of Front and Prairie streets in downtown Bloomington.

The wall is part of a building built in 1883, originally known as Williams Horse Hospital. According to The Pantagraph archives, the equestrian hospital could accommodate up to 25 horses. Veterinarians would tend to local race horses and work horses.

Lacey and Kyle Glandon, owners of Workbench Collaborative, purchased the building in 2016 and reached out to Lee to add his artistic touch.

I like to consider the space Im working with when I create something. I want it to fit in with the architecture and history of the building, said Lee.

Using spray paint and acrylic paint, the finished mural will feature horse heads peeking out of elaborate golden frames. An open stable door will showcase a man carrying a frame, an image inspired from a Norman Rockwell painting.

Lee expects to complete the mural by Monday.

A lot of people arent exposed to fine art. I didnt grow up surrounded by art or going to a lot of museums, said Lee. Its important to make it easily accessible to the average person. Street art is the easiest way to introduce it to people.

The project was funded through a grant for public art by the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, which has backed several other murals in Central Illinois.

I hope that when people walk by this painting, theyre surprised or it brings a smile to their face. Its fun to be able to slip into someones day like that, said Lee.

More works by Lee, as well as a time lapse video of his Bloomington painting, can be viewed at www.worksbyelee.com.
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Absence of Narendra Modi in Gujarat after he became the prime minister created a leadership vacuum in state BJP. The situation was exploited by the Congress in local body elections and also by caste-based leaders. Together, they pose a serious challenge to the BJP in Gujarat election.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Gujarat today - third time in October, ninth time this year and about a dozenth time in the past one-and-a-half years. Narendra Modi's Gujarat itinerary included inauguration and and laying down of foundation stones of a number of projects worth over Rs 1,140 crore in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts.

This could be PM Modi's last visit to Gujarat before the Election Commission announces poll dates for the state. The poll panel has already clarified that the election process in Gujarat will be over by December 18, the date of counting of votes for Himachal Pradesh polls.

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PM Narendra Modi previously visited Gujarat on October 8 and also on October 16. The increased frequency of PM Modi's visits to Gujarat is clearly a part of the BJP'selection strategyin the state, where it is facing some serious challenges.

IMPACT OF NOTE BAN, GST

Demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax did not go down well with the Gujarati traders and businessmen. They have consistently raised their voice against the sudden implementation of note ban and the GST.

However, after the GST Council gave some relaxations to traders earlier this month, PM Modi declared in Gujarat that amended rules brought early Diwali. Ahead of the GST Council meet, PM Modi had held a longish meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi.

Amit Shah had to cut short his ongoing Gujarat visit to come to attend the meet. PM Modi reportedly asked the Finance Minister to make sure that the GST Council agreed to give certain relaxations, which were considered crucial in view of Gujarat elections.

A CONGRESS UNDERCURRENT?

The BJP has not recovered from the jolt it received in Gujarat with Narendra Modi shifting from Gandhinagar to New Delhi as prime minister in 2014. Modi's absence created a vacuum in Gujarat BJP's leadership which still persists.

In the subsequent elections to local bodies, the Congress has not only closed the gap, but in some cases has taken over the BJP since 2014. The Congress had already managed to improve its vote share in the last Assembly election over the previous state polls.

In the 2009 Gujarat Assembly polls, the gap between the BJP and the Congress was 9.49 per cent, which stood at 9 per cent in 2012 while Narendra Modi was still ruling the state. The electrifying electioneering by Narendra Modi gave the BJP a huge jump from 46.5 per cent votes in 2009 to 59.1 per cent in 2014. The Congress' share reduced from 43.2 per cent to 32.9 per cent over the same period.

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But, the Congress has effected a complete reversal of fortunes in the panchayat and municipality elections. In 2010, the Congress controlled one district panchayat with 44 per cent vote share, while the BJP ruled 30 district panchayats with 50.26 per cent votes.

In 2015 - first panchayat polls after Modi became the prime minister - the Congress came back with a bang, winning 24 district panchayats with 47.85 per cent of the polled votes. The BJP could manage to win only six out of 31 district panchayats with 43.97 per cent votes.

Out of 230, the number of taluka panchayats won by Congress jumped from 26 with 42.42 per cent votes in 2010 to 134 with 46 per cent votes in 2015. The BJP's tally reduced from 150 with 48.51 per cent to only 67 with 42.32 votes in 2015. The impact of Modi's absence on the BJP in Gujarat was telling.

Sensing this undercurrent, Congress leader and political advisor to party president Sonia Gandhi, Ahmad Patel had earlier this year said, "If we don't win this election, we may not win another election again in Gujarat." If his recent focus on Gujarat is any indication, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, too, seems to believe that this is the best chance for the Congress to get back to power in the state.

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CASTE POLITICS IN GUJARAT

In 2014, Modi had won from both Vadodara and Varanasi parliamentary constituencies. He chose to represent Varanasi in the Lok Sabha. The Vadodara seat came to the BJP's fold but this meant that there was no electoral connect between PM Modi and his home state Gujarat.

Many players suddenly became dominant and occupied centre-stage in Gujarat politics. Patidar leader Hardik Patel campaigned extensively across the state drawing huge crowds. Hardik Patel demands a quota for Patels under the OBC category. The Patels are not classified as OBC in Gujarat.

Patels constitute 12 per cent of Gujarat's population. They have been a dominant voice in Gujarat's politics and business. But rising unemployment among the youth has given credence to the voice of Hardik Patel, who is back in Gujarat after having been externed for a year following a case of sedition.

Hardik Patel has galvanised the community members to such an extent that powerful Patel community leaders, including state ministers Nitin Patel and Saurabh Patel, were not allowed to hold public rallies earlier this year in Gujarat. They had to cancel their rallies in Patel-dominated areas.

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OBC AGITATION

On the other hand, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor has launched a parallel campaign against attempts to accommodate Patels for quota benefits. Alpesh Thakor is the president of OBC SC ST Ekta Manch and Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena.

In his rallies, Alpesh Thakor claims that OBCs, SCs and STs constitute 78 per cent population of Gujarat. He alleges that despite forming an overwhelming majority in Gujarat, these three communities have been ignored by the BJP government in the last 22 years. Alpesh Thakor is now joining the Congress.

The Census data of casts is available only for 1931, according to which the OBC community forms over 40 per cent of Gujarat's population. Some other reports say that their share in Gujarat's population could be as high as 54 per cent. The BJP cannot afford to antagonise the community and dream of winning the election.

DALIT ANGER

Dalits are also angry, particularly after the Una incident. Youths of a family were thrashed by some self-styled cow vigilantes as they suspected that the Dalits had killed the cow, which they were skinning as part of their profession.

The incident led to widespread condemnation of the BJP government led by Anandiben Patel. Lawyer-turned-Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has been canvassing to unite his community to stand against the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat election.

Anandiben Patel was removed as the chief minister of Gujarat after the Una incident. However, mishandling of the Hardik Patel episode was also one of the reasons for her sacking, which was presented by the BJP as a case of retiring from active politics on account of age.

Mevani has raised several incidents of brutality against Dalits in Gujarat since the Una incident, which proved to be a flashpoint. On one occasion last year, Dalit protestors surrounded the homes of Dalit MP Kirit Solanki and Asarva MLA Rajnikant Patel in Ahmedabad last year.

With GST relaxations and a strong base among the OBCs, PM Modi and Amit Shah hope to keep them electorally loyal to the BJP. But Patels, Dalits and Muslims may still create problems for the BJP in Gujarat election. Together, they constitute about 32 per cent of Gujarat's population.

WATCH VIDEO | Working hard to ensure greater income for farmers: PM Modi in Gujarat

--- ENDS ---
The serial patent troller known as Uniloc sued Apple last summer over their Messages app and again in April 2017 over iOS 7's 'Frequent Locations feature. In May of this year Patently Apple posted a report covering Uniloc filing a string of lawsuits against Apple regarding battery charging, AirPlay and Auto Dialing. The report also covered a segment about the documentary "The Patent Scam" by Austin Meyer. For the sake of interest we're adding a part of that documentary below as a reminder about Uniloc being a patent troll.

On Friday Uniloc filed another patent infringement case against Apple in patent troll friendly state of Texas. The single count lawsuit states that Apple is infringing patent 6,736,759 titled "Exercise Monitoring System and Methods," a patent listing Jack B. Stubbs as inventor. The patent troll is using a patent that of course isn't one filed by Uniloc but rather 'Paragon Solutions."





The lawsuit states that "Uniloc USA is the exclusive licensee of the '759 Patent, with ownership of all substantial rights, including the right to grant sublicenses, to exclude others, and to enforce and recover past damages for infringement."

The Heart of Uniloc's Lawsuit before the Court

"Apple imports, offers for sale, and sells in the United States electronic watches that incorporate components to monitor and display the device's location (GPS) and human exercise activity, such as distance traveled. Using watchOS, such devices can be paired to allow a first user to share exercise information wirelessly with a second device. Such electronic Apple watches are referred to herein as the 'Accused Infringing Devices' and include the Series 2, Series 3 and Apple Watch Nike+ models.

Apple has infringed, and continues to infringe, claims of the '759 Patent in the United States, including claims 1, 3-5, 10, 14, 19-20, 22, and 24, by making, using, offering for sale, selling and/or importing the Accused Infringing Devices in violation of 35 U.S.C. 271(a)."





The patent infringement case presented in today's report was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court. The Presiding Judge in this case is noted as being Judge Rodney Gilstrap.





Notice: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of certain legal cases/ lawsuits which are part of the public record for journalistic news purposes. Readers are cautioned that Patently Apple does not offer an opinion on the merit of the case and strictly presents the allegations made in said legal cases / lawsuits. A lawyer should be consulted for any further details or analysis. About Making Comments on this Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
No African university is among the world's best 300 universities, according to the current global university ranking.



The University of Cape Town, South Africa, which is the number one university in Africa, is ranked 303rd in the global ranking.



The number one university in Ghana  the University of Ghana  is ranked 1,983rd in the global ranking.



This came to light at the official opening of the International Association of Universities (IAU) 2017 Conference at the University of Ghana, Legon in Accra on Thursday.



On the theme: Leadership for a changing public-private higher education landscape, the conference is being attended by representatives from more than 60 universities worldwide and seeks to create a platform for networking and the exchange of notes.



Started in 1950, the IAU serves as a voice for higher education and seeks to promote and advance higher education globally.



Reaction



Reacting to the ranking, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, described it as reinforcing the stereotype.



He wondered about the kind of information that was fed into the ranking, citing, for instance, the fact that the IAU continued to rank the Central University, where he had been the third vice-chancellor, based on its first vice-chancellor.



He, however, challenged African universities to put their act together and work harder to advertise themselves in the global village, saying: Africa has a huge potential in higher education which has been exploited only superficially.



Way forward



On the way forward, Prof. Yankah charged African universities to constantly publish the dissertations and theses of postgraduate and doctoral students, instead of the current situation where most of such research were locked up in drawers.



He also recommended the marketing of African universities outside the continent, as well as the opening up of centres of global studies on other continents for networking with the Africa world.



Pulling African universities along



Prof. Yankah urged the IAU to revise its policies and encourage more African universities to both enrol as members and participate in conferences.



Let such policies ensure maximum participation by host communities through the application of differential rates of enrolment and registration, he said, adding that this years IAU conference, the first on African soil, triggers dialogues and actions that will progressively narrow the intellectual gap between Africa and the rest of the world.



He reminded the participants that the conference would achieve its optimal effect if innovative ideas in funding tertiary education were tabled for discussion at the various fora.



He said the conference outcomes should also reckon with the overall financial implications of networking within such an association made up of a diversity of nations and universities of varying global prominence.



Sources of funding



Welcoming the participants, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, said the exigencies of the time had made it imperative that a public university such as the University of Ghana look beyond the public purse for funding in order to survive and provide quality teaching and learning.



He said the advent of open online courses had compelled the traditional universities to invest massively in distance learning and other technological ways of learning.



Promote higher education



The President of the IAU, Prof. Pam Fredman, told the participants that they had the opportunity and the platform to promote higher education.



She said the future was a knowledge-based society globally, adding that it was the way to achieve Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The University of Cape Coast (UCC) with support from the United Nations Development Programme and the National Peace Council (UNDP) has developed an online electronic conflict mapping book of Ghana.



The online book which offered detailed research document that showed the various conflicts in Ghana, the dynamics, stages and intervention approaches in peace building and conflict resolution was to help address peace building and conflict issues in the country.



It would also offer Ghanaians the unique opportunity of understanding the causes of conflicts, the actors involved as well as various peace building approaches undertaken to help stakeholders to fashion out solutions before conflicts escalate.



The Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Ghartey Ampiah announced this at the second session of the 50th congregation of UCC during which 2,128 students who successfully completed their studies from the College of Humanities and Legal Studies for the 2016/2017 academic year graduated.



Prof Ghartey-Ampiah said UCC remained focused on scaling up programmes that responded to the changing needs of society.



In view of this, he said the Institute for Oil and Gas and Development Studies organised a roundtable which brought together people from the academia and experts from the energy sector to deliberate on the dynamics of the sector with the aim of finding solutions to the myriad of challenges in the sector.



He said the university during the year under review, signed a total of 18 MOUs with local and international institutions to open new gateways for knowledge, research and academic exchanges to help them develop meaningful outputs.



Prof Ghartey-Ampiah charged the graduands to persevere, guard against any form of complacency and work hard to contribute their quota to the improvement and growth of the country.



He also urged them not to be content with their new qualification but strive to higher heights on the academic ladder.



Mrs Nancy Thompson, Chairperson of UCC Governing Council, challenged the graduates to use the knowledge they had acquired to contribute significantly to the well-being of society.



She also expressed worry about the fact that the university was challenged by funding for teaching, research and infrastructure development.



Mrs Thompson called on Government and other corporate institutions to support the university in that direction to expedite action on completing ongoing infrastructural projects which had stalled as a result of severe financial challenges.



Mr Emmanuel Ofosu, the overall best graduand with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.898 encouraged his colleagues to be focused, committed and ensure that the training acquired became meaningful to them and their respective communities.

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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The Office of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has dismissed reports that he (Vice President) has begun campaign to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2020 elections.



The Communications Director at the Vice President's Office, Frank Agyei-Twum, in a press release has stated emphatically that it is a "figment of the imagination" of perpetrator(s) of this act to "cause disaffection for the Vice President but their campaign will fail".



"The attention of the Office of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has been drawn to posters purporting to indicate that H.E. Dr Bawumia has begun a campaign to lead the New Patriotic Party into the 2020 elections...



"....and we call on all Ghanaians and the general public to treat the poster campaign with the contempt it deserves", the statement read.





Read full statement below:



The attention of the Office of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has been drawn to posters purporting to indicate that H.E. Dr Bawumia has begun a campaign to lead the New Patriotic Party into the 2020 elections.



It is clear that the perpetrator(s) of this act intend to cause disaffection for the Vice President but their campaign will fail.



For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state unequivocally that the posters are the figment of the imagination of the originator(s), and we call on all Ghanaians and the general public to treat the poster campaign with the contempt it deserves.



Signed:

Frank Agyei-Twum

Communications Director

Office of the Vice President





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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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Founder and the 2016 presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has blamed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Madam Charlotte Osei for his poor performance in the 2016 election.



In the 2016 elections, Dr. Nduom had 106,092 votes representing 0.99% of the total votes cast.



Speaking at the 4th National Convention of the party held at the New GNAT Hall in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Dr Nduom said to Charlotte Osei and others at the Electoral Commission, I say we will never forget your failed attempt to take away our freedom and our right to participate in the 2016 election...Yes you succeeded in sabotaging our campaign but in the end, we still stand tall. Never again should you dare to circumvent the laws that put you in office...



PPP is not Nduoms property



Dr Nduom who founded the PPP in 2012 after falling out with the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), says he is taking on a new role of encouraging young ones in the party.



According to him, I am now part of the older generation. My task now is to encourage, support and educate our young progressives to come to the front line of our party. The PPP is not Nduoms property. It is our party. Now it is there for you the young people to make it great and successful.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Five former presidents appeared Saturday together for the first time in four years for a benefit in Texas to raise money for the victims of this year's

Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter took the stage in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, AP reports.

The ex-presidents have raised $31 million since they began the drive Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

20 Pa. National Guard soldiers sent to U.S. Virgin Islands for hurricane relief

After Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas' Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, the five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

President Donald Trump recorded a video that called the ex-presidents "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said.

AP contributed to this report
CAIRO - Dozens of Egyptian police were killed in clashes with militants in the country's western desert on Friday, one of the deadliest attacks this year suffered by Egypt's security forces fighting persistent and spreading Islamic militancy.

At least 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout about 80 miles from the Egyptian capital, the Associated Press reported, citing security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Several other local media reported similar death tolls.

The violence was a stark indication of a core challenge facing the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a vital American ally in the Middle East. Ever since he led a military coup to oust the elected Islamist government of Mohamed Morsi four years ago, Sissi has portrayed himself as a linchpin in the fight against terrorism. In the name of combating the Islamist militancy, critics say he has suppressed political and social freedoms, and jailed thousands of Islamists.

Egypt is one of the world's largest recipients of American military aid, a large portion of it designated to fight terrorism.

Yet the militancy is growing - and spreading. In the past year, hundreds of Egyptian security forces have been killed combating an Islamic State affiliate based in the northern Sinai, whose cells have also targeted minority Christian communities and bombed churches in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas.

In recent months, another group called the Hasm Movement also has targeted security officials and judges, adding a deadly new dimension to the security threats facing the country. The insurgency has continued even as Egypt's military and police forces claim to have killed thousands of suspected terrorists.

In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry acknowledged Friday's operation but said the gun battle resulted in 16 policemen being killed and 13 injured. The ministry also reported that 15 militants were killed.

But Western diplomats and security officials described the death toll as in the dozens with few militants, if any, being killed. It was unclear whether the Interior Ministry was referring to its own personnel killed and not a total that included forces from other security-related branches.

If the higher death toll is true, it would be the single deadliest assault on Egypt's security forces by Islamist militants in recent memory.

The incident took place late Friday after security forces received intelligence that suspected Islamist militants were at a hideout in the Baharia Oasis, south of the capital. As they approached, they were ambushed by gunmen using rocket-propelled grenades and bombs.

No group yet has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The militants, according to local media reports, belonged to Hasm, which Egypt's security forces claimed to be the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement led by Morsi that is now outlawed. But analysts say there is no conclusive evidence that Hasm is officially linked to the Brotherhood, though some Hasm members are said to be Brotherhood members who now favor violent means to oppose the government.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement Saturday that it strongly condemns the attacks. "The United States stands with Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post * Sudarsan Raghavan, Heba Farouk Mahfouz
A 18-year-old Frackville man is accused of making a bomb threat at the Schuylkill Technology and Training Center this week.

Dominick Cassilli, 18, was charged with threat to use weapons of mass destruction and terroristic threats, and his unsecured bail was set at $10,000. Police said he confessed to writing the note, which was found by a custodian at 4:30 p.m. Monday after students had left for the day.

He is accused of drawing a picture of a bomb and a building on a piece of toilet paper inside a third floor bathroom Monday, state police in Schuylkill Haven said.

A state police K9 team searched the school, finding nothing, and a suspect was developed after reviewing surveillance video and sign-out sheets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a slew of measures today during his third Gujarat visit of the month. He launched the first ro-ro ferry service of the country and blamed the UPA for delaying development projects.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in poll-bound Gujarat on a day-long visit to inaugurate India's first roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) service and lay foundation stones of a number of projects worth more than Rs 1,400 crore.

PM Narendra Modi addressed public rallies, talked about the development projects planned for Gujarat and accused the previous UPA government of the Centre of deliberately delaying projects for political reasons.

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Emphasising that his government was committed to development, Narendra Modi - addressing a public rally at Dahej in Bharuch district - said that the process of taking "important decisions" regarding the economic reforms will continue.

The prime minister's assertion came at a time when the Opposition parties have upped ante against the Modi government over demonetisation and GST rollout in the wake of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. The Gujarat polls are being seen as big test for the BJP as it is the first Assembly election after Narendra Modi became the prime minister.

PM NARENDRA MODI'S GUJARAT VISIT IN 10 POINTS On a day-long visit to Gujarat, Modi also reached out to traders, saying their past records will not be checked by the income tax department if they join the formal economy by getting themselves registered under the GST regime. "After all reforms and hardcore decisions, the economy of the country is on track and is going in the right direction," Modi said. "If we have a look at the figures which have come recently, the production of coal, electricity, natural gas and other items has increased tremendously. Foreign investors are making record investments in the country. The foreign exchange reserves of the country have reached 40,000 crore dollars from 30,000 crore dollars," Modi said. "In the last few months, 27 lakh additional people have registered themselves for this indirect tax... No businessman wants to indulge in tax evasion. But tax rules, system, tax officials and even politicians are forcing them to do it," he said, adding, "I know, that those who are joining have fear that their past records will be checked. I assure you that no tax officials will be allowed to open past records of those who want to come in the mainstream." PM Modi said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has stopped corruption at check posts on borders of each state. "The GST has eliminated check posts on borders. Trucks do not have to wait for days and corruption at check posts has stopped. Now, those who used to take contracts for ensuring passage of your trucks through the check posts are naturally very angry with me," Modi said. PM Modi today inaugurated the first phase of the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service connecting Saurashtra with south Gujarat, amid a political row over the delay in announcement of poll dates for the state. While launching his "dream project", Modi blamed the previous UPA government for delaying the venture by creating hurdles in the name of environment. Modi, who is visiting the state for the third time this month, also took the first trip in the ferry from Ghogha to Dahej with 100 visually-impaired children from Bhavnagar. "This is the first of its kind project not only in India, but also in South-East Asia," Modi said at Ghogha. Describing the ro-ro ferry service as his "dream project", Narendra Modi said, "I had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2012, but for doing work in the ocean, you had to remain dependent on the central government then. There were such people in the central government that they had put a ban on development from Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch along coastal Gujarat." "All over, industries were threatened to be closed down in the name of environment. I know how many challenges I had faced for the development of Gujarat," he said attacking the Congress-led UPA government. Hailing the project as a "precious gift to the country from Ghogha", Modi blamed the erstwhile UPA government for ignoring the shipping and port sector. "In the past decades, shipping and port sectors were ignored. To modernise the sector, the government has begun Sagar Mala programme," Modi said, adding that Sagar Mala project can provide one crore jobs to youths. PM Modi further said, "Had they (the Congress-led UPA government) understood the power of the ocean, the people in this region would not have been forced to leave their homes for work in other cities," adding that development of ports was crucial to the overall progress of the country.

(With PTI inputs)

--- ENDS ---
The former York County woman held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for five years is beginning to speak more about her ordeal.

Caitlan Coleman told the York Daily Record she hopes to be discharged soon from the hospital, via email from Canada.

She said she hasn't felt comfortable yet speaking with the media, and has felt pressure to come forward before she is ready.

While her husband, Joshua Boyle, has spoken out on the assault he said his wife suffered in captivity, Caitlan said she isn't ready to speak about them, adding that she just wants to spend time with her husband and children.

She said it's too soon to say whether she and her family will return to York County.

Coleman said childhood memories growing up in York County helped her through the dark days of her captivity. Those memories include hiking in Nixon County Park, fireman's carnivals and ice cream.

Her mother, Lyn Coleman of Stewartstown, was able to visit Caitlan in Canada, said Jim Coleman, Caitlan's father. He thanked President Trump and the Obama administration for their efforts getting his daughter released.
A real estate investor and philanthropist donated 26 of his residential properties to the Philadelphia Foundation, and the proceeds from the sale if those properties will be used for LGBT causes.

Mel Heifetz had already put $4 million into a donor-advised endowment with investment income going to LGBT groups, according to a Philly.com report. The recent property donation is expected to garner another $16 million for the fund.

Heifetz is a real estate developer who has has long been a supporter of gay rights causes as well as being a donor Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton and the re-election campaign of President Barack Obama.

In his mid 20s, Heifetz promised to give back to the gay community if he ever became successful, according to the report. That pledge led to his previous philanthropy and the recent donation. Heifetz has advocated for stronger philanthropy to lift the LGBT community, pushing those who thank him to donate $25 to any organization that supports the community's causes.

"We are under attack from our own government and each day we lose more hard fought for rights." Heifetz wrote on Facebook, responding to those thanking him for his donation. "We need everyone to step forward and write a check to any group you choose. That would be the best thanks you might offer me!"
An Owings Mills, Maryland, man is facing 20 to 40 years behind bars for killing his infant son.

Jonathan C. Thompson.

Jonathan C. Thompson, 32, was sentenced Friday by York County Judge Gregory M. Snyder to the maximum sentence for one count of third-degree murder in the death of 2-month-old Javon Thompson, according to court records.

Thompson had pleaded guilty to the charge Sept. 1.

He intentionally inflicted traumatic injuries on the infant in his former home in the 400 block of Juniper Street in May 2016, police said. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Baltimore in February.

At Thompson's sentencing hearing Friday, York County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Chuck Murphy said 2-month-old Javon lived a short life of being treated like a rag doll, the York Dispatch is reporting.

"This was a victim who could not say 'stop' or ask for help," Murphy told the judge, according to reports.

Javon was hospitalized in May 2016, suffering from bleeding on his brain, eye hemorrhages, leg fractures, multiple broken ribs heal and seizures, and died June 10, 2016.

Upon handing down the maximum sentence, Judge Snyder said Thompson's "egregious conduct regarding his infant son requires significant punishment for justice to be done and, moreover, society deserves to be protected from the defendant's outrageous behavior," the York Dispatch reports.
Police have identified the six people arrested Saturday as they protested the construction of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline in Lancaster County.

The Pennsylvania State Police at Lancaster charged the following people with criminal trespass:

William B. Pickard, 70, of New York City; Ann W. Dixon, 54, of Philadelphia; James P. Hannigan, 25, of New York City; Elliot T. Martin, 25, of New York City; Karen M. Davis, 49, of Lancaster; and Sean M. McCreight, 29, of New York City.

Troopers brought them to the Lancaster barracks, where they were processed and released.

Police say Williams Partners, the company building the pipeline, was granted an easement on the property at the 1200 block of Prospect Road, West Hempfield Township, but around 3:18 p.m. Saturday, the six protesters entered the easement. When they refused to leave, they were arrested for criminal trespass.

Lancaster Against Pipelines has been organizing non-violent gatherings at the land owned by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, a Catholic order of nuns, where the easement was granted.

This is the same site where 23 protesters were arrested on Monday.

Brett Hambright, spokesman for the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, said the protesters' interaction with police was peaceful and they were cooperative.
Workers at Cedar Haven nursing home will be on the picket line again Sunday, after going on strike Friday over benefit issues.

The current contract expired Sept. 30 at the former county-owned home, which was purchased in 2014 by Stone Barn Holdings.

The strike was called after the union said Stone Barn imposed the terms of its "last, best and final offer."

Nurses strike at Cedar Haven Healthcare Center in Lebanon. About 100 people walked off the job at noon pic.twitter.com/W2p5RKgcVV  Beccah Hendrickson (@BeccahHWGAL) October 20, 2017

The terms include higher employee health care contributions and cuts in paid time off, said AFSCME District Council 89, Local 2732, which represents about 300 licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants.

The union had voted down that last offer, said Steve Mullen, AFSCME representative for the union.

Mullen said the company reduced paid time off, which is for vacation as well as sick days, to 5 to 15 days per year, depending on longevity. Workers would only be paid for holidays on which they work.

And he said there are substantial increases in health care deductibles and cmployees' contributions.

Workers were on the picket line Friday and Saturday, and will continue Sunday, Mullen said.

Chas Blalack of Stone Barn Holdings did not immediately respond to questions regarding the labor dispute. Last year, he said concessions were needed because the home was losing money since Stone Barn purchased it in 2014 for $25.5 million.

The Lebanon Daily News said nursing staff has been brought in from US Nursing Corporation, and Mullen said additional security was brought in as well.

In October 2016, a strike was averted when the union narrowly approved a one-year contract. That contract also included concessions on health care costs and paid time off, Mullen said.
Lisa Strang is seen in this undated handout image. After John Strang shot and killed his wife Lisa in their Saskatchewan home, he drove his jeep - packed with guns, ammunition, handcuffs and duct tape - to the home of a female friend for a chilling conversation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Party, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that the Opposition had no right to question the Election Commission, which recently found itself in the eye of a controversy for its decision to hold back the dates of the Gujarat Assembly election.

Lekin main unko kehna chahta hun ki unko Election Commission par ungli uthane ka koi hakk nahi hai: PM Modi in Vadodara- ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

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The PM was addressing a public meeting in Vadodara. Earlier today, he inaugurated the first phase of a Rs 615 crore 'roll-on-roll-off' (ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

Breathtaking glimpses of the Ghogha-Dahej ferry service. Its inauguration is a landmark moment in Gujarats development journey. pic.twitter.com/Whzs2mOQI8- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

Here are the top quotes from his speech in Vadodara.

HIGHLIGHTS

Diwali mein Vadodara kyun aya hun is par logon ko pet mein dard hai. Mujhe toh kuch keh nahi sakte isliye EC par dabaav bana rahe hain (People are questioning why I am in Vadodara for Diwali. They can't tell me anything, that's why they're putting pressure on the EC). Lekin main unko kehna chahta hun ki unko Election Commission par ungli uthane ka koi hakk nahi hai (But I want to tell them they have no authority to question the EC) Since I was a child I was hearing about a ferry service from Ghogha to Dahej. It was not done all these years because development was never a priority for them. When we got a chance to serve we focussed on all-round development and the ferry is operational today. (On) 31st October we mark the Jayanti of Sardar Patel. Like in the previous years, there will be a 'Run for Unity.' Let us take part in this and urge others to join. If you scan the newspapers before May 2014 (when the BJP came to power at the Centre) you will see continuous mentions about the record corruption in various sectors. We are clear in our working. All our resources will be spent towards the wellbeing of every citizen. Our priority is development. The scale of development works being inaugurated in Vadodara today is unprecedented.

In Vadodara, talked about the Central Governments steps to ensure the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor. pic.twitter.com/kvtIoO3AWR- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

WATCH | PM Modi launches roll-on roll-off project worth Rs 650 crores in Gujarat

--- ENDS ---
Fernie Memorial Arena is shown in Fernie, B.C. on Wednesday, Oct.18, 2017. Three people who died after a suspected ammonia leak were doing maintenance work on ice-making equipment at an arena in southeastern British Columbia, says the city's mayor. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lauren Krugel
Police at the scene at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, central England, where they are dealing with an ongoing incident, Sunday Oct. 22, 2017. A police department in central England says a reported hostage-taking incident at a bowling alley is "unconnected to any terrorist activity." (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
FILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe during his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, South Africa. In a statement Sunday Oct. 22, 2017 World Health Organization director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus announced he has decided to revoke his appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" after the choice drew widespread international criticism. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, FILE)
Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter place their hands on their chest for the national anthem on stage at the opening of a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, file photo, David Letterman speaks during the unveiling of a Peyton Manning statue outside of Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis. Letterman is being honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. HeAoll receive the lifetime achievement award Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, at WashingtonAos Kennedy Center. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
PM Narendra Modi earlier today inaugurated the country's first roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service at Ghogho, which will connect Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

PM Narendra Modi received by CM Vijay Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel in Bhavnagar. (Photo: ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615 crore 'roll-on-roll-off' (ro-ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat. He said that with the beginning of this project, the dream of 6.5 crore Gujaratis has been fulfilled. This is his third visit to the poll-bound Gujarat in as many weeks.

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PM Modi will also lay down foundation stones of projects worth over Rs 1,140 crore in Vadodara later.

During his last visit to Gujarat, PM Modi had called the ro-ro service a dream project, which he planned when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

PM Modi previously visited the state on October 8 and also on Monday earlier this week.

NARENDRA MODI IN GUJARAT LIVE UPDATES:

"I am getting all the files of the projects shelved for decades recovered. I am getting them completed."

We believe Sagar Mala project alone will provide around 1 crore jobs, said Modi.

"India needs better ports and more ports."

Our mantra is P for P - Ports for Prosperity: Modi in Dahej

PM Narendra Modi during an interaction with school children in Dahej.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on board RO-RO ferry between Ghogha and Dahej.

Newly inaugurated Ro-RO ferry service between Ghogha & Dahej will reduce travel time and fuel consumption. #Gujarat4Vikas pic.twitter.com/pdJZYt7PyX- BJP (@BJP4India) October 22, 2017

I request everyone to cooperate with the government. My warmest wishes to one and all. Jai Hind, said Modi as he wrapped up the address.

"Ghogha's fate will change soon."

Newly inaugurated services will be boost to new India: Modi.

"New aviation policy has been created to ensure improved regional services."

Will give Rs 40,000 crore subsidy to fishermen: Modi.

"National waterway will be more than 17,000 km long. This will be a revolutionary project for the fishermen here."

We are planning to link a number of other places also through ferries, said Modi.

This ferry service will not be restricted to this one route. We are planning to link other places also through ferries: PM #Gujarat4Vikas pic.twitter.com/kizJQhrGj1- BJP (@BJP4India) October 22, 2017

Inter-state waterway, coastal transport services will be integrated in the future: Modi

"Will extend the ferry project further."

Under Gujarat government, development project are picking speed. Such projects will ensure employment for the youth: Modi.

"Over the last three years, we have given importance to Gujarat. Will ensure Delhi and Mumbai corridor project is completed in time."

Gujarat's maritime infrastructure is a like a model project for the nation: Modi.

"Efforts were made by the centre to stall development in Gujarat but we ensured that development projects are pushed in the state."

When I was serving as Gujarat CM, I faced hostility from then Central government: Modi

"It is my duty as the former CM of Gujarat to clear this project."

Project to make life easier for traders: Modi.

"It is because of the public that I stand here as the PM."

We have created an infrastructure for coastal social security: Modi.

"Gujarat is blessed with a long coastline, government will work on opening a maritime university and museum."

I congratulate everyone connected to this landmark project: Modi.

"This ferry service will save time and petrol, and it will connect Saurashtra and south Gujarat."

We changed rules to ensure ferry project in Gujarat, said Modi.

"We roped in private services to build terminals. We ensured that all expenses are borne by the Centre."

The government makes bus stops, airports, and runways. Later, private enterprises use these services: Modi.

"More than 5,000 cars commute from Ghogha to Dahej daily. After the launch of ro-ro service, the traffic will decrease and speed of the cars will increase which will have an impact on Gujarat's economic system."

I am here for a vital launch related to dairy sector: Modi.

"Time is money, hence the government has reduced travel time for the public."

Today's programme is an opportunity to bring back Gujarat's historical relation with the sea, said PM.

"Gujarat has a history of sea travel."

Today, entire Hindustan is getting an invaluable gift via Ghogha.

This is a service of vital importance for the country: Modi.

"Ghogha to Dahej ferry service will boost business. We are building a new India."

"This project is India's first ro-ro service, which is one of a kind."

"With the beginning of this project, the dream of 6.5 crore Gujaratis has been fulfilled."

It's the biggest project not only in India, but also in the South Asia, said Modi.

The first phase of the Ghogha-Dahej ferry service has been inaugurated today: PM Modi.

Happy to be in Gujarat to convey new year greetings, said Modi as he began addressing the public at Ghogha.

Modi inaugurates India's first ro-ro service at the Ghogha Port.

Modi govt's gift to Gujarat: Ghogha-Dahej RO-RO ferry service, first-of-its-kind project in South Asia to dramatically shorten travel time. pic.twitter.com/XWqCqeaMeI- BJP (@BJP4India) October 22, 2017

PM Narendra Modi is at the ro-ro service inauguration site.

PM Shri @narendramodi at the inauguration of Ro-Ro ferry service & cattle feed plant in Ghogha, Gujarat. LIVE at https://t.co/ZD7KCEokem pic.twitter.com/kWjgyCbkcy- BJP (@BJP4India) October 22, 2017

Modi reaches Ghogha ferry terminal. He will inaugurate the ferry service and address the public shortly.

PM Narendra Modi has reached Bhavnagar airport. He will now head to Ghogha.

PM Narendra Modi was received by CM Vijapy Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Bhavnagar, received by CM Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel pic.twitter.com/RFXDgYHQA9- ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

PM Narendra Modi is likely to reach Bhavnagar around 11.30 am. He will inaugurate the first ferry service in the district.

Ghogha-Dahej Ferry Service will boost connectivity and infrastructure in Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/Hed5BoaT9V&; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2017

From Dahej, Modi will travel to Vadodara, which he had last visited in October, 2016.

In Vadodara, I will dedicate to the nation the Vadodara City Command Control Centre & Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme.

&; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

At a public meeting in Ghogha, shall inaugurate Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd, Modi wrote on Twitter.

Today is special because Phase 1 of the ferry service between Ghogha & Dahej would be inaugurated.- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

Today is special because Phase 1 of the ferry service between Ghogha & Dahej would be inaugurated, tweeted Modi.

--- ENDS ---
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2013 file photo, producer Harvey Weinstein attends a screening of "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" in New York. Los Angeles police said Thursday Oct. 19, 2017, that it is investigating a possible sexual assault case involving Harvey Weinstein that involves alleged conduct from 2013. The department released few details about the inquiry other than to say it has interviewed a potential victim and its inquiry is ongoing. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
Sam Moore walks on stage to perform during a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents, Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush, joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
ISSUES....

Inside, confidential and off the record The Jones Act must end



The Jones Act must eventually be ended. It is an anachronism from the Depression, ....

ON US CRUDE IMPORTS AND US CRUDE EXPORTS: YOU JUST CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP:



Beginning with a legislative change that took place in December of 2015, the US trade of crude and products exports to countries other than Canada were enabled.



This was long, long overdue as US crude production ramped up sharply as the Bakken in North Dakota, the Permian Basin in west Texas, along with the SCOOP in Oklahoma came on line hard and continuously.



The problem is, two fold, however; firstly there are no real viable pipelines that link the oil fields of North Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma with the East coast refineries, and secondly, the Jones Act remains in effect, requiring that any and all goods and services that start and end their transports within the US have to be carried by ships built solely in the US and must be crewed by US crews only.



This was put into effect at the protectionist behest of the Teamsters and US shippers years ago; it made no sense then and it makes lesser

sense now.



For example, crude oil from any of these central US sites makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and is loaded on tankers there that carry that crude oil to Europe and even to Africa because there are so few Jones Act capable tankers available to carry that crude to the US East coast refineries. Instead, crude oil from Africa...

primarily Nigeria and Angola... makes its way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Newark, New Jersey.



This is economic nonsense of the first order. According to the good people at Clipper Data, back in 2015 the US was shipping 50,000 bpd from the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast refineries; it fell to 25,000 bpd last year and is barely above 10,000 bpd today. At the same time, US exports from the Gulf of Mexico to foreign countries other than Canada have risen from about 100,000 bpd in 2015 to nearly 325,000 bpd presently. Further, at the same time the US refineries on the East Coast are bringing in nearly 1.0 million bpd from Nigeria and Angola up from 0.5 million bpd two years ago... godsends to these two west African nations who are all but too happy to have this relationship continue, but economic nonsense otherwise.



The cost of shipping crude oil from the Gulf to the East Coast using Jones' Act compliant ships is about three to four times that of using foreign shippers. Indeed the President of OSG, Mr. Sam Norton recently noted that Jones Act [compliant shipping] is more expensive. Everybody knows that. If there were not a Jones Act then there probably would be more movements of crude oil from Texas to Philadelphia.



Mr. Norton is kind; he should have said that if there were no Jones Act there is no doubt but that there would be more exports of crude oil from the US Gulf of

Mexico to the US East Coast. This has transportation problem is perhaps the single reason why WTI has fallen to such as steep discount to nearby Brent: it has to in order to remain even tacitly competitive with Brent.



Earlier this year, nearby WTI sold on average about $2.50/barrel discount to nearby Brent. Recently, that spread had widened to $7 and is stabilizing at or near $6.00/barrel presently and at $7/barrel discount it is almost economic to ship cru de from the Gulf to the East Coast refineries as WTI is then sufficiently

"cheap" to be competitive.



The Jones Act must eventually be ended. It is an anachronism from the Depression, that is defended by trade protectionists such as the Teamster's still

and US ship owners, and sadly it apparently has the support of the American public and of the President so its demise is like Mark Twain's death, greatly exaggerated but highly unlikely. But go it should if economic wisdom were actually to prevail. Hope can be held out.



Dennis Gartman / The Gartman Letter / October 20, 2017 Link to the original article









ISSUES.... 10/ 23/ 2017 - Send Us Your Issues



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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 22 (PTI) New India Assurance (NIA), the largest general insurance company in the country, is set to hit the capital markets with around Rs 10,000 crore IPO in the first week of November.

The offer comes soon after the Rs 11,370 crore IPO of GIC Re, which will be listed on October 25. It has already been oversubscribed by over 1.35 times.

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The street has seen a couple of more IPOs in last one and half months, which include ICICI Lombard and SBI Life.

The IPO of the insurance multinational having operations in 28 countries will be completed in the first week of November, government sources told PTI.

The exact amount and pricing for the IPO will be announced by the company early this week.

Recently, the companys top management had completed the overseas road shows and had seen robust response for the issue.

Earlier, the company had appointed five merchant bankers -- Kotak, Axis Bank, Nomura, IDFC and Yes Bank for the IPO.

The company, which is targeting Rs 26,000 crore premium in the current fiscal, is the largest general insurer in terms of premium, profits, market share and distribution network.

New India Assurance has assets of over Rs 69,000 crore and solvency of 2.27 despite growing at CAGR of over 15 per cent for last five years.

NIAs networth, including fair value of investments, increased to over Rs 38,100 crore as of June-end.

Its market value of investments stood at Rs 63,100 crore at the end of June quarter of the current fiscal.

The company, which will be celebrating its centenary year in one year, has a rich legacy and sustained its market leadership despite 31 players being there in the industry.

In fact, New Indias market share has increased in the last five years and currently hovering around 16 per cent.

India Incs top business houses are long-time customers of NIA.

New India is the countrys only direct insurer with an international A rating and has operations through a desk at Lloyds, the worlds largest specialist insurer.

Some of the other insurers IPOs, which are likely to hit the street in near future include HDFC Life, Reliance General and National Insurance Company. PTI KD RMT BAL ABM

--- ENDS ---
Lagniappe



Joschka Fischer: Understanding the secessionist surge Anadolu Agency/Getty



Catalonia's illegal bid for independence, like the United Kingdom's ill-fated Brexit referendum, amounts to a historical absurdity. After decades of bloodletting in the twentieth century, and in view of competition with economies like the US, China, and India, the need for deeper European integration in the twenty-first century should be obvious. BERLIN  Europe finally appears to have moved past its multi-year economic crisis, but it remains unsettled. For every reason for optimism, there always seems to be a new cause for concern. In June 2016, a slim majority of British voters chose nostalgia for the nineteenth-century past over whatever promise the twenty-first century might have held. So they decided to jump off a cliff in the name of sovereignty. There is much evidence to suggest that a hard landing awaits the United Kingdom. A cynic might point out that it will take a properly functioning sovereignty to cushion the impact. In Spain, the government of the autonomous region of Catalonia is now demanding sovereignty , too. But the current Spanish government is not prosecuting, imprisoning, torturing, and executing the people of Catalonia, as Generalissimo Francisco Franco's dictatorship once did. Spain is a stable democracy and a member of the European Union, the eurozone, and NATO. For decades now, it has maintained the rule of law in accordance with a democratic constitution that was negotiated by all parties and regions, including Catalonia. On October 1, the Catalan government held an independence referendum in which less than half  some estimates say a third  of the region's population participated. By the standards of the EU and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the vote could never be accepted as free and fair. In addition to being illegal under the Spanish constitution, the referendum did not even have a voting register to determine who was entitled to participate. Catalonia's alternative referendum invited a clampdown from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, which intervened to shut down polling stations and prevent people from casting ballots. This proved to be a political folly of the highest order, because images of the police swinging truncheons at unarmed Catalan protesters conferred a spurious legitimacy on the secessionists. No democracy can win in this kind of conflict. And in the case of Spain, the crackdown conjured up images of the country's 1936-1939 civil war  its deepest historical trauma to this day. Were Catalonia actually to achieve independence, it would have to find a way forward without Spain or the EU. Spain, with the support of many other member states that worry about their own secessionist movements, would block any Catalan bid for EU or eurozone membership. And without membership in the European single market, Catalonia would face the grim prospect of rapid transformation from an economic powerhouse into an isolated and poor country. But independence for Catalonia would pose a fundamental problem for Europe, too. For starters, no one wants a repeat of the breakup of Yugoslavia, for obvious reasons. But, more to the point, the EU cannot countenance the disintegration of member states, because these states comprise the very foundation upon which it rests. The EU is an association of nation-states, not regions. Although regions can play an important role within the EU, they cannot stand in as an alternative to member states. If Catalonia were to set a precedent of secession, encouraging other regions to follow suit, the EU would be thrown into a deep, existential crisis. In fact, one could argue that nothing less than the EU's future is at stake in Catalonia today. Moreover, the original purpose of the EU was to overcome nation-states' deficiencies by means of integration  the opposite of secession. It was meant to transcend the state system that had proved so disastrous in the first half of the twentieth century. Consider Northern Ireland, which has turned out to be a perfect example of how integration within the EU can overcome national borders, bridge historical divides, and ensure peace and stability. Incidentally, the same could be said for Catalonia, which after all owes most of its economic success to Spain's accession to the EU in 1986. It would be historically absurd for the EU's member states to enter a phase of secession and disintegration in the twenty-first century. The sheer size of other global players  not least China, India, and the United States  has only made strong intercommunity relations and deeper European integration even more necessary. One can only hope that reason will prevail, particularly in Barcelona, but also in Madrid. A democratic, intact Spain is too important to be jeopardized by disputes over the allocation of tax revenues among the country's regions. There is no alternative but for both sides to abandon the trenches they have dug for themselves, come out to negotiate, and find a mutually satisfactory solution that accords with the Spanish constitution, democratic principles, and the rule of law. The experiences of Spain's friends and allies could be helpful here. Germany, unlike Spain, is organized as a federation. Yet even in Germany, nothing is as cumbersome and difficult as the never-ending negotiations over fiscal transfers between the federal government and individual states  which is to say, between richer and poorer regions. But an agreement is always eventually reached, and it holds until another dispute arises, at which points negotiations begin anew. To be sure, money is important. But it is not as important as Europeans' shared commitment to liberty, democracy, and the rule of law. Europe's prosperity depends on peace and stability, and peace and stability in Europe depend, first and foremost, on whether Europeans will fight for these values.



Joschka Fischer was German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005, a term marked by Germany's strong support for NATO's intervention in Kosovo in 1999, followed by its opposition to the war in Iraq. Fischer entered electoral politics after participating in the anti-establishment protests of the 1960s and 1970s, and played a key role in founding Germany's Green Party, which he led for almost two decades . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Project-Syndicate. Org , Oct. 17, 2017, Issue. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Petroleumworld and its owners.



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A worker cleans the exterior of one of three glass spheres at Amazon headquarters in Seattle. Read more

Seattle is the fastest-growing big city in the United States, a company town with construction cranes busily erecting new apartments for newly arriving tech workers. Google and Facebook have joined Amazon in putting large offices here.

When Amazon made a surprise announcement last month that it planned to open a second headquarters with even more jobs, it set off an unprecedented race among cities to lure the tech giant their way. Amazon said it will need 8 million square feet in a second region, making it the biggest economic development target in decades, experts say.

But as Seattleites will say, keeping up with the Internet juggernaut has not always been easy, providing a word of caution for officials from other cities willing to pursue the company at great expense.

Over the past decade, Amazon and founder Jeffrey P. Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, have added new products and business units at a breakneck speed and expected public partners to keep pace.

In Seattle, that meant rehabbing an area of more than 350 acres at a cost to taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars in ongoing transportation and infrastructure upgrades expanding public transit, road networks, parks and utilities.

It also put new strains on housing. Seattle is one of the most expensive places in the United States to live, forcing lower-income residents to move to far-off suburbs. The city and surrounding King County declared a state of emergency in 2015 over homelessness.

Since then, the problem has worsened. Rents in King County have more than doubled in the past 20 yearsand gone up 65 percent since 2009. Seattle spends more than $60 million annually to address homelessness, up from $39 million four years ago.

"We started seeing apartment listings that would say, 'No deposit needed and priority for Amazon, Microsoft and Google employees,' " said Rachael Myers, executive director of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, a Seattle-based advocacy group. She said the area is "in the midst of the greatest affordable-housing and homelessness crisis that our state has ever seen."

How much of Seattle's evolution is attributable to Amazon is a matter of debate. In the past decade, millennial workers have poured into other big cities  Washington, San Francisco, Boston  exacerbating housing costs and homelessness there.

But few buildups are so linked to the prospects of one company. Amazon has contributed $30 billion to the local economy and as much as $55 billion more in spinoff benefits. Unemployment in the Seattle area is 3.7 percent, below the national rate of 4.4 percent.

Much of that progress is the result of Amazon's decision to open its first headquarters downtown a decade ago. John Schoettler, who oversees real estate for the online giant, thought it simplest and least expensive to plan a suburban headquarters campus east of Lake Washington in Bellevue, Wash., near Microsoft.

Bezos had a different idea. He wanted to stay in Seattle.

"Jeff said the type of employees we want to hire and retain will want to live in an urban environment. They are going to want to work, live and play in the urban core," Schoettler said.

The decision helped usher in a new era, one in which top employers abandon suburban office parks for lively, urban neighborhoods integrated into the cities around them. Only seven Fortune 500 companies had research or engineering hubs in Seattle in 2010; now 31 do.

"Their growth has just been so positive to lots of other companies, big and small and medium and in between," said Jon Scholes, president and chief executive of the Downtown Seattle Association, where Schoettler is a board member.

It's a boom that has shown little sign of slowing. Seattle added 57 people a day for a year through the summer of 2016, according to census data. How best to accommodate that growth provokes regular debate in Seattle and could well shape whatever city Amazon comes to next.

Such details spark little discussion as mayors and governors from coast to coast have embarked upon a sweepstakes fit for a reality show, touting their cities in online videos and dangling taxpayer-funded subsidies of as much as $7 billion, even if their jurisdictions don't have the workforce or transportation network Amazon said it requires.

The company set Thursday as the deadline to receive proposals.

Tucson officials, with an airport one-tenth as busy as Seattle's, mailed the company a 21-foot cactus to get its attention. Stonecrest, Ga., with a population barely larger than Amazon's Seattle workforce, offered to de-annex 345 acres of its land and rename it the "City of Amazon." Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James purchased 1,000 items on Amazon and rated them all five stars.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to light up several landmarks and venues in orange to show support for his city's bid.

"So will all the mayors go to compete on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' Kelly Ripa or Anderson Cooper?" asked Greg LeRoy, president of the policy group Good Jobs First, which regularly warns that public incentives rarely pay off. "That's the spectrum of the debate right now."

Before Amazon, a wasteland

Seattle won its economic beauty contest in 1962, when it hosted the World's Fair. To serve the crowds, the city built acres of parking and low-slung motels in an area known as South Lake Union.

The bet paid few dividends. Three decades later, the area was probably best known for a printing plant, struggling motels and a Hooters restaurant. Only 677 people lived there in 1990.

Then Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, launched a real estate firm called Vulcan and bought 60 acres in the area. Vulcan executive Ada Healey recalls the early skeptics. During a 2002 pitch meeting, she said, a representative from a prospective company turned to her and asked: "Why would I want to move to South Lake Union? It is a wasteland."

Bezos, though, saw promise in the urban locale. He had started Amazon in his garage in nearby Bellevue, then opened an early office in a former military hospital now called Pacific Tower. Before long, he was searching for more space to accommodate his fast-growing company.

Schoettler initially secured about 1.7 million square feet in 10 buildings. It was enough, he thought, to contain the company through 2016, when it was projected to have 9,300 employees.

Instead, Amazon grew five times as fast. It now has more than 40,000 employees in 33 Seattle buildings totaling 8.1 million square feet. It occupies 19 percent of the high-end office space in the city, according to an analysis by the Seattle Times, as many square feet as the city's next 40 biggest employers combined.

Next year, Amazon will complete its most prominent addition  three glass biospheres featuring about 40,000 plants, "a unique environment for employees to come and collaborate and innovate," Schoettler said.

Seattle officials have raced to keep up, approving $480.5 million in improvements over more than a decade for South Lake Union. Amazon and Vulcan, in need of approval to take over city alleys for its development, chipped in funding.

A $190.5 million road-realignment program included $31.4 million from property owners led by Vulcan. A new, 1.3-mile streetcar line cost $56.4 million and benefited from $5.5 million from Amazon, including the donation of a fourth car. Now the city has embarked on a $201.5 million electrical substation, work that includes burying electrical wires.

On weekdays, South Lake Union teems with young workers sporting Amazon name tags and eating bananas that the company offers free to passersby. Many are walking their dogs  4,000 employee-owned pups are registered with headquarters access, helping Seattle earn notoriety recently for having more dogs than children.

The campus has produced spillover benefits for the city. Amazon's buildings are home to 34 restaurants, including a culinary job-training program called FareStart. More than 20 percent of employees walk to work, and fewer than half drive.

The company's longtime support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights  including a $2.5 million donation that Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, made in support of same-sex marriage  dovetail with the city's progressive politics. In June, the company flew a rainbow flag above its headquarters for LGBT Pride Month. It has more than 40 "GLAmazon" chapters for LGBT affinity around the world.

"We could have gone to the suburbs, and we could have built a campus, and we would have had an entry gate where everybody would come and go so you would be very inward-looking and very exclusive," Schoettler said, "as opposed to being in a very urban environment where you have to look outward, so you're very inclusive, and everyone is your neighbor  and everyone is welcome."

The housing struggle

Maybe no city could have built housing fast enough to keep prices from spiraling upward during Amazon's growth, but Seattle  despite nearly leading the nation in new apartment construction  hasn't come close.

On the sidewalks, alongside rentable neon bikes, people subsist in tents and sleeping bags in places locals say they did not congregate at 10 years ago  a warning sign for cities nationwide trying to capture a version of Seattle's glory.

"We don't have enough housing for low-income people especially, but we also just don't have enough housing," said Myers, a longtime Seattle housing advocate. "And Amazon obviously impacts both of those things."

Officials at Bellwether Housing, the city's largest nonprofit manager of affordable housing, at 2,000 units, report a vacancy rate of 1 percent. "It's very rare that someone moves out, because they have nowhere else to go," said chief executive Susan Boyd.

A state analysis of evictions found they were driven not by social problems but by economics. As Amazon's boom has continued, the city approved a rule this year requiring landlords to accept the first viable renterwho applies  rather than cherry-picking a tech worker. The government also adopted an inclusionary zoning policy requiring developers to set aside some new units at below-market rates or pay into a fund to develop other affordable units.

Myers suggested other jurisdictions pay heed: "If you're going to get an Amazon that's going to create a ton of high-paying jobs and a ton of pressure on the housing market, what are the things you can do before rents really skyrocket?"

Ask 10 experts where the company will put its next headquarters, and you may get 10 different answers. The company prides itself on zigging when others zag, making it more difficult to read the tea leaves. Still, many in Seattle say the company probably has a good idea of its options. "I suspect they have a shortlist," said Healey, the Vulcan executive.

Landing the second headquarters would be a legacy-defining achievement for nearly any governor or mayor, but lessons from Seattle's Amazon experience have bidders scrambling to show how they can meet Amazon's insistence on speed, low costs, transportation and inclusion  particularly if they didn't focus on them ahead of time.

East Coast cities such as Boston, New York and Washington may need to answer for their own runaway real estate and housing prices. Governors, including Republicans Chris Christie of New Jersey, Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Larry Hogan of Maryland, may have to explain why they canceled major transit projects. Charlotte and Indianapolis are bidding, but Amazon may want to know the effect of state laws there affecting the rights of gay or transgender employees.

Amy Liu of the Brookings Institution said the Amazon competition will hopefully serve as a chance for elected leaders to take the temperature of how prepared their neighborhoods and infrastructure are to drive growth, whether from Amazon or elsewhere.

"These are things every city should be doing anyway," she said.
When he was in his mid-20s, Mel Heifetz made a pledge to himself that if he ever became successful, he would give back, and that the object of his generosity would be the gay community.

Successful he was, and now, about to turn 82, the Center City real estate investor is converting 26 of his Center City residential properties into a grand act of charity. On Friday, Heifetz announced that he has gifted them to the Philadelphia Foundation, which will in turn sell them and place the proceeds in an endowment. The expected $16 million from the sale plus cash will join Heifetz's existing $4 million donor-advised fund at the Philadelphia Foundation, and investment income earned on the money each year will go toward LGBT groups.

"This is really a fulfillment of a pledge I made to myself almost 60 years ago," Heifetz, a fulfillment, he admits, that has left him "quite emotional and tearing up, which at 82 is easy to do."

Others in the LGBT community are also feeling emotional.

"This massive donation from Mel is a game-changer, and it will change LGBT advocacy in this region not just for decades, but for all time," said State Rep. Brian K. Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat.

Heifetz is a well-known supporter of LGBT and liberal political causes on a local and national level. In 2005, he paid off the mortgage of the William Way LGBT Community Center, and at least part of what he would like to see this new gift do is to lift philanthropy in the gay community generally.

When he gets notes of thanks for his generosity, Heifetz demurs.

"I say, 'Don't give me your thanks, donate $25 to any organization that supports our community.' If only we could get people to come forward and support our community," he said, "we would be a lot stronger and have a lot more representation."

"I often draw an analogy between Jewish and LGBT philanthropy," says Chris Bartlett, William Way's executive director. "There is an expectation in Jewish philanthropy that people will step up to heal the world. Jewish institutions have put in place that expectation. The LGBT community has to have the same seriousness of purpose. I think part of Mel's frustration is that many in the LGBT community haven't been convinced of the need to invest in LGBT causes, so they give to the opera or the orchestra."

Heifetz's presence in the community has, Bartlett said, "made the case to many other donors that we are worthy of that investment."

Heifetz  who is distantly related to violinist Jascha Heifetz  grew up in South Philadelphia (at Seventh and Wharton Streets, then Eighth Street and Snyder Avenue), the son of two hairdressers. He was working by the age of 8 or 9, cleaning his parents' salon and selling door to door with his father. He served in the Army, then studied real estate at Temple University. He left college after less than a year to learn on the job. He bought his first property in his 20s in South Philadelphia for $600 and rented it for $50 a month, and two or three years later bought a five-unit apartment building at 22nd and Locust Streets for $24,000.

"I still own it today," he said, "It brings in $60,000 a year."

And then he remembers.

"Well, I did own it. Until yesterday," he says, turning to Pedro A. Ramos, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, which has long existed to manage both its own endowment as well as donor-advised funds of others.

"It's a real estate success story," said Ramos of Heifetz.

Now the money will go to work in the service of charity. Heifetz's fund at the Philadelphia Foundation is called the GLBT Fund of America and will support groups that work on civil rights, social justice, and health needs. (The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, operates under the auspices of the Philadelphia Foundation.)

But given all of the accomplishments of the last decade or two  same-sex marriage, just to name a major one  one might wonder: Is giving to LGBT causes less critical than it once was?

"No, it's even more critical now," said Heifetz, who himself has a partner. "We are literally under attack by our own government. The government and the unnamed person [President Trump] have hired people whose first requirement seems to be that they have to have a dislike for homosexuals, and they have to promise to do everything they can to exclude us from any benefits. The number of things they've already excluded us from  every day, they seem to add something else. And I'm sure at the end of the list is gay marriage. One more appointment to the Supreme Court will probably fix that. And it's a shame after spending your whole life wanting to see your community achieve the same equality everyone else has.

"This is not the America we grew up with," he says, echoing himself more softly. "Not the America we grew up with at all."

Heifetz says that after him, the GLBT Fund of America will be shepherded by a trustee or two who will keep it true to his intent, and that even after making his gift, he "won't be eating hot dogs on the street at $2 apiece. I live a very middle-class lifestyle, and I'm happy with that."

Despite the generosity, no one who knows Heifetz was surprised that he "would give away his life's wealth for the betterment of the community," says Sims.

"It's just an extension of how he has lived every year I've known him and longer. Giving back is as much a part of his day as getting up and going to work."
Dr. Jesse Taylor, left, plastic surgeon, and Dr. Gregory Heuer, neurosurgeon, right, talk with an Inquirer reporter about the separation of cojoined twins Erin and Abby Delaney at CHOP on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Read more

The surgeons who led the June separation of Abby and Erin Delaney at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia launched the multistage process with a technique never tried in such a case: They got the twins to begin disconnecting their fused heads on their own, long before the complete-separation surgery.

Distraction osteogenesis has been used for 20 years to correct facial and cranial deformities, but no one had ever used it to help separate craniopagus twins, the rarest type of conjoined siblings. It capitalizes on a biological paradox; when a bone is cut and the two ends are carefully, steadily tractioned apart, the "distraction" spurs bone growth as the tissue seeks to heal.

A year ago, when the twins were just three months old and weighed about five pounds each, CHOP reconstructive surgeon Jesse Taylor and neurosurgeon Gregory Heuer cut the infants' skulls at the juncture point. They installed custom-made, padded distraction devices, then sewed the scalps back together to cover the bone.

Over the next month, the infants' skulls were pulled apart about four-hundredths of an inch per day. The process was painless for the babies, who wound up with a 1-inch band of separation, as well as extra bone and skin that helped with later reconstruction.

The twins also may have developed new cranial blood vessel pathways.

"We knew that the more we could have them remodel their skin, bone, and blood vessels, the better," Heuer said in a recent interview.

"By releasing the bone that connected the twins at an early stage, it probably did alter their vascular connection," said Taylor, who proposed the novel use of bone traction. "There's no way to prove it. It's a hypothesis."

Cranial blood vessels are a crucial obstacle to separation, even for twins like Abby and Erin, who shared only a small spot of brain tissue. One twin's blood supply usually is dominant, and as blood drains from the heads to the hearts and other organs, the dominant twin becomes a biological crutch for the weaker twin. Erin was a crutch for Abby, who began showing signs of vascular stress while still in their mother's womb.

Given that craniopagus twins occur once in about 2.5 million births and only 60 separations have been attempted since 1952, there is little opportunity to test ways to reduce the dangers.

The multistage approach

The world's most experienced craniopagus separation surgeon is James T. Goodrich, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. He pioneered an approach that involves operating on each quadrant of the brain over about 10 months. He believes this four-stage separation reduces bleeding and brain swelling, allows time for new venous blood drainage to develop, and averts brain damage.

His original multistaged twins, Carl and Clarence Aguirre of the Philippines, initially were celebrated as the first craniopagus pair ever to avoid neurological damage. But today, Carl requires a wheelchair and has permanent disabilities, including a seizure disorder. Both boys, now 15, still wear protective helmets, according to a recent CNN story.

CNN has followed Goodrich's most recent craniopagus twins, Anias and Jadon McDonald, separated in October 2016 and now 2 years old. The boys have been plagued by wound-healing problems, including cysts, swelling, and infections where surgeons performed the four craniectomies  cutting through scalps, skull, and dura, the protective brain membrane.

Lucky or thankful

Abby and Erin, now 15 months old, have had no such wound complications, partly because surgeons were able to reach their blood vessels by selectively widening the 1-inch channel of separation created by the distraction process. It's too soon to fully assess any neurological problems.

Taylor, who is 43, is circumspect about the innovation.

"The word I would use is lucky or thankful," he said. "You feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to push the envelope and move the surgical science forward. But there's no animal model for this. You have to put it to the test in actual kids. Heather and Riley [the twins' parents] had to take this leap of faith that we knew what we were talking about."

The twins' 11-hour surgery by a 30-member team on June 7  CHOP's first craniopagus separation  was at times harrowing, Heuer and Taylor readily admit.

Originally, they planned to do two surgeries several weeks apart, culminating with the riskiest step  cutting the sagittal sinus, the major conduit for blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

"But once we separated the first side, it went so well, we decided it was better to continue and not wait," Heuer said.

As expected, the blood loss was life-threatening for both twins, but especially for Abby, who got less of the sagittal sinus after it was divided. Her entire blood volume  about a pint  had to be replaced several times.

"In an adult, blood loss makes the blood pressure drop," Heuer said. "But in a baby, if low blood pressure develops, it's almost too late. So it really takes doctors who are used to lots of blood loss. They know the recipe to put blood products back in, and how to stay ahead of the losses.

"If Abby's bleeding had continued much longer," he added, "we could have lost her. There also comes a point where you have to think about saving one of the twins, and not the other, to stop the blood loss. That was a discussion we had with the parents beforehand."

Heuer, 45, also confided a personal trauma to the Delaneys: Twelve years ago, the neophyte neurosurgeon and his wife lost twins five months into the pregnancy because of untreatable cerebrospinal birth defects. The couple went on to have a healthy daughter, but the loss helps Heuer understand parents' anguish.

"I find solace knowing some good has come from something awful," he said.
A 3-year-old Philadelphia boy was critically wounded Saturday afternoon after he reportedly was shot in the head by one of his older brothers.

Three boys were home alone about 3 p.m. in a rowhouse on North 18th Street near Erie Avenue in the city's Tioga neighborhood. Police told NBCPhiladelphia.com that a 6-year-old found a gun in a second floor bedroom and pulled the trigger, hitting the toddler in the forehead.

The injured boy was taken to Temple University Hospital. Police had made no arrests by early Saturday evening nor had determined the ownership of the weapon.
Sirhaven Williams, 36, was charged with reckless endangerment after his 3-year-old son was shot in the forehead inside their family home. Read more

Police have arrested the father of a 3-year-old Philadelphia boy who was critically wounded Saturday afternoon after he reportedly was shot in the head by one of his older brothers.

Sirhaven Williams, 36, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person, police said Sunday.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a call of a juvenile with a gun on the 3600 block of North 18th Street in the city's Tioga section. They found the toddler with a gunshot wound to the forehead.

Officers took the child to Temple University Hospital, where he remained in "very critical condition" Sunday, police said.

Police told NBCPhiladelphia.com that three boys were home alone and a 6-year-old found a gun in a second-floor bedroom and pulled the trigger. Police would not comment on those specifics Sunday.
It was another typical week in Washington under the Trump administration last week: the president made inflammatory tweets and comments on a number of issues, outrage ensued from a large portion of the country, and responding outrage at the outrage followed.

This week the president's handling of military deaths became the lightning rod. Next week it will likely be something else.

Rinse and repeat.

And nothing of substance is getting done.

But amid last week's shouting came a small indication that our elected federal officials are still capable of working together to get something accomplished for the benefit of the American people.

A bipartisan measure aimed at trying to stabilize the volatile health insurance market was announced by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Take a second to think about that. Democratic and Republican lawmakers reaching a deal on health care. It's an agreement that gives some ground to both sides, and it could help calm markets down at a vital time for consumers.

But standing in the way are some hard-line Republicans, still fixated on their desire to obliterate the Affordable Care Act passed by a Democratic congress under a Democratic president.

To get this measure to a vote and over the finish line requires the vocal and persistent effort of the more practical Republicans who have taken the time to understand the complexities of the health care environment.

One of those people is, we think, our own congressman, U.S. Rep. John Katko. Since being elected to represent central New York in Washington, Katko has consistently voted against the poorly designed ACA repeal measures that his party's leaders have pushed.

Now Katko has an opportunity to get behind health-care legislation that's bipartisan and in keeping with the parameters he's discussed during his previous repeal votes.

The congressman was traveling overseas last week, so we didn't hear from him on the question of whether he supports the Alexander/Murray proposal. We hope that he does, but we also hope for him to be a leader by rallying support for a vote in the House of Representatives and encouraging the president to get behind it, too.

It's long past time for Katko and others to stand up for the largely ignored moderate voters who just want to see Republicans and Democrats find some common ground to get things done. This is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, managing editor Mike Dowd and executive editor Jeremy Boyer.
By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Oct 22 (PTI) The process of filing nominations began today for the first phase of parliamentary and provincial polls in Nepal that will be held across 32 districts on November 26, election officials said.

The second phase of the elections to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies for the remaining 45 districts will be held on December 7.

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The Spokesperson of the Election Commission, Navaraj Dhakal, said the candidates and the representatives of various political parties filed their nominations in a systematic way.

The aspiring candidates submitted their nominations at the office of the Chief Returning Officer and the Returning Officer opened in their respective district headquarters, Dhakal said.

The first phase of elections will be held in Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Okhaldhunga, Taplejung, Paachthar, Khotang, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dhading, Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Mustang, Myagdi, Baglung, Manang, Lamjung, Gorkha, Rukum (eastern part), Rolpa, Rukum (Western part), Jajarkot, Humla, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Dolpa, Darchula, Bajhang, Bajura and Baitadi.

Some high-profile leaders contesting for the polls include former Prime Minister and chief of Naya Shakti Party Baburam Bhattarai and Vice-Chairman of CPN-Maoist Centre Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who are contesting from Gorkha-2 seat.

Chairperson of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Democratic) Pashupati Shamsher Rana will contest from Sindhupalchok-2 while Maoist Centre leader Agni Sapkota is in the race from Sindhupalchok-1. CPN (UML) secretary Yogesh Bhattarai will contest from Taplejung.

From Nuwakot-1, senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat is in the fray from Nuwakot-2, while another NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC has filed his nomination for House of Representatives. Barsha Man Pun of CPN (MC) and Amar Singh Pun are in the race from Rolpa for House of Representatives.

CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre are having electoral alliance for the forthcoming elections were as Nepali Congress and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Democratic) are forging electoral alliance for the same.

The nominations for the December 7 elections shall take place for the remaining 45 districts on November 2.

The general and provincial elections, scheduled for November 26 and December 7, were declared on August 21 and are seen as the final step in the Himalayan nations post-war transition to a federal democracy.

The Maoists have dominated Nepals politics for more than 20 years after waging a decade-long insurgency against government forces that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

The civil war in Nepal came to an end in 2006. PTI SBP KIS KIS

--- ENDS ---

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Anti-police protests turned from peaceful to aggressive Saturday at the statue of former Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, leading to at least three injuries, two arrests and four citations. Read more

Protesters gathered again Sunday outside a national law enforcement event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, following a march Saturday in which two demonstrators were arrested and charged with assaulting Philadelphia police officers.

The Sunday demonstration stayed peaceful, resembling a lecture more than a protest. About 40 protesters gathered at 12th and Arch Streets for nearly two hours, listening to several speakers talk about police brutality and racial profiling.

The speakers called for police departments to be abolished, saying that officers regularly violate people's rights and that police in general are a waste of money.

"We don't talk to pigs of any sort. In any uniform," one speaker, a young woman who declined to provide her name, told the crowd. Another speaker called police "rotten to the root."

The demonstrators, mostly young people, handed out fliers to passersby and held signs that read, "White silence is violence" and "No good cop in a racist system."

About 30 police officers stood across the street from the demonstration, keeping an eye on it.

Philly for REAL Justice, a group that marches against police brutality, organized both demonstrations through Facebook. Saturday's demonstration, which started at the Convention Center and continued down Center City streets, was largely peaceful until the group of about 50 protesters clashed with police near the controversial statue of the late Mayor Frank L. Rizzo.

Police reported Saturday that two officers and a protester suffered minor injuries.

The demonstrations come as thousands of law enforcement officials meet in Philadelphia at a conference for the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the conference Saturday and is expected to make another appearance Monday, when he will make an announcement on plans to combat the violent gang MS-13, the Department of Justice announced Sunday. The conference will end Tuesday.

A man who was attending the conference walked up, an ice cream cone in one hand and his camera in another. He attempted to record the protesters. Immediately, a protester jumped up to block his camera. This went back and forth for a minute until he walked away.

Here is a sampling of the Sunday protests, which began around 2:30 p.m.:

Sofiya Ballin contributed to this article.
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta is not seeking reelection to his congressional seat in order to challenge U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Read more

TURKEYTOWN, Pa.  Just as you crest the hill heading east along the Glades Pike highway, a red, white and blue "Drain the Swamp" sign sits on the well-manicured lawn of a sprawling home in Turkeytown, a Western Pennsylvania town likely named for the abundance of wild game in the region.

A year ago, a Donald Trump-Mike Pence sign sat in just about the same place at the same house.

A few miles down the road, a tricolored green, blue, and orange sign in front of a shuttered business bears a simple message in Arabic, Spanish, and English: "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor."

As the signs show, sometimes it's hard to pinpoint exactly where Pennsylvania is politically. Is it still solidly for President Trump, as the first sign suggests? Or is the energy brewing for progressives strong enough to upend the Republican Party's majority in the state's congressional delegation, as the third sign suggests?

From the outside, the political class has essentially seen the Keystone State as a reliable blue state, an assessment largely based on its six-cycle streak of voting for the Democratic presidential nominee.

It is a totally fair assessment.

Why Democrats didn't carry Pennsylvania in 2016 came down to tiny details. Essentially, the state's political composition has been subtly changing since 1996.

Even while Democrats were winning at the top of the ticket, down-ballot, the state has gone from solid blue to solid red in the state legislative bodies and the congressional delegation. Republicans currently hold 13 of the state's 18 congressional districts.

But the Democrats are far from extinct. They hold the governor's office; they also hold one Senate seat and all of the row offices on the state level, despite two of the previous three row-office holders, both Democrats, going to jail in the past few years.

Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the Sabato's Crystal Ball publication at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, says there is an argument to be made that Pennsylvania makes a fairly decent microcosm of where the country stands right now in terms of who holds the power in government  and it's a decent bellwether by which to gauge next November's midterm elections.

In short: As goes Pennsylvania's sentiments, so goes the majority of the House in the 2018 midterms.

First, some background: Outside of two instances in modern history, presidents always lose House seats in their first midterms; it is a brake-pedal reaction to whatever the party in power has been doing in the first two years.

And, for the first time in a very long time, Pennsylvania is expected have four open contests in the state: seats held by Republicans who have vacated due to retirement (Rep. Charlie Dent), scandal (Rep. Tim Murphy), presidential appointment (Rep. Tom Marino) or seeking higher office (Rep. Lou Barletta).

All of this makes for the perfect window into what might be going on in the rest of the country.

"There are a lot of elements of Pennsylvania's congressional districts that show up nationally," said Kondik. "First of all, Republicans drew the Keystone State map to favor their party, which was true in many other key states across the country. Not all, but many, particularly across the Rust Belt."

It is a 13-5 Republican majority that has held up in three straight House elections. But none of those elections had a strong Democratic tide. That tide seems likely to come in 2018.

"The president's party often struggles in midterm elections," Kondik explained, "particularly a party led by an unpopular president, as Donald Trump is, at least at the moment."

Ultimately, one would expect that Democrats would have to chip away at the big GOP congressional majority in Pennsylvania to win the House back.

The key for Democrats is to make some of these GOP-held seats more winnable with moderate Democrats who reflect the moderate attitudes and values of the districts. It is a key that is challenging for a party agonizing over its identity and fractures.

Are they a big tent? Do they give room for anti-abortion and pro-gun candidates to compete for these seats? Certainly, doing so would make the races more winnable. Then again, if a wave comes, ideology becomes secondary.

Tom Davis, former Virginia congressman and National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, has noted the increasing tendency for House elections to be more "parliamentary," meaning that the personal attributes of the candidates may matter a little bit less than they used to as they are replaced by big-picture national forces and partisanship.

"If we see that kind of dynamic next year, and if Democrats have the wind at their backs, it's possible that solidly left-of-center Democratic candidates could get elected in places where one might not expect," Kondik says. "With all that said, I certainly think it would be wise for Democrats to try to find candidates who can tack to the center in some of these Republican-leaning districts and are at least moderate on core social issues, like abortion and gun rights."

A lot can happen between now and next November. But if there is one place to watch in order to see what the trends are, it's the Keystone State.

Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst, and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. For more information, visit www.creators.com.
China's People's Liberation Army on Sunday hailed the "peaceful resolution" of the stand-off with India at Doklam during the on-going once-in-five-year Party Congress in Beijing.

By Ananth Krishnan: China's People's Liberation Army on Sunday hailed the "peaceful resolution" of the standoff with India at Doklam , amid the on-going once-in-five-year Party Congress in Beijing, and said it showed how its "practical cooperation" and "many negotiations with India" helped in resolving the dispute.

Liu Fang, Staff Officer at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the PLA's Central Military Commission (CMC) - its top body headed by President Xi Jinping - highlighted the "peaceful resolution" of standoff with India in her opening remarks to media at a press conference on the sidelines of the Congress.

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She referred to the resolution as underlining the PLA's "practical cooperation" with foreign countries, where she also highlighted newly set up emergency dispute resolution and maritime cooperation mechanisms with the United States.

Referring to what she said was Indian troops "crossing the borderline into China's territory", Liu said, "My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and held negotiations with the Indian side many times, and the spokesperson for the national defence also clearly reiterated China's position. All this contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the China-India cross border dispute."

Saying the 72-day stand-off was "safely resolved right now", she indicated it showed how the PLA was "working hard to build up new platforms and measures in international cooperation".

After the August 28 disengagement at Doklam, the PLA said then the "Chinese military will remain vigilant and firmly defend national territory and sovereignty". Senior Colonel Wu Qian of the PLA also said "peace and stability along China-India border concerns regional peace and stability and accords with the common interests of the two peoples."

At the same time, he added, "We remind India to draw lessons from the stand-off, abide by established treaties and the basic principles of international law, and work together with China to safeguard peace and stability along the border and promote the healthy development of the two militaries."

At the October 18 opening of the week-long congress, President Xi called for building stronger armed forces and said China would work to complete the modernisation of armed forces by 2035 and to build it into "world class forces" by "the mid-21st century". Xi has pushed sweeping reforms of the military during his first term, introducing a higher degree of centralisation as well as increasing the joint integration of army, air force and navy commands, besides adding a new rocket force and strategic support force.

--- ENDS ---
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By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters)  There were only a few minutes left before baggage carousel No. 4 jolted to life at John F. Kennedy International Airport, soon to be ringed with people coming from Puerto Rico on one-way tickets they never would have bought if not for the hurricane.

Moving at a canter, Emily Pagan and three colleagues from various New York state government agencies carted their fold-up table halfway down the Terminal 5 arrivals hall, setting it up by the carousel against a pillar.

They had volunteered to help orient the latest batch of the tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans that New York officials estimate will flee from the lingering devastation wrought a month ago by Hurricane Maria.

Many are expected to stay for months  or years  and some forever, in a largely reluctant wave of migration abetted by the spare mattresses and couches of the one million Puerto Ricans who already call the New York area home.

A lot of them are saying they came to start a new life here because they lost everything, Pagan said on her third day of greeting arrivals from the U.S. territory, where the power grid and water supply remain in disarray.

She tried to make the makeshift help desk look nice, centering a bowl of mints and squaring off the piles of leaflets about health and job resources.

A clipboard wedged into her elbow, Pagan hurried up to anyone who looked like they were waiting for relatives from the island, flipping between English and Spanish: Hi, Im Emily, and I represent the state.

Lissette Feliciano, who had driven down from Bridgeport, Connecticut, was among those grateful for a leaflet. Then bags began thudding onto the carousel and the automatic doors slid open to admit her 10-year-old nephew, sporting an Incredible Hulk T-shirt, alongside her youngest sister, Madeline Feliciano.

The nephew, Carlos, grinned as he was nuzzled by his aunt. It was their first time leaving the island. They never expected an airplane cabin would be so cold, he said, shivering.

Im so-so, his mother said, looking daunted.

Many Puerto Rican families are divided between those who prefer the islands warmth and those who cannot understand why one would not move to the mainlands hustle, as Lissette did seven years ago. But the storm put those disagreements on hold.

Four days, no running water, Madeline said of their hometown, Isabela. She did not know when they could return.

Theyll stay with me until we can find something for her, said Lissette, who had already found a bilingual school for Carlos.

They headed out, with Madeline and Carlos added to the tally on Pagans clipboard.

People gravitated toward Pagan and her purple top bearing the logo of New Yorks Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, where she normally works as a compliance officer.

Born in Puerto Rico, Pagan, 42, listened to the accounts of each new arrival that made her beautiful native island seem unfamiliar: no water, no power, no green left on the tropical trees, no sort of place where a child or grandparent could thrive.

Its heartbreaking, she said between flights. But she tried to put on a welcoming face, slipping lollipops to children before moving on to the next family. She was yet to meet anyone without relatives to stay with, but younger adults seemed worried about finding jobs in a place where they had never planned to live.

Pagan cooed at the green eyes of a 7-year-old boy called Jayden with a Transformers backpack. You speak English! she said after the boy squirmed at the compliment. You understand everything I say!

Jaydens father, Joemil Ramirez, was returning to New York City, where he was raised, for only three weeks, partly for its functional telephone network. Much of that time he expected to spend making calls trying to salvage his hurricane-ravaged restaurant in Rincon. But when he returned, he would be leaving behind Jayden, who would move in with the boys mother, from whom Ramirez was separated.

Theres no place for him to be, no school, Ramirez said. Its a situation I wouldnt give to my own worst enemy.

Genoveva Mendez, 48, watched the carousel from her wheelchair. She had been undergoing physical therapy three times a week following a stroke, but Maria halted that.

We had to force her, said her daughter, Jessenia Lalama. Mendez had refused the offer of a ticket to New York for weeks.

I like the island, the islands beautiful, Mendez said, becoming tearful at the memory of her home before the hurricane.

When the hall emptied, a lone suitcase remained on the carousel as Pagan and her colleagues carried their table back to the corner, ready to greet the next days flights.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Dan Grebler)
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Retired Gen. David Petraeus explained to the White House why it is important and appropriate in a democracy for citizens to criticize generals.

Video:

https://youtu.be/PvfjRPzd-r0

Transcript via ABCs This Week:

RADDATZ: I want to start with what the White House said, about it being highly inappropriate to debate a four-star general.

PETRAEUS: Well, I think were all fair game. And I certainly experienced lots of that in testimony on Capitol Hill during the surge in Iraq and subsequent endeavors in Afghanistan central command and so forth.

We, in uniform, protect the rights of those to criticize us, frankly. I remember opening The New York Times in the morning of the big testimony on the surge at the six-month mark, and there was a full-page ad attacking me personally.

I didnt appreciate it, needless to say.

RADDATZ: I remember that. It said, general betray us.

PETRAEUS: Yes. But at the end of the day, we are fiercely protective of the rights of our Americans to express themselves even if that includes critizing us.

Being in the military does not make someone immune from criticism. No matter how much the Trump White House wishes that this was true, it isnt. Gen. Petraeus was correct. No one from the Bush administration ever claimed that Petraeus was above criticism during the troop surge in Iraq. In a free society, people must have the right to criticize their government.

The government is of the people, not above the people. Donald Trump has managed to bring the vast majority of the country together in a common stand against his authoritarian leanings. The military is not Trumps personal force. They dont exist for the President to hide behind when he gets himself into trouble.

The military understands the rights that they are protecting clearly better than Trump, who is fighting to undermine them.
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If anything, the biggest take away from Sessions testimony is that while Sessions is taking action on Russian interference in commercial matters, hes satisfied with doing a review of interference in our elections.

Its ironic considering that the Trump administrations expressed interest in preserving election integrity amounts to keeping eligible voters off the rolls while the President retweets fake news originating from Russian bots.

Much of Jeff Sessions testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee was unremarkable. He either lied or dodged questions by declaring, without a legal basis to do so, his conversations with Trump regarding Russia are private.

The most important news that came out of his testimony was buried by many important issues, like Sessions indifference for the civil rights of people beyond the Republican partys base of white male and conservative Evangelicals.

Namely, Sessions admitted that he has been negligent when it comes to Russias interference in our elections. As important as civil rights are, without free and fair elections all the rights and protections we enjoy under the constitution are in danger.

While Sessions has technically recused himself from matters related to Russia and the 2016 election, he is being negligent when it comes to Russian interference in future elections.

Susan Hennessey, wrote about the exchange in an article for Foreign Policy. Sasse asked the following question: As the nations chief law enforcement officer and as a supervisor of multiple components of our intelligence community  do you think were doing enough to prepare for future interference by Russia and other foreign adversaries in the information space?

For a man who was so offended by suggestions that he colluded with Russia in 2016 one would think that Sessions would welcome this opportunity to quash those doubts by acting within his capacity to make sure we are doing everything possible to prevent future interference by Russia and other foreign adversaries, right? Heres what he said: Probably not. Were not. And the matter is so complex that for most of us, we are not able to fully grasp the technical dangers that are out there.

The bad politics are obvious, especially given the fiery exchange Sessions had with Senator Al Franken over Sessions lies regarding his meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 elections.

Sessions acknowledge that Russia interfered with elections in 2016 and told Sasse that requires a real review. When Sasse followed up by asking Sessions what steps his department has taken or should to learn from 2016 to prevent foreign interference in future elections; Sessions was strikingly silent. That pretty much tells us the DOJ is doing nothing.

Youll be glad to know the DOJ is really paying attention to commercial interference by foreigners, and theft of trade secrets and data, but when it comes to the security of our elections  nothing.

This is particularly interesting considering how outraged Sessions by Senator Frankens questioning about Sessions lies regarding the several meetings he had with Russians during the 2016 campaign.

The outrage belongs to America, Mr. Attorney-General. By doing nothing about Russias interference in our elections, the Attorney-General is showing us he has no interest in preserving the integrity of a free and fair election system in America. Thats reinforced by the DOJs willingness to allow states like Texas to continue disenfranchising eligible voters.
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The following post, written by The Rev. Robert A. Franek, is a part of Politicus Policy Discussion, in which writers draw connections between real lives and public policy.

With the number of lies being told from the White House press lectern how will we the American people know when the truth is being told?

Since Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended President Donald Trumps false claims about crowd size at his inauguration and Kellyanne Conway went on television and introduced America to the phrase alternative facts, the information given at White House press briefings has been routinely fact checked to be misleading or false. This has happened with nearly every person who has spoken from the briefing room lectern.

Press Secretaries Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders are not alone in the art of defending the indefensible with lies, double speak, and non-answers to reporters persistent inquiry. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price have each had multiple problems with the telling the truth to the press and the public.

The fast-talking Anthony Scaramucci, whose time at the White House was less than the shelf life of a gallon of milk, still, never missed an opportunity to slay the truth and justify his points with pretzel logic.

This past week White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, one long thought to bring integrity and order to the West Wing, lost his credibility while also revealing his misogyny. General Kelly became the latest in the parade of Team Trump officials to lie to the press and the American public while standing at a lectern where the press and the public are supposed to be able to expect White House officials to speak with integrity and tell the truth.

Jason Easley noted the difficulty for cable news to deal with the real-time nature of the Trump administrations lies. The networks have tried instant fact checkers, crawls at the bottom of the screen, and banners. Of the three, the banners have been the most instantly effective. In this same article Easley highlights the effective use of an on-screen banner CNN used to debunk lies from both Sarah Huckabee Sanders and John Kelly. A technique Easley commends to all networks which insist on airing these propaganda-filled briefings.

It is essential that news networks follow the lead of CNN here. In order for our democracy to function properly the people, citizens from coast to coast, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii, from Alaska to all around the globe, must be informed accurately about the actions of our government. But it is not only being accurately informed that is important, but also being able to trust those in public office to act with integrity and honesty in their dealings with affairs that affect the real lives of people across the country and throughout the world.

Trumps lies are not only dangerous and embarrassing, they are eroding the integrity of the highest office in the land. This will be hard enough to repair in the time after Trump whenever and however that happens and regardless of who his successor is and for what reason.

With cabinet secretaries and other staff members also playing fast and loose with the truth in order to promote Trumps propaganda in White House press briefings, what are the American people to think of their character in other aspects of their work on behalf of the people of the county they have promised to serve?

It is one thing to misspeak or get something wrong, recognize it, correct the error, and apologize. However, it is not only Trump who is allergic to apologies and correcting the record. This practice is trickling down as his staff is doubling down on lies as they shred the integrity of White House press briefings, while most ironically claiming the moral high ground.

The propaganda filled press briefings are not going to stop anytime soon. This administration is intent on misleading the people by saying whatever it takes to make their dangerous and despicable agenda palatable to the press and the public.

We the people cannot afford to be disengaged, but must be ever vigilant taking nothing from this administration at face value. We must continue to demand the press to their jobs by fact-checking White House press briefings in real-time so that in the coinage of Kellyanne Conway alternative facts dont have time to take root in public consciousness.

It is a sad chapter in American history that White House press briefings have become opportunities to promote propaganda instead of clarifying policies that serve the common good of society, the world, and the environment. One day we shall return to this and restore integrity and honesty to the West Wing.
November is a truthful month  it doesnt indulge fantasies of permanence, such as mortals sometimes cling to, because it demonstrates unmistakable change from start to finish. Read moreAging for Amateurs: November is a dance on the foggy coast
Straight No Chaser is celebrating its silver anniversary with a three-month tour that would exact a physical toll on any performer  vocalists especially. Yet despite the grueling schedule (they are almost exactly in the middle of more than 60 performances), SNC performed an outstanding show Nov. 13 at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Read moreReview: Straight No Chaser delights young and old on a cappella tour
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today took a swipe at Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje over an ordinance, criticised by civil rights activists as a move to curb free speech.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was "2017, not 1817".

"Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

He also tagged a news report entitled "Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts". The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media.

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It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority.

The state government said in a release last night there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

Earlier, Civil rights group PUCL demanded that a Rajasthan government ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction be repealed, even as state home minister Gulabchand Kataria defended the move.

Kataria said the ordinance was brought to check those who intend to put hurdles in the government's work for publicity.

THE ORDINANCE

The Vasundhara Raje government issued the ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from investigation for on-duty action without the state government's prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, "No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant."

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.

THE OPPOSITION

State president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Kavita Srivastava said the amendments and provisos were to "gag the media" and "clipping" the powers of the magistrate to order a probe, investigate or take cognisance of complaints against public servants including judges and magistrates.

"We will go to the high court tomorrow against the government's move. The ordinance should be repealed," she said.

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"It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court," she added.

GOVERNMENT'S DEFENCE

The state government in a release said there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

"The state government has maintained a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and there is no provision in the ordinance which gives protection to corrupt officials. The only aim of the ordinance is that no one can tarnish the image of honest officials by misusing section 156 (3) of the CrPC," it stated.

Section 156 (3) of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to order investigation following a complaint. Defending the ordinance, home minister Kataria told reporters in Udaipur that sanction will be deemed granted if there was no decision on the sanction request after the stipulated time period of 180 days.

He said a bill will be introduced in the assembly session beginning Monday to replace the ordinance.

(Based PTI reports)

--- ENDS ---
Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House on Tuesday, looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party is waning. Read moreTrump prepares to launch 3rd campaign for the White House
Across South Carolina, from the coast to our mountainous state line, new and expanded trails have certainly made a lot of headlines in recent months. Here are just a few of the exciting developments: Read moreEditorial: From the SC coast to the mountains, welcome progress on new trails
ST. PAUL  When it came time to sell Beanie's at Maui's Landing  their marina, boat launch and bait shop on the St. Croix River in Lakeland  Gary and Dottie Mau decided to use the tried-and-true method that brought them to Beanie's in 1991: a handwritten sign tacked to a tree.

Christopher Onken saw the sign on Father's Day when he and two of his sons rented a 15-foot boat for a fishing expedition.

"We tooled around for an hour, but didn't catch anything," Onken said. "I saw the sign as we came back in, and I came back into the bait shop and said, 'So, is this place for sale?' They said 'Yeah,' handed me a flier, and here we are."

Onken will close the deal on the marina, boat launch, bait shop, house and cabin Oct. 31.

"I've never caught a fish on the St. Croix in about a half-dozen tries, so this is my very expensive way to learn how to catch fish on the St. Croix," he said.

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Standing behind the counter of the bait shop, Dottie Mau laughed when she heard about Onken's bad luck.

"I can't catch a fish to save my soul," Mau told him. "I can tell you how to go out and catch a fish and where they are and people will catch fish doing what I tell them, but I can't catch a single one. I'm hopeless."

But Mau knows bait. She gave Onken a crash course on the contents of her minnow tank.

"Here's what we have: Fatheads are used for walleye fishing primarily, OK?" Dottie Mau told him. "Some of the guys will use them for other types of fish  northerns, bass, that kind of thing. Crappie minnows are for crappies and sunfish. A lot of people catch a lot of crappies off our docks. They also go over into the marina over there, and they jig around the boats, and crappies hang there. Also  this is a word of wisdom  the second piling in on the Wisconsin side (of the Interstate 94 bridge) is where the crappies have been for over a hundred years. I'll show you, c'mere."

Mau opened the door to the bait shop and looked out over the St. Croix River.

"You've got to go all the way down to the bottom of the river and then you bring it up this much," she said, putting her hands about two feet apart. "And then you jig it."

Onken is the owner and CEO of Zumbro House in Woodbury, which provides group homes and assisted living for people with disabilities and mental illness. He and his wife, Alisa, live in West Lakeland Township and have four young sons: Jack, 7; Luke, 6; Erik, 5; and Kip, 3.

"They're all really excited about it," he said. "We're going to have a lot to do in the summertime now."

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This is how outdoors writer Chris Niskanen described Beanie's in a Pioneer Press article in April 2010:

"The Beanie's bait shop is a throwback to shops of yore, where a few dusty stuffed walleyes adorn the walls, along with pictures of anglers possessing large fish and haircuts from the 1980s. Gary and Dottie enjoy the hominess of their operation because it is their home. The living room of their home overlooks the docks and boat ramp.

"In an age where boating and fishing has been super-sized, the Maus represent the quintessential ma-and-pa operation," Niskanen wrote. "They and their crew of teenagers sell fathead minnows and bags of potato chips, and provide critical boat access to the river that anglers seem to favor."

Gary Mau said that description is still accurate.

The bait shop sells soft drinks, snacks and frozen food  "just like you would find at a convenience store"  and Beanie's T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, he said. Also on the menu: Nightcrawlers, leeches, waxies, crappie minnows, fathead minnows and suckers.

The Maus were living on eight acres in Baytown Township in 1991 when they decided to look for waterfront property. Dottie Mau wanted to live on a lake, but Gary Mau wanted to live on the St. Croix.

"I did not like the fact that most of the Minnesota lakes turn green by the Fourth of July," he said.

After church on Easter Sunday 1991, the couple and two of their three children were driving along the St. Croix when they saw a handwritten "For Sale" at the top of a hill on the Minnesota side of the river. They drove down the hill and found a boat launch, bait shop, house and cabin, he said.

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"At the time, (Dottie's) parents were basically living in Florida, but they would spend five months every summer in Lake City, but that wasn't working too good," he said. "Well, here's a place, it's right on the river and the price was right, and there's a place for (her) folks to stay in the summertime and, oh, by the way, it's got this little bait shop."

The previous owner, Mark Miller, showed the Maus his income-tax returns for the business from 1990.

"He had a gross income of $25,000, so not much of anything," said Gary Mau, who worked in international marketing for United Defense until his retirement in 1995. "Dottie said, 'Well, I probably could do this,' and we basically built it up from nothing."

Miller's grandfather, William "Beanie" Miller, started a commercial-fishing business on the property in 1918.

"He was using rowboats to put nets out to fish," Mau said. "What kind of fish? Anything. They just packed it up and shipped it to Chicago, and they thought it was a delicacy."

When Beanie Miller died in 1936, his son, Luverne "Beans" Miller, took over. It passed on to Mark Miller after Luverne Miller's death, Mau said.

When the Maus took over in 1991, they added a new launch ramp, docks, underground gas storage and several new rental boats. They now sometimes have more than 100 boat launches a day.

Dock fishing is allowed, but the Maus have strict rules: No drinking, you have to ask permission first and you have to be a customer.

"They have to buy something," he said. "I don't care if it's a lollipop, a candy bar or a dozen worms. They can fish until we close in the evening."

Gary Mau, 79, and Dottie Mau, 78, who met as students at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, have purchased a condominium in Bayport and are now sorting through "55 years of wedded bliss junk," he said.

"It is time," he said. "I'm going to miss the customers. We made a lot of good friends over the years, so that when they come, I spend half of my time out in the parking lot talking to these guys as they launch their boats."

The couple had two pieces of advice for Onken on Wednesday.

"Be flexible," Gary Mau said.

"Have fun," Dottie Mau added.

Onken, who grew up in New York state near Lake Ontario, isn't planning any major changes to the business other than making some updates at the bait shop and working to address the business's boat-trailer parking issues. Key staff members will be retained, he said.

"We'll probably come through and do some refurbishment  maybe repaint, just freshen it up a little bit," he said. "But it is a bait shop, so we're not going to put gold leaf anywhere, I don't think.

"There's a lot of history there, and I'm kind of a history buff, and I appreciate the historical significance of that operation there and want to respect that and continue that forward for the next generation," he said.

He admits he's not much of a fisherman.

"I'm hoping to learn it with my sons," he said.

After renting fishing boats the past couple of years, he said it's amazing to suddenly be the owner of an entire fleet.

He's happy, too, that his sons will have a guaranteed summer job during their school years.

But he said the couple's youngest sons haven't really grasped the concept of owning a marina, boat launch and bait shop.

"They think that I bought the whole river," he said. "So I try to tell them: 'It's not the whole river; it's just that area over there with the boats.'"
The Frederica Wilson affair may finally be waning. President Trumps critics are reduced to noting that, at an event celebrating fallen FBI agents, the wannabe rock star didnt grandstand by claiming credit for funding the building named after the heroes, as Gen. Kelly remembered. Instead, she grandstanded by claiming credit for getting the building named for them.

The anti-Trumpers need to take a piece out of Kelly because he is able to speak up effectively for President Trump. Thus, as Charles Blow of the New York Times says, Kelly is VERY dangerous. Whether they can accomplish this based on Kellys confusion over the precise nature of Wilsons grandstanding is another matter. It seems to me that President Trump and his chief of staff won this round decisively.

The next round likely will be fought over the ambush in Niger that resulted in the deaths that produced the ridiculous controversy over Trumps phone call. The anti-Trumpers hope to spin the ambush as Trumps Benghazi. A guy from USA Today (I think it was) floated this idea on Fox News Special Report. (He was in Charles Krauthammers seat. Get well soon, Charles). So, inevitably, did the ridiculous Frederica Wilson.

There is more substance to the ambush than there is to Trumps phone call. Four Americans died and at least two reportedly were badly injured, so the matter is serious. From all that appear so far, however, the Niger ambush presents no promising lines of attack on Trump.

There are two issues here: the sending of troops to Niger and the ambush itself.

President Obama sent a few hundred U.S. troops to Niger to help that countrys government combat ISIS. President Trump added a few hundred troops to the U.S. force.

I have no view on whether sending troops to Niger was a good idea. But it was a bipartisan one. I dont see how Democrats get any mileage out of our involvement there.

Ambushes are a fact of life. If enough troops go on enough missions, some will be ambushed. Thus, an ambush bears no resemblance to an attack on a U.S. embassy that results in the killing of a U.S. ambassador. Thankfully, decades go by without that happening.

I dont mean to say the Niger ambush couldnt have been prevented with better intelligence gathering and/or decision-making. I have no idea whether it could have been.

If the ambush can be attributed to faulty intelligence and/or bad decisions on the ground, thats clearly a matter of concern. However, culpability would likely reside with commanders and/or intelligence officers in Africa. Its difficult to believe that the president, the Secretary of Defense, top generals at the Pentagon, or top CIA officials were involved in any way that would attach blame to them.

One can imagine scenarios in which the Niger ambush might resemble Benghazi. If President Trump or Secretary Mattis received urgent pleas from folks on the ground that this type of mission was too dangerous, this would hark back to the warnings sent to Hillary Clinton about the need to beef up security at the consulate in Benghazi.

If, following the ambush, advisers to Trump and/or Mattis made materially false claims about who or what was responsible for the ambush, this would parallel the false claims by Team Obama that the Benghazi attacks were the result of a video, rather than terrorism. But, to my knowledge, Trumps team has not made such false claims. Everyone seems to agree that the ambush was carried out by ISIS in the Greater Sahara.

Attempting to gain political mileage from the Niger ambush strikes me as the worst kind of political ambulance chasing. Neither political party is above this practice, but the Democrats seem to pursue it more aggressively, or at least less meritoriously, perhaps because they know the mainstream media will back them in this enterprise.
By PTI: Jaipur, Oct 22 (PTI) BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari today opposed a controversial ordinance promulgated by the Rajasthan government, saying it was "aimed to strangulate democracy" in the state.

The rebel party leader wrote to Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, saying he should see his letter as a form of political protest and urged him to reconsider the decision.

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The Vasundhara Raje government has promulgated the ordinance, which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants from investigation for on-duty action without the state governments prior sanction.

"The bill that you will introduce in the assembly in next few days will pave the way to form a law, which will shield the open loot of the chief minister, ministers and public servants," Tiwari wrote in the letter.

He said it will be a "dark day for democracy" when the bill will be introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly.

"As the bill is related to your department, I request you to reconsider it in the Cabinet. If it is introduced in the assembly, I will protest against the bill, which is aimed to strangulate democracy in Rajasthan," he added.

The state government said in a release last night that there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials. PTI AG ABH

--- ENDS ---
VENTNOR  As the once-pleasant memories of the Ventnor Twin movie theater fade, the city is looking to see it rise from the rubble, possibly in the form of new construction.

Mayor Beth Holtzman said the long-abandoned movie house has become an eyesore and is a threat to public health.

Were hoping to get it condemned, she said.

City officials had a sign on the adjacent barber shop removed Tuesday because it was a public safety hazard, Commissioner Lance Landgraf said in a Facebook post after several people claimed that it fell off the side of the building.

The sign did not fall. It was removed by city code office with the assistance of the VCPD as a public safety hazard. The debris will be removed today, and the property owners will be cited and sent a bill for the costs of removal, he wrote.

The owner of the Ventnor Twin, which includes the corner property that was leased as a barbershop and a smaller aadjacent building, are listed on the tax rolls as Frank Investments Inc. of Jupiter, Florida. Attempts by The Current to reach the owners of the buildings were unsuccessful.

Landgraf said he is not ready to discuss what the city is doing about the property, only that the owner has been put on notice that the city is pursuing removing the building for public safety reasons.

Downbeach towns announce traffic advisories for Atlantic City Marathon Traffic advisories have been issued for Ventnor, Margate and Longport during the 59th annual Atlantic City Marathon being sponsored by AmeriHealth, Sunday, Oct. 22.

City solicitor Tim Maguire said last week that his office filed a complaint to require the property owner to attend a hearing to determine whether the property should be rehabilitated or torn down.

It will be heard by an independent hearing examiner, retired Judge Richard Williams, who will determine if the building is suitable for human habitation, occupancy or use, Maguire said. If its habitable, the judge can allow time for the owner to fix the property, or if not, demolish it.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at City Hall. The property owner has not responded to the complaint, he said.

According to Maguire, a judge will usually give the owner of a property 60 to 90 days to comply, barring any major problems. If the owner fails to rectify the problem within a certain time frame, the city can demolish the building, he said.

Taxes on the two properties are more than $20,000 in arrears, according to the Ventnor Tax Office. Taxes were paid on the properties through the third quarter of 2016. The theater property is assessed at $534,700, with a land value of $259,000. The corner property is assessed at $196,100, with a land value of $117,900.

The theater is the last freestanding movie house on Absecon Island. It has not been used as a theater since 2004. There is an Imax movie theater inside Tropicana Atlantic City.

The art-deco themed Ventnor theater opened in the 1920s and had apartments above it. It was deemed uninhabitable in 1998. Frank Theaters bought the building in 1998 and remodeled it, but by 2004 it closed again.

We are hoping to get it condemned, Holtzman said. The owner is behind in taxes, and there are code violations and health risks, but its just not that easy to take someones property.

Holtzman said the building was flooded during Hurricane Sandy and that no repairs have been done on the building.

Its beyond restoration, she said.

Holtzman said there may be parties interested in the site, but the cost of repairs or demolition could be a drawback for investors.

At one time the property was listed for sale at $949,000, according to Alex Linsk of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox and Roach.

I had it under contract, but it never happened, he said.

Longport woman to receive Hughes Center honor LONGPORT  After years educating young minds about politics, borough resident Brigid Callahan Harrison will be one of six New Jersey leaders to receive Hughes Center honors.

The potential buyer wanted to tear it down and build condominiums, Linsk said, adding that the iconic building could be repurposed and only needs cleaning.

The area is ripe for gentrification, he said.

It just needs someone with vision and faith in Ventnor.

AAAA Bike Shop owner and Planning Board member Mike Wiesen said a mixed use with condominiums above storefronts would be the best use of the property.

He said he likes the way Dominicos restaurant at the end of the block was recently remodeled.

What they did should serve as an inspiration to the rest of the block. If the rest of the block followed suit, it would change the whole look of this area, he said.

Wiesen said home builder Pulte was interested in the site years ago but had no interest in dealing with the eminent-domain proposal that was on the table at the time.

It would have been fantastic, he said.

He said any change would benefit the neighborhood and that other improvements would follow that benefit the business community and residents.

Once that building is redeveloped, we will be able to get our streetscape done, he said. I only have a positive view of the future.

Elizabeth Stern, who runs Bubbies Bistro, which offers dairy kosher takeout, said anything would be an improvement over the hulk of a building that is there now.

A friend of hers who is a developer looked at the building but said it needed too much work to make it feasible for him to buy, she said.

Stern said she doesnt see redeveloping the building as having much of an effect on her business, but it would help raise property values.

I live three blocks away, and I want the area to come up, she said.
Despite having one of the most unpopular and polarizing governors in the country, the race to succeed Gov. Chris Christie barely has been mentioned on the national scene.

And it hasnt fared much better in New Jersey.

With a little more than two weeks until the general election, candidates Phil Murphy and Kim Guadagno have struggled to build up widespread support and create coalitions commonly seen in gubernatorial races. That has been especially true for people living in South Jersey, according to election experts.

Instead, local races may have to carry the turnout in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties.

The governor race is usually a big deal, especially when there isnt an incumbent, said John Weingart, associate director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Everyone is exhausted from (the 2016 presidential election) and its aftermath. Its taken up a lot of oxygen and attention from this race.

Several legislative races have taken center stage in South Jersey.

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission released the first financial reports on candidates running for office in New Jersey. It came as no surprise that South Jersey had very expensive elections, but this cycles spending is poised to shatter records.

The New Jersey Education Association has dumped about $5 million into attack ads on state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, has seen almost another $5 million spent on ads supporting him.

In Atlantic County, the race to fill the seat of the late state Sen. Jim Whelan has grabbed headlines  and also been expensive.

Its also one of the only close legislative races in New Jersey.

A recent Stockton University poll, the only public poll measuring the race, said the race between Republican Chris Brown and Democrat Colin Bell is a dead heat.

Democrats have the lead in the state Assembly race with Vince Mazzeo and John Armato, but GOP challengers Vince Sera and Brenda Taube sit only eight and nine points behind, respectively, according to the poll.

The top two vote-getters will get seats in the Assembly.

Brigid Harrison, a professor at Monclair State University and president of the New Jersey Political Science Association, said while she expects this to be a low-turnout election statewide, the legislative races in the 2nd legislative district could inspire voters to show up in Atlantic County.

There are so few competitive races throughout New Jersey, she said. Youve seen the state Republicans and Democrats invest in this race because its one district that could go either way.

In the state Senate race, the state Republicans have invested $200,000 in Browns campaign, while state Democrats have invested $40,000 into Bells.

Harrison said the election for Atlantic City mayor could pique the interest of voters because of the citys incumbent Mayor Don Guardian.

Don Guardian is in a very unique position because he is a Republican incumbent in a very Democratic town, she said.

But investing money and close races dont always predict high turnout.

In 2015, the Assembly race in Atlantic County was the most expensive campaign in the state. Despite that, only 30 percent of registered voters bothered to vote in the election.

During the last governors race in 2013, 41 percent of registered voters in Atlantic County voted.

The numbers werent much better in Cape May and Cumberland counties.

In 2013, 50 percent of registered voters came to the polls in Cape May County, while 37 percent of voters showed in Cumberland County.

This year, the prospect of a new governor may not be enough to bring out voters in South Jersey. Part of that could be because Murphy has held a big lead over Guadagno in every poll released by major polling institutes.

On Thursday, former President Barack Obama campaigned for Murphy in New Jersey, but it was unclear whether that would actually lead to more votes.

Even before we knew who the next (president of the United States) was, everyone pretty much knew that Murphy had a path to winning, Weingart said. That kind of became clear when Steve Sweeney announced he wasnt running.
This decision could hamper Rakesh Asthana's continuance with the CBI as his name was shot down by the Central Vigilance Commission on an "integrity clause".

By Rahul Shrivastava: In a rare move, the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) Selection Committee on Saturday rejected a proposal for the promotion of the CBI's Additional Director Rakesh Asthana for the post of Special Director.

Sources said the meeting, chaired by CVC KV Chowdary, put on record "issues regarding integrity clause" while rejecting Asthana's promotion, stating that his name was found in the "Diary 2011" in a recent FIR registered by his own organisation - the CBI

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This decision could hamper Asthana's continuance with the CBI as his name was shot down on an "integrity clause".

The Selection Committee is chaired by the CVC and two Vigilance Commissioners, Home Secretary and DoPT Secretary and the CBI Director.

Sources say the members of the committee expressed a sense of displeasure over the urgent manner in which the meeting was convened on Saturday. Members claim they didn't get details of the meeting, or its agenda, till Friday evening.

'DIARY 2011'

On August 30, the CBI's Delhi Unit registered a detailed FIR against three senior Income Tax Commissioners for accepting bribes from the Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech and Sandesara Group of Companies.

The FIR says there existed a "Diary 2011" which was found during raids on a company. Sources say the diary contained details of monthly payout to the accused Income Tax Commissioners, and several police officials and politicians in Gujarat and Delhi. Sources indicated that the diary also contained Asthana's name.

Sources said a sealed cover with details about the probe's findings (on the bribes) was placed in the Selection Committee meeting.

The Selection Committee observed that when agency is probing the case, people mentioned in the dairy shouldn't not be in the CBI.

The decision was unanimous, as per the file notings of the meeting.

Saturday's urgently-convened meeting only had two agendas. The first: considering Asthana's promotion as Special Director. Second, the appointment of five CBI Joint Directors.

The Selection Committee deferred consideration of the appointment of the five directors, saying that the Minutes and Notice call for the meeting was received a few hours earlier. It said this practice shouldn't continue.

In 2014, the CVC rejected the appointment of Archana Ramasundaram as the Additional Director of the CBI in a similar manner. But then, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha appointed Archana and the appointment was struck down by the Supreme Court.

ALSO WATCH | CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, who sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years for rape, gets Z-plus security

--- ENDS ---
Gandhinagar, Oct 16 : BJP President Amit Shah on Monday made it clear that the party was seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retain power in Gujarat, and set a target of 150-plus seats in the 182-member assembly.

"We want a victory by three-fourths majority. When Modi was Chief Minister, we got 127 seats. Now when he is the Prime Minister, this figure looks too small," Shah told thousands of cheering party workers here.

Shah took a dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who has been leading his party's campaign in the poll-bound state, saying he had not done enough for his Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh and was questioning how the BJP has been developing Gujarat.

"Rahul Gandhi has not been able to get a collectorate office made in Amethi and is questioning our work in Gujarat," the BJP President said, claiming that the "anti-development" Congress would be uprooted from Gujarat in the upcoming polls.

He also lashed out at critics of Modi's pet project of bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

"They are mocking the bullet train but Gujarat's people love development. Modi's Gujarat model has defined development," Shah said.

Earlier, addressing the crowd, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced waiver of one per cent interest on loans of Rs 3 lakh provided to farmers by the Gujarat government. The loan is being given to 25 lakh farmers annually.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 16 : In order to promote investments in downstream aluminium sector, the Odisha government on Monday held discussions with over 70 Indian companies and invited them to invest in Odisha's downstream ecosystem.

The Industries Department organised the event here in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry and highlighted the advantages of investing in Angul Aluminium Park, a first-of-its-kind project in the subcontinent with the facility to directly obtain molten aluminium from the smelter.

With the demand of aluminium expected to rise further, Odisha is setting up the Angul park. The state is the largest aluminium producer in India and accounts for 54 per cent of the country's total smelting capacity.

Spread over 223 acres, the park will create ample opportunities for downstream industries in the state, said an official.

CII Chairman (Odisha) and Nalco CMD T.K. Chand said: "There is a huge opportunity for downstream products in the state. Investors will be getting developed land, power and training facilities. Additionally, the state government will also assist investors in setting up their operations."

The downstream industry will have a cost benefit of Rs 10,000 per tonne and enough raw material committed to them. Nalco will provide hand-holding to all downstream and ancillary units, said Chand.

Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said: "Odisha is a mineral rich state and by developing world-class infrastructure, we aim to provide an ideal business ecosystem for all related sectors to flourish. We have already received several investment proposals for the Angul park and aim to create around 15,000 job opportunities through the project."

Investments in aluminium downstream sector have been gaining momentum in Odisha. Over five years, the state has attracted investments of Rs 893 crore, including proposals by Bahrain-based Midal Cables and Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) subsidiary Grid Conductors.

Four of the five proposals drawn are for the aluminium park developed jointly by Nalco and Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation at Angul.

S.K. Mohanty, CEO, Angul Aluminium Park, said: "Odisha accounts for 50 per cent of the aluminium production in the country. The aluminium refining capacity has gone up to 5.775 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 0.80 MTPA and smelting capacity to 2.634 MTPA from 0.509 MTPA. Availability of abundant raw material from Nalco, Vedanta will be very crucial for the downstream aluminium and ancillary industry."

Companies from India like KEI Industries, Jindal Steel, Havells India, Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Sterlite Technologies Ltd attended the event.
United Nations, Oct 19 : The Security Council on Wednesday condemned "the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks" carried out by the Taliban in various provinces of Afghanistan.

Suicide bombers and gunmen targeted police and government facilities in Paktia, Ghazni and Farah provinces on Tuesday, killing more than 70 people and wounding over 200 others.

In a press statement, the members of the Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms" and expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Afghan government.

They underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Afghan government and all other relevant authorities in this regard.

They reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. They reaffirmed the need for all states to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
New Delhi, Oct 19 : Africa's lions, wild dogs, leopards and cheetahs are all set to get increased protection with two UN-related wildlife bodies proposing a new initiative at a global summit in October to halt their serious decline, it was announced on Thursday.

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) will submit their action plans to the CMS COP12 wildlife summit in Manila from October 23-28.

Summit organisers say proposals for inclusion of the lion and leopard on CMS Appendix II will also be discussed at the meeting that will see over 120 countries for the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or CMS COP12.

The African Carnivores Initiative follows on from the CMS-CITES Joint Work Programme 2015-2020, which has been agreed by both Conventions.

If adopted, it is intended to become a shared platform for the implementation of resolutions and decisions on lions, leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs under both CMS and Cites.

The two conventions would look to pool their resources and expertise in a drive to deliver concrete action and policy guidance in tandem with other organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

CMS and CITES have already cooperated in bringing all African Lion Range States together in Uganda in May 2016 to identify the key measures needed to conserve lions across Africa.

Cites COP17 also adopted a set of decisions on the conservation and management of the lion and the wild dog, which call for the collaboration of the two conventions.

"Time is running out for Africa's iconic carnivores. As sister organisations, CMS and Cites will seek to reap the synergies that exist to save the continent's remaining big cats and wild dogs," an official statement quoting CMS Executive Secretary Bradnee Chambers said.

Added Cites Secretary-General John Scanlon: "Africa's carnivores are among the most widely recognised and admired animals in the world. Today these charismatic predators are facing many and varied threats. However, this crisis can still be averted, and Cites and CMS are joining forces to better respond to these threats."

According to IUCN, the African lion, cheetah, leopard and wild dog are in constant, and sometimes severe, decline across the African continent, except for lions in Southern Africa, where there has been a slight increase.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assesses the extinction risk of a species according to specific criteria.

The 2015 Red List assessment of the African lion suggests that lion populations overall have experienced a decline of 43 per cent between 1993 and 2014.

For the leopard, the 2016 IUCN Red List Assessment estimates a decrease of over 30 per cent in populations across Sub-Saharan Africa over the past 21 years, in line with severe declines in prey species and the expansion of agricultural land.

The wild dog is classified as endangered under the 2012 IUCN Red List Assessment. Although data deficiency complicates population estimates, the IUCN Assessment estimates that an overall decline of 17 per cent took place between 1997 and 2012.
Los Angeles, Oct 20 : Actress Priyanka Chopra says people like controversial Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein are present across the world.

Priyanka slammed Weinstein and spoke about women empowerment at the 2017 Marie Claire Power Trip earlier this week, reports marieclaire.com.

Asked whether there's a Harvey Weinstein in India, Priyanka said: "I don't think there is and I don't think there is only a Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood. I think there will be a lot more stories that will come up.

"That happens not just in India, but all over the world. It's the power of men trying to take away the power of women. It's about feeling powerful and macho."

Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment or abuse by more than three dozen women, including several top actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Lupita Nyong'o and Angelina Jolie.

"We watch the news and look for things that will be positive and that the world will be in a better place. But the reality is, the world is not. It's not just about sexuality. It's not about sex. It's about power," Priyanka said.

The former Miss World also spoke against the "big boys' club" and said because of it women are scared that a misstep might put them at risk of losing a role.

"It's an isolating feeling. The easiest thing to take away from a woman is her work," she said.

Priyanka, known in the US for "Quantico", added: "So what if I'm in heels?. So what if I wear a dress? We've been told our femininity is our weakness, but it is not. We can be compassionate. We can be tough. When you open your mouth, you deliver."
Srinagar, Oct 22 : One militant was killed on Sunday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, a top defence official said.

Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said the security forces launched an operation against militants in Ananwan area at 5 a.m.

"One terrorist has been killed and a weapon has been recovered in the operation which is still ongoing," Kalia added.
Washington, Oct 22 : US President Donald Trump has said that he intends to allow the release of classified government documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy "subject to the receipt of further information".

Trump's announcement on Saturday comes before an October 26 deadline set in law by Congress mandating the public release of the still-secret documents -- including FBI and CIA files -- barring any action by the President to block the release of certain documents, reports CNN.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK files to be opened," Trump said, appearing to leave open the possibility that some documents could still be withheld.

A White House official told reporters later on Saturday: "The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise."

The White House said in a statement to Politico earlier this week that it was working "to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public" by next week's deadline.

Trump himself is no stranger to the controversies and conspiracy theories that have long swirled around the assassination of the 35th US President, reports CNN.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump made the unfounded claim that the father of his Republican rival Senator Ted Cruz was associated with Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, a claim he has never reneged nor apologised for.

Trump's long-time political adviser Roger Stone, who helped launch his campaign for president, is also an avid conspiracy theorist who wrote a book about the wild claim that President Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's Vice President, was involved in the assassination.

Stone tweeted on Saturday morning that he urged Trump to release the classified documents.

Meanwhile, historians who have studied the assassination do not believe the documents will lead to any bombshell new conclusions in the Kennedy assassination, but the documents could shed more light on facets of the investigation and Oswald's mysterious trip to Mexico City weeks before the assassination.

Some have expressed concerns that the documents could be embarrassing to Mexico and damaging to US-Mexico relations.

Trump can withhold the release of certain documents if he believes their release could pose harm to US intelligence, law enforcement, the military or US foreign relations.
By Bibek Debroy: RAKESH Mohan needs no introduction. Or perhaps he does. Dating reforms from 1991, this is a book on 25 years of reforms. As the preface states, "This book should have been published in 2016 when the country completed 25 years of economic reforms. That was our intention, but it was clearly too ambitious to expect success in producing such a book within eight months of the inception of the idea. But, better late than never."

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There have been reforms since 1991. But what were reforms of July 1991 about? Other than the external sector, July 1991 was about freeing up industry and industrial delicensing. We identify those reforms with Dr Manmohan Singh, who was then finance minister. The Prime Minister was PV Narasimha Rao.

Also Read: This book presents an effective review of PM Modi's reign in India

With industry an important component of the reform agenda, who was Industry Minister? There wasn't one. P. Chidambaram was commerce minister with independent charge, but PV Narasimha Rao retained the industry portfolio, perceiving importance of industrial reforms. Rakesh Mohan has done several things and those other things tend to take over his resume. However, between 1988 and 1996, Mohan was economic adviser in industry ministry. In other words, he was intimately involved with designing the 1991 reforms and also implementing them, in that and future capacities.

The most interesting chapter/paper in this volume is the first one, because it is personalised and authored by Mohan. It is titled 'The Road to the 1991 Industrial Policy Reforms and Beyond: A Personalized Narrative from the Trenches'. This introduction has details, where one knew the broad brush scene but not necessarily the minutiae Mohan documents.

India Transformed, Edited by Rakesh Mohan, Penguin Random House; Rs 999. Photo: Mail Today

Here's a nugget. The background is a matching of India's industry classification with ITC-HS (internal trade classification, harmonised system). "As we laboured to make these lists in the new classification, we prepared documents to be taken to the committee of secretaries, then headed by Seshan's successor, VC Pande for approval. As luck would have it, the first entry in the ITC-HS classification happens to be: 0101 Live Horses, Asses, Mules and Hinnies. As the document was opened in the meeting, Pande's eyes fell on this unfortunate line and he exploded, exclaiming (in Hindi), 'Have we assembled here to discuss horses, asses and mules?' The mirth that then ensued among the assembled group of dour-faced secretaries of the economic ministries sitting in the rarefied confines of the Cabinet room can only be imagined... Thus ended the life of the stillborn 1990 Industrial Policy Statement!"

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Other than the introduction, there are 31 chapters in this book. Those 31 chapters are divided into seven heads - big picture, foreign policy and security, governance, sectoral developments, human development, financial sector, and business. Within each head, papers have their own titles. Are there areas where heads/papers are missing? I would list law/legal reforms, states and poverty/inequality. States are covered under the governance head, but only after a fashion. There are two papers by Y Venugopal Reddy and Laveesh Bhandari, but much more was possible.

Also Read: This ex-RBI Governor's new book contemplates the pros and cons of demonetisation

Each paper is authored by a respected name. That respected name bit usually ensures quality, but not always. As the listing indicates, most papers are under the business head, disproportionately so, compared to human development or financial sector. Most papers under the business head are actually sub-par, compared to papers under other heads.

Other than Mohan's own paper, the ones I liked most are those by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, TN Ninan, Harsha Vardhana Singh, Sanjaya Baru, Ashok Gulati/Shweta Saini, Devesh Kapur, C Rangarajan and Rama Bijapurkar. But that's my own personal preference. There is something useful in all of them.

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After such a wide diversity of papers, I suspect it might have been a good idea for the editor to have written an epilogue or winding-up kind of essay. The introduction does attempt this a bit, but ends lamely, as does the entire book.

The writer is member, NITI Aayog

--- ENDS ---
Tokyo, Oct 22 : Voting was underway in Japans general election on Sunday, in which the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to achieve a solid victory in the face of a divided opposition.

Latest opinion polls have suggested the coalition of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will maintain a comfortable majority in the Lower House of Parliament, reports The Japan Times.

The ruling bloc is likely to capitalise on the win by pressing ahead with debate on the Constitution's first amendment ever.

The opposition vote looks likely to be split between two parties that emerged in recent weeks out of the husk of the collapsing Democratic Party, according to the polls.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) has taken on much of the Democratic Party's conservative wing, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has absorbed the liberals.

Polling stations will close at 8 p.m., with the final result expected by early Monday, reports The Japan Times.

A total of 1,180 candidates are vying for the Lower House's 465 seats, 289 of which represent single-seat electoral districts.

The remaining 176 are filled through proportional representation, based on voters' preferred parties across 11 regional blocks.

Dissolving the Lower House on September 28, Abe said he needed to secure a fresh mandate from the public for his administration's plans for the revenue from a consumption tax increase in October 2019 and for its handling of the threat from North Korea.

Sunday's election is the first Lower House race in which 18 and 19-year-olds can vote, under a change in the law that took effect last year.
New Delhi, Oct 22 : As Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's begins her visit to Bangladesh, experts are of the view that it is high time India mediated to find a solution to the burning Rohingya refugee crisis.

"I am optimistic (about Sushma Swaraj's visit) as India enjoys cordial relations with Myanmar and has cooperative and friendly ties with Bangladesh," Rajiv Bhatia, former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, told IANS.

"Our very wise Foreign Minister has a role to play and a sustainable solution should be found for the Rohingyas," he stated.

According to the latest figures issued by the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmarese army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

Bhatia added at the same time that since the problem arose on Myanmar soil, the solution too should come from there.

"The Myanmar government should create conditions for the safe return of the Rohingya refugees," he said.

Khin Zaw Win, Director of the Yangon-based Tampadipa Institute that works on policy advocacy and capacity-building in Myanmar, too is of the view that India should play a role.

"The first thing New Delhi can do is to convene a tripartite meeting of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar," Win said over phone from Yangon while pointing out that India and Myanmar enjoyed good ties.

"China is trying to mediate, but I would rather prefer India to handle the matter. Remember there is no Rohingya in China, but they are there in India."

There are around 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India, but the government has sent a clear message that it was not willing to accept them because of security concerns.

The Supreme Court on October 13 asked the Centre to strike a balance between national security, economic interests and humanitarian considerations with regard to Rohingya women, children, old, sick and infirm, and listed the next hearing of the matter for November 21.

Earlier this month, in an interaction with the media here, Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali said that India, as the prime mover of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), should take greater initiatives to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

The Bimstec regional bloc comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

On his part, Bhatia said that India should lend support to the recommendations made in the report submitted by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State to deal with the sectarian violence in Rakhine and foster development in the region.

"India is sensitive to the issue and the report is very balanced," the former Ambassador said.

Win too said that he supported the Kofi Annan report, but added: "I am doubtful about the (Myanmar) government's response."

Noting that Rohingya refugees were spread across Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Thailand, he said: "Those refugees who have now gone to Bangladesh must be accepted back by Myanmar."

At the same time, Win dismissed the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine set up by Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi that calls for the Myanmar government, people, the private sector, local NGOs and civil society organisations, friendly countries and UN agencies to work together in cooperation.

"This is not a solution. The refugees will not return if they are not assured of their security," he said. "Suu Kyi should have the guts and should assure the refugees of their security."

Win also added that settling the refugees back in Rakhine in camps with barbed wires was not a solution either.

K. Yhome, Research Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think tank and the author of "Myanmar: Can the Generals Resist Change", has a different view on India's role.

"India must first find out whether an external power's role is acceptable to both Myanmar and Bangladesh. Otherwise, offering to mediate now will be more of a knee-jerk reaction after China's offer," Yhome said.

He said that what India can continue doing now is to go the extra mile and help Bangladesh in handling the crisis.

Starting from the middle of last month India has sent relief material for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Yhome, however, added that he was was sure that the Rohingya issue will be "centrestage" in the talks during Sushma Swaraj's visit to Bangladesh.

(Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at aroonim.b@ians.in)
Mumbai, Oct 22 : Actress-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt will co-author a book about her battle with alcohol. It will come out early next year.

"I would like to emphasise that it is not an autobiography. At 45, I am too young to write my memoirs. As they say in filmi terms, 'Picture abhi baaki hai, dost'. But I can help others like me deal with their problem by talking about my journey," Pooja said in a statement.

It has been 10 months since she has left liquor.

"It hasn't been easy but it hasn't been too difficult either. A series of chapters in a book called life. It wasn't planned, but we have announced the book on Bhai Dooj, when traditionally Indians have just ushered in a new year. As the Diwali lights continue to sparkle around us, please support me on this journey the way you always have through all my films," added the daughter of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Pooja found fame with roles in "Daddy", "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin", "Sadak" and "Zakhm". As a director, she has helmed "Paap", "Kajraare" and "Jism 2" among others.

It was in March this year that Pooja spoke to journalist Roshmila Bhattacharya on her battle with the bottle saying, "If I didn't quit now, I'd have drank myself to the grave."

Her book will be co-authored with Bhattacharya, and will be published by Penguin India.

On Twitter, Pooja expressed excitement about setting off an "arduous yet life affirming journey into my own heart".
New Delhi, Oct 22 : Highly endangered chimpanzees, whale sharks, steppe eagles and vultures need the highest level of protection globally. Likewise, both India and Indonesia should tighten regulations on shark fishing, US-based advocacy Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) contends.

Ahead of a crucial UN summit on wildlife that will see a gathering of over 120 countries in the Philippine capital Manila from October 23 to 28, it said India must take strong action to close those fisheries that are not sustainable.

Both India and Indonesia, as major shark fishing and exporting countries, should tighten their regulations on fishing of sharks and other species to ensure sustainability, WCS Vice President for International Policy Susan Lieberman told IANS in an e-mail interview.

Many shark species are threatened, endangered or otherwise vulnerable to over-fishing and unregulated fisheries.

"India must take strong action to ensure sustainable coastal fisheries, and close those fisheries that are not sustainable," Lieberman added.

Officials representing countries, including India, will gather in the Philippines for the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12, the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species.

A large number of proposals for greater protection under the Convention will be tabled for negotiation, including well-known species such as the chimpanzee, giraffe, leopard, lion and the whale shark.

Fifteen species of vultures in 128 countries, including four that are critically endangered in India, may also get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year, multi-species coordinated action plan to conserve them set to take wing at the summit.

Lieberman, who is also participating in the CMS COP12, said a large number of wildlife species are indeed threatened by poaching and illegal trade like trafficking and this impacts both migratory and non-migratory species.

The notable species facing significant threats from illegal killing and trade include elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins, tortoises, freshwater turtles, parrots and macaws.

"We will support the proposals to include the chimpanzee, whale shark, steppe eagle and the vulture in Appendix I, the CMS' highest level of protection," she said.

Advocating the need to work with governments to ensure a strong political will to combat wildlife trafficking, the WCS opposes international rhino horn trade as it's illegal under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and because it threatens the existence of rhinos in Africa and Asia.

"There are moves by some people to allow trade in horns, but our analyses are clear that this would stimulate further illegal trade and laundering of illegal horns and would threaten rhinos even further," said Lieberman, who has worked on the international wildlife trade for more than 25 years.

It would also undermine efforts by governments such as of China and Vietnam to strongly enforce their laws against trafficking rhino horns and to change the behaviour of consumers, she said.

Saying that whale sharks are also captured illegally for display purposes besides for their meat and fins, Lieberman said: "We support strong regulations on fishing everywhere."

As per the CMS COP12 agenda, the Philippines, Israel and Sri Lanka have jointly submitted a proposal for upgrading the global status of the whale shark, found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, for its higher protection and conservation.

India is among 121 nations that are home to this species with continuing global population declines.

Africa's lions, wild dogs, leopards and cheetahs are all set to get increased protection with the CMS and CITES proposing a new initiative to halt a serious decline in their numbers.

An inter-governmental task force to curb illegal killing of migratory birds will also be high on the agenda at the summit, the organisers said.

"Intensive hunting and illegal killing are driving many endangered bird species to the brink of extinction. Countries which they transit share a joint responsibility to implement measures to protect them," CMS Executive Secretary Bradnee Chambers said in an official statement.

(Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in)
Tokyo, Oct 22 : A powerful typhoon was approaching the main island of Japan on Sunday where it has brought heavy rainfall and the risk of landslides on a day when the country is voting in the general election.

In southern Japan, the typhoon brought torrential rains and winds of up to 252 km per hour on Sunday morning, reported the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The storm might make landfall on the Pacific coast of Honshu island, where Tokyo is located, on Monday morning, reports Efe news.

Japan is now in the middle of general elections to elect Parliament's Lower House and it is feared that adverse weather conditions might negatively affect voter turnout, which during the 2014 elections had already fallen to the historic minimum of 52.6 per cent.

A polling station in Kochi prefecture on Shikoku island was forced to delay its opening by 20 minutes due to landslides that prevented poll supervisors from reaching.

The JMA on Friday made an unusual recommendation asking citizens to vote in advance fearing danger during election day on account of strong winds, rain and waves that could cause landslides and flooding of rivers.

In 1979, when a typhoon hit Tokyo - also coinciding with legislative elections - voter turnout fell to 53 per cent, 10 points less than the previous elections.

The early participation registered until Friday, in an election when Prime Shinzo Abe's party is being projected as the favourite to win, grew 50 percent compared to the 2014 elections, according to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
New Delhi, Oct 22 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday left for Dhaka on a two-day visit where she will participate in the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee meeting.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj departs for Bangladesh to review the excellent bilateral relations and further strengthen ties," ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj's visit to Dhaka comes after the very successful state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April this year.

According to a ministry statement, Sushma Swaraj and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali will co-chair the fourth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission.

"The External Affairs Minister is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations," the statement said.

It added that "the visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties".

Sushma Swaraj's visit also assumes significance because of the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.

According to the latest figures issued by the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmar Army launched a crackdown on the minority Rohingya community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Rakhine state.

The Rohingyas do not enjoy citizenship status in Myanmar and are sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

Since last month, India has been providing relief material to Bangladesh to deal with the crisis.
Johannesburg, Oct 22 : Allowing smartphones in class may affect the students' ability to concentrate, eventually hampering their academic performance, warns a new research.

Instead of using their phones to follow the lectures, students use them to communicate with friends, watch YouTube videos or just browse around the web to follow their interests, said the study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

"While ever-smarter digital devices have made many aspects of our lives easier and more efficient, a growing body of evidence suggests that, by continuously distracting us, they are harming our ability to concentrate," said Daniel le Roux from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

The researchers pointed out that university lecturers are encouraged to develop blended learning initiatives and bring tech -- videos, podcasts, Facebook pages, etc. -- into the classroom more and more to offer students the enhanced experiences enabled by digital media.

However, an important effect of these initiatives has been to establish media use during university lectures as the norm, they warned.

Studies across the world show that students constantly use their phones when they are in class.

"But here's the kicker: if you think they are following the lecture slides or engaging in debates about the topic you are mistaken," Le Roux, who conducted the research with Douglas Parry of Stellenbosch University, noted.

"In fact, this is hardly ever the case. When students use their phones during lectures they do it to communicate with friends, engage in social networks, watch YouTube videos or just browse around the web to follow their interests."

Such behaviour is problematic for two reasons, according to the researchers.

"The first is that when we engage in multitasking, our performance on the primary task suffers. Making sense of lecture content is very difficult when you switch attention to your phone every five minutes. A strong body of evidence supports this, showing that media use during lectures is associated with lower academic performance," Le Roux said.

"The second reason is that it harms students' ability to concentrate on any particular thing for an extended period of time. They become accustomed to switching to alternative streams of stimuli at increasingly short intervals. The moment the lecture fails to engage or becomes difficult to follow, the phones come out," he added.
Mumbai, Oct 22 : The ongoing quarterly results season, along with cues from global markets and direction of foreign funds, are expected to set the tone for the key Indian equity indices, analysts feel.

According to market observers, indices' movements will also be influenced by geo-political developments in the Korean peninsula as well as derivatives expiry and crude oil prices.

"The markets will be largely influenced by domestic liquidity and the buoyancy in the global markets, especially US markets," Zyfin Advisors' Chief Executive Devendra Nevgi told IANS.

"Earnings so far have been mixed for home-oriented companies, though the earnings will be watched closely for other companies such as banks keeping in mind the extent of provisioning for NPAs (non-performing assets) required."

Last week, fears of higher NPA levels in the banking sector pulled the key indices lower.

"The Q2 results will gather significance in coming days with the earnings of index heavyweights which will dictate the market's momentum," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, told IANS.

Companies like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Ambuja Cements, Indian Oil, Yes Bank, Maruti Suzuki, ITC and Sun Pharma are expected to announce their quarterly results in the coming trade week.

Apart from quarterly results, other factors such as premium valuation and change in global liquidity due to the US dollar's appreciation will also impact the key indices' movements.

Liquidity-wise, foreign funds remained net sellers of Indian equities last week. The provisional figures from stock exchanges showed that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded stocks worth Rs 1,766 crore during the week.

But, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued to pump-in funds and bought scrips worth Rs 1,985.99 crore.

Figures from the National Securities Depository (NSDL) revealed that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) divested equities worth Rs 1,797.22 crore, or $276.76 million, during October 16-18.

On the currency front, the rupee depreciated by 11 paise to 65.04 against the US dollar from its previous close at 64.93.

On technical charts, NSE Nifty's underlying trend remains bullish.

"While the Nifty has taken a breather in the last few sessions, the underlying trend remains up," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research for HDFC Securities.

"Further upsides are likely once the immediate resistance of 10,236 points is taken out. Weakness could however emerge if the support of 9,985 points is broken."

The key Indian equity indices -- BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty -- had risen for the third straight time during the truncated week ended on October 18, as healthy macro economic data points buoyed investors sentiments.

Consequently, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) edged higher by 151 points or 0.46 per cent to 32,584.35 points.

Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) made gains. It rose by 43.4 points or 0.42 per cent to close at 10,210.85 points.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)
Srinagar, Oct 22 : Militants killed a woman and injured another on Sunday in Tral area in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Police said the militants shot dead a woman, Yasmeena, and injured another, Ruby, in Seer village. The police blamed the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit for the attack.
Hyderabad, Oct 22 : Fourteen companies have so far come forward to set up units with a total investment of over Rs 3,000 crore in the proposed Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Telangana's Warangal district, an official statement said.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will on Sunday formally lay the foundation stone of the project.

Coming up on 2,000 acres, the textile park -- claimed to be India's largest -- is expected to generate 66,000 jobs, including 22,000 directly. The project's first phase will come up on about 1,200 acres at Shayampet and Chintapalli villages.

Hours ahead of the foundation stone-laying ceremony, the state government signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in Warangal town, in the presence of Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao with various companies and organisations in the textile sector.

Youngone Corporation of Korea will set up a unit with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore. Nandan Denim (Chiripal Group) will invest Rs 700 crore.

An advanced testing laboratory will be set up to ensure zero liquid discharge to control environmental pollution.

Telangana is one of the largest producers of long staple cotton at around 60 lakh bales per annum. The state was third in the country in cotton production during 2015-16.

The state is known for skilled textile workers but due to absence of industry, they migrate to other states for earning their livelihood, said an official statement.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is visiting Dhaka six months after a successful visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India.

By Geeta Mohan: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for Dhaka on a two-day Bangladesh visit. Among other things, Sushma Swaraj will discuss the ongoing Rohingya crisis during her visit to Dhaka.

Bangladesh has been dealing with the Rohingya issue for a long time because of the huge influx of refugees from Myanmar and has sought help from India in de-escalating the crisis.

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Announcing her departure from New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar wrote on Twitter, "External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj departs for Bangladesh to review the excellent bilateral relations and further strengthen ties."

In an official statement regarding her visit to Dhaka on October 22-23, Ministry of External Affairs said that it is primarily to participate in the joint consultative commission and to "review the excellent bilateral relations".

"During the visit, EAM and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister will co-chair the 4th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission. EAM is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations," the statement read.

During her visit, Swaraj will also call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of Opposition in Parliament Raushon Ershad. The two sides are working out a meeting with BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia as well. She will interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.

The external affairs minister will inaugurate 15 development projects funded by India from the chancery building. The projects cover sectors such as education, healthcare, Information Technology, water supply and social welfare.

Sushma Swaraj's Dhaka visit comes after a very successful visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April this year.

ALSO WATCH | RSS chief Bhagwat on Rohingya: Humanitarian view at cost of one's security is not good

--- ENDS ---
Dhaka, Oct 22 : Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Sunday co-chaired the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee meeting here.

They "reviewed various aspects of bilateral relations", the Indian High Commission here tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj's visit comes amid the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.

According to the UN office in Bangladesh, over 600,000 Rohingyas have entered the country since August 25 after the Myanmar Army launched a crackdown on the minority community following a series of attacks on security personnel in Rakhine state.

India has provided relief material to Bangladesh to deal with the crisis.

Sushma Swaraj was earlier on Sunday received at the airport here by Foreign Minister Ali.

This is her second visit to Bangladesh as External Affairs Minister and comes after the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April this year.

A statement by the Indian External Affairs Ministry said Sushma Swaraj is "expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations".

It added that "the visit is expected to afford an opportunity for a review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties".
Bhopal, Oct 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meetings in Gujarat are a flop and are witnessing a poor turnout, said Congress in-charge of the Madhya Pradesh unit Deepak Babaria here on Sunday.

The Congress, meanwhile, is getting support from many communities like Patels, Dalits and the backward class, Babaria told the media when asked about Modi's visit to poll-bound Gujarat.

Babaria is here on a three-day tour of the state to meet the cadre and office-bearers, and assess the political situation.
Beijing, Oct 22 : A top Chinese Army official on Sunday said negotiations with the Indian Army paved the way for the resolution of the Doklam stand-off in the Sikkim Sector on the India-China border.

"This year, India military crossed the borderline into China's territory. Of course, it has safely been resolved now," China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) official Liu Fang said.

"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and we also had negotiations many times with the Indian side," said Liu, the Staff Officer at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the PLA Central Military Commission (CMC).

China's position contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, she added. Liu was talking on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"We are doing everything to protect our national integrity and security," she added.

India and Chinese troops were locked in an over two-month standoff at Doklam. The crises, which erupted in June over Chinese moves to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, ended in August, with both sides deciding to "disengage" from the face-off point.

Liu was accompanied by other top Army officials who talked about making the world's largest standing military more powerful in the future.

Another PLA official Wang Rui said: "Increasing and strengthening the military capability is our priority. We are making all efforts towards the goal of fighting and winning the war...."

"The Chinese Army can win the war against all invading armies," he added.
New Delhi/Shimla, Oct 22 : The Congress on Sunday announced the second and third lists of candidates for the November 9 assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh which include Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya. He will be contesting from Shimla Rural -- a seat his father is currently representing.

The third and final list, announced a few hours after the second list, had only two names -- Vikramaditya Singh and Health Minister Kaul Singh's daughter Champa Thakur who will be contesting from Mandi.

Earlier in the day, of the eight candidates announced in the second list, Paras Ram's name was included in place of Bansi Lal for the Anni (SC) constituency.

The list included party leaders like Kewal Singh Pathania (Shahpur), Ashish Butail (Palampur), Hari Chand Sharma (Manali), Surender Singh Thakur (Kullu), Vivek Sharma (Kutlehar), Lakhwinder Rana (Nalagarh) and Deepak Rathore (Theog).

The first list of 59 candidates was declared on October 18. The state has a 68-member assembly.

The last date of filing nominations for the polls is October 23.

Champa Thakur had on Saturday filed nomination papers as an Independent candidate from the Mandi seat from where the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pitted Congress rebel and former Cabinet Minister Anil Sharma who resigned as a minister just ahead of the polls.

"Only my name has been recommended by the state party unit for this seat. I will definitely get the ticket," a confident-sounding Champa told reporters in Mandi town after filing the papers.

She said she was filing her papers as an Independent. She would apply as a Congress candidate later after getting approval from the party high command.

The Mandi seat is considered a strong Congress bastion and Sharma is a three-time legislator from this seat.

Champa's father Kaul Singh is the Health and Family Welfare Minister in the Virbhadra Singh-led cabinet.

He himself is recontesting from Darang in Mandi district.

Party leaders said the Congress was not keen to give tickets to relatives of the party candidates as it is against the party's "one family, one ticket formula".

For the Palampur seat, the party gave the nomination to sitting legislator B.B.L. Butail's son Ashish Butail as he cited his old age as the reason for not recontesting the polls.

Gokul Butail, the nephew of B.B.L. Butail, one of the biggest tea planters in the state, was upset with the Congress' second list as he was the frontrunner for the party ticket from Palampur.

"I had returned to India from the US in 2014 to contribute to India. I was a frontrunner for Congress ticket but lost the fight after days of struggle," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Guwahati, Oct 22 : A BJP MP from Assam came under attack on Sunday for comparing Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with garbage.

"The Congress has pushed the Nehru-Gandhi garbage into the minds of people over the years and there is now no space for any other theory," the Lok Sabha member from Jorhat Kamakhya Prasad Tasa said on Saturday at a public rally at Sonari in Sivsagar district.

The Congress demanded the MP's arrest. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was seated on the podium where Tasa was speaking.

The Congress in Assam staged state-wide protests on Sunday in protest against the MP and lodged an FIR in a Guwahati police station.

"The MP ... described Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as garbage. Therefore, we seek his immediate arrest and prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)," read the FIR.

"Comparing Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi with garbage is an unpardonable offence and we demand his immediate arrest for the crime he has committed," said Assam Congress leader Ripun Bora.
New Delhi, Oct 22 : Leaders of various opposition parties will meet on Monday to discuss their future strategy against the National Democratic Alliance government and also to put up a united front ahead of Parliament's coming Winter Session.

Rebel Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav will likely attend the meeting at Parliament House complex at 3 p.m., where leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, DMK and the Left will be present.

Opposition leaders will likely discuss a number of issues and chalk out a strategy to counter the central government during the session, apart from the impact of the November 8 demonetisation on the common people after almost a year of its implementation and how they are going to take up the issue.

The issue of the impact of the Goods and Services Tax, enforced with effect from July 1, on traders may also come up during discussions, apart from allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

In the last opposition parties' meeting here in August, it was decided to constitute a small coordination committee to discuss their future strategy against the government.
Riyadh, Oct 22 : US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday expressed the hope that European firms will impose sanctions on Iran, local news reported.

Citing Al Arabiya, Xinhua reported that Tillerson made the remarks at a press conference during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

He also called on the Iranian army to withdraw from Iraq, welcoming the Saudi-Iraqi coordination council which would be formed soon, describing it as a way to move Iraq forward.

"We are looking for a strong Iraq and this could be through good neighbouring ties," he confirmed.

The US official also expressed his country's interest in protecting Gulf unity.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir highlighted that the two sides discussed the Iranian threats in the region and the Qatari crisis.

He said that Saudi Arabia would negotiate with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, who severed ties with Qatar in June over terrorism support allegations, on the next step about Qatar.
London, Oct 23 : Model Cara Delevingne entered the profession to escape problems and emotional issues in her life.

Delevingne, 25, believes that her career as a model gave her with a way of avoiding her problems, but acting has forced her to deal with them, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"Modelling came at a time in my life where I wanted to please people. I was just doing things to run away from my own problems. I wasn't dealing with things that were going on emotionally. That's why I ended up being unhappy," Delevingne told Australia's Stellar magazine.

"Being an actor helped me reflect on my own emotions, be able to express them more, be in the moment," she added.
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Journey is designed for the harsh farming environment and is rugged, weather resistant and provides a real-to-life visual field. It offers a real-time video stream through a directly wireless connection (camera to monitor) and a clear image that can transmit up to one-third of a mile with direct line of sight.

One of the revolutionary highlights of Journey is that it can be mounted literally anywhere, with the ability to pair-up to four cameras per monitor. This flexibility and portability offers farm owners the ability to easily move the vision system from one piece of machinery to another for multiple applications. It can operate four to five hours before charging is required or can be optionally hard-wired.

We are thrilled to become a certified supplier to Mid-States Distributing Company which represents a major endorsement for our vision system in the farming industry, notes Melissa Thompson, CEO of Hyndsight. Obstructed vision and blind spots are a major problem in the agriculture industry, and Journey provides drivers with a clear field of vision preventing safety issues, while maximizing productivity and profitability.

Founded in 1954, Mid-States Distributing Company is a $6 billion dollar company and operates close to 700 stores with over 35,000 employees.

About Hyndsight Vision Systems

Founded in 2012, Hyndsight Vision Systems corporate offices and distribution center is located in Peterborough, NH. The company has secured world-wide distribution agreements with national and international companies is distributed by 55 retail and wholesale distributors.

Contact:

Melissa Thompson

Hyndsight Vision Systems

49 Vose Farm Road

Peterborough, NH 03458

Phone: 603-924-1334

http://www.hyndsightvision.com
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, gestures at an election campaign rally in Tokyo. (Photo: Reuters)

By AP: Voting in a general election started Sunday that would most likely hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's right-wing ruling coalition a victory and possibly close to a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Abe dissolved the lower house less than a month ago, forcing the snap election. He judged the timing was ripe for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting until the end of its term next year.

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Up for grabs are 465 seats in the more powerful lower house, which chooses the prime minister.

Media polls have indicated voters are passively choosing Abe's government despite its railroading of unfavorable bills and cronyism scandals, seeing it as a safer choice over an opposition with little or unknown track records.

Scare over North Korea's missile and nuclear development is also seen contributing to voters' conservative choice. Media surveys also predicted Abe's coalition to win around 300 seats though they said it could lose some ground from the current 318 due to scandals.

Hiroshi Yamada, 82, said his vote was based on "the issues such as (a possible) war and foreign affairs," suggesting his support for the LDP coalition amid growing concerns over North Korea. "I am supporting the political party which presents feasible policies amid the current situation."

Makiko Yamada, who's unrelated to the other voter, said she was bothered by Abe's cronyism scandals. "I saw reports showing people who would help (Abe) were given high positions. It made me think twice."

Voters were casting ballots early, apparently worried by an approaching powerful typhoon. Vote counting at a few locations in southwestern Japan may be delayed due to the weather, NHK public television reported.

Abe says he is seeking a mandate on his government's tougher stance to defend Japan against the North's threat and his proposed increase in the consumption tax, but experts say it's an election about securing his rule.

An election victory would boost Abe's chances to head LDP for another three years at the party's convention next September. It would extend his premiership possibly to 2021 and eventually achieve his long-time goal of revising Japan's war-renouncing postwar constitution.

A supporter of the Liberal Democratic Party waits in the rain for the arrival of the party's leader, Japan's PM Shinzo Abe, at an election campaign rally in Tokyo. (Photo: Reuters)

In a speech in Tokyo wrapping up the 12-day campaigning Saturday night, Abe said, "We will protect Japan at all costs for the future of this country."Support for Abe's Cabinet has recovered thanks to the absence of parliamentary debates over political scandals during a recess.

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The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray after a leadership change and a key member was slammed by an extramarital affair. Holding off on an election would only give Abe's potential rival, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, more time to organize a challenge.

Koike hastily launched a new party to contest the vote, though she ended up not running. Her Party of Hope attracted a slew of defectors from the Democrats who converted to her populist platform including phasing out nuclear energy by 2030, and freezing of a consumption tax hike due in 2019. The initial excitement for her party has waned as Koike's nationalist stance and policies were seen similar to those of Abe's LDP.

The Democratic Party had imploded and its more liberal members, led by former top government spokesman Yukio Edano, launched yet another group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, whose focus on grassroots democracy, pacifist principles and calls for "decent" politics is now outpolling the Party of Hope.

Abe's victory would likely mean a continuation of the policies he has pursued in the nearly five years since he took office in December 2012 - a hard line on North Korea, close ties with Washington, including defense, as well as a super-loose monetary policy and push for nuclear energy.

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With a possible backing from the conservative opposition, he may get the two-thirds majority he needs in parliament to propose a constitutional amendment, though any change also needs approval in a public referendum.

ALSO WATCH | What PM Modi, Shinzo Abe said in joint address at India-Japan Summit in Gandhinagar

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By India Today Web Desk: Days after expressing his anguish over the chief secretary's order to link PDS schemese with Aadhaar number, Jharkhand Food Minister Saryu Roy yesterday stated that biometric seeding was not mandatory.

The Aadhaar linking of the PDS scheme has come in for sharp criticism in Jharkhand following death of an 11-year-old girl in Simdega district last month. It was reported that the girl's family was denied ration from the PDS shop as they failed to furnish the Aadhaar number.

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The girl, local activists alleged, died of starvation on September 28. They said that family was denied ration for want of Aadhaar-linked ration card. Now, Saryu Roy has stated, "Aadhaar card is not mandatory. Any card, including a driver's license and voter ID card or any specified card, is permissible for procuring food grains."

A toll free number - 1800 212 55 12 - had been set up to lodge complaints regarding ration distribution, Roy said, adding that grain banks would also be set up in every block.

Meanwhile, a fresh probe announced by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on October 17 had found that the girl died of malaria, officials said. The first probe by a three-member team, which was constituted on October 6, also examined the case and found the girl died of malaria, they said.

The chief minister also announced Rs 50,000 as assistance to the girl's family. Girl's mother Koyli Devi was also provided security after she alleged that she was threatened by the villagers following controversy. "I have been living in fear, villagers abused me and asked me to leave the village," Koyli Devi was quoted as saying by ANI.

Reacting to the reports of threat being given to Koyli Devi, Saryu Roy said, "Action would be taken if anyone threatens Koyli Devi. We have ensured now that she doesn't face any problem."

Action would be taken if anyone threatens Koyli Devi. We have ensured now that she doesn't face any problem: Saryu Roy, #Jharkhand Food Min pic.twitter.com/Q7BqWUEjju- ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

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The Ghanaian actress, comedienne and TV host, was caught in bed sleeping with another woman by her husband.

READ MORE: Actress reveals how juju men offered her help to revenge on husband

Abrokwa has been accused of recording and dumbing Afia's nude on social media.

He has however denied the accusation.

Essentially, the marriage is nearing collapse, as the couple continue to denigrate each other in public.

On Sunday, Afia took to her Instagram page to mark the wedding anniversary with scathing remarks directed at her estranged husband.

She said: "Today 22/10/17 marks exactly 1 year that I took a stupid step without consulting you...thank you for bringing me out alive and Naked...."

"Lessons learned, lines are drawn(no relationship with any broke dude, I don't run an orphanage in my house), living my life to the fullest.
CNN has reported the song and Chris Brown has also tweeted about the one corner song, he remarked.

He added: Theres no doubt that the hit song One Corner has made its way outside Ghana...with people asking the origin of this song that comes with its weird dance. There are videos of people far and wide dancing to this hit song.

The one corner song, released by Patapaa, a Swedru based musician, has lit up social media as well as social gatherings.

READ MORE: Patapaa spotted applying for passport as he readies international shows
He told TV3's New Day programme that a neutral person should have been appointed to head the department.

ACP Addo-Danquah took over from COP Bright Oduro who was fired from his position three months to his retirement.

He is due for retirement in January 2018.

A memo from the Inspector General of Police, David Asante Apeatu, asked ACP Addo-Danquah to act as the CID boss.

Sources say COP Oduro's ouster from office was due to several petitions against him in connection with land related issues.
"Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull.

"What happens now, with everyone in agreement and unity, is that we will announce what we will do and how," he told Catalunya Radio.

Rajoy has taken Spain into uncharted legal waters by moving to wrest back powers from the semi-autonomous region, which could see Madrid take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs.

The move sparked outrage among separatists, with nearly half a million taking to the streets of regional capital Barcelona on Saturday and Puigdemont declaring Rajoy guilty of "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Among other repressive measures, Franco -- who ruled from 1939 until 1975 -- took Catalonia's powers away and banned official use of the Catalan language.

Though Catalans are deeply split on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people, which fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.

Rajoy said he had no choice but to force Puigdemont out by triggering never-before-used constitutional powers, as the Catalan leader refuses to drop his threat to declare a breakaway state.

Spain's Senate is set to approve the measures by the end of next week. Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority in the upper house, while other major parties also back his efforts to prevent a break-up of the nation.

What now?

In a crisis that has sent jitters through one of Spain's most important regional economies and rattled stock markets, Rajoy has ordered fresh elections to be called within six months of the Senate hearing, which would see a vote by mid-June at the latest.

Separatist parties of all political stripes, from Puigdemont's conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last election in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.

Ahead of a meeting of Catalan parties Monday to organise a crucial session of the regional parliament to debate next steps, Turull insisted on RAC1 radio that elections were "not on the table".

Political analysts warn that Madrid faces a serious struggle in practical terms to impose control over the region.

Potential scenarios include Catalan police and civil servants refusing to obey orders from central authorities.

"What is going to happen if they don't abide by it?" said Xavier Arbos Marin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, raising the prospect of the government trying to "take them out by force".

He said there is fierce debate among experts over whether the government's actions are even legal.

Independence supporters may also seek to scupper the plans through civil disobedience, such as surrounding regional ministries to thwart officials sent by Madrid.

"If police try to enter one of the Catalan institutions, there will be peaceful resistance," said Ruben Wagensberg, spokesman for new activist group En Pie de Paz.

'Group of rebels'

Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis tried to strike a reassuring tone.

"We are not going to arrest anyone," he told BBC television, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in to enforce order.

But he warned that if Puigdemont's government keeps trying to give orders, "they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia".

Puigdemont says 90 percent backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given as 43 percent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from a vote that was declared illegal by the courts.
As well as talks with senior Saudi officials in Riyadh including King Salman, Tillerson attended a landmark meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at upgrading strategic ties between the Arab neighbours.

The meeting appears aimed at boosting Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia's clout in Shiite-majority Iraq, part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen.

Tillerson's visit comes just weeks after President Donald Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal, leaving its fate to the US Congress, and laid out an aggressive new strategy against Tehran in a bellicose speech.

"This event highlights the strength and breadth as well as the great potential of the relations between your countries," Tillerson said at the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in Riyadh.

Following years of tensions with Riyadh, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the meeting as an "important step toward enhancing relations", while King Salman warned of the dangers of "extremism, terrorism, as well as attempts to destabilise our countries."

The question of Iranian influence has also been at the heart of the diplomatic conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with Tillerson headed to Doha later Sunday for talks on defusing the crisis between two key US allies.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.

Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

'Unwillingness to engage'

Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."

Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said.

On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

Simon Henderson, a veteran of the region now at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, said the disputing parties do not want to lose face.

"Tillerson will say: 'Come on kids, grow up and wind down your absurd demands. And let's work on a compromise on your basic differences'," he said.

Kuwait has tried to serve as a mediator, with US support, but the parties have yet to sit down face-to-face.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India.
By PTI: Johannesburg, Oct 22 (PTI) Allowing smartphones in class may affect the students ability to concentrate, eventually hampering their academic performance, a study warns.

"While ever-smarter digital devices have made many aspects of our lives easier and more efficient, a growing body of evidence suggests that, by continuously distracting us, they are harming our ability to concentrate," said researchers from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

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It should not be surprising that university lecturers are encouraged to develop blended learning initiatives and bring tech - videos, podcasts, Facebook pages - into the classroom more and more to offer students the enhanced experiences enabled by digital media, researchers said.

However, an important effect of these initiatives has been to establish media use during university lectures as the norm, researchers warn.

Previous studies show that students constantly use their phones when they are in class.

"But here is the kicker: if you think they are following the lecture slides or engaging in debates about the topic you are mistaken," said Daniel le Roux from Stellenbosch University.

"In fact, this is hardly ever the case. When students use their phones during lectures they do it to communicate with friends, engage in social networks, watch YouTube videos or just browse around the web to follow their interests," le Roux added.

There are two primary reasons why this form of behaviour is problematic from a cognitive control and learning perspective.

"The first is that when we engage in multitasking our performance on the primary task suffers. Making sense of lecture content is very difficult when you switch attention to your phone every five minutes," researchers said.

A strong body of evidence supports this, showing that media use during lectures is associated with lower academic performance.

"The second reason is that it harms students ability to concentrate on any particular thing for an extended period of time," researchers said.

They become accustomed to switching to alternative streams of stimuli at increasingly short intervals. The moment the lecture fails to engage or becomes difficult to follow, the phones come out. PTI APA MHN MHN

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Mr Maina was posted a few days ago to the Ministry of Interior by the Office of the Head of Service (HoS) in an Acting capacity to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the Director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry, said Mr Danbazua in the statement.

It is understood that Mainas last posting was with the Ministry of Interior, and that is probably why he was re-posted back to the Ministry, the statement added.

Mr Maina was declared wanted in 2013 by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in connection with N2 pension scam in the Office of HoS of the Federation.

A check on the EFCCs website shows Mr Maina is still wanted for the alleged stated crime.

The public is hereby notified that Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for offences bordering on Procurement Fraud and Obtaining by False Pretence, the EFCC stated on its website.

Dark complexioned Maina is allegedly complicit in the over N 2 billion Pensions Biometric Scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He remains at large after charges were filed against his accomplices.

Maina was later dismissed in the same year by the Federal Civil Service Commission, following a recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service, for absconding from duty.

With this and other corruption cases, citizens are concerned about how it seems corruption is gaining upper hand in the country. Although President Buhari promised to fight the malice with all his willpower, but it looks like the table is now turning around.

Mrs Aisha Yesufu of the has also raised concern over the presence of some powerful men in the current government, who are considered above the law and untouchable.
Google recently announced several new hardware products at an event in San Francisco on October 4. From smartphones to convertible laptops and digital assistant-powered earbuds, the Mountain View company had it all.

The company's SVP for hardware and products, Rick Osterloh, told The Verge that the company is serious about hardware, and one of the ways it's showing its intentions is by covering almost every product category that matters.

Google has historically been a software company, known for web services like Google Drive, the G Suite (Docs, Slides, Sheets), Google Maps, and of course YouTube, in addition to the world's most-used search engine.

Android, for instance, is by far the most adopted operating system (OS), and has been one of the firm's true trojan horses in the mobile war against Apple and the iPhone. Earlier this year, Google announced 2 billion Android devices have been activated in total, making it its single most widely distributed product.

But in order to better deliver these experiences, Google realised it needed the integration of software and hardware it couldn't hope for if it continued to let companies like Samsung or LG be the ones that actually put a physical product in customers' hands.

It created a dedicated hardware team and put it under the leadership of former Motorola COO Rick Osterloh back in April 2016, and even bought an entire engineering team from HTC this September.

Companies with control over hardware and software generally take pride in their design

Given that we spend so much of our time with our phones, tablets, and even smart speakers, however, companies usually put a lot of effort in design, too.

Aesthetics, choice of material, and the overall experience  down to a product's packaging  are all high up in most hardware makers' lists. Industrial design has always been one of Apple's biggest strengths in particular, and Microsoft has put extra care in making good design a pillar of every Surface product, too (notably, Microsoft and Apple are the other two big companies that ship products they power with their own operating systems).

But, apparently, Google's idea of self-made devices doesn't have to necessarily reflect this sense of aesthetics.

If anything, most of its new products have a somewhat unassuming design. There is nothing particularly innovative or flashy about the Pixel phones; the new Home Max is as generic-looking a loudspeaker as you can get, and the Clips camera is basically just a small box with a bulge on its back.

Google's devices are not ugly by any means, but industrial design  in terms of glitziness, attention to detail, choice of material, and all the other things that make machines like, say, the Surface Studio stand out  seems like an afterthought.

And it probably is, at least according to the company's claims, in which executives speak explicitly about pragmatic decisions (like imbuing software with AI) taking priority.

But the point is that, considering Google's position as a new player in this specific space, it might actually be ok.

The thinking behind most of the firm's design decisions has leaned towards being more practical than flashy, focused on making things work rather than look good. And if that means being a little behind the curve, or even conservative, Google is willing to accept that.

There is no shiny glass on the back of the Pixel 2, which means no wireless charging. There is no secondary camera. The screen takes up almost the entirety of the front  at least on the larger XL model  but it's not quite up there with the Galaxy Note 8, the iPhone X, the Essential phone, or even the LG V30, the phone upon whose canvas the Pixel 2 XL was built. There is no razzle-dazzle face-scanning camera, just a good old-fashioned fingerprint reader. The list goes on.

In short, just by looking at it, you'd have to think twice about spending $649 (for the 64GB small model, or up to $949 for the larger XL in 256GB configuration; UK prices are 629/729 and 799/899) on a new Pixel. But, much like last year, using it will be a completely different story  or, at least, that's Google pitch.

Googles idea of design gravitates more towards user experience than sheer looks

Google is trying to make up for the lack of special hardware features or a particularly eye-catching design with what it does best, i.e. software, with a little help from its machine learning algorithms.

Take the camera, for instance.

Last year's Pixel's camera was widely considered the best one around, and Google first branded it with a then-record-breaking 89 score on DxO mark. The new rear shooter brings that up to a whopping 98  which might not be reflected in actual use, but it's still something to keep in mind (the iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 both sit at 94).

By dividing each pixel in the sensor of the 12MP camera into two separate sub-pixels, Google worked out algorithms that can produce a depth map capable of replicating the shallow depth of field in portrait photos that competing smartphones achieve with a second lens.

There are some other AI-powered tricks, too, like a feature that instantly recognises songs playing around you and lets you play and save them on Play Music or Spotify (without sending data to Google), or the Google Lens app, which wants to become Google Search for your eyes by recognising, identifying, and giving you information on objects, flyers, signs, posters, and whatever you happen to find in your surroundings.

But that's all stuff that you are going to be able to appreciate using the phone, not just by looking at it. Even the unsightly bezels  both on the sides and the top and bottom, particularly on the smaller model  start to make sense, because they offer enough space to cram in a set of stereo speakers.

Simply looking at the Pixel 2  or the Home Max, the Pixel Buds earphones, and even the Pixelbook laptop  will probably not evoke any allure or sense of fashion-centered thinking, which is certainly important to some. But that's fine, because it's probably something that Google doesn't necessarily need (or is even able to achieve) right now.

Its entire hardware portfolio is but a vessel for it to ship its AI-powered products, from Assistant, to Lens, to Google Photos, filled with unlimited, max-resolution pictures straight out of the single camera of the Pixel (which, the company claims, people use to take twice as many shots as the average iPhone user, for a total of 23GB worth of photos uploaded on its cloud) and more.

Google knows that it can't compete on the scale of the Apples and Samsungs of the world  and, probably, not even with Microsoft  right now, but it definitely plans to do so (moving significant hardware volumes and breaking out the division in its financial reports within five years, according to The Verge's interview).
Daily Post reports that the Pontiff has warned that any priest accused of sexual indecency against children will be immediately kicked out of the Church.

According to Pope Francis, the recent case of a priest who was not defrocked and ended up committing similar offences two years after being found guilty of abuse taught him to never to pardon these priests.

He said, The abuse of a minor if it is proven, is sufficient for there to be no possibility of appeal. If the proof is there, the punishment is definitive.

And as for requests for papal pardons, I will not sign anything for these crimes."

The means of resolving the problem are also arriving a bit late.

That is the reality, the old practice of moving (paedophile priests) from one diocese to the other put peoples conscience to sleep.
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The President said this during his meeting with the Pakistani Prime Minister, Shahid Khakan Abbasi in Instanbul, Turkey.

According to Garba Shehu, Buhari also told the Pakistani PM that Boko Haram has been completely defeated.

Speaking on the Nigeria-Pakistan relationship, the President said he is impressed with the level of military cooperation between both countries.

He said We have moved them out from their strongholds in the North East, we have denied them space and even their attacks on soft targets are becoming less often.

Even the opposition (party) recognises that there is a considerable improvement of security in the North-East.

Nigeria-Pakistan cooperation is very historical. Military training has been very consistent and I am impressed with the efficiency of officers trained in Pakistan.

But the performance of our countries in relation to trade and industrial cooperation had been very disappointing, he added.
The government also constituted a seven-member committee to work with the locals to identify and execute critical projects that would open up the area and bring succor to its residents.

The committee, according to Dr. Isaac Auta, member representing Kauru Constituency at the Kaduna House of Assembly, is chaired by the Commissioner of Rural Development, Hajia Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa

Governor Nasir El-rufai declared the state-of-emergency on infrastructure development in Kauru when he visited the area and discovered that it was left far behind in all spheres of basic development.

He was very shocked when he discovered that there was no sign of development in any part of the local government, Auta told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, in Kaduna.

He quoted El-rufai as directing the areas three chiefdoms  Chawai, Kumana and Kauru  to identify critical projects to be undertaken, and submit same to the committee for urgent consideration and action.

Auta identified the most critical areas of need to include roads, bridges, culverts, schools, hospitals and electricity.

He added that most areas had no access to GSM communication services, saying that the state government had met with some communication outfits on the matter.

The law maker regretted that the area had remained neglected and left very far behind by successive administrations in spite of monies allocated for its development, and described the situation as sad and embarrassing.

He said that the situation had only worsened the poverty in the rural settlements as the dwellers had been unable to transport farm produce like rice, sugar cane, ginger and yam to the markets.

Auta said that government was particularly worried about key roads like Bakin Kogi-Kiffin-Manchok, Kadage-Galadimawa and Rumaya-Lere West, and explained that he was working with his colleagues from Kaura and Lere constituencies to make them a priority.

On his achievements, Auta said he had attracted some road rehabilitation projects to Kauru, Chawai, Mariri and Kumana, and secured employment for many youths across the area.

He said that 11 Primary Health Centres were being been upgraded through his efforts, while 600 rural dwellers undertook surgeries to cure various ailments via his free medical outreach.

The law maker also reacted to allegations that the Kaduna House of Assembly was merely a rubber stamp to decisions by the executive arm.

Such opinion comes from subjective impressions; it is not an objective opinion based on a fair assessment with verifiable facts.

We carry out our duties as legislators and cannot satisfy everybody. We have a smooth working relationship with other arms of government based on mutual respect.

We believe that the achievements recorded so far are based on such togetherness. Some decisions are the prerogative of the governor and should be left to him. We shall not seek to fight just because people want to see us fighting, he said.

Auta said that the APC inherited a crumbled Nigeria but had tried to restore hope to the citizens by checking areas of waste and changing the general feeling that governance was synonymous with stealing.

We have blocked leakages through the Treasury Single Account, eliminated impunity, established special courts to try corruption cases, cleared arrears of salaries and tackled the ghost workers syndrome.
SERAP said that the directives to banks to unfreeze Mrs Jonathans accounts amount to mingling of the executive and judicial powers in the National Assembly.

The group also said that checks and balances should ideally help contribute to the rule of law and strengthening our democratic dispensation.

SERAP also added that if one branch of government grows too strong and overreaching, the country might be in trouble.

SERAP, in a statement signed by the deputy director Timothy Adewale said: Its an affront to our constitutional democracy for the National Assembly to turn itself into a tool for checkmating the countrys justice system, especially the prosecution of grand corruption. Rather than helping Mrs Jonathans desire to achieve justice for what she may consider to be violations of her human rights, such directives are doing exactly the opposite and politicising the criminal justice process."

According to reports, the Senate had last week decided that Mrs Jonathans accounts should be unfrozen, saying that some of the accounts including with Stanbic IBTC, First Bank, Union Bank, Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, Ecobank and Bank Zenith Bank were frozen based on some administrative lapses.

It also claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) used the banks to close the accounts without due process of law.

But SERAP said that, Nigerians are concerned about their lawmakers thirst for power, and about the National Assembly aggrandizing its legislative powers without sufficient checks and constitutional scrutiny and validity. The National Assembly ought to focus the exercise of its legislative powers solely on making laws for the peace, order and good government of our country, addressing only matters of prime national concern, and when necessary, checking the excesses of the executive branch.

Adding that The directives purportedly unfreezing the accounts of Mrs Jonathan will not give the public the confidence that the National Assembly will change its ways and embrace the rule of law.

The National Assembly should not show itself as incapable and unwilling to address the concerns of Nigerians about its operations and apparent lack of transparency. These kinds of interventions by the National Assembly could portray our lawmakers in the eyes of Nigerians as forgetting what they are in Abuja to do.

The Senate and House of Representatives should advise Mrs Jonathan to seek appropriate judicial remedies if she feels the criminal justice mechanisms have violated her human rights. Thats the essence of the rule of law, separation of powers and checks and balances. The supposed directives to banks have unfortunately again put the reputation of the National Assembly at stake.

What Nigerians want and deserve is a balanced sharing of constitutional powers for the sake of the public good, and not Imperial National Assembly, a National Assembly that sits on its throne in Abuja and treats Nigerians as serfs in their fiefdoms.

If the body that makes law also controls its execution, implementation and interpretation, it can effectively tailor the laws to help itself and its friends and hurt its perceived enemies. It can thwart the virtue of impartial general law-making by rendering it a tool for singling out."
Okorocha also said that Kanus actions have led to the tagging of Igbo people as IPOB members.

The Governor said These young men seeking relevance as a livelihood and to tell you how daft some people can be, any mad man can just rise one day and lead a senseless agitation and hed get followers.

Even the way IPOB was handled by the government wasnt right. I kept telling the government that this young man, Kanu Nnamdi, is inconsequential in the matter- treat him like who he really is.

But now hed been given some national attention branding the whole Igbo as IPOB members and its the reason for the quit notice some gave our people in the North. The matter is laughable. You cannot imagine me, Rochas being asked by IPOB that lets go to war and I follow.

Thats the greatest insult to people of the east. Even if you come today and start a church you name Kill Every Human Being Church, some people will still join you. There are always people for everything you do. I would have handled it differently.

Okorocha also said that he will support President Buhari if he decides to run in 2019.

In his words: "I have so many windows open in 2019 as I wait for Mr. President to make his declaration, I want to be politically relevant and I have made the decision never to watch my country sink.

If President Buhari declares to run for the office again in 2019, I will support him, because the man has a character to develop Nigeria. He has a thick skin that we need.

We have a faulty foundation and I see President Buhari as that man who can build the foundation that we need. But I dont see him as someone who will build this nation with a fantastic finishing with nice furniture.

Hes just going to build a solid foundation upon which success and prosperity for the land shall be accomplished. And thats where people like me would come in.
Read on to find out what Sonia Gandhi said at a meeting which formally approved Pranab Mukherjee's name as the UPA's presidential nominee in June 2012.

By India Today Web Desk: "I will miss his tantrums" is what Congress president Sonia Gandhi said while bidding farewell to Pranab Mukherjee from the Congress Working Committee at a meeting which formally approved his name as the UPA's presidential nominee in June 2012.

"After briefing the meeting on the presidential election, Sonia Gandhi bid me an emotional farewell...Thereafter, with a mischievous smile she looked at me and said Along with that, of course, I will miss some of his tantrums," Mukherjee writes in his just-launched book, The Coalition Years.

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Mukherjee recently gave his first interview after leaving office to India Today Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa.

He spoke at length on his equations with party "high-command" Sonia Gandhi to his "political rival for PM's chair", Manmohan Singh, to a few "economic tips" to PM Modi on demonetisation and the "politically volatile" Goods and Services Tax (GST).

In an exclusive interview with India Today Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa, the first after leaving his office as President, Mukherjee spoke at length on his equations with party "high-command" Sonia Gandhi to his "political rival for PM's chair", Manmohan Singh, to a few "economic tips" to PM Modi on demonetisation and the "politically volatile" Goods and Services Tax (GST).

On being asked how he felt when Sonia chose Manmohan over him for the PM's chair, Mukherjee was categorical: "Not disappointed, because I considered myself disqualified from ever being the Prime Minister of India. One disqualification was that, for most part of my career, I was always in the Rajya Sabha. Only in 2004 did I win a seat to the Lok Sabha. Second, though I was elected to the Lok Sabha, I did not know Hindi. And without knowing Hindi, nobody should venture to be the PM of India. Kamaraj said that once- 'No Hindi, no prime ministership'."

He went on to justify Gandhi's faith in Singh. "My honest assessment at the time was that Manmohan was the best choice. Over time, he had understood administrative and political nuances. He had vast administrative experience and was well-versed in economic affairs. He has always been a man of highest integrity. He's widely respected across the world as an economist of repute."

Did he face problems working with PM Singh? "I didn't have any issue because everyone knew my temper and way of functioning. Everyone allowed me to work in my own way." When asked why Congress lost so badly in 2014, he said, "We managed the coalition of UPA-I exceedingly well. It was much more cohesive. We could deliver good governance. But in UPA-II, the coalition did not do so."

Pranab Mukherjee also spoke to India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai.

You can watch it right here.

VIDEO | Had excellent relationship with PM Narendra Modi, says Pranab Mukherjee

(Inputs from PTI)

--- ENDS ---
The Government of Turkey, on July 28, 2016, had alerted the Federal Government on the existence of schools and hospitals owned by suspected terrorists in Nigeria and demanded that the facilities be shut down.

The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil, who gave the alert when he received the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Shehu Sani, said the owners of the schools allegedly sponsored the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Turkey.

Cakil said the institutions, which ranged from schools to hospitals, were allegedly owned by the Fethullah Gulen Foundation, adding that similar schools established in Turkey had been shut down.

The presidential aide, however, stated that a new investor, the Maarif Foundation for education was introduced to the Nigerian delegation to take up the establishment of schools and hospitals in Nigeria.

He disclosed that a delegation from the foundation would visit Nigeria to commence the process of registration as well as following the procedures of establishing the new schools.

The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of scholars, exchange of students and exchange/sharing of ideas, skills and education technology and to improve scholarships for Nigerians to study in Turkey, he added.

Shehu revealed that Nigeria and Turkey also agreed to resolve the issues relating to Nigerian students in Turkish universities that were facing exclusion due to visa challenges.

He said: Nigeria and Turkey have equally agreed to strengthen and promote investments in health institutions and this, as promised by the President will proceed quickly.

That is as soon as the details of the various agreements reached in the bilateral discussions are laid on his table.

On defence, the presidential spokesman said the two countries agreed to strengthen defence and military cooperation initiated a few years ago.

This had already led to the establishment of the Defence section in the Turkish Embassy, Abuja in 2013 and Nigerias Defence section in Ankara in 2016.

In the latest rounds of discussions, Nigeria and Turkey penned an agreement on military training, he said.

Shehu said the two countries also agreed to collaborate towards the upgrading of the Defence Industries Corporation (DIC) in Kaduna into a Military Industrial Complex of Nigeria.

He said that two Turkish companies were already collaborating with the DIC in the production of arms and ammunition.

Of the two companies, one is establishing a rifles production line and the supply of raw materials, technical assistance and training.

The second one is partnering the DIC in the conceptualization, designing, consulting, invention, manufacturing, marketing, sale, exportation and sale of military industrial products.

On the just concluded ninth summit of the D-8 member countries, Shehu said the members also used the event to mark the 20th Anniversary of the organization.

He said the event witnessed the handover of the baton of its leadership from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sahid Khaqan Abbasi to President Recep Tayyep Erdogan of Turkey.
Hundreds of thousands of Catalans vote in an independence referendum that goes ahead despite a court ban deeming it unconstitutional.

Spanish riot police try to block the vote. Shocking footage emerges of them using batons and rubber bullets on crowds and roughing up voters.

The Catalan government says 90 percent of those who voted backed independence, but turnout was only 43 percent as many who oppose a split boycotted the referendum.

October 3: General strike

A general strike called by unions and political groups disrupts Barcelona's port, transport and some businesses. Up to 700,000 people demonstrate in the city against police violence, defending the right to vote.

King Felipe VI accuses Catalan leaders of threatening Spain's stability and urges the state to defend "constitutional order".

October 5: Business exodus begins

Banco Sabadell, Catalonia's second largest bank, announces it will shift its registered domicile out of the region. Nearly 1,200 companies follow suit in a bid to minimise instability.

October 7-8: Mass protests

Tens of thousands of people demonstrate across Spain on October 7, some demanding unity, others demanding dialogue.

The next day hundreds of thousands march in Barcelona to back unity with Spain.

- October 10: 'Suspended' independence declaration

In a move that sparks widespread confusion, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his separatist allies sign a declaration of independence, but say they are suspending its implementation to allow for time for negotiations with Madrid.

The next day, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gives Puigdemont until October 16 to clarify his stance.

October 16: Separatist leaders detained

Puigdemont refuses to say whether he had declared independence and instead calls for dialogue. Madrid gives him an extended deadline of October 19 to say whether he is planning to secede.

A court orders the leaders of two powerful grassroots independence groups, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, to be detained pending an investigation into sedition charges.

Their detention prompts tens of thousands to protest in Barcelona the following night.

October 21: Spain to sack Catalan government, force elections

Rajoy takes drastic steps to stop Catalonia breaking away, employing previously unused constitutional powers to seek the dismissal of Puigdemont's government and new elections for the Catalan parliament. The Senate is due to approve the measures by the end of next week.
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"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar. We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," Sushma Swaraj said today in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital.

By Geeta Mohan, Sahidul Hasan Khokon: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today that normalcy would return to Myanmar's restive Rakhine state only if the "displaced people," meaning Rohingya refugees, return.

Swaraj was reading out a joint statement after meeting her Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Dhaka. Both ministers chaired the fourth Joint Consultative Commission to take stock of the whole ambit of bilateral ties between the two nations.

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Swaraj is in Dhaka on a two-day visit. She discussed the ongoing Rohingya crisis with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, and the need for an "early and lasting solution," her ministry said.

Hasina's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told the media that, "In the meeting, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Myanmar must take back its citizens."

Bangladesh has been dealing with the Rohingya issue for a long time, because of the huge influx of refugees from Myanmar. It has sought help from India in de-escalating the crisis.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar. We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," the joint statement said.

India and Bangladesh said the "only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the State."

EAM Sushma Swaraj discussed situation arising out of influx of displaced persons from Rakhine State & need for early & lasting solution: MEA- ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

India, the statement said, has "has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities."

"We (India) have also supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan led Special Advisory Commission report," it added.

Well over half a million Rohingya people have crossed into Bangladesh's southern district of Cox's Bazaar since late August after escaping horrific violence in neighbouring Myanmar.

A recent report by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) drew attention to the desperate living conditions - and water-borne diseases - that are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children who have fled to southern Bangladesh since late August, including some 10,000 who crossed from Myanmar over the past few days.

Today, Sushma Swaraj reiterated India's commitment to provide aid and support to Bangladesh through "Operation Insaniyat" for the lakhs of "displaced persons who have fled from Rakhine State of Myanmar."

In his statement, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali thanked India for its support and said his country is "happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian assistance".

PROGRESS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS

India and Bangladesh said both sides were "satisfied with progress achieved in areas such as trade and investment, security, connectivity, border management, power, energy, shipping, people to people exchanges", the focus was also on the issue of terrorism and concerns regarding increasing cases of radicalisation.

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The joint statement said, "We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalization and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries. We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels."

REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY

Bangladesh proposed new regional connectivity initiatives to India at the fourth Joint Consultative Commission meeting.

After the meeting, Mahmood Ali praised India as the "most important, trusted and friendly" neighbour, and said New Delhi had agreed to "positively consider" these proposals.

WATCH | Hindu Rohingya refugees forced to convert to Islam in Bangladesh camps

--- ENDS ---
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As per these women, they've been practicing the ritual of praying to lord Rama since 2006, and have been issued threats and fatwas ever since.

By India Today Web Desk: Ever since the pictures of Muslim women praying to lord Rama emerged from Varanasi, the Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa against them calling the act as 'Unislamic'.

The Ulema has asked the women to seek forgiveness from Allah, read the verses of the Quran, and then re-enter the Islamic faith.

Now, the women in picture have come forward and reacted to the fatwa issued against them.

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As per these women, they have been practicing the ritual of praying to Lord Rama since 2006, and have been issued threats and fatwas ever since.

"We believe in communal harmony of India, and we practice the rituals as per Hindu-Muslim traditions. Shri Ram is our ancestor, and ancestors don't change", said Nazma.

Launching an attack on the Maulanas, Nazma said, "Please stop issuing fatwas every now and then, or else, you do your job and we'll do ours. We want Hindus and Muslims to live peacefully", Nazma concluded.

(With inputs from agencies)

--- ENDS ---
From recycling to changing to a plant based diet to carpooling or biking around Athens, there are many ways that people can reduce their carbon footprint even with their busy college schedules. Composting is another way to help reduce food waste and production of greenhouse gasses like methane, and with its rise in popularity it is now getting easier and easier.
By PTI: (Eds: Adding more quotes of Vikramaditya Singh)

Jammu, Oct 22 (PTI) Senior leader of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party Vikramaditya Singh today announced his resignation from the outfit, saying it was not possible for him to continue with the PDP which "disregarded the demands and aspirations of Jammu region".

Singh said he would also resign from the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council.

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The grandson of last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh sought "urgent intervention" of the Centre in addressing regional issues and claimed that the people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir regions were "not happy" with the present dispensation.

Singh had joined the PDP on August 2015 in presence of the partys late president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He was a member of the state Legislative Council.

"I have sent my resignation to party president Mehbooba Mufti with a request to accept it immediately. I feel it is neither morally nor ethically right for me to continue as the member of the PDP and as an MLC," he told reporters here.

"I have also decided to resign from the Legislative Council where I was nominated to by the Governor. I shall write to the chairman of the Legislative Council requesting him to accept my resignation," Singh, the son of Congress leader Karan Singh, said.

He claimed that he never nursed any political ambition and said had that been the case, he would have joined politics at the age of 25.

Accusing the PDP of criticising him every time he raised any issue related to Jammu region, Singh claimed, "I have publicly expressed my concerns for our state in general and Jammu in particular over the last several months but the party has rejected those."

According to him, the issues included illegal settlement of Rohingyas and demand for a public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

"It is no longer possible for me to be a part of a party that continues to disregard the demand and aspirations of Jammu region," he said in his resignation letter.

"Who is happy (with the present dispensation) in Jammu and Kashmir... all the three regions are pulling in different directions ? Jammu is demanding complete integration, Ladakhis favour Union territory and Kashmiris are looking for a solution. They too are our own people.

"Where is the meeting point and the integrity of the state under the prevailing circumstances? Indian government should take urgent steps to address the issues," Singh said.

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Advocating a solution where people of all the three regions of the state are happy, he said the government needs to address the aspirations of the people of the regions.

"Whether that means separation (of Jammu region), Union territory (for Ladakh) or a solution to Kashmir issue. The government need to reach out and address the issues or come out with any other formula," Singh said.

He also alleged that attempts are being made to "wipe out" the over 100-years-old glorious history of Dogras.

"I twice wrote letters to PDP ministers Naeem Akhtar and Altaf Bukhari demanding inclusion of golden period of Dogra rulers in the school books. But they paid no heed," he said.

Singh thanked the civil society for their struggle for various issues concerning the people of Jammu, including the demand of public holiday on the Maharajas birth anniversary.

"We have to continue this agitation till justice is done with Jammu. Till we get the due share, we have to carry on with our struggle, and everyone needs to support me on this," he said.

Remembering PDP founder and the states former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Singh said "we have completely failed in his vision."

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"He wanted to connect the hearts of the people but today we have left every soul with broken heart. We have gone backwards," he said, adding he joined politics on the invitation of Sayeed, but unfortunately "with his death the situation changed drastically".

Asked whether he has consulted his father before deciding to resign from the PDP, Singh said his father is the head of their family and no decision is taken without consulting him.

On his future plans, he said his family has a bigger role to play and will work towards fulfilling his responsibility.

"I have decided to undertake people contact programme and I am visiting different parts of the region... It does not matter if I am an MLC or associated with any party. What is important is to remain in touch with the people," Singh said. PTI TAS MG NSD

--- ENDS ---
Now, you can get EPF transferred to your new employer automatically. Just ensure your Universal Account Number is activated and the employer had done the KYC for it, reports Tinesh Bhasin.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made transferring one's provident fund from one employer to another smooth and seamless. Now, the funds will be automatically transferred when an employee changes jobs. All he needs to do is fill up a newly-introduced Form-11.

"All the new joinee has to do is provide the required information to the new employer in Form-11, which it will send to the EPFO. This will automatically trigger the process of transferring funds from the old company to the new one. The process involves the two companies and EPFO. The employee doesn't need to do anything," says Sanjay Verma, an independent provident fund consultant.

The automatic transfer, however, will be available only for those who have a Universal Account Number (UAN) that was introduced in 2014.

UAN already contains an employee's Aadhaar details, date of birth, bank account and employer information.

When the new employer uploads Form-11, it verifies the details to initiate the transfer process.

The employee will also receive an SMS on the registered mobile number informing him about the automatic transfer.

After sending the SMS, the EPFO will wait for 10 days before starting the process, if the employee does not request to stop the transfer.

The actual transfer will happen when the first contribution by the new employer is deposited to the EPF account. A notification will be sent when the transfer of funds is completed.

An employee needs to ensure that before leaving one's job, the UAN is activated and verified by the employer.

"EPFO has introduced a whole host of online facilities. For any of these services, an employee needs to ensure that the Aadhaar is seeded and UAN is activated," says Manoj Nagpal, CEO, Outlook Asia Capital.

UAN is a unique 12-digit number the EPFO assigns an employee and it doesn't change until retirement, even though an individual might change jobs. It is mandatory since 2014.

The employer does the KYC (know your customer) verification after receiving the UAN from the EPFO. The employee then needs to register, upload documents and activate it by visiting the EPFO website.

Prior to introducing Form-11, if an employee wanted to transfer the provident fund to the new employer, he had to fill up a form online to initiate the transfer. The employee had to go to the EPFO's Online Transfer Claim Portal (OTCP) and provide details for the transfers.

Experts say there have been instances where an employee ended up with two UANs if the transfer was not initiated. This created another procedural hassle and the employee had to request the EPFO to merge the two UANs.

Online transfers were also not possible if an employer did not have a digital signature, which is mandatory.

If an individual doesn't have a UAN or it is not verified, or the EPFO rejects the online transfer, then he needs to follow the existing procedure.

He will need to fill up Form 13, get it signed by the ex-employer and submit it to the present employer. Verma says this process can take anywhere from six months to even two years.
Have the capability to introduce e-vehicles in India but infrastructure not ready, says Renault MD Sumit Sawhney.

French automobile manufacturer Renault has said that it is working with the Government of India to come out with a policy on electric vehicles, to bring clarity on various aspects of establishing a market in this segment in the country.

The company said as one of the major players in the electric vehicles segment, along with its global partner Nissan, it had the capability to introduce electric vehicles in India, but the infrastructure was not ready.

Renault India MD Sumit Sawhney said, "It depends on the government policies and how they want to take it forward."

While the government has set a target to convert 100 per cent sales into electric vehicles in 2030, it is looking at various aspects of this goal.

It would require the right taxation and proper infrastructure including charging technology, battery technology and others.

The government is working on this and the company is also working with the government for clarity.

Sawhney said the government was expected to come out with some results soon.

The company, which has three brands -- Kwid, Duster and Lodgy -- will be launching its fourth model, Captur, in India by the end of this month.

It is the seventh largest player in the passenger car segment, with the three brands, Sawhney claimed.

He said the company was aiming to expand its network from over 300 dealerships to 320 by the year-end. It would also look at expanding its mobile workshops to 75 by March 2018.

Image: Zoe, Renault's electric car launched in the United Kingdom. Photograph: Courtesy, renault.co.uk
The 73-day-long Doklam standoff was 'safely resolved' after several rounds of talks with India, a top Chinese military official said on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China.

People's Liberation Army official Liu Fang spoke about the resolution of the Doklam standoff citing it as an example of how the Chinese military is trying to resolve issues through dialogue mechanisms with different countries.

"We also conducted a lot of practical cooperation," she said referring to the Dokalam standoff which began on June 16 when the Chinese military attempted to build a road in the territory claimed by Bhutan close to the Chicken's Neck area connecting India's north eastern states with the mainland.

The standoff ended on August 28 with mutual understanding after China halted the construction of the road.

"Of course it is safely resolved right now," Liu said.

"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and held negotiations with the Indian side many times," while China clearly reiterated its position, she said.

"All of this contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of China-India cross border dispute," she said, referring to the standoff.

Observers attach significance to the PLA acknowledging peaceful resolution of the Dokalam standoff, at the CPC Congress which is set to endorse a second term for President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese military is working hard to build up new platforms and measures to improve international cooperation she said, adding, "We already have dialogue mechanisms with 28 organisations."

Referring to the address of President Xi at the once-in-five-years Congress of the CPC on October 18, Liu said she is 'very very inspired' by the report delivered by him outlining 'tremendous progress and achievements'.

In his address, Xi had spoken about plans to turn the PLA into a world class force.

Terming the speech as 'profound and fundamental', she said 'we totally agree with it'.

Besides being president, Xi also heads the CPC and the country's military as chairman of the Central Military Commission, the overall high command of the 2.3 million-strong PLA, the world's largest army.

Liu said China is playing a larger and greater role in increasing its international influence.

China is making efforts in international peacekeeping, maritime cooperation and disaster relief.

"All this shows our responsibility as a big power nation. We keep our voice louder and louder at the international stage," she said.

The Chinese military is showing its confidence in the international arena and its spokesmen actively interacted with the international media to explain the version of Chinese army and also correct misunderstandings, she said.

"By doing so we want to convey the correct, clear and accurate information about China's military development," Liu said.

She along with other young military officials interacted with the media sharing their experiences in the military and their appreciation of Xi's leadership.

The Chinese military, which has undergone a massive reform drive since Xi took power in 2012, has an annual budget of over $141 billion, next only to the United States.
The controversy over Vijay-starrer Mersal refused to die down on Sunday, with actor Vishal accusing Bharatiya Janata Party leader H Raja of advocating piracy by watching the movie online, a charge rejected by latter.

Earlier in the day, referring to Raja's remarks, reported in a section of the media, Vishal, head of the Tamil Film Producers Council and general secretary of the South Indian Artistes' Association, had also demanded an apology from him.

However, Raja clarified that he had only watched clips of the movie on his mobile phone and said he did not have the patience to sit through a two-and-a-half hour film.

"Dear Mr H Raja, as a leader and prominent personality, you are advocating piracy and blatantly agreeing to it," Vishal said in a statement.

The actor also said he wondered 'how a political leader like you could watch a pirated version of a film (online)' and added that it 'sets a bad example'.

This was "totally insensitive and uncalled for," said Vishal, who is known for his strong anti-piracy stand and activities.

Demanding an apology from Raja on the matter, Vishal also pressed the government to enact more stringent anti-piracy laws.

Raja, however, categorically denied having watched the movie, especially online as it was being made out. "I had not watched the movie. I only watched the clips received on my phone," he told PTI.

Piracy is one of the major issues being faced by the multi-crore Tamil cinema industry, with films being uploaded on certain websites soon after their release.

The availability of pirated CDs and DVDs of new films is also an issue.

Actor Vijay's fans have been reportedly circulating the contentious scenes, allegedly mocking the central government's Goods and Services Tax (GST), through mobile phones.

"I don't have the patience to watch a two-and-a-half hour movie. This entire episode shows that whoever opposes the BJP are supporting Vijay, and this is expected," Raja said.

Diwali release Mersal has kicked up a row with the BJP taking exception to references on GST in the movie.

BJP leaders, including Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, have been demanding that the 'incorrect' references be deleted from the big-budget flick.

However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his senior colleague P Chidambaram, DMK working president M K Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.

In Puducherry, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy came to the defence of the film, saying questions have been 'justifiably' raised on the GST and the Digital India initiatives in the movie and there could be no objection to expression of one's views in a democratic set up.

"I am a member of the GST council and I have expressed my strong criticism of the abnormal levy of GST on medicines and on hotels at the council meeting," he told reporters.

"Will those unable to tolerate criticisms made by actor Vijay in the movie against the GST seek action against me as well for objecting to the abnormal levy of taxes at the council meeting?" the chief minister asked.

Stating that movies, television and newspapers had every right to express views and criticise policies and decisions of authorities, he claimed that there was no political motive, whatsoever, in the movie's dialogues.

"Let not BJP leaders labour under the mistake that they should always be lauded for anything and everything of the National Democratic Alliance regime even if the decisions of the Centre are injurious to the people," Narayanasamy said.

The BJP had on October 20 objected to what it termed as 'untruths' regarding the GST in just-released Mersal, and wanted dialogues on the central taxation to be deleted.
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year-long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.

Thereafter, on April 21, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naik's appearance before it.

After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke his passport.

The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
Modi said his government has given a new mantra 'P for P' -- implying ports for prosperity.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the maiden voyage of RO-RO ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej, in Gujarat on Sunday. All Photographs: Press Information Bureau of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the roll-on roll-off (RO-RO) ferry service connecting Saurashtra with south Gujarat, amid a political row over the delay in announcement of poll dates for the state.

While launching his 'dream project', Modi blamed the previous United Progressive Alliance government for delaying the venture by creating hurdles in the name of environment.

Modi, who is visiting the state for the third time this month, also took the first trip in the ferry from Ghogha to Dahej with 100 visually-impaired children from Bhavnagar.

"This is the first of its kind project not only in India, but also in South-East Asia," Modi said at a rally in Ghogha, which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

The Congress had alleged that the government put 'pressure' on the Election Commission to 'delay' the announcement of Gujarat elections to enable the prime minister to offer sops to the state.

"This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible," said Modi, who had earlier termed it his 'dream project'.

"I had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2012, but for doing work in the ocean, you had to remain dependent on the central government then. There were such people in the central government that they had put a ban on development from Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch along coastal Gujarat," he said.

IMAGE: PM Modi interacts with the children on the board the ferry.

"All over, industries were threatened to be closed down in the name of environment. I know how many challenges I had faced for the development of Gujarat," he said attacking the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

Hailing the project as a 'precious gift to the country from Ghogha', Modi blamed the erstwhile UPA government for ignoring the shipping and port sector.

"In the past decades, shipping and port sectors were ignored. To modernise the sector, the government has begun Sagarmala programme...," Modi said.

"Had they (the Congress-led UPA government) understood the power of the ocean, the people in this region would not have been forced to leave their homes for work in other cities," he said.

The first phase of the project connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat.

In the first phase which was inaugurated by Modi, only passengers can travel, while in the second phase which will start after two months, light vehicles such as cars can be ferried. While in the third phase, heavy vehicles such as trucks can also be taken in the ferry.

Modi said the project will be extended up to Hazira in Surat district, and similar projects will also be launched in the Gulf of Kutch.

IMAGE: PM meets with physically challenged children at Dahej Sea Ferry Point.

"The ferry can take more than 100 trucks at one time, and with such a huge number of vehicles going off the road, it will impact the road connecting Delhi and Mumbai. The number of vehicles on Gujarat's industrialised zone will reduce, the speed of vehicles will increase and this will take the economic system in top gear," Modi said.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour. To start with, two ships -- M V Jay Sophia and Island Jed -- can take 300 and 239 passengers, including crew members respectively, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) said.

Modi had recently said that the assembly polls in the state will be a battle between vikaswad and vanshwad, in which his 'development agenda' will triumph over the Congress's 'dynastic politics'.

The Election Commission had, on October 12, announced that polling for the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9, but held back the Gujarat polls schedule, only saying that polling in the western state would be held before December 18.

IMAGE: Modi hailed the project as a 'precious gift to the country from Ghogha'.



The model code of conduct would have come into immediate effect in Gujarat had the poll schedule been announced along with Himachal Pradesh, the Congress had said.

During his speech, Modi also recalled that when he was in school, he had heard about the possibility of starting a ferry service connecting Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

He said that as the previous government could not do it, he had to do it.

The prime minister also said that in the past, the state government had made 'structural mistakes', because of which the project was gathering dust for a long time.

He said that after he took over as the chief minister, he changed the existing policies and the process to make the project possible.

"We changed the polices of the previous governments. We decided that the government will construct terminals, and private agencies will run ferry service.

"The government also decided that it will bear the cost of dredging. We also thought that the government will also have a part of profit. It is because of this, the ferry service has been possible," Modi said.

The ferry service has been executed under public-private partnership, with private parties offering ferry services with infrastructure developed by the state government, Modi said.

Modi said that his government has given a new mantra 'P for P' -- implying ports for prosperity.

Modi, while addressing a gathering in Dahej after travelling from Ghogha in the ferry, said, "We need ultramodern ports for the development of the country."

"We have given a new mantra 'P for P', which means ports for prosperity," Modi said.

"Ports are the gateway to prosperity for the country. Understanding this, we have launched the Sagarmala project in which old ports are being upgraded," he said.

Highlighting the importance of waterways, Modi said goods can be transported through waterways at a cost of 20 paise per tonne, while it will take Re 1 through railways and Rs 1.5 by road.

IMAGE: Modi at a public meeting to mark the inauguration of the Phase 1 of Ghogha-Dahej RO-RO ferry service in Dahej. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, and Deputy CM Nitin Patel are also seen.



"We have 21,000 km of waterways which includes 7,500 km of coastal waterways and 14,000 km of inland waterways through rivers. India is naturally blessed with it. But our earlier government did nothing about it," he said.

In foreign countries, the transportation through waterways is 30 per cent while in India it is just five per cent, he said.

"Without proper connectivity, the economic development of a nation slows down. Keeping this in mind, we are focusing on ports and infrastructure," the prime minister said.

The prime minister also inaugurated Sarvottam Dairy cattle feed plant and is slated to inaugurate other projects worth several thousand crores of rupees in Vadodara district.

He had earlier visited poll-bound Gujarat last Monday when he addressed his party workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Prior to that, on October 8, Modi visited his home town Vadnagar. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.
IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hands over some memorabilia of the 1971 liberation war to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be displayed in museums.

Photograph: ANI

India and Bangladesh today discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

"We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," she said.

Swaraj, who arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit, said, "India has been a longstanding and reliable development partner of Bangladesh."

IMAGE: Swaraj with PM Hasina in Dhaka on Sunday. Photograph: ANI

"Totally, three lines of credit amounting to $8 billion (Rs 52,000 crore) have been extended by India to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide," she said.

India has also been extending grant assistance for small socio-economic projects in Bangladesh. In the past three years alone, 24 such grant projects have been completed which include construction of students' hostels, tube-wells, cultural centres, and orphanages among others. Presently 58 projects, including city development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet, are under implementation, she said.

"India is now supplying 660 MW of much needed power to the Bangladesh people and this figure will double, if not triple, in the foreseeable future. We will work together as founding members of the International Solar Alliance, for which Bangladesh has just confirmed its accession. This alliance is expected to make solar energy affordable," Swaraj said.

The two nations have already agreed on the construction of a petroleum products pipeline that will link Siliguri with Parbatipur, for the benefit of the people of northwestern Bangladesh, as a grant in aid project.

The setting up of LNG terminal, supply of natural gas by pipeline and investments in the upstream sector are also under consideration, she said.

She said restoration of pre-1965 links encompassing road, rail, water and coastal shipping links is being planned to increase connectivity, citing increase in frequency of the Dhaka-Maitri express.

The inaugural run with end-to-end Immigration and Customs services for the Maitri Express and the inaugural commercial run of the Kolkata-Khulna Bandhan service are all expected soon, she said.

IMAGE: Swaraj being greeted on arrival in Dhaka by Bangladesh Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali. Photograph: Courtesy @MEAIndia/Twitter



In order to facilitate people-to-people contacts, she said the Indian Mission and Posts in Bangladesh issued 9.76 lakh visas in 2016 and these are expected to grow to about 14 lakh visas in 2017.

Swaraj said India will also offer five-year multiple entry visas for Bangladeshi freedom fighters and is planning a scheme for their medical treatment in India.

She also handed over some memorabilia of the 1971 liberation war to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be displayed in museums.

Swaraj also said that India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where normalcy will be restored only with the return of displaced persons.

Nearly 600,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where the army has launched a crackdown against militants.

Myanmar doesn't recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

Bangladesh has sought India's sustained pressures on Myanmar for its resolution.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State," Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

She, however, preferred not to use the word Rohingya and said we have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population.

"It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state.

"The only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state," she said.

Ali said Dhaka was happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian cause related to Rohingyas in Bangladesh.

"We further urged India to contribute towards exerting sustained pressure on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the including sustainable return of all Rohingyas to their motherland," he said.

India has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities, Swaraj said.

India has supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report.

This is Swaraj's second visit to Bangladesh and comes after the recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a $4.5 billion (Rs 29,250 crore) line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during Hasina's visit to India in April.

The development is also seen as India's attempt to counter rising Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures.
The Trump Administration is 'considering' India's request for armed drones for its air force, weeks after approving the sale of high-tech unarmed Guardian drones to India.

"Yes, yes," a senior administration official told PTI when asked about India's pending request about the purchase of armed drones as part of its armed forces' modernisation drive.

The armed drones, the Indian Air Force believes, would help it strengthen its defence capabilities.

Early this year, the Indian Air Force had requested the US Government for General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft. It is understood that IAF would need 80 to 100 units making it approximately a whopping $8 billion (Rs 52,000 crore) deal.

The Trump Administration's consideration in this regard comes months after a successful meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump at the White House on June 26, during which the United States announced to sell 22 unarmed Guardian drones to India, which would add the Indian Navys surveillance capabilities in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

"We are at ways to, in terms of Foreign military sales, but really also in defence cooperation broadly how to strengthen our relationship and cooperation," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official was responding to questions on defence relationship and India's quest for high-tech defence equipment and technologies from the US as part of its long overdue armed forces' modernisation drive running into several hundred billions of dollars over the next decade.

Previous Obama Administration had designated India as major defence partner and the Trump Administration has accelerated the process of considering Indian requests.

"The US Navy and the Indian Navy have been cooperating for many years on counter piracy efforts, on ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the and Red Sea and the Persian Gulf," the official said.

"I think that (defence) cooperation is only going to increase based on the need for it to increase and the kind of trust that we are building through personal relationships and through a fundamental understanding that our interests aligned so clearly," the official said.

Last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said that in keeping with India's status as a major defense partner and their mutual interest in expanding maritime cooperation, the Trump administration has offered a menu of defence options for India's consideration, including the Guardian UAV.

"We value the role India can play in global security and stability and are prepared to ensure they have even greater capabilities," Tillerson had said ahead of his visit to India.

He did not mention about armed drones.

He, however, said 'the proposals the US has put forward, including for Guardian UAVs, aircraft carrier technologies, the Future Vertical Lift program, and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft, are all potential game changers for our commercial and defence cooperation'.
A major train mishap was averted in West Bengal today after a local alerted an approaching train.

By India Today Web Desk: A major train accident was today averted in West Bengal after locals sensed trouble in the railway lines in Burdwan district.

The locals saw fishplates, meant to keep railway tracks tight and together, were loose. The tracks are part of the busy Howrah-New Delhi route.

One of the locals went onto the tracks and waved a red cloth as he noticed a train heading towards the site of possible accident. The driver took note of the red cloth and applied brakes in time to avert a major mishap.

Train mishap averted at Burdwan. (Photo: @ANI)

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More details are awaited.

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The NIA is likely to file a chargesheet against on-the-run Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in a terror funding case.

By Press Trust of India: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

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The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

NIA CASE AGAINST ZAKIR NAIK

The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

ZAKIR NAIK ON-THE-RUN

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year- long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.

Thereafter, on April 21, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naiks appearance before it.

After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke his passport.

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The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.

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A legal stand-off between the Trump administration and so-called sanctuary cities is costing Connecticut $2.6 million in community policing grants.

The delay is despite a rare affirmation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the state is compliant with federal immigration laws.

The money is typically disbursed to cities and states by Sept. 30  the end of the federal fiscal year  but city and state officials say that the DOJ missed the deadline.

No payments were made to any states or cities.

More Information Community policing JAG grant projected amounts for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2017 State of Connecticut: $1.7 million Bridgeport: $165,793 Danbury: $18,663 Hamden: $32,794 New Haven: $193,255 Norwalk: $32,883 Stamford: $41,637 West Haven: $23,240 Source: state Office of Policy and Management See More Collapse

The delay coincides with a court battle between the Justice Department and Chicago, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff to Barack Obama, got a court injunction last month to prevent the Justice Department from withholding aid to sanctuary cities. Several other major cities have also been flagged by the DOJ for noncompliance with federal immigration laws, including New York City.

Connecticut had been expected to receive $1.7 million in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) for community policing, with two-thirds of the money shared with municipalities and the balance used by State Police. In addition, 16 cities and towns were on track to get $909,704 directly from the Justice Department under the program, which traditionally announces grant awards in April.

This is money a lot of police departments count on every year, said Michael Lawlor, the states under secretary for criminal justice policy and planning. This is the first year I can remember when this wasnt all dealt with six months ago. Theres been no explanation from DOJ what the holdup is.

Connecticut was notified last week that the state met the Justice Department guidelines for aid, but it is home to a number of sanctuary cities such as New Haven and Hartford. The governor, Democrat Dannel P. Malloy, has been excoriated by the Trump administration over his opposition to the presidents deportation orders.

Requests for comment were left for the Justice Department and with the White House press office.

Multiple sources attributed the delay to the Trumps administration ongoing efforts to defend its executive order penalizing sanctuary cities from legal challenges. The directive requires cities and states to share citizenship status information for both undocumented and legal immigrants with the federal government to be eligible for JAG funds.

Peter Lumaj, a Republican immigration lawyer from Fairfield who is exploring a run for governor, defended Trumps crackdown.

Do they want the money from Washington so they can fight crime and keep these cities safe? Lumaj said of big-city mayors and the governor. We must be a law-abiding state. Federal law supersedes state and local law.

The grant amounts are based on the local crime rate and population, with New Haven and Bridgeport leading the way in 2016 among Connecticut recipients. They were awarded $217,907 and $195,781 respectively.

That was before Trump took office, however.

New Haven has celebrated its status as a sanctuary city, with Democratic Mayor Toni Harp receiving cheers when she reaffirmed the designation in August. The city, at local churches, has given asylum to multiple undocumented immigrants facing deportation. Its projected JAG grant for 2017 is $193,255.

In Bridgeport, Mayor Joe Ganim, signed resolution in May declaring the community of 148,000 residents a welcoming city for documented and undocumented immigrants. He finally signed off on a municipal identification card program for undocumented immigrants that had also been delayed.

But the Democrat, who has ties to Trump through a failed 1990s casino project in Bridgeport, has been reluctant to embrace sanctuary city status.

The states largest city, Bridgeport submitted an application for a JAG grant for 2017, estimated to be $165,793. It also applied for a $1.875 million COPS hiring grant, which is also administered through the Justice Department. The money will be used for 15 new police officers.

The City Grants Department has not received any form of response to this application as of yet, said Rowena White, a Ganim spokeswoman.

Bridgeport is short its full complement of police officers and an apparent gang war has driven the homicide rate to 22 deaths so far this year  more than double last years homicides.

Stamford, where officials have said the citys finite law enforcement resources are for combatting violent crime, but not for being the immigration police, is expected to receive $41,637 in JAG funds.

Traditionally we use the funds to assist with our foot patrols in neighborhoods that are victimized by crime, said Thomas Wuennemann, the assistant police chief. The relationships that we build with the community during these crime prevention activities are invaluable.

Danbury, which has pledged to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement initiatives, is slated to receive $18,663 for 2017. The citys Republican mayor, Mark Boughton, who is exploring a run for governor, frowned upon his counterparts who have embraced sanctuary city status.

We just dont think its the right policy, Boughton said. These types of untangling of messes when cities decide their own immigration policy causes people to lose money and grants to be eliminated.

Requests for comment were also left with officials in Norwalk, which is expected to receive $32,883.

In 2013, Connecticut passed the Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools Act, which gives local law enforcement officers discretion to carry out immigration detainer requests only for suspected felons. The legislation was borne out of a class-action lawsuit filed by a Yale Law clinic on behalf of Sergio Brizuela, an East Haven resident who was held for several days by the state Department of Correction on an immigration detainer.

The legislation put the state in the crosshairs of immigration hard-liners, who designated Connecticut as a sanctuary state. Last week, the state was removed from a list of non-compliant jurisdictions by the Justice Department, however.

http://twitter.com/gettinviggy; nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436
Q: I've been diagnosed with cancer and hope for a second opinion before I start treatment. I'd like to ask my oncologist for a referral, but that feels like I don't trust her. How do I do this without offending her?

A: How about this: "I love you, but let's both get a second opinion," suggests Jonathan Schaffer, an orthopedic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. After all, he reminded me, "it's you and your doctor in this battle, not you against your doctor." In other words, partners, not adversaries.

The number of misdiagnosed cases varies depending on the study or institution but it's worrisome no matter who you ask. Schaffer is also managing director of the hospital's MyConsult service, which has provided tens of thousands of online second opinions; he notes that they disagree with the original diagnosis in more than 11 percent of patients seen. James Naessens, a policy and health services researcher at the Mayo Clinic who led a study on misdiagnoses, told me that 10 to 20 percent of all cases nationwide are misdiagnosed, affecting at least 12 million people and possibly many more.

Given these numbers, it's no wonder that second opinion consultation services are popping up at hospitals and start-ups all over the country. It's no longer necessary to wait weeks to get an appointment with a specialist, and it's no longer unusual to fly across time zones to get the best medical opinion. All you need is internet access and the required fee, which usually starts at about $500 per consultation. Second opinions are typically not covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

I know something about all this myself: In the mid-1980s, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at a San Francisco hospital. After the surgery to remove my cancerous testicle, the oncologist ordered tests to see whether the cancer had spread. I could not have been more relieved when he told me it had not. My mother, however, insisted I get a second opinion - and, lo and behold, a surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York told me I had advanced metastatic disease, for which I then received treatment.

"Every patient has a right to a second opinion," says Joseph Fins, chief of medical ethics at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, "and it would worry me if a physician was opposed." Asking for a second opinion doesn't necessarily mean you're questioning a doctor's recommendation. For many, it's seeking the peace of mind that comes with leaving no stone unturned.

Not all second opinions are created equal. Fins says that you want to make sure that person is board-certified in their specialty and that they're affiliated with an academic medical center because they're likely to be "better than average." He cautions against taking recommendations from friends, noting that this is not like choosing a hair stylist, instead suggesting sources such as the annual U.S. News and World Report compilation of hospitals and doctors.

As for asking your doctor for a referral, Fins warns of "an inherent bias effect," meaning your doctor may suggest someone who is "comparably predisposed in the same practice group, in the same institution." Such a physician is also likely to follow the same treatment guidelines, which means you may get a pro forma confirmation of your original diagnosis.

That rang true to me as well. When my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer four years ago, her pulmonologist in New York referred her to an oncologist at the same medical center. Their diagnoses and treatment plans matched up. My indefatigable mother got yet another opinion elsewhere, which confirmed the diagnosis but altered her treatment plan. According to a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Medicine, a change in the treatment plan is recommended as much as 30 percent of the time.

There's almost no excuse for not getting a second opinion today, especially with the prevalence of electronic health records, easy uploading of data and access to video conferencing. All of these technological advances are reducing "the geographic barriers to care," Cleveland Clinic's Schaffer told me.

Whether a patient uses Cleveland Clinic's program, a similar one at Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston or a non-hospital online service staffed by board-certified doctors, such as Second Opinion Expert, the basics are pretty much the same: Upload your data. Pay the fee and wait about a week to get the results, which will include a diagnosis and proposed treatment plan. "In a majority of the cases, the physician specialist does not really need to see the patient in person," Ash Dave, president of Second Opinion Expert, explained in an email. Their doctors use the imaging, pathology and lab reports to make the diagnosis.

So what should you do when you want a second opinion?

- Don't be talked out of seeking another opinion by your current doctor or anyone else; this is your decision.

- Be upfront but respectful with your doctor. You are partners in this, and having your doctor on your side makes it easier to transfer your medical records and coordinate care.

- Don't shop for a specialist who will tell you what you want to hear. You need the unvarnished truth.

- Provide the second doctor with all relevant information in your medical record. Fins warns about the "discontinuity of care if all the facts don't follow you."

If the second doctor disagrees with the first, you'll have another decision to make. The doctor who told me I had metastatic disease said, "If you follow my advice and I'm wrong, you'll have had an unnecessary surgery. If you do what the other doctor recommends and I'm right, you'll be dead." I followed his recommendation, and he turned out to be correct: Three decades later, I'm alive, in large part due to that second opinion.

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Do you have a medical question of similar general interest? Submit it to stevenpetrow@gmail.com.
As the age of the working class continues to increase, many individuals who are eligible for Medicare are still receiving commercial insurance coverage through their employers. Consequently, many of these individuals defer taking advantage of Medicare benefits until well after their 65th birthday. However, there is much confusion surrounding the rules and regulations of having both commercial insurance and Medicare. Indeed, many of my eligible patients were unaware Medicare benefits were even an option if they already had private commercial coverage. Additionally, most had little knowledge of how to find information on ways to obtain both policies.

There are several potential benefits to having both Medicare coverage and commercial insurance, including additional coverage for deductibles and copays, as well as payments for tests which may not be covered under traditional commercial insurance policies. However, the real benefit will often depend on whether Medicare is the patients primary or secondary overage, which is generally determined by the number of people employed by the company they work for.

Separated into 4

parts: A, B, C and D

Medicare Part A: Refers to coverage which includes inpatient hospital care, treatment at a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, laboratory testing, surgery and some home health care services. Surprisingly, there is no cost to have Part A. Thus, for individuals with large deductibles under their commercial plan, Part A Medicare can help save a significant amount of money should they require hospitalization or home care services. However, once an individual takes Part A, they are no longer eligible to participate in any health saving accounts (if offered by their employer). It is therefore recommended that most patients with commercial insurance apply for Part A, regardless of policy coverage.

Medicare Part B: This coverage includes doctor and other health care provider services, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, home health care and some preventive services. There is a cost for Part B insurance (average cost is about $2,000 a year). However, if a patient has a high deductible with their commercial plan, this can be a small price to pay for additional coverage. Medicare Part B will often cover deductibles, copays and services not always covered as part of a commercial plan. However, Medicare Part B, in general, will not cover services not covered under the Medicare program.

Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, allows the patient to assign their benefits to an approved private health insurance company. Benefits often include medical and prescription coverage. However, patients may be restricted with respect to their selection of physicians and may also be limited to a list of approved medications covered. This coverage often includes a copay for most medical care.

Medicare Part D includes medication and prescription coverage benefits. This coverage generally costs the patient about $1,500 dollars per year, but will vary depending on income. Some drugs may not be covered and copays for medications do apply.

According to Franca Shillington, vice president at Brown & Brown of Connecticut in Rocky Hill, If you are eligible for Medicare because you are 65 or older, your employers commercial insurance policy will be primary if you (or your spouse) are currently working and there are 20 or more employees working at the company you (or your spouse) work for. If the company you work for has less than 20 employees, Medicare will be your primary insurance policy and the commercial plan will be secondary. Therefore, you will need to apply for both Part A and Part B of Medicare. If you are eligible for Medicare because of a disability, your employer insurance is primary for you (and your spouse) unless the company you work for has less than 100 employees.

Franca said you need to make sure you ask your employer if their plan can be used in conjunction with Part D. You cannot use both types of coverage for the same prescription at the same time. Also be aware that some employer coverages often do not work with Part D.

Explaining and understanding your choices regarding the various Medicare programs is obviously quite complicated. Kelly Poulin, practice administrator at Soundview Medical Associates in Norwalk, said, As more and more patients aged 65 and older are continuing to be in the work force, it is no longer an automatic assumption that these patients will have Medicare Part B/supplement as their health insurance.

Poulin recommends patients discuss with their HR administrator or insurance broker the options available for them, as well as determining what the best coverage is for them and at the best cost.

The Medicare maze is quite confusing, even for people like me that deal with insurances on a daily basis. With all the Advantage plans on the market now, there are just so many choices that have to be looked into. In the past, most doctors took all insurances; that is no longer the case.

She said patients need to be informed on all the changes taking place within the insurance industry and should check with their current providers to verify they take the new insurance.

Fortunately, there are seminars and websites dedicated to reviewing the different plans and requirements, restrictions and penalties.

For more information, speak with your physicians office, visit Medicare.Gov or call 800-Medicare. Dont miss out on entitled benefits and the opportunity to potentially reduce your health care costs.

Dr. Michael Schwartz is board certified in internal medicine and is affiliated with Soundview Medical Associates, with a private practice in Darien. For comments or questions, visit his website at drmichaelbschwartz.com.
While in Orlando the weekend of Oct. 7, to clean up after Hurricane Irma at our condo  which thankfully wasnt too bad  we saw a newspaper article requesting 30,000 volunteers to help put together 4.4 million food boxes to be sent to help the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico.

The request was sent out by Feeding Children Everywhere, an Orlando-based organization that provides food for hungry people around the globe. Orlando Cares - Helping Puerto Rico began Friday Oct. 6, in the 200,000 square foot Orange County Convention Center. Volunteers could sign up online for two hour shifts daily, so we signed up and headed to the convention center for the 1 p.m. shift on Saturday afternoon.

The convention center is huge, and when we arrived we were directed to two tables with another family, where we immediately went to work for the next 2.5 hours, packing individual food boxes and stacking them in cartons for shipment. Each carton held 24 boxes of food including applesauce, apple juice, granola bars, cookies and tuna fish. Pallets of food were stacked along side and volunteers could take what they needed to fill each box, while enjoying music and words of encouragement from a local DJ.

It was wonderful to be able to help out, even for just a few hours, and our greatest hope was that all these food resources actually got to where they were most needed.

This was a huge and enormous undertaking, and running the VOSH-CT clinic every year (in Nicaragua, where we have traveled for the last 20 years to provide much needed optical services to people without insurance or care) gave me a special appreciation and perspective on the details involved in any type of humanitarian mission.

We have about 100 volunteers for a 4-day clinic each year in Nicaragua. The effort in Orlando required 3,000 times the number of volunteers, plus the coordination of tons and tons of food for packing and transport to an overseas location. I was also struck by the generosity of corporate America, donating tons of food for those in need.

However, what inspired me the mos, because we really had no idea what to expect when we signed up to volunteer, was the amount of family groups with young children, all volunteering together as one. It really reminded me of years past when our children were younger and volunteered with us in Nicaragua at the clinic.

I really thought how special it was that these parents and others were inspiring their children at a young age to honor and respect service above self and really gave me hope not only for the future of our country, but the entire world as well.

Audrey Blondin is a Litchfield resident and an attorney with a family practice in Torrington; she shares the office with her husband, Dr. Matthew Blondin, an optometrist.
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NEW HAVEN  Two more downtown restaurants will permanently close this month, a month after their owner announced the closing of another property in the city.

Chef Prasad Chirnomula said in a new release he is permanently closing Thali Too and Oaxaca Kitchen, which were open in the city for nearly 10 years and seven years, respectively. The announcement this week comes nearly one month after Chirnomula announced the closure of perhaps his most popular restaurant, Thali, which closed Sept. 30.

Chirnomula said Friday hes a position where he can no longer financially support the two restaurants. He said storms such as Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy led to damage and eventually closures for other properties in the state. He tried to remedy some of the losses by seeking loans from private banks, which he said affected his capital.

Faced with financial burdens, he said he decided it was time to move on and close some of the restaurants.

Oaxaca Kitchen, which served Mexican food, will close after business on Saturday, while Thali Too, an Indian restaurant, will close Oct. 29. Their closings will mean the city will no longer host a Chirnomula restaurant, which had been staples here for a decade.

The combined closure of his three restaurants means about 30 to 40 people will lose their jobs.

I love New Haven, Chirnomula said. New Haven has given me a big name, not only statewide but nationally.

This isnt a permanent goodbye for Chirnomula, he said. He said he plans on returning to New Haven, which he called a food capital.

I probably will definitely come back to New Haven with a big bang, Chirnomula said. He said hes received messages, from saddened patrons to people who are unhappy with the announcement. He said people even reached out about creating a charity event to keep Thali Too open.

City Deputy Economic Development Director Steve Fontana said Friday he doesnt see the closures as part of a larger trend of restaurants leaving the city. In fact, there are additional restaurant openings scheduled for fall and winter, Fontana said.

New Havens restaurant scene is very competitive. Its vibrant, its flourishing, Fontana said.

Fontana said he hopes Chirnomula returns to the city someday. The city hopes the spaces left behind by the restaurant departures find new tenants, he said. Oaxaca Kitchen especially is situated in a desirable location with heavy foot traffic.

Were sad and disappointed that Prasad has chosen to close his restaurants, but were glad that he started here, Fontana said. Were looking forward to him coming back with a new concept.

Chirnomula said hes already received interest from landlords in New Haven about other properties. He hasnt burned any bridges here, he said, adding he has a good relationship with landlords, employees and the community at-large. Many of his former employees have already found new positions, Chirnomula said, citing restaurants are constantly being opened the city.

Chirnomula said he will shift his focus on his two remaining properties, India, with locations in New Canaan and West Hartford. Those restaurants were opened in 2016. Chirnomula has been involved in the restaurant industry since 1993. He helped pioneer the establishment of Indian restaurants in Connecticut, where he opened his first restaurant in the late 1990s. Ironically, competition from other Indian restaurants affected his businesses, Chirnomula said.

Im going to miss New Haven a lot. Hopefully, not for long, Chirnomula said.

Earlier this month, another beloved New Haven institution, Anna Liffeys, announced it was permanently closing. Its owner said the lease had run out and renewing was not an option.

The city has marketed itself a foodie destination, drawing people interested in experiencing a full array of cuisine. During the past five months, the city has introduce new restaurants downtown, including Midpoint Istanbul on Crown Street, Hunan House on Orange Street and Au Chalet on Whitney Avenue.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901.
Cheryl Burke wanted to be Helen Keller in the class play. Her teacher wanted to keep the play authentic, so Burke would have to be a slave.

It was the mid-1960s, a time when civil rights were still being fought for and when some areas of the country struggled with school integration. Burke, who is black, returned to her Powhatan County home that night and sat with her family at the dinner table  a nightly ritual.

The ninth-grader told her family about her teachers response, prompting a simple response from her father: Do not come back home until she had spoken to her teacher.

The next day Burke did just that, telling her teacher she wanted to be Helen Keller, who was white.

The teacher canceled the annual show.

Thats the way it was, Burke recalled.

Fifty years later, Burke is now the interim 7th District representative on the Richmond School Board after being unanimously appointed to the body on Monday. She brings to the board a lifelong commitment to education and a fierce passion for creating opportunities for students.

Born in Richmond but raised in Powhatan County, education is in Burkes blood. Shes the daughter of two educators who were active in the community outside the classroom. After switching high schools for 10th and 11th grade, Burke returned to Powhatan High School, where she graduated before going to the now-closed Saint Pauls College in Lawrenceville, a historically black private school whose name is on Burkes early childhood education bachelors degree.

Burke jokes that shes been teaching since she was 2 years old, but her first formal teaching job came fresh out of college at Clark Springs Elementary School as a preschool teacher  the start of a 38-year career in Richmond Public Schools. She left Clark Springs in 1981 after four years and moved to North Side as a preschool teacher at Overby-Sheppard Elementary School.

It wasnt long, though, before she took her open-floor-plan classroom back to Clark Springs to teach as a third- and fourth-grade teacher.

Thats where I really learned how to teach, she said. We had a ball, but it was trying.

The school bused in students from Gilpin and Mosby courts. Burke said she had to try to understand what was going on at students homes in order to really teach. So she took students home herself after school to see what they were experiencing.

Then I understood, she said.

School was a getaway for the students, and Burke was the travel guide. Shed teach her classes multiplication tables using dance and rhythm. Every day, shed bring her bubbly personality into the classroom, ready to be a change agent.

She returned to North Side in 1990 as a teacher specialist at Ginter Park Elementary School, in charge of professional development and using the knowledge obtained from her masters of education degree earned from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Burke received the coveted promotion to principal in 1996, but wept on the back steps of her new school  Chimborazo Elementary  in the East End. She got the call to take over one of the divisions lowest-performing schools about two weeks before school started and found syringes on the school ground, abandoned houses, and an environment not conducive to educating children.

The inside the school was just as overwhelming as the outside, Burke recalled.

There was no time to wait. She pulled up in her husbands red pickup truck and immediately began picking up at the school.

The teachers thought I was either crazy or it was Christmas, she joked.

It was the start of a 19-year revitalization of the school with Burke as chief. Her presence was immediately known, and her reach in Richmond Public Schools only grew. Shed walk about a block to and from her brick home on the corner of North 30th and Broad streets to the school, even if it required a security escort at first because of the crime in the neighborhood at the time.

Chimborazo became open to any partners it could find, from local churches to corner stores. Soon the number of corporate partners working with the school on various programs and providing financial support grew from one when Burke started to more than 300 when she retired.

The school gained full accreditation from the state and was part of an overall shift that made Church Hill a coveted destination in the city.

Look how hot Church Hill is now. Isnt it great? Burke asked rhetorically in a neighborhood coffee shop. You have to have a vision.

On Oct. 2, the School Board held its interviews for the 10 candidates vying for the spot Burke ultimately obtained. Burke confidently walked up to the lectern after three years and a few months of retirement.

She had spent much of her retirement traveling abroad but was now in a time of rest, at home in her beloved Church Hill where shes lived with her husband for more than 25 years. When she was asked to put her name in for the School Board seat left vacant after Nadine Marsh-Carters resignation, it just felt right, she said.

In front of a filled-to-capacity School Board room on the 17th floor of City Hall, she laid out her new vision: one of Richmond student achievement and improved soft skill, or people skills, learning.

Im a believer in  and committed to  children, she said. Im retired, not dead.

Her booming voice in the packed room got everyones attention even after an hour of the same questions asked to each candidate. After her interview of about 15 minutes, she confidently smiled as she turned away from the lectern.

Two weeks later, the School Board made its pick for the representative for close to 3,500 students until November 2018, when a special election will decide who will finish out Marsh-Carters seat through 2020, which she stepped down from in September after the unexpected death of her husband.

Burke said theres a great possibility shell run for the seat, but wants to see how her interim tenure goes before making any final decisions.

She brings a vast amount of experience, but its also where her heart lies  with the kids and the families of Richmond Public Schools, Mayor Levar Stoney said about Burke.

Dawn Page, chairwoman of the School Board, echoed Stoneys sentiment, saying Burkes experience and passion stood out to the board.

She cares about educating the whole child, Page said.

The School Board is in the midst of choosing a new superintendent while also working to solve crippling facilities problems, particularly in Burkes 7th District, and an academic portfolio where fewer than half of schools are fully accredited by the state.

I dont know whats happened, but Im not going to throw the baby out with the bath water, she said, referring to students.

Burke, now one of two interim members of the School Board, stood at the entrance to the board room the morning after the vote, greeting people as they came in. Shed hug them or shake their hands with her eyes open as if to say, Can you believe it?

She nervously walked past the lectern this time, headed for the elevated part of the room where School Board members sit. Burkes husband held the worn Bible her mother  a former School Board member herself  had once given her father.

Theres nothing to be nervous about, joked Edward Jewett, the Richmond circuit court clerk who administered the oath of office. The hard works yet to come.
ROANOKE  Lee Barns flexed her biceps after she finished stirring piles of flour into a bubbly vat of yeast.

Im gonna have to show off this arm when I get home, Barns said jokingly to the other women working in the Local Environmental Agriculture Projects kitchen. Ill hide the other one behind my back.

Barns, 51, was one of four students learning how to make cinnamon swirl and white artisan bread on a recent Thursday night at the commercial kitchen on Patterson Avenue. The class would later package 32 loaves to sell at the Roanoke City Market Building as part of a program that teaches previously incarcerated women how to bake and sell bread while also building their job skills.

Jen Brothers, the founder of the nonprofit House of Bread, said the program teaches participants several bread recipes over the six-week session. Students receive ServSafe training and the chance to test for certification at the end of five weeks.

The certification is nationally accredited and is a requirement for employment at some restaurants. Students can also attend a mock interview session, where theyll be given feedback on their resumes and interviewing skills.

House of Bread, founded in January, is available to women who need job training and other help after incarceration, Brothers said. Its funded through grants provided by Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church and Presbytery of the Peaks. In March, the nonprofit also won $2,800 from Big Lick SOUP, an event that gives money to the nonprofit that wins the most votes from attendees.

The nonprofit also sells T-shirts, hats and tote bags bearing its logo during its twice-weekly bread sales.

We still plan to rely on individual donations and donations from organizations like churches to fund the program, she said.

Applicants undergo a background check and are interviewed to see why they want to join the program. Those who are selected are given a $50 weekly stipend and are expected to attend a weekly class and sell bread with the organization once a week.

Participants meet with mentors who help them develop professional skills that might help them get jobs.

During classes, each participant is paired with a volunteer. Fostering relationships between volunteers and students, Brothers said, is one way she hopes to begin changing peoples perceptions of those who have been incarcerated. The students and volunteers are often able to learn from each other while they tackle new recipes each week.

The volunteers do not need to have any prior experience with baking, Brothers said. In a lot of ways, its nice if they dont so that the volunteer and the student can learn at the same time.

No professional bakers are working with House of Bread. Lisa Goad, one of the organizations board members, is an avid home baker and is in charge of the baking program, Brothers said.

Debbie Hairston, 52, said she joined the program to increase her job opportunities. Since starting the program, she said shes been hired by the Scratch Biscuit Co., a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Grandin Village.

This is one of the best things that have happened to me, she said. They have taught me so much in one week. I can make banana bread and cornbread with rosemary in it now.

Brothers said the idea for House of Bread was sparked by a conversation with a woman living at Transitional Options for Women, a nonprofit organization on Patterson Avenue that provides temporary housing and job assistance to women who have recently been incarcerated.

The woman, who Brothers said has since graduated from the organizations program, told Brothers she needed there to be fewer barriers between those who have been jailed and those who havent.

She said, I need people like you to not be ashamed to be seen with people like me, Brothers said.

House of Bread is in its first six-week session, Brothers said. A second session will start in January and a third in April. Six women are participating in the first session, but Brothers said the program can accommodate up to eight students and also seeks volunteers. Most of this sessions participants were chosen through Transitional Options for Women or Total Action for Progress, she said, but any woman whos been previously incarcerated could qualify, regardless of how long its been since her imprisonment.

They dont have to fit within a certain parameter, she said. If they are seeking some new job skills, then we will consider them.

House of Bread sells loaves on Wednesdays between 12:30 and 2 p.m. at the corner of Memorial Avenue and Denniston Avenue near the Village Grill, and on Fridays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Roanoke City Market Building. The program will be selling bread through Nov. 3.

Loaves are $6 each.
Firm gets violation notice after spill in Roanoke area

ROANOKE  Virginia environmental officials have issued a violation notice to a company responsible for a chemical spill that caused one of the Roanoke regions worst recorded fish kills.

More than 40,000 fish died when an agricultural-use chemical leaked from a plastic storage tank outside Crop Production Services, a farm supply business. The chemical eventually made its way into Tinker Creek.

The company apologized immediately after the July spill and has said it hopes to work with environmental officials to restock fish.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Quality issued a notice of violation to the company. An Oct. 4 letter says environmental officials have reason to believe that the company violated state regulations. The agency provided the letter in response to a records request from The Roanoke Times.

Liquor stores had nearly $1B in sales last fiscal year

RICHMOND  Virginias state-owned liquor stores had nearly $1 billion in sales last fiscal year.

A new report to state lawmakers from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says the states ABC stores had $940.1 million in sales last year. Thats up from $897.6 million the year before.

The department said it made $171.7 million in profits in fiscal 2017, up about $6.9 million from fiscal 2016.

Virginia is one of more than a dozen states that manages the sale and distribution of liquor.

Judge: N.Va. sheriff was within rights to fire deputy

ALEXANDRIA  A federal judge has ruled that a Northern Virginia sheriff was within his rights to fire a high-ranking deputy who supported an opposing candidate.

Deputy Mark McCaffrey sued Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman after he opted not to reappoint McCaffrey when Chapman won re-election in 2015.

McCaffrey was fired after supporting Chapmans opponent in the Republican primary, Eric Noble.

In his Oct. 12 opinion, Judge Anthony Trenga said precedent in the 4th Circuit makes clear that sheriffs can fire deputies who choose to support other candidates when the deputy holds a senior policymaking position. Trenga said McCaffrey, who served as lead detective on major cases including murders, qualifies as a senior policymaker.

McCaffrey has appealed the judges ruling to the federal appeals court in Richmond.

Alexandria asks residents to retry Metros Blue Line

ALEXANDRIA  The city of Alexandria says things are much better now on Metrorails Blue Line.

The city on Tuesday launched what its calling a Back 2 Blue campaign to encourage residents to give the Blue Line another try.

Commuters became frustrated with changes in recent years that reduced rush-hour service on the line to every 12 minutes.

In May, though, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced it was resuming the previous level of service on the Blue Line, meaning trains are scheduled every eight minutes during rush hour.

The Blue Line is of particular importance to Alexandria  the citys Braddock Road, King Street and Van Dorn Street stations are all on the Blue Line.
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Visual map on linking after GS Media , available here

here ]  questioned or, at least, proposed a restrictive meaning and application of the recent decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the right of communication to the public and linking to protected content under Article 3(1) of the A few days ago this blog reported on a recent decision of the Regional Court of Hamburg that, similarly to another German judgment  this being the also recent ruling of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) questioned or, at least, proposed a restrictive meaning and application of the recent decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the right of communication to the public and linking to protected content under Article 3(1) of the InfoSoc Directive





GS Media [Katposts here  notably the presumption of knowledge applied to link providers with a profit-making intention (see my table on the right hand side)  to face resistance. It appears, in particular, that it is the CJEU construction of prima facie liability for unauthorized linking as found in notably the presumption of knowledge applied to link providers with a profit-making intention (see my table on the right hand side)  to face resistance.





GS Media presumption which is possibly different from the one envisaged by the CJEU. Thanks to a couple of German Katfriends, I have been made aware that there is a third recent decision that also shows an approach to linking and thepresumption which is possibly different from the one envisaged by the CJEU.





[also commented here of the Regional Court of Hamburg, once again involving pug dog Loulou. It is once again a judgment (310 O 117/17)of the Regional Court of Hamburg, once again involving pug dog Loulou.





The new Hamburg decision





In a nutshell, in this case the Hamburg court held that there is no act of communication to the public within  15(2) UrhG and 19a UrhG if a person who links to protected content without the relevant rightholders permission is unaware that such content is unlawful.





In particular, even if the link provider has a profit-making intention, there should be no presumption that he had awareness that the content linked to was unlawful if he operates in a context in which it would be unreasonable to expect that checks are performed to ensure that the content linked to is (and remains) lawful.





In the case at issue, the defendants linking activities were performed algorithmically and, similarly to the other Hamburg decision, also in this instance the infringing content linked to was available on Amazon.de.

Loulou





The defendant had no actual awareness that the content linked to was unlawful, nor was its unlawful nature recognizable. A relevant aspect was also the fact that, to be able to offer products for sale on Amazon, merchants have to agree to the platforms terms of use, including declaring that they own the copyright to the images displayed.





Scaling down GS Media





[para 67] , the GS Media presumption of knowledge cannot be considered as indistinctly applicable: instead, it should be only relevant in situations in which the link provider/defendant can be expected to carry out the necessary checks to determine the status  lawful or unlawful  of the content linked to. According to the court, thepresumption of knowledge cannot be considered as indistinctly applicable: instead, it should be only relevant in situations in which the link provider/defendant can beto carry out the necessary checks to determine the status  lawful or unlawful  of the content linked to.





Paragraph 68 of the decision contains a direct scaling down of the CJEU approach in GS Media.





The German court acknowledged that [at para 51] the CJEU seemingly mandated a generally applicable presumption for links posted out of profit. However, a conclusion of this kind would contradict what is stated at paragraph 34 of GS Media itself, ie that the assessment of whether a link provider can be liable under Article 3(1) of the InfoSoc Directive must be individualized and take account of several complementary criteria that  may, in different situations, be present to widely varying degrees.





Loulou's

unauthorized

telephone case

According to the court, in the case at issue it would be unreasonable and economically unjustifiable to expect that the defendant carries out such checks in relation to each and every content (automatically) linked to, including content hosted on a platform like Amazon.





The defendants business model  including the fact that the content is not incorporated to look as the defendants own content - is such that no specific searches for unlawfulness can be expected. Holding otherwise would not only be unreasonable, but also amount to an undue compression of the fundamental freedom to conduct a business, pursuant to Article 16 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights .





Conclusion





This is the third decision in a short timeframe that proposes a 'minimalist' reading of the GS Media presumption for for-profit link providers.





In these cases the German courts, instead of holding the presumption rebutted in the specific instance considered (as it appears - or rather appeared? - to be the approach in GS Media), held against its applicability tout court, on grounds of reasonableness and by placing significant emphasis on the fundamental rights dimension.




BLACKSBURG  New regulations are in the works here regarding public gatherings in town, prompted by the violent and deadly clashes in August between white nationalists and counterprotestors in Charlottesville.

The town will consider requiring permits for demonstrations on its streets or public parks. Additionally, certain objects and fluids would be banned during rallies as part of

a draft amendment to Blacksburgs assembly and special event laws that Town Attorney Larry Spencer said will be presented to town council next month.

The proposed amendments schedule calls for a public hearing on Dec. 12.

Discussion of making changes to the towns assembly ordinance began after the Charlottesville rally. Blacksburg is not the only municipality to address the issue, as Lynchburg recently approved similar changes .

Lynchburg City Attorney Walter Erwin said he reviewed Blacksburgs proposal when he crafted his localitys ordinance change.

Lynchburgs and Blacksburgs moves to impose preemptive safety measures to rallies add to an ongoing national debate about balancing First Amendment freedoms and public safety.

Under Blacksburgs current policy, picketing is allowed on sidewalks and demonstrators arent required to give notice to the town if their groups plan to bring fewer than 10 people. That would not change under the proposed changes.

Demonstrators can also currently picket at parks without notice, regardless of how many participants are involved.

If passed, the new ordinance would require permits be obtained from the town for demonstrators seeking to picket on streets or in public parks. For parks specifically, a permit would be required if the demonstration will involve 10 or more people.

Permits, which carry more stringent filing conditions , are required for larger events such as street festivals. Permits require approval from the town administration, not council, which Spencer says has been more discretionary.

Permit applications are required to be filed within certain periods before the event, and applicants are prompted to provide a more detailed description of the gathering than with notices.

The amendments other key proposal is the specific ban on the carrying of clubs, sticks, shields, pepper spray and torches during demonstrations.

The white nationalist demonstrators in Charlottesville carried Tiki torches and other accoutrements the draft amendment would not allow.

The ban on those objects would head off potential harm from objects that can double as weapons but have nothing to do with the exercise of free speech, Spencer said.

I am generally supportive of the changes, especially the section on sticks, clubs, etc., Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam wrote in an email. Our attorney has worked very hard to protect first amendment rights while looking at potential safety issues.

The proposal has drawn at least qualified support from the towns three mayoral candidates in next months election to succeed Rordam, who is stepping down.

Councilwoman Krisha Chachra, whos running against Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith and banker Ed Lawhorn, said banning certain objects can help ensure safety while not infringing on free speech.

I think it makes perfect sense, Chachra said. We are a very protest friendly town, and we would never want to compromise peoples right to protest and demonstrate.

Hager-Smith said Wednesday that she hadnt thoroughly looked at the draft yet but supports the banning of certain objects.

We need to do as much as we can to keep all of our citizens safe, she said.

Lawhorn, who said he hasnt seen the draft, generally supports measures to increase safety during rallies. He said the town should also communicate with other localities to ensure it gathers as much information as possible.

What I would say is people have the right to assembly and protest, but it has to be done in a way not threatening or disruptive to the community, Lawhorn said.

Lynchburgs new assembly regulations added a ban of specified objects. That city also added provisions for separating protestors and counterprotestors and quelling confrontations, conditions Blacksburgs rules already address.

Blacksburgs ordinance governing opposing demonstration groups may need another look before the amendment is presented to council, Spencer said.

Erwin said the Lynchburg amndments language on opposing demonstrators gives police authority to create defined boundaries . He said police can go as far as installing barricades to separate opposing groups.

The citys law says this is your area, you stay in this area. You dont go over and mingle in the other groups zone, Erwin said. Just as you allow protestors, you have to allow counter protestors.

Lynchburgs list of banned objects is more lengthy than Blacksburgs. Prohibited items during rallies include those listed in Blacksburgs amendment, plus burning substances attached to a stick or rod, helmets and aerosol containers.

Lynchburgs list also cites any item that can be used as a projectile, a statement that has been questioned by Virginias American Civil Liberties Union .

When you think about anything, water bottles can be used as a projectile, said Charlie Schmidt, the Virginia ACLUs public policy counsel. Theres a lot of things people carry that can be used as a projectile.

Blacksburg was right to leave such a citation on projectiles out of its draft amendment, said Schmidt.

Theres no constitutional protection for me to walk down the street with a stick, he said.

Lynchburg may also need to be more specific with its separation of opposing demonstrators in public spaces, Schmidt said.

Theyll have to be careful about setting up protest zones that are too far away, he said.

Localities need to keep in mind, as they respond to incidents like Charlottesville, that they cannot allow preemptive measures that inadvertently infringe on First Amendment rights, Schmidt said.

You have laws in place to deal with riot and unlawful assembly, he said. They can stand by those laws and use those laws accordingly, to deal with situations like Charlottesville.




there is very strong evidence to show that the contamination took place when the bottle was opened at Mulkowal [the village where the deaths occurred], owing to the abolition by the Plague authorities of the technique prescribed by the Bombay laboratory and to the consequent failure to sterilize the forceps which were used in opening the bottle, and which during the process were dropped to the ground.

 Haffkine described the history of anticholera vaccines (both living and devitalized) and subsequent testing in the field. In a second monograph he detailed the history of his use of the antiplague vaccine during the incubation stage of the disease and its subsequent application to other infectious diseases. In these monographs Haffkine sought to safeguard his right to be the first person to undertake prophylactic inoculation in man.

This Kat was recently reviewing a book on IP in India, here , during which he came across a reference to the Haffkine Institute located in Mumbai (Bombay). This sounded like a most non- Indian family name, and it led this Kat to ask: what is this Institute, who was the individual named Haffkine, and what was he doing in India? In searching the answers, this Kat became aware of one of one of the great bacteriologists/microbiologists of the late 19th and early 20th century, but whose name is largely unknown today. No less than Sir Joseph Lister is reported to have called Haffkine a savior of humanity. The account of Waldemar Mordechai Wolff Haffkine recalls one of the exemplars of the heroic first generation of modern bacteriologists, where medical researchers were willing to put their own bodies on the line, a tale from the Ukraine to Paris to London to Mumbai to London to Calcutta to Paris to the Soviet Union to Lausanne, against the backdrop of a medical scandal that still reverberates.Haffkine was born in 1860 in what is today part of the Ukraine. There, he studied in Odessa with Ilya Mechnikov , sometimes called one of the fathers of immunology (who would share the Nobel Prize with Paul Ehrlich in 1908). But those were unsettled times in Russia, especially if you were Jewish. Haffkine himself had been injured in a pogrom against Jews, for which he ironically was imprisoned for a brief time. He was denied a position at the university since he had refused to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church.In the face of these challenges, Haffkine emigrated to Geneva in 1888. A year later, he joined Mechnikov and Louis Pasteur at the newly created Pasteur Institute in Paris, initially as a librarian. Only later, in the early 1890s, Haffkine was able to engage in practical bacteriology. About that time, Europe and Asia were undergoing the scourge of a cholera pandemic. Haffkine sought to develop a vaccine against cholera by producing an attenuated form of the bacterium. But how to test the vaccine? Haffkine decided that there was no better trial patient than himself. While the results for the efficacy of the vaccine were positive, the reception was underwhelming by certain members of the European medical establishment.Undeterred, Haffkine decided that India would be a suitable place for further testing. He first was able to show his vaccination in England, which paved his way to India in 1893. There, in October 1896, he found himself amidst an outbreak of bubonic plague that had struck Mumbai. Finding a vaccine for bubonic plague had proven to be more difficult than for cholera. Once again, Haffkine developed a test vaccine that worked by using a small amount of the bacteria to engender an immune reaction. Once again, Haffkine used himself as an experimental patient. For his work, Queen Victoria named him in 1897 a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire . It was the first of a number of awards that he received over his lifetime.In 1899, Haffkine established the Plague Research Institute in Parel in Mumbai, which in 1906 was renamed the Bombay Bacteriology Laboratory and later, in 1925, the Haffkine Institute. By that time, however, Haffkine had long left India, and with it, the bitter-sweet legacy of having been a pioneer developer of a vaccine for bubonic plague, while being the center of a highly visible incident that went to the heart of his immunological efforts and appears to have haunted him the rest of his life.The event in question was the death in October 1902 of 19 people located in Mulkowal in Punjab, all of whom had been inoculated with the anti-plague vaccination. Haffkine was suspended without pay from his position. Commissions and inquiries followed, both in India and England, as Haffkine sought to clear his name from the claim that the source of the contamination had been in Mumbai. In considering these events, one gets the sense that Haffkine was being deemed "guilty until proven innocent". It was only in 1907, after a protracted struggle culminating in the publication of a letter published in theand signed by Nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross and nine other bacteriologists, that the matter reached the full light of day. The conclusion of Ross and the other signatories was that the case against Haffkine was distinctively disproven, stating that, as quoted in "Biography of Waldemar Mordecai Wolff Haffkine, here )--Haffkine was soon thereafter exonerated. Some called this incident the Little Dreyfus Affair ( here , for Dreyfus Affair), suggesting that Haffkines Jewish background played a role in the handling of the accusations against him. While it does not appear that anti-Semitic motivations played an overt role, at least as reflected in the official record, the issue is still debated. In any event, by the time that Haffkine returned to India, the position at the Institute was occupied and so he moved to Calcutta, where he was appointed the director of the Biological Institute there, reportedly warmly welcomed by the local Indian staff, less so by his English colleagues. He retired in 1914 and returned to France. Before doing so, as described by Barbara Hawgood:Haffkine later tried to reconnect with his homeland, now being the Soviet Union, but he could not adjust. Eventually, he moved to Lausanne, where he died in 1930. In his later years, with the zenith of his professional accomplishments far behind him (as he himself wrote"the work at Bombay absorbed the best years of my life .) and the sting of the Mulkowal incident apparently still with him, he became active in various Jewish activities, including a return to religious observance and establishing a Foundation in his name (which is still in existence and still supports various religious institutions). Our collective memory quickly forgets pioneers who have helped shape our lives for the better. Haffkine was one such pioneer, whose life story is worthy of recalling almost 100 years later.
SCHUYLER  On Friday, for fans of the 70s show The Waltons, seeing John Boy actor Richard Thomas in person made a dream come true.

More than 75 people from around the world stood in front of the Waltons Hamner House for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off the three-day Waltons Mountain Museum 25th Silver Anniversary in Schuyler.

[Meeting Thomas] was the only thing on my bucket list, said Sinead Reilley, who traveled from Ireland with her family for the celebration. The whole thing to be in Schuyler, to see everything to do with The Waltons and to see Richard Thomas is just the icing on the cake.

The popular family drama The Waltons was based on Nelson County native Earl Hamners novel Spencers Mountain, inspired by his experiences growing up during the Great Depression. The show  which aired from 1972 to 1981  followed a family living in the Blue Ridge Mountains during hard times through the eyes and pen of son John Boy, an aspiring writer.

Hamner died in 2016 at age 92, but his house and the museum are destinations for admirers.

Longtime fans of the show Ray Castro, Carole Johnson and Kirstin DeMaio bought Hamners house in August to keep Hamners legacy alive.

Castro invited Thomas to the festivities.

For me, its more about preserving Earls legacy and working with the museum in preserving the legacy, Castro said of this weekends events. Its about making their experience to Schuyler a more memorable one and for fans to enjoy for decades to come.

The weekend celebration marked the first time Thomas had visited the Hamner house since 1973. Thomas, like Hamner, won an Emmy for his work on the show portraying John Boy, whom Hamner modeled after himself.

Thanks for showing up. Im very touched, proud and happy to see you all, Thomas said before cutting the ribbon Friday.

Special guests for the weekend included Hamners sister Audrey Hamner of Roanoke; his nephew Harold Hamner; Tammi Bula, who played Marcia Woolrey in The Waltons; and Jesse Rutherford, who is a candidate for the Nelson County Board of Supervisors East District seat, which includes Schuyler.

Im so amazed at how many people are here. Im shocked, Thomas said. [Fans have] been so patient waiting, and they come from so many different places. Its fantastic.

Later, hundreds more fans lined up inside the Waltons Mountain Museum to meet, take a photo and get an autograph from Thomas. The autograph session only was open to members of the Friends of Waltons, a museum organization of supporters.

Im on cloud nine. Its wonderful, said Marie Sloan, who traveled from Winfield, West Virginia. I couldnt think by the time I got up there what I wanted to ask him. I told him it was nice to meet him.

William and Amy Hornaday were on their way from Williamsburg to Indiana, and happened to stop by the event. They watched the show when they were kids.

Its surreal when you see them on the TV all the time, William Hornaday said. This was just a spontaneous thing on the way back home. We never knew it existed, and now were official members [of the museum].

The anniversary also marked the opening of The Pony Cart Room, a new exhibit at the museum based on the episode, The Pony Cart Room. The episode featured John Waltons 90-year-old aunt coming to visit the family and annoying everyone when she insists on everyone doing everything her way.

In the episode, characters Ben Walton and Martha Corrine build a pony cart. The room features the cart from the episode in a background setting of a house from the episode.

[The Pony Cart Room] is amazing. Its wonderful to have new life at the museum, said museum volunteer Wade Tallant of Roanoke. Its a great opportunity for the community and the state of Virginia.
SINCE THE RAPTURE OCCURS BEFORE THE FUTURE 7 YR TREATY IS SIGNED, I WONT BE AROUND TO HAVE THE ACTUAL TREATY SIGNING. BUT UNTIL THEN THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO THE BEGININGS OF THE ISRAELI / ARAB PEACE PROCESS. AND AS CLOSE TO THE 7 YEAR SIGNING THAT WE GET BEFORE THE RAPTURE OF THE SAVED TO HEAVEN. UNTIL WE MEET JESUS IN THE CLOUDS BODILY, AND COME TO EARTH 7 YRS LATER.
Artemis Journal is pleased to announce its theme for its next journal, Women Hold Up Half the Sky. Submissions will include poetry, prose, sci-fi short stories and art, with a submission deadline of Nov. 30.

The published journal will be launched May 4, 2018, at Roanokes Taubman Museum of Art with our special guest writer, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author (including her latest novel, The Unquiet Grave) Sharyn McCrumb.

This year, Artemis Journal was approached by an arts and educational nonprofit, the Light Bringer Project, to partner with our organization.

Each year, the Light Bringer Project invites science fiction writers worldwide to submit their original stories for The Roswell Award. By adopting our theme Women Hold Up Half the Sky, Light Bringer will partner with Artemis and the Hollywood chapter of the National Organization for Women in recognizing a sci-fi story that embraces feminist themes and has a strong female protagonist.

By nurturing new sci-fi writing from around the globe, this project provides a unique opportunity to shape the narrative and new ideas on the future of our humanity. Our collaboration with the Light Bringer Project opens our journal up to a planetwide audience beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. The winner of the Roswell special award Women Hold Up Half the Sky category receives dual publication in Artemis Journal 2018 and on the Hollywood NOW site plus a $100 award sponsored by Hollywood NOW. Celebrity guests in a special performance at the LitFest Pasadena will read the winning story on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

This is an exciting time in our publishing history and Artemis is delighted to have acclaimed Sharyn McCrumb as our featured writer and open up a new venue for our writers by partnering with the Light Bringer Project, said Artemis Editor Jeri Rogers.

Artemis Journal is an award-winning, nonprofit feminist art and creative writing journal celebrating its 40th Anniversary. Rogers founded Artemis Journal in 1977 and returns as editor, along with Virginia Lepley as art and design editor and Maurice Ferguson as literary editor. For more information go to www.artemisjournal.org.

Submitted by Jeri Rogers
October 19, 2017 Took his last breath on earth and his first in heaven on Thursday, October 19th 2017. Coy was born in Six, W.Va. February 27, 1924 to Larmie Turpin and Harley Quesenberry. He was preceded in death by his parents and five brothers and three sisters Coy leaves behind Ethelene Quesenberry his wife of 70 years; a daughter, Glenna Q. Cox (Gary); a son, Reggie Quesenberry (Sherri); grand daughters, Lee Coldicotte (Kenneth), Sunnie deBearn (Marc), five great and three great great grand children; many treasured nieces and nephews. Coy served with the Army Field Artillery during the 2nd World War from Camp Bowie Texas, to England, landing on Day D plus 3, across northern Europe, to German Surrender in Czechoslovakia. Earning a Purple Heart at Bastone Belgium battlefield. After his military service he was employed as an auto mechanic. His retirement years spent tinkering, trading, and advising his friends on their auto needs, Coy loved cars and trucks. He also spent time cruising on his Moto Guzzi. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at Stevens Funeral Home. Services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 23, 2017 at the funeral home.
The Kimberley process with its 54 member-countries made the statistics on of the rough diamond production and trade open and available for studies by all the countries in the world. A small number of countries involved in the diamond business makes it easier. In 2016, the rough diamonds were produced by 23 countries in the world (Table 1).

Table 1

Rough Diamond production in 2016 (split by country)





Data analysis shows that the value of the diamonds mined in the world decreased by 10.67% in spite of the 5.24 per cent growth in the diamond production and due to the rough diamond price drop by 15.12%. The average price of rough diamonds was $92.49 per carat.

The most expensive diamonds are produced in Lesotho  $1,065.88/ct, and Namibia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, which is explained by alluvial diamond mining and primitive mining technology (except for Namibia), when mainly large stones are recovered only.

Among the countries mining the diamonds from solid rocks, the price for rough diamonds is much higher than the world average one in the South Africa being $150.26/ct, as well as in Canada, Botswana (De Beers operations mine there) and Angola. The value of diamonds produced in Russia is a little lower due to different technologies used in the diamond beneficiation. At the beneficiation plants in Russia, autogenous grinding mills - recovering 5 mm - 0.5 mm size diamonds - are used in the diamond-bearing ore preparation processes, while stage breaking is used abroad recovering over 1 mm-size diamonds. The foreign technology causes less damage and allows preserving more crystals, especially, large ones (over 20 mm). Nevertheless, in 2016, Russia strengthened its leadership in the world diamond production and now its global share is 30.08% by volume and 28.86% by value.

In African countries, where the value of mined diamonds is lower ($50 per carat and less), the crimes and corruption flourish and rough diamonds are bought by all kinds of resellers at the low price who sell it at the much higher price at the diamond exchanges. Australia is an exception with its impact-type mines where small-size diamonds prevail.

In 2016, the pool of BRANCS countries (Botswana, Russia, Angola, Namibia, Canada, South Africa  the term is introduced by the author) that produce rough diamonds worth about 1 bln and carry out beneficiation  mining plus cutting  plays a leading role in the global diamond mining and produces over 70% by volume and about 90% by value, which proves the higher level of technology and the rough diamond trade organization (Table 2).

Table 2

Rough Diamond production by BRANCS in 2014-2016





Besides the BRANCS countries, the top diamond mining countries by volume include DR Congo, Australia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Lesotho. Taking them into account, 11 countries produce over 99% of rough diamonds by volume and 98% by value.

As the world rough diamond market today is sustainable and the demand for rough stones is rather high, it does not seem that any cardinal change will be in the situation in 2017 in the diamond producing countries and world diamond centres, and Russia will keep its leading position in the world in spite of the Mir mine disaster.

Yuri Danilov, Ph.D., Director of Expert Information and Analysis Center at Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University


Ben Pankonin has built a company to help financial institutions securely leverage social media. Taylor Siebert has built a company that supports livestream video for high schools. They have joined forces to co-found Class Intercom, a secure platform to engage students in telling their schools story through social media.

Who writes the school newspaper? Students, said Pankonin, CEO of Social Assurance and Co-Founder of Class Intercom. Who writes the school social media content? Teachers and administrators. Why?

The answer is that school officials are concerned about the perceived risks of engaging students in developing social media content for their school. Class Intercom is changing that perception.

Weve seen a change in school culture with this, said Siebert, CEO of Striv and Co-Founder of Class Intercom. Its breaking down the walls of a social media conversation thats sometimes awkward.

How did the partnership come about?

Taylor and I have known each other for awhile through startup community stuff, Pankonin said. We discovered that there is a real challenge to giving students exposure to doing social media for something other than themselves. Teachers and administrators saw no real, safe way and it was a non-starter for them.

Siebert sees the partnership as a logical extension of Stivs current offerings.

Its a natural fit to help schools engage in empowering students to participate in social media, he said. It made a lot of sense from my perspective having been in the ed space for six years.

Teachers and administrators are given tools to moderate student postings and manage different levels of authorization, easing concerns about inappropriate content.

You can just hit approve or deny on a students post, and set up different roles for students that can be moderated, Siebert said. Its been fun to see schools grab ahold of this and share their story. Students are adding emojis, its really blowing up from a content creation standpoint.

Pankonin thinks having students engaged with their schools social media platforms is improving quality and reach.

The fun part is they know how to engage their friends, he said. Their content is a lot more successful.

There is a significant educational aspect to involving students in managing school social media channels.

The platform allows teachers to advise in a cross-curricular way, Pankonin said. It involves English, business, marketing, and helps build a broad range of skills and understanding in how things work online.

Class Intercom also provides a platform for students to learn digital citizenship.

Next week is digital citizenship week across the country, and schools are actively engaged in helping students post positive things online, Siebert said. They have struggled with how to teach digital citizenship. Were carving out a niche to do that.

The joint venture is providing benefits for Social Assurance and Striv.

As weve set up schools for live streaming over the last six years, we tell them they need to be on social media, Siebert said. Its been great to be part of another company that can help take us to the next level.

For Social Assurance, the joint venture provides business intelligence about how millennials operate online that is important to their customer base. In the long term, it should yield benefits from having students better prepared for business-oriented social media.

Were hiring young people coming out of college to advise businesses on how to use social media, Pankonin said. They could be learning a lot younger. The job is often the first time theyre exposed to posting something not about themselves.

Social media giants are taking notice. A recent graduate of Grand Island Northwest High School was invited to Twitter headquarters to share his schools social media story.

Its been fun to build on our network and relationships in education, Seibert said. Weve got some really engaged schools who have said yes.
Japan is heading to the polls a month after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called a snap election in the face of the rising threat from North Korea.

Voting opened at 07:00 local time on Sunday. The polls close at 20:00 local time.

Mr Abe called the election amid rebounding approval ratings after a record low over the summer and with the opposition largely in disarray.

If Mr Abe is re-elected, he will be on track to become Japan's longest serving post-war leader.

Mr Abe is hoping his party will win a two-thirds majority, allowing him to make constitutional changes. In particular, he wants to change Japan's self-defence force into a national army for the first time since the Second World War.

Mr Abe announced the election on 25 September, saying he needed a fresh mandate in order to deal with the "national crises" facing Japan.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy asked lawmakers to grant him unprecedented power to remove the leaders of Catalonia and temporarily control the region from Madrid.

Rajoy on Saturday said Spain's central government ministries would administer the region's agencies until new elections are called, a shake-up meant to quell Catalan leaders' insurrection.

The prime minister will seek to convene regional elections within six months to bring in new leadership and put an end to Catalan leaders' repeated defiance of the central government. The measures will focus on oversight of security, public order and financial management, the central government said. It will also seek to restrict Catalan lawmakers' ability to approve some laws. During the past two months, separatist regional lawmakers approved an unauthorized vote on secession and later signed an independence declaration.

The region enjoys significant autonomy and officials in the government of Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont oversee the region's own police force and and education systems.

Rajoy demurred when asked how the central government would ensure that Mr. Puigdemont and his 13 cabinet members would obey the order.

Puigdemont and members of his cabinet appeared several hours later at a pro-independence rally in Barcelona that became a mass protest against the central government's move.

Afterward, Mr. Puigdemont said that he would ask Catalonia's parliament to convene in the coming week to map out a response to the central government's proposed measures.

The central government is also seeking to administer Catalonia's finances. Madrid already seized control of most of the regional government's spending power in the run-up to the referendum to prevent Catalan officials from dedicating public funds to the independence vote.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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For 18 years, life was a nightmare.

Hoang Van La was given just one spoonful of rice and a small string of Vietnamese vegetables each day. He survived by scavenging anything edible he could find.

He spent his days performing manual labor for his captors.

La was captured in 1964. From age 26 to 44, he was held by the North Vietnamese Army as a prisoner of war.

Saturday afternoon, La and his family gathered at the Memorial Chamber of the state Capitol as he was honored by the Nebraska Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and the Nebraska Military Veterans Council.

La, who grew up in northern Vietnam, joined the U.S. Army when he was 16. He lied on his enlistment papers to meet the age requirement of 17 because he was strongly opposed to communism and wanted to join the fight for freedom.

He was assigned to a special-operations unit  Special Unit EAGLE E6  that was so classified he wasn't even able to tell his family where he'd be going or what he'd be doing.

He was captured by the North Vietnamese on June 20, 1964, and imprisoned for being a spy.

His family assumed he had been killed in the war because he was missing for so long. His mother even had his death certificate.

In 1982, La was freed from prison, but his ordeal wasn't over. The North Vietnamese Army kept him in a probationary period for the next eight years. La had to check in every day and was unable to seek work or do anything to earn money because the army feared if the prisoners had the means, they would retaliate.

La worked as a subsistence farmer, and got married shortly after being released from prison. He and his wife had six children before she died in 1996. Just six months later, La moved his family to America, where he knew they would be safe and have the chance to make a better life.

"I'm glad that we're here," said daughter Kayleen La. She was 9 when the family moved. "In Vietnam, we were so poor. We didn't go to school because you had to have money to go to school, and here all the school is free. Having so many opportunities open up for me and now for my kids is something I'm thankful for."

But the move wasn't easy. Hoang Van La, who still only speaks Vietnamese, was raising six children on his own while working full time.

When the family first settled in Lincoln, La worked in a restaurant, but a year later began working at Smithfield Farmland, where he was employed for more than a decade.

"It was a hard job," Kayleen said. "You leave very early in the morning and you come home very late at night."

Though La received monetary compensation and recognition from the U.S. government for his service, nothing can compare to the nearly two decades he lost as a captive, which is why his family feels it's especially important to continue to honor his sacrifice.

His son-in-law, Bao Pham, spoke with Jesse Cunningham, a member of the Nebraska Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, about La's story. Cunningham was intrigued.

"I hope he understands how much it means for all of us as veterans, the sacrifices he gave," Cunningham said. "It's such a large part of his life that he gave up  I can't even imagine."

He talked to other NCVMA members and they had a plaque made and held Saturday's ceremony to honor La's bravery and service. Kayleen said her father was teary-eyed when the family told him about the tribute.

"He just feels so honored by this," she said.

La, 80, has been diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer, which made Saturday's event even more significant, because it provided a chance for his family to celebrate his courage and service together.

"I always wanted this for my dad and I'm glad he's getting this recognition," Kayleen said. "I just want him to be acknowledged for what he's done and what he's sacrificed. He's a great man and he deserves this."
Members of the Bahai Faith community in Samoa became the first in the world to celebrate 200 years of the birth of their Prophet Founder of the Bahai Faith, Bahaullah.

The celebration was held at the Bahais Mother Temple of the Pacific at Tiapapata.

The Head of State, His Highness TuimalealiifanoVaaletoaSualauvi II, Her Highness, MasiofoFaamausili Tuimalealiifano as well as the Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, were among the special guests of the celebration.

More than 200 people of the Bahai Faith from both Samoa and American Samoa attended.

According to the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahais, Peseta Demetrius Taofiga this is a milestone that all members of the Bahai Faith have been looking forward to.

The celebration begins today and it will conclude on Sunday where the Head of State will have his official speech (malelega) in regards to the celebration, said Peseta.

The Prophet Bahaullah was born in Tehran in 1817.

Two centuries later, the day of his birth is celebrated around the world alongside the birth of the forerunner of his revelation, the Bab, born on 1819.

These Twin Holy Birthdays are celebrated by Bahais and their friends as one annual festival where the closely interwoven lives and missions of these two Divine Luminaries are remembered together.

Bahaullah is the latest manifestation of the word.

He is the latest in the series of divinely inspired moral educators who have guided humanity from age to age and has proclaimed that humanity is now approaching its long waited stage of maturity and unity at the global level of social organization.

He offers to the people of the world a unifying story consistent with our scientific understanding of reality.

A message was also sent by the Universal House of Justice to Samoa as well as all of those who are celebrating the milestone.
Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann P. Retzlaff, is returning home from the Marshall Islands with some great news for Samoa.

Samoa has been affirmed as the host of the Pacific Island Legal Officers Network (P.I.L.O.N.)Secretariat base, to be housed in the office of the Attorney General.

The secretariat activities in the region are primarily funded by Australia and New Zealand.

But there is more, Lemalu is also re-affirmed that Samoa will continue to Chair the Regional working group on sexual and gender based violence (S.G.B.V.), as well as a member of the governing board or Executive Committee for P.I.L.O.N.

This is a vitally important organisation within the region, and its role in increasing Attorney General Offices interaction must be cultivated and maintained, Lemalu said in a statement.

Samoa is a committed member of P.I.L.O.N. and is excited with the future plans to continue to assist each other in the difficult areas of law enforcement that we are dealing with.

Lemalu was in the Marshall Islands for P.I.L.O.Ns annual general meeting of regional Attorney General hosted by A.G. Dr. Filimon Manoni.

Fifteen countries were represented, including the attendance of six Attorney Generals from the region, D.P.Ps as well as the Deputy Solicitor General of NZ and Cook Islands together with senior representatives of the Australian AGs department.

Held from the 17 to 20 October the meeting covered legal enforcement issues such combating cyber-crime, witness support for domestic violence cases, money laundering, illegal fishing, and the increase of drug related offending in the region.

The members are encouraged to share their views, learn from each other, and support each other in terms of assistance where policy, enforcement or legislative changes may be required.
NEW YORK (AP)  The selfie is everywhere  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter  and soon your bank could be asking for one in order to approve your purchase or credit card application.

Payment processing giant Visa Inc. is launching a platform to allow banks to integrate various types of biometrics  your fingerprint, face, voice, etc.  into approving credit card applications and payments.

Consumers could experience Visa's new platform in a couple different ways. If a person were to apply for a credit card application on their smartphone, the bank app could ask the applicant to take a selfie and then take a picture of a driver's license or passport. The technology will then compare the photos for facial similarities as well as check the validity of the driver's license, all happening within seconds.

The selfie could also play a role in an online purchase. With the wider acceptance of chip cards in the last couple of years, in-person fraud at retailers is on the decline. But online fraud is still a concern, with as many as one of six transactions being declined due to suspicious activity, according to Mark Nelsen, senior vice president for risk and authentication products at Visa.

Instead of a bank call center autodialing a customer when they have a concern about a transaction, this new technology could allow the customer to use Apple's Touch ID or other fingerprint recognition technology, or take a selfie or record their voice, to verify they made the transaction. With voice recording, a customer may have to speak a certain phrase.

"Customers will be able choose their own preference for biometric authentication: voice, face, finger print. Any manner that they want," said Tom Grissen, CEO of Daon, one of the companies that Visa is partnering with to launch the platform.

The announcement comes at a time when a huge amount of personal information on 145.5 million Americans was recently accessed or stolen from the credit bureau Equifax. The information  birthdates, Social Security numbers, addresses, last names  is also information that could be used tomorrow or 20 years from now to potentially commit identity fraud.

Financial companies are particularly interested in biometrics, not surprisingly, as mostly a fraud protection measure. While a birthdate, Social Security number or last name can be more easily stolen or mimicked  as anyone who has been a victim of identity fraud will tell you  it's much harder to fraudulently mimic a person's face, fingerprint or voice.

A bank's traditional defense against stolen personal data has been a customer creating a password or four-digit personal identification number. But few people change their passwords regularly and make each one complex enough. Often people use the same password for multiple sites, so if it's stolen from one location, multiple other locations become at risk.

"Passwords are frustrating, increasingly complex and proven not to be secure," Gressen said.

So banks have been tinkering with biometrics for a couple years in various forms. Many banks now accept Apple's Touch ID in their iPhone apps, which uses a person's fingerprint to verify a person's identity. Citigroup has rolled out facial recognition in its banking application as another example.

While nearly every bank is interested in biometrics, not every bank has the size and scale that JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, or Citigroup has to afford in-house biometrics experts.

What Visa's platform, which is officially known as Visa ID Intelligence , will do is provide banks and credit unions a place to install these biometric technologies into their own applications without having to build them in house. Think of it as an Apple App Store or Google Play store, but for banks and biometrics.

Visa itself is not storing any of the biometrics, the company says, it's simply providing a connection between the bank and biometric technology companies.

Banks won't be integrating Visa's platform immediately, just like it took a couple years for chip cards to be fully introduced. But expect to see more forms of biometric authentication in the coming years, not just in banking, industry experts say. For example, Apple's new iPhone X that will go on sale in November is using facial recognition technology as a form of authentication.
The return of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has not come a moment too soon for most of us who have interests in life outside of playground politics.

The reports of alleged and unseemly plotting, the forming of factions and jockeying for positions while the leader of our country was receiving medical treatment in New Zealand is rather tacky, to say the least.

And while each of us we would like to believe our health is a very private and personal matter and not anyone elses business, for those people who hold powerful leadership positions, things are probably a little different.

Would a little more information about the Prime Ministers medical problems have quelled the speculation that has been swirling around about the seriousness of his situation and the future of our country?

Its hard to say, but probably not.

Given that Tuilaepa is of a certain age and that having achieved what he has in what is viewed by many as a remarkable political career, perhaps it is not unexpected that his colleagues should want to start a conversation about succession, leadership and everything that goes with it.

Its just the timing of it all.

So perhaps also, they might have been patient enough to wait until their leader was at least back in the country and had a moment to draw breath before dealing with the affairs of the nation and other trivia.

What has been interesting, has been the reaction of other politicians to Faumuina Wayne Fongs announcement about being approached with an offer to join a particular group.

The ink had barely dried on last Sundays paper edition which ran the story when there was a phone call and lot of huffing and puffing and righteous indignation from Faleatas Member of Parliament, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi.

Later in the week when he was able to share his story in the media, he demanded to know who Faumuina had been approached by and then claimed  there is nothing going on in our party nor is there any underground jostling for the Prime Ministers position among certain members as mentioned by Faumuina in the paper.

How very strange.

How can he confidently make that statement?

Now we are not sure whether he was put out by Faumuinas story because 1. he himself hadnt been approached, or whether 2. he was actually one of the approachers or 3. He wanted to know who this group was.

As it stands, it probably doesnt matter very much.

But even a week or two can be a long, long time in politics as New Zealanders have recently learned after their elections.

So in the meantime, we are hopeful that our P.M. has returned in good health to once again restore order in his party and get on with his job.

But heres a thought.

Have we got an Opposition Party forming within the H.R.P.P.?

Given that we dont have one outside to keep the governing party honest, maybe that would not be such a bad thing.
The Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi arrived back in Samoa from Auckland, New Zealand last night on the 8.30pm flight.

This was confirmed by the Government Press Secretary, Nanai Lavetiga Tuiletufuga.

However there were media restrictions in place at Faleolo Airport when the Samoa Observers Chief Reporter Joyetter Luamanu was refused entry into the terminal.

Her telephone request for access to the airport V.I.P. Lounge where Government officials had gathered presumably to greet the leader of the H.R.P.P., was similarly turned down by the Press Secretary.

The Prime Minister has been in New Zealand since he was taken by air ambulance after being admitted to the Intensive care unit of the Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole hospital in Apia on October 4.

Efforts to obtain information from government and health officials relating to the condition of the prime minister have been unsuccessful.
The stage is set for top fashion designer, Rupi Taituuga Rokeni, to showcase yet again, his latest, unique Rupi collection.

Rupi needs no introduction to Samoa; he is a master of bold prints, bright colours and embellished designs.

Followers of fashion are advised to set aside the 15th of December at the E.F.K.S hall at Sogi for his show, which he promises will be a potent mix of traditional and contemporary fashion.

The show will feature 10 male and 20 female local models parading in 100 Rupi garments. The 10 categories in the show will reflect the uniqueness of our Samoan designs.

Rupi, known for his entrepreneurial savvy is a household name and an inspiration in the local and international fashion frontier. He has had decades of experience which have earned him the right to be hailed as Samoas highly-acclaimed award-winning fashion designer.

Rupi is humble and proud to host his second RUPI Fashion Show 2017 and the audience can expect to see a strong vision and originality.

I am also hoping to attract more interest and support not only from our local community, but especially our up and coming fashion designers, he said.

I dont see myself as a designer extraordinaire, but more of a meticulous seamstress with tonnes of thought-provoking ideas.

Its all about showing who we are in our elei designs and its all about enjoying what I love the most, said Rupi.

About Rupi

Rupis design is recognised in numerous Miss Samoa and Miss South Pacific Pageants.

He was also the mastermind of the first 2005 Fashion Show Awards in Samoa sponsored by the Samoa Broadcasting Corporation or TV 1.

The following year, Rupi claimed the Mens Wear in the 2006 SamoaTel Fashion Awards.

And his reign was eminent as the overall winner of the Best Designer awards of the Samoa Tourism Authority-hosted 2012 Miss Teuila Pageant.

Rupi took out all three special awards as designer for the Best Traditionally Inspired Attire, Best Sarong wear and Best Puletasi.

And it has taken him years of hard work, multiple trips to fashion shows overseas and countless challenges to be where he is today.

But underneath all that glamour, he remains humble, self-effacing and calls himself a low profile kind of person.
Bluesky continued its support of Pinktober in Savaii with Amoa Resort hosting a first time high tea for the local and business community in support of Samoa Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Awareness.

The exclusive high tea event held and lead by Amoa Resort was highly supported by the business community with contributions totaling over $10,000.

We were pleased to make a small contribution of $1000 to this event as part of our overall commitment to Pinktober, said Bluesky Country Manager Alex Abraham.

Its been overwhelmingly positive to see the support of Savaii for this great cause and were ecstatic to see the Miss Samoa Alumni as one of the driving forces supporting this.

We encourage the community to continue their support with this coming week being the last week of Pinktober.

Bluesky continues to run its promotions for Pinktober. Customers can still text the word PINK to 4444 to go into the draw to win a brand new iPhone 7 Plus and to also contribute to Samoa Cancer Society. The Akua Bluesky phone is also still on special for $179 with Bluesky contributing $20 from every Akua phone sold to Samoa Cancer Society.

Wed love to call on all of Samoa to continue the message of early detection to save lives. Even after October is over. The statics are alarmingly high and many lives are lost because we are not careful enough.

I had thyroid cancer two years ago and because of early detection I was able to take the right steps to prevent it from spreading. So I understand the importance of this message that Samoa Cancer Society are driving and we are 100% supportive, said Alex Abraham.

Bluesky will continue to support Samoa Cancer Society and we look forward to giving our final Pinktober contribution at the end of the month when our campaigns come to a close.
The Ministry of Police hosted a delegation from the Agency for International Economic Cooperation of China (M.O.F.C.O.M.) to expand discussions on the much-anticipated Samoa Police Academy schedule to be built in the near future.

According to the media statement issued by the Police, there were discussions with the delegation and also a site visit of the proposed location for the police academy.

We continue to find ways to enhance our contribution to the safety and security of Samoa and professionalizing career pathways in policing, said the Police Press statement.
Police Officers with the Ministry of Police underwent a Command, Control and Coordination course (C3) delivered by instructors from the Australia Federal Police and the Cook Island Police.

This is according to a press statement issued by the Ministry on Thursday last week.

This regional training brought together Samoa Police Services officers and representatives from our local stakeholder partners  Fire Emergency Services Authority and Disaster Management Office as well as police officers from the Tonga Police.

The training was held over a period of eight days and concluded last week with the Commissioner of Police, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil, closing the training.

Commissioner Fuiavailiili noted the importance of utilizing the skills and knowledge obtained in responding to any form of incident which requires collaborative efforts from relevant agencies.

Furthermore, the training provide guidance for officers to prepare and plan for events whether small or large scale in nature.

The opportunity for S.P.S. members to be trained together with other officers encourages teamwork, team collaboration and fosters collective responding efforts.

This training was made possible with the ongoing support of the Samoa Australia Police Partnership.

Congratulations to everyone who participated, said the press statement.
CITY COUNCILS

CARLSBAD

The Carlsbad City Council met Tuesday for an update on the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear plant. It approved signing a letter in support of H.R. 474, The Interim Consolidated Storage Act of 2017. A proposal allowing Rouse Properties to develop part of the city-owned parking lot of The Shoppes at Carlsbad for residential use was denied. A resolution authorizing staff to seek proposals for resources and/or services for its Homeless Response Plan was continued to the next meeting. The city agreed to provide the citys Safety and Service Center complex for a microgrid demonstration site. A microgrid is a self-contained and managed energy system that serves a group of buildings and typically contains energy generation and storage. It can be disconnected from the electrical grid, also known as islanding, thus providing resiliency in case of outages.

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DEL MAR

The Del Mar City Council met in special closed session Monday to discuss litigation and personnel. In regular session, the council heard public comment on an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals, agreeing 4-1 to formally introduce the ordinance. Short-term rentals would be limited to seven days minimum and 28 days maximum per year at a time in residential areas. The council also heard a report on the recent KAABOO festival, which noted far fewer noise complaints this year compared with previous years. The council approved a letter opposing increases in oil or gas drilling off the coast, and approved a proposal to establish city policy on Complete Streets with some amendments, including tying it into the community plan and adding a policy encouraging pedestrian trails.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas City Council met Wednesday and heard more than 60 speakers on the issue of cultivation and delivery of marijuana. The council decided, 4-1, to continue its ban on all marijuana activities while staff drafts an ordinance to go before voters in November 2018.

ESCONDIDO

The Escondido City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss labor negotiations and litigation. In regular session, the council voted 4-1 to award a 10-year contract to Library Systems & Services LLC to operate the Escondido Public Library. Yearly cost is estimated to be $2.545 million starting July 1, 2018, increasing to $3.216 million starting July 1, 2026. Library materials are not included in those estimates but will be reimbursed by the city.

OCEANSIDE

The Oceanside City Council met in closed session Wednesday to discuss real estate negotiations and litigation. In regular session, the council adopted a resolution declaring a temporary shelter crisis from Nov. 1 through April 15, 2018, and agreed to suspend the zoning requirement to allow churches to shelter the homeless without needing a conditional use permit. The council heard an update on its Organics Feasibility Study and approved a revised contract of $95,050 for HF&H Consultants for project management and analysis.

POWAY

The Poway City Council met in special session Tuesday to discuss property negotiations. In regular session, the council discussed proposed changes in sewer rates. Staff was directed to pursue enacting increases effective January 2018, including 3.5 percent for the water commodity rate, 5.5 percent for the fixed water meter charge, 4.5 percent for the sewer commodity rate and 4.75 percent for the fixed sewer service charge.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

CARLSBAD

The Carlsbad Unified School District board met Wednesday in closed session to discuss personnel. In open session, the board approved a request by Carlsbad High School to rename the field at the stadium to Bob McAllister Field at Swede Krcmar Stadium. The board approved a resolution to issue re-funding bonds up to $73,500,000.

ENCINITAS

The Encinitas Union School District met Tuesday for a presentation by El Camino Creek Elementary on its SMILE and LOVE programs. Students also have a SMILE app to comment on how their day and/or week has been. The board awarded a bid for playground removal and installation at El Camino Creek and La Costa Heights elementary schools to Zasueta Contracting Inc. for $91,957.00.

FALLBROOK

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board met in closed session Monday to discuss litigation. In regular session, the board approved revised board bylaws regarding Meetings and Notices, and Meeting Conduct; and rescheduled its Dec. 4 meeting to Dec. 11.

POWAY

The Poway Unified School District board met Oct. 12 in closed session to discuss litigation and personnel, and then held a hearing on the move to the by-district election process. Maps and sequencing of elections were discussed. The board chose maps 109 and 112 as its preferred maps to work with from the original set of 14 submissions. The two maps and any new maps that are submitted, processed, and posted by Nov. 2 will be considered at the final board hearing at 6 p.m. Nov. 9. The proposed draft maps are available at the district office and at www.powayusd.com.

RAMONA

The Ramona Unified School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss litigation and personnel. In open session, the board held a hearing and approved the initial contract proposals to the California School Employees Association and the Ramona Teachers Association. Jason Lane is the districts new manager of Facilities/Maintenance and Operations.

SAN PASQUAL

The San Pasqual Union School District board met in closed session Oct. 10 to discuss personnel and labor negotiations. In open session, the board heard a presentation from Live Well San Diego.

VALLECITOS

The Vallecitos School District Board met in special closed session Wednesday to review superintendent contract negotiations. In open session, the board reviewed and discussed the contract.

VISTA

The Vista Unified School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss labor negotiations and litigation. In open session, the board heard a report on the Impact Teacher program to increase student literacy, and an update on the English Language Development program in the district. New student representatives to the board are Matthew Aragones of Alta Vista High, Moses Gonzalez of Major General Murray High, Nathan Mizell of Mission Vista High, Arleth Flores Aparicio of Rancho Buena Vista High and Leon Barboza Albarran of Vista High.

OTHER

VALLECITOS WATER DISTRICT

The Vallecitos Water District met Wednesday and discussed Senate Bill 555, which requires water suppliers to submit audits of water losses to the state Department of Water Resources.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
North County cities have spent more than $1 million switching from traditional at-large elections to a system that elects City Council members by voting districts, according to a tally by U-T Watchdog.

The change has been spurred by a Malibu attorney threatening to sue cities over voting rights, but many officials see the effort as opportunism rather than any sincere desire to offer better representation to minority communities.

Its just a money-making scheme, said Oceanside consultant Mary Azevedo, whos helped run numerous local political campaigns. Its not for the betterment of any city or group of individuals.

The attorney, Kevin Shenkman, said his motives are pure and its about time that minorities get the voice they deserve in local government.

Shenkman sends each city a demand letter to initiate the switch under the California Voting Rights Act and, under an amendment effective this year, the law allows him to collect up to $30,000 for legal expenses involved in writing the letter.

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Shenkman said hes losing money on the demand letters. His law firm, Shenkman and Hughes, only makes money when someone goes to court to fight his demand.

The biggest payday that we had was with the city of Palmdale, he said. The city fought tooth and nail for three-plus years.

But in 2015, Palmdale gave up the fight and agreed to switch to district elections, and the courts granted Shenkmans firm a $4.6 million settlement to cover his firms expenses for the trial.

Still, costs mount up far beyond the letter once a city begins the transition to voting districts.

Carlsbad, for example, estimates it has spent a total of $106,000 so far this year on a demographic consultant and outside legal assistance to implement voting districts, excluding Shenkmans bill. The city did not track staff time spent on the project, but as in every city creating voting districts, employees hosted a series of community meetings to explain the process and establish district boundaries.

Shenkman submitted an invoice to Carlsbad for almost $41,000, but city officials said they only paid him the $30,000 maximum set by state law. Other cities have done the same.

Carlsbad, Encinitas, Poway, Oceanside, and Vista all agreed this year to switch to voting districts after receiving letters from Shenkman. Escondido, where Latinos are 49 percent of the population, switched in 2013. Several San Diego County school districts also have changed or are in the process.

In each case, elected officials have said their only alternative appears to be to go to court, which could easily rack up millions of dollars in legal expenses, and so far no one has won that fight.

Oceanside received a reimbursement request from Shenkman for $48,000 but, like Carlsbad, only paid the $30,000 limit. In addition to that expense, Oceanside hired an expert demographer for up to $50,000 to help set the boundaries for its districts, and has had other costs yet to be totaled such as the publication of legal notices and staff time for a series of community meetings.

All cities forming voting districts face publication costs and other internal expenses, and may need outside legal assistance.

Poway spent $2,266.96 on public notices, $42,500 on a demographer, $31,211.98 on special legal counsel in addition to the $30,000 reimbursement, a total of $105,978.94 through August, according to Assistant City Manager Wendy Kaserman.

The Encinitas City Council agreed in August to budget up to $45,000 for an independent consultant to help set boundaries based on available census data, and up to $150,000 for various additional expenses related to the process.

Vista paid $49,300 to a demographer, in addition to the $30,000 reimbursement to Shenkman, and so far has not estimated its other related costs, a city spokeswoman said.

San Marcos, which completed the switch last year, spent a total of $75,526.95 on the process, according to the citys communications officer, Sarah Macdonald. That included $39,750 for a demographer consultant, $15,776.95 for special counsel, and $17,000 on in-house legal fees. The city paid nothing to Shenkman because at the time the Voting Rights act did not require it.

Shenkmans work is altering the landscape of Southern Californias local elections.

Even in cities with low percentages of minorities, the switch to districts could change city councils. Any newly created voting district with more than one representative living in it could see a showdown for the single seat in the next election.

Minorities have long been under-represented among the regions elected officials, and state and federal laws were written to help correct that.

The state Voting Rights Act, signed into law in 2002, expands on the federal Voting Rights Act of 1964 and targets minorities whose vote is diluted by at-large elections.

When votes are diluted, a city with a population thats 30 percent Latino may never get enough votes to elect a Latino to the city council in an at-large election. However, in elections divided into four different geographic quadrants, the side of town with a higher concentration of Latinos has a better chance of electing their own representative.

Without legal action, few cities would undertake the time, effort and expense required to comply with the Voting Rights Act, said Stephen Goggin, who lectures on political science at San Diego State University.

The law sets the rules, but leaves enforcement to someone else. In recent cases, thats been Shenkman, a private attorney working with the nonprofit Southwestern Voter Registration Education Project. And so far the courts have backed Shenkman.

A lot of policy gets written that way, Goggin said. Maybe its not the best way  but it gets it done.

Azevedo, the Oceanside political consultant, said that despite the law, she sees no advantage to district elections at the city council level. Oceanside and Escondido have elected a number of ethnic minorities over the years, she said.

Its sad, Azevedo said of the change. It sets neighborhoods against neighborhoods. We are all one city here, and now we are being chopped up into four little cities. I see no benefits in that whatsoever.

Supporters of the states Voting Rights Act say the law takes more than just ethnic minorities into consideration.

Economic and social factors also are considered when creating districts, said Goggin at SDSU, and that helps create more diverse representation in government.

Another common complaint is that the system gives voters less influence by forcing them to choose only one council member, instead of voting for the entire council. Goggin said the at-large and district systems are mathematically equal, in that the votes of 100 people for four open seats carry about same weight as those of 25 people voting for a single open seat.

Also, a district system has the advantage that elected officials are more likely to know their constituents  and their concerns  because each elected official has fewer constituents, he said. And an individual voter is more likely to know his or her representative when there is one instead of four.

The mayor continues to be elected at-large in most cities with voting districts.

Azevedo and others have said Shenkmans demand letter is essentially a boilerplate document, and that it could not cost $30,000 to prepare.

Thats not so, Shenkman said. Each letter requires a lot of time and effort by multiple people to prepare. He uses expert demographers to analyze the population of each jurisdiction, staff members to compile facts, and encounters other expenses, much the same as the agencies that respond to the letters.

Among more than a dozen other California jurisdictions that fought the Voting Rights Act and lost are the cities of Modesto, which settled in 2008 with three Bay Area law firms for $3 million, and Escondido, which settled a suit filed by San Francisco attorney Jim Finberg for $385,000 in 2012 before becoming the first North County city to make the change.

In Poway, which began the switch to districts earlier this year, former Mayor Don Higginson filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging the constitutionality of the state Voting Rights Act. The litigation is being funded by a nonprofit legal foundation based in Arlington, Va., The Project of Fair Representation.

Higginson said Poway, where about 15 percent of the 49,000 residents are Latino, has nothing to gain by creating voting districts. He and the nonprofit backing him say the law is unconstitutional because it requires district boundaries to be based on race or ethnicity.

Shenkman said he thinks Higginsons case is frivolous and stands little chance of success.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
George Harrison offered some life-changing advice when a young Zakir Hussain told the former Beatle he wanted to become the worlds first great rock drummer from India.

In a word  well, two  Harrison told him simply: Forget it.

As young musicians in India, we were all taken by the glitter of the Western world. We wanted to be George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, recalled the Grammy Award-winning Hussain.

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He performs next Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Balboa Theatre with his borders-leaping band Crosscurrents, which teams American jazz greats Dave Holland and Chris Potter with several top artists from India, including Bollywood film vocal superstar Shankar Mahadevan and keyboardist Louiz Banks, who has been hailed as the godfather of Indian jazz.

Hussain had been hired in 1972 to perform on Harrisons Living in the Material World album. When he expressed his desire to pursue rock stardom in favor of his virtuosic tabla drumming, Harrison was almost incredulous.

George said: If I open the doors to this recording studio, there are 500 of the greatest rock drummers who will lay down what I need. But what I really need is a tabla player who understands both worlds of rhythm, Indian and Western. So why do you want to be the 501st-greatest rock drummer?

What was brought home to me by George and  a few years later  by John McLaughlin, with whom I co-founded the band Shakti, is that the reason I was sitting with them making music is because I had something to offer they craved, something that was not part of their musical worlds.

That something is more than just Hussains masterful command of the tablas, two tuned hand drums that have been pillars of the Hindustani classical music of northern India since at least the 1800s. The best tabla players  and Hussain has long been hailed as the best of the best  require remarkable skill, precision and dexterity to deftly perform using their palms, wrists and multiple finger combinations with both hands.

Like no one else on his instrument, this esteemed World Music pioneer soars in a dizzying array of settings. His collaborators have ranged from Van Morrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Bela Fleck to the Kronos Quartet, the Mark Morris Dance Group, the National Symphony Orchestra and such jazz luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd and Joe Henderson.

A master of the extraordinary

Hussain, the resident artistic director for the Bay Areas SFJAZZ from 2013 to 2016, has composed an array of film scores and three concertos. The most recent, 2015s suitably dazzling Peshkar, is the first concerto ever written specifically for orchestra and tablas, an instrument he learned to play as a child from his father, legendary Indian percussionist Alla Rakha.

Zakir is a master of the extraordinary! said former Miles Davis band mainstay Dave Holland, a 2017 NEA Jazz Master honoree.

The bassist in Hussains Crosscurrents band since its inception in 2015, Holland is a noted composer and band leader in his own right. His many musical partners have included Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, Betty Carter, Vassar Clements and saxophonist Chris Potter, a member of Crosscurrents and at least three different bands led by Holland.

Yet, for all his accomplishments  and despite the fact that he is five years the senior of the 66-year-old Hussain  Holland regards this unassuming tabla giant with reverence and awe.

Im nothing compared to him! Holland, speaking from his home in upstate New York, said of Hussain.

Indian music has one of the most sophisticated systems that exist for rhythm. And learning the language of the music, the scales and rhythms, is incredibly rigorous. Its been an incredible experience to be around Zakir and learn from him.

Hes also a fantastic listener and hes very playful. The conversation that goes on is a surprising one full of twists, turns and reactions. Playing with Zakir makes you realize just how deep the rhythmic tradition in his music goes.

The idea for the Crosscurrents band was initiated by Zakir, who is active in so many spheres of music. As he explained it to me, the idea was he wanted to bring together musicians from both cultures, the American jazz tradition and from the Indian jazz tradition. And he also wants to use this as an opportunity to give some outstanding players form India a platform to be heard hear and for the audience to enjoy.

Told of Hollands praise, Hussain immediately began singing the bassists praises.

Dave is a master; I consider myself an apprentice in front of him, Hussain said. Its such an honor to be on the same stage with someone like Dave, who has so much history and music experience. He has played, and forgotten, more notes and riffs than we might ever learn in one lifetime.

Playing with Dave is, for me  a musician from India  a chance to get insight from a great artist about how one learns to be creative in the jazz process and be spontaneous. And that is very different than being spontaneous in Indian music.

Always a student, never a master

Asked point blank about Hollands assessment of him as a master, he politely demurred.

I really do believe in what my father taught me when I was 8 or 9, Hussain said, speaking from a recording studio in the Bay Area, his home base since 1972.

My father would tell me, every time we sat together to learn: Dont try to be a master. Just try to be a good student and youll get by just fine. Life is a learning experience and you learn every day. But even in the craft you have chosen, there is no point where youve learned everything.

John McLaughlin (left) and Zakir Hussain are shown in India in 2003. In the mid-1970s, they co-founded the pioneering Indian music group Shakti. (Photo by Indranil Mukherejee/AFP)

For me to suggest Ive reached a pinnacle is an illusion. What drives people like Dave and John McLaughlin, and that drove Miles and John Coltrane, was the thirst to learn more, to grow as artists and express themselves as clearly as possible, day in and day out.

One is reminded of Chinese philosopher Lao Tses observation that the day you achieve perfection is the day you die.

Exactly, but maybe not even then, Hussain said. I havent played good enough to quit yet. In any creative process  painting, writing, architecture, dance, music you always push forward.

That has long been a constant for Hussain, who began his professional career at the age of 12. He had done multiple international concert tours by the time he was 18, including performing a concert of sitar-and-tabla duets at New Yorks Fillmore East with Indian music colossus Ravi Shankar, who later settled in San Diego and died here in late 2012.

My eyes opened

I thought Id tour here in the U.S. for two weeks, then go back to India, Hussain recalled. But Ravis influence got me job at the University of Washington, in the ethnomusicology department. Ravi said I should stay here and do that and even try to finish my music studies, which Id put on the back-burner.

In India, where we represent thousands of years of music traditions, we think: Oh, were ancient; we know so much more than anyone else. It was not true at all! That was first slap in the face I felt in Seattle, where I learned there was Latin and Afro-Cuban music. Middle Eastern music, gamelan music  so much I had no clue about.

My eyes opened. Then I ran into Mickey Hart here in the Bay Area. Through him, I met the great Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji, the great Brazilian drummer Airto Moreira and David Crosby, and Carlos Santana. Suddenly, life was an epic, exciting, happy journey. And it was all through the language of music.

Hussain laughed as he recalled walking down the streets of Mumbai as a teenager, with a boom box on his shoulder blasting out The Doors song Light My Fire. His father, who toured the U.S. regularly with Ravi Shankar, also brought Hussain albums by the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service., John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef and other American artists he though his son would enjoy.

Perhaps he thought that, somewhere along the line, Id interact with people who played this music and so I should be educated to their music, Hussain mused about his dad. So he was very open  unlike other tabla players and teachers in India  because he was exposed to more. He hung out with Mickey Hart and Yusef Lateef was a dear friend of my fathers.

It was clear to him the different music and cultures were moving more to a global understanding of each other, so it was important for me to be educated in that matter. And he sent me to English school in Mumbai to learn all I could in English.

Hussain laughed.

My father would teach me each day, during my 3 to 6 a.m. tabla lessons, about Krishna and Shiva. Then, at 7 a.m., Id learn about the Koran. And at 8 a.m., I would sing Catholic hymns with my fellow students at St. Michaels  I was a very confused kid! So I grew up with all these ideas and points of view.

In 1968, Hussains father and jazz drum pioneer Buddy Rich made the album Rich a la Rakha. In 1975, three years after settling in Marin County, Hussain was featured on saxophonist John Handys album, Karuna Supreme.

The same year saw Hussain team with former Miles Davis/Mahavishnu Orchestra guitarist McLaughlin in Shakti. The all-acoustic group set a new standard for jaw-dropping virtuosity and helped introduce Indian classical music traditions to a Western audience of enthusiastic young fusion jazz fans. Their performance at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, which was recorded, is a testament to Shaktis almost otherworldly musical powers.

Oh my God! Those were some of the most amazing revelations to me, playing with John, Hussain recalled.

When I saw him sitting on floor with us in Shakti and playing guitar like an Indian veena, I was like: Wow! How does he do that? How does he know where the downbeat is in all these odd Indian rhythm cycles? It was humbling.

Its the same now with Dave Holland. We play a piece in (a time signature of) 7, which is challenging to us in Indian music. To see someone like Dave swing so comfortably in 7 is a revelation. Im so happy we can work together in this environment, live in each others hearts and see the world is moving.

One of the greatest bass players in jazz, Dave Holland says he is expanding his musical parameters as a member of the Zakir Hussain-led band Crosscurrents, (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/AP)

Holland is similarly enthusiastic.

Really, its all about the joy of improvising, he said. Thats whats at the bottom of it. Whether its in this context or that context, East or West, its the same approach. We take the material that has been presented at the starting point and make something of it.

Its kind of a meeting point between the two disciplines, which are both improvisational music disciplines and also have unique aspects. Musicians listen to all kinds of music. Ive been listening to Indian music since the 1960s, when I lived in London, which has a large Indian community. And, of course, the rhythmic and melodic language in Indian music  particularly the inflections of the stringed instruments  has had an impact on me. So there are a lot of meeting points. And it was really an idea Zakir had to bring all of them together.

For Hussain, the name Crosscurrents is significant in and of itself.

Absolutely, he said. Weve always talked about great musicians from India, like Ravi Shankar, coming to this part of the world and influencing great musicians here, like George Harrison and Yusef Lateef. But we never talk about the influence going the other way, how jazz in the 1940s and 50s influenced the formation of modern Indian music.

And by that, I mean Indian film music. Indian films developed as musicals in the 1930s purely because Hollywood existed. The musicals with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers and so many great artists were being seen in India  and thats what they wanted to do in India. ...

So I felt it was important to pay homage the other way around and, in so doing, bring attention to all the wonderful musicians who have nurtured and taught jazz to Indian musicians since the 1940s. Crosscurrents is not an Indian music thing or a jazz thing. Its a collective musical bouquet and sonic experience.

La Jolla Music Society presents Crosscurrents, featuring Zakir Hussain, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Shankar Mahadevan, Louiz Banks, Sanjay Divecha and Gino Banks

When: 8 p.m. next Sunday, Oct. 29

Where: Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter

Tickets: $25-$75

Phone: (858) 459-3728

Online: ljms.org

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Twitter @georgevarga
ABOARD THE SUPERCARRIER CARL VINSON  Its a Wednesday on one of the worlds biggest flattops, and Culinary Specialist 1st Class Andrew Demarsico slumps in a mess deck chair, a brief moment of rest from a bustling kitchen that cooks 5,000 meals every day when the crews at sea.

Ive had a lot of tough days in the Navy, but todays actually a pretty tough day. I found out this morning that my grandmother passed away, said Demarisco, 30, a sailor from Queens who joined the Navy on Halloween in 2005.

Hes not jetting home on emergency leave for the Long Island burial of the 86-year-old. Named after his grandfather, an Army cook, he wants to honor her memory through the military service she strongly supported.

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And theres no time anyway. The Vinson came home to North Island on June 21 after more than six months at sea and its sailing with its warship escorts  the cruiser Lake Champlain and destroyers Michael Murphy and Wayne E. Meyer, plus a nuclear attack submarine  back to the Western Pacific in January.

Usually carrier strike groups have two or three times as much time in port before returning overseas, and the shorter turnover puts stress on the carrier strike groups 7,000 crew members and their families.

The sailors are prepping for their upcoming predeployment Sustainex, war games that test whether theyve retained all their skills from their last tour.

Their loved ones are planning for a half-year or more without their spouses and parents, only months after they returned home.

We try to provide them with as much time away from the ship as possible, said Demarsico. I try to never hold them up.

The Vinsons fast turnaround isnt unprecedented. In fact, the flattop did the same thing in late 2011, departing North Island only six months after returning home, but its still not typical for carrier crews.

Under the Navys Optimized Fleet Response Plan unveiled early last year, a flattop is supposed to undergo maintenance, deploy overseas and then return for a sustainment phase that lasts about a year. That should be followed by a longer visit to the shipyard for more extensive rehabbing and modernization.

The plan promises to create stability and predictability for sailors and their families by aligning strike groups to 36-month training and deployment cycles.

By streamlining the inspection and evaluation process, the Navy hoped to slash time at sea and hike the time sailors spend at home from about half of the three year-deployment cycle to nearly 70 percent of it.

So what happened to the Vinson?

The forces that conspired to swiftly redeploy the carrier strike group are complicated, but they start with a multi-year delay in building and debugging the $4 billion Virginia-based Gerald Ford, the first in its class of highly advanced flattops.

Five years ago, it was supposed to replace the carrier Enterprise after 51 years of service, but it fell far behind schedule and still isnt fixed.

Then theres the long overhaul times to revamp older Nimitz-class carriers like the George Washington, which is undergoing a nuclear core replacement in Virginia, plus modernization, repairs that are designed to help the warship sail deep into the 21st century but which will keep the flattop in a shipyard for several years.

Capitol Hills funding of the military with continuing resolutions in an era of sequestration budget cuts also didnt help because they hindered shipyards from hiring and training large numbers of experienced technicians and prevented the Navy from expanding its force of sailors.

Honestly, we need more people in the military because were so undermanned, said Ariel Tovarsaenz, 23, an aviation boatswains mate from Denver with a wife back in Colorado.

Hed like to put consistent deployment and work schedules on his Navy wishlist, but Tovarsaenz said hed never trade away his life as a sailor.

He pointed with pride to his fellow gear dogs on the flight deck, the sailors who keep the carriers steam catapults, barricades and arresting equipment working so that jets can take off and land.

In the thick of air operations, theyll toil 18-hour days. During the past deployment, the Vinson recorded 14,282 catapult launches and recoveries  on average, a plane every 15 minutes.

Those jets are important. Although the Navy can muster only 10 functioning flattops now, demands for their services never diminished.

Their pilots continue to bomb targets in Iraq and Syria and strike groups patrol disputed sea lanes like the South China and Yellow Seas and respond to humanitarian crises when they erupt.

The Navy calls that the demand signal. If you added up all the requests they place for carriers, regional commanders would need about four carriers at sea at a time, a schedule the admirals meet about half the time.

They do that by relying on whats termed the 2+3 formula  two flattops at sea with another three in sustainment mode at port, usually for more than a year at a time but rarely, like the Vinson, for shorter spans.

And thats a problem bedeviling the entire fleet, not just the carriers, largely because of the Navys size.

Three decades ago during the Cold War, America boasted 594 warships. Today, its down to 278. About a third of those vessels are at sea or forward-deployed to global hot spots like Japan at any given time, meaning that the tempo of operations never changed even as the Navy shrank.

Hard sailing over vast distances by aging vessels confronting a large number of missions took a toll.

Today, three out of five vessels languish in repair yards longer than anticipated, putting more stress on the rest of the Navy to fill their vacancies worldwide, according to the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog agency.

The Pentagon is trying to grow the fleet to 355 warships over the next 15 years. And commanders believe they can patch aging flattops like the Washington while working out the kinks by 2025 on two more Ford-class carriers -- the John F. Kennedy and a new Enterprise -- but that doesnt help the Vinsons crew now.

Which is why dozens of sailors told The San Diego Union-Tribume that theyre semper Gumby  forever flexible, bending with the challenges while always making mission.

You get to go home and spend some time with your family, but then you go right back, said Aviation Machinists Mate 2nd Class Steven Smith, 23. You go back to doing your job, doing your duty. Shipwise, you just have to be ready.

Recently engaged, Smiths a whiz at ripping apart and reinstalling jet engines and can describe in precise detail the songs sung by titanium blades, billets and forgings as air whistles past them.

He and his team are rapidly training the new sailors coming aboard and replacing worn, uncalibrated and rust busted equipment in his shop before the Vinson sails out.

On Smiths last tour, the Vinsons aviators flew 8,499 sorties. To keep them in the air, mechanics at sea will work overnight to maintain their engines. And when home in port?

Honestly its the same, said Smith, ticking off the inspections, rehab schedules and checklists his sailors face in a short turnaround before deployment.

The Navy is trying to change that and points to studies done on similar strike groups as evidence.

Before deploying on Oct. 6, for example, the Vinsons sister carrier Theodore Roosevelt spent nearly two years in North Island. Surveys showed that sailors typically worked about eight hours per day in port, although some critical teams like those assigned to the nuclear reactor rooms toiled up to 11 hours daily, plus collateral duties.

To ensure their sailors arent overworked and neglecting their families, carrier skippers often use their chaplains as morale sensors.

Religious counselors keep secrets when sailors confide personal problems, but chaps also are expected to get help for troubled shipmates, often referring them to civilian resiliency counselors who go to sea alongside the crews.

When Im out on the mess decks or when Im out walking around, I look for the eye contact. I look for the smiles. I test what their handshakes are like, said Cmdr. Jaime Stall-Ryan, 51, a Lutheran pastor and former enlisted radarman from Massachusetts. There are certain things that I look for and they seem to be doing pretty well right now.

Thats largely because no one is shocked by the quick turnabout to sea, he said.

They knew this was coming, so this wasnt a surprise, said Stall-Ryan, who will leave behind a wife, two sons and their dog Jack when the Vinson sails away.

This was something the families expected at some level and they could prepare their family for this.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
F. Gary Gray was standing on a South L.A. street, filming a scene for the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, when the acclaimed director received a phone call from one of the men depicted in the movie.

Marion Suge Knight was on the other end of the line, and he was angry, according to testimony by detectives this year. Knight, the Compton-born former rap mogul who founded Death Row Records, was furious about his depiction in the film and the fact that he had not received any compensation, court records show.

Eventually, Gray hung up. At least two more phone calls came, but Gray ignored them. A text message soon followed.

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I will see u in person  u have kids just like me so lets play hardball, Knight, 52, wrote, ending the message with a pair of expletives and a racial slur, according to court records.

The messages left Gray so shaken that he spent nearly two days dodging questions about the incident during a grand jury hearing this year, according to transcripts made public for the first time Friday afternoon.

During the hearing, Gray repeatedly said he could not remember anything about the messages, according to a copy of the transcripts reviewed by The Times. At one point, Gray seemed to have difficulty even recalling details about the film hed directed, which was nominated for an Academy Award and received numerous other tributes.

The directors testimony  or lack of it  illustrated the level of fear Knight had instilled in Gray, Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Barnes told the grand jury.

Hes so afraid he came in here and lied under oath, Barnes said. Hes perjuring himself because hes that afraid.

The February hearing resulted in grand jurors indicting Knight on a charge of threatening Gray with death or great bodily injury, one of several turns in a now years-long legal saga for Knight, who is also awaiting trial in separate homicide and robbery cases in Los Angeles County.

Dominique Banos, a defense attorney who is representing Knight in the criminal threats case and is also part of the defense team in his pending homicide trial, said she does not believe the phone from which the text messages were sent actually belongs to her client.

The gang references in the texts sound like law enforcement language, said Banos, who also pointed to Grays testimony as a sign her client should not be indicted.

It was basically just feeding the grand jury what it needed to be fed in order to get an indictment, she said of the testimony of police officers contained in the transcripts.

Banos also said she believes the threats case was filed in order to bolster the prosecutions hopes of winning a conviction in the homicide case.

Prosecutors say Knights frustration with the N.W.A film boiled over in January 2015, when he rammed his Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck into two men outside Tams Burgers in Compton after a dispute on the set. Terry Carter, 55, died of his injuries. Another man, Cle Bone Sloan, was seriously injured but survived.

Knight surrendered a short time later and said he was acting in self-defense. In a court filing made public this month, Knight contended his former business partner and N.W.A member Dr. Dre paid $20,000 to have him killed, arguing that a hit man was present at Tams on the day of the killing.

An attorney for Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, said the accusation was absurd.

Knight has also been charged with stealing a camera from a photographer in Beverly Hills in September 2014. He has pleaded not guilty in each case.

In the text messages sent to Gray on Aug. 8, 2014, Knight used gang terminology and made reference to other N.W.A members, according to the transcripts.

Im from Bomton, Knight wrote, using well-known Bloods slang. Im a Blood criminal street gang member from the city of Compton  Time has arrived Faith in God keep ppl safe. The Devils Money cant save No 1.

Knight is a member of the Mob Piru set of the Bloods gang, according to detectives. He also wrote that he would make sure Gray, Young and Ice Cube  another N.W.A member and actor whose real name is OShea Jackson  would receive hugs, slang for physical violence, according to testimony given by detectives.

You seem to have a black hole memory when it comes to this individual incident.  Prosecutor Cynthia Barnes, while questioning director F. Gary Gray

When police arrived at the film set, Gray seemed extremely agitated as well as extremely frightened, according to the testimony of Los Angeles Police Det. Jason Cook, who responded to the scene that day.

Gray told detectives Knight had threatened his family and members of the film crew and that he was angry over his portrayal, according to Cooks testimony.

In the movie, Knight  played by actor R. Marcos Taylor  is a powerful and often-menacing figure. During a scene inside a recording studio, Knight threatens another N.W.A founder, Eazy-E, and then watches as two men beat him up. In another scene, Knight repeatedly pistol-whips a man for taking his parking spot.

In the grand jury hearing, Gray was evasive when asked by a prosecutor whether Knight was depicted as violent in the film, only acknowledging that the character took part in a fight scene. The director repeatedly said he could not remember anything about the phone calls, text messages or any communication he had that day with Knight.

I cant say I remember being threatened by him specifically, Gray said, according to the transcript.

On several occasions, prosecutors scolded Gray for dodging questions. Gray was ordered into two separate hearings about his refusal to answer questions, but transcripts of those proceedings were not available Friday.

As the hearing continued, prosecutors expressed their frustration.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Valerie Aenlle-Rocha asked Gray to detail the films he had directed, which include the most recent installment of The Fast and the Furious series and the South L.A.-based Friday. She asked him to name the actors involved in each film, then questioned how he could remember all of that but draw a blank when it came to the incident with Knight.

At another point, Aenlle-Rocha asked him if he had been using drugs that might have affected his memory on the date he received the calls and texts. The director said no.

Gray did not want to be involved with the case in any way, according to testimony from Los Angeles County Sheriffs Sgt. Richard Biddle, the lead investigator in Knights homicide case. Biddle said he had trouble serving Gray with a subpoena to appear at the grand jury hearing, ultimately tracking him to Los Angeles International Airport as the director was about to board a flight out of the country.

Gray asked the homicide investigator to escort him in and out of a downtown courthouse during the grand jury proceedings to protect him from reporters and Knights gang members, according to Biddles testimony.

Youre a bright guy. Youre smart, Barnes told Gray during the grand jury hearing. You remember a lot, and you seem to have a black-hole memory when it comes to this individual incident.

james.queally@latimes.com

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

For more crime and courts news in Southern California, follow us on Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT and @marisagerber

ALSO

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UPDATES:

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Knights attorney.

This article was originally posted at 7:45 a.m.
Former Marine Kevin Howard claimed scores of kills as a sniper volunteering this year with a militia fighting Islamic State in Syria.

He wanted to help people, Howard had said this summer, especially Christians who were being persecuted for their faith just as they had been in areas where he had fought with the Marines in Iraq.



For the record: This story reported that Taylor Hudson lived with a couple in Syria and became engaged with their daughter. She was a local resident but not the couples daughter and her family broke off the engagement.

But this fall, Howard and a fellow American volunteer, Taylor Hudson, grew disillusioned with the U.S.-backed militia and decided it was time to leave the battlefield and return home. But that decision launched both men on an uncertain and still unfolding journey that highlights the odd nature of their role as soldiers fighting for a cause, not a country.

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Earlier this month, Howard, 28, a heavily tattooed veteran from San Francisco, disappeared after crossing the border in Iraq. His friend Hudson then had to decide: Stay in Syria or go to Iraq in hopes of finding his missing comrade?

I dont know what my situation is going to be once I cross the border into Iraq, Hudson said Thursday from a home where he was sheltering with friends in Syria.

Americans have a history of volunteering to fight overseas, but the war in Syria presents distinct problems and challenges. The U.S. State Department advises against volunteering to fight with U.S.-allied Kurdish and Syrian militias, and the U.S. is under no obligation to aid such fighters if they get in trouble. But if the volunteers manage to return to the U.S., they face no legal consequences.

Of the several hundred such volunteers who have served since the Syrian civil war began six years ago, some died on the front line. According to local estimates, several dozen remain fighting in Syria. Others returned to the U.S. after their tours of duty, where would-be volunteers quiz them about the dangers they faced.

When Howard joined the Syriac Military Council, known as the MFS, last year, he was well aware of the risks. He made one stipulation: He would fight as a sniper team with Hudson, 33, from Pasadena, whom he trained with and trusted. Commanders agreed.

In July, when they spoke with the Los Angeles Times on the front line in Raqqah, they were encouraged. Militia fighters had broken through the citys ancient wall and were gaining new footholds in Islamic State territory.

Days later, their unit was targeted by deadly Islamic State suicide attacks. An Assyrian fighter was shot and killed on patrol. Their missions became more ragtag, assembled at the last minute. Hudson insisted he leave the front line to get treatment for his hand, injured by shrapnel in June. He traveled north to the militias training academy in Tal Tamr, expecting to rejoin Howard in Raqqah in a few weeks.

But Hudson never returned. Commanders refused to allow Hudson back to the front, he said, and began pushing Howard to shift south toward the worsening battle in Dair Alzour. Each heard that the other had been killed. Howard eventually persuaded commanders to transfer him where Hudson was so they could leave Syria together. But then, Hudson said, they were detained at the academy.

An MFS spokesman insisted that the pair were absolutely not jailed and that we always appreciate the will of Westerners to join our fight and cause.

Last month, a paralegal friend of Howards back in the U.S., Jeanette Carlisle of Fort Worth, tweeted a plea for help to U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. Could the military, she asked, rescue Hudson and her friend?

While we join you in your concern for Mr. Howard, U.S. forces here are fully engaged in an international effort to defeat ISIS, and unfortunately are not resourced for or tasked with checking on Americans who make this dangerous choice for themselves, Dillon wrote back, referring her to the State Department. ISIS is another name for Islamic State.

Hudson was desperate to leave. He still felt driven to help Syrian friends and a family that had sponsored him, but he was burned out.

I had to come up with a formula to estimate how many of my friends I had seen shot. It was over 500, he said.

He said he was told by a contact at the State Department that the pair could seek help from U.S. forces based in Kobani, on the northern border. But he and Howard were turned away.

They talked to us like we are criminals, Howard wrote in a message Oct. 9. We need help.

Dillon said in an interview that it wasnt the militarys responsibility to rescue American volunteers in Syria.

The State Department has been very clear in discouraging non-official travel of Americans to the combat theater, he said. Barring direct orders from higher authorities, the U.S. military is neither resourced for, nor charged with, search/rescue efforts for Americans who have voluntarily traveled into Iraq and Syria, which he said poses potential risk to military personnel and resources otherwise dedicated to the defeat of ISIS.

Dillon did say that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was looking into the matter of Howard and Hudson, but a State Department official noted that the department has no consular presence in Syria  our ability to provide consular assistance to individuals who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who die in the conflict, is extremely limited.

He declined to comment on the cases of Howard and Hudson, citing privacy concerns.

After the pair failed to get help in Kobani, Hudson said they returned to Tal Tamr, where he got his passport back and was allowed to leave after signing paperwork absolving the militia of responsibility for his safety. But militia leaders still held Howard, seizing his passport because he had been such a high-profile fighter, Hudson said. When Hudson last talked to him by phone Oct. 13, Howard said militia officials had moved him east to Hasakah.

He was afraid they were going to just drive him to the Iraqi border and dump him in the middle of nowhere, Hudson said of his friend.

The next day, he learned what had happened to Howard.

The militia released a photo and video of Howard crossing the border into Iraq at Faysh Khabur. Although Howard remained incommunicado, by Thursday the U.S. Consulate in Irbil confirmed to friends and family that Howard was being held by Kurdish officials in that northern Iraqi city, and that they should be able to secure his release in a few weeks.

Howards mother, Susan OLeary of Grants Pass, Ore., said Saturday that she was contacted by consular staffers in Irbil who said they had visited her son at a nearby detention center. His spirits were high, his health was good, and hes looking forward to getting home, she said.

She added that her son knew he was going to get picked up when he got back into Iraq for visa violations connected to his entry into Syria from Iraq. Such violations often trigger a fine. Word is, it can range from $5,000 to $10,000, OLeary said.

She noted that Howard, after risking his life to help the militia effort, now has to pay to get out of the Middle East. No heros welcome. No pay at all. They did this because they wanted to fight ISIS. They are not mercenaries. I wish people clearly understood that, she said.

The U.S. Consulate is arranging an exit visa for Howard, a repatriation loan to pay the fine, a plane ticket and enough money to get home, OLeary said. The process could take months.

Hudson, meanwhile, is still in eastern Syria, trying to figure the safest route home. In a phone interview, said he didnt regret volunteering to fight.

It was worth it. Saved a lot of lives, he said. But he added, Im PTSDd out. Im done. Ive got to go home.

His advice to other prospective volunteers: Know what youre getting into.

ALSO

Iraqi Kurds dream of independence seems more elusive than ever

Rising tensions escalate into combat between Iraqi and Kurdish forces, allies in the fight against Islamic State

A U.S. airstrike took her mother and threatened her eyesight. For 4-year-old Hawra, the real struggle is to forget
Residents along Church Road on the Campo Indian Reservation were advised to evacuate Saturday for several hours as a wind-driven brush fire bore down toward their homes south of state Route 94.

No homes had been lost, a sheriffs official said.

Cal Fire estimated that 115 acres of brush had been consumed by the wildfire by 4 p.m. A fire spokesman said the rate of spread was moderate.

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Evacuation orders were lifted about 4:30 p.m. and the California Highway Patrol began opening roads that had been closed.

The blaze broke out about 1:20 p.m. near Shasta Way, about three miles north of the Mexican border. It burned southwesterly, pushed by hot, dry winds of about 15 mph, authorities said. Some wind gusts were reported at 25 to 30 mph.

Cal Fire attacked the blaze with aircraft and dozens of fire rigs.

Shortly before 2 p.m. Cal Fire reported an immediate threat to structures and ordered all residents along Church Road to evacuate. The fire was on both sides of the road, Cal Fire spokesman Kendal Bortisser said.

Sheriffs Lt. Mario Zermeno said some residents refused to leave.

The California Highway Patrol and sheriffs deputies blocked Route 94 in both directions between Church and Live Oak roads. Reservation roads BIA 10 and BIA 15 also were closed.

Most of the fire continued burning south of the highway, but the CHP reported that flames had jumped to the north side in some spots.

All road closures were removed by 5:30 p.m.

By 7 p.m., most of the fires spread had slowed and was still estimated at 115 acres, with 40 percent containment.

The Red Cross set up an aid station at the Golden Acorn Casino on state Route 8 near Buckman Springs to assist any evacuees.

The County Department of Animal Services sent staff with horse trailers to help residents move animals out of the danger area.

Agency Director Dan DeSousa said residents should take their animals with them if they evacuate. If they need help, residents outside the evacuation area can call the departments emergency dispatch at (619) 236-2341.

The latest blaze comes on the heels of two fires in Camp Pendleton.

Crews toiled throughout the week to contain the Buffalo Fire after it consumed 1,088 acres and the Llama Fire after it reached 81 acres south of Camp Horno, according to the Marine Corps. No structures were threatened by either fire.

All ongoing wildfires

cprine@sduniontribune.com
When she became a firefighter in 1984, Linda Morse tried hard to blend in.

The San Diego Fire Department had only about a dozen female firefighters at the time, so it wasnt easy. Fire stations back then were built with men in mind: barracks with wide-open bathrooms and showers.

Thats why it was especially difficult when Morse needed to take a shower in the station after exercising or when she was sweaty and sooty from a fire. Hoping no one would notice, Morse would hear the loudspeaker crackle with an announcement: Woman in the shower!

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The warning was meant to ensure she had some privacy, but she found it mortifying.

We were so hell-bent on blending that we didnt make noise.We put up with a lot of stuff just to blend, said Morse, who retired in 2016 as a captain after a 32-year career. We accepted it because thats how it was and we didnt want to ruffle feathers. There was so much that we loved (about the job), we were willing to put up with it.

Women have served in San Diegos fire service for the past 40 years, a milestone celebrated this month at the firehouse museum in Little Italy.

Lonnie Hider Kitch enrolled in the academy in 1977 and became the departments first female firefighter a year later.

I was young, so a lot of the things would roll off me, said Kitch, who retired in 2008. It was a good job. I was proud to be a firefighter. I loved going out and helping the public.

The story of women in firefighting in San Diego started a little before Kitch  back to 1974, when five women enrolled in the fire academy under a selective hiring process put in place by the city Civil Service Commission.

Those trailblazers didnt get the jobs they sought, though. After going through the six-week course, all five were dismissed when fire officials determined they lacked the physical strength required.

The women sued and the city eventually settled out of court, paying them about $50,000 to divide up.

Concerns over strength requirements were still an issue when Kitch went through the academy. She ended up having to go a second time before she was hired along with academy classmate Monica Higgins in 1978.

The city ended up boosting its recruitment and hiring of women and minorities after it was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice, which alleged it was discriminating on the basis of national origin and sex in its hiring for the Fire Department and other city posts. In late 1977, the city entered into a consent decree that established a five-year hiring plan.

Kitch recalls facing an almost endless number of tests to ensure that a 5-foot-3, 120-pound woman could carry out the jobs duties.

It was difficult for me, because every day I would go to work in training and I wouldnt know what the captain would think up for me to do, she said. I didnt know if Id have a job at the end of the day.

Some captains continued to test her long after she started the job, making sure she could hold onto a hose pumping out water at 250 gallons a minute and hoist heavy rescue equipment.

They had to see me physically do these things to be comfortable I could do that in an emergency myself if I had to, she said. Very seldom would you have to do that by yourself -- but they still had to make sure that you could.

Kitch wasnt upset about having to perform such tests although it got old after I was on for five years and still was being tested.

Early hires did not find an easy path. Some male colleagues wouldnt talk to the women or were openly hostile. Their firefighting gear  coats, boots, even face masks  didnt fit right. Kitch couldnt find steel-toed firefighting boots in her size so she wore boots manufactured for female telephone linemen. They came in red so she had them dyed black.

Fire stations were awkward setups for men and women, not designed with privacy in mind, so many of the women found ways to avoid conflicts. Some would dash off to nearby fast food outlets to use the bathroom or put on their uniforms at home so they wouldnt have to find a place to change at the station.

Showers were always quick and usually after all the men were done.

Paper drapes went up in some stations in the early 1980s, but they didnt provide much privacy.

There was no way to keep people from accidentally pulling the curtain because their locker is in there, said Lyn Lynch, who was hired in 1981. You learned to have no privacy expectations whatsoever, or to change in the toilet room. I came to work in uniform, I went home in uniform so I wouldnt have to bother with that.

Lynch, who retired in 2009, said some of the men never seemed to accept women in the department.

I found it a struggle with some of the newer men captains that would come in. Even though I was a very senior captain and had a lot of experience, they would still question me, still try to erode my confidence in my decision making, said Lynch. I always thought of it as a, What can you know, youre just a girl attitude. I think it was pervasive when I left.

Even basic change came slowly: The badge wasnt switched from fireman to firefighter until 1995.

Despite that, the number of women in the department grew and some began landing promotions. Tracy Jarman became the citys first female chief in 2006, when more than 70 female firefighters were working.

That number has fallen in recent years. Out of the departments 893 firefighters today, 45 are women.

At 5 percent, San Diego is a little higher than the national average of 3.7 percent for women career firefighters in 2015, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

It is 2017, and you would think the numbers are going up, but they are not  they are staying about the same, said Angela Hughes, president of the International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services.

San Diego Fire Chief Brian Fennessy says one of his top priorities is creating a more diverse department, one that looks more like the community it serves. A year ago, he assigned a fire captain to spearhead recruitment full time.

When the next Fire Academy begins Nov. 4, a third of the recruits  eight out of 24 -- will be women.

The department also will invite up to 100 teen girls to participate in a two-day empowerment camp this spring. The event is designed to show girls ages 14 to 18 that a career as a firefighter, lifeguard, paramedic or military member is an option.

Diversity for us isnt just the color of our skin or gender. Firefighters are problem-solvers. To get that different input from somebodys background, their education, it is healthy, Fennessy said.

Being a firefighter was all Dre Dominguez, 41, ever wanted to do. Her uncle and cousins were in the fire service when she was growing up.

The helicopter-rescue paramedic said she appreciates the gains her predecessors made in breaking the gender gap in the department.

There are a lot of women in our department that laid that foundation down for us, to fight for that equal feeling at the department, said Dominguez, who was hired in 2006.

In my experience, if you are showing up and you are hard-working and willing and really try to do a good job there is no reason why you should be any different than anybody else, she said.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
In todays U-T Back Story, reporter Peter Rowe revisits the wildfires that ravaged San Diego County in 2007.

Q. Do you recall those fires?

A. Yes, vividly, even though I was never on the front lines. J. Harry Jones, the Union-Tribune reporter who is the co-author of todays story, has harrowing tales of staying ahead of the fires along the border.

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Q. So what did you do during the 07 fires?

A. The fires were enormous  the total area burned was greater than the entire city of Los Angeles  so editors mobilized the entire staff. I was sent to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, to report on horse owners desperately seeking a safe place to stable their animals.

Within hours, though, people also took shelter there. I spent most of that night and the next day reporting on that scene.

Q. What made the biggest impression on you?

A. The generosity of ordinary San Diegans. The fairgrounds and Qualcomm Stadium  another facility that was used to house people  were soon inundated with blankets and cots, bottled water, hot food, soap and toothpaste.

Q. For this story, did you discover anything these fires that you didnt know 10 years ago?

A. Yes. Today, city, county and state firefighters readily admit that the firestorm exposed some shortcomings in their attitudes and approaches. The 03 and 07 fires forced different agencies to abandon the notion that a fire in one location is fought by that locations fire department. Now, every agency in the region insists it is committed to fighting fires any where and everywhere in the county.

Q. What other changes were inspired by the 07 fires?

A. Building codes were revamped, adding many new requirements  from double pane windows to interior sprinkler systems  to new homes. These can be expensive, but some valuable upgrades can be done on the cheap.

Q. Such as?

A. Attaching fine mesh screens to your homes vents. A firefighter told me that when embers are sucked through a vent, the ensuing fire often isnt noticeable until the entire attic is engulfed in flames. Then its too late to save the house.

Q. The anniversary of this natural disaster just happens to coincide with major wildfires in Northern California and Orange County. Thats an odd coincidence, isnt it?

A. Yes and no. September and October are wildfire season across the state. Its a rare year when those months are not marked by flames threatening California homes.

Q. This is a California phenomenon?

A. Yes, but also a global one. One expert I interviewed studied Australias 2009 Black Saturday bushfires which killed 173. This year, both Chile and Portugal suffered the most extreme wildfires in their histories.

Q. Whats the most important thing people can do?

A. Plan. Know what you and your loved ones will do during a wildfire (or earthquake, flood or any other emergency). And register your cell phone at readysandiego.org for emergency alerts.

Q. Your story cites a county survey that indicates people are less prepared for wildfire today than they were immediately after the 07 fires. Why would that be?

A. The most likely culprit: human nature. Its been a decade since we had a county-wide fire emergency. Some of us have become complacent. But the experts say the next local wildfire is not a question of if; its a question of when.

Q. Where can people go to learn more about wildfires?

A. Cal Fires official site  fire.ca.gov  is a storehouse of good information: reports on current fires, historic wildfire data, tips on how to prepare your home and loved ones for any future blazes. Also, read todays story  please!  and check out the latest Re:Focus podcast, hosted by the Union-Tribunes Daniel Wheaton.
To grasp the power and terror of the 2007 firestorms  a 27-day ordeal that began 10 years ago this weekend you had to be there.

You had to be in Michelle Grimaldos car, as flames swept across Honey Springs Road in Jamul, blocking her escape route.

Everywhere you looked, she said, there was fire.

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You had to be with Tony Mecham, stunned by the number of severe burn victims -- 22  being airlifted from Cal Fires Potrero station.

It was like a war zone, said Mecham, now head of the countys Fire Authority. That was the first time Id seen that kind of human suffering on a wildland fire.

You had to be with Nelly Bulkin, awakened from a fitful sleep by her husband and told to grab their four children and race from their Rancho Bernardo home.

Embers were flying everywhere, she said. I thought for sure our home was going to burn down.

A natural disaster of staggering scope, San Diego Countys 2007 firestorms killed 10 people and destroyed 1,738 homes. Flames consumed 368,316 acres, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.

More than 500,000 people were evacuated, exceeding the number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Motels across the county overflowed with people who were dislocated; others bunked down at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and what was then Qualcomm Stadium.

This was not a fire  it was a chain of wildfires, erupting in virtually every corner of the county. While the 2003 wildfires were more costly in terms of lives lost (17), acres burned (372,000) and homes destroyed (2,454), the 2007 disaster proved that wildfires were no longer a rare tragedy limited to remote patches of the county.

This is the new normal we live with, Mecham said. Fires are something that no longer stay in the backcountry.

In response, Mecham and other authorities say that the countys firefighting capabilities have been strengthened with new equipment and tactics.

We are better prepared than ever, said county Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

Yet even as wildfires seem to be more common -- witness the recent blazes in Sonoma, Napa and Orange counties  some worry that San Diegans are becoming complacent.

A recent county survey showed that only 50 percent of residents to evacuate their homes within 15 minutes. In 2007, 74 percent were prepared.

Its eerie when I talk to neighbors now, said Jack Beren, a Rancho Bernardo resident who lost two homes in the 2007 fires. Its yesterdays news. But this is not like lightning. It does strike twice in the same place.

Expensive lessons

This disaster was sparked around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 21. What was believed to be an unauthorized campfire ignited brush near Potrero, a dusty town north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Harris fire began in conditions that could not have been worse: high heat, low humidity and sustained Santa Ana winds blowing in excess of 50 mph with gusts of up to 100 mph.

The first afternoon into the second day was surreal, said Mecham, who heads both the San Diego County Fire Authority and Cal Fires San Diego unit.

I had come from Riverside and I was pulling in. When I got out of my truck, the wind was blowing so hard it bent my car door.

The last hot spot wouldnt be extinguished until Nov. 16. The Harris fire would burn just over 90,000 acres, destroy 253 homes and two commercial buildings, kill eight people and injure dozens.

Harris was the beginning, but far from the end. A Cal Fire tanker pilot returning from dumping retardant on the Harris fire witnessed an electrical transmission line arcing, igniting brush in the mountains near Santa Ysabel.

These arcing lines ignited the Witch Creek fire. About 12 hours later another fire, Guejito, began in the San Pasqual Valley. Backed by strong winds, the two fires united and swept into Rancho Bernardo, taking out hundreds of homes.

Firefighters were stretched so thin across the county, many of the homes burned without a fire truck in sight.

Two people would die in those twin blazes, which consumed 1,141 homes and 509 outbuildings in Ramona, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, Del Dios and Rancho Santa Fe. It was the second most destructive fire in county history, surpassed only by the Cedar fire of 2003.

Ramona was ordered evacuated that first night, causing gridlock on State Routes 67 and 78. Power lines that connected water pumps to the town burned. Residents werent officially allowed back to their homes for a week, and even then told not to drink the water.

On Oct. 22, with the winds still howling, the Rice Canyon fire began in Fallbrook north of State Route 76 when more power lines sparked. The fire leapt across Interstate 15 and flying embers sparked fires that consumed about 120 mobile homes. In all 206 homes, two commercial buildings and 40 outbuildings were lost.

Early on Oct. 23, a house fire lit brush on the La Jolla Indian Reservation. This blaze, the Poomacha fire, raced into an area that hadnt seen fire in recorded history. It would burn the south side of the Palomar Mountain range, eventually consuming about 50,000 acres, 138 homes and 19 outbuildings.

Later that morning a fifth major fire began on Camp Pendleton. The Horno/Ammo fire caused part of the base to be evacuated but the fire burned only brush  roughly 21,000 acres.

Several other smaller fires also erupted, but were quickly controlled.

The cost of fighting the fires, estimated at $41 million, was dwarfed by the property damage: about $1.6 billion.

Authorities say they were determined to absorb the lessons from this costly experience.

It really got everybody to the table, said Doug Perry, fire marshal for the city of San Diego and deputy chief of the San Diego Fire Department. Something needs to be done  San Diego County and the whole region is very susceptible to those wildfires.

New weapons

Like the 2003 wildfires, the 2007 firestorms exposed weaknesses in how local agencies attacked the blazes.

The backcountry had a patchwork of fire departments, many staffed with volunteers. Communications between departments was spotty. Moreover, Jacob said, the county board of supervisors had only provided grudging support to fire prevention efforts in the forests and mountains of East County.

The Cedar Fire (of 2003) was the defining moment, said Jacob, who represents East County. That was the first time a fire that started in the backcountry went into the cities.

For the first time, there was unanimous support on the board.

If 2003 supplied inspiration, the events of 2007 added a sense of urgency. In 2008, the county formed a Fire Authority to oversee 16 stations covering more than 1.5 million acres. The loose network of backcountry fire departments are now under this single command.

Fire dispatchers across the county adopted a uniform communication system. Each dispatch center knows what the other dispatch center is doing, and Perry, the fire official. Its really state of the art, 10 times better than what we had in 03 and 07.

A fortune was spent on new equipment  the citys inventory of brush rigs, fire engines adapted to fight wildfires, has been expanded from two to 13. At least three helicopters have been added to the squadron of aerial firefighters -- two purchased by the San Diego Fire Department, one by the county.

Some fixes were relatively inexpensive, although they could prove essential.

The most common question I get is, Wheres the fire? said San Diego Fire Chief Brian Fennessy.

Thats not a joke. Firestorms can move with alarming speed and move in unpredictable directions. Phoned-in reports of the flames location, while welcome, can be rendered irrelevant in a matter of minutes.

Thats why Fennessy and other firefighters were happy to see more than 100 new weather stations installed in the backcountry. Using these tools, firefighters can track the speed, direction and intensity of fires in real time.

Other solutions required changes in approach. While the county has dozens of fire departments, Perry said, everyone now works on the same team. Every spring, county fire agencies come together for a joint training exercise. This unity carries over to actual fires in the field.

Throughout this whole entire county, the way that we respond now is truly with all boundaries, all city limits dropped, Perry said. All agencies participate.

There are several reasons for this, including enlightened self-interest. Most fires start in the east and then spread to the west.

Its really smart for the cities to the west to send units to the east, Perry said, and try to stop the fire there.

The idea is to act with speed and overwhelming force, deploying a wide range of weapons. Recently approved contracts make as many as 30 Navy and Marine Corps aerial units available to combat local fires, eliminating a barrier that existed in 07. And a policy that prevented San Diego Fire helicopters from flying after sundown has been reversed.

Now, the birds can take to the air at the pilots discretion.

If a fire starts in the city of San Diego, Perry said, I can say with absolute certainty they will get a helicopter up 24 hours a day.

SDG&E

Perry also praised an entity that is often slammed in discussions about the 07 fires: San Diego Gas & Electric.

In the last decade, SDG&E has made available during fire season a Skycrane Sun Bird helitanker, an aircraft that can douse a target with up to 2,650 gallons of water.

Thats the equivalent of five engines, Perry said, noting that the average fire engine carries 500 gallons of water. You have to give them credit.

The utilitys role in the 07 fires, though, remains controversial. While acknowledging their equipment started some of the fires, SDG&E has never admitted liability. Instead, it maintains that ultimate responsibility lies with an act of God, the fierce Santa Ana winds.

More than $2 billion was paid in settlements, of which $1.1 billion was covered by SDG&Es insurance. The utility also accepted a $444 million settlement from Cox Communications after it was determined that a Cox wire came into contact with power lines, igniting the Guejito fire.

SDG&E also received some payments from the Davey tree-trimming company and an electrical contractor.

After insurance and settlements, SDG&E faced outstanding costs of $379 million. As early as next week, the states Public Utilities Commission could rule on SDG&Es request to bill consumers for this expense.

At the same, the utility has taken steps to prevent future incidents.

SDG&E has made significant investments in fire preparedness and to modernize our infrastructure to keep San Diego County safe, said spokeswoman Colleen Windsor.

More than 2,100 wood poles throughout the backcountry have been replaced with fire hardened steel poles. A four-year, $450 million project to replace or underground 100 miles of poles in the Cleveland National Forest began in 2016.

During dry, windy weather, the utility disables automatic switching devices in fire sensitive areas. The transmission line that arced and started the Witch Creek fire had been automatically restarted after a problem was indicated earlier that day. Now, before power is restored during fire season, a manual inspection of the line is required.

The utility also automatically cuts power to backcountry areas in high winds during critical fire weather.

When seeking the states permission to take these steps, SDG&E documented 167 fires that had been started by its equipment in the preceding five and a half years. Of those fires, 13 occurred during strong winds, including Witch Creek/Guejito and Rice Canyon.

SDG&E also employs 40 arborists to inspect trees, subcontracts with 80 tree trimming crews to keep lines away from branches, has four mobile command centers available in case of fire, uses an Emergency Operations Center for large-scale crises and issues a daily fire index.

The latter comes from data collected by 170 small weather stations atop power poles. Wind speed, humidity and temperature are all recorded.

Many of the firefighting agencies get that data on their smartphones on a daily basis, Windsor said.

Surviving the Woo-ee

Fire is older than civilization, and humanity has long tried to control this elemental force.

The science of firefighting hasnt changed in 50 years, said Mecham, the head of the county Fire Authority. I dont know that it ever will.

What needs to change, many insist, is our focus.

Theres still an over-emphasis on the actual fire fight, said Christopher Dicus, a former firefighter who is a professor of wildlands fire and fuels management at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo. I would contend if we actually had prepared the battlefield, the firefighters would have a much better chance to win.

After the 07 wildfires, new building standards mandated fire-resistant exteriors and roofs -- farewell, shake shingle!  a 100-foot defensible space outside the house and ceiling sprinklers inside.

While these new requirements added to the cost of construction, some survivors of 07 fires benefited from the timing of that disaster.

That same year, the great recession was dragging down the economy. Especially hard hit: the construction industry.

People were sitting on their hands, they had nothing do, said Jack Beren, who rebuilt one of the two Rancho Bernardo homes he lost in the Guejito fire. People were beating on fire victims houses, begging them to let them rebuild their homes.

His new place has a tile roof, no exposed wood, dual pane windows, mesh screens over vents (to keep embers from flying inside), defensible space in front and a fire break in back. Those are sensible precautions in San Diego, where a Headwaters Institute 2016 study identified more than 42,000 properties in high risk locations.

They exist on the Wildlands Urban Interface, WUI, pronounced Woo-ee. The Institute, an Oregon-based nonprofit dedicated to watershed management and education, defines the WUI as the region where homes meet dense stands of native or naturalized vegetation in canyons and other open space areas.

Across the western U.S., some rural residents have pioneered a way of surviving in the Woo-ee. Their goal is to create fire adapted communities.

This is a recognition that we have to rely on residents as much as other people, that fire departments arent going to solve the problem alone, said Molly Mowery, who leads the National Fire Protection Associations Fire Adapted Community program. We need the engagement of the residents, too. Its everyones responsibility.

That means lobbying developers and planners to include more than one route in and out of every neighborhood, and ensuring that streets are wide enough for emergency vehicles to quickly turn around.

But it also means that all residents need to keep flammable materials and plants away from their homes exteriors; develop an emergency plan; and get to know their neighbors.

Do children live next door? Does Grandma? These days, how many of us know that? asked Fennessy. But thats important information when theres a fire.

Although she had been surrounded by fire 10 years ago on Jamuls Honey Springs Road, Michelle Grimaldo survived the Harris fire. Despite that terrifying experience, she and husband Gregg Grimaldo rebuilt their home in rural, fire-prone Deerhorn Valley.

I love it there, she said. I cant move.

On Sunday, the Grimaldos are hosting a 10th anniversary gathering for Deerhorn Valley residents. The party is scheduled for 2 to 7 p.m. at McKinley Field, 19545 Elena Lane.

Should be a good time -- and a hot one. The forecast for the day: high temperatures and Santa Ana winds.

Last week, 100 to 150 San Diego-based Cal Fire units were battling blazes in Northern California and Orange County. By last Wednesday, though, San Diegos impending Santa Ana was changing their plans.

Were already starting to move resources south, said Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser.
Two men were in custody Monday on suspicion of assaulting a bartender and a bar patron after being ordered to leave a La Mesa bar for being too drunk and causing a disturbance, police said.

Officers were called to Parkys Bar at 6149 Lake Murray Blvd. shortly before 11:40 p.m. Sunday, according to La Mesa police. When they arrived, they found two men with facial wounds lying on the ground outside the bar.

The men were identified as a 41 year-old La Mesa resident and a 22-year-old from San Diego.

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A bartender and a patron told officers the men were heavily intoxicated and causing a disturbance inside the bar. They became angry when asked to leave, and one of them threw a glass at the bartender, according to a police statement.

The glass missed the bartender, who then attempted to physically remove the men from the bar with help from a bar patron, police said.

Both men allegedly each pulled out a pocket knife. One threw his knife at the bar patron but the patron was not injured, according to the police statement, and the bartender and bar patron eventually overpowered the pair, leaving them outside for police.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon; one was jailed, the other was to a hospital for treatment of facial injuries before being taken to jail.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysian authorities Monday gave a Muslim burial to 21 human trafficking victims, believed to be Rohingya Muslim refugees, found in shallow graves in jungles bordering Thailand.

The 21 were among 106 bodies found last month in 28 jungle camps in northern Perlis state, a remote area bordering Thailand that trafficking syndicates used as a transit point to hold migrants and refugees. Most were believed to be from Myanmars persecuted Rohingya minority and impoverished migrants from Bangladesh.

The victims were buried in a village ceremony in neighboring Kedah state, with Islamic officials performing burial rites.

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Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir said investigations showed the victims died of starvation and illness.

The bodies of 19 men were placed in simple wooden coffins each and buried together in a huge grave, while the bodies of two women were laid to rest in an adjacent grave, he said.

The bodies of the other victims will be buried once autopsies are completed, he said.

The discoveries in northern Malaysia followed similar revelations earlier May in Thailand, where police unearthed 36 bodies from shallow graves in seven abandoned camps on the Thai side of the border.

The discoveries have exposed hidden networks of jungle camps run by human smugglers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families. Most of the victims were part of a wave of people who fled their homelands to reach countries like Malaysia, where they hoped to find work or live freely.

Human rights groups and activists say the area along the Thai-Malaysia border has been used for years to smuggle migrants and refugees, including Rohingya Muslims.

In many cases, they pay human smugglers thousands of dollars for passage, but are instead held for weeks or months while traffickers extort more money from their families. Rights groups say some have been beaten to death, and The Associated Press has documented other cases in which people have been enslaved on fishing boats.
On his Oval Office report card, Barack Obama earned a massive fail on the immigration issue.

He broke his campaign promise to reform our immigration system, deported about 3 million people, dragged his feet for three years before giving executive relief to young undocumented immigrants through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, shipped out thousands of Central American women and children refugees without hearing their asylum claims and lied about what he had done by shifting blame to Republicans.

All this cold-heartedness helped make Obama the most anti-immigrant president in modern U.S. history.

But now, in light of his over-the-top and ignorance-fueled demands to Congress in exchange for supporting legal status but not citizenship for Dreamers, it's clear that President Trump wants a shot at the title.

Trump claimed in a statement that each item on his restrictionist wish list will "ensure prosperity, opportunity and safety for every member of our national family."

Trump tried to accomplish all that by pitching his policy goals as a remedy to what boneheaded Republicans glibly describe as Obama's "illegal executive amnesty" for undocumented young people brought here as children.

For those of you interested in a little thing called truth, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is not "illegal" since the executive branch sets deportation policy and not "amnesty" because it is conditional with strings attached.

Right-wingers confuse feeling strongly about immigration with actually knowing something about it.

Trump made the same mistake when he said that the Obama administration granted in 2012 the "same benefits" that Congress had considered and rejected when comprehensive immigration reform went off the rails several years earlier.

Wrong. DACA is temporary relief that lasts two years and requires recipients to turn themselves in to Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the "deferred action" is deportation. Congress was debating permanent legal status for undocumented immigrants who would not have had to turn themselves in.

About 690,000 young people are enrolled in DACA, and the total number of Dreamers in the United States is about 1.5 million.

Trump also claims that Obama's olive branch to Dreamers resulted in a surge of illegal immigration.

Wrong again. Even before Trump took office, illegal immigration into the United States from Mexico and the rest of Latin America was on the decline because it was easier to find work south of the border. And when a surge does happen, the only thing that causes it are jobs offered by U.S. employers.

Do I have to explain all this to a businessman who owns hotels and resorts that he has admitted to staffing with illegal immigrants because he can't find Americans to do those jobs?

Trump's demands to Congress are a combination of the impractical, the inhumane and the imaginary. They include: funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that could cost $25 billion, a continuation of the Obama administration's crackdown on women and children refugees from Central America and an end to law enforcement grants to fabled "sanctuary cities" that conservatives insist really do exist even as federal immigration agents are -- in states like California -- cutting through "sanctuary" like a hot knife through butter.

And while members of his party continue to insist that illegal immigration is unfair to those who "play by the rules," Trump also wants a 50 percent cut in legal immigration to punish those who play by the rules. In addition, he wants new immigrants to be "high-skilled" and may yet suggest that -- like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- they take an IQ test.

Bringing in more high-skilled immigrants should be loads of fun for those American workers who can't even compete with low-skilled immigrants.

And what about those pathetic American workers who love to attack immigrants for doing hard and dirty jobs that they won't go within a mile of, no matter how much they get paid to do them?

Trump says he's doing all this for them, and that "immigration reform must create more jobs, higher wages, and greater security for Americans -- now and for future generations."

Still wrong. It's not the duty of our immigration policy to do those things. All it is supposed to do is secure our borders, encourage legal immigration, and stop illegal immigration. It is not a jobs program for people who don't want to work anyway.

For crying out loud, look at all the "Help Wanted" signs sprouting up in your town. America is still the land of opportunity. It's not immigrants' fault that so many Americans want everything handed to them, and expect the government to be their nanny.
The governments petition has brought a strong reaction from the yards owner, Privinvest Group of Lebanon and yard workers trade unions. One of the largest facilities in the Mediterranean, the Skaramanga-based yard has been virtually closed since 2014 with workers claiming back pay.

The petition was filed in an Athens first instance court in the wake of a decision by the International Arbitration Court of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which ordered Greece to pay between EUR150m ($177m) and EUR200m ($236m) to the Privinvest Group, which took control of Hellenic Shipyards, in 2010.

Privinvests Lebanese owner Iskandar Safa, has called on Greece to respect the ICC ruling and warned of further legal claims, in Greek and international courts.

Greek Deputy Economy Minister, Stergios Pitsiorlas, said discussion over the bankruptcy petition is scheduled for mid-November, assuming the court accepts the petition. Essentially the government has commenced the process to force Privinvest to abandon Hellenic, enabling it to search for a new strategic investor.

The ICC case saw the Safa family claim the Greek state had failed to meet contractual agreements worth hundreds of millions of Euros following Privinvests purchase of Hellenic. Among the claims, Safa had sought arbitration in his capacity as an individual investor in the company, while the same dispute extends to a bilateral investment pact between Lebanon and Greece.

Lawyers for Privinvest say the ICC decision vindicates it and Hellenic. And have told Seatrade Marirtime: "We are continuing our counterclaims against the Hellenic Republic in a later ICC procedure around the same issue initiated by the Hellenic Republic whilst our shareholders are pursuing the Hellenic Republic in the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes pursuant to the relevant Bilateral Investment Treaty.

"This was also stressed in a letter Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL (Holding) president and ceo, Boulos Hankach sent to the all the workforce and copied to the government."Sadly, the government wants to destroy the path to the future before we can even take the first steps on it. We will take all legal means to stop the government from succeeding, and we strongly hope for your support in our endeavours," says the letter to the workforce It accuses the government of spreading "a lot of rumours about what the Arbitration Award supposedly says, trying to make the decision appear as a victory".

"Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. The arbitration tribunal has fully vindicated us." The letter then relates what the tribunal decided. Among the decisions are a number of payments to be made to HSY by Greece regarding different contracts the yard held.

Hellenics workers union, Triaena, says the most significant thing about the ICC judgment is "the shipyard remains open and intact" and "can continue to operate and indeed without bans on the construction of warships for foreign navies".

The trade union said it had requested a meeting with competent government ministers to discuss the course of the shipyard after the judgment, but instead of a meeting it was informed the government is seeking the appointment of a special receiver in order to sell the Skaramanga yard's assets through an auction.

The union says failure to find a buyer, "who will take into consideration workers demands", will see Greece paying out hundreds of millions of Euros in compensation to the company and its owners in compliance with the judgment of the Arbitrational Tribune. "At the same time, employees will lose our jobs, will lose earnings owed since April 2012, and we will lose our future. With the governments choice, this course is predetermined," contends the union.
While traveling on Interstate 17 for a landscaping job, one of Hugh Pressmans trailer axles broke after hitting a pothole on the freeway.

Pressman, the owner of Kaibab Landscaping, commutes into Flagstaff from Munds Park and dispatches members of his team throughout the region for projects. Lately, Pressman said, he fears for his employees safety when traveling to job sites because of rough conditions on the interstates.

The road conditions are dire, Pressman said of interstates 40 and 17. Those roads are extremely dangerous and covered in potholes.

CONDITIONS

Deferred maintenance on freeways in northern Arizona has contributed to rough conditions on some of the most heavily used infrastructure, said Mark Woodson, the owner of Woodson Engineering.

Regular maintenance can keep roads functioning longer and help prevent more costly projects when roads deteriorate too much, he said.

Weve gone beyond that point, Woodson said. We already have to spend more on maintenance than we would if the roads had been maintained regularly.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over both interstates as well as some roads within the city, must prioritize maintenance and construction projects because there is only so much funding available at one time, ADOT spokesman Ryan Harding said in an email.

Woodson agreed, and said the solutions would be easy if the money was available.

The biggest problem today is the financing mechanism for roads, Woodson said. The engineering solution is the easy part. We know how to fix it and we know how to maintain it, but we are not given the money to do it.

Woodson said, based on some resurfacing projects being done on freeways, complete resurfacing can cost about $1 million per mile.

But, potholes and other road hazards have presented a safety risk on local freeways.

You get safety issues from just plain hitting a pothole, Woodson said. And between Flagstaff and Williams, people drive in the left hand lane instead of the right lane and makes passing less safe. Ive seen trailers flip and truckers repairing tires on the side.

Woodson served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which issues a report card for infrastructure nationwide and at the state level. The most recent report card for Arizona was issued in 2015, and rated roads throughout the state at a D plus level. The report does not break down to the county or district level.

Motor vehicle crashes cost Arizona $4 billion per year, $833 for each resident, in medical costs, lost productivity, travel delays, workplace costs, insurance costs and legal costs, the report reads in part.

The report also states that roadway conditions contribute to about one-third of traffic fatalities.

There were 849 traffic fatalities in 2013 in Arizona. A total of 4,068 people died on Arizonas highways from 2009 through 2013, according to the report.

A FLAGSTAFF PROBLEM

I-17 and I-40 are critical for the health and well-being of our city, Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans said. The bulk of rural Arizona depends on goods, services and people travelling along the I-17 and I-40 corridors.

The city council hosted the ADOT board over the summer to discuss issues for the Flagstaff area, and Evans said the city, and other cities that depend on the freeways, to have people at the capital when the budget is being crafted to advocate for more funding.

It will take working with state representatives and senators to say this is a major problem, Evans said.

Evans said the freeway conditions are definitely a Flagstaff problem, but also affect most cities and towns in rural Arizona.

Flagstaff City Manager Josh Copley said the city regards ADOT as a partner in an atmosphere of collaboration, and said all concerns he has brought forward to the department.

There has been a willingness to listen to our concerns and a desire to address the issues, Copley said.

The city does not have jurisdiction over ADOT-controlled freeways, but Copley said the city considers ADOT a good partner and collaborator.

Copley said the freeze-thaw cycles of the Flagstaff area create more road problems than in areas where it does not freeze as often.

As youre experiencing a change in altitude, you will see a distinct difference in the road conditions, Copley said.

Potholes on the freeways can grow exponentially within a few days, Copley said, especially when water freezes inside overnight and thaws during the day.

At the most recent meeting with the departments board, Copley said he and the city council wanted to focus on the Fourth Street bridges, which need to be widened and lengthened. The city is funding part of the improvements to the bridge.

But Copley said he would like to see more capital improvements from ADOT in the Flagstaff area, and said he and his staff will continue to bring local concerns before department representatives and leadership.

The departments 2018 through 2022 5-year plan, which is still in the review period, does not include capital improvements solely in Coconino County, but does include widening I-17 between Stoneman Lake to Rocky Park road, which is mostly in Yavapai County but extends into Coconino. However, maintenance for existing infrastructure is not listed in the plan.

FUNDING

ADOT does not break down funding allocations by county, and instead uses districts specific to the department, Harding said. Flagstaff is part of the Northcentral district, which includes most of Coconino County and parts of Yavapai, Mohave and Navajo counties.

For the last six years, the Northcentral district has received the second highest allotment for maintenance, second to the Central district that includes the greater Phoenix area. In the 2017 fiscal year, the department allotted $12.8 million to maintenance in the Northcentral district, which Harding said includes roadway maintenance repairs to fencing and guardrail, as well as snow removal, emergency responses to crashes or natural disasters such as highway flooding, vehicle maintenance and even worker training costs.

The Central district also benefits from a half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County, Harding said, which covers more than maintaining the road surface.

The department also has a division called Transportation Systems Management and Operations, which receives maintenance funding for use statewide with intelligent transportation systems. It also may include some signage, signals, pavement markings and other controlling devices. Its separate than the funding each engineering district receives directly, Harding said.

The American Society of Civil Engineers, Woodsons organization, advocates for a higher tax on gasoline to fund road repair and maintenance, he said.

Evans said she would like the state to consider increasing the gas tax, or look at a transportation tax that could fund projects and maintenance.

If you arent allocating funds for transportation solutions the roads are only going to get worse, she said. As long as we are afraid to talk about raising the gas tax, the repairs are not going to get done.

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

ADOT maintenance crews worked well into the spring patching and repairing potholes on I-17, I-40, and other state highways, Harding said. The maintenance crews also prioritized and repaired the worst areas with pavement spot repairs on ADOT highways over the summer and still continue into the fall.

Most of the construction this summer was on I-40 west of Flagstaff, which was determined to be a top priority due to the roadway condition, Harding said. The department will continue to work on that area, between Parks and A-1 Mountain, next year beginning in spring.

The department is also planning a project on I-17 to mill down and repave 29 miles on the northbound side from Flagstaff extending south, Harding said. The project will be similar to the work done between Parks and A-1 Mountain.

I-17 will get attention in the upcoming years as ADOT is committed to keeping Arizonas northern highways in top condition despite the annual challenge of winter weather with 200 freeze-thaw cycles per year, Harding said.
Press Release

October 22, 2017 NANCY PUSHES FOR IP, IDP INCLUSION IN MARAWI REHAB TASK FORCE

Says IP, IDP representation a must in rebuilding a better Marawi City Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday said that the inclusion of indigenous peoples (IPs) as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) was vital to the efforts of the national government to rebuild a better Marawi City. "Now that the liberation of Marawi City has been achieved, our efforts in the city will no doubt focus more on its rehabilitation. But we must remember that it is important that we also listen to our kababayans, and not just our leaders and experts, as they are the ones who have been displaced from their homes in Marawi," the senator pointed out. "If we are to rebuild a better Marawi, it is important that we involve those who will eventually return to rebuild their lives there in the creation of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that will not only address the devastation caused by the clashes but will also come up with solutions to address lingering issues like poverty, inequality, and misunderstanding in order to put a stop to extremism and radicalization in the region," Binay said. In particular, the senator urged that IPs and IDPs be included in the efforts of the 23-member Task Force Bangon Marawi which was created by the national government earlier this year to lead in the recovery and rehabilitation of the war-torn city. Composed by the heads various government agencies, the task force is responsible for the government's response to the immediate needs of those displaced by the clashes in Marawi. "I hope that our IPs and IDPs will be allowed to participate in the task force as it will be deciding on issues of security and safety, housing and infrastructure, livelihood opportunities, education, and psychosocial support for those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems that may have been caused by the clashes in Marawi," Binay said. "By listening to our brothers and sisters who have been directly affected by the clashes, we ensure that our efforts match their needs and that they are truly represented in deciding on matters that will shape the future of Marawi City. I believe that involving them in the government's efforts will greatly impact how they perceive the future of Marawi--one that is truly inclusive and concerned with the needs of its people," she added. Months of clashes between government troops and terrorists have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in the city, resulting in overcrowding and many other problems in the nearby evacuation facilities. And while Marawi City has been declared liberated as of October 17, Binay lamented that problems faced by IDPs remain. "May mga home-based evacuees po tayong pakiramdam ay hindi sila priority ng pamahalaan. Sadyang nakalulungkot ang marinig ang mga ganitong pagdaramdam ng ating mga kababayan," the senator said after hearing the feedback gathered by her office during its relief efforts to evacuees from Marawi. "Kaya nga po importanteng magmula rin sa kanila ang mga suhestiyon para sa pagbangon ng Marawi. Sana hindi lamang mga pinuno ng mga ahensya ng pamahalaan ang nag-uusap tungkol sa pagbangon ng Marawi. Sino pa ba ang makakapagsabi kung ano ang kailangan ng Marawi kung hindi ang mga tao nito? Kasama po dapat dito ang mga nasa evacuation centers, maging ang mga home-based evacuees natin na minsan ay nakakaramdam na tila hindi sila priority ng pamahalaan, at lalung-lalo na po ang mga kababayan nating IPs na doble ang pagdurusa dahil sa patung-patong na isyung kinakaharap nila," Binay said.
Drilon seeks Senate role in peace process

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon underscored the need for the Senate to take a more active role in the peace process during his recent meeting with the new Norwegian government special envoy to the Philippines on peace efforts with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Drilon recently met with Ms. Idun Tvedt and Ms. Elisabeth Slattum of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the peace and reconciliation efforts that the Norwegian government has been helping to facilitate between the Philippines and the NDFP.

Ms. Tvedt is the new Special Envoy to the Philippines on peace and reconciliation efforts with the NDF replacing Ms. Slattum. Ms. Tvedt is due to arrive to the country today for a two-day trip.

Drilon expressed his gratitude to the Norwegian government "for supporting the peace negotiations between the Philippines the NDFP."

"The Philippines is very grateful to the Norwegian government for acting as a third-party facilitator of the peace process between the Philippines and the NDF," Drilon told Idun.

The senator underscored the importance of involving the Senate in the peace talks.

"Right now the peace process with the NDF is not being discussed formally or informally in the Senate," Drilon said.

"There is a need to involve the senate in the peace and reconciliation efforts between the Philippines and the NDF because in the end, a law will be need to define the relationship of the parties," Drilon stressed.
Press Release

October 22, 2017 POE PROPOSES P5-BILLION MARAWI REHAB FUND Senator Grace Poe has pitched for a P5-billion fund to help bring back to life the war-torn Marawi City. "After the conflict, we want to see rising a stronger, better Marawi," she said. Poe proposed to source the P5-billion "Bangon Marawi Fund" from the 2018 budget, which is being deliberated in Congress. The amount would be used to augment the P20 billion to be released within three years by the government for the reconstruction and rebuilding of the city. Marawi, as well as the entire Mindanao, is still under Martial Law. However, President Rodrigo Duterte declared that the city has been liberated from the Islamic State-inspired Maute group following the deaths of its leaders. "Maraming buhay ang nalagas, nasira ang komunidad at nawalan ng tirahan ang mga residente doon. Hindi matatawaran ang sakripisyo at mahabang panahong ginugol ng militar sa pagtugis sa mga terorista," she said. "Tiyak na makatutulong ang dagdag na pondong ito upang maisakatuparan ang programa ng pamahalaan para sa pagbangon ng Marawi at para na rin sa mas mahigpit na seguridad sa lugar," she added. Poe, a member of Senate special committee on Marawi that oversees the government's rebuilding initiatives in the war-torn area, proposed that the additional fund be included under the Unprogrammed Appropriations of the 2018 General Appropriations Act. Economic leaders and members of the Cabinet's security cluster should start drawing up a master plan that would cover all the needs of Marawi, such as well-planned housing, schools, hospitals, livelihood and further beefing up of security in the area, Poe said. "The Marawi rehabilitation plan should be future-proof and include infrastructure for security against elements who would attempt to besiege the city anew," the senator stressed. The government has allocated P5 billion for the post-conflict plan of the war-torn city in 2017, which would be sourced from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund. An additional P10 billion will be released in 2018. The budget allocation for 2019 would be estimated based on the remaining needs of the plan, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said. The government is also studying the possibility of a P30-billion bond float starting next year to help augment the funds for the city's recovery.
Compiled by Sharon Knox

The Journal Times welcomes news about promotions, appointments, professional organization elections, certifications, and professional honors. There is no charge for this service.

Because of space constraints, we reserve the right to edit for length or clarity. The deadline for Names and Faces items is 3 p.m. Thursday of each week. Photos may accompany notices of new hires and promotions. Send your items to Sharon Knox at: sknox@journaltimes.com or by mail: Names and Faces, The Journal Times, 212 Fourth St., Racine, WI 53403.

Business anniversaries

Is your business celebrating an anniversary? The Journal Times publishes short news items of 10th, 25th, 50th and greater multiples of 25 years of Racine County-based companies.

We ask you to provide us with the basic information: when the business started; the founder; its location then and now; the original name if different than todays; and what the business did in the beginning and now.

We will include these in the Names and Faces column or use them as stand-alone news items in our Sunday Money section.

Send your items to Michael Burke at: mburke@journaltimes.com, or to Sharon Knox at: sknox@journaltimes.com, or fax them to 262-631-1780. Please provide a contact name and phone number in case we have questions.
What caused other recent fires

The causes of California wildfires are numerous and include vehicle sparks, runaway debris burns, runaway campfires, arson attacks, compromised power lines, lawn mowers rolling over dry grass, fireworks, target shooting and lightning.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

The sources behind this years disastrous fires in Wine Country and beyond are not yet known. But here is a look at the causes of some of the most destructive wildfires in the past 30 years, according to state and federal data:

Clayton Fire (2016)

Area burned: 3,929 acres off Highway 29 and Clayton Creek in Lake County.

Damage: 300 structures destroyed.

Casey Christie/Associated Press

Cause: Damin Pashilk, 41, of Clearlake was charged with several counts of arson in the Clayton Fire and other smaller blazes. He remains in jail in lieu of $5 million bond.

Erskine Fire (2016)

Area burned: 48,019 acres in the Lake Isabella area of Kern County.

Damage: Two deaths, 386 structures.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Cause: A private power line at an archery facility came into contact with a tree. The facility was on federal Bureau of Land Management grounds that had been leased to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which had in turn leased the land to the archery range. Hundreds of claims for property loss have been filed against the state. Litigation is pending.

Soberanes Fire (2016)

Area burned: 132,127 acres in Monterey County.

Damage: One death, 68 structures.

David McNew/Getty Images

Cause: An abandoned illegal campfire took off about 2 miles east of Highway 1 along Soberanes Creek in an isolated area of Garrapata State Park. No arrests have been made.

Butte Fire (2015)

Area burned: 70,868 acres east of Jackson in Amador and Calaveras counties.

Damage: Two deaths, 921 structures.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Cause: A pine tree hit a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power line, the state found. California officials demanded more than $90 million from PG&E for firefighting costs. Litigation is continuing.

Valley Fire (2015)

Area burned: 76,067 acres in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties.

Damage: Four deaths, 1,955 structures.

Eric Paul Zamora/Associated Press

Cause: A faulty residential electrical connection installed to power a hot tub ignited surrounding dry grass. The homeowner admitted to installing the wiring, which state officials said was not up to code. He has not been charged.

Rough Fire (2015)

Area burned: 151,623 acres in Fresno County.

Damage: Four structures.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Cause: Lightning.

Rim Fire (2013)

Area burned: 257,314 acres in and around Yosemite National Park.

Damage: 112 structures.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Cause: An illegal campfire in the Stanislaus National Forest allegedly burned out of control. Bow hunter Keith Matthew Emerald was accused of two felonies and two misdemeanors, but federal prosecutors dropped the charges, citing the deaths of two key witnesses.

Morgan Fire (2013)

Area burned: 3,111 acres on Mount Diablo.

Damage: No structures burned.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Cause: A target shooter on private land caused sparks when he fired his rifle. The ignition was deemed accidental, and the shooter was not charged.

Station Fire (2009)

Area burned: 160,557 acres north of Los Angeles.

Damage: Two firefighters killed, 209 structures.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Cause:

Arson. No arrests.

Lockheed Fire (2009)

Area burned: 7,817 acres near Bonny Doon (Santa Cruz County).

More on the wildfires We went to the suspected origin points of 4 big fires. Heres...

Damage: 13 structures.

Cause: Campfire burned out of control. No arrests.

Klamath Theater

Complex (2008)

Area burned: 192,038 acres in Siskiyou County.

Damage: Two deaths, no structures.

Cause: Lightning.

Zaca Fire (2007)

Area burned: 240,207 acres in Santa Barbara County.

Damage: One structure.

Cause: Grinding equipment being used to repair a metal pipe caused sparks. The corporate owners of La Laguna Ranch, without admitting guilt, agreed to a $17 million settlement to help offset firefighting costs.

Witch Creek Fire (2007)

MICHAEL A. MARIANT/AP

Area burned: 197,990 acres in northern San Diego County.

Damage: Two deaths, 1,650 structures.

Cause: Sparks from a San Diego Gas & Electric power line. The utility reportedly paid out about $2 billion in damages related to that and other fires in 2007.

Day Fire (2006)

LUCAS MOBLEY/AP

Area burned: 162,702 acres in the Los Padres National Forest Ventura County.

Damage: 11 structures.

Cause: Runaway debris burn at campsite. Transient Steven Butcher was sentenced to 45 months in prison.

Bear Fire (2004)

MICHAEL MACOR/SFC

Area burned: 10,484 acres near Redding (Shasta County).

Damage: 110 structures.

Cause: Lawn mower sparked dry grass. Matt Rupp was accused of

ignoring warnings not to mow in hot weather and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Cedar

Fire (2003)

Area burned: 273,246 acres east of San Diego.

Damage: 15 deaths, 2,820 structures.

Brant Ward/The Chronicle

Cause: Fire set by a lost deer hunter. Sergio Martinez pleaded guilty and served six months in a halfway house.

Fountain Fire (1992)

Acres burned: 63,960 acres in Shasta County.

Damage: 636 structures

Cause: Arson. No arrests.

Tunnel Fire (1991)

Area burned: 1,600 acres in the Oakland-Berkeley hills.

Damage: 25 deaths, 2,900 structures.

Cause: Embers from a partially extinguished grass fire reignited. No arrests.

Paint Fire (1990)

Acres burned: 4,900 acres near Highway 154 in the hills above Santa Barbara.

Damage: One death, 641 structures.

Cause: Arson. An incendiary device was found at the point of origin. The Los Angeles Times reported that a suspect, Leonard Ross, was not charged but was ordered to pay Santa Barbara County $2.75 million in damages.

 Jenna Lyons,

jlyons@sfchronicle.com, @JennaJourno

and Kurtis Alexander, kalexander@sfchronicle.com, @kurtisalexander
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SACRAMENTO  The number kept growing. Me too, they said.

In a matter of hours, a group of women in California politics passed around a letter declaring theyd had enough.

Enough of the groping. Enough of the sexual comments. Enough of the demeaning behavior by their male counterparts.

The turning point for women at the state Capitol was a scandal unfolding more than 300 miles away. Hollywood women were talking about sexual abuses they say they suffered  in silence  at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, the powerful film industry mogul who could make or break careers.

The powerlessness those women spoke about and the culture of harassment struck a chord with women in and around the Capitol.

The letter, drafted by Adama Iwu, a state government relations executive for Visa, started the campaign to expose harassment at the Capitol. It was signed by more than 140 women on Oct. 13  lawmakers, lobbyists and legislative staffers. Within days, more than 300 women had signed the letter.

The women said it was time to share their personal stories online and in the media to air their complaints about a pervasive culture of harassment in state politics. The spotlight it created pushed Senate and Assembly leadership to announce last week that they will review how they handle sexual harassment complaints, which are reported to internal rules committees overseen by politicians.

Anthony Reyes, a spokesman for state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, said the senator will announce in the coming days that he is appointing an outside investigator for sexual harassment complaints.

De Leon said the recent allegations have shown that the Houses procedures should be reviewed to ensure we are doing all we can to promote a safe workplace.

The Weinstein scandal has shone a necessary light on sexual harassment and abuse of power in the workplace, and I hope it provokes a long-overdue conversation in every industry, including government, about what can be done to prevent misconduct and end the culture of complicity surrounding it, de Leon said.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), said, We will take all complaints brought to us seriously, and we will ensure there is no retaliation of any kind.

Gov. Jerry Browns office also offered support to women who are speaking out.

Their voices need to be heard, said Ali Bay, a Brown spokeswoman.

Last week, The Chronicle sought out women who wished to share their experiences. Here are some of their stories:

The lawmaker: Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, said she experienced sexual harassment in politics from the start. She was 22 when she first experienced it, when a man hiring for a legislative position in Washington, D.C., made sexual advances. She said it has escalated beyond harassment since running for office in California.

I have been groped more times in the last three years as a candidate and lawmaker than in the 15 years before, said Baker, a lawyer. Its still so shocking. You are still processing what happened by the time the person leaves the room.

Some of the incidents happened while posing for photographs, when a mans hand goes where it shouldnt go.

When it has happened to me, I never saw it coming, she said.

Baker, 46, declined to go into further detail about the circumstances or the men involved. She said the incidents of being inappropriately touched were all in the workplace and involved other elected officials and people in the political realm.

After Baker saw the open letter in media reports, she said she read it and immediately signed on.

It reflected what Ive experienced in the workplace, she said.

The legislative aide: It started with a suggestion. Lets take the stairs, the senior staff member told Nanette Endean.

She walked in front. He was behind her when she felt him grab her buttocks.

I jumped and turned around and he said Im sorry, I couldnt help myself, Endean recalled of the incident 15 years ago when she was a legislative aide in Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggers office.

She said she punched him, causing the man to fall backward on the stairs as she took off running. In a fit of tears, she told a male colleague what happened and begged him not to tell anyone.

This was a very senior person in the Legislature, said Endean, who is now the communications director for the Assembly Republican Caucus. I worried that if I reported it, I would be charged with assault for hitting him.

After the incident, she changed her appearance.

I tried to do everything to portray myself in a manner where no one would think of looking at me in any other way but professional, Endean said.

She cut her hair short. For years, she wore suits and no makeup. She stopped socializing outside of work. A part of her hardened, she said.

And she kept the story to herself  until other women in the Capitol started sharing their experiences of assault or harassment, including her own mentors.

I figured after seeing all those names and stories that its time to say something, Endean said.

The lobbyist: Pamela Lopez said she could tell there was a man behind her as she opened the bathroom door. He was too close. Before she could spin around, she said she felt the weight of the mans body push her into the single-stall bathroom.

She heard the door lock. Lopez turned around and recognized the man as a lawmaker who was attending the same party at a bar in 2016. Lopez said the man immediately began to masturbate.

I remember thinking dont create a scene, said Lopez, a partner at a Sacramento lobbying firm.

She said the man kept telling her to touch his genitals and, if not there, than any other part of his body, as if negotiating with her while he continued to masturbate.

I said No, I will not touch you, Lopez said. He finished the act and I thought now is my chance to get out of here. I told him We are going out that door. He said Dont tell anyone about this.

Lopez kept quiet about the experience until last week, when other women began sharing their stories.

The lawmaker is still an elected official at the Capitol.

Both the Senate and Assembly have asked Lopez to name him but she refuses to. Speaker Rendon called the allegation horrifying and noted that it is also a crime. Rendon said if the lawmaker turns out to be an assemblyman, we will contract with an outside firm so there can be an independent investigation.

If he is found to have committed this assault or any similar harassment, I will ask for his immediate resignation and move for his expulsion if he refuses to resign, Rendon said.

Lopez said naming him will create one fall guy  similar to Weinstein  and once the lawmaker was ousted the institution will not change.

If you drive one guy out of town it would create the impression its all taken care of, Lopez said. Im not interested in punishing someone. I want men who have abused their power to re-evaluate their behavior and learn to treat women with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Lopez said its hard to recount the experience and relive what it felt like. She said it wasnt until she started talking about the incident that she began to recall other troubling behavior.

Like 11 years ago when she was 25 and a governor-appointed official refused to meet with her client unless she met the official for lunch wearing strappy sandals, explaining to her at the time in an email that he had a foot fetish.

He was really important, and I thought I guess I have to appease him, Lopez said.

Lopez said she wants to make it clear that she and other women stepping forward arent asking to be rescued. They want to be respected.

But she does imagine that the lawmakers who recognize the allegations as being about them are worried.

I imagine some of those bad guys are shaking in their boots, she said.

The veteran: Paula Treat is a mainstay on annual lists of the state Capitols most powerful lobbyists. Shes also on the list of women who signed the open letter decrying the antics of men in politics.

I havent been propositioned (by a lawmaker) in a long time, Treat said.

But it happened more than once.

Treat said that years ago, a Bay Area Democratic assemblyman, who has since died, told her explicitly that she had to have sex with him if she wanted to see any of the bills she was lobbying pass.

He told me that if I didnt sleep with him, all my bills would die, Treat said. And all my bills died.

Treat said she was in an elevator with another Sacramento lawmaker when he reached his hand behind her back and unclasped her bra.

It was story after story, Treat said. There was no one to go to tell. You want to be a team player in a mans world.

Treat said she signed on to the open letter to show other women, particularly those early in their careers, that they are not alone. She especially wants young women, who she says did not sign the letter out of fear that it would upset their bosses, to know we have your back.

After 40 years of being my own boss with big clients, I dont have any great fear, Treat said. I think its probably why I havent been propositioned by a member in a while, because I would tell them to f off or kick them in the nuts. If you have made your career, you have little to lose except that one vote. If you are younger, you dont know how to handle the situation.

Treat said she hopes that both the Assembly and Senate evaluate their current process for handling sexual harassment complaints. The current in-house process for legislative staffers hasnt been working, she said. And lobbyists, who spend a lot of time in the building working, have little recourse other than filing a police report.

My guess is every seasoned woman with rare exception has faced some form of sexual harassment in the building, Treat said.

The former staffer: Nancy Kathleen Finnigan said she felt alone four years ago when she filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Assembly Rules Committee against her boss, then-Assemblyman Steve Fox, D-Palmdale. There was no chorus of me too. She said she simply had had enough.

Finnigan worked in the state Capitol for 18 years, moving between Democratic and Republican offices and the Department of Finance. She said issues surfaced soon after she went to work for Fox as his legislative director.

According to Finnigan and to a lawsuit she later filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, Fox exposed himself to her in February 2013 when she went to his apartment with an Assembly sergeant to get him when he didnt show up for a mandatory Assembly session. It was one of many complaints she had about working for Fox, though the only one of a sexual nature.

Finnigan said that when she arrived at his apartment, he was walking around with his pants down and no underwear.

Less than a month after she filed her complaint with the Assembly in 2013, she said, she was fired from her job.

She filed a lawsuit against Fox and the Assembly in 2014, alleging, among other things, retaliation over her many complaints against Fox. She claimed that the Assembly never disciplined Fox.

Earlier this year, the Assembly and Fox settled out of court with Finnigan for $100,000. According to a copy of the settlement, neither the Assembly nor Fox admitted wrongdoing.

Fox could not be reached for comment late Friday.

Finnigan said she sometimes regrets filing the complaint because it cost her a career. She said she lost friendships and felt she had to walk away from some of the people who did support her to shield them from retaliation.

I didnt want to drag them into this, she said tearfully.

Finnigan said she hopes for change. Maybe there will be whistle-blower protections for legislative staff, who are at-will employees and dont receive many of the employment protections that the Legislature has mandated for all other public sector workers.

The system is not broken, Finnigan said. Its working like it was designed to work. It was designed to protect the institution and the perpetrator.
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Responding to pressure from neighborhood groups and the Board of Supervisors, San Francisco officials have agreed to spend an extra $6.5 million to install 350 faux-historic streetlights on the redone Van Ness Avenue.

The streetlights, which will cost $18,500 each to make and install on the sidewalks, are intended to replicate Van Ness original trolley poles. Those poles were converted to streetlights, with signature teardrop fixtures, around the time the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.

The idea behind the retro look is to add a bit of panache to the $315 million redo of Van Ness from Market to Lombard streets. It helped sell the project to skeptical neighborhood groups that were concerned about everything from the loss of parking to the removal of trees from the median to make way for rapid bus lanes.

Everybody wanted something that said San Francisco, not some suburban parkway lights, said Darcy Brown, executive director of the civic improvement group San Francisco Beautiful.

But then a funny thing happened after the project was cleared for takeoff  the Municipal Transportation Agency, which is running the Van Ness redo, switched to modern lights.

I only learned about it by chance when taking a walking tour of the project, said Lynne Newhouse Segal, president of the Pacific Heights Residents Association.

MTA spokesman Paul Rose said the change was made at the suggestion of the Arts Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission  the thinking being that the modern design wouldnt detract from the historic architecture along the route.

Segal and other neighborhood activists pressed MTA officials to bring back the streetlights, but got nowhere. So they took their case to the Board of Supervisors, which was more sympathetic.

We got thousands of emails on this that expressed a desire to evoke the historic character of San Francisco, as we have done on other main streets like Market, Kearny and the Embarcadero, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

The MTA Board of Directors got the message and approved the lights in August 2016 Theyll start going in next month.

I understand the desire to honor our past and keep interesting old features, said Cheryl Brinkman, who chairs the board.

But this is San Francisco, where nothing is ever really settled.

The Historic Preservation Commission wasnt impressed by the streetlights  they arent genuine replicas; they are more just old-timey-looking, said panel President Andrew Wolfram.

The commission also concluded that the streetlights werent even good replicas of the original trolley poles  theyre taller and shaped differently than the originals. So it put the kibosh on installing them on one part of Van Ness.

That would be the genuine historic part  the stretch from Fell Street to Golden Gate Avenue, which includes City Hall, the Opera House and the War Memorial Building. The commission, which has the say-so over historic features on those blocks, concluded that the replicas didnt meet federal standards for historic districts and opted for modern lights instead.

They are clean, sleek and actually elegant-looking, Wolfram said of the 21st century lights. They dont create a lot of visual clutter.

The commissioners did agree, however, to allow four of the original light poles in the area that are in salvageable condition to be refurbished  but only to serve as a monument to the old streetscape.

And they wont be turned on. The light for the block will come from the modern fixtures.

It is ironic, Wolfram said.

Its not just ironic, its ridiculous,said San Francisco Beautifuls Brown.

MTA board chairwoman Brinkman said the blocks around City Hall were a bit out of our control, and the compromise reached is probably the best anyone can hope for.

Preservation versus the Disneyland effect, she said. Its a fine line to tread.

Especially here in the land of Oz.

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
At the Minnesota Street Project on Wednesday, Oct. 18, the press got a glimpse of Leonardo da Vincis Salvator Mundi, to be auctioned by Christies in New York on Nov. 15. The auction house estimates it may sell for $100 million, a nice round figure.

It is one of only 15 or 16 paintings by Leonardo, said Alan Wintermute of Christies, who talked about its provenance, its restoration and its sale. In a gallery that also included postwar and contemporary art, the painting was hung on a wall of its own, with a platform beneath, a rope around it and its own security guard, holding viewers at a distance that didnt prevent close inspection.

With his brown hair cascading in ringlets, Jesus is wearing a blue garment gathered at the square neck, trimmed with what looks like gold ribbon, which also crisscrosses his chest. Its a dressier ensemble than the casual brown drapery  garments would erroneously imply zippers and darts  depicted in most religious art, but its suitably formal for the referenced accomplishment: Saving the world is no small feat.

In this picture, the savings already done, and in his left hand, the savior holds a crystal orb, the Earth. The painting is so detailed that there are imperfections visible in the rock crystal. Even before nukes, pollution and Harvey Weinstein, the artist seemed to be saying that things werent always so great.

Christs right hand is raised in a benediction, with the ring and pinkie fingers curled close, a position disturbingly similar to the trademark gesture of an important public figure, someone Im not mentioning. But theres also an element of uncertainty. The index and middle fingers seem to be crossed. Even a messiah needs luck.

Five hundred years later, Im not at all sure whatever he was wishing for came true.

To paint his official presidential portrait, President Obama has chosen artist Kehinde Wiley. Although Wiley was born in Los Angeles and lives in Brooklyn, theres a local connection: He received his bachelor of fine arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999. He is known for painting large portraits of men of color in heroic and majestic poses.

Artnet.com asked curators, artists, critics and art dealers to name the most influential artists of the last 100 years, and theres a hometown hero on the list: East Bay-based Hung Liu, cited by Melissa Chiu of the Hirshhorn Museum for work that reflects history and is both searing and transcendent. Daughters of China, a solo exhibition of the artists work, opened Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley and is viewable through Jan. 20.

At the Academy of Art University Automobile Museum on Thursday, Oct. 19, a setting as shiny as the baubles worn by the guests, there were the sounds of Its De-Lovely, guests in cocktail attire, massive orchid flower arrangements, McCalls waiters dispensing sushi, caviar, cocktails. This was the celebration of the life of Richard Stephens, who died in June and who nurtured the Academy of Art University from a small art school to a major real estate and educational presence in San Francisco.

Stephens moved in society, and in powerful civic circles, too. D.A. George Gascon was there, and Angela Alioto, as well as former Chronicle Editor Ward Bushee. The only speakers were Elisa Stephens, who inherited her fathers mantle as leader of the school, and Willie Brown, who began his remarks by complimenting her on her literal mantle. You are truly your fathers daughter, Brown said. As I walked in tonight, I took one look at that outfit and thought, I thought Wilkes died. It is so elegant.

The ghost of Wilkes Bashford was smiling, as was the ghost of Herb Caen, evoked by Brown as he described nights on the town with Caen and this extraordinary man who headed the school for 45 or 50 years and had taught him to drink vodka martinis. Brown also credited Stephens for introducing him to caviar, which cost me a lot of money because my lady friend is Russian and she loves caviar.

Guests shared tales of enjoying Stephens hospitality on his yacht, of relishing his sweet affection  one of the nicest things, recalled Gladys Palmer, who is now the academys executive vice president of artistic development, was his coming up behind her and kissing her on the neck  but it was Brown who best summed up Stephens: He was full of life in every way. He would enjoy every aspect of life without apology. ... I dont know how he got so wealthy.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

Ron, your bodys

a temple. You

only put the good s in.

Chunky American to chunky American, overheard

in Venice by Cindy Rosenheim
Two weeks after wildfires ravaged Californias Wine Country, residents in some Sonoma County areas devastated by flames finally were allowed to return to their neighborhoods Sunday.

In Glen Ellen, authorities reopened neighborhoods around noon to evacuated residents, who would find out whether their homes survived the fierce Nuns Fire that erupted on Oct. 8 and tore through the area.

The Nuns Fire was 90 percent contained Sunday after swelling to more than 56,000 acres as it merged with several blazes, including the Partrick and Oakmont fires, in the days after dozens of wildfires exploded around Wine Country and beyond.

The destruction in Glen Ellen was vast.

Whole neighborhoods along Warm Springs Road were wiped out by flames, along with homes to the south off Arnold Drive.

One Glen Ellen resident, 72-year-old Lee Chadwick Roger, died in the fire. Garrett Paiz, a 38-year-old water-truck driver fighting the Nuns Fire, died last week after crashing his vehicle in Napa County.

Now Playing: Wine Country Fires Video: San Francisco Chronicle

The small town of fewer than 1,000 is known for its wineries and Jack London State Historic Park, where the famed writer had a home and ranch. The park was not damaged in the fire.

Residents were allowed into the town Sunday via Arnold Road. Nearby Highway 12 remained closed while firefighters continued snuffing out the last of the fires hot spots in the mountains to the northeast.

Investigators are looking into the cause and origin of the fire along rural Nuns Canyon Road just off Highway 12. Officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, have not determined the cause of any of the states recent wildfires.

For the first time since the Tubbs Fire ripped though Santa Rosa in the early morning hours of Oct. 9, Sonoma County Sheriffs Office officials reopened unincorporated areas of Mark West Springs and Riebli Road. Residents were required to show identification proving they lived in the area at a checkpoint at the Kaiser Medical Building at 3925 Old Redwood Highway.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The Tubbs Fire was 94 percent contained Sunday after leveling 5,300 structures and killing 22 on its way to burning 36,807 acres. The fire is the most destructive in state history.

The Atlas Fire, which burned 741 homes, many around the Silverado Resort and Spa north of downtown Napa, was 93 percent contained Sunday at 51,624 acres.

Cal Fire officials said they expect full containment of the most destructive fires Tuesday.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but when its personal, time can make those wounds hurt even more.

A review of five major wildfires in the Bay Area and Northern California  which vanquished parks, recreation lands, and often neighboring homes  shows the recovery can sometimes be quick. Sometimes not.

In the long run, what can be more difficult to live with is that the people responsible for wildfires are rarely charged, convicted and punished. Of the five landmark fires I reviewed, a charge and conviction was made in only one, the Lick Fire in 2007 that burned Henry W. Coe State Park.

Each recovery is unique, based on the heat of the fire and the type of habitat and its ability to regenerate. Over the years, Ive returned to the sites many times to see how the major fires impacted parks and recreation lands.

Morgan Fire, 2013, Contra Costa County

The location and threat of the Morgan Fire made it big news: Mount Diablo State Park, edged by several cities. The fire burned from Morgan Territory Road and up the canyon on the east flank of Diablo and to each of the mountains twin summits. Some areas, like the Muir Picnic Site, were incinerated.

Damage: 3,100 acres; 100 homes threatened, none lost.

Cause/charges: The fire ignited from a spark from a bullet strike on rock during target shooting on private property; no charges.

The future: On the drive up to the summit, you can see sharp interfaces between areas that burned and areas that did not. Even in burned areas, the grasslands rebound within three to five years with good wildflower blooms. It can take five years or more for low-lying plants to get re-established, longer for young trees. At the Mary Bowerman Trail on the Diablo Summit, arcs in a half-circle beneath the summit emerge in and out of burned bushes and trees, and those untouched. It will be 10, 15 years before the scars are healed.

Rim Fire, 2013, Tuolumne County

From the Rim of the World Vista Point along Highway 120, located east of Groveland on a route to Yosemite, everything in your scope of view (and beyond) burned, a total of 402 square miles. Mountain slopes once cloaked by manzanita, chemise and other chaparral were rendered into moonscapes. Slopes filled with pines, cedars and firs, once a sea of conifers, were burned to a blackened crisp.

Damage: 257,314 acres, mostly in Stanislaus National Forest; 1 billion board feet of lumber lost; destroyed 11 homes, 3 commercial buildings, 98 other structures.

Cause/charges: Illegal campfire identified near confluence of Clavey and Tuolumne rivers. A suspect was identified and charged; in the delay waiting for the case to come to trial, two witnesses died, and prosecutors then dropped the case.

The future: Amid the burn zone, firefighters protect the Cherry Lake Campground and pockets of gorgeous pine forests. In the river corridors, riparian habitats along the Tuolumne River and Cherry Creek are untouched. This past summer, bracken ferns, grass and wildflowers emerged in charred soils beneath tree skeletons. Exposed slopes where dry chemise and manzanita were incinerated remain largely barren. Salvage logging has been active in the region. It will be five years before grasslands, wildflowers and ferns are re-established and 10 years for willows and cottonwoods; it will take 30 years for pine tree colonies to emerge intact.

Angora Fire, 2007, El Dorado County

Angora Ridge is located above Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, a popular site. It looks so strange now, with high-end mountain homes being built amid burned-out forest and a largely still-charred landscape.

Damage: 3,100 acres; destroyed 242 residences, 67 commercial structures; damaged 35 other homes.

Cause/charges: An illegal campfire was traced to an area near Seneca Pond. No arrests made or charges filed.

The future: The timeline for mixed conifer forests is for trees to grow less than a foot per year. In 20 years, they will be 15 to 20 feet, and the area will again look like a forest. A ponderosa pine can live 600 years.

Lick Fire, 2007, Santa Clara County

The vast wilderness at Henry W. Coe State Park east of Gilroy turned into a nomadic inferno. After the fire, the hills were blackened with the skeletons of bushes and willows.

Damage: 47,760 acres, Henry W. Coe State Park.

Cause/charges: Ignition was traced to an unattended burn barrel on private property outside the park. The woman responsible was convicted and sentenced, with $200,000 in restitution to owners of burned cabins, 250 hours of community service and three years probation.

The future: The landscape at Henry Coe consists of what is called a blue oak savannah, foothill grasslands and canyons peppered with willows and oaks. In most cases, oaks were burned at the base but survived the event. Sprouting grasses, plants and bushes regenerated the hills. In most sites, it is difficult to see remnants of the fire. Though wildflower blooms were muted in the spring for two or three years, the past two, post-drought, have been excellent. Wildlife numbers, for deer, squirrels and songbirds, have increased at roughly the same rates as plant regeneration.

Mount Vision Fire, 1995, Marin County

The Mount Vision Fire put Point Reyes National Seashore and nearby residents at risk. The smoke plume from Inverness Ridge looked like somebody had detonated a bomb. The fire burned much of the west-facing flank of the park, blackening the hills for miles down to the ocean; burned old-growth Bishop Pine on the ridge, and also extended into nearby communities bordering the park.

Damage: 12,354 acres; destroyed 45 homes.

Cause/charges: Ignition was traced to an illegal campfire set by four juveniles; authorities never named them or provided any official details regarding their fate and penalties. One ranger told me they all did significant community service.

The future: The landscape evolved over 10 years to where the hills were again filled with fresh grass, vegetation and, in the spring, excellent wildflower blooms. One of the best trails to get a scope of the rebirth of the fire zone is Woodward Trail, which connects from the Coast Trail (near Coast Camp) to Sky Trail. Even now, 22 years later, you can find remnants of skeletons of old-growth pines amid their offspring. For the most part, the park looks mostly untouched again. For this landscape, it took 20 years to get there.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. E-mail: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom

Parks closed

Seven state parks, a county park and city park remained closed this weekend amid the fires in Sonoma County.

Fires are still burning in three state parks, said Gloria Sandoval of the State Department of Parks, and are closed to all access. They are: Robert Louis Stevenson, north of Calistoga; Sugarloaf Ridge near Kenwood, and Trione-Annadel near Santa Rosa.

At Annadel, fire burned most of the landscape around Lake Ilsanjo. At Sugarloaf, while the fire burned much of Adobe Canyon along the park access road, the observatory and campgrounds were intact, Sandoval said.

Using live-time information from a satellite camera operated by Cal Fire, with a technology that shows a Fire Detection Footprint, fire specialists were able to watch two fires merge and then burn up the south flank of Mount St. Helena, stopping just short of the 4,342-foot summit, and above Calistoga, at the Palisades. Both are popular hiking destinations.

Cal Fire has not cleared rangers to enter these three parks to assess damage, Sandoval said.

Four other state parks did not burn but are closed to the public: Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park near St. Helena, Bothe-Napa near Calistoga, Jack London State Historic Park, and neighboring Sonoma State Historic Park near Glen Ellen.

Tom Stienstra
ANAHEIM  California Republicans may not have well-known candidates running for governor  or any candidate of note running for Senate next year. But theyre settling on a two-point game plan for trying to return to relevance in a state where theyre a super-minority in the Legislature, have no statewide officeholders and can count only 1 in 4 registered voters as being a fellow Republican.

Step 1: Lure voters to the polls with a statewide ballot measure next year with a populist call to rescind the gasoline tax intended to pay for the $50 billion in transportation improvements the Legislature passed in June.

Step 2: Convince voters that Democrats have overplayed their progressive ruling hand with moves like declaring California a sanctuary state and then blame the majority party for how roughly 1 in 5 Californians lives in poverty.

Jim Brulte, the state GOP chairman, said its not going to be enough for Democrats to just be against President Trump, noting a July Washington Post/ABC News poll that found that 52 percent of adults believe the partys main characteristic is opposition to Trump.

Echoing then-Vice President Joe Bidens mockery of GOP candidate Rudy Giulianis one-note 2008 presidential campaign as being a noun, a verb and 9/11, Brulte said, thats where Democrats are now: a noun, a verb and Donald Trump.

In California, the reason they want to talk about Donald Trump is because they dont want to talk about their record, Brulte said at this weekends three-day California Republican Party convention in Anaheim that ends Sunday.

But this plan may be easier to list than execute. The party remains at war with itself, both nationally and internally.

Former White House adviser  and self-described Trump wingman on the outside  Steve Bannon ripped Arizona Sen. John McCain, former President George W. Bush and top GOP consultant Karl Rove during his keynote speech Friday. Many in the audience booed Bannons mention of Bush and McCain.

Without mentioning his name, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley (San Bernardino County), on Saturday. Mayes was the top Republican in the Assembly until he was ousted in August for voting with Democrats to extend Californias landmark climate change law.

My advice for Assembly members in Sacramento: You will not win the majority by thinking you can be Democrat lite, said McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican. You will not win a majority by voting against your own principles on a Democratic policy. You will not win a majority if youre concerned about standing behind a podium with a Democratic governor instead of giving freedom to Californians across this entire state.

Mayes, meanwhile, told The Chronicle that he is so frustrated with the GOP candidates for statewide office that he is considering a run for the governors office if he does not seek re-election to the Assembly. He chose to go fishing this weekend with his brothers rather than attend the convention.

I do believe that it is important for us as California Republicans to differentiate ourselves from national Republicans, said Mayes, who anticipates making a final decision on a run for governor within a couple of weeks. And the fact is that California Republicans are different from national Republicans  citing in particular how many West Coast GOPers are concerned about climate change.

While Mayes acknowledged that many of the partys activists  like the 1,500 who attended the convention  wouldnt be sympathetic to him running for the states top job at first, they dont represent most California Republicans.

But Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney, said the party isnt going to gain ground by mimicking Mayes, who she said was practically sitting in the lap of the governor on the climate change bill.

We can keep moving left to the point where were no different than the Democrats, and then whats the point? Dhillon asked.

Then there is the question about what Republican candidates should do about Trump, who is wildly unpopular in California and lost the state by 4.2 million votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton last year. Only 27 percent of the states voters approve of the president, according to a Public Policy Institute of California survey in September.

On Saturday, McCarthy tried to make the case for Trump, lauding his character and vision and understanding.

But some new candidates for statewide office arent ready to go there. Steven Bailey, a retired El Dorado County Superior Court judge who recently announced his candidacy for state attorney general, declined to say Saturday whether he had voted for Trump, saying that his vote was private, because he cast it as a sitting judge. He said there are some places where he agrees with Trump and some where he doesnt.

Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, an influential national conservative thought leader as president of Americans for Tax Reform, said thats the way Californians should handle questions about Trump. You say, I agree with him here, I dont agree with him here, and heres where I stand.

Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach (Orange County), criticized his main GOP opponent for governor, Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox, for voting for former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a Libertarian, last fall for president.

Of course I voted for the Republican nominee for president, Allen said Saturday on The Chronicles Its All Political video podcast. In my mind, if you didnt vote for the Republican nominee for president, essentially that was a vote for Hillary Clinton. And that doesnt really resonate very well with statewide Republicans.

I think its incumbent for the next governor of California to have a good relationship with the White House for the benefit of all Californians. It doesnt make sense to go poke this guy in the eye at every turn.

Allen said he differs from Trump on lots of things, but he wouldnt specify any policy differences he has with the president.

Cox said he, like many during last years campaign, is concerned about whether Trump is truly a conservative. But, after seeing his actions in the White House, Cox said Saturday: Im convinced he is a conservative, and I probably should have voted for him.

Even Charles Munger Jr., the wealthy Palo Alto physicist who has been one of the state partys biggest donors over the past decade, demurred when asked if he thought Trump was doing a good job as president.

Im a California politics boy. I pay attention to California politics a whole lot, Munger said. My goal in assisting the administration there is to elect a lot more Republican congressmen. Its something that we in California can reasonably do.

What Allen and Cox and other California Republicans do agree on is that they hope their planned initiatives to repeal the gas tax will bring the partys base out to vote next year. Even here, though, there is a split in the party. For months, Allen has been promoting a ballot measure that would roll back the tax. But last week, Cox announced he will be pouring six figures into a competing gas-tax-repeal measure directed at next years ballot.

Where California Republicans remain unified is that they are confident they can defend the congressional seats Democrats hope to flip in 2018. Bannon, who is funding challengers to Republicans around the country he deems insufficiently loyal to his brand of economic conservatism, didnt say he would be doing that in California.

He said not to worry about being outspent by Democrats or outside groups.

Everything you need to win you have, Bannon said. You can put together a grassroots army. You havent done it yet in California, but you can do it.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Gov. Jerry Brown is famously enigmatic, a difficult-to-predict politician who said decades ago that he likes to paddle a little bit on the left side and then a little bit on the right.

But every year Brown drops clues to his governing approach in a raft of letters he writes to the Legislature detailing why hes vetoed certain bills. Veto messages are required by state law; most of Browns are simple notes of about five or six sentences, straight and to the point.

Sometimes, though, Brown expounds with an obscure historical reference or an impassioned philosophical argument. He referenced the legal systems of ancient Rome and 17th century England in a three-page-long veto message in 2013 and, in a 2014 veto message, instructed lawmakers to read a 50-year-old essay in the Federal Bar Journal.

Together, the veto messages provide a window into the mind of Californias longest-serving governor. Although Brown doesnt veto many bills  about 13 percent since he returned to the governors office in 2011  his vetoes express a consistent set of themes about how government should function.

He writes many of the messages himself, frequently by dictating to a staff member. And when he edits one written by an aide, he weighs in on everything from the literary to the substantive to the grammatical, said his executive secretary, Nancy McFadden.

Brown signed 859 bills this year and vetoed 118. Heres what his vetoes reveal:

Every now and then, Brown puts the brakes on big government.

Having signed nearly 17,000 bills into law during his four terms as governor, Brown is no libertarian. Yet he sometimes sees a limit to how many rules we need.

If people cant smoke even on a deserted beach, where can they? There must be some limit to the coercive power of government, Brown wrote in rejecting two bills that would have banned smoking on state beaches and parks.

He also vetoed a bill that would have put new restrictions on drivers age 18 to 21, writing that it would create a burden on a segment of adult Californians that are no longer seen as a minor in the eyes of the law.

Brown biographer Chuck McFadden (no relation to Nancy McFadden) said the governor has long displayed a curious, almost Republican strain of keeping government out of peoples business.

Brown is cautious about resisting President Trump.

Democratic legislators spent much of 2017 railing against the new president, and passed several bills aimed at tweaking or thwarting his administration. Brown signed some of them, including a scaled-back version of the sanctuary bill to shield some undocumented immigrants, but rebuffed others.

While I recognize the political attractiveness  even the merits  of getting President Trumps tax returns, I worry about the political perils of individual states seeking to regulate presidential elections, he wrote in vetoing a bill that would require presidential candidates to release their taxes in order to be placed on a California ballot.

I am not prepared to codify additional requirements in reaction to a shifting federal landscape, Brown wrote in vetoing a bill to incorporate Obama-era regulations on college campus sexual harassment into state law.

The governor also jettisoned a bill that would require the state to preserve scientific data that the Trump administration might try to destroy. Brown said he would simply tell his administration to save the data.

Brown doesnt like to enact a law that should be a budget item.

That was his argument for vetoing bills to provide grants to rescue marine mammals and sea turtles, to educate Californians about valley fever, and to expand programs for disabled adults.

In vetoing a pair of bills that would create new tax breaks, Brown wrote: These bills are an end run of the budget process. He went on to say that the negotiation-filled budget process is the best way to evaluate and prioritize all new spending proposals, including those that create new tax breaks.

Chris Micheli, a lobbyist and an expert in tax law, said Brown has been more of a stickler than past governors in vetoing tax exemptions: He wants them done as part of the budget and not stand-alone.

Brown is wary of creating new crimes and punishments.

Two years ago he vetoed several measures that would have created new crimes, saying Californias criminal code had already grown to more than 5,000 separate provisions, covering almost every conceivable form of human misbehavior.

In 2015, he put the kibosh on bills that would have added a $1,000 penalty for assaulting a public utility worker and for taking a photo of someone without their consent and distributing it. In doing so, he wrote, This multiplication and particularization of criminal behavior creates increasing complexity without commensurate benefit.

And a bill creating a misdemeanor for false or misleading advertisements related to the sale of cats and dogs? Also a no.

Laurel Rosenhall writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Hovering over rows of split rolls, Jeff Mason is alone behind the counter of Pals Takeaway. Behind him, chicken glows between spinning grates in a hellish rotisserie. Piled empty takeout containers appear to sprout onion and cauliflower pickles.

Are you those guys with the big order? Mason asks.

Behind me, three Uptown Oakland office workers shrug, unsure.

OK, Mason says to us all wearily. Itll be a while.

Im in a hurry, so I come back a day later at the moment Pals opens. If Al Swearengen from Deadwood were a crotchety fairy godfather with a trimmed white goatee and kindly blue eyes, hed resemble Mason, who similarly shows extemporaneous creativity with the f-word.

Im a little behind here, he apologizes as the rotisserie whirs. Behind it, caterers, pastry chefs and picklers pinball around Forage Kitchen, the Oakland co-working food-preparation and community space that Mason occupied for several months until late September.

I wait, wondering how Mason copes, unassisted, with a legitimately grueling lunch crush. I dont find out. Save for one guy at the counter barking at his cell phone between bites, the place is empty.

I do find sandwiches though, and so I order enough for three lunches.

Aunt Malais Almost Famous Lao Sausage Sandwich annihilates internal conflict for first-time customers trying to decide what to order. Mason roasts funky Lao sausages and splits them on rolls with a cucumber-cilantro relish, greens and a vibrant homemade mayonnaise. The excellent East Oakland restaurant Vientian Cafe hooked Mason on the sausages when he lived in nearby Maxwell Park.

I couldnt make them right myself, Mason admits. I tried getting someone else to do it, but no one had time to try.

Between bites at Vientian, Mason begged the women in the kitchen for help, but they would just laugh and walk away as his pleas grew desperate. Whether charmed, exhausted or simply savvy, they finally agreed to subcontract the object of his obsession.

Or, take Masons tuna sandwich. As the Nicoise in its name implies, it isnt a diner melt or your moms watery lunchbox staple, but really a salad of subtle flavors and harmonious textures  collapsing, ocean-y, oil-poached albacore, snappy green beans, bursting golden cherry tomatoes  nestled into mayonnaise and bread. In a nod to the source material, Mason slides potato chips under the top piece of bread.

But heres where the story of a very good sandwich gets interesting.

The last time I had the sandwich, I didnt see any of the promised sliced egg, and I didnt miss it. The chips were corn, a minor change, perhaps, but a very different note for a flavor profile otherwise suggesting southern France more than Mission Taqueria. I ate joyfully, but the sandwich didnt make any sense.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Michael Macor/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Michael Macor/The Chronicle Show More Show Less



That might be part of the point.

I start with a simple idea. Its like a jazz solo, says Mason, who counts Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra as favorites. I take a groove thats known and I build around it with no limitations.

According to Mason, these elevated grooves  whether a Lao-sausage-stuffed banh mi, a Nicoise, or a homey egg salad shot through with curry  arent the product of agonized conceptualizing. Components come and go, depending on whats at hand.

Its no revelation that the best ingredients give you creative latitude, Mason says. So I go to the farmers market. And I drive around, I walk the dogs, I think, I try. If something tastes better than it does in my head, I keep it.

Casual modifications and all, Masons method reflects the essence of sandwich. Whether mediocre or phenomenal, sandwiches are often improvised concoctions repurposing leftovers. Although, like a clam roll or a cheesesteak, they may conjure up specific places, they are often eaten in transit or over a keyboard. Even when they cost $12 (like Masons) and spill forth rosy Kobe beef or sweet Oregon shrimp, they retain a humble spirit. Like a musician switching instruments and shifting scales, bouncing from one influence to another, Mason borrows liberally, referencing culinary traditions to which he only rarely has personal attachment. The result comes filtered through the lens of his deliberately scattershot method and a tiny kitchen.

I dont have tweezers, Mason says. Im inspired by seeing nine incredible chefs hover over one dish, but I work in a simple form. Im in a basement with a bare light bulb and a dirty broken knife.

Mason doesnt have a philosophical interest in labor-intensive technique, much less the arsenal of gear, employees and time it requires. Aside from a few weeks in the kitchen of the late Rubicon, he doesnt have much formal training, either. Growing up in New Jersey, he loved food, but his parents didnt cook. Unsurprisingly, he says, he ate a lot of take-out sandwiches and rummaged through the family fridge to cobble together his own creations. Mason co-owned DNA Lounge in San Francisco for nine years, but tired of the youthful, druggy scene.

Brant Ward/The Chronicle

In the mid-90s, he owned Moxie, a Mission District restaurant and bar that did playful spins on Jewish cuisine before such concepts could fly on the corner of Florida and 17th. It was, he admits, a little ahead of its time. After Moxie, Mason catered, but the 2008 economic downturn wrecked business. Relatively inexpensive and broadly appealing, sandwiches seemed like a way to recover quickly.

The pop-up ethos held no special allure; he just couldnt afford a more conventional approach. A friend, Bill Stone, co-owner of Dynamo Donuts, connected him with the owner of Tonys Market & Liquor, a corner store across 24th Street that happened to have an unused deli counter.

It was there that I place a foggy 9-year-old memory of eating something delicious involving asparagus and a perfectly cooked egg.

The social media-fueled truck, stand, cart, nomadic supper club and pop-up businesses that proliferated in the wake of the recession became trendy only after proprietors like Mason found new ways to stay relevant, creative and solvent. They found a community in the process. Many participants mined family traditions, heritage and personal obsessions for preparations that could occupy unique corners of the market. What began as a way to survive became, as Mason puts it, a thing.

Mission Street Food, Josey Baker, 4505 Meats. People kept coming up with different things to sell. Creme brulee. Cookies. Bacon chips, Mason says.

Some of the proprietors opened brick-and-mortar establishments around the country or sold products at Whole Foods. Some quit. Some, like Mason, stayed in the same lane, bouncing around to new digs every six months. Most recently, Mason was at Forage Kitchen for nearly 10 months.

Ive never gotten rich, says Mason. But Ive managed to hang in there. I just wanted to make sandwiches, not be like Ikes, he adds, referencing the growing chain of sandwich shops that began with one popular Castro location.

Some days, I struggle with motivation, he continues. But once I get in the kitchen, a transformation happens. A famous Polish artist in New York was interviewed about inspiration. Here, Mason lapses without warning into an accented impersonation. Inspiration? she said. Thats nothing. You cant wait for it or youll be dead. Me, I get up every day, I paint, and something good happens eventually.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

And so, every day, except on weekends, Mason gets up and makes sandwiches. Something good clearly often happens. But that doesnt mean its sustainable. The elephant behind the counter is that Mason is not a young man.

Im the aberrant granddad of sandwiches, not a 35-year-old line cook, he quips.

Hes an actual grandfather, senior to most chefs opting for such a scrappy existence. What I witnessed on my first and second visits to the latest incarnation of Pals cant continue indefinitely. At some point, hell need to get some help.

I want a little lunch counter, Mason admits. His dream, gently voiced, reflects the food he peddles: humble yet elevated with care and ingredients. A bar to lean over, some stools and sandwiches, of course.

I like talking and schmoozing, says Mason. Id like to be crankier, but I cant. I try to make jokes about what people order, but its too small a town. I cant insult anyone. And Id like to. But everyones, you know 

He impersonates a zombified customer dabbing away at his phone. That might have been me waiting for my sandwich the previous week. And me the day before that, slipping out because 20 minutes sounded like a long time. The message is clear: The culture that encourages people to retreat into their digital selves and carefully curated worlds dampens Masons authentic routine. Its a facet of the same culture that permits entrepreneurs like Mason to attract and maintain devoted customers. And the one that boosts Caviars business at the expense of his. Mason may broadcast his sandwich ingredients on Twitter, but what gets him going  besides what might taste good on a roll  is the human interaction that comes with commerce.

Over the course of our conversations, I try to get Mason to drop sandwich master know-how. Im hoping for a golden ratio of bread-to-meat-to-spread and so forth  wonky shop talk, whatever that is. Mason doesnt care to get that molecular, but he does drop something telling. As a diner tears into a Pals sandwich, turns it over, chomps again, and repeats the process, Mason hopes that each bite offers a different tangle of flavors and textures. That makes a sandwich more interesting.

I reference the oft-levied criticism of poorly rolled burritos, a form in which diners prize uniformity, not cold avocado, clumps of rice and juicy salsa in isolated segments.

Mason snorts derisively. Come on. Its just lunch. You give someone a little joy and send a few jokes their way. Thats it.

A minute later, though, hes excited about a monthly Friday pop-up hes starting at Temescal Brewing.

Lamb sloppy joes, he says. Im on a real lamb groove right now.

I cant make it for the first Friday, but I come by Forage one day after work. There are leftover sloppy joes, but I order a rotisserie lamb sandwich.

He is on a groove, I think, savoring sweet roasted Jimmy Nardello peppers crinkled around the tender lamb and tart, creamy bursts of feta. There are unadvertised sweet corn kernels. There are corn chips, not pappadam  but, hey, thats the sandwich I was served, and I know Masons deal enough to be more than content with that. We shake hands. I drink a soda. I dont think about my phone.

Masons looking for a spot soon, something semi-permanent, but hell be back at Temescal Brewing, and doing occasional lunch pop-ups at Cole Coffee in Rockridge, too. He asks if his little luncheonette idea makes sense and suggests an unrelated story for the paper, an intriguing one Im inclined to chase.

He shifts topics again. Do I know, he asks, that a lot of Caviar customers order from restaurants just a few blocks away from their houses? Who does that? We both rant. Its just a conversation over a very good sandwich, the kind of thing that ought to happen in little luncheonettes all over town. Masons lamb groove is real, but its better with a side of this, which is always on this menu, wherever and however its served.

Andrew Simmons lives in Oakland. He writes for the Atlantic, the New York Times and other publications. Twitter: @adlsimmons Email: food@sfchronicle.com

Pals pop-up

www.palstakeaway.com
Peter Shelton/Berkeleyside

Three Berkeley High students and one staff member were arrested Friday evening when fights broke out at the end of Berkeley High's annual Unity Week celebration, according to Berkeley police.

After school let out in the afternoon, hundreds of students, clad in the school colors of red and gold, flooded the streets and marched around downtown Berkeley. Around 5:05 p.m., as the group of about 500 headed up Allston Way, at least three separate fights occurred near the Harold Way intersection, said BPD Lt. Kevin Reece.
There was a long seven-year hiatus between A Visit From the Goon Squad  the multifaceted, phantasmagorical best-selling novel that won Jennifer Egan a Pulitzer Prize and a host of new fans  and her newly released follow-up, Manhattan Beach. And shes not any happier about it than anyone else.

I hope that never happens again, Egan said firmly during a recent interview in the elegantly inviting Pacific Heights home of her mother and stepfather. Im too old to have another gap like that if Im going to get done what I need to get done.

As it happens, Egan is just 55, with a proven track record of literary accomplishment that includes not only Goon Squad but also the sprawling and inventive Look at Me (whose reflections on international terrorism, conceived well before 9/11, proved prophetic) and the dazzling, quasi-Gothic hall of mirrors titled The Keep.

But shes also got an agenda, and an eye on the clock.

I have intimations of at least seven different worlds I want to explore, and if each one of those is a book, then were talking about ... and here Egan launched into an extended bout of calculations, pitting writing time against life expectancy like some kind of bookish actuary. Suffice it to say that shes already filling notepads with the first draft of her next novel.

Of course, it isnt as though Egan just came off years of kicking around in her bathrobe. You only have to spend an hour with her to understand how deeply her work ethic runs, or to recognize the level of energy and commitment she brings to even the most mundane task. Beneath her ebullience and grace you can detect traces of a fierce will.

And Manhattan Beach, a fantastically detailed evocation of life on the New York waterfront during World War II, gives its own evidence of how labor-intensive the act of creating it must have been. Not in the prose, which is as beveled and fine-grained as ever, but in the sheer scale on which Egan has conjured up a vanished history.

Much of Manhattan Beach takes place in and around the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where hordes of young women had been suddenly injected into the workforce for the first time to support the Allied war effort. There are long, informative discursions on scuba diving and the sociology of the merchant marine, on maritime disasters and the elaborate web of ethnically stratified organized crime that grew up around the New York docks.

Naturally, all of this had to be painstakingly researched.

I really didnt know how to write a historical novel, Egan said. And Im so reliant on time and place for my entry point to fiction that I think I was uniquely hamstrung by trying to write outside of my own lifetime.

On the other hand, Egan has plenty of experience as a journalist  she's written frequently for the New York Times Magazine  and she was helped along by an oral history project that shed been involved with at the navy yard several years earlier. She talked to a lot of the former workers there, women who by then were in their 80s, and got their stories about the sensations and tensions of that historical juncture.

Lots of little details about the women and the things that happened to them found their way into the narrative. For example, the fact that the air smelled like chocolate  that was one of those details that a number of different people mentioned.

In addition, the plot of Manhattan Beach kept multiplying its focus and heading off into unforeseen directions. The novels migration from the docks to the middle of the ocean itself caught Egan unawares. The charismatic character of Dexter Styles  a gangster and nightclub owner who has married into the genteel world of banking  muscled his way into the book and into her heart.

The idea that known crime bosses could become fixtures of polite society might seem kind of strange now, but back then it was very common. And Dexter Styles kind of embodied that  I didnt quite see him coming, but I could feel that there was some magnetic criminal figure in the book. I loved him, I had such a crush on him, and in a sense I was just following him into his life.

The sense of place that is so distinctive in Egans fiction  whether the small-town Midwest of Look At Me or the contemporary San Francisco and New York of Goon Squad  may owe something to the geographical dislocations of her childhood. She was born in Chicago, but her parents divorced when she was a toddler. At 7, she moved to San Francisco with her mother.

I actually have a very strong visual and sensory memory of the extreme differences between the two places, she says. Chicago is rusty, with the feeling of old industry, and San Francisco is so bright and light and pastel in its palette. And I would go back every summer to visit my father for a few weeks, so I was aware of those differences at an early age.

She graduated from Lowell High School  a venue that figures prominently and recognizably in some sections of Goon Squad  before going to college at the University of Pennsylvania. She spent two years studying in England and backpacking through China; she worked as a fashion model; she briefly dated Steve Jobs.

In 1987, Egan settled in Brooklyn, where she now lives with her husband, David Herskovits, a theater and opera director, and their two teenage sons, about whom  at their own strict insistence  she will offer no information except that they have not read her books. Thats fine with her.

I feel like there is something very revealing about being read, and I dont have any particular wish to be revealed to them in that way.

Compared to the metafictional tricks of Egans earlier works, with their shifts in time and slippery, hard-to-pin-down narrators, the sturdy narrative architecture of Manhattan Beach seems as much of a departure as its historical setting. Shes not unmindful of the effect that may have on readers  especially those who discovered her through Goon Squad.

I feel like Goon Squad is where I found an audience, and I realize that some people who loved that book may not be enchanted by the new one. Im happy when people will stick with me from book to book, but it doesnt always work that way and I cant blame them.

But readers whose devotion to Egans work centers on Goon Squad have a welcome development in store. The book shes currently got in the works picks up some threads from that earlier masterpiece.

Goon Squad has such an open-ended structure, and there were things I wanted to do in it, people I wanted to write about, that I couldnt find a way to do. So in a way it always felt like the best I could do, rather than some kind of perfect, finished product. But if I can use some of the same structural principles to arrive at a new landscape, that would be really cool.

And this time, it wont take seven years to hit the bookstores.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman
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Ali Khalili plans to apply for aid from the city of Dickinson to make repairs to his home after it was inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey, but he isn't optimistic his request will be approved.

The reason? The 75-year-old's politics, including past boycotts and protests of Israel's policies.

A recently passed state law prohibits Texas governmental entities  including cities  from contracting with or investing certain public funds in companies that boycott Israel.

"Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release earlier this year.

Dickinson's application for aid to rebuild homes and businesses requires residents to state that they will not boycott Israel during the term of the agreement, according to a form on the city's website.

The ACLU has called the requirement "an egregious violation of the First Amendment."

"We were frankly appalled that the city of Dickinson would be imposing a sort of political litmus test on hurricane relief funds," said Brian Hauss, a New York-based ACLU staff attorney.

Dickinson's city attorney told KTRK-TV that the city included that provision to comply with the recently passed Anti-Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions law.

It's unclear, though, that the city needs to require private citizens not to boycott Israel. Advising cities on how best to comply with the state law has proved challenging, said Scott Houston, general counsel for the Texas Municipal League.

The league recommended to cities this fall that they include the language about Israel in written contracts with companies. Whether the definition of companies can be expanded to include private citizens, such as Harvey victims, isn't clear, Houston added.

"I don't know what the answer is," Houston said. He added that he defers to local city attorneys to determine if the clause is necessary.

Dickinson's mayor and city manager did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

Hauss, with the ACLU, said he could not comment on whether Dickinson's interpretation of the law was valid.

However, Hauss added, the ACLU views House Bill 89 as unconstitutional as well.

"The First Amendment protects Americans' right to boycott, and the government cannot condition hurricane relief or any other public benefit on a commitment to refrain from protected political expression," said ACLU of Texas Legal Director Andre Segura. "Dickinson's requirement is an egregious violation of the First Amendment, reminiscent of McCarthy-era loyalty oaths requiring Americans to disavow membership in the Communist party and other forms of 'subversive' activity."

The BDS movement began in 2005 as a nonviolent protest of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. It included a call to boycott and divest from companies that it states are involved in the violation of Palestinian human rights.

The movement has brought pushback from members of Congress. Earlier this year, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act was introduced in the House and Senate. Similar measures have been introduced in states including Texas.

In a statement, the Houston branch of the Anti-Defamation League, which supports state resolutions opposing BDS, said it was "deeply troubled" to learn about the application in Dickinson.

"This requirement is misguided and constitutionally problematic," the statement read. "And reveals an unanticipated and unfortunate consequence of a well-intentioned state anti-BDS law that needs further consideration."

Other Texas cities have already taken steps to comply with the state's law, though it hasn't come up in the context of flood relief.

Galveston, Austin and San Antonio have put the language in place involving contracts for some public projects, Hauss said. Houston has also required that contractors and suppliers verify in new contracts that they are not boycotting Israel, said Alan Bernstein, a spokesman for Mayor Sylvester Turner.

There haven't been any changes in contractors or suppliers since the law was put in place, Bernstein added.

While the city of Houston does not have a city-administered Hurricane Harvey relief fund comparable to Dickinson's, Houston's legal department has not advised that the law applies to private individuals, Bernstein said.

The ACLU is fighting a similar law in Kansas. In October, the nonprofit filed a lawsuit challenging a Kansas statute that required a math teacher selected to participate in state training to sign a certificate that she would not boycott Israel, Hauss said.

The civil rights group has not yet filed a lawsuit in connection with a case in Texas, but is asking residents affected by HB 89 to contact them, Hauss said.

As for Khalili, he said a contractor estimated his repairs would reach $30,000. The Dickinson resident of more than 30 years doesn't have flood insurance to foot the bill.

Even though he needs the money, Khalili said he would take his chances and cross out the portion of the application agreeing not to boycott Israel.

Khalili has participated in demonstrations and boycotts in the past, both related to and unrelated to the BDS movement, he said. He views it as his civic duty.

Agreeing to restrict that, Khalili said, "is un-American."
RACINE COUNTY  Construction could resume on the Interstate 94 project through Racine County as soon as next spring, following legislative approval of the Foxconn deal, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Foxconn formally announced on Oct. 4 that it would be building a multibillion-dollar facility in Mount Pleasant. As part of the deal in getting the plant to come to this area, the Legislature included funds to widen Interstate 94 and to reconstruct frontage roads.

The seven miles of frontage roads between highways 20 and KR in Racine County will be included in reconstruction, said Mike Pyrtiz, regional communication manager for the Southeast Region of the DOT.

While all schedules are subject to weather and project site construction needs affiliated with Foxconn, construction of the west frontage road, Sylvania Avenue, is slated to begin in March and aims to be completed in July. The East Frontage Road is scheduled to be completed by November 2018, said Pyrtiz.

The estimated cost of that project alone would be from $17 million to $20 million.

As part of the project, I-94 is to be widened from six to eight lanes between the Mitchell Interchange and Highway 142 in Kenosha County, Pyrtiz said. When the project is complete, the Interstate will be eight lanes all the way to the state line. The Interstate between Highway 142 and the state line was widened to eight lanes before the project was put on hold due to funding restraints.

The seven-mile stretch is set to be completed in late 2020, with the full project being completed in late 2021. Along the entire route set for construction, six interchanges will be rebuilt including the interchanges at highways 20 and KR, Pyrtiz said.

The DOT also plans to reconstruct interchanges at Highway K and 7 Mile Road.
RACINE  As a senior in college, Marina Pappas knocked on the office door of the executive director of NAMI Wisconsin.

"I said: This is my major. This is what I'm passionate about. What can I do to make a difference?  Pappas said.

She is continuing to pursue that passion of making a difference in the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illnesses as the new executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Racine County, a position she started about two months ago.

NAMI-Racine County is a local organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which seeks to improve the quality of life of all individuals affected by mental illness and promote recovery.

Nonprofit experience

Pappas grew up near Milwaukee and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in English and focused on strategic communications.

Pappas' background includes marketing, program management, communications, event coordination and community development.

Pappas has more than four years of experience in NAMI at both the state and local level. When Pappas was a senior in college, she became involved in nonprofit organizations and found her passion in serving others.

After graduating from college, Pappas has held multiple roles at NAMI offices in different parts of the state and country. She's served NAMI as a volunteer and community and events coordinator, working at NAMI Dane County and NAMI of Greater Milwaukee providing advocacy.

Before assuming the executive director role at NAMI in Racine, Pappas worked as the vice president of the board of directors for the NAMI affiliate in Phoenix.

NAMI Board President Erin Reeves said Pappas ties and understanding of the organization definitely made Pappas an attractive candidate for the position. Marina comes with a solid understanding of the NAMI framework, and she has served nonprofits at the program, fundraising and board levels, Reeves said.

Goals for NAMI

With her new role, Pappas would like to work on promoting diversity in terms of ensuring that all communities use the resources NAMI is able to offer.

"From my experience at NAMI, it's been primarily older-generation, mainly white individuals coming to seek our support and services," Pappas said. "My goal is to figure out how I can better serve the communities that mental health touches versus one community in general."

She would also like to work on advocacy, ensuring people needing help and seeking out resources from NAMI will always be able to have access.

"We're going to push at the state level, as well as the national level, to ensure that mental health help is always there and provided," Pappas said.

Pappas would also like to focus on bringing a program called Ending the Silence to middle and high school school students. The program would teach students about mental health, mental wellness, mental illness and helping them connect them to resources in the community.

"It's important for students to get that early intervention," Pappas said. "Talk to them, break the stigma and have them realize it's OK to need help and need resources, no matter what the situation may be."

Hopeful in new role

Pappas said she is excited by the potential she sees in Racine and is excited about building upon NAMI's existing strengths.

"Mike Botecki, the former executive director, did an amazing job working with the community and I just want to build upon that," Pappas said.

She is also excited to reach out and get to know the community. "There are so many organizations and people in the community that want to make a difference," Pappas said.

"My biggest thing that I always say is we are stronger together than we are standing alone. And I know with the partnerships we can create in Racine, we can definitely make a difference and help as many people that need the help."

For more information, call the NAMI Racine County office at 262-637-0582. To learn more about NAMI Racine County, go to www.namiracinecounty.org.
Police are searching for two suspects in a shooting that happened Saturday night in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, a police spokeswoman said Sunday morning.

Officers went to the area of Laguna and Clay streets near Lafayette Park around 8:52 p.m. to investigate the shooting, the spokeswoman said.
To say that some of President Donald Trumps actions and comments have upset some people would be an understatement. The president certainly does know how to outrage a nation through Twitter.

But while all of that is going on and getting attention, there is something Trump is doing right: He is doing what he needs to do to force Congress into action.

What we are referring to is Trumps recent actions pertaining to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA, and his recent plan to stop subsidies to health insurance companies that help pay out-of-pocket costs of low-income people.

In the case of DACA, Trump has said he would phase out the executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2012. The program offered protection from deportation to children who came to the United States illegally with their parents. Its an action that should have gone through Congress in the first place, never directly through the president. And Trump is demanding that stops, although he did give Congress six months to pass legislation that could act as a solution.

Last month, following the presidents decision on DACA, in a meeting with The Journal Times Editorial Board, House Speaker Paul Ryan agreed that Congress, not the president, needs to find a humane solution for the approximately 800,000 youths who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Those under that program are people who came over to the United States as minors and dont know any home other than the United States. They shouldnt be deported, but Congress is the one that should pass a bill to continue the program, not the president.

As Ryan said in a press release: The president has called on Congress to act. And the clock is ticking.

Now, lets fast-forward to this month. On Oct. 12, Trump announced he was going to stop the subsidies to health insurance companies, outraging many.

What people need to know is that those payments were never actually authorized by Congress, the branch that is supposed to hold the purse strings of the government.

Now members of Congress are working to put together a bipartisan deal that actually authorizes those payments. That is the way it should be.

Trump is right that the president cannot unilaterally create legislation. Congress needs to step up and do its job and, rightfully so, Trump is putting the pressure on.
Man injured in Mhepi shooting

A man was shot and injured at Mhepi in Kathmandu in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Violent crimes are up in Flagstaff this year, and police are pointing the finger at street alcoholics.

In just the past four months, police are reporting a 23 percent increase in violent crime, with aggravated assault, sexual assault and robbery seeing the biggest spikes.

Street alcoholics, also called by police public intoxicants and serial inebriates, represent less than 1 percent of Flagstaffs total population but are responsible for 33 percent of aggravated assaults, 34 percent of sexual assaults and 58 percent of robberies that occurred from January to August, according to crime data from the Flagstaff Police Department.

A serial inebriate is a person who has had 10 or more contacts with the police for public intoxication during the year.

Flagstaff Police Department Spokesman Sgt. Cory Runge said that an increase in violent crime near the end of summer was abnormal.

These violent crimes represent a new trend in criminal activity in our community, Runge said. Typically we see increases every summer then decreases in the fall.

Runge went on to state that the main victims and perpetrators of violent crimes were homeless individuals with substance abuse issues.

Serial inebriates make up a small segment of our population but are involved in a significant number of violent crimes, Runge said.

Police have responded to 146 reports of aggravated assault from January to October, an 18 percent increase from the same timeframe last year.

Police noted 118 reports of aggravated assault against law enforcement, firefighters and healthcare workers in 2017, a 51 percent increase from last year when police reported 78 aggravated assaults.

A huge number of aggravated assaults are directed at the status of an individual, Runge said. Firefighters and healthcare workers in the emergency room are the biggest victims.

An aggravated assault charge for hitting a public safety official requires a lower standard of physical contact than assaulting a regular citizen. Hitting or spitting on law enforcement is automatically aggravated assault while doing the same to a citizen may just constitute an assault charge.

Flagstaff Fire Department Deputy Chief Mark Wilson said the police departments numbers are underreported since firefighters will most often choose not to press charges when they are assaulted.

From a fire department perspective, those numbers are low if you compare the number of assaults we deal with vs. the number of reported assaults, Wilson said. Many times our firefighters choose not to press charges because we have limited resources and would rather not spend too much time dealing with an aggravated assault issue.

Wilson said the majority of assault charges his department deals with involve serial inebriants.

Most of the time we are dealing with an intoxicated person that we are physically taking to the hospital against their will because of their medical condition. A situation like that can make people combative, Wilson said. This is a very unhealthy population that makes up about 30 percent of our calls to service every year.

Representatives from Northern Arizona Healthcare did not respond to multiple attempts for comment regarding aggravated assaults on healthcare workers.

Armed robberies in Flagstaff are up 125 percent from last year with 45 robberies reported this year. The majority of the robberies were committed against people, with five robberies committed against businesses.

Public intoxicants were involved in 58 percent of robberies this year as both victims and suspects. Alcohol or drugs were involved in 68 percent of all robberies.

Neighborhoods

Sunnyside has seen the most instances of violent crime, accounting for 17 percent of all violent crimes in Flagstaff.

However, Sunnyside has mostly seen a decrease in crime over the last 10 years, according to police data.

The Southside neighborhood accounts for 6.5 percent of violent crimes, a decrease from 2012, when the neighborhood accounted for 11.8 percent of all violent crime.

Gang Activity

Police also noted several violent incidents that they believe could be linked to gang activity.

Runge said that five shootings and two stabbings over the last three months were gang-related. Police were able to identify gang-related incidents based upon physical descriptions and incidents where gang members mentioned their gang affiliation to the victims.

Arrests have been made in four of these seven incidents.
One dies, another critical in Darchula jeep accident

A person died and another was seriously injured in a jeep accident at Dattu in Mahakali Municipality of Darchula district on Sunday morning.
TOKYO  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a commanding majority for his party in parliamentary elections Sunday, NHK, the public broadcaster said, fueling his hopes of revising the nations pacifist constitution.

NHK said that Abes governing Liberal Democratic Party and its allies had overcome challenges from upstart rivals to capture two-thirds of the seats in the lower house of parliament. Final results will be delayed until later Monday because a typhoon that battered Japan on Sunday prevented votes from being counted in 12 precincts. But with the majority of votes counted, the Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner had won enough seats to reach the two-thirds mark.

Pre-election opinion polls had shown lukewarm support for the prime ministers policies and competition from a party founded by Tokyos popular governor, Yuriko Koike, as well as another new center-left party.

For Abe, the results were a vindication of his strategy to call a snap election a year earlier than expected, and they raised the possibility that he would move swiftly to try to change the constitution to make explicit the legality of the Self-Defense Forces, as Japans military is known.

The constitution, in place since 1947, calls for the renunciation of war, and Abe said in May that it should be amended to remove any doubt about the militarys legitimacy, a view he reiterated Sunday evening.

Amending the constitution requires the support of two-thirds of both houses of parliament. Abes party and its allies had those numbers before Sundays elections, but the prime ministers political woes earlier this year, along with the publics doubts about a constitutional change, created the possibility that he would lose the supermajority in the lower house.

Even with the votes he needs in parliament, Abe now must persuade the public, as any constitutional change needs to be approved by a majority of voters.

Sundays parliamentary victory could also embolden Abe to run next year for a third term as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

But the results were a setback for Koike, who started her new party, Kibou no To, or Party of Hope, with great fanfare just hours before Abe called the early election last month. After she decided not to run for office, voters lost interest.

Motoko Rich is a New York Times writer.
1 Niger violence: Authorities in Niger say unknown assailants have killed 13 soldiers in the West African country. Saturdays attack occurred in the town of Ayorou near the border with Mali, according to a government communique. This is the latest unrest to hit Niger, where four U.S. service members were recently killed in an ambush by extremists. The country has suffered attacks not only from the local al Qaeda affiliate but also from a relatively new group calling itself Islamic State in the Sahel. That group is believed to have attacked the Americans and left four soldiers from Niger dead.

2 Afghan attacks: Three rockets were fired into Kabuls fortified Green Zone on Saturday, where two of them exploded near the NATO compound housing U.S. military personnel and other foreign forces. A few hours later, a suicide bomber attacked a busload of military cadets, killing 14 of them, by detonating explosives near the entrance gate of the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, about seven miles from the NATO complex. The attacks on the NATO complex caused no injuries or damage to the compound, said Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the U.S.-led NATO effort. No culprits have been identified. This week has been among the deadliest in Afghanistan this year, with more than 150 people killed during suicide bomb attacks in various provinces. Most of those attacks targeted Afghan police or military facilities.
Untitled/Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took the Trump administrations case for isolating and containing Iran in the Middle East and beyond to two Gulf Arab nations on Sunday, pushing for Saudi Arabia and Iraq to unite to counter growing Iranian assertiveness. He also called for a quick resolution to the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors, which he said was unintentionally bolstering Iran.

In Saudi Arabia and later Qatar, Tillerson denounced Irans malign behavior and urged nations of the region and elsewhere, notably Europe, to join the administration to halt any business they do with Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also demanded that Iranian and Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq return to their homes, integrate into the Iraqi army or leave the country.
One killed in Tulsipur knife attack

A person was stabbed to death in Sajkhutti of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City-13 in Dang on Saturday night.
Two dead, one injured in separate incidents in Banke

Two people died and another one was injured in separate incidents in Banke.
Vehicles banned in Thamel area from today

A joint decision of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) and Thamel Area Development Council to assert the 120-meter area in Thamel - stretching from Kathmandu Guest House Chok to Nursing Chok- a no-go zone for vehicles, has come into effect from Sunday.
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The ACT Greens may agree to a $2 per-spin maximum bet limit for pokies at the redeveloped Canberra Casino, with talks underway ahead of debate on casino legislation expected in coming weeks.

Neither the government nor the Greens would name a specific figure on which an agreement could be reached, after Cabinet failed to reach agreement on the bet limit issue earlier this year.

The ACT Greens may agree to a $2 per-spin maximum bet limit for pokies at the redeveloped Canberra Casino. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has previously said he was open to a figure between $1 and the government's proposed $5 limit.

But he is understood to be entertaining a potential $2 a spin limit, in line with the Productivity Commission's finding that such a level would still make "some useful in-roads into reducing harm".
A Festival of Russian Ballet. The Imperial Russian Ballet Company. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. Monday October 23 and Tuesday 24 at 8pm. Phone 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

The Imperial Russian Ballet have previously brought productions of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and The Nutcracker to Australia. On this tour, Gediminas Taranda's ballet company is presenting a diverse three-act program of shorter works.

Irena Gharibyan is one of the soloists in A Festival of Russian Ballet.

Soloists Sergey Kheylik and Irena Gharibyan, partners offstage, will be dancing together in A Festival of Russian Ballet. Kheylik says they will be dancing a duet from Le Corsaire as well as a modern electronic-backed piece, Runaway.

The 33-year-old Russian-born Kheylik began dancing when he was 10 years old, a year later than 21-year-old Armenian-born Gharibyan, and both are now based in the United States.
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The ACT government is considering further expansion to Canberra's prison. Credit:Jay Cronan

Here are your Monday headlines.

Welcome to another week! We're in for a partly cloudy day with patchy fog in the early morning. Bring a cardigan as there will be some light winds. Top of 23.

A near-doubling of Canberra's prison population since 2010 has prompted the ACT government to plan another prison expansion.

Government officials predict further increases as the territory's population grows, and recently contracted an engineering consultancy to investigate options for tackling prison overcrowding.

Overcrowding has dogged the Alexander Maconochie Centre in recent years.

Read more on the latest plans in Steven Trask's story.

Injured AFP employee faces $550,000 repayment to Comcare
When Sarah Hawkins was younger she almost drowned during swimming lessons because she was a "weak swimmer".

It was an incident that stayed with her into adulthood.

Only 15 per cent of ACT students meet the national benchmark set by the Australian Water Safety Council. From left, Audrey Hawkins 7, Alison Moore 7, Charlie Cecere 7, Sophie Femantle 10, and Sophia Hawkins 10. Credit:Jamila Toderas

It is one of many reasons the now mother of two enrolled her daughters, Sophia, 10, and Audrey, 7, into swimming lessons and the Canberra/Broulee Nippers.

"Our kids are both really strong swimmers, but we've only done the pool lessons and we wanted them to be more comfortable with the coast and swimming in the ocean," Mrs Hawkins said.
A controversial northside plot of land, currently under investigation, will be developed into public housing.

The block, known as Section 72, sits between the Dickson pool and the Majura playing fields on Antill Street.

The block, known as Section 72, sits between the Dickson pool and the Majura playing fields on Antill Street.

The ACT government has announced plans to build the territory's second Common Ground project on the site. It purchased blocks 6 and 25 in 2012.

Part of the plot is currently in the sights of ACT Auditor-General, which last month announced it would probe a complex swap deal between the Barr government and the Dickson Tradies Club in late 2014.
Another prison expansion is on the cards as the ACT government continues to battle surging numbers of inmates locked-up at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

Between 2010 and 2016 Canberra's prison population has grown 95 per cent, with government officials predicting further increases as the territory's population grows.

The ACT government is considering further expansion to Canberra's prison. Credit:Jay Cronan

The justice directorate recently contracted an engineering consultancy to investigate options for tackling prison overcrowding, government tender documents show.

"The feasibility study will inform how we use our existing accommodation as well as the need for potential additional facilities," a justice directorate spokeswoman said.
A great stirring is occurring.

After many years in a state of suspended animation, the race to become the single most successful club in VFL/AFL history is experiencing its first meaningful twitches.

Having enjoyed bumper trade periods this post-season, Essendon's and Carlton's road maps towards their next premierships have become as vivid as they have been at any time this century.

The Bombers and Blues each boast 16 flags and have shared top spot on the premiership ladder for a long time.
US President Donald Trump said he's considering Stanford University economist John Taylor and Federal Reserve governor Jerome Powell for the top job at the central bank, and indicated Fed chair Janet Yellen remains in the running for renomination to a second four-year term.

"Most people are saying it's down to two  Mr Taylor and Mr Powell. I also met with Janet Yellen, who I like a lot, I really like her a lot," Mr Trump told Fox Business Network in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday and Monday. "So I have three people that I'm looking at, and there are a couple of others. I'd say I will make my decision very shortly."

US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen with finance ministers in Washington, DC. Credit:Andrew Harrer

On the prospect of a Taylor nomination and a Powell promotion into the top two leadership roles, the President said, "it is in my thinking, and I have a couple of other things in my thinking but I like talent and they're both very talented people".

It's not clear which of the two men would be chairman and which would be vice-chair, a position that Mr Trump also needs to appoint after Stanley Fischer stepped down earlier this week. Both positions are subject to Senate confirmation.
Engineering firm AECOM will begin piloting a new program that gives employees 12 weeks annual leave, to be taken at the same time as the school holidays, so engineers with children can better manage work and family.

The company says often parents are forced to take leave without pay to deal with the hectic school holiday period.

"There is a significant pool of talent who have stepped away from our industry," says AECOM Australia CEO Todd Battley. Credit:Jessica Hromas

AECOM will work with online jobs and careers site, FlexCareers, to launch school term-only contracts across 20 newly advertised roles in Australia and New Zealand. The offer will also be available to up to 10 existing employees.

An engineer with five years' experience, on a full-time standard salary (four weeks leave, 40 hours per week) would get $85,000. Under its term-time salary proposal (12 weeks annual leave, 40 hours per week, with 83 per cent full-time load) he/she would get $70,550.
NBN Co had to shell out more than $40,000 to connect some hard-to-reach properties, in one case spending more than $90,000 when it was compelled to provide fibre to a property near Townsville in Queensland, according to figures to be released on Monday in a bid to counter a push to have it revert to the Rudd government's original target of 93 per cent fibre to premises.

The list of the 10 most expensive to connect locations in each state shows it spent $41,304 connecting a business in Strathfield in Sydney that needed concrete and bitumen broken to install a new conduit. It spent $51,464 connecting a business in Ballarat than needed 10 metres of bitumen broken and relayed.

"It's all very well to say leave no home left behind when it comes to fibre as was the original Labor requirement," NBN Co chief Bill Morrow told BusinessDay, "But boy, some of those homes are bloody expensive; you've got heritage homes and rock to drill through and they've often already got infrastructure in place you can use to get good speeds."

Mr Morrow was appointed in 2013 as the incoming communications minister Malcolm Turnbull abandoned the 93 per cent target and allowed NBN to deliver city connections by a mix of technologies including fibre to the node, fibre to the curb and the so-called HFC cables installed to deliver pay TV.
It was inside a shed furbished like a train platform, next to a fake escalator leading to nowhere, and an hour's drive from the city centre that the NSW government chose to unveil its new plan to make Sydney a 30-minute city.

As journalists pored over an array of glossy brochures and reports inside the model metro station at Rouse Hill, the simulated setting was not so much incongruent as perfectly fitting for the high-rhetoric accompanying the blue-sky vision of a Sydney some 40 years hence.

Sydney in 2056 would have 8 million people, most of whom would live, work and play without quantifying their lives in terms of years spent riding the train to work or sitting at traffic lights.

It was decreed "an historic day", featuring a "landmark" strategy. A "magnificent" plan. "Visionary", even. "A first for our state."
Two-thirds of Sydneysiders will be able to commute between their jobs, homes and key services within 30 minutes, but they may have to wait 40 years to do so, under new long-term strategies that will divide Sydney into three interconnected cities.

The NSW government claimed a "historic", "first time" collaboration between its planning and infrastructure auspices as it released two 40-year strategies to transform Sydney into a tripartite metropolis with eastern, central, and western cities by 2056.

The three are a western parkland city, west of the M7, a central river city around greater Parramatta, and an eastern harbour city.

Flanked by the government's Transport and Planning ministers, Greater Sydney Commissioner Lucy Turnbull on Sunday formally handed the government the commission's new strategy  the Draft Greater Sydney Region Plan 2017  for achieving the three, 30-minute cities.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been reprimanded by one of the world's most respected internet security professionals for his comments on encryption, and for his push to force tech companies to allow police access to encrypted communications, which critics say will not be possible to implement.

In a press conference in July announcing the draft legislation Mr Turnbull remarked, in response to a technology journalist's question, that "the laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia".

Raj Samani.

"I'm a mathematician," says McAfee fellow and chief scientist Raj Samani, "[and] the one thing about mathematics is that you know, it is binary, that's what we love about it, right?

"So, look, good luck trying to change the law of mathematics, I would suggest."
It's a nightmare run on the Monash inbound after that truck breakdown near Glenferrie Road.

Traffic is gridlock from the Burnley Tunnel all the way back to Eastlink.
Gold Logie-winning actor Samuel Johnson, whose sister Connie died following her long battle with cancer in September,has been nominated for the 2018 Victorian Australian of the Year award.

Mr Johnson retired from acting in 2016 to focus on his sister's charity organisation, Love Your Sister, to raise funds for cancer research.

Connie and Samuel Johnson. Mr Johnson is one of the nominees for the 2018 Victorian Australian of the Year awards. Credit:Instagram/@loveyoursister

He is one of the 15 nominees in the awards, which includes actor, author and spokeswoman for marriage equality Magda Szubanski; land rights and social justice leader, Graham Atkinson; medical pioneer and executive in mental health innovation Dr Harris Eyre, and diversity champion and dedicated volunteer Mohammed Alam.

The nominees are in the running to be named Victorian Australian of the Year, Victorian Senior Australian of the Year, Victorian Young Australian of the Year and Victoria's Local Hero.
Big changes loom at some of Western Australia's most important local councils after voters turned out in droves for elections across the state.

The WA Electoral Commission said there were very close results and ties requiring recounts at several councils, with key figures surging to power and others on the wane shown a message.

City of Perth voters look to have called time on Lisa Scaffidi's reign, handing James Limnios majority power.

Former environment minister Albert Jacob made a successful comeback to politics, beating fellow ex-Liberal minister Rob Johnson by 584 votes to become Joondalup's new mayor after losing his seat at the state election in March.

But the biggest shift in power could be at the besieged City of Perth, where voters may have ended the long stranglehold of unpopular lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi by ousting two of her allies on the council.
Jakarta: Indonesia is demanding an explanation after it said its military chief Gatot Nurmantyo was refused entry into the United States, moments before his plane departed from Jakarta on Saturday.

General Gatot - who earlier this year suspended military ties with Australia over teaching materials perceived as derogatory at a Perth Army base - was travelling to Washington with his wife and a delegation.

Indonesia's government is seeking clarification from the US after military chief Gatot Nurmantyo was denied entry to the country. Credit:AP

He had been invited to attend a conference on countering violent extremism on October 23 to 24 at the invitation of General Joseph Dunford, the US's highest ranking military officer.

However, the Indonesian Armed Forces said moments before General Gatot's departure on Emirates, the airline informed him he had been denied entry to the United States by US Customs and Border Protection despite having a visa.
Tokyo: Japanese voters are heading to the polls in parliamentary elections which are likely to see Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party cruise to an easy majority.

The LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito are expected to win around 310 seats in the House of Representatives, a two-thirds majority, according to a Kyodo News survey.

Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, is set to win a third term. Credit:Akio Kon

The newly-formed Constitutional Democratic Party has gathered steam and is expected to gain more than 50 seats, a little more than what Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope is likely to win.

"Constitutional Democrats have risen quite dramatically, considering that, when the elections were called, it didn't exist," Tobias Harris, a Japan expert at global advisory firm Teneo Intelligence, told a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
San Francisco: Friends and relatives of a US couple whose bodies were found in California's Joshua Tree National Park say they believe the two got lost while hiking in the sprawling desert park and struggled in the searing heat with little food or water before they died in a "sympathetic murder-suicide".

Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, had been missing since going for a hike in July.

Rachel Nguyen and Joseph Orbeso. Credit:AP

Their bodies were found in a steep canyon on October 15.

Autopsies found both had gunshot wounds and evidence at the scene led detectives to believe Orbeso shot Nguyen and then himself, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Friday.
Washington: Fox News ran a story on October 8 about a decorated Vietnam War US Navy SEAL and glass artist who created an enormous presidential glass seal he hoped to give to President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, 11 days later, the network retracted the story after being told the Trump supporter never served in Vietnam at all, much less earned commendations for his service.

Fox News aired an interview with John Garofalo who falsely claimed he served with a US Navy SEAL team in the Vietnam War. Credit:Screengrab

In the segment, John Garafalo said he served in the Vietnam War with the US Navy SEAL team. Fox News reported that he also received two Purple Hearts and about two dozen other medals.

The man's claimed record turned out to be a fabrication, first discovered by former Navy SEALs. Both these SEALs and family members of Garofalo had contacted Fox News about the story, according to the Navy Times.
Manila: DNA tests have confirmed the death of one of the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, who the Philippine military reported was killed in a final battle to quell an Islamic State group-linked siege in southern Marawi city.

US Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said on Saturday that DNA tests done in Virginia at the request of the Philippine military confirmed the death of Isnilon Hapilon.

Isnilon Hapilon has reportedly been killed. Credit:AP

Washington has backed efforts by the Philippines to combat terrorism for years.

"This is yet another example of how the US is supporting our friend, partner and ally in the fight against terror," Koscina said.
London: A gunman held two members of staff hostage for hours at a bowling alley in Warwickshire, central England, on Sunday night local time, in an incident police said was not a terror attack.

Chief executive of MFA Bowl Mehdi Amshar told the BBC police stormed the building and ended the siege at around 5am AEST. Earlier he told Sky News he had been informed the pair were being held at gunpoint.

Asked if the gunman was known to staff at the bowling alley, he said: "We believe from what my manageress tells me that he is an ex-husband or a boyfriend of a member of staff. That is what I know, I can't confirm that for definite."

Sky News reported a man had been taken away from the scene by police.
While most people blame our honourable Prime Minister and the Government for delaying Dutch hurricane financial aid, the hold-up really lies with Parliament. The Prime Minister is only acting on a mandate, received from Parliament on January 30th 2017, which instructed Government to block the establishing of the Integrity Chamber.

In the corporate world when the Board of Directors instructs Management to carry out an order, it is executed until the Board cancels the instruction. Likewise, in the public sector when Parliament passes a motion, instructing government to execute an order, government is expected to carry out the instruction until Parliament decides otherwise.

Let me spare the reader the history and intrigues related to the Integrity Chamber and fast forward to January 30th, 2017 when the Integrity Chamber was once again the topic of discussion on the floor of Parliament. After learning that the Kingdom Government had appointed a quartermaster to the Integrity Chamber, without officially informing Sint Maarten, Prime Minister William Marlin requested a meeting with Parliament to discuss the unlawful decision by the Kingdom. At the end of the meeting, fourteen Members of Parliament (MP Geerlings was absent with notice) unanimously passed a motion ordering the Government to block the creation of an Integrity Chamber and to condemn the decision of the Kingdom Government. The motion further instructed Government to present a plan of approach to tackle various areas of integrity as reported in the four integrity reports conducted on Sint Maarten.

To date, this motion is still valid and binding because Parliament has not amended or annulled it. Hence, the current stance taken by the Prime Minister, towards the Integrity Chamber and the Kingdom is in keeping with this motion and is supported and condoned by our Parliament. Consequently, the onus of the delay of the much-needed financial aid for the reconstruction of Sint Maarten should be placed on Parliament.

Since the January motion, Parliament has done nothing concerning the Integrity Chamber. Here are some facts and observations showing that Parliament does not see the urgency or the need for the Integrity Chamber.

In the January 30th motion, Parliament instructed Government to prepare a plan of approach, but never followed up on this instruction. Clearly, Parliaments supervisory function leaves much to be desired in this matter. Between January and August 2017, the Central Committee of Parliament held several meetings with the Prime Minister concerning the Integrity Chamber but the Committee never saw the need to amend or revoke the decision concerning the Integrity Chamber. Even after learning that the Kingdom Council of Ministers had tied the hurricane aid to the implementation of the Integrity Chamber, Parliament has not deemed it necessary to review the January motion. Parliament has also slowed down the process of financial hurricane aid by allowing the meetings concerning hurricane preparedness, disaster management and the recovery of Sint Maarten to drag on for more than six weeks whilst the end of these meetings is still not in sight. Parliament is seemingly unable to deal with the core problem, which is the Integrity Chamber; hence, we see individual Members of Parliament on their own writing letters to the media and to the Kingdom Council of Ministers concerning the desperately needed financial aid. In my opinion, these letters would have made a greater impact if they had come from Parliament itself. Many Members of Parliament have raised questions concerning hurricane preparedness, disaster management and the recovery plans for Sint Maarten but have not received satisfactory answers. It appears as if the tone, the agenda and the schedule for the meetings of Parliament are set by Prime Minister and not by Parliament. Parliament knew long before hurricane Irma hit the island that the target date for the approval of the ordinance of the Integrity Chamber was October 31st, 2017; yet Parliament never pressured Government to ensure that the ordinance would be ready on time. The Interim National Recovery Plan was presented to the President of Parliament and the Faction Leaders on October 10th 2017. However, to date, this report has not yet been brought to the floor of Parliament. Here again, we see how Parliament is delaying the process.

Given the above observations, Parliament should bear the blame for delaying the aid because, as the highest legislative and supervisory body it instructed the Government, via the January 30th motion, to use whatever means available to block the creation of the Integrity Chamber. The Prime Minister as head of the executive branch is only carrying out the instruction of Parliament

It goes without saying that if our Parliament and Government had done what they had to do from the moment the Integrity Chamber ordinance was rescinded by the Constitutional Court the country would not be in this deadlock today. However, to get out of this dilemma, Parliament should revoke or amend the motion of January 30th, 2017 so as to enable Government to enter into negotiations with the Minister for Kingdom Relations concerning a new deadline seeing that the 31st of October is no longer feasible. Negotiations should also commence as soon as possible regarding the much-needed financial aid for Sint Maarten. Parliament should finalize the meetings with the Prime Minister as soon as possible. Parliament should also discuss and approve the National Recovery Plan as soon as possible.

Parliament, please do not hide behind Government any longer. Step up and lead the country. You owe it to our people!

Leader of the SMCP Wycliffe Smith
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent plenary public session on October 23, 2017. The Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs will be present for the session.

The plenary public meeting convenes on Monday at 2.00 pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point:

Pending appointment of the board members of the Social Economic Council Sint Maarten (SER) (IS/036/2017-2018 dated October 19, 2017)

This meeting was requested by MP T.E. Leonard, MP F.A. Meyers, MP S.M. Bijlani, MP T.E. Heyliger and MP C.M.M. Connor.

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, via SXM GOV Radio 107.9, Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and facebook.com/sxmparliament.
Broad emphasis on economic impact after hurricane Irma

GREAT BAY:--- A team of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is to conduct a Damage and Loss Assessment exercise on St. Maarten from October 22 to October 27 upcoming. The 15 person strong team is led by Dr. Omar Bello, Coordinator for Sustainable Development and Disaster Unit. The assessment is expected to be broad-based with an emphasis on the economic impact of hurricane Irma.

ECLAC is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooperation. The commissions work includes contributing to solutions by conducting research and analysis and providing sound policy advice and technical assistance to Caribbean governments, focused on growth with equity and recognition of the sub regions vulnerability. ECLAC has 45 member States (20 in Latin America, 13 in the Caribbean and 12 from outside the region), and 13 associate members which are various non-independent territories, associated island countries and a commonwealth in the Caribbean. St. Maarten was conferred Associate Membership in ECLAC in May 2014.

While in St. Maarten, the team will have meetings with various stakeholders, including those representing sectors such as social affairs, housing, education, healthcare, the countrys transportation infrastructure, water and sanitation as well as collection and treatment of solid wastes.

The group further hopes to gain insight into, among others, post-disaster information on electricity supply and distribution, telecommunications, broadcasters, telecommunications, internet and tourism.

This will not be the first time ECLAC will be on a similar mission in St. Maarten. Following hurricanes Luis and Marilyn, years ago, ECLAC also completed an assessment of damages and loss on St. Maarten, which served as valuable analyses.

Early assessments were already carried out in St. Maarten immediately following the passing of hurricane Irma.

However as time passes and more information is gathered, a more thorough assessment is always possible and actually recommendable. That, in turn, facilitates a more accurate forecast of the long-term economic impact. With that in mind, stakeholders are encouraged to lend their full cooperation to the ECLAC damage and loss assessment exercise.

A questionnaire to be forwarded to stakeholders prior to the planned meetings is to serve as guideline for the expected conversations.

The governments Department of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK) is coordinating the meetings between stakeholders on St. Maarten and the ECLAC team. For more information, interested stakeholders may call the BAK office and ask for Cheryl Rohan at telephone 1 721 520 0194.

BAK Press Release
PHILIPSBURG:--- Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Rolando Brison has been invited to participate in a panel discussion on Best Practices for Crisis Management during the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Cruise Conference in Merida, Mexico this week.

The discussion will utilize the vantage points of both cruise executives and destinations to examine best practices of handling natural disasters and crises and provide an all-encompassing plan from preparation to proactive reaction, including housing and relief, evacuations, public relations, and communications with partners to supply resources.

Brison will join a top-level group of cruise executives including moderator Hon. Allen Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, & Chairman, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The other panelists are:

Carlos Torres de Navarra, Vice President, Commercial Port Operations, Carnival Cruise Line

Russell Daya, Executive Director, Marine & Port Operations, Port Developments & Itinerary Planning, Disney Cruise Line

Albino Di Lorenzo, Vice President, Cruise Operations, MSC Cruises (USA) Inc.

Federico Gonzalez, Associate Vice President, Government Relations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Brison was invited in part because of how he handled the immediate response from St. Maarten following Hurricane Irma, in particular handling large media outlets like NBC, CNN and having conducted high profile international interviews.

Its an honor to present for St. Maarten and humble by the opportunity to express the efforts of the Minister of Tourism Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher and government in general in St. Maartens recovery and the importance of reacting after such a disaster promptly, Brison said. Also, the importance of the cruise industry to our recovery, because if the cruise industry continues to support the region post-disaster, this will result in a trickle down affect to restart tourism economies in general. The presence of cruises creates confidence for potential stay-over visitors, the marine sector and the airline sector to restart its service to the islands, he added.

According to Seatrade Cruise News, the importance of this year's Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Conference & Trade Show rises to an even higher level as the region recovers from hurricanes and earthquakes.

Hosted in Merida, Mexico, Oct. 23-27, the event will assist recovery by helping to return cruise tourism and its economic benefits that are vital for many destinations to rebuild and rebound. Conference proceeds are going to support relief efforts, and best practices for crisis management will be a key topic.

Perhaps most important, according to the FCCA, the gathering will bring together people from across the region to battle through the adversities together.

Press Release from the Ministry of TEATT
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy with rain and snow this evening. Remaining cloudy overnight. Low 29F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain and snow this evening. Remaining cloudy overnight. Low 29F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Paris, Oct 22, 2017 (SPS) - The Algerian parliamentary delegation, participating Friday in the meeting on Western Sahara at the French National Assembly, proposed the creation of a permanent inter-parliamentary commission of solidarity with the Sahrawi people.

We propose the creation of a permanent inter-parliamentary commission of solidarity with the Sahrawi people, made up of parliamentarians supporting the Sahrawi cause, affirmed the head of the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Immigration at the Peoples National Assembly Abdelhamid Si Afif, who was leading the Algerian parliamentary delegation in the meeting.

This commission, whose chairmanship was proposed to French deputy Jean-Paul Lecoq, he underlined in his speech, will meet every year on the sidelines of the holding of the European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi people (EUCOCO) to assess the parliamentary action and decide on any strategy likely to speed up a fair and lasting settlement process in Western Sahara.

For the head of the Algerian parliamentary delegation, made up of six deputies and five senators, it is up to parliamentarians to help the Sahrawis and combine their efforts so that the movement of solidarity with the Sahrawi people develops and strengthens to allow these people, deprived from freedom, to determine their destiny. (SPS)

062/SPS/APS
Vitry-Sur-Seine (France), Oct 22, 2017 (SPS)  The member of the Council of the Nation (Upper House of Parliament), vice-president of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Finance Noureddine Djaafar on Saturday has called on Europe to get more involved in the settlement of decolonization issues, especially the question of Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco.

He also reiterated Algeria's unconditional support to the struggle of Sahrawi people for their right to self-determination and the protection of their natural resources.

In his address at the opening of the 42nd European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO 2017), taking place in Vitry-Sur-Seine (Paris), Djaafar called on "Europe of freedoms and human rights to assume its responsibilities," urging it to clarify its position regarding the Western Sahara conflict and Sahrawi people's struggle for their independence.

Giving the example of Sweden, which called, through its Parliament, for the recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), the Algerian senator urged the other European Union's members to do the same and get more involved in the settlement of conflicts.

"The objective of our action as people's representatives is to explain the Sahrawi issue, which has been under media blackout in Europe, and convince European countries to support the holding of a self-determination referendum, the only solution to the conflict," stressed Djaafar. (SPS)

062/SPS/APS




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Some of the countrys most promising biotech firms think Connecticut has the right economic DNA to support their businesses.

The opening last month of genomic testing firm Sema4s headquarters in Stamford points to the appeal of the area for expanding enterprises looking for more space in a central location with a strong research-and-development tradition. But experts say Stamford and other cities will not fulfill their potential as bioscience hubs unless the state tackles its fiscal and infrastructure problems.

Businesses, including tech and biopharma businesses, have woken up now, and people around the country are looking at Connecticut, said Paul Pescatello, executive director and general counsel for the Connecticut Bioscience Growth Council. But more and more articles about Connecticuts fiscal problems certainly dont help. Still, even with those long-term challenges, Im optimistic. I think theyre very solvable.

Growing in Connecticut

Spun off earlier this year from the Mount Sinai Health System in Manhattan, Sema4 was looking for affordable office space to accommodate its growing operations. It employs about 75 at its new base in Stamfords South End and plans to nearly double that number by the middle of next year.

The new headquarters complements a laboratory for sequencing of DNA-based tests Sema4 opened about two years ago in Branford, where it employs about 50. In total, the company has around 385 employees, with the remainder based in Manhattan.

We were born and raised at Mount Sinai, and what we were doing got pretty successful and grew to a pretty good size, to a point where we felt like itd be better to move that outside, Eric Schadt, founder and CEO of Sema4, said last week during a meeting at the new offices with Stamford Mayor David Martin. Expanding dramatically in New York City is very difficult and expensive, so Stamford topped the list as being in this corridor.

Other biotech startups have set up in Stamford in recent years. Loxo Oncology, which is working on therapies for genetically defined cancers, has been based in the city since its 2013 founding. Cara Therapeutics, which is developing treatments for acute and chronic pain and pruritus, relocated last year from Shelton.

Its worked out nicely because Stamford is close to New York City, where a lot of our large shareholders are and where Memorial Sloan Kettering (Cancer Center) is, Loxo CEO Joshua Bilenker said in an interview earlier this year. There is a biopharma community here.  It has turned out that were reasonably situated to build a strong team here in Stamford.

City officials said they hope similar firms move to Stamford in the coming years.

Were starting to build the ecosystem, as another business sector within Stamford, said Thomas Madden, Stamfords economic development director. With the talent coming out of New York and the fact that New York City is pretty much out of space, this is the alternative to come up to.

Stamfords largest biotech company, Purdue Pharma, has been headquartered in the city since 2000. It operates in an approximately 350,000-square-foot base at 201 Tresser Blvd., a block from Caras and Loxos offices.

Supporting the industry

Growing the bioscience sector represents an important part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloys economic agenda.

Milestones since Malloy became governor in January 2011 include the renovation of University of Connecticut health buildings in Farmington, the opening of the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington and the launch of a $200 million bioscience innovation fund.

No matter where you are in the state, you can make it work for bioscience, Catherine Smith, the states economic development director, said in a recent interview.

The state is an industry leader in a number of areas, according to a 2014 report by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and the research-and-development group Battelle. Connecticut placed fourth nationally in bioscience patents for every 1 million people between 2009 and 2013. It also ranked fourth in the country for per-capita spending in academic bioscience research and development in the 2012 fiscal year.

About 24,000 in Connecticut were working in 2012 in bioscience, with the sector affecting a total of about 113,000 positions, according to the report.

Connecticut Innovations, the agency that manages the state bioscience investment fund, has made in the past year several key investments, including about $500,000 in BioHaven Pharmaceutical. The New Haven-based firm, which is developing treatments for anxiety and depression, raised $168 million in a May initial public offering.

Most of the ones we get involved with are early stage, so we are hopefully setting the table for the next phase of larger financing, said Dan Wagner, Connecticut Innovations managing director of investments. Our focus is to be relatively opportunistic and get companies to move to Connecticut, set up shop and grow their teams here and hopefully be successful.

Challenges

As it looks to recruit more biotech firms, Connecticut can continue to lean on its geography. None of its five largest cities are more than 200 miles from either Boston or New York City.

But the state is hobbled by aging and congested rail and road infrastructure. The states troubled finances also hinder its corporate recruitment, with Connecticut carrying the unwanted distinction of being the only state in the country not to have passed a budget for the current fiscal year.

We still compete, Pescatello said. But if we had our fiscal house in order and transportation were improved, we could compete a lot better.

While stabilizing the states finances and upgrading its infrastructure would make it more attractive to the private sector, business experts say the state would also need to cultivate other areas to create a booming bioscience community. They also suggest the state avoid trying to compete with biotech hubs such as the Boston area.

Connecticut is going to have to find a niche where it can be particularly effective, said Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You have to have a population with people who will start new companies and be able to commercialize new ideas. You have to build a culture of entrepreneurship.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
WASHINGTON - The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services wrote in a newsletter Friday that it had "a total of 72 guidance documents that have been rescinded due to being outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective - 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and 9 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)." The documents, which fleshed out students' rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act, were rescinded Oct. 2.

A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos did not respond to requests for comment.

Advocates for students with disabilities were still reviewing the changes to determine their impact. Lindsay Jones, the chief policy and advocacy officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, said she was particularly concerned to see guidance documents outlining how schools could use federal special education money removed.

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"All of these are meant to be very useful . . . in helping schools and parents understand and fill in with concrete examples the way the law is meant to work when it's being implemented in various situations," said Jones.

President Donald Trump in February signed an executive order "to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens," spurring Education Department officials to begin a top-to-bottom review of its regulations. The department sought comments on possible changes to the special education guidance and held a hearing, during which many disability rights groups and other education advocates pressed officials to keep all of the guidance documents in place, said Jones.

This is not the first time DeVos has rolled back Education Department guidance, moves that have raised the ire of civil rights groups. The secretary in February rescinded guidance that directed schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity, saying that those matters should be left up to state and local school officials. In September, she scrapped rules that outlined how schools should investigate allegations of sexual assault, arguing that the Obama-era guidance did not sufficiently take into account the rights of the accused.

"Much of the guidance around [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] focused on critical clarifications of the regulations required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and provide them a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment," Scott said in a statement. "Notwithstanding the actions taken by the Department today, the regulations still remained enforced; however they lack the clarification the guidance provided."

The special education guidance documents rescinded this month clarified the rights of disabled students in a number of areas, including making clear how schools could spend federal money set aside for special education. Some, like one titled "Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools," translated the legal jargon into plain English for parents advocating for their children. Some of the guidance documents that were cut had been on the books since 1980s.

Jones said it is not unusual for new administrations to update documents or to eliminate redundancies, but she had never seen so many eliminated at one time.

"If the documents that are on this list are all covered in newer documents that were released - which sometimes does happen - that would be fine," said Jones." Our goal is to make sure that parents and schools and educators understand how these laws work and the department plays a critical role in that."
As we report today on the front page, the pothole season isnt just nearly upon us again. To many drivers in the Flagstaff region, it never left this year.

A trip along I-17 and I-40 in any direction from Flagstaff provides the proof. Dozens of little white patches dot each mile of the right-hand travel lanes, some crumbling into divots and crevices. Meanwhile the passing lanes are nearly as full of vehicles as the travel lanes  who wants to bounce and swerve all the way to Williams when relief is just a lane away, even if it does create dangerous passing conditions?

ADOT says the past winter had an unusually high number of freeze-thaw cycles. They have put down a new surface on I-40 in sections this summer between Flagstaff and Williams and will work on I-17 south of Flagstaff next year.

But civil engineers like Flagstaffs Mark Woodson say the state hasnt been keeping up with the timely maintenance that winter roads require and now ADOT is paying more to resurface and rebuild the roadways. Its not only more costly in the long run but dangerous to drivers  the crumbling pavement is blamed for a rising number of high-speed accidents, not to mention blown tires and broken axles.

FAILED LEADERSHIP

Whats really at issue, though, is not just unfilled potholes but failed leadership on a sustainable way to finance roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. The state gas tax of 18 cents a gallon hasnt been raised since 1991, and more efficient vehicle engines since then have meant that revenues from gasoline purchases havent kept pace with the explosion of miles driven each year. Arizona drivers put 67 billion miles on their vehicles last year, up 12 percent in just the past five years, while gas tax collections have remained flat.

Meanwhile, state elected officials continue to divert gas taxes and vehicle fees meant for cities and counties to the Highway Patrol  some $86 million is proposed this year. Yet they block a statewide vote on a 10-cent-per-gallon hike in the gas tax that would raise about $300 million a year. By comparison, ADOT spent $282 million over the past three years on maintenance and repairs statewide.

But didnt Flagstaff and Coconino County just pass in 2014 a higher sales taxes for local road repairs? True, in part because the Legislature has never restored the localities full share of gas taxes after the recession. So now the talk is about getting legislative permission to put a gas tax hike on the Coconino County ballot, then dedicate it to the state roads that ADOT is neglecting. (Like the income tax, a gas tax at the local level has been pre-empted by the Legislature.)

TAX HIKE OR TAX REFORM?

This approach, of course, lets the state off the hook for meeting basic infrastructure obligations, just as lawmakers and the governor have not made up shortfalls in state school funding since 2009 but refuse to support higher taxes. Its why the Arizona constitution allows citizens' initiatives, and maybe its time to talk about a gas tax hike on the ballot along with a dedicated schools tax.

Some economists have talked of comprehensive tax reform that shifts the gas tax from per-gallon to price-based while expanding the reach of the state sales tax from goods to services, but at a lower overall rate and a deep cut in income taxes. Such a consumption tax would not only be more fair in a state like Arizona with a service-based economy but tap some of the luxury services used by wealthy retirees. But other retirees on limited incomes that arent taxed much anyway are not likely to support a new tax system that raises prices on haircuts and car repairs.

As for the county gas tax, before anything goes on the ballot, wed be interested in a few protections for local drivers and taxpayers. One would allow the county to use the extra funds to hire its own contractors on its own speeded-up timetable to fix potholes on the interstate lanes within its boundaries. And a second would prohibit the Legislature from backing out from Coconino Countys share of state highway funds the amount the county raises from the extra dime on gasoline sales.

PAY NOW OR LATER

With those caveats in place, wed urge local elected leaders to put authorization of a county gas tax election on their legislative wish list for the coming session. The White House talks a good game about a big infrastructure push, but winter is getting close in northern Arizona and so far all weve heard is talk. As for ADOT, they are falling further behind on winter repairs with no increase in spending on the horizon. An extra dime a gallon would cost the average driver about $40 a year. So we can pay at the pump or at the tire shop, and the last time we checked, $40 wouldnt even buy half a tire.
VIROQUA  Jody Koopman began making candy with her mother and grandmother, as a girl growing up on a farm near Viroqua.

She enjoyed it so much, she began her The Sugar Shack candy business eight years ago.

Koopman makes her sweet treats in a state-licensed commercial kitchen in her rural Viroqua home. She sells some of them at about 10 events each year.

Her candies also are available year-round at four retail outlets  The Cheese Corner and the Viroqua Public Market, both in Viroqua; at Wehling Farms near Westby and at Pasture Pride Cheese in Cashton. And people can contact Koopman to place an order.

Its a part-time business for Koopman, who has worked full time at a local bank for the past 18 years.

I did a lot of baking with my mom and my grandma when I was growing up, Koopman said in an interview in her candy kitchen. My grandma got me started on candy. She bought me some candy molds for Christmas one year when Koopman was about 10.

Koopman, her mother and grandmother made candy for friends and family, especially during the Christmas holiday season.

Ever since I started making candy, Ive always thought it would be fun to have a candy store, Koopman said. She still would like to do that, but doesnt have a timetable for opening her own store.

Koopman turned her candy-making hobby into a business in 2009, selling her sweets at the Saturday famers market in Viroqua and at some area craft shows.

I enjoy making it, she said of her candy. Its kind of relaxing. You can focus on what youre doing. And I like going to shows and seeing people I know, and making new friends.

Her mother, Diane Koopman, helps her make candy before major events where The Sugar Shacks candy will be sold.

Some of The Sugar Shacks most popular candies include sweet and salty caramels, peanut butter crunch balls, turtles, cashew crunch and fudge.

Milk chocolate is Koopmans most popular fudge flavor, followed by butter pecan and creamy lemon.

Her long list of candies also includes some seasonal novelty molded candies, such as rose-shaped chocolate pops for Valentines Day and chocolate snowmen and Christmas stockings during the holiday season.

Koopman also makes several kinds of cookie and brownie mixes.

Some of The Sugar Shacks customers order candy by telephone, email or Facebook messaging.

Thats a fair amount of my business, especially during the Christmas season, Koopman said. Some area businesses order her candy as a holiday gift for their clients.

Koopman has shipped candy to people as far away as South Carolina and Washington state.

In the coming weeks, she will be selling her candy at the Monroe County Historical Society arts and craft show Nov. 4 at Sparta High School, at a craft and vendor fair Nov. 18 at Viroqua High School and at the Vernon Memorial Healthcare holiday craft show Dec. 7.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Corn Board will hold its next meeting, Monday, Nov. 20, and Tuesday, Nov. 21, at The Cornhusker Marriott, 333 South 13th Street in Lincoln.

The Board will be hold a joint Nebraska Corn Growers Association and Nebraska Corn Board meeting the afternoon of Nov. 20. The following day, Nov. 21, the Nebraska Corn Board will meet to address regular board business. The meeting is open to the public. A copy of the agenda is available by calling either 402/471-2676 or by emailing susan.zabel@nebraska.gov.
I am sometimes asked if I think the parenting pendulum is swinging back, however slowly, toward where it was 60-plus years ago or at least toward a tolerable middle point.

Before I answer, the reader should understand that prior to the psychological parenting revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s, there was no periodic swing in child rearing in America or any other culture. The evidence points to a parenting ethos that remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years (while everything else was changing). This ethos consisted not of methodologies, but of timeless understandings concerning children and parental responsibilities, understandings that crossed cultural boundaries. It is, in fact, still being adhered to in cultures that have not turned to mental health professionals as the primary source of child-rearing guidance but still rely on community elders for parenting support and counsel.

In the cultures in question, children are everything American children were before experts determined that they had been anointed by some New Age divinity to fix something that wasnt broken: responsible, mannerly, respectful of adults, hard-working, and trustworthy. As an example, a woman who recently spent two years working in rural African schools told me that it was not unusual to find over 100 children of all ages being taught in one large space by one teacher who was dealing with virtually zero behavior problems.

That is a hallucinogenic dream in America today, yet I have met a good number of American women who taught, solo, over 90 first-graders at one time in the early 1950s. Without exception, they testify to orderly classrooms where discipline was not a major issue.

The major difference between then and now is that parents in the good old days understood their obligations to their neighbors, communities, and culture whereas todays parents do not have as good a grasp of these obligations. Today, the raising of the typical child is not about strengthening culture; it is all about the child and promoting his accomplishments. You know, helping him get accepted by the right university and such. (By the way, the right university for me was Western Illinois University  not generally included in a best of list.)

So, having put the original question into a proper historical context, my answer is no. I had hope for such a restoration up until recently. Then it became clear to me that most of todays parents will do such things as give their 10-year-olds smartphones on demand even if theyre aware of research saying that such devices induce changes in brain development that mimic addiction. The inmates are obviously running the asylum.

Which leads me to point out that todays parents are, as a lot, afraid of their children. They are afraid to upset them, deprive them of what their friends have, afraid of losing their carefully cultivated friendships with them. As is typical of folks in my generation, I am thankful that my parents did not care whether I liked them or not. It never occurred to me to yell I hate you! because it would not have caused them to even pause in what they were doing.

American child rearing underwent a paradigm shift 50 years ago and has been off the rails ever since. Indeed, more and more people are recognizing this and resolving to correct it in their own homes. But will the big picture ever be re-balanced? I doubt it, but thats not the point. The point is to do the right thing without needing someone else to join in, or even cheer you on.
This letter is in support of Mr. Kutteh in his efforts to become re-elected as mayor of Statesville.
King Mihai continues to be under the permanent monitoring of doctors, following the usual treatment, the Royal House has informed.

"Princess Mary is in Switzerland to be next to King Mihai on His Majesty's birthday." Her Royal Highness is spending a few days at her father's private residence, and His Majesty continues to be under the permanent monitoring of doctors, following the usual treatment of the last months," reads the posting on romaniaregala ro.According to the quoted source, two events will take place in Bucharest on King Mihai's birthday.On October 25, when the King turns 96, the Crown's Custodian will decorate 14 personalities from Romania and Europe at the Royal Palace. In the evening, Princess Margareta, Prince Radu and Princess Maria will take part in the charity concert organized by the Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation at the Romanian Athenaeum. The concert is at its tenth edition and is organized to raise funds to support the annual Talent Youth programme, the mentioned source informs.

AGERPRES .
ONALASKA  When Hurricane Harvey devastated Hopkins Elementary in Victoria, Tex., Kayla Finco and Addie Lorenz knew they needed to help out.

The two fifth-grade students at Irving Pertzsch Elementary worked with their Library Media Center director Sarah Frie to adopt the school and are spending the month of October collecting books, school supplies and clothing to send to the students affected by the August hurricane. Harvey devastated Houston as well as a number of cities along the coast, including Victoria.

Frie shared photos of the school, Kayla and Addie said, which showed how bad the flooding was and how mold and other water damage had set in after the hurricane passed. The two pushed Frie to adopt Hopkins as a school in need and then began the work planning on how to help out.

There was just so much damage, Kayla said. They dont have a lot of supplies. Most of it got ruined in the flooding.

Addie and Kayla, who both said they love to read, thought a good way to help out might be to donate books. A school needs books, they said, and Hopkins likely had to throw away or try and repair the books that were damaged in the flooding.

They also decided to collect school supplies, childrens clothing and monetary donations. Their efforts officially kicked off Oct. 2, with students and community members dropping off items through Oct. 20.

Along with reaching out to their classmates, Kayla and Addie also made posters that were given out to local businesses such as the local Toyota dealership and others. Each class has a donation box, and at the end of the fundraiser, the class with the most donations will get a pizza party Frie said.

Fries husband Bob works at Fastenal in Winona and the company donated boxes as well as using its own fleet of trucks to help deliver the collected supplies. By the middle of the campaign, Frie said the students had collected more than 47 boxes filled with donations.

We are very thankful for them (Fastenal), Frie said. Books are heavy.

Proceeds from the schools Scholastic Book Fair also will be donated to the campaign, Frie said. Northern Hills Elementary and some other schools also have offered to donate their proceeds to the effort.

Kayla said she is excited to get updates from the school, which has been sending pictures of the recovery efforts. There are also plans to have a Skype meeting between the two schools in November after the fundraiser is over.

It feels really great, Addie said. I am excited the Hopkins students will remember us for helping out after the hurricane.

It has been really fun, Kayla added. Once we got the idea, we were so excited to start. It has been fun to see the idea grow to the rest of the school and community.
In the years that Doe Run Co. operated its lead smelter in Herculaneum, certain air quality readings in Jefferson County used to register some of the nations worst levels of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.

That has changed dramatically since the plants closure in 2013, and state regulators are now poised to propose in a meeting this week that the area be redesignated as compliant, or in attainment, of sulfur dioxide standards imposed by the Clean Air Act.

Some worry, though, that such a designation would spare Ameren, the St. Louis-based power provider, from having to adopt stricter pollution controls for its own operations in the area. The companys coal-powered Rush Island Energy Center is in Jefferson County and accounts for 97 percent of the noncompliant areas emissions of sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that can trigger respiratory problems and other health complications.

(The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is) using the closure of the smelter at Herculaneum to let Ameren off the hook for reducing their emissions, said Maxine Lipeles, the director of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University, which routinely tracks pollution issues related to Ameren.

In comments submitted to the DNR, Lipeles outlined concerns that new allowable sulfur dioxide limits would be excessively high and fail to provide benchmarks to meaningfully ensure safe ambient levels of the pollutant.

Theyre saying, Look, the air is clean now, Lipeles said. Well, the limits are much higher than actual emissions from these plants. So the limits arent doing anything.

Rush Islands sulfur dioxide emissions, for instance, were 17,444 tons in 2014, according to the comments she submitted. Proposed DNR regulations, meanwhile, would permit the facility to emit 59,568 tons annually  more than three times the actual output.

Amerens fleet of coal plants around the St. Louis area includes some of the largest in the country without expensive technology, often referred to as scrubbers, installed to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions  something Lipeles characterized as an inexplicable regulatory oversight.

Ameren, though, says a scrubber is not needed and that Jefferson Countys past struggles to meet sulfur dioxide standards were not attributable to its plant in the area.

The issue was not driven by Rush Island, it was driven by the lead smelter, said Steve Whitworth, Amerens senior director of environmental policy and analysis.

The record has shown even going back 20 years that our emissions remain low and continue to decline, Whitworth added, noting that the utility will remain committed to its use of ultra-low sulfur coal purchased from Wyoming. Well continue to do our part.

Ameren says monitoring data supports its assertion about the plants emissions, though critics say the monitors are sited in areas where peak concentrations of pollutants would not occur.

A decision on attainment and an accompanying plan to maintain compliance was originally expected from the DNRs Missouri Air Conservation Commission in September, but agency officials said they are still in the process of reviewing comments submitted on the issue. A proposed action, which would then go to the EPA for final approval, is now expected at the bodys Oct. 26 meeting in Springfield and would require approval from all four serving commissioners.
President Donald Trump last week invoked the name of Arthur Laffer in defense of his still-embryonic tax-cut plan. Along with David Stockman, President Ronald Reagans budget director, Laffer was present when supply-side economics was briefly taken seriously.

Stockman has spent the last 30 years apologizing, admitting that supply-side and trickle-down economics are the same and that tax cuts could never pay for themselves. At best, says conservative economist Greg Mankiw of Harvard, growth could cover about a third of the cost of tax cuts.

Still, false hope underpins the plan that Trump and congressional Republicans hope to pass before years end. There is still widespread disagreement among Republicans about what to cut and how to pay for it.

There are only three certainties about the plan: One, a huge percentage of its benefits would go to a small percentage of taxpayers; two, it wouldnt pay for itself, and three, its supporters are lying about points one and two.

Laffer, 77, appeared on the Fox Business channel last Monday to argue that the tax plan will be so wonderful that even Democrats will love it.

Im hoping the Democrats vote with it. They should vote with it. They believe in it. They want it ..., Laffer said. To let this partisanship go to that extreme that they vote against America is to me shocking. I cant imagine a lot of them not voting in favor of the presidents bill.

Trump saw that clip and took to his Twitter account, citing Laffer as an authoritative source: Art Laffer just said that he doesnt know how a Democrat could vote against the big tax cut/reform bill and live with themselves!

No Democrat whos not planning to switch parties would vote for it, nor would any rational Republican. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that 80 percent of the proposed tax cuts would go to the top 1 percent of earners over the next decade. Meanwhile a quarter of households in the middle 20 percent of wage-earners would see their tax bills rise.

The White House argues that by cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, household income would jump by an average of $4,000 a year. Aside from the misleading math (average incomes include Warren Buffetts as well as his secretarys) theres no reason to expect 5 percent growth in household income. Economists generally agree that even 3 percent sustained growth is optimistic.

Growth-by-tax-cuts didnt happen under Reagan, nor when George W. Bush tried it. And it wont happen under Trump. Were more likely to see what happened in Kansas after dramatic tax cuts were enacted in 2012: an economic catastrophe that had to be remedied with higher taxes to balance revenue losses.

Gov. Sam Brownbacks top consultant on that tax plan: Art Laffer.
Awards are the last things on Rosalie Roz Schnicks mind when she immerses herself in service and philanthropic endeavors in the Coulee Region, because she is focused on her inspiration: her late husband, Ron.

Their 43-year marriage was so close, their interests so aligned, she said, that, after he died in March 2012, In my eulogy to him, I dedicated the rest of my life to honoring him.

Even though she acknowledges that she didnt know at the time what that meant, she knows now as she declares, I want to make every person reach their full potential.

Schnicks dedication to that goal and other community causes resulted in the decision of the Womens Fund of Greater La Crosse to present her with the 2017 Roberta Zurn Outstanding Women in Leadership Award.

The award, which memorializes a retired teacher who left a bequest to the Women's Fund in 2003, honors women who strive to serve others.

The Brain Game

If Schnicks goal of helping every person sounds unrealistic, she doesnt see it that way.

Consider one of Schnicks passions since she joined the Downtown Rotary Club of La Crosse in January 2015: "The Brain Game. The club is the publisher of the book, which has become a juggernaut among parental guides to help childrens brains develop in the crucial period up to age 3.

"Our mission is to have every parent in the world have a book, Schnick said during an interview in her home office on French Island, with its idyllic view of Lake Onalaska.

Everything happens in the first three years, she said, noting that the 2001 book is in its third edition in both English and Spanish, it just became available as an ebook, and has an app coming and a hardcover in the works.

The app will be especially helpful in countries such as Nicaragua, which Schnick learned about through her involvement with Global Partners at the Gundersen Medical Foundation.

Many Nicaraguans cannot read, but a Rotary Club there will sponsor a reading of an audiobook of The Brain Game on a local radio station, she said.

Several of Schnicks causes, especially environmental advocacy, aquaculture and aquaponics, sprang from her 15 years as national coordinator for Aquaculture New Animal Drug Applications and her 28-year career at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse.

That center doesnt get enough credit, said the 75-year-old Schnick, whose work there included developing drugs to protect the health of fish, and influencing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Schnick, a native of Owatonna, Minn., attributes her interest in fisheries and other environmental issues to the fact that her dad, a farmer, took her fishing when she was just 4.

That got me into nature and the environment, she said, and convinced her of the need to protect the environment to safeguard peoples health and recreation at the same time.

'Herding cats'

Sometimes, it was like herding cats, said Schnick, who formed her own consulting firm after retiring in 2010, with clients in France, Norway, Scotland, Texas and Georgia.

She is a strong advocate of aquaponics, which usually involves growing fish and plants together.

With aquaponics, we can raise our own food  and people on food stamps who cant afford much will be able to grow their own, she said.

Her husbands death from a rare form of dementia just nine months after he was diagnosed instilled in her an appreciation of caregivers who helped her during his demise, she said.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for people who are caregivers. They arent paid enough, and they are so skilled, Schnick said, tearing up at the memory of her husbands final months and the support she received from caregivers.

To watch this incredible man die before me was a shock because of their common interests in a variety of things in a relationship in which their minds synced almost as if they were one, she said.

Schnick expressed the wish that everyone could have one day or even one hour of what I had for 43 years with my husband.

Many in the Coulee Region are grateful for the days, hours, months and years Schnick dedicates to service projects.

Gift to community

Shes a wonderful gift to our community, said Chuck Hanson, a La Crosse attorney who sponsored her membership in Rotary.

Roz is a very positive person who looks for ways to serve people, he said. She is a perfect fit for Rotary because it is so involved in so many service projects."

Roz does nothing halfway, Hanson said, an assessment echoed by Catherine Kolkmeier, executive director of the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium who has gotten to know Schnick as a Rotary colleague.

She has energy and enthusiasm  from her politics, to community involvement to her dedication to the community, Kolkmeier said, adding, Im sorry I got to know her just lately. Shes a great person to have in the community.

Schnick has been a major contributor, both financially and physically, to YWCA, said Ruthann Schultz, the YWs executive director.

The YW gave Schnick the Olga Schleiter Award in April to recognize her philanthropy, an honor that moved her to tears, as did the discovery that she would receive the Zurn award.

She knows a lot about a lot of things, Schultz said, making a point that Schnick might quibble with, since her own assessment is that she knows a little bit about a lot of things.

On the political side, Schnick is an avid Democrat who counts among her friends U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, who lives barely a stones throw from her; state Rep. Jill Billings, whom Schnick described as having a true moral compass, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, to name a few.

Schnick experienced a severe health problem with digestive issues after her husband died. The malady brought her in contact with wholistic nutritionist Diane Carrk, whom Schnick credits with saving my life.

Adopting the healthy eating habits Caark espoused, Schnick said she lost 100 pounds and regained her health. They now are co-writing a book about nutrition.

Between her husbands death and her own brush with it, Schnick has found that suffering has helped her find meaning.

Receiving the Olga Schleiter Award from the Y was such a humbling experience for me, but I have this beacon (Ron) driving me, she said. I get out of this much more than I ever give.

No throwaways

Often invoking the mantra of there are no throwaways, Schnick said, Every life has meaning. Every person has the right to the basic necessities of life.

We as a society will be better when everybody has a chance to have a decent life. Zuckoff writes about the need to live with love and compassion, not fear and anger, Schnick said. Think of where society would be  instead of where we are  if we had love and compassion instead of fear and anger.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is still smarting from last months rocky resolution to the state budget debate, calling three Republican senators who struck a deal with Gov. Scott Walker to support the budget terrorists.

Thats what they are, Vos said in a WISN-TV interview that aired Sunday. You dont hold somebody hostage for your own personal needs.

Vos was addressing Sens. Chris Kapenga of Delafield, Steve Nass of Whitewater and Duey Stroebel of Saukville, three hard-line conservative GOP senators who appeared ready to block passage of the 2017-19 budget last month, before striking a last-minute deal with Walker to pass it.

But Vos said the budget might not have passed had the contents of that deal, which called for Walker to use his line-item veto authority to strip out parts of the budget, been public before other lawmakers voted on it.

Nobody else was involved. Only three people made a backroom deal, Vos said. Maybe the budget wouldve failed if wed known some of those aspects were going to be vetoed, but we never had the chance to know.

The two-year state budget was passed more than 10 weeks after the deadline, the longest such delay in a decade. Vos latest comments show tension from that process remains high  and further call into question how much a divided GOP Legislature will accomplish for the remainder of the 2017-18 legislative session.

Responding to Vos use of the term terrorists, Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said in a statement that its unacceptable the word was used to describe good public servants at a time when our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorism around the world.

Nass spokesman Mike Mikalsen responded with a statement saying Vos, during the budget process, fought for measures including a gas tax increase, toll roads and property tax increases. A budget provision supported by Assembly Republicans but vetoed from the budget by Walker would have increased the amount school districts that spend less per student than the state average can raise in property taxes.

Most of his efforts were defeated by conservative legislators working with the governor to protect taxpayers, Mikalsen said.

Stroebel said in a statement that Wisconsinites expect more of their leaders than to make these kind of personal attacks. He also defended his deal with Walker, saying he worked with Senate colleagues and the governor to ensure the budget bill represented the best interest of all Wisconsinites by slowing the growth of government and establishing important reforms.

Kapenga could not be reached for comment.

In exchange for their support for the budget, the three senators struck an accord with Walker to use his line-item authority to make a repeal of the states prevailing wage requirement take effect immediately, instead of a year later. The deal also called for Walker to limit the days on which school districts may hold referendum votes, removed funding for the states Transportation Projects Commission and stripped out an expansion of power for the state Public Finance Authority.

In the remainder of the legislative session, lawmakers are expected to consider proposals from business and conservative groups to change the workers compensation system, loosen mining restrictions and wetland protections and scrap state family and medical leave protections that overlap with federal ones. They also will grapple with bills targeting so-called sanctuary cities, restricting use of fetal tissue in research and allowing concealed firearms to be carried without permits and in school zones.

But Capitol observers have said the bad blood between Assembly and Senate Republicans could grind the legislative session to a standstill.

Vos remarks Sunday were just the latest comments hes made expressing displeasure with the budget process. In September, he sent texts to Walker on the subject that were later made public.

Very disappointed in the way Ive been treated...not even the courtesy of a phone call before you took out things that were important to me, he said in one. In another he says, I wont forget this.

Asked about those texts in the WISN-TV interview, Vos said, I consider myself one of Gov. Walkers best allies and said he hashed the matter out with Walker after he returned from Asia, where the governor was when Vos sent the texts.

I try to be honest and upfront, Vos said. Others dont have the ability to do that.
A container ship has been prevented from entering New Zealand waters after several moths were found on board.

The ANL Warragul was heading to the Port of Tauranga from Sydney when the insects were discovered.

A Ministry for Primary Industries spokesperson says a number of dead and live moths have been found on board the vessel.

We havent identified the moths yet, so we dont whether theyre regulated or not. The vessel is currently outside the 12 nautical mile mark, so theyre not currently in New Zealand territorial waters.

If the moth is found to be regulated, the vessel may not be permitted to enter New Zealand.

According to the shipping schedule, the ANL Warragul was due to arrive in port at 5am this morning, and depart for Papeete, Tahiti at 10pm.

The Port of Tauranga directed all SunLive enquiries to MPI.
The end of the working week brought some much-needed settled weather, which also saw a warm air mass dragged over from Australia push temperatures in the South Island to above average.

A southwest flow which covered the country midweek brought showers to exposed parts of the country, mainly the far south of the South Island.

As a ridge of high pressure started to build over New Zealand the flow turned more southerly with the showers setting their sights on the eastern parts of both Islands. By Thursday the ridge of high pressure was positioned over the country with winds dying out and only a few showers lingering in Gisborne.

Accompanied with the settled weather, the warm air mass that originated over Australia travelled over the Tasman Sea and ended up over the South Island by Thursday. Obviously having travelled over the ocean the air mass was not as hot as in Australia but still produced some impressive above average temperatures for the southern part of the South Island.

The hottest place in New Zealand was Cromwell for two days running, reaching 28C on Thursday and 29C on Friday, says meteorologist Kyle Lee. Other places worth mentioning was Clyde, which reached 27.6C on Thursday and 28.1C on Friday, while Alexander reached 27.5C on Thursday and 28C on Friday.

The warm temperatures and settled winds made for a great start to the long weekend, but on Saturday the settled weather ended as a front reached New Zealand. The front travelled across the South Island and southern part of the North Island on Saturday.

Looking ahead, a low pressure forming over the Tasman Sea today is set to bring some wet weather for the northern part of the North Island tomorrow. Some areas could see a period of heavier rain and possible thunderstorms, especially in the eastern Bay of Plenty, with a heavy rain Watch being issued for this area tomorrow. The South Island will also see some wet weather as a front lingers on the west coast and a southerly change brings showers to the east coast.

The short working week ahead will see some changeable weather with westerlies dominating the country. Although settled at times, another active front is set to cross the country on Wednesday and Thursday bringing more wet weather.
A section of State Highway 2 is partially blocked after a car crashed into rock fall this afternoon.

The accident occurred at around 2.45pm in the Karangahake Gorge, between Waihi and Paeroa.

A police spokesperson says it is the eastbound lane that is affected, with traffic building up in the area.

She did not believe the motorist involved in the crash had been hurt.
Young students from around the Bay of Plenty will come together at Tahatai School next Wednesday, in a showcase of all things Pasifika.

Pasifika in the Bay, which is in its third year, is a festival devoted to celebrating diverse Pasifika nations in the Bay of Plenty.

Taumuri Utikere, 11, from Tahatai Coast School, is one of many students who will be taking part in this years festival.

He says it is the second year he will be participating in the festival, since joining his schools Poly Club last year.

I encouraged myself to join Poly Club, says Taumuri. I love it - its fun and its good exercise for me. I work out every morning.

We get the chance to meet new friends, all come together and be taught by awesome teachers.

We do dances, sasa and different exercises.

Around 80 students make up the Poly Club group at Tahatai Coast School, and Taumuri says he is proud to return to the stage with them at this years event.

All of my friends and me are having fun and we are all excited. I have hopes that well do really well.

Its all about trying your best, and being strong at doing it.

Poly Club teacher and event organiser Mike Douglas says the event gives the community a glimpse into the diversity of Polynesian cultures.

The showcase our children take to the stage is a mixture of performances from different Pasifika areas.

We always try and include a comedy piece in the boys performances, says Mike. Theres a mixture of songs in contemporary English and in contemporary Pasifika.

This year we are taking four to five items to showcase at the event.

Taumuri says he enjoys the songs he has been practicing but cant pick a favourite.

Even when Im sick, I train, I still encourage myself to do it so I dont forget any of the moves.

I even train at home from my computer. I watch videos of myself and copy the moves.

Taumuri says he is expecting his mum, dad and extended family to come out to the show to support him and his younger sister, who is also in the show.

The event attracts more than 17 schools from around the Bay and is open to the community. It is being held October 25, with a postponement date on Friday, October 27.
"At about 8.20am Saturday October 21, three males entered the Kingsway Superette, Prisk Street, Hamilton and stole an unknown quantity of cash and cigarettes," says Police.

"One male was armed with a yellow handled hatchet. He is described as wearing a white t-shirt, light grey hooded sweat shirt, black gloves, black shoes with black soles and a G Shock or similar wrist watch. His face was covered.

"The second offender was carrying a similar coloured yellow handled hammer.

"He was wearing a dark hooded sweat shirt, dark cap, dark long pants, black Nike shoes with white sole and stripe. He was also wearing a black cap with NEW ZEALAND on the brim. He was carrying a yellow handled hammer and black cooler-type bag.

"The third offender was carrying a screwdriver coloured black and yellow.

"He was dressed in a dark hooded sweat shirt, light grey track pants and blue material across his face. He was also wearing low cut white Nike shoes with black stripes. He was carrying a black back pack and screwdriver.

"A stolen vehicle used by the group was driven by an unknown Maori or Pacific Island woman of a large build aged around twenty years old.

"The car was recovered a short time later on the corner of ORegan and Collins Roads, Hamilton."

Police are asking for anyone with information to contact Detective Sergeant Andy Saunders, Hamilton CIB on (07) 858 620 or anonymously via the Crimestoppers hotline 0800 555 111.
A police media spokesperson says the incident occurred at Mount Mellick.

Police were called to the Mount Mellick bar on Maungaui Road at around 9.30pm.

A 42-year-old Auckland man has been charged with assault with intent to injure following the incident.

He is due to appear in the Tauranga District Court on the October 27.
NEW BERLIN  This is where you can taste history.

It can be tart, sweet or somewhere in between.

A few have hints of pineapple, vanilla, apricot, strawberry or grapefruit. Most come with red, yellow and green skins.

There are over 160 varieties of apples that hang from the more than 1,300 trees that make up Westons Antique Apple Orchards. And like the name suggests, many of the varieties here on Prospect Hill along West National Avenue have quite a back story.

The Pink Lady apples originated in western Australia and have a pink-colored flesh. The Black Gilliflower dates to the 1700s, is conical-shaped and tastes like a pear. The Prairie Spy was developed at the University of Minnesota in 1940 and is good for eating but also makes a decent pie. The Sops of Wine apple was introduced in 1832 in England, while the Cort Pendu Plat apples are one of the orchards oldest. They date to the 1600s in Europe, bud in late spring to avoid frosts and ripen in October.

But two of the best stories in the orchard come from a pair of octogenarian siblings who are the heart and soul of the farm that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and donated to the city of New Berlin in 2004.

The orchard is operated as a nonprofit, and Ken Weston and his sister, Genevieve Weston, are making sure that the history of the orchard and its apples is being preserved with the help of a few employees and a team of volunteers.

I havent lost my enthusiasm but Ive lost my mobility, Genevieve, 87, said, as she sat on a metal folding chair in the orchards more than 100-year-old barn. This is my world. I love the farm.

Ken, 88, roams the orchard on a Kubota, zero-turn lawn mower, while Genevieve uses a four-wheeled electric scooter. When theyre not in the orchard, they use walkers for assistance. But their minds are sharp and they both have witty personalities that occasionally clash. Their apple IQs are off the chart.

Its not a great flavor but its not bad. I keep it because its historically interesting, Ken said while looking over a Tomato apple tree planted in 1936. When I was a child, I would wander through (the orchard) in the dark. They looked like giants.

The whole idea of the orchard is to preserve antique apple varieties that generally predate the widespread use of refrigerated box cars. Beginning in the 1940s, refrigeration allowed apples that were transportation-hardy to be shipped greater distances, which led to a decline in the number of varieties available to consumers, Weston said.

The orchard is part of the Prospect Hill Settlement District, a collection of historic structures and properties in this southeastern Waukesha County city. Besides the barn, its neighboring farmhouse and the orchard, the district includes the former Freewill Baptist Church, which was constructed in 1859 and restored to its original state after being destroyed by arson fire in 1985. Other buildings include barns and houses from the 1800s, a red schoolhouse built in 1863 that was converted to a cheese plant, the Meidenbauer log cabin and a windowed tower that was part of the Milwaukee Childrens Hospital from 1930 to 1955.

The orchards barn was built in 1906 for dairy cows, but when Ken and Genevieves grandfather, William Marckwardt, moved to the property, he and his brother Henry, used the barns basement for an aluminum and brass foundry where they made barrel staves and metal handheld nutcrackers. William Marckwardt purchased the farm in 1931 and in 1936 his daughter Alice and her husband, Harvey Weston, who had moved to the farm from Milwaukee with their two young children, began adding to a small apple orchard already on the property.

My father at first was in the chicken business but, of course, that was no good at all because people were stealing the chickens and so we got into the orchard business, Genevieve said. This was during the Depression and they werent getting money (in Milwaukee), they were getting script instead of money so they came out here. My mother always liked apples as a little girl.

Alice Weston used to sell apples from the small orchard, fresh bread and pies along the road. But by the mid-1940s, the trees planted in the mid to late 1930s, some from McKay Nursery in Waterloo, began to fully produce. As more trees were added, the orchard became a major undertaking and thriving family business. The barns basement was converted to cooler space for harvested apples, while the main floor of the barn was used to store machinery.

Alice Weston inherited the property from her fathers estate in 1949. She died in 2000 at the age of 99, while her husband, Harvey, died in 1992 at the age of 87.

Genevieve Weston graduated from UW-Madison and taught elementary school for about seven years before returning to the farm to help on the orchard. Today, she spends three afternoons a week at the West Allis Farmers Market with employee Dave Scott, who loads and drives the pickup truck with nearly two dozen different varieties of apples displayed in wooden crates and half-gallon jugs of apple cider made from a mixture of apple varieties.

Weston sits in a chair behind the stand where she collects money and weighs apples, and is quick to offer background on the taste and texture of the fruit. Shes been coming to the market for over 50 years.

People used to like early apples, now they only go for the hard, crunchy apples. They dont like soft apples anymore, said Weston, who wore a purple John Deere sweatshirt partially covered by her long, white hair. We have wonderful helpers, as you can see. Without these helpers, I dont know what we would do.

At Thursdays market, the inventory, all sold for $2 per pound, included Yellow Bellflower, Golden Russett, Hubbardston Nonesuch and Mutsu, a variety developed in Japan in the 1930s. One customer purchased 19 pounds of apples. Another, Ralph Spano, of Milwaukee, bought a plastic grocery bag full of several different varieties.

Ive been coming here to see this young lady for a long time, Spano said. Ive tasted them all so I get an assortment.

The orchard produces between 3,000 and 4,000 bushels of apples a year, which are also sold at Riverwest Co-op Grocery & Cafe in Milwaukee, at the farm on Sundays and since the 1970s, at the Dane County Farmers Market. That stand is now run by Ken Westons daughter, also named Genevieve. The orchard also offers classes on grafting, integrated pest management and pruning, and grows other fruits including cherries, plums, pears and peaches.

For Ken Weston, the orchard has become a second career. After graduating from Waukesha High School in 1947, he headed to UW-Madison, where for a time he lived in a room at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Monroe Street and earned bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in mathematics. He taught at Notre Dame and Marquette universities and in 1973 joined the academic staff at UW-Parkside in Kenosha County, where he would teach and give lectures around the world on algebra and mathematical logic until his retirement in 2007.

Weston, who almost died five years ago from an inflamed gallbladder, recalls cutting the grass in the orchard when he was young with a sickle and hauling rocks in a rickety wheelbarrow because his father refused to buy modern machinery. But while the farm now has lifts, tractors and other more modern amenities, the orchard has remained as true as it was 70 years ago.

The wide variety of flavors of apples beats just about any other fruit, said Weston. Were adding apple varieties all the time. This place is very special to me.
Writer and director James Toback has been accused of sexual harassment by 38 women in a recent report published Sunday morning in The Los Angeles Times. These allegations stem all the way back to the 1980s.

Toback is most known for films such as "Black and White," "Two Girls and a Guy" and "Bugsy," which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The director reportedly used his status in Hollywood to approach women on the streets of New York City, promising stardom. He would lure them into auditions, meetings and interviews that would turn sexual.

Thirty-one of the women spoke openly, and on the record, with The Los Angeles Times. Among them were musician Louise Post, guitarist and vocalist for the band Veruca Salt, and actress Terri Conn of "As the World Turns."

The 72-year-old denied the allegation, stating that he had never met any of the women--but if he had, "it was for five minutes." He also explained that it was "biologically impossible" for him to participate in such acts because he had diabetes and a heart condition that required medication.

Toback commended women coming forward with their stories about sexual assault and harassment, saying their actions are revolutionary. "While I am sympathetic to the concept of 'Me too,' I am afraid that it invites not just legitimate anger and complaint, but also faceless and invented slander," he added.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, many of the women's accounts describe similar situations, where Toback made lewd suggestions and engaged in some sort of masturbation.

These allegations follow after Harvey Weinstein's, in which a number of women stepped forward to reveal stories of sexual harassment spanning decades.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York health officials are warning state residents that disease-carrying ticks might still be active this fall.

Ticks can remain active until temperatures drop below about 40 degrees. So officials say it's important to take precautions and perform tick checks after being outdoors even as the weather cools down.

Lyme disease-causing bacteria are spread by blacklegged ticks, which are common around the state.

More recently, the state has confirmed several cases of Powassan virus, a tick-borne illness. There has been one confirmed case in Dutchess County and three cases in Saratoga County.

A 74-year-old man died this year in Saratoga County after contracting Powassan virus.
BEIRUT (AP) -- The U.S.-led coalition said allied fighters captured Syria's largest oil field from the Islamic State group on Sunday, marking a major advance against the extremists in an area coveted by pro-government forces.

With IS in retreat, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been in a race to secure parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.

The SDF, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said Sunday it captured the Al-Omar field in a "swift and wide military operation." It said some militants have taken cover in oil company houses nearby, where clashes are underway. The U.S.-led coalition confirmed the SDF had retaken the oil field.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces retreated from the area around Al-Omar field after coming under heavy fire from IS. The SDF said government forces are three kilometers (two miles) away from the fields.

Syrian troops, backed by Russian warplanes and Iranian-sponsored militias, have retaken nearly all of the provincial capital of Deir el-Zour, as well as the town of Mayadeen, which is across the Euphrates River from the Al-Omar field.

The SDF have focused their operations in rural Deir el-Zour on the eastern side of the river, and have already seized a major natural gas field and other smaller oil fields.

Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist from Deir el-Zour who monitors the fighting through contacts there, said SDF forces have seized control of the oil field but are still clashing with militants in the adjacent housing complex.

IS captured Al-Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day, making it a key source of revenue for the extremists. Its current potential is unknown, following a series of strikes on IS-held oil facilities by the U.S.-led coalition.

The government lost the al-Omar field to other insurgents in 2013.

Al-Manar TV, operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah, said the fight for Al-Omar was still underway and denied the SDF's claim to have captured it. The militant group is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

The official Syrian news agency said troops have regained full control of Khosham, a town on the eastern side of the Euphrates River that they lost a day earlier to IS. The Observatory said parts of the town remain contested.

It's not clear how Syrian troops will respond to the SDF's seizure of Al-Omar. Assad has vowed to eventually bring all of Syria back under government control.

The two sides have accused each other of firing on their forces in Deir el-Zour province, but a rare face-to-face meeting of senior U.S. and Russian military officers last month appeared to have calmed tensions.

IS has suffered a series of major setbacks in recent months, including the loss of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists' self-styled capital, and the Iraqi city of Mosul. Most of the territory the group once held has been seized by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces.
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An ex-inmate at the Pittsburg County Jail filed a $5-million lawsuit over claims of negligence during his time at the facility. The prison staff allegedly mocked his 91-hour erection and failed to give appropriate medical attention.

91-Hour Erection

On Dec. 15, 2016, Dustin Lance was detained at the Pittsburg County Jail in Oklahoma when he ingested an "unidentified pill" from a fellow inmate. The next day, he began complaining to the prison staff of "unbearable pain" due to a prolonged erection. His plea was allegedly ignored and was even met with mockery.

It was only 91 hours after on Dec. 19 that the prison staff heeded his request and sent him to McAlester Regional Hospital. Unfortunately, doctors at the hospital stated that they could not do anything to aid his condition and suggested that he immediately see a urologist at Tulsa instead, something that was not done as he was sent back to the county jail instead.

Dead And Suing

While the consequences of Lance's experience are unclear, he has evidently decided to file the $5-million lawsuit as a result of the mockery and negligence to provide him with urgent medical assistance. Strangely, the county officials filed a motion last Tuesday seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed stating that the plaintiff is dead when Lance's lawyer states that he is still very much alive.

For now, the pill that Lance took is still unconfirmed and so is the reason for why the defendants thought he was already dead.

The defendants in the case include the Pittsburg County sheriff, a nurse, and three deputies.

Persistent Erection

Priapism or persistent erection is the condition wherein an erection persists for hours even without sexual arousal. It is an uncommon condition, but it said to be more common among men in their 30s. This condition is said to be painful and occurs when the normal blood flow to the penis changes.

Blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia can contribute to the condition and so can alcohol and illicit drug use. Injuries to the pelvis or penis may also lead to the condition as a result of excessive blood flow.

In Lance's case, the likely culprits are illicit drug use or certain prescription medications especially since he was unaware of the contents of the pill he ingested. Prescription medications such as antidepressants, blood thinners, alpha blockers, injectables used to treat erectile dysfunction, and hormones can also lead to priapism. In fact in 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even warned the public about the possibilities of long-lasting erections as a result of ADHD medications.

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Three-quarters of the total insect population lost in protected nature reserves







Nijmegen, Netherlands (SPX) Oct 20, 2017





Since 1989, in 63 nature reserves in Germany the total biomass of flying insects has decreased by more than 75 percent. This decrease has long been suspected but has turned out to be more severe than previously thought. Ecologists from Radboud University together with German and English colleagues published these findings in the scientific journal PLoS ONE on October 18th. In recent years, it became clear that the numbers of many types of insects such as butterflies and bees were declining in West ... read more
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The desire to protect young people from offensive ideas and words is an understandable instinct. In the context of bullying, it is a requirement. In the context of great literature, it is nearly always mistaken.

The distinction between the language of the schoolyard and the language of Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird has somehow been lost on the Biloxi, Mississippi, school board, which recently decided to remove the book from the eighth-grade curriculum. There is some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable, explained Kenny Holloway, the vice president of the board.

The purpose of Lees classic, of course, is to make people uncomfortable with racial prejudice. To do so, it reflects the language employed by bigots in the segregated South, including the N-word. Given a desire to present the repulsive reality of racism, it could hardly do otherwise.

But are the eighth-graders talking and giggling in the back row ready to handle that reality? Some, surely, are not. How, then, are children adequately prepared? For generations of students, an essential part of that preparation has been the reading of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an education in empathy.

The book may be narrated by a white child, but its whole purpose is to place the reader in the shoes of an unjustly accused black man  to provoke anger at a legal system that betrays him and disgust with a social system that dehumanizes him. One child, Dill, nearly vomits in reaction to the sick parody of justice he sees in the courtroom. We are intended to feel the same nausea.

The themes of the book  social stratification, the sexual subtext of racism, the institutionalization of injustice  are suited to adults. But Lee attempted to capture and encourage the pre-cynical outrage of children toward the horrors of the adult world. This is exactly what we would hope an educated eighth-grader to feel.

Some of the best literature for children and young adults encourages moral reflection on the cruel reality created by adults. Read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, as I did with my son. It is the story of a 12-year-old Japanese girl who develops leukemia as a result of the Hiroshima atom bomb. In order to be granted a wish, she resolves to fold 1,000 origami cranes, reaching 644 before she is too sick to continue. Her friends and family finish the task, and the cranes are buried with her.

Is it uncomfortable to consider that America took actions resulting in the irradiation of Japanese children? Is it hard to explain to a child? It should be.

Or consider the fine graphic novel American Born Chinese, in which Danny, the Americanized, suburban child of Chinese immigrants, is embarrassed by the yearly arrival of his cousin Chin-Kee, who embodies every destructive Asian stereotype. In the book, Chin-Kee turns out to be the Monkey King, a deity who encourages Danny to embrace his true identity.

Was the exaggerated presentation of Asian stereotypes in the book uncomfortable for my biracial child? I should hope so. But it was placed within a moral story that rejects exclusion and encourages the acceptance of ethnic identity. Cutting out the offensive parts would have left the story powerless.

Our society has developed a deep confusion about the meaning of education. For some  both the advocates of safe spaces and the banners of books  the goal is the preservation of purity. They want to protect students and educational institutions from defilement by words and ideas they find offensive. It is more of a tendency than an ideology. The same pursuit of purity can motivate offended conservatives or offended liberals. To Kill a Mockingbird has been targeted, at various times, by both.

But education must mean more than the avoidance of offense. One purpose is surely to take the horrible, offensive things that populate reality and put them in a moral context  to train our emotional and intellectual reactions to uncomfortable human failings. The greatest stories confront the worst of human nature with the best of the human spirit. We diminish their power by lowering the stakes.

This means that true education always involves risk  particularly the risk of giving offense. But students are not defiled by the existence of terrible words and ideas. They are defiled by the acceptance or normalization of those words and ideas. Which is precisely what To Kill a Mockingbird  and all true education  sets out to prevent.
Harli Robertson, 8, left, places a pin on a map to mark the location of her familys home in Denham Springs, which flooded in August 2016, at the University of Louisiana at Lafayettes History Harvest event Saturday at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch of the Livingston Parish Library. With Harli are sister Hannah Robertson, 12, center, and mother Sharrah Robertson.
To paraphrase Groucho Marx, President Donald Trump has a position on the Lamar Alexander/Patty Murray health care deal, and if you dont like it, he has another one.

Within hours, Trump veered wildly on the bipartisan compromise on Obamacare that the Tennessee Republican and the Washington Democrat forged at his personal urging. At times supportive, noncommittal and opposed, Trump finally came out against, his final answer until further notice.

It isnt unusual for a politician to wobble when confronted with a nettlesome issue or a shifting political environment. To live is to maneuver, said the great 20th-century conservative Whittaker Chambers. Its downright weird, though, for a president to rapidly switch sides on something he gave every indication that he wanted.

The Trump administration has formidable obstacles in the way of substantive success  a slender Senate majority, lack of staffing, an unrelenting opposition  but none looms quite as large as the fact that Trump himself has no idea how he wants to govern.

Trumps decision to end Obamacares cost-sharing reduction payments made sense as a political strategy only if he wanted to pressure congressional Republicans into a bipartisan deal. The termination of the payments wasnt going to discomfit the Democrats, who could scream sabotage and blame Trump and Republicans for every failing of Obamacare going forward. It was nervous Republicans who were going to feel compelled to remove the political heat by propping up Obamacare.

It seemed that this is precisely what Trump wanted. The president initially took credit for forcing Republicans and Democrats to talk about a health care deal. Yet he turned around and opposed the deal, saying he couldnt support bailing out insurance companies.

Trump cant decide who he wants to be. As a matter of substance (malleable and nonideological) and self-image (the ultimate deal-maker), he should be with Republican moderates. This is the Trump who encourages Lamar Alexander to get together with Patty Murray, and talks a DACA deal with Chuck and Nancy.

As a matter of affect (unapologetically outrageous) and sensibility (thoroughly anti-establishment), he should be with the House Freedom Caucus. This is the Trump who pulls the plug on CSR payments over the advice of more cautious advisers and releases immigration principles that will never be realized in any bipartisan agreement.

Which of these Trumps predominates depends on which meeting the president happens to be in.

At the moment, pro-Trump operatives want to go out and kill elected Republicans who dont support the Trump agenda, even though its vague what exactly that is and its subject to constant change. Alexander is as sensibly establishment as GOP senators come, and thought he was not just supporting the Trump agenda, but doing the presidents bidding. Is he a friend, or an enemy, or a befuddled would-be ally?

In terms of internal Republican politics, if nothing else, it suits Trump to be up for grabs. Both major factions within the party are vying for his affections. Steve Bannon wants to persuade the president to support a crusade on behalf of True Trumpism(TM); Mitch McConnell wants the president to steer clear of dubious candidates and show a little discipline.

Trump is happy to keep a foot in each camp. He can say nice things about Bannon but suggest hes not on board with everything hes doing, while at the same time touting his great relationship with McConnell, yet prodding him on Twitter whenever he feels like it.

Trumps approach keeps everyone guessing and keeps him from getting pinned down, but it is no way to lead a party. This is why Trumps strong suit is things he can do on his own, namely culture-war battles, fights with the news media and other critics, and executive actions. These dont involve many moving parts and dont require much constancy.

For Trump, very little is ever truly ruled out or ruled in, and before long, a bipartisan health care deal will surely again strike his fancy.
Zachary Richard tells the tale of L'il Red and Hopewell Green at the Louisiana Book Festival
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A local private investigator accused of trying to illegally obtain then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's unreleased tax returns should be barred from arguing to a jury that he did so for ethical reasons, federal prosecutors contend.

Jordan Hamlett, 32, of Baton Rouge, is scheduled to stand trial Dec. 4 on a federal charge of misrepresenting his Social Security number in a failed attempt to access Trump's tax returns before last year's presidential election.

In June, Senior U.S. District Judge James Brady refused to throw out statements Hamlett made last October to federal agents in the hacking probe. Prosecutors say he admitted his crime to federal law enforcement authorities.

In recently filed court documents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Rezaei said Hamlett's attorney has since indicated that one of the defenses his client is interested in presenting at trial is a so-called "white hat" defense.

In such a defense, Rezaei explained, a person claims to have committed a crime for supposedly ethical reasons. The prosecutor, however, called that defense "essentially nothing more than a belated excuse for a crime."

Rezaei argued that such an excuse or self-justification for the crime is irrelevant to the elements of the charge offense that prosecutors must prove, and would only confuse the jury.

"Worse, ... by putting on a white hat defense, the defendant is essentially asking the jury to ignore the evidence which establishes the elements of the charged offense, including his admission that he committed the crime, and base their decision on the defendant's warped view of his crime," he wrote.

Rezaei is asking Brady to prohibit Hamlett from presenting any evidence or argument regarding a "white hat" defense.

Hamlett's attorney, Michael Fiser, could not be reached for comment.

Baton Rouge man accused of trying to get Trump tax records was once licensed private investigator A Baton Rouge man accused of using an online student loan tool last year in an unsuccessful 

Prosecutors say Hamlett attempted to access Trump's tax returns in September 2016 through an online student financial aid tool.

Fiser has said previously that special agents of the FBI and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration tricked Hamlett into meeting them at the Embassy Suites in Baton Rouge last October by posing as potential clients of his in a domestic investigation.

A transcript of testimony at a March federal court hearing shows agents did not know at the time of the Oct. 27 interrogation if Hamlett had succeeded in obtaining Trump's tax returns, and they feared a public release of the financial documents could influence the presidential election that was less than two weeks away.

Prosecutors have said in other court documents that Hamlett "sounded proud of what he had done."

Hamlett, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
Anyone in danger of physical harm, whether they be immigrant or not, should be given sanctuary if at all possible. It's the American way. Any city with the means available to provide sanctuary to those in danger should do so. But New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's idea of providing sanctuary has nothing to do with those persecuted in other lands and in danger of bodily harm.

The mayor's insistence that his police department's refusal to ask or attempt to determine the legal status of those involved in investigations makes no sense, especially in light of the fact New Orleans is one of the most dangerous cities on the planet.

The Trump administration has singled out New Orleans as a sanctuary city because it won't cooperate with federal immigration agents. The mayor denies New Orleans provides sanctuary for immigrants here illegally. This has led to a feud between U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Landrieu.

This past week, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., jumped into the middle of the feud during a Senate hearing. Kennedy apologized to Sessions for a letter Landrieu wrote to the attorney general, calling it unprofessional.

The Landrieu letter, which Kennedy partly quoted to Sessions during the hearing, accused the AG of scapegoating immigrants. Landrieu's letter also described Sessions as a fear-monger. Kennedy apologized to Sessions for Landrieu's letter.

The Justice Department is now threatening to withhold federal crime-fighting grant money if Landrieu doesn't begin to comply with federal law. Landrieu denies not being in compliance.

Regardless of whether New Orleans technically meets the definition of sanctuary city, Landrieu could end up costing New Orleans badly needed dollars for his stubborn refusal to simply determine the legal status of those involved in police investigations and then notify federal agents.

Those arguing in favor of providing sanctuary to immigrants here illegally justify it by claiming the immigrants would be less likely to cooperate during an investigation if they thought they could potentially be deported. Possibly. Police often face a lack of cooperation from witnesses in their attempt to gain convictions  hence the insane policy employed by New Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to issue fake subpoenas and trying to trick witnesses into cooperating with police.

Sessions says when the mayor instructs police not to alert federal agents about arrests of people in the country illegally, he is releasing dangerous criminals back onto the streets.

You would think with all the problems facing New Orleans  with potholes everywhere, a lack of Fortune 500 companies, an inept drainage system, and out-of-control crime, the last thing Landrieu would be focusing on is protecting those here illegally.

The politically correct term is undocumented immigrant. But if someone broke into your home in the middle of the night, you wouldn't call the police and tell them there is an undocumented person in your home.

It's difficult to determine how much of the violent crime in New Orleans is caused by those here illegally  mostly because of Landrieu's don't ask, don't cooperate policy. In Landrieu's defense his immigration enforcement options are limited as a result of the consent decree the city entered into with the Department of Justice under President Barack Obama. But we do know this. According to the Department of Justice, more than 90 percent of the foreign-born federal prison population is made up of immigrants here illegally, and one-quarter of the entire federal prison population is foreign-born.

Sanctuary city advocates claim immigrants here illegally are no more likely to commit crime than US citizens. Maybe so, but it's irrelevant. The federal prison population numbers prove a significant number of those here illegally are committing crimes. So why is Landrieu trying to protect them? A skeptic might say the mayor is playing to his base to advance national political ambitions. Politics aside, what matters most is the safety and welfare of the citizens of New Orleans. That should be Priority 1 for Landrieu  not protecting those who jumped ahead of all those immigrants waiting in line to enter our country legally.
John Conyers, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 52 years, has introduced bill HR 40 to Congress in every session for nearly 30 years.

The bill is titled Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.

It is high time that our country fund a study on potential economic restitution for the shameful centuries of slavery that African-Americans endured in the United States. They continue to suffer from the injury done to them from this extended period of abuse.

If as a country we expect to right our wrongs and help African-Americans heal and recover from this abuse, we must look at the tangible means of how to do that.

I don't know if economic reparations is the ideal solution. In fact, no one does.

Just like the effects of climate change, and the impact of gun control, reparations is a subject that Congress will not study.

If our representatives are serious about addressing the well-documented inequality in our country due to our nation's historic and ongoing practices of racial injustice, they need to not only vote in favor of this bill, but be out in front raising awareness for it and fighting for its passage.

I hope that U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse is aware of how important this issue is, and I encourage anyone reading to contact him and voice your support of HR 40 to begin the search for solutions to systemic racism.

Peter Gorski, La Crosse
Economic development analyst Greg LeRoy is coming to Louisiana this week to talk heresy.

The main message is quit putting so many eggs in the petrochemical basket. Youre spending money in ways that arent effective, LeRoy said in an interview from his Washington, D.C., office at Good Jobs First. Created in 1998 to study tax exemptions, the think tank operated off of $861,400 in donations in 2016.

LeRoy argues that Louisiana surrenders tax collections too promiscuously  469 exemptions in all, leaving $6.9 billion on the table according to the House Fiscal Office  and is nevertheless creating jobs at a rate that lags the nation.

Thats really crippled the states ability to diversify the economy, LeRoy added.

For the business community, LeRoys position is more enraging than kneeling for the national anthem. The tax breaks are seen as essential to attract companies and jobs to Louisiana, a state with one of the nations highest unemployment rates.

That difference is the eye of the tempest that has been churning through Louisiana politics for several years now. The storm will come ashore in a few months when the Legislature, once again, tries to balance a budget with too little money coming in to pay for promised services.

Ostensibly, LeRoy will be in Baton Rouge to attend a Together Louisiana seminar on Wednesday. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards also is scheduled to make an appearance at the forum put on by the faith-based group that advocates shifting more money from tax incentives to education, health care and other social programs.

But LeRoys real mission is to spread word of a change in accounting standards that he says amounts to a sea change in the decades-old practice of government giving taxpayer dollars to businesses  an estimated $70 billion per year  without really revealing how much those individual exemptions impact the tax base.

The newly established Statement No. 77 of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board requires all public entities to report the revenues passively lost to tax abatements beginning in 2016. That means every school district, police jury, and city government needs to put in their required Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports how many dollars would have been collected but for some tax break given to help, say, a privately owned refinery add a new catalytic cracking unit.

Reports from about 1,200 taxing authorities are coming in now. But a few hiccups need to be worked out for the accountants hired by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.

Louisiana Legislative Auditor Daryl Purperas staff this week is developing rules that get down in the weeds of what auditors need to include on the financial reports.

For instance, how should they handle tax breaks that are in law as opposed to those granted to specific companies? Everybody receives a homestead exemption. So, should that be counted? asked Bradley Cryer, the certified public accountant who heads local government services for the auditor's office.

Were trying to make it consistent, he said.

At the very least, the new reports should provide a higher level of transparency to a process that has had little, said Broderick Bagert, of Together Louisiana.

The group last year released a report on the local cost of the states Industrial Tax Exemption Program, called ITEP. Almost immediately, the business community and government officials, including state Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson, questioned the findings as the fuzzy math of people advocating a partisan position. And that could be, as costs havent been readily available in the eight decades of the exemptions existence.

Bagert said he feels vindicated by how closely the initial Statement 77 reports, now posted on the Good Jobs website, track the calculations of Together Louisiana.

These reports should take this debate beyond whether the numbers are right or wrong and into discussions of whether the philosophy is right or wrong, Bagert said.

Bagerts side contends factors such as proximity to raw materials or markets, good transportation, low-cost utilities, and a trained workforce matter to business far more than a tax break. Money should be spent on improving education, expanding roads and training workers.

The business side is articulated by Louisiana Association of Business & Industrys Stephen Waguespack. The head of the powerful lobbying group writes that Louisianas poverty, workforce challenges, high crimes rates and poor education rankings are the fault of Huey Long and Louisianas subsequent history of relying on government spending programs. But manufacturers in Louisiana employ 6.9 percent of the workforce, paying an average of $85,000.

We must improve our efforts to attract more of them and make it our mission to protect the ones we have today, Waguespack said.
A ritual of spring and summer is a series of meetings held in regions of the state, looking at the pressing needs for new highways and bridges, and repair of the ones we have.

And after years of neglect of transportation funding, the ritual ends with a collective throwing-up of hands among state legislators and many local leaders.

We have a wheelbarrow full of needs and a thimble-full of money, summed up Shawn Wilson, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The state has $691 million for transportation improvements, including vital maintenance of what we have, not just expansions of roadways, bridges, rails or other infrastructure. DOTD estimates the backlog at $13.1 billion.

As should be obvious, Louisiana needs to spend a lot more than we do today on road and bridge improvements, much less expanding transportation options and expanding ports and airports, also a province of DOTD.

Unhappily, the same Legislature which will get the summary report from the regional meetings is the same one that could not find the political courage to raise more money for transportation.

A bill to boost the state gas tax by $510 million per year  it required a 17 cent per gallon hike in the state gas tax  died in the Legislature earlier this year without a floor vote.

Indications are it will be at least 2021 before any such push is tried again because of constitutional limits on when taxes can be increased in what sessions of the Legislature. But there is also the daunting political reality: Legislators collectively closed their eyes to the needs, fearing criticism about raising taxes.

That was true even as polling indicated that Louisiana voters want better roads and are willing to pay some level of increased gasoline or other fuel taxes to pay for them.

If you chart the areas of congestion on maps of each region of the state, there are bold red lines on all sorts of major arteries from New Orleans to Shreveport, particularly at rush hours, but dont even ask folks in Lafayette about Johnston Street.

Still, things could hardly be worse than in Baton Rouge, a crossroads for the state, where an estimated 40 percent of that multibillion-dollar backlog is located.

Even with federal matching funds, construction is financially difficult. In addition, the state must maintain older roads, and that is a state obligation, not one for the feds.

Ken Perret, president of the Louisiana Good Roads & Transportation Association, lacerated the Legislature for its lack of action on transportation earlier this year.

"Instead of making the tough but obvious decision to increase funding, too many politicians blamed the DOTD for the problems that underfunding has caused," Perret said.

He is absolutely right. And no new money means the state is falling behind every year.
Baggage handlers, caterers, engineers and maintenance staff will undergo random testing for explosives in a new security crackdown.

The federal government announced the new measures on Sunday, just months after an alleged plot to smuggle an explosive onto an international flight from Sydney Airport was foiled.

Baggage handlers will face random security checks under new measures announced by the federal government. Credit:Robert Rough

Transport Minister Darren Chester says the new checks strengthen existing controls by ensuring airport staff are authorised and appropriately trained before entering secure areas.

They may also be checked while working.
At the time, I thought it would be a small push towards public awareness of the prejudice and sexism women experience, not just in the notoriously blokey media but in all industries. Little did I realise the bloody great avalanche that was to follow, one I hope will shift the playing field to a more even level for good.

It's funny to think that only three weeks ago I wrote a piece headlined "Why didn't I blow the whistle on sexual harassment? Because I knew I'd never work again", outlining the sexual harassment I have endured throughout my long media career. I was spurred on by the brave actions of young journalist Amy Taeuber, who went public with her unfair dismissal from Channel Seven's Adelaide newsroom.

I can. And it's wonderful to behold. Because, at last, the public is not just aware but are actively railing against the outrage that is gender inequality.

Illustration: Matt Davidson

It began with the revelations that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein is a predatory grub, a man who has used his incredible power to allegedly sexually harass and assault scores of women throughout his illustrious career. This was no surprise to the movie community. It was a well-known fact Weinstein was an alleged abuser of women but was tolerated because many feared for their jobs.

Sadly, this is not something that just happens in the media and movie businesses. The subsequent social media campaign #metoo, encouraging women to speak up about their own experiences of sexual harassment, has seen thousands of women tell their own stories. And the result is horrifying.

I have read hundreds of messages from women still traumatised by their experiences, which cover everything from unwanted comments to rape and other forms of assault. At one point, on a feed I was reading, one woman commented: has any woman not been sexually harassed in their careers? The resounding answer was NO.

What has affected me most is the emotion and anger that has been expressed by these women  along with the shame. So many women feel they have let down the sisterhood by not speaking up earlier. Several have told me they are going to seek counselling to deal with the emotions the admissions have brought up. All feel relief at no longer hiding their stories or feeling somehow at fault for being a victim in the first place. Many admit they were young  teenagers even  when it happened to them. They didn't know better. And almost all admit they feared for their job security should they have spoken out, a fear I know only too well.
The unexpected emergence of a Labour Party-led government in New Zealand extends the extraordinary global rise of political populism and is a repudiation of a decade of reform that transformed the economy of Australia's neighbour from a basket case to a textbook case of flexibility and dynamism.

But many people have missed out, for various reasons, on a fair share of the prosperity and opportunity generated by a decade of wealth creation. Homelessness and poverty have been rising, fuelling a desire for change.

Populism comes with risks: New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Jacinda Ardern. Credit:Bloomberg

Nevertheless, until Labour replaced its leader with Jacinda Ardern  whose star appeal lifted formerly moribund voters  sustained growth in output and employment, as well as a record of tax cuts and budget surpluses, was forecast to deliver triumph to National Party prime minister Bill English, one of the architects of the market-based reforms. Mr English won significantly more votes than Ms Ardern, but the Labour leader managed to form a majority alliance with the equally populist and anti-markets NZ First Party's veteran leader, Winston Peters, and the Greens.

There is concern Ms Ardern's antipathy to immigration and free trade, which have also underpinned New Zealand's economic revival, will be a drag on the regional economy and might harm the very people she is seeking to assist.
Throughout history, humans have been willing to try almost any method or product to improve their physical appearance. In response, enterprising businesses and beauty moguls have conspired to sell us almost anything  from water to poison  in the guise of cosmetic treatments. While many cosmetic products have eventually proven to have little efficacy, a significant number have also caused physical harm and even death.

Cosmetics and cosmetic surgery are now subject to more stringent regulation than in the 19th century, when lead-based powders and face creams containing poisons were not uncommon. However, even today there are significant serious side-effects and potential dangers from cosmetic procedures, in particular.

Ask before you go through every procedure. Credit:Braun S

For example, it was recently reported that cosmetic injections, such as platelet-rich plasma injections and facial fillers, are leading to a significant number of patients suffering from chronic, and potentially disfiguring, bacterial infections. While these kinds of non-invasive procedures are common, with over $1 billion spent annually on cosmetic jabs in Australia alone, research suggests that almost one-fifth of patients could suffer from such complications.

Of course, even when the greatest medical care is taken, there are still potential questions about the health risks of utilising Botox (Botulinum Toxin Type A) to combat or stave off facial wrinkles. While a large number of people, primarily women, have embraced Botox and believe it to be safe, in 2009 the US Food and Drug Administration added a warning noting that Botox "may spread from the area of injection to produce symptoms of botulism", such as muscle weakness and breathing difficulty.
It's startling to think that this is the woman who pierced the self-indulgent, adolescent Pleasure Island mentality of Silicon Valley, causing the stunning downfall of Travis "we call that 'Boob-er'" Kalanick and starting a bonfire on creepy sexual behaviour in Silicon Valley that spread to Hollywood and engulfed Harvey Weinstein and Amazon's Roy Price. Dressed in black jeans, brown loafers, a denim jacket - "the only clothes I can fit into" - and wearing a Fitbit with a hot pink band that cost her $1 on Amazon, Fowler is 26 and seven months' pregnant. She looks so young that people give her "weird looks," she says, worried that she will be a teenage mother. She is petite, with an angelic smile and an air of innocence that belies a fierce will. Her Instagram account features a picture of Charlie Brown saying, "Be the best you can be"; a coffee mug with the motto from Apollo 13, "Failure is not an option"; and books she is reading on a wide array of subjects, including ants. She describes herself as "an amateur myrmecologist." As Kara Swisher wrote in Recode, Fowler did everyone in tech a favor by unmasking the donkeys "worshipped as kings" by the venture capitalists and investors and boards and even the media, felling them with one "epic" 2900-word blog post "about what happens when a hot company becomes hostage to its increasingly dysfunctional and toxic behaviours." If what people know you for is bringing light to an issue about bad behaviour, about bad stuff going on and laws not being followed and people being treated inappropriately, why wouldn't I want that? That's a badge of honour

No doubt when Kalanick met the wide-eyed Fowler at the office Christmas party soon after she started, it never entered his head that she would become the disciplinarian who effectively confiscated his car keys for reckless driving with one blog post. Yet it was a role Fowler had been preparing for her whole life. The Peter Pan libertines met their match in a sweet Stoic. The philosophy that changed her life She read Plutarch's Lives. "The Stoics were really what changed me," she says. "Because their whole thing was about, 'You don't have control over a lot of the things that determine your life, so all you can do is focus on becoming the best person that you can be.' And that really spoke to me because I did feel, especially during my teenage years, that my life was really out of my control. I really wished that I could just learn and do all the fun things and cool extracurriculars that I thought everybody else my age was doing." Fowler was a stable hand and a nanny to help support her family. "And I would tell myself, in the times when I would be really, really sad, 'Once I get out of here, I'm going to do something great.' And I would just pray at night, like, 'God, please just let me get out, give me opportunities to get out. I promise I'll do good with it.'" The essay that shook Silicon Valley was called Reflecting on One Very, Very Strange Year at Uber, and Fowler began by noting that it was "a strange, fascinating, and slightly horrifying story." Published on February 19, it rocked the world's most valuable startup, challenging the mantra that great disrupters are above the law. The post was notable for its tone, as the young engineer who had left the company after a year walked the reader through everything that had gone very wrong in the brozilla culture of kegs, sexual coarseness and snaky competition.

Fowler was on her first day with her new engineering team when her manager sent her a string of messages over the company chat system. "He's telling me that he's in an open relationship and that his girlfriend is getting laid all the time, but he just can't because he's at work all the time," she says, reprising her blog post with me. "And he's trying really hard not to get in trouble at work, but he's really looking for a woman to have sex with. And I was like, 'What the hell? This can't be real. How stupid does he have to be?' But it turned out he'd been getting away with this for so long, he didn't care anymore. And I feel like so many of these men, they believe that the only reason women get into these jobs is to get a guy." Fowler took screen shots and reported the manager to human resources, thinking, "They'll do the right thing." But they didn't, explaining that the manager was "a high performer" and it was his first offence, something Fowler later found to be untrue. "Somehow I'm supposed to be like, 'Oh, he's a high performer? Never mind. How dare I?'" she says, laughing. She wrote that HR told her she could either find another team to work on or stay on that man's team and expect a poor performance review. Another manager told her that if she reported stuff to HR, he could fire her. Amid the manic, sexist behaviour, the number of female engineers in the division Fowler was part of dwindled to less than 6 per cent - too few, the company said, to merit ordering them the same black leather jackets they were ordering for the men.

When Fowler earned some money from Production-Ready Microservices, a book on engineering she wrote, she went out to Madewell and bought herself a black leather jacket. "I didn't really care if they branded me a troublemaker," she says, "because I hadn't gotten that far in my life and overcome all these things to get treated inappropriately. I wasn't going to take it. I'd worked so hard. I deserved so much better. And I was, like, 'No. That's not OK. You don't get to do that.'" 'A badge of honour' In her memo, she says, "I knew I had to be super-careful about how I said it if I wanted anybody to take it seriously. A lot of women have been whistleblowers in the past, and a lot of them have just gotten torn down and treated terribly. "One of the things that kept popping up was this idea that if you do whistleblow about sexual harassment, then that is what will define the rest of your life. And I kind of struggled with this. "But then, to me, I realised, you know what? No. Stepping back, just being in my little Stoicism Susan bubble, if what people know you for is bringing light to an issue about bad behaviour, about bad stuff going on and laws not being followed and people being treated inappropriately, why wouldn't I want that? That's a badge of honour.

"And I wasn't just standing up for myself. I felt like I was standing up for everyone else that I was seeing at Uber who was mistreated. It was an extremely demoralising environment. I would see people who would get harassed or made fun of or bullied, and they would go report it, and they would just get ground down by upper management and HR. And so I felt like, if I can take this on despite the consequences, then I should do it." Like women in Hollywood I talked to after the Weinstein collapse, Fowler thought the new outspokenness in Silicon Valley on sexual harassment may have been spurred by the election of President Donald Trump. "The second Trump won, I felt super-powerless, and I thought, 'Oh my God, no one's looking out for us,'" she says. "They have the House, they have the Senate, they have the White House. And so we have to take it back ourselves. We have to be the ones doing the work." The only woman on the board then, Arianna Huffington, who had vowed that the culture of "brilliant jerks" must end, had been trying to help Kalanick by advising him to sleep more and meditate. But he caused another kerfuffle when he chose to meditate in the lactation room. When Fowler's memo gained exposure, Huffington oversaw the investigation by Eric Holder, talked to employees, and said she wanted to "hold the leadership team's feet to the fire." Uber later fired 20 people, including senior executives.

"So I was disappointed in her because I expected her to be an advocate," Fowler says, noting that Huffington appeared on TV after the blog post to insist that there's no "systemic problem" at Uber. "I had two friends who went to her and Liane Hornsey, who's the head of HR, and reported various harassment discrimination," Fowler says. "And then I was told that many other women were doing the same thing. And then Arianna went on TV that same week and said, there's no 'systemic problem.' Which I was like, 'No, a whole bunch of people just went to you this week.'" Fowler adds that the company's chief technology officer, Thuan Pham, who knew about her complaints, is still in the same job. Huffington told me that she agreed that the problem was "systemic sexism" but that she did not believe there was "systemic sexual harassment." But, she added, "there should be zero tolerance for even one case of sexual harassment." Speaking to The Wall Street Journal this month, Hornsey, who joined Uber a month after Fowler left and a month before the blog post, was asked if she had ever reached out to Fowler. "I have said, very publicly, 'Thank you' to her because she raised some stuff that did lead to change," she said. "I don't know whether there would be any benefit in meeting her. I'm seriously working for my employees today; she's an ex-employee." Fowler tweeted a screen shot of that part of the interview, saying: "Oooh burn" and "She really, really doesn't like me."

On the advice of a friend, Fowler got private security for the first few weeks after she published her incendiary essay. She thinks Silicon Valley needs to get rid of forced arbitration: "When you join these companies, they make you sign away your constitutional right to sue." Fowler has taken that to the Supreme Court, and as is her wont, is studying the syllabuses of Columbia Law School so she can learn more about her rights. She is the editor of a tech publication for Stripe, and she's working with Verve, a talent agency, developing a movie based on her experiences. The agency described them as "Erin Brockovich" meets "The Social Network." And yet Fowler is still reading the Stoics (while Kalanick is still wrestling with the board about who should control the company he started). "I think, right now especially, with Trump in the White House, who knows what's going on with North Korea? Then we have natural disasters happening. If just feels like you're being tossed around on the ocean and there's nothing. What I keep going back to and what keeps me going, is trying to do good in whatever little spot of the world we can influence, no matter how small."
The number of hours of subsidised care families can access will be determined by an activity test, including paid work (including parental leave), approved study or training, unpaid work in a family business, self-employment, looking for work, volunteering, and other activities on a case-by-case basis. There's been criticism that the emphasis on how parents spend their time will impede access to early childhood education for kids in disadvantaged families. The government's response is that there'll be exemptions for parents who legitimately cannot meet the requirements. They've also funded a "safety net" for families where childcare will boost children's safety and wellbeing or grandparents are the main carers, for example. Many will welcome the abolition of the annual cap for many families  currently Child Care Rebate is limited to $7613 a year for each child. That doesn't go far if your child needs more than one or two days a week or if you live in a big city where childcare rates are up to $150 a day. Under the new system, families earning $185,710 or less will have no cap on the amount of Child Care Subsidy they receive. Families earning above that threshold but below $350,000 will be capped at $10,000 a year. However, there's now an hourly cap on the subsidy: $11.55 an hour for centre-based care, $10.70 for family day care and $10.10 for out-of-school-hours care.

The subsidy will be paid directly to childcare providers to pass on in the form of reduced fees, rather than directly to families. If you want to find out how much subsidy you'll get, there's a handy calculator at education.gov.au/childcare. It's pretty easy to use on both desktop and mobile, and it doesn't record your personal details so you can have a play around with it and figure out how a change in circumstances would affect your payments. I won't share my own details but I ran through a couple of fictional scenarios. Case study 1: Ash and Sarah have a daughter called Molly, age 4. Sarah is working full-time, while Ash is spending 8 hours a week in approved activity. Molly is attending a preschool program three days a week at a long daycare centre to prepare her for school in 2019. The family income is $60,000 total. This family is actually worse off under the new rules. Under the old system, the family received $460 a fortnight of which $260 was Child Care Rebate. Under the new system they'll get just $350 a fortnight. The family is no longer subject to the annual cap of $7613 for Child Care Rebate  but this makes little difference to them because the current level of rebate is less than that.

If Ash did double the amount approved activity i.e.16 hours a week but the household income stayed the same, the scenario would change dramatically. In that case, the family would be eligible for $530 a fortnight, compared with $470 a fortnight under the current system. If the work activity is low because Ash is the stay-at-home parent to a younger child not yet in formal care, I guess the family could try applying for an exemption. I don't know what the ruling would be on that. Case study 2: Aram and Haneen have a household income of $100,000. They own a restaurant and Haneen is working four days a week. They have two children in long daycare, where the daily rate is $130 a day for up to 10 hours of care. The couple will be eligible for subsidy of $1220 a fortnight, with no cap. Under the old system they were eligible for $1040 a fortnight  $580 of that was rebate, which just squeaked under the annual cap. Case study 3: Su-Lin is a marketing executive at a bank and Michael is a registered nurse. Both work full-time and the household income is $215,000. The couple has a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. They use a nanny twice a week, but the four-year-old goes to a preschool program at long daycare three days a week and on those days the older children go to after-school care. In their area, daycare is $150 a day for up to 10 hours, while after-school care is $30 a day for 3 hours. This family sees an increase, from $470 a fortnight now to $530 a fortnight from next July. The annual cap increases to $10,000 for each child, though this doesn't make much difference now that two of the three kids are at school.
Tents at the pyramids before the battle. At 3.30pm, Chauvel ordered the two regiments closest to Beersheba to mount the 6.4-kilometre charge, the 4th from Victoria commanded by Lieutenant Commander Murray Bourchier and 12th from NSW led by Lieutenant Colonel Donald Cameron  each with just 400 troopers. Their commander, Brigadier General William Grant, told men who had gone 48 hours without water: "Once they smell it, your horses will be so keen to get to the water in the wells of Beersheba they will gallop faster than ever." At 4.45pm, Chauvel gave his famous order, "Put Grant straight at them!". Grant rode to the regiments hiding behind a ridge at the assembly point and shouted, "Men, you are fighting for water. The only water in this desert is at Beersheba. Use your bayonets as swords. I wish you the best of luck  Forward!" "Come on boys, Beersheba next stop!": Captain Jack Davies. The 800 troopers rode their horses to the crest, from where they saw Beersheba across a long, slight slope, flat right up to the trenches. Looking through binoculars Trooper Ion Idriess, who became one of Australia's greatest authors, said: "Hiding in a depression behind the hills was Beersheba, the white dome and minaret of the great mosque and the railway station, barracks and numerous buildings, growing plainer to us."

Captain Jack Davies stood up in his saddle, turned and shouted: "Come on boys, Beersheba next stop!" They trotted down the ridge then cantered. But once the startled Turks spotted them and fired artillery shells, they galloped. Britain's commander-in-chief, General Sir Edmund Allenby When they got within 3 kilometres, machine gunners started firing. But they were riding so fast the Turks did not have time to adjust the artillery sights from long to short range and even machine gunners, let alone riflemen, could not hit the weaving horses that had spread out widely. Then 2 kilometres out, Bourchier screamed "Charge!" and they galloped full pelt, yelling at the top of their voices. Now the horses were only 2 kilometres away. Idriess reported: "We laughed with delight when the shells burst behind our men as Turkish gunners wild with fear forgot to lower their sights".

That fear was explained when "captured Turkish officers told us they never dreamed that mounted troops would be madmen enough to attempt rushing infantry redoubts protected by roaring machine guns and artillery. Yet they just galloped on, their thousand hooves stuttering, coming at a rate that frightened a man  an awe-inspiring sight galloping through red haze  knee to knee  horse to horse  the dying sun glinting on bayonet points". When the horses were only a kilometre away, Turkish officers mistakenly ordered men to hold their fire until the Australians dismounted to fight in trenches  not realising many Light Horsemen would leap over them. Galloping closer with surprisingly few casualties, Idriess reported "the last half-mile was a berserk gallop". Bean continued: "Next the foremost troops were jumping trenches, some dismounting and turning upon the Turks from the rear with bayonet in bloody hand-to-hand fighting." Others galloped ahead to rear trenches, one trooper captured 50 frightened Turks. Some galloped straight to Beersheba. The bewildered garrison quickly surrendered.

Lieutenant Guy Haydon said: "You've never heard such awful war yells as our boys let out, they never hesitated for a moment, it was grand. Riders would roll off or a horse drop but the line swept on. As we neared their trenches, the pace became faster. A bullet hit me high up in the left buttock, just under the belt, lifting me clear off my horse and dropping me sprawling on a heap of dirt and I rolled down into a pit and safety. "But all this time, only a few seconds, men raced their horses through and over the trenches and while some of us were hand-to-hand fighting the remainder had charged through the town. Although it is the heaviest fire I have been under, I never felt less afraid." Captain Jack Davies, who was first into Beersheba, said: "Providence guided me that day as I rode into the town as if I knew all the roads leading into it." Allenby's trick had worked, Davies said, because "I've seen some surprised people in my life and those Turks were certainly not expecting us!". As many of the troopers believed their wonderful horses, aka Walers, had won the day, they were very sad when ordered at war's end to leave their horses behind. "Rather than sell them to locals who treated their horses badly, many of us decided to shoot them instead," said trooper Albert Cornish.
Hours before his car crash on Monday, Salim Mehajer was inviting followers on social media to caption a photo of him in his Rolls-Royce for a chance to "come for a ride" with him.

The question now is whether all of Sydney is being taken for a ride by the flamboyant 31-year-old property developer.

The former deputy mayor of the now-defunct Auburn Council is fighting legal battles on every front, including multiple charges of electoral fraud which carry a potential prison sentence.
China's Meituan Dianping just became the world's fourth-most valuable start-up, reaching a $US30 billion ($38 billion) valuation that puts it ahead of high-fliers like Airbnb and Space X.

Never heard of Meituan? You're not alone. The Beijing-based company, led by Wang Xing, is almost unknown beyond its home country. It delivers food to people's homes, sells groceries and movie tickets, provides reviews of restaurants, and markets discounts to consumers who buy in groups. It's a sort of mashup of Groupon, Yelp, Foodpanda and Uber Eats.

Meituan's appeal for investors is its dominant position in a market of more than a billion people. Credit:Phil Carrick

Meituan's appeal for investors is its dominant position in a market of more than a billion people. It was formed through the 2015 merger of Meituan.com and Dianping.com, creating the leading player for internet-based services ordered via smartphone apps. It raised $4 billion in the latest round from Tencent Holdings, Sequoia Capital and US travel giant Priceline Group.

"It's a quasi-monopoly built on the stomachs of 1.4 billion people," said Keith Pogson, global assurance leader for banking and capital markets in Hong Kong at consultant EY.
Children raised in same-sex families develop as their peers in families with heterosexual parents do, a group of senior pediatricians and adolescent health experts says.

And the group has called on the medical community to debunk "damaging misrepresentations" of the evidence being used by the "no" campaign in the postal vote on same-sex marriage, saying the real public health risk comes from discrimination.

Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality Ro Allen (right), her partner Kaye Bradshaw and their daughter, Alex Bradshaw-Allen, 9, turned out in support of the same-sex marriage ''yes'' vote in an Equal Love rally through Melbourne's CBD on Sunday. Credit:Chris Hopkins

The 13 specialists, who include Professor Frank Oberklaid from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, and Associate Professor Michelle Telfer, from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, write in the Medical Journal of Australia: "The research tells us that children and adolescents with same-sex parents are doing well, despite the discrimination their families endure. This will not continue for long in the face of hostile debate.

"When damaging misrepresentations of the evidence circulate unchecked, the potential for stigmatising rhetoric to generate greater harm to this community increases."
The lawyer of Australian teacher Gabrielle Maina has urged authorities to keep investigating why the mother-of-two was shot dead in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

The NSW teacher was shot in the exclusive suburb of Karen on Thursday during a what was believed to a botched robbery reportedly involving assailants on motorbikes.

Australian teacher Gabrielle Maina was shot dead on Thursday Credit:Facebook

"It is important for them [Department of Foreign Affairs] to keep on pushing until it is certain as to what caused her death," Ms Maina's lawyer told ABC Radio on Sunday.

However, it's possible the shooting was targeted with Ms Maina's lawyer telling the ABC she was kneeling during the shooting.
An electoral official transports a ballot box for the general election in the rain in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan, on Sunday. Credit:Bloomberg In an interview with NHK after polls closed, Abe said he would push for an amendment. "The ruling parties have been granted a majority," Abe said. "I think it was the people's voice telling us to make progress in politics and bring results with a stable political base." For a leader touting stability, the election had been a gamble. Abe had called the vote more than a year early, justifying it by saying that he needed a new mandate to deal with the threat posed by North Korea and to work through the details of a consumption tax increase. Typhoon Lan killed two people when it struck Japan on Sunday. However, analysts says the bad weather may have helped Shinzo Abe's vote as turnout was low. Credit:AP Many analysts said Abe's motive was more opportunistic, however, with the him taking advantage of the disarray of the Democratic Party, Japan's main opposition party, and a small bump in his approval ratings after a number of scandals earlier this year and a tough stance against North Korea.

For a while, it didn't look as if the bet would pay off. After the vote was announced, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, a staunchly conservative former LDP member, formed her own party, which soon attracted many members from the Democrats. Some, including Koike herself, compared her mercurial rise to that of France's Emmanuel Macron earlier this year. Electoral officials count ballots in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan, on Sunday. Credit:Bloomberg I reflect on this and feel I might have been arrogant. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike Unlike Macron, Koike's challenge did not live up to the hype. The governor opted against running in the election - and then left for a scheduled business trip to France on election day. Koike's Party of Hope is now battling for a distant second place with another new party - the anti-amendment Constitutional Democratic Party - which also rose from the ashes of the Democratic Party. Speaking to reporters in Paris, Koike said she was disappointed. "It's a very harsh result. My remarks and behaviour made people feel unpleasant and that led to the harsh result," Koike said, according to Kyodo news agency. "I reflect on this and feel I might have been arrogant."

People wave Japanese national flags in support of Shinzo Abe during a campaign rally in Tokyo, on Saturday. Credit:Bloomberg In contrast with recent elections in the United States and Europe, relatively few divisive issues were on display in Japan ahead of the vote. This, plus the relative good health of the economy, led Daniel Sneider of Stanford University to call the vote a "Seinfeld election" - or an election about nothing. The LDP has long dominated postwar Japanese politics. For many Japanese voters, Abe's leadership represents stability after years of short-lived governments before he returned to the prime minister's office in 2012. Some analysts suggest, however, that the weakness of the opposition may mask discontent with Abe and a lack of support for many of his policies. One exit poll cited by Kyodo showed 51 per cent of voters saying they don't trust Abe, while 44.1 per cent said they do. Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University, said that the election exposed a lack of widespread support for Abe's policies. Abe did not win "because people enthusiastically support him," Nakano said. "People are disaffected and the opposition is divided."

The bad weather may have also helped Abe. The approaching Typhoon Lan left voters battling strong winds and heavy rain to make it to polling stations. Kyodo estimated the final turnout rate at 53.83 per cent, only marginally above a record low in the 2014 election. Lan roared towards Japan's main island as a Category 4 typhoon on election day, killing at least two people, prompting a warning for 70,000 to evacuate and the cancellation of hundreds of flights. One man was killed under scaffolding that collapsed in high winds and a fisherman was killed as he tended to his boat, Kyodo news agency said. Lan was set to make landfall on the main island of Honshu, possibly near Tokyo, early on Monday, at which time it was likely to have weakened to a Category 2 storm. The election turnout was "remarkable given the weather," said Tobias Harris, a political analyst with Teneo Intelligence, but it was "ultimately not good enough to give much of a boost to opposition candidates in close races." Despite the rain, a number of voters could be found exiting a polling station in Tokyo's cosmopolitan Roppongi neighbourhood on Sunday morning. Nobue Koizumi, a 67-year-old retired translator, said she had felt compelled to vote because of fears about Abe's security policies.
Between 2007 and 2008 education exports  foreign students in Australia  leaped ahead of tourism as the leading service export in our economy. Between 1990 and 2010 the value of education exports doubled every year, according to a 2012 report prepared for the education lobby group Universities Australia.

By 2015 education exports moved into the number 3 spot on the list of Aussie exports, with a total value of $18.8 billion and a 5.9% share of the total value of all exports. Within a year, the numbers rose to $22 billion and 6.7% share of the export market. The latest figures reveal the number of foreign students grew 13% year over year with more than 190 countries sending approximately 550,000 students to study in Australia, according to the Department of Education and Training.

The explosive growth is not unique to Australia, with other English language countries experiencing similar results. English has become the de facto International Language of business, attracting droves of non-English speaking students to learn the language and study in English language universities. In 2015, US based research firm Global Research created a chart putting a dollar value on the size of this market.

Figure A: Current and Projected Internationally Mobile Student Market Value (in US dollars)



We live in a tumultuous world at best, with global events over the last year impacting the international student market, enhancing opportunities for the four ASX listed stocks in the sector  Navitas Limited (NVT); IDP Education Limited (IEL); Redhill Education Limited (RDH); and Academies Australasia Group Limited (AKG).

The anti-immigrant wave that helped propel the Brexit vote is creating a growing perception the UK is not as welcoming a place for immigrants as it once was. The populist revolt in the US shocked the world with the election of Donald J Trump as US president.

One of Trumps first actions was to announce a travel ban on residents of seven countries. That led Rod Jones, then the CEO of our top education export stock, Navitas Limited (NVT) to proclaim the following:

 Theres a whole lot of uncertainty in the US at the moment. What that means is probably anybodys guess, other than students starting to back away from the US because of their concerns about potential issues they may face.

In reality, Trumps travel ban has spent more time in the courts than as a policy in place but has contributed to the belief the US is turning its back on foreign workers and students in favor of native born Americans  of which there are few as that country has been populated by immigrants since its inception.

Restrictions on foreign workers through the US H1-B Visa program is yet another tenet of Trumps America First policy troubling potential international students. The pathway envisioned by many of the worlds best and brightest students  especially those in the technology sector  has been earning a graduate degree from a prestigious American university followed by a job placement in the US. Foreign workers are attractive to US companies, not just for their academic prowess, but also because they are willing to work for less than comparable American candidates. This pathway is prevalent enough to attract high school students from across Asia to US schools in the hopes of getting into a better university. China sends more students to the US than any other country and while US-China relations appear stable now, the threat of a trade war still exists.

Add to the toxic mix gun violence in the US and the anti-immigrant posts flooding social media and internet websites that can be translated or read by international prospects with minimal English skills, and the stage is being set for the US to lose its dominance as the place to go for an English language education. Who wants to go to school in a country where they believe, true or not, they are not wanted and are not safe?

The beneficiaries of these developing events are likely to be universities in Australia and Canada. Australia had the edge with Chinese students but recent events here are troubling. In late July, anti-Chinese flyers began popping up on two university campuses in Melbourne, with coverage of the issue spreading in Chinese social media. There are concerns the Chinese government may be influencing their students here to challenge Western norms.

In mid-October abc.net.au reported an unnamed senior foreign diplomatic official making the following statement:

 Australia is giving China what it wants in terms of education for its students  so its time for the Federal Government to insist the Chinese comply with Australias values and interests, a senior foreign diplomatic figure told the ABC.

Right now, Australia ranks third in international student enrollment with Canada close behind and ramping up its efforts to attract foreign students. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers did a survey of International applicants for Fall 2017 at 250 US schools. The results suggest something other than a mass exodus, with 35% of the schools seeing an increase and 39% reporting a decline. Figures for students that showed up for the Fall are not available as many schools in the US begin in early October. Multiple articles from multiple sources suggest an unclear picture, with many top tier schools reporting increases or no change and lower tier schools reporting some decline.

In contrast, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported unprecedented numbers of international students this fall, with some institutions seeing jumps of 25 per cent or more. The University of Alberta in Western Canada saw an 82% increase in international graduate students applying and 27% more undergraduate applications from foreign countries. Not surprisingly there are more American students choosing to live in Canada.

The reasons go beyond the perception of Canada as a safe and welcoming country. The cost is lower; the application and enrollment process is simpler; the visa process is easier; and perhaps most significantly, the Canadian government makes it easy for graduates wishing to stay in that country and get a job.Of the four ASX stocks in the sector, two offer educational opportunities primarily in Australia with minimal global presence, with the other two extending their reach into multiple countries. All offer pathways support, which is guidance provided to international students to select and enroll in an appropriate English language college or university. Pathways include English as a second language training to enable passing a required English language equivalency test for academic admission. Here in Australia such training is called English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students, or ELICOS.

The following table looks at the share price performance of the four year over year.



Should Canada continue to grow as an alternative to US institutions, IDP Education (IEL) has a major competitive advantage with its partnership arrangements with more than 30 Canadian colleges and universities, many top-tier schools. In contrast, Navitas Education has two Canadian partners.

IDP was spun off from Seek Limited (SEK), debuting on the ASX in November of 2015 and dramatically outperforming larger rival Navitas to date.



Unlike its rivals, IDP does not operate any colleges or universities, but does have ten ELICOS locations in Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In business since 1969, IDP now has 89 placement centres and offices in 32 countries. IDP offers students pathways to 35 different colleges and universities in Canada and more than 100 in the US.

Beyond its extensive global partnership network, IDP has another significant advantage over its competitors. The company is part owner of IELTS (International English Language Testing System), an English language equivalency test once used primarily in British Commonwealth countries, but now seeing increasing acceptance with US institutions. This revenue stream ensures the cash register rings at IDP every time an international student sits down anywhere in the world to complete the IELT exam.

In January of this year the company acquired the Hotcourses Group, an operator of several global websites for searching educational opportunities. The two companies will continue to operate independently while developing a strategy for taking advantage of the strengths of each.

Navitas shareholders have had some rough years, beginning with the 2014 announcement that Macquarie University cancelled its contract with Navitas, opting to independently offer pathways for international students. The relationship spanned 18 years and the stock price plunged in response to the news.



The stock price took another dive in March of this year when investors learned the company had lost some of its government funded AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program) contracts. The companys co-founder and longtime CEO has retired with a new CEO coming on board in March of 2018.

Unlike IDP, Navitas operates its own schools offering education in media technology along with pathway partnerships around the world, with numbers that pale in comparison to IDP  two in Canada and seven in the US. The company also offers ELICOS and vocational training.

The companys Full Year 2017 results saw revenues decline from $939 million to $885 million with net profit falling from $90 million to $80 million. In sharp contrast, rival IDP saw revenues increase from $358 million to $391 million with net profit going up from $40 million to $42 million.

Redhill Education (RDH) and Academies Australasia (AKG) may be small but both turned in banner financial results for FY 2017. Redhills revenue jumped from $28 million to $42 million while net profit went from $300 thousand to $1.7 million. Academies stock price turned in the best performance of the sector, with strong financial results as well. Revenues rose to $58 million from $55 million and profit rebounded from a loss of $4.2 million to a gain of $3 million.

Redhill operates its own schools in Australia where it offers vocational and higher education courses in English language, digital technologies, and interior design. The company also operates GoStudy Australia, its own recruitment agency operating out of Europe to enlist international students in its Australian schools.

Academies Australasia Group (AKG) has been around for more than a century and operates 18 colleges in Australia and Singapore offering vocational and English language training. The company also offers pathway programs to a small number of partner schools.

Some investors may still have a sour taste in their mouths following the disastrous scandal in government funded vocational education that brought down notable ASX stocks like Vocation Limited and Australian Careers Network. Yet the exploding middle class in emerging countries looking for better educational opportunities in English speaking countries warrants a look at the four ASX stocks exposed to the international education market. Although the decision by Macquarie University to go off on its own has not yet sparked an exodus of universities and colleges from their partnership arrangements with these companies, that is a risk to keep in mind.

>> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter
MidSouth Bank has donated $2,500 to Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes. Habitat for Humanity advocates for fair and just housing policies and provides training and access to resources to help families improve their living conditions.
Researchers from across the Texas A&M University System have been awarded more than $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation for projects that aim to better understand the effects of Hurricane Harvey and potentially mitigate the impacts of future natural disasters.

The 13 research projects from System entities -- including Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and West Texas A&M University -- are among 59 new grants totaling $5.3 million for hurricane-related research that the National Science Foundation announced earlier this month.

"In the aftermath of Harvey, the Texas A&M System has stepped up to aid in the recovery and rebuilding of our state in unprecedented and inspiring ways," said A&M System Chancellor and Texas hurricane czar John Sharp in a press release. "I am proud that our researchers are hard at work helping us better understand and prepare for the next storm, and I'm grateful to the NSF for supporting these efforts."

Researchers will gather and analyze data on the expansive reach of Harvey's impacts and the response to the aftermath. The projects will cover the hurricane's affect on water quality, potential strategies to provide better protection for coastal areas and robot-assisted recovery operations, among other areas.

Ali Mostafavi, an assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M, will focus on how cities can build more "resilient" infrastructure systems that will improve public safety and reduce economic losses during unprecedented events such as Hurricane Harvey.

"The landscape of hazards and pressures and stressors on our communities and urban cities is evolving, so we cannot continue with the same practices and approach of design and planning of systems and expect to get different results," Mostafavi said. "As the landscape of pressure changes, our approach, our decision-making and our planning should change as well."

Mostafavi, the lead investigator on the project, and four co-investigators will collect data on the performance of Houston's flood protection, emergency management and transportation infrastructure systems and processes during Hurricane Harvey. He said an important aspect of the research will be analyzing the interdependencies of the city's infrastructure systems, and how the failure or disruption of one system could "cascade" to another system and create a larger impact on communities.

While he watched news coverage of the hurricane unfold on television, Mostafavi said he was particularly interested in these cascade effects that infrastructure systems weren't designed for. He uses the controlled release of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which flooded homes, caused power outages and inundated the roadway network, as an example.

"The reason that water was released ... was because of the elimination of the likelihood of a breach of the dams that could cause in more significant damage and loss of lives perhaps," Mostafavi said. "It prevented that by releasing the water gradually, but at the same time, most [nearby] homes didn't have flood insurance and got flooded."

There is a tendency not to plan for low-probability but high-impact events, Mostafavi said. Certain impacts could be mitigated by better planning, which is why he said a critical part of the research will be holding workshops and meeting with decision-makers and stakeholders such as city planners, city managers, emergency management coordinators, infrastructure engineers and utility companies. The project aims to identify infrastructure failures and how they might relate to the decision-making process, and what policies, strategies and capital investment decisions could best reduce losses from future extreme weather events.

Another Texas A&M University System project funded by the National Science Foundation will examine the implications of food security following natural disasters. Nathanael Rosenheim, the principal investigator on the project, is an associate research scientist with the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University, which focuses on how to minimize the impacts of natural hazards on communities through urban planning.

"Many people in our communities live with food insecurity without a disaster happening, and so we are interested in ensuring that households have food security even after an event like Hurricane Harvey," Rosenheim said.

Along with co-principal investigator Walter Peacock, three doctoral students and five master's students, Rosenheim said he will interview food agencies, large grocery stores such as H-E-B and smaller food retailers in the Beaumont, Port Arthur, Houston and Galveston areas to gather information about how long stores were closed after the hurricane made landfall, difficulties with demand and restocking food before and after the storm and other issues.

A primary focus will be related to the transportation network and whether stores encountered problems getting supplies from their warehouses. Infrastructure issues such as the loss of potable water and electricity also could have impacted stores' ability to provide food to communities, he said.

"Long-term, one of our goals is to help communities think about their food system, food retailers and food aid agencies prior to the disaster and to think about how they can ensure that stores are able to stay open and food banks have the supplies that they need prior to an event to make sure that as like a hurricane is approaching, that we can reduce any impacts with food insecurity as much as possible," Rosenheim said.

Ideally, the research would help reduce food security in non-disaster times, Rosenheim said, as fixing deficiencies faced by retailers and food banks after a disaster would also help with the food insecurity many people experience every day.

"A&M is one of the leading universities in this effort to study the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, and hopefully we learn from it," Rosenheim said. "And if another hurricane or event like this happens, we'll not have as much negative impact from it."
Five former presidents came together Saturday in College Station to lead a Texas-sized celebration of national unity in support of Americans impacted by catastrophic storms in recent months.

Thousands filled Reed Arena on the Texas A&M University campus for the "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal" charity concert, benefitting victims of recent hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, which left widespread damage in portions of the United States and its territories, including along the Texas and Florida coasts.

The former presidents, with the exception of George H.W. Bush, took the opportunity to briefly speak during a ceremony honoring five Daily Point of Light award recipients just over an hour into the concert.

Honorees of the nonprofit Points of Light organization included Murad Ajani, who recruited more than 2,500 volunteers from the Ismaili Muslim community to dedicate more than 13,000 hours of service to evacuation and restoration efforts in Houston, and Houston wedding planner Kat Creech, who helped recruit and organize hundreds of volunteers to help rebuild more than 120 homes in one week.

Following a presentation detailing the contributions made by the five individuals, the presidents each took the time to speak. The constant throughout the former presidents' messages to the crowd was a focus on the value of service and volunteerism.

Former President Barack Obama said he "could not be prouder" of the response he has seen by Americans in the aftermath of the natural disasters that have occurred over the past few months. He said while the devastation caused has been "heartbreaking," it has illuminated "the spirit of America at its best, when ordinary people step up and do extraordinary things."

Obama specifically singled out the elder Bush as a shining example for the kind of public service all Americans should strive for.

"[He is] an outstanding American, someone who has always shown grace and character and courage and served America nobly throughout the years," Obama said.

Former President Bill Clinton evoked his predecessor in his statements as well, recalling the 41st president's reminder that "our problems are great, but the heart of America is greater."

"Make no mistake about it, these were grievous storms back to back," he said. "There is still work to be done in Texas and in Florida, and our friends in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have only begun to dig their way out of what could be still a calamitous disaster, but can be a new beginning."

Known for his longstanding commitment to volunteerism through Habitat for Humanity, former President Jimmy Carter praised the millions of hours Americans gave in volunteer service last year but challenged them to do even more moving forward.

"Let all work together and make America still a greater volunteer nation," Carter said.

Although the remarks of the former presidents were brief, they were omnipresent figures throughout the event. While the lower levels were especially raucous when Obama would appear on screen, all the presidents drew roaring cheers each time the camera caught them dancing or singing along with the performers.

The presidents left around 9 p.m., when the concert was scheduled to end, With the addition of Lady Gaga causing a change to the timing of the event, Lyle Lovett and Alabama did not have a presidential audience, but the Bush grandchildren filled in the seats in the front row where the five -- along with Barbara and Laura Bush -- had been seated and let their hair down and danced alongside Dorothy Bush Koch.

President Donald Trump also made a special video appearance before the Daily Points of Light presentation to offer his thanks to his predecessors for their role in supporting the relief effort

"As we begin to rebuild, some of America's finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal," Trump said. "Through this effort, all five living former presidents are playing a tremendous role in helping our fellow citizens recover. ... Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance."

Trump also offered his thanks to all those who contributed to the effort for their support of the work ahead.

"We will recover, we will rebuild and we will come back stronger and better than ever before," he said.

Former president George W. Bush joined his peers in honoring his father and also noted to an elated crowd he was glad for the opportunity to introduce his fellow presidents to "one of the finest universities in the United States."

Texas A&M President Michael K. Young helped to kick off the event, sharing with the crowd and viewers around the country his pride in seeing the university play a part of such a wide-reaching event.

Before the event, Young said hosting the five former presidents for the concert was not only a great honor but also a way he hoped to further the mission of providing aid to those in need.

"We know how committed they all are to helping the victims of all these hurricanes try to get back on their feet," Young said. "So to be able to partner with them, have them here at this event, I just can't tell you how excited I am and how much I appreciate it."

Young also said he felt playing such a large part in an event so focused on service was the perfect fit for Texas A&M, given its own deeply embedded investment in the value.

"We are, at our core, all about service, all about helping others -- that's really such a central value here at this university," Young said. "It's a confirmation to me of what is really so central to this university and has been for so long."

Organizers said costs for the event were covered by a handful of underwriting organizations and institutions, including the Father Emir of Qatar and the Qatar Foundation, Ford Motor Company, Pepsi Co., Lockheed Martin and Texas A&M, and that all of the performers donated their time to the campaign.

David B. Jones, CEO of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, announced $31 million had been raised since One America Appeal began its campaign on Sept. 7, and Lady Gaga later said that she was donating an additional $1 million.
October 26, 1946 - October 19, 2017

Michael Douglas "Mike" Rogers, age 70, passed away on October 19, 2017, at his home in College Station, Texas, after a courageous battle with esophageal cancer. Mike was the beloved husband of Judy Derenda "Dee" (Fontenot) Rogers, who preceded him in death on June 24, 2013.

Mike was born in Vernon, Texas, on October 26, 1946, he was the youngest son of Maurice and Lula Rogers. Upon graduation from Vernon High School in 1965, Mike enlisted with the United States Air Force, where he served a tour in Vietnam.

After his honorable discharge from the military, Mike moved to Beaumont, Texas, where he attended Lamar University's Police Academy in preparation to follow in his father's footsteps by seeking a position with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Mike retired as a Captain with the TABC in June 2002, after 31 years of service in seven different cities throughout Texas.

Mike married Dee on January 19, 1974, in Port Neches, Texas. He legally adopted Dee's 3-year-old daughter, Kelli, as his own, and then two years later they gave birth to Jennifer. Mike's number one focus from 1974 until the day he passed away was, taking care of his girls. He was a provider, a protector, and the greatest example of what a loving husband and father should be.

Mike is survived by his two daughters, Kelli Norgaard of College Station, Texas, and Jennifer Ryan of Crested Butte, Colorado, and his son-in-law, Steve Ryan. He was the proud "Pa" of five grandchildren- Jessica Wells, her husband Jeff Wells, Michael Ryan, Campbell Ryan, and Jacob Bradford. In 2012, he became a great-grandpa to Corrie Ann Wells. He is also survived by one brother, Gilbert, of Palm Bay, Florida.

A celebration of Mike's life will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at 2:00PM at Hillier Funeral Home in College Station, Texas. This will be a time for his family, friends, and numerous former colleagues to come together and celebrate the moments that they shared with Mike. Memorials in Mike's honor can be made to either the Allen Community Outreach (ACO) in Allen, Texas or your local Hospice Organization.

Please visit Michael's tribute page at www.hillierfuneralhome.com to share memories and stories.
Voters in College Station have more choices than their neighbors to the north, with two contested city council and two contested school board races on the Nov. 7 ballot. The choices will be difficult as all the candidates would serve the people if elected.

Sadly, the City Council races continue the unnecessary growth-neighborhood integrity divide, one that adversely affects quality of life in College Station. The reality is that College Station is going to grow. The only question is whether the city can control that growth to ensure all the benefits growth brings while limiting any of the downsides.

The growth won't be commercial only. New neighborhoods will be necessary to accommodate all the additional people wanting to call College Station home. As the city grows, it is imperative that the integrity of its existing neighbors is maintained, the quality of life for residents in those neighborhoods is not degraded.

To do so will take long-range planning and a willingness on the part of Council members and Planning and Zoning commissioners to demand accommodations from businesses to ensure they don't negatively impact the integrity of the neighborhoods, present and future.

There is no point in having a thriving business climate, if the quality of life in the neighborhoods is devalued.

Unlike Bryan, College Station Council and school board seats all are elected at-large.

The Editorial Board interviewed all the candidates in the contested College Station races and today makes its recommendations to the voters. Our recommendations are but one source of information voters should use when making their decisions. Other sources could include news stories, advertising, campaign literature and friends and co-workers.

College Station City Council

Place 1

Elianor Vessali vs. Bob Brick -- In an interesting note, Brick, the husband of Councilwoman Blanche Brick, who cannot run again due to term limits, is seeking to replace his wife on the council. He jokes the city is growing "one Brick at a time." While he said they disagree on a few issues, he said he "has a similar mindset as Blanche."

Brick said the city's rapid growth has created tremendous demand on infrastructure, both existing and new needed to support the growth. In fact, infrastructure needs are approaching $100 million. Brick said he favors the impact fees on new development imposed recently by the city, saying the city should be more proactive in making new residents and new businesses aware of the fees.

A member of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission for the past year, Vessali said the city should address its infrastructure needs by "evaluating needs vs. wants."

Vessali said the city needs to do a better job guiding growth. "Right now, we're playing catch-up, which means we are not planning well," she said.

She said she doesn't think the issue has to be pro-growth vs. neighborhoods, saying, "I don't see how growth impacts neighborhood integrity detrimentally."

Brick expressed concern that the city's comprehensive plan is amended too often, particularly to accommodate new business.

He said the city needs to address the issue of so-called stealth dorms -- which are rented by the bedroom -- that are popping up in established neighborhoods. He said the city needs to develop a new multi-person zoning designation and needs to catch up with Bryan's efforts to control the growth of the dorms.

Vessali said the city needs a new zoning category -- perhaps general suburb -- with smaller lot sizes to encourage development of more affordable housing.

Brick also called for more "inclusionary housing," perhaps using federal and city grants to subsidize lower-cost homes. "I support a very diverse population," Brick said.

Both Brick and Vessali bring strengths to the Council race and voters would be well-served whomever wins.

That said, we do have some concerns with Brick replacing his wife on the Council, which at the very least abrogates the spirit of term limits.

Vessali has the background and, we hope, temperament to be a good Council member. She may need a thicker skin if elected.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Elianor Vessali for Place 1 on the College Station City Council.

College Station City Council

Place 3

Councilwoman Linda Harvell vs. Dallas Shipp -- Harvell is completing an unexpired term on the Council and is running for a full three-year term. Shipp is making his first run for public office.

Although she ran her first two Council races as a champion for the city's older neighborhoods, Harvell now says she supports all College Station neighborhoods. Still, she said, she is not anti development and business growth. In fact, she said, developers have called her "fair and reasonable."

During her time on the council, Harvell said she has encouraged developers and engineers to meet with the residents of the neighborhoods they impact.

She said the city needs to expand the number of people it notifies when zoning changes are requested in a neighborhood area.

Shipp said he decided to run when the Council raised the city tax rate. "We can keep increasing the tax rate or bring in more business."

Shipp said he doesn't understand the neighborhood-community divide. "They are not mutually exclusive," he said.

He said, "Either you want to grow or you don't," He said he is pro-growth, but understands the need for great neighborhoods.

Referring to what he said is a "running joke" that it is hard to do business in College Station, Shipp said there are too many rules for things such as landscaping and approved color palette for businesses.

Harvell said she is not opposed to the "stealth dorms," but doesn't want to see them encroaching into established neighborhoods. She said they need to be in the proper location, such as the city's west side.

Shipp said the city should look at what it can do about the stealth dorms, but said it is up to residents to ensure their neighborhood deed restrictions are stronger.

Shipp said public safety is the No. 1 issue, saying, "We have to have enough fire and police."

While Harvell agrees, she said the police department "has to live with what it's got."

There could not be a clearer divide between candidates. Harvell champions neighborhoods while saying she supports careful business development. Shipp promotes business development, while saying neighborhoods are important.

After a year on the Council, Harvell seems unfamiliar with some of the issues. Shipp is an unknown at this point. Voters will have to think long and hard before voting in this race.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Dallas Shipp for Place 3 on the College Station City Council.

College Station school board

Place 6

Jackie Huff vs. Trustee Michael Schaefer -- A builder by trade, Schaefer has special insight to the growth of the College Station school district. He said lack of affordable housing in the city will cause growth at the elementary to stagnate for the foreseeable future, with more growth in the upper grades. This will affect how the school boards plans for district growth.

Schaefer spent 21 years as an accounting instructor and administrator for Blinn College, experience he says has served him well on the school board.

He spoke in favor of career-awareness education, saying it needs to start in fifth grade.

Schaefer says he is bothered that the school board passed a deficit-spending budget three years in a row, although each time the deficit disappeared by the end of the fiscal year.

Huff, who has lived in College Station almost 10 years, spent two years teaching high school math in Hearne and four more years teaching the subject at Bryan High School. She also teaches beginning courses at Texas A&M and works with Blinn College on its Brenham campus. That experience would prove valuable on the school board.

"There is no one on the board with any public education experience," adding that College Station teachers don't know Schaefer.

She said teachers want to feel supported by the school board and administrators.

Huff said she would advocate for better pay and benefits for teachers, smaller class sizes and a reducation in the number of class preparations teachers have to do.

Again, voters face a tough decision, but Huff's background in the public school classroom and her enthusiasm set her apart from her opponent.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Jackie Huff for College Station school board, Place 6.

College Station school board

Place 7

Geralyn Nolan vs. Shana Elliott -- This may be the hardest decision College Station voters will have to make this year. Both candidates are outstanding and both would be a tremendous asset to the school board.

Nolan has done just about everything possible to make her qualified for the school board. She has been involved in her children's PTO for eight years, served on district committees and has attended numerous board meetings and workshops. She said the board needs the perspective of a parent and volunteer.

She wants to ensure that College Station schools are well-balanced by socioeconomic makeup and says there is a great need for career and technology programs.

Although she doesn't care for the state's new A-F letter-grade ranking of schools because it is based on one test taken on one day. Nolan agrees there has to be school accountability. She is glad the district has added community accountability to its standards.

Elliott, whose father, Dave Skinner, served on the school board two decades ago, has served as a room mom and a PTO member.

Elliott is a career financial planner, a skill she said would be helpful to the board as it looks to the future. If elected, Elliott said she wants to work on managing growth, staying within the budget and long-term planning.

She, too, doesn't like the state's A-F plan, but agrees there has to be accountability.

Elliott said she has been to a few board meetings.

She said growing up in College Station gives her a unique perspective on the school district.

Nolan said she "clearly has been involved in schools" and chose to do so and, bottom line, wants what's best for kids.

This is a tough, tough decision and voters win whomever is elected.

Nolan has a contagious enthusiasm for the job and has done the prep work needed to be a good trustee.

The Eagle recommends a vote for Geralyn Nolan for Place 7 on the College Station school board.
HARTFORD  Attorney General George Jepsen is leading a bipartisan group of attorneys general in demanding health care companies that provide pharmacy benefit management services mitigate prescription opioid abuse.

All of us - law enforcement, first responders, policymakers, healthcare providers, individuals and families - have an important role to play in addressing this epidemic, Jepsen said.

The attorneys general also sent a letter to the president and CEO of CVS Health Corporation applauding the company's recent program that automatically enrolled all commercial, health plan, employer and Medicaid clients in an opioid abuse mitigation program.

I commend CVS for taking steps to reduce prescription opioid abuse, a contributing factor in the opioid crisis that has impacted Connecticut and communities across the country, Jepsen said My colleagues and I are strongly urging other PBMs to take similar steps and join with us all in action help stop opioid abuse.

The attorneys general asks that the companies adopt similar measures as CVS, including limiting to seven days the supply of opioids dispensed for certain acute prescriptions for patients who are new to the therapy, limiting the daily dosage of opioids dispensed based on the strength of the opioid, and requiring the use of immediate-release formulations of opioids before extended-release opioids are dispensed. The CVS program's requirements are similar to the opioid prescribing guidelines recently issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The multistate PBM letters were sent to:

 Argus Health Systems, Inc.

 Benecard Servies LLC

 Envision Pharmaceutical Services LLC

 Envolve Health

 Express Scripts, Inc.

 Humana, Inc.

 Magellan Rx Management

 MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc.

 Navitus Health Solutions LLC

 OptumRX , Inc.

 PerformRx

 Prime Therapeutics, Inc.

 ProCare Rx

 RxAdvance

 WellDyneRx
NORWALK  Samantha Verboven hates public speaking.

So, when a college professor challenged her to perform a story, she did it in spite of her fears. It went horribly.

I am not a very good at public speaking, and I am not comfortable in front of people, Verboven said. I was mortified, so I made my own personal goal to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. That class showed me a different way of learning and teaching. A lot of the kids are shy, and if you twist it into a performance, it can really bring them out of their shell.

The experience sparked Verbovens interest in Native American folklore and oral storytelling, which she now incorporates into the writing curriculum in her second grade class at Wolfpit Elementary School.

But until this summer, shed only studied the stories and traditions as theyre described in textbooks and videos. Verboven was one of 17 Norwalk teachers selected as a Fund for Teachers fellow, allowing her to participate in a fully-funded, self-designed professional development program during her summer vacation.

Verboven spent a week in Alaska, interacting with and learning from teachers and Alaskan Native Americans, who allowed her to observe their culture of storytelling. The knowledge she gained has already been useful in teaching narrative writing, and will be used to start an after-school writing club at Wolfpit Elementary School next semester.

We start off all writing students with narrative writing, so all of my stories for the modeling portion have been about things that happened while I was in Alaska, Verboven said. I have a board with a ton of pictures and its held their interest. It brings it a little more to life. They internalize what Im talking about and write their own stories with more excitement. It makes them more interested in hearing it and learning about the narrative writing process.

She is in the process of developing the after-school program with Wolfpits principal, and is unsure if it will be for second-graders or older students but said it will be based on a readers theater format.

It would be reading different folklore, how they write and perform it, a little bit of reader theater and then I want them to write their own, and spend time going over it, figuring out the best way to perform it, and then do a showcase at the end of it, Verboven said. So itll be a mixture of reading, writing and performing.

Verboven said the Fund For Teachers experience  which she applied to and was rejected from in 2016  taught her more than what she originally set out to learn, including the importance of trying again after failing. The Connecticut native also was surprised to learn how little she knew about Alaska, and was awestruck by the mountainous beauty she found there.

I realized I didnt really know much about Alaska as a state, Verboven said. Its still part of our country and a lot of times its ignored.

When teachers were selected for the projects in the spring, Mary Yordon, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, said the program has had an enormous impact on Norwalk Public Schools, as it has provided professional development opportunities for dozens of Norwalk teachers.

Norwalk teachers dream big as they plan their professional learning experience to positively impact their students, schools, lessons, colleagues, and communities, Yordon said. We are delighted and grateful to have teachers continue to participate in this amazing opportunity.

Verboven praised the Fund for Teachers program, which sent 210 Connecticut teachers on similar self-designed professional development projects this summer, and said she wouldnt have been able to do the project without the grant.

Sometimes I feel the professional development we go to is not something that works within the classroom, Verboven said. This was a great opportunity to do something different, and I got an experience personally as well as professionally that I would never be able to get on my own without the Fund for Teachers organization.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
From time to time it helps to step outside our own library and enjoy the surroundings.

Librarian Shaun Klee, board president Alan Lepler and I did that recently as we got a sneak peek at the completely remodeled Hastings Public Library.

Along the way we saw the beginnings of beautiful fall foliage. At the library we saw a wonderfully transformed building with brand new technology and use of space. Congratulations to library director Amy Hafer and crew!

In about a month well be making another trip, this time to the newly constructed Ravenna Public Library. Fall foliage or not were looking forward to seeing this totally up-to-date facility. The Ravenna librarys project was one of the featured programs at our recent Nebraska Library Association conference. Ditto on the congratulations to library director Karrie Huryta and crew!

There are many differences between these libraries and ours, just as there are differences between our communities. One thing we have in common: makerspaces. These are places inside libraries with advanced technology, equipment and tools to be creative and collaborative, to learn and succeed in school and life.

The Hastings Public Library crew did an admirable job renovating a basement and making it into a suite of makerspace components. And Ravenna Public Library is one of 18 Nebraska libraries to be chosen to host one of four mobile makerspaces in the Library Innovation Studios: Transforming Rural Communities project just announced by Gov. Pete Ricketts. This will be a big boost in its new building.

Long before the fall foliage, I took a field trip to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Innovation Campus this past spring with Grand Island Public School representatives and community partners to work out plans for a mobile makerspace for grade school kids. This was made possible through a Nebraska Children and Families Foundation grant. Our library was a test site several times during our summer reading program and we look forward to more visits from this TMC (Think, Make, Create) trailer.

For an informative perspective on this topic, I suggest you read How Libraries Are Becoming Modern Makerspaces in an article from the March 11, 2016, issue of The Atlantic magazine www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/everyone-is-a-maker/473286/. Youll immediately notice a picture of Benjamin Franklin flying his kite and wonder what that has to do with libraries. Youll soon discover that Mr. Franklin used the librarys space for some of his early experiments with electricity.

Of course, long before the TMC trailer and actual makerspace rooms in libraries, our services and programs placed a strong emphasis on creativity, curiosity and collaboration to go along with books, magazines, CD and DVD media, and even digital materials and information. Weve developed a strong maker culture with the use of interactive elements in our Early Literacy Discovery Center, as well as in programming for kids, teens and adults.

The Atlantic article describes the first public library to take this maker culture and create a dedicated space about six years ago. Weve learned a lot from this and many other libraries who have renovated existing spaces to build makerspaces.

Weve also taken into account your input and changing needs for library services in moving forward with our own renovation of existing spaces for not only a makerspace but improved teen area, meeting rooms and lobby spaces, and parking lot/front entrance improvements. We are so grateful to have major funding from the Myrtle Grimminger estate as well as upcoming grants and fundraising so there is no need for city tax funding.

Stay tuned for more information about our makerspace and other improvements to library services. In the meantime, get out and enjoy the fall foliage on your way to making the most of our Grand Island Public Library spaces!

Steve Fosselman is the director of the Grand Island Public Library. Email him at stevef@gilibrary.org.
Regent Anna Goodwin-Jensen opened the Oct. 10 meeting of Catholic Daughters Court Queen of Peace No. 2227 at Blessed Sacrament.

Correspondence was read from Geri Zaruba and the Indian Mission School. Gayle Spary reported that all members are paid up.

There was discussion about receiving donation requests every month. It was decided to designate April as the month the group would decide to whom and how much to donate, and that all requests be made by February of each year.

On Oct. 15, Catholic Daughters Sunday was observed. A table was set up with information about Catholic Daughters, and the group also served coffee and rolls after the Mass.

White Ribbon Against Pornography will be observed Oct. 28 and 29. Volunteers are needed to hand out the white ribbons after all the Masses at Blessed Sacrament and Resurrection Church.

The group will have a bake sale the weekend of Nov. 4 and 5 at Blessed Sacrament. Members are asked to bring their baked items by 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Mass cards were sent to Margaret Koziol, Susie Bonahoom, Christina Powell and Georgiann Husen-Tucker.

Members provided cookies and sandwiches for the Oct. 12 Red Cross blood mobile.

On Oct. 13, a rosary was said for Fatima at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14.
The GFWC/NFWC Caring Women met Oct. 2 at First Christian Church.

Karen Crandall, NFWC President, was a special guest. Marlene Schmidt was hostess and led the group in devotions. The program, Celiac Disease, was presented by Marlene Schmidt.

Nell Bohnart reported that coupons were sent to a base in Germany for use by military personnel. Membership Chairman Louise Zimmerman presented 5-year pins to Sandy Kendall, Linda Sander, Barb Gillham and Kate Ruger.

The date for the GFWC/NFWC Caring Women Arts & Crafts Show has been set for March 5, 2018. Any student interested in participating is asked to contact a member of Caring Women.

Upcoming events include participating in the Trunk or Treat at the Grand Island Readiness Center on Oct 26, as well as partnering with the Hall County VFW Auxiliary on their project of providing care packages for the military. Members will be collecting items suggested by the VFW Auxiliary.

The next meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at First Christian Church. The program, Prematurity Awareness, will be coordinated by Gay Crandell, who will also provide devotions and serve as hostess. Members are asked to bring prescription bottles filled with change, which will be donated to the March of Dimes.

New members are always welcome. For more information, contact Louise Zimmerman at (308) 395-8352 or email her at lzimmer@cccusa.net.
WASHINGTON  It turns out that North Korea isnt just a nuclear threat. Its also a cyberthreat, and in some ways, this may be more frightening. Launched largely anonymously, cyberattacks can cripple essential infrastructure  power grids, financial networks, transportation systems  and inflict social disorder and political anarchy. Immediate retaliation is difficult.

All this now seems plausible.

Until recently, cybersecurity experts dismissed North Koreas attack capabilities. It was too backward to pose a serious threat. No more. In a lengthy front-page story on Oct. 16, The New York Times reported that cybersecurity experts admit that they underestimated North Korea, which has now been tied to some major cyberattacks. This includes the heist of an estimated $81 million of funds from the central bank of Bangladesh.

The Times story ought to command everyones attention. It alters the military balance between the United States and North Korea  and not favorably for the U.S. Written by journalists David Sanger, David Kirkpatrick and Nicole Perlroth, the article reported that North Korea has more than 6,000 hackers, whose performance is undeniably improving, according to American and British security experts.

North Korea can hold large swaths of nation-state infrastructure and private-sector infrastructure at risk, said former deputy director of the National Security Agency Chris Inglis. In part, the North Koreans were instructed and encouraged by Iran, the Times said. But mostly, their gains reflected persistence.

How can such an isolated, backward country have this capability? asked a former British government official. Well, how can such an isolated backward country have this nuclear ability?

In the Times story, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is quoted, based on the testimony of a defector, as saying in 2003: If warfare was about bullets and oil until now ... warfare in the 21st century is about information.

Here are some other takeaways from the article:

n The goal in the Bangladesh heist was to divert $1 billion through electronic fund transfers. A clerical error stopped most of the transfer. Still, North Korea allegedly reaped $81 million and earns up to $1 billion annually from ransomware and other digital techniques. These funds dilute the effectiveness of sanctions against Kims regime.

n North Korea was behind the so-called WannaCry hack  one of the largest to date  in May. A ransomware attack shut down hospitals in Britain and affected banks and transportation systems across dozens of countries. Even now, its not clear what the intent was, except possibly to stir chaos. Another fortuitous discovery of a software error shut down the hack.

n North Korea is reported to have penetrated South Koreas military computers to steal war plans. It may also have planted sleeper cells in South Korea that, in the event of war, could be activated to paralyze power supplies and military command and control networks.

By the Times telling, North Koreas capabilities go well beyond its angry response to the 2014 movie satire, The Interview, when it hacked Sony Pictures, the studio that produced the movie. Still, North Korea continues to resort to hacks to deter criticism of Kim.

Just how the United States can react to North Koreas cyberprowess is unclear. According to the Times, Hundreds, if not thousands, of American cyberwarriors spend each day mapping the Norths few networks, looking for vulnerabilities that could be activated in time of crisis. By some accounts, the United States has planted sleeper cells in North Koreas networks.

But the United States is constrained by its huge commitment to the internet. We are more dependent on the web than the North Koreans. In practice, this means that we are more vulnerable to attacks on it. More systems can be shut down and crippled than in North Korea. Americans think that technological superiority works to our benefit. Here, the opposite may be true.
We would like to thank the Grand Island community for its amazing support of Boys Town at a recent event celebrating our 100th anniversary as a national organization.

On Oct. 5, Boys Town Central Nebraska presented a screening of the 1938 film classic, Boys Town. The Grand Theatre Foundation generously provided the perfect setting for the event.

Brent Linder, owner of The Necropolis Group, donated some proceeds from his cash bar to Boys Town and also helped sweep the sidewalks before the event, served food and vacuumed afterwards. Sherena Anson from the Chocolate Bar provided hors doeuvres for our guests, and Alan Usher from B.I.G. Limousine treated staff and Advisory Board members to a limo ride to and from the event.

Guests enjoyed the red carpet treatment, courtesy of Julie Morris of Blue Stripe Photography, including photos with a life-size Oscar named Cas, provided by Awards Plus. Hy-Vee donated candy and the Grand Island Senior High School orchestra, directed by Kelly Coslet, provided music before the movie.

The Best Actor Oscar won by Spencer Tracy for his portrayal of Boys Towns founder, Father Edward Flanagan, was on hand at the screening thanks to the Boys Town Hall of History in Omaha, so guests could have their picture taken with it.

Proceeds from this event will help us remodel the kitchen of our Grand Island shelter, which has been serving youth since 1989.

Special recognition to Tony Wald of Toba Inc., whose $10,000 commitment to the project reflects the communitys concern for its kids. Any donation will help us provide home-cooked meals for the youth in our care.

To support our shelter, please call Stan Kontogiannis at (402) 315-0156 or email him at Stan.Kontogiannis@boystown.org.

Again, thank you Grand Island for your support.

Megan Andrews

3230 Wildwood Drive
Eagles losing another star player to injury, and the dropoff is steep

How can the Eagles replace one of the NFL's top tight ends?
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 22, 2017 10:10 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2579298 1 Lifestyle job-interview,job-qualifications,jobs,#jobs,job-seekers,job-termination,workplace,#workplace Free

Being fired from a job can be a traumatic event. Obviously, this negative record would lead a prospective employer to scrutinize ones resume even further.

However, being fired does not mean the end of your career. Tempo.co has compiled four things to do to get a new job after such an unfortunate event.

Focus on previous experiences, skills

Blair Decembrele, a career expert at business and employment-oriented social networking platform LinkedIn, suggested those who had been laid off to showcase their skills, experiences as well as previous responsibilities. Highlight the things you can offer to the prospective employer and leave the bad experience behind.

Update your professional profile

Decembrele also suggested job-seekers update a professional profile after being terminated from a job, mentioning it could help employees to find a new job.

She encouraged them to make an interesting profile by adding 40 words or more.

Read also: How to overcome the stress of job searching

Get a letter of recommendation

Company performance is among the reasons employees are laid off.

Mayya Indriastuti, a human resource practitioner at Indonesian human resource agency Daya Talenta Indonesia (DTI), mentioned that when a company faces a crisis they would choose to lay off employees based on performances, leading them to keep older and more experienced staff rather than young inexperienced employees.

Hence, Mayya recommended those who got laid off to request a letter of recommendation from the human resource department as the prospective employer may want to do a further investigation.

Be honest

Being fired can be an opportunity to reevaluate your behaviors or experiences. If you are fired because of bad performances, it is best to tell the prospective employer the truth.

Although honesty is important, Mayya stressed that it is also crucial to let the prospective employer know that you would try to perform better and what kind of contributions you can give to the company.

Expand your network

Expand your network after being terminated from a job, Decembrele suggested. She mentioned that 85 percent of employees got their new opportunities through community networks. However, only a few employees who got laid off are willing to spend time expanding their network. (jes/kes)
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Linkedin Sara Hussein (Agence France-Presse) Tripoli, Lebanon  Sun, October 22, 2017 15:07 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257fdee 2 Art & Culture art,art-and-culture,#art,#ArtsandCulture,peace Free

From the street below it's easy to miss the workers daubing rooftops as part of an ambitious art project in two battle-scarred neighborhoods of Lebanon's Tripoli.

But the Ashekman street art duo behind the project say that once they're done, the pistachio-green rooftops they are painting will spell out the word "salam" -- Arabic for "peace" -- on a scale visible from space.

The project, three years in the making, is the brainchild of 34-year-old twins Mohamed and Omar Kabbani.

They researched and rejected multiple locations in their native Lebanon before settling on Tripoli.

They chose a site spanning the Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighbourhoods, which have fought successive rounds of armed clashes in recent years.

"We jumped from one location to another and finally we decided to do it here in Tripoli, specifically in Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, an area that has been in conflict," said Omar Kabbani.

"We're painting the word 'salam' across 85 building rooftops over 1.3 kilometers... to convey that people here are peaceful," he said.

"And Lebanon in general, we want peace."

- From bullets to brushes -

Peace has been elusive in Sunni-majority Bab al-Tebbaneh and the adjacent Alawite-majority Jabal Mohsen.

Fighters from the two areas have battled each other periodically for decades, and the war in neighboring Syria, pitting a Sunni-dominated uprising against Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, has further stirred existing enmities.

The clashes have gouged hundreds of bullet holes into building facades, while mortar fire has blasted through walls, rendering some homes uninhabitable.

Fighting between the neighborhoods has eased in the last two years, but photos of those killed in the most recent violence remain plastered across both areas.

Ashekman's project runs on either side of the infamous Syria Street separating the two neighborhoods. The duo hired workers from across the divide to help them complete the project.

"All of the workers live here in the neighborhood, they lived the conflict, some of them got shot," Omar Kabbani said.

Read also: Jerusalem the focus of first Palestinian Museum show

"Two years ago they were hiding from bullets... now they're painting their rooftops proudly."

The brothers are sensitive to the observation that their project does little to address the most obvious scars of fighting or the area's desperate poverty, often identified as a catalyst of the violence.

They say they chose paint that will seal rooftops against rain and reflect ultra-violet rays, cooling the homes below.

And in order to paint the rooftops, they had to negotiate with residents and often had to clear large amounts of trash and debris.

"It took us around 10 days just to remove all the garbage on the rooftops," said Kabbani.

"With the garbage came a couple of rats, and we fought with some rats. It wasn't an easy task," he said, laughing.

- 'Peace, a great word' -

Walid Abu Heit, 29, joined the project as a painter after hearing about it from March, a Lebanese NGO that has worked on reconciliation and rehabilitation in the rival neighborhoods.

He was born in Bab al-Tebbaneh and worked at a dairy, but lost his job after violence erupted.

"It was very difficult when fighting broke out," he said.

"Darkness engulfed the neighborhood. People stopped coming here."

He and other workers lugged heavy tubs of paint up seven floors and began plastering a roof with the fluorescent green, which flecked his hands and boots.

"It's an amazing project," he said, smiling and shading his eyes from the blazing sun.

"The word peace, it's a great word... we haven't seen it for a long time, now we're seeing it again."
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Linkedin Khristian Ibarrola (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Sun, October 22, 2017 10:41 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2579f01 2 Science & Tech google-play,Google,#Google,hackers,#hacker Free

Tech companies have always sought the aid of white hackers to expose vulnerabilities within their systems.

Google is the latest high-profile company to do so, offering $1,000 to anyone who can identify security breaches in participating Google Play apps.

In collaboration with bug bounty platform HackerOne, the Google Play Security Reward Program will compensate hackers who can find bugs in 13 Google Play apps including Tinder, Duolingo, Dropbox, Snapchat and Headspace.

According to Mashable, users can report vulnerabilities to the apps developers and be given a chance to work with them directly to fix them.

Read also: Google Voice Search now available in Javanese and Sundanese

Once the bugs are fixed, the Android Security team will pay the bounty, while a separate reward will be given by the developer as well.

Furthermore, Google will collate data on all the reported breaches and will share them with other developers who may have encountered the same problems.

Participating apps that already have a bug bounty program will now have the opportunity to attract an even more diverse set of hackers, Adam Bacchus, HackerOnes chief bounty officer, was quoted as saying in the report.

Currently, only the 13 apps are subject to evaluation due to their popularity, while other new apps will be opened for testing after a trial period.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Tehran  Sun, October 22, 2017 13:09 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257d922 2 Art & Culture sculpture,arts,arts-and-culture,#ArtsandCulture,Tehran Free

Forty years after his "oil pool" sculpture became the centerpiece of Tehran's first-ever modern art museum, its Japanese creator returned for its restoration Saturday to find a place "frozen in time".

When the Museum of Contemporary Art opened in central Tehran in 1977, just two years before the Islamic revolution, the country's cultural scene was flush with royal patronage.

Queen Farah was determined to make Iran a global center of the arts and gathered masterpieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Andy Warhol -- a collection now valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

She commissioned Noriyuki Haraguchi for the focal point at the foot of the museum's spiral stairway: a large rectangle of thick waste oil that looks like brightly polished black stone.

When Farah's husband, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, saw it for the first time, he did not believe it was liquid and ended up with his hand covered in oil.

"It was very interesting for me to see my work again here, 40 years later, still standing intact. I was really surprised," Haraguchi, 71, told reporters on Saturday.

"I have made about 20 of these oil pools around the world and there is only one place where it has remained intact like this, and that is here," he said, adding that others are now in museum archives.

"It feels like time has frozen in this museum since I created this, and it is only me that has aged."

Read also: Expressing friendship through art

Most of the Western artworks in the museum were declared un-Islamic and hidden away in the basement for decades after the revolution -- though some have been put back on display occasionally in recent years.

Restoring the oil pool meant fishing out hundreds of items dropped into it over the years, mostly coins.

It also needed an additional 800 liters (210 gallons) of oil, having reduced by around an inch.

There have been accidents, such as when a foreign musician was due to perform next to the pool but mistook its oily surface for a platform and stepped right inside, museum spokesman Hassan Noferesti told AFP.

"For 40 years the staff and visitors have seen this artwork here everyday. It has become woven into the museum's flesh and blood," said its director Ali Mohammad Zare.

The pool measures 6.4 by 4.2 meters (21 by 14 foot) , and is 18 centimeters deep, containing over 4,500 liters of waste oil.

Though known as the "oil pool" in Farsi, its official name is "Matter and Mind".

Asked about the meaning of his work, Haraguchi said it was simply a way of connecting people.

"Art should be free, and through art people can communicate, which is the most important thing and the reason why I'm sitting here now," he said, adding he hoped to one day create new works in Iran.
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Linkedin Khristian Ibarrola (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Sun, October 22, 2017 09:38 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a25786b9 2 Lifestyle Playboy,#Playboy,magazine,#magazine,transgender,#transgender Free

In his first bold move as the new creative officer of the Playboy empire, Cooper, son of the late Hugh Hefner, confirmed that the famed mens magazine will feature a transgender model for its November/December issue.

For the first time in the companys 64-year history, Playboy has chosen 26-year-old French model Ines Rau to grace its cover.

CLOSE UP OF ONE OF THE IMAGES FROM ANTIDOTE FANTASY ISSUE SHOT BY AMAZING YANN WEBER. @messikajewelry A post shared by INES RAU (@supa_ines) on Sep 22, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

Fulfilling his promise of opening new horizons for Playboy, Cooper said Raus selection very much speaks to the brands philosophy.

Its the right thing to do. Were at a moment where gender roles are evolving, the 26-yer-old heir told the New York Post. This is really a moment for us to take a step back and say that so much of what the brand stood for in the early years is very much still alive in culture.

Hefner added that Raus selection was a no-brainer, because shes lovely and has a remarkable personality, and could help resolidify the magazines voice.

Read also: Iconic Playboy founder Hugh Hefner dies at 91

Rau, meanwhile, expressed her delight upon being given the distinction.

It was a compliment like Ive never had, she was quoted as saying by the news outlet. Ive had a lot of beautiful compliments from gentlemen before, but this one really made me feel very special, beautiful and feminine. I was speechless.

Prior to working with Playboy, Rau appeared in Vogue, Italian Vogue and a Balmain fashion campaign.

After the announcement was made public, the 26-year-old model addressed mixed reactions from people online.

Ive seen a lot of hateful comments, Rau said. I would have never thought about people being so transphobic. I knew we still had a lot of work to do to get to a point where people see trans women as women, but I would have never thought of that.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 22, 2017 11:06 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257b13c 1 People Franz-Magnis-Suseno,Gajah-Mada-University,award Free

Catholic priest Franz Magnis-Suseno has been named Outstanding Indonesian Philosopher 2017 by the philosophy department of Gajah Mada University.

The award was given to celebrate the professors contribution and dedication to the study of philosophy in Indonesia.

Due to Franzs illness, the award was received by head of the Driyakara Jakarta School of Philosophy, Simon Petrus Lili Tjahjadi, in a ceremony held on Saturday.

The schools dean, Arqom Kuswanjono, explained that the award intended to acknowledge Franzs status as a philosopher. Despite the lack of criteria or measurement of what constitutes as a philosopher, Franz is deemed worthy of the status based on his works and influence in Indonesias philosophical studies, he added.

Read also: Romo Magnis receives award in Milan for interfaith role

Franz is a professor at the Driyakara Jakarta School of Philosophy, whose books in philosophy and ethics have become a must-read for Indonesian philosophy students. Born into a Germany aristocratic family, he was named Franz Graf von Magnis before he became an Indonesian citizen.

In a scientific speech titled Philosophy as A Questioning Study, read by Simon, the pluralism icon states that philosophy is a key element in honing and refreshing a nations intellect. Philosophy is not everything, but without philosophy, the realm of intellect would become plain, dogmatic, and barren.

A noted pluralist activist, Franz also emphasizes the significance of intellectual support, particularly regarding political ethics in the nations development. Some key issues he has highlighted are the positions of religion, freedom of religion, social justice and the nations solidarity within a countrys weakest citizens. (asw)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Nairobi  Sun, October 22, 2017 12:30 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257d209 2 Lifestyle Tanzania,gay-marriage,#gay,same-sex-marriage,#SameSexMarriage Free

The Tanzanian government said Saturday it had suspended an NGO it had accused of promoting gay marriage in contravention of local "customs, traditions and laws".

The move followed a police raid on a Community Health Education Services and Advocacy (CHESA) center, which is accused of being involved in "the promotion of marriage between people of the same sex".

The government said "marriages between people of the same sex are unacceptable in Tanzania as (they are) contrary to the customs, traditions and laws of the country".

CHESA stands accused of organizing last Tuesday a workshop for gay couples in a hotel in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city.

Police made 12 arrests Wednesday at the hotel, including two South Africans and a Ugandan, for presumed homosexuality.

In a joint statement Friday CHESA and South Africa's Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), a fellow NGO, insisted they were merely coordinating a "legal consultation" to challenge a government decision to limit the provision of some health services.

In February, Tanzania provoked criticism notably from the United States after announcing the closure of several health centers specializing in AIDS prevention, alleging they were fronts for promoting homosexuality.

CHESA and ISLA said 13 arrests were made Tuesday, including ISLAs executive director, Sibongile Ndashe, and added all were back in custody after bail was revoked Friday.

Read also: Taiwan's gay marriage ruling raises hopes across Asia

The organizations stated that "the Tanzanian constitution enshrines the right to seek legal redress when fundamental rights have been violated".

They added Tanzania has signed the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights which "recognises an individuals right to an appeal to competent national organs against acts violating his fundamental rights as recognised and guaranteed by conventions, laws and customs in force".

The NGOs insisted the case against its workers had no legal basis and demanded an end to state persecution of lawyers and their clients.

Tanzania has vowed to deport foreigners campaigning for gay rights in a country where gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment.

In July 2016, the government banned the import of some lubricant gels alleging they were used exclusively by homosexuals.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the sale and occasional free distribution of the gels encouraged gay sex.

According to Amnesty International, homosexuality is illegal in 38 of 54 African states and is punishable by death in Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan.

Uganda repealed a 2014 move to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of being gay.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 22, 2017 18:32 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a25838c3 1 Guide To Jakpost-guide-to,Jl-Green-Ville,West-Jakarta,travel,#JakpostGuideTo,destination Free

Green Ville is a two-way road connecting Jl. Ratu Kemuning and Jl. Surya Wijaya. Those who happen to be trapped in rush-hour traffic in West Jakarta can consider visiting this area, known as one of the city's culinary havens.

How to get there

Those coming from Jl. Panjang can find this street easily, as it is located across Surya Utama church.

If taking the Transjakarta busway, get off at Kedoya Assiddiqiyah (stop K08-15) and take a short walk to Jl. Green Ville.

Public transportation options that operate along Jl. Green Ville and surrounding streets include the blue M45 minibus that serves the Grogol-Green Ville route and the area's blue bajaj (three-wheeled taxis).

Ride-hailing apps are an obvious recommendation, but try and order from somewhere in or near West Jakarta for a better chance at getting a driver who knows the area.

What to wear

Go casual in T-shirts and shorts, as the midday weather can be hot and trees are rare along the way. A hat and applying sunblock are practical suggestions.

What to do

One of the recommended beauty salons in the area is S.H.A.G. (Sonju Hair Art Gallery), which is known for its styling and coloring. Established in 2013, the salon consists of three floors: the first is for chemical and styling services, the second is for hair treatments, and the third floor is usually for beauty classes held by the salons owner-artistic director, Sonny Sonju.

The first floor of S.H.A.G. offers hair styling and chemical styling services. (S.H.A.G./File)

Our customers' most favorite services are cutting and coloring, Sonny told The Jakarta Post, adding that the requested hair color typically depended on a customer's personality, lifestyle and job. As were approaching winter, the requested colors tend to be smooth, such as brown, like the color of the soil, mint-beige and matte aqua.

It is highly recommended that those who want to use Sonnys services first make a reservation. S.H.A.G.'s services start from Rp 50,000 (US$3) for a regular blow-dry.

Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Bumi

What to eat

Koultoura, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., offers good coffee brews and a quiet space to catch up on some work. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

A foodie paradise, Jl. Green Ville hosts a wide range of eateries. Those who want to spend their time drinking a good cup of coffee or find temporary sanctuary to work undisturbed can consider visiting Koultoura. Taste the Manuka Honey Latte or Ice White while you are there. This place also has a counter offering artisan ice cream from Sore Sore, with its unexpected yet delicious flavors such as Tolak Angin and The Susu Marie, named after a local brand of milk cookies.

Open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., coffee at Koultoura starts Rp 30,000.

Sore Sore's artisan ice cream can be found at an in-store counter at Koultoura cafe. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Meanwhile, those who want to enjoy a satisfying snack with their friends can pay a visit to Binatu An. Known for its otak-otak (fish cakes) and es kelapa muda (young coconut water), Binatu An has been around since 1958. Its otak-otak has a chewy, soft texture and is always accompanied by a mild, not-too-spicy peanut sauce. The establishment also offers different types of es kelapa, such as kopyor and a coconut-Sunkist orange blend. A piece of otak-otak starts at Rp 9,000, while es kelapa starts from Rp 23,000.

Binatu An is famous for its soft and chewe 'otak-otak' (fish cake). (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Another place to grab a snack is Kuo Tie 22 Sunny Sanjaya. Located in front of Rasane restaurant, the food stall provides kuo tie dumplings and other dishes containing pork. Those who like it crunchy can opt for the fried kuo tie, which comes with a dipping sauce as well as garlic oil. The stall opens from 4 p.m.

Kuotie 22 Sunny Sanjaya is a good place to grab a plate or two of pork dumplings. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Other recommended establishments are Bakmie Alok, known for its chicken noodles and open from 7 a.m., Saung Greenville for seafood enthusiasts and Gerobak Betawi, famous for its Indonesian cuisines.

Around the corner on Jl. Ratu Kemuning is a food court called XYZ District. It consists of many food stalls, including Grill & Bites, known for its chicken dishes, and TOT.Aw that has caused a sensation by creating a birthday cake made from noodles.

A post shared by XYZ District (@xyzdistrict) on Sep 25, 2017 at 12:48pm PDT

Tips:

Be careful when crossing the street, as it lacks zebra crossings. The sidewalks are in a rather poor condition, except for those sections in front of food establishments or stores.

Most eateries and stores have their own parking attendant (tukang parkir) who will help you park, but sometimes they will ask you for money. Prepare to pay Rp 5,000 for cars and Rp 2,000 for motorcycles (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/08/07/jakarta-may-increase-parking-fees.html).

The road tends to get crowded after 4 p.m., even during weekdays, so you may want to visit the area before or after that time. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sun, October 22, 2017 14:07 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257f10f 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Mandalika,Jokowi,#Jokowi,Jokowi-vlog Free

During his visit to Mandalika in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to inaugurate Mandalika becoming a Special Economic Zone (KEK), President Joko Jokowi Widodo recored a vlog to promote the place.

He posted the video both on his official YouTube and Instagram accounts with the caption #JKWVLOG INDAHNYA MANDALIKA (#JKWVLOG The Beauty of Mandalika) on the former channel.

Read also: Jokowi's vlogs entertaining, but public needs to be more critical

In the 01:27 video, the President appears alongside NTB governor M Zainul Majdi.

For 29 years this region couldnt finish its [development] and as of today, this place is officially open. Investment has been pouring in and we hope it will bring a positive impact to the people of NTB, he says in the video.

Thank you pak President, welcome to Mandalika. Mandalika is ready to welcome you all, adds the governor.

The video also showcases the beauty of white-sand beach, clear blue seas and a road surrounded with greeneries. (asw)

Biru laut, pasir putih dan langit jernih. Indahnya Mandalika Lombok Tengah. Di sini akan kita bangun Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus, setelah 29 tahun direncanakan. Kalau sudah beroperasi kawasan ini bisa mempekerjakan karyawan kurang lebih 58.000 orang. Investasi yang masuk lebih dari Rp13 triliun. Kita harapkan kawasan ini akan berkembang pesat dan masyarakat mendapatkan manfaatnya. Video: Youtube Presiden Joko Widodo A post shared by Joko Widodo (@jokowi) on Oct 21, 2017 at 12:16am PDT
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sun, October 22, 2017 15:01 1850 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a257fb24 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Palembang,Singapore,international-flights Free

Singapore-based airline Scoot has launched a new route from Singapore to Palembang. The inaugural flight of this route will be on November 23, in the future there will be four flights that travel between Palembang and Singapore in a week.

Palembang is the right choice for us, we want to promote Palembang as a new destination following the other three destinations in Indonesia, said Scoot chief commercial officer, Vinod Kannan.

This is the right choice for a new flight. Singapore and Palembang have historical and cultural relationships. The relationship between Singapore and South Sumatra can be traced back to the Sriwijaya Empire era, explained tourism minister, Arief Yahya.

To commemorate the new addition, Scoot is offering a promo for a one-way trip from Palembang. The promo will begin at 09:00 a.m. on October 21 and end on November 5 at 10:59 p.m. with the price starts from Rp 110,000 ($8.14).

Read also: Moving to Singapore? What you need to know to find a place to live

With flight number TR250, the flights are available on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For Tuesday and Sunday flights, the plane is departing from Changi International Airport at 03:00 p.m. (local time) and will arrive at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport in Palembang at 03:10 p.m.

For the Thursday flight the plane departs at 10:30 a.m. and arrives at 10:40 a.m. whilst for the Saturday flight the departure time is at 11:05 a.m. and arrival time is at 11:15 a.m.

Meanwhile, the flight number for the round-trip is TR251, departing from Palembang at 03:50 p.m. and arrives in Singapore at 06:15 p.m. on every Tuesday and Sunday.

For the Thursday flight, the departure time is at 11:20 a.m. and arrival time is at 01:30 p.m.; for the Saturday flight the departure time is at 11:55 a.m. and arrival time is at 02:25 p.m.

As a low-cost carrier, Vinod said that their target market is the youngsters who like to travel. Additionally, Scoot is competing with other low-cost carriers from Indonesia.

Every airline is our competitor but the main ones are Jet Star, Air Asia and Lion Group, told Vinod.

On the same day, Scoot is also adding one more flight for the Singapore  Denpasar route, that means therell be three flights serving the route in a day.

Scoot is also adding one more flight for the flight to-and-from Surabaya, from the previous six flights to seven flights in a week.

With these changes, Scoot will now have 53 flights to Indonesia in a week. Before, there were only 41 flights, Vinod added. (asw)
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Its no secret that finding a job as a student is like trying to catch ping pong balls in a tornado. It sucks.

Its not like students get any help, either. Job boards look older than dust and feature the same jobs at the same companies that youve probably seen a million times before, and that everyone is applying to already.

Luckily, a new site called Magnet.me recently launched in the United Kingdom and is now rapidly changing the way students land an internship, placement or job - while pissing off job boards and recruitment agencies across the UK.

Basically, imagine if LinkedIn and Tinder had a baby. Gross, but heres how it works.

1. Firstly, you set up a profile - and then specify the kind of companies and jobs you find most interesting.

2. Your dashboard will then light up with both small and large employers that fit your criteria.

Heres what I didnt tell you: all of these employers have a genuine interest in you already.

How does Magnet. me know? Machine learning magic! The employers specified their ideal candidate (you) when they signed up. Youre a perfect match for them, and theyre a perfect match for you.

Unlike most careers websites, Magnet. me finds the privacy of its users more important than making a quick buck, so no spamming by annoying recruiters or companies you don't like. Ever. Theyll be able to view your profile, message and invite you to apply only if you click on the Connect button in their profile.





Magnet.me is the first careers website & app completely built by students for students and acts as more of a careers network than a job board, which makes the job hunt much more tailored and transparent.

On top of all, Magnet.me is and always will be free for both students and companies, which means it features a variety of positions - from start-ups like The Inner Circle and Go Cardless, to corporates like J.P. Morgan, Unilever and Amazon.

Sign up to Magnet.me
The 30-year-old will leave her postiion on the ABC show and will star and executive produce the new show. The currently un-named spin-off will see Raven being a divorced, single mother of two pre-teen kids who have inherited her psychic abilities.There is no news yet on whether Eddie (Orlando Brown) and Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol) will be returing as well, but 90s kids everywhere will be hoping that the whole group is back together. With Symone returing to her Disney roots, let's take a look at what some of your other favourite Disney Channel stars are up to these days...One half of the Sprouse duo first appeared on our screens alongside his twin brother as the baby faced star of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Ten years later and the 24-year-old, who took a break from acting to study archaeology at NYU, is now set to star in the American teen drama series Riverdale - which is based on characters from Archie Comics.The High School Musical beauty shot to fame in the hit Disney Channel movie over a decade ago as musically talented school girl Gabriella Montez. Hudgens is now the star of NBC's Powerless, a workplace comedy set at an insurance company, where she plays an insurance adjuster who is sick of superheroes causing havoc in her city. The American television series is the first sitcom set within the world of the DC Universe and is set to air in 2017.Probably best know nowadays for THAT performance at the MTV VMAs, former child star Miley first hit our screens in Disney's Hannah Montana, playing a teen living a double life as an average school girl by day and pop star by night. The actress went on to release five studio albums and 27 singles including Wrecking Ball, which became Miley's first number one single, and We Can't Stop. The 23-year-old is currently a judge on NBC's The Voice and is a co-star in Woody Allen's Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes.HSM hunk Zac Efron has been tearing up the movie scene ever since he first won our hearts as Troy Bolton, featuring in such hits as 17 Again, Neighbors and Dirty Grandpa since his Disney Channel debut. He has now joined the cast of Paramount Picture's Baywatch, an American action-comedy, based on the 1989 television series with the same name. The film is set to be released on 19th May 2017. Oh, and did we mention he's got really buff since his Disney days?
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This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict.   Mark Alexander

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It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".
Issues including visa, greater market access for goods and intellectual property rights are expected to figure in the trade policy forum (TPF) meeting between India and the US on October 25 in Washington, an official said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will attend the meet.

After the Trump administration took power, this would be the first formal interaction between trade authorities of the two countries. The last meeting was held in October here.

The forum was set up in 2005 and the meeting is co- chaired by the Indian commerce minister and the US Trade Representative (USTR), with an aim to expand bilateral trade and investment.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said that on September 22, senior officers of both the countries took stock of the issues in run-up to this meet.

It was a preparatory meeting for the ministerial level TPF.

The four working groups under this forum are on intellectual property, promoting investment in manufacturing, services and agriculture.

In the previous meeting, both sides had committed to continue engagement to resolve issues related to visa, movement of professionals and totalisation pact.

Under this pact, professionals of both will be exempted from social security taxes when they go to work for a short period in the other country.

India has time and again raised the issue of H-1B visa with the US authorities and asked them to liberalise their visa regime as Indian IT companies contribute significantly to the American economy.

Trade between the two counties increased to USD 64.51 billion in 2016-17, from USD 62.11 billion in the previous fiscal.

However, foreign direct investment from the US into India dipped to USD 2.37 billion in 2016-17 from USD 4.19 billion in 2015-16.
A minor girl suffered a fractured nose after being assaulted by a man in Mumbais Nehru Nagar on 17 October, according to a video which has surfaced on the social media.

The entire violence was captured on a CCTV camera. The man has been identified as Imran Shahid Shaikh, who lives in the same building and reportedly her neighbour.

According to the police, the incident took place near SRA Building in Shramjeevi Nagar, Chembur, when the girl was on her way to a class with her friend when she objected to Shaikhs behaviour, as he was allegedly passing lewd comments. When she objected, Shaikh got agitated and began to assault her.

She fainted due to the assault and was taken to a local hospital for treatment by her parents. She was later shifted to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.

A case under Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against Shaikh at the Nehru Nagar police station.

The accused was arrested on the day of the incident, but later grated bail by a local court, police said.

According to media reports, the girl had told the police that Shaikh had allegedly sexually assaulted her but the police failed to take her claims into cognisance. The girl has also alleged that the Shaikhs family members threatened her family and asked them to withdraw the complaint.

A senior police officer said they are examining the CCTV footage and investigations are underway.
Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the party. The ruling BJP got a boost as two leaders from Patels Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.

Thakore, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.

Soon after, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, Patidar leaders closely associated with the PAAS movement, joined the BJP, profusely praising the ruling party which they suddenly found to have considered all their demands.

We were fighting for the community and not working as agents of any political party or to broker their ambitions, Reshma Patel said. Asked if they were not acting as agents of the BJP, both claimed their fight right from the beginning was for the community and to support whoever backed the Patidars cause.

Alpesh Thakore, meanwhile, said he and his supporters would formally join the Congress at a massive rally in state capital Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi would fly down specially for the rally.

It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess, Thakore told reporters in Delhi.

He added, Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP.

Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Hardik Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the dictatorial and inhuman BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so.

There is no talk of joining the Congress. I have said earlier also that the Congress would have to first convince us how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise, Patel told IANS.

Our agitation will continue even if the Congress comes to power if our demands are not met, he said, adding that he had maintained this several times.

PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhania told a Gujarat TV channel, A couple of ambitious people joining BJP or leaving the Patidar movement wont have any impact on us.

Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organizations and leaders in the state.

Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal-U and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days  Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani  to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP, Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.

He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress.

We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 per cent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 per cent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution, he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.

Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 per cent additional reservations is approved.
On 17 October, at a modest gathering at Hojai in central Assam, a group of patriots belonging to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Mission was given a rousing reception after being taken in a procession. They had come from Kolkata to celebrate the 75th foundation day of the Provisional Azad Hind government and pay their homage to Indias thousands of known and unknown freedom fighters who laid down their lives at Moirang, 32 km from Imphal, where on 14 April 1944 the Indian National Army had hoisted the Indian National flag.

The INA (also known as the Azad Hind Fauj) was formed by patriotic Indian nationals in 1942 with the objective of liberating India from the British colonial rule. Supreme leader of the INA Subhas Chandra Bose also headed the Provisional Government of Free India (in exile).

Netaji announced the formation of free Indian government in exile at Cathay Cinema Hall in Singapore on 21 October 1943. Two days later he declared war against Britain with Japanese support and called it the final struggle for Indian independence.

Now that the dawn of freedom is at hand, it is the duty of the Indian people to set up a provisional government of their own, and launch the last struggle under the banner of that government, pronounced Netaji, adding as all the Indian leaders were in prison and the people at home totally disarmed, it was neither possible to set up the provisional government within India nor to launch an armed struggle under its aegis. Formed in 1942 with the motto of Ittehad, Itmad aur Qurbani (unity, faith and sacrifice), the INA comprised over 40,000 soldiers, who fought valiantly against the British imperialist forces.

Netaji became INAs supreme commander in 1943 and undertook a ground-breaking march towards Indian Territory from Burmese soil with the aim of achieving independence. Soon after crossing the Burmese border, Netaji raised the Indian national tri-colour flag at Moirang symbolising the liberation of a portion of Indian soil from the British.

They then marched towards Imphal and Kohima but lost the battle against the colonial forces and retreated to Burma. The Hojai meeting also resolved to appeal to the Union government to preserve all Indian testimonials in Burma (now Myanmar). It is apprehended that as Myanmar is changing from a military-ruled country to a quasi-democracy, the ongoing development process might destroy all historical monuments in that country.

That country in general and particularly Yangon (earlier Rangoon) now attracts investments from various western agencies in its real-estate sector. The apprehension is that the rampant developmental activities in Yangon might lead to the destruction of many heritage buildings related to Indias freedom struggle there.

The question arises whether the then INA headquarters in Yangon along with other monuments in the former Burmese capital can be preserved. This writer, while on a visit to Yangon in 2005, was unable to locate the INA building nearby the splendid Rangoon railway station in the downtown area.

The country then was under the grip of general Than Shwe and the people were scared of talking to strangers. Moreover, Netaji was a close friend of General Aung San, the father of Burmese pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi. The friendship between Netaji and Burmas independence hero was also reflected in cordial relationships between the INA and the Burmese National Army.

The military rulers were scared of Suu Kyi as a catalyst of change in Burma and hence they even did not pay due respect to General Aung San, who was assassinated just a few days before Burma achieved independence in 1948. As there was a ban on talking about Suu Kyi in public places, it had indirect negative implications on Netaji- related monuments as well.

Then in house-arrest but now in power, Suu Kyi can help in restoring the monuments in Myanmar related to Indias freedom movement, commented some speakers at the Hojai meeting, adding that both the countries should maintain cordial bilateral relationships in various sectors like tourism, IT, trade and commerce. Statistics reveal that the Myanmar construction industry has increased tremendously over the last few years.

Supported by Naypyidaws initiative in an improved political atmosphere, the flow of foreign direct investment on various sectors, like the real estate, infrastructure, energy projects et al is going up. Burmese media reports suggest that some non-government organisations, like the Yangon Heritage Trust, were trying to conserve the citys historic buildings from the clutches of land-grabbers. But in the absence of any legal protection guidelines, the trust found it difficult to convince the federal government in Naypyidaw.

Local media outlets, even though enjoying freedom to some extent in recent time, prefer to remain silent about any historical monuments related to Netaji and the INA. On the other hand, no mainstream Indian newspapers or satellite news channels have full-time correspondents in Yangon.

One is not sure whether or not the INA building still stands in the historic city. Lately, however, during his visit to Myanmar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed setting up of an INA memorial in the country with the aim of paying respect to the martyrs. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Yangon on 7 September last year, Modi mentioned about Netajis clarion call, Give me blood and I will give you freedom He said for Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bahadur Shah Zafar among others, Burma was their second home after leaving India during the freedom struggle.

He also hoped that both New Delhi and Naypyidaw would work together for a survey to find out ways for an INA memorial there. The Hojai meeting also decided to appeal to the state government to erect a life-size statue of Netaji along with Assams first premier Gopinath Bordoloi, in front of the state Secretariat to commemorate Netajis moral support to the then Bordoloi government in a critical phase of events.

Another resolution, supported by everyone, was to prohibit anyone in India to assume the title of Netaji except Subhas Chandra Bose. Mentioning about a north Indian political leader (read Mulayam Singh Yadav), whom the followers often term as Netaji, the meeting urged everyone to avoid such address in future, so that Netaji remains synonymous with Bose like Bapu to Gandhi.

(The writer is the Guwahati-based Special Representative of The Statesman.)
Raqqa is about to fall  and once more, its imminent collapse has been brought about by Isis fighters who chose not to fight to the death. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)  which is mostly Kurdish, is definitely not democratic and would have no force without US airpower  believe that they might hold the entire city within 24 hours and would thus erase the Isis capital in Syria.

But the reports of more than at least 275 Isis fighters who are said to be Syrian and who have apparently been freed will greatly concern the Syrian government and army. Will they be allowed to wander into the Syrian desert and stage attacks on the Syrian army? Or go to join their comrades in Deir Ezzor, the government-held city which has still not been taken in its entirety by Syrian troops?

This is the second time in a week that Isis have surrendered en masse  the Kurdish-led SDF says that only foreign fighters remain in Raqqa  and the assumption must be that ISIS is either content to give up the battle and fight again another day, or simply to find their way home and give up the struggle. The latter may be the more likely. But the Syrian government army is also only a few miles from Raqqa and has its own liaison office with the Kurds of the SDF  and with the Russian air force  in a small location close to the Euphrates river.

They will want to know details of this largescale surrender  or large-scale freeing of prisoners which seems to be what is happening. The fighters are thought to have been taken initially to Hawi al-Hawa prison outside Raqqa where they are being interrogated  hopefully more humanely than were Isis prisoners captured by Shia Iraqi militias in Mosul.

Raqqas short truce also provided the moment for hundreds of civilians to flee the city, including the wives and children of fighters. So it seems that all the visions of heroic death and paradise conjured up by Isis leaders  many of whom are themselves dead  no longer appear to be worthy of their fighters.

The mere fact that they will talk to their opponents is an extraordinary step, although there is a third example of such a surrender: when the Syrians and Hezbollah fighters on Syrias border with Lebanon allowed Isis fighters and other Islamists to leave the hills above the Lebanese town of Ersal earlier this year. There will, however, apparently be no forgiveness for the foreign fighters in Raqqa  it seems they will have to fight and die unless they too receive clemency by the besiegers of the city. What we do not yet know is how much of the ancient Abbasid city of Raqqa and its horseshoe walls and the gate of Baghdad built probably in the eighth century, survives.

So much of Syrias antiquity has been damaged or destroyed  sometimes quite deliberately  in this war, that few historians bother any more to decry the destruction of the countrys cultural heritage. Isis has even lost the Syrian town of al-Mayadeen which it captured this summer and which the Syrian government army have now retaken. But while the war may have been won in the desert, it is not over. Shells have once more been falling this weekend across Damascus, mostly in the old part of the city, and the Syrian news agency SANA has reported several deaths. A doctor said that there were four dead on Sunday and seven civilians with severe shrapnel wounds. Casualties have also, however, become casualties of the truth.

The American claim that 80,000 ISIS fighters have been killed in Iraq and Syria seems highly unlikely  40,000 in Iraq and 40,000 in Syria seems a bit too neat a statistic.

The Kurdish fighters have named their operation to take Raqqa after one casualty they can confirm: their own Arab commander, Adnan Abu Amjad who was killed in August in the centre of the city.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that the Army has to remain prepared to counter any Dokalam-like situation along the Sino-India border.

Rawat, while speaking to reporters at a function here, also said that the mountain strike corps, designated as 17 Corps, was being raised as a force of deterrence and the process of its establishment was on schedule.

Asked if the 17 corps was being established to counter China, Rawat said, Why should we say it is against whom? It is for deterrence and deterrence is against any threat that may confront the nation.

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the setting up of the 17 Corps in the latter part of 2014.

So far, one division comprising nearly 25,000 soldiers has been raised for the Corps, which is at present headquartered at Ranchi. Once the raising of the 72 division is complete, the Corps will be based out of Panagarh in West Bengal.

Asked if there was any possibility of a Dokalam-like standoff with China in any other part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Rawat said, We have to remain prepared.

The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Dokalam started on June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.

Rawat, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function where he presented the Presidents Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, also said that the security situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving.

I think the security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now in the Kashmir Valley is possibly highlighting the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them, he said.

The Army chief said that the ups and downs in terrorism keep happening.

We will keep eliminating terrorists, and some wayward youth, because of the social media campaign of radicalisation, will come and join, he said, adding that most of them were now operating overground and were surrendering.

Asked about the reopening of terror training camps across the LoC, Rawat said that they were never closed.

Militants were stationed in the training camps even then as they are today, he said.

On whether the Army will again carry out surgical strikes to dismantle the terror camps across the border, Rawat said, We have already said that surgical strikes were a method (to deal with terror infrastructure across the border). There are other methods also.

The Army chief also said that the enquiries into the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota had been completed and action taken.

Punishments are being awarded to the people who are found guilty. Nobody is spared, he said.

Asked about his reaction to the statement of Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa that his country wants to have peaceful relations with India, Rawat said the military has a task and it will continue to perform the task.

Any talks or anything that has to be done, will be decided at the political level. If the political hierarchy takes a political call, we will continue to perform and do our tasks that has been entrusted to us, he said.

Talking about whether the militancy graph has gone down after initiatives under the Operation Sadhbhavana, Rawat said, Winning hearts and minds (of people) is part of any counter insurgency strategy and our nation has been following it rightly.

Success has been achieved through Operation Sadhbhavana which is evident the way you see the goodwill of schools in carrying out competitions. There are any number of people joining and supporting the campaign, he said.

Asked whether the Army was planning to close down Army Education Corps, Rawat said the instructions to close it down had come.

However, he also added that, If we have to close down AEC, it will take time. It is being discussed.

The AEC is a programme run by the Army that develops soldiers and officers of all ranks in a variety of disciplines. The centre provides education in both combat and non-combat operations.

Rawat said action was being taken to secure all military establishments and garrisons.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tacitly warned people in his home state Gujarat about the possible pitfalls of picking a government of a party different from the one at the Centre.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a slew of projects, some of them of the level of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Modi said that as Chief Minister he suffered at the hands of the Congress-led UPA government as it would sit over development proposals because of its anti-Gujarat, anti-development attitude.

Mimicking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a low soft tone, Modi said that every time he went to him with a request about laying sluice gates at the Narmada dam, he would say: Abhi tak aapka kaam nahi hua (Your work still not done).

The Prime Minister repeated this twice to sound like Manmohan Singh.

Then, Modi went on to cite instances of the Morarji Desai government at the Centre and the Babubhai Jashbhai government in Gujarat as well as that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi and Keshubhai Patel in the state and his rule in Gujarat.

The Prime Minister said progress had been achieved only when the government in the Centre was sympathetic to the states interest and of the same party.

If Ataljis government was not at Centre, Gujarat would have never emerged from the devastating earthquake (of January 2001). The Centre stood strongly with the Keshubhai Patel government, he claimed.

Gujarat should not let go of a single opportunity to benefit from the government at the Centre which is sympathetic to Gujarat, said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress stating that the only news during those times was that of large-scale corruption.

One lakh crore rupees gone. Two lakh rupees gone. There was corruption in everything, coal, submarine or helicopter. Since I have come, now they keep asking is how much money has come.

Listing out his governments priority programmes as providing electricity to every home by 2019 and house to ever family by 2022, Modi criticised the opposition for lack of vision.

To them, public welfare works are not the priority. They think it is their birthright to rule. They do not have capability to think or have vision, Modi said.

Again, he mimicked the late Rajiv Gandhi without naming him to claim that his own government would not procrastinate before launching development works.

Humey dekhna hain, hum dekhenge, humey sochna hain, hum sochenge Nothing like this, we implement in decided time-frame, Modi said, trying to sound like the assassinated former Prime Minister.
Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) this week for his alleged role in terror funding and money laundering cases in the country, officials said.

The formalities to file the chargesheet against Naik, who left the country in July last year, have been completed and it will be submitted before a special court this week, they said.

The 51-year-old televangelist, who is currently abroad, is being probed under terror and money-laundering charges by the NIA. He fled from India on July 1, 2016, after terrorists in neighbouring Bangladesh claimed that they were inspired by his speeches.

The NIA had on November 18, 2016, registered a case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His Mumbai-based NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has already been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry.

Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.

The controversial preacher has been accused of spreading hatred by his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and laundering several crores of rupees over the years.

Naik, a medical doctor-turned preacher, during his interactions with the Indian media from broad has repeatedly denied all the charges.

The Interpol was approached against Naik after a year- long probe during which the NIA gathered evidence on his IRF and Peace TV being used to allegedly promote hatred between different religious groups.

Besides banning his NGO, the central government has taken his TV channel off air.

The passport of Naik was also been revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at the request of the NIA earlier this year.

The NIA had thrice issued notices under the Code of Criminal Procedure section 160 to Naik, asking him to join the investigation, but he did not appear before it.

The section authorises a police officer to call somebody if it appeared the person seemed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case in question.

Thereafter, on April 21, the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the NIA Special Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. On June 15, the court issued proclamation order seeking Naiks appearance before it.

After Naik failed to comply with these directives, the anti-terror agency requested the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke his passport.

The Mumbai-based preacher came under the lens of security agencies after some terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July last year reportedly claimed they were inspired by his speeches.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is being relaunched as a firebrand young leader to be projected as an alternate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This had been attempted earlier also but the marketing was a failure. But this time it seems to be clicking. Gandhis new image building has been planned to coincide with his taking over the party later this month.

In fact his two-week US tour last month was part of this rebranding, to expose him abroad before re- launching him in India. The US tour was important not just because it showed a new side of Rahul but also revealed the new political strategy of the Congress.

Oddly, the exposure seems to have worked for him where he stayed with the message, talking about jobs, engaged with questions and was frank with students of the University of Berkeley and Princeton. He spoke freely about Modis divisive politics, and the slowing down of the economy due to wrong policies like demonetisation.

Fortunately for him, it clicked with the result the Gandhi scion got more space in newspapers. After his return his poll campaign in Gujarat and elsewhere is picking up. Although it is due to various reasons including growing disenchantment with the Modi government as well as voter fatigue with the BJP, which has been ruling the state since 1995, Congressmen give credit to Rahul. Perhaps Modi is going through a rough patch with the economy slowing down and is receiving brickbats for demonetisation and sloppy implementation of GST.

Even some of the diehard supporters of the Prime Minister are a little disenchanted and the pro-Modi chorus in social media is a little muted. On the contrary, Gandhis efforts to increase his presence in social media is claimed to be a great success in the past three months. He is using Twitter effectively, an area which he had earlier almost ignored. Gandhi, who has 3.78 million Twitter followers, falls way behind the Prime Minister with 35.5 million followers. However, this is changing in the past three months. His tweets suggest that the Congress scion is wooing the middle class  an area he had almost completely ignored before.

According to India Today, @OfficeOfRG got 2,784 retweets in September on average, as compared to 2,506 for Modi and 1,722 for Arvind Kejriwal. So far in October, they say hes scoring even better, at 3,812. While Rahul was not taken seriously all these years, the mood seems to be changing now. In a bid to get Hindu votes, Rahul has begun reading the Bhagwad Gita and Upanishads. He has started visiting temples to woo Hindu voters as the party was being criticized for having too much of a tilt in favour of Muslims. Since his return from the US, Gandhis statements attacking the BJP and its chief Amit Shah on the controversial issue of his sons business ventures has drawn BJP leaders into the ring. A news report claimed Jay Shahs firm saw a 16,000-time rise in turnover since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. This allegation may or may not be true but the damage has been done.

Taking advantage of this, Gandhi attacks the BJP on the issue of corruption, that too in Modis home state Gujarat. Not only does he seem to raise the right issues, but he also seems to be framing his arguments better.There are indications that the BJP recognises his arrival. Even the Prime Minister has frontally taken him on.

The BJP has fielded its top ministers like Smriti Zubin Irani, Nirmala Seetharaman, Piyush Goyal and Ravi Shankar Prasad to defend Shah and also attack the Gandhi family by raising the issue of Bofors and the business dealings of Priyanka Gandhis husband, Robert Vadra. More controversies about the Gandhi familys alleged corrupt deals are being dug out. Gandhi has also raised several questions with regard to recent reports of China getting engaged in construction activity in the Doklam area and whether China was back to constructing a road in the Dokalam area at a meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs last week.

The question is will the Congress be able to sustain this momentum at least until the upcoming Assembly polls to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh? It is doubtful but if it has to happen, Rahul needs a change of narrative and must project the Congress as the alternative. Enthused by the recent Gurdaspur bye-election success in Punjab, the Congress feels that this is the time for the party to capture the minds of people. The second challenge is to connect with voters. The third is his ability to carry forward the momentum and create a good image for the party. The fourth is to boost the morale of workers. The fifth is to encash the opportunity to votes in favour of the Congress. The sixth is to build viable alliances across the country. Finally, the successful marketing of Gandhi and the Congress Party is important.

Jyoditraditya Scindia had admitted recently in the end, what will make the difference is the ability to mobilise voters. For ultimately, it is the voters who will decide if a rebranded Rahul Gandhi is acceptable to them.
Sawai Madhopur is one of the most visited tourist destinations of Rajasthan. The place has many delights to offer besides the well known tiger reserve. Rich in history and legends, the place is gateway to the world famous Ranthambore National Park.

A significant geological feature within the park is the great boundary fault where Vindhyas meet Aravalli ranges. The river Chambal in south and Banas in north lines the park. A variety of birds including owlets, ubiquitous langur, leopard, caracal, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, marsh crocodile, wild boar, bear and various species of deer are present in the park.

It has more than 300 varieties of birds. Commonly seen are peafowl, parakeets, doves, stork and egrets among others. Migratory birds such as grey leg goose, pintails and Sunday shelduck are especially visible during winters.

The total zone comprising of the RNP, the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and the Kaila Devi Sanctuary is 1380 kms. Out of this the RNP covers 400 kms with buffer area. The 90 per cent prey base (sambar/chetal) lies in this area which is a no-grazing zone with plenty of water supply. But the other two sanctuaries are less protected for wildlife.

The scientific tourism zones are in the core areas which is the main habitat of the tiger. With constant influx of tourist vehicles there is a change in the behavioural pattern of the tiger and other animals. They have become used to these conditions. The tigers in the non tourist area are shy and aggressive. Ranthambhore National Park is the place where the celebrated Indian tiger is best seen, sprawling over a varying and undulating landscape.

The scenery changes dramatically from gentle and steep slopes of the Vindhyas and sharp and conical hills of the Aravalis with changing patterns every 500 metres.

A tenth century fort also blends amicably with the background. Pure sands of Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) interspersed with grasslands at the plateaus, meadows in valleys and luxuriant foliage around the canals adds to the wildness. The lakes-Padam talab, Malik talab and Rajbagh  looked like turquoises studded in the forest abounding in aquatic vegetation including duckweeds, lilies and lotus among others. We met an officer from the Indian Forest Service who talked about the initiatives taken for conservation and development of the park.

Special efforts for water management have been done for the revival of old baories, simultaneously poachers move have been nullified with constant tracking of water holes through wireless network.

There are around 30 tigers in the tourist area and 10 in the non tourist area. The mating period continues for three-four days and at a time the tigress delivers up to four cubs. Its a positive sign that population of the tiger has increased.

The places of interest inside the park include Bakola, High point, Lahpur valley, Khemcha Kund, Siwad, Rameshwaram, Khandar Fort etc.

The other excursions include Jain pilgrimage Mahaveerji, Sunehri Kothi, Bundi Sanctuary et al .The nearby village folks decorate their houses with Mandna which adorn the walls of their mud houses. An open gypsy took us through the forests as we eagerly waited with our cameras to spot the Royal Bengal.

The driver promised us a glimpse of the sher. As soon as we were told that we were entering the main jungle, we held our breaths in anticipation. We were greeted by a group of sambars and also saw deers grazing. We got a glimpse of the wild boar. A forest official informed through a wireless set about the sighting of a tiger nearby.We rushed to the spot in our vehicle. There were other curious visitors too. Finally we spot the royal animal coming out of an old monument, least bothered with the human presence around.

The tiger lied down and kept staring with piercing eyes. The intermittent cries of peacocks and a low roaring of the tiger added to the excitement of dwelling in the heart of the jungle. We went to Jogi Mahal, from where the scenery was a treat to the eyes. We got a breathtaking view of the tiger resting under a majestic banyan tree.

Our next stop was the Ranthambhore fort. It was another treasure to behold, rich in historical importance. Inside the fort there was the Toran Dwar, Mahadeo and Samanton ki chatri, 32 pillared cenotaphs, the Ganesha temple and a masjid. The idol of Lord Ganesha looked down from atop the fort. The terrific view of the entire jungle was worth remembering. We considered ourselves lucky to have seen a tiger. As we were returning, our gypsy stopped in the middle of the road. There were also other vehicles from where people looked out curiously.

They said that there was a tiger nearby. Within a few minutes, we caught one appearing about100 metres away. To our surprise, our driver turned to the opposite direction and within moments adeptly got the vehicle unbelievably close to the tiger. We were just two feet away and held our breath with a mixed feeling of nervous excitement as it sat looking at us. It was a treat to behold for nearly 20 minutes. It felt like a moment to be cherished for lifetime.

The park is well planned keeping in mind the conservation objectives. The nature and behaviour of the tigers is under vigilance. There is no doubt enormous pressure on the habitat of tigers, but Ranthambhore hopes to strike an ecological balance and complete harmony between man and the beast in future.

The place continues to fascinate and enthrall nature lovers, wildlife enthusiasts and tourists. Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan enthralls nature lovers, wildlife enthusiasts and tourists promising loads of adventures and surprises along the way.
Five former US Presidents attended a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for hurricane relief efforts, the media reported.

Former presidents Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama appeared together on stage on Saturday night at the One America Appeal fundraiser held at Texas A&M Universitys Reed Arena in College Station, reports The Hill magazine.

The group appeared on stage and held their hands over their hearts while the national anthem played.

At the event, Obama said he could not be prouder of Americans for their response to help victims of the recent hurricanes that struck the US.

All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans When they see their neighbours and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up.

And as heartbreaking as the tragedies that took place here in Texas and in Florida, in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have been, what weve also seen is the spirit of America at its best: When ordinary people step up and do extraordinary things.

Clinton echoed Obamas statement telling the crowd that volunteering in the wake of crises dates back before Americas founding.

Weve been volunteering since before our Constitution when Benjamin Franklin organised the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia. Our neighbours, our friends, have got an enormous amount of sweat equity from all these volunteers, and a lot of money.

If we just do what we ought to do, and prove that the heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party is greater than our problems, The Hill magazine quoted Clinton as saying.

The joint effort has raised $31 million for disaster relief, the campaign announced hours before the concert.

President Donald Trump did not attend the event, but sent a video message to be played at the concert, thanking the former presidents for their efforts.
Our focus is on the blue economy. We see the blue economy as integral to our vision of a new India: PM Modi

Without proper connectivity, the economic development of a nation slows down. Keeping this in mind we are focusing on ports infrastructure: PM Modi

Our vision is ports for prosperity. India needs better ports and more ports: PM Modi

Imagine how much time and petrol this ferry service will save. This ferry service connects Saurashtra and South Gujaratpeople from these regions frequently travel to and fro: PM Modi

Gujarat is blessed with a long coastline and we should harness opportunities arising due to this. We took steps in developing coastal infrastructure: PM Modi

The history of human civilisation illustrates the vitality of rivers and maritime trade. Gujarat is the land of Lothal. How can we forget these aspects of our history. This programme is to bring back to life our glorious past, connect Saurashtra & South Gujarat: PM Modi

Ferry service is a first of sorts. Its a dream come true for people of Gujarat. I am also here with regard to a project in dairy sector, a sector to which we have given immense importance over the last two decades. I urge people to explore opportunities in animal husbandry: PM Modi

I am happy to be in Gujarat to personally convey new year greetings. This programme may be for a ferry between Ghogha and Dahej but this programme is of vital importance for the entire nation: PM Modi

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Ahmedabad, his third visit to the poll-bound state, to inaugurate the first phase of the the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service between Saurashtra and the South Gujarat region.

He flew down to Saurashtras Bhavnagar district where inaugurated the Rs 615 crore, 31km roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in Bharuch district across the Gulf of Khambhat.

He is expected to travel aboard the Ro-Ro ferry accompanied by schoolchildren after the ceremony.

The idea of the ferry service was first conceived in early 1960s. The foundation stone for current works was laid by Modi in 2012 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

When operational, the service is expected to reduce the travel distance between Saurashtra, locate in the western region of the state and South Gujarat by 360 km, saving time and money for people frequently travelling between the two regions.

The facility will also reduce travel time by at least five hours.

Many working in the diamond cutting and polishing hub of Surat in South Gujarat belong to the Saurashtra region and the service is expected to come as a boon for them.

In the first phase, only passenger services would begin, while after the completion of the second phase, light vehicles can also be carried aboard the ferries.

Official sources claim that the second phase will be commissioned by the end of January 2018.

In the final phase, the ferries would also have facility to carry trucks between the two regions.

After his arrival at Dahej, Modi will travel to Vadodara to address a public rally at the sprawling Navlakhi Grounds.

He is slated to lay foundation stones and inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,140 crore in Vadodara before taking out a 14km road show to the Vadodara airport, and then fly off to New Delhi.

(With inputs from IANS)


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But the tribe has a long way to go
China needs to create jobs for 15 million people every year and will maintain support for entrepreneurship to help achieve this, the countrys labour minister said on Sunday.

The overall pressure on employment is still very large, head of Chinas ministry of human resources and social security, Yin Weimin, told reporters, singling out recent university graduates as one group in need of more job creation.

China is confident that it can maintain a stable employment situation despite these challenges, Yin said.
BJP leader H. Raja posted Mersal actor Vijay's voter ID on Twitter, in what seems to be an attempt to prove the actor was of a Christian faith.

THE WEEK has blurred out some portions of the tweet to protect the actor's privacy

Earlier, Raja had called actor Vijay with his full name saying, Joseph Vijays hate campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Raja had earlier gone to the extent of asking the actor to clarify his tax filings.

DISCLAIMER: THE WEEK could not independently verify the authenticity of the identity card posted by the BJP leader
The Congress on Sunday said instead of criticising the Tamil film Mersal, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must respect freedom of speech.

"The BJP and Prime Minister Modi must respect freedom of speech. I have seen the clipping of the movie in which a question was asked on tax; in a democratic country every citizen has right to ask question," Congress leader Sushmita Dev told ANI.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader P.L. Punia asserted that maximum numbers of people are against demonetisation and the Goods and Service Tax (GST).

"Commenting on movie Mersal is natural for the BJP because they never accept the criticism. Maximum number people are against demonetisation and the GST. Film Certification Board, its chairman and members decides whether to give certification to movie or not. Now, will BJP create another censor board of their own?" said Punia.

Mersal, starring Tamil superstar Vijay landed in controversy after Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said 'misconceptions' were being promoted in the film about Central government schemes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India, and demanded removal of those scenes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to arrive in Ahmedabad on Sunday, his third visit to the poll-bound state, to inaugurate the first phase of the the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service between Saurashtra and the south Gujarat region.

Upon his arrival, Modi will fly down to Saurashtra's Bhavnagar district where he would inaugurate the Rs 615 crore, 31km "roll-on, roll-off" (Ro-Ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in Bharuch district across the Gulf of Khambhat.

He is expected to travel aboard the Ro-Ro ferry accompanied by school children.

The idea of the ferry service was first conceived in early 1960s. The foundation stone for current works was laid by Modi in 2012 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

When operational, the service is expected to reduce the travel distance between Saurashtra, locate in the western region of the state and South Gujarat by 360 km, saving time and money for people frequently travelling between the two regions.

The facility will also reduce travel time by at least five hours.

Many working in the diamond cutting and polishing hub of Surat in South Gujarat belong to the Saurashtra region and the service is expected to come as a boon for them.

In the first phase, only passenger services would begin, while after the completion of the second phase, light vehicles can also be carried aboard the ferries.

Official sources claim that the second phase will be commissioned by the end of January 2018.

In the final phase, the ferries would also have facility to carry trucks between the two regions.

After his arrival at Dahej, Modi will travel to Vadodara to address a public rally at the sprawling Navlakhi Grounds.

He is slated to lay foundation stones and inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,140 crore in Vadodara before taking out a 14km road show to the Vadodara airport, and then fly off to New Delhi.
In what could probably be his last visit to his home state Gujarat before the Election Commission of India (ECI) announces dates for the assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sent out a loud and clear message to the electorate to vote for a government which is common in the state and the Centre.

The ECI is likely to announce the dates for Gujarat polls in less than a week's time.

Modi inaugurated a series of projects and laid foundation stones of some new projects. The total cost of the projects run into crores of rupees. In Vadodara alone, he inaugurated or launched projects worth Rs 1,140 crore. Earlier, in the morning, Modi inaugurated a ferry service between Gogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in South Gujarat. The ferry service cuts down a road distance of nearly 300 kilometers to just 31 kilometers by water way.

Gujarat, which was considered as Hindutva model state after the 2002 riots, was promoted as a model state of development during the tenure of Modi as the chief minister.

Modi said that the Centre would be keen to help any government which is pro-development. However, if any anti-development government comes to power, the Centre would not allow its (Centre's) single rupee to be spent. The money is for people's development, he said.

Modi's statement was not only a warning of sorts to the electorate but also a jibe at the opposition, the Congress party. He has time and again accused the Congress of ignoring Gujarat's interests and more recently he took on the previous UPA governments for allegedly delaying the Sardar Sarovar Project by not giving necessary permissions. The project, he said, got a push only when there were common governments both at the Centre and the state.

Modi's latest announcements came at a time when the state has been witnessing major political developments. On Saturday, OBC Ekta Manch leader Alpesh Thakore announced that he would join the Congress at a rally on October 23. After Thakore's announcement, the Congress party have invited Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, JD (U), AAP and NCP to join hands against the BJP. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is expected to join the mega rally on Monday.

At the sprawling Navlakhi Ground in Vadodara, a few kilometers away from Shatri Pol, where he spent his formative years as an RSS karyakarta, Modi made it clear to the masses that Gujarat should not lose any opportunity to get the benefit from the Centre. We have a backlog pending for 70 years, he said, adding that the way Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel are putting up projects, would not be possible without Centre's support.

Without naming the Congress party, Modi said that some people have a problem with him visiting Vadodara. They cannot tell me directly so they are blaming the Election Commission, he said. Congress had alleged that the poll panel delayed the announcement of elections due to pressure from the BJP.

Rupani, in his speech, took a dig at the Congress and said though the opposition alleges that these are pre-election announcements, these developmental works were not possible overnight.

Vadodara district is a BJP stronghold and the party holds nine out of 10 seats there. However, the recent successful campaigns of Rahul Gandhi in the district are believed to have prompted the BJP to give coverage to the area.

Modi also took part in a 14-kilometer road show before leaving for New Delhi from Vadodara airport.

Prime minister is expected to have discussed the changing political equations with his party leaders in the state.

BJP national party president Amit Shah is already in Ahmedabad and Gujarat BJP's parliamentary board meeting is to continue till October 26 to select a panel of candidates for the assembly polls. The list will then be sent to the Central Parliamentary Committee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a Rs 650-crore roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ferry service that reduces travel time by six hours between Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the election-bound state.

Addressing a gathering here after the inauguration, Modi blasted the Congress saying the previous Congress-led government in the Centre had stalled all Gujarat development projects by creating procedural hurdles in the name of environment.

"When I was the Chief Minster, I faced hostility from the then central Government. People at the Center were like that. From Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch, they (the UPA government) had banned development in the entire coastal area of Gujarat. They had threatened to lock all our industries in the name of environment."

He said this had changed since he took power in Delhi and gave importance to the Gujarat development.

"It seems implementation of all good works are my luck. Changes don't come from cliched attitude but by new thinking. We changed the way of thinking."

He said the ferry in the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea would reduce the travel time between Bhavnagar district in western Gujarat's Saurashtra region and Dahej in Bharuch district in south Gujarat from seven hours to one hour, cutting the distance between two places to 31 km from 360 km.

"It is a landmark project not only for India but also for the entire South-East Asia. It is a dream come true for the people of Gujarat."

The Prime Minister said the Ro-Ro ferry was like an "amrit" - the drink of immortality - bestowed upon to the people Gujarat as a blessing from Hindu god of oceans Varuna.

The dream of 6.5 crore Gujaratis had come true as the ferry service would lead to social and economic development in the region and bring thousands of new job opportunities, he said.

The Prime Minister said besides making the lives of crores of people easier, the service also brings them closer and saves fuel by decreasing the number of vehicles on the road.

"Imagine how much time and petrol this ferry service will save," he said, adding the facility would not be restricted to just one route.

"We are planning to link other places," he said, noting that plans were afoot to expand the service to Hazira and the union territory Diu-Daman at a later stage and various places in Saurashtra.

Calling coastal areas as gateways to progress, he said over the last three years, his government had been trying to develop coastal infrastructure that would "create over a crore employment opportunities".

The ferry service that had been getting delayed for various technical and financial issues since 1995 was first thought of in the early 1960s. The foundation stone for the current phase was laid by Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister in 2012. It is meant for passengers and would carry 500 of them at a time.

The second phase would ferry vehicles and even cruise boats would be made available later on.

Modi later travelled on the ferry to Dahej with many differently-abled children whom he called his "special guests".

The Prime Minister also inaugurated Sarvottam Dairy Cattle Feed Plant. He later flew to Vadodara to address a public rally and inaugurate more projects.

Election to pick a new 182-member Gujarat assembly is due before January 22, 2018 when its term ends. The Election Commission has not announced the poll dates as of now even citing it would bring in the imposition of the model code of conduct that would disrupt relief operation for flood-hit victims.

The opposition parties have alleged that the poll panel has given time to the ruling BJP to announce sops for the people of Gujarat.
At least eight militants were shot dead by security forces in Pakistan's Karachi city.

On Saturday night, troops from the Pakistan Rangers and the counter-terror police department surrounded a building in Karachi where the terrorists were hiding, leading to a shootout, reports Efe news.

Rangers spokesperson Major Qambar Raza said, "Five terrorists were killed and three were seriously injured. The injured terrorists died when they were taken to the hospital."

Two police officers and a Ranger were injured in the operation. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were seized from the building.
Generally speaking, health care is aimed at relieving pain and suffering. This is also the motivation behind euthanasia  the ending of ones own life, usually in the case of terminal illness characterised by excruciating pain.

There has been debate in Victoria about the drugs that should be used to end life if euthanasia is legalised. So which medications can we ensure would facilitate the best, medically-supervised death?

Medicine as poison

When it comes to the question of which medicines can, or even are meant to, kill us, the most important thing to remember is the old adage: The dose makes the poison.

This concept is one on which the whole discipline of toxicology and medicines is founded. This is the meaning of the well-known symbol of the snake, wound around the bowl of Hygeia (the Greek goddess of health), representing medicine, which you see in pharmacies and medical centres around the world. The intertwining of poison and health care is a longstanding concept in the therapeutic use of medicines.

This is a very intricate science, and the reason we conduct clinical research. We need to trial different doses of new drugs to meticulously establish a safe but effective threshold for use.

In more practical terms, this means too much of any medicine can cause harm. Take, for example, the humble paracetamol. When taken following correct guidelines, it is a perfectly safe, effective pain killer used by millions of people worldwide. But taken in excessive quantities, it can cause irreparable liver damage, and if the patient is not given an antidote in a hospital, could lead to death.

What drugs are used in assisted dying?

The group of drugs most commonly used to end life is called the barbiturates. They cause the activity of the brain and nervous system to slow down. These drugs, used medicinally in small doses, can be taken short-term to treat insomnia, or seizures in emergencies. In different doses and administration techniques, these preparations can also be used as anaesthesia, to make us sleep through surgery.

An overdose of barbiturates is fatal. A large dose will effectively make the brain slow down to a point where it stops telling the body to keep the respiratory system working, and breathing ceases.

Both secobarbital capsules and pentobarbital (usually known as the brand name, Nembutal) liquid(not to be mistaken for epilepsy medication phenobarbital) have been used either alone or in combination for physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. They are also used in injectable forms for animal euthanasia.

These two products are tried and tested, have the advantage of years of use with the benefit of knowing the exact dose range needed, and with few adverse effects reported (such as unexpected pain, drawn-out death or failed death).

Their safety and efficacy in inducing a peaceful, swift and uneventful death has been proven around the world. They are the preferred drugs in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and some USA states where euthanasia is legal.

Other options exist, whether in combination or alone, but have limited evidence of use in euthanasia. Some drugs that cause excessive muscle relaxation and respiratory distress can end life, as can some pain killers commonly used in palliative care.

Drugs can also be used that fatally lower blood sugar levels, cause heart attack, or block messages from the brain to the muscles, causing paralysis.

While all of these drugs are legally available in Australia, they could cause a long, protracted death, with many more side effects that could cause distress and suffering at the end of life. Nembutal and its relatives are less likely to do so, with greater evidence from international practices than any other drugs that can end life.

The best death

In Australia, Nembutal and secobarbital can be used for animals, but are illegal for human use. This makes implementation of the newly proposed euthanasia law in Victoria slightly more difficult. The proposed legislation does not seek to legalise the use of Nembutal and its relativesbut suggests a drug cocktail be concocted by a compounding pharmacist.

The Victorian government has reportedly approached Monash Universitys pharmacy department to research the kind of pill that could be developed if the legislation passes. Therefore, no final description of this product has been released.

Some have suggested the mixture will be in powder form made with pain killers to induce a coma and eventually cause respiratory arrest. It may also use sedatives and muscle relaxants, a drug to slow down the heart, and an anti-epileptic to prevent seizure and induce relaxation of muscles. The constituents and doses are yet to be determined.

Its difficult at this early stage to predict how this concoction would work and whether it would be easier or safer to use than drugs already tried and tested. This proposed product would need to be tested and results compared, as all new drugs are.

What is needed is a drug or a mixture of drugs that produce a painless, relatively quick and peaceful passing. We do not wish to see further suffering in the form of seizures, prolonged distress and pain. If no solution is certain, it would be wise to fall back on simply legalising what is already tried and tested.

If you or someone you know needs help contact Lifelines 24-hour helpline on 13 11 14, SANE Australia on 1800 18 7263 or the Beyondblue Info Line 1300 22 4636.

Betty Chaar, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney and Sami Isaac, PhD Candidate (Pharmacy Practice), University of Sydney

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
A Palestinian Ramallah resident, aged 39, stole a truck on Thursday night in the coastal city of Holon. The driver was heading towards Rishon Lezion when police were alerted to the theft. The police caught up with the driver near the Beit Dagan intersection where they ordered him to stop. The driver proceeded to ram his truck into a private car and a police cruiser. Police finally managed to stop the truck and apprehend the driver on Moshe Dayan Boulevard in Rishon Lezion.

While being interrogated by police detectives, the driver admitted to stealing the truck in the hopes of committing a ramming attack against soldiers in the area of central Israel. The Palestinian was brought to an arraignment hearing at the municipal court in Tel Aviv. Police are continuing their investigation to determine if there were any accomplices in the incident.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Our ageing population is creating new opportunities for investors, as more older people create greater demand for healthcare innovations.

The number of people in the UK aged 100 and over doubled between 2002 and 2016.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show there are almost 15,000 centenarians in the country, while the number of people aged 90 and over has hit a record high of 571,245.

And this is not just a UK trend. In Japan, more than 30 per cent of the population is already 60-plus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that by 2050 there will be 2bn people aged 60 and over.

Silver spending: The world's ageing population is creating new opportunities for investors

Anthony Rayner, co-manager of the Miton Cautious Monthly Income fund, says: The good thing about demographics is that theyre predictable.

Older people are going to need more help with their health, and if you combine that with technological advances, there are powerful investment opportunities.

Global spending on health as a proportion of GDP was 9.9 per cent in 2014, according to the WHO.

That is only set to rise as the populations of emerging markets such as China and Brazil become increasingly wealthy and health-conscious.

Already, around a third of so-called silver spending is health-related. Thats not surprising when you consider around a quarter of people over 65 are diabetic, a quarter of deaths in this age group are cancer-related and 25 per cent of the demographic will suffer a cardiovascular illness.

Dani Saurymper, manager of the Axa Framlington Health fund, likes the US business Edwards Lifesciences, which is a leading innovator in heart valve replacements.

The fund also invests in Insulet, a US maker of disposable insulin pump patches which helps diabetics avoid having to inject themselves by monitoring their blood sugar levels on a handheld device that also adjusts the amount of insulin being administered through a thin tube.

Ageing population: Latest figures show there are almost 15,000 centenarians in the country, while the number of people aged 90 and over has hit a record high of 571,245

Rayner, whose fund is up 34.2 per cent over three years, is a fan of hearing aid manufacturers such as the Australian firm Cochlear and Italian group Amplifon.

He also rates Japanese business Unicharm, which is the leading provider of adult incontinence pads  one of the biggest-selling wellness items among older people.

Saurymper, whose fund has returned 46 per cent over three years, is also interested in care homes. There simply arent enough beds to meet demand, he says.

He likes French provider Orpea, which is expanding in Europe, Brazil and China.

Dan Mahoney, manager of the Polar Capital Healthcare Opportunities fund, says: I think were going to see the emergence of more products to keep people healthy in the first place  prevention rather than cure.

This trend is already starting to emerge through insurers which reward customers who achieve exercise goals with Fitbit-style devices.

Mahoney, whose fund is up 60.5 per cent over three years, also invests in a private company which is developing devices that can be fitted in the users artery to monitor blood pressure.

He says: Some of the technology you will be able to wear on your wrist in five years time will be better than the technology used in hospitals today.
Drivers collecting passengers from the airport have been hit with parking charge hikes of up 100 per cent by some of the UK's busiest airports, a new RAC study has found.

Eight of the top 20 airports have increased their pick-up tariffs this year, the research revealed. Some airports have also introduced fees for the first time.

London Luton charged the most at 7 for 40 minutes, closely followed by London Stansted at 5 for 30 minutes and Birmingham at 4.90 for one hour.

Price hike: Drivers collecting passengers from the airport have been hit with parking charge hikes of up 100 per cent by some of the UK's busiest airports, a new RAC study has found

Five airports have also raised fees for dropping off people catching flights.

London Stansted demands the highest fee for dropping off passengers at 3.50 for 10 minutes, 50p more than the amount charged by London Luton for the same time.

Liverpool John Lennon is the third most expensive at 3 for 20 minutes, although a secondary drop-off area involving a five to 10-minute walk is free.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams has warned that motorists will view the increases as 'another way of making money out of them'.

Anyone driving family or friends to or from an airport should check prices in advance 'or be prepared for an unpleasant shock', he added.

Williams said: 'The eye-watering drop-off and pick-up costs at some airports is likely to be viewed by drivers as another way of making money out of them, particularly in instances where public transport to and from the airport simply isn't a viable option.

Biggest increase: London Luton charged the most for pick up at 7 for 40 minutes, closely followed by London Stansted at 5 for half and hour and Birmingham at 4.90 for one hour

'This year many airports have increased the already sky-high prices they charge for short-stay parking near their departure and arrival terminals making a good deed a costly experience.

'Drop-off charges are the biggest bone of contention as for many they appear severe when they are simply pulling up for less than five minutes and often don't even get out of the car themselves.'

However, seven airports buck the trend by offering free drop-off parking by terminals.

They are: London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast City and Jersey.

A spokesman for trade association the Airport Operators Association said income from parking supports investment in facilities and 'allows airports to keep charges to airlines low, benefiting travellers through lower air fares'.

He said that airports provide clear information about the cost of parking options, meaning passengers have a 'high level of awareness of the different ways they can choose to get to the airport, ranging from public transport to travelling by car'.

The spokesman added that airports set drop-off charges for a variety of reasons, including to manage congestion and limit the environmental impact of journeys.
By Max Hess

There is a claim constantly circulating the EU: multiculturalism is dead in Europe. Dead or maybe d(r)ead? That much comes from a cluster of European nation-states that love to romanticize  in a grand metanarrative of dogmatic universalism  their appearance as of the coherent Union, as if they themselves lived a long, cordial and credible history of multiculturalism.

Hence, this claim and its resonating debate is of course false. It is also cynical because it is purposely deceiving. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates  that of European anti-fascistic identity, or otherness  to the wing-parties. This was repeatedly followed by the selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions of the Union in the MENA, Balkans and Ukraine.  wrote prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic in his luminary and farsighted essay Denazification  urgently needed in Europe .

Last two parliamentary elections in Central Europe are indicative enough: Europe inevitably loses its grip over the grand narrative, fatherly eroding its place in history. Hereby a few lines about the latest of them.

Sebastian Kurz, 31, is likely to become Austrias new Chancellor following the 15 October election. He would be the youngest-ever head of government in the European Union and to many of his supporters will be seen as a bold new face ready to lead Europe through and past the ongoing crises over migration, integration, fiscal authority, and identity that have dominated European politics, within and without the EU, in recent years. A new leader of Europes populist right is likely on the horizon, yet he has received little international attention compared with candidates such as Marine Le Pen or Nigel Farage who were always long shots.

Kurzs Rise  Aus Iuridicum

Rapidly rising through the youth wing of the Austrian Peoples Party (OVP), Kurz was elected its head in 2009 and then promoted directly into the partys upper echelon in 2011 when he was named to the newly-created post of state secretary for integration at age 24.

From the earliest days, Kurz embraced a populist right-wing worldview although he initially steadfastly avoided divisive rhetoric that could have derailed his rise. Kurz used his post as state secretary to publicize these ideas, while also astutely employing the leeway afforded by his youth to take positions deviating from the OVP platform.

In 2013 Kurz was elected to the national legislature, also winning the most direct preference votes of any candidate and a third more than the OVPs then-head Michael Spindelegger. The OVP received less overall votes than the Social Democrats (SPO) and again went into government as the junior coalition partner. Kurz was rewarded with the second-highest post of any OVP leader when he was named foreign minister.

Austrians see themselves both as core members of the West but also as traditionalists and the inheritors of a unique culture. The historic heft of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, a separateness from Germans and Germany that was cemented by the divides caused by the Enlightenment and birth of Protestantism, and steady decades-long growth in income and living standards all have served to shape an image of Austria and Austrians as reasoned yet traditional, sober yet dandy, and reserved yet welcoming. It is precisely in this image that Kurz has tried to cast himself.

Even Kurzs critics are quick to acknowledge that from the beginning of his career he had a remarkable ability to gauge the prevailing zeitgeist, all the while grounding himself in the core Austrian conservatism that the OVP represents. In contrast to populist politicians who have at best half-convicningly attempted to portray themselves as outsiders, Kurz embraces the fact he has had his sights set on a political career since his youth. Kurz recognized the quickest route to authenticity was to never speak the word.

Kurz, the Foreign Minister

As Foreign Minister, Kurz was able to play host and diplomat to Austrias wide variety of partners. He also judiciously avoided controversy in mainstream international media. On issues where Kurz would perhaps have been more vocal, he accepted his role as a government minister and did not speak out overly loudly when he disagreed with his partys leaders, while tweaking those of the SPO, the senior coalition partner, in a way that did not offend Austrian sensibilities.

Kurzs four years in the foreign ministry saw a series of regional and political crises, attesting to his political skill. Three months after taking office, Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash was arrested on a visit to Vienna on the request of US authorities. The arrest came two days before Moscows controversial referendum in Crimea and struck at the core of domestic politics in Ukraine, where Firtash long played an outsize role. Yet Kurz did not shy from being thrust in the spotlight, in fact he appeared to be hungering for it, with the then-27-year old even offering to mediate Russia and Ukraines disputes over Crimea.

Kurz ultimately backed sanctions, sensing the prevailing winds in Europe. However, he was vocal in calling for European business interests to be considered even before Italian, Hungarian and Cypriot politicians subsequently took up such positions. The move played well domestically in Austria, where many criticize great power games, perhaps with a slight, albeit unstated view towards the rearview mirror given their fatal role in Austrias own history. Austrias Raiffeisen bank also derives most of its profits from Eastern Europe and is the largest foreign player in Russias banking market. Russian President Vladimir Putin also travelled to Vienna in June 2014, his first post-Crimea visit to a Western country, with Kurz vocally defending the invite and signing of a controversial pipeline deal at the same time EU and US officials were deliberating sanctions on Russias energy sector.

Kurzs time as foreign minister also coincided with Europes migration crisis, which was nearly simultaneous with his push towards the spotlight when he backed the stance of Austrias eastern and southeastern neighbors even while then-Chancellor Werner Faymann waffled on the issue. By February 2016, Kurz was publicly embracing not only the positions of Warsaw, Budapest, and Ljubljana, but their rhetoric as well. In March 2016, Austria had closed its borders to most asylum seekers. By the end of May of that year, Faymann resigned. He was subsequently replaced by Christian Kern, the current head of the SPO.

Kurz took advantage of the weakness of the senior leadership within the SPO and his own OVP to push his personal agenda and reputation to the fore. Kurz has even sought to use the largely-symbolic rotating chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which Vienna holds for 2017, to promote his political agenda. Kurz was bold enough to broadcast this intention, declaring in an interview with Der Spiegel that he would use the post to push for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. He has also used the platform to again propose he mediate a solution to the conflict in Donbas, even writing an English-language op-ed for Politico on the subject this September. Demonstrating Kurzs eye for the future, however, a number of senior staff members have left Kurzs Foreign Ministry since the start of the year, promoted as Austrias new ambassadors to some of its leading partners. A further major reshuffle is expected after the election, a possible indication that Kurz will continue to cut a prominent figure on the international stage.

Kurz, the Candidate: Dressed to Impress

A year after Faymanns resignation, the Kern government collapsed, prompting the elections that will be held on 15 October. The interim period saw the contested and contentious 2016 presidential run-off election, in which the initial result was annulled and the far right Freedom Partys (FPO) Norbert Hofer was narrowly defeated by independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen. Kurz had refused to endorse either candidate. Yet it was the fact that the run-off featured neither a candidate of the SPO nor the OVP for the first time that appears to have most shaped Kurzs current candidacy.

Van der Bellen, an alumnus of Austrias relatively minor Green Party, was seen by many on the Austrian right as nearly as radical as Hofer. The Austrian presidency is also largely symbolic  although Hofers platform included steps that would have been unprecedented by the Austrian executive. As a result, there was little domestic political cost to Kurz remaining neutral.

The lack of an SPO or OVP candidate in the final round highlighted the shifts underway at the heart of Austrian politics, and the weakness of then-OVP leader Reinhold Mitterlehrner, who stepped back in May, enabling Kurzs ascent.

Kurz, however, attached a number of conditions to the proposal that he lead the OVP. The decades-old party fell in line behind Kurz quickly, even agreeing to campaign under the joint branding of OVP and Kurz List  the New Peoples Party. Kurzs image, rhetoric, and bold proclamations on the campaign trail have put the party comfortably in the lead in the polls.

The lead Kurz maintains in the polls has come primarily at the expense of the far-right FPO, although incumbent Chancellor Christian Kern has done his party no favors following a series of scandals. Kerns SPO is polling behind the FPO in most polls and he has declared that he would prefer to lead the opposition than re-form a coalition with the OVP.

Kurz and Kerns relationship was already poor but the latest scandal around the SPO alleges a controversial former election advisor set up social media pages aimed at besmirching Kurz, only dampening the possibility for a renewed coalition. Yet Kurz also knows the difficulties inherent to forming a government with the FPO, despite having adopted much of its rhetoric in his own campaign. Such a government could come under some degree of EU censure, as it did the last time the OVP and FPO formed a government in 2000. The FPO then was the larger of the two parties but would undergo a series of splits while in government.

Although the FPO of today has long since coalesced under the leadership of Heinz-Christian Strache, it too will be wary of a coalition with the OVP, albeit less over concerns of an EU rebuttal than over Kurz continuing to encroach on its political space.

Get Shorty  the Chancellor? the future EU Commission President?

Kurz is likely to become Austrias most prominent Chancellor on the international stage in decades. His willingness to be outspoken and take on issues far afield from Austria steadily grew during his tenure in the foreign ministry. Beginning with his early proposal to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv towards the end of his term, he was sufficiently confident to publicly endorse incumbent Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski ahead of that countrys December 2016 election.

Kurzs alliances in the Balkans and Eastern Europe are extensive and he was one of the few leading EU politicians outside the region to defend Hungarys crackdown on migrants and refugees. Kurzs economic policies are more traditionally liberal than those of the Visegrad Group but are also tinged by his populist bent. Nevertheless, he sees himself as a leading exponent of the same cultural conservatism embraced by leaders such as Viktor Orban or Nigel Farage. He is telegenic and well-spoken and has shown a knack for youth politics, of particularly importance in Austria where the voting age is 16.

On 8 May, France elected Emmanuel Macron as president in a vote that many hailed as a landmark victory for Europes centrist establishment. On 15 October, Austria is likely to elect Kurz as its next chancellor, in a vote that the populist right will hail as its own landmark victory.

Max Hess is a senior political risk analyst with the London-based AEK international, specializing in Europe and Eurasia.




Let's face it: Voting has a branding problem.

Depending on who you talk to, it's either the signal act of democratic participation or the opiate of the masses  and based on booming sales figures racked up by the pharmaceutical industry, there are few things Americans are hungry for more than opiates.

Americans have recently learned that the act of voting is also technologically backward and potentially vulnerable to tomfoolery both foreign and domestic. Worst of all, only six out of 10 eligible U.S. voters even bothered to cast a ballot in 2016. New Yorkers, meanwhile, ranked 41st in voter turnout in 2016, according to a report by the U.S. Elections Project and Nonprofit VOTE.

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A recent Pew Research study that compared voter-participation rates in industrialized nations put the U.S. near the basement, with just 55.7 percent of eligible voters taking part in the most recent national election  just behind Estonia (56.8 percent) but ahead of Luxembourg (55.1 percent), whose neighbor Belgium came in first with 87.2 percent.

Then again, Switzerland was near the bottom of the list at 38.6 percent, and I think it's fair to say that we all think of that nation as a pretty fair example of Western civilization, even if all you're basing it on is chocolate, timepiece manufacturing and secretive banking practices.

Perhaps that poor showing has something to do with a Swiss deficit in voting-sticker design. Because while America in general and New York in particular have a problem getting people to show up at polling places, we seem to devote a lot of energy to rewarding those who do so with stickers allowing them to brag on it.

Most of these stickers, alas, are as dreadfully boring as you would expect from a product designed to be worn by everyone  an endless sea of red-white-and-blue depicting the words "I voted!" against enough bunting to make Francis Scott Key gag.

To its credit, New York took arms against this stultifying design tradition this year by organizing a competition among three stickers honoring the centennial of women's suffrage. Two of them were pretty awful: One used just words, while the other had pretty much the same words being held by two long-ago suffrage activists whose dead expressions suggested the original photo was taken by kidnappers as a proof of life.

The winner, announced last month, was by far the best design: "General" Rosalie Jones holding a megaphone blasting out the standard phrase "I voted!"

So, not bad. But can we do better?

Perhaps one subsidiary problem with the challenge of boosting voter participation is a sense that the current crop of "I voted!" stickers fails to acknowledge the realities of our somewhat, shall we say, imperfect democratic system  from the absence of early voting to a campaign finance apparatus that slaps a "For Sale" sign across the foreheads of virtually every office holder.

With this in mind, the Times Union's ace editorial cartoonist Jeff Boyer and I concocted a few alternative "I voted!" stickers that capture the full moral complexity of voting in our current democratic system. Some will call them cynical, while others will denounce them as too gentle by half. Others might worry that they could ruin an angora sweater, and those people might have a point.

You can vote for your favorite on the Capitol Confidential blog between now and Friday. We'll print up at least 1,000  depending on voter interest  and make them available at the Times Union's main office for your proud use Nov. 7.

Which, in case you haven't heard, is Election Day.
Fifty years ago, an airy new venue for contemporary art opened up in Albany, one among the many modernist structures sprawled in the new uptown SUNY campus designed by the architect Edward Durell Stone.

The museum was spacious and bright with windows, light spilling into upstairs and downstairs galleries ringing an open, soaring atrium that reached 35 feet to the roof. Its inaugural exhibit, which opened Oct. 5, 1967, featured paintings and sculptures from the collection of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, the governor of New York and the state's most famous patron of abstract-expressionist artwork.

"It really changed the contemporary landscape for our region  really, forever," said Tammis K. Groft, executive director of the Albany Institute of History and Art, the venerable museum best known for its cultural artifacts and collection of 19th-century Hudson River School paintings.

SUNY's new cultural bastion of poured concrete cracked open a local arts scene more focused on the past than the present and future: the Institute was the old guard, slanted toward history. In the years since UAM opened, several regional havens for contemporary art have sprung into being. Among them: Albany Center Gallery in 1977. The Rice Gallery at the Albany Institute of History & Art, 1982. Mass MoCA, 1999. The Tang, 2000. The Opalka Gallery at Sage, 2002.

"There are many more organizations focused on contemporary art" around the region these days, said Janet Riker, former director. "We've always felt like we've had a particular niche in terms of leadership in the contemporary arts community." Exhibiting art at the vanguard "said that this is important for you to look at, and consider, and think about. So I think by presenting it, it calls attention to the artwork and says: 'This deserves your consideration.'"

The new fine arts headquarters at SUNY Albany brought in prominent art professors and promising students to the region, Groft said, all of them traversing the cutting  and changing  edge of modernism. And something else happened. "People stayed," she said. "The artists stayed. They continued working in the region, made their homes here, and it really created a very vibrant contemporary art community."

Added William B. Hedberg, senior vice provost, vice president and an administrator since 1970: "The museum space was designed as part of a modern, space-age campus, so I think it's always had a contemporary focus." Over the years the school has retained and emphasized that focus, "trying to use the museum as an agent for creating a culture of new ideas. It's the language that we put around it."

Thom O'Connor, a professor emeritus and artist who has exhibited his own work there many times, boils the museum's mission and impact to one word. The museum is, he said, "about now. What's happening."

A full 50 years' worth of now is on display in UAM's current exhibition, a retrospective from its permanent collection that follows the fluid edge of art from late-1960s abstract expressionism to the genre-bending, discipline-crossing innovators of today. Culled from around 3,000 pieces, the exhibit evokes the history of the UAM and late-20th-century American art while it conjures, inevitably, the era in art and politics that spawned it.

Rockefeller died in 1979, 12 years after the inaugural reception where he addressed the crowd from the museum's balustrade railing. But in a sense his presence still looms, having shaped the campus with his own passion for modernism and filled its Fine Arts building with works from his own collection.

"He was a pretty savvy guy, pretty easy-going, and obviously loved art," said O'Connor, who visited Rockefeller in his offices and helped select artworks for the inaugural show. "I mean, he was crazy about art."

In an email, Rockefeller biographer Richard Norton Smith ("On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller," 2014 Random House) described a zeal that went beyond the assemblage of works for his own benefit.

"Rockefeller loved sharing his art as much as he did collecting it in the first place. At heart he was a teacher, equally comfortable explaining Cubism as the need to raise taxes or pass a bond issue," he said, adding that the governor enjoyed leading legislators on tours of his Pollocks and Picassos. "So it was only natural that his enthusiasm for sharing should spill over to include public galleries in Albany."

That same enthusiasm also cleared 40 blocks downtown, built the Empire State Plaza, amassed its assemblage of abstract-expressionist masterworks and helped fueled the expansion and modernization of the entire SUNY system. "This idea of having a museum  and it was his vision, at that time, that it be a contemporary-art venue  as part of public education at a higher institution is really a pretty amazing and significant contribution, and has been a lasting contribution to this campus, certainly," said Corinna Ripps Schaming, curator and interim director.

In the five decades since its maiden exhibition, the University Art Museum built its sizeable collection  "a big chunk of it" now found in public spaces at the uptown, downtown and East Greenbush campuses, Hedberg said. Two prints by Robert Motherwell hang outside the provost's office.

In that same span of time, the facility mounted 400 shows in its galleries, bringing in art from around campus, the region and farther reaches. In December of 1967, for its second-ever exhibit, UAM showcased the work of Jack Bosson and Australian painters. In 1972, German activist and avant-gardist Hans Richter. In 1981, a retrospective of American-Italian realist O. Louis Guglielmi. In 1986, photo collages by influential English pop-art icon David Hockney.

In 1996, UAM was among the first American venues to exhibit Xu Bing's "A Book from the Sky," which blanketed floors, walls and ceiling with books and scrolls. In 2008, for "Plan C," Niskayuna native David Opdyke strung 2,000 paper airplanes across the space, exploiting its 35-foot ceiling. The effect, Riker said, was "magnificent."

But about that ceiling.

From the start, the space itself was a bit of a challenge  "interesting," in Hedberg's view. O'Connor recalled that its wide-open, high-reaching layout prompted some surprise, and maybe a little bafflement, back in 1967. "Now it's sort of old hat, but when it was opening, people thought it was bizarre  'Wow, this is a strange place, all the windows. Where are we gonna have all the art?'"

But the work of curation, always a matter of trouble-shooting, means accommodating both the space and the artists. "It's not just hanging a work on a wall anymore," Ripps Schaming said. It's a matter, Riker agreed, "of going where the artists want to go."

Sometimes, straight up. In 2009, the museum presented "Live with Less," Jason Middlebrook's exploration of refuse and mindfulness in an age of consumption. For the show he rounded up cardboard from around campus and piled it  or planned to  from floor to ceiling. But cardboard and gravity had other ideas.

"There's no way you can really stack cardboard that high," Riker said. The logistical pickle required some problem solving. "It was, 'That's just  you want to do what?' But I think that's what artists do. They take you where you really didn't think you could (go)."

The answer: hang the cardboard from top to bottom. Using, not fighting, the gravity.

"You know, that space  it creates some serious architectural challenges," Middlebrook said. "But I was excited about the idea of it being open, with that kind of catwalk around it. So I had to come up with a solution that was gonna address all that negative space and all that vertical space."

The venue's unusual configuration, and its commitment to pushing envelops, create a "dynamic" institution for contemporary art, he said. "That museum  they take a lot of chances. ... I really think the museum has a profound effect beyond the student body."

A few years after his show at UAlbany, Middlebrook exhibited at Mass MoCA  overlapping with Xu Bing's "Phoenix." "Over the last 10 or 15 years I've been struck by the number of contemporary artists who've had exhibitions at the museum and then, three or four years later, they're featured at Mass MoCA. We seem to have a knack for catching people on the way up," Hedberg said.

On the UAlbany campus, Ripps Schaming said, the museum aims to serve the community beyond students already enrolled in the arts  drawing in others with interdisciplinary assignments and other curricular efforts at a school known for nanotech and innovation. "It's really important for people to understand that research and development extend to all disciplines  and that they're very much a part of what the visual arts do," she said. "We develop new ideas."

If most of the undergraduates walking past the museum on a recent Thursday had never set foot in it  "it needs more advertisement," one suggested  its mission remains campus- and community-wide. "We have to be intentional about helping our students to appreciate it," Hedberg said.

Tilting toward the future, Ripps Schaming said, the UAlbany museum aims to reflect the ever-increasing diversity of the student body and the world at large. "We bring voices from any and all populations into the museum world," she said, expanding beyond "white male artists" to "this expanded field of both gender and race and every possible constituency."

Looking ahead, she said, the museum needs to keep true to its original conception  "that's pretty much what we're still doing, in just different iterations." Or, as Riker put it: "We have to remain nimble. We have to listen to artists. We have to follow where the art leads, and present it in the very best way we can  to reach out and bring audiences to experience the work in as many different ways as we can think of. ... I think we have to be good stewards."

And the now keeps changing. In 2014, artist Mary Reid Kelley incorporated video into her show at UAlbany, deploying elements of sculpture, costume design and digital media in works far removed from the austerity and abstractness of the late-1960s.

So it has to be asked: What would Rocky think? What if, say, he zapped into the present from 1967 and slipped through the doors of UAM?

"I would have to think that he would have looked  or would look at this work  and see it as part of this moment," Ripps Schaming said. The art-crazed governor of New York "had this incredible collection, this painting and sculpture, that was being made at that moment. So it wasn't as if he was coming here to the museum and saying, 'We're gonna show, you know, Impressionist paintings.' So the sense is that he was tapping into something then  and that was his predilection. He mostly likely would still be tapping into something new."

Hedberg doesn't doubt it, either. "I think," he said, "Nelson Rockefeller would be very pleased."

abiancolli@timesunion.com  518-454-5439  @AmyBiancolli
Albany

Whenever there is trouble in New York state government, youll find the fixer  Robert Megna.

While Gov. Andrew Cuomos former state Budget Director has been working for almost two years at SUNYs Stony Brook campus on Long Island, Megna has remained a presence in Albany.

So much so that earlier in October he said he was coming back to Albany to serve as the chief operating officer at SUNYs central administration. While the title suggests hell be a top lieutenant to newly appointed SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson, its a good bet that much of his time will be spent in an effort to right the tilted ship that SUNYs ambitious nanotechnology initiative has become.

Its the latest of many problem-solving assignments Megna has taken over the years. Through his role as a financial fix-it man, Megna may be one of the most powerful members of the governors inner circle that most people have never heard of. After he stepped down as state Budget Director in 2015, Megna became executive director of state Thruway Authority just as board members were beginning to grapple with how to fully pay for the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee bridge replacement. Hes still there, serving now as a board member and they are still mulling what could eventually be an unpopular toll hike to fund the new bridge.

Megna has also joined the state Gaming Commission this year just as reports were coming in that New Yorks new upstate casinos might not be the cash cow supporters and consultants said they would be.

He previously led a special state-controlled reorganizing board for the New York Racing Association, which had been placed under state control following its bankruptcy. Its books balanced, the Racing Association is now back under private, non-profit control.

And Megna this year was named president of the Fuller Road and Fort Schuyler management companies, the quasi-private entities that manage construction of the states vast but troubled nanotechnology centers in Albany, Utica and Buffalo.

These projects were touted as a way to revitalize vast portions of upstate New York. But for the past year, theyve been enveloped in a pay-to-play corruption scandal involving some of what were some of the governors closest advisors.

Megna hasnt been implicated in any of these cases. But his role at the nano centers may the biggest test he faces in more than two decades in state government.

While the Thruway faces a relatively straightforward budgetary issue and the gaming commission is shepherding the launch of a new casino industry, the nano narrative has become one of criminal investigations and indictments as much as technological advances.

With that in mind, some are wondering: Can Albanys longtime budget troubleshooter steer the nano venture back to stable terrain while keeping his own reputation intact?

Hes clearly being sent in to clean up that Augean stable, said John Kaehny, executive director of the reform group, Reinvent Albany which has been critical of the governors economic development spending.

Like others though, Kaehny is quick to say that Megna is well respected and liked by those hes worked with.

Those whove spent time with the soft-spoken Bronx native say hes both razor sharp and self-effacing  qualities that dont always come together in one person, especially in state government.

Megna is also not one to tout his skills or be in the limelight; he declined to comment for this story.

Others talk about his wry sense of humor  hes a fan of The Big Lebowski -- and his calm approach to budget negotiations, in addition to his flexibility.

They keep turning to him, said Charles Kruzansky, director of government relations for Cornell University, who used to work with Megna when they were Assembly staffers.

Hes trying to get things done. No ego.

Megna has also served as state Taxation and Finance Commissioner before heading the Budget Division under former Gov. David Paterson and then Cuomo.

His work on budget issues, though, dates back to the Pataki Administration, where he worked as a top Budget Division deputy. Hes one of just a few top people who have worked under both Democratic and Republican governors noted E.J. McMahon, founder and research director at the Empire Center think tank.

While at DOB under Paterson, Megna helped the state cope with fallout from the 2008 financial crash.

He also helped change the way New York finalizes its budget.

That was back in 2010, when at the end of June Paterson told lawmakers that if they didnt pass his budget  which was nearly three months late  he would put the spending plan and all of its proposed cuts in an extender bill. That kind of bill is a temporary measure used to keep government operating.

Lawmakers then faced the prospect of temporary extenders which could potentially keep them in town all summer, or voting the extender down. They might have been blamed, though, for a state government shutdown, not unlike the one that Congress triggered in the mid-90s when Republicans were battling with then-President Bill Clinton.

Legislators buckled and they approved a final budget, giving Paterson what he said were needed cuts.

That maneuver helped change the way New York sets its budget, giving the governor yet another chip when it comes to bargaining with the Legislature.

After Cuomo became governor in 2011, Megna was among just a few high-level officials who stayed on.

And hes among the few who nearly seven years on has remained as a key advisor.

Hes a center of gravity for the governor, said Kaehny, explaining that he also leavens Cuomos frenetic pace of activity.

Hes the professional manager. The glue guy that helps hold things together.

His ability to survive so long in the cauldron that is the governors inner circle has been noticed by lawmakers.

The fact that he continues to survive in various capacities perhaps bespeaks that he is untarnished in a realm where not everyone has been able to look back at their career and say that, said Buffalo-area Democratic Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, who has frequently jousted with Cuomo over economic development issues.

But there's already been some pressure on Megna regarding management of the nanotechnology effort.

In September, he drew criticism for withholding details about tenants in SUNY Polys Zen building in Albany.

Others note that the multi-billion dollar bank settlements that bolstered the state budget for the last several years have slowed, meaning the flow of money to help put out financial brush fires is now a trickle.

Those who worked with him say, regardless of the states financial picture, Megna should at least find some kind of path forward.

Morgan Hook, a vice president with the SKDKnickerbocker public affairs firm, worked with Megna in the Paterson administration and has in the past advised SUNY. He said Megna possesses a combination of pragmatism and honesty.

Bob is the guy who is going to go in there and give you a very clear-minded honest assessment and give you some choices on how to move forward, he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
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MILTON  A mile-long straightaway on Birchton Road  a temptation for speeders residents say  was the site of a crash Sunday morning that claimed the lives of two 19-year-old Galway graduates.

Driver Logan Wieland of Galway and his passenger Conor Bradshaw of Ballston Spa were pronounced dead at the scene by Saratoga County Deputy Coroner Anthony Perniciaro.

At the spot where the Birchton Road straightaway enters a curve, Wieland's 2001 Volkswagen Passat swerved into the other lane, hit a tree and then crashed down the embankment, landing the car on its side, witnesses said.

The incident occured at 2:47 a.m. Sunday morning. Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said on Sunday evening investigators were still trying to piece together where the pair were on Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office motor vehicle collision reconstruction team.

"It will take a few days for my accident reconstruction team to put it all together," Zurlo said.

Birchton Road residents Barry and Annette Hatch heard the crash on the rural road, just north of Route 67 and west of the village of Ballston Spa.

"We heard the crash, called 911 and came out here with a flashlight to see if we could help," Annette Hatch said. "It was pitch black. But we wanted to help. But unfortunately, it was one of those times that we couldn't help. There are some sad mothers out there today."

Both victims were 2016 graduates of Galway Junior-Senior High School, according to their Facebook accounts. Wieland was working for his family's timber company, and Bradshaw was a mechanical engineering student at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Bradshaw was apparently home on a break this past weekend when the crash occurred.

Autopsies have been scheduled, Zurlo said.

The neighbor across the street who did not want to be identified said that she knew the boys. They were friends with her twins who also graduated from Galway.

"Logan and Conor were best friends," the neighbor said. "It's sad."

She came outside as one of the boys was being cared for by emergency personnel in the road while responders were working to extract the other victim from the car.

She said those who witnessed the aftermath of the crash were discussing the rate of speed that would have caused such a violent crash. "The car's roof was ripped off, " she said, shaking her head.

She and the Hatch family, along with many others, were at the scene Sunday afternoon, picking up debris from the car that was scattered in the road, on the shoulder and down the embankment.

Barry Hatch's fence was taken down by first responders in an attempt to reach the boys and the vehicle.

"This will be the third time," Barry Hatch said. "But other times it came down, no one was hurt."

This is the second double fatal crash in Milton in the past five weeks. On Sept. 15, two Milton businessmen were killed on Middleline Road when their Porsche crashed into a tree.

Harmony Corners Fire, Charlton Fire, Burnt Hills Fire, West Charlton Fire and Community EMS assisted at the scene.
[October 22, 2017] Fintech startup, Trade Ledger, launches world-first tech to help banks fight off global tech giants

SYDNEY, Oct. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Career technologists, Martin McCann and Dr. Matthias Born, are launching a world-first lending tech for banks and traditional lenders that will help to equip them against competition from tech giants such as Facebook, Tencent, and eBay wanting to enter financial services. Trade Ledger is the world's first business lending platform that transforms digital data from business supply chains in real time, allowing banks to assess and regularly update credit and default risk of businesses they lend to. Currently this is only done on a one-off or infrequent basis on a very small sample of invoices, and not on any other trade documents. The platform will finally give banks more advanced network and data analysis technology than global technology companies, in a lending segment that has long suffered from a lack of technological innovation. "Banks and other business lenders have never been able to accurately leverage quality operational data to determine business lending risk, as a result there is a loan undersupply to the tune of AU$60 billion each year in Australia, and AU$2.1 trillion globally," said Martin McCann, CEO and Co-Founder of Trade Ledger. "But as the global ecnomy increasingly transitions towards smaller, high-growth businesses, banks have an obligation to learn how to supply working capital needed by these businesses for sustained growth. If they don't learn to do this, it's also only a matter of time before technology giants figure out how to resolve the problem, and swoop in.



"The challenge for banks is improving both its cost/income ratio and capital efficiencies within a segment considered higher risk, and Trade Ledger offers the first open banking platform that resolves both of these challenges. "This represents a huge opportunity for local Australian banks and specialist business lenders to export financial services globally -- so long as they jump on the opportunity to do so before oversees competitors do," continued Martin McCann.

The idea for the platform came about when the Trade Ledger co-founders realised that the increasing digitisation of business supply chains provided an opportunity to connect the business financial supply chain directly to the bank. They also wanted to provide a way for banks' customers to apply for funding in just a few minutes, compared to the current 30-hour average process, helping them to directly compete with more tech-savvy entrants such as fintechs and large tech companies. "For the first time, banks and other traditional lenders will be able to use the digital information being created in supply chains to predict the exact probability of an individual invoice default at any given time," continued Martin McCann. "SMEs will also no longer be treated as one homogeneous, high risk group of borrowers, when differences in corporate structure, business model, cash flow need, degree of technology adoption, scalability, and a multitude of other characteristics that can change hourly all affect default and fraud risk levels significantly," concluded Martin McCann. For more information: www.tradeledger.io Trade Ledger is the world's first open digital banking platform helping banks assess business lending risk in real time. This will help banks address the US$1.7 trillion global undersupply in trade finance lending, and provide high-growth companies with much-needed working capital. Media contact Hannah Moreno: [email protected] or 61 (0)452523117 SOURCE Trade Ledger

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Kansas City voters approved $800 million in bonds in April 2017 to fund a capital improvements program for streets, sidewalks, flood control and other infrastructure needs over the next 20 years.





These projects form the foundation for a Capital Improvement Program and Kansas City is building one of the very best in the country.





Capital improvement projects may include new construction or renovation of city buildings, reconstruction of streets, repairing or constructing sidewalks as well as making public areas ADA compliant. These long-deferred projects will be easy to recognize because they will carry the GO KC brand.





kcmo.gov/gokc - This website is your primary resource for the information you need to track how your tax dollars are being invested and to stay current on the progress being made to improve Kansas City.

######Developing . . .
BELTON, Mo. -- Police are looking for a suspect who fired shots at an officer. According to the Belton Police Department, an officer attempted to stop a vehicle for a busted tail light, but the driver refused to stop. When the suspect vehicle finally stopped, the suspect got out of the vehicle and fired 3-6 shots at the officer.
He told officers he was hearing voices, and his family and friends wouldn't or couldn't help him, so he decided a way to get help is to fire a gun in the air.
University of Kansas police arrested two KU students on suspicion of rape at a residence hall Saturday, the KU Public Safety Office said Sunday. A female KU student reported that she was sexually assaulted by two acquaintances, at different times, early Saturday in her room at Cora Downs Residence Hall, KU Police Deputy Chief James Anguiano said in a press release.
Senators say #MeToo: McCaskill, others share their stories of sexual harassment In the weeks since an investigative report exposed decades of sexual harassment and assault claims against Harvey Weinstein, a steady stream of women in Hollywood circles - including Gwyneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino and Lupita Nyong'o - have come forth to accuse the film mogul of grossly inappropriate behavior.

A shrewd social media move from this embattled Missouri candidate engenders a great deal of support from activists all over the nation and the globe. Take a look at this top Democratic lady playing the politics of victimization
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- Police are investigating after 75 vehicles were vandalized overnight in the east and southwest sections of the city. Police took numerous reports of damage to vehicles in the early morning hours Saturday by suspects with an air rifle.
Ermoupoli (meaning the city of Hermes) is the islands capital town and has been the first important trade and industrial centre of the country in the 19th century. Evidence of this glorious past can be seen on public buildings (the City Hall, the Customs Office, Apollo theatre), on the neoclassical houses and at the beautiful squares. Due to its economic activity, Ermoupoli has been called Manchester of Greece and the history of its years of blossom is exhibited in the Industrial Museum.

The Orthodox community has contributed some outstanding religious monuments to the architecture of Ermoupoli such as the churches of Metamorphossi tou Sotiros (Transfiguration of Jesus Christ), St Nicolas the Rich (Ayios Nikolaos Ploussios), Dormition of the Mother of God (Koimissis tis Theotokou).

The medieval quarter of the Roman Catholic community and the fortress-like St Georges cathedral are on St George hill, also named Ano Syros (meaning upper Syros). Go up the stairs to the top of the hill and through the narrow streets, by the traditional whitewashed houses, the archways and the open spaces with a breathtaking view of the island.

The great number of beautiful beaches will delight the sea and sand lovers: Vari, Foinikas, Yalissas and Kini, as well as Possidonia or Dellagrazia, the beach of a village with many neoclassical mansions with colourful orchards.

Syros is well-known for its gastronomic peculiarities. Halva pie (a pie made of thyme honey and roasted almonds), loukoumi (a delight made of water, starch and sugar), loosa ham, fennel sausages and the San Mihalis spicy cheese (appellation dorigine controlee/protected designation of origin) will no doubt satisfy even the most demanding taste buds.

Internationally acclaimed festivals are held on Syros, offering a wide range of choices and covering any taste, e.g. The International Cyclades Music Festival, the Classical Music Festival, the Ermoupolia and the Musical May.

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: Bild-by Hans Peter Schaefer License: CC-BY-SA

Source: visitgreece.gr
More than any other Sicilian city, Syracuse reflects the ancient Hellenic history of the Mediterraneans largest island. Located on the east coast, Syracuse developed from a Greek colony founded by Corinthians in the 7th century BCE. In the two centuries that followed, the city-state enjoyed a period of expansion and prosperity under the tyrant Dionysius the Elder, who made Syracuse the most powerful of the western Greek colonies. Syracuse, like Sparta and its Peloponnesian allies, was a Dorian city and during the Peloponnesian War (431404 BCE) it survived a two-year siege by Athenian forces.

The Corinthians established themselves first on the island of Ortygia (the name originates from the Ancient Greek ortyx () which means quail) that lies south of the mainland city. Chosen for its natural harbour and spring water, today the remains of 5th and 6th century BCE temples dedicated to Zeus, Apollo, and Athena draw thousands of visitors.

My journey to Syracuse took place in mid-September. The heat of the Mediterranean summer still warmed the ancient stones of the archaeological sites that bear witness to its history. Like most, I headed first for the centre of Ortygia, also known at the Citta Vecchia (Old City), and its showpiece square  the Piazza del Duomo. The piazza  a flamboyant example of baroque architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries  sits on what was once an ancient acropolis, and the Duomo (the Cathedral of Syracuse) was built on the site of the Greek temple of Athena. The temples Doric columns were integrated into the cathedrals construction in the 7th century AD. The cathedrals medieval builders carved archways into the cella (the temples sacred central chamber) to transform it into a nave, and between 19 giant columns from the temples peristyle, they made the outer walls.

Ortygia is sublime to explore  a labyrinth of laneways soaked in the history of almost 3,000 years. Full of cafes  and some of Sicilys best traditional restaurants  for any traveller here delicious sustenance is never more than a few footsteps away. Perhaps the best view of the island (now connected to the mainland by three bridges) is from the sea; between March and October 50-minute boat tours circumnavigate Ortygia offering great views of the historic centre.

MAGNA GRAECIA

Magna Graecia (Megali Hellas) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of southern Italy and Sicily colonised by ancient Greek city-states from the 8th to 5th century BCE. As Magna Graecias most important metropolis, Syracuse had one of the largest ancient Greek theatres in Europe, and its still here. Built in the 5th century BCE with a diameter of some 140 metres, today the theatre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You might think the entrance fee of 20 is steep, but its worth it to explore this archaeological treasure.

Four hundred years before Christ, here was the setting where the works of Aeschylus and other Greek writers of the time were performed. It is believed Aeschylus actually saw one of his plays enacted here. That ancient tradition lives on, with annual performances of Classical Greek drama in May and June. The theatre is just one element of this large and fascinating site. Just to the east is Latomia del Paradiso  a vast limestone quarry from where stone for the ancient city of Syracuse was extracted. Full of catacombs, and today filled with citrus and magnolia trees, this is where 7,000 survivors of the war between Syracuse and Athens in 413 BCE were imprisoned. For any philhellene investigating ancient Greek history, Syracuse is a fascinating window into the story of Hellenism in the Mediterranean.

AROUND SYRACUSE

Southeast Sicily is a land of rocky gorges and home to some of the islands most beautiful towns.

Thirty kilometres due east of Syracuse, the archaeological park of Akrai, near Palazzolo Acreide, contains the ruins of Syracuses first inland colony, created to defend the overland trading route to other Greek settlements.

Head south on the E35 highway and you will find gems of beaches at Fontane Bianche and San Lorenzo. Go further to Marzamemi to find one of Sicilys prettiest seaside villages. To the east of Avola is an area of Unesco-listed hilltop towns famous for their baroque architecture, including Noto, 40 kilometres south of Syracuse.

Half of Italys wine production comes from Sicily and the southeast boasts some fine winemakers.

(Ortygia is made up of a labyrinth of alleyways hiding delightful cafes and shops, and restaurants offering typical Sicilian cuisine. Right: Syracuse Cathedral was once the Greek Temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BCE. The temples columns were incorporated into the walls of the cathedral in the 7th century AD)

Source: neoskosmos.com

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: Markos90 License: CC-BY-SA
Leading French companies will be out in force at this year's Big 5, the largest construction event in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, which opens next month in Dubai, UAE.



To enable French companies to seize new opportunities or reinforce their existing presence, Business France, the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, will once again be running three French pavilions at The Big 5, dedicated to special construction (at Sheikh Saeed), construction tools/building materials (Zabeel 1-3) and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing)/building interiors in hall 1-4.



A total of 26 French companies from the industry's various sectors will be presenting their products, services and expertise to local businesses.



The French construction/finishing industry has undeniable strengths in sectors where technical sophistication, innovation, quality and design play an essential role, said a statement from Business France.



With its highly-fragmented business ecosystem of 409,500 companies, generating total turnover of 126 billion ($148.4 billion), France has the capacity to play an important role in the industry across the world, especially given that it is home to one or more of the global leaders in every segment, including Vinci, Bouygues, Saint Gobain, Lafarge and Schneider Electric, to name just a few.



France boasts a highly diverse offering when it comes to the building trades - from structural engineering and finishing works (carpentry, roofing, insulation, sanitation, air-conditioning, smoke detectors), to interior fittings (wall and floor coverings, luxury tapware, home automation)  supplied by companies of all sizes.



According to the French Construction Federation, these firms make 8.6 billion in foreign markets (5.9 billion from structural construction and 2.7 billion from finishing works).



France tends to export products that are technologically advanced or which place an emphasis on quality and design (innovative insulating materials, facades that allow light to pass through, false ceilings, terracotta tiles, natural paints, decorative fireplaces, etc).



Projiso, an expert in manufacturing and marketing spray systems will take part in the show. It offers a large range of products with multiple high-performances properties including thermal, fireproofing and acoustic. These are:



*Fibrexpan - fire resistance, thermal insulation, acoustic correction and reduction.

*Fibrofeu - fire resistance, acoustic correction.

*Fibrogaine - fire resistance.

*Firespray - fire resistance.



All of these applications are covered by EU regulations. Their products carry the CE marking, the thermal lambda is justified by an Acermi with a technical agreement, said the statement from Business France.



Research, development and innovation form a crucial part of Projisos strategy. The company is constantly seeking to improve its products, offer new systems and enhance its range of solutions, it added.



Veda France, a key designer, manufacturer and seller of a comprehensive range of firestop systems and joints for the construction industry, will be once again at the Big5 to boost its presence in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and beyond.



Veda France's novel products include expansion joints, control joints, joint covers, firestop systems and stair nosings.



Its solutions are suitable for all types of buildings (shopping malls, hospitals, schools, industrial buildings, airports, etc.) for both standard and seismic joints, said a company spokesman.



"As a specialist manufacturer of building joints, our savoir-faire is widely recognized by all the professionals: architects, engineering firms, general contractors and sub-contractors," he stated.



"The presence of Veda France has grown considerably in the Middle East, thanks to the certification of their products and systems by the local authorities (UAE Civil Defence, Qatar Civil Defence, Kuwait Fire Department) and their participation in the 2016 Big 5 Dubai exhibition," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Schon Properties, a leading Dubai-based property developer, has opened a regional sales and marketing office at Emaar Towers in Amman, Jordan, to expand its investor base in the Levant market.



Jordanian investors have contributed significantly in Dubais real estate market, which attracted Dh113.6 billion ($31 billion) of foreign investment in 18 months from January 2016 to June this year.



The iSuites  a massive Dh3.2 billion ($875 million) home-grown hospitality portfolio  is among the biggest attractions for Jordanian nationals.



It is a 21 building project (2B+G+8), comprising 2,550 luxurious hotel apartments, 52 restaurants and cafes, and a 125,000-sq-ft shopping mall called the Laguna Centrale Mall.



The project aims to serve the shortage of four-star hotel rooms close to the Expo 2020 site, Al Maktoum Airport, and Dubai Parks & Resorts. iSuites total constructible area is upwards of 2.6 million square feet.



Jordanian investors topped the list of Arab nationals in real estate trading in Dubai in 2016, according to Dubai Land Department (DLD).



Sakhr Awaysheh, the VP for sales, Schon Properties Jordan, said: "A total of 1,331 Jordanians invested some Dh2.5 billion in the Dubais property market, while total Arab investment reached Dh11.7 billion during the year."



Arab investors from outside the GCC contributed over Dh12 billion to the real estate market last year, from 6,416 investors of 16 nationalities., Sakhr added.



President Danial Schon said: "Investor appetite from Jordanians for Dubai properties prompted us to set up a permanent presence in Amman. iSuites prime location, next to the Dubai Expo 2020 site and close to Maktoum International Airport has led to huge interest from Jordanian investors."



iSuites envisages smart modern living of functional and futuristic facilities. The full-serviced hotel apartments are targeting millennials interested in urban lifestyle hotel stays, small families coming to Dubai on a short-term corporate assignment or a pure family vacation.



Our study shows that an investor could get an average net income yield of 12 per cent return on investment from our latest offering  iSuites  that will help investors make more money with less pain, remarked Schon.-TradeArabia News Service
Kuwait's Jassim Transport & Stevedoring Company (JTC) has expanded its fleet with the delivery of a nine-axle, 700-tonne lift capacity Demag AC 700-9 all terrain crane from Terex Cranes.



The crane has a main boom length of 60 m and main boom extension length of 96 m. Its compact chassis design makes transporting and positioning quick and easy, said a statement from Terex Cranes, part of Terex Corporation.



JTC operates a fleet comprising more than 25 Demag and Terex cranes. The company added five smaller Demag units to its fleet earlier this year to keep up with its growing workload in Kuwait and Qatar, it stated.



On the new crane, JTC chief executive Adel Kohari said: "We have been pleased with the productivity and quality of our Demag cranes, which is why we chose the Demag AC 700-9 model this time around."

An innovative and customer-focused organisation, JTC was founded in 1979 as an inland transportation company. The Kuwaiti brand is now associated with its core activities such as ports management, contract logistics, equipment leasing and power rental.



"Our work continues to grow, and to keep up with demand we need reliable and versatile equipment, which Demag equipment offers us," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Viva Bahrain, a leading telecom operator in the kingdom, has entered into a partnership agreement with Riffa Views International School (RVIS) to exclusively equip its Innovation Center with the latest e-learning connectivity solutions.



Viva Bahrain is carrying out this agreement through its corporate social responsibility arm Viva Jusoor, said a statement from the company.



With a collaborative focus on creating an active learning environment coupled with digital exposure amongst the academic community in the kingdom, RVIS Makerspace Innovation Center will be furnished with Vivas state-of-the-art technology services including high-speed broadband, along with smart learning tools, it stated.



Through this agreement, Viva Bahrain will support RVIS in transforming its learning space into a knowledge activity centre complete with tables and chairs on wheels, standing workstations, interactive whiteboards, LED screens, iPads, 3D printers and other technology-led upgrades, it added.



Additionally, the RVIS Makerspace which will host regular training programmes for other educational institutions and the local community at large, will also be equipped with supplies for metal and woodworking, EV3 Robotics construction along with a filmmaking/TV production unit.



Moreover, for activities involving research projects or building prototypes, the Makerspace will be easily adapted using portable walls and furniture, enabling a more versatile and interactive activity space for students.



CEO Ulaiyan Al Wetaid said: "With the digital transformation impacting our lives and everything we do, we are delighted to extend our support to Bahrains educational community in helping them adapt to a digital environment through changes in infrastructure while using modern technology to have best possible learning outcome for the young generation."



Through our collaboration with RVIS, we are creating an experience-based learning environment using the latest digital tools, which meets the needs of students with emphasis on critical thinking, collaboration and creativity while improving student engagement and motivation to perform better, he stated.



This will transform the way we teach and learn in schools, encourage students to seek out the content they like and equip them with skills for the future, he added.



Atif A Abdulmalik, CEO, Arcapita Group and chairman of the board of trustees of RVIS, said: We are proud to partner with Viva in bringing a truly world class centre of innovation and technology to the children of Bahrain.



In the future, our children will be competing on the global stage and a robust grounding in technology and innovation is an essential part of their education. With this in mind we seek to provide every student with the skills they need to be successful contributors in an increasingly technological world, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Capital Club, Bahrain's premier private business club, marked its eighth anniversary on October 19 with a chic soiree.



Hosting the elite of Bahrain, the private club also welcomed 2016 Miss Universe First Runner-Up Raquel Pelissier, a special invitee of the club, alongside the directors, board of governors, club members, and invited guests.



Guests were treated to not only delicious food and drinks, but also entertained by top DJs.



We would like to give a special thanks to our chairman, Sheikh Mohammed Al Khalifa said general manager Sumeet Jhingan, and added "Over the past eight years, the immense support of the Board Members and Directors has allowed the club to grow and to delve into various exciting activities such the Celebrity Chef Series that has welcomed multiple renowned chefs from across the globe to Bahrain, as well as hostig guest speakers, regional business leaders and international speakers on monthly basis."



"The club has successfully expanded its network, and members can now access 260 clubs worldwide. Under the myriad of success the club boasts, Capital Club Bahrain is also the proud elite sponsor of Top CEO Awards 2017, which were hosted in Jeddah earlier this year; amongst various other events that have garnered exposure to the vast variety of services offered by the club," he said.



Working closely with key players within the various thriving industries in Bahrain, Capital Club Bahrain also extended its gratitude to its sponsors Lexus, our Mumtalakat, Lufthansa, and KPMG.



Perfectly combining the elements of business and luxury under one roof, Capital Club Bahrain brings to its members a unique experience as a premier business destination, and continues to prosper as one of the sought after locations for business transactions surrounded by an air of opulence and sophistication. - TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, October 22

With the new GST regime firmly entrenched, a complete overhaul of the tax rates is now required to reduce the burden on small and medium businesses, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In an interview to PTI, he said the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which amalgamates more than a dozen central and state levies like excise duty, service tax and VAT, will take about a year to stabilise.

Nearly four months since its introduction, the new indirect tax threw up teething troubles and compliance issues, which the GST Council  the highest decision-making body of the new regime  has addressed through several rounds of changes.

To ease hassles facing medium and small businesses in paying taxes and filing GST returns, it has tweaked various aspects of the new indirect tax regime to make it industry friendly. Also the GST Council has rationalised rates on over 100 commodities and made refund process easier for exporters.

There is a complete overhauling that is required... it is possible that some items in the same chapter are divided.

There is a need for harmonisation of items chapter wise and wherever we find there is a big burden on small and medium businesses and on common man, if we bring them down, there will be a better compliance, Adhia said.

He, however, said the overhauling would require some calculations by the fitment committee, which will decide which items need a rationalisation of rate under the GST regime which kicked in from July 1.

The GST Council has already cleared an approach paper for items to be considered for rationalisation but it is not binding and the council can always make deviation from the approach paper.

Adhia said the committee will bring its suggestions to the Council as early as possible.

The 23rd meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising representatives of all states, will be held on November 10 in Guwahati.

We are very keen to do it as early as possible; it depends on how much time the fitment committee takes to work on it. They need data, calculate revenue loss. They need various comparisons. But harmonisation has to be done. A complete review has to be done, he said.

The GST Council has reworked various provisions of the new indirect tax regime which was introduced from July 1 so as to make it more industry friendly.

The turnover threshold for composition scheme, under which businesses can pay taxes at a nominal rate, has been hiked to Rs 1 crore, from Rs 75 lakh earlier.

Also small businesses up to Rs 1.50 crore turnover has been allowed to file returns and pay taxes quarterly, as against monthly earlier.

When asked how much time will it take to stabilise the GST system, Adhia said: It will take one year. Because it is a new system for everybody... There has been a complete overhauling of tax system in GST so one year is needed.

If you see the experience of VAT, there was opposition for one year. People were on streets because nobody knew what VAT is, the last fellow was only paying sales tax. It was more opposition that time than this, he said.

Introduced in 2005, VAT replaced the earlier Sales Tax systems. VAT was a tax on sale or purchase of goods within a state and was levied by state governments.

The GST has subsumed over a dozen taxes and transformed India into a single market for seamless movement of goods and services. PTI
Fatehgarh Sahib: The district police have claimed to arrest two smugglers of poppy husk and poppy flowers. One of their accomplice managed to flee. The police recovered 63 bags containing 2,462 kg of poppy husk and 49 bags containing 950 kg of poppy flowers and impounded the truck in which they were carrying the consignment. Alka Meena, SSP, said the police got a tip-off that a known smuggler of poppy husk, along with his accomplice, was carrying a huge consignment of poppy husk in a truck. Following which, the police set up a naka on GT Road in Sirhind. The police arrested two persons, whereas one of their accomplice managed to flee.The SSP said those arrested had been identified as Raja Singh and Sarbjit Singh, both residents of Zira in Ferozepur, whereas their third accomplice was identified as Gurjant Singh of Moga. OC

Newborn dies, kin protest

Fatehgarh Sahib: Relatives of a pregnant woman, whose newborn baby died during delivery, lodged a protest here. They raised slogans against the administration of the Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib, alleging that the newborn died due to negligence on the part of a nurse. They demanded to register a case against the nurse. Later, police and health officials reached the spot and pacified the protesters by announcing the transfer of the staff nurse. Tarsem Khurana, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib, said as per the autopsy report, the newborn died due to non-existence of kidneys. Dr Harminder Kaur, Civil Surgeon, said an inquiry had been ordered against the nurse. OC

Cop sent to judicial custody

Panchkula: Panchkula Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), Jagdish, who was caught demanding bribe in a video from the staff of a liquor vend in Sector 5 on Diwali, was produced in a local court today. The court sent him to 14-day judicial remand. After the video went viral on the social media, DCP Manbir Singh had suspended the accused and later an FIR was also registered at the Sector 5 police station here. On the night of Diwali, the ASI was videographed taking bribe under the influence of liquor. The staff at the liquor vend had alleged that he threatened them after they refused to give him money. TNS

Three thefts reported

Chandigarh: As many as three thefts were reported from the city. Two persons have been arrested by the police. Manoj Kumar, a resident of Nagla Basti, Mani Majra, reported that someone stole a gold chain, a pair of silver anklets, a mobile phone and Rs 17,000 in cash from his residence on Thursday. A case under Section 380 of the IPC has been registered at the Mani Majra police station. Another Mani Majra resident, Avinash of Subash Nagar, reported that someone stole his motorcycle, parked near Hotel Grand, Kishangarh village, on Wednesday night. Later, Daljit Singh, alias Babbla, a resident of Kishangarh, was arrested. A resident of Burail village alleged that Sachin, a resident of Dhanas village, was caught red-handed while stealing a gold chain and a ring from her shop in Burail. The accused has been arrested and a case has been registered. TNS
Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 22

Certain passengers, who have booked the Chandigarh-Bangalore flight of IndiGo, were a harassed lot at the Chandigarh international airport in Mohali today. There is no flight service at the airport on Sundays due to the ongoing repair work on the runway. The passengers alleged that they were not duly informed about the closure of runway on Sundays by the airline officials.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, passengers, including RP Sharma, Mayank and Aditya, said they had booked tickets for the flight about two months ago. The flight was scheduled to take off at 4.30 pm today, they said.

Nobody told us about the cancellation of the flight. Its the duty of the airline to inform all passengers about such developments. We all had faced harassment at the airport for hours. Nobody was there to help us, alleged the passengers.

Mayank, who came at the airport from Bathinda, said he had booked his ticket in July. I came here in the morning and found the airport deserted. Then several other passengers also reached here. We all faced a lot of inconvenience, said Mayank, alleging that the airline did not inform him about the cancellation of the flight.

Sharma said no official of the airline was present at the counter. We only got to know about the closure of the airport on Sundays from a policeman. Several passengers came here with their children. Its sheer harassment, said Sharma.

Sahil Gupta said he made a call to the customer care number of the airline. The person concerned told him that all passengers were duly informed about the development. If we got information, why have we come here? asked the miffed passenger.

Despite repeated attempts, the officials of the airline could not be contacted for their comments.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22

While the city has no dearth of publicity hungry pseudo activists, there are few good men who are quietly contributing for the welfare of the society.

These anonymous heroes have generously donated lakhs of rupees for the Poor Patients Welfare Fund (PPWF) of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

Dr Navneet Kaur Dhaliwal of the PGI, who keeps a record of the donations, said majority of the donors, who had given away donation running into lakhs of rupees, wanted to remain anonymous.

Nearly three days after making an appeal for donations under the poor patient welfare funds, the government-run premier medical institute of north India has received a donation of Rs 6 lakh. The PGIMER authorities expressed gratitude to the management of St Kabir Public School, Sector 2, for donating Rs 3 lakh for the poor and needy patients.

Manju Wadwalkar, public relations officer of the medical institute, said: "The donations are accepted either through cheque (in favour of the Director of PGIMER) or cash at the poor patient cell near the main reception of Nehru Hospital.

He said, "The donation amount is covered under the Section 80G of the Income Tax Act." "We appeal to the public to generously donate for this fund so that we are able to save the poor patients by providing them health care," stated Wadwalkar.

Treatment cost has gone up
Sucha Singh Gill

Sucha Singh Gill

Conflict between a large number of farmers and the Government of Punjab over burning of paddy straw in the fields has been reported from various places. The government has declared burning of paddy residue in the fields illegal and any farmer resorting to it is liable to action. The defiant attitude of various factions of the BKU has made this as an issue of civil conflict which could threaten peace. In the interest of the environment and the health of people of all sections, it needs a solution. Crop residue burning must stop to keep soil health as also save the health of people, animals and plants. The insistence to burn it speaks of the low level of conscientiousness of BKU leaders. They must come forward with viable solutions and for those solutions, they can organise struggles and also enlist the support of civil society organisations.

NGT direction

The intervention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has added to the complexity of the problem. The directions of the NGT to the Punjab Government issued two years ago  in 2015  to come up with an action plan for at least one district in the state to prevent burning of crop residue in a bid to check air pollution, has put the state government in dock. Except for declaring burning of crop residue as illegal, the government has not taken this issue seriously to comply with the NGT direction. Various factions of the BKU are displaying defiance to the state government's order to register cases against farmers who burn crop residue. The farmers express their inability to avoid crop residue burning in the fields in order clear the fields quickly to sow the next crop. They also lack the resources to clear straw by other means such as mixing it in the soil through machinery or collecting it through bundles to be delivered to thermal plants etc.

The state government has approached the union government to provide Rs 100 as subsidy per quintal paddy procured to help the farmers meet the cost of disposal without burning the residue. The union government has not provided any favourable response to it. The farmers are refusing to accept government orders without any financial support, which the latter does not have the capacity.

Two alternatives possible

As the political and bureaucratic leadership has dealt with this issue casually, they have not examined alternatives available to tackle this problem. There are two issues which need to be looked into:

1Technology handle: One is related to technology to handle the disposal of crop residue which is produced in large quantities  it runs into millions of tonnes. There are machines which can harvest crop residue and convert it into bundles mechanically for onward transportation and sale to thermal plants to produce electricity. Technologies which can convert crop residue into valuable manure are also available. Another set of machines can cut crop residue and mix it into soil through tractor-operated machines. The latter two types of technologies can help save environment and also improve soil fertility. But such technologies/machines are costly and beyond the reach of small, marginal and even medium farmers which account for more than 95 per cent of the cultivators in Punjab. The adoption of such technologies could solve this problem with the financial support/subsidty by the Punjab Government. As the government is in serious financial stress for the last more than two decades, it is unable to think beyond continuation of power subsidy.

2Funding under Paris deal: The above discussion brings us to the second issue of arrangment of financial resources to settle the issue of burning of crop residue to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. This takes us to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement renewed commitments to mobilise $100 billion a year in climate finance by 2020 and continue to mobilise finances at that level till 2025. To operationalise this, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) was made the central agency to serve the Paris Agreement. The national and regional/state entities, both public and private, are encouraged to apply directly for funding from GCF. The GCF board is urging countries to pursue high quality funding proposals to mitigate climate change problems. In June 2016, the GCF board announced a $200 million direct access support to climate change projects and programmes.

India has nominated the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) as a national designated authority which can act as the interface between the GCF and the country. Until July 2016, the GCF has approved funding of 15 projects and programmes totaling $424.3 million and had set an additional target of $2.5 billion by end of 2016 (Vyoma Jha, EPW, October 7, 2017). Unfortunately, India has not received any funding from the GCF.

Punjab must access GCF funds to help farmers

The Government of Punjab must prepare a viable project/programme specially related to working out solutions to environment protection, including avoiding of burning of crop residue and access funds from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the central agency made to serve the Paris Agreement, board via NABARD, especially through its regional office located at Chandigarh.

Instead of knocking at the doors of the Modi government, Punjab must pay serious attention towards working a viable plan which is acceptable to the GCF board. Instead of entering into conflict with the farmers, the government must work in cooperation with them to convert this problem into an opportunity. By raising funds from the GCF board, the government can provide the necessary funds to farmers to meet partially or fully the cost of clearing their farms of crop residue by means other than burning it. The solution to this problem is possible both technically and financially.

What is required is serious planning at the level of the government and a proper dialogue rather than threat of legal action against the farmers. The farmers' unions have to be taken on board. Their leaders have to realise that defiantly burning crop residue is against the larger interests of the farming community. Continued pollution by the industry is no justification for the farmers to add more to it by burning their own fields. It does not speak well of them as the unions are expected to reflect greater social responsibility rather than crude sectional interests. They have the right to put pressure on the government and offer cooperation for viable solutions. It is possible to do so.

The writer is on the faculty of CRRID, Chandigarh
Mythili Bhusnurmath

Mythili Bhusnurmath

HOME BUYERS in the NCR, and the entire country, are relieved. In the latest twist in the ongoing tussle between home buyers on the one hand and corporates and banks on the other, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has tweaked rules to protect home buyers interests.

The revised rules are expected to ensure banks do not get away with protecting only their own interests. So, any resolution plan must state how the plan proposes to deal with the interests of all stakeholders, including home-buyers who have been left in the lurch by unscrupulous corporates.

On the face of it, this is an excellent compromise. The problem, as with all compromises, is the unintended, and undesirable, consequences that are likely to follow whenever the heart is allowed to rule over the head in matters of commerce. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), as enacted by Parliament, was meant to ensure that recalcitrant borrowers are not allowed to take their creditors, especially banks, for a ride but are brought to book. Quickly!

If, instead, the IBC is used to resolve issues it was never meant to address in the first place, there is a genuine danger that it is only a matter of time before it goes the way of previous attempts to tackle bad loans in banks. Not only will it not help in the speedy resolution of bad loans, but worse, it will discourage banks from giving housing loans for construction-linked projects (the norm in most housing projects). The losers will be the public at large.

What most people, including perhaps the judiciary, seem to lose sight of is that banks do not lend their own money. So, it is not a David vs Goliath battle with home buyers on one side and powerful banks on the other! The money banks lend, both to corporates and to retail consumers, belongs to bank depositors, including small depositors. When corporates do not repay their loans, or when home buyers are privileged over other dues to banks, it is ordinary depositors, many of who may be financially worse off than home buyers who lose out.

This is not to say the buyers should be left in the lurch. Rather, that courts should be careful not to resort to the wrong tool, in this case the IBC, to enforce the rights of the buyers. Allowing such claims under the IBC is akin to opening the Pandoras box and could end up burdening the code to the detriment of both banks and the larger economy.

Remember, the verdict on the code, almost 10 months after the relevant sections were notified, is mixed. Take the supposed USP (unique selling proposition) of the resolution process under the IBC  its strict timelines: 14 days to decide whether or not to admit the case, followed by appointment of an interim insolvency professional (in case it is admitted) who will have six months, extendable by a maximum of another three to come up with a turnaround strategy along with a committee of creditors.

Based on the evidence to date, admittedly somewhat limited, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has not always been able to adhere to the 14-day deadline. The law is quite clear that all other judicial proceedings will be on hold once a case has been referred to the NCLT. But, in practice, the latter has tended to tiptoe round this, preferring to await the outcome of civil court proceedings. The case of Essar Steel, where it was only after the Gujarat High Court dismissed the borrowers appeal that it finally came before the NCLT, being a case in point.

Another reason to be sceptical about the NCLT is that like its earlier avatar, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), the NCLT, too, is plagued by lack of basic infrastructure. As on date, we have 11 NCLT benches, but the appellate tribunal has only two of the three members in place, one of who is a retired audit and accounts officer! And with almost anyone who has dues from the borrower, including operational creditors, employees being free to take borrowers to the cleaners it is only a matter of time before the NCLT is overwhelmed with the work and simply unable to tackle the workload. This is not a figment of imagination. There are reports of an employee of a Chennai-based hotel taking his employer to the NCLT.

As Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairman of the State Bank of India, put it, we dont have the supporting ecosystem in place. We dont have enough insolvency professionals with experience of running complex businesses, nor do we have efficient markets for stressed assets where resolution fails. In a scenario where there seem to be no takers even for Vijay Mallyas Kingfisher House in Mumbai despite five attempts to auction it and after lowering reserve price each time, the chances that large steel, cement and power plants will find bidders willing to pay an attractive price is naive to say the least. In which case, the IBC might possibly end up as a solution thats worse than the original problem it was meant to tackle.

Sure, you may be able to force recalcitrant promoters to come to the negotiating table. But if the process, ultimately, results in banks taking such huge haircuts that they become sick themselves, it will serve no purpose. All we will have is sick companies being replaced by sick banks; in which case the damage to the economy is far worse! It would be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire.

More so, if the focus under the IBC shifts to asset stripping rather than asset conservation. If resolution through liquidation seems simpler and bankers feel they will have fewer questions to face from investigating agencies than when they try to turn companies around, there is a danger the IBC could end up as a simplistic solution to a far more complex problem.

All efforts must, therefore, be made to ensure the IBC delivers on the promise with which it was enacted, namely speedy resolution of NPAs. Ideally, while preserving asset-value where it deserves to be preserved in the larger interests of the economy. The NCLT and courts must not get carried away by extraneous considerations that could end up damaging the very objective with which the code was framed.

Sure, remedies must be extended to home buyers. But outside the IBC. Else we could end up with a remedy that is worse than the disease!

The writer is a senior consultant at National Council of Applied Economic Research
Houston, October 22

The Indian-American parents of the missing 3-year-old adopted Indian girl are expected to appear in a court on Monday to fight to try to get back their other child, US media reported.

The mysterious disappearance of Sherin Mathews from her home over two weeks ago led to the Child Protective Services (CPS) removing the 4-year-old biological girl from the home of Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews, CBS News reported.

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The CPS says its a standard custodial hearing, as the parents ask a judge to let them bring their biological daughter home in Richardson city in the US state of Texas.

The CPS has previously said it had been involved with the Mathews prior to Sherins disappearance, but refused to say for which child and why they were called in.

The father, Wesley Mathews, was arrested and charged with child endangerment after he told police he left his adopted daughter, Sherin, alone outside their home at 3 am October 7.

Wesley, 37, told Richardson Police he made Sherin stand by a tree about 100 feet from their home as punishment for not drinking her milk. After 15 minutes when he went out to see her, Sherin was missing, Wesley told police. He waited until 8 am to report her missing.

Wesley is on bond, being tracked with a GPS monitor. As part of his release, the court says he cannot have contact with any minor child.

The girls mother does not face any charges. She was in the house at the time, but was reportedly asleep and unaware of what her husband was doing, according to police.

Meanwhile, Richardson Police Department in its latest statement on the Sherins missing case said that detectives have been going door-to-door at businesses and locations that may have additional information and evidence important to this case.

Searches being conducted are very specific as we learn more through evidence being collected. Much of the evidence we have obtained requires analysis which takes time to process at a forensic level.

As you may have learned from news media, many items collected through search warrants are also being analysed. As we continue, findings will be available less often due to the sensitive nature of what is discovered, the police said in a statement on Facebook.

An earlier statement said that during the course of this investigation, police have developed information that has lead them to more specific areas. Multiple searches were conducted in fields, creeks and wooded areas. Drones were also deployed for the searches.

Detectives are also working through the video surveillance collected.

The process of reviewing evidence both digital and physical, as well as witness statements is a time consuming process and we ask for patience as we make progress, the earlier police statement said.

Sherins case has caught the attention of Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

We are deeply concerned about the missing child. Indian Embassy in US is actively involved and they keep me informed, Swaraj tweeted on October 19.

We are closely monitoring Sherin Mathews case. We have established the contact with the community and authorities, the Consul General of India in Houston, Anupam Ray had tweeted.  PTI
THERE is something very odd if a government takes the Ordinance route. And suspicions deepen if an image-conscious government keeps the Ordinance under wraps for nearly one and a half months till it is ferreted out by the media. The Rajasthan Governments September 7 Ordinance seeks to accomplish several questionable objectives. First of all, it gives immunity to serving government officials as well as serving and retired judges from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction. This may be an attempt on the lines of a Maharashtra Government Ordinance barring magistrates from ordering FIRs against public servants without the governments prior sanction. It has already been challenged in court for providing an extraordinary feeling of an undeserving impunity to public servants.

But the Vasundhra Raje government has dialled the Maharashtra Ordinance up to new levels. The Rajasthan version bars the media from publicising any particulars against public servants till the government approves their prosecution. Not content with these restrictions, it also calls for the insertion of a new provision that provides for imprisonment up to two years if the media violates this provision. This new-found zeal to protect its public servants is very much at odds with the BJPs professed frenzy to book every crook in town; it also sounds the death knell of investigative reporting.

A challenge to the Ordinance is bound to happen. But it rankles when experienced administrators like Ms Raje consciously overlook the infringement of the publics right to be informed about the conduct of public servants. This is especially so when a rules-based framework exists under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Besides, the judiciary gets additional protection under the Judges Protection Act from actions during discharge of their duties. The Rajasthan Governments tweaking of laws not only partially rolls back the hard-won fight for the right to information about public servants, but also strikes at the foundation of journalistic freedom to report and disclose the identity of people against whom sanction is sought. That a BJP government should attempt such a regressive law suggests the party is becoming a victim of its political arrogance. There will be a democratic backlash.
Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 22

Naveen Jaihind, state president of the Aam Aadmi Party( AAP), today said the party would release a short film in Chandigarh next week to expose the misdoing of the three-year rule of the state BJP government. He alleged that the government has done nothing during this tenure and instead, it has spoiled the brotherhood in the state during Jat agitation. He highlighted the failure of the government during the violence after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Panchkula.

We have made a film named Khattar Lal, Haryana Behal concentrating on the three-year rule of the BJP in Haryana, which has failed to provide good governance to people, he maintained.

He was today here at Manav Seva Sangh to interact with booth-level party workers. While interacting with mediapersons, he launched a scathing attack on the BJP government and said that corruption was prevailing in tehsils and other government offices.

We will also compare the performance of Delhi and Haryana governments. Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal has been doing even those works which were not in manifesto while the BJP government in Haryana is not even fulfilling its poll promises, he said.

The party will hold a state-level workers meeting on November 1 in Kurukshetra, in which they will decide their future course of action, he said.

He alleged that Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala had been working under pressure of the government due to the CBI cases and was not opening a front against the misdoing of the state government.

He said AAP would launch a stir against the starting of a new toll plaza at Murthal. He said that it was an attempt of looting commuters.

Jaihind said the construction of Dadupur-Nalvi canal was important for farmers and the government should rethink over the denotification of the canal.
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, October 22

The All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) has decided to boycott Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu if the cases registered against the youths in connection with the last years agitation for Jat reservation were not withdrawn by November 1.

Addressing a Press conference here today, samiti president Yashpal Malik threatened to launch a fresh agitation if the youths arrested in connection with the Jat quota stir were not released. He said their course of action would be announced at a rally slated to be held at Jassia village in Rohtak district on November 26.

The boycott of Capt Abhimanyu will begin in Rohtak district from November 1 if no concrete action is taken on our demands till then. We will ask the local residents to not allow the minister to enter their villages. On November 26, we will announce statewide boycott of Capt Abhimanyu as well as Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala if the state government fails to act by then, he maintained.

The Jassia event would also mark the laying of the foundation stone of Deenbandu Chhotu Ram Institute for Competitive Exams and Excellence Centre the village, which was the main site of the statewide protest by the samiti.

Malik stated that all sitting as well as former MLAs and ministers, barring Capt Abhimanyu and Subhash Barala, would be invited to the Jassia event. The samiti was yet to decide whether they would invite Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankhar, he added.

It may be pertinent to mention here that Capt Abhimanyus local residence as well as other property was ransacked and burnt during the Jat agitation for reservation, for which several youths were booked and arrested.

First an SIT was constituted to probe the matter, which was later handed over to the CBI. The samiti, khap members and community leaders have been asking the minister to withdraw the cases against the youths, but he has refused to do so.
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 21

The Northern Frontier of the Border Security Force also observed Police Commemoration Day here today. Mukul Goel, IG, BSF, laid a wreath and paid tributes to the martyrs.

Besides a parade, a two-minute silence was also observed in memory of those who got martyred. A separate programme was held at 13 schools of the state in which these martyrs had studied.

DIG RS Kataria said a Maha Vir Chakra, four Kirti Chakras, 12 Shaurya Chakras, 232 President Medals and 910 Police Bravery awards had been conferred upon BSF personnel.

Day observed in Nawanshahr

Police Commemoration Day was observed at ITI grounds in Nawanshahr today. Police and paramilitary forces martyrs were paid tributes.

As many as 27 police personnel and officials of Nawanshahr had sacrificed their lives while fighting against militants and contributing to restore peace, harmony, law and order in the state, said SSP Satinder Singh. He added that during that period, a total of 1,800 police personnel and 250 of their family members sacrificed their lives.

He said Police Commemoration Day was observed to reassure the dependents of the martyrs that the Police Department and society were not only indebted to the sacrifices made by the police martyrs but also stood by them.

The SSP also heard the grievances of the dependents and asked the officials concerned to solve their problems on a priority basis.

Narrating the historical importance of Police Commemoration Day Parade, SSP said the Police Commemoration Day parade was observed by the police of all states and the paramilitary forces throughout the country to pay tributes to the jawans of the CRPF, who attained martyrdom on October 21, 1959 at Hot Springs (Ladakh) during an assault by the Chinese Army. He also took a pledge to follow the path shown by the martyrs to maintain the unity and integration of the country.

Police officials Mukhtyar Rai and Gagandeep Singh Bhullar read out the list of officials and jawans of the police and paramilitary forces who sacrificed their lives in the past one year.

District Judge Family Court Jatinder Kaur; Civil Judge (Junior Division) Harshvir Sandhu; District Attorney Dharampal; SPs Jasbir Singh Rai and Manvinder Singh; DSPs Harvinder Singh Dalli, Paramjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh Gill, Raj Kumar, Mukhtyar Singh and Gagandeep Singh Bhullar; retired police and Army officers; and members of the families of the police martyrs hailing from the district were present here to salute the great heroes of the nation.

A contingent of the police led by DSP Gurpreet Singh Gill gave salute to the martyrs, officials and dignitaries present on the occasion.

Families members of the police martyrs Inspector Harjit Singh, SI Giyan Chand, SI Hardyal Singh, SI Prem Chand, ASI Avtar Singh, ASI Ram Sarup, ASI Parkash Chand, HC Karam Chand, HC Parveen Kumar, HC Baldev Singh, Constable Jaspal Singh, C-2 Husan Lal, Constables Jasvir Singh, Kewal Singh, Kewal Krishan, Jagdish Singh, Sada Ram, Roshan Lal, Paramjit Singh, Gurdawar Ram and Ramji Dass, Punjab Homeguard Jawans Ajit Singh, Sushil Kumar, Avtar Singh, Dhyan Singh and Amarjit Singh were honoured on the occasion.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 22

For the second consecutive day, the Pakistan army violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in north Kashmirs Uri sector, the Army said.

Pakistani troops opened fire at Indian posts in the Kamalkote area of Uri at around 11 am. The Army retaliated to the firing.

There was a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Uri sector today and our forces retaliated strongly, an official said, adding that the exchange of fire continued for over an hour. "There was no report of any causalities from our side, he said.

On Saturday, an Army porter was killed and a teenage girl was injured in Pakistani firing in the Kamokote sector. The truce violation has triggered panic among the residents in Uri.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire over 600 times in the state this year. This is almost double than last year and highest in a single year in the past one decade.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 22

In the past seven days, half a dozen mainstream politicians, including legislators, have come under the attack of militants in south Kashmir.

These attacks have created fear among the political workers, especially the grass-roots workers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The latest series of attacks on mainstream leaders began with the killing of PDP worker and former sarpanch Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh on October 16. Sheikh was shot dead by militants at his home in Homhuma Imam Sahib, Shopian, and in the scuffle that followed a local militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed. A day later, a mob set ablaze Sheikhs house.

The house of the PDP lawmaker from Wachi, Aijaz Mir, was targeted by militants on October 19. The militants lobbed a grenade on the residence of Mir. The MLA and his family were not present in the house when the attack took place. A day later, militants lobbed a grenade at the residence of PDPs Tral legislator Muhtaq Ahmed Shah and also fired at his security guards.

In a series of attacks on late Saturday, houses of two PDP workers, a policeman and a Territorial Army man were ransacked by militants at Pulwama and Shopian. One of the PDP workers was also beaten to pulp by militants.

One such raid was reportedly led by Hizbul Mujahideen operational chief Riyaz Naiko.

On Sunday, a CRPF officer was injured when militants targeted the house of a National Conference leader in Tral, while in Kulgam, houses of two PDP workers were ransacked.

The recent attacks have surely created panic in the party cadre, MLA Aijaz Mir said. PDP Tral legislator Mushtaq Shah linked the attacks to the recent police raids on militant houses in south Kashmir.

The attacks on PDP workers are directly the result of recent raids by security men on militant houses, Shah said. Security forces have been accused by locals of ransacking the houses of militants in south Kashmir.

However, a senior police officer denied ransacking the houses of militants.

Attacks linked to crackdown on ultras: MLA

PDP Tral legislator Mushtaq Shah linked the attacks to the recent police raids on militant houses in south Kashmir. The attacks on PDP workers are directly the result of recent raids by security men on militant houses, Shah said. Security forces have been accused by locals of ransacking the houses of militants in south Kashmir in the past one week. However, a senior police officer denied ransacking the houses of militants.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 22

A militant was killed in an early morning gunfight in north Kashmirs Kupwara on Sunday, Army said.

The militant was killed in a gunfight at Langate Handwara, some 70 km from here, during an anti-militancy operation.

A contact was established at five this morning. A terrorist was killed and a weapon was recovered, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said. He said the operation was still in progress.

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The identity of the slain militant was not established immediately.

Sources said joint teams of the Army, police and CRPF had laid an ambush in the area as they had input about militant movement.

As the militants were challenged they opened fire triggering a brief gunfight that left a militant dead, sources said.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 22

Suspected militants shot dead a woman and injured another in south Kashmirs Tral sub district on Sunday afternoon.

Police blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group and said militants barged inside a house in Seer Tral and fired at the two women.

Yasmeena, daughter of Ghulam Rasool Bhat, resident of Khonmoh was killed and another Ruby, was injured. She was shifted to hospital, police said.

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A search operation was launched to nab the militants involved in the attack.

Initial investigation hinted that Jaish is behind the attack. We are trying to ascertain the reasons for the killing, SSP Awantipora Mohammad Zahid said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan violated ceasefire for the second consecutive day in Uri sector. A porter was killed and a girl was injured in the Pakistan firing on Saturday.
Srinagar, October 22

Militants on Sunday hurled a grenade at the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in the Tral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in injuries to a CRPF jawan, the police said.

The militants lobbed the grenade at the residence of Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, son of former NC MLA Mohammad Subhan Bhat, in Tral town, a police official said.

He added that a CRPF jawan was injured in the grenade attack.

This was the third grenade attack targeting politicians in south Kashmir in the last three days.

Earlier, militants had hurled grenades at the houses of ruling PDP MLAs at Real and Zainapora in Shopian district.  PTI
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 22

Vikramaditya Singhgrandson of last Dogra ruler of J&K Maharaja Hari Singhon Sunday resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) blaming the government of anti-Jammu policies.

He resigned as an MLC in the J-K Legislative Council as well.

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Vikramaditya Singh accused Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of propagating anti-Jammu policies and alleged that she is not following the footsteps of her father late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in uniting all the three regions of the state.

I was feeling suffocated in the party due to discriminatory and anti-Jammu policies being propagated by the government, he said.

It is not morally and ethically correct for me to remain in the PDP, he added.

Formally announcing his decision in a press conference after posting the same on social media, he alleged, Whenever I raised any issue pertaining to Jammu region, I faced criticism from the government instead of support and they snubbed me every time.

On many occasions I raised issues like Dogra certificate, illegal settlement of Rohingyas in Jammu, ignoring history of Dogras in education department, discrimination in PSCs but my party never supported me he said.

Vikramaditya Singh, the elder son of former Sadar-e-Riyasat and Congress stalwart Dr Karan Singh, who had joined PDP on April 9, 2014, said he had joined PDP due to its secular credentials and leadership qualities of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

I looked upon myself as the PDP face for all communities in the Jammu region and worked to strengthen the party, always keeping in mind the secular fabric of our region, added Singh.

Besides PDP leader, I also resigned from the Legislative Council where I was nominated by the Governor and I shall be writing to the Chairman requesting him to accept my resignation, Singh said.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 22

In a broad daylight shooting, a woman was killed and another injured in south Kashmirs Tral subdistrict on Sunday.

The police accused militant group Jaish-e-Mohammads 3-foot-tall local militant commander Noor Mohammad Bhat for masterminding the attack on the two women.

The initial investigation hints at Jaish commander Noor Mohammad Bhat masterminding the attack on the two women. We are trying to ascertain the reasons for the attack, said Superintendent of Police, Awantipora, Mohammad Zahid.

The police said militants barged into the house of Mohammad Shafi Wagey in Seer Jagir, Tral, some 50 km from Srinagar, and fired at the women present there.

Among them, 18-year old Yasmeena of Khonmoh was killed and Rubeena, wife of Mohammad Shafi Wagay, was injured. She was shifted to the sub-district hospital in Tral and later referred to Srinagar hospital for further treatment, a police spokesman said.

Sources said an unidentified man entered the house and started talking to Rubeena, while her relative Yasmeena was sitting nearby.

The militant who was not armed at that time asked Rubeena about some family business issues. The man left and in no time returned to tell Rubeena that someone wanted to talk to her on phone. When she refused, the militant opened indiscriminate firing, killing Yasmeena and wounding Rubeena, a source said.

Immediately after the attack, a search operation was launched to nab the militants.

There has been no militant killing in the village in the recent past. However, a few days ago, forces had allegedly ransacked the house of local Hizbul Mujahideen commander in Seer Jagir. On October 18, a Special Police Officer was shot dead by a militant at his home in Gutroo, Tral.

Victim probably suspected to be informer, says DGP

She (Rubeena) was probably threatened in the past also. She might have been targeted on the suspicion of being an informer. But she was not anyones source. The exact reason for the attack is not clear, said DGP Shesh Paul Vaid

CRPF man injured in grenade attack

As tension gripped Tral over the killing of the woman, a CRPF officer was injured on Sunday afternoon when militants lobbed a grenade at the residence of National Conference leader Mohammad Ashraf in Tral town. The CRPF ASI sustained a splinter injury on his left elbow. His condition is stable, a CRPF spokesman said.
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 21

An elderly couple consumed some poisonous substance and died at their residence in Rajguru Nagar on Saturday.

The duo ended their life reportedly due to tension, as they were down with severe illness.

The deceased have been identified as Baldev Kishan and his wife Neelam, both 62 years old. They had retired as lecturers from the Punjab Agricultural University school.

Interestingly, the duo had the same date of birth and also retired from the profession on the same date and died on the same day.

ADCP Surendra Lamba said the duo has left a suicide note in which they mentioned that they were ending their lives due to their illness. The ADCP said suspecting no foul play, inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPc were likely to be initiated by the police.

As per the information, the couple consumed some poisonous substance at 5.30 am, following which the husband called his brother-in-law in Sirhind and informed him that he and his wife had committed suicide.

The deceaseds brother-in-law then called his relatives living in Machhiwara, who reached the house in no time. When they reached, they found both of them lying on the floor. They were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital, where they were declared brought dead by doctors.

Sources said the couple has left behind two children, who were living abroad. Their daughter, who is married, lives in America, while son was studying in Canada.
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 21

After traders and industry, it is the tax professionals who will be going up in arms against the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

They are planning to launch a protest against the new taxation system. Though the government had promised no penalty for the first three months, the penalty of Rs 200 per day for filing late return is giving sleepless nights to both tax professionals and tax payers.

Sometimes we are unable to file the return as the portal is slow or sometimes there is some technical hitch, the tax payers have to pay the penalty even in such situations. In fact, the next return cannot be filed unless the penalty is paid. This is causing a lot of confusion as the clients are not ready to listen and do not want to pay fine, said Sanjeev Luthra, a chartered accountant.

October 20 was the last date for filing the summary return for September and those who missed paying the earlier fine were unable to file their return as the software was not accepting the return till the fine was paid, said Jatinder Khurana, state president of the Indian Taxation Advocates Association.

Surinder Kumar has to pay Rs 6,200 as penalty. I had asked my advocate to file the return, but it was not uploaded on time, so fine was imposed upon me which I had refused to pay. Now, the fine amount was being accumulated and had reached Rs 6,200 and I am unable to upload the next return also. The software asks to pay the penalty before the return can be uploaded, he lamented.

Khurana said the taxation community had decided to lodge a protest against the Goods and Services Tax and date for the same would be decided soon.
GS Aujla

GS Aujla

WHAT would appear to be the most objectionable provocation at the International Border today was known in the mid-seventies as an acceptable indulgence on the dhussi bundh separating India and Pakistan. The heavily vegetated area, with a kutcha road all along the border in Gurdaspur, was home to a teeming brood of black partridges and wild boar.

A tacit courtesy that Pakistan Rangers extended to their Indian counterparts was to allow shooting partridge and wild boar. Since pork is forbidden in Islam, they did not mind us shooting the pigs.

I found in the late PD Vashisht, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur, an avid hunter. Although a Brahmin by birth, his mouth would start watering the moment he saw a partridge in the bushes. In the hunting season, the two of us  after duty hours  would proceed to the dhussi for patrol, with our 12-bore shotguns jutting out of the windscreen. We would often leave the jeep and let a bird fly to take a shot. The chances of survival of our likely prey was 50-50 as neither of us was an expert at flying shots. I was an ace rifle shot in my younger days and made a lousy shot with the shotgun. I am told a good rifle shooter scarcely becomes a good shotgun firer. Vashisht was a cerebral hunting addict and was happy with a small bag of partridges  mostly sitting ducks, as the phrase goes.

The BSF officer at the border outpost would facilitate the roasting of the partridges and had a cook who was an expert at barbeque that he made out of wild boar. We had the most enjoyable time at the International Border and there was no cross-border tension.

One day, when we were driving on the dhussi bundh, we saw a donkey in our territory. It was so heavily loaded that it could hardly walk. We got off our jeep and with the help of our driver and retainers searched the animal. We found five cases of Solan Number One (a popular brand of whisky made in India) in the bags. Handing over the donkey at the outpost, we were told that Indian smugglers used to load donkeys with their favourite brand of liquor for Pakistani counterparts. We were also told that a bottle of Solan, costing Rs 35 in India, was sold for Rs 350 in Lahore on the black market. The forbidden fruit is always dearer.

The unfortunate donkey had strayed back into the Indian territory, apparently having lost its way and failing to deliver it to the assigned receiver across the border. Ironically, there was no punishment for it  it was mercifully spared a torturous interrogation. A triumph for animal rights!
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 22

Upset over the anti-Jammu policies of the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, Vikramaditya Singh, the Dogra dynasty scion, today resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Grandson of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, he also quit as a member of the Legislative Council.

I was feeling suffocated in the party owing to the discriminatory and anti-Jammu policies being pursued by the state government. It is not morally and ethically correct for me to remain in the PDP, which is ignoring the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu, he told mediapersons.

He claimed that whenever he raised an issue pertaining to the Jammu region, he was snubbed by the party.

Vikramaditya, the elder son of former Sadar-e-Riyasat and Congress stalwart Dr Karan Singh, said he had joined the PDP in 2014 because of its secular credentials and the leadership qualities of the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

He said he had written twice to the then Education Minister Naeem Akthar to include the Dogra period in the states school textbooks. In an open letter, he had urged the CM to declare a holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh. Also, he had opposed the illegal settlement of the Rohingya in Jammu and introducing Kashmiri in Jammus degree colleges.

Reacting to his resignation, Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma claimed it was now clear that the PDP-BJP regime was following anti-Jammu policies.
Vadodara, October 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Congress for questioning the Election Commission (EC) for not announcing the poll schedule for Gujarat along with Himachal Pradesh.

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The Congress has no moral right to question the constitutional body, Modi said addressing a gathering here.

On October 12, the EC had announced Assembly poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh but did not announce the dates for Gujarat, only saying that it would go to the polls before December 18.

This has been questioned by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, senior leader P Chidambaram and some others in the Congress party.

Some of them (Opposition) are worried why Modi is coming to Gujarat after Diwali. They cant say anything to me, so they are targeting the Election Commission, the Prime Minister said and asked the gathering, You tell me, should I not come to Vadodara?

To hit out at the Congress, Modi referred to the recent Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat in which Congress leader Ahmed Patel won by defeating BJPs Balwantsinh Rajput.

In the recent election, votes were counted and TV channels were showing who is the victor, but they (Congress) did something after which a recount took place in which they won, Modi said.

Those who won in the recount are now asking the Election Commission why Modi is going to Gujarat, he said.

They do not have any moral right to ask this question to the Election Commission, Modi said.

The Congress has alleged that the NDA government had pressurised the EC to delay the announcement of Gujarat election schedule, so that the Prime Minister could offer sops to his home state before the model code of conduct came into force.

EC has authorised PM to announce date of Gujarat elections at his last rally (and kindly keep EC informed), said a sarcastic tweet by Chidambaram.

Modi, who inaugurated or laid foundation stones for various projects in and around Vadodara, said, They (Opposition) have never heard of or seen such development works, so they are finding it difficult to digest. PTI
New Delhi, October 22

A 31-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping off his body parts and hiding them in a refrigerator after suspecting his colleague of having an affair with his wife, police said.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in south Delhis Mehrauli, they said. Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.

Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspected him of killing Joshi, a senior police official said on Saturday.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the formers flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Mandal then fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata after tracking his cellphones location to Purulia village. But he was not found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshis relatives said he was in Rourkela.

Mandal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said. PTI
Ghogha, October 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615 crore roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service connecting Saurashtra with south Gujarat, amid a political row over the delay in announcement of poll dates for the state.

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While launching his dream project, Modi blamed the previous UPA government for delaying the venture by creating hurdles in the name of environment.

Modi, who is visiting the state for the third time this month, also took the first trip in the ferry from Ghogha to Dahej with 100 visually-impaired children from Bhavnagar.

This is the first-of-its-kind project not only in India, but also in South-East Asia, Modi said at a rally here, which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

The Congress had alleged that the government put pressure on the Election Commission to delay the announcement of Gujarat elections to enable the Prime Minister to offer sops to the state.

This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible, said Modi, who had earlier termed it his dream project.

I had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2012, but for doing work in the ocean, you had to remain dependent on the central government then. There were such people in the Central government that they had put a ban on development from Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch along coastal Gujarat, he said.

All over, industries were threatened to be closed down in the name of environment. I know how many challenges I had faced for the development of Gujarat, he said attacking the Congress-led UPA government.

Hailing the project as a precious gift to the country from Ghogha, Modi blamed the erstwhile UPA government for ignoring the shipping and port sector.

In the past decades, shipping and port sectors were ignored. To modernise the sector, the government has begun Sagarmala programme..., Modi said.

Had they (the Congress-led UPA government) understood the power of the ocean, the people in this region would not have been forced to leave their homes for work in other cities, he said.

The first phase of the project connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat.

In the first phase, which was inaugurated by Modi, only passengers can travel, while in the second phase, which will start after two months, light vehicles such as cars can be ferried. While in the third phase, heavy vehicles such as trucks can also be taken in the ferry.

Modi said the project will be extended up to Hazira in Surat district, and similar projects will also be launched in the Gulf of Kutch.

The ferry can take more than 100 trucks at one time, and with such a huge number of vehicles going off the road, it will impact the road connecting Delhi and Mumbai. The number of vehicles on Gujarats industrialised zone will reduce, the speed of vehicles will increase and this will take the economic system in top gear, Modi said.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour. To start with, two shipsM V Jay Sophia and Island Jedcan take 300 and 239 passengers, including crew members respectively, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) said.

Modi had recently said that the Assembly polls in the state will be a battle between vikaswad and vanshwad, in which his development agenda will triumph over the Congresss dynastic politics.

The Election Commission had, on October 12, announced that polling for the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9, but held back the Gujarat polls schedule, only saying that polling in the western state would be held before December 18.

The model code of conduct would have come into immediate effect in Gujarat had the poll schedule been announced along with Himachal Pradesh, the Congress had said.

During his speech, Modi also recalled that when he was in school, he had heard about the possibility of starting a ferry service connecting Saurashtra and south Gujarat.

He said that as the previous government could not do it, he had to do it.

The Prime Minister also said that in the past, the state government had made structural mistakes, because of which the project was gathering dust for a long time.

He said that after he took over as the Chief Minister, he changed the existing policies and the process to make the project possible.

We changed the polices of the previous governments. We decided that the government will construct terminals, and private agencies will run ferry service.

The government also decided that it will bear the cost of dredging. We also thought that the government will also have a part of profit. It is because of this, the ferry service has been possible, Modi said.

The ferry service has been executed under public-private partnership, with private parties offering ferry services with infrastructure developed by the state government, Modi said.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated Sarvottam Dairy cattle feed plant and is slated to inaugurate other projects worth several thousand crores of rupees in Vadodara district.

He had earlier visited poll-bound Gujarat last Monday when he addressed his party workers at a rally in Gandhinagar.

Prior to that, on October 8, Modi visited his home town Vadnagar. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch. PTI
Vadodara, October 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at the Congress for questioning the Election Commission for not announcing the poll schedule for Gujarat along with Himachal Pradesh.

The Congress has no moral right to question the constitutional body, Modi said, addressing a gathering here.

Some of them (Opposition) are worried why Modi is coming to Gujarat after Diwali. They cant say anything to me, so they are targeting the EC, the PM said and asked the gathering, You tell me, should I not come to Vadodara?

To hit out at the Congress, Modi referred to the recent Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat in which Congress Ahmed Patel defeated BJPs Balwantsinh Rajput. Votes were counted and TV channels were showing who is the victor, but they (Congress) did something after which a recount took place in which they won, Modi said.

Those who won in the recount are now asking the Election Commission why Modi is going to Gujarat, he said. They do not have any moral right to ask this question to the Election Commission, Modi added.  PTI
Dhaka, October 22

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit to attend a joint consultative committee meeting to review the bilateral ties and discuss ways to further strengthen the relationship.

Swaraj, who arrived on a special Indian aircraft, was received by her Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmud Ali at the Bangabandhu Air Base in Dhaka.

Officials said the Teesta River deal and the Rohingya crisis were among issues likely to be discussed in Swarajs talks with Ali.

She is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think-tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations, an Indian High Commission statement said.

Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials said Swaraj was scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, main opposition leader Raushan Ershad of Jatiya Party and former premier Khaleda Zia later today.

Swaraj is likely to join the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for setting up a common facility centre for small and medium enterprises in southwestern city of Khulna and export of hi-speed diesel to Bangladesh, they said, adding that she would also inaugurate 15 development projects funded by the Indian government.

This is Swarajs second visit to Bangladesh and comes after recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a USD 4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during the visit of Prime Minister Hasina to India in April.

The development is also seen as Indias attempt to counter increasing Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures.  PTI
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 22

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday held talks with her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Dhaka.

The two leaders co-chaired the 4th Joint Consultative Commission discussing a gamut of issues, including trade and investment, security, connectivity, border management, power, energy, shipping, people to people exchanges.

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The two delegations also reviewed progress on recent key initiatives and decisions.

In her joint statement, Swaraj underlined the willingness of the two neighbours to fight common challenges.

One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries. We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels, said Swaraj.

The external affairs minister expressed Indias deep concern at spate of violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar which has led to the influx of some 8,00,000 refugees to Bangladesh, adding to the existing Rohingya refugee population in the country.

In her joint press remarks with Mahmood Ali, Swaraj urged for the situation to be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population.

Dhaka has been urging Delhi to leverage more influence on Myanmar to seek peaceful return of Rohingya to their country.

It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state. In our view, the only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine state is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state, she said, adding that India supports the implementation of the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report.

This is Sushma Swarajs second visit to Bangladesh as foreign minister. She called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, met with opposition leaders, including Begum Khaleda Zia.

On Monday, Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the New Chancery Complex of the Indian High Commission and 15 development projects funded by Government of India before returning to Delhi.

India has extended three lines of credit amounting to USD 8 billion to Bangladesh so far. In addition India has also extended grant assistance for small socio-economic projects.
SC Vasudeva

Q. I am a senior citizen. I want to invest Rs 1.50 lakh in a post office under the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme. Can I claim rebate of Rs 1.50 lakh under Section 80C?  Raj Kumar

A. The amount deposited under the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme in the Post Office has now been covered under Section 80C of the Act and deduction thereof against the total income will be allowed within the overall limit of Rs 1.50 lakh provided under the said section.

Q. I am retiree from the Central government. My annual pension is Rs 2,50,000 approximately and annual interest on fixed deposits is Rs 3,10,000 and on saving Rs 20,000 approx. After investment Rs 1,50,000 u/s 80C and after rebate u/s 87A my taxable income might be nil. Both banks deducted quarterly income tax on interest income. I am a senior citizen. Can I submit form 15H now to both banks? If yes, then in which section. Please advise.  Gulshan Rai

A. You would not be entitled to a rebate under Section 87A of the Income-tax Act 1961 (The Act) as the limit of total income in respect of which such rebate is allowable has been reduced to Rs 3,50,000 from assessment year 2018-19 (financial year 2017-18). On the basis of the figures given in your two mails, your total income after allowing the deduction admissible under Section 80TTA would be Rs 4,20,000. You would be liable to pay tax of Rs 6,180 on the said total income. It may, therefore, not be possible to file form 15H with the bank as your income exceeds the limit up to which tax is not payable by a senior citizen.

Q. My mother, who is a super senior citizen, has given (by bank transfer) a sum of Rs 1,50,000 to me. My query is as under:

a) If this amount of gift received by me will be included in my income? Please also intimate the maximum limit of gift amount which could be given and received in a year.

b) What type of documents pertaining to gift amount need to be obtained/prepared from my mother?  Shiv Om Grover

A. a) The Gift Tax Act, 1958 is not currently applicable in India. The provisions of Section 56 of the Act which provide that an amount received in excess of Rs 50,000 will be included in the total income of an individual assessee if the same is not received from a relative. The term relative as defined by the aforesaid section includes mother as one of the relatives. The amount of Rs 1,50,000 received from your mother would, therefore, not be includible in your total income in view of the provisions of the aforesaid section.

b) The gift by your mother can be made by a simple letter addressed to you. The gift so made should indicate the details of the cheque issued by her, the name of the bank on which it has been drawn, your complete address and Permanent Account Number of your mother. There should be an acceptance letter with regard to such gift to be issued by you which should indicate your Permanent Account Number, complete address and the particulars of the cheque received by you.

(Readers can send their queries at info@scvasudeva.com)
Ludhiana, October 22

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora on Sunday said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will start its probe into the killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain from next week.

The DGP was here to meet family members of the leader, who was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Kailash Nagar on October 17.

The incident took place when Gosain was returning home after attending a morning drill (RSS shakha).

Later, the Punjab Government decided to hand over the case to the NIA, the orders for which were issued by the Punjab Chief Minister on the request of a RSS delegation.

The DGP said the state police sought assistance from central agencies such as the NIA so that they could work in coordination and explore all possible means to crack such cases.

The killing of the RSS leader was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. This was the eighth such incident in the state since 2016.

The DGP was non-committal on the role of Pro Khalistani elements in the killings of RSS leaders Jagdish Gagneja and 60-year-old Gosain, and the other religious leaders.

Last year, on August 6, Gagneja was shot in Jalandhar. He later died at the DMC hospital in Ludhiana.

Arora assured Gosains family that the police would leave no stone unturned to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

However, he did not share details of the polices probe, saying that it would not be in the interest of the case.

His meeting with the family lasted about 20 minutes.

DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta, Ludhiana Police Commissioner R N Dhoke and BJP Ludhiana president Ravinder Arora were accompanying the Punjab police chief.  PTI
Vikramdeep Johal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22

Queen Victoria, who ruled as the Empress of India for a quarter of a century, never set foot on the subcontinent. However, her eldest son, Prince Edward (later King Edward VII), embarked on a four-month tour of the country in October 1875. It was during his visit to Punjab in early 1876 that he was showered with exquisite gifts by the rulers of princely states.

In a recent lecture on Sikh Arms and Armour in Leicester, UK-based historian-author Gurinder Singh Mann explained how these items made their way into the Royal Collection. The lecture was part of the year-long exhibition, Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Princes Tour of India 1875-76, currently being held in Britain.

Mann, who heads the Sikh Museum Initiative, said: The maharajas had much at stake to ensure they maintained their hegemony and status quo. So, the gifting of treasures to Queen Victoria via Prince Edward became a lavish affair.

The royalty included Maharaja Mahendra Singh (Patiala), Maharaja Raghubir Singh (Jind), Maharaja Bikram Singh (Faridkot), Maharaja Hira Singh (Nabha) and Kharrak Singh (Kapurthala). Mahendra Singh, who founded Patialas Government Mohindra College, presented a rhinoceros-hide shield (dhaal) with four large and two smaller enamelled and diamond-inlaid bosses in the form of curled-up cheetahs. He died shortly afterwards  at the age of 23.

The Maharaja of Jind gifted a sword (talwar) with a European steel blade and a gold hilt, knuckleguard and circular pommel inlaid with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, and a red velvet-covered wooden scabbard embellished with gold openwork mounts inset with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. During the hectic tour, which was perceived as a popular and diplomatic success, Prince Edward rewarded the king by investing him with the Order of the Star of India.

Mann also talked about the other types of Sikh weaponry in the Royal Collection, including quoits (chakkar), breastplates (chariana) and helmets. Many of these items are now kept at the Queens estate at Sandringham House in Norfolk as well as at the Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.
Lahore, October 22

Pakistans former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice plotted to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

The Sharif brothers--former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif--twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s, Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House, Lahore, on Saturday.

Zardari said Nawaz had been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but I have refused.

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I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor, he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan.

The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistans then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari. Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them, he added.

They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you....when in absolute power they hit you smartly, Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after the 2018 election.

We will be on strong footing after the next years poll, he added.

Zardari has been hitting out at Sharifs since disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28 by a Supreme Court Bench.

There are reports that Zardari is trying to improve his relations with the military establishment and in this effort he is refusing to form an alliance with the Sharifs. PTI
Austin, October 22

The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George HW and George W Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinsons disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W Bushs wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Soul Man Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised USD 31 million since it began on September 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George HW Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them some of Americas finest public servants.

This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another, Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents Obama, George W Bush, Carter and Clinton made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems, said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bushs presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George HW Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year.

Clinton and George W Bush combined to seek donations after Haitis 2011 earthquake.

Its certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.

Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something thats not political, they can rake in big money.  AP
Riyadh, October 22

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Irans rising influence in the Middle East is also expected to figure high on the agenda of Americas top diplomat during talks in the two capitals.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran. Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July. US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before he arrived at Riyadhs King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress. I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon, he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg. There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year strategic partnership with India.

Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.  AFP

US Secy of State at Saudi-Iraq meeting

Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson attended a landmark meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at upgrading strategic ties between the two countries and countering Irans regional influence on Sunday

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi and Saudi King Salman held the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council that aims to boost cooperation after years of tensions

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump. Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq
If you look at the lower right-hand corner of this display of the ERODS system that will be used to read ELD data files, you will see dots that indicate the truck was moving despite the driver logging the time as sleeper berth.

ORLANDO  In a sometimes-lively educational session at the American Trucking Associations 2017 Management Conference & Exhibition Saturday, a panel of regulatory, enforcement and fleet personnel fielded questions on enforcement and other aspects of the electronic logging device mandate that goes into effect Dec. 18.

In todays environment, you cannot pick up a periodical or go through 10 emails without someone offering a webinar about the ELD mandate, said Jim Ward, president and CEO of D.M. Bowman Inc., a 400-truck fleet that has been on electronic logs since 2013. Pointing out that the overwhelming majority of the countrys trucking operations are small fleets, it is a huge impact on a number of small businesses.

Joe DeLorenzo, director of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations Office of Compliance and Enforcement, went over some of the common questions, such as exemptions. But much of the discussion centered around what will happen at roadside come December.

Both DeLorenzo and Colin Mooney, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, stressed several times that the ELD rules do not change the underlying hours of service rules.

A lot of folks are tying ELDs to the hours of service rules themselves, Mooney observed. Many of the drivers and others objecting to the ELD mandate claim it will end the flexibility they currently have with paper logs. But in the eyes of the law, that flexibility is simply cheating.

Enforcements ready to enforce the rules, Mooney said. All we're doing is moving from a paper to electronic format. However, for some it will be their first introduction to hours of compliance, he noted, drawing a chuckle from the audience.

Enforcement issues

FMCSA compliance guru Joe DeLorenzo offered practical advice for fleets about ELD mandate compliance. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

Mooney and DeLorenzo also wanted to clear up some confusion about the CVSA and FMCSAs recent announcement that drivers will not be put out of service for violating the ELD rule until April 2018.

A lot of people thought it meant soft enforcement Mooney said. We are not using that term at all. That is very subjective depending on who youre talking to. Come Dec. 18, he said, enforcement officials will be noting violations on inspection reports, which will go into the SMS database and affect carrier CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) scores.

DeLorenzo explained that the points system for CSA is not changing. If a driver does not have an ELD or grandfathered AOBRD, points will be charged as if he did not have a paper logbook. If youve exceeded the allowable hours, its the same violation as before. If the ELD data file pulls up on an enforcement officials system with a notification that the truck was moving when the driver had logged sleeper berth time, thats falsifying logs. Think about an ELD as an electronic form of keeping hours of service, DeLorenzo said. Everything is pretty much the same. Each violation cited on an inspection report has a certain weight associated with it; if it's out of service, it gets a little more weight.

In addition to the inspection report, enforcement officials may also opt to issue a verbal or written warning, or write a citation/ticket.

Although the press release said jurisdictions would have discretion on the level of enforcement, Mooney told the audience, From what I'm hearing it's going to be pretty consistent across the board. Were training the trainers at all the jurisdictions at the same time. Ive been given no indication it will be done any other way.

Jim Ward of D.M. Bowman and Collin Mooney of CVSA talk ELDs at ATA MC&E. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

Mooney also addressed a recent petition from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association asking for a delay in the implementation of the rule, claiming that many states did not have the proper legislation in place to be able to legally enforce the federal rule. We have canvassed all of our states and theres only a couple that are still in the process of going though the legislative process, and both are on track to have that in place by Dec. 18.

Data transfer

Mooney said the agency is embarking on a train-the-trailer program next week to educate state enforcement about the data transfer process  an area that has caused some confusion, especially since the agency did not have a process in place for vendors to test their data files until fairly recently.

On its website, the FMCSA has a data vile validator tool. Although it was designed for ELD vendors to check their data files, DeLorenzo noted that some fleets have been using it to test their ELD files as well.

He also said that while the ELD rules allow for several different options for that file transfer, including email, web transfer, Bluetooth and USB, I will tell you that in the overwhelming majority of cases, we're going to be looking at web services as the way that data is transferred. The web transfer system just went live a few days ago and live testing of the data transfer will be occurring in the coming weeks.

The enforcement official will give the driver his code, which the driver enters into the appropriate field on the ELD screen, and that data transfers to the officers device. It does not automatically note violations, but it does flag problem areas for the officer for further investigation.

If the inspection is taking place in an area with poor cellular coverage, the backup options are for the driver to print out the log, or more likely, show the enforcement officer the display. This has caused some concern about officers having to climb up into cabs or walking away with the ELD device, but DeLorenzo said, i tell people all the time that theres nothing that says you have to hand the display over to the officer and let them walk away with it. This is what were telling our folks  have the driver step out of the vehicle with their display, and hold the display for the law enforcement officer. That to me is the common sense approach.

Ward added another bit of common-sense advice based on his fleets experience: Make sure you have seven days of paper logs in the truck and the documents you're supposed to have in the truck, otherwise you're going to get zinged.

Turnout was good for the two-hour educational session Saturday afternoon. Photo: Deborah Lockridge

Annotate, annotate, annotate

DeLorenzo emphasized multiple times the importance of annotating the ELD hours of service record to indicate problems or extenuating circumstances.

When something goes wrong on a paper log the driver makes a note on the paper log. The ELD has that exact same capability, and I really encourage you to make sure your drivers are trained on how to use it and they do use it. Because circumstances come up. Don't just make an edit; make an edit and an annotation so it's clear what happened. Those notes will be there for you and your company and for enforcement as well.

For instance, DeLorenzo said, one way to handle yard moves is to do nothing at the time of the yard move. The driver will get in and be presented with this list of unassigned miles and asked are they are his. The driver rejects these miles, and you address it by annotating on the back end.

A fleet from Wyoming asked about what happens if youre caught in an unexpected snowstorm. DeLorenzo pointed to the part of the 11-hour driving rule allowing an extra two hours for unforeseen adverse driving conditions. I empathize I the words unforeseen. Traffic in DC at 5:00, not unforeseen. A pop up snowstorm in Wyoming, unforeseen. But i would add, with ELDs, that's an opportune time when you would annotate.

Non-compliant ELDs

There has been concern that with the large number of new entrants into the marketplace, and the fact that the process to become listed on the FMCSAs ELD website is a matter of self-certification, that its possible some fleets might get stuck in a tough situation if they chose an ELD later found to not be compliant with the ELD required specifications.

According to the rules, carriers would only have eight days to replace a device that the agency had de-certified. But DeLorenzo and Mooney seemed to indicate that they are well aware of the situation and that their focus would not be on putting fleets into that type of situation.

When asked if roadside inspectors will be looking to find non compliant devices, Mooney said, We are not encouraging that. We want to focus on hours of service compliance. As DeLorenzo added, If [the ELD is] on the registered devices list, then they kind of move on.

If there is an issue with an ELD, DeLorenzo said, most of the time those are software issues and FMCSA works with the vendor to get it straightened out, often without customers even realizing it. As long as were getting hours of service information, were probably not going to bother the motor farrier while we get things straightened out with the vendor.

If theres a worst case scenario where FMCSA is unable to get it straightened out, DeLorenzo indicated that the agency is aware that switching an entire fleet to a different ELD within the eight-day window would be a nightmare and that it would work with the carrier on a solution. If that comes up, he said, we will do that on a case by case basis. Those well handle as they come up.
ORLANDO - U.S. Bank announced the launch of a new barometer for assessing the nations shipping industry on Sunday during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition in Florida.

The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity, based on data from transactions processed through U.S. Bank Freight Payment.

These transactions are made on behalf of clients across a range of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, food and retail.

U.S. Bank Freight Payment has been providing automated freight audit and payment services for 20 years and processes around $23 billion in global freight payments, according to the company.

Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, explains about the new U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. Photo: Evan Lockridge

Published quarterly, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index includes regional and national breakdowns along with expert commentary from Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations.

Highlights and analysis of the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for the third quarter include:

An 8.3% jump in the U.S. Bank National Spend Index, the largest quarterly gain since the final quarter in 2014, reflects a tighter truck market, in part from increased vehicle demand in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The U.S. Bank National Shipment Index increased 3.3%, which was slower than the 5.8% surge in the second quarter, but still solid, considering the impacts from the hurricanes.

One of the most important developments for the transportation sector has been the acceleration in factory output as the U.S. dollar retreated from high levels and businesses began reinvesting in capital equipment.

A unique feature of the index is that it breaks the data down into five U.S. regions; West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast; based on the state of origin for a shipment.

Freight shipments are generally not uniform across the country, said Costello. Thats what makes the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index so useful. It is regional and gives a good snapshot into the differences in economic climate from one end of the country to the other.

Regional highlights and analysis for the third quarter include:

The Northeast region saw the biggest shipment index gain, at 10%. The gain was helped along by better manufacturing activity and slightly higher housing starts compared to the second quarter.

Shipments in the Southeast inched up a mere 0.1%, as Hurricane Irma disrupted the supply chain. At the same time, spend volume jumped nearly 5% as truck capacity undoubtedly tightened.

The Midwest led the pack in overall spend, jumping 13.3% to a record high. The region was assisted by a rebound in general manufacturing activity.

Though the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index is new, its aggregated data goes back to 2010, allowing readers a sense of trend lines over time.

When asked during the press conference why this historical data did not go further back than 2010, to during the Great Recession, for example, Bobby Holland, director of freight data solutions for U.S. Bank Freight Payment said because that is when the company started to take on so-called big data, so it could statistically validate that its results were accurate.

Costello also responded by saying 2010 is a good place to start because its the beginning of the current upward cycle in trucking.

We are really starting at where the most current cycle really began, he said. I think its a good starting point. This shows what we have done and where we have gone since the great recession.
Update 11:50 p.m. Saturday: The National Weather Service tweeted at about 11:40 p.m. Saturday that thunderstorms were continuing to move across eastern Oklahoma and into northwest Arkansas.

The weather service said the storms were moving rapidly northeast and occasional showers and thunderstorms would persist through 1 a.m..

About 4,800 Public Service Company of Oklahoma customers remained without power.

Update 11 p.m. Saturday: With much of the Tulsa area still under a flood advisory, the Public Service Company of Oklahoma outage map was showing thousands of customers without power.

The outage map showed thousands of customers in south Tulsa and Broken Arrow without power as heavy rain continued to buffet the area. The map estimated that power would be restored in the early hours of Sunday morning.

PSO spokesman Stan Whiteford said the company has about 4,500 customers without power and that PSO would restore power as quickly as it safely could.

He said the main concern was keeping workers safe from lightning and that it was very dangerous to be working up in the air during a storm.

Update 10:30 p.m. Saturday: The National Weather Service said there was a flood advisory in effect in Rogers, Osage, Tulsa, Creek and Wagoner counties at about 10:11 p.m. Saturday and would remain in effect until 12:15 a.m. Sunday.

The weather service said thunderstorms dropped between 1 to 2 inches of rain across the metro area.

Update 10:10 p.m. Saturday: Heavy thunderstorms rolled through the Tulsa metro area at about 10 p.m. Saturday.

The National Weather Service warned that the torrential rains could cause flooding and that drivers shouldn't drive through flooded roadways.

The storm band included parts of Interstate 44 and 40.

The Public Service Company of Oklahoma outage map showed scattered outages throughout the metro area, including about 200 customers near Sand Springs and a few customers in midtown and west Tulsa.

Update 9:55 p.m. Saturday: Storms were quickly approaching the Tulsa metro area close to 10 p.m. Saturday, putting parts of the Tulsa metro under a significant weather advisory.

Thunderstorms were heading east in a line that stretched from Vera to Paden at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

Gusts of 50 to 55 mph and nickel-sized hail were possible with the storms, according to the weather service.

Nowata, Chelsea and Ramona were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 10 p.m.

According to the Public Service Company of Oklahoma outage map, about 200 customers in the Sand Springs area lost power a little before 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Update 8:50 p.m. Saturday: Thunderstorms were spreading across eastern Oklahoma Saturday night west of U.S. 75, the National Weather Service said.

The storms will spread across the area throughout the evening.

"Showers and thunderstorms will continue to gradually expand across eastern Oklahoma with the advancing cold front. The stronger storms will be capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes," the weather service said.

Update 7:40 p.m. Saturday: There's a severe thunderstorm warning for central Osage County and northeastern Pawnee County until 8:15 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Storms were moving east at about 40 miles per hour in a line that stretched from Arkansas City, Kansas to Pawnee at about 7:30 p.m., the weather service said.

Update 7:35 p.m. Saturday: The National Weather Service declared a tornado watch at 7:20 p.m. Saturday for 39 Oklahoma counties, including Tulsa, Rogers, Okmulgee, Muskogee and Creek counties.

The watch will remain in effect until 2 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said.

Update 6:30 p.m. Saturday: The organizers of Linde Oktoberfest said the festival will close at 9 p.m. Saturday due to inclement weather. It was previously scheduled to close at 1 a.m.

"The National Weather Service says thunderstorms should reach the Tulsa metro area at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday, which means the 9 p.m. closure should provide sufficient time for patrons to enjoy the festival throughout the evening and leave without feeling rushed," said a news release from organizers.

The festival, which is taking place at River West Festival Park, will resume at noon Sunday.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible Saturday afternoon and evening for a wide swath of eastern Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service also reports there is limited risk for a tornado after 5 p.m. in eastern Oklahoma and after 11 p.m. in northwest Arkansas.

Tonight, periods of showers and thunderstorms are expected, mainly between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent with 1 to 2 inches possible. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall, according to the weather service. Lows are expected to be around 53 with winds becoming northwest 20 to 25 mph, gusting as high as 35 mph.

The organizers of Linde Oktoberfest at River West Festival Park said Saturday afternoon that festival-goers should attend earlier in the day and "as the evening hours approach, we will make decisions whether to make any changes to festival operations or hours."

Those attending the festival will kept up to date on the weather forecast, the organizers said in a news release.

"Should the need arise, we will make coordinated onsite announcements to let everyone at the festival know what to do to remain safe. We will provide notification with as much advance notice as possible," the release said.

On Sunday, a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is forecast before 8 a.m. Skies will be become partly sunny, then gradually sunny, with a high near 72.
A protest against police brutality on Sunday in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse included calls for a new police chief.

Aware Tulsa hosted the event in conjunction with a national day of protests. A racially diverse crowd that grew to about 50 people heard from speakers including Rev. Joey Crutcher, whose son was fatally shot by a Tulsa police officer.

We stand in solidarity with all the other cities across this great country against police brutality, Crutcher said. We need to change the culture, definitely, here in Tulsa.

Crutcher said his son, Terence, was doing nothing wrong and was walking with his hands up when he was shot down by former officer Betty Shelby. Although a jury found Shelby not guilty of a manslaughter charge, Crutcher said he still feels Shelby murdered my son.

Crutcher also said he was going on record to say it was time for Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan to retire.

I think this has passed him by, Crutcher said. We need new leadership in the city of Tulsa. We want to change this culture.

In a statement read to the crowd by Angela Graham, Aware Tulsa went a step further and called for Jordan to be immediately removed.

Understanding that the power to dismiss Chief Chuck Jordan lies solely in the hands of Mayor (G.T.) Bynum, we call upon him urgently to take action, Graham read from the groups statement.

Graham urged those in the crowd to contact the mayor and members of the City Council about Aware Tulsas demands.

State Rep. Regina Goodwin said people must never be afraid to stand up for whats right.

As Pastor Crutcher said, when were talking about pro-justice, it doesnt mean were anti-police. Were just anti-bad police officers, Goodwin said.
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LOS ANGELES  The USC-hosted USA College Challenge wrapped at Uytengsu Aquatics Center Sunday, as the Pac-12 team defeated representatives from the United States National Team, 326.5-286.5. The Pac-12 group of both men and women featured three Bruins, senior Katie Grover , junior Sandra Soe and sophomore Kenisha Liu . Each swimmer picked up points over the weekend.

The Pac-12 entered Sunday's action leading the competition by a 155-141 margin. The women tackled the 1000 Free first and Soe turned in a fourth-place finish to account for two points. Her time of 9:53.85 was 12.70 seconds faster than Washington's Jasmine Margetts and nearly 19 seconds ahead of Ruby Martin of USA Swimming.

One day after turning in a standout performance in the 100 Fly, Grover took on a talented 200 Free field. The Atlanta native posted a sixth-place finish, checking in with a time of 1:46.88. The race was a tight one, as the veteran's effort placed her just over five seconds back of the winner, Katie Ledecky of Stanford.

Liu finished sixth in the 200 IM, notching a time of 2:00.54. Ella Eastin of Stanford and Kathleen Baker of California tied for first just over seven seconds ahead at 1:53.24.

The Pac-12 took a 302.5-276.5 after the men's 200 IMthe last individual event of the weekend. Needing 306.5 to secure the overall victory, the Pac-12 "A" team of Louise Hansson, Janet Hu, Ledecky and Abbey Weitzel made it official with a first-place time of 3:11.28. Bruins made up half of the conference's "C" team, as Grover and Soe were joined by Hannah Cox of Arizona and Kendall Dawson of Arizona State. The quartet would finish fourth with a time of 3:22.12.

In the inaugural USA College Challenge, a group from the United States National Team coasted past a team of Big Ten all-stars at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, 349-247.

Next up for No. 21 UCLA is its home-opening Breast Cancer Awareness Meet on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 11:00 a.m. The Bruins will welcome Washington State, Arkansas and UC Davis to the Spieker Aquatics Center. For more information on the meet, stay connected to uclabruins.com and @UCLASwimAndDive on Twitter.
Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (C) waves from a campaign car on the last day of campaigning for the general elections in Tokyo on Oct 21, 2017. (Photo: AFP/Toru Yamanaka

Here are some of the key challenges for Japan and its next leader: NORTH KOREA North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and blasted two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido in the space of less than a month. Both missile launches prompted emergency evacuation orders but, with so little time to seek shelter, many Japanese feel a sense of helplessness in the face of the unpredictable threat from Pyongyang. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has steadily upgraded Japan's military to counter the North's threat, saying the time for talk is over and urging the international community to apply more pressure on Pyongyang. Adding to the friction between the nations is simmering anger in Japan after North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies. Many Japanese suspect more people have been kidnapped and kept alive in North Korea. On the other side of the conflict, North Korea says Japan has not sufficiently atoned for its brutal colonial rule of the Korean peninsula through the end of World War II. DEMOGRAPHIC TIME BOMB Domestically, the most pressing issue for Japan is a ticking demographic time bomb that affects all areas of life from the economy to society. Japan is on its way to becoming the world's first "ultra-aged" country, meaning more than 28 percent of its population will be over 65. Very low birthrates and an expanding elderly population mean a shrinking workforce is having to pay for the ballooning cost of welfare.

Despite a labour shortage, wages have not risen in a meaningful way and tempered domestic consumption, forcing policymakers to dish out a generous stimulus package to safeguard the fragile economy.

The mix of problems has pushed many young people to postpone marrying and starting a family, only adding to the demographic problem.

The government has done its best to encourage young people to have children and urged firms to raise wages and help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. But the efforts have not resulted in significant changes.

As people migrate from the countryside to the cities, experts predict that Japan's regional communities will gradually fade away and urban centres will be swamped by an elderly population.

ECONOMIC GROWTH, BUT SLOW

Japan has managed six straight quarters of economic growth - its best run in a decade - but at a rate far behind Asian competitors such as China and India.

The latest annual growth rate stood at a sluggish 1.3 per cent, eking out a slight gain from the 0.9 per cent when Abe took power.

Abe has sought to pep up the world's third-biggest economy with a high-profile blitz dubbed "Abenomics", a combination of big government spending and ultra-loose monetary policy from the Bank of Japan.

But while it fattened corporate profits and has sent the stock market to a 21-year high, it has failed in the goal of shrugging off the deflation that has plagued Japan for decades.

BALLOONING DEBT

Japanese government debt is at the highest level of any industrialised nation, more than double the size of its economy.

Experts have long warned Japan must shrink its debt mountain or face a sharp increase in its borrowing costs and even the risk of default.

But Abe has continued to issue new debt to fund stimulus packages to prop up the lumbering economy.

He has also delayed a second consumption tax hike, a step economists say is needed to rein in debt.

Most of the debt is held by domestic, long-term, institutional players, shielding Tokyo somewhat from moves by fickle foreign investors.

CHANGING BUSINESS CULTURE

Japan has struggled to keep pace with globalisation and changing times, especially in its once mighty corporations, which now lag behind their foreign competitors in terms of innovation.

The country's firms have been slow to get women in top positions and have struggled to integrate the older population.

Meanwhile, some traditional male-dominated boardrooms have become scenes of scandals, such as at Toshiba where executives ignored codes of sound governance and hid financial losses.

Two high-profile scandals at carmaker Nissan and steel manufacturer Kobe Steel - which employed a young Abe - have dented the reputation of the formerly unassailable Japan Inc.

Abe has attempted to cut red tape and encourage innovation, but critics say reform is proceeding at a snail's pace.

Boosting immigration to reinforce Japan's workforce and ease the population crisis is the subject of much scholarly debate but the idea has never really gained public support.
The 53-year-old woman, surnamed Kim, who ran a famous Korean restaurant, Hanilkwan, in Seoul, died in hospital of blood poisoning on Oct 3, days after she was bitten by a French Bulldog raised by the Chois.

The dog, untied, was out on a walk with Choi's father when it attacked Kim, a neighbour.

"I lower my head and apologise to the bereaved family ... and convey my deep condolences," Choi wrote on his Instagram account.

"As a member of the family raising the dog, I feel greatly responsible", said the 31-year-old Choi.

But his belated apology sparked online attacks saying that his apology was not sincere.

In the face of the criticism, Siwon removed photographs of himself cuddling the dog, named Buxy, from his Instagram account.
The Ha Noi Stock Exchange has approved the listing of Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Company on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM).- Photo baokhanhhoa.vn

Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Company, subsidiary of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, will become the first company to trade shares on the stock market while it remains a limited-liability company that has not fully transformed into a joint-stock firm.

The company, with VN330 billion in charter capital, will trade nearly eight million shares on UPCoM under code SKH. The shares will start trading at VN27,800 (US$1.23) per share on October 25.

The company earned VND222.7 billion ($9.8 million) from the IPO.

The amount of shares Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Co will trade on UPCoM is equal to the number of shares the company offered at its initial public offering (IPO) in mid-September: eight million shares or 24 per cent of its capital.

At the IPO, the companys shares were sold at the starting price of VN23,000 per share and bought for an average price of VN27,937 per share.

The IPO drew the participation of eight institutional investors and 285 individuals, who signed up to purchase a total of more than 20.6 million shares.

After the IPO, Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage plans to sell around 6.93 million shares or 21 per cent of its capital to an unidentified strategic investor at VN23,000 per share.

Another 1.24 million shares, equal to a 3.8 per cent stake, will be sold to the companys employees and the Government will hold 51 per cent of the companys charter capital.

The company will be renamed Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Joint Stock Company after the equitisation plan is completed.

The company became the second subordinate unit of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Co to hold an IPO after Dien Khanh Sanest Co had its IPO on June 29, 2016.
Nguyen Thi Vui combs her daugthers hair at hospital in Ha Noi. - Photo danviet.vn

The doll was a gift that Vui, from central a Nang City, wanted to give her five-year-old daughter as a reward for undergoing chemotherapy treatment for blood cancer.

The girl, Ngoc Phuong, was diagnosed with blood cancer five months ago at her local hospital after an unusual prolonged fever.

I felt insecure when we took Phuong to hospital for a health check-up. When the doctor told me that Phuong was suspected of having blood cancer, my heart was numbed with grief, Vui told the Nong thon Ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

I already had a hope that miracles really existed in life until we brought Phuong to the hospital for a check-up. I hoped that doctors would provide a diagnosis opposite that produced by the local hospital, she said.

However, when I learned that Phuong did have blood cancer, I collapsed completely, Vui said.

It was so painful. I wished I could carry the disease for her, she added.

But who would take care of her if I collapsed? Therefore, I had to be stronger and try to smile and play with her so my little girl would not be afraid, she said.

After five months, Vui kept trying to fighting the disease in the hospital with her daughter. Vui has never given up. Her husband stays at home in a Nang to take care of a second child while working hard to earn money to pay for treatment.

What tortures Vui the most is her daughters pain. There were nights that Phuong could not sleep because of pain. She tried to suffer alone without complaining to me. It tormented me even more, Vui said.

There was a time Phuong asked me to comb her hair. Mum, please comb my hair. I am afraid you will not have a chance to do it when I lose all my hair, Vui recalled in tears.

I wish I could share the pain with my daughter. I try to smile instead of crying to make my daughter happy, she said.

I will do anything to keep my daughter alive, she said.

Vui is just one of hundreds of mothers struggling to fight against cancer in their children at the hospital.

Nguyen Thi Van, from northern Hung Yen Province, is taking care of her six-year-old daughter at the hospital who suffers from a rare case of left adrenal cortex cancer.

Minh Thu has undergone treatment for the cancer at the hospital for six months. She has lost all of her hair.

The first day I took Thu to the hospital, I was so scared to see many child patients without hair. I could not imagine that one day my daughter would also be the same, Van said.

Van has to buy medicine from Singapore to treat Thus disease at a cost of VN58 million (US$2,500) for two bottles. All her familys income is used for treatment.

Vans sorrow was doubled when her husband got a work accident, making it harder for him to work to earn money.

To save money, all activities by Van and her daughters take place at the hospital, which has become their second home. Chairs along corridors have become Vans beds at night. Since Thu was diagnosed with the cancer, her mother has never had a good sleep.

Many times I cry when seeing my daughter. She often hugs me and says she loves me very much. It gives me more strength to fight against the disease with her, Van said.

According to the National Institute for Cancer Control, about 4,200 new cancer patients under 19 are detected each year in Viet Nam. The most frequently diagnosed cancers are blood, brain, bone, and kidney cancers.
Hobbies and Work  How to Make Time for the Things We Love

As technology advances, our minds grow increasingly complicated. With task after task being added to an already long to-do list, making time for things like hobbies seems nearly impossible. How many of us long to make time for a hobby or project, but feel too busy dealing with daily demands?
Photo: Sabrina Reeves/Courtesy of IMDb

Weve read about most of the sexual-assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein through reports and essays, but now the New York Times has released an audio interview with Canadian actress Erika Rosenbaum about her encounters with the Hollywood producer. The 25-minute interview (which you can listen to here) is chilling and powerful. The now 37-year-old revealed she met Weinstein at a party in Los Angeles when she was around 20 years old, and like many of the women who have come forward, Rosenbaum alleges Weinstein talked her into giving him a massage in his hotel room during that encounter. Determined to make it in Hollywood, she stayed in touch with him, and the two met again at a hotel in Toronto years later. Rosenbaum fought tears as she said:

He brought me into the bathroom. I dont remember what I said, if I said anything at all. I think I was too afraid to say anything. He held me by the back of the neck and had me face the mirror and said, I just want to look at you, and then he started masturbating behind me. He was holding me by the back of the neck and looking right into my face. I remember seeing my own face in the mirror and I just could not believe I was standing there. I could not believe that I had let this happen. I felt incredibly guilty.



The actress and Weinstein had one more meeting  at his office in New York, after he set up a meeting between her and a casting agent. But Rosenbaum told the Times that the trauma of her encounters with Weinstein have stuck with her through the years. He had taken something profound from me as a young woman at the beginning of my career, at the beginning of my life in some ways, she said. He took a little sense of that hunger and that drive, and the sense of adventure I had when I struck out on my own to follow my dreams to Hollywood. He took a little bit of that spark out of me.
Photo: Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

James Toback, a director and writer perhaps best known for his work in the films Bugsy and Two Girls and a Guy, has been accused by nearly 40 women of repeated instances of sexual harassment. In a new bombshell feature in the Los Angeles Times, these women  who were often in their early 20s  allege that Toback followed a specific pattern in order to make them feel vulnerable and acquiesce to his sexual requests: He would approach them in various stores around New York City, boast about his successful career with newspaper clippings or articles as proof, and then promise to make them stars if they became intimate with him when they finally met for a meeting. More often than not, these meetings would lead to Toback inquiring about the womans masturbation history and how she kept her pubic hair, as well as Toback masturbating or dry-humping in front of the woman if they were in private. Other times, he would ejaculate onto the womans body or into his pants.

The way he presented it, it was like, This is how things are done, actress Adrienne LaValley, one of the many women who shared on-the-record stories with the Times, said about her hotel-room encounter with Toback. I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends. And I deserved not to tell anyone. Louise Post, the guitarist and vocalist for Veruca Salt, added another disturbing behind-closed-doors encounter: He told me hed love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes. Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible.

When reached for comment, Toback vehemently denied the claims made by all 38 women, saying that if he indeed met any of these women, it was for 5 minutes and have no recollection. He also insisted it was biologically impossible for him to engage in such behavior due to his diabetes and heart condition. You can read the entire Times feature here.
In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1953, the Franco-Lao Treaty of Amity and Association effectively made Laos an independent member of the French Union.

In 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a quarantine of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

In 1979, the U.S. government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment  a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis.

In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

In 1991, the European Community and the European Free Trade Association concluded a landmark accord to create a free trade zone of 19 nations by 1993.

In 2012, in a verdict that sent shock waves through the scientific community, an Italian court convicted seven experts of manslaughter for failing to adequately warn residents of the risk before an earthquake struck central Italy in 2009, killing more than 300 people. (The verdicts were later overturned.)
The Doris Miller Family YMCA will have its annual free Halloween Carnival on Wednesday. There will be an outside candy truck and car candy giveaway from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., an inside carnival and haunted house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and a cake/prize walk to music from 7:45 to 8:15 p.m. For information call 752-1605.

The Waco Family YMCA Fall Festival will be Tuesday at 6 p.m. For information call 776-6612.

Parkinsons support

The Parkinson Support Group will have an informational meeting on the menu of Parkinsons treatments at 3 p.m. Thursday at Community Fellowship Church, 2001 N. Valley Mills Drive.

Alex Armitage, a movement disorder nurse practitioner, will be the speaker.

The event is open to everyone. For more information, call 772-0263.

International adoption

Linda Carol Trotter will present the story behind her international adoption at a program titled, My Big Fat Greek Adoption, at 7 p.m. Monday at the West Waco Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

The event is free. Call 745-0018 for more information.

Diabetes management

The Area Agency on Aging is hosting a six-week class on Type 2 diabetes management, starting Nov. 13 at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Building, 1514 S. New Road.

Registration is open, and the class is limited to 16 participants. Call 292-1855 for more information.

Coffee with the Principal

Reicher Catholic High School will have a Coffee with the Principal event from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the office, 2102 N. 23rd St.

Current and prospective Reicher parents are welcome to meet with principal Mandy Taylor and meet new vice principal Ed Miller.

Call 752-8349 for more information.
In early 2016, while researching some of the most popular U.S. secession groups online, I stumbled across one of the Russian-controlled Facebook accounts that were then pulling in Americans by the thousands. At the time, I was writing on Russias relationship with American secessionists from Texas, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. These were people who had hitched flights to Moscow to swap tactics, to offer advice and to find support. They had found succor in the shadow of the Kremlin.

That was how I eventually found my way to the Heart of Texas Facebook page (and its @itstimetoecede Twitter feed as well). Heart of Texas soon grew into the most popular Texas secession page on Facebook  one that, at one point in 2016, boasted more followers than the official Texas Democrat and Republican Facebook pages combined. By the time Facebook took the page down recently, it had a quarter of a million followers.

The page started slowly  just a few posts per week. Unlike other secession sites Id come across, this one never carried any contact information, never identified any individuals behind the curtain. Even as it grew, there was nothing to locate it in Texas  or anywhere else. It was hard to escape the suspicion that there might be Russian involvement here as well.

There were other oddities about the site. Its organizers had a strangely one-dimensional idea of its subject. They seemed to think, for example, that Texans drank Dr Pepper at all hours: while driving their giant trucks, while flying their Confederate battle flags, while griping about Yankees and liberals and vegetarians.

But Heart of Texas, sadly, was no joke. At one point the pages organizers even managed to stir up its followers into staging an armed, anti-Islamic protest in Houston. As gradually became clear, this was part of a broader strategy. The sponsors of the page were keen to exacerbate Americas own internal divisions. At certain moments they lent support to Black Lives Matter, while in others they would play to the latent (or obvious) racism of Donald Trumps base.

By the summer of 2016, other themes began to emerge. Posts began to follow a perceptibly hard-right course, stressing Texas status as a Christian state, or touting the Second Amendment as a symbol of freedom . . . so we would forever be free from any tyranny. Some of the pages contributors talked about the need to keep Texas Texan, whatever that meant. There was also a generous dollop of conspiracy theory. There were posts about the allegedly unnatural death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and the supposed federal invasion orders behind the Jade Helm military exercise. Fake Founding Father quotes mingled with anti-Muslim screeds and paeans to Sam Houston. And the number of followers steadily crept into the hundreds of thousands.

Though the sites authors understood their audience well, there was something off about their writing. The pages About section proclaimed that Texass the land protected by Lord [sic]. Grammatical and spelling glitches were everywhere: In Love With Texas Shape, State Fair of Texas  Has You Already Visited?, Always Be Ready for a Texas Size, No Hypoclintos in the God Blessed Texas. (Or take this caption for a photo of country music star George Strait: Life is not breaths you take, but the moments that take your breth [sic] away.) Yet the typos never seemed to raise any suspicions in readers minds.

Even the pages calls for an early November protest across the state  part pro-secession, part anti-Clinton  were garbled. One post declared that we are free citizens of Texas and weve had enough of this cheap show on the screen. The site called on those who showed up to make photos.

Heart of Texas chugged on after the election, bringing in tens of thousands of new followers in 2017 who were unbothered by its mangled English, its rank nativism and its calls to break up the United States.

And then, in August, it was gone. Just like that, the most popular Texas secession page on Facebook was revealed to be a Russian front, operated by the notorious Internet Research Agency, with Facebook removing all of the posts from public view. (Its worth noting that another Instagram account started posting Heart of Texas material as soon as the original Facebook page was taken down.)

Despite its claims of transparency, Facebook has effectively prevented the public from examining these posts and these pages. So far Heart of Texas remains the only example of a Russian account that I and other researchers managed to study in detail before Facebook pulled the rug out from underneath it.

We know that the Russians behind these sites played all of their readers, and especially those who showed up at its protests in places like Twin Falls and Fort Myers and Houston, for fools. Considering that the number of their combined followers ranged into the millions  with some estimates placing total views potentially in the billions  theyre probably right.

The creators of Heart of Texas not only targeted the sociopolitical tensions within the United Staes. They also exploited our gullibility, which turned out to be far greater than I could have ever imagined. And by assisting them in this massive lie, Facebook has enabled one of the greatest frauds in recent American history.
Speaking truth when its not the easy or popular choice is difficult. Often in life we let problems grow and develop into too much before we do anything. Label it the Bystander Effect.

The larger the group, the less likely we are to voice a thought or opinion; consequently, we take social cues from each other and often remain silent and do nothing. We should not let the bystander effect exist in relation to our responsibilities to speak out. Its in that spirit I am unable to remain silent regarding certain decisions being forced on the citizens of Waco by our mayor, City Council and other civic leaders.

As a fourth-generation Wacoan, Ive been hopeful and prayerful that the city of Waco is on the brink of positive change and growth the likes of which weve only imagined. During the past few years weve seen downtown explode with new development and growth. The east and west riverfronts are taking shape and Baylor Universitys McLane Stadium has forever changed the landscape view of both Baylor and IH-35 through Waco. This has transformed what was decaying urban blight into a vibrant thoroughfare.

With the retirement of City Manager Dale Fisseler, Waco had a window of opportunity to take a major step to solidify the positive momentum and move Waco past mindsets that have held our city back for decades. The operative word is had because it seems the public was barely aware the process of finding a new city manager had begun before it was announced it was over. There was no public input.

The potential has always existed for Waco to be an Austin, Fort Worth, etc. with attributes that are uniquely Waco. Sadly there have been a powerful few who have made many decisions over the years that have limited our great city. It has been my hope that with new blood, money and minds Waco was finally on the brink of breaking free of past strangleholds and achieving its real potential.

The abrupt decision to name Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem as our city manager without a search or public input indicates our city leaders are determined to rein in our recent dynamic success and growth. Theres more consideration and process required in changing a minor city ordinance than was involved in vetting and finalizing this most crucial of decisions for the highest-paid city position.

While its appropriate to thank Mr. Stem for his dedication and his four decades of service, his appointment hardly constitutes a fresh look or new ideas for this dynamic city. As citizens, we deserve so much more regarding the selection process of our city manager. Waco warrants an experienced, dynamic leader who has been a part of transforming a city from good to great. For us to settle for less is truly a missed opportunity.

A national search to seek out the very best talent should have taken place with an extensive vetting process before settling upon a candidate. Mr. Stem, no doubt, would have been a reasonable choice for interim city manager while the national search moved forward. If Stem met all of the qualifications required for the position, he would have won it through the process. As it sits now, the decision seems to have been forced upon the citizens against their will and without their input. This is truly a short-sighted strategy given the citys potential and the destiny it has yet to obtain.
Hurricane Harvey pummeled Texas, bringing catastrophic winds and record-breaking rainfall to the Texas Gulf Coast region and the greater Houston area. As a shocked nation watched helplessly, Hurricane Harvey brought devastating floods to urban areas, leaving families stranded on their rooftops for days, contaminating the main water supply and displacing nearly 780,000 Texans from their homes.

According to FEMA, more than 19 trillion gallons of rainwater fell on parts of Texas. The consequences were disastrous. Nearly 80,000 homes were flooded with at least 18 inches of water. Of those, 23,000 were submerged in as much as five feet of water. After the storm calmed and the floodwaters receded, more than 42,000 Texans were housed temporarily in 692 shelters.

Peoples lives were broken. United through donations of time and money, the nation came together to support them: an inspiring start to a long road to recovery.

After such a catastrophic event, legal needs will continue for years. For people already stripped of their worldly possessions, more trials are to come. This is where legal aid comes in. Local bar associations and legal-aid organizations throughout the state maintain pro bono programs that support private attorneys who volunteer their time to represent low-income Texans on a range of civil legal matters. Through these coordinated efforts, legal professionals are here to help  today and every day.

Whether disaster-related needs are long-term, short-term or somewhere in between, legal assistance can help rebuild lives. After a natural disaster, attorneys can aid with landlord-tenant questions, assist with insurance claims and help apply for flood insurance. Attorneys can also help an individual replace important legal documents such as IDs, driver licenses, Social Security cards and deeds.

One to six months after a cataclysmic event, myriad other legal issues may arise. Attorneys can help those in need with possible evictions, foreclosure prevention, insurance-claim disputes, emergency conservatorships and estate-planning-document replacement.

Long-term needs pose additional challenges. Within six months, and lasting for several years after the event, lawyers can assist those facing legal issues such as foreclosures, bankruptcies, defending FEMA recoupment, applying for disaster tax relief and disputing home-damage valuations.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, more than 2,400 attorneys, law students and paralegals have answered the call to provide pro bono assistance. We are thankful so many have stepped up to serve.

For every 8,000 low-income Texans who qualify for free legal services, only one legal-aid lawyer is available. Due to funding limitations, a significant number who qualify for assistance must handle their own legal issues. Pro bono attorneys help fill the gap, but many qualified Texans will remain unserved. The effects of funding shortfalls are multiplied exponentially following mass disasters.

This month, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, Texas Access to Justice Commission, State Bar of Texas and Texas legal-aid service providers are joining a national effort to highlight the need to expand access to justice through pro bono civil legal services. Financial support for legal aid is also crucial. In an effort to provide assistance to Texans reeling from Harveys destruction, the TAJF  Texass primary legal-aid funding source  created the Hurricane Harvey Legal Aid Fund. To date, 375 individuals and firms from across the United States have donated more than $179,000 to the fund and grant funds totaling $800,000 have been awarded by two national foundations.

Hurricane Harveys serious and long-lasting impact continues to unfold for the numerous Texans in need. The outpouring of help from legal-aid organizations and pro bono attorneys is a compelling start but, even so, its only beginning to scratch the surface. More help will be needed to ensure Americas promise of justice for all is a reality for all our citizens  not just the ones who can afford it.
BURLEY  Take either of the Interstate 84 exits to Burley, and youre likely to cross the Snake River.

But unlike in Twin Falls, where the river flows hundreds of feet below a canyon rim, the river flows right through town in Mini-Cassia.

The Overland and Heyburn bridges move traffic between Minidoka and Cassia counties and facilitate the flow of commerce for Burley and Heyburn. The bridges provide vital access to I-84, which has been the main driver for Burleys growth, Economic Development Director Doug Manning said.

The historic crossings predate the interstate, but larger replacement bridges were constructed to accommodate the traffic increase generated by I-84.

For now, the bridges are still sufficiently moving drivers along.

Theres not a lot of congestion, and its short-term congestion, Idaho Transportation Department spokesman Nathan Jerke said.

Heyburn Bridges

Along U.S. 30, two prestressed concrete girder bridges span just over 1,312 feet across the river between Burley to the south and Heyburn to the north.

The Heyburn Bridges, which are two lanes apiece, replaced an older bridge that had a single lane in each direction and no sidewalk. After U.S. 30 expanded to four lanes in the 1960s and 70s, the narrow bridge choked up traffic, Jerke said.

After that, Interstate 84 quickly overtook U.S. 30 as a primary mover for traffic. The business route off Exit 211 takes traffic through Heyburn before crossing the river into Burley.

The bridge was really one of the last steps to complete that business loop, Jerke said.

ITD constructed the southbound bridge first, in 1977, alongside the original bridge. The northbound bridge was constructed the following year. Jerke said the project was likely done as two bridges so that traffic could be maintained.

In 2011, ITD removed an asphalt overlay, applied a crack sealer on the decks, and repaired and waterproofed the parapets and sidewalks.

Finally, crews replaced expansion joint seals and added snow plow deflector bars across the top of the joints.

The Heyburn Bridges, last inspected in August 2016, were in satisfactory condition  a good score, Jerke said, considering their age. Replacement bridges will not be considered for at least 30 years.

Overland Bridge

The Overland Bridge along Overland Avenue/Idaho 27 connects the original Burley townsite in Cassia County to the interstate-era townsite of north Burley in Minidoka County.

The bridge really ties together two commercial areas of Burley, Jerke said.

ITD replaced the older, 1947 bridge in 2001 with a prestressed concrete girder bridge thats 849 feet, 9 inches long. It took 2 1/2 years to finish.

The state built the new bridge at a higher elevation so boats could pass underneath more easily. The former bridge also had more vertical structures in the water.

The four-lane Overland Bridge is a busier commercial corridor than the Heyburn bridges, but is still rarely backed up between traffic signals.

Its really only on the busiest of days and the busiest times of day when we see traffic slow down, Jerke said.

Children sometimes jump off the Overland Bridge on the Minidoka County side and swim to a nearby park. Warning of potential hazards in the shallow water, Minidoka County attempted to outlaw bridge jumping in 2012. As of October, it was still legal, according to the Minidoka County clerk.

In 2010, ITD did driving surface improvements with an epoxy overlay on the deck. The project also replaced expansion joints, did some waterproofing and repaired concrete.

At only 16 years old, ITD does not expect the bridge to require any major renovations soon.

As long as we continue the regular maintenance on the bridge, it should be there a good long time, Jerke said.
Wacoans are probably just as flummoxed as jurors are at this early point in Bandidos Dallas chapter president Jacob Carrizals Twin Peaks organized crime trial. Thats perhaps as it should be for those keeping an open mind about the first trial stemming from the bloody, confused Sunday afternoon shootout at Central Texas Marketplace two and a half years ago. The incident left not only nine dead bikers but disturbing questions about biker culture, crime, law enforcement, Texas justice, even societal perceptions.

Some readers voice frustration at the pace of the trial. Understandable. One expert witness had to outline in detail his testimony before District Judge Matt Johnson sans jury, only to do so again later before the jury. Yet consider the rationale: Attorneys for prosecution and defense sparred over whether the testimony might be prejudicial and the judge correctly wanted a fair sense of what was coming, lest it unjustly poison jurors minds.

Again understandably, the judge has expressed frustration with how forthcoming District Attorney Abel Reyna has been in keeping the defense fully apprised of evidence he seeks to use in making his case. The concern is critical in our system of justice. Carrizals attorney must know prosecution evidence ahead of the trial if she is to mount anything but a laughable or incompetent defense.

That said, discerning Central Texans should remember this trial and those likely to follow are unprecedented. As Waco Police Chief Ryan Holt told the Trib months ago, never before have the tensions of rival outlaw motorcycle gangs exploded in such a public setting with such deadly results and in such dramatic scope. Plus the DA is prosecuting the 154 bikers indicted not as capital murder cases  which is how police planned to handle it  but as organized crime.

This maneuver introduces thought-provoking questions for not only jurors but all Americans. Was the violence of May 17, 2015, the result of a trap sprung by the Cossacks motorcycle gang on the Bandidos? Did the violence erupt spontaneously? Did Bandidos arrive at Twin Peaks that day expecting a confrontation? And if both gangs engaged in criminal activities, as law enforcement experts contend, does that count against those merely present and wearing gang colors, possibly even in an innocuous auxiliary capacity and otherwise guilty of no more than diving for cover when bullets began flying? In short, will jurors buy guilt-by-association arguments?

And will the prosecutions argument hold if the brawl had more to do with the upstart Cossacks defying the Bandidos by embracing colors that the latter gang, long dominant in Texas, denied them without certain deferential conditions? Who knows? This is new legal turf. Whatever the answers, Wacoans will be introduced to clashing accounts of inner workings of the Bandidos and Cossacks, including their hierarchy, rules, support groups and possible involvement in crime. Pray for the jurors, who must sort out conflicting evidence as well as complex legal principles before meting out justice in an age when more and more of us have already made up our minds.
Illustration: Jim Pavlidis. It was much more, as well. It was a crucial event for Malcolm Turnbull's government and, more importantly, a threshold test of Australia's viability as a successful nation. Could Australia break a political impasse to keep the lights on? It was a week that put Frydenberg in direct conflict with his former leader. Australia's political system has been paralysed in the face of a quickening energy crisis. When the paralysis first set in, it was intransigence over climate change. That was 2009. Since that crucial rupture, Australia has struggled to respond to climate change, a policy area that looks more like a slaughterhouse of gladiatorial politics.

And, because of the policy chaos that this has created, the problem has spread across the energy sector. An investment strike set in, electricity supply shrunk, prices rose. Summer blackouts began. Businesses have started to shut down, unable to pay soaring power bills. This week was the chance to break the paralysis with a new policy. But Abbott had made the task harder, setting up barriers to a new policy. His latest contribution was to ridicule any policy that in any way limited carbon emissions: "Primitive people once killed goats to appease the volcano gods," he told an audience of climate change denialists in London. Abbott said that "there must not be" a clean energy target - that is, a government-mandated minimum of renewable energy in the electricity sector. He said this knowing that the federal government's chief scientist, Alan Finkel, had recommended one. And the government was about to respond to that recommendation. The government's priority, said Abbott, was to make sure that electricity was reliable and affordable. To do anything else was "a political death wish."

Abbott had laid down his criteria. He was a political volcano in the Liberal party room, primed to erupt. At this point, Frydenberg came to Abbott the volcano and made him an offering. He phoned his former leader and gave him an early briefing on the policy the government was about to bring before the party room. It was a mark of respect and an attempt to appease him, of course. But it was also to convey information. The new policy would not include a clean energy target, just as Abbott had demanded. It was to include instead a national energy guarantee, promising reliable power.

Of course, this wasn't enough for Abbott. While he did welcome the end of any flirtation with a clean energy target, he said that the federal government should facilitate the building of a new coal-burning electricity plant. Abbott cannot declare victory and accept the policy; he keeps pushing further to the fringe right in pursuit of political differentiation. When the full Coalition party room of some 100 MPs and senators met to be briefed on the policy, Abbott was one of only two to criticise it. The other was the Nationals' George Christensen. A third, the Nationals' Matt Canavan, asked pointed questions. So is the new "national energy guarantee" a capitulation to appease Abbott and the Coalition's right, as the Greens and Labor have claimed?

Partly, yes, absolutely. It is designed to be politically palatable to the Coalition. It has to be. There is no point in quixotically creating policies to divide the government and prolong the energy crisis. The existing federal renewables policy expires in 2020. A replacement policy for 2020-30 is an urgent need to break the investment strike. But the policy is much better than a mere surrender to Abbott and the far right's theological attachment to coal. Why? In the political debate this week, we saw a great preoccupation with trying to label and classify the new "national energy guarantee" with the names and nomenclature of the climate wars to date. Tremendous intellectual energy was spent on trying to see if it fitted the definition of a carbon price, an emissions intensity scheme, a cap-and-trade scheme and so on.

This is evidence of the sheer stupidity of Australia's political debates. Rather than asking "what does the policy do?", the political class spent the week demanding to know "what label can we attach to it"? So, what does the policy do? Its strength is that it applies two big guidelines to the electricity sector from 2020 onwards, and leaves the electricity retailing companies to figure out the best way to operate within them. The first guideline is the Paris carbon treaty. The Turnbull/Frydenberg policy enshrines Australia's Paris climate treaty commitment. It requires the federal government to legislate a carbon emissions reduction for the electricity sector in line with Australia's Paris pledge of a 26 to 28 per cent cut on 2005 levels by 2030. The second guideline is that the the electricity supply must be reliable. The electricity market operator would set a minimum percentage level of readily dispatchable power for each State. "Dispatchable" means power that can flow readily from batteries, gas, or coal fired plants.

As the Energy Security Board put it in its letter to the government: "That is, resources that can be scheduled by the market operator depending on the real time operating needs of the system." Decoded, there would always be enough power readily available to avoid blackouts.The responsibility for meeting the two guiding principles would fall on the electricity retailing companies. They could be fined or even deregistered for breaches. Revealingly, the critics of the policy are politicians and the theologians of carbon, those for and against. So it's the Abbotistas on the right and the renewables-or-nothing on the left. The criticisms in the main are not coming from practical people who are concerned with the reality of Australia's Paris commitment on climate change and the reality of a steady electricity supply. The policy announced this week is a framework only. It is the work of expert regulators, the members of the Energy Security Board. It does not contain the detail of exactly how it would work.

The board itself was established under one of the recommendations of the chief scientist, Alan Finkel. And although the board has ignored Finkel's proposal for a clean energy target, Finkel has nonetheless endorsed the board's policy recommendations as "a credible mechanism" that contained the same intent as his own. So let's recognise that this is a minor miracle for Australian politics. The chief scientist proposed that an expert board should recommend a policy. The expert board produced the policy. And the executive government not only embraced the policy, the Coalition party room has overwhelmingly endorsed it too. Policy making by experts, embraced by politicians, in one of the most hypercontentious areas of modern Australian politics. Hallelujah! Unfortunately, much of the debate of the policy was snagged on a bit of attempted retail politics.

The Energy Security Board included in its eight pages of advice to the government this sentence: "It is expected that following the guarantee could lead to a reduction in residential bills in the order of $100-115 per annum over the 2020-2030 period." Turnbull seized on this as his selling point and oversold it - it's only an estimate - and it became the lightning rod of the news coverage. So interviewers demanded that he "guarantee" it, the Labor party mocked it as inadequate, and point of the whole exercise was largely lost in the din. It should have been enough for Turnbull to be able to say he had solved the energy crisis while dealing with climate change at the same time - and that electricity prices were not expected to keep rising. Point to the board's estimate, by all means, but don't stake your government on it. The next question is whether the Labor party will accept it. It should. It can preserve the framework but adjust the components as it wishes - increasing renewables, for instance - preserving political product differentiation without damning any chance of increased investment in the electricity sector and prolonging the energy crisis.

But while it would help, federal Labor doesn't need to accept it. To implement the "National Energy Guarantee", the states have to accept it, however, and that means the Labor states as well as the Coalition. Because the electricity sector is operated and regulated by the states. That question will go to next month's meeting of the state and federal governments meeting as COAG, the Council of Australian Governments. There is no policy achievement so promising for Australia that the petty intransigence of federal-state relations can't strangle it at birth. Meanwhile Frydenberg, while still on good terms personally with Abbott, has left his former leader behind. The apprentice has moved on to deal with real world problems, while the former master moves further to the fringes in a quest for an audience, any audience, no matter how extreme.
London: Peter Dutton's crackdown on temporary workers from overseas could prevent the "next Jamie Oliver or Heston Blumenthal" showcasing their talents from Australia, the world's largest job search company Indeed has warned.

The company says it recorded a 10 per cent drop on searches almost instantaneously after the government announced its crackdown on foreign workers. Indeed said of the 4 million job searches during 2017 the greatest interest in jobs in the Australian hospitality industry came from Britain, not from non-English speaking countries. Indeed said it detected a 78 per cent increase in searches for Australian hospitality roles but that was now being undermined by the abolition of the 457 scheme.

Indeed warned that the tough changes risked Australia's hospitality industry with local employers set to suffer shortages of up to 120,000 by the end of the decade, with a shortfall of experienced restaurant and cafe managers, licensed club managers, cooks, bakers and pastry cooks to hire.

Indeed Australia-New Zealand managing director Chris McDonald said the government's abolition of the 457 scheme would make it harder for the hospitality industry to deliver high-quality services and grow Australia's reputation as a foodie destination.
Teachers and doctors will be the key targets of a five-year blueprint for a productivity revolution to be unveiled by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday.

The 1000-page report is the first in a series commissioned by the Treasurer to complement the five-yearly intergenerational reports.

Health gains could exceed $100 billion over the next few decades. Credit:AFP

Mr Morrison told a business audience last month that rather than providing a wish list of measures arranged in no particular order, the Productivity Commission had identified "a new direction for an inclusive agenda", one that would require buy-in from the states as well as the Commonwealth.

Entitled Shifting the Dial, the review is understood to conclude that the next big gains in productivity will come, not from making people work harder, but from rearranging the delivery of health and education.
It's one of Australia's most exclusive clubs but anyone has the potential to join.

You just need to start up a business and get it to over $US1 million in turnover.

Janine Zappini is the co-founder of food business Simply Raw.

Welcome to the Entrepreneurs Organisation, a networking and support group for business owners which operates across Australia and has over 12,000 members worldwide.

Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar is a former member along with Pet Circle founder Mike Frizell and Kikki.K founder Kristina Karlsson.
TWIN FALLS  The First Federal Foundation is accepting grant applications.

The mission of the charitable foundation is to serve the needs of its communities by actively seeking community development opportunities to support educational, civic, health, human services, social, and cultural organizations that address these objectives.

Applications are due by Nov. 10 and are available at www.bankfirstfed.com.

For more information and to access the applications, visit https://www.bankfirstfed.com/about/charitable-foundation or Facebook at BankFirstFed

Grant or contribution requests should be submitted to First Federal Foundation, c/o First Federal Bank, Attn: Ashley Terry, P.O. Box 249, Twin Falls, ID 83303-0249.
TWIN FALLS COUNTY

FELONY SENTENCINGS

Travis Paul Wharton, 27, Magna, Utah; burglary, $245.50 costs $500 public defender, $100 DNA, 10 years penitentiary, five determinate, five indeterminate, credit for time served, sentence suspended. Second charge burglary dismissed.

Kevin John Scheer, 40, Twin Falls; unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, $245.50 costs, $500 public defender, five years determinate penitentiary, sentence suspended.

Manuel John Cisneros, 27, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $500 public defender, $100 DNA, four years penitentiary, two determinate, two indeterminate, credit for time served, 365 days retained jurisdiction.

Rachel Kim Thompson, 29, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, five years penitentiary, two determinate, three indeterminate, 130 days credited, sentence to run consecutive to Ada county case.

Anthony Lee Giannopulos, 32, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $568.66 restitution, $500 public defender, seven years penitentiary, three determinate, four indeterminate, credit for time served, penitentiary sentence suspended, 180 days state prison, three years supervised probation, sentence to run consecutive to 2016 case.

Rebecka Lea Degner, AKA Rebecka Lea Call, 36, Kimberly; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, six years penitentiary, three determinate, three indeterminate, credit for time served, 365 days retained jurisdiction, sentence to run concurrently with 2017 case. Use or possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use charge dismissed.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE SENTENCINGS

Bryler Don Reed, 27, Hazelton; DUI, $400 fine, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 178 suspended, one day credited, guilty withheld sentence, eight hours work detail, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation.

Matthew Michael Thompson, 25, Idaho City; DUI, $400 fine, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 167 suspended, one day credited, 10 days discretionary, 16 hours work detail, 180 days drivers license suspension, 12 months supervised probation, transferable to Idaho City.

Pedro Enrique Camarena-Games, 28, Jerome; DUI second offense within 10 years, $500 fine, $202.50 costs, 365 days jail, 245 suspended, three days credited, 20 days discretionary, 365 days drivers license suspension, 24 months supervised probation.

Ronald Mose Wales Jr., 28, Kimberly; DUI excessive, $500 fine, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 365 days jail, 325 suspended, eight days credited, 30 days discretionary, 365 days supervised probation, 18 months supervised probation.

Divorces

Maryanne Koch v. Matthew Koch

Henryetta Graham v. Mark Graham
Stormy Winmill

Date of Birth: August 21, 1988

Sex: Male

Height: Six feet

Weight: 190 pounds

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Brown

Race: White

Wanted for: Failure to appear on the original charge of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a felony.

BOnd: $75,000

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.
Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

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By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 12, 2017 | 06:09 PM | SPRINGFIELD, IL





The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police has released their annual list of tips to keep trick-or-treaters and their escorts safe during Halloween.Kids and their parents can have a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treating experience by following these few, simple safety tips, said Illinois FOP President Chris Southwood. Illinois' law enforcement officers urge everyone to make sure the only scares this Halloween are the make-believe kind.The FOP offers the following Halloween safety tips:Children should only go trick-or-treating with a responsible adult. Be sure to follow all local ordinances regarding trick-or-treating times, ages, and areas.If you can't accompany your younger children as they trick-or-treat, make sure at least one, and preferably more, responsible adults go with them. Set a curfew for the children and make sure they understand how important it is to arrive back home on time.Instruct children that they should never go into a stranger's house or car unless their parents or other trusted adults are with them and say it's OK. They should never go anywhere with a stranger, and if a stranger tries to make them go somewhere they should scream as loudly as possible and run to safety as quickly as they can.Make sure kids know how to safely cross streets  look in both directions, and only use crosswalks or well-lit street corners. Tell them to not cut through back alleys and fields and to stay in well-lit areas with lots of people around.Know the route your children will take while trick-or-treating if you are not going with them. Have them check in at set times, either by phone or by stopping back by your residence.Make sure your children have costumes that are fire retardant, contain reflective strips or material, do not obstruct their vision or movement, and that any props that depict knives or other sharp objects are made of a dull, flexible material. Have at least one flashlight per group of trick-or-treaters. Try to make each child's costume unique in some way so they can be easily spotted.Serve your children a filling meal before they trick-or-treat so they won't be tempted to eat the treats before they get back home. Carefully examine all of the treats before you let your children handle or consume them.Several days before trick-or-treating, check the local and state sex offender websites to see if there are any sex offenders living in your area. If there are, make sure your children avoid those homes.Remind children that it is wrong to vandalize property or hurt animals.To lessen the chance of allergic reactions, try any makeup products on a small area of a child's arm several days before trick-or-treating to see if they have any reaction.If you cannot accompany them, having the children carry a cell phone lets them keep in touch and the phones also contain a GPS chip to help locate lost children.Drivers, don't use a cell phone or text while driving and do not drive if you are impaired. Pay close attention while driving, especially at crosswalks, intersections, the side of the road, and by parked cars. Drive below the posted speed limit in residential areas, do not pass vehicles that have stopped in the road, and pull off the road in a safe spot and turn on your emergency flashers when picking up or dropping off children.The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
TWIN FALLS  A Twin Falls mother has been arrested in the death of her 20-month-old baby.

Police issued a statement Saturday saying 22-year-old Amanda Dunlap was apprehended Friday and booked into the Ada County jail early Saturday morning. Shes facing charges for felony murder and injury to a child.

The investigation began Oct. 8 when police were called to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center about a baby in distress. The child was flown by helicopter to Boise. It died a week later, on Oct. 14.

In their statement, police said theyd release no more information at this time because theyre continuing to investigate.

Here is the citys statement, in full:

October 8, 2017, the Twin Falls Police Department responded to St. Lukes Magic Valley in regards to a 20-month-old child in distress. The child was life-flighted to Boise. The Twin Falls Police Department, with assistance from the Boise Police Department, immediately started an investigation.

On October 14, 2017, the child subsequently succumbed to the injuries. On October 20, 2017, 22-year-old Amanda Dunlap, from Twin Falls, Idaho, was arrested on a warrant for murder and felony injury to a child. Dunlap was booked into the Ada County Jail early Saturday morning.

No further information will be released by our Department at this time as this remains an active investigation. Any further media inquiries should be directed to the Twin Falls County Prosecutors Office.

Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said its too early in the investigation to confirm many details to the media. Its very early, Loebs said. She was just arrested this morning.

Asked about the babys cause of death, the prosecutor said I wouldnt know how to answer that.

Loebs said authorities may make more information available next week, depending on the progress of the investigation.
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The village of Wonewoc was not named for any person, nor is it determined who first conceived the name, however, it certainly is of Indian ori
TWIN FALLS  The College of Southern Idaho is moving forward with plans to build a new dormitory, which could open in two years.

The topic came up during a July board of trustees meeting and again Oct. 13 during a strategic planning meeting.

CSI is seeking a change to its on-campus height restriction with the city of Twin Falls to allow for a three-story residence hall with apartment-like suites. The project is part of an effort to encourage more students to live on campus and get plugged in with college activities.

The new dorm will be on CSIs Twin Falls campus near the existing 240-bed Eagle Hall dormitory  currently, the only residence hall. CSI also manages the off-campus Northview and Eagle View apartments.

In the new dorm, the college wants to build up to 50 feet high instead of its current 35-foot limit.

We want to align with the citys height restrictions, CSI vice president of administration Jeff Harmon said Friday. The amendment process typically takes several months.

Another step for the project: The college will work with financial advisers on how to issue bonds. Harmon said he doesnt have an estimate yet of what the dorm project will cost.

It all depends on how large we go, he said. We havent started putting a price tag to anything yet.

The new dorm will also include the main commercial kitchen for CSIs campus, instead of in the Taylor Buildings cafeteria.

Once a new dorm opens, CSI plans to pursue a renovation of the existing Eagle Hall into a more contemporary layout with apartment-style suites.

Dean of Students Jason Ostrowski wasnt available to comment Friday afternoon. An Eagle Hall housing coordinator, whos new on the job, said he wasnt involved with the project.

During an Oct. 13 meeting, CSI officials also gave the board of trustees a report about the colleges long-term master plan for other future building projects, but nothings in the works yet.

The next possible project after a new dorm will likely be remodeling the Evergreen Building and considering moving the art program into that space.

Buildings in the art complex are nearing the end of their lifespan, Harmon said, with the exception of one white brick building. Also, once the new dorms are finished, theyll infringe on the art complex and crowd out that area.

Another topic of conversation is bringing back the veterinary technology program to campus.

Its just a matter of when, Harmon said. Currently, its in a leased space in downtown Twin Falls.

But for all of the facility proposals beyond the new dorm, theyre just goals at this point. There arent any plans or timelines.

Said Harmon: These are all just very conceptual.




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Jermaine Himmelstein and Sophie Violene Dauvois

By: Mason White WorldWideWeirdNews.com

A man offering free hugs in New York City, brutally attacked a young woman for refusing to accept a hug, according to New York Police Department.

25-year-old Jermaine Himmelstein hangs out in Union Square, where he offers passersby free hugs.

When someone doesnt accept his offer, Himmelstein could turn violent.

Last week, a young woman and her mother were walking in Union Square, where Himmelstein approached them.

Himmelstein approached the young woman and offered her a hug.

When she refused, he walked away.

Moments later, Himmelstein approached the young woman from behind and punched her in the face, knocking off her glasses.

Himmelstein then fled the scene.

Himmelstein was arrested.

He was charged with one count of assault.

This was not the first time that Himmelstein attacked a woman for refusing to accept a hug.

Last year, Himmelstein punched a 21-year-old woman of Canada, who was visiting Manhattan, for refusing to accept a free hug.

The woman who was identified as Sophie Violene Dauvois, suffered a black eye, cuts, and bruises.

Himmelstein was arrested in that case for assault, but prosecutors dropped the charge because he was mentally unfit to stand trial.

Himmelsteins parents claim that their son suffers from autism.
(Scroll down for video) A mother was arrested for killing two children because she feared she was going to be deported from the United States.

The mother who lived in Delaware with her boyfriend, his 5-year-old son Alex Epelle, and the couples 4-month-old son Solomon Epelle, was arrested and charged with killing the two boys.

30-year-old Kula Pelima was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for drowning the boys in a bathtub.

Pelima called police and confessed to drowning the two children.

The mother met officers at the front door of the Wilmington house when they arrived.

Chief Robert Tracy said the mother confessed to killing the children because she was worried about her immigration status.

Pelima is from Liberia. She came to the United States in 1997.

She was worried that she may be deported because her boyfriend, who is the father of the deceased children, was detained by immigration officials in Pennsylvania.

Pelima is being held on $2 million bail.
The free symposium will examine historic and contemporary civil liberties issues related to the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans at the Minidoka camp. Tom Ikeda of Densho will present the keynote lecture. Hidden Histories will screen five short narrative films  each film dramatizes a different period, starting with the authorization of the confinement sites to the legacy for younger generations. An expert panel of speakers will end the program: Paul Y. Watanabe, director of the Institute for Asian-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston; Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho; Jason Matsumoto, Hidden Histories producer; and Mikka Macdonald, researcher of the Japanese-Peruvian prisoner exchange. This years symposium is part of Boise State University Human Rights Week  nine days of human rights education, unity, and advocacy  co-sponsored by the Marylin Shuler Human Rights Initiative and the Frank Church Institute.
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WSAZ) -- Two people are recovering tonight after a single-vehicle crash in the west End of Huntington.

Cabell County dispatchers tell us it happened at the intersection of west 14th street and Madison avenue just after 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Dispatchers tell us the vehicle crashed into two poles.

West 13th street to west 25th street was closed for about two hours while crews cleared the scene.

The cause is still under investigation
TWIN FALLS  The Magic Valley Iris Society will host its quarterly meeting and potluck from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the KMVT community room, 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd. N., Twin Falls. Club business will include show prize-medals, club promotion and door prizes. Fun with friends is always available. Linda Aufderheide and Sandra Ruebel will present the program Iris 411 at 1:00 p.m.
Chris Petty, a member of the youth group Awana, 8, pets a goat during an event related to a fundraising effort at Zillah Faith Community Church in Zillah, Wash., Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. The groups goal is raise $500 to purchase goats for people in Bangladesh. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic)
As Confederate statues fall, this Washington town is creating a monument to its black founder
A Palestinian was caught on camera throwing a stone and wounding a 12-year-old boy who was at a spring in the West Bank city of Hebron. The boy was lightly injured and rushed to the Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment.

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The event took place in the while the boy was spending time at the spring with two more children. The stone caused a cut on his head and a temporary loss of consciousness.

Following the attack, the children ran back to the Tel Rumeida neighborhood to call for help. After the ambulance arrived, the boy was taken to the hospital, where he was treated in the pediatric emergency unit.

The stone throwing incident in Hebron recorded

X

The wounded boy after receiving treatment

Seen on a video recording of the event, a young Palestinian looks at the bathers in the spring, throws the stone and escapes.

Members of the Jewish community in Hebron reacted angrily to the incident and claimed that it was the result of Palestinian incitement that happens on a regular basis. They added that they expect the IDF to eradicate the stone-throwing phenomenon that has become permanent in the city.
Police investigators have grown tired of waiting for the Prime Minister's Office to coordinate a date for them to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, making it clear that if the PMO doesn't set a date, they will.

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To complete the investigations against Netanyahu, police investigators need at least one more long questioning session, possibly split into two shorter meetings.

During questioning, police investigators will ask the prime minister to provide his version to testimonies collected in the different investigations, particularly to billionaire Arnon Milchan's testimony.

Netanyahu and Alsheikh (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

As they did in the past, police investigators once again asked the PMO to coordinate a date for them to arrive at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem, where they will question Netanyahu under caution.

But weeks have gone by, and the PMO has yet to offer such a date. At first, the prime minister was traveling abroad on official business, then came the High Holy Days, and in between Netanyahu, his office said, was too busy.

Police officials believe the PMO is trying to "play for time," and its officials are intentionally dragging their feet on finding a date.

"It appears it serves someone on the other side to draw out the investigation," one official said in private conversations.

So far, investigators have proceeded with caution due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, but upon realizing there was no rush in the PMO to set a date, they decided to take a more proactive approach in an effort to bring the investigations to their conclusion soon.

To that end, the police have been signaling the PMO that if a date is not set in the coming days, they would have no choice but to arbitrarily set a dateas they do for any other person summoned for questioningand the prime minister would have to comply.

The PMO did not provide comment for the report.

The ultimatum set by the Israel Police to the prime minister comes on the heels of a public rift between Netanyahu and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh. A journalist close to Netanyahu falsely reported Alsheikh was planning to run for office, the police commissioner received warnings from associates the PMO was unhappy with him and Netanyahu himself publicly accused Alsheikh of allowing a "tsunami of leaks" from the investigations.

Alsheikh rejected the accusations, insisting that the so-called tsunami of leaks" have not been emanating from the police.

The leak is not from the police. I have full confidence in the way in which the sensitive investigations are being handled in the Israel Police, Alsheikh stated during a meeting of senior police officers.
CBS 60 Minutes and the Washington Post are to be commended for derailing the presidents appointment of a shill for the drug industry as the nations drug czar. Rep. Tom Marino R-Penn., withdrew his nomination when it was revealed that he had engineered passage of a bill in 2016 that hamstrung the ability of the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop drug sales fueling the opioid epidemic. He had raked in about $100,000 from the pharmaceutical industry for his efforts. While a swamp creature bit the dust, there is more to the story of drug company greed.

When I was Idaho attorney general in the late 1980s, it was known that hydrocodone and oxycodone were effective pain relievers, but highly addictive. At that time, the use of these opioids was generally limited to severe pain cases because of their addictive properties. However, in the 1990s some opioid makers saw gold in them thar hills and started aggressively marketing opioids, such as Purdue Pharmas Oxycontin, as a general remedy for pain. Endo Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson joined in to peddle their opioids for wide use.

Advertisements in reputable medical journals hyped the use of opioid products as safe and effective pain relievers. Pharmaceutical companies reached into continuing education courses for doctors and medical school curricula to promote the widespread use of opioids. Attractive drug representatives assured doctors there was no need to be concerned that patients would become addicted to opioids. Lobbyists were employed to smooth the way for marketing these addictive painkillers without regulatory interference.

The drug companies obviously knew that these products were addictive and that many people who used them would become hooked, but the bright side was massive profits. The chances of being criminally prosecuted were remote, so they went full steam ahead.

As disclosed in the CBS/Post report, the major drug distributors got in on the act, making massive sales of opioid pills to pill-mill pharmacies that were obviously selling them to drug addicts. The DEA took note and began targeting suspicious drug shipments, which led to passage of the bill neutering the DEAs enforcement effort. Rep. Marino was also able in the process to get rid of the DEA agent who was trying to stop the distributors drug trafficking. This occurred at the height of the opioid crisis when tens of thousands of Americans were dying of opioid overdoses each year (almost 65,000 in 2016). Nevertheless, both houses of Congress passed the Marino bill last year with nary a whimper. Talk about Congress being asleep at the switch. Perhaps some of the slumbers were aided by the millions of dollars of drug industry money pouring into congressional campaign coffers.

It seems to me that companies which sell a product, knowing that it is being abused and that it is killing people, should have to answer under the criminal law. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to prosecute low-level drug dealers and subject them to mandatory minimum sentences. Shouldnt he focus some enforcement effort against high-level drug company executives whose greed drives them to carelessly pedal addiction and death to the public? The Idaho congressional delegation can help by working to overturn the 2016 legislation and demanding that the Justice Department go after the corporate drug pushers.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the defeat of Islamic State fighters in their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa as a critical breakthrough in a worldwide campaign against the militants.

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On Friday, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced Raqqas liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said the city would be part of a decentralized federal Syria.

Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control, Trump said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump (Photo: EPA)

The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.

Trump said the US campaign against Islamic State, which was launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, would soon enter a new phase, in which the United States would support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again.

Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people, he said.

Trumps statement made no mention of the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad. He also did not spell out how the United States would support local security forces.

Raqqa in ruins after campaign to release it from ISIS (Photo: Reuters)

A White House spokesman said US policy towards Assad remains the same. US officials have said Assad has no future governing Syria and US envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said last month a stable Syria was not possible while he remained in place.

The fight against Islamic State has taken place amid a wider, multi-sided civil war between Assads government, which is backed by Iran and Russia, and an array of rebel groups supported by other powers, including the United States.

Experts believe the defeat of ISIS at Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain any insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples with defining a comprehensive strategy in Syria.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Frances military would continue its fight against Islamic State in Syria, but that the fall of the militant groups bastion in Raqqa needed to lead to an inclusive political system to restore stability.
Israeli police have mistakenly arrested then released a Palestinian who posted "good morning" in Arabic on Facebook after software mistranslated it as "attack them," police and a media report said Sunday.

Police only confirmed that a Palestinian had been mistakenly arrested then released following suspicions of incitement, but a report in an Israeli newspaper provided further details.

According to the report, which police would neither confirm nor deny, the Palestinian man posted a picture of himself leaning against a bulldozer at the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, where he works, in the West Bank.

Along with the picture, an Arabic phrase meaning "good morning" was also posted. Facebook's translation software interpreted the post to mean "attack them" in Hebrew and "hurt them" in English.
MANILA - Philippine troops on Sunday were battling a final group of about 30 pro-Islamic State group militants who are surrounded in one building with all their hostages gone as a nearly five-month siege neared its end in southern Marawi city, a military official said.

Army Col. Romeo Brawner said troops were aiming to end the crisis before midnight Sunday. He said the remaining gunmen, who include some Indonesian and Malaysian fighters, have the option of surrendering, or they can either be captured or killed.

"Our government forces will try to do everything to finish the firefight today," Brawner said in a news conference in Marawi. He said the battle area centered in a two-story building near Lake Lanao where the firefight continued to rage at noon.

"It's either they all get killed, because they're determined to die inside, or we capture them or they surrender," Brawner said.
The Police Investigation Unit questioned under caution on Sunday a policewoman who was caught on camera kicking an ultra-Orthodox protester during the Haredi demonstrations in Jerusalem last week against the draft of yeshiva students to the IDF.

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During that demonstration on Wednesday, six people were arrested after they tried to block an Israel Prison Service (IPS) vehicle transporting army deserters and draft dodgers to the Military Police.

Policewoman kicks Haredi protester (:  , . )

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Later, several dozens of Haredim from the radical Jerusalem Faction arrived at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, where they crowded around an IPS vehicle transporting detainees to jail, trying to block it.

(Photo: Meni Refael)

On Thursday, 120 Haredi protesters were arrested in Jerusalem, all members of the Jerusalem Faction. 90 of them released shortly thereafter under restrictive conditions and received fines, while others were found to be draft dodgers and were transferred to the Military Police.

In another incident of police violence during the protest, a police officer drew his handgun and threatened ultra-Orthodox protesters.

A video of the incident shows the officer drawing the weapon and then asking: "Anyone wants to get a bullet?"
This is the story of two women, an Israeli and a Palestinian. They were both born here, they both love this conflict region, they are both avid supporters of peace and they have been best friends for the past 50 years.

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One of them is an unshakable Israeli symbol, Ruth Dayan, the widow of Israeli military leader and politician Moshe Dayan. The other woman is Palestinian journalist, poet and activist Raymonda Tawil, whose daughter is the widow of Palestinian political leader Yasser Arafat.

Ruth lives in Tel Aviv. Every inch of her apartment is covered with mementoes, pictures and different items. Raymonda lives in Malta with her daughter Suha and her granddaughter Zahwa Arafat.

Ruth Dayan. There were times, and not so long ago, when it would have been very easy to make peace (Photo: Dana Kopel)

These two impressive women last met about half a year ago in Ryamondas house. Almost every week, on Tuesday, they talk on Skype about their children, their grandchildren, literature, films and about the shattered hopes of peace.

I spoke to them in honor of the publication of the Hebrew version of Anthony Davids book An Improbable Friendship, which describes their long relationship and the stories of their lives. It was first published in English two years ago.

Their friendship began exactly 50 years ago. Ruth, who was already a very active public figure at the time, visited Nablus and asked to meet with a group of women to promote a dialogue and coexistence. She was approached by Raymonda, a 27-year-old leading young journalist.

She told me there was a group of 10 people stranded on Allenby Bridge and asked me to use my connections to help them cross to the other side. I agreed. Since then, our souls have been tied together.

We talk about everything, including about the current state of affairs. She is a vibrant, beautiful woman, full of life. There is something fascinating about her. Otherwise, it wouldnt have lasted so many years. I visited her in Malta twice, we also met in the United States, and I hope shell come to visit me in Israel one day, Dayan says.

I really want to visit and Ill try to come see her, 77-year-old Tawil says in a phone conversation from Malta conducted in a fascinating mixture of Hebrew, English and Arabic. Yes, Im aware of the fact that shes 100 years old and that time isnt on our side. But since Arafat died, I havent felt like coming over there.

Tawil, who was born in the northern city of Acre, says she knows Hebrew but doesnt really have anyone to speak the language to. With Ruth I actually speak English, which I consider my mother tongue, she says.

No longer a Zionist

Ruth Dayan sinks deep into her leather armchair. I rest all day, she says, frustrated. It drives me crazy. All my life I used to run around and was married to my job at Maskit (the legendary fashion house which Dayan founded and served as CEO of for decades). Today, I have to stay at home most of the day. My body is betraying me.

At the age of 100, its a bitter betrayal indeed, considering how clearheaded she is. She remembers every single detail she ever encountered, both from 90 years ago and from yesterday morning. She followed the recent Labor leadership elections very closely, and even hosted candidate Amir Peretz at her house, at her daughter Yaels request.

I told him Im not a Labor member, because I was actually one of the founders of Meretz, but he thought that a word from me is important, that my opinion still counts, Dayan says. Now she asks me a series of inquisitive questions about the new kid on the block, Avi Gabbay.

She has a lot to say about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: I know him very well even without knowing him personally, and Im following him. He has no intention of making peace, and thats a shame.

I was really angry with him a while ago. We met at a ceremony in honor of former IDF commanders in the north, which I was invited to. He shook my hand and said, I didnt know Moshe fought in the north. I was shocked. Youre prime minister and you dont even know that? You should at least learn something about the ceremony before you attend it, she says, the anger evident in her eyes.

Whats all this money going into peoples pockets, some of whom are associated with the prime minister? Arent people ashamed anymore? she asks furiously, moving on to the submarine affair. And every day you hear about rape and murder and children being left in cars. Whats happening to us? In the past, we werent rich and there wasnt a lot of money, and I dont remember any tycoons, but we had something to live for.

She takes a deep breath and goes on. And what about this whole religionization issue? Theyve invented a new word for a very problematic existing situation. I see all the Haredim with their black clothes, and Im definitely concerned.

She has a very short temper. If you dont agree with her, she gets irritated and aggressive. A moment later, she calms down. Ive been like this since I was a little girl. At the age of eight, when I attended school in England, the teachers used to comment about my temper, and it hasnt changed, she says with uproarious laughter that lights up her grey eyes and wiggles her white hair.

Dayan and Tawil. If this isnt coexistence, what is?

Far away in Malta, the ceaseless storm called Ruth Dayan is greatly missed. I really love Ruth, Raymonda says. Shes very humane and educated. Every time I get angry at something happening in Israel, whether it has to do with Moshe Dayan or (Ariel) Sharon, I scream at her and she replies: Im not Moshe! Im not Sharon!

What makes Dayan lose her temper more than anything else is the lack of peace with the Palestinians.

Im very disappointed, she says. There were times, and not so long ago, when it would have been very easy to make peace. Do you think the Arabs want to get killed? And we Jews, do we want to die? I worked in Gaza for eight years with Maskit, employing 300 women there. If that isnt coexistence, what is? But here, everything that can be crushed is crushed. And I see the faces of the fallen soldiers before my eyes and I ask myself and you, whats the point? Who is this for? Is it so that Bibi can say that he won in Gaza?

And you dont even have a whiff of criticism against the other side? Are we the only ones to blame?

Theres always another side too. But were the strong ones, and were the ones who can do more. And the responsibility is on our shoulders.

She keeps firing in every direction, like only a 100-year-old person who has been part of Israels historyand who has nothing to losecan do: I was born in 1917. I saw everything here. I knew everyone. I believed in the Zionism that established this state. But no more. Im no longer a Zionist.

So as far as youre concerned, your grandchildren and great grandchildren can live wherever they want and not necessarily here, in the state you established?

Theres no more Zionism. The state is very small, and if we keep treating the Palestinians the way we do, were doomed. The world will become increasingly anti-Semitic, and we wont be here anymore.

As far as Im concerned, each person can live whether they want. People arent stupid. They see the direction the state is headed in, and hundreds leave every month. Personally, I wouldnt live anywhere else in the world. But Im 100 years old, so dont take me as an example.

Her friendship with Raymonda isnt the kind of story you hear every day. We met at a time when it wasnt conventional yet, and a friendship between a Palestinian woman and an Israeli woman wasnt considered normal, says Tawil, whose life story is unusual in itself.

I grew up in Israel, in Acre, and then in Jordan and in Nablus, and now I divide my life between Malta and Dubai, together with my daughter Suha and my granddaughter Zahwa, who is 21 and beautiful. Shes not only beautiful, by the way. Zahwa recently received her bachelors degree from a university in Malta.

When 27-year-old Suha converted from Christianity to Islam in 1990 and secretly married Yasser Arafat, who was 61 at the time, Raymonda didnt hide her discontent. But because she was only informed about the marriage after it happened, she was forced to stand by her daughters side. After Arafats death, she moved in with Suha to help her with her little girl.

Its true, I didnt like it, but it was her right and she did what she thought was best for her, she says.

Why dont Suha and her daughter come to Ramallah, where Arafats grave is located?

Thats too personal to answer, but well come when the occupation ends.

Suha Arafat and her daughetr Zahwa (Photo: AFP)

Do you see a solution for the situation that has been created?

One state is unrealistic. A Palestinian state within the 1947 borders is unrealistic too. We are left with a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, and thats what the world is demanding too.

But Arafat eventually didnt sign the agreement.

Ya habibti (my dear in Arabic), enough. Thats the joke Netanyahu keeps telling everyone. Arafat agreed to receive 22 percent of the historical Palestinian states land. If Bibi is unfamiliar with history, he should learn some.

It breaks my heart that (former Prime Minister Yitzhak) Rabin was murdered. If he has remained alive, there would have been a Palestinian state alongside Israel a long time ago, and so many lives would have been spared. Arent you tired of people getting killed? Hasnt enough blood been shed? Why dont you want to give us some land? Look, the Galilee is empty, the Negev is empty. The settlers should go there. And anyway, the refugees right to return to their land should be recognized.

To the land of the State of Israel?

Yes. Our right to return should be recognized. I may not want to return, but I should have the right to. I used to have an Israeli identity card, and it was revoked when I traveled to Jordan, when it was still considered an enemy state. I have fought for peace all my life, and it isnt coming.

Do you believe itll come one day?

Of course, and I hope it happens soon. But it wont come as long as Netanyahu is in power. I have been following Israeli politics, and I understand that (Isaac) Herzog is no longer the Labor Party leader. Its a shame, hes a good man. Tell me, is Ruth feeling okay?

Im not feeling very well, Dayan says. This is an annoying age.

No fear of death

Next to the armchair she sits in most hours of the day, lies an album with the number 100 in white digits on its blue cover. Her granddaughter, Amalia Dayan, prepared the beautiful album for a birthday party she threw for her three months ago. All her relatives and friends who are still alive were invited.

The walls of her apartment are covered with pictures and paintings starring her ex-husband, Moshe Dayan, the father of her three childrenformer politician Yael Dayan, sculptor Udi Dayan, and late actor and director Assi Dayan. There are also merit certificates hanging there, and even three honorary doctorate degrees. I didnt graduate from high school, but I have three PhDs, she laughs.

At the center of the wall hangs an aerial shot of Moshav Nahalal, the place she misses more than any other place on earth, the place she would like to return to and milk cows. She came there as a 17-year-old girl, to study in an agricultural school. Thats where she met and fell in love with Moshe Dayan, who arrived to tell the students about the moshav, and her life changed forever.

On the one hand, she informed us in advance that she did not want to answer any questions about Moshe, who she separated from when she was 53 years old. On the other hand, he seems to still be a key axis in her life. She mentions his name repeatedly, and she has a statue of his face in her living room, sculpted by her son Udi.

Moshe Dayan. I think he would have brought peace, because he was man of peace (Photo: Micha Kirshner)

I muster up courage and ask her if she still loves him, in spite of everything. She gazes at the ceiling, hesitates for a minute and then says: Not really. Only when I think about this country, I ask myself what he would have done. I think he would have brought peace, because he was a man of peace. He once wrote me a letter about it, which I read out at a Peace Now conference, she says, her eyes wandering elsewhere along with her thoughts.

She then tells me she was thinking about the time when Dayan lost his eye in World War II. He had terrible pains, both in his eye and in his nose, which was almost torn out. Our children, apart from Yula (Yael), who was two years old at the time, never actually saw their father with two eyes. The time we spent in a hospital in Paris, without knowing a single word in French, wasnt easy either.

I go on and ask why her name hasnt been linked to any other man since she left him. Heaven forbid! she shouts. I had one relationship and it was more than enough. I always worked. Work filled my entire world and I always had a lot of friends around me. I founded Maskit and I traveled across the entire world to promote Maskit.

Who do you miss?

Assi. I miss him so much. Its such a shame hes gone. But I have two other children, Yael and Udi, and 10 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Are you afraid of dying?

No, I have no fear of death. Im not praying for death either, but just between the two of us, let me remind you that Im 100 years old and dying isnt something unreasonable. I hope I go to sleep and dont wake up. Without hospitals and without suffering.

And whats your secret for longevity with such a clear mind?

To think positive. And most importantly, genetics.
In July, 2008, then-defense minister Ehud Barak created the Shamgar Commission, tasking it with determining the principles for negotiations over captive IDF soldiers, kidnapped Israeli citizens and missing persons.

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Four years later, the commission, headed by former Supreme Court chief justice Meir Shamgar, submitted its recommendations to the government. But the report has since been collecting dust in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Now, after the appointment of Yaron Blum as coordinator for POWs and MIAs , the issue has been put back on the national agenda.

Blum (L) and Netanyahu (Photo: Mark Yisrael Salem)

A year ago, Blum, a former Shin Bet official, called to adopt the conclusions of the commission's report. The commission's recommendations included transferring responsibility over the issue of POWs and MIAs from the Prime Minister's Office to the Defense Ministry, as well as to release only a handful of prisoners in return for a captive soldier. Furthermore, the commission recommended that only human remains, and not living, convicted terrorists, be exchanged for the remains of Israeli citizens.

"I think this would help governments in the future to make healthier decisions, and to help Hamas understand that Israel won't be a sucker any longer," Blum said at the time.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the family of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin released a statement saying they received an explicit promise that a government under Netanyahu's leadership would not adopt the report "as long as there are soldiers and civilians in enemy hands."





Some of the 1,027 convicted terrorists released in the Shalit deal, which Blum took part in negotiating (Photo: EPA)

The commission's recommendations were submitted in early 2012 following the deal to release IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity. Shalit was exchanged in return for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Blum's continued defense of the Shalit deal, which included the release of 1,027 convicted terrorists for a single Israeli soldier, seems to be diametrically opposed to his support of the Shamgar report, which calls for a tougher stance when negotiating the release of Israeli captives, dead or alive.

"The price we paid wasn't too high," insisted Blum in an interview two years ago. "We paid a heavy price, (but terrored) cells operate from within the prisons and nothing stops them. Those same 'VIPs' have been exiled, which for them is worse than prison. The number of those who return to terrorism is relatively small."

L to R: then-Def. Min. Ehud Barak, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, released soldier Gilad Shalit and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, upon Shalit's return from captivity (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, the Defense Ministry)

Blum stated that "out of the thousand prisoners who were released in the Shalit deal, 405 had blood on their hands (committed the acts of terror themselves), very hard criminals whose release was a very big deal. (Despite this,) the price for the soldier's release was just and appropriate."

While the Shamgar report itself remains confidential, the main recommendations were reported in the media. Prime Minister Netanyahu is blocking the release of the full report to the public, and he has also been ignoring repeated demands by several ministers to hold a Security Cabinet discussion on the report and adopt its recommendations.

Following a Cabinet meeting in June, 2016, during which the ministers approved the reconciliation agreement with Turkey, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan demanded to hold a discussion on the Shamgar Commission's recommendation in the wake of protests against the agreement by families of POWs and MIAs.

Retired chief justice Meir Shamgar (Photo: Gabriel Baharlia)

The families of fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaulwhose remains are being held by Hamasand Israeli citizen Avera Mengistuwho is believed to be held hostage in Gazaprotested the reconciliation with Turkey, because the return of their sons was not included in the agreement despite Ankara's ties with Hamas and the regular aid it sends to the Gaza Strip.

A month later, the Cabinet held a discussion about sentencing terrorists to death, but the second part of the discussion, which was supposed to deal with the Shamgar Commission recommendations, was postponed indefinitely.

The issue was raised again in August, when Blum's predecessor Lior Lotan resigned. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said at the time that Israel "must not repeat the mistakes made with the Shalit deal."

Lieberman (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The defense minister went on to say that "202 of the released prisoners in the Shalit deal have been arrested again since then for their involvement in terrorism, 111 of whom are still in Israeli prison, while seven Israelis were murdered because of direct or indirect involvement of prisoners released in that deal."

Therefore, before appointing a replacement for Lotan, Lieberman said it was important to adopt the conclusions of the 2012 Shamgar Commission in full and in that "set clear lines to the State of Israel and envoys on its behalf, but mostly stand firm against our enemies and make it clear to them we have no intention of compromising on Israel's security."

Government officials explained Netanyahu's aversion of the Shamgar Commission recommendations, saying the prime minister doesn't like "being put under restrictions."

Shaul (Photo: Effi Sharir)

"The recommendations of the Shamgar Commission are hard to stomach in light of past conduct," a Cabinet official elaborated. "The government is required to put itself under significant restrictions: Bodies for bodies, an equal exchange, etc. It's important to understand that if the Shamgar report's conclusions were adopted, the efforts to return the soldiers' bodies and the civilians from Gaza would not have even reached an initial discussion."

Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant explained in the past his objection to adopting the Shamgar report, saying, "My personal view is that every soldier must be returned to the State of Israel, and a system in which you create limitations for yourself does not bind the other side. Even if the Shamgar Commission recommends and the government adopts, it could seal the fate of someone who fell captive to never be released because the other side won't agree to it."

The Goldin and Shaul families oppose the recommendations of the Shamgar report, warning its adoption would mean putting an end to the IDF's image as "the army of the people." Instead, the families call on the Israeli government to put more pressure on Hamas in Gaza and not release of hundreds of terrorists.

Blum was among the small team of Shin Bet negotiators that l managed to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, has in the past expressed his support of setting strict guidelines as to what Israel may and may not offer in an MIA or POW release negotiations. "It would be easier of these recommendations would be adopted," said Blum, in August, 2016, in reference to a bill promoted by Defense Minister Lieberman and MKs Yair Lapid and Ofer Shelah.

"Since we all know we're compassionate Jews, I'm convinced that if no 'anchors' are set, and if the other other side will know there are no limitations, the next time they Godforbid kidnap a soldier we will again, unfortunately release a great deal of prisoners for them, because that's the way we are. The Israeli government needs to accept these conclusions. I think that it would help future governments to make healthier decisions."

While Blum himself is a staunch supporter of the Shmagar's conclusions ("I unequivocally support adopting the Shamgar Commission's recommendations as soon as possible," he was quoted as saying), it remains to be seen whether his appointment as head MIA and POW coordinator will cause Netanyahu to reconsider adopting them.

Netanyahu referred to Blum's appointment during the weekly government meeting on Sunday. "I have decided to appoint Yaron Blum as coordinator for POWs and MIAs; he will coordinate our efforts to bring the boys back home. He views this as a national mission. Personally, he was a member of the small team that dealt with the issue of Gilad Shalit and I think that he is the appropriate person for this important mission.

"Before the appointment, I called the families, each one of them, and I told them that I know, I remember them as parents and also as brothers, and I remember the boys. We understand our moral and humanitarian debt to do everything possible to bring them back. I have no doubt that Yaron will contribute to the effort and make a very important contribution to this sacred mission."

Regardless, though, the first thing on Blum's agenda will need to be a "cooling off" period with the media, which will grant him a degree of ambiguity that is crucial when representing the government. This means an end to his frequent appearances as a news show commentator.

Despite being against the Shamgar Commission's recommendations that Blum supports, Zehava Shaulthe mother of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, believed to have died in Operation Protecitve Edge, whose remains are being held by Hamassaid she wishes Blum good luck in bringing her son home.

"I think Yaron is a very strong person, as he showed during the return of Gilad Shalit, where he did a good job. I hope he'll do a good job in the case of Oron and Hadar (Lt. Goldin, also believed to have died in Protective Edgeed). Yaron called me and he sounds like an amazing person. He won me over with his words."

Shaul stated that she believes Blum should now focus on securing the release of her son, and not push for the adoption of the Shamgar report's conclusions. "This is the view he has voiced in the past. After being given the mandate to start running (in his new position), his goal is the same as mineto bring Oron home. If he continues (to push) the Shamgar's issue, he won't accomplish anything. Shamgar should be (addressed) after Oron comes home. I want Oron in my house, no matter when, how and how much they pay for him. I believe that I won't have to give suggestions to Blum, since he knows the job."
RIYADH - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted a Trump administration goal of uniting Saudi Arabia and Iraq in common cause to counter Iran's growing assertiveness in the Middle East.

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Tillerson participated in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee, along with Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, telling the leaders that the event highlighted the improving ties between the longtime rivals and showed "the great potential" for further cooperation. He noted the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh (Photo: Reuters)

The United States is "grateful for this progress and urge you to expand this vital relationship for the stability of the region," Tillerson said. "The United States stands ready to support continued cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and we congratulate you."

His participation in the meeting comes as US officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi government is struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Saudi King Salman (Photo: AFP)

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh (Photo: Reuters)

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February this year, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum , has deepened the unease.

The Sunni-led kingdom, which had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, has long been anxious about Iran's footprint in Shiite-majority Iraq and its network of allied militias there. Saudi Arabia has consistently described Iraq as an Arab nation, to differentiate it from Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

The kingdom is also looking to Iraq as a potential trading partner and as a major investment opportunity amid reconstruction efforts in cities such as Mosul, which were devastated by the war against the Islamic State group.
The 20th Knesset's winter session will begin Monday, with several potentially combustible items on the docket, not least of which are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing investigations, several controversial bills, a new and combative chairman for the house's largest opposition party and some new faces, replacing long-standing MKs who have resigned.

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One of the more explosive bills to be brought before parliament in the coming session is the proposed law by MK David Amsalem (Likud) according to which it will not be possible for police to investigate a sitting prime minister, starting the next term.

A fiery winter session is expected in the Knesset (Photo: Reuters)

The bill is based on the so-called "French law" and will only allow investigating a prime minister during their term in office for serious felonies.

As mentioned above, the billshould it passwill only take effect with the next government's term, meaning that should Netanyahu strategically call for new elections and then win, no new investigations would be opened against him, though the ones currently pending would still continue.

Some within the coalition claim this bill will be shot down before ever coming to a vote, while others are of the opinion that with certain modifications and adjustments, such as setting a two-term limit, Amsalem's proposition may have a fighting chance.

MK Amsalem (L) has been accused of acting as PM Netanyahu's proxy in the Knesset (Photo: MK Amsalem's Facebook page)

The prolific MK Amsalem has another proposed bill in the works for the coming session, which aims to prevent the police from recommending whether to indict a suspect or not to the State Attorney's Office. Despite the fact that Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh previously supported the notion, at present, due to several ongoing investigations into alleged wrongdoing by Netanyahu, Amsalem's bill is considered defiant.

Another bill up this session involves Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett's efforts to finish Israel's constitution. If approved, the bill would, among other changes, bar the High Court of Justice from interfering with Knesset legislation, effectively stemming judicial review.

Ministers Shaked (L) and Bennett intend to conclude drafting Israel's constitution (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Bennett and Shaked's stated goal is to restore "equilibrium" to the three branches of government. To that end, they plan to bring to a vote a bill titled "Basic Law: Legislation", which they say will fill the thus-far absent governability portion of the Israeli constitution, complementing the three others Basic Laws regarding the Knesset, the government and the judiciary branches.

The proposed Basic Law: Legislation will include a notwithstanding clause, regulating situations in which the High Court strikes down a law and enabling the Knesset to reenact it, under certain provisos.

Another article of the proposed Basic Law would determine the unique manner in which further Basic Laws may be enacted and the fact that they will not be open to judicial review.

The two Bayit Yehudi MKs' intricate initiative is expected to rouse a great deal of pushback from other members of the coalition, and specifically from Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon, who has persistently refused to approve any legislative initiatives that go against the High Court.

MK Dichter was the original drafter of 'Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People' (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Also on the legislative agenda is promoting the long-delayed "Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People". This past May, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a draft by MK Avi Dichter (Likud). However, following said approval, Shaked and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) announced the creation of a committee chaired by MK Amir Ohana (Likud), which will be tasked with submitting an agreed-upon draft to the Knesset.

The originally approved draft lists the State of Israel as the "national homeland of the Jewish people" and declares that "the right to realizing self-determination within the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people." The Arabic language will only have a "special status," under the new bill, rather than being an official language, as it is today.

MK Bitan will promote a bill forbidding the recording to calls (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) intends to propose a bill forbidding the recording of calls, even when the person recording is participating in the call. This bill has been said to be an attempt by Netanyahuwith Bitan acting as his proxyto hamstring the media in carrying out its duties and diminishing its ability to publish information.

Israel's right-wing wishes to pass another bill during the coming session, one by MK Shuli Mualem (Bayit Yehudi) in collaboration with Bitan, rolling back the Gaza Disengagement Plan in the northern West Bank, a notion originally floated by Chairman of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan.

Knesset parliamentarians and ministers at an event in Sa-Nur. Center: Chairman of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan (Photo: Roee Hadi)

The bill's co-writers wish to permit Israeli citizens to enter the territory of former evicted Israeli settlements Ganim, Kadim, Homesh and Sa-Nur, evacuated in 2005, and to gradually allow settlers to return to the region.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation will once again occupy MKs during the coming session, with Kahlon announcing its budget may well be slashed in the 2019 fiscal year. In addition, coalition heads have already broached the prospect of shutting the new corporation (IPBC) down, or merely slashing its budget.

Avi Gabbay is the head of the opposition, but not an MK (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Finding himself in a particularly restricted situation is Zionist Union Chairperson Avi Gabbay , who faces an uphill battle in his quest to succeed Netanyahu as Israel's next prime minister, as he can neither make speeches nor confront Netanyahu in the Knesset, since he is not currently an MK.

While Gabbay is the head of the opposition's largest party and considers himself the alternative to Netanyahu's rule, his ability to challenge the long-serving prime minister is limited compared to other hopefuls, among them Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.
PARIS  Eight people suspected of belonging to a French far-right extremist group have been given preliminary terror charges for allegedly plotting attacks against mosques, politicians and migrants.

A judicial official said the suspects were charged with criminal terrorist association on Saturday night. Three of the eight charged are minors. Seven are in custody.

The suspects are allegedly linked to the founder of a newly formed ultra-nationalist group, the official said. The founder, identified only as Logan N., was arrested in southern France in June.

The official says investigators believe the group was planning to extort money from business leaders and use it to buy weapons. Some of its members had trained in shooting and stolen a vehicle for the alleged plot.
Expert Advice with Kevin Turner. 23/10/2017

As we look for Brisbanes most promising suburbs, Shannon Davis firstly takes us to a popular Southside suburb, about 11 kilometers from the city. It is in the region of the city which is now colloquially known as the Bible Belt due to the large number of people who have settled there to be close to Christian schools and churches. It was named in 1967 after the Queensland governor of the time Sir Alan Mansfield.

Listen to the Podcast Now:-

Transcript:

Kevin: Good morning and welcome to the show. Nice to have your company. Today in the show, a special feature because were going to be having a real focus on the Brisbane market. Weve actually done some research. Well, I say we; thats the royal we. Someone has done it for me, and Ill be talking to him in just a moment.

Were looking at the Brisbane suburbs with the most promise, the ones that demonstrate that theyre going to be the suburbs you should watch out for in the future. Weve selected four of them. Were going to look at those individual markets. Well also pick out a property in each of those markets, and well talk to the agent about that particular property and tell you why we think its one you should have a look at.

The man who has done all the work and who joins me in the studio is Shannon Davis.

Good day, Shannon.

Shannon: Good morning, Kevin.

Kevin: Shannon, thank you for doing this research. I know you and your team have spent a lot of time putting all this together. What were some of the things that you looked at to identify these suburbs and these properties?

Shannon: We want to see where demand is exceeding supply. Some indicators we look for are low days on market. Thats always a good sign. Were trying to look at what the percentage of renters are, because for us, landlords are competition. So, we want that percentage of renters to be on the lower side, as well, so we dont have too much competition for our investment properties.

Kevin: What is on the lower side? What would you accept?

Shannon: About 30 and below is pretty good. When, say, 75% of your occupants are investors and therefore tenants, thats a bit of a bloodbath. Owner-occupiers are the better ones. Theyre more house proud, theyre doing more renovations, extensions, improvements. Thats what we want in an area where were investing.

Kevin: So, 70% is the top end, 30% is more acceptable. Is the average therefore around late 40% to 50%? Is that the split in the market?

Shannon: Yes, there is, but in the areas were looking for, were looking at low 30s and high 20s, and that helps.

Also, Brisbane has also a fair bit of vacancy in some parts right now, so were looking at vacancy rates. Acceptable right now would be anything between 2.5% up to 3.5%.

We look at what level of owners are discounting, as well. In some areas, the owners know what they have and therefore arent prepared to come down much from their asking price.

Also, as another track, we look at what the three-year growth has been as well and just see how thats going to affect properties on the market.

Kevin: Lets go to the first market, and youve chosen Mansfield. Tell me a little bit more about Mansfield and why youve chosen that.

Shannon: Yes, Mansfield is a great little south side suburb. It has really good schools, a bit of a Chinese population thats moving in as well. And it doesnt last long. If youre in walking distance of those Mansfield schools, properties get snapped up.

Its predominantly young families in there, and theyre likely to be professionals. Its just done really well. You can see 20% growth in the last three years, and compared to the Brisbane average, thats really good.

Kevin: What would you pay for a house in there? Whats the median?

Shannon: The median is about $639,000, but with some of those better houses, maybe two stories and a pool and a decent sized block, youre getting anywhere up to around the $1 million mark.

Kevin: I want to make the point here that this is not about the most affordable properties; this is the area where theres going to be good growth and the sort of property that will probably even grow above the growth in that suburb. Is that the way youve looked at it?

Shannon: Yes, definitely. Were looking at capital growth as one of the major factors here and where demand is exceeding supply and has done so for a while and continues to out-perform.

Kevin: Okay. The dominant age group in that particular area?

Shannon: You have couples with children primarily as a

Kevin: So its a growing suburb.

Shannon: Yes, growing. And the owner-occupier percentage is growing, too. Back in 2006, it was about 69.5%, but now its at 72.9%. So, its moving in the right direction.

Kevin: Youve chosen a property in there. You chosen a property at 1 Trident Street in Mansfield. We have the agent with us, Trent Ray. Trent is from Brad Bell Real Estate.

Trent, thanks for your time.

Trent: Thanks, Kevin. Thanks for having me on.

Kevin: Shannon and I have just been talking about Mansfield, and I think this particular property is listed just a touch under $760,000. Is that right?

Trent: Thats correct, yes.

Kevin: Okay. Tell me a little bit about it.

Trent: Its a lovely big home, first time offered to market. A big four-bedroom brick [5:09 inaudible] on the crest of a hill. By location, blue chip for our area. Walking distance to Mansfield State High School and in catchments for the primary and the high.

The people weve had through the property thus far are very school-driven and school-orientated  as Shannon touched on around families moving into the area. That seems to be the common thread.

Kevin: Has the fact that its within walking distance to the schools been a big plus for you? Is that determining where the buyers are coming from?

Trent: Thats correct, yes. And we do have a large percentage of our buyers from the Chinese demographic who have come through and obviously identified Mansfield as a great school. So, with school enrollments done later in the year, property generally does well in our area.

We also have very close access to the motorway and walking instance to local shops, so it has a couple of things there, but I would say the school is a big plus for that particular home.

Shannon: I saw, Trent, that it also allows the new owner to put a bit of a cosmetic touch onto it. Its a big boned house on a nice block and it has a pool, but you can add some value to it with a bit of a cosmetic renovation, as well.

Trent: Thats right. You can simply move in and enjoy that house right now. They have a nice tidy kitchen with a nice clean property, but it does lend itself to a renovation. If someone wants to rip up the carpets, there are some beautiful timber floorboards underneath, and it just has the big boned, traditional property of Mansfield where it could be something completely different if you wanted to put your finishing touches on it.

Kevin: Trent, how long has this been on the market?

Trent: Were probably coming up to the three-week mark now.

Kevin: Yes, its probably pretty primed right now because as Shannon mentioned, I think days on market in Mansfield currently is 31 days. Is that right, Shannon?

Shannon: Yes. 31 days, and the discounting for Mansfield vendors is only like negative 2.6%, so they tend to get what they ask for.

Kevin: Just to explain, the discounting is the difference from the list price to the sale price. So, the level of interest that youre getting at present, Trent, is there much debate on price?

Trent: We went for top dollar with that particular one, but weve had 50 groups through. The owners are actually currently looking at a really strong offer that came in late this week. So, were obviously still canvasing buyers, but its reflective in the numbers that have come through the home.

Kevin: And its open today?

Trent: It certainly is. Ill be up there at 10:00.

Kevin: 10:00 at 1 Trident Street, Mansfield. Trent Ray is the agent. If youd like to contact him, his mobile number is 0433 043 660.

Trent, thanks for your time, mate. All the best. Let us know how you go with that property and that offer.

Trent: Thanks, Kevin. Cheers.

Shannon: Thanks, Trent.

Kevin: Yes, a good property that one, and a good one to start with. But classic of what youre talking about  and once again, I have to emphasize the point that this is not about affordability; its all about getting a property that maybe has a bit of a twist, that you can add a bit of value to.

Shannon: Yes, and I think when we are investing, lets just turn it on its head for a bit and think like an owner-occupier, because they make the bigger part of the market. And its what they want and what they do that drives prices.

Kevin: On our special show this morning, were featuring classic suburbs and properties around the Brisbane market. And in the weeks to come, too, well be taking you into the other markets around Australia, too  Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, well shoot across to Tasmania, as well  as we try to help you identify what to look for in particular areas and the types of properties that you should be sourcing.

Real Estate Talk  the only place where you hear all Australasias leading property experts.

Originally published as: https://realestatetalk.com.au/bible-belt-property-shannon-davis-trent-ray/

...................................................................................................................................................

Kevin Tuner worked in radio as General Manager of various east coast radio stations. He started in real estate in 1988 and was ranked in the Top 10 Salespeople in the state until he was appointed as State CEO 1992.

He operated a number of real estate offices as business owner and was General Manager of several real estate offices in Christchurch.

He now hosts a real estate show on Radio 4BC and a weekly podcast at www.realestatetalk.com.au. He is the host of a daily 7 to 10 minute podcast show for real estate professionals at www.reuncut.com.au.

To hear more podcasts by Kevin Turner, click here

Disclaimer: while due care is taken, the viewpoints expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Your Investment Property.
On Nov. 8, I posted a photograph of myself on Facebook, captioned 67th vote cast at Wyoming Town Hall, my I voted sticker barely visible. I got 15 likes. From the quiet of my remote home, Facebook provided me with trusted, reliable social connectivity. Or so I thought.

Over the past few weeks, I have learned how rural Wisconsin swing votersvoters like mewere microtargeted by Russian bots via Facebook advertising. Could I have been one of the victims? If so, how did some troll halfway around the world in St. Petersburg track me down?

Often, nothing more than random twists of fate explain how the innocent fall prey to criminal wrongdoing. Could that damn raccoon that tried to break into my house that spring have landed me in the bulls-eye of a Russian operative?

My husband wasnt home the night of this attempted break-in, which I caught on camera. Our dog Ginger, old, deaf and arthritic, was no longer a reliable guard. A few nights later, a raccoon got into my 86-year-old mothers house, just a few minutes walk through the woods from mine. It left paw prints on her freezer and food wrappers across her kitchen floor. My mother slept through the feast.

That afternoonworried about further incursions and the potential for rabies exposureI drove to a gun store in Richland Center and bought a semiautomatic .22- caliber rifle. In just a matter of days, I went from raccoon photographer to registered gun owner.

On June 7, I posted the photo of that rascal raccoon with the caption, Caught red handed trying to break in. I got 13 likes. Some months later, I got a fundraising call on my unlisted landline from a pro-gun grouphad my name gotten on some database of gun owners?conducting a political survey on the Second Amendment. Then, sometime that fall, I started getting the bad news about Hillary Clinton.

I recall reading online news reports that she was in terrible health. She allegedly had secret brain surgery by some doctor who later mysteriously died. Thats what the story said. Another touted a whistle blower who disclosed that Clinton had Parkinsons disease. Another news report alleged she hid a colostomy bag underneath the long tunics she regularly wore on the campaign trail.Meanwhile, Donald Trump was all over it, bringing up Clintons health with regularity. I wondered why CNN and other outlets werent reporting these stories. After hunting around, I was able to determine that the stories were false, of course, but they nonetheless served as a reminder of Clintons bout with pneumonia and that she nearly collapsed getting into a car at an event. The false stories reminded me of the true ones.

Today, now that the election fog has lifted, I vaguely recall reading other nefarious news. (Regrettably, I now find it necessary to use quotation marks around this word.) Though I clearly remember these news stories, I cant really attest to their source or where I saw them. I cant remember which I saw on my Facebook feedwhich I increasingly relied on for my newsand which I saw elsewhere.

If I had been more attentive, would I have been more discerning? During the 2016 campaign, I considered myself a sophisticated media consumer. I had my smart, analytic brain in full gear and my TV remote ready to mute the political commercials, taking note of whether a PAC or candidates campaign paid the bill. But on Facebook, my emotional brain was engaged. I read about my familys and friends lives; I celebrated births and mourned deaths; I took those silly quizzes and hit the like button when the mood struckall the while apparently scrolling entirely clueless through Russian efforts to influence my vote.

In 2015, after decades of living in Los Angeles County, I moved home to rural Wisconsin. Despite my career, first as a prosecutor and later as a judge, I had never owned a firearm. By mid-2016, living in wooded seclusion, up a half-mile gravel driveway with the nearest town of over 1,400 some three miles away, I figured it was time to protect myself. The only risks on my radar were raccoon burglars, not microtargeting Russian bots and Facebook. Godspeed, Mr. Mueller.
An oversupply of investor-style apartments in the east coast capitals could present bargains in a years time, according to Greg Paramor, managing director of Folkestone, a Sydney-based real estate funds manager and developer.

Speaking last week at The Property Congress in Cairns, Paramor said there was a lot of rubbish coming into the market in the overbuilt areas of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbanes Fortitude Valley.

In a years time thats going to be probably an opportunity to buy, he added.

Oversupplied investment apartments would sell at below replacement cost. There is some stress there. The banks and APRA have picked that up early and have been working on it, Paramor said.

He also criticised state governments for increasing taxes on investment property at a time when markets have begun to cool.

Like the mining tax that came in after the boom and therefore didnt raise any money, we are seeing state governments now increasing stamp duties and other charges to foreign investors, he said.

In contrast, Paramor said the owner-occupier market was thriving, particularly since many homeowners hitting retirement age are in the process of downsizing.

Similar concerns of oversupply have hit retail developers and owners, mostly due to the impending arrival of Amazon.com in Australia.

David Harrison, managing director and group CEO of Charter Hall Group, said the arrival of the Seattle-based e-commerce company could be underestimated by some, and he was concerned about the supply of shopping centre development in Australia.

The only time I have seen real property asset downturns is when there has been an oversupply - in the recession in the early 1990s there was a massive oversupply of office and industrial, Harrison said. So a word of caution - there is a lot of retail being built in this country. At 1 sq m per capita compared to 2.5 sq m per capita of retail in the US, we look okay, but we just need to maintain what we have seen in Canada, which is to keep those ratios low.

Other analysts say the arrival of Amazon.com could witness the emergence of new property types for investors, namely smaller last touch distribution centres and modern fulfilment centres.

These property types arent prevalent in Australia, as the countrys share of the online retailing market is lower than in other countries.

However, we do expect them to become more common in the major Australian cities as the market share grows. We dont know what the future worth is, said Stephen Hayes, head of global property securities at Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM).

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An estimated 32,000 new units could flood Brisbanes apartment market over the next two years, which would drive already softening prices further downward.

Andrew Wilson, chief economist for the Domain Group, made this estimation based on approvals for apartments in Brisbane over the past 24 months.

You could speculate that over the next two years you could have that quantity of apartments coming into the Brisbane market, he said. You may get some developments that are shelved, put on hold. And that does happen as well.

Wilson believes there is no clear way to manage these incoming units. Thats the conundrum for the developer, isnt it? Theyre putting supply into a market where supply is already ahead of demand. Were moving into the peak of the supply cycle. And theres negative factors impacting the demand cycle.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has expressed repeated concerns over the large number of new apartments poised to inundate the Brisbane property market, as well as the potential hit facing investors whove bet on making capital gains.

Michele Bullock, the RBA Assistant Governor (Financial System), said the central bank was less concerned about the wave of high-rise construction in Sydney and Melbourne due to stronger demand and population growth in these markets.

With apartment prices and rents already softening in Brisbane, and some banks tightening their loan conditions, Bullock said there was potential for further price declines in the Queensland capital.

The current stock is due to increase by 25 per cent in the next two years. That's an awful lot of apartments to come into Brisbane, Bullock said.

Some apartments in premium inner-city developments have yet to settle, with some analysts warning that crunch time has arrived.

About 20% of the first tower of property developer Gurners 520-unit FV development are yet to settle, although the company maintains sales-to-date mean the $180m in debt linked to the project has been repaid in full.

More than 6,400 apartments in major developments are due for settlement this year in the inner-city, according to Urbis.

Despite the troubling forecasts, Gurner founder Tim Gurner said Brisbanes property fundamentals were strong and negative whispers about the market were way too simplistic and alarmist since quality apartments were settling well, generating healthy rents, and achieving substantial resales.

People have been discussing Brisbanes property market like its the end of the world as we know it, he told The Australian. However, the fundamentals are strong, and with rental yields high and price points low compared to other major Australian cities, I believe Brisbanes quality apartment market has only just started to hit its straps.

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News

Washington, DC - Military justice is essential to good order and discipline, which is indispensable to maintaining our armed forces as the best in the world. Each military justice case must be resolved on its own facts. The President expects all military personnel who are involved in any way in the military justice process to exercise their independent professional judgment, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

There are no expected or required dispositions, outcomes, or sentences in any military justice case, other than those resulting from the individual facts and merits of a case and the application to the case of the fundamentals of due process of law by officials exercising their independent judgment.
Muzaffarabad: Massive anti-Pakistan protests were held on Sunday across PoK and Gilgit Baltistan to mark 'Black Day'.

This day, on October 22 in 1947, Pakistan Army had invaded the undivided state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Protests were reported from Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Kotli, Gilgit and Hajirah and other places.

The protestors chanted anti-Pakistan slogans. They also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Pakistan Army from the 'occupied' territory.

A massive rally and public meeting were held at Banbehek, near Rawalakot. A similar protest rally was held at the Kotli and Hajira towns of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The rallies continued throughout the day.

Dr Misfar Hassan, the president of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League, said, "It was tribals from Pakistan who created this conflict. They invaded an independent state on October 22, 1947 with an intent to occupy it. Jammu and Kashmir was attacked by Pakistan and one third of our people are under foreign occupation. This is why we consider October 22 as a black day in our history," as per ANI.

He added, "Our protest is held in that context as they continue to cause problems in Kashmir by sending out mercenaries who indulge in violence. We want peace and our rights."

Sardar Mahmood Kashmiri, Chairman, the Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA), said, "We are protesting against the division of Jammu Kashmir. On this day, in 1947, our beloved country was invaded, divided and captured by the PakistanArmy and they still continue to loot and harass the good people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, who are living in fear as they are constantly staring down the barrel of a gun."

Exiled Kashmiri leader and the chairman of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, said, "Pakistan claims that she is champion of self determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir but fact is this that she did not respect the right to self determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir and attacked on sovereignty and integrity of our motherland."

He added, "It was Pakistan who first attacked J&K and compelled our ruler Maharaja Hari Singh to seek help from India. He signed a provisional treaty of accession with India to get military help. No one but Pakistan is responsible for this state of affairs."

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has a 'Prime Minister' and a 'President', but is ruled from Islamabad.

Watch the video of protests (courtesy - ANI):

#WATCH: Anti-Pakistan protests held across Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to mark #BlackDay; 'Azadi' slogans also raised pic.twitter.com/m5HGxKdkQA  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

(With ANI inputs)
Winston Churchill once said, History will treat me kindly, because I intend to write it.

Famed Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein followed in Churchills footsteps, telling the world that their indefatigable reporting broke the Watergate scandal. They now take umbrage at the new Mark Felt movie, because it shows that FBI Associate Director Mark Felt was the true moving cause exposing our countrys most significant political scandal.

There are certainly those whose confirmation bias will bring them to Woodsteins defense, several of the early movie reviews so proving. But Woodstein should be content to savor 43 years of unchallenged exaggeration. Woodward, to be sure, was Felts daily-circulation megaphone, a resource on which the cub reporter capitalized to stay on the story. But as the new movie explains, Woodword was only the puppet of a master puppeteer.

I was a young federal prosecutor in 1974 when the book All the Presidents Men was published. I followed the Post reporting intensely, convinced that the reporters were simply tailgating on Department of Justice (prosecutors, FBI) sources. The revelation of the Deep Throat character in the reporters bestselling book only confirmed my thesis, because Deep Throat was so obviously a DOJ official. Woodwards claim to protect his sources identity was mostly fig leaf and feint, because anyone with a brain and an attention span could have sussed out Felt immediately. If Felt had been ratting out the Mafia, he would quickly have been fitted for concrete overshoes.

One problem faced by any of the movies reviewers is the conventional but incomplete and distorted view of how the Watergate coverup was eventually punctured, which the movie seeks to remedy. Most remember the vivid explosion  John Deans Senate testimony, James McCords dramatic letter to Judge Sirica. But few have made the effort to determine the cause of the explosion.

Mark Felt, directed by Peter Landesman, shows the bombs, the fuses and the timer, all put in place by Mark Felt. Felt was originally ordered by his political hack boss, Patrick Gray, to shut down the Watergate investigation in 48 hours, which Felt easily handled by whispering in the ear of Time magazines Sandy Smith, who in turn questioned a stunned Gray. So much for his 48-hour order.

On Sept. 15, 1972, the DOJ of Attorney General Richard Kleindeinst indicted only the seven original suspects, while a DOJ lawyer told reporters the investigation was in a state of repose. Now Felt went to work, not to take down the White House, but to keep his investigation open and avoid charges of whitewash.

He gave the Post reporters the Donald Segrettis nationwide dirty tricks program on a silver platter. When the newspaper hesitated, he hauled Woodward in the garage for an all-night cram course on how to connect the dots. The result was an article so forceful that it resulted in the formation of the Ervin Committee just two days later.

In late February 1973, the White House was still keeping its leaky ship afloat, hoping to solidify its defenses by the Senate confirmation of Gray as the bureaus permanent director. But Felt set up the Senate with key questions, via his latest leak-induced Time article, expecting that Gray would reveal White House interference in the investigation. His plan succeeded perhaps excessively, as the hapless Gray self-destructed. But in the process, Gray revealed enough about John Dean to send him into prosecutors arms, followed by Deans cohort Jeb Magruder.

McCord, a falsely retired CIA plant, sensing White House vulnerability with the Dean and Magruder defections, and wishing to protect his deeply involved agency, now piled on. Well before the Ervin Committee began hearings, the Nixon White House was bread in the toaster.

Woodstein helped the process by dramatically portraying these events daily, riveting the nation while giving backbone to legislators. But to claim that the reporters caused the uncovering of White House guilt would send Thomas Aquinas revolving in his grave. The ultimate, primary or moving cause, as you may choose, was one Mark Felt.

Because the true story of Watergates resolution comes 45 years after the scandal, it challenges strongly held but erroneous beliefs of many who claim to know Watergate, and therefore criticize Landesmans take. For those with open minds, though, the movies exploration of the courageous integrity of a virtually anonymous civil servant can be both enlightening and hopeful. Power always corrupts, but truth spoken to power eventually prevails.

Mark Felt represents the integrity of the ordinary citizen, and the enduring strength of democratic systems. This is a civics lesson that the movie dramatically enshrines. In a sense, it speaks truth to power, in this case the powerful Washington Post, which has often been Nixonian in pushing an incomplete version of our countrys most significant scandal. For the intellectually curious, that wrong has been remedied.
Mumbai: His film Jab We Met enjoys a cult status in Bollywood's romcom space, but director Imtiaz Ali says he would have loved to make some changes in the film.

Shahid Kapoor's introvert nature and Kareena Kapoor Khan's high-spirited avatar made the audience fall in love with their characters of Aditya Kashyap and Geet Dhillon.

Imtiaz adds he would rather not reveal the changes he wanted to make as the film continues to be a fan-favourite.

The director tells PTI, "There are lot of things that I would like to change. Now that 10 years have passed and people are still loving it, I would resist myself from doing that, otherwise I will get beaten up by fans for doing that."

Jab We Met completes 10 years on October 26 and it will air on &pictures channel.

Talking about why he thinks the film was able to connect with the masses, Imtiaz says it was not the usual love story where the boy meets girl and they fall in love.

"I feel elated that people love the simplicity of the movie. It is a bit different. It is about positivity, it gives you hope, makes you smile, especially that part when Geet, on the terrace of her building, tells Aditya - 'Life is a game. Let's enjoy it.

"Getting stressed about it doesn't make it easier'. I think that was the icing on the cake in the film."

Both the characters were poles apart from each other and happened to meet when their paths intersected on a train journey.

In the second half of the film, both Geet and Aditya undergo drastic role reversals.

Talking about the chemistry between Kareena and Shahid, Imtiaz says it is not about the stars sharing an equation.

"... Else it will be the same for every film. The chemistry is between characters of a story... The actors are playing those characters, that's why they look interesting together or not," he adds.

Apparently, Bobby Deol and Ayesha Takia were initially considered for the lead roles.

"They (Shahid and Kareena) worked very hard to deserve the success that they got in Jab We Met. It turned out very well, in that way they consider themselves very fortunate," says Imtiaz.
New Delhi: "I am being sacked" was the text message former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus P Mistry sent to his wife Rohiqa minutes after he was asked to either resign or face termination over Tata Trusts losing confidence in him for a variety of reasons.

Minutes before the October 24, 2016 board meeting of Tata Sons -- the holding company of the USD 106 billion salt-to- software conglomerate -- Ratan Tata and another board member Nitin Nohria came calling on the former chairman, claims Nirmalya Kumar, who was part of the core Group Executive Council (GEC) formed by Mistry.

"Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that 'Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working'.

"Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons. He is offered the option of resigning or facing the resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting," Kumar wrote in a blog.

Ratan Tata, according to Kumar, chimes in at this stage to say he is sorry that things have reached this stage.

"Cyrus Mistry calmly responds with 'gentlemen you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do'," he wrote.

Cyrus sends a text "I am being sacked" to his wife Rohiqa, before putting on his jacket and heading for the board meeting, says Kumar in his latest blog titled 'How Cyrus Mistry was fired'.

Kumar, who is currently a professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University and Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, states that during the meeting, Mistry argued that the articles of association required a 15-day notice before a resolution.

Another Tata Trusts nominee Amit Chandra informed the board that the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts stated such a notice was not necessary. "He offered to share the opinion, but none has been to date," said the blog.

While six of the eight-member board that included Vijay Singh, Amit Chandra and Nitin Nohria -- all trust nominees; Ajay Piramal, Ronen Sen and Venu Srinivasan -- all independent directors, voted in favour of the resolution that sought removal of Mistry, Farida Khambhata, an independent director, and Ishaat Hussain, finance director, Tata Sons abstained from voting.

"It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal," Kumar wrote.

At 3 pm Mistry returned to his room and begun "packing his personal effects." He was informed by F N Subehdar, chief operating officer, Tata Sons that it was "unnecessary for Mistry to return the next day" when the latter queried him about the same.

Kumar said Mistry's ouster stood out because the Tata Group had a history of only six chairmen over 148 years.

"Cyrus Mistry was selected after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve between 20-30 years," he wrote.

Kumar said the initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as the Chairman had been passed via a shareholder resolution of Tata Sons.

"It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided.

"Unfortunately, instead there was the subsequent public airing of the underbelly of the Tata group as well as the deleterious impact on the reputations of Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and the Tata brand," he wrote.

The only winners, he said, were the public relations companies and lawyers, who are still having a field day.

On October 24 last year, Tata Sons announced that its board has replaced Mistry as Chairman of Tata Sons, naming his predecessor Ratan Tata as interim chairman.

Mistry was appointed Tata Sons chairman in November 2011 on the basis of his representation from Shapoorji Pallonji, the single largest shareholder in Tata Sons.

On February 21 this year, former head of TCS N Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman of Tata Sons.
New Delhi: A 31-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping off his body parts and hiding them in a refrigerator after suspecting his colleague of having an affair with his wife, police said.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in south Delhi's Mehrauli, they said. Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.

Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police official said yesterday.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Mandal then fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village. But he was not found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela.

Mandal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.
Dahej: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that the process of taking "important decisions" regarding the economic reforms will continue.

On a day-long visit to Gujarat, he also reached out to traders, saying their past records will not be checked by the income tax department if they join the formal economy by getting themselves registered under the GST regime.

"After all reforms and hardcore decisions, the economy of the country is on track and is going in the right direction," PM Modi said addressing a rally here.

"Many economists have agreed unanimously that the fundamentals of the economy are strong," he added.

He was apparently answering the critics who have been saying that the economy is in bad state.

"If we have a look at the figures which have come recently, the production of coal, electricity, natural gas and other items has increased tremendously. Foreign investors are making record investments in the country. The foreign exchange reserves of the country have reached 40,000 crore dollars from 30,000 crore dollars," the PM said, PTI reported.

"We have taken important decisions regarding reforms and this process will continue. Financial stability of the country will be maintained while initiating reforms. We will take all necessary steps to increase investments and bring in the economic development," he said.

Talking about GST, PM Modi said the number of traders joining the new indirect tax regime is increasing day by day.

"In the last few months, 27 lakh additional people have registered themselves for this indirect tax... No businessmen wants to indulge in tax evasion. But tax rules, system, tax officials and even politicians are forcing them to do it," he said.

"I know, that those who are joining have fear that their past records will be checked. I assure you that no tax officials will be allowed to open past records of those who want to come in the mainstream," the PM declared.

He said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has stopped corruption at check posts on borders of each states.

"The GST has eliminated check posts on borders. Trucks do not have to wait for days and corruption at check posts has stopped. Now, those who used to take contracts for ensuring passage of your trucks through the check posts are naturally very angry with me," PM Modi said.

Meanwhile, he also inaugurated a Rs 650-crore roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ferry service that reduces travel time by six hours between Saurashtra and South Gujarat.

Addressing a gathering in Bhavnagar after the inauguration, PM Modi blasted the Congress saying the previous UPA government in the Centre had stalled all Gujarat development projects by creating procedural hurdles in the name of environment.



"When I was the CM, I faced hostility from the then central Government. People at the Center were like that. From Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch, they (the UPA government) had banned development in the entire coastal area of Gujarat. They had threatened to lock all our industries in the name of environment," he said.



He added that this had changed since he took power in Delhi and gave importance to the Gujarat development.



"It seems implementation of all good works are my luck. Changes don`t come from cliched attitude but by new thinking. We changed the way of thinking," the PM said, as per IANS.



He further said that the ferry in the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea would reduce the travel time between Bhavnagar district in western Gujarat`s Saurashtra region and Dahej in Bharuch district in south Gujarat from seven hours to one hour, cutting the distance between two places to 31 km from 360 km.

Election to pick a new 182-member Gujarat assembly is due before January 22, 2018 when its term ends. The Election Commission has not announced the poll dates as of now.

Sharing my speech at the public meeting in Ghogha in Bhavnagar district. https://t.co/lZCPK46gXB pic.twitter.com/oQ7ZyIR0hY  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

In Dahej, spoke about the Centres focus towards harnessing our long coastline for the nation's economic growth. https://t.co/pT15orLwkM pic.twitter.com/m803RT3YKh  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

Breathtaking glimpses of the Ghogha-Dahej ferry service. Its inauguration is a landmark moment in Gujarats development journey. pic.twitter.com/Whzs2mOQI8  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

In Vadodara, talked about the Central Governments steps to ensure the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor. pic.twitter.com/kvtIoO3AWR October 22, 2017

Thank you Vadodara for the affection. pic.twitter.com/RlbFIYKuNL  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in his home state Gujarat where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts.

He was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel minutes after his arrivaal in Bhavnagar.

Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Bhavnagar, received by CM Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel pic.twitter.com/RFXDgYHQA9  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

This could possibly be his last visit to Gujarat before the Election Commission announces poll dates for the state.

PM Modi is expected to inaugurate the first phase of the Rs. 615 crore roll-on roll-off ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch in the Gulf of Cambay.

He had called the ferry service his dream project while addressing a gathering at Gandhinagar on October 16.

He had also tweeted a video about the same on his Twitter handle on Saturday.

Ghogha-Dahej Ferry Service will boost connectivity and infrastructure in Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/Hed5BoaT9V  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2017

It has been claimed that the seven to eight hours of travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat, will reduce to one hour after the ferry service begins.

After inaugurating the ferry service, PM will address a gathering in Ghogha and undertake a journey to Dahej from Ghogha on the ferry.

From Dahej, he will leave for Vadodara, where he is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for several developmental projects worth over Rs. 1,140 crore. It includes capacity expansion of Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, greenfield marketing terminal project of HPCL. an integrated transport hub, housing projects, and a flyover.

He will also dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre, the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme, and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda.

The Prime Minister will hand over keys of houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban, as well as Rural).

Talking to news agency PTI, Ajay Bhadoo, Chief Executive Officer of Gujarat Maritime Board, which is executing the ro-ro project, said the first phase of the service to be inaugurated by Modi on Sunday is meant for passengers.

In the second phase, which would be ready in two months, cars can also be carried between the two towns.

The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 kilometres by road to 30 kilometres which can be covered in 1 hour, Bhadoo asserted.

This will be his third visit to the poll-bound state in October.

A week ago, on October 16, he had visited Gujarat and had addressed party workers at a village near Gandhinagar.

Before that he had visited Gujarat to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various development projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.

He also held a roadshow in his hometown Vadnagar on October 8.

With PTI inputs
New Delhi: The Government of India has clarified that asking relatives of the 39 Indians who went missing in Mosul, Iraq, three years ago to undergo DNA tests is normal procedure to confirm identification.

Both India and Iraq maintain that the 39 Indian nationals are still alive and authorities in both countries remain committed to continue their search for them on this assumption.

"All of us have been asked to undergo DNA test," Gurpinder, the sister of Manjinder, one of the missing Indians, had told ANI.

It may be recalled that in July this year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had firmly said in a statement in Parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence.

"It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence. I will not do this sin," Swaraj had said in a statement in the Lok Sabha on the fate of 39 Indians missing in Iraq since 2014.

The Government of India had asked Iraq for help in locating the missing Indians after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul from ISIS, and New Delhi has repeatedly said it won't end the search for these missing citizens believing that they are still alive.

"This file will not close till there is proof that the 39 Indians are dead. I will not commit the sin of declaring them dead without any evidence," Swaraj had said in July, adding then that insofar as this emotive issue is concerned, there is no benefit to the government by misleading the people.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Eshaiker al-Jafari is also on record as saying around that time that Baghdad does not have "substantial evidence" to prove that the missing Indians are dead.

The 39 persons, most of whom hail from Punjab, were working on projects near Mosul, when they were kidnapped during their evacuation.

India is on record as saying that every effort is being made by Iraq and other countries to help trace the abducted Indians.

With ANI inputs
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah turned 52 on Sunday.

On the occasion, Prime Minister took to Twitter to extend his wishes to the BJP leader and prayed for his long life.

"Birthday greetings to Amit bhai, who is providing exemplary leadership to the BJP. I pray for his long and healthy life," Modi tweeted.

Birthday greetings to Amitbhai, who is providing exemplary leadership to the BJP. I pray for his long and healthy life. @AmitShah  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 22, 2017

Amit Shah too responded saying, "Thank you honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji for your kind words and good wishes. Your leadership inspires us to work hard."

Thank you honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji for your kind words and good wishes. Your leadership inspires us to work hard. https://t.co/1MwjXzNUpv  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 22, 2017

Apart from the Prime Minister, several other leaders wished the party president on his birthday.

Heartiest Greetings to our party president Shri @AmitShah. I pray to god for his long life, good health and continued success  Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) October 22, 2017

Heartiest birthday greetings to one of the most successful #BJP NationalPresidents Mananiya @AmitShah ji!

Wishing you a long & healthy life!  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) October 22, 2017

A very happy birthday to Sh. Amit Shah Ji. May he be blessed with good health,success & his wealth multiply 256000000 times.(16000*16000)

#HBDayAmitShah  Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 22, 2017

On his birthday, I wish @AmitShah ji a lifetime of happiness and continued success. May he be blessed with long & healthy life. October 22, 2017

Birthday greetings to Shri @AmitShah ji, national president of the BJP. May God bless him with a long healthy life & a successful year ahead  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) October 22, 2017

Shah has successfully completed three years as the BJP President and adding another feather to his cap  he is now a Rajya Sabha MP as well. The recent victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand has made his position in the party indispensable. Under his leadership, the party won a massive mandate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and won consecutive state Assembly polls after that.
New Delhi: Even as it waits for the Centre's nod to reopen the Bofors kickback case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) top brass is learnt to have issued directions to key officers to locate the "buried" files connected to the case and prepare a fresh list of witnesses and accused who are "still alive".

Sources in the CBI told DNA that these instructions were issued at a meeting chaired by CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma following the DNA interview of the private investigator in the case, Michael J Hershman, who questioned the role of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case.

The CBI is also planning to constitute a new team headed by a Joint Director-rank officer to re-investigate the case. Further, the agency is trying to get in touch with earlier investigators of the case  which continues to have huge political ramifications, especially now that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is set to be elevated as party president.

In a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is the administrative department in charge of the CBI, the agency has conveyed that it wants to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the Delhi High Court judgment of May 31, 2005 quashing all charges against the Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case. Sources said the CBI actually wanted to file the SLP as early as in 2005, but the then UPA government did not give its approval.

"The case is over 30 years old. Many witnesses and accused in the case have died, so a fresh list has to be made. Also, all the evidences collected needs to be analysed afresh so that the case can be argued strongly before the Supreme Court," said a senior CBI officer who was present in the high-level meeting.

The CBI could also seek assistance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in probing financial aspects of the case. The ED had looked into Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violations with regard to the case. FERA was repealed in 2000 and its provisions were incorporated into two new Acts: The Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the more-recent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A senior ED officer said, "We can only provide technical help to the agency as we were probing the FERA violations. All the files pertaining to those are with the agency. But we cannot probe the matter afresh till the time the court or government issues orders." It was then ED chief Bhure Lal who probed the issue of millions of dollars in bribes paid by Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors to influential politicians and people.

ED had then engaged the private investigator in the case, Michael J Hershman, the president and CEO of The Fairfax Group. Speaking to DNA, Hershman, who has already expressed his willingness to dispose before the CBI and help investigators with his findings, had questioned Rajiv Gandh's intention in trying to close the case, wondering why the case had been dumped.

DNA was the first media entity to have interviewed Hershman, who was assigned the job of probing violations of currency control laws in 1987, earlier this week. He had claimed that "millions were paid as bribe by Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors to influential politicians and people".

Earlier this year, the six-member Public Accounts Committee sub-committee on defence looked into non- compliance of certain aspects of the CAG report of 1986 on the Bofors howitzer gun deal. The panel members asked the CBI to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2005 order quashing proceedings in the Bofors case. Delhi High Court Judge RS Sodhi quashed all charges against the Hinduja brothers and the Bofors company and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case.

Before the 2005 verdict, another judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice JD Kapoor had, on February 4, 2004, exonerated Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of the IPC against the Bofors company.
Mumbai: Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao engaged in a war of words on Twitter on Sunday.

Taking a dig at Rao over his remarks that most Indian film stars have "very low IQ and very low general knowledge", Farhan tweeted - "How dare you, sir?" - and tagged the BJP leader.

He added - "And to all film people in his ranks... Here's what he thinks of you. Shame sir."

How dare you, sir?? @GVLNRAO



And to all film people in his ranks.. heres what he thinks of you. #shame https://t.co/6C8v6hZa23 October 22, 2017

Responding to the actor, Rao posted on Twitter - "Farhan ji, expressing an opinion is not a dare. Respect stars for work. Please do take criticism in stride. No intolerance please."

Farhan ji, Expressing an opinion is not a dare. Respect stars4work. Pl do take criticism in stride. No intolerance please!!@FarOutAkhtar https://t.co/Fn1igWvKHi  GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) October 22, 2017

Farhan's comment was in reaction to an interview Rao gave to a TV channel over the ongoing controversy on Tamil film 'Mersal' that has scenes critical of the GST and the Digital India initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Rao, criticising the movie and its makers in the TV interview, had said, "In any case, most of our film stars have very low IQ, very low general knowledge."



'Mersal', Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, is in the news after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded removal of specific dialogues which take a dig at GST and digital India.



Politicians, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader MK Stalin, apart from actor Kamal Haasan, slammed the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism regarding its policies.



Directed by Atlee, 'Mersal' stars Vijay in the roles of a village head, a doctor and a magician.

(With IANS inputs)
Beijing: A top Chinese Army official on Sunday said several negotiations with the Indian Army paved the way for the resolution of Doklam crisis.



"This year, India military crossed the borderline into China's territory. Of course, it has safely been resolved," China's People's Liberation Army office Liu Fang said.



"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and also we also had many times negotiations with Indian side," said Liu, the Staff Officer at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the PLA's Central Military Commission (CMC).



China's position contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, she added.

Liu was talking on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party China.



"We are doing everything to protect national integrity and security," she added, as per IANS.



India and Chinese troops were locked in an over a two-month standoff at Doklam on their border.

The crises, which erupted in June over Chinese building a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, ended with both sides deciding to 'disengage' from the face-off point.



On August 28 the Ministry of External Affairs had tweeted saying, "In recent weeks, India and China maintained diplomatic communication in respect of incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing."

(With Agency inputs)
Jammu: A fierce encounter is believed to be underway in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara between the security forces and a group of unidentified terrorists on Sunday.

According to ANI, one terrorist has been eliminated by the security forces in the ensuing encounter.

A grenade, one rifle and a lrage amount of Pakistani currency notes have been recovered from terrorist killed in Handwara encounter.

#UPDATE J&K: Grenade, rifle and Pakistani currency notes recovered from terrorist killed in Handwara encounter. pic.twitter.com/JqpdQoS4lG  ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2017

The security personnel involved in the operation are reported to be safe.

The encounter in Handwara's Hajin is still underway as two to three more terrorists are still believed to be hiding in the area.

The entire area has been cordoned off and a massive search has begun to flush out terrorists hiding in the area.

Today's encounter comes several hours after some terrorists attacked the house of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mohd Ashraf Pir in Tral town of Pulwama.

Recently, Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits have been attacking leaders of J&K's ruling PDP and killed many of them.

Earlier in May, terrorists shot dead the PDP district president for Pulwama, Abdul Gani Dar, in the south Kashmir district.
Jammu: Vikramaditya Singh, a PDP lawmaker and grandson of Jammu and Kashmir`s former ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, resigned from the party because it was "no longer possible for me to be part of a party that continues to disregard aspirations of Jammu region".

Singh, whose father is senior Congress leader Karan Singh, also announced his decision to leave the Legislative Council, the upper house of the state`s bicameral legislature.

He told reporters that he had written an open letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti highlighting the issues over which serious differences had arisen between him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said the demand of the people of Jammu to declare a state holiday on September 23 to commemorate the birthday of the former Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, the inclusion of the period of Dogra rule in text books and the issue of Rohingya settlers in Jammu were emotional issues close to the heart of Jammu people.

"I feel it is neither morally nor ethically right for me to continue as a member of of the PDP. I therefore tender my resignation from the party... with immediate effect," he said in the letter that he also posted on his social media accounts.

Singh said he would also write to the Chairman of the Legislative Council requesting him to accept his resignation.

He told reporters that there was a growing regional divide in Jammu and Kashmir, India`s only Muslim-majority state, which can be bridged by addressing the issues highlighted by him.

He said he had written to senior PDP leaders too asking them to address these issues but there had been no response from them.

"Mehbooba Mufti is the chief of the entire state and not just of one region."
Mumbai: The accused, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday on charges of molesting and physically assaulting a minor girl in the city, was rearrested after the victim complained of her nose being fractured in the assault.

The incident, which took place on Tuesday, was captured on a CCTV camera.

The video, purportedly showing Imran Shahid Shaikh (19), who was known to the girl, attacking her, has gone viral on social and mainstream media.

The police, who had yesterday arrested and later released Shaikh on bail, took the accused into custody again and said a new charge of molestation under section 354, IPC was against the accused.

The video footage showed a man repeatedly hitting the girl, who slumped to the ground. The passersby did not come to her help before the man had left the scene.

According to a police official, the incident took place on October 17 near the SRA Building in Shramjeevi Nagar at around 7 pm when the girl was going to her class at Adarsh Nagar in the Thakkar Bappa Colony, Chembur with a friend.

"When she was near the building, she saw a group of youths, seated inside a parked autorickshaw, arguing loudly. The girl asked them not to make noise and then walked some distance with her friend," the official said.

However, enraged at being rebuked by her, Shaikh came out of the autorickshaw and hit her repeatedly, he said.

"Shaikh hit her on the nose with a metal object, after which she collapsed on the ground, bleeding from the nose profusely," the official said, adding that Shaikh then threatened her and fled the spot.

"The people, who witnessed the incident, did not stop Shaikh from beating her," he said.

The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was found to have suffered a nose fracture, the official said.

The girl, however, told national TV channels that Shaikh was harassing her for the last few days and that when she complained to her mother about it, she sent her elder sister to talk to the man's mother.

However, nothing changed and Shaikh continued to pass vulgar remarks at her whenever she was on her way to attend classes.

"I had told all of this to the police but they recorded something else in the statement. The police also told us not to file a case and instead, go for a compromise. We were also offered money to shut up," the girl claimed.

When asked whether the incident happened due to eve- teasing, Khoparde said the victim did not mention any such thing in her complaint.

"We have called the girl to record further statement in this case. If some new facts surface, charges will be added against the accused," he added.
Mumbai: Actor Aditya Pancholi on Saturday complained to the Versova Police that he has been receiving extortion calls from an unknown person. The actor alleged that the caller has been demanding Rs 25 lakh from him.

Police have registered a case and initiated the probe.

Pancholi reportedly stated in his complaint that a person named Munna Pujari has been calling and texting him since October 18.

According to Pancholi, the suspect has also given him a bank account number to transfer money.
Mumbai: Actress Amy Jackson, who has wrapped work on Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0, is now in Canada to shoot a new episode for superhero action-adventure television series Supergirl.



And "that`s a wrap for 2.0. The past two-and-a-half-years have been an absolute roller coaster... But the outcome will knock ya socks off," Amy tweeted on October 22.



2.0, directed by S. Shankar, is a high budget sequel to the 2010 Tamil film Enthiran. The film marks the Tamil debut of Akshay, who will be seen playing the prime antagonist.



Amy is on a roll as she recently bagged the role of Saturn Girl in the third season of Supergirl.



In a matter of 26 hours after wrapping 2.0, she said she arrived in Canada to start working on the next episode of Supergirl.
New Delhi: Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to consider next month a proposal to credit subscribers' share of its ETF investments to their provident fund accounts which can be redeemed at the time of withdrawal.

"Employees? Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) apex decision making body the Central Board of Trustee (CBT) headed by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar will meet in November. They are likely to consider the proposal to credit ETF investments to members' accounts," a Labour Ministry official told PTI.

The official said that the issue was listed on the agenda of the CBT meeting held earlier this year and was referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) .

The official said that the CAG had agreed to the proposal in principal but sought few clarifications.

As per estimates, EPFO's investment in ETFs is expected to touch Rs 45,000 crore by the end of the current fiscal.

EPFO had started investing in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) in August 2015, putting 5 per cent of its investible deposits in stock linked products. It was raised to 15 per cent for the current fiscal.

Once approved, the share of subscribers in the form of ETF units will be credited to their accounts.

An ETF is a security that tracks an index, a commodity or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange.

EPFO, which has about 5 crore subscribers, manages a corpus of over Rs 10 lakh crore.
Jaipur: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the Rajasthan government for passing a controversial ordinance which protects judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction.

The Congress leader posted a tweet in which he attacked Rajasthan's Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for introducing such an ordinance which has been widely criticised by the civil rights activists.

Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21'st century. It's 2017, not 1817. https://t.co/ezPfca2NPS  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 22, 2017

Civil rights group PUCL had on Saturday condemned the Rajasthan government ordinance and demanded that it be repealed.

The ordinance passed by the Vasundhara Raje government seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

State president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Kavita Srivastava said the amendments and provisos were to "gag the media" and "clipping" the powers of the magistrate to order an investigation, investigate or take cognisance of complaints against public servants including judges and magistrates.

"We will go to the high court tomorrow against the government's move. The ordinance should be repealed," she said.

"It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court," Srivastava said.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, "No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant."

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.
New Delhi: Chhath Puja has been historically dedicated to Lord Surya and his wife Usha. The devotees thank the lord and his wife for supporting life on earth and seek their protection and blessings. The festival is native to Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh and is also celebrated in Nepal.

Also known as Surya Shashti, Chhathi and Dala Chhath, the occasion is observed over four days with rituals being observed throughout. The Chatt Puja rituals include fasting, holy bathing, offering prayers and prasad to the sun (Surya Devta) and refraining from drinking water.

This year, the day for Chhath Puja is October 26, with the rituals beginning on October 24 (Nahay Khay).

As per drikpanchang.org, following are the Puja Timings:

Sunrise on Chhath Puja Day (October 26)- 06:28

Sunset on Chhath Puja Day (October 26)- 17:40

Shashthi Tithi Begins - 09:37 on October 25

Shashthi Tithi Ends - 12:15 on October 26
Chennai: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday lauded the crew of actor Vijay's starrer 'Mersal', saying the film has addressed an important issue.

However in a terse Twitter message, he did not explicitly refer to any specific issue, although the film has courted controversy over Goods and Services Tax, with BJP claiming that there have been incorrect references to the central taxation.

"Important topic addressed..... Well done!!! congratulations team#mersal' Rajinikanth said in a brief tweet.

Diwali release "Mersal" has kicked up a row with the BJP taking exception to references on GST in the movie.

BJP leaders, including Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, have been demanding that the "incorrect" references be deleted from the big-budget flick.

However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his senior colleague P Chidambaram, DMK working president M K Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.

The BJP had on October 20 objected to what it termed as "untruths" regarding the GST in just-released "Mersal", and wanted dialogues on the central taxation to be deleted.

Actor Vishal had earlier accused Raja of advocating piracy by watching the movie online, a charge rejected by latter.
Ghazipur: Brother of Rashtriya Swayansewak Sangh (RSS) leader and local journalist, Rajesh Mishra, who was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on Saturday, is said to be in a critical condition and has been shifted to Banaras Hindu University's (BHU) Trauma Centre.

Amitesh Mishra was seriously injured when miscreants gunned down the RSS leader at his shop in Karanda.

The Uttar Pradesh Police, investigating the case, had earlier said that they have identified the killers of RSS leader and will make the arrests soon.

The police, however, suspects old rivalry as the reason behind the RSS leader's murder.

We have got few clues, some old rivalry is the likely reason behind the murder. Investigation in the case underway, Somen Verma, SP Ghazipur said while replying to reporters on the RSS leader's murder.
Ayodhya: Politics over the Babri dispute, including the hate campaign by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has only complicated a possible amicable solution, contends Mahant Satyendra Das of the makeshift Ram Mandir at the disputed site here, saying there was no enmity here between the two communities over the issue.

He said the apex court`s verdict was likely to be in favour of constructing the Ram Mandir at the disputed site -- where once stood the 16th century Babri Masjid that was demolished by Hindu fundamentalists in 1992 -- as evidence "clearly showed" the existence of a temple at the spot in the past.

Satyendra Das said the court`s decision was expected soon, thus facilitating the construction of the "long-cherished" grand mandir at the birthplace of Lord Ram in a year`s time.

"The court`s decision is expected soon. All things are in place and all evidence has been presented by the Hindu side to prove that the Ram Mandir existed before it was demolished to build the Babri Masjid," Das told IANS in an interview.

"On other hand, Muslims could not produce any evidence. They have sought time from the court till December for translation of some documents into English. So, the decision is expected early next year," he said.

Citing good relations among people from both communities, he said they would sit together and try to find a solution in case the court`s decision was not acceptable to both sides. "We will find a solution through mutual understanding and talks, but no political party will be allowed to interfere as they have their political motives," he said.

Satyendra Das slammed the VHP for spreading hatred by using foul language against Muslims when it started its agitation for the temple.

"The VHP used the language that made Muslims sad, angry and distressed. Slogans were like `Hindi Hindu Hindustan, Mullah Bhago Pakistan (Hindi Hindu India, Muslims go to Pakistan) or 'Jo kahega Babri, usko samjho akhri (Whoever says Babri will meet his end). It only worsened the matter," he said.

At the same time, he said such campaigns did not have any adverse impact on the communal harmony in the city.

"There was no such feeling of hatred towards Muslims among local Hindus. Politicians from both sides abused each other. However, common people did not harbour any such hatred.

"I have been the priest of the temple for 26 years, even during the period of demolition. Despite the pressure from the government, I declined any kind of personal security. I never felt scared of Muslims. There is no feeling of enmity between the people over Mandir-Masjid issues," he said.

Also, if they fight, it will have negative repercussions on tourism and business here, he added.

Holding that the Allahabad High Court had erred in its order to divide the disputed land into three parts when no one had asked for this, he said: "It is clear that there will not be any division of land (by the Supreme Court)."

The priest said many Muslims had understood that the Ram Mandir once existed at the disputed site and they now had no problem with the construction of the temple, provided land was given for the masjid.

"Many Muslims understand that the masjid was built by demolishing the Ram Mandir in the past. It is proven now. Muslims have started thinking that it (the dispute) should be left in such circumstances. We have asked them to get land for a masjid anywhere they want. The size of the land is a point of contention," he said.

Satyendra Das said the opponents of Ram Mandir have become less aggressive after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

However, the saffron party would not play a proactive role in the matter such as bringing legislation for the temple to avoid any blot on its image and damage to its electoral calculations, he asserted.

"If the BJP takes up the issue, it will meet with opposition from other parties. They will be called being against Muslims. So the BJP government will never attempt to bring legislation under any circumstances," he said.

"So the best way to solve the issue is through the court. It would be more suitable," Satyendra Das concluded.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat has ordered the formation of special protection teams to keep a check on cow smuggling and slaughter in the state.

The protection teams have been constituted in the Kumaon and Garhwal regions, comprising of 11 police personnel each.

The squads will keep a check over cow-smuggling and undertake the necessary investigation on cow slaughter.

The Uttarakhand Assembly had, in July, passed a bill banning cow slaughter in the state.

Under the bill, cow slaughter is an offence punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may be extended up to 10 years but not less than three years and a fine which may be extended up to Rs. 10,000, but not less than Rs. 5,000.

Violence related to cow vigilantism, of late, has been on a rise in the country, especially in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states, with vigilantes targetting those engaged in their trade and slaughter.

The Supreme Court of India, in September, had asked for a compliance report from all the states in connection with cow vigilantism.

The apex court was hearing the plea filed by Sehzad Poonawalla.

The plea alleged that these groups were committing atrocities against the Dalits and other minorities in the name of protection of cows and they needed to be "regulated and banned in the interest of social harmony, public morality and law and order in the country".
Islamabad: China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior Ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
District of Columbia: US President Donald Trump said Saturday he will allow long blocked secret files on the assassination of John F Kennedy to be opened to the public for the first time.

The November 22, 1963 assassination -- an epochal event in modern US history -- has spawned multiple theories challenging the official version that Kennedy was killed a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.

So the release of all the secret documents has been eagerly anticipated by historians and conspiracy theorists alike.

Trump`s announcement followed reports that not all the files would be released, possibly to protect still relevant intelligence sources and methods.

But Trump appears to have decided otherwise.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," he said in a tweet.

The files are due to be opened in their entirety Thursday, nearly 54 years after Kennedy`s assassination in Dallas -- unless the US president decides otherwise.

Millions of classified Kennedy files have been made public under a 1992 law passed in response to a surge in public demand for disclosure in the wake of Oliver Stone`s conspiracy-heavy movie on the assassination.

But the law placed a 25-year hold on a small percentage of the files that expires October 26.

Some reports put the number withheld at 3,100. Tens of thousands of files that had been released with portions blacked out are also set to be fully declassified.

"The president believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency, unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," a White House official said.Kennedy was the fourth US president to be cut down by an assassin`s bullets, and his death at age 46 proved a traumatic turning point as the United

States headed into a period of turbulence over civil rights and the Vietnam War.

The shocking images of Jacqueline Kennedy cradling her mortally wounded husband in the back of an open presidential limousine froze the moment in the public consciousness.

A 10-month investigation led by then Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren concluded that Oswald, a former Marine who had lived in the Soviet Union, acted alone when he fired on Kennedy`s motorcade, hitting the president with two shots, one through the upper back and the other in the head.

Oswald, arrested two hours later after murdering a Dallas police officer, was shot to death two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby as he was being transferred from the city jail.

The Warren commission`s finding was challenged in 1979 by a special House investigative committee that concluded Kennedy was "probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy," and that there were likely two shooters.A welter of conspiracy theories have arisen over the years, variously blaming Fidel Castro, the Mafia, the KGB, Lyndon Johnson and the CIA.

Stone`s controversial 1991 movie "JFK" managed to implicate Johnson, the Mafia and the CIA.

Trump himself tapped into the public fascination with the case during last year`s presidential campaign, bizarrely linking Republican rival Senator Ted Cruz`s father to the Kennedy assassination.

"His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald`s being -- you know, shot," Trump said in a May 2016 telephone interview with Fox News.

"I mean, what was he doing -- what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting?" Trump continued. "It`s horrible."

Cruz called the accusation "nuts."

"Yes, my dad killed JFK, he is secretly Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard," he said sarcastically, speaking to reporters at a campaign event in Indiana.

Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff recalled that history Saturday, retweeting Trump`s announcement and asking "does this mean Ted Cruz`s father will be exposed?"
Riyadh: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has arrived in Riyadh in a visit aimed at upgrading strategic ties, amid warming relations between the Arab neighbours.

The tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al- Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

It also comes after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, his second visit to the region in recent months to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha.

Abadi will today to take part in Riyadh in a meeting to establish a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council aimed at boosting cooperation.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson is also set to take part in the meeting.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump. Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq.

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months.

After former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite- dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair on Saturday, Saudi minister Khalid al-Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".
Quetta: Rescue workers recovered the bodies of seven mine workers who were buried under a landslide in the country's southwest, officials said on Saturday.

Habibur Rehman, a government administrator, said rescue workers were searching for the remaining two workers in the Shrag area of the Harnai coal field.

He said the rescue workers were using light machinery to do the delicate work.

He said initially it was believed six workers were trapped in the partly collapsed mine. He said records indicated nine workers were missing.

Iftikhar Ahmed, a coal mine inspector, earlier said a landslide a day before caused a portion of the coal mine to cave in, trapping workers.

Harnai district and its surroundings in southwestern Baluchistan province have rich coal and other mineral reserves but a poor infrastructure.

Such incidents are common in Pakistan's coal mine fields where authorities and workers themselves often disregard safety standards.
Tokyo: Millions of Japanese braved typhoon conditions Sunday for a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the world's third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea.

If pre-election surveys prove correct, Abe's conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse.

Polling stations opened across the country at 7:00am (2200 GMT Saturday) with voters battling high winds and driving rain as an election-day typhoon barrelled towards Japan.

Analysts say that if the weather affects turnout, it is likely to benefit Abe, whose conservative voters are more determined, putting the nationalist blueblood on course to become the country`s longest-serving leader.

"I support Abe`s stance not to give in to North Korea`s pressure," one voter, Yoshihisa Iemori, said as he cast his ballot in Tokyo.

"I`m focusing on this point for the election," the 50-year-old construction firm owner told AFP.

The near-constant drizzle throughout the campaign has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abe`s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house.

Such a "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to Japan`s US-imposed constitution that forces it to "renounce" war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Ballot boxes close at 8:00 pm (1100 GMT) when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls.Abe shocked Japan by calling the snap election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual "national crises" of an ageing population and North Korean tensions.

Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12-day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea.

Nationalist Abe has taken a hawkish line during the crisis, binding Japan to the US stance that "all options" are on the table to counter Pyongyang`s nuclear threat and urging maximum pressure via sanctions.

"When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver," an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally.

"We must not yield to the threat of North Korea."

Observers say North Korea`s sabre-rattling has helped Abe, 63, as voters tend to plump for the incumbent at times of heightened tension.Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in the country and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity.

Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I`m afraid this country will be broken."

"I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger. He does not do politics for the people," added the pensioner.

But Abe faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party.

Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japan`s sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old-school politics and vested interests.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koike`s popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election.

"As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless," said Michael Cucek from Temple University.

Koike herself was even in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor.

The centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party may benefit from her decline and could become the second biggest party. Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime minister`s trademark "Abenomics" policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories.

While the stock market stands at a 21-year high, the benefits have been slow to trickle down to the general public.

"Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don`t feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.

Abe has vowed to use part of the proceeds from a proposed sales tax hike to provide free childcare in a bid to get more women working but Koike wants to scrap the tax hike altogether.
Beirut: United States-backed militias said they captured a major oil field in Deir al-Zor province on Sunday, pressing their offensive against Islamic State fighters in eastern Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they gained control of al-Omar oil field, one of Syria`s largest, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river.

With air strikes and special forces from the U.S.-led coalition, the SDF has been battling Islamic State in oil-rich Deir al-Zor, bordering Iraq. The SDF alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias has been focused on territory east of the river, which bisects the province.

The Syrian army, with Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been waging its own separate offensive against Islamic State militants, mostly to the west of the river.

The U.S.-led coalition and the Russian military have been holding deconfliction meetings - to prevent clashes between planes and troops - though the offensives have sometimes come into conflict.

Al-Omar oil field lies some 10 km (6.21 miles) north of the town of al-Mayadin, which government forces and their allies took earlier this month.
She was 28 and a young mother of two in 1991. It was the same year when she was shot at her face by a 'fearless' teenaged boy who attempted to rob her near a car park.

In a video that has been circulated on the social media, Debbie Baigrie describes her disbelief that a 13-year-old could pull out a trigger.

Ian Manuel was charged as an adult for shooting Baigrie in the face and was handed over a life sentence, to be later reduced to 65 years in prison.

In the video, Manuel described how he found Baigrie's number and decided to call her shortly before Christmas.

She received a call from him and he apologised to her and called it a 'mistake'. Then began a friendly correspondence between the two.

It was after the call, Baigrie challenged the court's sentence for Manuel, and spoke against what she felt was an unfair punishment.

In 2016, Manuel, then 39, was released from prison after a judge in Hillsborough County ruled he was eligible for early release.

His first meal, as a free man, was pizza with Baigrie.

Their friendship has since the blossomed and as per Baigrie, "He is almost like my child now".
Cairo: A Yemeni journalist has been denied a visa to the US where she is set to receive a press award, said the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The CPJ said that prominent Yemeni journalist Afrah Nasser may not be able to attend the November 15 ceremony to receive the International Free Press Award.

The Trump administration in September announced the most recent iteration of the US travel ban, which include restrictions on Yemeni citizens.

Nasser, who is also a citizen of Sweden where she now resides, wrote on her blog on Friday that she had applied twice and was rejected both times by the American embassy in Stockholm.

The US State Department declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of visa records.

"I am currently applying for the third time, and I am not optimistic," she wrote.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS-IRNA. The national news agencies of Armenia and Iran have signed a cooperation agreement in the information field.

The agreement was signed by Director of ARMENPRESS news agency Aram Ananyan and Managing Director of IRNA news agency Mohammad Khodadadi.

Mohammad Khodadadi said ARMENPRESS and IRNA will have a chance to exchange reliable information acting as a unique bridge of dialogue between the two countries. He said the two countries do not utilize the entire cooperation potential in economic, political and cultural spheres, and the mass media have their share of fault in this since they should provide the necessary information to the authorities and people and ensure a platform for decision-making. We can work not only on the exchange of information and photos, but also on the planning of joint actions for exchange of information which in its turn can contribute to the development of economic ties between the two states, IRNA Director said.

Aram Ananyan and Mohammad Khodadadi also reached an agreement on holding a joint exhibition, as well as discussed issues relating to the cooperation in the fields of technologies, artificial intelligence and social networks.

They highlighted the need of ARMENPRESS-IRNA cooperation in global media associations. IRNA Director said the agency is going to hold trainings for Armenian students by sending Iranian professors to Armenia.

Director of ARMENPRESS news agency also gave an interview to IRNA news agency talking about the cooperation prospects between the Armenian and Iranian national news agencies. I think we are witnessing a historical transformation between the two news agencies. The national news agencies of Armenia and Iran have a firm cooperation plan, high-level cooperation agenda which covers all spheres of information, spheres which today exist and the ones which will be in the future. Cooperation supposes exchange of news, photos, videos, video conferences, issues related to information technologies, as well as implementation of joint programs, Aram Ananyan said.

After the visit to IRNA, Aram Ananyan also visited the Center of Culture and Printing of Iran. During the visit ARMENPRESS Director will also visit the countrys third largest city Isfahan to get acquainted with the citys historical monuments.
BURLINGTON Parental choice in education is popular. About a fifth of North Carolina students are educated outside of district-run public schools , and this share will probably grow to a quarter or more in the coming years.The North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership , a nonpartisan organization that schools candidates in how to run for and serve in public office, is sponsoring a series of "Hometown Debates" on education. Its Oct. 16 forum at the historic Paramount Theater in Burlington focused on the question of whether tax-funded schools of choice, chartered public schools or scholarship-accepting private schools, ought to be more heavily regulated by the state.Two of the panelists at the debate, State Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) and North Carolina Justice Center policy analyst Matt Ellinwood, said yes. They argued that because taxpayers are footing at least some of the bill, their representatives in state government are entitled to ask more questions, demand more measurements, and exercise more oversight.Meyer said during the debate , broadcast on television by Spectrum News and on radio by the North Carolina News Network.The other two panelists at the IOPL debate, state Rep. Jeff Elmore (R-Wilkes) and John Locke Foundation Vice President Terry Stoops, opposed heavier regulation.Elmore argued that while private schools accepting state-funded opportunity scholarships don't have to administer North Carolina's own end-of-grade exams, they are required to administer a nationally normed test.said Elmore, who works as a public-school teacher when the legislature isn't in session.Many private-school parents appreciate this fact. They often lack confidence in state-generated tests, for good reason, and find their annual reports from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or other independent national assessments to be useful and reliable.During his remarks, Stoops argued that top-down accountability based on tests isn't the only answer. Bottom-up accountability based on parental choice employs scores along with information about other concerns such as school safety, discipline, shared values, or post-graduation success. "We shouldn't just narrow it down to test scores," Stoops said.Do parents always make the best choices? It depends on your definition of "best." Perfection is impossible. And as Ellinwood pointed out, some innovations in such fields as virtual learning haven't always delivered on their initial promises.On balance, however, there is likely no better mechanism for identifying and replicating successful schools over time than allowing parents to make choices - and for education dollars to follow those choices.The knowledge problem here is enormous. Some educational approaches work better than others in general, but not for every child or in every situation (such as when teachers aren't trained or don't really believe in the curriculum or techniques in question).In my view, the right model for the tradeoff between school autonomy and regulation is a spectrum. District-run public schools receive the most money from government and thus merit the most oversight by public officials. Chartered public schools get somewhat less tax money and deserve more freedom. Private schools in which some students enroll with government subsidy deserve still more freedom, but a few requirements are necessary to give families useful consumer information. And private or home schools that receive no government appropriations should for the most part simply be left alone.Imposing tight regulation on scholarship programs won't deter desperate private schools of dubious quality from seeking to participate. But it may create too high a paperwork burden for high-performing private schools that aren't hurting for students. That would be a perverse outcome - the kind of outcome in which politicians seem to specialize.
Panelists differed on value of test scores, teacher certification, and parental exit options as measures of school accountability

BURLINGTON Lawmakers and education scholars Monday night debated whether the state should sharpen its focus when overseeing tax-funded charter and private schools.When it comes to holding charters schools accountable, one legislator, Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Orange, said education policy experts in other parts of the country call North Carolina the Wild, Wild West.That's just fine with Terry Stoops, vice president of research and director of education studies at the John Locke Foundation.Stoops said.Meyer and Stoops were part of the panel for the second round of the Institute of Political Leadership 's Hometown Debates. Other panelists were Rep. Jeff Elmore, R-Wilkes, and Matt Ellinwood, the N.C. Justice Center's director of education and law project. Stoops and Ellinwood also took part in the first debate Oct. 10 in Rocky Mount, along with two other state lawmakers. Loretta Boniti of Spectrum News moderated Monday's hour-long debate in the Paramount Theater.The final Hometown Debate is 7 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Old Post Office Playhouse in Newton. Panelists will focus on performance pay for teachers.Regarding school choice, North Carolina has two available voucher programs - the Opportunity Scholarship and the Special Education Scholarship Grants for Children with Disabilities. Parents will also have an option to use the Personal Education Savings Account program for the 2018-19 school year.When the state provides taxpayer dollars to any program it should be in charge of accountability, Meyer said.Meyer said.Ellinwood echoed Meyer's call for clearer minimal standards for charter schools.Ellinwood explained.Elmore said the testing apparatus is the same for public and charter schools, but private schools are required only to administer national standardized tests.Elmore said.Parents - not the state - keep schools accountable, said Stoops, who countered Meyer's suggestion for more state oversight of charters.Publicly available test scores are irrelevant, Stoops said, as long as parents have student performance scores, which allows them to determine whether their child is receiving a sound education.Stoops argued.Meyer later agreed that test scores aren't the only measure of a school's performance. Student and teacher absenteeism, school climate, and retention rates are factors to consider, as well.Ellinwood said charter schools in North Carolina provide a false choice, as the schools aren't required to accommodate students in lower-income or rural areas.Ellinwood said.Stoops talked about how charter management organizations bring outside capital to rural areas, which in turn creates more options for parents.Stoops said.Elmore pointed to a network of homeschooling and tutoring options in rural areas as evidence of school choice in rural communities. Meyer argued charter schools aren't the solution to every education problem, including issues surrounding rural education.Meyer said.It's easier for charter school operators to get funding in urban districts, he said.Panelists finished the debate by discussing flexibility for traditional public schools.Ellinwood said public schools want more leeway with the academic calendar and in employing school counselors. Elmore suggested more flexibility with curriculum.Meyer said public schools shouldn't employ charter school flexibility on hiring teachers.Meyer said.Stoops said certification requirements for teachers is absurd, and staffing flexibility is essential. He pointed to a shortfall of science, math, and special needs educators as a reason for flexible hiring.Stoops said of the debate moderator.
The Europe Together conference in Brussels brought together party leadership from "centre-left" parties across Europe; Jeremy Corbyn got two standing ovations for a barn-burning speech in which he called on European left wing parties to abandon Blairite anti-union/pro-bank policies and embrace policies that helped working families and reduced inequality.

Corbyn railed against low taxes for the rich, deregulation and privatisation of public industries and decried a false centrism that he blamed for the rise of reactionary, xenophobic far-right movements across Europe.

Corbyn's warm reception started during his introduction, where he was described as "the new Prime Minister of Britain."



"We all know their politics of hate, blame and division and not the answer, but unless we offer a clear and radical alternative of credible solutions for the problem we face, unless we offer a chance to change the broken system, and hope for a more prosperous future, we are clearing the path for the extreme right to make even more far-reaching inroads into our communities. Their message of fear and division would become the political mainstream of our discourse. "But we can offer a radical alternative; we have the ideas to make progressive politics the dominant force of this century. But if we don't get our message right, don't stand up for our core beliefs, and if we don't stand for change we will founder and stagnate." He continued: "The neoliberal economic model is broken. It doesn't work for most people. Inequality and low taxes for the richest are hurting our people and harming the economy as even the IMF now acknowledges. "It is, my friends, possible to win those arguments if you engage with them and put them out there. We will continue to do that. If our message is bold, and our message is radical, if we listen to what the majority actually want, we will prove the elites and their pundits wrong."

Ditch neoliberalism to win again, Jeremy Corbyn tells Europe's centre-left parties [Jon Stone/Independent]





(via Late Stage Capitalism)
How to Choose the Best Condoms

When You Need Protection, Reach for the Best Rubbers Out There

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.

The most successful form of birth control and STI prevention may be abstinence, but its also  not a lot of fun. For those of you who want to have sex without worry, condoms are a great option for ensuring your sexual escapades dont lead to a pregnancy or to the transmission of an infection. But theres more to the equation than just knowing that condoms exist; you also have to know how to use them  and just as importantly, you need to have some at your disposal.

But which condoms, exactly? That can be a bit trickier. For starters, penis size can vary wildly between men, depending on all kinds of factors  length, width, and shape, for instance. As well, different people want different things from their condoms. Are you looking for thin-as-can-be condoms? Or studded? Ribbed, colorful, or flavorful? Something that produces a specific sensation? Maybe youre allergic to latex and need a different material? Or you and your partner want to try a female condom?

All these questions and more are important ones to ask yourself when in the market for condoms. Luckily, weve put together this handy guide to help you choose the right condom  or condoms  for you. Keep reading to get an idea of what options are out there, which brands we think are the best, and what the different options are like depending on what youre looking for.

RELATED: Heres Which Size of Condom Most Guys Buy

How to Pick the Right Condom

Now, the question of picking the right condom raises the question: Is it possible to pick the wrong condom? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. If you or your partner should be using non-latex condoms and you dont, you might be looking at a painful allergic reaction. Choosing a condom thats the wrong size could lead to the condom breaking (if its too small), or slipping off (if its too large), too. A condom thats too thick could leave you feeling, well, underwhelmed, while a condom with special features youre not crazy about could leave you feeling overwhelmed.

At the end of the day, you want a condom that maximizes your enjoyment of the sex youre having while doing its best to ensure that youre having the safest sex you can. Its certainly possible to have a fine experience with just any old condom, but why settle for second-best? With a little bit of research, you can find the right condom for you  and the great sex youll have wont be something you regret.

So how do you find that condom? Before we get to your options, here are some helpful pointers:

Read Product Reviews

Before you book a hotel room at a luxury resort for your honeymoon or vacation, whats the first thing you do? Read reviews of other travelers to ensure youre getting the best experience for your buck. Why not apply the same logic to condom shopping? As sexpert Coleen Singer says, customer comments can be a powerful tool to decide on how a condom feels and performs. She suggests reading through Amazon before adding anything to your cart  or ahem, your penis.

Try the Variety Pack

Its the spice of life  and, well, the best way to figure out what you like and what doesnt suit you. Singer says its always a smart idea to buy an assortment of options so you can test them and receive feedback from your partner, too. From ribbed and flavored to extra lubrication to thin texture, it can be a fun experience to dive in together and figure out what works best for your sex life.

Only Opt for High-Quality Products

To ensure you keep the best physique, you only choose organic ingredients for your meals at home. And when youre applying facial cream or any slew of beard products, you pick natural solutions to avoid breakouts. With condoms, the same idea applies. Only use products that can give you full peace of mind before, during, and after the intercourse. That is the primary reason why many users stay with only the big brands. These brands guarantee that their products passed strict quality controls and that they work fully as designed, Singer explains.

How do know what youre using? Certified sex coach and educator Gigi Engle suggests taking a look at the back label and studying up on brands. Believe it or not, condoms are considered a class 2 medical device by the FDA, and are therefore are more highly regulated than other pleasure products, she explains. Before you opt into a specific line, decide what you want to use  organic or synthetic products, for example. This is a personal preference, but regardless of what you use, reading up on the effectiveness and FDA-approval of the product is essential. As Engle says, Some condoms are made with organic materials, which dont include gross silicone lubes that can contains glycerin, parabens, and other gnarly chemicals.

Think of Your Partner

Even if you arent in a committed, monogamous relationship, it takes two to tango  and to have an exciting, fulfilling sexual experience. This is where communication is important. As Engle says, choosing quality ingredients are better for your partners body, which could be sensitive to certain products. And if youre in doubt? Ask them! This ensures you both are satisfying yourselves to the maximum potential.

Focus on Fit

Bottom line though? You need a condom that fits. When it comes to condoms, it is of utmost importance to choose ones that are safe and comfortable. The most important factor in choosing the right condom is whether its the correct size for the penis: too large and it may slip off, and too small and it can become uncomfortable or even break, Singer notes.

Before you make a decision and purchase a pack of condoms, youll need to think of what purpose youd like them to fulfill. Here are some of the most common uses:

Condoms For Everyday Use

HEX Condoms

Ideal for a more sensitive and more intimate sexual sensation, the HEX condom by Lelo boasts a 250 interconnected hexagon structure to allow for body warmth to be transmitted between partners for a closer, more comfortable feel. These ultra-thin yet uber-strong condoms are perfectly smooth on the outside and textured on the inside.

$27.92 at LELO.com

Okamoto Crown Skinless Skin

If anybody knows a thing or two about condoms, it has to be those who have sex professionally. According to online testimonies, these super thin yet strong condoms from Japan are the choice prophylactic among adult actors thanks to its world-renowned bareback feel.

$7.50 for pack of 36 at Amazon.com

Durex Ultra Thin Feel Condoms

Durex is one of the largest condom manufacturers on this planet and has been enjoyed by millions of sex-havers everyday for over 80 years. On average, these ultra thin rubbers are 20 percent thinner than the standard Durex condom, providing the most authentic sensation from a reputable brand.

$9.99 at Target.com

Kimono MicroThin

If reliability is your main concern, the Kimono MicroThin wont let you down. At the top of most best condom lists, the Japanese-made condom exceeds U.S. and international standards for strength, meaning it won't tear when you least expect it. An added benefit: theyre vegan-friendly.

$30.58 for pack of 24 at Amazon.com

Condoms That Feel the Best

Lifestyles SKYN Polyisoprene

If youre looking for condoms that win on feel, Lifestyles SKYN Polyisoprene ones are hard to beat. For starters, theyre made from a sturdy non-latex material, so even those with allergies or sensitivities to latex wont have an issue. Theyre just as sturdy as regular latex condoms, however, while allowing you incredible sensitivity. They dont feature any exciting bells or whistles, but damn if theyre not a great option for all kinds of guys looking for a simple, comfortable condom that feels great.

$11.17 for 24 at Amazon.com

One Condoms

One Condoms are made of Sensatex, marketed as a safer, smoother and clearer form of latex, and come in a slew of textured styles and sizes to fit the widest penile demographic. Legend is for larger penises. Zero features a 25 percent thinner condom for increased sensation. Tantric Pleasure features a roomier base and tip for added comfort. Also, One Condoms donate a percentage of each purchase toward efforts to treat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

$9.38 for pack of 24 at Walmart.com

Trojan Sensitivity Bareskin Lubricated

If you're looking for the sweet spot between a brand name you can trust and a thinness you can feel, the Trojan Bareskins are a good bet. At 40 percent thinner than Trojan's standard condom, the brand boasts that the Bareskin is its thinnest ever. Other than that, it's a pretty standard-issue condom, whether you see that as a positive or negative: It's made from latex, comes lubricated, features a reservoir tip and is rigorously tested so you know it's reliable.

$15.49 at Amazon.com

Condoms to Last Longer

Durex Performax Intense Premium

One of the first to create a condom using benzocaine, Durex is definitely an industry leader. Their Performax line contains 5 percent of the numbing agent, which is heat-activated to turn from a cream-like substance within the condom into a liquid substance that applies itself easily in action. With Performax Intense, the goal is to prolong the time to male orgasm time while shortening the time until hers with an added ribbed and dotted texture. Intense also has a slight, added scent rather than the standard, odorless option.

$17.90 at Amazon.com

Skyn Extra Lube Condoms

According to reviews, if youre allergic to latex, Skyn manufactures some of the best non-latex condoms currently on the market. All condoms from Skyn are made with a polyisoprene (non-latex) material, so users don't have to worry about getting an allergic reaction in the heat of the moment. Skyns extra lube condom contains 40 percent more lube than their other models, which means you shouldn't have to worry about applying anything extra.

$11.19 for pack of 24 at Amazon.com

Condoms Perfect for Your Size

Trojan Bareskin Magnum

If you are generously endowed, the Magnum Bareskin condom is one of the best products available for the most natural feel. It's the thinnest condom in the line (20 percent thinner, to be exact) and boasts a new contoured shape as well as premium lubricant for added comfort and sensitivity.

$7.98 for pack of 10 at Amazon.com

Caution Wear Iron Grip Condoms

If you have a smaller penis, don't be fooled into thinking you can't still have great sex. That said, getting a condom that fits you just right is essential to getting comfortable and enjoying every minute of intercourse instead of stressing about your condom falling off. The Iron Grip latex condoms from Caution Wear are designed to fit snug due to their parallel shape and smaller width.

$8.99 for pack of 36 at Amazon.com

Condoms to Spice Things Up

Beyond Seven Studded

In addition to being one of the thinnest on the market, Beyond Seven studded condoms provide maximum sensation courtesy of three generous inches of raised studs which make for optimal textural stimulation. Most studded rubbers on the market come nowhere close to three inches, meaning with Beyond Sevens superior stud lengths, you can bet shell feel the difference.

$11.60 for pack of 50 at Amazon.com

Glyde Flavored Condoms

Most flavored condoms are more of a distraction than anything else, but here's an option that we've actually come to enjoy. Glyde condoms are ethically made, vegan, fair trade, and feature 100 percent organic fruit flavors. Essentially, its more organic than most fruit juices in supermarkets. Available flavors include blueberry, wildberry, vanilla, black licorice, and strawberry. If oral sex with condoms isnt quite your thing, Glyde also offers non-flavored condoms, including their ultra, maxi, and slim-fit sizes.

$10.99 for pack of 10 at Amazon.com

All-Natural Condoms

Trojan NaturaLamb

Never heard of natural skin condoms? Not surprising, although they're one of the oldest methods for pregnancy prevention. Traditionally made from a thin layer of sheep secum (part of the intestine), its thin, malleable and shares a great likeliness to going bareback. Its porous nature, however, means that it doesnt protect against STIs, so natural skin condoms are not recommended for non-couples. Here, the Trojan NaturaLamb is a latex-free, luxury condom thats one of the best on the market, which explains its slightly elevated cost. Some advice? Apply water-based lubricant for optimal comfort.

$27.59 for pack of 10 at Amazon.com

Condoms for Anal Sex

Trojan Supra

A friendly option for those with latex allergies, the Trojan Supra condom is Americas thinnest non-latex condom. Made from latex-free, ultra-thin polyurethane, Trojan Supra boasts the rare benefit of hand-in-hand compatibility with oil-based lubricants, which tend to be much longer lasting than water-based, and is actually the recommended lube for anal sex.

$6.99 for pack of 6 at Amazon.com

Caution Wear Classic Condoms

Just because you're going off roading, doesn't mean you need anything too extravagant. As a matter of fact, you might both appreciate a little less added sensation if you're new to anal sex. The Caution Wear Classics are parallel sided, transparent and lubricated with a smooth, silicon-based lube. A great starting point.

$5.87 for pack of 36 at Amazon.com

The Female Condom

FC2

Although equally effective, the female condom could take some getting used to. It's a different feel and applying it means a bit of a role reversal, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A nice thing about the FC2 is that size is irrelevant and it's made from nitrile, which is three times stronger than latex. It can also be used with all lubes.

$49.99 for 12 at Amazon.com

The Key Factors To Consider When Choosing A Condom

Size: This is probably the most important element to consider when buying a condom. Shoot too big and it will be likely to slip off, yet too small and it will squeeze in an unpleasant way and could break. Thankfully, there are a lot of models made to suit a variety of sizes, from very small to very big. Snugger fit condoms are great for smaller members, while larger ones can find comfort in king size condoms. Note: If you dont know your size, pull out a ruler and check out our Giant Guide to Penis Size to see how you measure up.

Material: Most people are OK with the typical latex condom, but now theres a greater variety of options for those with latex allergies, or for those who simply prefer a different feel. Especially if you have a steady partner, discussing and finding the options that suit both of you is important, and a good act of respect and communication. Alternatives include polyurethane condoms, polyisoprene condoms, natural skin, and FC2 condoms.

Thickness & strength: Some condoms are made thinner to provide more sensitivity (i.e. more sensation), but these are also more fragile and more probable to snapping in action. On the other hand, thicker condoms ensure safer sex, even when it gets rough. In general, condom thickness varies between 0.044 and 0.114 mm, with the average being somewhere around 0.07 mm.

Texture: A lot of condoms out there come in a variety of textures, like studded or ribbed. Although these options could provide some added excitement to your sex life, dont assume your partner shares the same preference as you  especially since if youre the one wearing the condom, theyll be the ones feeling it most.

Flavor: Sometimes paired with a matching flavored lube, flavored condoms should also be treated with similar reservation as textured condoms. If it helps, compare flavored sex paraphernalia to a perfume or cologne  its an intimate addition to the senses that could be off putting for someone who prefers going au natural.

Climax control: These are condoms made with a tiny amount of benzocaine, a local anesthetic designed to delay orgasm by slightly numbing the nerve endings on the penis. Usually recommended for those with premature ejaculation anxieties, especially since its a discreet and easy-to-use solution that only affects the wearer.

The female condom (FC1 & FC2): Like it sounds, female condoms are like regular condoms, except theyre worn by women. They are just as effective in avoiding pregnancy and in protecting against STIs, fitting inside the vagina like a bag to trap sperm and keep it from entering the baby-making zone (mainly, the uterus). They can also be used for anal sex, and the second generation female condom is made of a latex alternative called nitrile  great for those with latex allergies.

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By Dirimcan Barut and Tulay Karadeniz ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States on Saturday, castigating Washington for what he said an "undemocratic" indictment against his security detail. His comments may further dash hopes of a quick resolution to an on-going diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies. Both Ankara and Washington have cut back issuing visas to each other's citizens as ties have worsened. "They say the United States is the cradle of democracy. This can't be true. This can't be democracy," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. "If arrest warrants are issued against my bodyguards in absentia ... in the United States, where I went upon invitation, excuse me but I will not say this is a civilized country." A U.S. grand jury in August indicted 15 Turkish security officials over a brawl between protesters and Erdogan's security personnel during the Turkish president's visit to Washington in May. Erdogan has said the indictment was not binding for Ankara. The row deepened after Turkish authorities arrested two U.S. consular staff, both Turkish nationals. In May, a translator at the consulate in the southern province of Adana was arrested and two weeks ago a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worker was detained in Istanbul. Both are accused of links to last year' failed coup. The U.S. embassy has said the accusations are baseless. Turkish police want to question a third worker based in Istanbul. His wife and daughter were detained this month last week over alleged links to the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the abortive putsch. They were later released. COUP, KURDISH MILITIA Turkey has been angered by what it sees as U.S. reluctance to hand over the cleric Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999. U.S. officials have said its courts require sufficient evidence to order his extradition. Turkey has also been enraged by Washington's support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the fight against Islamic State. Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). On Saturday, the U.S. embassy issued statement reiterating its stance on the PKK and its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in an apparent response to criticism from Erdogan. "The U.S. government works together with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and maintenance of stability in the region," it said on Twitter. "The PKK is listed among foreign terror organizations. Ocalan has been jailed in Turkey for his actions related to the PKK. He is not a person to be respected." On Friday, Erdogan criticized the United States over a huge banner of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan unfurled in Syria's Raqqa by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The banner was raised at a ceremony to mark Raqqa's capture from Islamic State in a campaign spearheaded by the YPG. "How can the U.S. explain the poster of Ocalan in Raqqa? Is this the way they are cooperating with us in the struggle against terror?" Erdogan said. "You are not standing by us against terrorism." Ocalan has been in jail in Turkey since 1999 on a treason conviction. More than 40,000 people, most of them Kurds, have died in the fighting since the PKK took up arms against the state in 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union. (Reporting by Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Ros Russell)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being described as everything from charismatic to arrogant, in a recent Angus Reid poll.

As Justin Trudeau marks the second anniversary of his partys electoral victory, Canadians are becoming a little jaded by the prime ministers photo-ops and PR-heavy style of governance, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.

The poll comes at a crucial time for the Trudeau Liberals. The party has been taking flak for its small-business tax proposals and revelations that the finance minister didnt put millions of shares from his family-built company into a blind trust.

Half of poll respondents described Trudeau as charismatic, 43 per cent described him modern and 31 per cent said he was compassionate. However, 26 per cent said he was arrogant, 23 per cent felt he was flaky and 22 per cent thought he was weak.

Canadians were asked what words they most closely associated with the prime minister. Graphic by the Angus Reid Institute

Trudeaus skillful use of social media is a drastic departure from the reclusive style of governance that Stephen Harper preferred during his time in office. However, not all Canadians are supportive of his internet celebrity status. While 34 per cent like it, 32 per cent dislike it, and the remaining 34 per cent are neutral about it.

However, a breakdown reveals that only 7 per cent of respondents said it was one of their favourite things about the prime minister, while 17 per cent said it was one of their least favourite things about him.

Trudeaus international popularity isnt necessarily felt at home. Graphic from the Angus Reid Institute.=

While seemingly larger controversies like the abandoning of electoral reform barely dented the Liberals early popularity, the party has been at the helm for two years now, and Canadians are beginning to question how much progress has been made, according to the poll.

Right after the 2015 elections, a quarter of Canadians said they felt real progress was being made in the country. Today, only 13 per cent of Canadians still feel that way. Meanwhile, the proportion of people who thought too much was being spent on photo-ops and public relations exercises rose from 36 per cent two years ago to 44 per cent today.

Canadians feel that Trudeau has put too much emphasis on photo ops. Graphic from the Angus Reid Institute

There are differences, of course, between voters from the different parties. Conservative party voters were most likely to give Trudeau the poorest marks, with 79 per cent saying that he spent too much time being PM Selfie. But even among left-leaning voters, sizeable proportions felt the same way. Among NDP voters, 39 per cent felt that way, and 24 per cent of Liberal voters did too.

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Liberal voters were most likely to give him positive marks though, with 26 per cent saying that Trudeau has been making real progress. An additional 32 percent felt that he was getting things done and putting too much emphasis on photo-ops.

Opinions on Trudeaus performance so far vary by what party respondents voted for in 2015. Graphic from the Angus Reid Institute

Looking abroad however, Trudeau is back by much higher levels of support, indicating that Canadians may be irked by the lack of progress at home, but feel that he represents the country well on the international stage. More than half of respondents said that Trudeau was good or great for Canada, while another 27 per cent were neutral.

A majority of Canadians thought Trudeau was ultimately good for Canada. Graphic from the Angus Reid Institute

Granted, its always easy to get voters to rally around their leader when it comes to international arena. Back at home, Canadians are agitating for a sense that their country has changed for the better two years after deciding to oust the Conservatives.
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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..A Citadel Defending Zion..October '17..Israel should repulse the escalating European Union campaign of intimidation.You see, boycotts of Israeli products from Judea and Samaria no longer satisfy Brussels. Ramping up its confrontation with Israel, the European Union has gone into the business of establishing "settlements" for the Bedouin and Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, tower-and-stockade style.This includes the wild Bedouin building spurt that the EU has insolently funded in the strategic E1 quadrant between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, in entirely purposeful defiance of Israel.The IDF defines the area in question as a pivotal part of Israel's strategic depth and essential to defensible borders for Israel. It is also Area C under the Oslo Accords, which means that Israel holds exclusive civilian and military control.Yet illegally established Palestinian villages and Bedouin shantytowns have slowly closed the corridor between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, where a major highway runs, crawling to within several meters from it. These illegal outposts steal electricity from the highway lights and water from Israeli pipelines.Civil Administration data, presented last year to the Knesset's subcommittee on Judea and Samaria, showed that 6,500 Palestinians were living in some 1,220 illegally built homes in the area, and the number undoubtedly has grown since then  thanks to the EU.The imperious EU has poured perhaps 100 million  into EU-emblazoned prefabs, EU-signed roads, and water and energy installations  in E1, in Gush Etzion (near Tekoa), in the South Hebron Hills, and even in the Negev. Under the cover of diplomatic immunity, the EU's settlement-building bosses audaciously thumb their noses at inspectors of the IDF's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Then, they scream bloody murder when the IDF moves in, ever so minimally (far too meekly and infrequently, I think!) to knock back a few of the most provocatively and problematically positioned EU illegal outposts.Note that every Israeli prime minister since Yitzhak Rabin has promised and intended to build in the E1 quadrant as the eastern strategic anchor for Jerusalem and its critical connection to the Jordan Valley; only to be stymied by international protests.In short, the EU's support of the Palestinians has graduated from passive diplomatic and financial assistance to subversive participation in the Palestinian Authority's illegal construction ventures. The explicit EU intent is to erode Israeli control of Area C and east Jerusalem while promoting Palestinian territorial continuity leading to runaway Palestinian statehood.In June and August, the EU fiercely warned COGAT that Israel's policy of demolishing illegal and unauthorized Palestinian construction is harming ties between Israel and the 28-member EU countries.According to Le Monde, eight EU member states this week took the further, unprecedented move of penning a letter to the Israeli Foreign Ministry demanding that Jerusalem reimburse (!) EU countries for the dismantling of infrastructures in the West Bank such as solar panels and mobile homes that were slated to serve innocent "local Arab schools."Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden  members of the so-called "West Bank Protection Consortium," a body that coordinates "humanitarian assistance" to Bedouin and Palestinian squatters in Area C  are now demanding that Israel pay them compensation of more than 30,000  each.Such mind-boggling chutzpah! First the EU builds illegal settlements in defiance of Israel, then it demands that Israel pay for these offenses when Israel acts against them. How much more contemptuous can you get than that?The European position is that under the Geneva Convention Israel is responsible for dealing with the everyday needs of the Palestinian population in Area C, and since it is "not doing so," the European states are stepping in with humanitarian aid. But it's clear to anybody with a brain that European activity in Area C is not "humanitarian assistance" but political activity that brazenly seeks to create facts on the ground  to strengthen the Palestinians' hold on Area C.In doing so, the EU has thrown key cornerstones of peace diplomacy out the window. "Not prejudging the outcome of negotiations," and "direct negotiations between the parties without coercion"  are principles that no longer hold sway, at least as far as EU pampering of the Palestinians is concerned. Instead, collusion with Palestinians and defiance of Israel is in vogue.The EU superciliously ignores the fact that the Palestinian Authority has rejected Israeli offers three times (2000, 2001, and 2008) which would have given it statehood, including possession of almost all the West Bank and a share of Jerusalem. It also fled from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's talks in 2014, and has sought to grab international recognition of its "statehood" unilaterally, while demonizing and criminalizing Israel in international courts.Then the Palestinians revel in useless peace confabs, like the conference that Paris convened last summer, because this diverts attention from their intransigence and heightens Israel's diplomatic isolation without actually brokering a peace negotiation that the PA doesn't want.But none of this bothers the EU. It's just happy to push Israel toward essentially unilateral withdrawals  without any expectations of real moderation from the Palestinians.Israel shouldn't pay the EU one red cent in "compensation" for its confiscated, cheeky solar panels.In-your-face EU diplomacy should be met with in-your-face Israeli diplomacy. Perhaps Israel should demand compensation from Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden for the Jews persecuted, the Jewish property confiscated, and the synagogues destroyed in their territories over the past 2,000 years.And if our government idiotically dares to settle with the EU, and shells out a single shekel, I am going to withhold paying my taxes in protest.
The Guardian of the Farm is the second collaborative brand done by Casa Fernandez and Warped Cigars. Casa Fernandez and Warped Cigars are no strangers to each other. Warped Cigars has been working with Casa Fernandezs Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory to handle several of its regular production lines. In 2015, Warped Cigars owner Kyle Gellis teamed up with Max Fernandez to release their first collaborative brand, Futuro. The following year, Gellis and Fernandez teamed up once again to create Guardian of the Farm. Guardian of the Farm was originally released in three sizes, but in 2017, a Rothschild size known as Guardian of the Farm Rambo was released. Today we take a closer look at the Guardian of the Farm Rambo. Overall this might be the best of the collaborations released by Casa Fernandez and Warped to date.

Guardian of the Farm gets its name from the bulldogs that guard Casa Fernandezs Aganorsa farms in Nicaragua. Each of the vitola names correspond to one of the names of the guard dogs owned by the principals. While Futuro was a brand that was distributed by Warped Cigars, Guardian of the Farm is a brand where the distribution is handled by Casa Fernandez.

Without further ado, lets break down the Guardian of the Farm Rambo and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Guardian of the Farm consists of a mix of Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 tobaccos grown at the Aganorsa farms in Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99 (Jalapa)

Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 99

Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 and Nicaraguan Corojo 99

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (TABSA)

Vitolas Available

The introduction of the Guardian of the Farm Rambo brought the total number of vitolas to four. Each of the four sizes is available in 25-count boxes. The Apollo Seleccion de Warped vitola is a more limited production offering.

Rambo: 4 1/2 x 48

Campeon: 6 x 52

JJ: 5 1/4 x 50

Apollo Seleccion de Warped: 6 x 44

Appearance

The Corojo wrapper of the Guardian of the Farm Rambo had a medium brown color with a rosado tint to it. Depending on how the light hits it, the tint will vary. There was a light coating of oil on the surface of the wrapper. This was a smooth wrapper with only some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams. The cigar also featured a covered footer

The band of the Guardian of the Farm is black in color with gold trim and gold font. On the center of the band is an image representing a bulldog. Above the image is the text GUARDIAN arrange in a curved fashion while below the image is the text OF THE FARM  also arranged in a curved fashion. On the left and right side of the band is the text AGANORSA surrounded by some additional adornments. The left side of the band has a design representing the initials of Kyle Gellis (KG) while the right side has a design representing the initials of Max Fernandez (MF).

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Guardian of the Farm Rambo, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut to remove the cap of the cigar. I then proceeded to the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, natural tobacco, and cedar. Overall, I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Guardian of the Farm Rambo and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Guardian of the Farm Rambo continued where the pre-light draw left off as I got more notes of sweet natural tobacco, dusty earth, and cedar. In addition, there was a slight amount of red pepper mixed in. During the early stages, the natural tobacco and earth notes became primary. The cedar notes settled as a secondary note. While the red pepper was in the more distant background, it was quite prominent on the retro-hale.

During the second third, the dusty earth notes took a slight edge as the primary note. Meanwhile, the cedar and natural tobacco remained a close secondary note with the red pepper on the tongue in the more distant background. The early part of the second third saw a subtle citric note surfaced in the background. As the cigar moved past the midway point, I also detected a mineral note. From time to time the mineral note increased in intensity. While the mineral note might seem to be a negative, it actually contributed to the balance.

The last third saw the dusty earth notes remain primary. Meanwhile, the red pepper notes increased, joining the cedar and natural tobacco as close secondary notes. The mineral note was still present in the background and most of the citric notes had dissipated. This is the way the Guardian of the Farm Rambo came to a close. The resulting nub slight soft to the touch, but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Guardian of the Farm Rambo performed quite well. This is a cigar that had no trouble maintaining a straight burn path The burn line was relatively straight. While there was a little bit of jaggedness from time to time, this really didnt even warrant additional touch-ups. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper complexion. This wasnt the firmest ash, but it wasnt a loose or flaky ash. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw had a pleasant touch of resistance to it. At the same time, I found this to be a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, I found the Rambo to be a little bolder compared to what I had originally heard about this cigar. This was a cigar that started out medium to full in both strength and body. While I found the strength only increased slightly, I did find the body built in intensity and reached the full range by the second half. In particular, there is a lot of depth on the retro-hale, and I found that contributed to the body.

Looking at strength versus body, I found the body had the edge throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

Casa Fernandez and Warped Cigars have one thing in common  both having been consistently making excellent cigars. While Warped Cigars has certainly gotten a lot of attention, Casa Fernandez has flown under the radar. A couple of years ago, we saw the potential of the collaboration of Kyle Gellis and Max Fernandez when they released Futuro. Now with Guardian of the Farm, the duo has gone to the next level. Guardian of the Farm excelled in the area that mattered the most  flavor. I also found that when it came to delivering the flavors from this blend, the Rothschild-size Rambo vitola is where this cigar shined.

Overall I found this cigar to be a little more geared for the experienced cigar enthusiast. In my opinion, not only is this cigar worth a box purchase, it is worthy of a fighting Chuck Norris for it.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Earth, Red Pepper, Mineral

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium

Strength: Medium to Full

Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)

Finish: Very Good

Rating

Assessment: 4.5-Fight Chuck Norris for Them

Score: 93

References

News: Guardian of the Farm Rambo Introduced at the 2017 IPCPR

Price: $7.80

Source: Casa Fernandez, Purchased

Brand References: Casa Fernandez, Warped Cigars

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
NASA extends Dawn Mission at dwarf planet Ceres

Published: October 21, 2017

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has approved second extension of Dawn mission at Ceres dwarf planet which is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

During this extension, Dawn spacecraft will descend to lower altitudes than ever before at dwarf planet, which it has been orbiting since March 2015. It will continue remainder of its science investigation of Ceres and will remain in a stable orbit indefinitely after its hydrazine fuel runs out.

Key Facts

The priority of second extension mission is to collect data with Dawns gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, which measures number and energy of gamma rays and neutrons. The information obtained will help in understanding composition of Ceres uppermost layer and presence of ice it contains.

During this extended mission, Dawn spacecraft will take visible-light images of Ceres surface geology with its camera, as well as measurements of dwarf planets mineralogy with its visible and infrared mapping spectrometer. It will also allow Dawn to be in orbit when dwarf planet goes through perihelion, its closest approach to Sun, which will occur in April 2018.

Dawn Mission

It was launched by NASA in 2007 to study the two massive protoplanets of the asteroid belt: Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, celestial bodies believed to have accreted early in the history of the solar system. The mission is managed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dawn spacecrafts major components are contributed by NASAs European partners i.e. from German Aerospace Center, Italian National Astrophysical Institute and Italian Space Agency and. It is NASAs first exploratory mission to use ion propulsion to enter orbits.

It had created history by becoming only mission ever to orbit two extraterrestrial targets. It orbited giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months from 2011 to 2012, then continued on to dwarf planet Ceres, where it has been in orbit since March 2015.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2017

Topics: Ceres  Dawn mission  NASA  Science and Technology

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to shoot criminals himself, while warning he may bring police back to the frontlines of his deadly war on drugs.





Duterte made the comments late Friday following his announcement on October 11 to withdraw the police from his anti-drug war after they were accused of rights abuses in killing thousands of people while following his orders to eradicate illegal drugs in society.





He replaced them with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which has about 2,000 officers compared with 165,000 for the police force.





Duterte has repeatedly insisted he has not ordered or incited police to murder drug addicts or suspects, while at other times he has said he would be happy to slaughter them or have tens of thousands killed.





On Friday he said he would be prepared to kill criminals himself, as he raised doubts about the PDEA being able to contain illegal drugs.





Those who rape children, who rape women, those sons of if you dont want the police, I am here now. I will shoot them. Thats true! If nobody would dare it, I will pull the trigger, he said.





Duterte said he was already considering bringing the police back to run the drug war.





Okay, let us see, six months from now. If things get worse again, I will say to these apes: Go back to this job. You solve this problem of ours, he said, referring to the police.





Duterte was elected to office last year after vowing during the campaign that 100,000 people would die as he eradicated illegal drugs in society.





Since then, police have reported killing more than 3,900 drug personalities. Another 2,290 people have died in unsolved drug-related killings, government figures show.





Many Filipinos continue to support the charismatic Duterte, seeing him as the solution to crime and corruption.





But human rights and Catholic Church leaders charge thousands of extra-judicial killings have been carried out by police and vigilantes as part of the drug war.





Authorities insist police only kill in self defence.





Duterte in January made a similar move to give the appearance of sidelining the police from the drug war after revelations that officers murdered a South Korean businessman in the police headquarters under the guise of an anti-drug operation.





He had then described the police as corrupt to the core and gave PDEA the lead role in the drug war.





But Duterte quickly reinstated the police without making any major reforms. Police officials swiftly announced a revitalized anti-drug campaign named: Double Barrel Re-Loaded.





Asked for a reaction to Dutertes latest comments, PDEA spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon conceded the agency faced a tough battle and was prepared to stand aside for the police.





If the president so decides, we will welcome that, Carreon told AFP.





We are strained. Definitely it will be an uphill climb.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
The upgrades are likely a small part of the expenses incurred in the case.





El Paso County court administrators are weighing up to $50,000 in courtroom audio-visual upgrades in preparation for the county's 1st death penalty case in a decade.





2 new wall-mounted video monitors, a document reader and a "smart" podium capable of powering electronic devices are among the innovations expected before jury selection begins in the Glen Galloway case on Jan. 2, state administrators say.





"The intent is for this to support many of our high-profile cases moving forward," said 4th Judicial District Administrator Scott Sosebee.





The changes will be made in Division 3, which is larger than most other courtrooms in the courthouse's south tower and better able to accommodate attorneys and visitors.





Galloway, 45, is accused in back-to-back killings in 2016 of a homeless man named Marcus Anderson and Galloway's ex-girlfriend, Janice Nam, whom he was forbidden to contact under a prior conviction for stalking. His upcoming trial marks the first death penalty case here since cop killer Marco Lee averted a death penalty by pleading guilty to murder charges in exchange for a life sentence without parole plus 167 years.





The judge overseeing the case, Gregory Werner, previously asked that the jury box be expanded to accommodate a jury of 12 people plus six alternates. Werner ordered a larger-than-normal panel to protect against the risk of a mistrial in case some jurors get sick or are otherwise unable to complete their service.





The jury box modifications were underway this week, using county carpenters and in-house materials, said El Paso County spokesman Dave Rose. He estimated the project would require about $200 in lumber, rubber hosing and other materials.





Upgrading technology in the courtroom will involve between $40,000 and $50,000, Sosebee said. Costs will grow more definite once a state-approved vendor, Xcite Audiovisuals of Englewood, submits its work proposal.





The audio-visual improvements will be financed by the state court system, either from the district's operating budget or a special capital improvement fund, Sosebee said.





Court administrators will consider replicating the new features in other courtrooms depending on how the changes are received and if funding can be found, Sosebee said.





In keeping with the state constitution, the Terry R. Harris Judicial Complex, 270 S. Tejon St., is owned by the county, which serves as a kind of landlord for the state district courts. Rose said the state will reimburse the county for materials.





The upgrades are likely a small part of the expenses incurred in the case, which has 4 prosecutors and 4 defense attorneys, including members of the death penalty teams from the state Attorney General's Office and the state Office of the Public Defender. The trial is expected to last several months.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Gazette, October 20, 2017
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A group advocating for the end of Utah's death penalty intends to make another push to abolish the practice next year following the failure of a similar effort in 2016.





Utah Justice Coalition, a criminal justice reform group, plans to push lawmakers to act during the 2018 legislative session, The Salt Lake Tribune reported .





Darcy Van Orden, the group's executive director, said they already have a sponsor in the state Senate to back a bill on abolishing the death penalty, and they're seeking a backer in the House. Van Orden discussed the matter with other criminal justice reform advocates during a panel at the University of Utah on Tuesday.





While lawmakers had considered studying the costs of the death penalty in 2016, a bill never reached the House floor





In 2012, Legislative fiscal analysts estimated that a death sentence costs an additional $1.6 million to handle appeals and the costs over 20 years when compared with a sentence of life without parole.





Joining Van Orden on the panel was a group of legal experts and justice advocates who cited concerns about the death penalty, ranging from the costs to the risk of executing someone who is innocent.





Ralph Dellapiana, director of Utahns for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said for someone to face the death penalty, it often depends only on a prosecutor's discretion.





"It's like being struck by lightning," Dellapiana said. "It depends on your ZIP code on what is the possibility (a case is) going to result in a death penalty."





The last death penalty carried out in Utah was in 2010. Nine men are currently on death row in the state.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Associated Press, October 21, 2017
Exceeding the demand of prosecutors, the Kuala Tungkal District Court in the Jambi regency of West Tanjungjbung has sentenced to death a 30-year-old man found guilty of drug offenses.





The court handed down on "defendant Dranny Putrawira aka Putra aka Puput Bin Zaitul Ikhlas the death penalty," presiding judge Achmad Peten Sili read out the verdict on Thursday.





Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Dranny.





The resident of Batam, Riau Islands, is 1 of 4 defendants indicted for distributing 8.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.





All 4 were found guilty of violating the 2009 Narcotics Law.





The 2nd defendant, 27-year-old Feri Sarah Rahyan, aka Fika, also from Batam, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Rp 10 billion (US$740,000) in fines or an additional 6 months in prison.





That sentence was lighter than the 18 years of imprisonment sought by the prosecutors.





The other 2 defendants, Hery Kushartanto, aka Heri, and Erwin Syahrudin, who were tried separately, were each sentenced to 12 years in prison and Rp 10 billion in fines.





Prosecutors had sought 17 years of imprisonment for each of the 2.





Dranny and Hery said they would file appeals, while Erwin said he accepted the verdict. Fika, meanwhile, said she had not decided yet whether to file an appeal or not.





Dranny was caught carrying crystal meth upon arrival at Kuala Tungkal Port from Batam on Feb. 27. The investigation led to the arrest of the other 3.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Jakarta Post, October 20, 2017
The trial for the alleged murderers of the former Kernel photo editor is delayed while a decision is made about the constitutionality of the death penalty for those under 21.





Efrain Diaz, Justin Smith and Roman Gonzalez allegedly killed Jonathan Krueger in April of 2015.





Gonzalez was 17 at the time of the crime and was automatically ineligible for the death penalty, but the other 2 men were over 18.





In September, however, Judge Ernesto Scorsone took the death penalty off the table for Diaz and Smith as well, said prosecutor Andrea Mattingly Williams.





Scorsone made the decision related to the case of Travis Bredhold, who is now 21 but was just over 18 when he was charged with murder and robbery, according to the Herald-Leader.





Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Lou Anna Red Corn, who is the prosecutor in the Krueger trial along with Williams, made a statement after the judge's decision in August. She said she will appeal Scorsone's order "because it is contrary to the laws of Kentucky and the laws of the United States," the Herald-Leader reported.





Williams said the prosecutor's office has appealed that decision to the Court of Appeals, with the help of the office of Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear.





"To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st time a circuit judge has ruled that the death penalty statute is unconstitutional as it applies to defendants who are less than 21 years of age," said Terry Sebastian, head of the attorney general's Office of Communications. "As such, the ruling warrants a review by an appellate court."





The prosecutor's office has made a motion to transfer the decision of constitutionality to the Kentucky Supreme Court, Williams said.





The death penalty was reinstated in Kentucky in 1975, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In 2005, the United States Supreme Court decided in Roper v. Simmons that the execution of offenders under the age of 18 at the time of the crime was unconstitutional because of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.





Williams said the prosecutor's office does not know how long the appeals process might take. In the meantime, she said, those involved in the trial will try to make what progress they can while they wait for this decision.





Mary Krueger, mother of the victim, declined to comment about the specifics of the trial but said she hopes to someday see the trial go forward.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Kentucky Kernel, October 20, 2017
Former President-elect Bachir Gemayel's killers were sentenced to death in absentia Friday, 35 years after a bomb was detonated targeting Gemayel in Ashrafieh.





"Finally, the verdict was released in the name of the Lebanese people after 35 years of working for [justice] for Bachir and his friends," Solange Gemayel, Bachir's widow, said following the court's decision.





She added: "I'm speaking as the mother of a martyr and the wife of a martyr - just like thousands of other Lebanese who believed in the cause."





Gemayel thanked the judicial council and said the decision allowed the state to regain its authority and would restore the Lebanese citzens' belief in constitutional institutions.





Head of the Judicial Council Judge Jean Fahed announced the verdict from Beirut's Justice Palace, calling for the death penalty to be given to Nabil Alam and Habib Chartouni. The audience erupted in applause.





Fahed said the 2 suspects, who were tried in absentia, carried out an act of terrorism and had played a part in compromising the political stability that Gemayel was on the verge of bringing about.





Chartouni and Alam were also stripped of their civil rights, while the court ordered compensation to be paid to the families of those killed in the 1982 bombing.





Members of the Kataeb Party, the Lebanese Forces and Gemayel's family attended the hearing at Beirut's Justice Palace. Meanwhile, members of the Syrian Socialist National Party protested outside the Justice Palace and in Tayyouneh, calling the killing of Gemayel a national duty, not a crime.





Lebanese Army soldiers deployed outside the Justice Ministry to prevent any scuffles breaking out.





Gemayel's nephew, MP Sami Gemayel, posted a picture of Bachir and tweeted: "#AccountabilityDay #JusticeforthesakeofallLebanon #BachirGemayel."





Walking in to the hearing, he told reporters, "Today is a historical day."





Also before the announcement, Bachir's son, MP Nadim Gemayel, said: "Even 35 years later, you still make them shake #JusticeforthesakeofallLebanon."





Outside the Justice Ministry, one SSNP supporter said, "If my father was seen entering an Israeli tank, I would kill him. Today, we are all Habib Chartouni."





The man added: "This was not a political killing, rather it was done to carry out justice." Such comments seemingly indicated that SSNP all but admitted to the killing of the president-elect.





After the trail was opened in November 2016, multiple hearings were held as the fugitive Chartouni, who is believed to be living in Syria, was prosecuted in absentia. He had allegedly confessed to planting and detonating the bomb.





Fahed opened the trial last year and originally gave the SSNP member 24 hours to turn himself in.





Chartouni was charged with the assassination but never stood trial once the case had been transferred to the Judicial Council.





He escaped from prison in 1990, after Syrian troops stormed east Beirut.





Bachir Gemayel was a senior Kataeb party member and commander of the LF during the Civil War.





He was elected president on Aug. 23, 1982. 9 days before he was scheduled to be sworn into office, Gemayel, other Kataeb Party members and bystanders were killed when a bomb exploded at the party's headquarters in Ashrafieh.





Prior to Gemayel's election, he was accused of being close to Israel and being anti-Palestinian. Following his election, the former LF leader banned all LF members from wearing their uniforms in public, and demanded that the Lebanese Army be the sole defender of the state.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Daily Star, October 20, 2017
It might not have the dazzle of paid family leave, nor the timeliness of Medicaid expansion reauthorization, but Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn is predicting one legislative effort will take center stage next year: death penalty repeal.





The Whitefield Democrat said the latest push by Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, will have his personal support next session. And amid the usual partisan rancor, Woodburn said, the topic is one whose positions cross party lines, making its success or failure particularly inscrutable.





Still, Woodburn said he thinks 2018 is the year for it to happen. Cushing, who has submitted a legislative service request for repeal, was unavailable for comment.





Its an oft-traveled road for the New Hampshire Legislature, ever since 2000, when a repeal bill comfortably passed the House and Senate. That effort was vetoed by then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, but similar attempts have been made by members of both parties in the intervening years.





Most recently, while efforts have passed the House, the Senate has deadlocked in 2014 and 2016 on efforts to repeal.





The latest was co-led by Sen. Kevin Avard, R-Concord, who said at the time that he had dropped his long-held support for the death penalty out of concern for the potential innocence of prisoners. Avard did not reply to a request for comment.





New Hampshires capital punishment laws are relatively narrow, applicable to murders of police officers, judges and prosecutors, or in killings during kidnappings, robberies and sexual assault. And the law is rarely invoked; no execution has taken place in the state since 1939.





But the topic has been an emotional minefield since 2008, when Michael Addison was sentenced to death for the murder of Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs.





Opponents of repeal say Addison, the only person on death row in New Hampshire, exemplifies the need for a strong deterrent against police violence.





Off the heels of last years deadlock, and with nine new senators in the chamber, Woodburn said he thinks the winds will shift. But he said conviction in this area comes down to personal conscience, and hes not going to wrangle any votes beyond his own.





This is not a party line vote  we do not whip anyone, we do not bring it up. It is not a caucus decision, and I believe the Republicans have the same view, he said. Theyre all over the map on this issue.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
The Ohio Parole Board on Friday rejected a request for mercy from a condemned inmate who argues he had such a bad childhood and is in such poor health that he should be spared from execution next month.





The board's 11-1 decision came in the case of Alva Campbell, set to die by lethal injection on Nov. 15 for killing a teen during a 1997 carjacking. The slaying came 5 years after he was paroled on a different murder charge.





Republican Gov. John Kasich has the final say.





The board concluded that Campbell's upbringing and childhood experiences "were certainly dysfunctional and no doubt traumatic" but must be weighed against the circumstances of his crime. The board also cited the fact that he had been responsible for 2 killings, among other offenses.





"Those murders and other crimes committed by Campbell over the course of many years reflect a disturbing propensity to engage in extreme and senseless violence, a propensity that never abated despite multiple incarcerations and attempts by the state to rehabilitate him," the board said.





The board member who supported clemency concluded that Campbell's "unstable, inhumane living conditions" as a child were made worse by his eventual removal from the home and that that was never fully considered by the courts.





Campbell's attorneys say he uses a walker, relies on an external colostomy bag, requires 4 breathing treatments a day for asthma and emphysema and may have lung cancer.





Campbell, 69, also should be spared because he was the product of a violent, dysfunctional and sexually abusive childhood and continued to suffer abuse after he was placed in foster homes, his attorneys said earlier this month.





"Alva's development suffered, and the chances of him becoming a responsible adult withered," lead attorney David Stebbins, a federal public defender, wrote in a filing with the parole board.





Campbell was paroled in 1992 after serving 20 years for killing a man in a Cleveland bar. On April 2, 1997, Campbell was in a wheelchair feigning paralysis when he overpowered a Franklin County sheriff's deputy on the way to a court hearing on several armed robbery charges, records show.





Campbell took the deputy's gun, carjacked 18-year-old Charles Dials and drove around with him for several hours before shooting him twice in the head as Dials crouched in the footwell of his own truck, according to court records.





Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien opposes mercy and calls Campbell "the poster child for the death penalty."





O'Brien said it was ironic Campbell was raising health concerns to avoid execution given that he faked paralysis to carry out his crime.





"As judgment day nears he again resorts to ill health as a reason to enable an escape from his capital sentence - and should not be permitted to do so," O'Brien said in a filing with the parole board earlier this month.





O'Brien also dismissed Campbell's claims about his upbringing.





"It is easy to blame deceased parents or a childhood for mistakes or even crimes - but not for 2 separate murders committed decades apart," O'Brien said.





Other inmates across the country have cited ill health as a way to avoid execution. Some have been successful, including Vernon Madison, a 66-year-old Alabama inmate with stroke-induced dementia, who was spared because he didn't understand his death sentence or remember the killing.





But many others have not had the same success, including double killer Richard Cooey, from Ohio, who was executed in 2008 despite arguing that his obesity would prevent humane lethal injection because viable veins in his arms were difficult to find.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Tribune, October 20, 2017
The Court, presided over by Justice David Cannings, in a 53 page judgment and report of the Inquiry, concluded that all prisoners sentenced to death in PNG are being denied the full protection of the law, contrary to the Constitution of the country.





And he has ordered a stay on any execution of prisoners who have been sentenced to death until their rights under the constitution are fully complied with.





The Court which commenced the proceedings on its own initiative, styled as an inquiry into human rights of prisoners sentenced to death, was to, identify which prisoners have been sentenced to death, identify what human rights they have and whether those rights are being afforded to them and examine the role of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy.





5 respondents, who are senior office-holders in the criminal justice system, assisted the Court in its inquiry, they were the Principal Legal Adviser and Attorney-General, the Public Solicitor, the Public Prosecutor, the Commissioner of the Correctional Service and the Registrar of the National Court and Supreme Court.





Justice Cannings in his judgment discussed 10 questions which included the Courts jurisdiction to conduct the inquiry, the procedures used, What offences attract the death penalty? What is the method of execution of a person sentenced to death? Who has been sentenced to death? What human rights do prisoners sentenced to death have? What is the role of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy? What is the present status of those on death row? Are the human rights of prisoners sentenced to death being afforded to them? and what declarations or orders should the court make?





The most serious concern raised in the judgment by Justice Cannings is the absence of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy which the court found to have become defunct and accordingly made a declaration to that effect. "There has been a failure over an extended period on the part of the National Government, in particular the National Executive Council, to comply with the duty to facilitate appointments of members of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy and to provide it with staff and facilities. The Committee has become defunct. This leaves all prisoners on death row with no effective opportunity to invoke their right to the full protection of the law by applying for exercise of the power of mercy."





"This has created a gap in the criminal justice system. It involves a breach of the Constitution and an infringement of human rights which must be remedied as a matter of priority."





Other matters of concern raised are the apparent failure of the Correctional Service to ensure that prisoners sentenced to death are given special care and treatment in accordance with Section 105 of the Correctional Service Regulation and the lengthy delays in implementation of the death penalty.





The court ordered that the National Executive Council shall, by January 1, 2018, facilitate appointments of members of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy and ensure that all arrangements are made, staff and facilities are provided and steps are taken to enable and facilitate, as far as may reasonably be, the proper and convenient performance of its functions and that there shall be no execution of any prisoner who has been sentenced to death, irrespective of whether his appeal and review rights have been exhausted.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, October 20, 2017


One of the most efficient ways to promote peace and jump-start flagging economies is to empower girls and invest in their education. Today, girls lack of access to basic education is compounded when it comes to the use of digital technology, leaving them far behind boys. And because the world is ever more digital, those who lack basic internet skills will find it increasingly more difficult to participate in the formal economy, to obtain a quality education, to access health care, information and psychosocial support, to have their voices heard.

Since 2013 the global gender gap in male and female access to the Internet has actually increased from 11 to 12 percent. Worse yet, women and girls living in the poorest countries are 31 percent less likely than men and boys to have access to the Internet. In developing countries, some 200 million fewer women than men own a mobile phone, the most common means of Internet access there. This digital divide is increasing, and should it continue at the present pace, it is projected that over 75 percent of women and girls will lack internet access and digital skills.

There are many causes for the digital gender gap. They include girls exclusion from basic education writ large, from specific technology education and design, high costs of both devices and internet access, scarcity of content relevant for women and girls, and socio-cultural biases and discrimination, such as barriers to women speaking freely and privately both online and offline. Indeed, one of the most insidious reasons why girls may be discouraged from learning how to access and use digital technology is also a groundless one: that girls are simply not adept at using technology.

The United Nations has affirmed that human rights online are human rights offline. These stereotypes reinforce harmful norms that keep women and girls from enjoying their human rights.

According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an independent, non-profit and non-governmental research organization, the gender digital divide is a major roadblock to womens economic empowerment and participation in the economy. Without a major escalation of policy effort and investment, most of the benefits of technological change will be enjoyed only by men, exacerbating gender inequality. This also results in lost economic growth and innovation that is possible only when men and women have equal access to technology and the economy.

In the words of USAID Senior Gender Coordinator Michelle Bekkering, A girls future should be defined not by her sex, but by her commitment to hard work and ability to access the resources she needs to succeed.


Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's government took legal steps to disband the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP. The U.S. is also deeply concerned by the National Assemblys passage of amendments to Cambodias Election Law. If ratified, these amendments, in conjunction with the lawsuit by the Cambodian Ministry of Interior to dissolve the CNRP, would effectively disenfranchise the millions of people who voted for the CNRP in the 2013 and 2017 elections, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.

If the main opposition party is disbanded, Hun Sen's government plans to redistribute its 55 seats in the lower house of the National Assembly to five political parties that didn't win any seats in the 2013 general election.

In a statement, CNRP lawmakers - all of whom boycotted the legislative session - called the approval by ruling Cambodian Peoples Party members of parliament an abuse of power  [and] the will of the people.

This is part of a trend by the Cambodian government to stamp out dissent from all sources, including the press. Recently government authorities shuttered an English-language newspaper, The Cambodia Daily, for allegedly not paying a large tax bill.

More than a dozen radio stations that broadcast dissident voices or used programming from the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia were forced to stop broadcasting for alleged breach of regulations.

Genuine competition is essential to democracy and to the legitimacy of the 2018 national elections, said spokesperson Nauert.History proves that suppressing legitimate political activity leads to more long-term instability, rather than less. We urge government officials to consider the serious implications of their recent actions and we renew our call that the leader of the CNRP, Kem Sokha, be released from prison.
Regional premier Carles Puigdemont (c), with Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell (r) and deputy premier Oriol Junqueras at a protest in Barcelona on Saturday. Sean Gallup (Getty Images)

Faced with an exceptional challenge, the Spanish Popular Party (PP) government, in agreement with the main opposition parties, the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Ciudadanos, has taken an equally exceptional step: turning to the Senate to propose a series of measures that, in accordance with Article 155 of the Constitution, impede the regional premier of the Catalan government, the Generalitat, to continue acting against the general interest of the people and guarantee the compliance on the part of the regional government and the Catalan parliament with its constitutional obligations. Both institutions have placed themselves outside the law: acting against them is completely justified.

The measures that have been proposed, which include the replacement of the entire regional government and the dissolution of parliament with a view to the calling of regional elections, are, without a doubt, as drastic as they are forceful. It is not the route that the government wanted to take, nor the path that any democrat would want. It is very painful for those who conceived and supported this Constitution  based, to a great degree, in the state of the autonomous regions  to witness this huge failure. But our shock must not leave us confused: only the Catalan regional premier, Carles Puigdemont, and those who have accompanied him  openly or in the shadows  in this adventure against the rule of law are responsible for what has happened.

The measures that have been proposed are as drastic as they are forceful

It is impossible to ignore the difficulty of applying these measures and the possible complications of public order that their execution could generate. But it is undeniable that they are, at the same time, proportional and symmetric to the challenge posed by pro-independence forces whose threats to constitutional order are as serious as those that Spanish democracy suffered with the attempted coup on February 23, 1981.

Lets not be confused. All of the institutions of the Spanish state  from King Felipe VI to the Constitutional Court, as well as the biggest political parties  have agreed that with its actions on September 6 and 7, the regional government and the Catalan parliament suspended the self-governance of Catalonia and derogated both the regions autonomy Statute as well as the 1978 Constitution. The pro-independence forces have recognized as such during their public statements and have enshrined this in their referendum laws. While it is nothing more than another display of the cynicism to which they have us accustomed to, it is surprising that the secessionists argue now that autonomy has been suspended and reclaim its value.

Democracy not only has the right to defend itself, but also the obligation to do so

Until now the Spanish government has been criticized  and justifiably so  for not acting politically and hiding behind other institutions and powers. Now, finally, the government has decided to take the lead in the constitutional response to the Catalan crisis. Rajoy has managed to join forces with the PSOE and Ciudadanos, forging the consensus that Article 155 needed: the three parties that support him represent 254 seats and 16 million votes, a majority that is as qualified as it is legitimate to act.

Democracy not only has the right to defend itself, but also the obligation to do so. The state is not an abstract entity, it is the institution in which we place our trust to protect our liberties and prosperity. As such it has a coercive, legal and legitimate capacity. All states provide for a mechanism such as Article 155 to correct the deviations or abuses of power of governments or regions. All of them. The fact that Article 155 has never been used before does not delegitimize its application, quite the opposite.

Catalan citizens must remain calm: the rule of law protects them and their rights and freedoms are guaranteed. As are their jobs, companies, savings and economic interests, all of which have been cast into doubt by the regional government. We are embarking on the return of the Constitution and the Catalan regional Statute. Regional elections would allow for legality to be definitively restored, and will show that, far from silencing the democratic will and the voice of Catalans, it is the Constitution that guarantees self-government.

A general election, perhaps timed to coincide with regional polls in Catalonia, could be the suitable instrument

We want that journey to be taken with the least amount of turbulence possible. But we call on the three parties implied in this decision to employ the best management and approach possible in such a delicate moment, and to maintain their unity in the face of all the difficulties and obstacles that could arise along the way.

We are expecting that there will be an opportunity from that moment to deal with the problems at the root of this: the redrawing of the territorial structure, the modernization of the country  in brief, the constitutional reform that is urgent in the light of the events of recent months. It seems to us very difficult to tackle this task in the scenario in which we find ourselves right now. A general election, perhaps timed to coincide with regional polls in Catalonia, could be the suitable instrument so that the necessary subsequent negotiations are in the hands of figures who have recently emerged with a mandate from the ballot boxes.

Spain is a strong country. Our democracy enjoys the same virtues and defects as those of the most advanced in the world. But like all of them, it needs a root-and-branch revision from time to time. From the birth of the Constitution in 1978, a number of generations of Spaniards have come into existence. It is time to connect with all of them via our founding law, getting involved in its modernization. It can only be hoped that the serious crisis that we have before our very eyes gives us the impetus needed to embark on this difficult and fundamental mission.

English version by Simon Hunter.
Thirteen boys and girls accused of carrying signs and emblems attributed to Satanism and worshiping the Devil have been arrested in a restaurant in Tehran, local news websites reported on Saturday, October 21.

Several Iranian news agencies, including Fars, run by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, cited Tehran Police force, as announcing, Officers of Precinct 109...received a report on girls and boys, with tendency to worship the Devil, gathered at a restaurant in a street in Tehrans 12th district.

Based on the same reports, Police stormed the restaurant and arrested the youth while they were carrying signs and emblems of Devil worshiping.

However, the police have not elaborated on the exact meaning of Satanism or worshiping the Devil.

In previous similar cases, the police had used the term for describing heavy metal music fans in Iran.

In Iran, heavy metal, a subdivision of Rock music, is a medium for criticizing political procedures and social relations by using symbols and lyrics pertaining to protest.

Arresting youth accused of Satanism and worshiping the Devil is not unprecedented.

On Tuesday, October 17, the commander of Iranian Prevention Police, Reza Bastoo reported that two 25-year-old youth, accused of selling Devil worshiping devices including garments and long colorful boots, as well as bandanas and printed bracelets, have been arrested.

The two culprits confessed that they used to make thirty million rials (nearly $880) profit each day through selling products related to Satanism and worshiping the devil, commander Bastoo maintained.

In past two years, reports on police storming youth gatherings and parties, and arresting them has significantly increased.

Reportedly, police senitivity is a response to the Supreme Leaders call for fighting against what he has described as social harms.

In most cases, police have accused the detainees of drinking alcoholic beverages, hosting mixed-gender parties and having illegal sex affairs.

Attacking and breaking up parties were quite rife after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, but it gradually died down.

However, in past two years, even family parties, including wedding and birthday parties have not been immune from police and security forces assaults.

As a rule, the judiciary describes the detainees as elements of corruption, prostitution, illegal sexual relations, perversion and alcohol drinking.

A dual American-Iranian citizen and his wife have been sentenced to death by an Iranian court after being convicted of establishing a cult and holding mixed parties that involved serving alcohol, the Financial Times reported on March 13, 2017.
Hundreds of Iranian students have criticized President Hassan Rouhani for his latest choice for Minister of Science, Technology and Research, who oversees higher education institutions.

In a letter addressed to the Iranian president, 525 students have said that his nominee for the job had a proven record in neglecting students rights and freedoms.

President Rouhani was sworn-in for a second term on August 5 of this year, but so far he has not succeeded to appoint anyone as science minister.

According to Mahmoud Sadeghi, a pro-reform Iranian MP, President Rouhani has nominated more than 10 people for the office, however, they have all been rejected by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Based on media reports, Rouhanis latest choice is Mansour Gholami, the President of Hamadan's Boo Ali Sina University.

In their protest letter, students reminded Rouhani of his campaign promises for making universities safe, free, and independent and warned him not to appoint someone who would undermine these goals.

In a second letter, several student organizations accused Rouhani's latest choice for the ministry of science not only responsible for the academic downfall of Hamedan University, but also for the suspension of many students who were supporting political reforms in the country.

Students also accuse Gholami of preventing reformist students from having publications and associations.

In an interview with Iranian media, MP Sadeghi mentioned the student allegations against Rouhanis new nominee, but expressed support for Gholami. He is not an ideal candidate, but he could be an alternative for getting out of the current limbo, Sadeghi said. The MP was referring to the fact that other candidates were all disapproved by the supreme leader.

Based on the Islamic Republic constitution, the president does not need to seek supreme leaders approval for his cabinet nominees, but in course of time, a tradition has been established that Khamenei should pre-approve the candidates for some key ministries, including the ministry of science.

Some MPs, including Mahmoud Sadeghi and Ali Motahari, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament criticized the practice, arguing it would limit presidents freedom to do his job.

Last Monday, Motahari said that the President should nominate a person who is considered qualified, instead of waiting for approval by others.

In a Tweet on Tuesday, Sadeghi asked the office of the supreme leader to provide details about his role in the nomination process in order to eliminate doubts in this regard.
A member of President Hassan Rouhanis reelection campaign in Ilam province, western Iran, has been sentenced in to five years imprisonment for insulting the sacred, the head of Ilams Justice Department announced on Sunday, October 22.

The judiciary affiliated news website, Mizan cited Mohammad Razm as saying that an individual from Rouhanis campaign in Ilam who had defamed Imam Reza (Shiites eighth Imam, buried in Iran), is sentenced to five years prison that three years of it is conditionally suspended.

Razm did not name the accused individual but said he has protested the verdict and his case is currently being reviewed in a court of appeal.

On Friday, April 28, in a satirical text read at the inaugural ceremony of Rouhanis campaign headquarters in Ilam, Ali Mohammad Mohammadi had remarked that Imam Reza is helping only the so-called Principle-ists (conservatives challenging Rouhani), totally ignoring the reformists.

The satirical text triggered a harsh reaction from several Shiites sources of emulation, conservatives and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commander in Ilam.

The reactions were so intense that, according to Ilams local media, the Prosecutor-General of the province issued a warrant for detaining Mohammadi.

Therefore, the convicted person is most probably Mohammadi, the chairman of the campaign.

Reacting to the incident, the Supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khameneis representative in Ilam, Mohammad Naqi Lotfi also declared one day of public mourning in the province.

Friday prayers leaders of other cities in the province also joined the chorus and called for the defamers to be confronted and punished.

A Shiites source of emulation based in city of Qom, ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi also bitterly criticized the satirical text read at Rouhanis campaign headquarters in Ilam and called for punishing the evil individual who had ridiculed the highly eminent position of the Imams.

Rouhanis campaign headquarters has not yet reacted to the legal case against one of its members.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The visit of the Turkish nationals who violated Azerbaijani laws to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is shameful, Zeki Ariturk, Turkish lawyer and founder of Ekol Hukuk law firm, told Trend.

He noted that from a legal point of view, criminal prosecution of those persons will unfortunately require certain procedures.

According to the last paragraph of Article 38 of the Turkish Constitution, if the countrys citizens commit crimes in the territory of a foreign state, they cannot be extradited to this state, and can be convicted only in accordance with the Turkish legislation and serve their sentences in the country, Ariturk said.

He also noted that, according to the Turkish laws, the countrys citizens are not forbidden to visit any country or territory.

Ariturk added that, however, if the Turkish citizens visit was aimed at setting the Armenians living in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh against the statehood of Azerbaijan, they should be prosecuted for promoting aggression in accordance with Turkeys Criminal code.

He further noted that there should be no support to persons who betrayed the relationship between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

On September 22, Turkish citizens Ufuk Uras, Ali Bayramoglu, Said Cekinoglu and Erol Katircioglu illegally visited Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the illegal visit of Turkish citizens to the occupied Azerbaijani territories did not reflect Ankaras official policy.

Grave Crimes Investigation Department of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office filed a criminal case under the Criminal Codes Article 318.2 (illegally crossing Azerbaijans state borders). All four individuals are accused under the abovementioned article. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against them. They were declared internationally wanted.

An appeal was sent to the Turkish law enforcement to detain the four individuals.

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, October 22

Trend:

As a result of violations of the ceasefire by units of the armed forces of Armenia, a soldier of Azerbaijan's army Zeynalov Jabbar Firuddin oglu died, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The leadership of the Ministry of Defense expresses deep condolences to the families and relatives of the shehid (martyr).

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.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

It is important to stress that OPEC does not control the oil market, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

He pointed out that the industry has many stakeholders, and "the focus for us all should be on a stable and balanced market."

"Since OPEC was founded in 1960 its overall goal has been oil market stability. It is not only the best type of market for OPEC, but for all stakeholders. This includes producers, contractors, investors and consumers. This will continue to be the organizations goal on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis," said Barkindo.

Talking about the effectiveness of the OPEC oil output cut deal, the secretary general said there are clear signs that the production adjustments initiated by 24 OPEC and non-OPEC producing nations in the landmark Declaration of Cooperation and the high conformity levels to these adjustments are helping the market to rebalance.

"We have seen the process of destocking, both onshore and offshore, gather pace in recent months. The most recent data for August 2017 shows commercial oil inventories of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development  OECD countries around 170 million barrels above the five-year average, down from around 340 million barrels at the start of 2017. Moreover, industry data for 2017 suggest that crude in floating storage has fallen by more than 30 million barrels since the beginning of the year," added Barkindo.

In December 2016 in Vienna, 11 non-OPEC countries, including Azerbaijan, agreed to curtail oil output jointly by 558,000 barrels per day. The agreement was signed for the first half of 2017.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Tehran, Iran, October 22

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Saudi Arabia to make fusion between Riyadh and Iraq in a new push to counter Irans regional influence.

On Friday the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin will also take a trip to the Middle East Arab states in coming weeks to further promote the United States anti-Iran policies.

These come as follow-up to President Donald Trumps first foreign trip in May which took him to the Arab kingdom.

All of these come as in recent weeks Iranian military authorities, especially General Qassem Soleimani who has been the leader of Iranian advisory missions in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State (ISIS), said the death of the terrorist group is imminent as developments point out that ISIS is losing ground to governmental forces in Syria.

Iran says it is entitled to having brought about the end of ISIS, calling the terrorist groups formation a US-led plot to ensure the region sees no rest. Tehran has also been accusing Washington of helping rebels in Syria to topple the countrys president.

Elsewhere, Iran has been working closely with Baghdad to end ISIS sway on parts of the Arab country, to the improvement of ties between Tehran and Baghdad.

In recent weeks, nevertheless, news outlets reported that Iran had efficiently prevented the pursuit of a cessation process in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Tehran denied participation in on-ground operations in this regard, but Iranian news outlets quoted a Kurdish representative as having talked highly of General Soleimani for helping put an end to the pursuit of an independence referendum.

General Soleimani and his respective organization, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, seem to have been the real pain in the neck for Washington in Iraqi and Syrian developments over the past few years.

Maybe thats why President Donald Trump announced on October 13 that, as part of his new Iran strategy, he will be putting specifically tailored sanctions on the Guards.

As Tillersons diplomatic mission seeks to mend bonds between the Shia Iraq and Sunni Saudi Arabia, Mnuchins upcoming trip will definitely serve to restrict the Iranian Guards in terms of financial resources.

Washington has especially put the Guards missile program on note, pushing the European Union as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency to seek a way to stop it, even threatening to designate the forces as a terrorist organization.

In response, the Guards have announced that if they are put in the terrorist list, US forces will not be immune in any place within their 2,000-km missile range.

All these said, Trumps new Iran strategy can be said to boil down to two things: to press the Guards financially, after an unsuccessful confrontation on the ground, and to make allies of Baghdad and Riyadh and therefore put some distance between Iraq and Iran.
Suicide bombers attacked two mosques in Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 72 people including children, officials and witnesses said, Reuters reported.

One bomber walked into a Shiite Muslim mosque in the capital Kabul as people were praying on Friday night and detonated an explosive, one of the worshippers there, Mahmood Shah Husaini, said.

At least 39 people died in the blast at the Imam Zaman mosque in the citys western Dasht-e-Barchi district, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, but a statement from the group did not provide evidence to support its claim.

Shiite Muslims have suffered a series of attacks in Afghanistan in recent months, many of them claimed by the Sunni Muslim militants of IS.

Separately, a suicide bombing killed at least 33 people at a mosque in central Ghor province, a police spokesman said.

The attack appeared to target a local leader from the Jamiat political party, according to a statement from Balkh provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor, a leading figure in Jamiat.

No one immediately claimed responsibility.
A magnitude-5.5 earthquake shook the town of Lian in Batangas, Sunday, CNN Philippines reported.

The earthquake struck an area off Lian around 115 kilometers south of Manila,at 10:21 p.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

It said the quake was tectonic in origin - or there was a movement in the Earth's crust - with a depth of 200 kilometers.

In April, Batangas was hit by a series of quakes of varying origins. But Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said the series of quakes would not trigger The Big One, the expected magnitude-7 tremors originating from the West Valley Fault.

Last August 11, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake also shook the town of Nasugbu, which was 100 kilometers away from Manila.
Five PKK terrorists were killed in southeastern Turkey, the provincial governor's office said on late Saturday, Anadolu reported.

According to a statement from the Hakkari Governor's Office, Turkish air operation on Saturday killed five terrorists near Catalca village of Semdinli district after the drones located the terrorists in the rural area.

A Judicial investigation is underway regarding the issue, it added.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015. Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of around 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians.

Turkey also suffered from a number of attacks by Daesh, including the Ankara train station bombing in October 2015 that killed more than 100 people.
By Masakatsu Ota, KYODO NEWS - Oct 21, 2017 - 08:26 | All

Japan's annual diplomatic effort to demonstrate its anti-nuclear credentials and create momentum for disarmament has run into a major obstacle in the form of its most important ally, as well as an atmosphere of division between states possessing atomic weapons and those without them.

A draft resolution recently proposed by the government of Japan to the United Nations General Assembly was dramatically watered downed under diplomatic pressure from the United States, government sources have revealed to Kyodo News.

Japan, the only nation devastated by nuclear weapons, in the U.S. attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 72 years ago, has proposed a series of draft resolutions on nuclear disarmament to the General Assembly since 1994.

Last year, its proposed resolution was adopted at the assembly's plenary session with support from 167 nations, including the United States, while China, North Korea, Russia and Syria opposed and 16 other nations abstained.

In the middle of October this year, Japan submitted a resolution it had drafted, titled "United action with renewed determination toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons."

Close examination of the text by Kyodo News has found a few major changes from past resolutions.

Since 2010, Japan had drafted a resolution each year by including the same sentence which emphasizes "deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons."

The phrase, "the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons," has been a keyword for international movements pursuing a world without nuclear weapons in recent years.

In July, this anti-nuclear campaign culminated in the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. It is the first international law which prohibits state parties from developing, testing, possessing and using nuclear weapons in any manner including "threat of use."

In the most recently proposed resolution, the government of Japan deleted the word, "any," from the frequently used phrase, "the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons." The text expressed "deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use."

It seems a minor rhetorical change, but the deletion of "any" has raised concerns and sparked severe criticism from nuclear disarmament specialists in Japan.

"The omission of the word 'any' implies there could be a case of nuclear weapon use that would not cause inhumane consequences and therefore this type of use might be permitted," Professor Tatsujiro Suzuki, who is director of the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University, told Kyodo News.

"It can't be helped if Japan will be regarded (by the international community) as an unfit advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons," Suzuki said.

"The Japanese draft resolution looks like one proposed by the United States or any other nuclear weapon states," said Akira Kawasaki, an International Steering Group member of ICAN, or the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

ICAN will receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the end of this year in Oslo for its worldwide grass-roots campaign for the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

During a recent interview with Kyodo News, Kawasaki said "the deletion of 'any' is so problematic" that several nations, which have supported Japan's annual resolutions in the past, may not become a co-sponsor of the resolution this year.

Such a development would be a serious setback for Japan which has taken a leading position in the international disarmament field based on its strong anti-nuclear weapon credential.

The governmental sources suggested that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump opposes including the word "any" in the draft resolution, and that Japan made a concession in order to get Washington's support for the document.

Trump has indicated a desire to accelerate the modernization of U.S. nuclear weapons against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis involving North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been deepening security cooperation with the United States and repeatedly requested the U.S. security assurance for Japan including "nuclear umbrella."

Another conspicuous change in the latest Japanese resolution is that it urges only North Korea to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) without delay, rather than eight nations as requested in the previous resolutions to ratify.

Japan is a key advocate of an early entry into force of CTBT, which requires ratification by the eight nations including North Korea, China and the United States. The U.S. Republican party is widely known as a strong opponent of CTBT.

"Our new draft resolution is the result of policy considerations for creating a common ground between nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapons states for furthering a practical approach (toward nuclear abolition)," said one official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs without specifically explaining why they decided to make the noticeable changes in the draft resolution.
Worldwide, more than three million children die each year on the day they are born - either during birth or shortly afterwards. If their mothers had received acceptable care during childbirth, almost all of these children would be alive, fit and healthy. This is particularly a problem in low-income countries in Africa, where there is alarming pressure on the stretched healthcare systems. For example, in Zanzibar's main hospital, Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, each doctor or midwife assists an average of four to six women in labour simultaneously.

However, researchers from the University of Copenhagen in cooperation with local health staff at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital have conducted an inexpensive project, which holds considerable promise. They have developed a brief and easy-to-understand childbirth guide tailored to the local reality, the PartoMa guidelines. After the guide was introduced, the number of stillbirths has fallen by 33 per cent, and the number of newborns in obvious poor health has almost been halved. The findings have just been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

"The international guidelines available were often too complicated, time-consuming and resource-demanding for the health staff at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital - they gathered dust on the shelves in the hectic maternity ward, where the staff desperately need knowledge, yet barely knew that the guidelines existed. Therefore, we developed the simple PartoMa childbirth guide, where the dogma is that our recommendations should be possible to follow under the conditions which are found at this overstretched hospital where resources are in short supply," says the main author of the study, Nanna Maale, a PhD student at the Global Health Section at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.

Eight-pages of hands-on advice

The guide comprises an eight-page pocket booklet, and it was developed in cooperation with the local doctors and midwives at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. In addition, it was approved by seven international experts in obstetric care in order to quality-assure the content. Much of the work has involved making international recommendations more specific, simple and practical. And it looks as though it is saving human lives.

The researchers measured the number of stillbirths over a four-month period prior to phasing in the guidelines. Next, the guidelines were implemented through reoccurring quarterly afternoon seminars where the staff practiced on it's use. Then, the number of stillbirths was measured for four months after introduction. Other factors may have had an impact on the fall in the number of stillbirths, but the researchers also demonstrated improvements in the quality of childbirth care in accordance with the guidelines in the pocket booklet and found a halving of numbers of newborns with immediate signs of poor health. This indicates also that the childbirth guidelines had a significant effect.

"The quality of childbirth care and the number of staff assisting births at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital remains heartbreakingly poor. However, we are seeing promising signs of improvement after the introduction of the PartoMa guidelines. This is a good example of how far we can get by using existing resources more effectively. It's a good idea to look at whether tailoring clinical guidelines to local conditions in the form of an easily accessible pocket booklet can also be used elsewhere in low-income countries," says Ib Christian Bygbjerg, professor of international health and co-author of the study.

Pocket booklet still in use

In Zanzibar, the childbirth guide is still used at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, even though the research project was concluded some time ago, and the researchers and health staff are now collaborating on a second edition.

"We're still using the guide after more than two and a half years. Our employees, particularly the younger doctors, tell us that it helps them provide better health care. Other health facilities in Zanzibar are also showing an interest in the guidelines," says Tarek Meguid, a consultant obstetrician at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, who also advised on and co-authored the study.

The study was supported by the Lundbeck Foundation, the Laerdal Foundation and the Augustinus Foundation.

###
Though there are several vehicles out there to help you save for retirement, one of the most effective is none other than the 401(k). The appeal of the 401(k) is twofold. For one thing, contributions are seamless. You sign up through your employer, decide what percentage of your paycheck to set aside, and sit back as that money is automatically deducted tax-free each month. But the other factor that makes 401(k)s so appealing is their generous annual contribution limit. Whereas IRAs cap out at $5,500 a year for workers under 50, the current annual contribution limit for 401(k)s is $18,000.

And here's some good news for those who tend to max out their 401(k)s: Come 2018, you'll have the option to contribute an additional $500 for a total of $18,500.

Now that $500 boost may not seem like much, but from a tax perspective, it's a welcome change. That's because if you max out your 401(k) in 2018, and your effective tax rate is 30%, you'll shave $150 off your IRS bill -- just like that. (Note that because those 50 and over get a $6,000 catch-up, older workers can contribute up to $24,500 next year.)

The term "401k" in gold block letters on a wooden background

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

But while an increased 401(k) contribution limit may be reason for some folks to celebrate, those who plan to capitalize on that allowance are undoubtedly in the minority. In fact, most workers will find the new contribution limit virtually meaningless, since the typical American doesn't come close to maxing out his or her 401(k) in the first place.

Passing up a key savings opportunity

Before we talk about what the average American contributes to a 401(k), let's remember that not all workers have the option to participate in one. It's estimated that 79% of the workforce has access to a 401(k), which puts 21% of workers at an automatic disadvantage. But despite the fact that most employed adults are offered a 401(k), only 41% opt in.

Furthermore, of those who do participate, the overwhelming majority don't come close to hitting the annual limit. Vanguard reports that the average worker saved 6.8% of his or her income in a 401(k) in 2015. Since the average income in the country for folks under 65 is $46,409, those earning that much but setting aside just 6.8% of their income are contributing a mere $3,155 per year.

Story continues

In fact, Vanguard says that only 12% of 401(k) plan participants contribute the maximum amount allowed by IRS guidelines. That means the typical American who has a 401(k) won't be impacted by the option to set aside an extra $500 in 2018. On the other hand, those who are currently maxing out, and are planning to take advantage of that additional $500 contribution, stand to benefit in a very big way.

A chance to grow your wealth

At first glance, a $500 increase to your 401(k) may not seem like much. But in reality, that boost can be huge, especially if you're a younger worker with several decades of employment ahead of you.

Remember, when you increase your 401(k) contributions by $500 a year, you're not just adding that money alone to your account; you're also investing that money over a potentially lengthy period of time. And if you have several decades for compounding to work its magic, you'll pad your nest egg quite nicely by maxing out.

The following table shows what an extra $500 per year will do for your 401(k), depending on your current age:

27 $129,000 32 $86,000 37 $56,000 42 $36,000 47 $23,000 52 $13,000

Data source: AUTHOR.

Even if you're already a good 15 years into your career, if you contribute that extra $500 a year for another three decades, you'll get a cool $56,000 nest egg boost if your investments generate an average annual 8% return during that time. And that's more than doable with a stock-heavy portfolio.

But here's the other thing the above table is meant to illustrate: Even if you're among the majority of Americans who don't max out their 401(k)s, upping your annual contributions by $500 could have a huge impact on your ultimate savings balance. So while you may not manage to set aside $18,500 next year, do your part to save as much as you can. You'll be thankful for it in the long run.

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BMW said investigators from the EU anti-trust watchdog searched its offices earlier this week, - Reuters

BMWs headquarters in Munich has been raided by the EU as they look for evidence the car giant was part of a cartel with its German peers.

Investigators from the EU anti-trust watchdog searched the companys offices earlier this week, BMW said on Friday, in a sign an investigation into alleged collusion between German car makers is being stepped up.

The investigation began this summer after reports that BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen Group worked together on technical standards that could have allowed them to set prices.

Daimler  which owns the upmarket Mercedes marque  first reported the cooperation to watchdogs in a move that could see it pay lower fines should any illegal activity be uncovered.

Last month Margrethe Vestager, the EUs Competition Commissioner, said investigators are checking to see if completely legal cooperation between German car companies could amount to a cartel.

In a statement, BMW said EU investigators conducted an inspection of its Munich base, and no formal proceedings have been opened against the company.

Separately today, Daimler said its profits fell in the third quarter. Sales of vehicles at the group were up 9pc at 824,000 in the three-month period, pushing revenue up 6pc.

However, net profit fell 17pc to 2.3bn (2.1bn), after its Mercedes car division was hit with a huge recall and work to modify older diesel engines.
The AUD/USD finished sharply lower on Friday as progress on U.S. tax reforms raised prospects of a fiscal lift to the economy, boosting expectations for several Fed rate hikes next year and driving up demand for risky assets.

Senate approval of a budget blueprint late Thursday cleared a critical hurdle for Republicans to pursue a tax-cut package without Democratic support.

The U.S. Dollar was also supported throughout the week by hawkish comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and other policymakers that suggest the central bank is moving forward with another rate hike before the end of the year.

Essentially, the force driving the AUD/USD lower is the divergence in monetary policy between the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Reserve Bank of Australia. This is helping to tighten the spread between U.S. Government bonds and Australian Government bonds.

Daily AUDUSD

Daily Swing Chart Analysis

You can see from the lower tops and lower bottoms, the main trend is down according to the daily swing chart.

The recent rally from .7733 to .7897 was not a trend change but a shift in momentum to the upside. The market is now trading at .7914.

After four sideways trading sessions, the AUD/USD appears ready to resume the downtrend. A trade through .7807 will make .7897 a new main top. This will also indicate that momentum is shifting back to the downside. A trade through .7733 will signal a resumption of the downtrend.

The main range is .8102 to .7733. Its retracement zone at .7918 to .7961 is resistance.

The major long-term retracement zone is .7848 to .7782. Inside this zone is the .7815 to .7796 short-term retracement zone. These zone are provided support all week.

Although were likely to see a downside bias, were likely to see a sideways trade if the AUD/USD remains inside .7848 to .7782.

The AUD/USD will begin to open up to the downside if .7822 is taken out with conviction.

Looking at both directions, look for an upside bias on a sustained move over the 50% level at .7848 and for a downside bias on a sustained move under the 61.8% level at .7782.

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This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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When Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) reported its third-quarter earnings at the beginning of October, buried deep within the bank's earnings release was evidence of a major milestone: During the quarter, Bank of America's assets under management eclipsed $1 trillion.

Assets under management may not be a term you're familiar with, but it's a key part of many banks' business models. The term refers to assets that a bank or other type of financial services company oversees for other people as opposed to itself. The company administers the assets, in other words, but the clients own them.

Three businesspeople talk in an office with a computer and papers on a table in the foreground.

Wealth management is a major source of revenue for Bank of America. Image source: Getty Images.

This is an important part of Bank of America's business. The nation's second biggest bank by assets generated $4.6 billion worth of revenue from its wealth and investment management segment in the three months ended Sept. 30, 2017. After subtracting expenses, that translated into $769 million of net income, or about 15% of the bank's total bottom line.

Passing $1 trillion is a major accomplishment for Bank of America, but it isn't the only major bank to have done so. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), the nation's biggest bank, has amassed nearly twice the amount. Its assets under management climbed to just under $2 trillion by the end of the third quarter.

That said, Bank of America is well ahead of the two other multi-billion-dollar banks: Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and Citigroup (NYSE: C). Wells Fargo's assets under management came in at $496 billion last quarter, while Citigroup's were a comparatively minuscule $158 billion.

Bank Assets Under Management JPMorgan Chase $1,945 Bank of America $1,036 Wells Fargo $496 Citigroup $158

Data source: Third-quarter earnings releases. Dollar figures are in millions.

There are a number of advantages to amassing a large hoard of assets under management if you're a bank. In the first case, it tends to be stable income, not fluctuating much from one quarter to the next.

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This contrasts against, say, trading revenues at banks, which regularly increase or decrease by double-digit percentages. In the most recent quarter, for instance, JPMorgan Chase saw its trading revenuesA fall 21% on a year-over-year basis, while Citigroup saw trading revenues in its fixed-income trading unit decline by 16%.

It's for this reason that Bank of America chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan refers to the bank's wealth management segment as an annuity-like business, as the revenue and earnings from it tend to stretch long into the future.

The five-quarter trend in Bank of America's assets under management.

Data source: Bank of America. Chart by author.

Additionally, assets under management don't expose banks to credit risk. This is the risk that an on-balance-sheet asset, typically a loan, will decline in value because the borrower stops making payments. This is a major issue for banks given that loan losses erode the bank's capital and, in recessions, can even cause a bank to have solvency issues, as was the case with countless banks during the financial crisis.

In short, while most investors and analysts regularly track asset growth on Bank of America's balance sheet, the assets that it controls off its balance sheet shouldn't be overlooked.

More From The Motley Fool

John Maxfield owns shares of Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza has made a lot of transformations in her life since she appeared on TV as Yaya Dub. Shes recorded a single, made two films and starred in a series with her perennial partner Alden Richards, launched countless brands as a celebrity endorser, and so much more. And now shes turned her hand to something new as she celebrates another milestone.

On Thursday, the 22-year-old TV star will meet with her fans at the launching of Yup, I am that Girl, an autobiographical book that gives the public an intimate peak into her life on and off camera.

Based on the book description, Yup, I am that Girl is an unfiltered version of her personal blog, Pessimistic Optimist Bella, which shes been maintaining since 2012. The blog features her random thoughts and personal adventures. And following on that promise, what we can expect from the book is a lighthearted account of her rise to stardom from a virtually unknown girl from Bulacan, to her emergence as a social media darling, and from her non-speaking character as Yaya Dub to the fanfare over the phenomenal success of AlDUb.

The title, on the other hand, is inspired by her Twitter account bio that she deactivated in June after posting a series of cryptic messages.

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With Yup, I am that Girl, Maine joins the ranks of other celebrities who have dabbled into writing like Kathryn Bernardo, Vice Ganda, Michael V, Sarah Lahbati, Solenn Heussaff, Heart Evangelista, Alex Gonzaga, and Andrea Brillantes, to name a few.

Yup, I am that Girl, which took Maine more than half a year to finish, is published by Summit Books, which revealed the good news on its Instagram account on Monday. The publishing company shared a teaser video and a sneak peek of the cover of Maines book.

Out soon is "Yup, I Am That Girl," Maine Mendoza's book which reveals the real story of the phenomenal star on and off camera

The same video was shared on Maines official Facebook page, 35-seconder teaser is accompanied by a caption that says, Im about to release my FIRST EVER BOOK c/o @Summit.books! #YupIAmThatGirl is coming soon to bookstores and newsstands! Stay tuned for book launch details!

Meanwhile, Maine and Alden starred in a movie made for television helmed by Adolf Alix, Jr. The trending show entitled Love isaired last night and once again captured the hearts of televiewers.

Love is, which redefines love, promise, and commitment, is AlDubs first project after their GMA-7 series Destined to be Yours and their 2016 movie, Imagine You and Me

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FILE PHOTO: A Bitcoin sign is seen in a window in Toronto, Canada, May 8, 2014. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin surged to a record high of more than $6,000 on Friday, pushing its market capitalization to $100 billion at one point, as investors continued to bet on an asset that has a limited supply and has paved the way for a whole slew of crypto-currencies.

The original virtual currency has gained over 500 percent this year, more than any other tradable asset class. Bitcoin though is very volatile - posting gains and losses as high as 26 percent and 16 percent respectively on any given day.

On Friday, bitcoin hit a record peak $6,000.10 (BTC=BTSP) on the BitStamp platform, and was last at $5,964.24, up 4.7 percent on the day.

Bitcoin is a digital currency that can either be held as an investment, or used as a foundation for future applications through the blockchain, its underlying technology. The blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions.

It is more scarce though than most people realize. The number of bitcoins in existence is not expected to exceed 21 million.

Analysts said it was a combination of factors that drove Friday's surge in price.

Charles Hayter, co-founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare in London said hopes that China will soften its regulatory stance on crypto-currencies helped bitcoin's cause.

"As China ... fears fade, the price is unlocked and driven by demand and buyers entering the markets," said Hayter.

Over the summer, China has banned the practice of raising capital through the sale of tokens to the public in what is known as initial coin offerings. It has also ordered the shutdown of digital currency exchanges.

But many in the market believe the Chinese ban is temporary.

"China would not want to be left out of the digital currency market nor the development of blockchain applications in general," said Jason English, vice president of Protocol Marketing, at Sweetbridge, a global alliance in Zug, Switzerland that aims to use blockchain to create a liquid supply chain.

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"As much as 60 percent of the world's bitcoin mining is happening in China, and therefore, many of the large ... investments in ICO projects have also been coming from crypto-currency holders in China, whether directly or indirectly," English added.

Sean Walsh, a partner at venture capital firm Redwood City, Ventures in Redwood City, California, also believes investors have been going back into bitcoin given the still uncertain global regulatory environment on crypto-currencies.

A big part of bitcoin's recent surge was the ICO craze, which exploded this year. Bitcoins and ether, another digital currency, are used to purchase tokens for ICOs.

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; editing by Diane Craft)
By Tina Bellon and Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A California judge on Friday threw out a $417 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson <JNJ.N> in a lawsuit by a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after using its talc-based products like Johnson's Baby Powder for feminine hygiene.

The ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson marked the latest setback facing women and family members who accuse J&J of not adequately warning consumers about the cancer risks of its talc-based products.

The decision followed a jury's decision in August to hit J&J with the largest verdict to date in the litigation, awarding California resident Eva Echeverria $70 million in compensatory damages and $347 million in punitive damages.

Nelson on Friday reversed the jury verdict and granted J&J's request for a new trial. Nelson said the August trial was underpinned by errors and insufficient evidence on both sides, culminating in excessive damages.

Mark Robinson, who represented the woman in her lawsuit, in a statement said he would file an appeal immediately.

"We will continue to fight on behalf of all women who have been impacted by this dangerous product," he said.

J&J in a statement said it was pleased with the verdict, adding that it will continue to defend itself in additional trials.

The judge added that there also had been misconduct of the jury during the trial.

J&J said declarations by two jurors after the trial showed that three members of the 12-person jury who voted against finding the company liable were improperly excluded from determining damages.

J&J says it faces lawsuits by 4,800 plaintiffs nationally asserting talc-related claims. Many of those cases are in California, where Echeverria's case was the first to go to trial, and in Missouri, where J&J has faced five trials.

The Missouri litigation led to four verdicts against J&J in which juries issued verdicts totalling $307 million. The company has only won one trial.

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But the Missouri cases, which have largely been brought by out-of-state plaintiffs, have faced jurisdictional questions after the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June that limited where personal injury lawsuits could be filed.

On Tuesday, a Missouri appellate court threw out a $72 million verdict by a jury in February 2016 to the family of a deceased Alabama woman after ruling the case should not have been tried in St. Louis.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
US energy giant Chevron says it will maintain its operations in Venezuela despite the recent arrest of two of its employees (AFP Photo/JUSTIN SULLIVAN) (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File)

New York (AFP) - Chevron said Friday it "temporarily" suspended operations in Kurdistan in Iraq, an oil-rich region at the center of a conflict between Baghdad and Kurdish forces.

"We continue to monitor the situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," said a spokeswoman for the US oil giant in an email message.

"We remain in regular contact," she said. "We look forward to resuming our operations as soon as conditions permit."

Iraqi forces this week reclaimed a string of major oil fields around the city of Kirkuk that the Kurds seized in 2014 during the chaos of the Islamic State group's rampage across the country.

Baghdad has asked British giant BP to "quickly make plans to develop the Kirkuk oil fields."

Tensions between the two sides remain elevated, with the Iraqi oil ministry reacting angrily to a production sharing agreement signed between Russian energy giant Rosneft and the authorities in the autonomous Kurdish region without Baghdad's approval.

Rosneft said it would pay up to $400 million (340 million euros) for 80 percent in the venture as part of the deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government, although up to half the sum could be paid in crude from the blocks.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace attend a meeting of his ruling ZANU PF party's youth league in Harare, Zimbabwe, October 7, 2017. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - The appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been denounced by human rights groups.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Mugabe, 93. He is blamed in the West for destroying his country's economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.

In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

The former Ethiopian health and foreign minister, who was elected last May as WHO's first African director-general, added: "Today I am also honoured to announce that President Mugabe has agreed to serve as a goodwill ambassador on NCDs for Africa to influence his peers in his region to prioritize NCDs."

Iain Levine, deputy executive director for programmes at Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter: Given Mugabes appalling human rights record, calling him a goodwill ambassador for anything embarrasses WHO and Dr Tedros.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO chief was seeking broad support for the agency's work.

"Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health," he said by e-mail.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch, issued a statement late on Friday criticising the choice by WHO, a United Nations agency.

"The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa  and its health system  into a basket-case.

"The notion that the U.N. should now spin this country as a great supporter of health is, frankly, sickening," Neuer said.

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He noted that Mugabe himself had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment three times this year rather than in his homeland.

Western diplomats also voiced surprise at the appointment and said they were unaware of the "decision-making structure" behind it.

(Reporting and writing by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
A Kurdish peshmerga fighter takes aim from his position in Altun Kupri in Iraq on October 20, 2017 (AFP Photo/Marc-Antoine Pelaez)

Altun Kupri (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces clashed with Kurdish fighters Friday as the central government said it had wrested back control of the last area of disputed Kirkuk province in the latest stage of a sweeping operation after a controversial independence vote.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said police, counter-terrorism units and allied militias seized the Altun Kupri region, extending the central government's territory to within 50 kilometres (30 miles) of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.

The two sides exchanged mortar rounds and automatic gunfire but Iraqi forces managed to "hoist the flag on the municipality building", an anonymous security source in Kirkuk city said.

A Kurdish general, Ghazi Dolemri, was killed in the fighting, sources said, while an AFP journalist reported further shelling as Iraqi government forces and Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary forces advanced on Sirawa, five kilometres north of Altun Kupri.

Iraqi forces also said they had retaken the Ain Zalah and Batma oil fields, northwest of Mosul.

- Days of gains -

The fresh advances came after Iraq's central authorities snatched back control of a swathe of disputed territory from Kurdish forces in a largely bloodless operation launched at the weekend.

The government advances and Kurdish retreat have rewritten the volatile boundaries between the two sides and trashed Arbil's dreams of independence, which soared after a September 25 referendum held in defiance of Baghdad.

The loss of Kirkuk's rich oil fields also dealt a severe blow to the regional government's already parlous finances, heavily dependent on petrochemical exports.

US oil giant Chevron said Friday it had "temporarily" suspended operations in the Kurdish autonomous region.

"We continue to monitor the situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," a spokeswoman said.

"We look forward to resuming our operations as soon as conditions permit."

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Iraq's forces have also snatched back areas of Nineveh and Diyala provinces, driving Kurdish forces from positions they seized in the chaos of the Islamic State group's 2014 rampage across northern Iraq and parts of neighbouring Syria.

The agricultural region of Altun Kupri, which means "golden bridge" in Turkish, covers an area of 520 square kilometres (200 square miles) and is mostly inhabited by Kurds and Turkmens.

Security in the Altun Kupri area had been ensured by Kurdish police forces loyal to regional president Massud Barzani ever since the US-led invasion of 2003.

In their bid to halt Iraqi forces, the peshmerga planted explosives that damaged a major bridge linking Kirkuk to their regional capital Arbil over the Little Zab river, according to a local security source.

Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), issued a statement overnight Friday denouncing "the genocide attempt by the Iraqi government" and called on the international community to "put pressure on (world) governments to avoid more catastrophes for the Kurdish people".

- 'Restoring' authority -

This week's operation was accelerated by rifts between rival Kurdish factions that saw some forces opposed to Barzani -- the architect of the independence vote -- strike a deal with Baghdad to withdraw.

In Baghdad, Haydar Hamada, a spokesman for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said Iraqi forces were pressing on with the operation to impose government control over the disputed areas.

"We will continue restoring the authority of the federal authorities," he told AFP.

But a peshmerga commander in Arbil accused the Iranian-backed Hashed militia of trying to extend the boundaries of the Kirkuk province into Kurdish territory.

While central government forces have met with little resistance as they pen the peshmerga back into the three provinces that make up the Kurdish autonomous region, sporadic clashes have caused some bloodshed.

Peshmerga commander Wasta Rassoul, a member of the PUK faction that opposes Barzani, said 26 Kurdish fighters had been killed and 67 wounded since Sunday.

Tensions between Kurdish and Iraqi forces have pitted two vital US allies in the fight to destroy the Islamic State group against each other.

The two sides have cooperated in the Washington-backed offensive that has seen the jihadists driven from their major urban strongholds into a rump territory along the border with Syria.
Ecommerce, i.e. the fastest-growing part of the retail industry, doesnt operate exactly like its brick-and-mortar counterpart. While goods and services do change hands, theres a completely different infrastructure involved, whether its the marketplace, or logistics, or payments system, or ancillary services. Thats because each of these things is necessarily driven by technology.

The recent past has, however, seen traditional retailers like Wal-Mart investing increasing amounts in building this technological infrastructure even as Amazon takes an increasing interest in brick-and-mortar operations to drive efficiencies in its delivery system.

Retail ecommerce is also unique because a single company (Amazon) accounts for most of it, is the major trend-setter and the greatest influencer on the entire industry, at least in the U.S. While new players are emerging, it wont be easy to unseat Amazon simply because of its size, experience, prices and loyalty program. So its only a company like Wal-Mart, which has similar resources and huge experience that can hope to truly challenge the ecommerce leader. And thats still a work in progress because Wal-Mart, while reporting strong ecommerce growth and offering attractive growth projections, still isnt statutorily required to say how much the business contributes.

The other major point of difference is the fact that unlike traditional retail its relatively easy for an advertiser or other Internet service provider to also get involved in the retail process and thereby siphon off some of the profits.

Holiday Predictions

The holiday season will soon be kicking off, and since its the busiest season for retailers, this might be a good time to take a look at what industry watchers are projecting. Market research firms agree that overall retail will strengthen from last year, that traditional retail will also strengthen, that ecommerce will continue to grow much stronger than traditional retail and that the rate of ecommerce growth will come down slightly.

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eMarketer expects US retail ecommerce sales to grow 15.8% this holiday season, slower than the 17.8% posted last year, thus increasing its share of total retail from 10.6% to 12.0%. The main drivers named were U.S. consumer confidence (at its highest level in 15 years) and tax cuts that could boost spending, but border taxes that could raise prices and general political instability were stated reasons for caution. For full year 2017, eMarketer expects retail ecommerce sales to grow 16.0%, down slightly from 16.2% growth last year with its share of total retail sales going from 8.2% to in 2016 to 9.2% this year.

Deloitte expects overall retail holiday sales to grow a healthy 4-4.5% over last years shopping season with ecommerce growing a much stronger 18-21% to reach $111-$114 billion during the 2017 holiday season. Last year, ecommerce holiday sales grew 14.3% year over year to $93.8 billion, according to Deloitte. Deloitte sees 2017 drivers in the rising disposable personal income (2% last year compared with 3.8-4.2% this year), high consumer confidence, a strong labor market and expectations for stability in the personal savings rate at its current low level.

NetElixir expects holiday sales growth of 10% this year compared to 11% in 2016. The research firm sees mobile devices as a major driver and projects that 35% of all online purchases will happen on smart phones. The research firm estimates that Amazons share of online sales was 30% in the last holiday season while Slice Intelligence estimated that its share was closer to 38%.

The difference is attributable to the way they measure market share: while NetElixir uses data from their customer base of online retailers Slice Intelligence uses a panel of more than five million online shoppers. Whatever the methodology, its clear that Amazon is the dominant online retailer.

Industry at a Glance

The following diagrams seek to define the broad spectrum of companies primarily dependent on the Internet for the distribution of their goods and services, as well as companies that enable these exchanges:

Zacks also breaks down each large sector such as Retail/Wholesale and Computer & Technology into groups of companies such that there are a total of 256 such sub-sectors or industries.

These X industries are then grouped in two: the top half (i.e., industries with the best average Zacks Rank) and the bottom half (industries with the worst average Zacks Rank). Over the last 10 years, using a one-week rebalance, the top half beat the bottom half by a factor of more than 2 to 1. (Click here to know more: About Zacks Industry Rank)

Therefore the Zacks Industry Rank is a good indicator of investment opportunities within an industry at any given time. Moreover, because stocks in the same X industry have certain common positive or negative factors affecting them, it has been observed that there is some positive correlation between them.

As depicted above, the Internet-supported buying and selling process includes four Zacks categorized segments, i.e. Internet - Commerce, Internet - Services and Internet Services - Delivery and Internet  Software/Services.

In the last six months, the Internet - Commerce segment outperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin. The market appreciated 23.1% during the period, compared to the S&P 500s 8.8%. It also appreciated 51.7% year to date compared to just 14.2% for the S&P 500.

Revenue growth over the past year (ending June 2017 when results were last reported) was 34.9%. EPS before non-recurring items was up 6.3% on a more or less consistent share count. Forward earnings estimates are showing little appreciation, however, indicating that the industry is currently in investment mode.

The Internet - Services segment hasnt done quite as well, having grown 19.7% in the last six months and 27.8% year to date.

The business has a stronger margin profile, with revenue growth of 22.0% over the past year, EPS decline of around 11.8% on a share count that dropped 3.9%. Forward earnings estimates for the December quarter and fiscal years 2017 and 2018 are all trending down. It is apparent that the industry is seeing significant investment, which is why the high revenue growth is not dropping to the bottom line.

The Internet Services - Delivery segment has been the most sluggish, growing 19.6% in the last six months and just 2.1% year to date.

Revenue growth of 32.9% brought the industry back to profits despite a modest increase in the share count. Op-ex and interest expense remain high, impacting the EPS before non-recurring items. The debt level has shot up with no positive impact on the cash position. On the other hand, rising intangibles could indicate industry consolidation but increase risk. The debt-to-total capitalization ratio remains manageable in the 43-44% range with the current ratio being maintained above unity.

The Internet Software/Services segment is up 7.5% in the last six months and 29.7% year to date.

Revenue grew 16.5% off a much smaller base with EPS before non-recurring items growing 11.8% on a slightly lower share count. Still, there are opportunities here that can be exploited.

Market Trends

The ecommerce marketplace is influenced by both buyers and sellers. Moreover there are multiple trends, both big and small, and old and emerging, that are always in play. So it helps to take a quick look at whats going on-

Buyer Trends & Preferences

Mobile, Wearables : These remain as important as ever as users are increasingly accustomed to anytime anywhere shopping. The online store never closes, nor does the online payments machinery. Even brick-and-mortar sales are supported by mobile apps that increase awareness of products and push promos at opportune moments. Payments tech from Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), Samsung, Alibaba, Paypal and others help the electronic transfer of funds to stores. eMarketer estimates that smartphones will remain a huge driver, growing to 50% of mobile commerce in 2017 and 53.5% by 2020. Larger mobile screen sizes, new categories (cars, grocery, luxury that were earlier restricted to offline purchase) and greater comfort in using online payment systems are the main drivers.



Social Networking : The traditional buying experience often involves friends or family getting together to look through merchandise and select after much discussion. The online experience has been more restrictive in this respect. Despite the fact that personal recommendations and comparison shopping have been around for a while, these are helpful in making a selection, but dont make buying a collaborative exercise. So the shopping experience has been more of a chore than fun. Once the novelty of doing things online wears off or for those who have been doing it online from the get-go, there will be a natural tendency to start looking for more, so this is where social networks like Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) for example will start playing a bigger role. Others like Pinterest are already travelling this path.



Voice Search : Merkles Digital Marketing Report for the first quarter indicates that Google AdWords increased 19% sequentially and 21% year over year in the first quarter of 2017 with product listing ads being one of the hottest trends. Product listing ads (PLAs) accounted for more than half of retail search ad clicks, growing 48% sequentially. Spending on Google Shopping increased 32% year over year. The continued popularity of mobile search helped Google. Google has said that 20% of searches through its mobile app and Android devices are voice searches. Therefore, its clear that voice search is no longer a novelty but an emerging trend for shoppers.



Geography Isnt A Barrier Any More : These days, if people want to buy something they dont get at the retail store, the first thing they do is check online (or they might check online first and decide their point of pickup accordingly). So the world is getting ever smaller as shoppers see local, state, national and international barriers melt away. Satisfaction of course leads to higher expectations.

According to Frost & Sullivan, Southeast Asia (only Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) is poised to become one of the world's fastest-growing regions for e-commerce revenues, growing from around $11 billion in 2015 to more than $25 billion by 2020.

According to Forrester research, the five key Asia/Pacific markets of China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia will almost double from $733 billion last year to $1.4 trillion in 2020. Size and population density in China and India make them very important markets. So lets just touch upon prospects in the Chinese and Indian markets since they are on a very strong growth trajectory.

China

According to Forrester, China will remain the biggest ecommerce market in the next few years generating 9X the size of the Japanese market and 17X the size of the South Korean market by 2020. eMarketer estimates that ecommerce will be 23.1% of total retail sales in China, growing to 40.8% of total sales by 2021. More than 75% of these sales will be through mobile devices by 2021.

With the digital revolution in China, many Chinese have multiple devices they use to research a product or shop on. Devices will take a new turn this year as virtual reality (VR) starts playing a bigger role taking consumers from the VR cafe experience they enjoyed in 2016 to devices enabling the experience. eMarketer quotes a GfK forecast that retail sales through virtual reality (VR) devices in China will grow from RMB 650 million in 2016 to RMB 1.6 billion in 2017. Moreover, all the big ecommerce companies like Alibaba, Tencent and LeEco will continue to invest heavily in VR this year.

Cross-border trade is another driver, as Chinese youngsters are extremely brand conscious and like to buy foreign goods, especially if theyre from the U.S., South Korea or Japan and especially in categories like food, dairy, personal care and beauty. But local brands are increasingly capturing mind share, especially in electronics and mobile phones. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says that cross-border transaction value will make up 20% of total Chinese foreign business and continue to grow at over 30% a year.

The Ministry also sees a growing number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities coming online with only 10.6 million of the estimated 159.9 million new users between 2015 and 2018 coming from Tier 1 cities.

India

According to the ASSOCHAM-Resurgent India study, the number of people shopping online will grow from an estimated 69 million in 2016 to 100 million in 2017 driven by a growing number of digital natives (including people in their early teens and from tier two and tier three cities), better logistics, broadband and Internet-enabled devices.

Mobile commerce will be 45-50% of total retail sales this year compared to 30-35% in 2016. Popular categories in 2016 were apparel, which grew 85%, mobile phones 68% cosmetics 25%, watches 75% and artificial jewelry 65%.

Seller Trends and Strategies

Focus Shifts from Device to Consumer : This is a direct offshoot to the phenomenon that many people currently use multiple devices so that the device on which a product is researched is not necessarily the one where the purchase is completed. Also, the purchase may finally even be completed in the physical store, leading to what is being called the online to offline (O2O) trend. Therefore, it has become important to follow the customer on the various devices rather than follow the device. This understanding is still relatively nascent, but its a trend that is catching on.

App versus Mobile Web : As the ecommerce market matures, its becoming very clear that smaller players cant compete with what companies like Amazon offer. Also, their customers dont already know them, which means that they arent eager to download their apps. These players need a platform to be able to display their wares and promote their brands. This is where Google plays an extremely useful role as the search engine can now pick out and display relevant information not just from across the web but also from individual apps that have been indexed. As smaller players are more dependent on the mobile web, its importance versus apps is increasing by the day.

Omnichannel Approach : Logistics is one of the most important considerations for ecommerce retailers. Whether building their own warehouses like Amazon does or relying on specialists like Alibaba does, ecommerce companies are required to act nimbly because customers want quick delivery and quick return options. For smaller etailers, it doesnt make sense to go it alone as customers are hard to serve and the business is hard to scale. So they usually prefer to join an online marketplace to leverage their capabilities.

The challenge is more complex for the big players because the number of buyers and sellers is growing as is the volume of transactions. Amazon deals with this through its warehouses and encourages sellers to store with it through the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) initiative. FBA requires sellers to store inventory in Amazon warehouses with Amazon taking care of sales and support. This helps to cover cost of the warehouses that Amazon needs to invest in anyway. In some cases, Amazon ties with retailers to use their brick-and-mortar locations as pickup points for customers with those requirements.

Amazon has also leased 21 aircraft to support its logistics operations. It is has also taken the lead with respect to drone deliveries, having secured necessary patents and having tested the technology in countries where drones arent effectively banned. So just about as soon as the FAA approves the concept, Amazon drones will take to the skies.

For big traditional retailers, omnichannel is a stepping stone to the online world. They already have the logistics and physical stores in place though of course they are adjusting locations in line with expansion plans. So while they continue to invest in the physical store experience they are supplementing this with online channels to expand their reach. Book online and pick up at store is a popular model for them.

Technology Investment : Traditional retailers like Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target (TGT) want to build their online apps/websites/storefronts in a way that they can preserve their brand value while expanding their reach. Therefore, they are in competition with the big online players rather than in partnership with them. Online players are faster to adopt new technologies that help them improve navigation and customer experience, which in turn improve reviews and thus draw more traffic to them. But traditional players are pulling up their socks too. For instance beacon technology that enables retailers to track customers in the store and push promos and offers to them is expected to increase in importance. New payment technologies such as near field communication ( NFC ), quick response ( QR ) code, Soundwave and Bluetooth low energy ( BLE ) are facilitating the process. Innovative new technology is influencing every aspect of the buying experience spanning gadgets like TVs and game consoles that are increasingly getting connected to digital versions of books, music, video and games that are becoming available for online purchase and consumption.

Advent of Chatbots : Social networking platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp and Google Allo are warming up to the idea of chatbots. Businesses are increasingly operating globally, across time zones and catering to customers that expect everything to be immediately available. But its not always possible to have customer service people on the job at all hours because of a dearth of resources and other constraints. But with chatbots, people can get personal queries answered as and when they require. Some platforms like Facebook Messenger already have a large number of chatbots on them, so users are getting used to the idea. And companies that cant get people to download and/or use their apps (though Google is making this easier by crawling apps for indexing and Android Instant Apps), have the option of getting their chatbots on a social networking platform to interact with consumers.

Discounting Remains Important : The market is more competitive than ever before, so retailers compete very hard on the number and percentage of discounts. One format that Groupon (GRPN) pioneered didnt do so well however because of the low barriers to entry and the company has since launched a marketplace to increase scale.

Emerging New Format

Alphabet has launched Purchases on Google, which is a variation of its usual product listing ads (PLAs) for Android and iOS devices. The objective is to speed up the purchasing process for customers. There are no additional charges/CPCs for these ads. The Google carousel displays the products in the usual way, but if they qualify, a Buy on Google message appears that leads the user to a seller-branded page. Either fresh payment information or the details stored with Google allows immediate checkout from this page. Google only processes the sale but order fulfillment, customer interaction and customer data remains available to the retailer.

Earnings Trends

The broader Retail sector, of which Internet Commerce is a part, is doing better than the S&P 500 so far this quarter. Around 13.2% of retail companies have reported results so far. Revenue growth of 14.1% bettered the S&P 500 average of 6.9% although earnings growth of 11.6% fell short of the S&P 500 average of 13.3%. The beat ratios were, however, higher than the S&P 500, meaning that the sector is doing better than expected.

So 100.0% of retail companies that reported earnings beat revenue estimates with 80.0% also beating on earnings. This compares favorably with S&P revenue and earnings beats of 79.1% and 76.9%, respectively. At the end of this quarter, the sector is expected to report revenue and earnings growth of 5.8% and -2.3%, respectively. For comparison purposes, the S&P 500 will grow 4.9% on revenue and 3.0% on earnings.

The other companies we are discussing in the e-commerce outlook fall under the broader Computer & Technology sector. The sector hasnt done as well as retail so far in the third quarter, posting revenue and earnings growth of 13.8% and 52.8%, respectively. The revenue and earnings beat ratios are 100% and 83.3%. At the end of this quarter, its expected that revenue and earnings growth will average at 6.9% and 9.9%, respectively.

Take Your Pick

While we generally prefer stocks operating in strong industries at any point of time, a negative sector outlook doesnt mean that there arent any good picks at all.

Zacks methodology helps us find the stocks that have upside potential despite the hiccups.

The Internet - Services industry is the most attractive for investment right now, with stocks like Autohome (ATHM), Baidu (BIDU), Bridgeline Digital (BLIN) and Facebook (FB), all of which carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stocks like Etsy (ETSY), Gree Inc (GREZF), Interxion Holding NV (INXN), Limelight Networks (LLNW) and Match Group (MTCH) are also recommended.

The stocks in the Internet Commerce and Internet - Delivery Services industries arent recommended at this time.

The Internet - Software/Services industry also offers opportunities: 58.com (WUBA) and Bazaarvoice (BV) are ranked #1 while Boingo Wireless (WIFI) and Okta Inc (OKTA) are ranked #2.

Background/Description

Retail ecommerce remains a fairly small part of total retail right now, but because it is a fast-growing part, it is increasingly accounting for a larger share. Just a year ago, we were looking at a mid-single digit share, but this year, eMarketer thinks that share will be a tenth of global retail sales.

Ecommerce sales in Asia will account for 14.7% of total retail sales, with China contributing more than half the sales, followed by Japan with slowing growth rates and then India, which will be the fastest growing. Volumes will double by 2021. This year, ecommerce will account for only 8.8% of total retail sales in Western Europe, but grow to 11.4% by 2021. Germany is the top retail market but UK the leading ecommerce region.

Government data indicates that retail ecommerce has outpaced total retail sales growth in recent times even in bad quarters for the sector. Some of this is on account of the continued shift from offline to online retail, as customers (baby boomers) move to online channels. But its also because new consumers (millenials) often start out on online channels. These consumers spend more time in a connected, social environment and take for granted many of the online tools previous generations struggled to understand, appreciate and adopt. Therefore, ecommerce will likely continue to outpace total retail sales in the foreseeable future.

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A painting depicting the eyes of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez, is pictured close to a corporate logo of the state oil company PDVSA at a gas station in Caracas, Venezuela, October 10, 2017. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo (Reuters)

By Marianna Parraga

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run petroleum firm PDVSA has been barred from using a NuStar Energy oil storage terminal in the Caribbean over $26 million in unpaid bills, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, halting delivery of a cargo to an oil trader.

The suspension was triggered when PDVSA missed a payment for use of NuStar's Statia facility on the island of St. Eustatius, according to company documents viewed by Reuters.

"We should not load this cargo," wrote NuStar Vice President James Calvert in response to a loading request, according to one document.

NuStar's refusal to retrieve the oil over what amounts to nearly a year's worth of monthly fees shows how recurring legal and trade disputes are disrupting PDVSA's ability to deliver its oil to foreign customers, which generate more than 90 percent of the country's export revenue.

Shipping delays and quality concerns also are jeopardizing the OPEC-member country's crude sales, the lifeblood of its troubled economy.

The suspension comes months after PDVSA had expanded its NuStar storage contract following a payment dispute with Buckeye Partners over a Bahamas storage facility. Both U.S. firms operate key transit hubs for companies that move oil through the Caribbean.

NuStar declined to comment. PDVSA did not respond to a request to comment.

NuStar's refusal and other details of PDVSA's payment problems emerged after trader Trafigura sought to load a cargo of Venezuelan oil held at Statia. Trafigura was the winner of a court-ordered auction of the heavy crude intended to help resolve a separate billing dispute between PDVSA and units of Russian state-run conglomerate Sovcomflot.

Trafigura declined to comment on the auction or whether it expects to receive the cargo. Sovcomflot also declined to comment.

NuStar first sought fees for the stored oil from PDVSA. On Oct. 10, after receiving no response from the Venezuelan firm, NuStar sent a $287,500 invoice to Sigma Navigation, a unit of Sovcomflot. NuStar offered to allow the oil to be loaded by Oct. 20 if payment was made before that date.

Story continues

That request led to a series of exchanges between representatives of the three companies. In one, a law firm representing Sigma alerted PDVSA's lawyers that its client was willing to pay the NuStar bill but reserved the right to seek repayment as part of the broader claim, according to documents.

Sigma's lawyers also revealed in emails that, according to its talks with NuStar, the U.S. firm was claiming PDVSA owed it another $26 million for accumulated unpaid Statia storage fees.

LONG TRIP

The tangled story of the oil cargo at the heart of the dispute began a year ago, when PDVSA sent 550,000 barrels of crude oil to St. Eustatius on tanker NS Columbus rented from Sovcomflot. The oil had been sold to Norway's Statoil, which planned to retrieve it at Statia.

Before it could get there, Sovcomflot had a St. Maarten court freeze the delivery in hopes of collecting partial payment for shipping fees unpaid by PDVSA. Five months after crossing the Caribbean, the court ordered the tanker to discharge its cargo at Statia.

Trafigura's attempts to obtain the oil first were delayed due to force majeure declared by NuStar due to Hurricane Irma, and later over the unpaid bills between PDVSA and NuStar.

"We are facing a delay in the payment for the use of such facilities and related services contracted there. PDVSA is doing its best to catch up with outstanding debts, but has not made any special arrangements to cover the storage costs of the relevant tank," a PDVSA official wrote in an email in October.

The PDVSA official explained that "since June no payment has been made to NuStar," but also said that a payment schedule was proposed to the U.S. firm in a meeting in September in Caracas, with a first installment of $2.3 million planned for October.

According to the schedule, 10 percent of the accumulated debt was to be paid from October through December, with a one-time additional payment due in January and the remainder paid off through 10-percent monthly installments.

PDVSA has not yet paid the October installment, according to a PDVSA source, prompting NuStar's refusal to load.

In a memorandum to PDVSA's finance chief, Simon Zerpa, the oil company's trade and supply department warned further payment delay to NuStar could result in possible tanker embargoes, broken supply contracts with Caribbean customers and a shortage of fuels for Venezuela's domestic market.

In the September meeting, PDVSA suggested it could terminate a related contract with NuStar for fuel oil tanks rental and sublease a portion of its Statia storage to an undisclosed firm as a way to reduce further debts.

NuStar countered that PDVSA could pay off the debt with oil, or by allowing it to become a partner in the state-run company's terminal on the island of Bonaire along with a partial payment to show good faith.

It is unclear if any agreement on topics different than the payment schedule was reached.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston, additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Editing by Gary McWilliams and Marguerita Choy)
Two significant insights into Republicans evolving tax-reform plan emerged Friday.

First, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that an additional top income tax bracket would be proposed to make it easier to maintain high tax rates on the very highest-income Americans. And second, proposals are being floated that would dramatically reduce the amount of retirement contributions that can be deducted from an individuals taxable income.

Ryans comments came in an appearance on CBS This Morning. He said a fourth tax bracket would be added to the plan so that high income earners do not see a big rate cut, and that those resources go to the middle class.

Previous versions of the Republican plan had only three tax brackets, down from the current seven, though the additional fourth bracket was mentioned as a possibility.

Without a fourth bracket, those with annual incomes above $418,400 could have seen a tax cut of nearly 5% from their current top rate of 39.6%. Ryans comments to CBS suggest they may still see a smaller reduction. He also said the plan would seek to eliminate loopholes and carve-outs that disproportionately benefit the very high income people, the very well-connected businesses.

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However, another potential plank in the tax reform plan would be much less beneficial for middle-income Americans. According to the Wall Street Journal, a proposal circulating around Washington would reduce the amount of retirement contributions that can be deducted from an individuals taxable income from $18,000 a year for most workers to as little as $2,400.

That reduction would be in line with the GOP plans broader attack on various individual deductions. That includes the state and local income tax deduction, which the Senate voted to eliminate on Thursday, and the mortgage interest deduction.

The Trump plan replaces those with higher standard deductions, but experts still say changing the mortgage deduction could reduce homeownership. Similarly, according to the Journals analysis, reducing the retirement contribution exemption would make saving more expensive, putting negative pressure on retirement savings rates, which are already distressingly low nationwide.
By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Saturday it was increasing oil exports from the southern Basra region by 200,000 barrels per day to make up for a shortfall from the northern Kirkuk fields.

The output from Kirkuk fell this week when Iraqi forces took back control of oilfields from Kurdish fighters who had been there since 2014.

The increase in Basra exports keeps Iraq's total output within the quota agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the oil ministry said in a statement citing Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi.

He said 200,000 barrels per day would be shipped from Basra on top of the usual volumes exported daily of more than 3.2 milllion barrels.

"These additional volumes will be produced until the northern oil output goes back to its previous level," he said.

In comments made later to reporters in Baghdad, he expected Kirkuk output to return to last week's level "very soon".

An oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday Iraq would not be able to restore Kirkuk's oil output to last week's levels before Sunday because of missing equipment at two of the largest fields of the region, Avana and Bai Hasan.

Until these shutdowns, the northern oil region exported about 530,000 barrels per day, of which about half came from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the rest from the disputed Kirkuk province, claimed by both the Kurds and the Iraqi central authorities.

A shipping agent monitoring crude arriving from northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean export terminal of Ceyhan said flows were unchanged from Friday, at 213,000 bpd.

The crude exported from Ceyhan is carried by a pipeline across Iraqi Kurdistan and then Turkey.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces deployed in Kirkuk in 2014, when the Iraqi army fled in the face of an advance by Islamic State militants. The Kurdish move prevented the militants from taking control of the oilfields.

(With additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London, writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Stephen Powell)
Walmart (NYSE: WMT) 's Jet.com launched its private label business Uniquely J , as it continues its push to tap urban millennials and its corporate parent fortifies its fight against Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . "We're excited to introduce Uniquely J to consumers, confident that they'll embrace the products and soon begin to consider them essential to their day-to-day shopping," said Liza Landsman, president of Jet.com. Private label products have become a growing focus among retailers, as millennials increasingly prioritize price over brand loyalties. Brandless , a website that offers only $3 unbranded items, launched earlier this year. For Amazon and Walmart, private label brands are one more carrot to dangle in front of consumers, as both look to become the one stop for all goods.Amazon has sold private label products for years, though it doubled down on its efforts following its acquisition of Whole Foods. The Seattle-based company's private label brands include Happy Belly snacks and Mama Bear baby products. Through Whole Foods, it now has access to the organic grocer's 365 label.In their quests for private label dominance, both Walmart and Amazon benefit from their large scale. Consumer packaged goods companies rely heavily on both outlets for sales, and are thus incentivized to work with them in developing products behind the scenes.Uniquely J will offer a variety of goods, including toilet paper, coffee and laundry detergent. In keeping with its focus on "metro millennials" the company has placed emphasis on items that are sustainable and on-trend with young consumers.Among its offerings are lemon thyme basil cleaning wipes that sell for $5.37 and a 14-ounce bottle of organic teriyaki sauce for $3.48, all delivered in artist-designed boxes." With Uniquely J, we want to eliminate the tradeoffs consumers face; the purchase decision becomes an easy one when each product offers the trifecta of quality, style, and value," said Dan Hooker, who heads private-label products and e-commerce for Jet.com and Walmart, respectively. Elsewhere at Walmart, the company has ramped up its push for millennials. The retailer is nearing a deal with Lord & Taylor to give the department store dedicated space on Walmart's website, as part of its efforts to turn Walmart.com from a discount shopping site to an online mall, according to the Wall Street Journal. Jet, which acquired menswear brand Bonobos earlier this year, may eventually sell on Walmart.com as well, the Wall Street Journal reported. Walmart acquired Jet in 2016 to help invigorate its e-commerce efforts."Uniquely J is not just Jet.com's entry into the private brands space, it also furthers our efforts to serve the metropolitan consumer with a select assortment of premium products while also offering them a great shopping experience," Landsman said. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) 's Jet.com launched its private label business Uniquely J , as it continues its push to tap urban millennials and its corporate parent fortifies its fight against Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . "We're excited to introduce Uniquely J to consumers, confident that they'll embrace the products and soon begin to consider them essential to their day-to-day shopping," said Liza Landsman, president of Jet.com. Private label products have become a growing focus among retailers, as millennials increasingly prioritize price over brand loyalties. Brandless , a website that offers only $3 unbranded items, launched earlier this year. For Amazon and Walmart, private label brands are one more carrot to dangle in front of consumers, as both look to become the one stop for all goods. Amazon has sold private label products for years, though it doubled down on its efforts following its acquisition of Whole Foods. The Seattle-based company's private label brands include Happy Belly snacks and Mama Bear baby products. Through Whole Foods, it now has access to the organic grocer's 365 label. In their quests for private label dominance, both Walmart and Amazon benefit from their large scale. Consumer packaged goods companies rely heavily on both outlets for sales, and are thus incentivized to work with them in developing products behind the scenes. Uniquely J will offer a variety of goods, including toilet paper, coffee and laundry detergent. In keeping with its focus on "metro millennials" the company has placed emphasis on items that are sustainable and on-trend with young consumers. Among its offerings are lemon thyme basil cleaning wipes that sell for $5.37 and a 14-ounce bottle of organic teriyaki sauce for $3.48, all delivered in artist-designed boxes. " With Uniquely J, we want to eliminate the tradeoffs consumers face; the purchase decision becomes an easy one when each product offers the trifecta of quality, style, and value," said Dan Hooker, who heads private-label products and e-commerce for Jet.com and Walmart, respectively. Elsewhere at Walmart, the company has ramped up its push for millennials. The retailer is nearing a deal with Lord & Taylor to give the department store dedicated space on Walmart's website, as part of its efforts to turn Walmart.com from a discount shopping site to an online mall, according to the Wall Street Journal. Jet, which acquired menswear brand Bonobos earlier this year, may eventually sell on Walmart.com as well, the Wall Street Journal reported. Walmart acquired Jet in 2016 to help invigorate its e-commerce efforts. "Uniquely J is not just Jet.com's entry into the private brands space, it also furthers our efforts to serve the metropolitan consumer with a select assortment of premium products while also offering them a great shopping experience," Landsman said.



More From CNBC


An aerial view shows Kobe Steel's Kobe Works steel plant in Kobe, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 25, 2013. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/Files (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) - One of Kobe Steel Ltd's copper plants was being inspected for a possible breach of industrial standards, the government said on Friday, while the company said it was investigating reports it continued shipping products after discovering widespread tampering of product data.

The inspection by the Japan Quality Assurance Organization started on Thursday, a company spokesman told Reuters by phone.

The industry ministry said the inspection was being carried out at a copper tube plant at Hatano, southwest of Tokyo.

If the company's products fail to meet industrial standards set by the government, it would be a breach of law, deepening the crisis at Japan's embattled third-largest steelmaker. Until now, the company had said products it sold with falsified data met safety and other standards but did not meet contract specifications agreed with customers.

Kobe Steel said it would hold a news conference later on Friday on the falsification.

Japan's third-largest steelmaker said on Oct. 8 that it found widespread falsification of data on the strength and durability of products sent to customers. The falsifications stretch back for more than 10 years, a senior executive told Reuters this week.

The company is now subject to a U.S. Justice Department probe while checks continue at hundreds of its clients involved in complex supply chains spanning the globe.

Global automakers, aircraft companies and other manufacturers have scrambled to identify potential hazards in their products because of the falsification.

The company has said no illegality had been found related to the data fabrication and no safety issues have yet been reported.

Kobe Steel is also checking into a Nikkei report that it continued shipping products with falsified data after discovering the cheating in August, the company spokesman said.

Government ministers waded into the fray on Friday, with one saying the government would take an active role in getting to the bottom of a scandal that is tarnishing the image of Japanese manufacturers.

Story continues

"This is a problem between companies, but we want to be actively involved in the issues," Hiroshige Seko, minister of economy, trade and industry, told a news conference.

Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii also urged the company to investigate the falsifications and take proper prevention measures.

"It was extremely regrettable," Ishii told a news conference.

No safety problems have surfaced as Kobe Steel attempts to confirm the extent of the data tampering. But in Europe, aviation safety authorities earlier this week issued a directive advising aircraft manufacturers to avoid using Kobe Steel products if they can until checks are completed.

Four Japanese automakers said on Thursday they found no safety issues with aluminium parts supplied by Kobe Steel, allaying some concerns that falsified quality data on products from the steelmaker had compromised their vehicles.

Nonetheless, the company's fate hangs in the balance while checks are being carried out.

It must report to Japan's industry ministry by around the end of next week on any safety concerns and provide a more extensive account of the problems a fortnight later.

Kobe Steel shares fell 1.6 percent on Friday. They have fallen nearly 40 percent since it revealed the problems on Oct. 8, wiping about $1.60 billion off its market value.

Kobe Steel has an extensive role in global supply chains - the company produces engine valve springs found in half the world's cars, according to its website.

It also counts amongst its former employees Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who worked at Kobe Steel from 1979 before entering politics in the early 1980s and who has pushed Japanese companies to embrace international corporate governance standards.

(Reporting by Ami Miyazaki, Yoshiyasu Shida, Yuka Obayashi and Sam Nussey; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
An aerial view shows Kobe Steel's Kobe Works steel plant in Kobe, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 25, 2013. Picture taken May 25, 2013. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS (Reuters)

By Yuka Obayashi and Taiga Uranaka

TOKYO (Reuters) - Kobe Steel Ltd sank deeper into crisis on Friday as the embattled company said it had lost some customers to competitors because of widespread data falsification that had extended to its mainstream steel sheet business.

Japan's third-largest steelmaker, which supplies the world's top airline and automobile manufacturers, also said it had violated statutory standards set by the industry ministry, pushing the scandal beyond failure to meet specifications agreed with customers.

Until now, the 112-year-old company had said products it sold with falsified data met safety and other standards but did not meet contract specifications agreed with customers. It had also said the problem was mainly with aluminium and copper products.

Kobe Steel has an extensive role in global supply chains - the company produces engine valve springs found in half the world's cars, according to its website.

Kobe Steel Executive Vice President Naoto Umehara said the company had found a breach of industrial standards at its Hatano copper plant southwest of Tokyo, along with a new case of falsification of data at a unit that cuts and processes steel plate.

"There has been also some impact on our business as we have lost credibility, Umehara told a news conference, citing cases that the company lost orders and customers switched to its competitors. "But we cant quantify the impact at the moment."

He said the Hatano plant did not meet Japanese Industrial Standards for quality management after it faked data on tensile strength and other properties of copper and copper-alloy piping.

Kobe Steel has stopped shipping about 43 percent of copper products from the plant over the problems with the statutory standards, a company spokeswoman said.

Two certification companies said on Thursday they were investigating whether the plant is in line with a global standard on quality control.

They could suspend or cancel the "ISO9001" certification of the plant if it doesn't meet the standard, which could affect its business as many global buyers require suppliers to use the benchmark.

Story continues

Kobe Steel said it also found, as the result of a whistleblower, that a plant in western Japan had been "obstructing companys voluntary inspection by concealing data.

After getting a tip that workers at the Chofu plant failed to report data falsification on aluminium extrusion products, the company decided to set up a panel of outsiders, replacing an in-house panel led by the companys president.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry believes "the data concealment by its employees has hurt the credibility of Kobe Steels voluntary investigation," said Yasuji Komiyama, director of the industry ministrys metal industries division.

The ministry ordered the company on Friday to expedite its probes and report results as soon as possible.

Kobe Steel previously said that it found widespread falsification of data on the strength and durability of copper and aluminium products sent to customers. The falsifications stretch back for more than 10 years, a senior executive told Reuters this week.

JUSTICE PROBE

Global automakers, aircraft companies and other manufacturers have scrambled to identify potential hazards in their products because of the falsification, although four Japanese carmakers said on Thursday they have found no safety issues with aluminium parts supplied by Kobe Steel.

The company is now subject to a U.S. Justice Department probe while checks continue at hundreds of its clients involved in complex supply chains spanning the globe.

No safety problems have surfaced as Kobe Steel attempts to confirm the extent of the data tampering. But in Europe, aviation safety authorities earlier this week issued a directive advising aircraft manufacturers to avoid using Kobe Steel products if they can until checks are completed.

"We are worried about the U.S. Justice Department probe," said a source at one of the company's lenders. "The impact will be very big if the DOJ seeks a criminal case against Kobe and hits it with huge financial penalties."

The company has started selling assets to raise fund, on Friday holding the first round of an auction to sell its most of a property unit, sources told Reuters on Friday, a deal that reportedly could raise over $400 million.

Kobe Steel's fate hangs in the balance while checks are being carried out.

Kobe Steel shares fell 1.6 percent on Friday. They have fallen nearly 40 percent since it revealed the problems on Oct. 8, wiping about $1.60 billion off its market value.

($1 = 113.2300 yen)

(Additional reporting by Aaron Sheldrick and Junko Fujita; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Windows Ink isn't Microsoft's first stab at bringing stylus support to PCs. That would be Windows for Pen Computing in the early '90s, followed by Windows XP Tablet Edition. But Ink is the company's most successful attempt. It made stylus support a core part of Windows 10, and it's a big reason you're seeing so many computer makers shipping digital pens of their own. While the company's renewed push into the space with its hybrid Surface tablets seemed baffling at first, it's ended up looking like a prescient move. It even convinced Apple to compete with the iPad Pro's Pencil.

With the Surface Pen and Windows Ink, Microsoft found a way to let PC users do something completely new: It gave them a way to break free from the constraints of the keyboard and mouse.

"I think it's [Windows Ink] the first time that technology has embraced 'the messy,'" Aaron Woodman, general manager of Windows Marketing, told Engadget. "For me, seeing Pen come to life in a way where you don't have to go from top to bottom, from left to right, you can create in a way before your thought is really complete. I don't think there's a ton of technology that's really embraced that fluidity."

He's got a point. The way we interact with computers hasn't changed much over the years. If you learned how to use a PC with a keyboard and mouse, you'd have no trouble using a modern machine. The advent of smartphones and tablets, with their capacitive touchscreens, was the biggest change over the past few decades. But what if you want to draw a detailed picture, jot down notes in your own handwriting or write out mathematical equations? You'd turn to one of our earliest writing tools: the stylus.

"We're embracing that, yes, [stylus support features with Windows Ink] are hardware-driven; yes, they require a platform that has to be broad in reach; and yes, for part of that, you need ecosystem partners," Woodman said. "That really starts to get people to understand it and see themselves using it in applications like Office. To see that come through in a way that customers don't feel like they're jumping over walls, I think it's really satisfying personally."

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In particular, Woodman credits Microsoft's close partnership with Wacom, a company best known for its stylus tablets and displays, for the progress with Windows Ink so far. That allowed the two companies to build a sensor that "essentially allows you to go between pen protocols." For computer makers, that's helpful since it lets them choose between different pen protocols. Basically, it let Microsoft open up the market for styluses, just like Windows did for PCs decades ago.

Now, Woodman says retailers are selling twice as many pen-capable machines, compared to those that don't have them. 43 percent of consumers with stylus machines are also using their pens monthly, according to Microsoft's stats. Given just how well they're taking off, though, it's surprising that Microsoft chose to make the Surface Pen an additional $100 purchase for the Surface Laptop, Pro and upcoming Book 2.

Windows Ink's integration with Microsoft Office is a clear example of how stylus support can breathe new life into programs we've used for years. In Word and PowerPoint, you can use a stylus to edit documents as if you were marking up paper. And, as you can imagine, having a more natural input mechanism is a big help for OneNote. It's not only useful for jotting down your thoughts, but you can also use it for recording complex math equations  the sort of thing that would be tough to type out on a keyboard. OneNote can also convert your handwritten equation into something formatted for a computer, and you can then have it evaluate an equation, factor it and graph it.

It was a long road getting here, though. The first "Tablet PCs" powered by Windows XP (like the Compaq on the right) were woefully underpowered, heavy and generally just hard to use. It was difficult enough to get them to do basic Windows tasks, so there wasn't much chance consumers would spend time with their styluses. There were also some early digital pens available for Windows 8. Really, though, it took the launch of the Surface 2 and Pro 2 for us to really see what a stylus could do in Windows. The Surface Pen was light, responsive and simply felt good to use. Microsoft steadily refined it with future Surface models, giving us better tips and more pressure sensitivity.

Even after the launch of Windows 10, it took over a year for Microsoft to make stylus support truly meaningful with last year's Anniversary Update. That introduced Windows Ink and its accompanying software, including built-in sticky notes and a sketchpad. More importantly, it also gave Microsoft's partners more of a reason to bundle styluses with their computers. Apple entered the fray with the iPad Pro's Pencil in 2015, which is a decent stylus, but is only useful in a few creative apps. And you can forget about seeing it in MacOS anytime soon -- Apple is focusing its touchscreen efforts entirely on iOS.

Embracing a new type of computing creativity seems a bit out of character for Microsoft  at least, the pre-Satya Nadella Microsoft. But the timing for the company's change of heart makes sense. Thanks to faster and more efficient computing hardware, it's finally turning its stylus ambitions into a reality. And more importantly, consumers and computer makers are finally paying attention.

"On some level, we have a responsibility to solve the challenges customers are facing," Woodman said. "Now, watching 3D objects in Powerpoint [via the Fall Creator's Update] is mind boggling. Not because you see it in 3D, but because it saves you infinite steps. I think Pen has the same type of promise. It's more about just feeling like you have that permission to go beyond the boundaries of how people have defined the products so far."
By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is lobbying world powers to prevent further setbacks to Iraqi Kurds as they lose ground to Baghdad's army, Israeli officials say. Israel has been the only major power to endorse statehood for the Kurds, partly, say analysts, because it sees the ethnic group - whose population is split among Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran - as a buffer against shared adversaries. Iraqi armed forces retook the oil-rich Kirkuk region this week, following a Sept. 25 referendum on Kurdish independence that was rejected by Baghdad, delivering a blow to the Kurds' statehood quest. Israeli officials said Netanyahu raised the Iraqi Kurds' plight in phone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. It has also come up in his contacts with France and the Israeli national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, has been discussing the matter with Trump administration officials in Washington this week, the officials said. A Netanyahu government official, who declined to be named, given the sensitivity of Israel-Kurdish ties, suggested Israel had security interests in Kurdistan, given its proximity to Israel's enemies in Tehran and Damascus. "This (territory) is a foothold. It's a strategic place," the official said without providing further detail. He said Israel wanted to see Iraqi Kurds provided with the means to protect themselves, adding: "It would be best if someone gave them weaponry, and whatever else, which we cannot give, obviously." Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with Kurds since the 1960s, in the absence of open ties between their autonomous region in northern Iraq and Israel. Netanyahu's recent lobbying has focused on Kurdish ambitions in Iraq, where the central Baghdad government has grown closer to Israel's foe Iran. "The issue at present is ... to prevent an attack on the Kurds, extermination of the Kurds and any harm to them, their autonomy and region, something that Turkey and Iran and internal Shi'ite and other powers in Iraq and part of the Iraqi government want," Netanyahu's intelligence minister, Israel Katz, told Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM on Friday. It was not clear to what extent Netanyahu's outreach may have been solicited by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, which shies away from public engagement with Israel, worried about further alienating Arab neighbours. The United Nations has voiced concern at reports that civilians, mainly Kurds, were being driven out of parts of northern Iraq retaken by Iraqi forces and their houses and businesses looted and destroyed. "The prime minister is certainly engaging the United States, Russia, Germany and France to stop the Kurds from being harmed," Katz said. Another Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, framed Netanyahu's efforts as a moral imperative. "They (Kurds) are a deeply pro-Western people who deserve support," he said. (Editing by Maayan Lubell and Andrew Heavens)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The global oil market is improving and stabilizing, Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih said in Baghdad on Saturday.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih praised the cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which he said, contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market".

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for several decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil finished higher last week, drawing support from a steep drop in Iraqi crude exports due to tensions in the Kurdistan region. However, weak U.S. demand helped limit gains.

December West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil settled at $51.84, up $0.11 or +0.21% and January Brent Crude Oil finished the week at $57.58, up $0.63 or +1.11%.

Weekly December WTI Crude Oil

According to a shipping source, oil exports from Iraqs Kurdistan towards the Turkish port of Ceyhan were flowing at average rates on Friday of 216,000 barrels per day versus the usual flows of 600,000 bpd.

It was also reported on Friday that Russias biggest oil company, Rosneft, has agreed to take control of Iraqi Kurdistans main oil pipeline in $1.8 billion investment. This news likely means Baghdad will have a hard time shutting down these oil flows.

In other news, the U.S. oil rig count fell for a third week in a row, extending a two-month drilling decline, although producers have sharply ramped up bets against a fall in oil prices, which could spur another investment surge.

According to General Electric Companys Baker Hughes energy services firm, the oil rig could fell seven to 736 in the week to October 20, the lowest level since June.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said U.S. commercial crude oil inventories decreased 5.7 million barrels during the week-ending October 13. Gasoline and distillate inventories rose.

Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged over 19.9 million barrels per day, down 0.7% from the same period last year.

U.S. crude imports averaged 7.5 million barrels per day the previous week, down by 134,000 barrels per day from the week-ending October 6.

U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged over 15.4 million barrels per day during the week-ending October 13, 819,000 barrels per day less than the previous weeks average.

Weekly December Brent Crude Oil

Forecast

The theme in the crude oil markets continues to center around rebalancing. The markets are currently being supported by the notion that the current production cuts from OPEC and other major producers are moving crude oil toward rebalancing. However, the market has become rangebound because I believe investors are waiting for a boost before committing aggressively to the long side. In the meantime, this is likely to mean a sideways market.

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The news that bullish oil traders are waiting for is the announcement of an extension of the OPEC-led plan to cut output. Even more bullish for prices would be the announcement of a deepening of those production cuts.

The market should continue to be underpinned by a bullish outlook, but gains are also likely to be capped until OPEC and the major producers finally announce an extension of their potentially bullish strategy.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
Iraqi Kurdistan's regional president Massud Barzani (R) attends an assembly with his deputy Kosrat Rasul on September 12, 2017 (AFP Photo/MARWAN IBRAHIM) (AFP)

Sulaimaniyah (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdistan's main opposition party called Sunday for the autonomous region's president to resign after Baghdad seized swathes of disputed territory from Kurdish forces in response to an independence vote.

Shoresh Haji of the Goran movement, which holds 24 out of 111 seats in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament, said Massud Barzani and his deputy Kosrat Rasul should step down.

"The Kurdistan region's president and his deputy no longer have any legitimacy and should resign," he said.

He called for the creation of a "national salvation government" to prepare for dialogue with Baghdad and organise new elections.

Iraqi Kurds on September 25 voted overwhelmingly for independence in a poll set in motion by longtime regional leader Barzani and strongly opposed by Baghdad.

Central government forces last week swept into the oil-rich Kirkuk province, restoring it and Kurdish-held parts of Nineveh and Diyala provinces to Baghdad's control.

The rapid Kurdish retreat triggered recriminations among Kurdish politicians and prompted the regional parliament to postpone presidential and legislative polls set for November 1.

Goran on Sunday demanded the dissolution of a body set up after the referendum to "manage the consequences of the ballot".

Critics fear that Barzani, who chairs the body, could use it to retain power even after he leaves his post.
Boss Michael O'Leary had written a letter to pilots apologising for rota disruptions - EPA

Pilots at Ryanair's largest base have rejected an offer from the carrier to improve their pay and conditions, in a move set to worsen staffing shortages.

Earlier this month, boss Michael O'Leary wrote to pilots, apologising for rota disruptions, which caused thousands of flights to be cancelled in recent weeks, and offering them improved job security and increased pay to remain at the airline.

The letter also offered pilots a "productivity bonus" if they made themselves available for three extra days of work in both November and December, of between 500 (445) and 1,000.

It follows the cancellation of more than 700,000 bookings after Ryanair's rota mess-up meant it did not have enough pilots on standby to run its full schedule.

ryanair cancellation advice puff

Mr O'Leary's plea was echoed by a second letter, from flight operation manager Elaine Griffin, appealing to staff to return, after it emerged a number of pilots had deserted to rival carrier Norwegian.

Pilots in recent weeks had been circulating their own letter encouraging support for an unofficial union to use the pilot shortage to challenge the airline's working practices and "overthrow this structure".

Negotiations over the offer were to take place with Ryanair at each base individually.

In a vote at Ryanair's London Stansted Airport base late on Friday, thought to have had a turnout of above 90pc, 60pc of those voting rejected the offer from the Irish carrier.

London Stansted is Ryanair's largest base. According to Reuters, pilots have been told that more than 30 of Ryanair's 86 bases have rejected the deal so far, although Ryanair said 10 bases had agreed to the new pay deals and the majority had not yet voted.

Ryanair will continue to engage with the London Stansted ERC (Employee Relations Council) to understand how it can address their remaining concerns, especially as it will be recruiting new pilots in Stansted from November at these higher pay rates, Ryanair said in a statement.
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabian Energy Minister al-Falih waits before a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Novak and OPEC Secretary General Barkindo in Moscow FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih waits before a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo in Moscow, Russia, May 31, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market".

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for several decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Tension remained high after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from the thaw with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes closer ties would help rollback Iran's influence in the region.

"The best example of the importance of cooperation between our two countries is the improvement and stability trend seen in the oil market," said Falih, to applause from the audience of Iraqi ministers, senior officials and businessmen.

Falih and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir held talks earlier this year in Baghdad, paving the way for visits to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and popular Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Iraqi oil ministry said Falih and his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luaibi, agreed to cooperate in implementing decisions by oil exporting countries to curb global supply in order to lift crude prices.

OPEC, Russia and several other producers have reduced production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2017, helping to boost oil prices. The cutbacks should continue until March 2018.

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Falih called for increased economic cooperation between the two countries at all levels, saying Saudi Arabia is implementing measures to facilitate the flow of goods and services between the two countries.

A Saudi commercial airplane, operated by Flynas, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 27 years.

In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Ros Russell)
After nine months of setbacks, stumbles and outright failures, Senate Republicans made good on at least one big campaign promise.

In a vote late Thursday, the Senate passed a budget resolution and set the stage for tax cuts to be tacked onto it. The proposal drew unified Democratic oppositionalong with GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who thought the budgets $1.5 trillion in red ink was too muchand heads next to the House, where its odds look promising.

This is another important milestone for tax reform, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Friday.

An announcement from the far-right Freedom Caucus later in the day was expected to signal cross-party support for the budget resolution. Instead of trying to split the difference between the House and Senate versions, its likely that the House will simply sign-off on the Senate version. That shortens the timeline for the ambitious tax overhaul by several weeks. Did we finally get something right? one self-aware Senate GOP aide said.

Republican advisers on both sides of Capitol Hill were working the phones Friday afternoon to donors, hoping the moves late Thursday would restore confidence in the partys ability to move its agenda. Fundraisers in recent weeks had faced a revolt from their patrons, many of whom are losing patience with the partys leaders and sense a souring mood among the partys grassroots.

Spooked at the threat facing incumbents, several big donors had entertained the ideas planted by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. The Bannon mold of throwing the bums out seemed appealingand perhaps inevitable had the GOP gone home at the end of the year with nothing to show. Without delivering on the promise to cut taxes, the GOPs leading lawmakers feared they were handing Bannon ammo as he prepared a slate of rabble-rousing challengers.

In that sense, the threat from Bannon helped rally on-the-fence lawmakers around the budget proposal. Some, like Sen. John McCain of Arizona, were no fans of its details, but they also recognized failure would spell disaster for the party during next years elections. They bit the bullet, said one fundraiser for a conservative group. They didnt love it, but they knew the alternative was worse.

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Senate Republicans also caught a break from their colleagues in the House. The House-passed budget blueprint called for $200 billion in cuts. But the bet, especially among Establishment-minded Republicans in the House, is that the promise of tax cuts trumps wariness of deficit spending. GOP lawmakers know they need to do somethingdetails be damnedbefore the 2018 election season begins in earnest.

At the White House, officials were also feeling like they had finally caught a break. A major piece of legislationtax cuts would likely be the cornerstone of many GOP lawmakers campaigns next year, as well as President Donald Trumps re-election bid in 2020seemed within striking distance. But even as officials were calling members of the Senate to thank them for their work and phoning House lawmakers to make sure there were no surprises, they looked at Twitter to see the President was back sending messages insulting a Democratic lawmaker. Why, the Presidents own advisers asked each other, couldnt the boss just soak up the victory?

And that is why Republicans continue, even in partial victory on a budget, to fret. Trump has a knack for stepping on his own wins. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, yet have consistently stepped on their own shoelaces. The conservative agenda ran into a brick wall of the GOPs own making. Even last week, as the budget was coming together and odds were looking up for the administration, many of the top aides throughout government bemoaned the President was his own biggest hurdle to getting taxes done.
If you have not yet had the pleasure of being introduced to Nathan for You, you're in for a treat! The man behind the show, Nathan Fielder, is so wonderfully awkward in his delivery he might just make you pee your pants from laughing so hard.

Last week's episode "Andy vs. Uber" almost made me do just that.

Warning: lots of spoilers in this post so stop reading if you haven't seen the episode and don't like spoilers.

The Comedy Central show opens with an idea to undermine Uber by infiltrating it with a "sleeper cell" of rogue cab drivers, "unleashing total chaos across the globe."

The reason? Fielder's cab driver friend Andy believes Uber stole his idea to offer baby onesies to any woman who gives birth in his cab. Andy is convinced the offering is good for business...for some reason.

Fielder comes up with an elaborate plan to throw Uber, which is supposedly onto him, off the trail by hiring a guy he finds on Craigslist to go to Walgreens and get a wad of cash hidden outside in a used drink cup, then use the cash to buy a bunch of burner phones, take those phones to a random dock and put them into a waterproof pouch. He is then instructed to tie a cement block to the pouch and drop it into the water, where Fielder shows up, in full scuba gear, for the pickup.

It makes zero sense, but like all things Fielder, you're somehow willing to go along with it.

After having obtained the phones (which it's uncertain are necessary for the operation) both Fielder and his cab driver friend Andy convince a handful of cabbies to join Uber under the guise of wanting to become drivers. The idea? To commit some of the most heinous driver offenses like bad smells in the car and blasting out terrible music.

Fielder then suggests sending out an anonymous-like video to Uber that seems more to suggest this organization is possibly run by terrorists. Andy (and any reasonable person watching, probably) isn't sure that's such a good idea.

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Of course, to secure his position, Fielder, a Canadian, believes he needs to marry an American to stay in the country and continue to carry out his plan. Realizing he has no romantic prospects, he decides to marry Andy...without Andy's knowledge.

Fielder takes Andy to a Chinese restaurant where all the food on the menu is gross except the one item that sounds out "I do." The guy officiating the ceremony conducts it entirely in Mandarin so Andy has no idea what's going on. I know. It's insane. It's so insane! But it's maybe my favorite part.

Of course, things don't go according to plan and Andy, now unknowingly married to Fielder, somehow ends up going rogue, dropping his bad driver behavior in search of the perfect five star rating. Andy, essentially, converts to becoming a full-time Uber driver.

Fielder, understandably crushed, begins to wax philosophical.

"Maybe from the start we had been fighting a battle that could never be won," he says in his most somber voice. "Just like telegraphs had been replaced by telephones and horse and buggies by cars, the free market had again chosen a winner. The real enemy wasn't Uber. It was progress."

It was a deadpan delivery only Fielder could give in a way that invites the viewer in on a joke that seems to want to be, on the surface, something serious. You can't help but laugh.

I often wonder how much of Fielder's character is made up and how much is more of an exaggeration of himself. But he truly delivers, right down to his khaki dad pants and the way he allows awkward silences to go on too long.

This is one of my favorite shows, made even better when it intersects with the tech industry. If you haven't yet, please do watch and let me know when you do. Fielder doesn't get enough credit for his art.
Tesla Model S

Tesla

Tesla has created a customized insurance package, InsureMyTesla, that is cheaper than traditional plans because it factors in the vehicles' Autopilot safety features and maintenance costs.

InsureMyTesla has been available in 20 countries, but Tesla just recently partnered with Liberty Mutual to make the plan available in the US.

InsureMyTesla shows how the insurance industry is bound for disruption as cars get safer with self-driving tech.

Tesla struck a deal with Liberty Mutual to create a customized insurance package  and the move shows how the electric automaker is intent on disrupting the insurance industry.

The new plan is called InsureMyTesla and was designed specifically for Tesla vehicles. Its benefits include replacing Teslas damaged beyond repair within one year. Tesla launched the package on October 13 in the US in all 50 states, but it already exists in 20 other countries, a company representative confirmed.

Electrek first reported on the news.

Tesla started quietly rolling out the InsureMyTesla program in February in Hong Kong and Australia. The electric car maker partners with different insurance companies across the globe to offer InsureMyTesla, which lowers overall insurance costs by factoring in the vehicles' Autopilot safety features and maintenance costs.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that insurance agencies should adjust their prices for Tesla vehicles because the cars come with Autopilot, the company's advanced driver-assistance feature.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that crash rates for Tesla vehicles have plummeted 40% since Autopilot was first installed. Electric vehicles also generally require less maintenance then traditional, gas-powered vehicles.

"If we find that the insurance providers are not matching the insurance proportionate to the risk of the car then if we need to we will in-source it," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in February.

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Tesla's partnership with Liberty Mutual marks the first time the InsureMyTesla package has been available in the US. The US launch comes a few months after AAA said it would raise rates for Tesla owners after seeing a high frequency of claims among Model S and Model X owners.

AAA based its decision based on data provided by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an analysis that a Tesla spokesperson said was "severely flawed" at the time.

The deal with Liberty Mutual shows how US agencies are starting to realize that they must adjust their prices as cars get safer with advents in self-driving tech.

Insurers like Cincinnati Financial, Mercury General, and Travelers have noted in SEC filings that driverless cars could threaten their business models, according to a 2015 Bank of America and Merrill Lynch report.

The personal auto insurance sector could shrink to 40% of its current size within 25 years as cars become safer with autonomous tech, according to a report by the global accounting firm KPMG.

Tesla hopes to one day bundle the price of insurance and maintenance into the price of future vehicles.

"It takes into account not only the Autopilot safety features but also the maintenance cost of the car," Jon McNeill, Tesla's vice president of sales and services, has said of InsureMyTesla. "Its our vision in the future we could offer a single price for the car, maintenance, and insurance."

NOW WATCH: Tesla's value is surging 'because the vision is so intoxicating'

See Also:

SEE ALSO: The race to create a self-driving taxi fleet just took a bizarre turn with a $1 billion bet on Lyft led by Alphabet
Afghan officials say suicide bombers have killed at least 72 people in two attacks on mosques in Afghanistan, as sectarian- and terror-related violence continues to surge in the war-torn country.

The death toll could rise sharply in the October 20 attacks on a Shi'ite mosque in the capital, Kabul, and on a Sunni mosque in the central Afghan province of Ghor, officials said.

The extremist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul.

The attacks come one day after 43 soldiers were killed and nine wounded in a Taliban attack on an army camp in the southern province of Kandahar.

In the Kabul attack, an Interior Ministry official said at least 39 people were killed and 45 wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up as worshippers were gathering for prayers at the Imam Zaman mosque in the western Dasht-e-Barchi section of the capital.

Some reports said the attacker opened fire before detonating his explosives.

IS said in a statement on October 21 that one of its suicide bombers carried out the attack.

The German news agency dpa quoted an unnamed security official as saying the death toll from the blast was likely closer to 70 or 80 people.

In the second attack, officials said at least 33 people were killed and 10 injured when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in Khewiagan, a Sunni mosque in the district of Dulaina in central Ghor Province. Some witnesses told RFE/RL the death toll was at least 30.

A local official said an anti-Taliban commander inside the mosque at the time may have been the target of the attack.

No claim of responsibility has been made in the attack.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the attacks show that "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks, but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans."

The United States strongly condemned the October 20 attacks and previous attacks in Afghanistan during a week in which U.S. drones strikes were reported to have killed more than 30 militants in the region.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country," she said.

Afghanistan's minority Shi'ite population has been the target of several terror attacks this year that have been blamed on the Taliban and IS.

A previous attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul occurred on September 29 as Muslims prepared to commemorate Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar. Six people were killed in that attack.

A recent United Nations report said at least 84 people had been killed and 194 wounded so far in 2017 in attacks on Shiite mosques and religious ceremonies prior to the most recent incidents.

About 90 percent of the Afghan population is Sunni Muslim.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, BBC, and Tolo News
A recent meeting of officials from Uzbekistan and Iran was a curious event. Central Asia has seen a reshuffling of relations over the past couple years, and improved relations between Tashkent and Tehran is one of the more intriguing developments.



Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov led the Uzbek delegation that also included Foreign Trade Minister Elyor Ganiev and Uzbekneftegaz chief Alisher Sultanov. During their October 16-18 visit, members of the Uzbek delegation met with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh.



Agreements worth some $25 million were signed for agricultural and textile products, but for Uzbekistan the more important talks were on oil imports from Iran.



Zanganeh said on October 18 that Uzbek oil officials were in talks with the National Iranian Oil Company about exporting Iranian oil to Uzbekistan.

Zanganeh did not mention any figures.



Since Shavkat Mirziyoev took over as Uzbekistans president last year, Uzbekistan has been moving to alleviate the countrys chronic shortages of oil and gasoline.



Already this year, Mirziyoev has secured agreements for oil imports from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.



In the case of Kazakhstan and Russia, work must first be done to repair and extend an existing pipeline that connects Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before any oil can be imported.



"Exports to [Uzbekistan] need to be conducted overland and probably by rail," Zanganeh said.



Such a rail line already exists, so it should not take long for shipments of Iranian oil to start arriving in Uzbekistan after the two countries finalize a deal.

If Uzbek-Iranian relations continue to warm, there is always the possibility that the same railway could one day be used to carry Uzbek goods to Iran and the Persian Gulf.

China would likely back such a plan, as it would integrate well with Beijings One Belt, One Road global trade initiative.

It might also breathe some new life into the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman international trade and transport corridor, a project that was signed in 2011 but which has made little progress since.



For Iran, the timing of the Uzbek delegations visit is fortuitous.

Tehrans ties with Tajikistan, Irans natural partner in Central Asia due to the linguistic and cultural affinities they share, have been fraying for many months, in large part due to a vigorous push by Saudi Arabia -- Iran's regional rival -- to court better relations with Tajikistan.

Iranian-Turkmen ties hit a new low recently due to a dispute between the two countries over the price of Turkmen natural-gas exports to northern Iran.

Turkmenistan stopped gas supplies to Iran at the end of 2016, citing Iranian debt, and Iran has mentioned several times since that it is prepared to take Turkmenistan to international arbitration for price gouging and failure to respect contracts.

A new partnership with Uzbekistan would help Iran not only maintain a presence in Central Asia but probably boost Iranian influence in the region since, at 32 million people, Uzbekistans population is more than twice the combined populations of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan (8.6 million and 5 million, respectively).

It is admittedly early to predict the course of Iranian-Uzbek relations.

These new ties are again the result of the change in leadership in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistans longtime president, Islam Karimov, was always worried about Islamist-inspired groups challenging his regime. When Uzbekistan became independent in late 1991, Iran was seen as the Islamic-fundamentalist threat, despite the fact that Iran is mainly Shia and most Central Asians, certainly most Uzbeks, are Sunnis.

Karimov shunned Iran even later, when Sunni groups such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and the so-called Islamic State extremist group appeared.



But Mirziyoev seems determined to jump-start Uzbekistans economy, and Iran presents some attractive trade possibilities.

Given the increasingly complicated security situation in central, south, and western Asia, Uzbekistan and Iran have common security concerns that also provide a basis for new cooperation.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.
Tajik authorities have secretly reburied the remains of several prominent national figures, including two former heads of the state, after disinterring them at a small cemetery inside a Dushanbe park in the middle of the night.



The city officials say the remains have been relocated from Aini Park to the Luchob Cemetery, a much larger burial site that caters to the elite in Dushanbe outskirts.



Relatives say they found out about the reburials only after the fact, although they had been generally aware of plans to relocate their ancestors' remains.



"We've been hoping that the authorities might invite us to [the reburial ceremony], but the graves were relocated without the knowledge of the families," said Surayo Rahimzoda, whose father -- a prominent poet -- was buried there.



Rahimzoda said she had no idea when her father's remains had been dug up and reburied elsewhere.



The strongest reaction came from Moscow-based Irina Tikhonova, the granddaughter of Jabbor Rasulov, a Soviet-era Communist Party head who ruled Tajikistan in the 1960s and 1970s.



Tikhonova accused Tajik authorities of "blasphemy" and threated to sue Dushanbe city officials.



"The remains of my grandfather were secretly buried in Dushanbe. Without informing or getting the consent of the family -- his children and grandchildren." Tikhonova wrote on her Facebook account.



"Had we been told, we would have brought the remains to Moscow and reburied them here," she added.



Tajik authorities insist that they informed all the relatives -- including Rasulov's family -- in the summer of the pending reburials, which took place in mid-October.



"Aini Park is a park and it shouldn't be turned into a graveyard," Dushanbe city official Obid Nazarov told RFE/RL on October 19.



"Those relatives who are complaining now: How often have they been visiting their ancestors' graves?" Nazarov said in an apparent jibe at Tikhonova, who told the AsiaPlus news agency that she last visited her grandfather's grave in 2008.

Tajik presidential aide Abdujabbor Rahmonzoda backed the city's move and said the relatives' complaints are misplaced, as they were informed in advance.



The authorities say the reburials took place in an appropriate manner with Islamic rituals. They say gravestones and busts have already been placed on the new gravesites, which will officially be presented in the coming days.



The tomb of Sadriddin Aini, a leading figure in Soviet-era Tajik literature, is expected to remain in the park, which has been named after him.

The six-hectare park, which is popular among locals, is currently being renovated with new pathways and gates.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports


English Finnish

OUTOTEC OYJ PRESS RELEASE OCTOBER 19, 2017 AT 1:00 PM



Outotec to deliver gold processing technology to Fruta Del Norte in Ecuador

Outotec has been awarded an order for the delivery of minerals processing technology packages by Lundin Gold for their greenfield project Fruta Del Norte in Ecuador. The contract value booked in Outotec's 2017 third quarter order intake is over EUR 10 million.

Ecuador, until recently only known by its oil resources, is quickly gaining ground as a mining investment destination in Latin America thanks to significant gold and copper resources. Fruta del Norte, property of Lundin Gold, is one of the world's largest, highest grade undeveloped gold deposits, with reserves estimated at about 4.8 million ounces of gold and 6.3 million ounces of silver. Fruta Del Norte is expected to produce approximately 325,000 ounces of gold a year over a 15-year mine life.

Outotec's scope includes process engineering and the delivery of grinding mills, flotation, thickening and filtration technology packages. The deliveries will take place before the end of 2018.

"We are pleased to deliver our energy efficient process equipment to Lundin Gold's greenfield project, Fruta del Norte. This order will strengthen Outotec's position as a supplier of advanced minerals processing technologies in Ecuador", says Kimmo Kontola, head of Outotec's Minerals Processing business unit.

For further information please contact:



OUTOTEC



Kimmo Kontola, President - Minerals Processing business unit

tel. +358 40 822 7100

Eila Paatela, Vice President - Corporate Communications

tel. +358 20 529 2004, +358 400 817198



e-mails firstname.lastname@outotec.com



DISTRIBUTION:

Main media

www.outotec.com
Official Solution:



Scientists studying climate change have found that the effect of global warming is not only a higher planetary temperature, but also a universal change in seasons, specifically earlier springs and later autumns. Though some argue that this is an advantage because it presents a longer summer growing season, others fear that too many animal species will be unable to adapt and will become extinct.



Which of the following is the best piece of evidence to support the conclusion that a longer summer season may hasten the extinction of some animal species?



Situation:

Reasoning:

Which supports the conclusion that a longer growing season will result in some animal species becoming extinct?

C. CORRECT.

A. Squirrel and chipmunk species are unable either to consume or to store all the nuts and berries produced during a longer growing season.B. Fungus species typically produce spores only once a year and are unable to produce enough spores to release spores again before the end of a longer growing season.C. Butterfly species, which respond quickly to changes in temperature, hatch caterpillars, which undergo metamorphosis into butterflies earlier, flying away before bird species have hatched their young, which feed exclusively on caterpillars.D. Salmon species that rely on changes in temperature to signal the start of annual migrations leave their freshwater birthplaces earlier, before they have fed sufficiently on freshwater insects to reduce their number.E. Reptile species that hibernate during winter months must emerge from hibernation sooner and spend a longer time searching for food before mating in mid-summer.Some scientists argue that climate change will result in a longer growing season and cause the extinction of some animal species.The first sentence states the general context for the passage: concern over climate change. More specifically, scientists are concerned that changes in the timing of the spring, summer, and autumn will have dire consequences for animal species who do not adapt quickly enough. The correct answer choice will provide an example of a species negatively affected by a change in the timing of seasons.A. Squirrels and chipmunks will not be adversely affected by a surplus of food.B. Fungus species will not necessarily be harmed because their reproductive cycle will still produce spores once a year.This option correctly identifies the danger to bird species whose food supply disappears when caterpillars turn to butterflies and fly away before the bird young have hatched.D. This situation leaves a greater number of insects, but does not negatively affect either the salmon or the insects.E. This option does not provide sufficient detail to suggest that reptile species are threatened.Answer: C_________________
Legit.ng came across a post shared by a lady who had an encounter with 'one chance' robbers while on her way to work.

The woman identified as Stella David, has every reason to be thankful for life as she escaped what could have turned into a tragic situation following her encounter with robbers.

In a post shared on social media, Stella narrated how she boarded a bus to work from Berger en route Victoria Island, and was attacked by the robbers.

While mentioning that she was robbed of her personal effects, she also seized the opportunity to warn people to be careful while moving about town and also be mindful of using mobile banking apps.

Before and after photos of Stella David who was attacked by 'one chance' robbers in Lagos. Photo: Facebook/Stella David

READ ALSO: Lady escapes death after entering 'one chance' taxi in Abuja

Narrating her encounter, Stella wrote:

"Greetings to all my beautiful sisters in the house, I pray it gets posted. This happened on my way to work from Berger to VI, I boarded a normal bus going to VI inside was 2 women and 4 men. I joined not knowing I was the stranger inside the bus. One man at the back shouted that he will drop at Secretariat the next thing I felt was a hand around my neck, I was pinned down and they were using iron on my legs, they collected my bag and demanded for my atm pin, collected my phones and bag. Please my sisters let's be careful with mobile banking app they wanted to transfer but unfortunately I didnt have the app they only withdrew N150k with my ATM.

READ ALSO: Armed robbers robbed woman in Lagos

Stella shared photos of her taken while she was admitted in a hospital, see below:

Stella's face swollen after the encounter. Photo: Facebook/Stella David

Stella was on her way to work when she was attacked. Photo: Facebook/Stella David

Be careful and always observe your surroundings.

Nigerians speak angrily about alleged kidnappers caught in Lagos - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng gathered that a 21-year-old man who was on the police 'wanted' list turned himself in after asking for 1000 Facebook shares on his post.

The man identified as Michael Zaydel had been on the Redford Township Police Department (RTPD) 'wanted' list for different cases of misdemeanor, and had gone ahead to make a bet with them on Facebook.

While taunting the police, Zaydel promised to turn himself in if the police manage to get 1,000 shares on his 'wanted' post shared on their official Facebook page. Not only did he promise to turn himself in, he also promised to bring the officers some doughnuts.

Commenting on the post, he wrote: yeah! Im not worried about it, if your next post gets a thousand shares Ill turn myself in along with a dozen doughnuts and thats a promise. And Ill pick up every piece of litter around your public schools. Let's see if you can get those shares

Michael Zayden turned himself in after challenging the police to get a 1,000 shares on his 'wanted' post. Photo: Facebook

READ ALSO: Quit notice: I am ready to turn myself in for arrest - Arewa Youths president

After the RTPD put up a screenshot of his comment made under their post, social media users swung into action and got the post shared over 4,000 times.

The police were however surprised when Zaydel fulfilled his promise by not only turning himself in, he also brought the doughnuts he promised them earlier. He was eventually arrested and jailed for 39 days.

After he walked in, the department put out an update saying "This evening at approximately 6:30 pm Michael Zaydel made good on his promise to turn himself in to RTPD for his outstanding warrants. He walked in on his own, and not only did he bring the donuts, he brought one bagel! We would again like to express our gratitude for the support of all who followed this, shared it, and left us positive feedback.

Mr. Zaydel was lodged and will have a hearing tomorrow morning at the 17th District Court."

READ ALSO: Alleged N74.6billion fraud: Wanted ex-governor turns himself in

See the posts shared by the RTPD below:

The police department went ahead to share a screenshot of his comment, where he had agreed to turn himself in under given conditions. See below:

READ ALSO: 9 key Boko Haram members surrender to Nigerian Army

He eventually fulfilled his promise and handed himself over to the police. See post below:

What do you think?

Is the Nigerian police your friend? - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit.ng
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Algeria for consultation and summoned the Algerian Charge dAffaires in Rabat to protest the very serious allegations uttered by Algerian Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, regarding Moroccos African policy.

The Algerian official accused Morocco of using drug money to promote its relations with African countries, an accusation deemed by Morocco as extremely serious, irresponsible, and even childish.

Morocco condemns the Algerian Foreign Ministers allegations, which have reached a level of irresponsibility, unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations, said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a strong-worded statement, released Friday after Messahel made his remarks at a debate of the Algerian Business Leaders Forum.

Accusing Morocco of laundering drug money via its banks operating in Africa, Messahel said Morocco actually recycles hashish money via its banks in the continent. He was answering an Algerian businessman who deplored the absence of Algerian banks in African countries to support Algerian investors, unlike Morocco, which has a strong presence in the continent.

Visibly angered by the businessmans remark, the Foreign Minister deemed it clever to evade explaining his countrys failure in the continent by his defamation accusations against Morocco, translating thus how the Algerian establishment is exasperated by Moroccos resounding successes in Africa.

The commitment to Africa cannot be reduced to a question of financial resources, otherwise Algeria, with its petrodollars, could have succeeded. Rather, it is a vision that is clear, voluntarist and active, having faith in the countries and peoples of Africa and investing in a common future, pointed out the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in its statement.

The head of Algerian diplomacy went as far as accusing Moroccos flag carrier RAM of involvement in drug trafficking. He said RAM, which has been operating in Africa and serving destinations at times Western companies refused to operate flights to Ebola hit countries, was actually carrying something other than passengers.

For Morocco, these baseless statements cannot undermine the credibility or the success of Moroccos cooperation with brotherly African countries, which is largely hailed by African heads of states and appreciated by African peoples, said the statement, adding that these allegations cannot justify Algerias failures nor hide the economic, political and social problems, affecting the Algerians.

At a time when institutions and populations have a free access to information, nobody can deceive indefinitely the public opinion or economic operators or insult their intelligence for ever, the Moroccan Foreign Department said. The Algerian Ministers remarks about banking institutions and national carriers show a deep, inexcusable ignorance of the basic standards underlying the banking and civil aviation systems nationally and internationally, it said, referring to actions that the national economic institutions defamed by the Algerian minister, could take.

The statement pointed out further that Moroccos efficient and noteworthy efforts, mainly in terms of fighting drug trafficking, including psychotropic substances from Algeria, are widely recognized internationally and by specialized international agencies.

The statement also noted that Messahels remarks coincide with the tour the new UNSGs personal envoy for the Sahara is undertaking in the region, at a time the Morocco-proposed autonomy initiative is gaining more and more support as a solution to the regional conflict.

Commentators explained Abdelkader Messahels latest remarks by the increasing disarray of Algerian officials who try to divert their public opinions attention from the internal hardship by triggering problems with their neighbor, Morocco, whose successful south-south cooperation approach with Africa stands in stark contrast to Algerias failure.
U.S. President Trump followed suit in his speech on October 13th. For the first time in over 30 years a U.S. president devoted his speech to announcing new policy regarding Iran. Trump delivered Americas new strategy toward Iran, in the wake of months of anticipation.

The Trump administration appears to believe that existing policies have reached a dead end, and that long term interests have left America no choice but to adopt new policies.

Heshmat Alavi, political and rights activist covering issues focusing on Iran, writes in his article for Forbes, What makes this transition even more important is the fact that an intense war on both sides of the Atlantic has been ongoing over this policy transition. This is not limited to the pro-Iran lobby camp. Major interests are at risk here, covering issues far more important than Washingtons Iran policy.

Trumps 19-minute speech focused on the Iranian regime. He started his speech with the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran, and continued by discussing the bombings in Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Tanzania and Iraq against America and its allies.

Trump focused on using the terms the Iranian regime and the Iranian dictatorship. Trumps decision to rely on the Iranian regime might be considered a non-recognition of this regime in its entirety. As well, according to Richard Haass, President of the Council of Foreign Relations, which was cited by various state websites in Iran, using the terms dictatorship and regime indicates the ultimate objective of US policy is regime change in Iran.

The U.S. president described Iran as an aggressive, radical and fanatic regime, and he refused to use the term government.

Trumps speech focused on the Iran nuclear deal and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

Before his speech, Trump was under pressure from Europe to certify Irans compliance with the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In fact, Americas European allies asked Trump to call on Congress not to re-impose pre-JCPOA sanctions on Iran, if he decertified the JCPOA.

Trump withstood the pressure and sent a message to the U.S. Congress and Europe: either fix the JCPOA or else the entire pact will come to an end.

Seeking to maintain the JCPOA intact at all costs, the Europeans found themselves faced with the decision of safeguarding the JCPOA by placing pressure on Tehran to resolve the existing loopholes. Alavi writes, This will be completely against Tehrans interests, targeting the sunset clauses, Irans ballistic missile program and access to military sites for rigorous inspections.

At a recent session held by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said, The notion that [Irans] entry into the JCPOA would curtail Iranian adventurism, the terror threat, or their malignant behavior has proven to be fundamentally false.
On a hot day in 2016, Tracey Beaver and three friends drove to the town of Grants, New Mexico to buy alcoholic drinks.

On the return trip, Beaver lost control of his truck and hit a wall on the side of the road. Two of his passengers were thrown onto the road and killed. The two were sisters. Their mother was one of the emergency medical workers who went to help those injured in the accident.

Police tested Beavers blood alcohol level and found it was two times the legal limit. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths.

Beaver is a member of the Ramah Navajo tribe. Many Native Americans live on Indian reservations, which are under the control of a federal agency in the United States, not a state government.

Most crimes on Indian reservations go to state or tribal court. But because the federal government has control over serious crimes in Indian Country, Beavers case went to a federal court.

Beaver had a long history of alcohol abuse and driving violations before the accident. He is now serving a 10-year prison sentence after he admitted guilt in court to the involuntary manslaughter charges.

Brian Pori is the New Mexico federal public defender who represented Beaver during his trial. He says that if the case had been in a state court, Beaver would likely have been charged with a fourth-degree felony and given a sentence of only three years in prison.

The facts of the case are just chilling and heartbreaking, said Pori. Under the United States' sentencing guidelines, he was facing a sentence of about five years. The judge doubled that sentence because of the facts of the case. And this is something that happens over and over throughout the U.S.

An unfair system

Many Native Americans and Alaska Natives say they often are targeted by police.

Targeting is especially easy in South Dakota, said Shane Boudreaux, a Lakota tribe member from the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Boudreaux said that in South Dakota, each county has its own vehicle license plate prefix number.

For example, the number 67 is used for vehicles from Todd County, while 65 is for Oglala Lakota County. Both areas lie completely inside reservations, which often have high rates of poverty. In addition, some drivers may not have up-to-date drivers licenses, vehicle registrations or auto insurance policies.

Boudreaux said that most tribal members do not have enough money to pay for a lawyer. If they are arrested and charged, they depend on public defender systems, which are often underfinanced and overworked.

There are also differences in the ways juries are chosen in tribal, state and federal courts. So Native Americans charged in federal court are more likely to face a jury of non-Natives, whose decisions could be driven by racial prejudice.

Growing numbers in prison

Jeffrey Ian Ross is an expert on Native Americans in the criminal justice system. He told VOA that differences in tribal, state, and federal courts do not receive a lot of attention in criminology.

Very few people have studied this sort of thing, he said.

Earlier this year, the Justice Departments Bureau of Justice Statistics reported on the numbers of Native Americans and Alaska Natives in local jails from 1999 to 2014. In the middle of 2014, about 10,400 such men and women were in prison. This was almost two times as many people as those in jail 15 years earlier. The report found that the numbers increased every year at a rate of about 4.3 percent.

The American Indian population in the jail has doubled, but the actual residential population hasnt grown in the same way, said Todd Minton, who wrote the report. What that means is that American Indians are more likely to be incarcerated.

Native American youths are 30 percent more likely than white youths to be sent to juvenile courts than have charges dropped. That information comes from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. It also said they are 10 percent more likely to be held in jail than released while awaiting a trial.

The Campaign for Youth Justice notes that Native youths make up only one percent of all young people in the United States. However, 70 percent of young people given to the Federal Bureau of Prisons are Native American.

Because of these concerns, the U.S. Sentencing Commission asked a federal group in 2015 to examine claims that Native Americans are more likely to face more severe prison sentences than other people.

In its final report of May 2016, the Tribal Issues Advisory Group found there is not enough information to prove or disprove the claims. The group urged the commission to set up a process to collect better data. It also asked the commission to support Congress in motivating states to collect better data specific to Native Americans.

This was not the first time the commission examined the problem, said New Mexico lawyer Brian Pori. Theyve done this for the past 20 years and have found over and over again, Yes, the sentences appear to be more severe, but we dont know how much because we dont have good enough comparison data, he said.

Well, to me, thats no real response at all, he added.

Im Phil Dierking.

Cecily Hilleary reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Are there unfair court systems in your country? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

involuntary manslaughter - n. the crime of killing another human being unlawfully but unintentionally.

reservation - n. an area of land in the U.S. that is kept separate as a place for Native Americans to live

chilling - adj. very disturbing or frightening

felony - n. a serious crime

license - n. an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something

prejudice - n. an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.

incarcerate - v. to put someone in prison

juvenile - adj. relating to or meant for young people

data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

response - n. something that is said or written as a reply to something
The Swiss city of Geneva was a good place to be for food lovers earlier this month.

Foodies enjoyed the tastes and smells of food from around the world at a Refugee Food Festival. The event gave refugees from five countries a chance to demonstrate their cooking skills.

Local restaurants turned over their cooking spaces to chefs from Syria, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Tibet and Nigeria.

One of the refugee chefs was 29-year-old Nadeem Khadem Al Jamie from Syria. He says cooking is a driving force in his life. He told VOA he learned how to cook from his uncle.

Nadeem Khadem Al Jamie worked in his familys restaurant in Damascus before he was forced to leave Syria in 2015.

He said that he traveled from Syria to Turkey, and then to Greece. From Greece, he walked all the way to Germany, and then to the Swiss border.

His wife and two daughters eventually joined him through a family reunification program. He hopes his involvement with the Refugee Food Festival will lead to a job.

Louis Martin is one of the founders of Food Sweet Food, a non-governmental organization. It started the Refugee Food Festival in 2016 in partnership with the United Nations refugee agency.

Martin told VOA the festival has two main goals.

The first one was to change the way we look at refugees by showcasing their skills. The second was to create a professional accelerator for the refugee chefs participating and we asked to every restaurant to recommend the chef to his network and then create professional opportunities for him.

Martin said he became concerned after the arrival of thousands of refugees to Europe in the summer of 2015. He said their images led him and his Food Sweet Food partner, Marine Mandrila, to create the festival.

So, we thought, how can we leverage food, how can we leverage all that we have learned through our travels and food documentaries  to create a better understanding between citizens and refugees.

Louis Martin and Marine Mandrila brought their idea to the UN refugee agency in Paris. Celine Schmitt works for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. She told VOA she immediately liked their idea.

Food is a great way to create connections. It is also a great way to change the way people see refugees because if someone eats well, he will maybe have another idea, perspective afterwards. But, also, its a way to integrate refugees."

The festival offered food for people with different tastes and from different walks of life. Nadeem Khadem Al Jamies five-course Syrian meal cost about $90 at one of Genevas luxury hotels. People with less money to spend enjoyed tasty Nigerian or Ethiopian food at two other restaurants. Each of those meals cost about $20.

Schmitt said one great part of the festival was the teamwork between the restaurants usual chef and the refugee chef.

The chefs who have invited the refugee chefs, they have all told us that they want to start again and that they learned something. And, they were so happy to be able to learn from another chef because food has always been inspired by different cultures and different spices, tastes.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Lisa Schlein reported this story for VOANews.com. Jonathan Evans adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

accelerator  n. a method for increasing the progress of something

recommend  v. to suggest or propose

festival  n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something

opportunity  n. a chance

leverage  v. to use something valuable to achieve a desired result

luxury  adj. a condition or situation of great comfort, ease, and wealth; something that is expensive and not necessary

uncle  n. the brother of ones father or mother
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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.
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Lifestyle: If You're Not Getting Closer to Achieving Your Goals, Try Using a Different Metric
Egypt has announced it will delay opening Rafah crossing between the North African country and the Gaza Strip until further notice, citing terror attacks against armed forces in the region by jihadists.

The Rafah crossing is the only land border of Gaza on the outside world.

Egypt initially said the crossing passage would be open for four days from Monday to allow in and out movements on humanitarian grounds.

Gaza has been besieged by Israel since 2007 and Egypt, over security concerns, has kept the border closed since 2013, only opening the border on rare occasions. Cairo accused Gaza ruler Hamas of sheltering terrorists and of smuggling weapons into the Sinai.

The decision to maintain Rafah closed according to Head of the Commission of Crossings and Borders, Hesham Udwan, was motivated by unexpected mayhem in the area.

Six Egyptian soldiers were killed on Sunday in an assault by jihadists in North of Sinai. The attackers used Car bombs and mortar shells.

Egypt facilitated last week reconciliation between Hamas and rival Fatah based in Israel-controlled West Bank.

Gaza where almost 2 million people live, has been declared as an open-air prison with majority living under the poverty line and 44 per cent unemployed.

Many UN agencies have described the humanitarian situation in the Strip as catastrophic.
Ketamine, a medication commonly used for pain relief and increasingly used for depression, may help alleviate migraine pain in patients who have not been helped by other treatments, suggests a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

The study of 61 patients found that almost 75 percent experienced an improvement in their migraine intensity after a three- to seven-day course of inpatient treatment with ketamine. The drug is used to induce general anesthesia but also provides powerful pain control for patients with many painful conditions in lower doses than its anesthetic use.

"Ketamine may hold promise as a treatment for migraine headaches in patients who have failed other treatments," said study co-author Eric Schwenk, M.D., director of orthopedic anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "Our study focused only on short-term relief, but it is encouraging that this treatment might have the potential to help patients long-term. Our work provides the basis for future, prospective studies that involve larger numbers of patients."

An estimated 12 percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines - recurring attacks of throbbing or pulsing moderate to severe pain. A subset of these patients, along with those who suffer from other types of headaches, do not respond to treatment. During a migraine, people are often very sensitive to light, sound and may become nauseated or vomit. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men.

The researchers reviewed data for patients who received ketamine infusions for intractable migraine headaches - migraines that have failed all other therapies. On a scale of 0-10, the average migraine headache pain rating at admission was 7.5, compared with 3.4 on discharge. The average length of infusion was 5.1 days, and the day of lowest pain ratings was day 4. Adverse effects were generally mild.

Dr. Schwenk said while his hospital uses ketamine to treat intractable migraines, the treatment is not yet widely available. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital will be opening a new infusion center this fall that will treat more patients with headaches using ketamine. "We hope to expand its use to both more patients and more conditions in the future," he said.

"Due to the retrospective nature of the study, we cannot definitively say that ketamine is entirely responsible for the pain relief, but we have provided a basis for additional larger studies to be undertaken," Dr. Schwenk added.

Provided by American Society of Anesthesiologists
Communities across the country are struggling to address workforce shortages. Missoula is no exception  with an unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at a shockingly low 3.1 percent as of August 2017, Missoulas employers need to focus on innovative workforce strategies if we are to attract and retain the talent necessary to drive our economy forward.

The Missoula Economic Partnerships State of the Workforce Study for Missoula, which will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 24, will help establish strategies and best practices for employers and the business community at large to address this workforce shortage.

Whats becoming increasingly apparent is the need to implement a workforce strategy that specifically caters to a millennial population. Why? Because millennials will make up nearly 75 percent of the global workforce by 2025, and their definition of ideal workplace culture looks different than that of preceding generations.

It is important to recognize that the way workplaces function is changing if we are going to come up with workforce solutions. The millennial generation represents the greatest share of the U.S. workforce, they will have a significant long-term impact on the field of economic development. Increasingly, it is this generations focus on inclusive and open-minded social beliefs that drives new conversations about workplace culture and economic development approaches.

To attract and retain talent for jobs of the future, Missoula employers need to consider how their workplace practices appeal to millennials.

A recent study by Deloitte Universitys Leadership Center for Inclusion, titled The Radical Transformation of Diversity and Inclusion, found that millennials are the most traditionally diverse, digitally connected, and socially minded segment of the workforce to date. The study concluded that millennials have substantially different perspectives on diversity and inclusion than older generations, noting differences in the way millennials and older generations define diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The study found that millennials define inclusion primarily through a culture of connectivity and collaboration, while older generations define inclusion in more objective terms of equity, fairness, and the integration, acceptance, and tolerance of gender, racial and ethnic diversity within the organization. While older generations focus on diversity through the lens of representation, demographics and equality, millennials view diversity as pertaining to the individual mix of unique experiences, identities, ideas and opinions.

What else do millennials want? Flexibility. Another study, Millennials at Work: Reshaping the Workplace, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that professional development and work/life balance are more important to the millennial workforce than to previous generations, and, more importantly, that millennials are quick to change jobs when they feel that work/life balance and diversity promises are not being kept.

Also according to the PwC study, (millennial) employees are more productive if they have greater autonomy over where, when, and how they work. Thanks to mobile digital technologies, employers are increasingly able to offer choice and flexibility over work schedules, which millennials value.

Employment and workplace practices are changing constantly and rapidly in the wake of digital advances, and those changes need to address and reflect millennial perspectives and preferences. Millennials value flexibility, engagement, and inclusivity in their workplaces, and employers should keep these values in mind as they shift to accommodate a changing workforce. As the Deloitte study concludes:

If you want to build a truly inclusive culture  one that leverages every individuals passion, commitment and innovation, and elevates employee engagement, empowerment, and authenticity  you should be willing to break down the narrow walls that surround diversity and inclusion and limit their reach. If you dont know where to start, ask your millennials. Every one of them wants to be heard.
Elderly patients who had emergency repair of a fractured hip were much less likely to die or make a return visit to the emergency room (ER) after discharge if they received care under the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model of care, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

PSH patients were also far more likely to go home, rather than to a rehabilitation facility, after discharge from the hospital, according to the study. The PSH is a patient-centric, physician-led, team-based system of coordinated care that guides patients through the entire surgical experience, from the decision to undergo surgery to discharge and beyond.

"The PSH has fundamentally changed the outcomes that matter to patients, which is particularly impressive in this extremely high-risk population," said Chunyuan Qiu, M.D., lead author of the study and physician anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, Baldwin Park, California. "Our research suggests the PSH is beneficial not just for patients having planned procedures, but also for those having high-risk emergency surgeries."

Because bones tend to weaken with age, elderly people are at greater risk of falling and fractures - with hip fractures being particularly common. More than 300,000 people 65 and older are hospitalized for hip fractures every year. Treatment typically involves surgery, including replacement of the entire hip, or stabilizing it with metal rods, screws and plates so the bone can heal.

The author's institution created a PSH protocol that is activated when a patient is admitted to the ER with a likely hip fracture. The operator contacts and loops in the various teams, including the ER, anesthesiology, orthopedics, internal medicine and operating-room scheduling so they can begin readying the patient for surgery within 24 hours. The various teams coordinate as they manage preparations for surgery, including pain control, blood tests, imaging and optimizing medical problems and medications prior to surgery.

The single-center study compared outcomes of 222 hip fracture patients treated prior to the implementation of the PSH, to 118 patients who were treated afterward. Researchers reported:

- Death rates for the PSH group were reduced by half or more: 1.7 percent of non-PSH patients died in the hospital, compared to less than 1 percent of PSH patients. Thirty days after discharge 3.2 percent of non-PSH patients died vs. none of the PSH patients, and after 90 days, 6.3 percent of non-PSH vs. 2.5 percent of PSH patients died.

- PSH patients were less likely to visit the ER after they were discharged from the hospital after surgery: 9.5 percent of non-PSH patients vs. 5.1 percent of PSH patients visited the ER within 30 days after discharge, while 23.4 percent of non-PSH patients vs. 14.4 percent of PSH patients went to the ER within 90 days of discharge.

- PSH patients were much more likely to be discharged to their homes instead of a nursing home or other rehabilitation facility: 16.2 percent of non-PSH patients went directly home, compared to 40.7 percent of PSH patients.

Additionally, while 30-day hospital readmissions were slightly higher in the PSH group (13.6 percent) than in the non-PSH group (12.6 percent), the difference was statistically insignificant, and 90-day readmissions were significantly lower in the PSH group (17.8 percent) than the non-PSH group (23.9 percent).

"Hip fractures are extremely expensive, and we found the PSH significantly reduces those costs," said Dr. Qiu. "The model has been so successful, it is now spreading to 13 medical centers within our system."

Provided by American Society of Anesthesiologists
Samsung Electronics Co. has agreed to a deal to open a new space in Londons Kings Cross district which will serve as a showcase for its products and technology, two people with knowledge of the plan said.

The technology giant is finalizing details to lease the 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meter) top floor of the under construction Coal Drops Yard mall, which has been designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plan is private.

The space, under the kissing curved roof of the former Victorian coal store, will be similar to Samsungs 837 site in New Yorks Meatpacking district, which the company describes as not a store, but a new kind of place filled with ideas, experiences and Samsungs cutting edge devices, according to its website.

A spokeswoman for Argent Property Development Services LLP, which is developing the mall on behalf of the Kings Cross Central Limited Partnership, declined to comment. A spokesman for Samsung said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation.

Technology giants including Microsoft Corp. and Samsung have been opening luxurious new show rooms around the world, following in the footsteps of Apple Inc., which has used a network of sleek stores to help position itself as a luxury technology brand that commands wide profit margins. Microsoft confirmed last month it plans to open a new flagship store within Londons Oxford Circus, close to the Apple store on Regent Street.

Heatherwick is also helping design Alphabet Inc.s new Google campus in London. Its another development at Kings Cross, an area transformed by Argent from an industrial wasteland into a trendy new commercial district.

Samsungs planned London space will be a similar size to the Apple store on Regent Street. The Coal Drops Yard mall, which will be about 100,000 square feet in total, is scheduled to open in October 2018.

Now read: Samsung bringing Linux to Galaxy smartphones
A team acting on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly met President Jacob Zuma just before his surprise cabinet reshuffle.

Several ministers were removed or transferred to new departments in the reshuffle  including David Mahlobo being made the new minister of energy.

According to the Sunday Times, Putins team told Zuma to speed up and conclude a multibillion-dollar nuclear deal with Russia.

Hours after the meeting, the cabinet reshuffle took place.

Their visit was to deliver what many of us believe to be the final warning to the South African authorities. This group does not normally leave Russia. These are members of the military, the police, and the intelligence, a source told the newspaper.

Mahlobo was chosen by the Russians.

Nuclear deal

The report stated that Mahlobo was chosen by the Russians after Zuma indicated he wanted Faith Muthambi for the energy job.

The Russians convinced Zuma to consider Mahlobo for the position  which was given to him without the approval of the ANC top six.

Several ANC members have warned that the move could destabilise the government and South Africa.

Following Mahlobos appointment, the new energy minister said South Africa will move ahead with nuclear power.

South Africa recognises the role of nuclear power in ensuring security of energy supply and meeting the challenge of climate change, he said.

South Africa has made a policy decision to pursue nuclear energy as part of the energy mix.

Now read: Key Eskom witnesses fail to appear




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Anwar Gargash: UAE has no interest in choosing sides between great powers

Ukraine suspends oil pumping through Druzhba pipeline towards Hungary

Germany urgently needs gas turbines to stabilize power grids

Polish media report on fall of two missiles on country's territory

Economic downturn worsens in eastern EU due to a spike in inflation

U.S. believes that meeting between Biden and Jinping was strong signal to rest of world

Karabakh MFA welcomes resolution adopted by French Senate

Italy bans facial recognition technology and smart glasses

Germany to establish maintenance center in Slovakia for weapons supplied to Ukraine

Energy Ministry: Russia carried out most massive shooting of Ukraine's energy system since war starts

French Senate passes resolution calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan

Rishi Sunak hints that he will abandon plans to declare China 'threat' to national security

EU supports any call to phase out fossil fuel use

Secretary of Security Council of Armenia receives delegation of EU special envoys, member states

Armenian President Vahagn Khachatryan receives newly appointed ambassador of Cyprus

Zelenskyy's adviser: The situation after Russian shelling is critical

Newly appointed ambassador of Cyprus visits Armenian Genocide memorial

Borrell: EU countries must work together to replenish their military stocks

French Senator: Are the lives of Armenians worth less than the lives of Ukrainians?

Turkey plans to strike targets in northern Syria

Emergency power outages in Kyiv due to explosions

Lavrov calls Zelenskyy's speech at G20 summit performance beyond all regulations and decency

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince embarks on Asian tour

Ukrainian media report missile strikes in number of areas

Chinese 50-year-old man runs marathon smoking

Pashinyan receives delegation of EU special envoys, EU member states on Eastern Partnership

Bloomberg: Paris overtakes London to become Europe's largest stock market

Anti-Iranian rally held in Baku

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Pashinyan's approaches and wordings do not contribute to solving urgent problems

Borrell announces appearance of EU rapid reaction force in 2023

Norwegian Defense Minister pledges $30 million to NATO fund for Ukraine

Italy auctioned biggest truffle for record 184 thousand euros

Serviceman kills fellow soldier in Armenia

Kyodo: 67-year-old Japanese princess diagnosed with breast cancer

Mehriban Aliyeva hurriedly gives up her role of UNESCO 'Goodwill Ambassador' before French Senate meeting

Jeff Bezos says he's ready to give away most of his fortune

Britain to allocate $11.8m to rebuild Ukraine's energy infrastructure

Peskov: Kyiv cannot and doesn't want to negotiate, SVO will continue

Turkey detains another suspect in planning terrorist attack in Istanbul

Tasnim: Iranian authorities released 38 protesters in southeast

Terrorist attack: Number of detainees in Istanbul grows to 50

Armenian FM presents to Europeans consequences of September Azerbaijani aggression

Biden and Erdogan back extension of grain deal

Macron and Erdogan meet on G20 margins

UN: Earth's population is 8 billion people

Indian PM urges G20 countries to find peaceful solution to Ukraine

Minimum wage to rise in Armenia

Ministry: Air pollution level in Armenia up by 30-40% over the past five years

Erdogan and Biden hold talks in Bali

Media: Macron asks Xi Jinping to 'pressure' Putin to return to negotiations

UN: Armenia's population will decrease by 2050

Zelenskyy states that only realistic model of POW exchange is all for all

Ameriabank launches Google Pay, Google Wallet support for card users in Armenia

Argentine President Fernandez feels ill at G20 summit

Ruben Vardanyan receives head of ICRC mission: We must ensure a peaceful childhood for children living in Artsakh

Copper rises in price

Newspaper: Armenian Prime Minister wants to hold referendum on constitutional amendments in spring

Ardshinbank showcases the Google Pay for Android fans in Armenia

Zelenskyy calls not to offer Ukraine compromise with territory and independence

Secretary of State: U.S. stands ready to continue support for Karabakh settlement

Google Pay is a new contactless payment option for Converse Bank customers

French Senate to consider resolution on sanctions against Azerbaijan

Zelenskyy addresses G20 leaders: It's time to stop Russia's war

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases

Another four-day parliamentary session begins in Yerevan

Gold declines in value

World oil prices go down

Plans to build 'death pyramid' in London that will hold millions of bodies

Armenian and Georgian Foreign Ministries hold consultations in Tbilisi

Azerbaijani and Iranian FMs hold phone conversation

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
Renowned Russian Armenian businessman and benefactor Levon Hayrapetyan will be laid to rest at the Armenian cemetery in Moscow on Saturday.

Levon Hayrapetyan has passed away Wednesday at the age of 68; his relatives have confirmed this information.

He had a great contribution to the development and improvement of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

Hayrapetyan, however, spent the last years of his life in prosecutions. He was sentenced to four years in prison in Moscow, on charges of extorting $700 thousand from the mother of a Russian former senator. But because of health problems, his prison sentence was later commuted to house arrest.
For most, the frontier period of American history likely conjures images including bearded mountain men bravely setting off willy-nilly into the wilderness, pitting wits and muscle against not just the elements, but crafty Natives and dangerous predators in quest of riches in furs. The reality was akin to that, but there also were lingering political struggles centered on multinational imperialism bent westward.

The clash of Euro-centric white cultures struggling for control over a vast landscape overflowing with resources, as well as American desire to subjugate Indian tribes and claim their land, resulted in a continental interaction far more complex than most people realize. Post-Revolutionary War, a kind of cold war ensued in which the new American government still needed to wrest control of much of the west  land they supposedly owned  not only from the Native peoples who were there first, but also the French and English fur companies who were far more deeply entrenched in power positions over frontier economics.

Theodore Ted Catton, an associate research professor of history at the University of Montana, captures a slice of this struggle wonderfully in his new book, Rainy Lake House: Twilight of Empire on the Northern Frontier.

Catton uses a single encounter involving three men to construct his narrative. Action begins in September 1823, at a Hudsons Bay Company trading post near the present day Boundary Waters of Minnesota, called Rainy Lake House. Dr. John McLoughlin, a French-Canadian, is in charge of wild country west of Lake Superior, including Rainy Lake House. Major Stephen H. Long, an officer in the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, is on an exploratory mission in the area. Finally, John Tanner, a "white Indian" living among the Ojibwa, rounds out our trio of main characters. Tanner, recovering from a murderous attempt on his life, is searching for his missing daughters, and believes they are being held nearby by traders bent on rape.

Catton incorporates the biographies of these three men to expand the story, and outcome, of their unlikely meeting. Their diverse upbringings and resulting views of the world juxtapose perfectly with the wider-view interactions of the cultural landscape in the early 19th century. Each man is allowed to report on the events through their own stew of moral impressions and prejudices, making for a fascinating look into how individual perceptions influence the clash of cultures.

The star of the show is Tanner. Tanner was kidnapped by Indians from his family farm in Ohio in 1789, at the age of 9. Later he was sold to an Ottawa woman and lived among the Ojibwa people of the Great Lakes region for most of his life. His life story, dictated to a scientist/explorer named Edwin James, was released in 1830 as a book titled, A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner. The book  available today with the main title of The Falcon by John Tanner  is one of the most important documents of life in a changing culture on the fringes of the American frontier. What we know of Tanners life is also what we know of Native life at the time, knowledge crucial not only to the story Catton is telling in Rainy Lake House, but also to our understanding of what Native life really was like.

Catton has produced a remarkable work of narrative nonfiction. "Rainy Lake House" deserves a place on any history buffs bookshelf alongside other excellent examples of frontier history narratives, including Undaunted Courage (Stephen E. Ambrose), Astoria (Peter Stark), Boone (Robert Morgan) and Blood and Thunder (Hampton Sides).
A former military commander and his bodyguard were killed and eight people were injured as a result of an explosion in Afghanistan, reported The Associated Press (AP).

The explosion occurred in Takhar Province, at a restaurant where former military member Nazuk Mir was having breakfast.

Police believe that he was the target of this explosion.
The military government of Thailand has set 3 billion baht ($90 million) aside for late King Bhumibol Adulyadejs lavish funeral to be held on October 25, according to Reuters news agency.

Drums and a band played as officials in black tops and ancient costumes rehearsed on Saturday for the funeral procession of the late king, whose cremation next week is expected to be attended by a quarter of a million mourners.

Some held a mock-up of a golden urn that had held the remains of dead kings in the past. In the present, the kings body is placed in a coffin, but the urn is still used to represent the monarchs remains.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the opening session of the 19th Communist Party Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Oct. 18, 2017. The 19th Communist Party Congress will convene from October 18-24. (Etienne Oliveau/Getty Images)

Reading the Tea Leaves for Chinas 19th Party Congress

Predictions for political and economic changes ahead of Chinas leadership transition

The worlds most populous country will witness a leadership transition this week. Observers are watching closely to predict what the political and economic repercussions could be for Chinas future.

Once every five years, top officials in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) convene in Beijing to unveil who will become the ruling elite of China.

At the top are the 200-plus members of the Central Committee, with its ruling Politburo, a group of 25, within which the Politburo Standing Committee is the major decision-making body and the top leaders of the Party. There are currently seven members on the standing committee, but that number has changed over the years.

Current Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to stay on as boss for another five years. The first half of his reign has seen Xi consolidating his power and eliminating enemies in the opposing factionnamely, those loyal to former CCP leader Jiang Zeminvia his anti-corruption campaign.

A large number of the top officials at the 19th congress will either be retiring or have already been ousted by Xi. How many allies can Xi place at the very center of power alongside him in the standing committee? We wont know until the congress concludes on Oct. 24.

For now, there have been clues as to what Xi sees as his political priorities, provided at the Central Committees preliminary meetings, known as the seventh plenary session, which just finished on Oct. 14.

The official communique published after the plenary session describes the Partys guiding ideologies, saying that the Politburo has carried out the spirit conveyed in Xis series of important speeches and his new concepts, ideas, and strategies for managing state affairs. Zhou Xiaohui, a China analyst for The Epoch Times, sees this as a hint that Xi will be adding his own political doctrine to the Partys constitution, which will further reinforce his power within the Party.

Each CCP leader has added an ideology to the constitution that defines and enshrines his legacy. Xi not only wants to leave his own mark, but place it in high regard. Unlike the previous few plenary sessions, this years communique mentions Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong thought, the former paramount Party leaders own brand of ideology, alongside more recent leaders ideologies, suggesting that Xi will be placing his doctrine on the same level as the Partys early masterminds, Zhou said.

Xis choice to align himself with the Partys originators is a move toward the left, which is further confirmed in the communique with mentions of the importance of Party building and the Partys control over the country. Xi is hinting at a desire to strengthen the CCPs role within Chinese society, Zhou said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong media have reported rumors that Xi plans to increase the number of vice-chairman positions in the influential Central Military Commission from two to three or four, in an effort to spread out the power of the military.

Under former leader Jiangs rule, top military generals Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou amassed great power in their positions as vice-chairmen. Xi expelled both from the Party and handed them over for prosecution for corruption.

But to avoid future rivals in the military, Xi could be taking preventive measures to solidify his commander-in-chief position. The Diplomat reported that two Military Commission members, Fang Fenghui and Zhang Yang, were recently removed from the delegate list for the 19th congress.

Economy

Most political observers believe the 19th congress will follow the economic line already laid down by Xi. During the past few years, the Chinese regime has emphasized the need to reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

SOEs dominate important sectors such as transportation, energy resources, and steel manufacturing. For Xi, it is imperative that SOEs be run more efficiently.

This year, the partial privatization of China Unicom, a state-owned telecommunications operator, marked the regimes attempt at mixed ownership reform: allowing sales of minority stakes in SOEs to private investors.

The new leadership after the 19th congress is likely to continue restructuring SOEs.

But as long as the state has control over a company, there cannot be true reform, said Chinese economist Mao Yushi.

It will always be about the Partys interests, rather than the companys interests. Therefore, there is no real hope for reforming SOEs, Mao told The Epoch Times in an interview in August.

Furthermore, the Party building mentioned above and emphasized by the regime connotes that companies in Chinastate-owned or otherwisewill continue to have a Party structure that coexists with the business management structure.

The CCP has also clamped down on capital flowing out of the country. In June, Chinas banking regulator began probing the finances of major firms that have made large overseas acquisitions, including Anbang, an insurance group that owns the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York, and Dalian Wanda, which bought the cinema chain AMC Theatres. Investors and firms will likely look to the 19th congress for rhetoric that might suggest the new leaderships regulatory tendencies.
I got reassigned and then fired after whistleblowing on financial irregularities. Fun stuff.

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oh fuck!! sorry to hear that. really unfair

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I got fired for this too

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fuck!



i'm sorry you were punished for doing the right thing. hope you're in a better situation now.

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i'm so sorry this happened to you and i hope it doesn't diminish your resolve to continue to do the right thing in the future.



also, i adore your lee pace avi.

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I had to quit my job before they fired me after reporting a hostile work enviroment. One of my friends who still works there said the manager purposely sabatoged her from reporting her own account of the work enviroment and the others emailed human resources anonymously because they feared workplace retaliation.



The manager started threatening them with cutting their hours and Im glad I left but it sucks that nothing was ever resolved.

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Rose is right about the agents being guilty as well there is no way in hell they didn't know about Harvey

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was this Corgan?

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yes. she wrote violet about him.

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Triple bloop x infinity



Edited at 2017-10-22 04:02 pm (UTC)

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This is why people dont speak out. They watch what happens to those who do. Its sick.

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I'm all for calling out hypocritical men who didn't say anything when they should have, but uh...lol @ the idea that Thomas Sadoski has lots of "strong Hollywood friends."

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 my exact reaction.

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MAGA shills are only known for their blatant, unwavering hypocrisy not their critical thinking skills.

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I posted about this in a round up - TRIGGER WARNING CHILD ABUSE - .....





Over the summer my (now ex) boss was convicted of possessing child p*rn photos and videos. We were not told any of this happened until three weeks after he was sentenced. He had literally been sitting in prison for three weeks until we knew where the fuck he was. I confronted the director of my team and asked why we were not informed immediately, and he said "we've been trying to keep it quiet, we don't want clients to know, blah blah" and wow I was furious. It escalated to the point where I yelled that I'll tell everyone I know what happened because people deserve to know the truth, and I was sent home pretty much right away, made to stay home for a week (unpaid), and the raise I was supposed to get never happened.

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Not sure why she would waste the time, this isn't whistleblowing by any definition, and therefore none of this is legal retaliation.

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Something somewhat similar happened to me too. A psychologist my (shitty) psychiatrist (who is now fired) referred me to (in the same clinic) turned out to be a convicted criminal who'd spent jail time for organising prostitution (incl. underage), battery etc. He was terminated when he went under investigation for child molestation. Of his patients. He served 6 months and now has to wear a brace for a few years. The clinic did not offer any apologies for patients.

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Have you ever banned by powerful evil ppl because you did the right thing ?

I have been banned from several FB groups for speaking against misogyny and sexist comments and I spend more time banned from Twitter than not because of the same thing.

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Whats sad is I remember this appearance and people were just mocking her for being fucked up. This was likely written off as that or just a joke.



Hey yeah, maybe we should......LISTEN TO WOMEN???!!!!

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Was this the Pam Anderson roast bc I totally remember people making fun of her esp kimmel

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Yeah Im pretty sure. I definitely remember it was one of those Comedy Central roasts.

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First job, money went missing from the cashier. One of the employees was letting in her friends after hours. I told, boss told everyone I told so i left after three weeks. The employees turned on me.



Last job, I knew one of the employees personally and he had a side catering business and he would cater MY family events. My Mom and I noticed that the flavors were exactly the same from the restaurant. We thought my boss was just helping him out. Turns out he was stealing produce, meat products and the kitchen utensils. He turned on me because he overhead a convo I had with my boss. My boss tried to protect me by changing my hours and not having me in the same building as him. That didnt protect me from what he did outside. He started telling family I was a thief, started harassing my Mom, his wife harassed my Mom. My fam would tell me not to do anything because hes illegal so if I called the cops, he would probably get deported (he had just had a baby). So we never did anything.





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i would have taken action, not your problem he's illegal if he's harassing your family.

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You took pity on him and he sees it as not getting punished for his actions. He will probably do more stupid things later and get what he deserves as a result.

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i am so glad i've never actually dealt with harassment in the work place even after working in a gym for a few years and being surrounded by nothing but men. my best friend and 2 of her female co-workers reported their boss for sexual harassment. HR did nothing so the other 2 girls quit after a few weeks bc the boss was now just plain old harassing them and making life difficult for them after they reported his ass. the other 2 girls eventually quit (like on the spot, walked out no notice bc they couldnt deal anymore). tell me how on the one girls last day she told me bff to watch out bc they are going to come for you next. they fired my bff a week later. i told her to get a lawyer, my husband told her to get a lawyer so i think she went to see someone. i hope something comes out of it for her.







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also, oblig gif in any courtney love post:

Courtney is problematic af, obv, but stuff like this really proves that her idgaf attitude isn't posturing & she truly is her own person. i admire her a lot for it.also, oblig gif in any courtney love post:

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At the very least agents and managers of child actors should be mandated reporters. They ALL knew, but chose to turn a blind eye, or even worse, gladly pimped actors out.





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IA. Theyre in charge of some aspect of the childs career and more in the know on behind the scenes stuff than parents might be so they should definitely be required by law to report what they know. That would surely help keep things more in check in the future.

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LOL Thomas Sadoski - he's a real pillar of morality that one.

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Um cheaters and child predators are really not in the same sphere.

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Partners for Reintegration is sponsoring/co-sponsoring three re-entry events. All are free and open to the public. This experiential event illustrates the journey to self-sufficiency for citizens reentering society from incarceration and the barriers that contribute to feelings of helplessness and decreased self-efficacy. Experience a month of reentry in four 15-minute sessions, each representing a week of the reentry experience.

The events include a community discussion on the challenge of re-entry and integration for returning citizens at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, in the City Council Chambers, 140 W. Pine St. "Restorative Justice: A Community Conversation" will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 130 S. Sixth St. W. and a DOC Re-Entry simulation event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Art Building at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.

***

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts  and anyone wanting to join  are invited to Cabelas to participate in free demonstrations of outdoor skills, including knot tying, archery, fishing and more.

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Cabelas, 3650 Brooks St., will be the site of the third annual Join Scout Night  The Adventure Starts Here!, for both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. From 6 to 8 p.m. boys and girls will learn several outdoor skills. Theyll also have a fun time with a scavenger hunt within Cabelas as they look for items that can better prepare them for an outdoor adventure. As a bonus, participants will leave with a free First Aid Kit and Paracord Bracelet they make at the store (while supplies last).

For more information on Girl Scouts or become a volunteer, visit gsmw.org or call 800-736-5243. For more information on the Montana Council BSA visit montanabsa.org.

***

Providence Saint Patrick Hospital, 500 W. Broadway, will host an AARP Smart Driver Course (formerly 55 Alive) on Friday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This ALL NEW four hour, safe driving strategies class is designed for drivers age 50 and over; all drivers are welcome. There are no driving or written exams, and Montana mandates insurance discounts for qualified participants, age 55 and older.

The class fee is $15 for AARP members, $20 for non-members. All walk-ins are welcome, however, pre-registration is advised. To sign up, contact Marcure Insurances at 406-543-7184. Or, for further information, call Thom Ainsworth, State Coordinator, at 406-369-0149.
still gross

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Now you know? Hmmmmmmm.

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Honestly, good for him. The only way to change the culture is to get more women working in film.

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I think it's a lovely gesture and good on him for taking that step - but I don't believe he's just finding out about these allegations now.

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I don't believe that, either. But at least his self-flaggelation will support women in film. That is more than just writing a short tweet about being shocked like some others who knew.

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My thoughts too. Obviously he knew. As did many others. But if his guilt / embarrassment of not doing something sooner at least contributes to putting more women in film, then good.

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same but i am happy for him putting his money where his mouth is because WiF does need the help.

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All his life? That's cool.



He's halfway right. Half his movies are garbage. I found out I had Jersey Girl on DVD...

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Nothing will ever be good enough for some people.

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This is ONTD, where one fuck up 92 years ago will get you on the hate list for life no matter how much you've redeemed yourself.

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Yep. Obviously a lot of people knew. But if his guilt is now causing him to contribute real money to putting more women in film then good for him.

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I'm guessing Kevin Smith is rich, but there are directors (Tarantino, for example) who must have tons more money and aren't doing the same.

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yeah, IA

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Exactly, like I don't really care one way or the other about him, but he's at least doing something.



All these celebs who are all "omg i've worked with HW for YEARS and ~never knew and omg i'm appaled and horrified these poor women, I stand with the victims" then that's just like... it... it's nagl.



Same shit as saying you're 'praying' for victims of wars and natural disasters really, then doing absolutely nothing ACTUAL about it.





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Only [x number] of men to follow his example.

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I think it's good that he's putting his money where his mouth is; that's more than a lot of people whose careers benefitted from HW are doing.

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ia, it's nice to see this vs. the usual comment with no action behind it.

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Yep true.

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If more people in Hollywood who benefitted from HW (aka MOST big names) did something tangiable like this, maybe there'd be some actual concrete steps made.

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A friend of mine who was in a NJ rock band in the 90's used to work for View Askew & actually did the music for "A Better Place," and his sister had a super-tiny role as Silent Bob's mom in "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back." They aren't fans of his but never really specified why, so I assumed it had to do with work stuff.



This is nice of him, though, but yeah, I don't believe that he didn't know.



That said, I always did like that, at least until around the Dogma era (when I stopped paying attention to Kevin Smith,) he was always fairly nice even about actors that you can tell he didn't really enjoy being around... (with the exception of Linda Fiorentino.)

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This should be an example to the men in hollywood that its not hard to condemn Weinstein and do something if you were worked with him.

As for whether or not he knew, who knows...Kevin Smith cant exactly keep things to himself either but I can see him being in denial about for years. He does an incredible impression of how slimy Harvey sounds when he used to impersonate him on his podcasts for year. Although he should have fucking read between the lines especially with how given how he bemused he always was at how Harvey wanted to be push every teenage actress to be in his movies.

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Yes exactly tbh, like whilst a big part of me wants to rage and be all "OF COURSE YOU ALL FUCKING KNEW!!! COMPLICIT!!!!" at the same time the more realistic part of me recognises that actually in many many areas of life people do just often bumble along being in complete blissful ignorance.



Perhaps he had heard misogynistic rumours about actresses doing stuff for parts that others have mentioned always being whispered about, maybe he'd kind of kept in his own little bubble and blocked out all the Hollywood stuff and kind of just put the blinkers on, idek. Maybe he had inklings but was in complete denial out of a sense of gratitude and who even knows.



But there's psychologically a lot going on when people turn a blind eye or just generally shut their eyes and don't look for things or notice things that don't necessarily directly involve them. And men are very very good at that when it comes to women's problems.



So who really knows. But i'm just glad he's feeling such deep-seated shame now and actually donating considerable money for the remainder of his life to doing some small thing about it.

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i don't really like him, don't always agree with him, but even if this is seen at it's most cynical as an ego stroke, i'm ok with it. it's more than anyone else has done, and maybe it will help some women who want to be filmmakers in the future.



also, it's a brilliant way to give side eye to those who also built their fortunes on the shoulders of Rapstien.

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it's more than anyone else has done



yeah, I like that this is is a monthly donation, not a one-time donation; I respect ongoing support a lot

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we'll take the money. whatever kev's dealing with, from the one aspect he's talking about: the guilt of who banked his career, that sucks. one monster and everyone suffers. as for how complicit he was, i can't know so that's on him.



also, op, "sex pest"! how are you so flawfree?? 

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lmao "sex pest" is such a British term, idk if it's used elsewhere!

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Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett in a suit is my sexuality pic.twitter.com/0Q6IMSVSfS  cath;  (@blanchettlover) September 23, 2017

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart definitely was born to wear a suit  pic.twitter.com/xxAMnt8vyX  QueenStew. (@Inlovewkstew) March 10, 2017

Evan Rachel Wood

Don't call it a power suit. @EvanRachelWood: "It's like saying power is associated with dressing like a man" https://t.co/wW5MGORYIY pic.twitter.com/w4r33lipnP  Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 20, 2017

Anna Brewster

Tilda Swinton

Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae wore a red + black #TOPSHOP "Humbug" striped suit to HBO's Post Emmy Awards Reception. https://t.co/QutBe5H36S #Emmys pic.twitter.com/vGHxp2Zvxo  The Fashion Court (@TheFashionCourt) September 19, 2017

Charli XCX

#CelebrityStyle GIRL @charli_xcx in a pinstripe suit... are you here for it or hating it!?! pic.twitter.com/Maj3n6m4Vz  Style By Sheena (@StyleBySheena) April 15, 2017

Charli XCX at the Amy Winehouse Foundation Gala pic.twitter.com/VdG2jHhE5d  Charli XCX Updates (@CharlisUpdates) October 16, 2015

Ellen Page

Lou Doillon

Aymeline Valade

French model Aymeline Valade steps onto the #MetGala red carpet in the first power suit of the night. https://t.co/FN9UrZclBL pic.twitter.com/z7pxVPQZNr  Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) May 1, 2017

Heloise Letissier

#PHOTOS Christine and the Queens photographiee par Franck Dubray en 2014. pic.twitter.com/5kQWyPMtjW  Christine & the Fans (@CATQfans) October 11, 2017

The Australian actress frequently wears suits and looks Hepburnesque on the reg.Kristen has genuine tomboy style, on red carpets, in photoshoots and irl.(ok less shady example)The self-described "glam rock weirdo" pays homage to her hero Bowie with her androgynous looks.The Versailles actress has a bold, eclectic style, and definitely knows how to rock a full colour suit.The Scottish clotheshorse has been an androgynous icon since her breakout part playing Orlando, the man who becomes an immortal woman.This triple threat has been rocking fierce suits since she came on the scene.The After The Afterparty hitmaker may be mostly associated with club kid style, but her suit style is nearly always immaculate.The Canadian actress is a great source for tomboy looks and proves you don't have to be tall to pull it off.The French artist has inherited both her mother Jane Birkin's looks and her ability to make menswear look super feminine.If you want high end couture inspo for your suit looks, look to super stylish French actress/model Aymeline.Better known as Christine & The Queens, the avant-pop artist always cuts a dashing figure.Sources: 1
Community leaders welcome the idea of installing automated technology throughout the city to help ticket reckless drivers, after a state lawmaker introduced legislation Tuesday to temporarily allow the practice.

State Rep. David Crowley announced his new measure, the Safe Roads Save Lives Act, at City Hall with 11 members of the Common Council appearing alongside him.

Police departments in Wisconsin are prohibited from using automated technology, such as cameras, to enforce traffic signals and speed limits. Crowleys measure would allow the technology during a five-year pilot program in Milwaukee, where reckless driving has become a near-constant source of complaints from residents and city officials alike.

"Its about time and its well needed," said Steve OConnell, a member of the Sherman Park Neighborhood Association who has organized several demonstrations against reckless drivers.

OConnell said he and other residents have pushed for automated technology for years but couldnt build enough momentum to have someone challenge state law.

Crowley referenced a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that says communities with red light cameras had 21 percent fewer red light-running accidents and 14 percent fewer crashes of all kinds at signalized intersections. He said he is circulating the measure among other lawmakers for co-sponsorship.

But OConnell and others still have some hesitation about the proposal.

When it comes to speeders, Crowleys measure would only ticket those traveling at least 20 miles above the speed limit. OConnell said that gives drivers "quite a bit of leeway."

He gave Capitol Drive as an example. With a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, cars could drive up to 55 without worrying about the cameras.

"I would suggest 15, not 20," OConnell said.

Ian Bautista, executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, also supports the legislation. He said his organizations outreach efforts have shown that traffic safety is a top-three issue among Clarke Square residents. But he said he would be wary about how the technology is distributed throughout the city.

"I just want to make sure its evenly applied so that its not targeting certain communities over others," Bautista said.

As of Oct. 2, there have been 47 traffic deaths in Milwaukee, compared to 57 traffic deaths in all of 2016 and 64 in 2015, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.

Crowleys proposal also has the support of MPD, which on Monday announced plans to beef up traffic enforcement for the remainder of 2017 by concentrating more resources on 50 locations where high rates of crime and crashes occur. MPD Lt. Derrick Harris said at the news conference that the department supports legislation that would reduce reckless driving.

"Its important that we give our police department the tools that they need to combat this growing epidemic of reckless driving," added Crowley.

Two other community leaders, activist Andre Lee Ellis and Running Rebels Executive Director Victor Barnett, both said they support the proposed legislation, but emphasized the importance of educating the public and convincing community members to hold each other accountable.

"I see it as one of the many efforts that need to occur," Barnett said.

Ellis organized a gathering at the corner of 12th Street and Concordia Avenue last week in response to the death of Joseph N. Blunt, 16, who was thrown from the hood of a moving vehicle at the intersection a day earlier, to ask the public to drive with care and hold each other accountable.

He said the technology would "keep the subject at the forefront of conversation, get the message out there that we have to stop and live."
This map shows the elevation change of Mount Rainier glaciers between 1970 and 2016. The earlier observations are from USGS maps, while the recent data use the satellite stereo imaging technique. Glacier surface elevations have dropped more than 40 meters (130 feet) in some places. Credit: David Shean/University of Washington

Until recently, glaciers in the United States have been measured in two ways: placing stakes in the snow, as federal scientists have done each year since 1957 at South Cascade Glacier in Washington state; or tracking glacier area using photographs from airplanes and satellites.

We now have a third, much more powerful tool. While he was a doctoral student in University of Washington's Department of Earth and Space Sciences, David Shean devised new ways to use high-resolution satellite images to track elevation changes for massive ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. Over the years he wondered: Why aren't we doing this for mountain glaciers in the United States, like the one visible from his department's office window?

He has now made that a reality. In 2012, he first asked for satellite time to turn digital eyes on glaciers in the continental U.S., and he has since collected enough data to analyze mass loss for Mount Rainier and almost all the glaciers in the lower 48 states. He will present results from these efforts Oct. 22 at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting in Seattle.

"I'm interested in the broad picture: What is the state of all of the glaciers, and how has that changed over the last 50 years? How has that changed over the last 10 years? And at this point, how are they changing every year?" said Shean, who is now a research associate with the UW's Applied Physics Laboratory.

The maps provide a twice-yearly tally of roughly 1,200 mountain glaciers in the lower 48 states, down to a resolution of about 1 foot. Most of those glaciers are in Washington state, with others clustered in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, and in California's Sierra Nevada.

The full series of satellite elevation data for Mount Rainier from spring 2014 through summer 2017. The satellite-based instrument may or may not scan the entire mountain, and clouds can block portions of its view. Credit: David Shean/University of Washington

To create the maps, a satellite camera roughly half the size of the Hubble Space Telescope must take two images of a glacier from slightly different angles. As the satellite passes overhead, moving at about 4.6 miles per second, it takes images a few minutes apart. Each pixel of the image covers 30 to 50 centimeters (about 1 foot) and a single image can be tens of miles across.

Shean's technique uses automated software that matches millions of small features, such as rocks or crevasses, in the two images. It then uses the difference in perspective to create a 3-D model of the surface.

The first such map of a Mount St. Helens glacier was obtained in 2012, and the first for Mount Rainier in 2014. The project has grown steadily since then to include more glaciers every year.

The results confirm stake measurements at South Cascade Glacier, showing significant loss over the past 60 years. Results at Mount Rainier also reflect the broader shrinking trends, with the lower-elevation glaciers being particularly hard hit. Shean estimates cumulative ice loss of about 0.7 cubic kilometers (900 million cubic yards) at Mount Rainier since 1970. Distributed evenly across all of Mount Rainier's glaciers, that's equivalent to removing a layer of ice about 25 feet (7 to 8 meters) thick.

"There are some big changes that have happened, as anyone who's been hiking on Mount Rainier in the last 45 years can attest to," Shean said. "For the first time we're able to very precisely quantify exactly how much snow and ice has been lost."

The satellites are currently imaging all the shaded areas in late spring and late fall. Mountain glaciers are shown in blue. Credit: David Shean/University of Washington

The glacier loss at Rainier is consistent with trends for glaciers across the U.S. and worldwide. Tracking the status of so many glaciers will allow scientists to further explore patterns in the changes over time, which will help pinpoint the causesfrom changes in temperature and precipitation to slope angle and elevation.

"The next step is to integrate our observations with glacier and climate models and say: Based on what we know now, where are these systems headed?" Shean said.

Those predictions could be used to better manage water supplies and flood risks.

"We want to know what the glaciers are doing and how their mass is changing, but it's important to remember that the meltwater is going somewhere. It ends up in rivers, it ends up in reservoirs, it ends up downstream in the ocean. So there are very real applications for water resource management," Shean said. "If we know how much snow falls on Mount Rainier every winter, and when and how much ice melts every summer, that can inform water resource managers' decisions."
Joseph Hutchison has been writing good poems for more than forty years, and I have been reading them for just that long. He lives in Colorado, where he is the state Poet Laureate, and his latest book, The World As Is: New & Selected Poems, has just come out from New York Quarterly Books. Here's a father's poem from that fine collection.

***

As I leave for work she holds out her arms, and I

bend to lift her ... always heavier than I remember,

because in my mind she is still that seedling bough

I used to cradle in one elbow. Her hug is honest,

fierce, forgiving. I think of Oregon's coastal pines,

wind-bent even on quiet days; they've grown in ways

the Pacific breeze has blown them all their lives.

And how will my daughter grow? Last night, I dreamed

of a mid-ocean gale, a howl among writhing waterspouts;

I don't know what it meant, or if it's still distant,

or already here. I know only how I hug my daughter,

my arms grown taut with the thought of that wind.
Most people believe democracy is a uniquely just form of government. They believe people have the right to an equal share of political power. And they believe that political participation is good for usit empowers us, helps us get what we want, and tends to make us smarter, more virtuous, and more caring for one another. These are some of our most cherished ideas about democracy. But Jason Brennan says they are all wrong. In this trenchant book, Brennan argues that democracy should be judged by its resultsand the results are not good enough. Just as defendants have a right to a fair trial, citizens have a right to competent government. But democracy is the rule of the ignorant and the irrational, and it all too often falls short. Furthermore, no one has a fundamental right to any share of political power, and exercising political power does most of us little good. On the contrary, a wide range of social science research shows that political participation and democratic deliberation actually tend to make people worsemore irrational, biased, and mean. Given this grim picture, Brennan argues that a new system of governmentepistocracy, the rule of the knowledgeablemay be better than democracy, and that its time to experiment and find out. A challenging critique of democracy and the first sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable, Against Democracy is essential reading for scholars and students of politics across the disciplines. Featuring a new preface that situates the book within the current political climate and discusses other alternatives beyond epistocracy, Against Democracy is a challenging critique of democracy and the first sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable.

Jason Brennan is the Flanagan Family Chair of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He is the author of The Ethics of Voting (Princeton), and Why Not Capitalism? . He writes regularly for Bleeding Heart Libertarians, a blog.

"Brennan has a bright, pugilistic style, and he takes a sportsman's pleasure in upsetting pieties and demolishing weak logic. Voting rights may happen to signify human dignity to us, he writes, but corpse-eating once signified respect for the dead among the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea. To him, our faith in the ennobling power of political debate is no more well grounded than the supposition that college fraternities build character."Caleb Crain, New Yorker

"A brash, well-argued diatribe against the democratic system. There is much to mull over in this brazen stab at the American electoral process. . . . [I]n the current toxic partisan climate, Brennan's polemic is as worth weighing as any other."Kirkus Reviews

"Against Democracychallenges a basic precept that most people take for granted: the morality of democracy. . . . Brennan presents a variety of strategies by which the quality of the electorate could be improved, while still keeping it large, and demographically representative. . . . [A] powerful challenge to the conventional wisdom about democracy. . . . [W]orth serious consideration."Ilya Somin, Washington Post

"Important."Ilya Somin, Washington Post Volokh Conspiracy

"Compelling. . . . This is theory that skips, rather than plods."Los Angeles Times

"The book makes compelling reading for what is typically a dry area of discourse. This is theory that skips, rather than plods."Molly Sauter, Los Angeles Times

"Among the best works in political philosophy in recent memory."Zachary Woodman, Students for Liberty

"Challenging and insightful."Alexander William Salter, Public Choice

"Lucidly written in provocative, sometimes brash tones, it is especially useful for the undergraduate classroom."Choice

"Against Democracy seems scarily prescient today. Writing well before the twin shocks of the Brexit and the U.S. elections, the Georgetown political scientist makes a powerful case that popular democracy can be dangerousand, provocatively, that irrational and incompetent voters should be excluded from democratic decision-making. The case for elitism in governance never read so well."Zocalo Public Square

"Meticulous [and] crisply written."Tom Clark, Prospect

"Mercilessly well-argued."Niko Kolodny, Boston Review

"While controversial, Brennan raises important questions that anyone with an interest in politics, philosophy, and economics will have to answer for years to come. This book is a must read."Thomas Savidge, Journal of Value Inquiry

"Jason Brennan is a marvel: a brilliant philosopher who scrupulously studies the facts before he moralizes. In Against Democracy, his elegant method leads to the contrarian conclusion that democratic participation prompts human beings to forget common sense and common decency. Voting does not ennoble us; it tests the virtue of the best, and brings out the worst in the rest."Bryan Caplan, author of The Myth of the Rational Voter

"Against Democracy makes a useful set of challenges to both conventional wisdom and dominant trends in political philosophy and political theory, particularly democratic theory. Engagingly written, it is a lively and entertaining read."Alexander Guerrero, University of Pennsylvania
Millions of Japanese braved typhoon conditions Sunday for a snap election likely to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a fresh mandate to revive the world's third-largest economy and press his hardline stance on North Korea. If pre-vote surveys prove correct, Abe's conservative coalition will cruise to a crushing majority to win a fresh term at the helm of the key US regional ally and Asian economic powerhouse. Polling stations opened at 7:00am (2200 GMT Saturday) with voters battling high winds and driving rain as an election-day typhoon barrelled towards Japan. Despite the bad weather, voter turnout excluding early voting rose to 12.24 percent by 11:00am from 11.08 percent in the previous election three years ago, while a record 15.64 million had cast early votes by Friday, the government said. Analysts earlier said low turnout would likely benefit Abe, who is aiming to become the country's longest-serving leader. "I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," said one voter, Yoshihisa Iemori, as he cast his ballot in Tokyo. "I'm focusing on this point for the election," the 50-year-old construction firm owner told AFP. Near-constant drizzle throughout the campaign has not dampened the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter. But with little doubt over the eventual result, the suspense lies in whether Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner will retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house. Such a "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to Japan's US-imposed constitution that forces it to "renounce" war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role. Ballot boxes close at 8:00pm (1100 GMT) when broadcasters publish generally reliable exit polls. Powerful typhoon Lan has already caused landslides and delayed voting at one polling station, while commuter boat services of a remote island in western Japan were cancelled due to high waves, forcing election officials to give up counting islanders' votes on Sunday. - 'We must not waver' - Abe shocked Japan by calling the election a year earlier than expected, urging voters to stick with him in the face of what he termed the dual "national crises" of an ageing population and North Korean tensions. Pyongyang has cast a menacing shadow over the short 12-day campaign, after it lobbed two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido and threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea. "When North Korea is purposefully threatening us and increasing tension, we must not waver," an animated Abe stressed at his final campaign rally. Observers say North Korea's sabre-rattling has helped Abe, 63, as voters tend to favour the incumbent at times of heightened tension. - 'Morals collapsed' - Despite a clear lead in the polls, Abe enjoys only lukewarm support in Japan and critics say he called the election to divert attention from a series of scandals that dented his popularity. Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken." "I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger. He does not do politics for the people," added the pensioner. But Abe faces a weak and fractured opposition in the shape of two parties that have only existed for a few weeks, the Party of Hope created by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party. Koike, 65, threatened to shake up Japan's sleepy landscape with her new party, vowing to do away with old-school politics and vested interests. But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage for the former TV presenter, the bubble burst and Koike's popularity ratings plunged, mainly because she declined to run herself in the election. "As it turned out, the Party of Hope is hopeless," said Michael Cucek from Temple University. Koike was not even in Japan on election day, choosing to visit Paris for an event in her capacity as Tokyo Governor. The centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party may benefit from her decline and could become the second biggest party. - Abenomics: limited impact - Despite the threat from North Korea, many voters feel the economy is a more pressing issue, as the prime minister's trademark "Abenomics" policy has had limited success in returning Japan to its former glories. "Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don't feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki. Abe has vowed to use part of the proceeds from a proposed sales tax hike to provide free childcare in a bid to get more women working but Koike wants to scrap the hike altogether.
In its heyday in the 1980s, more than a thousand brokers dressed in signature red blazers made deals on the trading floor of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in what was a raucous, competitive bear pit. But as electronic and internet services burgeoned, brokers drifted away to corporate offices. With just a handful of traders remaining, the historic hall will close at the end of the month. The cavernous red-carpeted space with its circular rows of cubicles and giant digital screens showing stock movements stands largely empty as its last occupants pack up their belongings. "Advances in electronic trading and technology have made our work much more convenient, but now it lacks the communal atmosphere that has given me many memories," said Christopher Cheung, a lawmaker representing the financial services sector who used to trade on the exchange floor. Under British rule, Hong Kong transformed into a commercial and financial hub, becoming a gateway between China and the rest of the world as the mainland opened up its economy from the late 1970s. In 1986 the city's four separate stock exchanges merged into one and the trading floor opened. Part of the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX) building in the bustling Central district, it hummed with energy as brokers exchanged gossip, gesticulated wildly and yelled into telephones. Market information spread quickly and clients would call in for the latest news, Cheung remembers. But despite apparent chaos, Cheung says there was a "culture of trust". On slower days, traders played cards and snacked on peanuts. Cheung's company Christfund Securities still has one employee working on the floor in case his office's computers crash, he said. The Shu sisters, who run Wader Securities, share Cheung's nostalgia. "When there was a rally on, it was a sheer joy to work," Shu Yee-har, one of the three siblings, told the South China Morning Post. "It was much better than staying in the office." - Emotional farewell - An early form of electronic trading was introduced in 1993, triggering a major shift away from face-to-face deals. Three years later brokers were able to trade away from the hall as terminals were installed in their own offices. From 2000 they could offer services online, after the exchange invested HK$300 million ($38 million) in cutting-edge technology. More brokers drifted away from the communal hall and the handful of firms that remained mostly used it as an affordable and conveniently located office space. When AFP visited, there were around 10 traders on the floor, with the surrounding desks and archaic-looking paper printers gathering dust. The brokers still bantered and bemoaned plunging stocks and there was an occasional ripple of excitement. One trader, who gave her name as Cheung, said she was "walking away with a torn heart" as she prepared to pack her belongings into a small suitcase, carrying a bouquet of flowers given to her by a fellow broker. Having worked on the floor since 1994 she will now be based in a company office. She said a handful of brokers had written to the government in a bid to keep the space open for trading, to no avail. "I will miss the freedom here. Who wants to face their boss every day?" she told AFP. HKEX said the hall would be remade into an exhibition and event space as part of wider renovations to the building. It is the end of an era for an exchange which is ever expanding, buoyed by an influx of Chinese investors. The market is harder to predict these days and the old intimacy has gone, says lawmaker Cheung. "All we can do is to keep working hard," he said.
Catalonia's separatists weighed their options Sunday ahead of a week that will see Spain take the drastic step of sacking the region's government as well as calling fresh elections to try and stop the country breaking up. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive will be booted out, with Madrid taking control of ministries under unprecedented measures announced on Saturday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. "Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull. Catalan parties are due to meet Monday to organise a full gathering of the regional parliament to debate next steps -- a session that could potentially give the ruling separatists another opportunity to declare unilateral independence, which they have been threatening to do since a banned referendum on the issue on October 1. As nearly half a million angry separatists took to the streets of regional capital Barcelona on Saturday, Puigdemont declared Rajoy guilty of "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Among other repressive measures, Franco -- who ruled from 1939 until 1975 -- took Catalonia's powers away and banned official use of the Catalan language. Though Catalans are deeply divided on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people. Catalonia fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare. Spain's government says it had no choice but to use previously untested constitutional powers to seize control of the region, faced with the country's worst political crisis in decades. "What we are doing is following strictly the provisions of our constitution," Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told BBC television. Responding to accusations of a "coup", he said: "If there is a coup d'etat, it is one that has been followed by Mr. Puigdemont and his government." - Headache for Madrid - Madrid could take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs, while new elections for the regional parliament must be called within six months. The Senate, where Rajoy's conservative Popular Party holds a majority and his approach to Catalonia enjoys support from other major parties, is set to approve the measures by the end of the week. But political analysts warn that Madrid faces a serious struggle in practical terms to impose control over the region. Potential scenarios include Catalan police and civil servants refusing to obey orders from central authorities. "What is going to happen if they don't abide by it?" said Xavier Arbos Marin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, raising the prospect of the government trying to "take them out by force". There is fierce debate among experts over whether the government's actions are even legal, he added. Independence supporters may also seek to scupper Madrid's plans through civil disobedience, such as surrounding regional ministries. "If police try to enter one of the Catalan institutions, there will be peaceful resistance," said Ruben Wagensberg, spokesman for new activist group En Pie de Paz. Antonio Crespo, a 65-year-old retiree who joined a protest in the Spanish capital on Sunday night against Madrid's takeover, described Rajoy's decision as "disastrous". "It's a huge retreat of freedoms and rights," he told AFP. - 'Group of rebels' - Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Spain's foreign minister tried to strike a reassuring tone. "We are not going to arrest anyone," Dastis told BBC television, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in. But he warned that if Puigdemont's government keeps trying to give orders, "they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia". Puigdemont says 90 percent backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given as 43 percent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from a vote that was declared illegal by the courts. Opinion polls suggest the wealthy region is evenly split over independence, with separatists saying it pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of Spain. The crisis has rattled a European Union that is already grappling with Brexit.
European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani said Europe should "fear" the spread of small nations as Spain struggled Sunday with the Catalonia crisis and the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto voted in referendums on greater autonomy. In an interview with the Rome daily Il Messaggero, the Italian politician said Europe must "of course fear" the proliferation of small nations. "That's why nobody in Europe intends to recognise Catalonia," he said. "Even (British Prime Minister) Theresa May, in the full throes of Brexit, said the United Kingdom would never recognise Catalonia." "Spain is by its history a unified state, with many autonomous regions, with diverse populations who also speak different languages but who are part of a unified state." "It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe," he said. The referendums in Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, where Venice is located, are taking place in regions that together account for nearly a third of Italy's economic output and a quarter of its population. Voters are being asked if their in favour of their region gaining "additional forms and particular conditions of autonomy." If approved, the outcome is only the beginning of a process which could, over time, lead to powers being devolved from Rome. Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following. Tajani, who belongs to the centre right European People's Party, took care to distinguish between Catalonia's chaotic independence referendum, deemed illegal by the Spanish government, and Sunday's votes in Italy. "First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia." "In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution." Lombardy sends 54 billion euros ($64 billion) more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion. The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions -- a concession the cash-strapped state, labouring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford. The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education. They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration -- steps which would require changes to the constitution. Polls in the two regions opened at 7am (0500 GMT) and close at 2100 GMT.
Damaged buildings and houses are seen after government troops cleared the area from pro-Islamic State militant groups inside the war-torn area in Saduc proper, Marawi city, southern Philippines October 22, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (Reuters)

By Roli Ng

MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine troops were locked in an intense urban firefight on Sunday with the last remnants of a pro-Islamic state alliance, as the army sought to declare an end to the country's biggest internal security crisis in years.

An estimated 30 people, including militants and some of their family members, were battling to hold a fortified, two-storey building next to Marawi City's vast Lake Lanao, and appeared ready to fight to the death, according to the deputy commander of the operation.

"There's just one building and they're inside," Colonel Romeo Brawner told a news conference.

"We believe these are ones who decided to fight it out, because they believe that if they die there they will go to Heaven."

Brawner said soldiers were using loudspeakers to urge them to surrender, and anticipated the gunfight could go on until midnight. They did not know how many people in the building were alive or dead, he said.

The siege of Marawi has stunned the Philippines and stoked wider concerns that Islamic State loyalists have learned how to thrive in impoverished Muslim areas of the island of Mindanao and use its jungles and mountains as staging posts to launch attacks.

Those fears are compounded by the Marawi rebels' ability to recruit young fighters, stockpile huge amounts of arms and endure five months of ground offensive and government air strikes that have devastated the city.

The military made a significant gain with last week's killing of Isnilon Hapilon, Islamic State's "emir" in Southeast Asia and Omarkhayam Maute, a leader of the Maute militant group.

Another leader and possible bankroller of the operation, Malaysian Mahmud Ahmad, was likely killed also, the military said.

Brawner said the authorities believed foreign operatives were among those still fighting and it was clear there was now a leadership vacuum.

"At this point we don't know who is really the leader," he added.

Story continues

"Our government forces will try to do everything to finish the firefight today."

Troops have started a phased withdrawal and the authorities may soon allow some residents to return to homes not damaged by the fighting, which displaced at least 300,000 people.

More than 1,000 have been killed, mostly militants.

The government estimates the rebuilding of Marawi could cost at least 50 billion pesos ($971 million).

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Indonesia said Sunday its military chief had been refused entry to the United States and asked Washington for an explanation. General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta on Saturday. Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency. Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said. "Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference. The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta. "The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP. The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel. It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Marsudi for any inconvenience. "The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the Generals travel to the United States," it said. "We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples." The conference of national defence chiefs is on countering violent extremism. Since being appointed armed forces chief by President Joko Widodo in July 2015, Nurmantyo has been at the centre of several controversies. Earlier this year he abruptly suspended all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials, and has been rebuked by members of Widodo's cabinet for making misleading public remarks. He helped stoke a wave of anti-communist sentiment sweeping Indonesia by ordering the screening of an anti-communist propaganda film to members of the military Nurmantyo will step down as leader of the armed forces in 2018 and many analysts believe he has political ambitions.
Chancellor Angela Merkel hails from Germany's ex-communist East, yet it is here where the anger against her runs deepest and the far-right protest party AfD has celebrated its strongest gains. The electoral success of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which scored 12.6 percent in September 24 elections, stunned much of the country. But in Cottbus, located in the Lusatia coal mining region near the Polish border, many cheered the strong result for the party whose battle cry is "Merkel must go". In the city of 100,000 people that is dominated by drab Soviet-style tower blocks, the AfD even beat the chancellor's conservatives, more than doubling its national result by attracting 26.8 percent of the vote. The list of grievances against Merkel is long if you listen to Klaus Gross, 67, a former army officer of the Soviet-allied regime who became a sales representative after Germany's 1990 reunification. "First we had the policy of rescuing the euro, then renewable energy with all these wind turbines everywhere," he said, pointing to a green energy push that unsettles many in a region dependent on massive open-pit coal mines. "Then the shut-down of nuclear power plants, overnight," he went on, referring to the 2011, post-Fukushima decision to shutter Germany's nuclear reactor fleet. "And then finally the refugees", he added, pointing to Germany's mass influx of more than one million asylum seekers since 2015, which has became Merkel's key political liability, even within her own conservative bloc. "Who asked us if this was what we wanted?", Gross fumed. "Much of the population has been ignored by Merkel and her people!" - 'Like a pop star' - In a restaurant near the Cottbus city centre, local AfD candidate Marianne Spring-Raeumschuessel was approached by a couple aged in their thirties. "We voted for you!", the young woman whispered to her. "You're right!" "They have celebrated me like a pop star around here," said Spring-Raeumschuessel, a former businesswoman aged in her 70s. She spoke with glee about the fact Merkel's reduced majority has forced her into tough coalition talks with two smaller parties, predicting that "it will not work". The fact that the chancellor said, after scoring her party's worst result since 1949, that she had done nothing fundamentally wrong, showed that "Mrs Merkel understood nothing". Wolfgang Horbenz, 76 and a former power plant mechanic, said the establishment parties must once more take the people seriously and that the AfD "has a future as long as the other parties refuse to change their policies from top to bottom". - Money 'wasted' on refugees - Cottbus, 120 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Berlin, boasts some historic homes from its early 20th century days as a flourishing textile industry hub -- but since the Cold War era it is dominated by residential blocks made from prefabricated concrete slabs. Gerd Loesky, a 73-year-old retired home decorator, lives in one of them. What galls him is the mass arrival of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees over the past two years, he said, telling AFP: "It bothers me that they come here ... and that money is wasted on them." Horbenz, the mechanic, conceded that "we do not have many", with the town hall putting the number of migrants in Cottbus at around 3,000. He said locals "do not want a situation like what I saw in the Ruhr basin" -- the industrial heartland of western Germany that attracted large numbers of Turkish and other foreign-born labourers from the 1960s. Eastern Germany still lags behind the west in income and wealth, and heavily-indebted Cottbus has long had to scrimp on fixing its roads and bridges or investing in its schools or kindergartens. "Now many people are asking: 'Where does all the money come from for the refugees'?" said Gross. "All of a sudden? That's just not on!" Margrit Koal, a 65-year-old doctor and AfD voter, said that since the election one month ago, she once more feels "hope". "I'm happy because there's now a force in Germany that forms a counter-pole to the established parties," said Koal. Asked about the openly racist and revisionist remarks made by some AfD politicians, she said "every public person sometimes says things that they may regret later".
Mike Adams fought the denial of his promotion to full professor in court and won in a free speech case against the University of North CarolinaWilmington.

Adams is a UNC-W professor of criminology and inflammatory columnist with Townhall.com, an outlet that espouses conservative viewpoints.

This week, University of Montana School of Journalism Dean Larry Abramson said the school would not sponsor Adams as a lecturer because of his lack of journalism credentials. He also feared Adams would offend students.

In his columns, Adams frequently taunts liberals, and he targets feminists and LGBT people. He was accused of harassing a gay Muslim student in his writing, prompting a campus petition calling for his termination.

School of Journalism benefactor Maria Cole had invited Adams to speak at the 10th annual Jeff Cole Distinguished Lecture named after her late husband, a Wall Street Journal reporter. After the dean rejected Adams, she opted to sponsor the Feb. 13 event without the School of Journalism.

In the last 15 years, Cole has given more than $1.2 million to the School of Journalism and was enthusiastic about planning a memorable 10th anniversary event. She said that after vetting dozens of bios, she tapped Adams because she knew his views would spark discussion and she appreciated his long-fought court battle, which resulted in free speech protection for a faculty member in an academic setting.

Adams, who regularly mocks liberals and has called transgender people mentally ill, successfully argued that his conservative views caused UNC-W to deny his promotion to full professor. At the time, Adams noted his teaching, research and service surpassed the standards for promotion.

In 2014, a jury found Adams' "speech activity" motivated UNC-W to deny his promotion. The court ordered the school to make Adams a full professor and awarded him a settlement of $50,000 in back pay.

Cole found the story compelling and Adams' willingness to fight in court for seven years on behalf of free speech inspiring. And she said if any faculty at UM were similarly denied advancement, she would fight on their behalf.

"I'll tell you straight up. I love the faculty members at UM, and I admire them. I've known them for 15 years (and have spent) tens of thousands of dollars supporting them.

"If anything like that ever happened to any of them, I would jump in so fast with an attorney," Cole said. "I can't even tell you."

***

Abramson, the journalism dean, has said Adams is free to come to campus, but not as a speaker sponsored by the School of Journalism. The dean said he does not believe Adams fits the profile of the annual Cole lecturer, who traditionally has been a respected journalist speaking on journalism issues.

UM President Sheila Stearns said she was not involved in the decision and only learned about the conflict late Wednesday afternoon.

Friday, she said she would not have balked at a controversial speaker. In fact, Stearns said UM hosts polarizing lecturers with frequency.

"Fear of controversy I don't think is and should never be a characteristic of a university," Stearns said.

The decision to bring a speaker to campus shouldn't be based on the person's politics or potential to inspire debate, she said. Had her counsel been sought in advance, Stearns said she would have recommended thorough planning for the lecture.

"We're never afraid of ideas," Stearns said. "I would say ... make sure the event is well-planned and safe."

The president also said the administration should be wary about dictating to the academy and meddling in curriculum.

"I support academic decisions. What I don't support is the university not welcoming a lecturer to campus," Stearns said.

The president said free speech and the free exchange of ideas is the operating principle in journalism, which she trusts leaders in the School of Journalism understand.

"I trust our deans. None of us is perfect," she said.

Cole has said she will continue to sponsor a scholarship and annual dinner for student newspaper staff, but she is reconsidering other giving to the School of Journalism.

***

In 1993, when Adams started working at UNC-W, he said he was an atheist. Three years later, he converted to Christianity after a life-changing encounter in Ecuador with prison inmates on death row, according to a narrative published by Alliance Defending Freedom.

The organization, which defended Adams, describes itself as "an alliance-building legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith."

After Adams' conversion and the publication of his conservative commentary pieces on Townhall.com, colleagues began targeting him with remarks and lower evaluations, according to the narrative and court documents. At one point, a court document said, Adams bowed out of a dinner party to attend a National Rifle Association event. "Go on ... to your fascist pig meeting," said the interim university chair, quoted in a court record.

Adams received high marks in student evaluations, court records said. He twice won professor of the year and earned the Golden Seahawk award for his service from "an elite student society."

But faculty evaluations changed after the lightning rod's publication of sometimes incendiary columns, including work critical of academia, according to court records. Peers started downgrading his teaching even though they had not observed his classes.

In 2006, he applied for a promotion but was rejected, prompting him to file a lawsuit claiming religious discrimination and free speech violations.

Court documents note the rationale for denying his promotion changed along the way. Originally, his department chair said Adams met promotion standards for teaching and service, but not research, a court document said. But she subsequently said he was "deficient in all three areas."

Although Adams had started writing conservative political columns, he also continued to publish in academic journals. He showed that his record of peer-reviewed publications exceeded the stated guidelines of the previous four department chairs, and the school imposed "transparently higher standards" on him, according to court records.

"Since 1983, no department member with 10 referred publications has been denied promotion to full professor at the department level, except Dr. Adams," said a court document.

Adams first lost his case in District Court. The Alliance appealed the decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court's finding that Adams was not the subject of religious discrimination. But in a decision that rippled throughout higher education circles, the court said that a U.S. Supreme Court decision that had limited free speech rights for some public employees did not apply to faculty members of public colleges and universities and sent Adams' First Amendment claims back to the lower court for additional review.

In 2014, a jury found in Adams' favor on his free speech claims. According to the narrative published in the Alliance, UNC-W initially appealed the ruling, but later agreed to settle and also to adopt procedures to protect Adams from retaliation.

Adams told the Alliance he saw the case as a David and Goliath win.

"First of all, it shows that professors can speak out on issues of public concern, and integrate that within their work as professors, and not be punished for their viewpoint," Adams said to the Alliance. "But also, it shows that a conservative can stand up and fight  with ADF  and that there is a chance."
After prayers at the Chantelle Abbey in Allier, central France, a marketing meeting between the abbey's nuns and their employees discusses the latest orders for its on-site soap and cosmetics products, the delivery destination: Germany. The community of Benedictine sisters has been manufacturing cosmetics since 1954, after two sisters, a chemist and a mathematician, began the practice. Body lotions, shower gels and moisturisers are among the products made in the abbey's own laboratory, where the nuns acknowledge they must now make time for prayer and business. "A company, must develop or it dies," said Mother Pascale, dressed in a veil and scapular while supervising production. "We have needed to develop, to make more turnover and to modernise our clientele," she added, sounding more business executive than spiritual leader. For the Benedictines, manual labour is imperative to respect the rule of Saint Benedict, which dates back to the sixth century. As long as it is not during the hours of prayer, the sisters can work on the products, from conception to packaging. Even Sister Marie-Suzanne, at the age of 97, and dean of the abbey, is involved in the work. But in order to meet the demand, the abbey has hired some 10 non-religious employees to help with the production. "The purpose is not to look for money to grow rich. We are not planning to do a stock listing! But to make a living with a reasonable margin," said Mother Pascale. Sold in monasteries, boutique shops and on the internet -- the abbey even has a Facebook page -- the cosmetics are mainly created from natural products and generated one million euros ($1.2 million) in sales last year. Much of the money is used to renovate and repair the 7th century abbey's many beautiful, yet old, ramparts and monastic buildings. "We live in beauty but the renovations are expensive. We have redone the roof, and the rooms we live in... but it never ends," sighed the abbess. - Expanding businesses - The market for abbey-made products is far from unique to France, and is at least as developed in Germany and to a lesser extent in Britain. Across France, some 250 to 300 communities dedicated to prayer sell products or services. From biscuits to jam and honey, to gluten-free products and organic vegetables, men and women of the cloth have expanded into a variety of businesses. The Abbey of St Wandrille, founded in 649, restarted the production of monastic beer last year with great success. The community has sold more than 100,000 bottles in less than a year, more than half on site. The Grande Chartreuse monastery, in Isere, has experienced even greater success marketing its alcohol. It distills a liqueur, created from a mix of 130 plants, that has a natural green colour -- the exact recipe only known by two of the abbey's monks. The business now employs 58 people in its factory in Voiron and had some 17 million euros in sales in 2015. Citeaux Abbey, in Burgundy, known for its washed rind cheese made from cow's milk, posted 1.2 million euros in sales last year. Much of the cheese is sold on-site but also in places as far away as Dubai, Montreal and Tokyo. "Fifteen days ago, I received a call from a company that helps businesses in difficulty," explained Father Jean-Claude. "I told him: Yes, I have a problem. We produce 120,000 cheeses a year, but we have demand for more than 160,000!" - 'Look for the Lord' - To protect the image of their products and avoid unfair competition, more than 200 communities have formed an association and created the "Monastic" mark to certify the authenticity of products from monasteries. But despite the growth of some of their businesses, some analysts argue that many monasteries lack opportunities to expand. "The vast majority of communities have modest productions because the place of the work remains very limited," said Marie-Catherine Paquier, author of a thesis on the purchase of monastic products. The total market for "Made in Abbeys" products is estimated to be 75 million euros a year, she said. If the market expands, business-minded nuns and monks may increasingly have to reconcile spirituality with potential profitability. Mother Pascale at Chantelle recognises it could pose a problem, but insists: "The priority, is to look for the Lord". kal-ode-jdy-hel/ppy/gf/dcr/rl/ceb
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza served warning of her intention to win both the WTA Finals and the year-end world number one crown when she crushed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets on Sunday. The freshly crowned WTA player of the year was far too solid for an erratic Ostapenko, winning 6-3, 6-4 in 85 minutes to open her campaign at the eight-woman season finale in Singapore. Muguruza, who is playing her third consecutive WTA Finals and reached the last four in 2015, gained in strength to take control of her opening White Group round robin match. The Spanish world number two stuttered at the finishing line when she was broken when serving for the match. But she regrouped to eventually serve it out in the 10th game. Muguruza, 24, said she was pleased to overcome the late jitters. "I wanted to win so badly and she was just not giving me anything," she told reporters. "I waited for my moment, where I served and tried to take control. It went well." Muguruza, who was number one for four weeks until she was replaced by Simona Halep earlier this month, is one of seven players who can finish the year on top of the rankings by winning in Singapore. Ostapenko's high-voltage game was spectacular at times, as shown by her 16 winners in the first set. But 10 unforced errors sabotaged her chances against a ruthless opponent and she never recovered. "I'm not very pleased because I was making a lot of unforced errors and couldn't really get used to the court and feel my game," Ostapenko said. Earlier in White Group, in the tournament's opening match, Karolina Pliskova made an explosive start when she beat 37-year-old Venus Williams 6-2, 6-2 in 73 minutes. The Czech world number three, playing in her second consecutive WTA Finals, overwhelmed a sluggish Williams, who is back in the elite tournament for the first time since 2009. Even though she did not make it out of the group stage a year ago, Pliskova said the experience helped enormously. "I think I had quite an advantage from that she (Williams) was not playing for the last few years in WTA Finals," Pliskova said. "I don't know how she felt but I think I was trying to take that advantage that I was here last year." The match was an anti-climax for Williams and an early blow to her bid to be crowned the world's number one for the first time in 15 years. Williams said she was confident of rebounding from the defeat. "Yeah, I have been in this position before," she said. "I felt like I returned well today. I just didn't execute as well during the point."
A Palestinian city on Sunday cancelled the planned screening of a Lebanese film after activists called for a boycott over the director's "normalisation" with Israel. "The Insult", which deals with the Lebanese civil war, was scheduled to be screened Monday in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as part of the "Days of Cinema" festival. But Ramallah's municipality decided on Sunday to cancel the showing at a city-run facility after pressure from Palestinian activists who accused French-Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri of promoting "normalisation" with Israel. Doueiri's 2012 film "The Attack", about an Israeli surgeon of Arab origin whose wife carries out a suicide attack, was partly filmed in Israel. "The Attack" was banned in Lebanon and prompted authorities to detain Doueiri for questioning on his arrival in Lebanon last month. Lebanon submitted "The Insult" as its official entry for the Oscars, in the foreign film category. In Ramallah, activists had planned a protest against the screening and launched a social media campaign urging Palestinians to boycott it. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which campaigns for economic and cultural measures against Israel, had accused Doueiri of "defending normalisation" with Israel and called for the screening to be cancelled. Ramallah municipality director general Ahmad Abu Laban told AFP the screening was cancelled over "our responsibility to keep the peace". He cited "safety concerns" and said the decision did not imply that the municipality was bowing to pressure from activists.
Whats happening at the checkout counter is changing in a big hurry.

Checks are basically extinct. Cash is almost gone. Credit cards are being replaced by phones. And even the cards are changing  though thats going slower than originally planned.

Now, you can start saying good-bye to the signature  or what your customers call their signature.

MasterCard Drops Signature Requirement

MasterCard (NYSE:MA) just announced its doing away with a policy where merchants must reuire signatures from customers at checkout counters. The action concerns all transactions in the U.S. and Canada.

The phase-out will be complete by April 2018 but from the tone of the announcement, it seems the company is aware that customers signing off on a transaction has already become largely a thing of the past.

Think about the purchases youve made over the past week or month. How many of them required you to sign on the dotted line? In my case, I made three quick stops on the way into work this morning and didnt scribble my name for any of those purchases, writes MasterCard Executive Vice President of U.S. Market Development Linda Kirkpatrick on the companys Beyond the Transaction blog.

For now, this change will only apply to MasterCard customers at your checkout counter. MasterCard says the policy shift is a response to its own customer demands. Company cardholders say they want to spend less time at the register.

The change matches all of our expectations for fast and convenient shopping experiences. A majority of people believe it would be easier to pay and that checkout lines would move faster if they didnt need to sign when making a purchase, Kirkpatrick adds.

Its hard to imagine not requiring customers to sign their names will significantly reduce the time they spend in your businesss checkout line. But when you combine this change with all the other recent advancements happening at the register, the process has come a long way since requiring two forms of ID to accept a check or when you had to make a credit card imprint.

MasterCard does point out one benefit to its merchants. Once signatures arent required at checkout, itll spare your business the burden of safely storing and eventually disposing of those signatures.

Kirkpatrick adds the change will not impact the security of any MasterCard transaction in the future. She writes, Our secure network and state-of-the art systems combined with new digital payment methods that include chip, tokenization, biometrics and specialized digital platforms use newer and more secure methods to prove identity.
After 88 years in operation, family-owned Buehlers Fresh Foods is selling the business, not to any old buyer though, to its employees.

Through an Employee Stock Ownership program (ESOP), the small Ohio-based grocery chain, is selling its 13 supermarkets to its eligible employees. The new company will be run by three veteran executives of the small grocery brand.

By selling its stores to its employees, who are already familiar with the business, this is an example of how it can make sense for small businesses to sell internally rather than to an outside buyer.

As Dan Buehler, E&H Family Group president and chief operating officer of the business, said in a press release:

We want these supermarkets to be here serving customers and providing good jobs well into the future. Theres no one better qualified than our own employees to carry on that mission. We believe that the transition to an ESOP is the winning solution for the Buehler family, our employees and the communities we serve.

The Buehler family have owned the grocery chain since 1929 when it was founded by Ed and Helen Buehler. With the older generation of Buehlers looking to retire, the company was keen to sell the small grocery chain through the ESOP program.

Selling the stores to employees means the 2,100 Buehlers Fresh Foods workers will be able to keep their job. For a small business, selling a company internally comes with many benefits, including not having to find, recruit and train new staff.

As the positive reaction from the Buehlers Fresh Foods sale demonstrates, selling a company to your workers demonstrates a level of loyalty and trust between ownership and employees not often seen in business.

Generating loyalty amongst staff is important for small businesses. Not only is a loyal workforce likely to be more productive but staff retention rates are better. Consequently, as proven with the Buehlers Fresh Foods story, a small business doesnt have to waste valuable time, money and resources recruiting and training due to frequent turnover.
HUNGRY HORSE  It takes a different kind of patience when you sign up to study a forest.

A research project started in one lifetime might not bear fruit until the next generation of scientists comes along.

Across the country, forest researchers are setting the stage for projects they hope eventually will offer insights on management techniques that will help forests of all types make the transition thats coming as the climate continues to warm.

In five different locations  including Flathead National Forest lands adjacent to the Coram Experimental Forest  researchers are preparing to set up new plots that could offer future scientists insights into whether its best to stick with whats already there or help the transition along by introducing species that will be more tolerant to the new normal.

In western Montana, that change will likely mean warmer temperatures that stay above freezing at night, which could lead to an earlier spring runoff. Along with that, the growing season could be longer, with less moisture in the ground during the hot summer months. Predictions call for more wildfire as the forests dry out.

By the end of the summer, that could mean that trees are more stressed, said U.S. Forest Service researcher Elaine Kennedy Sutherland of the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Missoula. She helped design the research project on the Flathead Forest. Essentially, were looking at a longer growing season with potentially less water.

Some species are going to be more adapted to those kinds of conditions and others wont, Sutherland said. Where we have some species drop out, others will take over. We want to see if we can develop some treatments where western larch can continue to resist those warming conditions.

There certainly is no better place to do that research than near the Coram Experimental Forest.

Set aside in 1933, the research station has been focused on the species that can live for more than 800 years and reach upward of 180 feet tall. Unlike most cone-bearing trees, larch loose their needles in the fall, but not before lighting up mountainsides with golden-orange bursts of color.

Flathead National Forest siliviculturist Melissa Jenkins said larch has a number of qualities that might help it survive the coming changes to the landscape.

Unlike some species of pine and spruce, its not in the crosshairs of many destructive insects and disease. If it can live long enough, larch also develops bark thick enough to resist fire.

Western larch is probably one of the most resilient trees that we have on our landscape, Jenkins said. Its not as susceptible to fire as other species and resists bugs and insects. When it does die, it creates some of the best snags for wildlife. Pileated woodpeckers love them.

But what it doesnt like is shade. And it needs bare mineral soil for its seeds to get a foothold.

The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change project will create three different scenarios for future scientists to consider. The scenarios are the same at all the research projects across the country.

They range from thinning trees to see if the lower densities will give those that remain a better chance of making it through the dry spells, to planting drought-resistant Ponderosa pine in other plots to determine if that is what the warmer climates will demand.

***

Sutherland knows that she and the others making this initial investment on the ground may depend on others to harvest the knowledge this experiment will yield.

It will probably take at least 10 years to see a growth response, she said. Working as a scientist in natural resources is very different than working with bacteria in a laboratory. The time and scope is far different. You have to be focused on a future-based outlook. These projects arent so much for yourself, but for future researchers.

A trail winds through the Coram Experimental Forest where that fruit of earlier researchers is now coming to bear.

Back in the 1950s, a team of scientists proposed a project that created a new western larch forest and tried a variety of different management techniques to see how both the trees and the surrounding habitat would respond.

As luck would have it, not long after they removed most of the overstory, the surrounding larch produced a bountiful crop of seeds that would eventually take root on the acreage east of Hungry Horse.

The focus of the study was to see what impacts thinning would have on the new forest.

Now, close the 60 years later, anyone with an interest in forest management can take the mile-long trail called Walk with Larch that winds through the different plots of the research project to see for themselves what different management techniques can do for a forest.

Its kind of like Silviculture 101, Jenkins said.

In the portion that wasnt thinned, upwards of 10,000 to 20,000 trees grow on an acre. The largest are maybe three inches in diameter. All but the uppermost branches are bare. Larch dont thrive in shade.

Turn 180 degrees and the larch were thinned to about 20 feet apart. The trees are almost 16 inches in diameter and the branches are spread wide and filled with bright yellow needles. The understory is filled with birch and other varieties of shrubs.

Coram Experimental Forest ecologist manager David Wright said all the trees are the same age.

Trees need water, sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrients to thrive, Wright said. If you limit one of those factors, they dont do as well.

While the stands along the Walk with Larch trail werent representative of what actually occurs on national forest lands, they do provide a very visual sample of what changes can produce on the landscape.

In the pre-commercial thinning projects that occur on the Flathead Forest, Jenkins said silviculturists like herself manage for a variety of tree species.

Diversity is like insurance in the forest, Jenkins said.

Jenkins said people always ask what she thinks should happen on national forest lands. Her answer is always the same.

It depends on what your objectives are, she said. Through management, we can create good thermal cover for wildlife or grow the biggest trees or maximize tree production or create a parking lot. It all depends on what the objectives are.

Jenkins wish is that people would come out and take a stroll along the Walk with Larch trail and see for themselves.

If they would do that, then we could sit down and talk about our choices and decide what those objectives should be, Jenkins said.
Dominion Energy, Inc. produces and distributes energy in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Assets. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.7 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina. The Gas Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas sales, transportation, gathering, storage, and distribution operations in Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Idaho that serve approximately 3.1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. It also has nonregulated renewable natural gas facilities in operation. The Dominion Energy South Carolina segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 772,000 customers in the central, southern, and southwestern portions of South Carolina; and distributes natural gas to approximately 419,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in South Carolina. The Contracted Assets segment is involved in the nonregulated long-term contracted renewable electric generation and solar generation facility development operations; and gas transportation, LNG import, and storage operations, as well as in the liquefaction facility. As of December 31, 2021, the company's portfolio of assets included approximately 30.2 gigawatt of electric generating capacity; 10,700 miles of electric transmission lines; 78,000 miles of electric distribution lines; and 95,700 miles of gas distribution mains and related service facilities. The company was formerly known as Dominion Resources, Inc. Dominion Energy, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segments. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries. The Global Institutional & Specialty segment provides specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the foodservice, hospitality, lodging, government and education, and retail industries. Its Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segment offers specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the healthcare, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries, such as infection prevention and surgical solutions, and end-to-end cleaning and contamination control solutions under the Ecolab, Microtek, and Anios brand names. The company's Other segment offers pest elimination services to detect, eliminate, and prevent pests, such as rodents and insects in restaurants, food and beverage processors, educational and healthcare facilities, hotels, quick service restaurant and grocery operations, and other institutional and commercial customers. This segment also provides colloidal silica for binding and polishing applications in semiconductor, catalyst, and aerospace component manufacturing, as well as chemical industries; and products and services that manage wash process through custom designed programs, premium products, dispensing equipment, water and energy management, and reduction, as well as real time data management. It sells its products through field sales and corporate account personnel, distributors, and dealers. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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Ben Thanh Market is undoubtedly the most famous market in Ho Chi Minh City, especially for foreign tourists who quickly realize that never-ending haggling makes the venue a no-go for the faint of heart.

In the afternoon before leaving Vietnam, Spaniard Marc Vila Serena, his wife, and two children spent nearly an hour in Ben Thanh Market in District 1 hunting for gifts to bring home in Barcelona for friends and family.

The family of four had also visited the market a few days prior and admitted that they were blown away by the variety of goods sold in the markets stalls.

While Serenas daughter chose to buy a backpack and clothes from the market, the parents opted for balm, lacquer wood decorations, and pop-up cards featuring Saigons famous landscapes.

We wanted to buy things that will remind us of Vietnam, Serena said.

Tourists go shopping at Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City District 1 - Photo: Tuoi Tre

Postcards, key chains, decorations, paintings, wooden crafts, scarves, ceramics, and brocade, are just a few of the items sold at Ben Thanh. Both foreign and Vietnamese tourists often admit to feeling overwhelmed the first time they step into Ben Thanh Market and find themselves lost amongst the hundreds of stalls lining the 'alleys of souvenirs.'

The sellers at Ben Thanh Market often claims that the market sells exclusive goods that cant be found at any other market, as the place has always been considered a unique shopping destination for foreign tourists.

Leila Scheffers, a tourist from the Netherlands, wandered the market before settling on two pairs of chopsticks, a wooden wine holder, two ceramic teacups, and a Buddha statue.

I was thinking about what my family and friends would like. I have friends who like sushi and noodles so I bought chopsticks. My dad likes wine so it would be nice if he could use this wine holder, she told Tuoi Tre News.

Bargaining is a must

In reviewing Ben Thanh market, both Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor emphasize that buyers should equip themselves be prepared to bargain from the moment they enter the market.

According to TripAdvisor, Ben Thanh Market ranks 40 among more than 250 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.

One of the most interesting places in Ho Chi Minh City, shopping is good here but bargaining is a must, said one reviewer.

Among the hundreds of people who left comments regarding their bargaining experience at Ben Thanh market, some saw it an interesting experience while the others found it annoying.

Go here if you're in to bargain hunting. Haggle with 50% initial price off on all items if you want a good deal, Christian L commented on TripAdvisor.

Tourists go shopping at Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City District 1 - Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tourist attraction. Bought nuts and dried fruits. Can try before you buy. Please do bargain! Don't be shy! We were told by a local tour guide to bargain down to 65% off. Enjoy! (not quite for me, I dont like bargaining), Julie W added.

Meanwhile, Mark Young, an Australian who has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly four years, shared that shopping at the tourist market just isnt for him.

His trips to the market and other souvenir shops are limited to taking friends and family on their visits to Vietnam.

Souvenir shops are generally not the place to go if you want quality products, but often friends and family want to buy for a lot of people, so they only want something cheap, he explained.
Ho Chi Minh City and the three Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap have signed an agreement to develop a one journey, three destinations tourism package.

The deal was signed on Saturday during a meeting among officials of the four administrations in Dong Thap.

The tourism route, which starts from Ho Chi Minh City and spans Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap, will take tourists through the most notable attractions at each stop.

In Long An, tourists will have the chance to visit the Tan Lap floating village and a center for research and conservation of medicinal plants, while enjoying local dishes made from a signature kind of freshwater algae.

The highlight of the tours stop in Tien Giang will be a pagoda visit and a treat to a wide variety of locally grown tropical fruits.

Two women in the traditional Vietnamese dress ao dai stand next to a lotus pond in Dong Thap Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre

In Dong Thap, visitors will be taken to a unique archeological site as well as the Tram Chim National Park, home to more than 220 species of bird including the endangered red-crowned cranes, and enjoy drinks and dishes made from the lotus plant.

Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Tourism, asserted that the citys coordination with tourism authorities in Long An, Tien Giang and Dong Thap was a concrete step toward the goal of offering city tourists immersive experiences of the countryside lifestyle through well-designed routes.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together, said Le minh Hoan, Party chief of Dong Thap, reciting a famous African proverb.

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A company in Ho Chi Minh City has, for the first time ever, used solar energy to fuel the operation of a wastewater treatment plant.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan on Saturday led a delegation to visit and review the operation of the Tham Luong-Ben Cat wastewater treatment plant in An Phu Dong Ward, District 12.

According to Le Thanh, director of Phu Dien Construction Investment And Trading JSC, which carries out project, about 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters of liquid waste is treated at the facility on a daily basis.

The factorys capacity is 131,000 cubic meters per day, Thanh added.

A delegation led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (L, 3rd) visits the factory on October 21, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A solar power system with the capacity of between 1.25 and 1.3 megawatts has been used to supply energy to the treatment plant, he continued, adding that this is the first model to be applied in Vietnam.

Using the sequencing batch reactors (SBR) technology, the plant is able to properly treat nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in wastewater without requiring a lot of space.

During the first phase of the project, the factory covers an area of about 2.3 hectares, aimed at dealing with liquid waste in Go Vap District, and several parts of Binh Thanh District and District 12.

However, the plant has only been operating at 10 to 15 percent of its full capacity due to problems in the collection of wastewater.

Le Thanh Liem, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, hailed the efforts of Phu Dien Company and the positive results of the plants operations.

Employees examine the wastewater treatment process at the facility. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Liem requested the municipal Department of Planning and Investment to coordinate with relevant agencies to deal with existing issues regarding the waste collection process.

The model can also be applied to other areas, he added.

According to Secretary Nhan, the new model and technology help minimize costs and space while maximizing the efficiency of the waste treatment process.

The official called on competent bodies to carry out relevant projects to help the factory reach its designed capacity.

All activities have been monitored by the citys Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Nhan said, adding that local residents are also allowed to join the supervision.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health has said it would formally request a revision of the disciplinary action against a doctor who was fined VND5 million (US$220) for allegedly defaming the health minister on Facebook, following public outcry.

In an announcement on Saturday, the office of the ministry elaborated on its earlier request that the actions of Dr. Hoang Cong Truyen, a practitioner at a medical center in Phong Dien District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, be verified and handled.

Truyen had in July posted a status to his personal Facebook page asserting that Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien should resign due to her poor performance in advisory work and other matters relating to security at local hospitals.

The post also included an image of Minister Tien.

A verification process that followed found Truyens Facebook post to be of offensive nature and hurt the health ministers reputation, giving grounds to a monetary penalty of VND5 million imposed by the provincial Department of Information and Communications.

Truyen was also required to write a report on his violation and reprimanded by the Phong Dien healthcare center in August.

However, after the incident made local headlines, there was a public backlash against the ministrys move, described as a crude attempt to silence criticism.

In an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday, Nguyen Xuan Truong, chief of office of the health ministry, said the ministrys request to handle the case had not been meant to discipline Truyen, but rather to remind him about his use of impolite words against the health minister.

The office of the ministry is expected to issue a formal request on Sunday asking Thua Thien-Hues Department of Health to revoke the reprimand the Phong Dien healthcare center gave Truyen.

Regarding the monetary fine, the ministry said it would ask other provincial authorities to reconsider the decision, since the Department of Information and Communications is not within its scope of governance.

On Saturday, Hoang Van Duc, chief of office of the provincial Department of Health, said the department would be willing to revoke Truyens punishment if the Department of Information and Communications was to withdraw its.

Duc elaborated that their decision had been based on conclusions by the Department of Information and Communications that Truyen had violated laws by slandering the honor and dignity of another individual online.

If the Department of Information and Communications was wrong and decides to revoke its administrative fine against Doctor Truyen, we will also reverse our disciplinary action against him, Duc said.

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Police in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong have arrested six gang members who had carried out 15 robberies within the past month.

The suspects, who had wielded machetes and used pepper spray to rob their victims, were apprehended by police officers in Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province on Saturday.

The gang included Vo Nguyen Thanh Men, 20, Nguyen Vu Kha, 19, Huynh Thanh Sang, 17, Vo Quang Huy, 17, Le Thanh Van, 20, and Nguyen Hoang Han, 23.

According to preliminary information, commuters traveling along a section of National Highway 13 from Thuan An Town to Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City submitted several reports in late September, stating that they had been mugged by the group.

Aside from motorcycles, the gang members pulled over passenger buses and threaten people onboard with their machetes, forcing the victims to give them money and other valuable items.

The situation caused immense concern among the local community.

Following an investigation, officers from the Thuan An police department ambushed and arrested the suspects.

The law enforcers also confiscated multiple weapons and pepper spray canisters.

At the police station, the gang members admitted to committing 15 robberies within the past month to collect money for drinking.

Officers in Thuan An Town have called on victims to make reports of their cases and assist the investigation.

Last month, police in Ho Chi Minh City captured four members of a criminal gang who had carried out approximately 30 robberies in August and September.

They committed over 20 robberies in Ho Chi Minh City and 10 others in other southern localities, namely Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Vung Tau.

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Though parental love is out of reach for these two elementary school students, caring elders have stepped in to fill the role.

Nguyen Ngoc Huyen is a student of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Elementary School in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City.

I study hard so that I can be a good student, make my grandparents happy, and have a bright future, Huyen said.

But Nguyen Van Tho, 66 years old, and his wife who care for the child are not actually her grandparents.

I am not her grandpa, just her guardian, said Tho.

I used to look after kids. Back then, her father hired me to take care of her. He took her here in the morning and took her home in the evening, Tho added.

He used to pay me VND1 million [US$44] a month, but now hes in jail and I dont get paid anymore. Im still looking after her. What else can I do?

Tho and his wife have cared for Huyen for five years now.

Growing up in the arms of strangers, Huyen sometimes calls Tho dad, other times grandpa.

Huyens mother left when she was just four months old. When she was two years old, her father ran over a stranger by accident and was sentenced to seven years in prison for murder.

The 3rd grader says she cannot remember her parents faces. Though she has heard stories about her father, she has not had the chance to visit him.

Huyen does have one blood relative left, her grandmother, but she is simply too old to care for the girl. Unfortunately, Tho and his wife are also quite old.

Thos wife weaves plastic bags, earning VND1,000 for every 40 bags. Huyen also helps her after school and makes VND4,000-5,000 a day.

The makeshift familys low income means they can only afford half of Huyens school tuition.

I had to ask my daughter for money to help raise Huyen. My wife and I cannot do it on our own, said Tho.

They have only one biological child, a 35-year-old daughter.

Tho shared that he hopes Huyens dad will be released soon. But even if that happens, he knows the father will have no money to look after her.

Dang Thi Bich Tuyen is another student at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Elementary School that has been forced to grow up without parents.

Dang Thi Bich Tuyen has lived with her grandfather since she was four. Photo: Tuoi Tre

I miss my dad a lot. I was small back then but I still remember. Its sad to see my friends with their parents, but I cannot do anything. I just hope my grandpa stays well and takes care of with me, Tuyen said.

Tuyens parents got divorced when she was just three. Her mother left and remarried while her father had a stroke and passed away.

With both her parents gone, Tuyen now lives with her grandfather and her great grandfather.

I have taken care of her since she was four. I got divorced too, a long time ago. I work at construction sites to raise her, said Dang Van Hoa, 60 years old.

Hoa is the familys main breadwinner, though his job is completely dependent on whether a construction project needs workers.

I made more than VND1 million last week. I planned to use it to pay the tuition but couldnt because I had to pay the rent, said Hoa.

Knowing that her grandpa works very hard, Tuyen hesitates to ask him for school fees.

My teacher called my name in front of the class and told me to tell my grandpa to pay the tuition. I just told him that my grandpa hasnt been paid yet, Tuyen recalled.

Asked if she was embarrassed, she replied, Sure, I was. But I was only warned once.

Tuyen added that she loves going to school.

She is now in 5th grade, but weighs just 45 pounds.

I usually have rice and soup. I only have meat when my grandpa has money, Tuyen sobbed.

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FILE PHOTO: A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in the SOMA district of San Francisco, California, U.S., August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie

Thomson Reuters

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Namibia said on Friday that local home owners listed with U.S. short-term rental service Airbnb Inc risk imprisonment if they fail to register with the tourism regulatory body before the end of this year.

The southern African nation is a long-haul destination for European, American and Asian tourists and the sector contributes around 15 percent to its gross domestic product.

Under Namibian laws, any accommodation establishment with two or more bedrooms is required to register with the tourism board, or face a fine, a two-year jail term or both.

"We need to guarantee the health and safety of guests, but we cannot do that if the accommodation is not registered or regulated," Namibia Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Digu Noabeb told Reuters in an interview.

(Reporting by Nyasha Nyaungwa; Editing by James Macharia, editing by David Evans)

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More than a dozen civilians were injured after missiles hit the town of Kafrbatna, located in East Damascus, in Syria on October 20.

In this video, people run through smoke and dust to the site of an airstrike in Kafrbatna. A second video shows injured people being carried to an ambulance.

The local Civil Defense Force, also known as the White Helmets, said a child was killed and more than a dozen people injured by mortar strikes and surface-to-surface missiles fired at the city.

Multiple airstrikes hit the city, according to Qasioun News, which published a video of the strikes in which a mosque on the eastern edge of Kafrbatna is visible. Credit: YouTube/Ghouta Media Center via Storyful
The leader of Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party Tomio Okamura speaks during a press conference at the party's election headquarters after the countrys parliamentary elections in Prague, Czech Republic, October 21, 2017. REUTERS/Milan Kammermayer

By Robert Muller and Jan Lopatka

PRAGUE (Reuters) - A far-right party whose leader wants to quit the EU and urged Czechs to walk pigs near mosques and stop eating kebabs, performed surprisingly well in an election, potentially giving it a chance to influence how the next government is formed.

The Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party rode a wave of far-right sentiment in Europe in an election that ravaged the more established political parties and looked set to hand power to maverick tycoon Andrej Babis.

The SPD was set up in 2015 by Tomio Okamura, a half-Japanese entrepreneur who made his name by creating an off-beat travel agency for cuddly toys before entering politics.

"We want to stop any Islamisation of the Czech Republic, we push for zero tolerance of migration," Okamura told reporters after his party won just under 10.7 percent of the vote, almost neck-and-neck with two other parties who were runners-up to Babis's ANO party.

Okamura was first elected to the lower house for the Dawn party, which fought to install direct voting for most political posts and won 6.9 percent in the 2013 election, He was later ousted in a spat over irregularities in party finances.

This time around, Okamura pounced on anti-foreigner feeling that has soared in the nation of 10.6 million, despite record-low unemployment, growing wages and relatively little immigration.

"I voted for SPD because their opinions are close to mine, I am also against migrants arriving here," said Pavel, an unemployed worker, leaving a polling station in Prague.

Okamura has also played on euroscepticism among many voters and attacked the Roma minority.

"The European Union can't be reformed. It only dictates to us. We refuse the multicultural European superstate. Let's leave the EU," Okamura said at a party leaders' debate just before polls opened on Friday.

Born to a Czech mother and Japanese father, Okamura grew up in both the Czech Republic and Japan. He later sold popcorn at cinemas in Japan and ran a travel agency which took clients' plush toys around the sights of the Czech Republic.

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He was not always on the extreme right. Political analysts say he began courting voters with more hardline views after forming the SPD in 2015.

In 2011, Okamura was on a jury at the Miss Expat beauty pageant, featuring immigrants to the country. Two years later he posted a picture of his Czech girlfriend wearing Islamic dress to enter a mosque in London as he praised the assistance she received there, calling it a "fine experience".

"When he (Okamura) established his first party, he based it on direct democracy and punishment for bad politicians. Only after his ousting did he add the cheapest thing, the 'virtual threat' of migration," said Pavel Saradin, political science lecturer at the Palacky University in Olomouc.

Saradin called the threat "virtual" as the Czech Republic was bypassed by the immigration wave seen elsewhere in Europe in the last two years and has only a tiny Muslim minority.

But the anti-immigrant message Okamura seized on has had wider backing in the Czech society, with all major political parties rejecting a quota system for redistributing migrants that have arrived in the European Union.

President Milos Zeman, formerly leader of the pro-European centre-left Social Democrats, shared the podium with far-right anti-immigration activists during the 2015 celebrations of the country's democratic revolution.

This weekend's election winner Babis, himself a rich businessman, will need partners to form a government.

Given that he faces fraud charges -- which he says are trumped-up -- several mainstream parties have already rejected being in government with him. This could potentially make an opening for the SPD which could supply its votes to back Babis's administration in return for policy concessions.

(Editing by Michael Kahn and Robin Pomeroy)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gorran, a main opposition party to Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, called on Sunday for his resignation, and for a "national salvation government" to be formed to deal with crisis pitting the Kurds and the central Iraqi authorities.

Gorran, or the Change Movement, blamed Barzani for the "disaster" facing the Kurds after the loss on Oct. 16 of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, captured by Iraqi forces in retaliation to a Kurdish independence referendum held last month despite warnings from Baghdad and neighbouring Iran and Turkey.

"The Kurdistan presidency must be dissolved and a national salvation government be formed to overcome the current situation," said a statement published by the party leadership after meeting in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya.

Gorran supports the right of Iraq's Kurds for self-determination but it opposed holding the referendum on Sept. 25, saying the timing was ill-chosen.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli, editing by David Evans)
By Andrei Khalip

LISBON (Reuters) - As thousands of Portuguese protested on Saturday over the government's handling of massive wildfires that have killed 108 people since June, government ministers pledged to spend over 400 million euros ($470 million) in aid.

The decision, announced during a special cabinet meeting which continued into the night, came on the same day as a new interior minister took over after his predecessor resigned, and ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary vote on a motion of no-confidence launched by the opposition.

Earlier thousands of protesters gathered on Lisbon's main Comercio square, in Porto and other cities to mourn the victims of the Portugal's worst tragedy in living memory and demand better fire prevention policies in the country, which despite its relatively small size has suffered the largest forest fires in Europe this year.

"Enough! Too many deaths, too much destruction!" read many slogans. A few called for the government's resignation.

The cabinet considered a detailed report by independent experts on the first wave of forest fires in June when 64 people died in central Portugal, and the first official accounts of the more widespread fires on Oct. 15-16, which killed 44.

The main report pointed to failures on practically every level from fire prevention and monitoring during an unusually hot and dry summer to civil protection response, emergency communications and the alerting of the population.

The government decided on Saturday to hire hundreds of forest sappers to maintain forests and to prevent fires, ordered a major clean-up of safety strips along motorways and railroads and promised to support the collection of forest waste for biorefineries.

The state will also take a sizeable stake in the emergency communications network SIRESP, whose equipment failed on many occasions during the fires. Another likely measure would put the air force in charge of firefighting aircraft which are currently hired and managed by the civil protection service, local media said.

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The promised state aid for affected areas includes paying compensation to the families who lost relatives and homes, funding for reconstruction works and support to save local jobs.

The minority Socialist government has been weakened by the public clamour, but the impact on its strong approval ratings achieved due to an improving economy has been limited so far.

Also, the support of its left-wing allies in parliament means the no-confidence motion is not expected to be passed.

An opinion poll by Aximage pollsters for Correio da Manha daily, which surveyed 603 people on Oct. 14-17, showed support for the Socialists had dropped by 1.1 percentage points to 41.9 percent, still far ahead of the closest rival, at 23.8 percent.

(Reporting By Andrei Khalip; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
By Stephen Kalin and Jonathan Landay

RIYADH/DOHA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday it was time for Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers who helped Iraq defeat Islamic State to "go home", after a rare joint meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The United States is concerned that Iran, a Shi'ite regional power, will take advantage of gains against IS in Iraq and Syria to expand the influence it gained after the U.S. invasion in 2003, something Sunni Arab rivals such as Riyadh also oppose.

"Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after IS seized a third of the country's territory, forming the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus.

A senior U.S. official said Tillerson had been referring to the PMF and the Quds Force, the foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif berated Tillerson's remarks as influenced by Iran's oil-rich regional rival Saudi Arabia.

"Exactly what country is it that Iraqis who rose up to defend their homes against ISIS return to?," Zarif said in a tweet. "Shameful US FP (foreign policy), dictated by petrodollars."

Iraq's military, armed by the United States but supported by the PMF, ejected the ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militant group from Mosul and other cities in northern Iraq this year. Several thousand U.S. troops are still in the country, mostly for training but also to carry out raids against IS.

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The campaign to uproot the militants left whole cities in ruins and has hit Iraq's economy.

A new joint ministerial-level body between Iraq and Saudi Arabia convened its inaugural meeting earlier on Sunday to coordinate their fight against IS and on rebuilding Iraqi territory wrested from the group.

Jubeir emphasized historic ties between the two neighbours, which share a border, vast oil resources and many of the same tribes.

"The natural tendency of the two countries and people is to be very close to each other as they have been for centuries. It was interrupted for a number of decades. We're trying now to make up for lost ground," he said.

The rare senior meeting, signalling a thaw between states that have been at loggerheads for decades, was also attended by Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

WINNING THE PEACE

Tillerson said the council would contribute to reforms to build Iraq's private sector and encourage foreign investment.

"This will be critical to winning the peace that has been earned through the hard-fought military gains," he said.

State media said the council had expressed satisfaction with global oil markets' recovery as a result of a deal with other countries to boost prices by limiting production.

The council also agreed to reopen a Saudi Basic Industries Corp office in Iraq and grant Saudi agriculture company SALIC an investment licence.

A second meeting will be held in Baghdad but no date was mentioned.

Saudi Commerce and Investment Minister Majid al-Qusaibi told Reuters his country seeks to boost exports and is eyeing investment opportunities in Iraq's agricultural and petrochemical sectors, among others.

He said backing from the highest levels of both governments would produce "quick results on the ground".

"Let's not cry over spilt milk. Whatever happened in the past has happened. The good news is we are all here towards building a prosperous and beneficial future for both countries," he said in a telephone interview.

Tillerson and Jubeir also discussed Washington's hawkish new policy towards Iran, including a possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and new sanctions on the IRGC.

"Both our countries believe those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the world really do so at great risk," Tillerson said.

Relations between Riyadh and Baghdad were cut for 25 years, before recent rapprochement, after former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, is wooing Baghdad now in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of Iran.

Arriving in Doha later on Sunday for the next leg of a multi-country trip, Tillerson told a news conference that there was little chance of a swift breakthrough to resolve a blockade imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies.

The kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed trade and travel curbs on Doha in June for alleged support of terrorism and friendship with Iran - charges Qatar denies.

"There is not a strong indication that the parties are ready to talk yet," Tillerson said.

The secretary of state's six-day trip will also take him to Pakistan, India and Switzerland.

(Additional reporting by Eric Knecht, and Dubai newsroom; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by Dale Hudson and David Evans)
The World Health Organisation says it is now "rethinking" its decision to make Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador.

Director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was thinking again in light of the controversy caused by the announcement.

He wrote on Twitter: "I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible."

Dr Tedros had announced the move at a conference in Uruguay and praised the African country for its commitment to public health.

But critics say Mr Mugabe's policy and his long record of alleged human rights abuses have had a disastrous impact on the health system - with medicine shortages and staff going unpaid.

Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe's main opposition party, labelled the appointment "laughable".

The British Government described it as "surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him".

Number 10 said it had raised its concerns with Dr Tedros, adding: "Although Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases."

The US State Department said the decision "clearly contradicts the United Nations' ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity".

Defending his decision, Dr Tedros said Mr Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region".

In his speech, Dr Tedros described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

Dr Tedros is an Ethiopian who became the WHO's first African director-general in July, replacing Margaret Chan who stepped down after 10 years of service.

UN agencies often pick celebrities as ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they hold little actual power.

Last year, the UN dropped the superhero Wonder Woman as an ambassador for "empowering girls and women" after the decision drew widespread criticism.
By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A majority of Ryanair <RYA.I> pilots at its largest base have rejected management's offer of improved pay and conditions, the airline said on Friday, dealing a blow to its efforts to address a recent pilot shortage.

Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers sparked outrage in recent weeks by cancelling about 20,000 flights after admitting it did not have enough standby pilots to operate its schedule without significant delays.

It responded by promising pilots significant improvements in pay and conditions, exceeding rates paid by rivals, with negotiations to take place with each of its 86 bases individually.

Pilots at London's Stansted Airport rejected the Ryanair offer by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent at Friday evening's vote, the Irish airline said.

"Ryanair will continue to engage with the London Stansted ERC (Employee Relations Council) to understand how it can address their remaining concerns, especially as it will be recruiting new pilots in Stansted from November at these higher pay rates," it said in a statement.

Two Ryanair pilots with knowledge of the vote told Reuters that the turnout was above 90 percent.

The deal included a pay increase for all grades of pilots of about 20 percent and improvements in conditions, two separate sources told Reuters.

Ryanair said in its statement that it would lift captain salaries to 20 percent more than those offered by rival Norwegian Air Shuttle <NWC.OL>.

'PRODUCTIVITY BONUS'

A significant portion of the increase is by way of a "productivity bonus" of between 500 euros and 1,000 euros a month on condition that pilots make themselves available to work three extra days in November and three in December, according to a copy of the letter to pilots that was seen by Reuters.

The bonus also requires pilots to deal directly with the company through the ERC at Stansted. Ryanair does not recognise unions and instead agrees conditions with pilots through ERCs.

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A number of pilots who have been organising on social media in recent weeks to use the pilot shortage to press for better conditions have demanded a new independent and pan-European representative body.

Ryanair has rejected criticism of its ERC system. A 2007 Irish Supreme Court ruling rejected arguments by pilots that the ERC system did not constitute genuine collective bargaining.

Organisers pushing for pan-European unionisation have told pilots that more than 30 bases have rejected the deal so far, a number of pilots have told Reuters.

A Ryanair spokesman said that figures was untrue and that more than 10 other bases had agreed new pay deals, with the majority of bases yet to vote. He would not provide a breakdown of how many had accepted or rejected deals so far.

"Based on what we have been hearing from Ryanair pilots, this is not a surprise," said British Airline Pilots' Association General Secretary Brian Strutton.

"Stansted is the critical base for Ryanair and I think other bases will now also reject."

(Additional reporting by Conor Humphries and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by David Goodman)
Labour will team up with Tory rebels in an attempt to secure a veto for MPs on the final Brexit deal negotiated by Theresa May, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The shadow Brexit secretary has laid down six changes he wants to the repeal bill (formerly known as the European Union Withdrawal Bill).

They include a demand for Parliament to be given final approval of any exit agreement.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir Keir said the Government had withheld the legislation for two weeks running because it fears defeat on at least 13 amendments.

He urged ministers to end the "paralysis" by working with all sides to make his recommended changes.

:: MPs get the "final say on whether to approve the withdrawal agreement and how best to implement it".

:: The transition period requested by the Prime Minister is added into the legislation.

:: A "completely different approach" to the use of so-called Henry VIII powers which the Government argues it needs to make technical changes to regulations repatriated from Brussels, but which Sir Keir described as "silencing Parliament and handing sweeping powers" to ministers.

:: A guarantee that workers' and consumer rights, as well as environmental standards, are not watered down after Brexit.

:: A concession to devolved administrations who want repatriated powers which would normally fall under their remit to go straight to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, rather than first being taken over by the Westminster government.

:: Putting the EU charter of fundamental rights into UK law.

The shadow Brexit secretary wrote: "I believe there is a consensus in Parliament for these changes. And there is certainly no majority for weakening rights, silencing Parliament and sidelining the devolved administrations.

"There is a way through this paralysis.

"Labour will work with all sides to make that happen."

The Government has already agreed to give MPs a vote on its final Brexit deal, but Sir Keir's amendment would enshrine that in law and make the outcome binding on the government.

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It would also give Parliament the power to veto a 'no deal' divorce.

Sir Keir's intervention comes after EU leaders agreed to begin scoping work on trade talks in a move which boosted Mrs May.

But they also made clear Britain must make further concessions on its divorce bill to unlock talks on a future trading relationship.

David Davis will travel to Paris for Brexit talks on Monday after France appeared to emerge as the most hardline EU member state on the exit bill.
A suspected poacher was left injured after a rhino he was tracking suddenly appeared and charged at him.

Luteni Muharukua and other suspected poachers allegedly entered northern Namibia's Etosha National Park in an attempt to steal rhino horns, according to The Namibian newspaper.

Police said the rhino "appeared from nowhere" and severely injured Muharukua's leg after the suspect fell over.

Muharukua was reportedly taken to a nearby mountain by his accomplices and arrested by police a day later.

He was taken to hospital for treatment under police guard.

Hundreds of rhinos are killed illegally each year for their horns, which are used as status symbols and for traditional medicines.

Some can be sold on the black market for tens of thousands of pounds.

As a result all five species are threatened with extinction - with Sumatran and Javan rhinos both critically endangered and numbering in the dozens.

In March, poachers who broke into a zoo near Paris shot dead a rhino and sliced its horn off with a chainsaw.

Last year, Prince William hit out at poachers and traffickers as he expressed concern at the threat to the rhino population.
Sainsburys is axing 2,000 store and back office roles as the supermarket chain looks to slash costs by 500m amid an intensifying price war with Aldi and Lidl. The retailer is restructuring its HR departments, getting rid of 1,400 store-based clerks and another 600 staff based in the back offices that serve the chain as well as Argos and Sainsburys bank. - Guardian

Proposals to crack down on overpriced service charges and unfair costs paid by renters and leaseholders in England have been unveiled by the government. Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, said ministers were considering changing the law to create a fairer property management system and make it easier to outlaw rogue letting and management agents.  Guardian

Rio Tinto has been charged with fraud in the US and handed down a 27.4m fine in the UK over its handling of its coal assets in Mozambique. FTSE 100 miner Rio was charged in the US together with two of its former executives for allegedly inflating the value of the assets, which it bought at $3.7bn (2.8bn) in 2011, but sold a few years later at $50m. - Telegraph

The UK Government is hoping to tighten its grasp on merger and takeover deals in the interest of national security, setting out fresh rules that has left some City advisers on edge. Business and energy secretary Greg Clark has proposed new laws aimed at enabling the Government to intervene in deals in certain sectors, such as companies making military products, even if they are below a certain size. - Telegraph

Complacent water companies that are not delivering a good enough service and lack transparency are making the case for renationalisation better than the Labour party, the industrys regulator has warned. In a withering attack on a sector that she believes is ignoring growing calls for it be taken back into public hands, Cathryn Ross, chief executive of Ofwat, said that the industry needed to wake up to claims that private investors were lining their own pockets.  The Times

The Civil Aviation Authority has defended its actions over the collapse of Monarch Airlines, saying that it was not to blame for the carrier going into administration. Responding to suggestions that Monarch had been capable of continuing to operate after October 2, the regulator said that it could do nothing because the airline had failed to make a credible application for the renewal of its Atol consumer protection licence.  The Times
WATERTON VILLAGE, Alberta  As sheets of silver rain poured down on the Prince of Wales Hotel, clouds of brown-black dust rose up to meet them.

There are times when it looks like were on fire all over again, said Pat Morris, manager of the Waterton Glacier Suites hotel. A month after the Kenow fire nearly wiped the village off the map, residents still wait to learn how much of their park remains.

When guests inquire, theres very little we can give them as solid information," Morris said. "We know the village is open, but we dont know what this winter will be like. That could extend into next season as well. We dont know what summers going to look like.

The Kenow fire scorched 19,300 hectares (47,700 acres) of Waterton Lakes National Park, mostly in one four-hour run on Sept. 11. Initial estimates put 50 percent of the parks vegetated area in the burn zone. While burn-severity mapping may reduce that total, three-quarters of the park remains off-limits, probably through next spring.

Earlier this week, environmental analyst John Bergenske was in a small plane tracking bears on the British Columbia-Alberta border near the Kenow fires origin.

I was totally shocked, Bergenske said. Cameron Lake  the forest is just gone around there. You can see the parking lot and nothing else. The Akamina Valley is gone, right up to Wall Lake. It somehow missed Forum Lake, but the rest of the drainage is pretty well cooked.

After 10 days of burning just over the British Columbia border in Akamina-Kishnina Provincial Park, the fire crossed the Continental Divide and ripped into Watertons two main road corridors: the Akamina Parkway and Red Rock Parkway. It rode winds estimated between 40 mph and 80 mph. After blackening virtually everything below timberline, the flames aimed straight at Waterton Township.

If luck is the residue of design, the little village at the edge of Waterton Lake had sufficient amounts of both. Incident commanders had already seen Kenow make a 3-mile run on Sept. 2 that put it on the Waterton park border.

In terms of fire danger rating, we were at the extreme end of extreme, Waterton Resource Conservation Manager Dennis Madsen said. We put out the evacuation alert on Tuesday (Sept. 5) so folks had a chance to prepare. Because we knew we would not be able to stop it if it decides to run.

Authorities gave the evacuation order on Friday and braced for impact. Volunteer firefighters from throughout southern Alberta assembled in the town, backed up by three structure fire engine companies from Calgary.

Most of Waterton Townships private cottages occupy five small blocks between Bertha Peak and the lakeshore. A fringe of aspen and birch trees 40 feet wide belts the base of the mountain and its evergreen forests. With two huge pumps drawing water from the lake, firefighters laid a line of sprinklers along the aspen to soak the homes. A separate team took position around the Prince of Wales Hotel, vowing to defend the 90-year-old, seven-story landmark with hoses and foam.

The Akamina Parkway runs about 6 miles northeast from Cameron Lake, and then makes a hard turn southeast for the last three miles until it tumbles into the village. Long before the actual fire reached Waterton, windborne clouds of flaming embers shot out of the canyon. There they caught the north wind blowing up Waterton Lake straight at the hotel promontory.

The defenses held.

Embers caught the grass just north of the Prince of Wales parking lot. There it spread so fast it killed a fox just 10 feet from its starting point, leaving a little pile of burned and brittle bones. Then it ran 2 more miles across the open meadows to join with another flame front blasting out of the Red Rock Parkway corridor. Along the way, it burned the Parks Canada visitor center down to its cement foundation and blew up the jet fuel depot at the park headquarters compound.

Park personnel had earlier evacuated nine of the 10 wild bison in Watertons Bison Paddock on its northeast edge, sending them to Saskatchewans Grasslands National Park. But one old bull refused the ride, and rode out the fire in a pond. He emerged unscathed.

There were bears in town wandering around, Waterton Glacier Suites employee Alexa Koskewich said. It was wet and it wasnt burning  where else are they going to go?

Along the entrance road north of town, diagonal black scars shine in the ashy hillside. Parks Canada spokesman John Stoesser explained they were the melted remains of plastic walls used to guide Watertons salamanders to roadway underpasses.

Out at the Bison Paddock, Stoesser surveyed the denuded meadows. Brown-black clouds of dust swirled past and stung the eyes.

We dont get sand dunes like that, he said, pointing to ripples in the ground. Thats ash piling up.
Miners dominated the FTSE 100 top 10 risers on Tuesday as rising copper prices added some shine to the afternoon's trading.

BHP Billiton, Antofagasta, Glencore and Anglo American were all boosted by a rise in the metal's price.

Rio Tinto was in the black as the Serious Fraud Office launched a corruption probe into the companys activities in Guinea.

Anglo American rallied as it said Kumba Iron Ore, in which it holds a majority stake, reported headline earnings of ZAR4.6bn (272.58m) for the six months to the end of June.

Exhibitions group Informa racked up strong gains as it said pre-tax profit rose to 148.8m from 98.9m as first-half revenue increased 41.3% on strong trading in its global exhibitions division.

Fallers were led by sub-prime lender Provident Financial, which retreated after reported a 46% fall in statutory first-half profits, which it blamed on the disruption from reorganising its home credit business to a self-employed model.

Morrisons also fell after the latest Kantar Worldpanel survey said Britain's big supermarkets were still losing share to discounting rivals Aldi and Lidl.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,448.72 0.96%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,657.84 0.21%

techMARK (TASX) 3,518.34 0.16%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Antofagasta (ANTO) 945.50p 6.84%

Anglo American (AAL) 1,169.50p 5.89%

Glencore (GLEN) 328.95p 5.21%

BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,337.00p 3.80%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,434.00p 3.31%

Standard Chartered (STAN) 844.10p 3.24%

Informa (INF) 697.00p 3.18%

Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,696.00p 2.66%

SEGRO (SGRO) 517.50p 2.48%

HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 755.30p 2.46%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Provident Financial (PFG) 2,171.00p -5.49%

Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 240.60p -2.43%

Croda International (CRDA) 3,741.00p -2.20%

WPP (WPP) 1,562.00p -1.95%

British American Tobacco (BATS) 5,322.00p -1.68%

Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 323.00p -0.95%

British Land Company (BLND) 607.50p -0.90%

Hammerson (HMSO) 583.50p -0.85%

Mondi (MNDI) 2,012.00p -0.84%

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,584.50p -0.69%
The leader of Virginia Techs library is at the forefront of national conversations to make research funded by the federal government freely accessible to all.

Tyler Walters, dean of Virginia Tech Libraries, shared his perspective and experiences with open access scientific research last month at an Open Science Symposium, held by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Board on Research Data and Innovation, part of the National Academies, led the Washington, D.C., event to gather input for a study that it is conducting about broadening public access to the results of scientific research.

The board hopes to give specific policy and practice options to federal science agencies as they move toward open science as a default for releasing research. It expects to issue a final report next year, said George Strawn, who directs the board.

The National Academies provide objective reports and advice on science, health, and engineering topics, and its members include physicians, researchers, engineers, and scientists.

For centuries, the printing press has been the technological enabler of open science articles, communicating science results, Strawn said. Now networked computers can become the technological enabler of an expanded suite of communicated science outputs, such as articles, data, software, work flow, etc. There are many dimensions to this transition requiring careful study.

Walters was one of two academic library professionals invited to share at the Sept. 18 symposium, alongside publishers, journal editors, private foundations, federal agencies, and others.

Walters is a known library leader, said Strawn.

The academic library community has always played a major role in science communication and can be expected to continue to play a major role as this technological transition occurs, he said.

Walters appearance comes at the same time that University Libraries is beginning work with Ubiquity Press, a publishing services company and advocate of open access research. With Ubiquity, University Libraries will have a new web platform for publishing Virginia Tech research.

It also will have the capacity to publish scholarly research in a variety of formats, alongside VTechWorks and VTechData, which hold university researchers scholarship and research data.

During his presentation, Walters discussed the kinds of investments needed to make open research happen. They include cyber infrastructure, digital research consulting, and targeted education for university faculty and others. He also said that researchers and their institutions need to meet federal policies that require that results and certain materials, such as data sets, software tools, and reports, are available with the respective research.

You truly need access to the data behind the research, Walters said.

Virginia Tech is proud to have respected experts like Walters represent the university and help to expand opportunities and resources for the entire campus community, said Virginia Tech Executive Vice President and Provost Thanassis Rikakis.

Under Tylers leadership, we are working to provide more open access to scholarly publications and resources which will help us to better prepare and position our students and faculty to become global leaders in their respective fields of study, Rikakis said.

Walters, who has a doctorate in managerial leadership in information professions from Simmons College, previously directed SHARE, a higher education initiative that is developing services to gather and freely share research and scholarly activities across their life cycles.

Walters also serves on the steering committee for the International Conference on Open Repositories and on the editorial board of the International Journal of Digital Curation. He has published more than 25 articles in academic journals.

He has a bachelors degree in history from Northern Illinois University, a masters degree in history and archives from North Carolina State University, and a masters degree in library and information science from the University of Arizona.

Ultimately, Walters said, making research open to the public benefits everyone.

Its about greater impact, he said.

Written by Jenny Kincaid Boone


What's next for SD Gov. Kristi Noem as she heads into her second term?
The Turquoise Trail community of Cerrillos is going batty over bats next weekend.

One of the things that is startling for folks to understand, of the total mammal species, bats make up one-quarter of that number, said Peter Lipscomb, Cerrillos Hills State Park manager. Which means, without bats, life as we know it would be very different on this planet.

Lipscomb will be delivering a two-hour presentation on Sunday, Oct. 29, that will discuss the many benefits of bats, dispel a few myths and is accompanied by an extensive slide show. A bat skeleton and bat puppet will aid Lipscomb in his discussion.

What they do for us: They are pollinators, they help disperse vegetation and different species of trees and other plants through their droppings, Lipscomb said. Theyre natural pest control. 

They also have a relationship with tequila.

Desert flowers open at night, and since bats are the pollinators, without bats there is no agave, and thats where tequila comes from, Lipscomb said.

Although the Cerrillos Hills State Park is just outside the community, the talk itself will be in the parks visitor center in Cerrillos itself. The visitor center is a good spot to check out some of the local lore and even some ore, he said.

Old mining equipment and other local artifacts are on display, and it will help put the state park site into perspective, Lipscomb said.

The state park covers about 1,000 acres. Nearly five miles of trails wind through an area rife with various mines, some dating back more than 1,000 years to where Native Americans first pulled turquoise from the ground.

You really can see how the natural history influenced cultural history, Lipscomb said. You have mines that date to about A.D. 900 with the Native people and turquoise, then mines from the Spanish Entrada when they were exploring things and they found galena, which is a lead-silver sulfide. Then you have the territorial mining boom. You can see how the little hills played a giant role in the settling of New Mexico.

More mining equipment, as well as many other odds and ends of local history, is on display in the Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum inside the Casa Grande Trading Post.

We have a large museum with a large open collection, said Pat Brown, owner of the trading post and museum with her husband, Todd. We have examples of local turquoise and a nice display of the Tiffany Mine, gold dry washers (devices for panning gold without water) and lots of antique-type tools, some stuff from coal mines and quite a display of old bottles.

One of the big attractions is the raw turquoise that the family pulls from the ground in one of their three claims in the vicinity. This raw turquoise is then polished and used in jewelry made for sale in the trading post.

We go out several times a year for our rough rock, Brown said. We come home, work it, grind it for stone setting, and we set our own jewelry. We have examples of the rough rock, polished stones and the jewelry. It is cool.

The couple also own a petting zoo.

We have a small barnyard with four goats, a llama, fancy chickensthey have a fabulous top, so they get a lot of attention and white pigeons, Brown said.

The Cerrillos Station, a mercantile featuring a number of local artists in a fine-art gallery, recently opened in the community, which has about 100 residents.

The renovation of the 100-year-old building is a work of art in its own right as a means of connecting the buildings history with the future. The work took more than a year and includes solar-thermal-produced heat.
Sue Hallgarths new novel Death Comes may be billed as a mystery, but that element takes a back seat to the larger story about life in Taos in the mid-1920s.

Its a captivating novel about what Hallgarth called the mixture of cultures in the town.

Its about the society in Taos. Thats what Im after. Its sort of ambitious, I know, Hallgarth said.

The novel brings together a gaggle of Anglos  mostly historical figures and some fictitious characters who live in or visit Taos in the summer of 1926. A few Hispanics and Native American populate the book.

The visitors of interest are three modern women of the period: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, her life partner, artist Edith Lewis, as well as Mabel Dodge Luhan, their host. Cather sought a quiet, imagination-sparking place to work on the manuscript of her forthcoming book.

Cather is writing Death Comes for the Archbishop. (Clever play, Ms. Hallgarth, with that title for her own book.)

Mabel, a wealthy New Yorker, was a bohemian who made Taos into a magnet for artists and writers. Among the artists in Hallgarths novel are Andrew Dasburg and Nicolai Fechin. Walter Spud Johnson, a magazine editor/writer who lived in Santa Fe and Taos, is Mabels assistant. Hallgarth also mentions British writer D.H. Lawrences Taos home.

Through the lens of Mabels Indian husband, Tony Luhan, readers learn about the folkways of Taos Pueblo, and through the lens of other secondary characters, they learn about a fight for a federal law to convey to the pueblo the Blue Lake land an Anglo developer covets.

I was trying to show (Cather and Lewis) coming to see a different culture here compared to what they experienced elsewhere, said Hallgarth, a Corrales resident who has written scholarly articles about the two women.

Hallgarth is also comparing their experiences with the mid-19th century cultural differences that the French-born Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy and vicar general Joseph Machebeuf encountered in New Mexico. They are the protagonists of Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Archbishop Lamy is, in her mind, someone who comes to this country with a very strong French culture and who tries not to impose it on the different cultures here but to learn, to kind of fuse things, hold them all as equals, Hallgarth said.

Lamy draws the line with the beloved, freewheeling Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, whom Lamy excommunicated.

And what of the novels mystery element? Willa and Edith are appalled that the death of a woman in rural Taos the previous summer remained uninvestigated. And now there are new deaths  two women found beheaded.

Sheriff William Santisivan is indifferent about solving the murders.

Are the women pawns in a white slave ring out of Angel Fire? Willa, Edith and Mabel aim to find out.

Enter an Albuquerque-based FBI special agent to investigate. Meanwhile, Tony Luhan not the sheriff heads a posse (of pueblo men) in search of two horsemen who wounded the FBI agent, and a mysterious third man who set up a hunting camp that Willa and Edith discovered.

Death Comes is Hallgarths second Cather and Lewis mystery. The first was On the Rocks, set three years in the future on Grand Maman Island, off Maine, where the couple built a summer home.
The Cathedral of St. John will ring with the sounds of Canadian composers on Sunday.

Organist Maxine Thevenot will perform works reflecting her Canadian roots, three of them penned by female composers.

The concert will open with Ruth Watson Hendersons Celebration, written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian College of Organists in 2009. Thevenot premiered the piece at Londons Westminster Abbey.

Its very jubilant and uses lots of trumpets and tubas, Thevenot said. Its got that royal feeling about it.

The mood shifts with 20th century composer Jeanne Landrys Hesychia, Greek for the practice of shutting out the world for prayer and contemplation.

Its a very gentle piece, Thevenot said.

Fellow Canadian Rachel Laurin wrote Finale Opus 78 in a highly romantic style.

Shes probably one of Canadas top female composers at the moment, Thevenot said. Its very chromatic; its a very challenging work. The feet are very busy.

The non-Canadians on the program include the English composer/arranger Frank Bridge. Bridge was the teacher and mentor of the composer Benjamin Britten. Thevenot will perform his Adagio in E Major.

Its a very beautiful work that unfolds in a symphonic fashion, she said. Hes an important bridge composer to the late 19th century and mid-20th century music in England.

Theres a symphonic theme to the program, and people will get to hear the organ in a very romantic, symphonic way.
Albuquerque native Jessica A.M. Kalil has accomplished many goals  and at 30, shes got a whole new set of them.

The 2006 Rio Grande High School graduate moved to New York City and obtained her bachelors degree in musical theater and dance from Pace University. She then continued her studies, receiving a masters in media communication arts.

That was just the beginning.

Kalil somehow found the time to become cheerleader for the NFLs New York Jets for a year. Then came the opportunity to work on a cruise ship as a dancer and aerialist.

Once that was stint was over, Kalil moved to Texas and was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader from 2013 to 2015. She also worked as a marketing administrator for a law firm.

In Texas, she met her husband, Ozzie, and felt complete. But it was a question from Ozzie that would change her life.

Once we got married, we kind of talked, and he said, What is something youve been wanting to do like a passion project or something that you just feel like youve never had the chance to fully dedicate yourself to?  she said.  And I go, Id really like to start a YouTube channel for makeup tutorials. So we talked about it, and I ended up quitting my job.

Kalils fascination with makeup started at a young age, and her techniques are self-taught.

She remembers taking her mothers makeup box and painting her face.

I would create myself into a dragon or a witch, something crazy, and come out and perform for my family. So like painting my face or doing crazy makeup has always been in my blood, she said.

Kalil started her YouTube channel in February and soon garnered a small following of about 100 subscribers.

Shortly afterward, she took a leap of faith and submitted a video to the NYX Professional Makeups 2017 Face Awards, which she had been watching and admiring for six years.

She submitted videos of painting faces, doing short films and character videos for a chance at a big cash prize, fame and cosmetics.

Things started steadily with an open challenge, then a second challenge called Royalty, in which Kalil chose to turn herself into a Stone Queen.

I hustled on Facebook and Instagram and got votes, she said. And then I made it to top 20 and then top 12. The challenge was Animal Kingdom, and I painted myself as an octopus. And then from there, I was just amazed that I was in the top 12, and I really didnt think Id make top 6.

The votes kept coming in for Kalil, and she took on the final challenge of Cyber Punk, which she was really worried about but after about 10 times of repainting her face she found a design she was satisfied with.

NYX flew Kalil and the other top 6 contestants to Los Angeles for two weeks for promotional appearances and final competitions.

For three days, they each had to film a 90-second film with a Magic theme. Each contestant had the opportunity to work with a Hollywood production team. Kalil was assigned a crew that had worked with some big names, including Beyonce, rock band Imagine Dragons and NBCs singing competition show, The Voice.

On Aug. 19, Kalil was announced 2017 Face Awards Vlogger of the Year. As part of the title, she receives $50,000 and a years supply of NYX makeup. She also will have to make appearances and do other promotions for NYX.

My Instagram has seen the most growth, so before that Aug. 19, I had probably like 3,500 followers, and now Im at 15.67K, so it went up quite a bit, Kalil said. Ive also gotten a handful of business opportunities like sponsored videos or sponsored posts on Instagram. I have companies sending me makeup products for free to try, and so definitely theres been a huge shift in just the exposure of the Face Awards and just coinciding Ozzies and my hopes for what I would like my channel to become.

Kalil and her husband recently used some of the winnings as a down payment on a home where they live in Plano, Texas. They also plan to expand their family in the spring. In the meantime, Kalil travels back home to speak to students at local high schools as well as the Westside Community Center, which Kalil used to frequent as a teenager.

Coming from the South Valley, coming from, you know, not with the highest expectations but just kind of show them that anyone can do it if you believe in yourself, Kalil said. I really try to push that message.

Westside Community Center staffers are proud of their protege.

They were just completely amazed, Kalil said. They felt like providing some of the opportunities that they do does pay off with kids, especially in the South Valley, and their commitment in helping kids and lifting kids up, so its kind of like a success story.  They were pretty impressed and pretty happy, and they thought that about the programs that they provide to the teens and the kids.  These programs that end up being free for some of these families. I think thats really important.
HONOLULU  Cans of Spam have become a common item thats being stolen from Honolulu stores and then sold on the streets for quick cash, according to authorities.

Ra Long, who owns a convenience store in the city, said shoplifters have typically targeted alcohol in the past, but recently more cans of Spam have gone missing, Hawaii News Now reported .

I mean you try to keep an eye on it, but if they run, you just cant leave the counter and chase them, Long said. So you just got to take the hit.

Honolulu police said they took a report of a man lifting a case of the canned meat from a store earlier this month.

Kimo Carvalho, a spokesman for the Institute for Human Services, said people are stealing Spam because its easy to sell. Its quick cash for quick drug money, Carvalho said.

Hawaiians eat millions of cans of Spam a year, the nations highest per-capita consumption of the processed meat, which is cobbled together from a mixture of pork shoulder, ham, sugar and salt.

The states love affair with Spam began during World War II, when rationing created just the right conditions for the rise of a meat that needs no refrigeration and has a remarkably long shelf life (indefinitely, the company says).

Ann Kondo Corum, who grew up in Hawaii in the 1950s and has written several Spam-inspired cookbooks, has attributed Spams popularity partly to Hawaiis large Asian population. Asians eat a lot of rice. Spam is salty, and it goes well with rice, she told The Associated Press in 2009.
AUSTIN, Texas  The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinsons disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bushs wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Soul Man Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them some of Americas finest public servants.

This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another, Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems, said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bushs presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haitis 2011 earthquake.

Its certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something thats not political, they can rake in big money.

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of poor leadership, and later tweeted that, Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldnt be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

They cant get away from the politics of the moment, he said of current White House occupants. Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nations grandfather.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as One America Appeal. In it, George W. Bush says, People are hurting down here. His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, We love you, Texas.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

___

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PHOENIX  An endangered squirrel species estimated population has plummeted since a major wildfire burned much of its habitat atop a southeastern Arizona mountain last summer.

An annual multi-agency survey of the Mount Graham red squirrel produced an estimate of only 35 squirrels, which is only 14 percent of the 252 squirrels estimated in 2016, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said.

The Frye fire caused unprecedented impacts to the squirrel habitat, but they cautioned that theyre not sure whether their standard survey methods provided an accurate population estimate in severely burned areas, department officials said.

Surveyors observed squirrels where they didnt live previously, officials also said.

Officials are considering steps to help the squirrel populations chances for survival, the department said.

The species was declared endangered in 1987. Its population peaked at about 550 in the late 1990s, but it typically ranges between 200 and 300.

Mount Graham, a so-called sky island with a forest environment high above surrounding desert, is 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Tucson.

Lightning ignited the Frye fire on June 7. It burned hundreds of acres of squirrel habitat and a total of about 76 square miles (196 sq. kilometers) of timber, brush and chaparral in steep, rugged terrain on and around Mount Graham.

Evidence of the wildfire was observed in 95 percent of the surveyed locations of squirrel habitat, with 80 percent showing at least some habitat loss and 44 percent being completely burned, the department said.

Steve Spangle, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supervisor, said the fire damage to the squirrel habitat was a textbook example of how species with low population sizes, especially those confined to a small geographic area, are vulnerable to natural events such as fires, floods, and severe drought.

The surveys population estimate comes from visiting middens, which are places where squirrels store pine cone seeds.

Our current survey methodology does not account for squirrels that dispersed from fire impacted areas. Surveyors observed some squirrels in previously unoccupied areas, Tim Snow, a Game and Fish Department wildlife specialist, said in a statement released by the department.

Given the fire damage to the habitat, Snow said, the squirrels ability to survive the upcoming his winter may be the key to their long-term survival.

Steps under consideration to help the squirrels include assessing the remaining habitat, reducing food and habitat competitors and supplemental feeding during the winter, Snow said.

Another census is planned next spring.

The 2016 estimated population of 252 squirrels was down slightly from the 2015 estimate of 263, and the state agency said last December it remained optimistic about the squirrel despite the slight reduction.

Other long-term threats to the squirrels and their habitat include insect infestations, competition with non-native squirrels, and poor cone crops caused by drought, the department said.

Coronado National Forest officials said in August said they plan to treat 300 acres of Douglas fir trees next spring to keep bark beetles from destroying the red squirrels habitat. Forest officials said then that the 2017 fire and one in 2004 burned a total of 1,330 acres (538 hectares) of squirrel habitat, leaving only 590 acres (239 hectares) of the habitat.
An abandoned house caught on fire Saturday afternoon after a mother and son broke into home and lit a candle, according to the Albuquerque Fire Department.

Spokeswoman Diane Burns said firefighters responded to the fire, at Second and Candelaria NW, around 3 p.m. and had it under control within 10 minutes. Nobody was injured in the fire.

Firefighters discovered there was a mother son who broke into the abandoned house, she said. The son lit a candle and somehow his jacket caught on fire.

Burns said the son told fire crews he threw his jacket across the room and it landed on the candle.

She said the fire is not under investigation and the Safe City Strike Force boarded up the house for security.
WASHINGTON  Looking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once the Islamic States capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective military power of the United States.

Perhaps its a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once its engaged, that the fall of Raqqa this week provoked so little public discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the parents of Americas fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice that our military has achieved a goal that three years ago seemed distant and uncertain.

The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: Its a mistake to provoke the United States. It may take America a while to respond to a threat, but once the machine of U.S. power is engaged, its relentless  so long as the political will exists to sustain it.

The Raqqa campaign is a reminder, too, of something we rarely see in these divisive days  the continuity of U.S. commitments from the Obama administration to Trump. Truly, it was a shared enterprise. Trump deserves credit for accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State and giving commanders more authority. But the basic strategy  and the will to resist the jihadists in the first place  was President Obamas.

A secure and confident Trump would invite Obama to the White House to meet with commanders and troops returning from the battle. That would remind the world that America can keep its word, across administrations. Trump, still anxious about his authority, seems incapable of such generosity.

Thinking back to the beginning of this campaign is to recall how fragile it initially seemed. The Islamic State exploded in the summer of 2014, overrunning Mosul and racing like a firestorm across the Sunni regions of Syria and Iraq. The lines of defense buckled. The Kurdish capital of Irbil was in danger; so was Baghdad.

As a precondition for American military involvement, Obama demanded a new government in Baghdad that would be less pro-Shiite sectarian and better able to win Sunni trust. He was right, and he got what he wanted in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister by Haider al-Abadi, who has had a steadier hand than Iraq-watchers initially predicted.

When Obama announced his goal to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State, it sounded like an obtuse and conditional war aim. And it didnt help that nobody agreed on a name for this enemy, variously called ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. America was hardly enthusiastic for the war after long, frustrating battles against Islamic insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Obama pushed ahead.

The campaign got off to a slow start. Tribes in Iraqs Euphrates Valley pleaded for American aid that was initially slow to arrive. The Iraqi military was a mess until the U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service began to display real combat power. But gradually, mostly invisibly, the battle turned: U.S. air power killed tens of thousands of recruits to the caliphate, obliterating anyone who raised a digital signal. The U.S. military said little about this harsh campaign, but Syrian and Iraqi fighters saw it, and people go with a winner.

Watching this battle unfold during multiple visits to Iraq and Syria, I saw two factors that changed the tide. First, the U.S. found committed allies. The toughest fighters initially were Kurdish, the KDP and PUK peshmerga militias in Iraq, and the YPG in Syria. They stood their ground and fought and died. This Kurdish loyalty is worth remembering now, in their time of troubles. The anti-Islamic State alliance broadened as the Iraqi military got stronger, and YPG recruited Sunnis into a broader coalition dubbed the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Victory came from marrying these committed fighters to Americas devastating firepower. The U.S. could dial in strikes from an array of platforms: drones, fixed-wing aircraft, advanced artillery. The ruin of Raqqa makes it look like we just pounded everything, and the United States needs to make a self-critical accounting of civilian loss of life. Honesty about the wars human cost, and American responsibility for mistakes made in the fog of battle, is the best bridge to the future.

The problem with this campaign from the beginning was that our military dominance was patched on top of political quicksand. Thats still true. Obama never had a clear political strategy for creating a reformed, post-Islamic State Syria and Iraq; neither does Trump. Our military is supremely effective in its sphere, but the enduring problems of governance it cannot solve.

Email: davidignatius@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
Its been clear for years that New Mexicos Medicaid program  which covers more than 40 percent of the states population and costs the state about $1 billion a year  is not sustainable at its current level. And with the vast uncertainty about health care emanating from Washington, its prudent for the state to propose ways to ensure the roughly 900,000 children, pregnant women, low-income adults and people with disabilities covered by Medicaid continue getting needed care.

Many of the proposals being put forth by Gov. Susana Martinezs administration, which would generally apply to people above the poverty level and take effect in 2019 if the federal government approves them, have merit and should be given serious consideration.

Currently, most Medicaid recipients pay nothing for their health care, which gives them little incentive to stay healthy, seek out appropriate levels of care or make sure they show up for medical appointments. And that costs everyone else. By inserting a personal financial stake for some  albeit an extremely modest one  in their health care, recipients are far more likely to participate in their, and their familys, well-being.

Under the proposed revisions:

 Recipients would be asked to pay premiums for their care based on household income. Those range from $10 per month for individuals making roughly $12,100 to $18,100 a year, to $25 a month for someone making nearly $36,200 a year. A family of three in the lower bracket, for example, would pay $20 per month. Those rates could double in ensuing years but would still remain well below private insurance premiums.

 Recipients would be required to pay minimal co-pays, again based on family income. Individuals just above the poverty level  making about $12,100 a year  would pay $5 for basic office visits, $50 for hospital stays or outpatient surgeries and $2 for prescriptions.

 Recipients would be encouraged to become better health care consumers, with an $8 co-pay for brand-name drugs when a generic is available and $8 if they visit an emergency room when they dont have an emergency. And if they miss three scheduled appointments without notifying the provider in advance, the provider would be allowed to charge them $5. Preventive services would not be subject to co-pays.

Even with the proposed changes, there would be exemptions: Most people who are disabled and most families with young children still wouldnt pay copays or premiums.

In another cost-savings measure, the state could curtail or eliminate dental and vision benefits for adult Medicaid recipients but would have to develop and offer affordable dental and vision plans.

The state also plans to start prenatal and postpartum care  along with early childhood services  for women in two to four New Mexico counties. Providers would visit the women in their homes. The goal is to reduce pre-term births, low-weight infant births and similar health challenges.

Each of those proposals, when weighed against the possibility of a bankrupt state Medicaid program, are reasonable approaches to keeping the program solvent.

But the state is accepting public comment, and these can certainly be tweaked based on those comments. For example, the premiums may be too high for those having to stretch small paychecks so far. And the high mobility rate may make monthly billing a challenge.

But the co-pays and other measures help instill some personal responsibility into health care decisions while helping patients establish health-care homes rather than reliance on ERs.

While these changes impose some financial burden on recipients of modest income, theyre far from draconian.

The caveat, of course, is that none of the changes may become necessary if Congress finally acts on health care reform.

New Mexico is already pouring around one-sixth of the state budget into Medicaid, with the federal government kicking in billions more. Critics of the proposed reforms are ignoring the fact that there is only so much money in a budget to go around, and abuse and misuse of health care funding starves the bottom lines of other worthy programs that help New Mexicans.

Nobody is expecting New Mexicos neediest residents to pay full freight for their health care. And yes, its hard to start paying for something you have gotten for free. But expecting New Mexicos 900,000-plus Medicaid patients to spend a few dollars for doctor appointments, make better decisions about what constitutes an emergency, and keep or cancel their appointments is not unreasonable.

Especially because it will help ensure theres enough funding for their health care coverage going forward.

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

The city of Rio Rancho violated state public records law by requiring a $30 payment before allowing access to 911 recordings and should re-evaluate its policies, according to the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office.

In an Oct. 16 letter to the city clerk, Assistant Attorney General Lori Chavez recommended that Rio Rancho allow Dianne Goodman free access to review the calls she initially requested in January, noting the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act requires agencies provide the opportunity to inspect records without charge. Under the law, public entities can only charge if the requester seeks copies.

The opinion also states that IPRA allows agencies to charge the costs associated with downloading copies, including the cost of the disc or storage device, but not for identifying and isolating records. It called the $30 fee for downloading the records excessive.

The city violated IPRA by failing to allow inspection of records prior to charging for downloading copies of the records and may possibly have violated IPRA when charging a $30 fee for downloading copies of the records, Chavez wrote to Rio Rancho City Clerk Stephen Ruger.

Rio Rancho has since provided Goodman with the audio and said it would refund her payment.

But the city disagrees with the nonbinding opinion of the Attorney Generals Office and (has) concerns over their interpretation of relevant statutory language, spokeswoman Annemarie Garcia said in an email to the Journal. However, the city will review what she called the AGs suggestions to determine if it will amend its policy.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government lauded the AGs determination, saying the Rio Rancho fees are essentially a records tax.

Its a bad policy to subsidize costs for inefficient records management with unreasonable fees, Peter St. Cyr, NMFOGs executive director, said in an email. We encourage the city to stop shifting the burden of their inefficiency to citizens who can often least afford it. Rather than discourage residents from requesting information and exercising their basic right to know, city managers should instead make providing information to the public a routine job duty.

Public agencies generally heed the attorney generals determinations on IPRA, office spokesman James Hallinan said.

However, IPRA provides that an action to enforce its provisions may be brought by the Attorney General, District Attorneys or any person whose written request for inspection has been denied, he wrote, adding that the office has taken public entities to court over IPRA  mostly recently in January with a suit against Espanola Public Schools.

Goodman on Jan. 10 had requested all calls and reports for calls for service for an address in Rio Rancho since 2012. The city told Goodman such recordings were not available until they were copied and put into a different format, and that a $30 per call fee was required in advance.

Goodman filed a complaint with the AGs Office.

Rio Rancho indicated the fee offsets costs incurred to identify, isolate and reproduce copies and had been in place for 20 years, according to Chavezs letter. But that policy does not jibe with the law, Chavez wrote.

There is no exception under the IPRA that permits agencies to deny requesters the opportunity to inspect records in favor of a policy requiring pre-inspection payment for copies of records due to the inability by the agency to reproduce the record without retrieving and reproducing excerpts and then converting data to an audio format which can be listened to by the requester, the letter states.

The assistant attorney general also noted that the citys own IPRA form puts the cost of an audio or video recording at $5. Rio Ranchos $30 fee appears excessive, and Chavez recommended the city re-evaluate its fee structure for 911 recordings to ensure IPRA compliance.

Goodman said Rio Rancho emailed her the audio recordings Thursday and would process a refund for the $30 she already paid.

A serial public records seeker who says she has filed hundreds of requests across jurisdictions to see whats going on in government, Goodman said her crusade is not about a refund but about righting a wrong that most people dont have time to tackle. She said she wants Rio Rancho to amend its policy to charge just $5 per copy of 911 calls and plans to advocate for that change.

I do this for the citizens, really, she said. I dont do it for myself.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES  The New Mexico State Veterans Home in Truth or Consequences isnt quite like most nursing homes.

For one, the overwhelming majority of its residents are men, unlike most.

I find they attempt to be more independent, not asking for help to get up, said home administrator Colleen Rundell. They fall more.

The facility was opened in 1985 inside the former Carrie Tingley Childrens Hospital, which was built in 1935.

Visitors to the home are greeted with a wall of large windows that borders a lovely courtyard where small turtles slowly wander around a fountain.

But however atypical some of the homes traits may be, at its heart its a traditional nursing home.

Three to four adults share each room, separated by blue curtains on rings.

Mealtimes are spent in a large cafeteria that reminds one of elementary school, and theres no central air conditioning.

In a few weeks, though, nearly 60 of the homes 135 residents in nursing care will be moved to a newly completed, $26 million facility next door.

Im very proud of it, said New Mexico Department of Veterans Services Secretary Jack Fox said.

Theres 168,000 veterans in New Mexico, and this sends a message to them that the state cares about them.

For veterans who are 70 percent service connected disabled, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays for their care at the home. Residents may also use Medicaid or pay privately, often on a sliding scale.

Construction on the addition began in 2015.

Its a beautiful building, boasting 59 private rooms, each with its own bathroom facilities.

Rundell said research has shown that residents in private rooms live longer than their room-sharing peers.

I think it reduces stress for them, she said.

Private rooms also allow residents to sleep better and enjoy more privacy.

Residents of the addition may choose when to bathe, eat and participate in recreational activities, Rundell said.

The home is structured in a neighborhood style; its divided into five sections, each one with 13 rooms, and its own cozy kitchen, dining area and patio area, complete with a fountain and grilling station.

Residents with memory care needs will fill most of the new beds.

With that in mind, the new facility has increased security features to ensure wandering residents are unable to get outside by themselves, especially important during the heat of the summer months, Rundell said.

Residents will begin moving into the new space at the beginning of November.

That will free up space in the existing facility, so those residents will have more room to spread out.

Two to a room is a lot better than four to a room, said Mitchell Lawrence, director of the Healthcare Coordination Division of the DVS.

New oversight

Oversight of the New Mexico Veterans Home changed hands from the New Mexico Department of Health to the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services in July after unanimous approval by the Legislature.

Lawrence said most state veterans homes operate similarly.

That way, those facilities dont have to compete with other interests, he said. Our whole focus is on that home.

Lawrence said he hopes the transition will foster connections between the states wider veteran community and residents of the home, many of whom struggle with isolation issues.

He also hopes to increase awareness of the home; before DVS took over, the home was below capacity and many of the states veterans werent aware of its existence.

Today, it has a waiting list.

The Veterans Administration estimates the state is short 212 veteran nursing home beds, Lawrence said.

That means another new facility may be on the horizon. Ideally, itll be in a more metropolitan area, he said, as its difficult to attract qualified staff to somewhere like Truth or Consequences, he said.

Should a resident require specialist care at the VA in Albuquerque, its a five-hour ordeal.

We would push to have it in a bigger area where we could have more resources available, he said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

When Albuquerque voters go to the polls to elect a new mayor next month, they will have a choice between two very different candidates.

State Auditor Tim Keller, a Democrat, supports sanctuary cities, opposes the Santolina development and says he would work with business owners and employee rights groups to come up with a workable sick leave policy for the city.

City Councilor Dan Lewis, a Republican, opposes sanctuary cities, supports Santolina, advocates for breaking up the Albuquerque Public Schools district and wants to judge the judges through scorecards.

Those are just some of the issues that set the two candidates apart.

Keller and Lewis were the top two candidates in the Oct. 3 city election, with Keller receiving 39 percent of the vote and Lewis getting nearly 23 percent. But because no candidate walked away with 50 percent, Keller and Lewis will now go head-to-head in a Nov. 14 runoff. Early voting starts Wednesday.

Among the fundamental differences between Keller and Lewis are their philosophies on tackling the citys problems. On the campaign trail, Keller has made it clear that he will embrace fixes that the city can implement on its own  not solutions that require state lawmakers or others to act.

Were going to spend time listening and learning, and then were going to take action, Keller said, pointing to such things as his plan to bolster after-school and summer activities for APS students.

We are not going to wait any longer for the county or judges or anyone else to deal with our issues. And that kind of urgency and ownership and taking responsibility has been the hallmark of our campaign and will be the hallmark of our administration.

By contrast, Lewis has proposed fixes that would require action from the Legislature or others.

He has argued for breaking up APS, calling it a massive failing school district. He said the districts reputation costs the city millions of dollars every day. But splitting up APS would require action by the state Legislature.

Lewis has also advocated for reinstating the death penalty for child molesters and cop killers, something that would require action from state lawmakers and the governor. Same goes for his desire to tack on 10 years for violent felons caught using a firearm and his call for a three-strikes law targeting repeat offenders.

Im going to put the families and the people of this city before the criminals in this city, Lewis said. Im not going to allow criminals in this city to have more rights and freedoms than law-abiding citizens.

Keller and Lewis also come from very different backgrounds.

Keller, 39, was born and raised in Albuquerque and attended Catholic schools here from kindergarten through his senior year in high school. He earned his bachelors degree in finance and art history from the University of Notre Dame and later obtained a masters in business administration from Harvard Business School.

He served as a business economist for various companies before becoming state auditor in 2015. He also served in the state Senate for about six years.

Lewis, 47, is an ordained Baptist minister who was born in San Jose, Calif., but moved around a lot as a kid. He earned his undergraduate degree at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and later earned his master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

He moved to Albuquerque with his wife and daughter in 1996 to work with First Baptist Church. He and his wife, Tracy, later started Soul Rio Church.

Lewis also started two small businesses and has served on the City Council for eight years. He currently serves as vice president of Desert Fuels, a wholesale fuel supplier, and president of Desert Fuels Transport LLC., a division he started.

Tim Keller, I believe, wants the best for this city and he cares about this city. And were friends, Lewis said. We just have vastly different records on crime and jobs and our vision for how this city can thrive. We have very different visions for how our city will look in the next few years and how we get there.

Keller said he and Lewis agree that addressing the citys crime problem is the priority.

Ive been working with folks in law enforcement and in fire, Keller said, and thanks to their endorsement for our campaign, we are coming in with a plan that has some teeth to it and that folks are already aligned around . . . and I think thats going to allow us to move fast as opposed to having to start from scratch.
Everyone by now should know about the dangers of using free public Wi-Fi to make credit card purchases or do online banking. In a nutshell: Dont do it.

However, the federal government late last week came out with a new warning that should give pause to anyone who has a smartphone, laptop or other such device connected to a Wi-Fi network  even those at home.

Researchers recently discovered a bug that allows hackers to break the encryption that protects most wireless networks. Specifically, the vulnerability is with the WPA2 encryption standard, which nearly all Wi-Fi devices on the market today use to scramble communications, preventing eavesdropping and tampering, the Federal Trade Commission said in an alert late last week.

That means any data sent over the network could be exposed to hackers.

The vulnerability also appears to allow someone to inject ransomware or malware onto websites, depending on the network, according to the researchers.

Basically, if you use a device to connect to a wireless network at home, work, or elsewhere, this bug means you cannot rely on that connection being secure, the FTC says.

But there is good news.

It appears that hackers must be nearby to directly connect to your Wi-Fi and exploit the newly discovered weakness, according to Forbes. The other good news is that device manufacturers and software companies are rolling out patches to fix the problem.

Apple, for example, says it has a fix coming for its Mac and iOS operating systems that should be available soon.

In the meantime, the FTC advises considering connections other than Wi-Fi, like your smartphones 4G/3G carrier connection or a connection with an Ethernet cable, because those are not affected.

Also, consider a virtual private network (VPN) app or service because it provides another layer of protection for personal data. Such networks encrypt traffic between a computer and the internet, even on unsecured networks. Some of these services are free, while others charge a subscription fee.

And heres another, unrelated tip when it comes to public Wi-Fi, such as those offered at airports or restaurants.

AARPs Fraud Watch Network is advising people to ask an employee at the location for the name of the network. Seems that scammers have been setting up their own evil twin access points in hopes your computer or device will automatically connect to it without your consent.

Dont just assume that `free airport Wi-Fi is a legitimate wireless network; it could have been set up by a hacker to trick you into connecting, AARP says.

It suggests checking settings to make sure the device doesnt automatically connect to any free public Wi-Fi thats within range.

n n n

Mary, who lives in Albuquerque, is 77. She got a bachelors degree from the University of New Mexico more than a half-century ago. Needless to say, Mary does not have college debt.

But that didnt stop scammers from trying to sell her a deal that would help her arrange payment for her supposed student loan  or to seek forgiveness of the debt altogether.

Several people in the Albuquerque area have reported such calls in the past few months.

These types of scammers often claim to be affiliated with the government or the consumers loan servicer, telling the person who answers the phone that they were pre-approved, pre-qualified or qualified instantly, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The agency earlier this month announced Operation Game of Loans, a joint FTC and state law enforcement sweep against student loan debt relief scammers operating from Florida and California.

It is warning people to never pay an up-front fee.

Its illegal for companies to charge you in advance before helping you, the FTC said. If you pay upfront to reduce or get rid of your student loan debt, you might not get any help  or your money back.

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. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210a.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Its easy to find a seat on the Rail Runner these days.

Ridership on the rail line connecting Belen, Albuquerque and Santa Fe fell 23 percent over a recent five-year period, according to reports by the Rio Metro Transit District.

Low gas prices and reductions in the state workforce are potential factors in the decline, said Augusta Meyers, spokeswoman for Rio Metro, which operates the Rail Runner Express on behalf of the state.

When (gas prices) hit about $2.70 a gallon, Meyers said, we see an uptick in ridership. That seems to be the magic number.

Travel times are also a challenge. Taking the train rather than driving can add 30 minutes to an hour to a daily round trip, depending on traffic and other factors.

Albuquerques bus system, meanwhile, has endured a similar ridership drop, about 21 percent over the same five-year period, from the 2013 fiscal year to 2017.

The Rail Runners drop in ridership, however, is at odds with commuter rail systems across the country. Their average weekday ridership climbed slightly over a recent five-year period, according to figures maintained by the American Public Transportation Association in Washington, D.C.

The declining ridership in New Mexico has triggered renewed calls from longtime critics to shut down the train. But state lawmakers  pointing to a 2015 study that said selling the Rail Runner wasnt feasible  sound inclined to leave the train alone for now.

Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Grants, said effective marketing, improved connections to the airport and faster travel times might help boost ridership in New Mexico.

On the other hand, he said, the Legislature isnt likely to have extra money to help the Rail Runner make improvements.

The way our finances are at the state, its going to have to live with what its getting now, said Sanchez, chairman of the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee.

The state is already facing an enormous increase in its tab for the train. Debt service on the Rail Runner is expected to balloon to $110 million in 2025 and 2026, up from about $28 million to $30 million a year now.

Tourist use is up

Rio Metro, not the state, operates the system, largely with the proceeds of a one-eighth of 1 percent gross receipts tax levied in Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties. Voters approved the tax in 2008.

Its expected to raise about $24 million this fiscal year. Half of the money goes to bus and transit services that connect with the Rail Runner, not the train itself.

Meyers said the agency is doing what it can to entice people onto the train, with programs that offer free or reduced-price tickets in some circumstances.

Ridership surveys, she said, suggest the number of people taking the train for tourism and leisure is up, but fewer people are commuting.

The state governments workforce has fallen about 3 percent over the past five years.

There are also cultural challenges, Meyers said.

We live in an area where people have love affairs with their pickups and their wide-open spaces, Meyers said. The level of congestion here is not serious enough to force them to transit.

Money is tight for Rio Metro, too. The agency faces a $50 million mandate to install safety equipment designed to prevent high-speed derailments.

Time, convenience

Travel time and convenience are obviously an issue.

The fastest train in the morning  an express that leaves Downtown Albuquerque at 6:22 a.m.  takes 1 hour, 18 minutes to arrive at the south Capitol area in Santa Fe. That compares with a roughly one-hour drive, depending on traffic.

The regular train is slower  taking about 1 hour, 37 minutes, with eight stops between Downtown Albuquerque and the Capitol.

The total commute, of course, would be even longer if someone has to drive to and from the Rail Runner stop in Albuquerque.

A round trip during the week, then, could end up taking about an hour longer than driving, perhaps 90 minutes longer if it takes the commuter 15 minutes in both the morning and evening to drive to the Rail Runner stop and park.

Regardless of the reason, its clear fewer people are opting for the train nowadays.

Ridership was close to 1.1 million in fiscal years 2013 and 2014, and it fell to about 836,000 in the most recent fiscal year  a drop of 23 percent over a five-year period.

The rail service was launched in 2006, a major initiative of then-Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat who left office at the end of 2010.

Launching the rail service cost close to $500 million to buy track and pay for other infrastructure.

Supporters said the investment would help New Mexico avoid traffic congestion in the Interstate 25 corridor and accommodate population growth in central New Mexico.

Bernalillo County and New Mexico in general have had little population growth in recent years  well below the national average since 2010.

Regular riders

The train certainly seems popular with those who ride it.

On a recent weekday, passengers waiting at the Santa Fe Depot for a 5 p.m. train heading south said theyve made friends on the train and rely on it to get to work.

Rio Rancho resident Nancy Lemons, who has a human resources job at a hotel, said the price is right. Her monthly pass is $100, she said.

You cant beat it, Lemons said.

Stephanie Gonzales, a private accountant who lives in Las Vegas, N.M., said she takes a combination of buses and the Rail Runner as part of her commute. She no longer has to worry much about snowy weather interfering with her trip.

Instead, she enjoys the convenience of letting someone else do the driving, Gonzales said.

Pros and cons

Opponents of the Rail Runner say the decreasing ridership underscores their point: A less costly option  perhaps a commuter bus service  would have been the better choice.

Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, an advocacy group that promotes limited government and individual freedom, said the train is also hampered by poor Wi-Fi service and the addition of new stops that have lengthened the travel times.

Long story short, he said, the train never made financial sense and still doesnt. We remain convinced that the best move is to shut it down immediately. The sad thing is that even with all those subsidies, people dont want to ride it.

Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, chairwoman of the Rio Metro board, said she expects Rail Runner ridership to bounce back as the economy improves.

Public transportation is important to economic development efforts, she said, as shown by Amazons desire for a strong mass transit system wherever it builds its new headquarters. And, of course, some people already rely on the Rail Runner to get to work, she said.

Commuter rail ridership is very sensitive to job availability and gas prices, Hart Stebbins said. That is true across the country. When we see employment go down and gas prices go down, we see Rail Runner ridership decline as well.

Declining ridership aside, Sen. Sanchez said hes not sure the state has any good options.

Selling the commuter train isnt feasible, according to a 2015 study released by the Transportation Department.

I just dont think we thought this thing out very well when it was first proposed, Sanchez said.
LAS CRUCES  Sisters Loraine Gaines and Glenda Poling have long loved their oldest sibling, whom they never had the chance to meet.

Born Oct. 18, 1933, in Silver City during the Great Depression, the sisters sibling  known only as Baby Fulstom on birth and death certificates  would have turned 84 on Wednesday.

Gaines and Poling grew up knowing only that Baby Fulstom had died at birth. But over the past two decades, theyve discovered clues that have left them questioning the story of the babys death and wondering if the child even died. Now, theyre working to uncover the truth about the mysterious disappearance of their long-lost sibling.

We have loved our sibling never knowing it, never seeing it, Poling said from Oregon in a recent phone interview.

We want to know if he or she was loved and that, by choice, we would not have given him or her up, said Gaines, who traveled to Las Cruces last month.

Poling, a private investigator, and Gaines have been investigating the case of their missing sibling since 1996.

The sisters search for answers has led them to believe that their paternal grandmother  whom they described as a controlling woman who assumed many aliases and had a history of acquiring children  was the culprit behind Baby Fulstoms disappearance.

Their mother, Annie Louise Holt Fulstone, was in her early 20s when she became pregnant with Baby Fulstom, her first child, according to the sisters, who believe their grandmother induced labor before full term.

According to Gaines and Poling, the grandmother, who went by the name Leola Jesmore while living in Silver City, was one of several people present for the babys birth. The others included their father, John Fulstone; a doctor whose last name was Williams (his first name is unknown); and a woman who was close to Jesmore.

Our mother gave birth to the baby, and she was told that it had died, Gaines said, adding that her mother never got to see or hold the child after giving birth.

We believe our mother was lied to, Poling said.

In doing our search, we felt like we had to examine the players in the room. And as we explored who the players were, the common denominator was our grandmother. She was very wicked and had been imprisoned for several things in her lifetime, usually including the acquisition of other peoples children.

The sisters have since uncovered newspaper reports from the early 20th century chronicling their grandmothers wayward ways and bizarre run-ins with the law. She got into a lot of trouble, Gaines said.

However, it wasnt until 1978 that Poling learned from her mother that Baby Fulstom had not died at birth, as she and Gaines had been told.

She explained that her mother-in-law (Jesmore) and our father had taken the baby (soon after birth) and taken it somewhere special in a box, Poling recalled. And I said, What kind of a box? And she said, Well, a hatbox  because our grandmother always had hats, I guess. That was very disturbing to me, and Mom couldnt give me any more details than that.

In the mid-1990s, their older sister, Betty, learned about the so-called Hatbox Baby after watching an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. The case centered around an infant who was found abandoned in the desert east of Mesa, Ariz., in a pasteboard hatbox in 1931.

It appeared as if there could be a connection between Baby Fulstom and the Hatbox Baby, given their mothers story about the hatbox, but the sisters later learned that their DNA did not match the Hatbox Baby.

Before their mothers death in 1995, she divulged more information about her first-born child, telling the sisters that the baby had been buried in Silver City. This prompted Poling, Gaines and their other siblings to travel to Grant County in search of the childs grave.

We could not find it, and we could not find any record  ever  of the baby existing, Gaines said.

At that time, people operating the mortuary and cemetery told the sisters to consider the possibility that their sibling could have been a black market baby, Poling said.

That seemed absolutely out of the realm of possibilities, she said, until she found a box of her mothers belongings about a year and a half ago.

In the box, she found Baby Fulstoms birth certificate, which indicated that the child was born alive, but it was filled out about seven months after the babys death certificate had been issued.

The conflicting documents turned out to be a big breakthrough for the sisters investigation, Poling said. She added that her grandmother was well known for falsifying documents.

But there have been few leads since Poling discovered the birth certificate, and the sisters have come up short in locating records, or a medical ledger, from Dr. Williams, who was present at their siblings birth. They believe those records would hold the truth about the baby.

It is their hope that their story will be widely shared and lead to additional clues about the fate of their sibling. We would like closure, Gaines said.

Poling added: We would welcome into our family someone who has been missing for 84 years. That would be a thrill and a joy.
KABUL, Afghanistan  Dozens of men gathered in a dust-blown graveyard Saturday to pay their last respects to 83-year-old Karbalai Mohammad Anwar Noori, one of at least 50 people killed in a suicide bombing the night before at a nearby mosque in west Kabul.

As Nooris sons and nephews fought back tears, a tall, turbaned cleric stood above the mound of freshly turned dirt where the shroud-wrapped body was laid to rest. Speaking into a microphone, he invoked the words of Imam Jafar Sadiq, the sixth imam in Shiite Islam.

Those who worship must be cautious and clever, said the cleric, Abdulaziz Amiri. It is not only up to the security forces to protect us. We must be prepared at all times and ready for any possible attack.

Threats are increasing for Afghanistans Shiite Muslim minority, the targets of a spate of recent attacks that have highlighted the governments inability to secure places of worship and added a troubling sectarian dimension to the countrys long-running conflict.

In the first nine months of this year, 84 Afghan Shiites were killed and 194 wounded in attacks against mosques or religious gatherings, according to United Nations figures.

Those numbers rose sharply after Friday evening, when a suicide bomber hurled a grenade at worshipers before blowing himself up near the front of the crowded Imam Zaman mosque, which sits along a busy road in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. Dozens were wounded, officials said.

As in many of the previous attacks  including two at Shiite mosques in Kabul over the summer  Islamic States South Asia affiliate claimed responsibility for the bombing. The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and accuses Afghan Shiites, particularly members of the Hazara ethnic group, of fighting against the militants as part of pro-government militias in Syria.

The bombings have become so common that even the perpetrators have seemed to lose track of them. On Friday, Islamic State incorrectly said it had attacked the Imam Zaman mosque for the second time  confusing it with a Kabul mosque by the same name that it had attacked in August, killing about 40 people.

At funerals across Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Saturday, grieving Shiites said they understood the threats but would not cease observing their faith.

Of course people are worried and scared  every attack is a massacre, said Nooris son, Ali Khan Noori, 44.

But as mourners filed away from the cemetery, Noori pushed back gently against the clerics admonition.

My father is martyred  I am not upset about that, he said. But it is the governments responsibility to provide security, not the peoples responsibility.

Shiites, who make up less than 20 percent of Afghanistans population, were rarely singled out for attacks in the decade after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, a Sunni fundamentalist regime. But since 2011, the annual Shiite religious festival of Ashura has been attacked almost every year, according to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based research organization.

The biggest attack against Shiites came in July 2016, when Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bombing at a Hazara-led protest in Kabul that killed more than 80 people, wounded hundreds and sparked a major grass-roots protest movement demanding that President Ashraf Ghanis government do more to secure religious sites.

Last month, weeks before Ashura, the government recruited civilian guards and distributed weapons at hundreds of Shiite houses of worship, a controversial move in a country that is awash in guns and has often struggled to control private militias.

The limits of that policy were clear at the Imam Zaman mosque, where five guards armed with aging automatic rifles did not detect the suicide bomber  carrying multiple grenades  as he entered through a gate along a busy road, walked across a small courtyard, up a flight of steps and made his way toward the front of the prayer hall.

Witnesses said the bomber waited until the moment that the evening prayer began, when worshipers were bowing to the floor, to launch one grenade across the room and detonate his suicide vest.

Blood was splattered across the walls and bits of hair and flesh were stuck to the ceiling. The walls were pocked with holes, probably from ball bearings that were packed into the bombers vest. The blood-soaked carpets were torn off the floors and rolled up in the courtyard, attracting flies.

(EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM)

The blast threw Mohammad Daoud, a civilian guard posted behind a set of sandbags at the entrance to the prayer hall, off his chair and into a concrete wall, though he wasnt injured. Daoud acknowledged that the addition of weapons from the government had not kept them safe, and that many people still entered the mosque without being thoroughly frisked.

It is not respectful to search people all the time when they come to pray, he said. If a terrorist makes it all the way up the stairs, what can we do? Its difficult to stop them.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM)

In a paper published last month, the Afghanistan Analysts Network warned that armed, lightly trained civilians would not be able to stop a major attack against a crowd of worshipers. But government officials have indicated the civilian guards would remain in place for the time being.

All in all, the plan looks much more like a symbolic act of reassuring the Shia communities that the government is doing something, rather than achieving a real improvement [in] security, the group wrote.

The mosque attack came at the end of a week that saw more than 200 Afghan civilians and security personnel killed.

On Saturday evening, another suicide bomber struck outside a military training academy as army officers were on their way home, killing 15 people, according to Defense Ministry officials. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Many Shiites responded with resignation when asked about the deteriorating security.

We cant stop praying, Daoud said. We cant close the gates of the mosque and stay home.

If I were to be killed defending this place, it would be an honor.



2017 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas  The cranes are in place to build a mammoth new bridge over the shipping channel here. The span will be anchored by two Washington Monument-size spires that will be taller than the nearby flame-tipped refinery towers.

The $500 million bridge, with a higher clearance and a deeper channel, will let supersize oil tankers push into the inner harbor, spurring industrial growth and uncorking the ports potential as a petrochemical trading hub.

Add in new pipelines nearby, and crude-oil exports are projected to triple by 2024, an increase worth at least $36 billion a year for a port that already provides more than 13,000 jobs.

In the shadow of all that economic progress, however, is the poor and polluted neighborhood of Hillcrest. It is squeezed between the port and the interstate, hemmed in by oil tanks on one side and miles of refineries on another.

The bridge, as designed, would complete the isolation of the neighborhood, which is predominantly Hispanic and African-American. And that, two residents argued in a complaint filed with the federal Transportation Department, would be a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Massive infrastructure projects inevitably present challenges to adjoining communities that historically have taken years, and even decades, to sort out. In Hillcrest, however, homeowners are being offered two or three times the depressed value of their homes to move out, a remarkably generous deal  and a surprisingly quick resolution.

Can that agreement serve as a model for a new president who has vowed to slash through the red tape of big projects to prod economic development? Or will it stand as an uncommon example of progress on civil rights, housing and the environment?

  

Just beside the port, Rosie Ann Porter stood on the back deck of a house that will soon be gone from a neighborhood that is dying. Her sturdy home, with its 17 windows and airy rooms, is one of fewer than 500 residences left in impoverished Hillcrest.

The blocks of once-neat houses, with the good candy on Halloween and the grapefruit trees in the yards, gave a couple of generations of oil workers a place to live close to work  and exposure to carcinogens for decades.

Murder, Porter said, referring to the refineries at the end of her street. Theyve gotten away with murder. Thats what I think.

From a boat in the shipping channel, in the warm sunset glow, theres a certain imposing beauty to Refinery Row. It looks like a chemistry set left out by giants.

The Koch brothers Flint Hills Resources operation supplies most of the jet fuel used by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Citgo gasoline goes to its network of thousands of service stations.

But decades of emissions, leaks and explosions have left Hillcrests residents distrustful and complaining of serious health problems.

You cant let your windows up and enjoy a fresh breeze coming through the house, said Porter, a retired helicopter parts supplier. When theyre up and the refinerys spilling out those fumes, its nothing nice. She stopped eating her grapefruit years ago.

Her daughter grew up with severe asthma, which Porter blames on refinery emissions. As a girl, Therri Alexandria Usher assumed that her frequent nosebleeds and near-yearly bouts of bronchitis were routine parts of growing up, just like the towering stacks a few blocks away.

I thought that was where God made clouds, because I would see the smoke coming out of the big poles, said Usher, 28, a statistician for the federal government who lives in Columbia, Maryland. When youre growing up there, you think of it as normal, really.

A federal jury found Citgo guilty of criminal violations of the Clean Air Act in 2007 and fined the company $2 million, but an appeals court overturned the verdict in 2015, citing a botched jury instruction.

That left the people of Hillcrest with no compensation  and still breathing a mixture of chemicals found in Refinery Row outdoor air that over many years increases the risk of a cancer, as the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry put it in a 456-page public health assessment last year.

Then came what residents thought was the final blow: the big bridge project. Its design included a new section of highway that would box in Hillcrest on all four sides.

Residents were used to losing against powerful oil interests. But a civil rights lawyer urged Porter and an elderly neighbor, Jean Salone, now deceased, to file a complaint with the Federal Highway Administration that argued that the bridge plan violated the Civil Rights Act.

Lawyers Erin Gaines of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and Kelly Haragan at the University of Texas School of Law wrote in the 2015 filing that the state continues to perpetuate past discrimination against African Americans in the historically segregated Hillcrest neighborhood, a community that has already borne disproportionate environmental and health impacts from building Interstate 37 in the 1960s and decades of encroaching industry.

They wagered that their legal argument would help persuade President Barack Obamas transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx. The Charlotte native often recalled how the new interstates had destroyed the connective tissue of his grandparents neighborhood, just as infrastructure projects had marginalized poor and minority neighborhoods in Baltimore, Miami and Los Angeles.

Texas effort to tap $686 million in federal funding for the $1 billion project came as Foxx and other officials were trying to make amends for that history using civil rights law. The future of the bridge and port was put on hold until the complaint was resolved.

That was the big leverage, Gaines said, given that the port touts itself as the fourth-largest in the United States by tonnage and the top exporter of crude oil.

The complaint was filed in March, and by Christmas 2015 a deal had been struck in near-record time: Texas transportation officials agreed to offer Porter and her neighbors voluntary buyouts to vacate the polluted industrial zone they call home. And they would subsidize rent for a few years for tenants, who make up more than half of Hillcrests population, who chose to move out.

The terms were far more favorable to residents than in a typical project, where the government might seize land and homes through eminent domain. In Hillcrest, officials offered to relocate much of the neighborhood. Hundreds of families were eligible.

Owners essentially would be able to trade in their homes for comparably sized ones in nicer neighborhoods, even if the homes cost several times more.

Washington signed off on the bridge. The relocation program would cost $45 million if 70 percent of those eligible were to take part, Texas transportation officials said. Funding would come from the state, a regional planning organization and the port authority, a Texas entity supported by industry.

The milestone agreement was to begin within months.

Instead, a sticking point emerged that stalled progress for another year: Should Hillcrests undocumented immigrants receive the same generous terms as legal residents?

  

As the 2016 presidential campaign rolled on, with its passionate and polarizing debate over immigration, federal and state officials sparred over the rights of the undocumented people living in Hillcrest.

Those residents were included in the deal, argued federal officials who cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any program receiving federal funding.

No, argued state officials, they were barred from the deal by the federal Uniform Act, which specifically excludes an alien not lawfully present from receiving relocation assistance.

On Jan. 18, two days before the end of the Obama presidency, the Federal Highway Administration declared that Texas was not in compliance  and threatened to withhold the $686 million from the project.

For the Obama Administration to go back on their approval agreement and try to force TxDOT to break the law by paying benefits to illegal aliens is unconscionable, Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, who represents Corpus Christi, said in a statement.

Farenthold had been scrambling behind the scenes. In an interview, he said his office sought help from President Donald Trumps team.

We just made a couple of calls, he said. The gist was: Hey, this is hung up. What do we need to do to get it moving again?

It worked, Farenthold said.

The Obama-era legal interpretation was jettisoned. Undocumented immigrants would not receive the relocation buyout or other benefits. A top federal highway official signed Texas write-up of the renegotiated agreement Feb. 3.

How was a new solution negotiated less than two weeks after Trumps inauguration?

A Farenthold aide pointed to conversations between the congressmans office and transition officials, including those with the Justice Department, which provides guidance on civil rights issues to other agencies. The White House referred questions to a Justice spokeswoman, who did not provide answers.

In response to questions, the Transportation Department said in a statement, We believe this case demonstrates the [Federal Highway Administrations] commitment to ensuring that civil rights protections are enforced. The statement continued: Secretary [Elaine] Chao did not play a role in this matter.

No undocumented immigrants have been publicly vocal about being excluded. One homeowner who is here illegally declined to discuss the policy when a reporter visited Hillcrest.

Port officials said their research indicated that only a handful of undocumented immigrants would be affected by the carve-out. Community organizers and Texas lawyers, including those who filed the civil rights complaint, said they had not received requests for help.

That may indicate that people have gone underground. The Trump administrations tougher immigration enforcement and the states new law permitting local police to inquire about immigration status have had a chilling effect across the board, said Justin Tullius, a lawyer for the Texas immigrant rights group Raices. The message being received, he said, is: Come forward at your own risk.

  

Farenthold praised the new approach.

Trump has a huge commitment to infrastructure, the congressman said in the interview, and doesnt hate Texas.

Transportation projects are about more than transportation. Theyre about jobs, communities and people, and how they all get stitched together  or pulled apart.

The president has proposed overhauling how the nation weighs competing interests in building its infrastructure and argues that permitting requirements are shackling ingenuity and growth. The plodding and expensive process is a massive self-inflicted wound on our country, he said in August at Trump Tower in New York.

Trump has proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agencys budget by 31 percent, targeting environmental justice, enforcement and other areas, and he says studies on the impact of projects can be reduced to a few simple pages.

But without those protections, advocates argue, the poor and disenfranchised may lose rights in the name of progress.

The Hillcrest deal, which allows people to escape from miserable conditions in an unusual way, was a direct outgrowth of those regulations and their requirements.

It was a night-and-day difference from a complaint where you just get radio silence for years and years and years, said Haragan, one of Porters lawyers.

Farenthold said that although Hillcrests buyout makes sense because of the poverty of his constituents, offering such programs widely would be costly and should be considered only on a case-by-case basis. Were talking a major change in policy if this is adopted broadly, he said.

The Hillcrest experiment in how to kill a neighborhood quickly to make way for growth has been painful for many.

Mary Runnels, a retired nurse, said relocation benefits for renters arent good enough to allow her to leave, despite her neighbors blaring music and the enormous white storage tank that looms over her apartment.

The port will pay the difference in rent for 3 years if people move elsewhere.

What happens after that? asked Runnels, who doesnt see how she can afford Corpus Christis well-kept suburban neighborhoods, minutes from the water. You get put out.

The boarded-up buildings, empty lots and mattress-strewn sidewalks share unnaturally quiet streets with those who remain, who still take the bus to work and walk to church.

When the houses are razed, the last vestiges of a community will vanish, too.

This was a beautiful neighborhood when we moved in here, said Janie Chinn Mumphord, 85. Her house, where she raised three sons, was one of the first to go after she moved out in June. I pray that all my friends who want to get out of here will be able to. Weve been out here together. What will it look like? Iraq?

Usher, who received her doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University last year, said Corpus Christis leaders failed Hillcrest residents.

Now that Im out of it, really I blame the city, she said. You basically sold us out. Its money. Its racial history. Its segregation. All of it sort of culminates in Hillcrest.

Porter, her mother, is leaving, too, with complicated emotions. Porter grew up here. Her own mother bought the house on Peabody Avenue and raised her children there. She stayed there as long as she could, confined to bed and on a respirator, her daughter by her side.

Its just like the last of . . .  Porter said, halting amid the tears, the last of my connection to her.

Porter fought the oil companies in court and lost, then filed a legal complaint and won.

But the relocation deal doesnt settle the books on the resentment and anger she has from watching Hillcrest go from something to nothing.

What Porter wants is to pick up the house and carry it with her when she goes.

Instead, it will be knocked down like hundreds of others to make way for a new stretch of highway leading to a bridge that promises an economic renaissance worth billions.
A vehicle crashed into construction equipment on Interstate 40 early Sunday morning, leaving a passenger dead and the driver facing charges, according to a police spokesman.

Officer Daren DeAguero said police responded to the crash on eastbound I40, at Rio Grande, around 2 a.m. after a vehicle drove through construction barricades and ran into a backhoe.

He said the passenger died on scene while the driver was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Alcohol appears to be a factor.

Once the driver is released from the hospital, she will be arrested for vehicular homicide, DeAguero said. Eastbound I40 was closed during the investigation but has since reopened.
Health screening tests Wednesday

The Belmont Senior Center, in conjunction with iPHARM from the University of Montana, will be offering screenings on bone density, blood glucose, and cholesterol from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 615 E. Mercury St.

The cost is $5 per test. Free blood pressure readings will also be available.

To schedule an appointment, call 406-723-7773. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Art club bazaar planned Saturday

DEER LODGE  The Deer Lodge Art Club will host its annual bazaar from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Pen Convention Center Art Gallery, 925 Main St., Deer Lodge.

The bazaar will feature cinnamon rolls and coffee, artwork, holiday items, baked goods, and more.

Whitehall Rotary to hold Harvest Dance

WHITEHALL  The Whitehall Rotary Club will host their annual Harvest Dance from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Whitehall Community Center, 11 N. Division St.

The cost is $10 per person ($35 for a family of four or more). This includes a meal, which is served from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Live music will be provided by the Little Boulder River Band, and there will be a Halloween costume contest.

Proceeds help the Rotary complete local service projects.
October 19, 2017

US President Donald Trumps Oct. 13 address unveiling his administrations new strategy toward Iran predictably sparked widespread reactions in Tehran. Unlike when Barack Obama was in office, Iranians were this time around more unified in their reaction to the tone and language of the president of the United States.

After weeks of back and forth, Trump in his speech accused the Iranian government of "not living up to the spirit" of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and declared that he would not certify to Congress the Islamic Republics compliance with the accord.

The reactions were quick to follow.

Even before the presidents speech was over, Iranian users on social networks, and especially Twitter, responded to what they believed was Trumps violation of the nuclear deal, using the hashtag #NeverTrustUSA.

This wasnt all. The US president managed to also touch on an issue that is considered a point of dignity by all Iranians, enough to trigger a wave of outrage in cyberspace. During his speech, the US president referred to the body of water separating Iran from its southern neighbors as the Arabian Gulf; an unacceptable mistake as far as virtually all Iranian social and political groups are concerned. As a result, Iranian users started posting historical documents testifying to the accuracy of the Persian Gulf as the proper name for the body of water. These documents ranged from a handwritten text by Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, in which the term Persian Gulf was used, to videos of speeches made by former US presidents  Obama, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush  in which they all referred to the Persian Gulf.

President Hassan Rouhani was quick to address this issue in his speech shortly after Trumps address was over, while Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Trump of selling geographical accuracy for political gains in a series of tweets posted on the same day. Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaie also addressed the US president in a tweet, writing, Mr. Trump, you had no right to call it Arabian Gulf instead of the Persian Gulf.

However, the controversy over the use of the term "Arabian Gulf" was a less important part of Trumps speech. Beyond the claims about Tehran's having violated the spirit of the JCPOA, he also questioned Irans ballistic missile program and threatened the IRGC. These threats and accusations notably also triggered unity among Iranian political players. Likely because of Trumps threats against the IRGC, both Rouhani and Zarif for the first time offered their unconditional support for the guard corps.

Sadegh Zibakalam, a prominent political analyst and a professor at Tehran University, told Al-Monitor, Trump was trying out an old and worn-out strategy of instigating a split between the people and the [political] establishment, with the hope of rallying people against the state. Not only is this strategy very ineffictive, but he was not even able to conduct this ineffective strategy correctly. By referring to the Arabian Gulf, he agitated the people more than the state. Zibakalam added, At the same time, however, I believe that Trumps radical tone and strategy will pave the way for radicals in Iran to gain more power.

Meanwhile, Irans ballistic missile program is likely to surface as another point of contention. On Oct. 13, in a joint statement addressing Trump's decision, Britain, France and Germany, while declaring their support for the nuclear deal, also expressed their concern regarding Irans ballistic missile program and urged Tehran to stop destabilizing actions in the region. This solidarity between Europe and the United States on a key issue, which Iran has repeatedly announced that it is unwilling to discuss, is now increasing suspicions in Tehran about the West wanting it to negotiate over its missile program. As such, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested in an Oct. 15 interview that a second agreement with Iran, presumably on its missile program, among other points of contention, might be underway.

It is, however, highly unlikely that Iran would agree to any new accord. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the commanders of the IRGC, Rouhani and Zarif have repeatedly emphasized that Iran's ballistic missile program is defensive in nature and not up for negotiation.

Al-Monitor spoke with Tehran-based expert on Iran-US relations Aziz Hatamzadeh, who said, It appears that Trump is trying to put pressure on Iran as well as his own European allies by imposing more sanctions on Iran and making the United States adherence to the nuclear agreement conditional. This way, Iran, as well as Trumps European allies, will be forced to either accept his revision of the nuclear agreement or risk having it canceled. In such a situation, the Islamic Republic should first be careful not to fall into Trumps trap [for it to be the first to withdraw from the accord], and then, it should try to expand its engagement with European countries as well as Russia and China.

When it comes to the nuclear deal itself, almost everyone in Tehran believes that Trumps new strategy has isolated the United States, since all except Washington have confirmed Irans compliance with the JCPOA, given the Islamic Republic's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. At the same time, however, the Islamic Republic is now more watchful of US actions, and if Trump were to implement his threats, the nuclear deal could forever be lost. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said Oct. 15, If the JCPOA is abolished, we will be forced to react accordingly and stop implementing the Additional Protocol.

While world leaders have emphasized the importance of upholding the nuclear deal, Iran will nonetheless closely monitor the actions of the United States. It could be that Trump is merely attempting to defer the decision of what to do with the accord to Congress  and thus save himself the trouble of having to personally do so every three months. However, it should be borne in mind that Iran knows full well that the very same Congress made it difficult for the Obama administration to implement the JCPOA.
October 18, 2017

MOSCOW  Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu paid a two-day visit this week to Israel  his first as the top Russian military commander. On Oct. 16, Shoigu met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the Israel Defense Forces' Chief of General Staff Gadi Eizenkot. On Tuesday, he was hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hours before Shoigu landed in Tel Aviv, the Israeli air force destroyed a Syrian army anti-aircraft battery in an alleged retaliation to Damascus firing a missile at Israeli planes while they were on a reconnaissance mission over neighboring Lebanon. Israel said it informed Russia of the incident in real-time mode and comprehensively briefed Shoigu to alleviate a potentially negative response from Moscow.

Unlike Shoigus snap visit to Damascus in September, which was shrouded in mystery, on this trip to Israel he was clear about his purpose: Besides the military and military-technical cooperation [between our countries], the main issue remains the fight against terrorism, as well as the [general] situation in the region. Separately, wed like to discuss everything that has to do with Syria. [Russias] operation there is coming to its end. There are several points that require urgent solutions and discussion of further prospects.  There is a lot to talk about, said Shoigu in his opening statement at the meeting with Liberman.

In response, Liberman said Israel values its relations with Russia for the sincere, candid dialogue [between the two].  Im positive that this is the way to solve all the problems. He spoke first in Russian and then repeated his remarks in Hebrew.

Shoigus allusions to military-technical cooperation imply the interest Israel apparently has in purchasing Russias heavy infantry fighting vehicle, the BMPT Terminator. Russia reportedly deployed the vehicle in Syria for field trials against the Islamic State (IS) and it came in handy for urban fights. Commenting on the prospects of the deal between Russia and Israel, Andrei Frolov, a military analyst and editor-in-chief of the Russian journal Eksport Vooruzheny (Arms Export), told Al-Monitor, The Israelis have never directly bought arms from Russia. There were a few projects on the modernization of Soviet military equipment in third countries, but never a direct purchase  unlike the Russians, who did buy weapons from Israel. If the sale were to happen, it would be emblematic, yet we shouldnt be overestimating the financial or military significance of the [potential] deal.

What was more important in the Shoigu-Liberman talks was the military coordination between Moscow and Tel Aviv at the current stage, as well as how the two states are going to approach Syria and Iran in the long run.

Shoigus statements that the Russian campaign in Syria is coming to its end triggered a flurry of speculation over the future course of Moscows policies in the country. Frolov said the remarks  the way they were formulated  sound rather abstract: Its hard to tell whether it really is coming to its end. One needs to know the exact initial [operational] goals to be able to make precise conclusions.

It's hardly the first time Russia has proclaimed the end was near. In February, Shoigu said Russian troops would be coming home. In March, President Vladimir Putin announced the goals in Syria were completed and indeed ordered the drawdown of Russia's main forces  but the Russian campaign is still going. In late August, Shoigu stated the war in Syria had reached a de facto end. In September, at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin reiterated the idea, saying, "Conditions for peace have been created in Syria. Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 92% of the Syrian territory was freed from [IS]. So if the goal was to defeat the terrorists, as Putin proclaimed when Russia entered Syria two years ago, the mission is indeed coming to an end. Yet Russia is facing an array of other challenges, including complications over the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran's growing presence.

Russian diplomacy takes pride in its flexibility and openness to different players in the Middle East.

Iran was especially large on Shoigus agenda during the meeting with Netanyahu. Following the encounter, the Israeli prime minister wrote on his Twitter page, Iran is attempting to establish itself militarily in Syria. I told the Russian DM: Iran needs to understand that Israel will not allow this. Russias reputable Kommersant newspaper cites its sources in the Defense Ministry as saying the Shoigu-led delegation shared with the Israelis details of Russias air force operations in Syria and Iran's contribution to the fight against terrorism in that country. Moscow also provided some information on the way the four de-escalation zones in Syria will function. Israel opposes the idea of Iran being one of the intermediaries in the process, but Russia is set to maintain the current framework.

Russias support for Hezbollah has also been on the agenda for the two parties, with the Russians supposedly assuring the Israelis that their dealings with the group don't go beyond targeted planning of certain operations in Syria and that Moscow doesnt supply it with arms.

Russian diplomacy takes pride in its flexibility and openness to different players in the Middle East. From Assad and Tehran to the Syrian opposition and Tel Aviv, from Doha to Riyadh, from Turks to Kurds and from Libyas Gen. Khalifa Hifter to Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, Moscow tries to engage virtually all stakeholders. This is no easy mission, and the military incident between Israel and Syria on the day of Shoigus visit has exposed the objective limits of Russia's power to keep conflict-bound actors apart.

Given Israel's role in the region, its military power and its willingness to use it, it is critical for Putin to continue the current level of communication with Netanyahu to ensure Russias own presence is immune from any Israeli assaults. But it is also clear Israel is determined to stop Iran's growing presence near Israel's borders. At the same time, Tehran is resolved to expand and solidify its presence. Moscow doesnt see that situation as its own fight and is working to dodge potential complications of ending up on either side.

Israel has been rather loyal to Russias military presence  and realizes its own gains from it  and Iran has been crucial to Russia on the ground in Syria. But Russia's goals in Syria arent ultimately about either Israel or Iran. Moscow is, however, wary of each party trying to work Russias presence to the detriment of the other. For instance, Russian media outlets have recently raised questions about Irans intentions when it changed the location of an Iran-to-Hezbollah arms transfer point from the border with Lebanon to central Syria, closer to Palmyra. As a result of that change, Israel will have to fly deep into Syrian territory to make its bombing raids on the transfer point and could at some point clash with Russian air forces or harm Russian advisers thought to be stationed at Palmyra.

Such moves are likely to happen more often and represent a long-term challenge to Moscow. Russia will need to sit down with Israel and seriously talk about whether Israel's interests can be squared with Russias interests, and whether Moscow really has any leverage over Tehran, whether in Syria or beyond. Shoigu's visit appears to be important in this very regard. Similar conversations need to be held with Iran  and thats the likely goal of Putin's visit to Tehran in early November.
October 18, 2017

Since July, when talks failed  for the 11th time  to generate an acceptable plan to reunify the island of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been debating how to keep the idea of a bizonal and bicommunal federation alive.

Last week, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades announced he would seek his second and final five-year term. His focus, he said, would be to reunite the island. It's a tall order.

On Oct. 1, former British Foreign Minister Jack Straw penned a piece in The Independent declaring stillborn all efforts for an island federation. He was blunt, saying the status quo in the Greek south is simply too comfortable to convince that side to make any concessions. Given that so many rounds of talks have failed to coordinate even basic bicommunal cooperation activities  such as establishing a unified electric grid for the whole island or setting up a roaming agreement for mobile phones  unification has proven a challenge.

On Oct. 3, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, foreign minister of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, made headlines in Turkey with statements he made at a roundtable at the International Republican Institute in Washington. Ertugruloglu concurred with Straw that the idea of a united island with a federal government is dead. But as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus can't just keep waiting, he told the audience two options are being considered.

One possibility is establishing an independent state. However, since Turkey invaded and partitioned the island in 1974, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus hasn't been recognized by any country except Turkey  though Ertugruloglu says there's been no major effort on the global scene to gain such recognition. To make matters more difficult, in 2004 Cyprus became a member of the EU, but without allowing the Turkish Cypriots to enjoy its benefits.

Ertugruloglus second option was to form a strong diplomatic system, like the one shared by Monaco and France, between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkey, in which Cypriots would delegate defense and foreign policy matters to Ankara yet govern themselves independently on domestic matters.

Although both of these options seem much like the extension of the status quo for Cyprus, Ertugruloglus choice of words was rather alarming given the direness of the situation.

How were Ertugruloglus comments from Washington received in Cyprus? Sinan Dirlik, a columnist for the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Duzen, told Al-Monitor that Ertugruloglus position as foreign minister is symbolic and had little impact on the negotiations. It is Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Mustafa Akinci who leads the process. Dirlik added: Ertugruloglu just reiterates the well-known rhetoric of right-wing politics on the island in preparation for the 2018 elections. Yet his words generated a significant uproar here [in Cyprus]. Akinci had harshly criticized the foreign minister, who replied in kind. Other political parties criticized Ertugruloglu for proposing plans that were never discussed by the parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Dirlik said, Neither Turkey nor the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has any goal of independence or confederation with Turkey as options. To the contrary, all these years of negotiations reinforced the idea of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

When asked about the mood on the island, Dirlik conveyed a rather dim picture in which hopes are fading. Yet there are still voices on both sides arguing that a federation would be best for cultural and financial reasons.

Ertugruloglu's controversial statements were mostly ignored by pro-government columnists and social media trolls. At a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushes ultra-nationalistic rhetoric, even he must have thought that endorsing Ertugruloglu would be counterproductive. In remarks from different senior bureaucrats in Ankara, Al-Monitor learned that the Cyprus issue, although important, is no longer a priority for the government given the situation in Iraq and Syria. However, foreign companies that are drilling for natural gas and oil at the invitation of Greek Cypriots are a matter of concern for the Turkish side.

Inside Turkey, reactions were polarized. In a TV interview from Diyarbakir province, people of Kurdish origin in Turkey highlighted the double standard the Turkish government held for Cyprus and Kurdistan after the Iraqi Kurds' Sept. 25 independence referendum. One said, The Turkish government supports, finances and defends a handful of Cypriots to establish an independent state, but here it opposes the rights of millions [of Kurds] to establish their own state. In the meantime, a handful of ultra-nationalistic Twitter users were posting maps of Cyprus as a part of Turkey. Turkey has 81 provinces and ultra-nationalists are now declaring Kirkuk as No. 82, Cyprus No. 83 and Mosul No. 84. Both Kirkuk and Mosul are in northern Iraq.

Yiorgos Kakouris, a journalist for Cypriot daily Politis, elaborated on the differences in political views presented at the July talks and how they were seen on the Greek side, "with Akinci insisting on finding a new way to negotiate peace, whether thats partnership or separation; Ertugruloglu insisting that the federal model is dead; and Turkish government officials saying that the approach of Turkey and the north will be decided after the presidential election in the south" in January 2018. "This, the [Greek Cypriot] government spokesperson has said, is an indication that the Turkish side has no clear objective in mind at this point."

He continued: The official government line regarding the options put out by Ertugruloglu is, of course, that they are unacceptable and that the only option is negotiated reunification. No political power, even the most extreme, has dared to speak of an official partition openly and is unlikely to, despite reports that certain political figures, including the president, have  behind the scenes  considered the scenario of two separate states within the EU. Publicly and privately, of course, everyone denies it.

Van Coufoudakis, professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, provided a different angle that is not addressed in Turkish news. The two options [Ertugruloglu] advocates are unacceptable to the Republic of Cyprus and do not provide a viable alternative to the present situation. Over the years, Ankara and its Turkish Cypriot surrogates have sought but failed to get recognition of the so-called TRNC [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]. The UN Security Council, in unanimous resolutions [in 1975 and 1983], has found this 'state' to be illegal and has called on the international community not to recognize it," he said.

"European Court decisions consider the Turkish Cypriot 'authorities' to be 'a subordinate administration to the Turkish army.' The international position on the 'TRNC' follows the policy established by the 1932 Stimson Doctrine of not recognizing entities that are the fruit of aggression. This principle has been followed to this day, including the most recent case in Ukraine.

Could a different model of existence prove useful for the north? Coufoudakis provided a straightforward analysis. President Erdogan wrongly believes that if some Islamic states recognize the 'TRNC,' the rest of the world will follow, or at least grant the 'TRNC' a status similar to that of Taiwan. Any attempt to seek recognition of the 'TRNC' would mean the end of any hope Turkey may still have for EU accession. The EU will not tolerate secession in one of its country members. Any attempt at recognition will also confirm Turkey's real intentions when it invaded and occupied portions of the Republic of Cyprus in 1974.

Coufoudakis explained why consecutive talks keep failing. Any resolution [plan] proposed by UN mediators based on the unprecedented construct of the 'bizonal, bicommunal federation'  will have to be approved by separate referenda. The Greek Cypriots, once again, will reject any formula replacing the Republic of Cyprus with a two-state confederation affirming the result of the 1974 invasion. The Greek Cypriots will never agree to any form of a Turkish guarantee or military presence on the soil of an EU member. Citizens of the Republic of Cyprus have ample evidence of how Ankara and its military control every aspect of life in occupied Cyprus, have seen the consequences of the Islamization of occupied Cyprus and the impact of the illegal Turkish settlers on the original cohesive Turkish Cypriot community and its politics.

The Turkish governments silence, along with harsh criticism from other factions of Turkish Cypriots toward Ertugruloglus two provocative alternatives, suggest they prefer the status quo to any dramatic action that might be detrimental to the interests of the Turkish side.
Twenty-four.

Its a number of particular concern here in Butte.

A look at U.S. Census statistics show that median income here is about $24,000.

And the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelors degree or higher is just a tick over 24 percent.

In order to change the first number, we must change the second. Montana Tech is determined to work with the community to do exactly that.

The universitys Butte Initiative seeks to help first-generation Butte students  those who would be the first in their families to attend college  find their way to Montana Tech, and the life-changing opportunities it provides.

The great thing about the Butte Initiative is we have this great institution  a world-class university  right in our back yard, says Mike McGivern, vice president for human resources at Montana Resources. We have the ability to change generations and impact Butte, all in one fell swoop.

We know that one of the best things about a Montana Tech education is that it provides a greater return on investment than that of any other institution of higher learning in the state.

Joe McClafferty, President of the Montana Tech Foundation, knows precisely the value of a first-generation college student  to a family and to a community.

His mother was born in Butte right after the Depression. She got the opportunity to be that first-generation student when the Anaconda Copper Mining scholarship gave her the chance to attend nursing school.

She was the first on either side of her family to even think about going to college. So Bev McClafferty was the first, and that allowed Joe McClafferty to be the second, he says. My kids can be the third generation, and my grandkids the fourth. Thats what this can do for the community.

Pat Kissell, principal at West Elementary, sees the need for a cultural change in Butte that will get kids thinking early in their school careers that college is a possibility, not an impossibility. A very important part of what we do in this community is show that were all in this together, he says. Hes right.

The initiative is off to a great start, with more than $300,000 raised, and it is already helping Butte students realize college dreams. But the University has bigger aspirations. It seeks to set up a $2 million endowment to assure that funds for first-generation college students from Butte will always be there.

We applaud Montana Techs vision and commitment to this initiative. The community must match that vision and commitment, and as that happens the cruelty of the number 24 will no longer define outcomes in Butte.
A reheated version of Airbuss 25-year-old A330, the A330neo flew for the first time Thursday in the European companys attempt to shore up its presence in the 250- to 300-seat long-range market. After some initial teething problems, Boeings 787 Dreamliner is proving a dominant force in that sector. The newish A330 boasts improved aerodynamics and has been re-engined with the Rolls Royce Trent 7000, which is derived from the 1000 series used by the Dreamliner and A350 XWB. Even though its bigger and more powerful it will cut fuel consumption by about 11 percent.

The new model was announced in 2014 and certification is expected in 2018. The aircraft has attracted about 200 orders and the launch customer is Portugals TAP. The original A330 first flew in 1992 and went into service in 1994. The original design is still in production and by the time the new model replaces it about 1,500 will have been built.
A New Zealand general aviation manufacturer is facing heavy fines and its executives prison sentences for violating international trade sanctions against North Korea. Pacific Aerospace, which makes a STOL turboprop utility aircraft called the PAC 750, and its executive officers will be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to indirectly exporting aircraft parts to the country, which has been isolated by trade sanctions for its aggressive nuclear weapons posture. The investigation began last September when a PAC 750 showed up in Korean colors at the countrys first airshow. At the time, the Pacific Aerospace CEO said he didnt know how the airplane, which had been sold to a Chinese company, ended up in North Korea with that countrys flag on its tail. A United Nations investigation found a different story in going through an email exchange between the company and the Chinese owner.

Investigators said the email string shows Pacific Aerospace clearly knew the airplane was in North Korea. It offered parts for the aircraft and training in their installation for the North Korean operators to be coordinated in China. The company faces fines of up to $100,000 and executives could face up to a year in prison and $10,000 in fines. It was prosecuted by Customs New Zealand for three breaches of United Nations Sanctions and one charge under the Customs and Excise Act and pleaded guilty to all the charges earlier this month. Its not clear what the North Koreans are using the plane for but its commonly used to carry up to 17 skydivers. A military version is under development.
A leaking oxygen hose fitting likely led to the fatal crash of a turbonormalized Mooney M20 Acclaim off the coast of Atlantic City on Sept. 10, 2015. Dr. Michael Moir, a dentist from Gaylord, Michigan, was the only one aboard the aircraft, which flew on autopilot without contact with ATC for more than two hours at 25,000 feet before descending to the ocean near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Moir was on his way to a Mooney owners safety conference and the NTSB speculated he did everything right to ensure a safe flight. He was still wearing his oxygen mask at the time of the crash but the technical fault made it worthless and he likely became hypoxic shortly after reaching altitude, the report says.

Investigators found that a fitting connecting an oxygen line to the regulator on the tank was loose. It may have been missed at an earlier annual and when Moir activated the oxygen system as he climbed to altitude it likely quickly drained the tank. Moir read back a clearance to 25,000 about 16 minutes after he took off and was never heard from after that. Two F-16s were scrambled but the Mooney crashed before their pilots spotted it. The NTSB said the duration of the flight was consistent with the aircraft draining one of the aircrafts two fuel tanks on the flight.
Yurexi Quinones, 24, of Manassas, Va., a college student who is studying social work and a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, rallies in support of DACA outside of the White House. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Some of the biggest names in corporate America this week will launch an expensive lobbying campaign for fast action to protect "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants who came here as children.

But I checked around on Capitol Hill and found that both the House and the Senate plan to stick to tax reform for now.

What's new: The Coalition for the American Dream, rolling out midweek with an ad in the Wall Street Journal, includes a much broader swath of corporations than ever came together for comprehensive immigration reform: Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Google, Apple, Cisco, Intel, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Spotify, Under Armour, Chobani, Marriott, Hilton, Ikea, Best Buy and more.

The Coalition for the American Dream, rolling out midweek with an ad in the Wall Street Journal, includes a much broader swath of corporations than ever came together for comprehensive immigration reform: Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, Google, Apple, Cisco, Intel, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Spotify, Under Armour, Chobani, Marriott, Hilton, Ikea, Best Buy and more. Why it matters: These corporations  along with trade associations and advocacy groups, including FWD.us  plan to focus completely on Republican lawmakers, with this message: "Our mission is to seek the passage of the bipartisan Dream Act or similar legislation that gives Dreamers the permanent solution they deserve in the calendar year 2017."

Although Speaker Paul Ryan has told "Dreamers" they can "rest easy," leadership aides poured cold water on the speedy timeline envisioned by the corporations:

A House aide: "[A]nything that is perceived as complicating tax reform is not going to go over well."

"[A]nything that is perceived as complicating tax reform is not going to go over well." A second House aide: "[T]here is bandwidth but ... the will for an immigration deal hinges  as always  on border security. If Dems can wrap their heads around that sooner than later, the more real it becomes."

"[T]here is bandwidth but ... the will for an immigration deal hinges  as always  on border security. If Dems can wrap their heads around that sooner than later, the more real it becomes." A Senate aide: "Would be an enormous lift before the end of the year  unless Dems were to agree to a real border security package."

Be smart: This outlook is fresh evidence that even when a lot of powerful people agree something should be done in Washington, that doesn't mean it will be.
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"The Czech Republic stood on the brink of a populist new era ... after voters heavily backed a billionaire businessman ... while overwhelmingly rejecting establishment parties," The Guardian reports:

"Amid public disdain towards 'politics as usual,' the ANO [means 'Yes' in Czech, and stands for Action for Dissatisfied Citizens party] led by Andrej Babis, the country's second-richest man, [will be] the biggest party in parliament and in prime position to form a coalition government."

towards 'politics as usual,' the ANO [means 'Yes' in Czech, and stands for Action for Dissatisfied Citizens party] led by Andrej Babis, the country's second-richest man, [will be] the biggest party in parliament and in prime position to form a coalition government." "Slovakian-born Babis, 63, has been accused of seeking to undermine democracy by plotting to weaken parliament and buying up large swaths of the media to silence criticism. Babis campaigned on an anti-immigration platform  capitalising on popular opposition to EU migrant quotas."
"The five living former presidents ... appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands," AP's Will Weissert reports:

"Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms."

Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms." "Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience."

is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience." "Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance."

made a surprise appearance." "The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush."

President Trump "offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them 'some of America's finest public servants.'"

"offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them 'some of America's finest public servants.'" "Four of the five former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd."

former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd." Donate here.
The NAACP announced its new president and CEO, and its intention to alter its tax status to a non-profit category that permits more aggressive political lobbying, NPR reports:

Derrick Johnson, 49, has been interim president and CEO since July. Previously, he was state president of the NAACP's Mississippi State Conference.

49, has been interim president and CEO since July. Previously, he was state president of the NAACP's Mississippi State Conference. During a phone call with reporters, Johnson said the NAACP's national office would soon transition from 501(c)3 to 501(c)4.

with reporters, Johnson said the NAACP's national office would soon transition from 501(c)3 to 501(c)4. Why it matters: "The change will lift significant restrictions on the NAACP's ability to engage in political lobbying."

"The change will lift significant restrictions on the NAACP's ability to engage in political lobbying." Priorities: "promoting candidates and issues in local and Congressional elections ahead of next year's midterms. [Johnson] added that the change would also allow the NAACP to speak to the needs to African-Americans across the country in an increasingly political climate."
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey retweeted a Twitter account that was identified as being created by the Kremlin, according to the Daily Beast.

The account, @Crystal1Johnson, tweeted mostly positive and encouraging stories, but then would occasionally tweet "inflammatory stories about Hillary Clinton," the Beast reports. This played into the method of other Russian propaganda accounts, in which they would build an audience with shareable content, and were then "weaponized for divisive political messages."

Why it matters: This follows a string of instances in which Russia created fake accounts on Twitter for influence. Dorsey's retweets prove "just how pervasive Russian propaganda became on major American social media platforms," per the Daily Beast.
We mapped out which drugs cause the most problems in each state, according to the number of sentences given out for each drug-related crime. The U.S. as a whole has a meth problem, while marijuana crime sentences were relatively low in 2016 except for Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Heroin is prevalent in West Virginia and Ohio, states which are often highlighted as centers for the opioid epidemic.

Why it matters

Both sides on criminal justice reform will use these numbers to bolster their side of the argument  whether to lower sentencing guidelines for non-violent drug crimes as suggested in the Grassley-Durbin bill or keep the harsher sentences as promoted by tough-on-crime, hardline conservatives.

The facts
22 October 2017 15:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Azertac

The first Euro Tolerance Festival has wrapped up in Baku. Baku again proved to be a capital of tolerance. Tolerance in Azerbaijan is an example to other countries and it is a great achievement, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas told Azertac.

He said 34 films were presented at the festival. "IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival was the first festival of this kind in a third country supported and organized by the EU. The festival marked the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. We thought that Baku is the best city to hold this festival. The IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival aims to promote the values of the intercultural dialogue and tolerance through different expressions of art. The artists from the EU and Azerbaijan held discussions and meetings on the margins of the festival, Jankauskas added.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
22 October 2017 16:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Azertac

Azerbaijan`s First Deputy Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Najmaddin Sadikov will take part in a conference on countering extremist organizations which will be held in Washington on October 24.

The Chiefs of the General Staff will mainly discuss the fight against violent extremist organizations.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
22 October 2017 10:02 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

In recent weeks around US President Donald Trumps announcement of his new policy on Iran, European leaders have been talking up the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, aka JCPOA, which freed Iran of nuclear-related sanctions.

On October 13, Trump announced at the White House that his administration would declare Iran in violation of the agreement, but stopped short of exiting the nuclear pact altogether. Under law, the US president must periodically recertify that Iran is in compliance with the deal, else Congress would have a way to impose new sanctions on Iran.

However, member states of the European Union have been criticizing Trump for his new approach, stressing that they will stick to the deal.

We fully stay committed to the complete implementation by all sides of the Iranian nuclear deal. We see this as a key security interest for the European Union and the region, said EUs top diplomat Federica Mogherini October 19, as the bloc issued a statement reiterating its support for the deal.

In such circumstances, it seems that the Old Continents policy to yield its weight behind JCPOA stems from their hope for a new deal with Iran on its missile program, which has been the source of much concern to the West, a US-based Iran affairs experts believes.

Despite the perception in Tehran that the nuclear deal is driving a wedge between the EU and Washington, it is not. By being strict on the deal, Washington doesnt mean to pull out of it, but is seeking to ratchet up pressure on the EU to take a harsher stance on Irans missile program. The EU has signaled that it is not reluctant to work on that as evidenced by increasing missile comments made by European leaders, Ali Kushki told Trend October 21.

So, by remaining in the deal the EU is encouraging Tehran to look at the body as a trusted partner for a second deal, most probably the missile program, and at the same time, is implicitly in the same camp Washington wants it to be.

During his speech at the White House, Trump in particular pinpointed Irans Revolution Guards as a key site Washington will be encompassing with sanctions, especially over its missile program.

In response, the Guards issued a statement announcing that Iran will continue boosting its missile capabilities.

Having said that, Kushki noted, one has to wait and see what practical measures the EU takes if the Congress decertifies the nuclear pact, as well. The blocs authentic commitment is verified only if it shields European companies which have entered into business with Iran against the extraterritorial provisions of certain US legislation.

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22 October 2017 10:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he cannot describe the U.S. as a civilized country after Washington issued detention warrants in absentia for 13 of his security guards in a brawl outside the Turkish embassy during his visit to the country in May.

"If arrest warrants are issued for my 13 bodyguards in a country where I went upon invitation, I'm sorry, but I cannot say that country is civilized," Erdogan said at the Civilizations Forum at Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul.

A grand jury in June indicted 19 people, 15 of which were Turkish security officials, in connection with the incident in Washington between protesters and Erdogan's security personnel.

During Erdogan's visit to the U.S. back in May, supporters of the PKK terrorist organization, officially recognized as such by the U.S., triggered a melee outside of Turkey's embassy in Washington, D.C. Following the incident, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the failure by U.S. authorities to effectively take precautions was the main cause of the incident.

On May 16, the first fight reportedly broke out at the Turkish embassy when supporters of the terrorist group threw water bottles at Turkish citizens, triggering a 10-to-15 second scuffle in the middle of the road. Only two police officers interceded in the fight and it was clear the police were not ready, as there were only around 10 police officers outside the embassy.

Later, when Erdogan arrived at the embassy building, protesters continued their grave insults, shouted slogans and threw more bottles. The head of the president's security detail stepped in, followed by Turkish citizens who were there to see their president. Only after security interceded, the protesting group was able to be dispersed.

In his speech, Erdogan also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's policy regarding Muslims, saying Turkey never closed its doors to people who thought differently.

"Muslims in America are facing expulsion so it means there is a problem in the country," he said.

The Trump administration laid out late last month new restrictions to replace Trump's previous travel ban, which was set to expire, adding two non-Muslim-majority countries to the list of designated nations while dropping Sudan.

The countries that face travel restrictions under Trump's new order are Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela and Yemen.

They were designated because they have either not met higher screening and information sharing requirements or present what officials call sufficient risk factors.

This latest attempt to curtail immigration to the U.S. was dealt a legal setback after a Hawaii judge ruled Tuesday that it suffers from the same legal deficiencies as his previous directives.

The ban was set to go into effect within hours when U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson said in his ruling that Trump's latest executive order "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor".

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I spent my time this summer interning for a brilliant company in New Jersey. As a sophomore I had barely begun researching potential summer internship programs, when my music industry professor recommended that I should apply for an internship with The Syndicate.

Despite being fairly informed with the music scene, the name did not ring a bell. A quick Google search showed me that this small company has had its hands on projects with Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Taco Bell and several more influential artists and brands. The Syndicate is a music-marketing agency that offers street team marketing, radio promotion, public relations and digital media marketing.

I had no expectations when I started the internship, because I had never interned or worked specifically in a marketing department. At first, I was incredibly intimidated because I didnt believe I had a proper skill set to function in a fast-paced work environment. I am a multiplatform journalism major with a music industry minor, so marketing is not my strength. The office ended up being incredibly warm and welcoming and I felt like everyone respected me like they would with any other professional coworker. They assigned me tasks to execute by myself and allowed me to contribute my own ideas to some of their marketing campaigns with actual clients. Since I signed a non-disclosure agreement contract, I am not allowed to go into great detail with the extent of my involvement. The contract seemed a bit scary at first, but in the long run it made me feel like they truly trusted my fellow interns and I like part of their staff.

While office work was the main focus of the job, I gained valuable field experience during my time in New Jersey. Two other interns and I were hired to distribute promotional materials for Andy Grammer at a Today Show concert. We were granted VIP access and had the opportunity to connect with fans and talk to a label representative on Grammers team. This behind-the-scenes action was an excellent networking opportunity, as well as an awesome way to experience the business side of live performance. I was also able to promote the musical duo Odesza in Brooklyn, and I was able to pass out posters and flyers for an upcoming show at Barclays Center. The Odesza campaign was exciting because I am a fan, and it was really neat helping out artists who I love.

Another surreal moment was the night I helped curate a social media storyboard for a concert at the Central Park Summer Stage. I helped shoot and caption media content of the bands All Time Low, SWMRS, Waterparks and The Wrecks performing for Taco Bells Feed the Beat Instagram account. The storyboard was my original idea, and I pitched it to one of the companys partners. They liked me idea enough to let me do it, which gave me confidence that my ideas are valuable and good enough to execute in a professional atmosphere.

This internship was very informative and useful for my music marketing class I am taking this fall. It gave me real-life experience in an industry that is often hard to understand. The social media management skills I learned will aid me during my future and my present as I help manage the Music Industry Club and The Music Industry Minor Twitter and Instagram accounts. For anyone that is unsure if they would fit in the music industry, I highly recommend taking music industry courses at Bowling Green State University. Now that I'm a junior, I realize my time as a music industry minor has helped me narrow down my future career choices and has given me a summer I will never forget.
Two artificial virtual assistants called Rosie and Maggie are set to become more ubiquitous after artificial intelligence start-up Flamingo raised $5.1 million last month to fund their rollout.

Chief executive Catriona Wallace, who founded Flamingo in 2014, says she is "super pleased" with the raise after it was opened and closed within 12 minutes with $10 million bid on the book.

Catriona Wallace says the successful capital raise is an endorsement of artificial intelligence. Credit:Ben Rushton

"We were well oversubscribed," she says. "It was one of the fastest capital raises that [lead investment partner] Bell Potter had ever conducted, which I believe is testament to Australia's growing interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning."

More than chatbots
Wildlife photographer Brent Stirton has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, beating out 50,000 other entrants with his photo essay highlighting the deadly rhino horn trade.

The South African photographer also took out the Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Photo Story for the photo essay, with the awards hosted by the Museum of Natural History.

Brent Stirton's award-winning image of a de-horned rhino which had been poached illegally in Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa. Credit:Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Stirton is a photographer for Getty Images and is known for his photojournalism relating to issues such as health and the environment.

He said that the award was a great chance to bring to light the issues facing the environment at the hands of humans.
A horror run of deteriorating performance has ended at the pesticides authority ahead of its move to Armidale but the crop industry says it isn't close to reaching an acceptable standard.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority last week posted its first improvement in on-time crop product approvals in a year, after its figures toppled while staff resigned and the agency prepared for its controversial relocation from Canberra.

Interim Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority chief executive Chris Parker. Credit:The Land

However close to half its work remains unfinished by agency deadlines and it is approving only a third of crop protection products within timeframes ahead of the move, a signature Nationals policy and a forebear of the Coalition's push to decentralise the public service.

On-time approvals for new crop products went into freefall following the staff resignations, bottoming at 24 per cent in June but since climbing to 36 per cent, still well below its peak of 82 per cent in September 2016.
An increase in longer trials caused a 75 per cent rise last year in the number of fines for people who tried to get out of jury duty without a good reason, including those who claimed the planets weren't aligned and an allergy to airconditioning.

Figures from the NSW Department of Justice reveal juries are dominated by the young, old, underemployed and the retired.

Out of this world: weird excuses for not attending a jury include a lack of aligned planets. Credit:Dionne Gain

Compared with the general population in NSW, for example, there are nearly twice as many people aged 50-59 and 60-69, while there are fewer people between 30-49 than the rest of NSW.

Former criminal lawyer Julia Quilter said the complexity and length of trials had grown enormously, some lasting 12 weeks to six months, and this was making it more difficult for the courts to find jurors willing and able to serve.
Police have found the body of a man reported missing from Springfield a week ago.

On Sunday night, police advised there were no suspicious circumstances and thanked members of the public, the media and those who helped in the search for their assistance.

Benjamin Martin, a father-of-two, was last seen about 9pm last Sunday at his home on Emerald Crescent.

Ben Martin went missing from his Springfield home on October 15

His wife of 10 years Katrina Martin said her husband had been the best man at his best mates wedding the day before he disappeared.
A Queensland academic has called for monitoring of antibiotic resistance rates in the community, new targets and help for GPs to reduce how much of the drug they prescribe.

About 1600 people die directly from antibiotic resistance in Australia every year, according to a piece published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.

Academics have called for a national strategy to reduce antibiotic prescribing in Australian general practice, with a piece published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The authors, led by Bond University academic Professor Chris Del Mar, said the situation would get steadily worse until 2050, when deaths from currently treatable infections would overtake total cancer deaths.

The antibiotic resistance crisis would also pose serious problems for now routine high-technology medical care.
Australia's Aboriginal affairs ministers have agreed to focus more on the positives of Indigenous achievement under a sweeping "refresh" of the Closing the Gap strategy.

The move to overhaul the Council of Australian Governments-backed plan has been welcomed by the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, which said the steps being taken were "historic" and cause for optimism.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, speaks to Local Elder Uncle Moogi at the Kornar Winmil Yunti Aboriginal Corporation in Adelaide. Credit:AAP

The shift amounts to an admission by Australia's governments that the existing work to close gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across education, employment and health have failed since they were introduced almost a decade ago.

In a meeting hosted by federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion in Canberra on Monday, the ministers "agreed on the importance of moving to a strength-based approach to Closing the Gap that celebrates Indigenous achievement as well as addressing persistent disadvantage," according to a joint communique from the COAG ministerial council.
One of the most bitter feuds in federal politics has taken a bizarre turn, with One Nation hiring a woman who falsely accused fellow crossbencher Derryn Hinch of rape.

Senator Hinch has expressed dismay Mary-Ann Martinek has been given a Parliament House pass after One Nation senator Brian Burston employed her as a research assistant.

"If I had my way I'd have security escort her out of this building," Senator Hinch said. "The fact One Nation has taken her on says a lot about them. The only use she would be to One Nation would be to attack me."

Senator Hinch alleges Ms Martinek was behind recent claims that he was a UK or US dual citizen.
For most animals, sex is good, and the more the better. But for female Australian jumping spiders, once in a lifetime seems to be plenty.

In a new study, the creature resisted researchers' best efforts to get it in the mood: a comfortable piece of crumpled paper in which to build a home, plenty of baby flies to eat, and a new prospective mate every 10 days.

Here's looking at you: Servaea incana, also known as the Australian jumping spider. Credit:Rowan McGinley

Nothing seemed to work. After mating once they just keep kicking potential new partners in the face and scurrying away.

Researchers believe the behaviour, only now being studied closely, is part of the ongoing battle of natural selection: males want to pass their genes on as many times as possible, while females are after the best DNA for their spider-children.
The World Health Organisation's decision to name President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe a "goodwill ambassador" has provoked outrage from medical professionals, rights groups, opposition leaders and others who took to social media to call it an "insult" and "a sick joke."

The 93-year-old African leader, who has long faced US sanctions over his government's human rights violations, received the title in Montevideo, Uruguay, this past week from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's appointment as a goodwill ambassador has been condemned. Credit:AP

Dr Tedros said he was "honoured" to be joined by Mugabe, who could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" when it came to fighting non-communicable diseases in Africa. The WHO leader was speaking at a global conference that ran from Wednesday to Friday.

He also lauded Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all."
Heinz-Christian Strache, a neo-Nazi in his youth and now the besuited leader of Europe's most successful fascist party, is set to become Austria's deputy prime minister. The election on October 15 tipped out the coalition between the Socialists and the conservative People's Party. A new coalition between the racist neoliberals of the People's Party and Strache's Freedom Party is being negotiated.

With the Greens' failure to tally the 4 per cent needed to gain any seats, there is now no clearly anti-racist party in the Austrian parliament.

The previous government, under Socialist prime minister Christian Kern, presided over falling real wages and rising income and wealth inequality. In an attack on Muslim women, it legislated to ban the wearing of face coverings in public. That was an initiative of Sebastian Kurz, the conservative minister for foreign affairs and integration who became his party's leader in May, steered it hard right and is likely to be the next prime minister.

The conservatives won the largest share of votes last week: 31 per cent. Kurz embraced Islamophobic policies, long advocated by the Freedom Party, which gained 26 per cent, less than 1 per cent behind the Socialists.
Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc was headed for a big win in Sunday's election, bolstering his chance of becoming the nation's longest-serving premier and re-energising his push to revise the pacifist constitution.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition had won a combined 310 seats, reaching a two-thirds "super majority" in the 465-member lower house, with 11 seats still up for grabs, broadcaster TV Asahi said.

Exit polls say Shinzo Abe's (centre) Liberal Democratic party-led coalition was set to win 311 seats, keeping a majoirty in Japan's lower-house. Credit:Bloomberg

A hefty win raises the likelihood that Abe, who took office in December 2012, will win a third three-year-term as LDP leader next September and go on to become Japan's longest-serving premier.

It also means his "Abenomics" growth strategy centred on the hyper-easy monetary policy will likely continue.
London: British Islamic State fighters should be killed in Syria rather than be allowed to return to UK, a British government minister has said. Rory Stewart said converts who leave Britain to fight for the terror group are guilty of horrific acts and the only way of dealing with them is to kill them "in almost every case".

His remarks come just days after the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Max Hill QC said young people who travelled to Syria after being "brainwashed" should be allowed to come home and rejoin society.

Hundreds of British citizens are known to have travelled to Syria to fight with Islamist groups during the course of the six-year conflict, including Mohammed Emwazi or "Jihadi John", the first to appear in videos depicting the barbarities of the group.

Mr Hill told the BBC that it was not worth losing a generation of young people who "naively" went to join IS before attempting to return to the UK.
My deep and abiding sadness about my father taking his life in his 80s is not that he died but that he couldn't discuss it with his family because he didn't want to implicate us. When we had our last meal together he tried to hold me back and my memory of that meal is me feeling annoyed with him because I nearly missed my plane whereas I would love to have felt I could have been present for him in a loving and caring way. To deny people the option of euthanasia is cruel. It implies that you know what is best for everyone else. No one does. Dianne Jacobus Bellingen Credit:Fiona Morris Assisted dying laws have proved safe, effective and strongly supported by the community in 14 jurisdictions. They've crossed "the Rubicon" and society has not collapsed. The main opponent continues to be the Catholic Church using its powerful connections in the media, medical profession and politics as its proxies. I expected better of Paul Keating.



Penny Hackett Willoughby Industry closure may prove poor strategy

With the closure of the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in Australia, because it is uneconomic, let's hope that a trade war does not break out in the near future, which would result in more costly and limited vehicle imports ("Holden delivers one for the road", October 21- 21). In which case, all things being equal, we might look back at the industry's closure as a very, very poor strategic move. What price, economic independence?



Pasquale Vartuli Wahroonga The demise of the Australian car industry somewhat mirrors the demise of the Australian Merchant Navy. Australia once had a merchant fleet of over 150 vessels trading locally and overseas in addition to a viable shipbuilding industry. Currently there are probably no more than 10 vessels owned and operated by Australian companies and only one commercial yard struggling to remain open.There are several fundamental reasons why this is so, indifference by successive governments, extreme militancy by ship and shore unions plus ship owners' depressingly poor industrial relations  they should be collectively ashamed. In the early '80s there was an attempt by some concerned politicians to revitalise the maritime industry and review its cabotage policies but to no avail. Many years ago America saw the value of a strong maritime and related industries and introduced the Jones act similar to our very week cabotage policy, which protected American mariners and shipping companies. American domestic freight must be carried on US-built vessels; furthermore these vessels must be owned and manned by Americans resulting in a skilled workforce and a strong infrastructure. Similar strong policies should have been introduced by our government. Instead, we only have a policy which is supposed to protect the carriage of domestic cargo around our coast which is toothless given that Australia has virtually no coastal shipping to protect. Similar to the car industry, Australia has missed the boat once again. Jan Jensen Master Mariner, Freshwater Marrickville development proposal beggars belief

I was one of those angry residents at the meeting at Marrickville Town Hall last Thursday ("Labor leads battle against mega-apartment project", October 21-22).It beggars belief that a development such as this could even get off the drawing board. This is a site that is on a flood-prone zone, constrained by a railway line and narrow two-lane streets and these proposed 35-storey towers would surely be a hazard to flights in and out of Mascot. Unfortunately, as it stands, the developer can bypass the council and its decisions and get approval via the state government. Whoever thought four-year terms were a good idea? We are all willing to accept Sydney has to grow, but not at any cost. This over-development will only benefit four parties  the big developer, Mirvac, the land owner NVT Group, the state government coffers and overseas investors.





Mary Lawson Marrickville It takes a particular brand of developer lunacy to plan a large high-rise residential "development" of 2600 units for the Gumbramorra swamp, the old name for the low-lying industrial land near Carrington Road, in Marrickville. Mirvac's plans to jam so many people into a relatively small space come without provision for expanding schools (local schools are already overcrowded), no proper parks for both passive recreation and sport  all based on an assumption that the existing strained infrastructure will simply absorb thousands of new residents. It is madness. It needs to be stopped. Joanna Mendelssohn Dulwich Hill Dutton should be neutered for pet edict In my time in the Commonwealth Public Service I was taught that in a brainstorming session nothing is off the table ("Asylum seekers must get permission to buy a pet", October 21-22). This latest idea of making refugee applicants having to apply to have a pet smacks of a brainstorming session gone horribly wrong. Are they afraid that the government will have to be responsible for the disposal or re-homing of the pets should the application be rejected, that the applicants will become so relaxed they'll settle into the country or that they might be left with the cost of maintaining them? This from a minister whose ambition is to be our prime minister. What direction are we heading in as a nation?

Mary Grocott Orange I am gobsmacked. Permission to have a pet? Asylum seekers, already living with the incredibly restrictive and harsh boundaries and uncertain future we have imposed upon them, are now to be denied perhaps this one little snippet of comfort and hope. For what? So we can further humiliate and remind them they are not wanted here and are second-class citizens? Our unrealistic and draconian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, drunk with new power and self-righteousness is up and running and out of control. It does not speak for me.



Judy Finch Cedar Party I thought it was a joke when I read this. What about all the animals ill-treated in Australia not owned by asylum seekers? Also, every year you read about animals being abandoned by Australian citizens.



Sheila Quonoey Springwood Will fuehrer Dutton's next step be to force asylum seekers to wear a yellow star? Frances Dixon Garran, ACT

Cheers, Rover Of course dogs should be allowed into pubs ("Dogs to have day under pub plan", October 21-22). I would much rather sit beside a drunken dog than a drunken man (or woman). Carolyn Wills Cremorne Frydenberg proves full of hot air Credit:AP

Does Mr Frydenberg, as Minister for Energy and Environment, realise he has a role to play in protecting the environment? (Good Weekend, October 21-22). In the entire article, there was barely a mention of the environment, the rest was about Energy, the other half of his portfolio, and his ambition to become prime minister. Perhaps this is why so many problems with our natural environment (including released helium balloons) are being ignored. The environment, apparently, just doesn't rate.



Karen Joynes Bermagui Thank you for your enlightening article about a prime ministerial hopeful who has not experienced life outside an upmarket capital city suburb or an income below $100k let alone a pensioner's income. Josh Frydenberg would have little concept of 90 per cent of the life of Australians, city or country, and no aspirations for anyone other than himself. Does he have a vision for this country's future or the future of this planet? We must have and deserve better than yet another self-serving politician. Gisela Chorley Vincentia Go well, Ardern In Czechoslovakia in 1968 Alexander Dubcek spoke of "socialism with a human face". My family and I remember clearly this did not end so well for him or for Czechoslovakia. Hopefully, things will go better for Jacinda Ardern and her government, and I wish her well.



Jane Jilek Castlecrag

UN's Mugabe farce As if there was any further proof required to highlight the absurdity and irrelevance of the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, which operates under the UN umbrella, has appointed Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe to be their goodwill ambassador. This, despite the almost total collapse of Zimbabwe's health care system since his dictatorship began  and continues to this day  in 1980, and where hospitals today have little or no medical supplies and staff go unpaid. What next, UN, Nigeria in charge of global human rights for homosexuals? Rosie Elsass East Brighton, Vic Is she an Aussie, Lizzie? Judging from my passports, we ceased being British and became Australians some time between 1972 and 1977 (Letters, October 21-22). My first passport, issued in 1966, is called a British passport and I am described as an Australian citizen and a British subject (like Ted Richards). My second passport, issued in 1972, is no longer called a "British" passport, but I am still described as an Australian citizen and a British subject. In my third passport, issued in 1977, the word "British" has gone and I am described only as an Australian citizen.



Elizabeth Way St Ives

Spoke in the works Certainly the oBikes are making a splash in my area. By "splash" I mean, on one morning walk, two bikes dumped in different locations in a small section of the local waterway. Others walking by also noticed or commented. So much for "Keep Australia Beautiful". The oBike business model must go something like ... make enough money to cover costs and make a profit before a bike is trashed. Then just leave the trash. Question, though, bikes need maintenance to make them safe e.g. check the brakes, pump up the tyres, steering  who does this? With the digital age upon us, I can't wait to see what other consumer goods will also be left on the pavement, in parks, waterways and street trees for the common good and commercial gain. I guess it's the start of something big. Marie Del Monte Ashfield Chance to have my say even if 'cranky' I try constantly to hold up the female contribution to the letters page (Postscript, October 21)  the only chance for a grey-haired retiree to publicly air a point of view (and risk being labelled a cranky old woman). Privately I intend to have my say on a variety of issues both state and federal at the ballot box. Bring on the next elections.

Stephanie Edwards Roseville Not everyone is bigoted HSC student Lauren Lancaster (A student's view", October 21-22) brilliantly analyses the angry bigoted mindset of those students who trolled Ellen Van Neerven, author of Mangoes, after their HSC English exam. It is always important to be reminded that the rude ignorant behaviour of some on social media does not represent all young people. We have a tendency to stereotype youth, as well as gender and race etc. I wonder if those angry inarticulate young people were touched by the poem itself, while lacking the words and self-awareness to recognise what it stirred in their hearts.



Anne McDonald Summer Hill Turn off the TV David James (Letters, October 22-22) complains about all the doctor-themed dramas on ABC-TV, many of them repeats. David, there is no compulsion, doctor-prescribed or otherwise, to turn on the TV in the first place, or to watch programs which annoy you. Think of all that extra time you would have to compose letters to the editor.



Joan Brown Orange
Kabul: Just as on any other day, Zareen Gul, 60, held the hand of her grandson, Ali Seyar Nazari, 10, and left home to attend the early evening prayer in their neighbourhood mosque in the west of Kabul.

This time, however, they did not return home. Their family found their remains, barely identifiable from the clothes they wore, at a hospital after an Islamic State suicide bomber targeted the prayer.

Suicide bombers struck two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday prayers, the Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province at the end of a particularly deadly week for the troubled nation. Credit:AP

Gul and young Seyar became the latest victims of what has been one of Afghanistan's deadliest weeks. The death toll from twin attacks on mosques late Friday, just hours apart, was raised Saturday to at least 67 people killed and dozens wounded. As many as 88 may have died in the two attacks.

More than 200 people, both civilians and security personnel, have been killed in the past week in Afghanistan in six attacks. A precise casualty total is hard to get, as varying levels of violence rage in more than half the country's provinces.
Trick or treat, trick or treat, give us something lethal to eat!

Thats not the actual rhyme, but from all the warnings about Halloween you just might think it was. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics is still insisting that a responsible adult should closely examine all treats.

But why? How many decades of disproving this murderous myth do Americas doctors require before they lay it to rest? Joel Best, a sociologist at the University of Delaware, first put a stake through the poison candy rumor all the way back in 1985, when he did a study of newspapers dating back to 1958, looking for Child poisoned by Halloween candy news stories.

He found none  because there were none. One time, a boy in Texas did die of a poisoned Pixie Stix, but cops quickly discovered that his own dad, $100,000 in debt, had just taken out a life insurance policy on him. Dad was dispatched to that haunted house in the sky (or down below). And yet we still use this fear of neighbors as psychopaths as an excuse to curtail our kids Halloween fun.

We trot out plenty of other threadbare fears, too. Last week, Patch USA reminded its readers of a girl murdered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, by a man later referred to as the Halloween Killer. That crime was in 1973  44 years ago. And yet, that single, sad story is the excuse Patch gives for publishing maps of the homes of men, women, and children on the sex offender registry.

That may sound like theyre doing a public service. But its actually like telling people never to go south of 14th Street, because once there was a terrorist attack there. When Johns Hopkins Professor Elizabeth Letourneau did a study of sex crimes on Halloween, looking for evidence of registered sex offenders pouncing on pint-sized pirates and princesses, she was shocked to find not only was there no bump in the numbers, the day was actually remarkably low in crimes against kids. In fact, she said, We thought about calling it, Halloween: The Safest Day of the Year. 

So Patch publishing the addresses of registrants may sound responsible, but it is scaring families with one exceedingly rare tragedy, and reinforcing the false idea that anyone registered as a sex offender is an insatiable monster. In truth, the number of people on the registry who commit a new sex crime is far lower than most people realize. Its about five out of 100. Your kids are more likely to end up on the registry than to be molested by someone on it.

Thats scary.

And then there are the fears spread simply by the way Halloween is morphing from child holiday into supervision on steroids. Kids trooping door to door seems less and less normal as communities, churches, and schools sponsor chaperoned parties and trunk or treats. Thats when parents park their cars in a circle and open up the trunks, which are decorated and filled with candy. Nothing wrong with that new tradition, except that it is edging out the far older one of kids walking around their neighborhood, not just a parking lot, and doing it on their own, not under the watchful eyes of a gaggle of grown-ups.

Trunk or treat is a perfect example of modern day childhood. We have taken away all the independence of the most liberating holiday of the year and replaced it with something that grown-ups may feel is just as good  plenty of candy  even though so many thrilling elements are gone: the bravery kids get when they knock at the cob-webbed house, the confidence they get from being trusted to go out at night, the triumph they feel returning home with the fruits of the labor, and the memories they make the way most of us did, goofing around without a parent always watching.

Thats a lot to trade for a trunk of easily accessed candy.

And thats not to mention all the lesser fears swirling around like bats in our collective belfry. Fears for our kids teeth, digestive systems, and future figures, trotted out by marketers trying to foist upon us everything from Halloween toothbrushes (a substitute for sugar) to probiotic treats (I kid you not), to low-cal substitutes and vegan candy corn.

As if Mary Janes werent bad enough!

(By the way, commercial candy corn isnt vegan. You have to make the vegan stuff yourself, which sounds only slightly less dreary than trunk or treating.)

Holidays always evolve. Sleighs evolve into SUVS, taffy apples evolve into fun-size Snickers. But trick or treating did not just evolve into a riot of overprotection. That is a decision adults have made, pushed by the forces insisting our very safe kids are not safe enough to have the kind of fun and freedom we did.

Read Lenore Skenazys column every Sunday morning on Brook lynPa per.com
Photo: David Ogilvie The northbound lanes of Highway 97 are closed in West Kelowna.

UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.

A 32-year-old man has died as a result of injuries sustained from being hit by a vehicle in West Kelowna.

The man was walking northbound on Highway 97 when he was struck by a white Hyundai Sonata at about 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said that the man had stepped into the vehicle lane before he was hit, according to West Kelowna RCMP.

Despite being injured themselves both occupants, a man and woman, quickly leapt into action to perform CPR on the seriously injured pedestrian," Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey said.

The man was transported to hospital in grave condition.

Highway 97 remained closed to traffic for almost five hours heading northbound through West Kelowna while officials investigated the crash scene.

RCMP members and the B.C. Coroners Service continue to investigate.

- with files from Colton Davies

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m.

The northbound lanes of Highway 97 in West Kelowna is now open, after a vehicle incident closed the highway for several hours.

UPDATE: 8:55 a.m.

The northbound lanes of Highway 97 remain closed in West Kelowna between Daimler Drive and Ross Road.

Witnesses at the scene say it appears as if a pedestrian was struck, and crash reconstructionists are still surveying the scene.

The extent of the injuries suffered in the crash are unknown at this time.

ORIGINAL: 7:30 a.m.

Highway 97 is closed northbound five km south of Kelowna because of a motor vehicle incident.

DriveBC is reporting a detour is available on Daimler Road to Ross Road to Bartley Road and then back to Highway 97.

There is no word on the seriousness of the accident.

Castanet will have more details as soon as they become available.

Send your pictures, video and information to [email protected].
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Egypt's Churches condemn terrorist murders that killed 16 police officers

Egypt's Churches have condemned the killing of policemen ambushed in the country's western desert on Friday and called for the terrorists to be brought to justice.

Egypt's security forces suffered one of their heaviest attacks after militants firing rockets and detonating explosives hit a police operation.

Reports about the number of casualties were confused, with numbers varying from 52 to only 16, the official figure given by Egyptian authorities.

Egyptian authorities on Saturday said two police operations were moving in on a suspected militant hideout on Friday when one of the patrols came under fire from heavy weapons in a remote area around 135 km southwest of Cairo.

The interior ministry said 16 police were killed in that part of the operation, and 13 more were wounded. At least 15 militants were also killed in the gun fight. The statement did not give details on any casualties in the other police patrol.

The Orthodox church, led by Pope Tawadros, offered condolences to the families of the killed and prayers for the recovery of the injured. It stressed its support for Egypt's battle against terrorism, saying: 'We will always remain supporters of all efforts and sacrifices of the army and police in their fights against terrorism.'

The head of Egypt's Evangelical Church, Rev Dr Andrea Zaki, also expressed the Church's support for the country's political leadership. According to Egypt Today he offered prayers for Egypt's leadership, people and security forces.

No group made any claim or statement about Friday's operation not far from the capital. But most of the fighting so far between militants and security forces has been in northern Sinai, where an Islamic State affiliate operates.

Security sources earlier said the police had been hunting hideout of the Hasm Movement, an Islamist militant group blamed for attacks on judges and police around the capital.

That group has in the past only carried out mostly small operations since it emerged last year. Egyptian authorities say it is the armed militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. Most of its leadership has been jailed in a crackdown under Sisi.

Since Sisi came to power, hundreds of troops and police have been killed in often sophisticated attacks by militants in the northern Sinai region, where Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014.

Last Sunday, at least 24 militants and six soldiers were killed in attacks on military outposts in North Sinai, when more than 100 militants repeatedly attacked security outposts south of the border town of Sheikh Zuweid.

Attacks have mostly hit police and armed forces, but militants have also extended their campaign outside the Sinai, targeting Egypt's Christians with bomb attacks on churches in Cairo and other cities.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Nina Dobrev shares the love for ex Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed's baby

It looks like actress Nina Dobrev is going along just fine with Nikki Reed, the wife of her ex-boyfriend and "The Vampire Diaries" co-star Ian Somerhalder. During a Hollywood event celebrating women, the two ladies were seen gushing over pictures of Reed and Somerhalder's new baby,

The actors were present during Elle's Women in Hollywood Awards, and sources spotted Reed showing Dobrev some photos of her daughter, Bodhi Soleil, on her phone. Dobrev could not help but gush over the cuteness of the couple's child.

Somerhalder was also present during the event, walking together hand-in-hand with his wife down the red carpet. Aside from Dobrev, the couple met up with other actors who played vampires in various shows and movies. Reed was seen chatting with her "Twilight" co-star Ashley Green, while the film's lead star, Kristen Stewart, was also present.

This recent interaction between Reed and Dobrev puts to rest the rumors circulating that there has been a feud between them because of Somerhalder.

Dobrev dated Somerhalder from 2010 to 2013 while they were working together in "The Vampire Diaries." After they broke up, the actor found love in their mutual friend, Reed. The couple got married in 2015.

There had also been speculations that her previous relationship with Somerhalder was the reason why Dobrev quit the show. Contrary to that, the two remained friends, and had no problems working together even after they broke up.

"I was 27 when I left the show, I was ready to do something different," said Dobrev in an interview with Teen Vogue. "I wanted to prove everyone wrong who said I would play this one role my whole life or be stuck playing younger roles."

Earlier this year, right before the finale of "The Vampire Diaries," the three also got together for a dinner, proving to everyone that there is no bad blood between them.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' release date, returning characters: Marston not a certainty; sequel out in 2018

Rockstar Studios will be disappointing the fans of "Red Dead Redemption" who expect John Marston to star in the second game, as rumors that Marston would be the protagonist have been debunked.

According to an updated article by the website Crave, the central character that appeared in one of the promotional posters for "Red Dead Redemption 2" is apparently not Marston, and may very well be a new and apparently younger protagonist. That said, the possibility of Marston re-appearing in the prequel has not yet been set aside, as the poster features seven characters, and Marston could be the one on the far left.

The main character has been confirmed to be Arthur Morgan, who forms an outlaw gang called Van der Linde, along with characters like Dutch from the first game.

Rumors began when Rockstar released an earlier version of the said poster showing only the silhouettes of the seven characters. Fans assumed that the one in the center was Marston due to the similarities in their builds.

Bill Williamson, another assumed character based on the silhouetted poster, still appears to be a correct guess, as the unique Stetson hat and grizzly beard are the character's trademarks. Fans can assume that the member of the outlaw gang will be getting an appearance in the second game despite dying in the first, as the upcoming game is a prequel.

Meanwhile, fans hoping that the prequel will be released sometime in Fall of 2017 will be disappointed as website Alphr confirmed that the aforementioned date set by Rockstar has been moved to Spring 2018. The reason for the delay hasn't been clarified by Rockstar, but rumors are that they were pursuing a cross-platform multiplayer between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (PS4), causing the delay.

"Red Dead Redemption 2," despite being a prequel, is reported to be featuring a much bigger Wild West map than the first game. The map will expand further east compared to the one in "Red Dead Redemption" and may also feature boats as an alternative way of travel in addition to horses.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" has no exact release date yet but is planned for a Spring 2018 release on the PS4 and Xbox One consoles. There has been no word from the developers yet on a PC version.
Last June, despite being outspent by nearly $10 million, Republican Karen Handel won Georgias sixth congressional district in a special election to fill the vacancy left when Tom Price became secretary of Health and Human Services (a position from which he has since resigned). Democratic supporters of Jon Ossoff believed that the election would serve as a referendum on Donald Trumps presidency; instead, it proved to be a verdict on their own party. After Handels relatively easy win, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway tweeted, Laughing my #Ossoff.

If these were normal times, the Democrats continued setbacks in such racesto say nothing of their demoralizing loss in November 2016would have provided an opportunity for rethinking. But these are not normal times. The most remarkable fact about the postelection months has been the absolute certainty of Democrats that they have a right to rule in America, that Donald Trump is not a legitimate president, and that there is a need for resistance (now dubbed the Resistance) of the sort unseen in America since the 1960s.

Normal politicsliberal politics, classically understoodinvolves speech, argument, and persuasion, followed by voting on ideas or proposals that can be overturned in the next election cycle. Normal politics presumes that we can rise far enough above our small-group attributesour race, class, gender, ethnicity, religionand that we can arrive at a political arrangement that works well enough for us to live together as part of a larger polity until the next election, when we commence the process again. But for the Democrats, absolute certainty has prevailed over normal politicsand the certainty, at bottom, rests on a single idea: identity politics.

Identity politics rejects the model of traditional give-and-take politics, presupposing instead that the most important thing about us is that we are white, black, male, female, straight, gay, and so on. Within the identity-politics world, we do not need to give reasonsidentity is its own reason and justification. Because identity politics supposes that we are our identities, politics does not consist in the speech, argument, and persuasion of normal politics but instead, in the calculation of resource redistribution based on identitywhat in Democratic parlance is called social justice. The irony of identity politics is that it does not see itself as political; it supposes that we live in a post-political age, that social justice can be managed by the state, and that those who oppose identity politics are the ones being political. What speech does attend this post-political age consists in shaming those who do not accept the idea of identity politicsas on our college campuses. In the 1960s, college students across the country fought so that repressed ideas would receive a fair hearing. These days, college students fight to repress all ideas except one: identity politics.

Thoughtful Democrats see that identity politics is a dead end, but fear to speak up. The militants are hunkered down, and the party leadership hasnt changed its outlook. The patient refuses help; the party carries on with exhausted ideas and destructive habits. Hence, the paradox: the Democratic Party is on life support, and yet it is more animated than ever, in top-to-bottom resistance to Trump. To return to full strength, many seem to believe, the Democratic Party need only recommit to its embrace of identity politics.

When identity politics provides the lens through which one sees the world, changing the perspective is regarded as self-blinding. The suggestion that this outlook might be harming the Democratic Party is thus denounced as racist, as insensitive to gender issues, and as inattentive to the purported needs of various identity groups. Identity politics cant self-correct; it can only double-down. Here is the strangeness of our current moment. Untreated, diseases dont heal; they metastasize.

One key problem with identity politics is that it is blind to the nature of class in America. Since the beginning, the United States has had the poor, the rich, and everyone between. But those occupying each stratum in America are not classes in the way other countries have understood class, that is, in terms of patronage and reciprocal obligations (noblesse oblige), however poorly honored or disregarded, which have been authorized by law and by mores. In his great unfinished work, The Old Regime and the French Revolution (1851), Alexis de Tocqueville noted that one cause of the hatred of the hereditary aristocracy at the outset of the French Revolution was that the state had for some time stripped French society of the reciprocal obligations that characterized aristocratic patronage. When those obligations disappeared, the hereditary aristocracy had social standing but no relevance. It was against this irrelevant privilege that a revolution in the name of the Universal Rights of Man erupted. Money largely supplanted the older view of class, as Tocqueville (and then Marx) noted. Nowadays, money is increasingly becoming the single measure of standing in society nearly everywhere, though the older understanding of wealth and its obligations endures in some measurebut not in America, where class based on patronage is essentially unknown. We dont have class in America; we have stratifications based on money. It is in this sense that Americans use the term class.

During the 2016 campaign, no group brayed louder about identity politics than the baby boomers.

When people are stratified by money and not patronage, something new emerges: middle-class anxiety. In a patronage system, you have some assurance that you will not fall too far. You may have a host of fears, but you will not have class anxiety. When patronage disappears, though, this assurance disappears with it. In the early 1830s, Tocqueville had already foreseen the emergence of this new middle-class anxiety and described it in Democracy in America. Because nearly everyone in America would taste enough of the goods of life to know what it meant to enjoy them, but almost no one would be secure enough not to fear losing them, anxiety would be the great disease of the democratic age. This prescient observation also explains why Tocqueville thought that there would be far more mental disorder in America than in Europe.

A political party seeking power in an America haunted by middle-class anxiety must be attentive to it. The party must, in fact, be devoted to ameliorating it. The Democratic Party has not provided this service for some time. Instead, Democrats have favored everyone but the middle class, granting privileges, for example, to the wealthy in the form of crony capitalism, in which large companies often benefit from trade agreements and regulations at the expense of smaller competitors, which cannot absorb the compliance burdens; and by guaranteeing government assistance to the poor not only in the form of generous benefits but also through identity-politics rhetoric and what Ill call debt points.

Identity pertains not simply to the kind of person that we are. People have been sorted (and self-sorted) into kinds throughout history. Identity is different. First, it carries a determination about guilt or innocence that nothing can appreciably alter. Its guilt is guilt without atonement; its innocence is innocence without fault. No redemption is possible, but only a schema of never-ending debts and payments. Second, this schema is made possible because identity politics is, tacitly or expressly, a relationshipsomething quite different from sorting (and self-sorting) by kinds. In the identity-politics world, the further your distance from the epicenter of guilt, the more debt points you receive. What is the epicenter of guilt? Being a white male heterosexual. (Throw in Christian, and the already-unpayable debt mounts still higher.) The debt points are not real currency, but they offer something that mere money cannot: a sense of moral superiority. Join us, says the Democratic Party, and though your actual wounds cannot be healed, or even eased, by our policies and programs, they can be covered with the cloak of righteousness. This is the stuff of religion, not normal politics.

Thus, the strange drama of the 2016 presidential campaign: a progressive white woman candidate who promises to double-down on identity politics and who calls those who would chart another course deplorables. The righteous white woman gives; nonwhite people and other injured groups, made pure by entering the revival tent of identity politics, receive. Anyone not in on this debt-point dispensation and reception is the wrong kind of white personDonald Trump and those who voted for him, for instance. They are to be regarded not as mere political opponents but as defendants awaiting the judgment of a religious tribunal.

During the 2016 campaign, no group brayed louder about identity politics than the baby boomers. College radicals of the 1960s, on the forward cusp of the baby-boomer generation, made a fortune on their homes and in the stock market because the larger demographic group that followed them drove up the price of each asset when it bought in. Unable to imagine themselves as anything other than radical but embarrassed that on the metric of class, they are now among the oppressors rather than the oppressed, the boomers embrace identity politics as the fig leaf that obscures their upper-middle-class comfort. The cultural and economic bubble within which they live renders them oblivious to the anxiety that surrounds them. The voting map of the 2016 election, with its vast expanse of Trump-supporting counties, suggests how pervasive this anxiety is.

Once, the Democrats were the party of the middle class, attentive to how it might be lifted upor at least, kept from falling. But during the 2016 election, the Democrats offered the middle class nothingAmericans counted only insofar as they belonged to this or that identity group. And when the Democrats lost, they blamed white members of the middle class who voted for Trump and who had had enough of identity politics. Among Democrats, only the defeated Bernie Sanders stayed focused on the middle-class crisis, refusing the bait of identity politics.

As for the poor, a half-century of federal payouts, introduced with Lyndon B. Johnsons Great Society, has not eased their burden. These government programs proved so unsuccessful, in fact, that Democrats have needed to create new narratives to explain their failure: perhaps the real reason for poverty in America, they came to conclude, has nothing to do with money, which politics can presumably fix, but with fault and guilt. The poor are poor because of their identity, the Democrats now say: they are innocent, finding themselves in adverse circumstances because of the irredeemable fault and guilt of others. The Democrats will champion the faultless and guiltless, calling out white privilege, male privilege, heterosexual privilege. With the new economy of identity-politics debt points, conjoined with massive federal spending, the Democrats position themselves as the vanguard of the innocent.

This new symbiosis has been a catastrophe for both the Democrats and for the poor. What began in the 1960s as an earnest hope that the national government could do great thingslike fulfill the age-old longing of men to go to the moon and heal the deep historical wound of slaveryhas become malignant. Americans are not citizens, engaged in fulfilling a national covenant, in this corrupted worldview, but righteous or irredeemably damned bearers of identity. They can never be reconciled because of the chasm that separates those who deserve salvation and those who deserve perditionnamely, the deplorables.

If one key problem with identity politics is its blindness to the nature of class in America, the other problem is that it misrepresents the long arc of history, which may not bend in the direction of identity-politics justice after all. After the election, many stunned Democrats started to wonder about this. How, they ask, can the party that represents African-Americans, women, Hispanics, homosexuals, and transsexualsand other identity groups yet to be namednot prevail? Is history itself not on our side?

To answer this question, we need to return to the twentieth-century locus for the idea that the arc of history bends toward justiceto Martin Luther King, Jr. and, before him, to Reinhold Niebuhr, the mid-century Protestant theologian whom King greatly admired. President Obama cited both men during his terms in office, with a view to declaring where the arc of history tends.

Yet between King and Niebuhr, on the one hand, and the Democratic Party of President Obama, on the other, the arc of history has been stripped of awe, of religious mystery, of its power to offer hope and to counsel patience. King and Niebuhr were Christian theologians who spoke to the never fully healed wound of human suffering in history. They grasped, as Democrats at their best do, that the problem of suffering operates on a different plane, in which the central issue is the broken human condition and its sorrowful reverberations in history. Suffering cannot be fully understood, in other words, without reference to human fault and guilt. That is the important insight of the Democratic Partynow gone horribly astray.

Identity politics shares with King the insight that fault and guilt must be addressed, but it rips them from their Christian theological context, and instead conceives them in worldly terms alone: as a relationship between the source of fault and guilt (white male heterosexuals) and those (women, gays, Hispanics, Muslims, and so on) whose innocence is measured by their distance from that source. In this framework, there is one original sinner: white male heterosexualseither alive or haunting us from the grave in the form of the Dead White Men studied in old Western civilization courses. Everyone else gets to sigh with relief; whatever their guilt may be, at least they are not that.

King knew, of course, that sin has worldly consequences and that groups often sinned against other groups. But he would not have rested there, satisfied with a permanent debt that could never be repaid. God did not place man in the world so that he would dwell forever on his faults, but rather so that he would respond to them with repentance and forgiveness. Within the identity-politics world, there is only the permanence of debt. Within Kings Christian view, the worldly impossibility of paying back debt is superseded by the Christian possibility of repentance and forgiveness. Only through these can debts be canceled and life be renewed; only in this way can the balance sheet be zeroed. That such a rebalancing is possible, for King, was evidence of an awesome religious mystery, which gave hope and counseled patience.

Identity politics is only quasi-Christian. It begins from the observation that there is worldly fault and debt. That, every Christian sees. But identity politics stops there, content that we need go no further than call out fault and debt and use political powerworldly powerto settle the score. I doubt that this quasi-Christian viewpoint, which refuses reconciliation, is a stable one. Without straining our imagination, we can discern that we are either going to return to some variant of Kings Christian account, in which fault and debt are overcome through repentance and forgiveness, or we are going to move to a truly post-Christian world in which we no longer care about fault and debt. In such a world, the terms oppressor and oppressed will cease to have any meaning, and historical woundsAmerican slavery in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, European colonialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, German aggression in the first half of the twentieth centurywill be met with the cruel words: and we would do it again, for the world is nothing but force and fraud and the will to power. That is the world that Nietzsche staked out in the late nineteenth century, in the hope that we would find the courage to move beyond Christian guilt. It is no small irony that todays political Left, which owes more to Nietzsche than to Marx, has so badly understood him: the fault-and-debt points that identity politics tallies are precisely what Nietzsche wanted post-Christian man to repudiate. Our post-Christian Left, however, wants it both ways: it wishes to destroy Christianity by using the battering ram of (white male heterosexual) fault and debt.

We should shudder to think what the world will look like if our post-Christian Left is successful, for it will be a world in which those who have been the object of its derision fully agree to Nietzsches terms, throw off Christian guilt altogether, and chant blood and soil, as white-nationalist demonstrators did recently in Charlottesville. Christianity has battled pagan movements, of the sort that Nazism is, since before the Roman Empire fell. When it loses, fault and guilt are replaced by pagan vitalism, the cruelty of which knows no bounds.

But return to the question: In what direction does the arc of history bend? For King, America is a covenantal community, whose mission can be fulfilled only when blacks and whites work together to heal the wound of slavery. For King, that was the direction toward which the long arc of history bent. In the identity-politics world, however, the wound of slavery is not simply a malignancy to be healed. It is a template to be used to identify and catalog an infinitely proliferating array of wounds and grievances, talliedindeed, fomentedby the Democratic Party, with a view to gathering power and votes. There is no watchful yet merciful God, who calls us to repent and to forgive; there is only ever-expanding grievance, over which righteous, largely white, progressives preside. Identity politics depends on the wound of slavery to provide its initial coherencebut it does not stop there. Instead, it ceaselessly seeks to expand its mandate.

We should shudder to think what the world will look like if our post-Christian Left is successful.

That is why the community most harmed by identity politics is the African-American community. Because identity politics combines all nonwhite, heterosexual males, the African-American wound is seen as just one wound among many, different in degree but not in kind from any other wound that a nonwhite heterosexual male might claim. Yet that is not true. The African-American wound is different in kind, not in degree. Sustained legalized slavery in America, over more than two centuries, sets African-Americans apart from all others who are now here in our country. African-Americans are not one identity among others. My fathers family, one example among millions in America today, came from Lebanon in the 1890s. His immigrant family was not treated particularly well, nor was he. (He nevertheless lied about his age, joined the Marines after graduating high school, and served in the Pacific theater during World War II.) Toleration and acceptance are hard-won and do not happen in a generation. In the identity-politics world, my fathers immigrant family would have been granted the fault-and-guilt debt points to which his immigrant identity entitled him. To which every immigrant family with a long history in America should say, Nonsense. And to other immigrants today, who, by Democratic Party logic, are granted fault and guilt debt points, those same now-assimilated immigrants should say: Stand in line; it will take you and your family several generations to adjust. It wont be easy, but its an amazing country if you work hard for your family, for yourself, your community, and your nation. Every immigrant group that has entered America for the last 300 years can offer some variant of that lesson.

The African-American wound, by contrast, still festers. If fault and debt were only a worldly matter, as identity politics stipulates, then the never-ending fault and debt of white America would require that it eternally repay the African-American community with money transfers orchestrated by Washingtonoverseen by the Democratic Party, needless to say. But trillions of dollars have been spent, while the African-American wound remains unhealed. Does this not prove that fault and debt cannot be resolved on the worldly field where politics plays out? If the wound reaches beyond the world to divine things, to repentance and forgiveness, then it is not through politics but rather through our houses of worship that it will be healed. Political action can supplement the work of these societal institutions, but it cannot be a substitute for them, as it increasingly has been over the past half-century.

However unlikely, one can imagine a Democratic Party addressing the middle-class anxiety symptomatic of U.S. democracy while also working to heal the particular wound of slavery. Kings vision of spiritual reconciliation ultimately served both ends because he saw a future for blacks in which they enjoyed the fruits of American prosperity, which invariably would put them in the anxiety-ridden middle class. It may be that the only way that the Democratic Party can rise, Lazarus-like, from its deathbed is if African-Americans call out identity politics as the disaster that it has beenfor them and for the country. If the party cannot find a cure for its confusion, it will expire in the paroxysm that identity politics produces.

The Democratic Party has rejected the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr., who argued that blacks and whites must work together to heal the wounds of slavery. (AP PHOTO)
The United States has started doing something unprecedented when it comes to oil, and the impact is expected to grow into next year.

Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service is alluding to the U.S. ramping up exports. It follows the 40-year ban that was lifted two years ago.

"The highlight you need to watch for the next few months is going to be more record breaking exports of crude oil. Our view is that it's going to soften the price for Brent ," the firm's global head of energy analysis said recently on CNBC's "Futures Now."

According to Kloza, it's possible the U.S. will export 15 million to 20 million barrels of crude a week to several continents.

"That's something we've never seen before," he added.

Kloza, who accurately called the 2015 oil collapse, says it's unclear how the phenomenon will affect the global markets, but he doesn't expect a breakout to the downside.
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 []
Larry Page, Google co-founder and CEO speaks during the opening keynote at the Google I/O developers conference.

Some of the biggest names in technology have been lavishing millions on Congress during the third quarter, according to government documents  at a time when they're under increasing regulatory scrutiny from Washington.

The disclosures, required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, revealed Google spent $4.17 million lobbying Congress this most recent quarter. Facebook spent $2.85 million, while Twitter spent $120,000. The figures were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Last quarter Google spent $5.93 million lobbying lawmakers, while Facebook and Twitter spent $2.38 million and $120,000 respectively.

The three tech titans are sending lawyers to U.S. congressional committees on Nov. 1 to testify on their behalf in response to Russian political ad buying on their platforms during the 2016 election.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes a statement to the media that he is not going to resign, at the State Department in Washington, October 4, 2017.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted a Trump administration goal of uniting Saudi Arabia and Iraq in common cause to counter Iran's growing assertiveness in the Middle East.

Tillerson participated in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee, along with Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, telling the leaders that the event highlighted the improving ties between the longtime rivals and showed "the great potential" for further cooperation. He noted the August reopening of a major border crossing and the resumption of direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad.

"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," he said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

The United States is "grateful for this progress and urge you to expand this vital relationship for the stability of the region," Tillerson said. "The United States stands ready to support continued cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and we congratulate you."

His participation in the meeting comes as U.S. officials step up encouragement of a new axis that unites Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

Amid the push for that alliance, the Iraqi government is struggling to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way, but both the Saudi king and the Iraqi prime minister appeared optimistic about the prospects.

"We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries," Salman said. "These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi expressed pleasure with "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries."

"We are open and we want to move away from the past," he said. "The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other state should stop."

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century. The first visit by a Saudi foreign minister to Baghdad came in February this year, followed by the border crossing reopening in August and resumption of direct flights between the capitals suspended during the Gulf War.

Over the weekend, the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, made a high-profile appearance at Baghdad's International Fair, and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luabi.

Nevertheless, the relationship is plagued by suspicion. Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, after last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

The Sunni-led kingdom, which had opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, has long been anxious about Iran's footprint in Shiite-majority Iraq and its network of allied militias there. Saudi Arabia has consistently described Iraq as an Arab nation, to differentiate it from Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

The kingdom is also looking to Iraq as a potential trading partner and as a major investment opportunity amid reconstruction efforts in cities such as Mosul, which were devastated by the war against the Islamic State group.
The Port of San Diego hosted a delegation from its sister port, the Port of Sasebo, Japan on October 13, 2017. The purpose of the visit was to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the sister port relationship, according to a statement.



A sister port agreement was signed between the two ports in August 1982. This agreement allows both ports to explore the possibilities of future collaboration and encourages the two ports to cross-promote business and cultural opportunities. Like San Diego, the Port of Sasebo has a large military presence, natural deepwater harbors, resort areas and cruise, shipbuilding and fishing industries.



The most recent delegation visit from the Port of Sasebo took place in 2012.

As part of the anniversary celebration, a tree-planting ceremony was held at Coronado Tidelands Park in which City of Sasebo Mayor Norio Tomonaga and Port Board Chairman Dukie Valderrama ceremoniously placed an African Tulip tree in the ground. The tree was selected because of its ability to withstand the climate of San Diego Bay and for its potential to provide shade.



This tree will grow and flourish just like the relationship between our two sister ports, the Port of San Diego and the Port of Sasebo, said Chairman Valderrama. Our two ports have much in common and we will continue to work together to promote foreign trade, redevelopment opportunities, tourism and protecting the environment.



In addition to the tree planting ceremony, members of the delegation toured San Diego Bay and the Ports Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal on Friday.






Cruise passengers will be boarding a fleet of greener buses in Victoria in 2018.

A new partnership between The Wilsons Group and CVS Tours will bring new, quieter buses with lower emissions to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authoritys (GVHA) Ogden Point cruise terminal, according to a statement.

This is a great step forward for our city, said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. Its a creative solution that brings partners together to improve air quality, and I think helps reduce the impact on the local community.

The joint venture, called Pacific Northwest Transportation Services (PNWTS), is a collaborative effort between CVS Tours and The Wilsons Group. In exchange for a commitment and investment in newer buses and a consolidation of tour bus services from the Ogden Point terminal, GVHA has provided exclusive access over ten years to PNWTS to provide dispatch and cruise shuttle services on the terminal, and to supply all buses for shore excursion tours.

This agreement allows GVHA to help accelerate investment in a fleet of new tour buses, says Greater Victoria Harbour Authority CEO Ian Robertson. We can stipulate that buses have newer engines and lower emissions, and that they have quieter back-up technology. This moves us further toward our goal of consistently improving social, environmental, and fiscal outcomes in our cruise operations.

Ogden Point is Canadas busiest cruise ship port-of-call, welcoming 239 ships from all major cruise lines in 2017.
Carnival Cruise Line has set dates for its return to a number of Caribbean destinations that were devastated by recent hurricanes.

"We will be resuming visits to Grand Turk in less than two weeks, calls in San Juan on November 30 and visits to St. Thomas and St. Maarten at the beginning of January. I hope you are as excited as we are at this great news," said Christine Duffy, president, in a statement.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to assure you that, while the Caribbean region recovers from the hurricanes, Carnival is continuing to provide support to our friends and partners impacted by the storms," said Duffy ."Over the past many weeks, we have provided deliveries of supplies to different Caribbean islands. We have also been fundraising and, in total, the Carnival Corporation family has committed $12.5 million to hurricane relief. And just recently we chartered the Carnival Fascination to FEMA to house relief workers in St. Croix."
The Star Princess called in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday October 19, bringing more than 3,100 passengers to the port.

Star Princess Captain Stephano Ravera and Staff Captain Marco Cataldi hosted locals aboard for a maritime plaque exchange, including Ewan Moir  President & CEO  Nanaimo Port Authority, Moira Jenkins  Board Chair, Nanaimo Port Authority.

The port had its welcome facility open, with travel counselors available to talk to passengers. There were also Royal Canadian Mounted Police on site and a staging area for shuttles for shore excursions and shuttles into the city center.
Social media monitoring combined with Facebooks AI mistranslating a post led to a man being wrongfully arrested for suspicion of incitement.

A smiling Palestinian construction worker posted a photo of himself leaning against a bulldozer and holding a cup of coffee and a cigarette. He posted the photo on Facebook along with good morning in Arabic.

Israeli police, relying on Facebooks translation service, believed the post said attack them. Haaretz reported, The automatic translation service offered by Facebook uses its own proprietary algorithms. It translated good morning as attack them in Hebrew and hurt them in English.

The Palestinian mans photo showed a bulldozer on the construction site in the Beitar Illit settlement, which is located on the West Bank near Jerusalem. Bulldozers have been used in terror attacks against Israelis in the past.

Israeli police did not consult any Arabic-speaking officer, but instead relied completely on Facebooks translation. As a result, the Palestinian man was arrested.

Haaretz explained, Arabic speakers explained that English transliteration used by Facebook is not an actual word in Arabic but could look like the verb to hurt  even though any Arabic speaker could clearly see the transliteration did not match the translation.

The Times of Israel added, There is only one letters difference between the colloquial Arabic phrase for good morning to you all and hurt them. A spokesperson for the Israel Polices West Bank district confirmed the arrest of the construction worker to The Times of Israel, adding that the man was released after a few hours when the police realized Facebook mistranslated the good morning post.

Facebook's new machine translation praised, but still needs humans

Facebook Artificial Intelligence Researchers (FAIR) published a research paper and toolkit for its convolutional neural networks in May. This new machine translation approach reportedly could achieve state-of-the-art accuracy at nine times the speed of recurrent neural systems. Wired suggested, Facebooks new AI could lead to translations that actually make sense.

The AI researchers explained that their better translations were a result of multi-hop attention and gating.

A distinguishing component of our architecture is multi-hop attention. An attention mechanism is similar to the way a person would break down a sentence when translating it: Instead of looking at the sentence only once and then writing down the full translation without looking back, the network takes repeated glimpses at the sentence to choose which words it will translate next, much like a human occasionally looks back at specific keywords when writing down a translation. Multi-hop attention is an enhanced version of this mechanism, which allows the network to make multiple such glimpses to produce better translations. These glimpses also depend on each other. For example, the first glimpse could focus on a verb and the second glimpse on the associated auxiliary verb.

Better translations are a good thing, but it seems like a human might be consulted about an AI translation before a person is arrested.

Like most government agencies, Israels security services conduct social media monitoring; it led to the arrests of 400 Palestinians suspected of planning attacks in April. Israel claimed its social media monitoring had stopped a total 2,200 Palestinians who were planning attacks.

The Palestinian construction worker deleted his good morning post after the police released him.

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With no path to win, Mastriano still silent on conceding blowout loss
Genpact Limited provides business process outsourcing and information technology (IT) services in India, rest of Asia, North and Latin America, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Banking, Capital Markets and Insurance; Consumer Goods, Retail, Life Sciences and Healthcare; and High Tech, Manufacturing and Services. The company offers CFO advisory services; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) services, such as data management, carbon accounting, human rights assessment, sustainability diligence, and ESG reporting. It also provides finance and accounting services, which include accounts payable, such as document management, invoice processing, approval and resolution management, and travel and expense processing; invoice-to-cash services, including customer master data management, credit and contract management, fulfillment, billing, collections, and dispute management services; record to report services comprising accounting, treasury, tax, product cost accounting, and closing and reporting services; financial planning and analysis consisting of budgeting, forecasting, and business performance reporting; and enterprise risk and compliance services, including operational risks and controls. In addition, the company provides supply chain advisory services, and after-sales services; sourcing and procurement services comprising direct and indirect strategic sourcing, category management, spend analytics, procurement operation, and master data management; and sales and commercial services, including campaign, order, and dispute management, lead generation, pricing, and promotion optimization. Further, it offers IT services, which comprise end-user computing support, infrastructure management, application production support, and database management services; and transformation services that include digital solutions, consulting services, and analytics services and solutions. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
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!)
Argan, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations management, maintenance, project development, technical, and consulting services to the power generation and renewable energy markets. The company operates through Power Industry Services, Industrial Fabrication and Field Services, and Telecommunications Infrastructure Services segments. The Power Industry Services segment offers engineering, procurement, and construction contracting services to the owners of alternative energy facilities, such as biomass plants, wind farms, and solar fields; and design, construction, project management, start-up, and operation services for projects with approximately 15 gigawatts of power-generating capacity. This segment serves independent power project owners, public utilities, power plant equipment suppliers, and energy plant construction companies. The Industrial Fabrication and Field Services segment provides industrial field, and pipe and vessel fabrication services for forest products, industrial gas, fertilizer, and mining companies in southeast region of the United States. The Telecommunications Infrastructure Services segment offers trenchless directional boring and excavation for underground communication and power networks, as well as aerial cabling services; and installs buried cable, high and low voltage electric lines, and private area outdoor lighting systems. It also provides structured cabling, terminations, and connectivity that offers the physical transport for high-speed data, voice, video, and security networks. This segment serves state and local government agencies, regional communications service providers, electric utilities, and other commercial customers, as well as federal government facilities comprising cleared facilities in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Argan, Inc. was incorporated in 1961 and is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation.

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GNC Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of health, wellness, and performance products. The company operates through three segments: U.S. and Canada, International, and Manufacturing/Wholesale. Its products include proteins, performance supplements, weight management supplements, vitamins, herbs and greens, wellness supplements, health and beauty products, food and drink products, and other general merchandise. The company also provides third-party contract manufacturing services. It sells its products under the GNC proprietary brands, as well as under third-party brands. As of December 31, 2018, the company had approximately 8,400 locations of which approximately 6,200 retail locations in the United States and franchise operations in approximately 50 countries. It sells its products through company-owned retail stores and its Website GNC.com, as well as third-party Websites; wholesale partnerships; and domestic and international franchise activities. GNC Holdings, Inc. has a strategic partnership with Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Holding Co., Ltd. and International Vitamin Corporation. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a marine fuel logistics company that markets and supplies refined marine fuel and lubricants to vessels in port, at sea, and on rivers worldwide. The company offers fueling services to ocean-going and a range of coastal vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, and ferries, as well as to marine fuel traders, brokers, and other end-users of marine fuel and lubricants. It also markets and distributes marine lubricants under the Alfa Marine Lubricants brand; and provides a range of shipping services, such as technical support and maintenance, insurance arrangement and handling, financial administration, and accounting services. As of December 31, 2016, the company owned and operated a fleet of 46 bunkering vessels, including 45 double hulls and 1 single hull special purpose vehicle; 15 double hull bunkering vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 292,400 deadweight ton (dwt); operated 10 land-based storage facilities with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 1,075,000 cubic meters; and operated 2 vessels as floating storage facility with a cargo carrying capacity of approximately 86,800 dwt. Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
Deutsche Post AG operates as a mail and logistics company in Germany, rest of Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through five segments: Express; Global Forwarding, Freight; Supply Chain; eCommerce Solutions; and Post & Parcel Germany. The Express segment offers time-definite courier and express services to business and private customers. The Global Forwarding, Freight segment provides air, ocean, and overland freight forwarding services; and offers multimodal and sector-specific solutions. This segment's business model is based on brokering transport services between customers and freight carriers. The Supply Chain segment delivers customized supply chain solutions to its customers based on modular components, including warehousing and transport services; and value-added services, such as e-fulfilment and returns management, lead logistics partner, real estate solutions, service logistics, and packaging solutions for various industrial sectors. The eCommerce Solutions segment provides parcel delivery and cross-border non-time definite international services. The Post & Parcel Germany segment transports and delivers mail communication, parcels, physical and hybrid letters, and special products for the delivery of goods; and offers additional services, such as registered mail, cash on delivery, and insured items. This segment also provides digital products, including stamps with data matrix codes and various postal services. Deutsche Post AG was founded in 1490 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
DS Smith Plc provides packaging solutions, paper products, and recycling services worldwide. The company offers transit and transport, consumer, retail and shelf ready, online and e-retail, industrial, hazardous, multi-material, cushioning, and electrostatic discharge packaging products, as well as wrap arounds, trays, and bag-in-boxes; displays and promotional packaging products; corrugated pallets; Sheetfeeding products; packaging machine systems; and Sizzlepak, a stuffing material made of paper, folded in a zigzag shape, and cut into narrow strips, as well as provides outdoor advertising services. It also provides various recycling and waste management services, including total waste management, paper and cardboard recycling, confidential shredding, and coffee cups and plastics recycling, as well as equipment for the retail, manufacturing, print and publishing, paper mills, automotive, and public sectors. In addition, the company offers recycled corrugated case materials, specialty papers, and kraft liners, as well as related technical and supply chain services. It provides its packaging solutions for the food and drink, consumer goods, industrial, e-commerce and e-retail, and converter industries. The company was formerly known as David S. Smith (Holdings) PLC and changed its name to DS Smith Plc in 2001. DS Smith Plc was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California that provides various banking services to businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposit instruments, including checking, savings, money market, time certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also offers range of lending products comprising commercial, commercial and residential real estate, real estate construction, agribusiness, and consumer loans, as well as equipment leases and credit card services; commercial products, including term loans, lines of credit and other working capital financing, and letters of credit; and financing products, such as automobile financing, home improvement, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company provides various specialized services consisting of credit card programs for merchants, lockbox and other collection services, account reconciliation, investment sweep, online account access, and electronic funds transfers through domestic and international wire and automated clearinghouse; and online banking services. Further, it offers investment products, such as mutual funds and annuities. The company serves its customers through 29 full-service branches and 3 stand-alone automated teller machines in the mid Central Valley of California, including Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Merced counties, as well as the east region of the San Francisco Bay Area comprising Napa, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Lodi, California.
GMS Inc. distributes wallboard, ceilings, steel framing and complementary construction products in the United States and Canada. The company offers ceilings products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings. It also provides steel framing products, such as steel tracks, studs, and various other steel products used to frame the interior walls of a commercial or institutional building; and insulation, lumber and other wood products, ready-mix joint compound, and various other interior construction products, as well as ancillary products comprising tools, fasteners, and safety products. In addition, the company distributes acoustical ceilings, steel framing, insulation, and related building products, as well as commercial and residential building materials. It serves professional contractors and homebuilders. As of April 30, 2022, the company operated 300 branches across 44 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 6 provinces in Canada. It also operates a network of approximately 300 distribution centers. GMS Inc. was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Tucker, Georgia.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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Twitter, Inc. operates as a platform for public self-expression and conversation in real-time. The company's primary product is Twitter, a platform that allows users to consume, create, distribute, and discover content. It also provides promoted products that enable advertisers to promote brands, products, and services, as well as enable advertisers to target an audience based on various factors, including who an account follows and actions taken on its platform, such as Tweets created and engagement with Tweets. Its promoted products consist of promoted ads and Twitter Amplify, Follower Ads, and Twitter takeover. In addition, the company offers monetization products for creators, including Tips to directly send small one-time payments on Twitter using various payment methods, including bitcoin; Super Follows, a paid monthly subscription, which includes bonus content, exclusive previews, and perks as a way to support and connect with creators on Twitter; and Ticketed Spaces to support creators on Twitter for their time and effort in hosting, speaking, and moderating the public conversation on Twitter Spaces. Further, it offers products for developers and data partners comprising Twitter Developer Platform, a platform that enables developers to build tools for people and businesses using its public application programming interface; and paid access to Twitter data for partners with commercial use cases. Twitter, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is based in San Francisco, California.
Hilltop Holdings Inc. provides business and consumer banking, and financial products and services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, equipment loans and leases, agricultural and commercial real estate loans, and other loans; and commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance. This segment also provides treasury management, wealth management, asset management, check cards, safe deposit boxes, online banking, bill pay, trust, and overdraft services; and estate planning, management and administration, investment portfolio management, employee benefit accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as automated teller machines. The Broker-Dealer segment offers public finance services that assist public entities in originating, syndicating, and distributing securities of municipalities and political subdivisions; specialized advisory and investment banking services; advice and guidance to arbitrage rebate compliance, portfolio management, and local government investment pool administration; structured finance services, which include advisory services for derivatives and commodities; sells, trades in, and underwrites U.S. government and government agency bonds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds, as well as mortgage-backed, asset-backed, and commercial mortgage-backed securities and structured products. This segment also provides asset and liability management advisory, clearing, retail, and securities lending services. The Mortgage Origination segment offers mortgage, jumbo, Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs, and United States Department of Agriculture loans. Hilltop Holdings Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Barnes Group Inc. provides engineered products, industrial technologies, and solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments: Industrial and Aerospace. The Industrial segment offers precision components, products, and systems used by various customers in end-markets, such as mobility, industrial equipment, automation, personal care, packaging, electronics, and medical devices. This segment also designs and manufactures hot runner systems, mold cavity sensors and process control systems, and precision high cavitation mold assemblies for injection molding applications; provides force and motion control solutions for various metal forming and other industrial markets; and designs and develops robotic grippers, end-of-arm tooling systems, sensors, and other automation components for intelligent robotic handling solutions and industrial automation applications. In addition, it manufactures and supplies precision mechanical products, including mechanical springs, and high-precision punched and fine-blanked components used in transportation and industrial applications. This segment sells its products primarily through its direct sales force and distribution channels. The Aerospace segment produces fabricated and precision machined components and assemblies for turbine engines; and nacelles and structures for commercial and defense-related aircraft. It also provides aircraft engine component maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for turbine engine manufacturers, commercial airlines, and defense market; and manufactures and delivers aerospace aftermarket spare parts. This segment serves original equipment manufacturing industry. Barnes Group Inc. was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut.
Principal Financial Group, Inc. provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Global Investors, Principal International, and U.S. Insurance Solutions segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides a portfolio of asset accumulation products and services for retirement savings and income. It offers products and services for defined contribution plans, including 401(k) and 403(b) plans, defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified executive benefit plans, employee stock ownership plans, equity compensation, and pension risk transfer services; individual retirement accounts; investment only products; and mutual funds, individual variable annuities, and bank products. The Principal Global Investors segment provides equity, fixed income, real estate, and other alternative investments, as well as asset allocation, stable value management, and other structured investment strategies. The Principal International segment offers pension accumulation products and services, mutual funds, asset management, income annuities, and life insurance accumulation products, as well as voluntary savings plans in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, India, and Southeast Asia. The U.S. Insurance Solutions segment provides specialty benefits, such as group dental and vision insurance, group life insurance, and group and individual disability insurance, as well as administers group dental, disability, and vision benefits; and individual life insurance products comprising universal, variable universal, indexed universal, and term life insurance products in the United States. It also offers insurance solutions for small and medium-sized businesses and their owners, as well as executives. Principal Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1879 and is based in Des Moines, Iowa.
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.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Transocean: 15375 Memorial Corporation, Agon Shipping Inc., Aguas Profundas Limitada, AngoSantaFe - Prestacao de Servicos Petroliferos Limitada, Angola Deepwater Drilling Company (Offshore Services) Ltd, Arcade Drilling AS, Asie Sonat Offshore Sdn. Bhd., Barents Rigco Limited, Blegra Asset Management Limited, Blegra Financing Limited, Caledonia Offshore Drilling Services Limited, Challenger Minerals Inc., Covent Garden - Servicos e Marketing Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Deepwater Drilling (Transocean Ghana) Limited, Deepwater Drilling North Africa LLC - Free Zone, Deepwater Pacific 1 Inc., Deepwater Supply Inc., Drillship Alonissos Owners Inc., Drillship Hydra Owners Inc., Drillship Kithira Owners Inc., Drillship Kythnos Owners Inc., Drillship Paros Owners Inc., Drillship Skiathos Owners Inc., Drillship Skopelos Owners Inc., Drillship Skyros Owners Inc., Eastern Med Consultants Inc., Entities Holdings Inc., GSF Leasing Services GmbH, Global Marine Inc., Global Offshore Drilling Limited, GlobalSantaFe (Labuan) Inc., GlobalSantaFe B.V., GlobalSantaFe C.R. Luigs Limited, GlobalSantaFe Denmark Holdings ApS, GlobalSantaFe Drilling (N.A.) N.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (Overseas) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Operations Inc., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Services (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Trinidad LLC, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe Financial Services (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., GlobalSantaFe Group Financing Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe Holding Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Hungary Services Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Corporation, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Inc., GlobalSantaFe International Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Nederland B.V., GlobalSantaFe Offshore Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Operations (Mexico) LLC, GlobalSantaFe Saudi Arabia Ltd., GlobalSantaFe Services (BVI) Inc., GlobalSantaFe Services Netherlands B.V., GlobalSantaFe Servicios de Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe South America LLC, GlobalSantaFe Tampico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Techserv (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe U.S. Holdings Inc., Indigo Drilling Limited, Inteliwell JV GP Limited, Inteliwell JV LP, Kalambo Operations Inc., OCR Falklands Drilling Inc., OR Norge Operations Inc., Ocean Rig, Ocean Rig 1 Inc, Ocean Rig 2 Inc., Ocean Rig Canada Inc., Ocean Rig Cuanza Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Cubango Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Deepwater Drilling Limited, Ocean Rig Investments Inc., Ocean Rig Management Inc., Ocean Rig Operations Inc., Ocean Rig UDW Inc., Ocean Rig UDW LLC, Offshore Ghana Transocean Limited, Offshore Rig Operations AS, Olympia Rig Angola Holding S.A., Olympia Rig Angola Limitada, Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited, Orion RigCo (Cayman) Limited, P.T. Santa Fe Supraco Indonesia, PT. Transocean Indonesia, Platform Capital N.V., Platform Financial N.V., Primelead Limited, R&B Falcon (A) Pty Ltd, R&B Falcon (Caledonia) Limited, R&B Falcon (M) Sdn. Bhd., R&B Falcon (U.K.) Limited, R&B Falcon B.V., R&B Falcon Deepwater (UK) Limited, R&B Falcon Drilling Co. LLC, R&B Falcon Exploration Co. LLC, R&B Falcon International Energy Services B.V., RBF Rig Corporation LLC, Ranger Insurance Limited, Reading & Bates Coal Co. LLC, SDS Offshore Limited, Safemal Drilling Sdn. Bhd., Santa Fe Braun Inc., Santa Fe Construction Company, Santa Fe Drilling Company of Venezuela C.A., Saudi Drilling Company Limited, Sedco Forex International Inc., Services Petroliers Transocean, Servicios Petroleros Santa Fe S.A., Ship Investment Ocean Holdings Inc., Songa Offshore Delta Limited, Songa Offshore Drilling Limited, Songa Offshore Enabler Limited, Songa Offshore Encourage Limited, Songa Offshore Endurance Limited, Songa Offshore Equinox Limited, Songa Offshore Equipment Rental Limited, Songa Offshore Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Songa Offshore Management Limited, Songa Offshore Pte. Ltd., Songa Offshore Rig 2 AS, Songa Offshore Rig 3 AS, Songa Offshore SE, Songa Offshore SE, Songa Offshore Saturn Limited, Songa Offshore T & P Cyprus Limited, Songa Saturn Chartering Pte. Ltd., Spitsbergen Rigco Limited, Sub-Saharan Drilling Inc., T. I. International Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TILAM Holdings Limited, TRM Holdings Limited, TSSA - Servicos de Apoio Lda., Transocean Africa Drilling Limited, Transocean Asia Services Sdn Bhd, Transocean Asset Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Asset Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Asset Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Atlas Limited, Transocean Barents ASA, Transocean Brasil Ltda., Transocean Britannia Limited, Transocean Canada Drilling Services Ltd., Transocean Conqueror Limited, Transocean Conqueror Opco LLC, Transocean Corporate Services Limited, Transocean Cyprus Capital Management Public Limited, Transocean Cyprus Drilling Operations Public Limited, Transocean Deepwater Drilling Services Limited, Transocean Deepwater Holdings Limited, Transocean Deepwater Inc., Transocean Deepwater Mauritius, Transocean Deepwater Nautilus Limited, Transocean Deepwater Seafarer Services Limited, Transocean Discoverer 534 LLC, Transocean Drilling Enterprises S.a.r.l., Transocean Drilling Israel Ltd., Transocean Drilling Limited, Transocean Drilling Namibia Inc., Transocean Drilling Offshore S.a.r.l., Transocean Drilling Sdn. Bhd., Transocean Drilling Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Drilling U.K. Limited, Transocean Eastern Pte. Ltd., Transocean Employee Support Fund, Transocean Enabler Limited, Transocean Enabler Rigco Limited, Transocean Encourage Limited, Transocean Encourage Rigco Limited, Transocean Endurance Limited, Transocean Endurance Rigco Limited, Transocean Entities Holdings GmbH, Transocean Equinox Limited, Transocean Equinox Rigco Limited, Transocean Finance Limited, Transocean Financing (Cayman) Limited, Transocean Financing GmbH, Transocean Guardian Limited, Transocean Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Investments LLC, Transocean Hungary Ventures LLC, Transocean Inc., Transocean Innovation Labs Ltd., Transocean International Holdings Limited, Transocean International Resources Limited, Transocean Investimentos Ltda., Transocean Investments Holdings LLC, Transocean Investments S.a.r.l., Transocean Ltd., Transocean Management Services GmbH, Transocean Minerals Holdings Limited, Transocean Nautilus Limited, Transocean North Sea Limited, Transocean Norway Operations AS, Transocean Offshore (North Sea) Ltd., Transocean Offshore Canada Services Ltd., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore Drilling Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea II Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VI Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XIII Limited, Transocean Offshore Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore International Limited, Transocean Offshore International Ventures Limited, Transocean Offshore Limited, Transocean Offshore PR Limited, Transocean Offshore USA Inc., Transocean Onshore Support Services Limited, Transocean Orion Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Opco LLC, Transocean Pontus Limited, Transocean Pontus Opco Inc., Transocean Poseidon Limited, Transocean Poseidon Opco Inc., Transocean Proteus Limited, Transocean Proteus Opco LLC, Transocean Quantum Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Management Limited, Transocean Quantum Rig Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Sentry Holdings Limited, Transocean Rig 140 Limited, Transocean Rig Management Limited, Transocean SPSF Holdings Limited, Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures Limited, Transocean Sentry Limited, Transocean Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Services AS, Transocean Services UK Limited, Transocean Skyros Limited, Transocean Spitsbergen ASA, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Support Services Limited, Transocean Support Services Nigeria Limited, Transocean Support Services Private Limited, Transocean Technical Services Egypt LLC, Transocean U.S. Holdings LLC, Transocean UK Limited, Transocean Voyager 1 Limited, Transocean Voyager 2 Limited, Transocean West Africa Holdings Limited, Transocean Worldwide Inc., Triton Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Capital I GmbH, Triton Capital II GmbH, Triton Capital Mexico GmbH, Triton Conqueror GmbH, Triton Corcovado LLC, Triton Financing LLC, Triton Gemini GmbH, Triton Holdings Limited, Triton Hungary Asset Management LLC, Triton Hungary Investments 1 Limited Liability Company, Triton Industries Inc., Triton KG2 GmbH, Triton Management Services LLC, Triton Mykonos LLC, Triton Nautilus Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Nautilus Asset Management LLC, Triton Offshore Leasing Services Limited, Triton Pacific Limited, Triton Poseidon GmbH, Triton Voyager Asset Leasing GmbH, and Wilrig Offshore (UK) Limited.

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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.
Are you OK?

Are you safe?

Is your home in danger?

These are the questions that I and Im sure a lot of people have gotten in the last two weeks as wildfires raged in the North Bay. Ive gotten similar questions before when something is happening in Southern California  my friends and family on the East Coast arent all up on California geography or, perhaps, they forget exactly where I live and work.

This time the answer was complicated.

No, my home is not in danger. I live in Vallejo, where air quality was poor and ash covered my car, but safe from flames. I work in Napa, though, and Yes, I still have to go to work.

The point of my job is to go in when everyone else is evacuating, so how do I tell my mom that Im really safe when Im driving into areas that are still burning?

Im not a great liar, so I went with honesty. That led me to tell my mom that I was driving by utility poles on fire, walking on debris of burned down homes and being attacked by trees.

Thats right, trees were out to get me.

The first day  Monday, usually my day off  I headed up Atlas Peak Road and tried to get as close as I could to the fire. Road conditions were bad, but I made it pretty far before encountering a tree blocking the entire path in front of me. Only driving my little Honda Fit, there was no option but to turn around. I took my time heading back down the hill, making sure to be as careful as I could. Then, as I went around a bend, a deer hopped past my bumper and into a burned field. I stopped the car, put my long lens on my camera, got out and took its picture.

Then I heard it. The cracking.

I looked up. A tree was rolling down the hill in the direction of my car. I watched it  shocked and helpless. Then, as if someone was watching over me, it stopped, suspended halfway down the hill. I took it as a sign to get out of there.

My next encounter with a murderous tree was my final day out in the field  Saturday.

I had decided to head up Dry Creek Road, where a hot spot was burning, to talk to some firefighters. I found some crews out of Arizona who were pretty welcoming and easy to talk to. The fire was burning up the hillside by this house, but it seemed well-controlled, so the fire chief escorted me up the hill to look at potentially fire weakened trees.

He pointed out a Ponderosa pine that had been drilled by a woodpecker. The holes allowed smoke to get into the tree, heating it up from the inside, he said. If that tree goes down, it could cause some serious damage. In fact, he added, falling trees are responsible for most firefighter deaths during wildfires.

In front of us on the right, just off the path, a white-barked tree burned at its base. There were actually three smaller-looking trees growing out of its base, one of which arched high over our path about two feet in front of us.

The fire chief asked if I was ready to go back down the hill.

I looked at the tree then back at him suspiciously. Is that tree going to fall on us? I asked.

He said No.

Seconds after we started to head down the hill, though, I heard another firefighter scream something from the top of the hill. Then I heard what sounded like a crack. Immediately I started running  my hands over my head. I didnt know where it was coming from or what direction it might be falling, so I started to head toward another tree, thinking that if I grab its backside and hug it that maybe it would break the fall of the tree coming down and save me from the impact.

Instead, I heard the fire chief, who must have sensed I was going to stop, yell RUN!

I continued scurrying down the hill, slipping slightly on some dried leaves, which gave me an extra boost, and jumped onto the back porch of the home threatened by fire. When I turned around, the fire chief was next to me, similarly out of breath, and I saw that the tree had landed right where we had been walking.

Thanks for listening, the chief said.

Thanks for telling me to run, I replied, high-fiving him with both hands.

It was exhilarating and, in a way, empowering  I had fled from death. I, someone who is pretty inactive and not sporty at all, moved my feet fast enough to get out of the way. I even jumped, damn it. I was proud of myself.

Later, though, it hit me how narrowly I had escaped  how close I had come to being crushed. Is this something I should even tell my mom, I wondered.

So, after a week of covering wildfires, going into dangerous areas and possibly walking on not only the ashes of homes, but of bodies too, Im OK, I guess.

Like everyone has been saying, for most of us here in Napa County, it could have been worse.
WASHINGTON - A few Fridays ago, in the Kalorama neighborhood of D.C., Smithsonian curator Frank Blazich put on headlamp, checked his bag for a tape measure, and descended into the subbasement of Oyster-Adams intermediate school in search of the past.

"Oh wow," he said, coming to a metal door marked with a yellow and black pinwheel. "Look at that."

Blazich had come because my colleague and I invited him. We'd become obsessed with talking about nuclear attacks and fallout shelters, and that's what was on the other side of this door: an intact fallout shelter dating to 1962. A time capsule to a nation's panic, lined up in a long, concrete hall.

"These were the water barrels," Blazich said, pointing to a wall of 17.5 gallon drums labeled "Office of Civil Defense." "Think five people per barrel, and we could get a rough approximation of who would be down here."

We counted: More than 100 people would have sheltered here to save themselves from nuclear apocalypse. The world outside, in this scenario? Annihilated.

"So, each person would get 10,000 calories for two weeks," Blazich continued, blowing dust off a stack of tinned crackers. The crackers - "All Purpose Survival Biscuits" - would probably have been made of bulgur wheat, he explained. When the pyramids of ancient Egypt were excavated, archaeologists discovered unspoiled bulgur wheat; Cold War scientists figured the stuff must be indestructible.

We'd gotten interested in this shelter for a few reasons:

1) Intact ones are rare; they were supposed to be disassembled in the 1970s.

2) North Korea's Kim Jong Un is scary. He keeps surpassing predictions related to his nuclear arsenal - in September, he tested a weapon seven times the size of those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On Monday, a North Korean official said the country wouldn't stop until its missiles could reach "all the way to the East coast of the mainland U.S."

Our own president, a man not known for measured responses, has said that attacks would be met by "fire and fury like the world has never seen," and has taken to calling Kim Jong Un "Little Rocket Man."

So, to the fallout shelter.

We found first-aid kits. Tongue depressors, cotton swabs. A yellowing pamphlet with instructions for treating everything from skin rashes to "sucking-wounds in the chest."

We found the latrines: barrel-shaped containers meant to be topped with a rubber seat. Blazich sat on one to make sure he'd assembled it correctly, then noticed my colleague, Erin O'Connor, filming him. "You'll have a video of me online," he said, bursting into laughter. "The guy sitting on a 50-year-old toilet."

Here we sit, on the fallout shelter toilet, because of the last reason we're down here:

3) We want to solve a mystery. Who this shelter was intended for, who the stuff belongs to now. We want to understand, in a grimly practical way, what it felt like the last time the country saw bunkers as a solution because we were all going to be blasted to holy hell.

---

President John F. Kennedy had a problem. It was 1961 and Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Kruschev was threatening to cut off access to West Berlin. "We do not want to fight, but we have fought before," the president said in a July speech. He requested the government shell out $3.2 billion in military spending - including $207 million to identify spaces for fallout shelters. The United States could be bombed at any minute; shelters represented last-ditch hope for survival.

The money wasn't enough to actually build shelters - it was up to volunteers to see through construction. Civilians would be defending themselves against nuclear war.

The District of Columbia took the lead, explains David Krugler, whose book, "This is Only a Test," tells the story of nuclear preparation in the nation's capital. Churches and schools were surveyed. Basements were measured. In offices, employees signed up as air raid wardens, prepared to slap on arm bands and shepherd co-workers to safety. In the food industry, companies produced shelter biscuits and "carbohydrate supplements" - fruit-flavored candies to add flavor to confinement.

Krugler tells us all of this, then says that we are not the only ones to have recently called him asking about nuclear warfare. North Korea has everyone worried.

The D.C. public school spokeswoman says the same thing: Lots of people have been inquiring about the fallout shelter in Oyster-Adams - probably who had read the history-buff blogs we had, which catalogue possible shelter locations.

And speaking of Oyster-Adams, here's what we've learned so far:

In the summer of 1962, a bunch of D.C. schools were designated potential shelters (Adams wasn't on the initial list, but was added a few months later).

"What is the civil defense using as an interpretation for this word, 'fallout shelter'?" asked a school board member identified as Mrs. Steele in meeting transcripts from September of that year.

A Mr. Riecks explained: a fallout shelter was a place with a lot of radiation-resistant cement between you and a nuclear bomb. "We have in our schools spaces for 28,000," he said, citing a school called Macfarland, which could shelter 340.

He noted, however, that Macfarland's population was 1,300. The thousand students who couldn't fit would just be taken to areas that were "as safe as possible."

"Is there any basis for determining which 340 students go into those spaces?" a Mr. Yorkelson wanted to know.

"What is to prevent people in the street from rushing into the building and pre-empting the spaces assigned for children?" asked a Colonel Hamilton.

The short answer was, nothing. Nothing to determine which third of the student body got the shelter spaces, and nothing to keep the space from being swarmed. The short answer was that if there was a nuclear attack in the capital of the United States of America, people would by flying by the seats of their pants.

---

But that, of course, was the urtext of what was happening in America in the era of fallout shelters.

We wanted to know about our little shelter. What patriotic first-grade teacher had volunteered to be the air-raid warden at Oyster-Adams? What did fourth-graders remember about practice drills in the basement? How did the experience shape them, and when they looked at those walls of survival biscuits, did they see fear or salvation?

Our search for answers became a lesson in the slipperiness of history: When the fallout shelter was built, the elementary school was called John Quincy Adams. When it later merged with another school, all records of the previous incarnation were jettisoned.

Seeking old yearbooks or class rosters, we visited the D.C. public school archives, digging through old newsletters and floor plans. Nothing. The public-school archives led us to a public-school warehouse, which led us to the District's city archives. Nothing.

We reached out to the District's Emergency Management department, which is what the Office of Civil Defense transformed into. Nothing. Someone recommended we try the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, but we didn't, because the odds seemed slim. And because we are journalists, not Indiana Jones. And because it was beginning to feel a little weird, for the two of us taking such fervent responsibility for a bunch of old barrels of water.

So there it is, an unsolved mystery. Biscuits, tongue depressors, latrine covers, thermometers and salt tablets, all meant for a nuclear war that never came. Nobody knows who they belong to, and nobody has any reason to take them away.

---

We did find something else, though. Just when we had given up on our mystery, we found somewhere else to poke around. A different address. A different time capsule, but with the same kinds of memories.

While rifling through DCPS archives, we started to notice correspondence between the Office of Civil Defense and Gordon Junior High School in D.C.'s Glover Park neighborhood.

In 1963 the school had a proposal. The only highly publicized trials in fallout shelters had been conducted on Naval officers who, it could be argued, might not represent the average American. A Gordon teacher was proposing to place 62 students in the school's shelter for a period of 36 hours to see how they made out.

A roster was assembled. The school had an illustrious student body, and some participants received notations: "Mother is Press Secretary to First Lady, Mrs. Johnson," said one. "Father is U.S. Representative Arnold Olsen, Montana." There were children of Ethiopian and Indian diplomats, the son of a Turkish attache.

An article was written about the proposed experiment in the Evening Star, and caused a minor uproar: "Some of us believe that a shelter program may be psychologically damaging," read a letter to the editor signed by social workers and ministers. "It would tend to make nuclear war seem inevitable to children."

Nevertheless, the experiment went forward. Participants assembled in the auditorium, greeted with seriousness by Principal J. Dallas Shirley. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are at war," he told them. "We are under threat of imminent attack."

The students filed down to a subbasement none of them had known existed. They were divided into committees: Sanitation. Medical. Food. The shelter was filled with cots covered in paper blankets. "Like an olive-green paper," remembers Christie Carpenter, the student whose mother was Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary. "They made a lot of noise. My recollection is I didn't sleep a wink."

Barry Truder remembers being assigned to the Recreation committee and organizing an impromptu talent show. He invited people to make their own bingo cards. They sang "Little Bunny Foo Foo" in a round.

Verona Budke was placed on the Communications team, staying in radio contact with the outside world, which came in the form of pretend news updates: A number of bombs had fallen in Washington, one told them. "There is great danger from radioactive fallout."

The night wore on. The students were told another group was seeking refuge - allowing them in would expose the students to radiation poisoning. But the other group contained children, they were told, so they voted to let them in.

The night wore on. One of the students, a boy whose father had been John F. Kennedy's assistant press secretary, started feeling lethargic. The Communications team radioed the outside world; it was determined the boy had German measles. They moved his cot to the other side of the room.

Walter Combs was on the Contamination committee, the group whose job it was to measure radiation levels in the shelter. He watched as his science teacher swung a Geiger counter around his head like a cowboy with a lariat, to capture the ambient air.

Walter was in seventh grade. That year, he'd seen yellow megaphones rise above the Washington skyline, which would be used to tell the city when the Russians were bombing. He'd sat through the Cuban missile crisis, when a social studies teacher said, "We are not going to have class today. We are just going to sit and look at each other because, depending on what happens, we might not ever see each other again."

Now, in the shelter, he watched his science teacher lassoing the air to see if it was poisonous, and he began to wonder whether it was all futile. What, after all, was the point? If this had been real and if the readings had been bad, what would they have done? Gone outside where the air was worse? There was no available treatment. There was only sitting below a school auditorium in a roomful of his 12- and 13-year-old classmates, and hoping the walls were thick enough.

And, they weren't. Or, they were, but not entirely. Or they were, but not as surveyors had intended or hoped for.

The story of fallout shelters, it turns out, is partly a story about safety in the nuclear age, but it's more about the placebo effect in times of panic. In a grimly practical way, the emotion of being inside one was a pleasant reassurance of self-deception.

Originally, when the government sent surveyors to find suitable shelter locations, they sought buildings that had a protection factor of 200, meaning that anyone in the shelter would be 200 times less exposed to radiation than a person outside, in the elements.

But the surveyors didn't find enough spaces, so the criterion were expanded: The fallout shelters at Gordon Junior High and Adams Elementary could have had a protection factor as low as 40, which mightn't have killed you, but it could have made you sick.

In many ways, Washington, D.C., was the least sensible place to develop an extensive fallout shelter program. Shelters were never designed to withstand bombs, only radiation aftermath.

But in a dense, urban environment like Washington, it's the bombs that would have killed people - quickly and before anyone could seek cover. Shelters in a rural town would have greater lifesaving potential, but that was the Catch-22: places where fallout shelters would have worked best were the places that nobody was likely to bomb.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the shelter program began to dismantle. Attention was turned to safeguarding against natural disasters instead - preparations that seemed both more tangible and more likely needed.

"The people who stayed really passionate about civil defense were laughed at my some; they were shrugged off by others," says Krugler, the author.

There were other smaller indignities in the fallout shelter program:

The "carbohydrate supplements," meant to add a nutritional boost, were probably made with the red dye that was later banned because it was found to cause cancer.

Frank Blazich, the Smithsonian curator, heard a rumor that after the quiet decommisioning of fallout shelters, the carcinogenic fruit pebbles were sent to secretaries in government office buildings where they were then placed in candy bowls, to be eaten by the American public.

It was not clear what happened to the biscuits. Another mystery.

Down in the subbasement of Oyster-Adams, we found a tin that had already been opened. Not 50 years ago, we assume, but more recently, by some other intrepid seeker of history. The bulgur crackers looked like Saltines, and under Frank Blazich's advice that they were probably still good, we tried one.

It tasted awful. Stale, mostly. It tasted like all the things we are afraid of, and all the things we do to convince ourselves that we are safe.
Fifty-five years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was navigating the treacherous tides of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Day Four found the young president meeting with his joint chiefs and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to weigh military options against Cuba over the deployment of Soviet nuclear weapons there. Kennedy quickly concluded that any attack against the Soviet ally would paint the United States as trigger happy in the eyes of our allies and invite a Russian counterattack, striking West Berlin.

JFK warned his national security team that such an attack would leave me with only one alternative, which is to fire nuclear weapons. Because a nuclear response was not acceptable to Kennedy, military plans to strike Cuba were shelved.

Five decades later, the United States again faces a nuclear showdown, but from another dystopian regime that has committed crimes against humanity to a degree that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

Those abuses, documented by the United Nations in 2014, targeted North Korean citizens. But it is now U.S. allies in South Korea and Japan facing the fallout from Kim Jong Uns unstable, Orwellian government.

Like our Asian allies, Americans worry about escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. Seven in 10 respondents told NBC/SurveyMonkey pollsters this month that they fear the country will be embroiled in major war during Donald Trumps presidency. A majority believe that military conflict will involve North Korea.

Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tells me that another Korean war is more likely than most realize. And the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has warned that President Donald Trumps own erratic behavior could unwittingly pull the United States toward World War III. Sadly, the commander in chiefs words and deeds only confirm the senators bleak assessment.

After his military briefing, Kennedy spent the rest of his day carrying on as if the Soviets and Americans were not engaged in nuclear brinkmanship. He left Washington for a scheduled campaign trip to Ohio and Illinois, stumping for candidates in the 1962 midterm elections. Kennedy offered no indication of the nuclear crisis consuming his White House. That discretion gave administration officials the space they needed to work furiously behind the scenes to defuse the most grave military crisis since the end of World War II.

Trump, by contrast, has responded to the current nuclear conflict by publicly threatening to unleash fire and fury on North Korea. The president used his speech before the United Nations last month to launch personal attacks against North Koreas despotic leader. He even undercut his own secretary of states attempt at quiet diplomacy, suggesting on Twitter that only a war would resolve the conflict.

In every instance, Trumps radical rhetoric drew a predictably provocative reaction from a regime that treats its leader as a godlike figure. Perhaps that is something Trumps State Department might have warned the president aboutif Trump had a functioning State Department. But, of course, he does not.

On Day Five of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy returned to Washington and feigned sickness so he could spend the day discreetly discussing options for ending the standoff. He would not inform the American people of the ongoing crisis until Oct. 22, 1962, when he told a television audience that Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right. Not peace at the expense of freedom but both peace and freedom. . . . God willing, that goal will be achieved.

That is the kind of White House address U.S. presidents once gave. A speech of hope, not hyperbole. A speech that sought peace instead of flirting with war. A speech seeking solutions instead of stirring up the anger of an embittered political base.

But thats not what weve gotten, or can expect to get, from Trump. What else would Americans expect from a man who once asked a foreign policy adviser why the United States had nuclear weapons if they could not use them against countries such as North Korea? Those NBC/SurveyMonkey poll numbers, unfortunately, represent the informed judgment of the people.

Trump voters ignored all the warnings, and most still refuse to entertain second thoughts. Until they do, the rest of the world will have to live with the consequences.
DHAKA  The Bangladesh Accord and The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety have both agreed to end their tenures in Bangladesh by June 2018 and hand over their responsibilities on workplace safety in the ready-made-garment sector to a government-led initiative.

The organisations reached a consensus on how the Bangladesh garment sector should be policed going forward which will result in the formation of a Remediation Coordination Cell, which will include government representatives, NGOs, industry associations, trade unions and international retailers and brands.
From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Sunday, October 22, 2017

Kristi Pettibone. Im an evaluator at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and Im the Program Chair for the Translational Research Evaluation (TRE) Topical Interest Group (TIG). Translational research evaluation is focused on the idea of evaluating the progress of research through the translational research process  which typically includes moving from the basic research, through applied research, and on to some form of impact on a population  which might be a clinical treatment, a policy, a public health intervention or an economic impact.

One of my goals for this year has been to encourage cross-TIG panel sessions and presentations during Evaluation 2017, AEAs Annual Conference. The TRE TIG is a smaller TIG and one way we can engage with more people is to identify other TIGs that share evaluation methodologies and topics with us.

Hot Tip: To set up cross-TIG panels, start early and reach out to the TIG chair and program chair to gauge interest and talk about potential ideas. You can also use the upcoming conference to make connections with people in other TIGs. We reached out via email to program chairs from TIGs with shared interests and scheduled a conference call in January to enable participants to brainstorm ideas.

Hot Tip: Make sure to coordinate with the program chair of the TIGs with whom you are co-sponsoring sessions because each TIG needs to list the other for the co-sponsorship to be reflected in the online program.

TIGs provide opportunities to group ourselves by field, by topic, by methodology, by identity, and much more. The evaluators in the Translational Research Evaluation TIG use a wide variety of evaluation methods to understand and assess the evolution of ideas through the research process. Creating cross-TIG panels is one way to bring people together during the AEA Annual Meeting who are using these common methodologies.



Below are cross-TIG panels we organized for



Rad Resource: Check out the

The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Translational Research Evaluation (TRE) TIG week. All posts this week are contributed by members of the TRE

Hello! My name is. Im an evaluator at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and Im the Program Chair for the Translational Research Evaluation (TRE) Topical Interest Group (TIG). Translational research evaluation is focused on the idea of evaluating the progress of research through the translational research process  which typically includes moving from the basic research, through applied research, and on to some form of impact on a population  which might be a clinical treatment, a policy, a public health intervention or an economic impact.One of my goals for this year has been to encourage cross-TIG panel sessions and presentations during Evaluation 2017, AEAs Annual Conference. The TRE TIG is a smaller TIG and one way we can engage with more people is to identify other TIGs that share evaluation methodologies and topics with us.: To set up cross-TIG panels, start early and reach out to the TIG chair and program chair to gauge interest and talk about potential ideas. You can also use the upcoming conference to make connections with people in other TIGs. We reached out via email to program chairs from TIGs with shared interests and scheduled a conference call in January to enable participants to brainstorm ideas.: Make sure to coordinate with the program chair of the TIGs with whom you are co-sponsoring sessions because each TIG needs to list the other for the co-sponsorship to be reflected in the online program.TIGs provide opportunities to group ourselves by field, by topic, by methodology, by identity, and much more. The evaluators in the Translational Research Evaluation TIG use a wide variety of evaluation methods to understand and assess the evolution of ideas through the research process. Creating cross-TIG panels is one way to bring people together during the AEA Annual Meeting who are using these common methodologies.Below are cross-TIG panels we organized for Evaluation 2017 to ensure that we get as much exposure as possible to members of other TIGs.: Check out the online program for AEAs Annual Conference  Evaluation 2017: From Learning to Action. You can search for sessions by TIG by filtering on the Track option.The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Translational Research Evaluation (TRE) TIG week. All posts this week are contributed by members of the TRE Topical Interest Group . Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.


Local authorities must step up and allow traditional farm buildings to be sympathetically adapted for other uses or important rural heritage will be lost, according to a rural organisation.

Changes in agricultural practices and animal welfare regulations mean most traditional farm buildings have become redundant and a financial burden for owners.

However, new guidance on their reuse, maintenance and repair from Historic England published this week aims to help conserve the buildings through sustainable development.

The CLA which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses welcomed the guidance, but it said the onus was now on local authorities to ensure planning departments actively allow for alterations and reuse or risk losing important heritage buildings.

CLA President Ross Murray said: These buildings are costly to maintain so in order to sustain them we must encourage new uses to make them relevant, valued and viable in the future.

However, advice from Historic England alone will not solve the problem. This guidance could be the beginning of a new lease of life for these redundant buildings, but it is essential that local authorities rise to the challenge and work with property owners to prevent our heritage from disappearing.

The time has come to use it or lose it. Traditional farm buildings are a vital part of the rural landscape but they must be conserved to prevent them from crumbling and being lost for future generations.

'Abandoned'

Derelict houses on farmland can be at risk of being considered as 'abandoned' which can lead to the legal loss of use as a residential dwelling, according to rural property specialists.

According to Cheffins, 'abandoned' properties can therefore be rendered with having minimal, if any value.

With a lack of housing and stringent planning constraints, as well as thousands of derelict properties across the UK, farmers and landowners have been urged to be aware of properties being considered as abandoned if they intend to eventually reuse them.

Ian Smith, Director in Cheffins Planning and Development team comments: It is not uncommon to find cottages or small dwellings on farms and estates which have been left derelict to be viewed as abandoned, which can be critical to the future use of such properties.

Owners may have long-held objectives to return these properties to beneficial use but may not have done so for a long period for various reasons  ownership complications, available finance, or simply there being other farm or estate priorities.
A farmer has had his face bitten by a dog as another dog chased after his sheep on a farm in Sussex.

The elderly farmer, aged 82, sustained a severe facial wound which required hospital treatment.

He was attempting to save his sheep from a dog attack at his farm in Nutley, but was stopped when another dog leapt to his face and bit it.

Both dogs are described as being completely black, and similar in build to a Labrador or a Collie, with fluffy tails.

The dogs are believed to have been together, though neither was wearing a collar or tags. There was no sign of an owner nearby.

Sergeant Gareth Jackson, of the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, said: Unfortunately sheep worrying is an ongoing issue and its important to realise that it is an offence.

Pet owners need to be aware that if their dogs are out of control, or seen attacking or worrying livestock, then the farmer has the right to shoot the dog under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

If you can help us identify these dogs, or have any information about the incident, please report it online or call 101 quoting serial 1229 of 09/10.
Edison Research exit polls final results say Kakha Kaladze gets 54% of votes - GeorgianJournal
Hardware specifications

In terms of hardware specifications, both the Micromax Bharat 1 and JioPhone aren't too different. The JioPhone boasts of a 2.4-inch display and comes equipped with a dual-core 1.2GHz Spreadtrum processor coupled with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal memory capacity. The device has a 2MP main camera at its rear and a VGA front-facer too. There is expandable storage support up to 128GB using a microSD card and a 2000mAh battery powers the device from within.

The Micromax Bharat 1 also makes use of a 2.4-inch display, 512MB RAM, 4GB default storage space, a 2000mAh battery, a 2MP rear camera and a VGA selfie camera. But the difference is that this feature phone makes use of a Snapdragon 205 SoC. The upper limit of expandable storage space in the Micromax phone is up to 32GB.

Also read: 4G feature phones that will soon shape up the Indian mobile market

Software and Connectivity

In terms of software, Micromax has not disclosed the exact OS that runs on this feature phone but the settings menu and interface looks similar to Android. On the other hand, the JioPhone runs on the custom KAI OS.

Both the feature phones come packed with connectivity features such as 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, GPS, a microUSB port, and Bluetooth. Also, both the handsets support up to 22 Indian regional languages. Both the handsets have an internet browser and lets users watch live TV, movies, music, videos, and more online.

Price

The major highlight of the JioPhone is its pricing. The handset can be bought by paying a security deposit of Rs. 1,500 that will be refunded on returning the device after three years. We have already seen that there are a few terms and conditions those have to be met to get the entire refund. You can read those terms and conditions from here.

In comparison to this, the Bharat 1 is priced at Rs. 2,200 and there no refund option. This price is considerably higher than that of the JioPhone.

Bundled Plans

The JioPhone comes with unlimited calls and 500MB 4G data per day with the minimum Rs. 153 recharge plan. On exceeding this limit, the speed of the internet will drop to 128kbps. Likewise, the Bharat 1 comes bundled with BSNL's Rs. 97 plan that offers unlimited calls, SMS, 3G/4G data and free roaming for a month. The data limit is 5GB and post which the speed will drop to 80kbps.

Also read: 4G-enabled Micromax Bharat 1 launched in India for Rs. 2,200

Verdict

In terms of specifications, both the JioPhone and the Micromax Bharat 1 are not too different. However, the Micromax handset is relatively more expensive than its counterpart.

The JioPhone has an edge over its rival in a few aspects. The JioPhone comes with a voice assistant that lets users perform several tasks using their voice commands. Also, there is an app store, support for NFC payments that will be added in the future via an update and the proprietary cable that will let users play the contents on the phone on any TV.

While these are the advantages of the JioPhone, the Micromax Bharat 1 also has an advantage that might lure many buyers. Well, this handset supports dual SIM cards that is an interesting addition. The JioPhone has only one SIM card slot and is locked only to the Jio 4G SIM cards. Unlike this, the Micromax phone is not network-locked and buyers can use any SIM card with it and not just BSNL.
Future USS Little Rock to be Commissioned in Buffalo, New York

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171019-03

Release Date: 10/19/2017 8:12:00 AM

By Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced October 18 the newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, PCU Little Rock (LCS 9), will be commissioned during a ceremony Saturday, December 16 at Canalside Buffalo.

The future LCS 9, commanded by Cmdr. Todd Peters, is the tenth littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the fifth of the Freedom variant design. It is the second warship named for the Arkansas state capital and will be commissioned alongside its namesake ship, which serves as a museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.

In the summer of 2013, the keel of Little Rock was laid down. The ship was christened and launched on July 18, 2015 during a ceremony at Marinette Marine Corporation's shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a class of Small Surface Combatants with specific capabilities focused to defeat global challenges in the near-show (littoral) environment. LCS is optimized for flexibility in the littorals with mission reconfigurable capability. Employing a System-of-Systems approach through a series of modular mission packages, unmanned vehicles and an innovative hull design, the LCS is designed to incrementally add combat capabilities through its reconfigurable mission packages. LCS is a cost effective solution to provide joint force access in the littorals, in an environment of evolving access-denial threats and proliferation of asymmetric weapons and strategies, particularly mines; small, fast, highly armed boats operating in groups; and diesel submarines operating in shallow water. LCS is designed to operate independently in low-to-medium threat environments, and to fight and operate in high-threat environments as part of a networked battle force which includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).

After commissioning in Buffalo, she will make her way to homeport in Mayport, Florida.



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Officials Provide Details of Latest Strikes Against ISIS

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 21, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 11 strikes consisting of 11 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 five strikes consisting of five engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held oil wellhead.

-- Near Dayr Az Zwar, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three logistics nodes and a fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of six engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Qaim, six strikes destroyed an ISIS weapons cache, two ISIS-held buildings, an improvised explosive device factory, a weapons storage facility and an ISIS petroleum, oil, and lubricants site.

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.

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USS Monterey Provides Assistance to Vessel

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171021-02

Release Date: 10/21/2017 12:14:00 PM

By Lt. j.g. Christian Kurowski, USS Monterey Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) provided assistance to a commercial vessel in distress off the coast of Florida Oct. 20.

Monterey, a component of Carrier Strike Group Ten (CSG) 10, received a distress signal and immediately maneuvered to provide assistance. Upon arrival, the Junior Officer of the Deck, Ensign Eden Yarbrough, made contact with the vessel in distress.

"The skipper informed me that he was experiencing engine problems and had some water in his hold," Yarbrough said.

The ship launched one rigid-hull inflatable boat with a diesel engine technical expert onboard. Monterey provided 50 gallons of fuel and provisions. Monterey Sailors restored one diesel engine on the motorboat.

"Providing assistance to mariners is a key mission of what our Navy does," said Capt. Dave Stoner, Monterey's commanding officer. "I am glad we were able to help and proud of the Monterey team."

Monterey is deploying to support maritime security operations and to increase theater security cooperation and forward naval presence.

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USS Constitution Gets Underway and Celebrates 220 Years

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171021-01

Release Date: 10/21/2017 10:21:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Casey Scoular, USS Constitution Public Affairs

CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (NNS) -- USS Constitution and her crew headed underway from the ship's berth in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on Oct. 20, in commemoration of the ship's launching 220 years ago and the U.S. Navy's 242nd birthday.

This was the first underway Constitution completed since she left dry dock on July 23 of this year and the first time she has been underway since 2014.

"Being aboard Constitution today reminded me of my first underway aboard USS Nassau," said Cmdr. Robert S. Gerosa, Jr., Constitution's 74th commanding officer. Gerosa was stationed aboard USS Nassau (LHA 4) from 1998 to 2000. "I remember the excitement I felt that first day at sea in a Navy uniform. This was the first time that some of our Sailors experienced an underway. I know that they will remember this for the rest of their lives. The hard work and dedication of the crew made this day possible."

Constitution started boarding guests at 8 a.m., many of them family and friends of current crewmembers. Shortly after 10 a.m., with more than 349 guests in attendance, she departed her pier.

At 11:40 a.m., Constitution performed a 21-gun salute which was returned by the Concord Battery and 101st Field Artillery near Fort Independence on Castle Island. Fort Independence is a state park that served as a defensive position for Boston Harbor from 1634 to 1962.

"My time aboard Constitution was absolutely amazing," said Jackie Plank, a guest from Marlborough, Massachusetts. "We feel very blessed to be able to be here today, hats off to the commander and the crew. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The ship also fired an additional 17 shots at 12:15 p.m. as she passed the U.S. Coast Guard Station, the former site of the Edmund Hartt shipyard where Constitution was built. Each round of this salute honored the 16 states that comprised America when Constitution launched in 1797 and one in honor of the ship.

"Getting Constitution back on the water has been my mission ever since I took command in 2015," said Gerosa. "To see her not only back in the water, but to also have her underway and accompanied by our crew and their family members has been one of the highlights of my navy career. Serving on this ship has been an incredible experience."

The ship returned to her berthing, Pier 1 of the Charlestown Navy Yard, at 1 p.m.

Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year. She defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. America's Navy: Keeping the sea free for more than 200 years.

Constitution's mission today is to offer community outreach and education about the ship's history.

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Death toll rises to 71 in two Afghan mosques attacks

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 15:30, October 21, 2017

As many as 71 people were killed and 83 others wounded, when two separate suicide blasts ripped through two mosques in the Afghan capital Kabul and western Ghor province respectively on Friday evening, sources said Saturday.

A total of 41 worshippers were killed and 61 others wounded after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed vest at about 5:40 p.m. local time in a Shiite mosque named Imam-e-Zaman in Dasht-e-Barchi locality, west of Kabul, Najibullah Farhan, in-charges of the cultural affairs of the mosque, told Tolo News, a local media.

He said 29 people were killed inside the mosque while 12 others succumbed to their injuries in or on the way to hospitals.

Unofficial sources put the number of the dead as high as 61 and the injured 82 in Kabul attack.

In a similar attack at roughly the same time, 30 people, including Fazl Ahmad Khan, a senior commander of a pro-government militiamen group known as local uprising group, have been killed and 22 others wounded when an assailant struck a mosque in Khoja Gan village, Dulina district, western Ghor province, district Chief Hossain Danishyar told Xinhua earlier Saturday.

The blasts were as heavy as could collapse the mosques buildings.

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly Kabul attack, while no group has so far commented on the Ghor incident.

Further details about the incidents are still forthcoming amid the absense of any official statement.

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Spain to apply article 155 based on Catalan gov't's disobedience: media

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 20:19, October 21, 2017

The Spanish government will apply the article 155 of the Spanish constitution based on the Catalan government disobedience, the Spanish news agency EFE reported on Saturday.

The Spanish government, whose cabinet meeting discusses the specific measures to implement according to the article, justified the decision based on "rebel, systematic and conscious disobedience" of the regional government of Catalonia, or Generalitat.

According to them, the Generalitat does not commit to the laws and their actions "seriously" affect the general interest of Spain.

After the extraordinary cabinet meeting, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appeared in a press conference to explain the specific measures agreed that will be passed to the Senate for ratification.

Rajoy said the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, failed to clarify whether he had declared the independence of the region or not after a referendum declared illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court.

This would lead to the application of the article 155 of Spain's constitution to bring pro-independence leaders into line.

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Amid national pilot crisis, 1,000 retired US military pilots may be recalled

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 09:09PM

The United States Air Force may recall as many as 1,000 retired military pilots to tackle an "acute shortage" in its ranks amid a national pilot crisis.

The measure amounts to an expansion of a state of national emergency declared by former President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

It is meant "to mitigate the Air Force's acute shortage of pilots," said Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Gary Ross in a statement on Saturday.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," Ross said.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump issued an executive border to remove a legal limit, allowing the air force recall up to 1,000 retired aviation officers to active-duty rather than just 25 in any one branch.

National pilot crisis

Trump's order would give Defense Secretary James Mattis "additional authorities to recall retired aviation officers regardless of certain limitations on status, period of service, and numbers."

"This is a national pilot crisis, not just a military crisis or an Air Force crisis," Brigadier General Mike Koscheski, the Air Force's Aircrew Crisis Task Force director, told CNBC in an interview. "The Air Force is partnering with industry to look for ways to just increase pilot production overall...because that's going to be in the interest of the country  not just the military."

At the end of the 2016 fiscal year, US Secretary of Air Force Heather Wilson said the service is in need of 1,555 pilots, including 1,211 fighter pilots.

Other branches of the US military, including the US Navy, are also suffering from a shortage of military pilots.

"We need to retain our experienced pilots," Wilson said in a statement on August 25. "We can't afford not to compensate our talented aviators at a time when [commercial] airlines are hiring unprecedented numbers."

Trump's order was released not long after he threatened to launch a war against nuclear-armed North Korea, amid tensions between the resolute nation and United States' regional allies.

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Catalan parliament resists Madrid pressure, vows to defend sovereignty

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 07:10PM

The parliament in Catalonia has harshly criticized the Spanish government for its intentions to take over the regional powers, saying it would do its utmost to defend sovereignty of the independence-seeking territory.

Carme Forcadell, who serves as the speaker of the parliament, said on Saturday that the chamber would not allow Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to dismantle the current regional government of Catalonia.

"Prime Minister Rajoy wants the parliament of Catalonia to stop being a democratic parliament, and we will not allow this to happen," Forcadell said in a televised speech, adding that Madrid's move to fire Catalonia's government and force a new election is a "coup" and an "attack against democracy."

"This is why we want to send to the citizens of this country a message of firmness and hope. We commit today, after the most serious attack against the Catalan institutions since they were restored, to the defense of the sovereignty of the parliament of Catalonia," she said.

Forcadell's statement came as about half a million people took to the streets of Barcelona to support the results of a controversial referendum earlier this month, which gave regional leader Carles Puigdemont the mandate to declare independence from Madrid.

Municipal police said around 450,000 people welcomed a call by Puigdemont and other secessionist leaders and rallied on Barcelona's large Paseo de Gracia boulevard and nearby streets.

Puigdemont joined the rally to the shouts of "President, President" by protesters who waved Catalonia's yellow, red and blue Estelada separatist flag. He was later to address the protesters in a televised speech.

Demonstrators said they would defy Madrid's measures to stop Catalonia from breaking away.

"The Catalans are completely disconnected from Spanish institutions, and particularly anything to do with the Spanish state," said a protester.

"They can destroy the government, they can destroy everything they want but we'll keep on fighting," said another.

Puigdemont was supposed to declare Catalonia independence from Madrid last Tuesday, when he attended a special parliament session in Barcelona. However, he suspended the declaration to allow talks with Madrid. The Spanish government has rejected talks as it views the entire independence process as constitutionally illegal.

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Spain to dismiss Catalan government, hold new elections: Prime Minister

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 02:25PM

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced Madrid's decision to dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and hold fresh elections in the region in a bid to prevent Catalan leaders from declaring independence.

Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday, Rajoy said his government had no choice after the administration of Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont acted in a way that was "unilateral, contrary to the law and seeking confrontation" by holding a banned independence referendum in the northeastern region.

Referring to Article 155 of the constitution, which allows Madrid to wrest back control of rebellious regions, Rajoy said he was seeking the Senate's permission to dissolve the Catalan parliament and "call elections within a maximum of six months."

It would be the first time in Spain's four decades of democracy that Madrid will have invoked the constitution to effectively sack a regional government and call new elections.

The Spanish premier said he is also demanding that all of Puigdemont's government be stripped of their functions, which "in principle will be carried out by (national) ministers for the duration of this exceptional situation."

Puigdemont has refused to renounce independence, citing the October 1 independence referendum in which some 90 percent said 'Yes' to separation. He insists that he has a mandate to declare independence after the referendum.

This is while the turnout reportedly stood at only 43 percent as many Catalans who prefer unity stayed away from the vote which had been ruled unconstitutional. Some other Catalans could not vote as the police had shut down many polling stations.

The national Senate, where Rajoy's conservative Popular Party holds a majority, has now to decide whether to pass such unprecedented steps in a process that will take nearly a week.

The main opposition Socialists said they would support a package of extraordinary measures to impose central rule on Catalonia.

Catalonia's population of over 7.5 million intensely defends its own language and culture.

The currently-run government in Catalonia administers its own law enforcement, education and healthcare, but local press reports indicate that the Spanish premier is contemplating seizing control of the region's police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra.

Many EU leaders have warned against the ramifications of Catalonia's independence whose threat has already unsettled the euro and hurt confidence in the euro zone's fourth-largest economy.

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Israel 'hits Syrian army positions in Golan Heights'

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:25AM

The Israeli military says it has attacked Syrian government artillery positions in the Golan Heights in what, if confirmed, would be another act of aggression against Syrian territory.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Israeli army said that it had "targeted three artillery cannons" of the Syrian government in the Golan Heights in what it claimed to have been a "response to the [firing of] projectiles that hit Israel."

It also threatened to "intensify" its attacks on Syria in case any more projectiles were fired into Israel by pro-Damascus forces.

If confirmed, the Saturday attack would be the second Israeli strike on Syria this week. On Thursday, Israel struck a Syrian artillery position near southwestern town of Quneitra.

Israel regularly hits positions held by the Syrian army in the Golan Heights, sometimes describing the attacks as "retaliatory." Syria says the raids aim to help Takfiri militants fighting against government forces.

On several occasions, the Syrian army has confiscated Israeli-made arms and military equipment from terrorists fighting the government forces. Israel has also been providing medical treatment to the extremist militants wounded in Syria.

Back in June, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had been providing militants in Syria's Golan Heights with a steady flow of funds and medical supplies.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and has continued to occupy two-thirds of the strategically-important territory ever since, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

The regime has built tens of illegal settlements in the area since its occupation and has used the region to carry out a number of military operations against the Syrian government.

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Maduro warns of repeating elections in states won by opposition

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 07:54AM

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has warned that elections may be repeated in the states won by the opposition if the elected governors refuse to be sworn in before the newly-formed constituent assembly.

"Anyone who wants to be governor will have to recognize the National Constituent Assembly; otherwise elections will be repeated in states where the Assembly is not recognized," Maduro said during a televised speech Friday.

In the October 15 regional elections, Venezuela's Socialist Party of Maduro won 18 of the 23 governorships in the country and the opposition Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD) managed to grab only five.

The opposition coalition refused to recognize the results and alleged that there had been irregularities in the voting process.

The governors-elect in five Venezuelan states have declined to participate in the swearing-in ceremony and pledge allegiance to the National Constituent Assembly.

The opposition, which does not recognize the assembly, says the oath of office must be taken before regional parliaments and not before the assembly, which replaced opposition-led Congress following the July 30 referendum.

The MUD said in a statement that it would not allow its five governors to be subjected to "the blackmail of the fraudulent Constituent Assembly."

"We will only be sworn in before God and the respective legislative councils and not before the fraudulent Constituent Assembly," the opposition party noted.

Opposition leaders have threatened that they would travel abroad to denounce what they call outright fraud during the past two Venezuelan elections, particularly the July 30 vote.

The Latin American country was the scene of months-long opposition protests earlier this year.

The unrest left at least 125 people from both camps dead and hundreds of others injured. The violence also led to thousands of arrests and caused widespread property destruction across the country, which is grappling with an economic crisis.

The socialist president has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan opposition of planning a "coup d'etat" with the help of Washington.

Maduro has slammed the US and its regional allies for fueling recent political tensions gripping Venezuela by openly siding with the opposition.

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16 Egyptian policemen killed in Friday clashes with militants: Interior Ministry

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 01:01AM

At least 16 Egyptian policemen have been killed in clashes with armed men during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in the country's Western Desert, according to an official toll.

The figure from the Interior Ministry was lower than a toll given earlier by security and medical sources of at least 35 Egyptian police officers killed in the clashes which began on Friday night. The ministry said that 15 militants were also killed as security forces chased them into the desert after the clashes.

The shootout broke out after members of the Egyptian National Police attacked the terrorist cell in Bahariya Oasis, a large area of 135 square kilometers, situated some 370 kilometers from the capital Cairo, on Friday.

The sources further said that authorities ordered the raid after they received information on the militants' location deep in the desert, believed to be home to at least eight suspected members of the Hasm group, an outfit the government links with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood party and which has claimed several attacks around the capital targeting judges and police since last year.

Cairo claims that Hasm is the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the most popular political party in Egypt and the oldest in the Arab world. The movement has denied any connection to the group.

Earlier in the day, Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement confirming that "a number of police officers were either killed or wounded" in the incident, without giving an exact figure for the casualties. It added that some "terrorists" were also slain in the raid, which continued into darkness.

In a statement released on Friday evening, Hasm claimed responsibility for killing 28 members of the country's police and security forces and wounding 32 others. However, the group did not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian media outlets had reported that at least 16 policemen had lost their lives after they attacked a terrorist cell in al-Wahat Road in Giza. It was not immediately clear whether the fatalities reported later included those of the Bahariya Oasis incident.

Egypt has suffered attacks by various other groups since the coup of 2013 that many say was orchestrated by the then army chief and current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Militants of Velayat Sinai, a local affiliate of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, still target security forces in the restive Sinai Peninsula while they continue to pose threats to the Coptic Christians in other provinces. This comes as Sisi has largely failed to deliver on his vow to root out terrorism from Egypt.

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Suicide Bombing Kills At Least 15 Afghan Cadets, Defense Ministry Says

RFE/RL October 21, 2017

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says a suicide bomber killed at least 15 Afghan cadets as they were leaving a military training center in Kabul, late in the afternoon of October 21.

Four others were wounded in the powerful blast at the gates of the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, said Dawlat Waziri, a ministry spokesman.

The attacker was on foot when he struck the minibus carrying the cadets, who were on their way home, Waziri added.

The Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that the targeting of security forces illustrated the militants' "isolation."

The latest suicide bombing brings the death toll of a week of attacks by various militant groups across the conflict-torn country to 200.

It's the fifth attack targeting Afghan security forces this week.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, at least 43 Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban-claimed assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on October 19.

On October 17, Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen stormed a police training center in the southeastern city of Gardez, killing 41 people.

On the same day, 31 people, including police officers and civilians, were also reported killed and 10 others wounded in an attack blamed on the Taliban in the neighboring province of Ghazni. Two police officers were killed in another militant attack in Ghazni.

The assault on the cadets in Kabul comes a day after about 90 worshipers were killed and dozens more wounded in two separate attacks on mosques in the capital, Kabul, and the western province of Ghor on October 20.

The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb and gun attack on the Shi'ite mosque in Kabul. IS didn't provide evidence for its claim, but it has attacked Shi'ite mosques before. An Interior Ministry spokesman said that 56 people were killed and at least 55 others were wounded in that attack.

It is not clear who carried out the attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor that killed at least 33 people and wounded 10 others according to Afghan officials.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters, and he BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-suicide-bombing-/28808036.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.

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More Than 50 Egyptian Police Killed In Clash With Islamic Militants

October 21, 2017

At least 54 Egyptian policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, have been killed in a shoot-out during a raid on an Islamic militant hideout southwest of Cairo, security officials said on October 21.

Six others were wounded in the incident and the death toll was expected to rise.

The officials said the exchange of fire began late on October 20 in the Al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135 kilometers southwest of the capital. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

The Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, gave a much lower death toll, saying that 16 were killed in the shootout. The ministry put the number of the casualties among the militants at 15.

An official statement issued on October 21 said the incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures, or lack of coordination.

Security sources said a convoy of police vehicles were following a lead to a suspected hideout of the Hasm extremist group when they were ambushed from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices.

That led to a shoot-out. Hasm later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials, and judges in Cairo.

Egypt accuses Hasm of being the militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.

Islamist militants have launched several major attacks in Egypt this year, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities and causing the loss of dozens of lives.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and the BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/egypt-police-killed-clash-hasm-militants/28807675.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.

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At Least 15 Killed, 4 Wounded in Blast Near Military Academy in Afghan Capital

Sputnik News

21:41 21.10.2017(updated 21:44 21.10.2017)

Three terrorist attacks were registered in Afghanistan as the security situation in the country has been deteriorating over the past few months.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  At least 15 people were killed and four others wounded after a bus exploded near the Marshal Fahim Military Academy in Kabul, local media reported on Saturday.

According to the TOLO news broadcaster, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Dawlat Waziri confirmed the number of victims.

All the victims were cadets of the military academy, the media outlet said, adding that the minibus carrying the trainees was attacked by a suicide bomber at about 03:30 p.m. local time (11:00 GMT).

According to the 1TV News channel, the Taliban terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Commenting on the issue, the NATO-Led Resolute Support mission said it was "an attack on the future of Afghanistan and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces," which showed that the terrorists were desperate and could not combat the country's security forces on the battlefield.

This attack came just hours after several rockets struck near Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, where many governmental buildings, foreign embassies, as well as NATO-led Resolute Support mission are located. No casualties were reported.

On Friday, at least 59 people were killed in Kabul as an explosion hit the Imam Zaman mosque in the western part of the city. At least 55 more people were injured, according to the local media. The Daesh terror organization, outlawed in Russia, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, backed by the US-led coalition, are conducting joint offensive operations to tackle terrorism across the country since 2014 when most foreign troops left. Taliban controls about 40 percent of the country and its aim is to overthrow the Western-backed government in order to proclaim a fundamentalist Islamist rule in Afghanistan. In August Trump unveiled his new strategy on Afghanistan saying the US is going to boost its military presence in the country amid the growing terrorist threat and increased activity of militants.

 Sputnik

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Invoking Article 155 Is 'Worst Attack' on Catalonia in Centuries

Sputnik News

20:33 21.10.2017(updated 21:25 21.10.2017)

Catalonia's independence bid has thrown Spain into a political crisis and the divisions within the country continue to deepen as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy aims to remove Catalan leaders and impose direct rule on the region.

MADRID (Sputnik)  The Spanish central authorities carried out the "worst attack" against Catalonia by invoking Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, Marta Pascal, the general coordinator of the Catalan European Democratic Party, said Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the Spanish authorities decided to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which envisages suspension of some of Catalonia's autonomy under specific conditions. In particular, the Spanish government announced its decision to dissolve the Catalan government and hold a snap election to the regional parliament as soon as possible. According to the Spanish government, Article 155 will be revoked only after the newly elected Catalan government takes office.

Another representative of the Catalan European Democratic Party, Josep Lluis Cleries, compared the speech of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to the final period of Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain.

"We have returned back into 1975, we now see that the transition to democracy did not have a positive impact," Cleries said.

Before the civil war in Spain Catalonia enjoyed considerable autonomy, however, under the dictatorship of General Franco it was suppressed. The current autonomous status was granted to the region again by the 1978 constitution.

Earlier in the day, Ferran Mascarell, a member of the Catalan government, stated that that the potential invoking the Article 155 would constitute "a form of a coup on the part of the state with respect to an autonomous structure." Mascarell indicated that such measures were unlikely to contribute to the resolution of the conflict.

Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau has called Madrid's step an attack against the freedoms of all the Spanish citizens.

Meanwhile, not all Catalonia's political forces have condemned the decision of the Spanish authorities, in particular, Xavier Garcia Albiol, the head of the the Catalan People's Party's faction, said that the application of Article 155 was the best option both for Spain and Catalonia "in order to restore normal, democratic state."

On October 1, over 90 percent of more than 2 million Catalans who participated in the region's referendum on independence supported the region's secession from Spain. The referendum has been deemed illegal by the central Spanish authorities.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont announced on October 10 that the results of the vote enabled the declaration of independence. However, the Catalan leader called on the regional parliament to suspend the proclamation in order to pave the way for dialogue with Madrid.

On Thursday, after Puigdemont failed to meet the deadline set by Madrid to clarify whether the region had declared independence, the Spanish cabinet said it would convene on Saturday for an emergency meeting to begin the procedure of invoking Article 155.

 Sputnik

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UN Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attack in Egypt

21 October 2017  Condemning "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack that took place Friday in Egypt's El Wahat desert, the United Nations Security Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators and sponsors of such "reprehensible acts" to justice.

According to reports, more than 50 police personnel were killed and many injured.

"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," reaffirmed the Security Council members in a press statement issued today.

"Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," they reiterated.

They also underlined the need for all UN Member States to combat by all means, in accordance with the UN Charter as well as other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

The Security Council members also expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Egypt, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

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Kabul Suicide Attack Kills at Least 15 Outside Military Academy

By Ayaz Gul October 21, 2017

A suicide blast Saturday outside the Afghan military academy in Kabul killed at least 15 cadets and wounded several others, said the defense ministry.

The attack came a day after an Islamic State suicide bomber stormed a crowded Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the city, killing 50 worshipers and wounding dozens more.

Afghan police and witnesses said Saturday's attack occurred when a car bomber drove into a minibus packed with cadets at the main entrance to the capital city's Marshal Fahim Military Academy.

Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri confirmed the death toll and said four others were wounded.

The Taliban insurgency has claimed responsibly for the minibus bombing, saying the attack was part of its Mansoori insurgent operations underway against Afghan forces and their foreign backers.

Also on Friday, a suicide bomber killed 33 people at a mosque in the central province of Ghor. That attack killed a pro-government former Afghan jihadi commander and members of his group who were offering prayers at the mosque.

A string of militant bombings and battlefield raids across Afghanistan this week has killed more than 200 people, mostly members of Afghan security forces.

"These brutal and senseless attacks against people at prayer are atrocities. The persons most responsible for the attacks must be brought to justice," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) while condemning Friday's attacks.

VOA's Mohammad Habibzada contributed to this report.

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New Details Emerge About Attack That Killed US Soldiers in Niger

By Idrissa Fall, Bagassi Koura October 21, 2017

New details are emerging about the attack that left four U.S. soldiers dead in Niger as U.S. congressional leaders are demanding answers from the Pentagon. The U.S. Green Berets (special forces), along with four Nigerian soldiers, were killed on October 4 in an ambush in Tongo-Tongo, a village near the border with Mali. On the eve of the attack, about 30 Special Forces, mostly Nigeriens and eight U.S. Green Berets, set off in pickup trucks toward the border village and arrived at night, according to Almou Hassane, mayor of Tongo-Tongo, in the Tondikiwindi district.

"They must have spent the night in the northwest of Tongo-Tongo," Mayor Hassane said in a phone interview with the VOA French-to-Africa service.

"These Nigerien soldiers are part of a security and intelligence battalion that has been trained by the U.S. forces during several U.S.-led training exercises known as Flintlock," said Moussa Aksar, director of the newspaper l'Evenement in Niamey, and a terrorism specialist in the Sahel.

The soldiers were trying to track down an accomplice of Abu Adnan al-Sahraoui, a former member of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), who joined the Islamic State terror group in the Sahara Desert.

The soldiers questioned the villagers, who dragged on the discussions longer than anticipated.

"It turns out that this village was a little contaminated by hostile forces," said Aksar. "The unit stayed a little longer than expected because apparently people were aware that something was going on," he added.

For his part, Mayor Hassane said, "The attackers, the bandits, the terrorists have never lacked accomplices among local populations."

A fake terror attack attracted the soldiers to a trap outside the village, where about 50 assailants in vehicles and motorcycles armed with Kalashnikovs and heavy weapons opened fire on them. Four Nigerien soldiers and three Americans were killed on the spot. The body of the fourth American soldier was found 48 hours later, about a mile away from the initial site, CNN reported.

"We are not talking about civilians wounded or killed because these soldiers were ambushed outside the village," said Aksar.

The attack has raised questions, especially since the U.S. Army operates drone bases in Niger and has significant intelligence resources there.

"That's what really shocked us: how, at their level, with all the resources they have, they could not have strong intelligence to avoid what happened there" said Hassane.

Since the attack, Tongo-Tongo village chief Mounkaila Alassane has been arrested, and there is no information on his whereabouts.

No group has officially taken responsibility for the attack. According to sources in the region, however, it is the work of Abu Adnan al-Saharaoui, who calls himself the Islamic Emir of the Great Sahara, affiliated with the Islamic State group. According to a Tuareg from the region, al-Saharaoui is reported to be involved in arms and fuel trafficking. He is a former member of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which occupied and imposed sharia law in northern Mali in 2012 before being dislodged by French forces.

Al-Saharaoui, a former acquaintance of Algerian extremist and trafficker Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar, had led the kidnapping of the nine-person staff of the Algerian consulate in Gao in 2012. Originally from Western Sahara, he wants to control the band on the common border of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

"He wants to take control of all these communities facing poverty and governance issues so that they can join his cause," said Aksar.

The group is the latest of several jihadist organizations in the Sahel region, including the Defenders of Islam group linked to militant Iyad Ag Ghali in northern Mali. The movement for the Liberation of Macina, led by Hamadoun Koufa, remained very active in central Mali.

Ansarul Islam, on the other side of the border, is increasing its attacks in northern Burkina Faso, while Boko Haram continues to launch attacks in the countries in Africa's Lake Chad Basin.

The al-Mourabitoun group, which is led by Moktar Belmokhtar  declared dead several times  has perpetrated several terror actions in the vast Sahel region, including the 2013 attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria that left 67 people dead.

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At Least 12 Nigerien Troops Killed in Latest Attack

By VOA News October 21, 2017

Authorities in Niger say at least a dozen paramilitary police have been killed in an attack similar to the one that killed four U.S. Green Beret and four Nigerien troops Oct. 4.

Saturday's attack took place in the same area, officials said. The raid took place in the town of Ayorou, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, Niamey.

Reports said the attackers were heavily armed with guns and rocket launchers. They arrived in five vehicles to launch their ambush on a gendarmes' base. The attackers left when Nigerien military reinforcements showed up.

The area is near the border with Mali, where the attackers are thought to be based. The region has seen a string of recent incursions by jihadists.

Controversy in Washington

The deaths of the U.S. troops Oct. 4 has caused major controversy in Washington, D.C., where lawmakers are seeking more information about the incident.

In Cooper City, Florida, Saturday, mourners attended the funeral for La David Johnson, who died in the attack. Johnson's death drew extra attention after President Donald Trump called Johnson's widow, Myeshia Johnson, and reportedly said Johnson "knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway."

The incident has begun a feud between Trump and Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who was listening to the call on speakerphone.

Given all the public controversy, some funeral-goers Saturday said they were glad to see not just a portrait of Johnson at the funeral, but also of the other three service members who died in the same attack. A retired police officer who attended the ceremony told the Associated Press that the move "was a good gesture on everyone's part."

Better communication

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also dealt with criticism for not releasing more information about the attack.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis went to Capitol Hill on Friday to meet with Senator John McCain after the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee threatened to issue a subpoena for information about the deaths of four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger.

After meeting privately with McCain in his office Friday, Mattis promised to keep better lines of communication with Congress.

"We could be better at communication, we can always improve at communication, and that's exactly what we'll do," he said.

McCain said the meeting helped to clear up the information channels.

"I felt we were not getting a sufficient amount of information and we are clearing a lot of that up now," he said.

Earlier this week, McCain threatened to use a subpoena to compel information from the Pentagon and Trump administration officials about the Niger attack. He complained that it was easier to get information about military operations under former President Barack Obama.

The U.S. military has blamed Islamic State militants for the deaths of the four Special Forces soldiers in southwestern Niger and has said it is conducting an investigation into the Oct. 4 attack.

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Somalia Truck Bomb Death Toll Rises to 358

By VOA News October 21, 2017

Thousands of Somalis gathered Friday to pray at the site of the country's deadliest bombing. Last Saturday a truck bomb exploded on a busy street in Mogadishu, killing what is now believed to be 358 people.

As Somalis in the capital city paid their respects, the Somali prime minister said Somalia's president will announce a "state of war" against the al-Shabab extremists the government blames for the bombing.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is expected to announce the new offensive Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Army spokesman Captain Abdullahi Iman told the Associated Press that the new offensive was to involve thousands of troops to try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle region, where they are believed to have planned their attack on Mogadishu.

Several suspects have been arrested and are being questioned.

"Our security agencies have more detailed information about the blast as there are people we have arrested," said Internal Security Minister Mohamed Abukar Islow, "but we will let you know when we are done with our investigations."

Also Friday, the U.S. military said it launched a drone strike on al-Shabab, resuming its own fight with the militant group.

Somalia's information minister reported late Friday that 56 people were still missing from the Mogadishu blast, which wounded 228 people. Of the injured, 122 had been airlifted to Turkey, Sudan and Kenya for treatment.

Tens of thousands march

Wednesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Mogadishu and other major Somali cities, condemning those behind the massive explosion.

Demonstrators marched from the stadium to the scene of Saturday's blast to hold a memorial ceremony for the victims.

Other rallies took place Wednesday in Baidoa, Beledweyne and Dhusamareeb.

The Mogadishu protest came in response to a call from the city's mayor for a massive rally to pray for those killed and injured in the truck bombing, which the government blames on Islamist militant group al-Shabab.

Time to unite

President Mohamed urged Somalis to take up arms for what he called a tough war with al-Shabab.

"It is time for us to unite, and I call for all Somalis to join hands together in the fight against the common enemy," he said.

He extended a similar invitation to political leaders.

"I call for the politicians who have relationships with foreign countries to put our differences aside and join us in the fight against the militants," he said.

Mogadishu Mayor Taabit Abdi Mohamed said, "Somali people must be ready for a war to liberate this city."

Still no claim

Al-Shabab has not claimed responsibility for Saturday's blast, the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history.

Over the past 10 years, the group has bombed dozens of hotels, restaurants and other targets in Mogadishu as part of its campaign to topple the government and install a strict version of Islamic law in Somalia.

Among those killed in the attack was Ahmed Abdikarin Eyow, a leader of the Somali community in Minnesota who helped organize a VOA Town Hall with then-President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud last year in Minneapolis, and freelance Somali cameraman Ali Nur Siad.

Siad was on assignment with Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, a stringer for VOA's Somali Service.

Abdulle was seriously wounded in the attack and airlifted to a Turkish hospital on Monday for treatment.

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US Muslim Leaders Condemn Deadly Mogadishu Attack

By Mohamed Olad Hassan, Jafar Fidow October 21, 2017

Muslim leaders in the Washington area have condemned the recent terrorist attack in Mogadishu that killed nearly 400 people and injured 228. Imams and diplomats expressed shock and horror at Friday prayers.

Imams, Somali community leaders, the ambassadors of two African nations, a representative from Turkey and officials from the U.S. Department of State gathered at Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, one of the nation's largest, on Friday to condemn terror, especially the recent attack in Mogadishu and offer condolences to the families of those killed or injured.

Among U.S officials at the event were, Eric Stromayer, acting deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs, and Vincent Spero, acting director for East Africa office.

'Act of evil'

Imam Shaker Elsayed, an imam at Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, preached in his Friday sermon that terrorism has no place in Islam and condemned the Mogadishu attack.

"As our Somali brothers and sisters are mourning, let me emphasize that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam and Islam is a peaceful religion," Imam Elsayed said.

Ambassador Moawiya Osman Khalid of Sudan, has described the recent Mogadishu terror attack as an "act of evil."

"They are evil and cruel people who are trying to reshape the view of the Islamic people. We understand that Somali people are strong and they will stop, fight and push back against all those criminal activities," Khalid said.

Republic of Chad Ambassador Mahamat Nasser, also spoke at the event, urging Muslims around the world to unite in the fight against terrorism that continues to spoil the peaceful image of Islam.

"We are Muslims we know that our religion is peaceful, not violent. That is why Muslims all over the world should unify our views against those spoiling the image of Islam," Nasser said.

The event, attended by hundreds of Muslim mosque congregants, was organized by the Somali Embassy in Washington.

On the same day, similar prayer services for the victims of the Mogadishu bombing were held at more than 20 mosques across the U.S. and Canada, said Ahmed Isse Awad, Somalia's ambassador to the United States.

Jump in fatality toll

The prayers come as the Somali government officially declared a sharp increase in the death toll from the truck bomb, putting the final tally at 358 people killed, 228 injured and 56 missing.

The uncertainty about the death toll was evident in the fluctuating numbers being reported by the media, quoting health officials. Some insisted on the official number while others put the death to more than 350 and nearly 400 injured.

As the search-and-rescue operation concluded three days after the blast, the government said the recorded death toll was 281, with more than 300 injured, but at that point it still did not know the whereabouts of many missing Mogadishu residents.

The only thing all agreed on was that the death toll could increase.

Somali government officials have declared war against al-Shabab militants they accuse of being behind the blast, the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history, a responsibility the militants have not claimed so far.

Over the past 10 years, the group has bombed dozens of hotels, restaurants and other targets in Mogadishu, as part of its campaign to topple the government and install a strict version of Islamic law in Somalia.

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At Least 54 Egyptian Policemen Killed in Raid on Suspected Militant Hideout Near Cairo

By VOA News October 21, 2017

At least 54 Egyptian police officers have been killed in a raid on a suspected militant hideout near Cairo, according to security officials.

The officials, who requested anonymity, said the security forces apparently were ambushed Friday night by militants after they converged on the hideout in the western desert area of al-Bahriya.

One senior security source said a convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle were targets of a surprise attack by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices.

Twenty officers and 34 conscripts are among the fatalities, sources said. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement Saturday "a number of our men were martyred" but did not provide information about casualties.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, but local media reports said the militants are followers of the Hasm Movement, which Egyptian security forces claim are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed group that once led the country. The Brotherhood denied any link to the movement.

Friday's attacks are the latest in a series of deadly encounters suffered by Egypt's security forces this year as they confront a tenacious growing Islamic militancy.

Egypt has been struggling to counter uprisings by militants led by an affiliate of the Islamic State that is centered primarily in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula. The country's efforts, however, have been stymied by a recent increase in the number of attacks on the country's mainland.

The ambush was one of the most deadly attacks on security forces since militants began targeting government forces after the 2013 ouster of Egypt's first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi, whose one-year rule was divisive.

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Spanish Prime Minister Says He'll Dismiss Catalonia's Separatist Government

By VOA News October 21, 2017

Spanish Prime Minister Mariono Rajoy announced Saturday he would dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call for new elections in an attempt to prevent the semi-autonomous region from declaring its independence.

Rajoy made the announcement after an emergency cabinet meeting Saturday to deal with the political crisis caused by the secession effort undertaken by the regional leadership of Catalonia.

Spain's government set plans in motion Thursday to strip Catalonia of its autonomy after the region's leader vowed to continue steps toward independence.

Rajoy's office has said the cabinet meeting was planned to apply Article 155 of Spain's constitution, which gives the government the power to take away some or all of Catalonia's autonomy. Opposition political parties have agreed to support the imposition of central rule over Catalonia. Rajoy is nearly certain to get the required votes next week from Spain's upper legislative body, which is ruled by Rajoy's conservative party.

Carles Puidgemont, Catalonia's leader, has said the regional parliament will go forward with a vote on independence if the Spanish government does not engage in dialogue and follows through on its threat to strip the region of its autonomy.

Rajoy said Saturday Puidgemont's threat to secede "has been unilateral, contrary to the law, and seeking confrontation."

Rajoy had given Puidgemont a Thursday deadline to clarify whether he had in fact already declared independence following a referendum earlier this month.

Puidgemont made a symbolic declaration of independence in an address last week, but said he was suspending any formal steps in favor of talks with the government in Madrid. He delivered his updated stance in a letter Thursday shortly before the deadline.

At a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the bloc was watching the situation closely.

"We hope that there will be solutions that can be found on the basis of the Spanish constitution," she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a discussion of the crisis and a show of solidarity with the Spanish government at the EU summit, but a number of leaders and EU officials oppose adding it to the agenda, saying that the tensions are an internal affair.

Voters in Catalonia voted in favor of independence in the October 1 referendum, but fewer than half of those eligible to cast a ballot took part, with opponents boycotting the process. Rajoy's government dismissed the referendum as illegal.

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Czech Republic - Politics

Superficially it would appear that economically, politically and culturally, Czech society is probably the most successful, and the most stable, of all post-communist societies. The "Velvet Revolution" of November 1989 which abruptly ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia differed significantly from the way in which the communist system was overthrown in other Eastern European countries. The political change in Czechoslovakia, in contrast with, for example, the Soviet Union or Bulgaria, was not instigated by the ruling elites and largely accepted below, but brought about by the open revolt of the population. Perhaps the most significant feature of the "Velvet Revolution" was that it was initiated by students, actors, and other intellectuals, whose publicly expressed opposition to the communist regime was swiftly followed by the masses.

Although the creation of a post-socialist social order in Czechoslovakia and in what became the independent Czech Republic in 1993 has many similarities with the process which is now under way particularly in Poland and Hungary, it too had its unique features. In post-1989 Czechoslovakia, Slovaks habitually blamed the Czechs and Czechs blamed the Slovaks for all the ills of their common socialist past.

Czechs are usually critical of politicians but foreigners are not supposed to volunteer their opinion on Czech politics. In the spirit of the 19th-century Czech national "awakener" Frantisek Palacky and the founder of the First Czechoslovak Republic T G Masaryk, many Western attempts to define the Czech national character in this century have often emphasised the democratic quality of the Czech nation.

Prague Castle, the seat of Czech kings, and now of Czech presidents, is a well-known site, while the seat of the government [the Strakov Academy] and the residence of the Czech prime minister are relatively unidentifiable buildings somewhere in the center of Prague. From the breakup of Czechoslovakia until today, the Czech political system has been shaped as a parliamentary democracy, even though the Constitution does not explicitly call it that. The government is responsible to the lower chamber of the Parliament, and until 2013, both chambers elected the head of state at a joint session.

Despite holding such an indirect mandate, the Czech president had never been simply a figurehead and always played an important role in Czech politics. The tradition of strong presidents started with the first Czechoslovak President T. G. Masaryk, his successor Edvard Bene, and continuing with the communist presidents. With the introduction of direct presidential elections in 2013, the strong position of the Czech head of state was enhanced. The president has won his own legitimacy from the citizens themselves.

The results of the 2013 early elections in the Czech Republic re-ordered the political landscape. Seven parties entered parliament, among which the Social Democrats are the strongest with 20.5 per cent of votes. Yet this was the weakest showing of an election winner in the history of the Czech Republic. Almost all of the established parties recorded losses, and at just under 60 percent, voter turnout was one of the lowest since 1989.

With his only recently established ANO movement, business tycoon Andrej Babi has managed to become the second-strongest force in the Chamber of Deputies right out of the gate, receiving 18.7 per cent of votes (the abbreviation ANO stands for Action of Dissatisfied Citizens and means yes in Czech). Babi is its chairman, proprietor of the Czech agriculture and chemical corporation Agrofert, and since 2013 also owner of the Czech Republics largest media concern, Mafra, which publishes the dailies Mlada fronta Dnes and Lidove noviny. Since then, the foreign media have liked to describe Babi as a Czech Berlusconi. Babi appealed to a dissatisfied and disillusioned electorate who no longer believe that politicians of the established parties can lead the country transparently. In the context of increasing mistrust of politics as such, the Czech electorates willingness to engage in alternatives with an uncertain course and goal seems extremely high.

There is a general trend in the West of a revolt against the traditional parties. They seem to be too rigid, too cumbersome, sometimes too corrupt and Babi used this very skillfully in his campaign. He portrayed himself as an outsider who came to the Czech political mainstream to save the country and this has worked. The times are changing and the traditional parties, not just in the Czech Republic, are not very flexible in dealing with various new challenges associated with globalization and new challenges. People may feel that a party lead by an authoritarian leader may have more flexible answers.







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Northern League / Padania

Italy's populist leader Matteo Salvini failed to win a key regional election and topple the country's fragile coalition government. The far-right League had hoped to score a historic upset and force snap elections in the regional vote in Emilia Romagna, but a high turnout favoured the incumbent centre-left candidate. The Democratic Party's (PD) Stefano Bonaccini won 51.36 percent of the vote against the anti-immigrant League candidate Lucia Borgonzoni's 43.68 percent, according to results released by the interior ministry on 27 January 2020. The wealthy centre-north region of Emilia Romagna has been a stronghold of the Italian left for over 70 years, but while left-wing values still hold sway in its cities, the right had rallied serious support in towns and the countryside. The League's defeat made it harder for the party to win other key upcoming regional elections, such as Tuscany and Puglia, where it hoped to sway voters to the right.

The far-right League became Italys largest party in the 26 May 2019 European parliamentary election, surging past its coalition partner the 5-Star Movement, which saw its own support slump. The vote looked certain to alter the balance of power within the deeply divided government, giving greater authority to League leader Matteo Salvini, who was pushing for swingeing tax cuts in possible defiance of EU budget rules. Thank you Italy. We will use your trust well. The first party in Italy will change Europe, a beaming Salvini said. With well over half the ballots counted, state broadcaster RAI forecast that the League would win 33.8% of the vote against 17.7% for 5-Star an almost exact inversion of the result of national elections a year ago. Relations between the League and 5-Star deteriorated during the election campaign and there has been speculation that the coalition could collapse following the vote because of big differences over issues such as taxes and regional autonomy.

There was a time in the 1990s when a brave and free people in the north of Italy dreamed a great dream of a new nation. It was to be called Padania. Followers organized joyful rallies festooned with clover green uniforms and flags where they decried the waste of Rome. Processions took place where sacred Po River baptismal water was carried to the new land's "capital" of Venice and legends from the heroic past were shared. Padanian ID cards were handed out. "Northern Bank" notes made a fluttering, fleeting appearance.

The party that drove it, the populist, anti-immigrant Lega Nord or Northern League, instead proposed two modest, legal and nonbinding referendums in the wealthy regions of Lombardy and Veneto 22 October 2017. They put to voters the question of whether they want regional representatives to negotiate with Rome for more autonomy and return on their taxes.

Since 2001, Italian regions have had the constitutional right to request further autonomy, in everything from education to finance. However, the right to financial management was suddenly curtailed with the European financial crisis. wWile a development and employment gap between the North and South remains, the resentment of the North toward the South is no longer what it was several decades ago.

The Northern League is short on subtlety and heavily reliant on mythology and folklorist symbolism. This flair for dramatic imagery has helped the Northern League stand out among the ever-evolving, and rhetorically boring, array of political parties in Italy. Furthermore, the LN leadership has managed to create a relevant and important party, at the national as well as regional level, because beneath its crude rhetoric and silly rituals, it understands and taps into the deep-seated and very real concerns of voters in northern Italy. Many in the affluent north, the traditional economic and industrial backbone of the country, feel that the central government in Rome takes their money and uses it to feed its enormous, inefficient bureaucracy and to subsidize the chronically underperforming South. Furthermore, the influx of immigrants to the region makes many northern Italians feel that their geographical and cultural spaces are under attack from outsiders.

The Northern League's dramatic increase in vote share in the 2008 national parliamentary election (almost double its 2006 result but still only 8% nationally) came after a campaign waged largely on the theme of domestic security. The establishment of new (and highlighting of pre-existing) volunteer security patrols (called le Ronde Padane or Patrols of Padania - the fictional "country" proposed by the Northern League) in cities and towns throughout Northern Italy were a key publicity tool in the electoral campaign. These grew out of the Green Shirt (Camice Verdi) group within the Northern League active in the mid to late 1990s used to enforce order at public demonstrations (similar to groups organized by other political parties on both the left and right).

In an environment of pervasive media coverage of violent crime perpetrated by immigrants (despite a significant statistical decrease in crime from 2007 to 2008), the Northern League (LN) has made political hay out of initiatives to bolster security, including its controversial initiative to found and promote volunteer neighborhood security patrols. Reportedly benign "neighborhood watch" style groups, the patrols are criticized by many as a mechanism to harass immigrants. Patrols of this kind have a long tradition in Italy and have been lent support from different political parties over the years - not just the Northern League. The patrols had a tight anti-immigrant ideological bent, and a level of unofficial local police support, but seemed to primarily serve as an informal surveillance force for the police.

Draft legislation to legalize the patrols, championed by Minister of Interior Roberto Maroni (LN), drew criticism from the rest of the center-right governing coalition, including from Berlusconi himself, as well as the opposition. Still, the patrols are politically useful for the Northern League and the party will likely continue to promote them in some form, legal or not.

In local elections that took place in June 2009, the center-right coalition (comprised of the People of Liberty (PdL) party and the Northern League (LN) party) scored impressive victories in the provinces and cities of Northern Italy. Within this coalition, the performance of LN is especially significant since it has traditionally been by far the weaker partner. Though in June this trend remained true in most of the country, in Veneto LN had a breakthrough, coming in only 0.9% behind PdL. The League also secured eight provincial presidencies in the north. Overall, the center-right won a decisive majority: of the 23 provincial elections, the center-right won 19. This is a substantial shift from the previous elections in 2004 demonstrating that the political climate in Northern Italy is evolving, and the LN is expanding its appeal well beyond the "fringe."

Though the League has become a more important player in the center-right coalition, the party's real objective remained solidifying its local power base. The next big opportunity to do so will be the March 2010 regional elections. Both Umberto Bossi (the leader of LN) and Mario Borghezio (a Turin-based LN Parliamentarian and an important party leader) have said publicly that based on the June election results, LN expects to take three regional governorships -- Veneto, Lombardy, and Piedmont. With elections eight months away, these declarations were a LN bargaining strategy to exact the best possible pre-election deal out of its PdL partners. However, they also reflected a growing sentiment within the League that it can contend with the PdL in dominating center-right politics in northern Italy.

As the Northern League became increasingly "mainstream" in the north, it's important to take stock of their goals and vision. The party's constituency and ambitions have not strayed significantly from the northern roots and identity that gave rise to the party. Certainly anti-immigration rhetoric, which was increasingly permeating much of Italy's center-right political groupings, finds its shrillest manifestation in the statements of LN leaders, including Bossi's. However, the LN remained first and foremost a populist party, rooted in the north and the region's thousands of small businesses, and committed to maximizing the control of local and regional politics by local people.

While Bossi remained at the helm, observers did't believe the LN would make a grab at becoming a broad national party, but would prefer to maintain its spoiler role in the north. A major "x-factor," however, is the health of the boss. As his health deteriorated, Bossi focused on the short and sentimental game which, for him, meant securing a regional presidency in Lombardy. But with the charismatic leader and old war horse failing, the question of who would replace Bossi was a major dilemma facing the party.

Giancarlo Giorgetti (born in Cazzago Brabbia (Lombardy), December 16, 1966, was the logical successor to Bossi because of his impeccable LN pedigree, ironclad personal ties with the boss, and extensive experience in Rome. He was the national secretary of the Lombard League (LN's "flagship" regional branch) and comes from Varese, the hometown of LN heavyweights including Bossi and Interior Minister Roberto Maroni. With a degree in economics from Milan's prestigious Bocconi University, Giorgetti is sharp and well-respected both inside and outside of his party. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1996 and has been reelected in each subsequent session. He served as president of the powerful Treasury Committee from 2001-06, and from 2008 to the present (he served as vice president of the Committee when the center-right was in the opposition from 2006-08). He has also served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and is a member of the Italian Parliamentary delegation to NATO.

Flavio Tosi (born in Verona (Veneto), June 18, 1969, began his political career in 1995 when he was elected to the Verona city council. From 1997 to 2003 he served as provincial secretary for the LN. He held the office of regional health assessore until June 25, 2007, when he resigned to become mayor of Verona. Although Tosi has a history of fiery rhetoric and populist action (or trouble-making, depending on one's viewpoint), he is an efficient administrator and has a strong base of supporters due to his attention to detail. He has earned kudos from Veronese voters in particular for cleaning up the streets and public spaces through a "zero-tolerance" campaign against crime and delinquency.

Luca Zaia (born in Bibano (Veneto), March 27, 1968, entered politics in 1995 as the Treviso provincial councilmember for agriculture. He was provincial president from 1998-2005 and regional vice president of Veneto until becoming minister in 2008, and is considered one of the two frontrunners (alongside Mayor Tosi) for the governorship of Veneto in 2010. Zaia is probably one of LN's most "palatable" leaders. He is very sharp and pragmatic, but is not as publicly well-known as Tosi, for instance. Zaia is well-educated (a graduate of one of the country's top oenological institutes and of the University of Udine) and has shown himself able to tackle large problems and forge important agreements. He is also a fantastic public speaker (especially off-the-cuff).

Umberto Bossi remained in poor health due to a stroke he suffered in 2004. Though Bossi continued an active and provocative political life, constantly in the media and public eye, judging by appearances he seemed decidedly unwell. He has refused to quite smoking, and required a personal assistant to ensure he gets up and ready, and stays on track during the day. There was a clear first rank of "colonels" in their 50s, including former Ministers Roberto Maroni, Roberto Calderoli, and Roberto Castelli, who would probably stake claims to the party leadership when Bossi goes.

In June 2011 the League demanded an end to Italys costly involvement in the NATO-led campaign in Libya. It also wanted to see a resolution to the continuing arrival of immigrants from Libya on the Italian coastline. In August 2011 Northern League leader Umberto Bossi questioned Italy's future as a unified country. He criticized the fact that rich northern regions have to subsidize the poorer south and called for independence for northern Italy.

The party's founder, Umberto Bossi, was forced to resign as leader of the party after being accused of misusing public subsidies to pay for perks for himself and his family. On 02 July 2012 Italy's right-wing Northern League elected ex-Interior Minister Roberto Maroni as its new leader, replacing the scandal-hit Umberto Bossi. Maroni pledged to "clean up" the party following a series of corruption scandals, which had seen its popularity dive.





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Kenya Politics - 2017 Elections

The country's sixth general elections - presidential, parliamentary, governorship and local elections - were held 08 August 2017. President Uhuru Kenyatta was running again for the August election. Politics in the East African nation is decided largely along ethnic lines, with political alliances typically based on who can lure which votes from Kenya's influential five main ethnic groups. Kenyans would elect a President, 47 County Governors, 47 County Senators, 290 members of the lower house, Women Representatives and Members of County Assemblies.

Public and private spending are at an all-time high, while government and presidential candidates have put in hundreds of millions of dollars to secure the electoral process. Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) extended voting period for regions where heavy rains and flooding made it hard for voters to reach the poll centers in the remote northern region of Turkana.

Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a significant lead in Kenya's tense elections, according to early results. Opposition leader Raila Odinga dismissed the tally, claiming that the election had been hacked. The early results published by Kenyan electoral officials showed Odinga trailing his rival, President Kenyatta, by some 1.3 million votes. The tally was based on 92 percent of the polling stations, putting the president at 54.4 percent to Odinga's 44.7 percent. Odinga insisted that he was actually in the lead, according to the count published by his party. He told reporters that hackers broke into the state electronic tallying system by using credentials of a recently murdered electoral official.

Riots broke out in the opposition stronghold of Kisimu in western Kenya on Wednesday, with police firing tear gas at anti-government protesters following the tense Tuesday election. The protesters chanted "No Raila, no peace," invoking the name of the opposition leader Raila Odinga. The unrest started soon after Odinga publically rejected the preliminary election results as a "fraud."

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, a well-known non-governmental organization in the east African country, also criticized the election officials and cited several apparent irregularities from various polling stations. It described some of its actions as "opaque" and said the official tally was "not based on any verifiable results."

Women representation in political life has yet to reach meaningful ratio vis-a-vis their proportion of the nation. Between 1963 and 2013 only 74 women made it to the National Assembly, 49 elected and 25 nominated. When Kenya gained its independence in 1963, the initial parliament did not have a woman. The country saw the very first female Member of Parliament come into office in 1969.

For the first time more than over 10 women were elected at the national assembly in 2002. In 2007 Kenya recorded the highest number, which saw 16 women elected. The 2013 election in Kenya was the first General Election to incorporate elective and nominated affirmative action seats for women. Running up to the 2017 elections in Kenya, there are prospects of having female governors and senators.

enyas cohesion authority has warned that it will take action against WhatsApp group administrators in its quest to clamp on the spread of hate speech in the messaging application. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chair Francis Ole Kaparo announced that the authority had identified at least 21 WhatsApp groups that have been propagating hate speech and will be dealt with accordingly.

On 19 December 2016 the Kenyan government ordered the US International Foundation for Election Systems to stop its voter education program in the country. US Ambassador Robert Godec said the organization, which is supported by USAID, has expertise and experience in supporting free, fair, credible and peaceful elections around the world. He said the United States is disappointed by the effort to discredit the program. Ambassadors from 10 countries denied working with organizations, political parties or candidates to influence the election result.

Kenya's Senate on 06 January 2017 approved the controversial Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2016 that would allow manual counting of ballot results, which the opposition called a back door to rigging the presidential vote. The 24 senators from the Jubilee side voted for it while 19 CORD senators opposed it. The focus was mainly on section 44, which covers the identification, registration and transmission of results electronically. The opposition coalition, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Vice Presidents Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka, dismissed the Bill as mischievous, saying it was part of a wider scheme to rig the August elections.

The National Super Alliance (NASA) was formed in 2017. It aims to increase opposition chances of defeating President Uhuru Kenyatta. In an attempt to oust the powerful party, five opposition heavyweights united under NASA. They spent months agonizing over the winning combination of flag-bearers that will draw in the most votes from key ethnic groups. The country's ruling Jubilee party said NASA's delayed candidacy selection only highlights its disorganization amid an election campaign plagued by violence. Tensions were high in Kenya's chaotic primary season as the ruling Jubilee party and the opposition ran into logistical issues and allegations of irregularities. The Jubilee planned to hold party primaries in all of Kenya's 47 counties on Friday 21 April 2017 and Monday 24 April 2017. But of the 21 scheduled for Friday, three were postponed. Confusion and accusations then derailed voting in nine more counties, such as Uasin Gishu, home to Deputy President William Ruto. Complications included insufficient materials, flawed ballots and general confusion. As a result, primaries were canceled in 15 of 21 counties.

Political competitors are complaining of a lack voting materials, favoritism and rigging, including reports of pre-marked ballots. There is also disagreement over which voter register  that of the party or that of the national electoral commission  to use during the process.

The largest party, the Orange Democratic Movement, had to reschedule primaries in some constituencies due to late-arriving or incomplete ballot materials. ODM also canceled the results of the governorship primary in Busia county amid allegations of rigging.

Stakes were high in the primaries. In an opposition or a ruling party stronghold, securing the party's nomination for certain posts can be an almost-certain ticket for victory.

The majority of Luos support opposition leader Raila Odinga, the Kambas are behind Kalonzo Musyoka. The Kalenjins back Deputy President William Ruto, while the Kikuyus support President Uhuru Kenyatta.

As in the past, political alliances have been made along ethnic lines. The Jubilee alliance of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto is backed by the Kikuyus and the Kalenjins. The opposition National Alliance (NASA) is no different. It is a union of tribes led by Raila Odinga (a Luo from western Kenya), Moses Wetangula (a Luhya from western Kenya) and Kalonzo Musyoka from the Kamba tribe.

Fronted by Uhuru Kenyata, the current President of Kenya, and Deputy President William Ruto, the Jubilee Party is made up of the principal members of the Jubilee Alliance, as well as 10 other political parties. They launched their manifesto on June 26, listing a number of ways they would hope to change Kenya.

One of the manifestos overall messages is to create a secure and prosperous nation, built on solid foundations of sustainable employment and opportunity. It notes that a growing economy must work all Kenyan citizens, and says that the party will continue to build a middle-income society, and work towards high, rapid and inclusive economic growth to reduce inequalities.

Through reducing and eliminating wastage in the utilization of public resources, Jubilee say that they will be able to generate Ksh1 trillion in savings over the next five years. This, the manifesto says, will be applied to enhance the countrys productive capacity and pay down the national debt.

The National Super Alliance (NASA) is the main opposition party, made up of ODM, Wiper, ANC and many more. Theyre fronted by political veteran Raila Odinga, and he is supported by Kalonzo Musyoka who is running for Deputy President. Nasa launched their manifesto on June 27,

highlighting the policies they hope will connect with the public and get them into government. NASA aim to eradicate poverty by implementing transformational economic policies and programmes that will uplift all Kenyas. They have outlined in their text that they will invest in education and training, health, and encourage people to move to areas richer in resources.

The manifesto states that Nasa will use all constitutional means to control public debt and grow the economy by 7%. They pledge to return the country to the path of sustainable borrowing, that is, a budget deficit not exceeding 3% of GDP.

With political tensions running high, it was too early to tell how the August 8 elections might go. Whether Kenya's elections turn deadly violent, like the 2007 vote, or remain mostly peaceful, like the 2013 poll, international monitors will be on the ground to see whether the final outcome is trustworthy and fair. In late June, the EU mission deployed 15 two-person teams around the country to begin monitoring the run-up to the elections. They would be joined by more than 100 short-term observers in the days before the vote. About 20 million Kenyans are registered to vote in the election.

Kenyas electoral commission announced 111 August 2017 that incumbent Kenyatta had won the presidential contest, defeating Odinga. Having fulfilled the requirement by law and having garnered 8,203,290 votes, representing 54.27 percent of the votes and 25 percent in 35 counties, I therefore wish to declare honorable Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect and honorable William Ruto as the deputy president-elect, Election chairman Wafula Chebukati said. Chebukati announced that Odinga garnered 6,762,224 votes, which gave him 44.74 percent of the overall vote. He also received at least 25 percent of the vote in 29 counties.

The leader of Kenya's main opposition party, Raila Odinga, has said he will not let the election result go unchallenged. Kenya's opposition announced on 16 Augsut 2017 that it would challenge the results of the presidential election in the Supreme Court and wage a campaign of civil disobedience, saying it has decided to expose what it called a "computer-generated presidency." Opposition leader Raila Odinga told reporters that Kenyans won't willingly go along with "democracy's slaughter." His comments had the potential to set off another wave of protests. In a 4-2 decision, on 02 September 2017 the Kenya Supreme Court determined that the recently concluded presidential election "was not conducted in accordance with the Constitution and is invalid". The Supreme Court found that the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) simply did not deliver on basic democratic principles of transparency and rule of law that should guide any election. IEBC lawyers shockingly argued that the tallying website public.iebc.or.ke on which local and international reporting about the election relied was "not the public portal" that the IEBC promised, and they never told the court what that website was and why it existed. The process of tallying was also problematic because the IEBC seemed to ignore much of the law regulating it.

In practical terms, this meant that Kenyans would have a second presidential election within the next 60 days - expensive in terms of money and time, but worth it for a clear and decisive declaration that democracy in Kenya is maturing. The August 8 vote was a deeply flawed election. Yet assumptions at home and abroad about how democracy is supposed to work in Africa prevented many from seeing that. Critics were accused of being spoilers or "perennial losers". If they pointed out one of the many problems of the electoral process, they were labelled "tribalists", or overly demanding.

Voters in Kenya would head to the polls on October 26 [initally planned to take place on 17 October] after the Supreme Court annulled the presidential election. But politics in Kenya often go hand in hand with ethnic and tribal loyalties. Elections in Kenya have caused heightening and even incitement of these divisions before, especially in poorer communities.

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga said on 10 October 2017 he would not take part in the court-ordered re-run of the presidential vote scheduled to take place on October 26. "In the interest of the people of Kenya, the region and world at large, we believe that all will be best served by (opposition grouping) NASA vacating the presidential candidature of elections slated for 26th of October, 2017," Odinga told a news conference. "We have come to the conclusion that there is no intention on the part of the IEBC to undertake any changes to its operations and personnel... All indications are that the election scheduled for 26 October will be worse than the previous one," said Odinga.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said the presidential re-run, which was expected to be a run-off between Odinga and himself, would go ahead as scheduled despite his rival's withdrawal. "There is nowhere the constitution says Raila Amollo Odinga has to be on the ballot," Kenyatta told his supporters. A Kenyan judge then ruled that a minor opposition candidate would be allowed to take part in the repeat election. Ekuru Aukot, who received less than 1 percent of the vote the first time around, may now face off against President Uhuru Kenyatta in the rerun.

Kenyas electoral commission called for patience and calm as it tallied the results of the re-run presidential election 27 October 2017 . However, some analysts already feared that the low turnout  just 35 percent compared to nearly 80 percent in the previous poll in August  may undercut the credibility of the results. The chief of Kenya's electoral commission says 6.5 million voters, about one-third of all registered voters, cast ballots in the election. Opposition leader Raila Odinga told his supporters to boycott the vote, and some polling stations looked like ghost towns. Others had lines, but significantly shorter than the original August election. Some were closed entirely due to security concerns.

President Kenyatta won 98% of the vote in Kenya's repeat election. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga urges his supporters to protest against what he calls the "sham" result of a repeat presidential election that he boycotted.







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Terror Group Jamaat-ul-Ahraar Confirms Chief Is Dead

By Madeeha Anwar October 21, 2017

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, or JuA, a faction of the banned Pakistan Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) terror group, confirmed the death on Friday of its chief, Umar Khalid Khorasani.

Khorasani has been blamed for directing several deadly attacks carried out in different parts of Pakistan in recent years, including the devastating March 2016 attack on the Christian community in Lahore on the day before Easter that claimed the lives of 75 people.

"Chief of our Jamaat-ul-Ahraar, Umar Khalid Khorasani, who sustained serious injuries in a recent U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan's Paktia province, succumbed to his injuries Wednesday evening," Jamaat-ul-Ahraar's spokesperson told the French news agency.

The spokesperson also confirmed that nine of Khorasani's close acquaintances were killed in the same attack.

TTP earlier had also confirmed the killing of its top commander, Umar Mansoor, in a statement to Pakistani media.

According to local media reports, two drone strikes carried out by the U.S. in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan have reportedly killed about 31 militants, including Mansoor and Khorasani.

U.S. officials did not comment on the statements issued by JuA or TTP regarding the death of their leaders.

Improving relations

Some Pakistani analysts see the recent high-profile elimination of terror leaders in Pakistan as a sign of improving relations and cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan.

"This new development shows that both Pakistan and American intelligence agencies are cooperating and the trust is building between the security and establishment of both sides, which is truly necessary if we have to win the war against terrorism in the region," Retired Pakistan Army General Talat Masood told VOA.

"The drone attacks by the U.S. forces show its seriousness to target those militants who are carrying out fatal attacks in Pakistan from the Afghan soil," Masood added.

Masood said he believes that the death of both Khurasani and Mansoor will help U.S. and Pakistan improve their bilateral relations, which plummeted due to Pakistan's alleged ties to or tolerance of terror groups operating on its soil who have waged attacks against U.S.-led NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied those claims.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to visit Pakistan in the coming days, where he will meet with Pakistani high officials and discuss bilateral issues, including regional security.

The relations between both countries have been rocky in recent years and have become further strained after U.S. President Donald Trump, during his South Asia strategy announcement in August, put Pakistan on notice to take action against militant safe havens that pose a threat to regional security.

Who was Khorasani?

Umar Khalid Khorasani was reportedly in his 40s and hailed from the tribal region of Pakistan. He was a hard-core militant who started out as an anti-India jihadist and fought to liberate the Indian part of Kashmir.

He later joined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Taliban in 2007, but parted ways with the group after disagreements with TTP's leadership.

Khorasani then founded the Jamaat-ul-Ahraar in 2014 and announced allegiance to the Islamic State in Afghanistan.

In 2015, JuA left the Islamic State group and reunited with the Pakistani Taliban.

JuA first came into prominence after it claimed responsibility for a terror attack on Pakistani security forces in Lahore's Wagah border region with India in 2014 during a border parade. The attack killed 60 people, mostly civilians.

The Pakistani government banned JuA in November of 2016.

The United States has also placed JuA on a list of specially designated global terrorist organizations.

Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that JuA has planned and carried out attacks on Pakistani security personnel and civilians, using sanctuaries inside Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province.

Kabul, however, rejects the allegations and blames Islamabad for harboring militant groups on its soil, including the Haqqani network, to launch attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies those allegations.

VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report.

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New Thought charts path to future

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:43, October 21, 2017

A new political theory unveiled at a key congress of China's ruling Communist Party of China has struck a chord with Ling Jihe, a 56-year-old rural entrepreneur in Jiangxi province.

"'Ensuring harmony between human and nature', a basic principle underpinned by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, resonates with my choice of career over the past eight years," he said.

After being a businessman elsewhere for more than 20 years, Ling went back to his home village of Xilu to farm in 2009, eyeing the great potential of green agriculture.

Now he manages more than 3,000 hectares of farmland, helping to raise the income of more than 3,300 of his fellow villagers.

"The new thought has firmed my confidence in my road forward," said Ling, who is also a delegate to the 19th CPC National Congress, which opened on Wednesday.

Congress delegates and experts widely believe that Xi Jinping Thought is the biggest highlight of the Party congress, a twice-a-decade gathering and the most important event on China's political calendar.

The elevation of the Thought into a guide to action for the CPC and the country signals a new chapter of Marxism in the 21st century.

"The Thought embodies the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context," said Liu Jingbei, a professor with the China Executive Leadership Academy in Shanghai's Pudong district.

The Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era builds on and further enriches Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, said a report delivered at the opening of the congress on Wednesday.

The report listed the 14-point fundamental principles of the Thought, ranging from ensuring Party leadership over all work to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

A hundred years ago, the salvo of the October Revolution in Russia brought the theory of Marxism-Leninism to China.

From the day it was born in 1921, the CPC has enshrined Marxism-Leninism as its guide to action and continued to innovate it by integrating the theory with China's changing conditions.

Xi, general secretary of the 18th CPC Central Committee, announced on Wednesday that China "has achieved a tremendous transformation. It has stood up, grown rich and become strong." He made the remarks while unveiling a two-stage plan to make China a "great modern socialist country" by the mid-21st century.

Chen Shuguang, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said, "As China enters a new era, the CPC must write a new chapter of 21st-century Marxism with a broader vision to achieve the goals set at the milestone congress."

Liu attributed the CPC's success in maintaining vitality and creativity to the ability to advance with the times, saying it is the "magic code" for the CPC to lead China toward becoming a great modern country.

For congress delegate Liu Chengzhang, the Thought bears uplifting messages.

The Thought takes "ensuring and improving living standards through development" as a basic principle, requiring steady progress in ensuring the people's access to child care, education, employment, medical services, eldercare, housing and social assistance.

"This vision suits China's conditions well and wins applause from the general public," he said.

"The general secretary's pledge to give priority to education is a real bonus for me," said Liu, the headmaster of a senior high school in Dancheng, an impoverished county in Henan province.

Liu said around 30 students in his school strive to enter China's prestigious Peking University and Tsinghua University each year, with 80 percent of them from rural areas.

"As a grassroots Party member and a rural educator, I'm fully supportive of Xi," said Liu, who believes education is the best way to lift the poor out of poverty for good.

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US Intelligence Keeping Wary Eye on China's President Xi

By Jeff Seldin October 21, 2017

U.S. intelligence officials are closely watching developments during China's 19th Party Congress, calling it a key test for Chinese President Xi Jinping and a telling barometer of what type of relationship Beijing likely will pursue with Washington.

Xi opened the high profile, high stakes political meeting earlier this week promising to build what he described as a "modern socialist country" for a "new era."

But more than Xi's rhetoric, what has caught the attention of U.S. intelligence agencies is how he has worked, at times behind the scenes, to consolidate power in a way that had not been seen since Deng Xiaoping ruled China from 1978 to 1989.

And the U.S. government has devoted resources accordingly.

"All the sort of old-school guys who used to do Kremlin work are now off working on this other politburo," Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo told a forum Thursday in Washington.

Pompeo also praised China's overall response to North Korea's nuclear provocations as "most welcome."

"I think if you had told the intelligence community that we could have expected the Chinese to do all the things that they have to date, there would have been great skepticism inside of our building," the CIA chief said. "I hope there's more to come."

Some criticism

At the same time, though, other top U.S. officials have been critical of Beijing.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called out China for its "provocative actions in the South China Sea."

"We will not shrink from China's challenges to the rules-based order," he said.

China's embassy in Washington rejected Tillerson's comment, arguing Beijing is committed to "providing the greatest good for the greatest number of people through win-win cooperation."

US skepticism on China

Still, U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical, noting that under Xi, China has pursued a more muscular and assertive foreign policy, and one that is not afraid to contest the U.S. on the global stage.

"Chinese leaders see the U.S.-led world order, most notably the U.S. alliance network and promotion of U.S. values worldwide, as constraining China's rise," a U.S. intelligence official told VOA on the condition of anonymity.

"(These leaders) are attempting to reshape the world order to better suit Chinese preferences," the official added.

China also has successfully used its "One Belt, One Road" policy to expand its economic influence across Asia.

Combined with a rapidly modernizing military and a desire to build new military bases around the world, starting with its base in Djibouti that opened this past July, officials say there are an ever-increasing number of areas in which U.S. and Chinese interests could intersect or even conflict.

"China aspires to be the pre-eminent power in East Asia and yes, that comes at the expense of U.S. influence," said Michael Collins, the deputy assistant director of the CIA's East Asia Mission Center, during a conference in Washington earlier this month.

"What we're seeing right now first and foremost  is a test of what relationship China wants with the United States," he added.

Xi's leadership

In all of this, Xi is seen as the key driver. U.S. intelligence officials note it is not an exaggeration to say that he sees himself as a second coming of former Chinese leader and Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong.

And once China's Community Party congress is over, many in the U.S. believe Xi will have a freer hand to guide China's approach on the world stage.

There are questions, too, about how Xi will guide China's behavior in cyberspace.

"They have, along with the Iranians and the Russians, world-class, premier cyber-capabilities, defensive cyber-capabilities, as well as the capacity to conduct offensive cyber-operations, as well," CIA Director Pompeo said Thursday. "The Chinese are also incredibly active with what I'll call cyber-theft."

Washington will push back

Pompeo and other U.S. officials say such behavior is not acceptable, and they promise Washington will push back against China's aggressiveness in the cyber realm.

Yet, they also note that even as China appears increasingly willing to challenge the U.S. in multiple ways, Beijing still craves stability, which creates opportunities for both countries to work together, like they have on North Korea.

"I hope they'll take this opportunity to demonstrate that they truly are going to be globally important players in reducing a threat," Pompeo said.

VOA State Department Correspondent Cindy Saine and Beijing Bureau Chief William Ide contributed to this report.

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Chinese Leader's Call for Democracy, Justice, Clashes With Crackdown on Dissent

By William Ide, Joyce Huang October 21, 2017

China's increasingly powerful leader Xi Jinping has pledged to make the Communist Party more responsive to public demands and to calls for democracy, fairness and justice in a lengthy address to the 19th Party Congress.

But at least three cases involving the harassment of lawyers this week and an online crackdown as the party hosts top level political meetings raise serious questions about how he might do that.

Prior to Wednesday's start of the twice-a-decade meetings, renowned human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng told the Associated Press thatthe party congress has been marked by pervasively tight security.

Tighter-than-ever security

"The security of the 19th party congress appears to be much tighter than before. Earlier during the [2015] July 9 crackdown, human rights lawyers and defenders were the main target [of arrests and detention]. But this time around, the target is broader to include rights defenders, petitioners and dissidents, many of whom have been arrested nationwide," said Yu, who has released an open letter online to call for the impeachment of Xi and political reforms at the party congress.

He was taken Wednesday to the capital city's judicial bureau for questioning.

It wasn't clear whether the hours-long questioning was about Yu's open letter or his lawyer's license, which was confiscated in July after he had represented lawyer Wang Quanzhang. Wang has been in police custody since the lawyers crackdown two years ago.

Repeated calls to Yu after his release Thursday morning went unanswered. So too were those to the judicial bureau's Chen Min and Lu Kai, both of whom reportedly questioned Yu.

Xi's empty-worded pledges?

International rights groups say Yu's case, as well as many other incidents of abuse of power by the security apparatus in China this week, create doubts about the sincerity of Xi's calls for democracy and justice.

"What he's [Xi] trying to say, apart from being rhetoric using some apparently new concept, it's old wine in the new bottle," said Kit Chan of China Human Rights Lawyers Concerned Group.

"The problem is, first, there's never any concrete solid substance in whatever the leaders in China [have] portrayed like the socialist rule of law, the Chinese characteristics socialism or anything like that. So, it's vague and you don't really know what the content is. And that could then be easily manipulated and subject to the individuals' interpretation," the Hong Kong-based spokeswoman told VOA.

She said that without an effective check and balance mechanism, any meaningful political reform led by China's one-party rule will be impossible.

On Wednesday, Xi called upon the party "to develop socialistic consultation-based democracy, facilitate a sound democratic system and diverse forms of democracy as well as to widen the path of democratization so that people can be empowered  a concept to be fully implemented throughout the nation and in the society."

Abuse of power

Chan said the treatment of Zhejiang-based lawyer Li Boguang was another slap in Xi's face while the top leader was painting a rosy picture about the Chinese Dream.

Li on Wednesday was allegedly beaten by a group of men with suspected links to the local government, who threatened to cut off his hands and feet after the lawyer filed a legal action against corrupt officials on behalf of his clients who lost their lands, Chan said, citing her group's confidential sources.

The rights activist questioned to what extent Xi's policies can be applied to address the abuse of power by local governments and to ensure the rule of law. She said China has used the phrase "rule of law" to institutionalize and justify rights infringements.

Lawyer Ran Tong cited the case of his client Zi Su as another example of Communist Party intolerance toward dissidents.

Little tolerance for dissidents

Zi is an economics professor from Sichun and a Communist party member for 30 years. But he has been criminally detained on state subversion charges since early June after he openly urged the party congress to hold democratic elections to elect a replacement for Xi.

At least six other individuals across China are confirmed to have been detained for expressing support for Zi's proposal online. All but one have been released, according to the rights group China Human Right Defenders.

"According to the party constitution, Zi made a proposal for the party to review. It's up to the chairman to accept his proposal. But it's wrong to have accused him of being a counter revolutionary simply because he has proposed a recommendation to the party," Ran told VOA, adding that he found Zi's subversion charges groundless.

He added that Zi's treatment ran contrary to Xi's pledges to promote democracy and tolerate any harsh criticism.

Aggressive online crackdown

On China's social media, the crackdown on unfavorable comments is equally harsh.

More than a dozen media stories appeared online quoting Xi's call for the party to respond to public concerns, but comments on those stories were being blocked or erased in real time.

In one case, VOA watched on the Sina Weibo app  China's version of Twitter  as the number of comments on a story about Xi's remarks changed from 50 to just two.

On WeChat and other social media networks, users have been barred from changing their profile picture until the end of the month. Given China's tight social media restrictions, profile pictures are sometimes used to send subtle political messages. Even an English version of Xi's speech that someone posted was swooped up in the censorship dragnet.

WeChat has become increasingly popular, but just before the party congress began, new regulations went into effect that hold the organizers of private groups on WeChat or other social media group services responsible for the content of online discussions.

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India Implements Further Restrictions on Trade With North Korea

Sputnik News

17:37 21.10.2017

Following tensions between the US and North Korea, bilateral trade between India and North Korea has been on the decline. There was $133.43 million worth bilateral trade the two nuclear powers in 2016-17 as compared to $198.78 million in the previous fiscal.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  The government of India has implemented stiff trade regulations on export and import of certain goods from North Korea, in addition to the already existing restrictions. The step has been taken in line with the latest United Nations' draft resolutions in response to the latest nuclear tests carried out by Pyongyang in contravention to international agreements.

"The direct or indirect supply, sale, transfer or export of specified items to North Korea is prohibited," India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification.

According to the notification export of items like condensates and natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products and crude oil to North Korea is prohibited. Likewise, direct or indirect procurement or imports of products including seafood, lead ore and textiles have been restricted.

"Amendment in Para 2.17 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 on imports and exports to Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in terms of UNSC resolutions concerning DPRK," the notification read.

There were already stiff restrictions in place for Indian traders on the direct or indirect supply, sale, transfer or export of all kinds of arms, weapons and related material.

Last month, the UN had adopted a resolution that imposed a ban on condensates and natural gas liquids, a cap of 2 million barrels a year on refined petroleum products and a cap on crude oil exports to North Korea at current levels.

 Sputnik

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Japan, Spain Out of Race to Construct Six Diesel-Electric Subs for India

Sputnik News

15:29 21.10.2017(updated 15:46 21.10.2017)

Russian defense firm Rosoboronexport and Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems have emerged as the main contenders for India's multi-billion dollar project for manufacturing six diesel-electric propulsion submarines after Spain and Japan opted out of the competition.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  India's P75I project envisages the local manufacturing of six diesel-electric propulsion submarines by the country's private defense firms, in collaboration with global leaders in the sector.

The Indian Navy issued a request for information (RFI) on July 19 to six global firms including Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, as well as Spain's Navantia. They were to respond by October 15, 2017 but the Spanish and Japanese firms did not do so. The firms from Russia, France, Germany, and Sweden are now left in the competition for the project.

Defense sources told Sputnik that France's Naval Group (DCNS), though a global leader in submarine manufacturing, is unlikely to bag the project owing to the Scorpene submarine data-leak controversy and that the project will go to either the Russian or the German firm.

The $7.8 billion project is set to be executed along the lines of India's newly-formulated strategic partnership model that stipulates collaboration between one of India's private defense shipbuilders and a foreign manufacturer. In the RFI, the Indian Navy had asked the selected manufacturers to provide operational details of their respective submarines with air-independent propulsion systems (AIP) and anti-surface, anti-submarine and land-attack capabilities.

"The Indian Navy had asked in its document to provide operational details of the proven product. So, the companies from Japan & Spain do not qualify for the project," Commodore Ranjit B Rai (retired), Indian Navy told Sputnik.

Commodore Anil Jai Singh, former Indian Navy officer and vice president of Indian Maritime Foundation told Sputnik that India's strategic partnership model, which stipulates the transfer of technology (ToT), has not gone down well with Japan, unlike other friendly countries.

The Indian Navy is expected to issue the request for proposal for the project only after 2019 and if everything goes according to plan, it will take another seven to eight years for the submarines to be finally available to the Indian Navy.

Presently, the Indian Navy has 13 diesel-electric submarines in service  9 Kilo-class and four Shishumar (Type 209/1500)  class, but only half of them are operational at a time.

 Sputnik

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No int'l deal limits countries' missile programs: Military official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 21, IRNA -- Iran's missile program is not negotiable and is a red-line for the Islamic Republic, a top military official said here on Saturday, adding that there is no international contract for limiting the countries' missile programs.

Iranian Armed Forces spokesman General Masoud Jazayeri has said that the historical experiences have indicated that Iran could not be a lamb among the wolves such as the US and the Zionist regime.

Touching upon the Western countries' threats against Iran, Jazayeri described the enemies' measures as 'political bluffs' aimed at hindering the progress of Iran's defensive power.

'We are facing vicious enemies such as US and the international Zionism,' he said, adding that Iran should bolster its defense industry.

Jazayeri said Iran's nuclear and defensive missile programs are two different issues.

'The Islamic Republic of Iran's missile progress could not be stopped,' he said, adding that the country would not accept any limitation and missile program would be developed in all levels and ranges.

Touching upon Iran's advisory presence in different countries, he said the move is at the official requests of the governments and is completely legal.

Describing US and the Zionist regime as the main sources of terrorism, he noted that the world should tackle these cancerous tumors vigorously in the long run.

Calling US as a terrorist-breeding and vicious regime, he added that the presence of American soldiers in the Middle East is aimed at fanning the flames of proxy wars in the region.

Recently, US President Donald Trump took a new strategy toward Iran and decertified Tehran's commitment with the 2015 landmark nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Trump's approach has been criticized by many countries, international bodies, political communities and world media.

'Iran nuclear deal is not a bilateral accord and it belongs to no country and no country is able to terminate it,' High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said minutes after Trump's speech on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Iranian President Hassan Rounani in a televised message shortly after Trump's speech said his remarks were 'nothing but a handful of baseless and empty allegations against the Iranian nation.'

9060**1771

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No int'l deal restricts countries' missile activities: Iran

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sat / 21 October 2017 / 16:20

Tehran (ISNA) - A high-ranking Iranian military commander says there are no international agreements that set limits on countries' missile power and Iran would accept no such restrictions, either.

Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, who is a senior spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic's defensive power was non-negotiable, given the threats posed by Western states.

He said Iran's defensive capabilities constituted a "red line" for the country.

"The political bluffs [that are presented] and the pressure that is applied is meant to impede the progress of the country's defensive might; disregarding all of that, we will continue on our path," he said.

He also said that the presence of US troops in the region actually serves to support the "proxy warfare" that Washington is waging.

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its military capabilities are solely for defense purposes and pose no threat to other countries. But it has stressed that if it is invaded by another party, it will unleash destructive power on it.

End Item

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Iran in complete compliance of JCPOA: Russian deputy FM

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:01PM

Russia has stressed that it has no doubt that Iran is in complete compliance to all aspects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"We have no doubts, Iran fulfills all terms of the agreements," said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov during an international non-proliferation conference in Moscow on Saturday.

"Almost two years of the Joint Comprehensive Plan have demonstrated the agreement works effectively and copes fully with the outlined tasks.There is no alternative to the plan of action. We do not see reasons or opportunities to review or change it," he added.

He added that the JCPOA contains a fragile balance of interests "regarding fundamental issues of its participants' security."

"Any shift of this balance will cause unavoidable collapse of the entire mechanism, and it would be impossible to assemble it in some new form... It is unrealistic to adjust the agreement, as all the issues, which required settlement, were solved this or that way," he noted.

US President Donald Trump delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not be certifying Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA under a domestic American law, kicking a decision to Congress on whether to restore sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US Congress has been waiving those sanctions as part of American obligations under the nuclear deal. But the domestic US law requires presidential certifications of Iran's compliance every 90 days. Trump has twice before offered that certification.

While Trump did not pull Washington out of the JCPOA, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Reimposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against breaking up the Iran nuclear agreement with world powers, saying it is "vital for strategic stability."

Iran has vehemently rejected the possibility of renegotiation, warning that any hostile action against the accord will jeopardize regional and global peace and security.

Meanwhile, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized the United States for preventing Iran from benefiting from the 2015 nuclear deal, warning that such a move "will have its consequences."

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China  plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran. The JCPOA is regarded as the most significant diplomatic success for the EU in several decades.

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Iran will accept no conditions attached to JCPOA: Leader's aide

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 04:41PM

A senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic will not accept the attachment of conditions, particularly those concerning the country's strategic modus operandi, to the 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.

"The JCPOA (the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), must not be dependent on other conditions, particularly Iran's strategic conditions, i.e. its active presence in the region and also its assistance to the resistance front as well as the development of its [the Islamic Republic's] defensive capabilities," Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday.

Velayati made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the Deputy Head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, in Tehran.

He added that only the Islamic establishment makes decisions about Iran's missile defense, saying, "We do not seek permission from anyone to defend ourselves."

The senior Iranian official emphasized that the country would use "more advanced defensive" capabilities to protect itself, saying, "This is considered among Iran's red lines."

The issue of Iran's missile or non-missile defense has nothing to do with foreign countries, he pointed out.

He criticized the presence of the United States and its European allies in the Middle East and emphasized that only regional states have the right to be present in the region.

Velayati said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is considered a part of this region and it naturally supports its allies, which are Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon."

Like the US, European countries have no right to meddle with Iran's defensive issues or its regional role, he added.

The top Iranian official said the Islamic Republic would give a positive response to any requests for help from regional states, including the legitimate governments in Syria and Iraq, in line with its national interests.

Iran has been lending military advisory support to Syria and Iraq at the official request of their governments. Both Arab states have, time and again, lauded the contribution made by the Islamic Republic.

Speaking at a non-proliferation conference in Moscow on Saturday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stressed the importance of fully implementing the JCPOA by all its signatories and said the nuclear deal could by no means be re-negotiated.

"We don't see any possibility of re-negotiation, for any addition, for any annex, for any add-on, for anything for the JCPOA," said Araqchi, who was a senior member of the Iranian team negotiating with the P5+1 countries.

He emphasized that the JCPOA "should be implemented in full and Iran should benefit from the dividends of this deal, otherwise we would have a serious problem."

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Iran deputy FM warns US on violation of JCPOA: There will be a price to pay

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 03:33PM

A senior Iranian diplomat has criticized the United States for preventing Iran from benefiting from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, warning that such a move "will have its consequences."

"This outpost, negative atmosphere created by the US administration is in fact violation of the JCPOA (the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), preventing Iran from benefiting from sanctions lifting," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said at a non-proliferation conference in Moscow on Saturday.

"I tell you it is totally unacceptable and it will have its consequences. The situation is as bad as it is in Iran as it is in Washington, I have to tell you," he added.

He once again stressed the importance of fully implementing the JCPOA by all its signatories and said the nuclear deal could by no means be re-negotiated.

"We don't see any possibility of re-negotiation, for any addition, for any annex, for any add-on, for anything for the JCPOA," said Araqchi, who was a senior member of the Iranian team negotiating with the P5+1 countries.

He emphasized that the JCPOA "should be implemented in full and Iran should benefit from the dividends of this deal, otherwise we would have a serious problem."

US President Donald Trump delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not be certifying Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA under a domestic American law, kicking a decision to Congress on whether to restore sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US Congress has been waiving those sanctions as part of American obligations under the nuclear deal. But the domestic US law requires presidential certifications of Iran's compliance every 90 days. Trump has twice before offered that certification.

While Trump did not pull Washington out of the JCPOA, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Reimposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.

European Union foreign ministers held a closed-door meeting, chaired by EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on the best way to proceed on the Iran issue in Luxembourg on October 16. They reaffirmed their support for the historic nuclear agreement and said the accord was working and was a key part of non-proliferation efforts.

The top EU diplomats urged US lawmakers not to reimpose sanctions on Tehran and warned against the serious consequences for regional peace of a failure to maintain the international agreement backed by the UN Security Council.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China  plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

The JCPOA is regarded as the most significant diplomatic success for the EU in several decades.

Speaking to reporters on October 17, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said the Islamic Republic would not accept European countries' call for the attachment of conditions to the JCPOA.

"Saying that they [the Europeans] endorse the JCPOA but should negotiate on regional issues and Iran's missile program makes the JCPOA conditional, and this is not acceptable to us at all," Velayati said.

He urged European parties to the nuclear deal to exercise more care in their remarks.

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No int'l deal restricts countries' missile activities: Iran

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 09:19AM

A high-ranking Iranian military commander says there are no international agreements that set limits on countries' missile power and Iran would accept no such restrictions, either.

Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, who is a senior spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic's defensive power was non-negotiable, given the threats posed by Western states.

He said Iran's defensive capabilities constituted a "red line" for the country.

"The political bluffs [that are presented] and the pressure that is applied is meant to impede the progress of the country's defensive might; disregarding all of that, we will continue on our path," he said.

He also said that the presence of US troops in the region actually serves to support the "proxy warfare" that Washington is waging.

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its military capabilities are solely for defense purposes and pose no threat to other countries. But it has stressed that if it is invaded by another party, it will unleash destructive power on it.

Washington has on several occasions introduced sanctions against Iran over its missile program.

The United States claims that Iran's missile tests and rocket launches violate UN Resolution 2231 (2015), which was adopted in July 2015 to endorse a nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany.

But that resolution does not prohibit Iran from engaging in missile activity. And the US has thus failed to get other Council members on board with its sanctions, resorting to unilateral sanctions only.

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Iranian General Reportedly Played Key Role In Swift Takeover Of Iraq's Kirkuk

RFE/RL October 21, 2017

A top Iranian military commander traveled to northern Iraq to urge Kurdish leaders to withdraw from Kirkuk in a move that Kurdish officials said played an important role in enabling Iraq's government to swiftly retake control of the city from Kurds this week.

Kurdish lawmakers said Major-General Qasem Soleimani, commander of foreign operations for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, met leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish political parties in Iraq and an ally of Tehran, in the city of Sulaimania the day before Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on Kirkuk.

Reuters reported that Soleimani told the Kurdish leaders that their Peshmerga forces would not be able to beat Abadi's troops, which had backing from the West and regional powers Iran and Turkey. He also warned them to withdraw from Kirkuk or risk losing Tehran's support, Reuters said.

The Iranian general reminded the lawmakers about late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's harsh putdown of a Kurdish rebellion in 1991, Reuters quoted the Kurdish political leaders as saying.

"Soleimani's visit...was to give a last-minute chance for the decision makers not to commit a fatal mistake," Reuters quoted one PUK lawmaker as saying.

Ala Talabani, a leading PUK official, said the Iranian general only provided what she described as "wise" counsel in his meetings with Kurdish leaders.

"Soleimani advised us ... that Kirkuk should return to the law and the constitution, so let us come to an understanding," she said on the Arabic language TV station al-Hadath.

Kurdish Peshmerga commanders have accused Iran of orchestrating the Shi'ite-led Iraqi central government's push to retake control over Kirkuk and other areas that came under Kurdish control when the Peshmerga ousted Islamic State militants from the region in recent years.

Iranian officials have denied the accusation.

Reuters quoted an official close to Iranian President Hassan Rohani as saying that the move by Kurdish leaders to hold a referendum on independence, which was resoundingly approved in their northern automonous region and areas around Kirkuk last month, had prompted worries in Tehran that Baghdad would permanently lose control of the critical oil fields around Kirkuk.

Abadi rejected the Kurdish independence referendum as illegal and launched a campaign to retake control of Kirkuk, which fell quickly to Iraqi government forces on October 16 after less than expected resistance from Peshmerga forces.

Soleimani's role in the struggle over Kirkuk emerged as the two main Kurdish parties in northern Iraq cast blame on each other for their devastating loss of the city.

The Iranian general has become a well-known presence in Iraq, often seen in television footage from the frontlines in battles against IS, where he served as an adviser to Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces that Tehran funds and arms.

Soleimani in his visit with Kurdish leaders apparently exploited a division between the two main Kurdish parties over both the referendum and the crisis in Kirkuk, which the Kurds consider to be the heart of their homeland.

Before the referendum, the PUK had accused its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), of putting Kurds at risk of Baghdad's military intervention by pushing too hard for the independence vote.

Soleimani at that time warned PUK leaders that a vote on secession -- which Iran feared would encourage its own Kurdish population to agitate for greater autonomy -- would be risky.

On October 6, barely a week after the vote, Soleimani attended the funeral of PUK leader Jalal Talabani.

Iranian officials told Reuters that Soleimani met with PUK leaders after Talibani's funeral and urged them to withdraw from Kirkuk, saying that in exchange Tehran would protect their interests.

An Iraqi intelligence source confirmed to Reuters that Soleimani played a role in convincing PUK leaders not to resist Baghdad's advance on Kirkuk.

The KDP afterwards accused the PUK of betraying the Kurdish cause by capitulating to Iran and striking a deal to withdraw.

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, who heads the KDP, blamed the PUK for the swift fall of Kirkuk, saying the evacuation of the city was forced by "certain people in a certain party."

The Peshmerga command, which reports to Barzani, said that Peshmerga divisions that were loyal to the PUK abandoned their positions as the Iraqi government forces advanced on Kirkuk. It accused the PUK of "a great and historic treason" -- a charge the PUK strongly denied.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-general-irgc- commander-soleimani-reportedly- played-key-role-swift-takeover-iraqs-kirkuk- kurdish-parties-puk-kdp/28807424.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.

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Germany approves submarine deal with Israel despite graft probe: Reports

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:39AM

Reports say the German government has secretly given the go-ahead to a controversial deal for the sale of three nuclear-capable submarines to Israel despite an ongoing graft probe into the agreement.

"The Germans have given their approval to the deal," an Israeli official told the AFP on condition of anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the issue.

Berlin had held up the signing of the deal amid the ongoing corruption investigation, in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of having pursued personal interests.

Israeli media also cited sources as saying that Berlin has given the green light to a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the sale of the submarines to the Tel Aviv regime.

The MoU, however, includes an opt-out clause if any criminal charges are brought against the administration of the regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the sources.

The sources also said the MoU is likely to be signed by both sides in the coming weeks, despite an ongoing criminal investigation into the deal arranged by Israeli officials closely tied to Netanyahu.

The three Dolphin-class submarines, produced by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, would join six other identical subs that are already part of the Israeli underwater military fleet, Israeli media reports said.

The diesel-electric vessels were described as "the best conventional submarines in the world" by an Israeli military official identified only as Maj. Y. quoted in a 2013 report by the World Tribune.

The official, according to the report, further referred to the Dolphin-class subs as a "spy tool," and added, "During times of war, submarines are one of the most far-reaching instruments in the Israeli Defense Forces. You do not know where it is and do not know where it will sink you."

Moreover, Israel's local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that in the framework of the revised MoU, Germany has reserved the right to stop the deal and even cancel it if the ongoing criminal probe in Israel will at any point reveal that senior officials that arranged the sale of the war vessels did so unlawfully.

Dubbed Case 3000, the investigation is looking into potential wrongdoing involving Netanyahu's personal lawyer and German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp's local representative as part of the 2-billion-Euro deal whereby Tel Aviv would also buy four patrol boats.

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UN-brokered talks between Libyan rival factions fail

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 06:08PM

The United Nations has failed to bridge differences between Libyan rival factions amid efforts aimed at breaking a political stalemate and helping bring about peace and stability in the North African country.

In October, Ghassan Salame, the newly-appointed Libyan envoy to the UN, announced a one-year "action plan" for a transition toward presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya.

The measure reportedly aims to amend a current political agreement in the country and prepare the ground for a constitutional referendum and possibly general elections afterwards.

Since the announcement, the UN has hosted in Tunisia delegations from rival parliaments from eastern Libya and the capital Tripoli to draw up amendments to a previous UN-mediated plan signed in December 2015. However, at the end of the second round of discussions Salame only said talks would go on without giving a new date.

"There are some area of consensus... but there are parts which need discussions with the political leaderships inside Libya," Salame said without giving details, Reuters reported.

If the parties to the current talks agree to draw up amendments, a national conference would convene with the presence of a much larger number of representatives from across Libya.

The conference would then select the members of a transitional government that would run the country until elections.

Libya's eastern parliament, or the House of Representatives (HOR), which is allied with the powerful military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, is tasked in the current scheme with devising laws for national elections. It should also engineer a referendum to approve Libya's much-delayed constitution.

The UN-backed 2015 deal, which should undergo amendments in the current UN plan, led to the establishment of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The deal and the GNA itself have, however, failed to gain support from power-brokers in Libya and they are opposed by Haftar and militant factions associated with him.

The country now has two governments, one based in Tripoli, where the GNA, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, is ruling, and the other centered in the eastern city of Tobruk, led by Khalifa Haftar's so-called Libyan National Army (LNA).

Libya has been grappling with violence and political uncertainty since the oil-rich country's former ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed in 2011 and later killed in the wake of a US-led NATO military intervention.



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Watching Pyongyang: Seoul Buys Four Global Hawk Surveillance Drones from US

Sputnik News

02:11 21.10.2017

The South Korean Air Force (ROKAF) has announced the purchase of four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, advanced drones built on US military contract for surveillance missions.

The drones, which cost $223 million apiece, are being purchased as part of ROKAF's new program of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). ROKAF told lawmakers in Seoul that the acquisition of the first two drones is set to take place in December, with two more to arrive in 2019. The drones will be based out of the Gyeryongdae military compound in South Chungcheong Province, the military center of the country.

The Global Hawks are expected to be used to monitor North Korean missile and nuclear activities, and act as part of South Korea's "Peace Eye" early warning program in the case of a North Korean missile launch. While Seoul already operates an ISR program, the Global Hawks are a near-billion dollar attempt to improve its efficacy.

The South Korean military's new strategy to improve their standing against their twin nation, which they have technically been at war with since the 1950s, involves a renewed focus on drone warfare. Seoul intends to create a new combat unit in 2018 focused on flying reconnaissance and combat drone missions over North Korea.

The drones will be complemented with other measures, such as a suite of missiles to destroy North Korean artillery, ballistic missiles and underground facilities as well as maneuverable special forces for tactical strikes within North Korea. The South is also considering a new missile interception system to protect high-value targets from North Korean artillery.

First flown in 1998, the then-experimental Global Hawk is equipped with a bevy of surveillance tools. This includes electro-optics, a thermographic camera, an image processor, three different radar systems, an infrared imager, a weather radar and other devices. It is also the first pilotless aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean, which it did in 2001.

Global Hawks have seen deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in search and rescue operations following disasters such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan and 2013's Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

They have also been used in spying missions against North Korea, but the US Air Force generally prefers the Lockheed U-2 manned reconnaissance plane for that purpose because it flies higher, making it better suited to dodging weather and airspace restrictions.

The Global Hawk is operated by the US Air Force and Navy as well as NASA. A variant was also operated by the German Air Force from 2009 to 2013, but the program was terminated because the United Nations disallowed their operation in European airspace without expensive modifications.

 Sputnik

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Army wins back key town in central Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Damascus, Oct 21, IRNA -- The Syrian armed forces recaptured Al-Quaryatayn town in central Syria from takfiri terrorist group Daesh, Syrian news agency SANA reported.

'The Syrian Army, in cooperation with allied forces, on Saturday restored security and stability to al-Quaryatayn city in the southeastern countryside of Homs after the elimination of ISIS [Daesh] terrorist group which earlier infiltrated into the city,' according to SANA.

'The military engineering units, according to the reporter, removed the explosive devices and mines planted by ISIS [Daesh] terrorists in houses, streets, squares and governmental institutions in the city.'

'Last September 27, about 300 ISIS terrorists moved from the areas close to al-Rukban to the city of Al-Quaryateen in the southeastern countryside of Homs using dozens of SUVs vehicles. ISIS [Daesh] terrorists benefited of the highly accurate coordinates obtained through aerial reconnaissance of the US-led international alliance.'

9376**2050

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Across Shiloh Road and stretching down the first mile of Hesper Road on the west side of Billings is a nearly-200 acre open field that comes to an abrupt halt at 48th Street West.

Along the other side of 48th Street, facing the field, are small knots of homes and neighborhoods, stands of trees and, sandwiched between it all, Canyon Creek Nursery and the offices of Land Design, Inc. The property includes two new greenhouses, a pond stocked by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks with rainbow trout and a two-story building with office and meeting space.

The design is neat, clean and somehow still woodsy.

"It's fun," said Stacey Robinson, who heads Land Design, Inc., or LDI, and has transformed the property since he first bought it from A-1 Nursery two years ago. "It's not a drag."

In another two years, he hopes to transform it again.

LDI has applied with the city to adjust the property's zoning to what is known as neighborhood mixed-use commercial, which would allow the installation of a brewery, taproom and other small-scale lifestyle ventures, like a yoga studio.

Robinson wants to open up the new greenhouses to hold a microbrewery and convert the bottom corner of the LDI offices into a taproom with an outdoor patio that would have a view of the trout pond.

It's not as weird as it sounds, he said.

"Nurseries and brewers have this really unexpected synergy," Robinson said.

LDI is one of a handful of landowners along the Shiloh corridor looking at developing the county agricultural land that stretches west along Hesper and King into a commercial and residential wonderland.

The biggest landowner in the area is Knife River Corp., which owns the gravel pit along Shiloh, north of Hesper Road, and the vacant field south of it. Put together, it's more than 440 acres.

In 2013, Knife River commissioned Sanderson Stewart to perform a land use study for the 440 acres, and found the parcel south of Hesper could easily be transformed into a reservoir to augment the city's drinking water supply.

Knife River declined to comment on the property or on current plans for its development.

"We dont have anything to report," said Knife River spokesman, Tony Spilde.

Beer nursery

As word spread earlier this year that Robinson was looking to expand Canyon Creek Nursery into a brewery, he was approached by a handful of local beer makers that expressed interest in exploring the venture. He ended up connecting with Shea Dawson at Thirsty Street Brewing Co., in downtown Billings.

Thirsty Street experiments with a lot of sour and wild ales, and Dawson saw the potential of moving his brewery operation into a greenhouse, where he would have access to folks with green thumbs, wild yeasts and other natural embellishments.

He noted that he and Robinson seemed to share a vision and that it's been enjoyable to "work from scratch" on the next phase of what Thirsty Street could be.

Thirsty Street's downtown location with its taproom would stay, and Dawson would expand the space to include a limited-service restaurant. The brewery itself would move into the greenhouse at Canyon Creek and serve the taproom there.

"It's a number of factors (that make it appealing)," Dawson said.

Like many, Dawson sees the development happening along the Shiloh corridor in west Billings as ground zero for the next big explosion of commercial growth in the region. And he wants to make sure Thirsty Street is in place when it happens.

Seeing that growth is what inspired LDI to purchase and set up shop at Canyon Creek Nursery, and Robinson believes the area is poised for massive growth.

"48th Street is the next Shiloh," he said.

Developer Rick Dorn agrees. The growth happening along Shiloh between King Avenue West and Hesper shows no sign of slowing, he said.

Like Robinson, Dorn is currently seeking a zoning variance from the city for his 65 acres at King and 48th Avenue.

He hopes to get it converted to residential mixed-use commercial and plans to develop part of the property himself and sell off part of it to be developed by others. To do that, the zoning change is key.

A zoning change would allow for the construction of more low-cost housing, grocery stores and convenience stores, along with storage facilities, restaurants and retail. The flexibility to develop the land in various ways makes it appealing to a lot of people, he said.

"Flexibility adds value," Dorn said.

The area along King Avenue west of Shiloh road is already home to a number of apartments, duplexes and town homes. A lot of people live in that little corner of Billings, he noted.

"It's an area that has an enormous rooftop population," Dorn said. "And it has need of services out there."

Robinson, with his plans to bring libations and a mellow vibe to his corner of 48th Street West, recognizes the same need for the area. Robinson grew up in Billings and he wants to have a voice in its growth and development.

Some homeowners in the area have pushed back on his plans to expand the nursery, but Robinson believes his venture will bring value to the area and improve the quality of life of Billings.

That's exemplified, he said, by the zoning change he's seeking. Neighborhood mixed-use commercial is one of the most restrictive commercial zone designations.

"We're trying to do the right thing," he said.
SDF won't hand over Raqqah to Syrian government

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 21, 2017 06:52AM

A US-backed grouping of militants that calls itself the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says the Syrian city of Raqqah, where Daesh terrorists have recently left, will be part of a system of "federal government" in the country's north.

The SDF said on Friday that it had "liberated" Raqqah after driving out Daesh terrorists from the city, which was Daesh's former "capital" in Syria; but the terrorist group had largely left the city as part of a deal with the SDF and a US-led coalition, both of which are operating in Syria without the Syrian government's permission.

Later, the SDF said the political future of the city and the province of the same name would be determined "within the framework of a decentralized, federal, democratic Syria."

The thinking behind the brazen announcement by the mainly Kurdish group was not clear. Raqqah is territory of Syria, which is governed by a sovereign power, the Damascus government.

The Syrian military has so far not taken on the Kurdish militants. But the SDF has reportedly shelled the positions of government troops on several occasions in recent weeks, and with its refusal to hand over Raqqah to the government, the SDF now risks further provoking the Syrian military, which is also receiving aerial cover from the Russian military.

In ominous wording, the SDF also said that it would "protect the frontiers of the province against all external threats."

Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq, who had likewise overrun territory in the course of fighting with Daesh there, are now facing Iraqi government operations to drive them out.

SDF spokesman Talal Silo has said the group would hand over the control of the city to what he called "the Raqqah Civil Council," likely a Kurdish body.

Syrian Minister of National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar reacted by saying that Raqqah's future could only be discussed "as part of the final political structure of the Syrian state."

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has, meanwhile, said that the SDF's purported operations in Raqqah have killed civilians and damaged infrastructure in the city.

"When you're killing around 1,200 civilians  nearly half of them women and children  and destroying 80 percent of the city, that's not liberating Raqqah," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the SOHR, told Arab News daily.

The SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

On Thursday, the YPG held a "victory" parade in Raqqah's central al-Naim Square. During the event, the militants put up a huge poster of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the raising of the Ocalan banner by the US-backed Kurdish forces was proof that Washington "is not only cooperating with terrorists, but they are endangering the future of Syria."

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Syrian Army Reportedly Kicks Out Daesh From Suburbs of Qaryatayn Town

Sputnik News

19:48 21.10.2017(updated 19:51 21.10.2017)

Syria's central Homs province has been a battlefield in the recent weeks with Islamic radicals repeatedly trying to recapture the areas they had lost to the government forces.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  The Syrian government troops supported by militias loyal to Damascus have mopped up the outskirts of Qaryatayn town located in the west of Homs province from the militants of the Daesh terrorist group, a source in militia told Sputnik on Saturday.

"The town is under full control of the Syrian army," the source said.

The town, located some 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) west of Palmyra, was liberated by the Syrian army supported by Russia's aerospace forces in spring 2016 after a six-month siege.

However, Daesh has taken several attempts to retake the settlement from Syrian forces. On October 1, militants attempted to storm the town, however, the attack was eventually repelled. This followed by the fierce clashes that resulted in the terrorists surrounding Qaryatayn again.

So far, the Syrian troops with the support of allied militia units regained control over the key transport juncture northeast of Qaryatayn and liberated 1,800 square kilometers (694.9 square miles) of territory in the east of the Homs province.

The bloody war has been ongoing in Syria for six years, with the numerous opposition groups and extremist organizations trying to topple the legitimate government. The international community has organized several platforms to find ways toward the reconciliation, in Geneva and Astana.

 Sputnik

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How US is Playing 'Kurdish Card' in Syria

Sputnik News

13:11 21.10.2017

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are mostly composed of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), have announced the complete liberation of Raqqa from Daesh with the support of the US. Syrian military analyst, Brigadier General Muhammad Isa, explained to Sputnik what the US might be really after in this area.

Commenting on the reports of the liberation of Raqqa from Daesh, Muhammad Isa pointed out to Sputnik Arabic, that there are practically no Kurds residing in the areas which now come under the control of the SDF. In Raqqa, for example, less than 3 percent of total population is Kurdish.

The military official suggested that there is an ongoing operation to change the demographics of these territories by bringing in Kurds. The process is being controlled by the US, which is now "playing the Kurdish card" in Syria to secure a further pretext for being present in the country after the defeat of Daesh.

According to the Brigadier General, the SDF now control 50,000 square meters of Syria and its forces number no more than 20,000 servicemen. Achieving this ratio of territory to force size has only been possible with the support of the US.

However he doubted that the US would be willing to get themselves entangled in an open conflict because of the Kurds. Russia has repeatedly said that it would support the Syrian army in case of any military confrontation, be it SDF or the US. The response would be immediate.

The military official also ruled out any possible clashes between SDF and those Turkish units stationed in Idlib and on the border between the two countries, as both sides coordinate their operations with the US. Turkey however wants to grab 12,000 square meters of the Syrian territory by annexing Idlib and Aleppo, he concluded.

 Sputnik

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Trump Praises Syrian Democratic Forces for Fall of Raqqa

By VOA News October 21, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a statement praising the Syrian Democratic Forces for recapturing the city of Raqqa from ISIS control.

Trump wrote in a statement Saturday that the defeat of ISIS, or Islamic State, in the group's self-proclaimed capital city represents a "critical breakthrough" in the worldwide campaign to eliminate the terrorist organization.

"With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory," the statement reads, "the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight."

Trump said in the statement the next move is to "transition into a new phase in which we will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace."

While the recapture Tuesday of Raqqa is a significant blow to the Islamic State terror group, images emerging from the city show the enormous cost exacted after four months of grueling battle to oust IS militants, with most of the buildings reduced to rubble, and tens of thousands of its residents displaced.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 3,200 civilians lost their lives during the battle for Raqqa.

Speaking to reporters in Washington this week during a teleconference briefing from Baghdad, Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition, said forces on the ground are taking every necessary measure to protect civilians.

"In Raqqa and the rest of Syria, our focus remains on reducing risk to civilians while continuing to pursue and defeat ISIS terrorists at every opportunity as they retreat to their remaining held areas in the Middle Euphrates River Valley," Dillon said, using an acronym for the militant group.

Displaced Raqqa residents are demanding to be allowed to return home after the expulsion of the IS militants.

But SDF authorities in Raqqa told VOA a quick return is difficult due to the extent of damage from months of conflict.

Meanwhile, aid groups warned that help is urgently needed for people as they prepare for the winter in refugee camps.

Raqqa after liberation

Syrian Democratic Forces say the city is still far from safe because of IS-planted mines and fears that some IS fighters might be hiding among civilians.

"SDF now is clearing the freed neighborhoods from explosive devices and land mines, which is the most important step at this stage. This might last for a few months," Jihan Sheikh Ahmad, a spokesperson for SDF, told VOA.

Raqqa Civilian Council, supported by the U.S. and established by SDF last April to govern Raqqa, is expected to move into the city.

Brett McGurk, the U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS, visited Raqqa Civilian Council on Wednesday in Ain Issa, a town in northeast of Syria and pledged necessary U.S. support.

IS atrocities

IS enforced strict and brutal laws on civilians in Raqqa. The militants carried out public executions, held slave markets to sell abducted Yazidi women and children, and used civilians trapped inside the city as human shield to inhibit airstrikes against the group.

The city's Al Naeem traffic circle, once cherished as a crowded public gathering place, has become a symbol of IS fear and terror as the group used it for carrying out public executions.

"This neighborhood used to be called Heaven. But its name was changed to Hell after IS, because it was used to execute and behead people," Ismail Khalil, a Syrian Democratic Forces media organizer, told VOA.

SDF officials say it is hard for life to quickly return to normalcy after years of brutal rule by IS, but they remain optimistic for a new start.

"I grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Raqqa. My neighbors were Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, Christians and Yazidis. We lived together as Syrians," SDF spokesperson Ahmad recalled. She hopes that IS atrocities will be followed by a brighter future for all Syrian citizens.

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Britain will honor financial commitments to EU: May

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 12:39, October 21, 2017

British Prime Minister Theresa May reassured her European colleagues Friday by reiterating Britain's financial commitments to the European Union (EU), urging the EU27 to give green light to the second phase of Brexit talks at an early date.

May made the remarks at a press conference while leaders of the EU27 holding a close-door roundtable meeting over Brexit without Britain.

"Britain will go through the financial commitments line by line," said May, without giving a specific figure of the "devoice bill".

"We are within touching distance of reaching a deal on citizen rights ...whatever happens we want EU citizens to stay (in Britain)," said May.

She as usual expressed her optimism on the future talks. "I am ambitious for our future ...We must give an outcome that works for all," said May, appealing for new dynamic around Brexit talks.

May arrived in Brussels on Thursday to join her European colleagues for the autumn EU Summit. Prior to her trip, May on Thursday sought to reassure the 3 million EU nationals living in Britain that they would be treated fairly and at par with Britons.

In an open letter on her Facebook account, May said the application process for "settled status" -- also called "indefinite leave to remain" in Britain, which can obtained after five years of living there -- would be streamlined, keeping the cost as low as possible.

Despite her charm offensive, many leaders of EU members downplayed the possibility of any breakthrough during the two-day summit.

Britain has failed to make clear of some of its commitments during the Brexit talks and more clarity is needed, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Thursday during the ongoing summit.

"May has to come up with more clarity on what she means by 'other commitments' in her Florence speech. I phoned her last week and tried to encourage her to do that, and so far she hasn't," Rutte told reporters.

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Poroshenko Vows Push To Create Anticorruption Court By Year's End

RFE/RL October 21, 2017

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has vowed to push for legislation creating an anticorruption court by the end of the year, in an apparent response to demands from Western allies as well as protesters camped outside parliament in Kyiv.

Speaking while meeting with a border security unit in Kyiv late on October 20, Poroshenko said he was reaffirming his support for a key institutional change he promised when elected president after the ouster of Russia-backed former President Viktor Yanukovych.

The move comes amid the first sustained wave of opposition protests in Kyiv since Yanukovych was ousted during Ukraine's 2014 pro-Western street protests.

Poroshenko said he had already included money for an anticorruption court in next year's draft budget.

"This testifies to the state leadership's firm commitment to launching this vitally important judicial body next year," he said.

"The way I see and plan it, the timeline for the new court's creation foresees the president's signature on an anticorruption law by the end of the year," he added.

Poroshenko urged lawmakers of all parties to help draft the court legislation, and said it should take into consideration recommendations made by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission.

Protest groups and leaders of the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have demanded the anticorruption reforms, did not immediately respond.

The IMF has called the establishment of an anticorruption court a "benchmark" of Ukraine's progress toward Western legal standards, and has said it would help ease the release of loans in the future.

Ukraine last year ranked 131st out of 176 countries rated by Transparency International's corruption perception index.

Poroshenko's critics have accused him of deliberately delaying the court's creation in the past to preserve the current political order.

He has previously said that no special judiciary body aimed at tackling state corruption could be set up until 2020.

But Poroshenko apparently reconsidered the issue after thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament on October 17, demanding the court's creation as well as the passage of a law stripping members of parliament of their immunity from prosecution.

In televised remarks on October 20, Poroshenko called the activists who organized the protests "provocateurs" and said they wanted "to destabilize the situation in Ukraine."

The protests were initially called by Mikheil Saakashvili, a one-time Poroshenko ally turned critic who was formerly president of Georgia and governor of Odesa. But many of the Ukrainian opposition's political leaders have also joined the protests

The protesters proclaimed a "small victory" earlier this week when Kyiv lawmakers agreed to proceed with two bills that would eliminate their immunity from prosecution. The measures were sent to the Constitutional Court for review and cannot be introduced before 2018.

Lawmakers did not act on anticorruption court legislation before recessing this week, and they are not due to convene again until November 7.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/poroshenko-vows- push-create-anticorruption-court- by-yearend/28807413.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.

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Week 42 in review: Mate 10 trio and Nokia 7 debut

Week 42 begun on a high note as Huawei unveiled a trio of flagship phablets - the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro and the Mate 10 Porsche design.

HMD global had an announcement of its own - the Nokia 7 debuted, but its availability will be limited to China at least initially.

Another device by the Finns - Nokia 9 - keeps appearing in various leaks and gathering a lot of attention.

Check out the complete list of the most popular stories from the past week to make sure you haven't missed anything important.



Nokia 7 launches with glass back, Snapdragon 630 The handset comes with a Zeiss-branded imaging solution that lets you capture "bothies".





Xiaomi Redmi 5A announced: very low price, very few changes This is a minor refresh of the Redmi 4A, which also launched at a sub-$100 price.





Huawei Mate 10 Pro vs. Mate 9 camera shootout We've decided to make a quick shootout around Munich between the new and the old Mate and see if there is a big difference or not.





Nokia 8 with 6GB RAM hits Germany The phone is offered by two retailers for 669.





HTC U11 Plus renders show a small refinement of the familiar design The fingerprint reader jumped to the back to free up space on the front.





Apple iPhone 7 outselling iPhone 8 The 2016 phone is more desired as limited updates can't justify price hike.





Apple decreases iPhone 8 production as demand wanes The company asked manufacturers to lower production by half; carriers confirmed the lack of interest.





Making sense of the Huawei Mate 10 lineup What makes the Mate 10 Pro a Pro? Is the vanilla Mate 10 lacking anything important?





Huawei Mate 10 vs. Mate 10 Pro: screen battle The non-Pro model has a sharper screen with a better screen to body ratio?





TENAA spilled the beans on a new Xiaomi phone. Likely the Redmi Note 5. The reported 18:9 aspect ration definitely hints at the eagerly anticipated Redmi Note 5, only minus a second main camera.





Huawei Mate 10 Pro scores 97 on DxO test The Mate 10 Pro got 100 points in the stills test.





Early photo samples showcase the Nokia 7 camera performance The stills allegedly originate from HMD's latest upper-midrange device and its Zeiss camera.





Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and J7 Pro getting new updates The S8 series update arrives as firmware version G950FXXU1AQI9 and G955FXXU1AQI9, respectively, and weighs in at around 480MB.





New Oppo F5 leak reveals 12MP dual selfie camera Rumors so far had suggested a 16MP dual camera setup on the front.





Foldable ZTE Axon M is official with dual touchscreens When you unfold it, you get a 6.75" viewing area, although the hinge separating the screens and the bezels don't help create a very seamless look.


Solar system supplies all the power for Kanuga home

Keith Metler points to solar panels that supply the power for his 2,400-square-foot home.

When Keith Metler and his wife, Deb, decided to move to Hendersonville from Chicago, they looked for a nice piece of property with a big clearing.

The punch list was to come here and build a brick ranch and definitely solar because of where we are, he says. And we did make that happen.

Thats a bit of an understatement.

Metler used his mechanical engineering training, decades of home remodeling experience and hands-on approach to end up with a solar system that more than meets the homes electricity demand.

Semi-retired from a home improvement business in Chicago, Metler and his wife bought six acres of land on Nelson Valley Road from the Jim and Cosy Marshall estate. Then Metler sat down with a sharp pencil and went to work on the home design, driven from the start by the idea of solar power.

It was really easy because I had built the house, he says of his solar design. I knew what my energy requirements were. And being that it was all going to be electric, that even made it more easy because our whole energy envelope was electric. I did basic simple math  the appliances, lighting.

Everything is very efficient. The heat pump is really super-efficient. Its like running a lightbulb. The house is a real tight envelope, too.

The basement is conditioned space even though its not improved, he adds. We keep that at 70 because it just costs peanuts to keep it cool and heat it in the winter and I dont have any humidity problem down there.

He spent $20,000 on the solar equipment, and calculates total cost would have been $65,000 to $70,000 had he not done all the design, engineering and construction himself.

The 2,400-square-foot brick home consumes about 1,200 kilowatt hours a month, which would cost roughly $120 if he paid a light bill. He doesnt. He pays a base charge of $13.60 a month for being tied into the Duke Energy grid, which supplies power when the sun goes down. But because surplus solar-generated electricity goes into the utilitys grid, Metler stays ahead on the kWh balance sheet. Duke doesnt pay for the bump, though; it deletes the homeowners credit every May 31.



Cadillac of solar systems

Metlers system is the Cadillac of solar systems  or Prius, he might say  compared with those atop a home or office building.

Standing in bright sunlight on an early fall afternoon, Metler describes the features of the 36-panel system.

The towers are adjustable, he says. Theyre right at 35 degrees so the sun hits them directly. Theyre easy to adjust.

I do it by myself, he says. I get up on my ladder, I just take this bolt out and theyre so well balanced I just tilt them myself. If I take this bolt off they just stay there.

He installed the aluminum towers and poured the concrete piers theyre bolted into. He bought the panels from a solar company in Massachusetts.

With the hurricane warnings with Irma I wasnt sure what was going to happen, he says. I was all set to flatten these out. If I flatten them out they can take 150 (mph) no problem.

Although people are more accustomed to seeing rooftop solar panels, an adjustable system on the ground is much more efficient.

I picked up 400 watts just by moving them to the next position, he says. So thats quite a bit of energy just in tweaking the tilt. You can imagine how people sacrifice performance by having them on a pitched roof thats neither aligned south or doesnt have optimum pitch. Theyre not running at the most efficient manner.



When its cloudy were making power

The suns power turns out to be even stronger than Metler projected. Hes been tracking it closely since he moved in last March.

If its overcast, were basically covering household needs; were just not putting any back into the grid, he says. When its cloudy out were making power. Its amazing. As long as you can see outside  if you can read a newspaper  were making power. And at night when the sun is on the horizon and theres clouds, the sun will reflect off the clouds and Im still getting power.

Even without calling up a portal on his laptop, where he can monitor electricity production in real time or look back at past dates, he can look at an arrow on the electric meter. Toward the woods means Duke Energy is supplying power, toward the creek means his solar panels are.

So if theres a snowstorm or a car hits a power pole on Kanuga Road, the Metlers will still have lights, right? No, it doesnt work that way. A solar home cant feed juice back into the system when power crews are working to repair lines. An automatic shutdown features takes care of that.

Youre energizing it at 220 volts, he says. You just dont want that. Thats why everything has to go down. You want to make sure theres safeguards to protect their end of it, too.

A fit 59-year-old who still does home improvement work part-time, Metler is not prone to proselytize about solar energy.

He took on the project because Ive always had an interest in it, especially with my background, and moving here just seemed like an easy fit. This area geographically was just begging for a solar system. Weve got great sun and enough area to put up panels. It worked out. It was on my bucket list.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gives a press conference after a crisis cabinet meeting at the Moncloa Palace on October 21, 2017 in Madrid. Spain's government said that it will move to suspend Catalonia's separatist government and call fresh elections in the region. (AFP PHOTO)

MADRID, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish ministries will take control over the Catalan regional government under the application of the article 155 of the Spanish constitution, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday.

In a press conference after an extraordinary cabinet meeting to deal with the implementation of the article, Rajoy explained that the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, would be dissolved, their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries and elections would be called within six months.

Rajoy explained the measures of the application of the article 155 which must be approved by the Spanish Senate to be implemented.

The Spanish government justified the decision based on "rebel, systematic and conscious disobedience" of the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat.
Volleyball playoffs: Hubs, Blazers will play for state titles

North Hagerstown got past Magruder in four sets in the 3A semifinals, and Clear Spring swept Forest Park in the 1A semifinals. Finals are Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 04:58:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced Saturday seizing an Iranian ship carrying 19 sailors off the coast of the Socotra archipelago in the country's eastern part.

According to a statement released by the Aden-based government, "the Iranian ship was seized after it illegally entered Yemen's waters on the coast of Hadibu, the capital of the Socotra archipelago, between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea."

"A group of Yemeni fishermen participated in capturing the Iranian ship along with 19 sailors onboard," the statement said.

Sources close to Yemen's prime minister said that "an investigation is underway with the ship's crew regarding the details of its cargo and the source of supply."

However, local media reports quoted Yemen's minster of fisheries as saying that about 29 sailors were caught inside the Iranian ship.

Yemeni authorities repeatedly claim that Iranians attempt to infiltrate into Yemeni waters to carry out illegal operations, including smuggling arms to the Shiite Houthi rebels with small fishing boats.
When DJ Khaled first announced that he had major plans for the first birthday of his first born, it was no bluff. Whether youre fan or not, the pure joy that comes with any news of DJ Khaled and his right hand Asahd is pretty hard to beat, and this weekend as the young executive producer turns one, Asahd was celebrated with an enviable party at Miamis Club LIV. As previously promised, Diddy was among thoseon the guest list and even serenaded the young Khaled, singing Happy Birthday.

While the weekend has proven to be successful, Asahd wont officially celebrate his first revolution around the sun until Monday, October 23rd, and what a great year its been. It was this summer that he was credited as the sole executive producer on his fathers Grateful albuman effort that appeared on charts in 19 different countries, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and went on to certify Platinum after pushing the equivalent of 1,000,000 units.

While the Khaleds celebrate, Asahds also sharing the wealth early on as some of the gifts received at his party will be donated to UNICEF as DJ Khaled donates $5,000 in Asahds name to the organization as well. Currently a fund has been put into place to collect items for UNICEF through the Khaled familu as they round up items that include fleece blankets, story books, and Super Hero Packs: a collection of vaccines that protect children in need against Measles, Tetanus, and Polio. The packs also come with one vaccine carrier and mosquito nets.

Me and my daddy @djkhaled are working with @UNICEF to honor the worlds children and celebrate my 1st birthday, writes a post on Asahds Instagram account. ALL children deserve the right to receive gifts so we are asking #fanluv to make a donation to UNICEF on my behalf. HELP! Donate today! through the link in my bio 

Asahd
Its not out of the ordinary for rappers to venture outside of music into the worlds of film or fashion, but gymnastics is a more or less unexplored lane. Meek Mill may have a future in the sport, or at least in dunking off a trampoline, as he proves in a flawlessly executed front flip performed at the Wells Fargo center in Philadelphia.

In a video posted to his Instagram, Meek joins the Philadelphia 76ers Dunk Squad in the hallway of the arena. After a couple of members from the crew show him how its done, Meek confidently attempts a front flip off the mini-trampoline, and the landing is a 10/10. I aint scared  and Im fried off the 19 lol, Meek captioned the clip, which you can watch above. Judging by the comments on Instagram, his fans found it very entertaining.



Earlier this month, it was reported that Meeks reckless endangerment charge for popping wheelies on his dirt bike in New York city would be wiped from his record. The rappers attorney shared thoughts on the decision. This swift resolution vindicates Meek and clearly shows how outrageous the police departments conduct is in this case, he said.



Meek released his third studio album Wins & Losses earlier this year. In an interview with Streetz 94.5 in Atlanta, he explained the meaning of the title. Im letting the people know how I feel right now, he said. I just wanted to give people a real perspective of my life, what we call wins and what we call losses. I lost my case, we lost Lil Snupe, Chino lost his brother. Where we come from, thats a loss. When you talk Ls and Ws, you get an L, that mean you got life in jail. Its critical, it aint what they talking about, so I wanted to give my perspective on it, let people know what Ive been through. Teh album features guest appearances from teh likes of Rick Ross, Chris Brown, T Dolla $ign, Future, Young Thug, Chris Brown, Lil Uzi Vert, Yo Gotti, and more. Stream the project in its entirety here.
New transcripts of a grand jury hearing from earlier this year now implicate Marion Suge Knight in yet another embroilment of controversy as he is accused of sending several threatening messages toward F. Gary Gray, director of Straight Outta Compton.

New details from the hearing back in February were made public on Friday, showing that Suge Knight made several phone calls to Gray after being displeased with the portrayal of his person in the NWA biopic, and being angry at the fact that he was not being compensated. When Gray did not bite, he received a menacing text form Knight, whose violent past precedes him.

I will see u in person  u have kids just like me so lets play hardball, the message read, followed by what the Los Angeles Times describes as a pair of expletive and a racial slur.

According to new details, these threats left Gray so shaken that he failed to accurately respond to questions surrounding the incident while on the stand in Februarys hearing.

Hes so afraid he came in here and lied under oath, Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barned told the grand jury. Hes perjuring himself because hes that afraid.

The result of this hearing was the later indictment of Suge on charges of threatening F. Gary Gray and inciting bodily injury. Kinghts attorney, Dominique Banos, maintains that the texts in question use language that would come from law enforcement and that they did not originate from her client with the texts, sent on August 8, 2014, reading out, Im from Bompton. Im a Blood criminal street gang member from the city of Compton  Time has arrived Faith in God keep ppl safe. The Devils Money cant save No 1.

It was basically just feeding the grand jury what it needed to be fed in order to get an indictment, Barnes said in reference to police officers testimonies.

It was in January of 2015 that things took a very violent turn when Suge Knight rammed his Ford pickup truck into two men outside of a burger joint in Compton after a dispute on the set of Straight Outta Compton. The incident resulted in the death of 55-year old Terry Carter.

Knight now awaits trial on this homicide case, the Gray case, and a seperate robbery case.

Suge/F. Gary Gray
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 05:48:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would allow the release of more than 3,000 previously classified files related to former President John F. Kennedy's assassination more than half a century ago.

The U.S. National Archives has said that, pending presidential approval, it would make all the files available on its website in a single day by next Thursday.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

"The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," the White House said in a statement issued later.

Most of the files are believed to be from the 1960s and 1970s, stemming from the 1963 assassination and aftermath. But several dozens were generated by government agencies in the 1990s in apparent response to the conspiracy theories raised by the controversial Oliver Stone film "JFK."

The U. S. Congress passed the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act in 1992, requiring that the millions of pages, many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents, be published in 25 years.

Over the years, the National Archives have released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted. But one final batch remains, and only the U.S. president has the authority to extend the papers' secrecy past the deadline on Oct. 26, according to local media reports.

Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, was shot dead on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, who was accused of the shooting, was killed two days later by Jack Ruby.
Gondhoraj Momos Take Over West Bengal; Have You Tried Them Yet?
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Burmese soldiers are continuing to rape and murder Rohingya Muslims in the countrys Rakhine state, according to the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.

Zeid Raad Al-Hussein told the US National Public Radio that his team on the ground was receiving accounts of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearances, rape and other forms of sexual violence and torture.

He added: This seems to be continuing as we speak today.

He also repeated his previous assertion that the situation in Burma remains a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

UN doctors have warned of seeing dozens of women with injuries consistent with sexual violence in recent weeks.

One said she had seen incidents of vaginal tearing, bite marks and signs that seemed to show a firearm was used to penetrate women.

More than 350 people had been referred for life-saving care relating to gender-based violence - a broad term that includes rape, attempted rape and molestation- since the start of the crisis.

 Drone footage shows thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar

Refugees are continuing to flee to Bangladesh which has seen an influx of more than 580,000 refugees since 25 August, when Burma security forces began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages.

The Burmese government claims its military was acting in retaliation to attacks by Muslim insurgents.

But the response has been almost universally condemned by the international community.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

Amnesty International said it believes hundreds of people were killed by security forces who surrounded villages during the military offensive

The United Nations is considering whether the mass killings of Muslims in the country could amount to genocide, the organisations Asia Pacific Human Rights chief said this week.
Srinagar, Oct 22 (IBNS): Security forces on Sunday said that one militant was killed in an ongoing gunfight in Hajin village of Handwara in north Kashmir.

According to reports, army and police laid siege in Hajin village on early Sunday morning after receiving inputs about the presence of militants in the area.

"When the search party reached to one of the houses in the area, suspected militants opened fire on party which led fierce gunfight," said police official.

One militant was killed and the firing is still on in the area as some more militants are hiding in the house.



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 05:53:51|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO -- At least 16 people were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday in a collision between several cars in the desert road near Assuit province in south Egypt, a top security official told Xinhua.

A truck crashed with a private car which in turn caused the collision of three others in Assuit-Red Sea road, General Gamal Shoker, chief of Assuit Security Directorate said. (Egypt-Car Accident)

- - - -

ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he would not call the United States "a civilized country" after detention warrants were issued for his bodyguards over a brawl during his visit in May.

"If America issues detention warrants for my 13 bodyguards in a country where I went upon invitation, sorry but I cannot call this country civilized," Erdogan said at a forum in Istanbul. (Turkey-U.S.-Row)

- - - -

TEHRAN -- A senior Iranian army commander on Saturday discouraged the European states from what he called "meddling" with Iran's missile program, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"As the Islamic Republic of Iran has stated before, it does not accept to negotiate over its missile issues," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri, said. (Iran-missile)

- - - -

CAIRO -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured. (Egypt-Terror)

- - - -

DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army recaptured al-Qaryatayn in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria on Saturday following battles with the Islamic State (IS), state news agency SANA reported.

The recapture of al-Qaryatayn came after the IS militants stormed the town earlier this month for the second time as part of a recent large-scale counter-offensive in the Syrian desert. (Syria-IS) Enditem
Image: www.YouTube.com

New Delhi, Oct 22 (IBNS): The man, who murdered his friend and stored the chopped body insider the refrigerator at his co-workeras home in Delhi, has been arrested by the police from Odisha.

According to police, the key accused, Badal Mandal, killed his friend as he suspected him of having an affair with his wife.

The police arrested Mandal from Odisha on Wednesday and brought him to Delhi on Friday.

The victim, Vipin Joshi, was a bartender at Fio Country Kitchen and Bar in Saket.

Soon after the incident on Oct 9, Mandal had been missing.


Image: www.YouTube.com

New Delhi, Oct 22 (IBNS): A four day Naval Commandersa Conference is scheduled at New Delhi from Oct 24-27.

The Conference serves as a platform for institutionalised interaction between the Naval Commanders and senior government officials, as also, with the Chiefs of Indian Army and Indian Air Force.

The RM will address and interact with the Commanders during the bi-annual conference.

The Chief of the Naval Staff, with the Commanders-in-Chief, will review major Operational, Materiel, Human Resource, Training and Administrative activities undertaken in the last six months and deliberate the way-ahead on important activities and initiatives.

An interaction is also planned with Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog to provide the Commanders a perspective on broader national interests.



The Navys combat readiness would be reviewed with focus on operational effectiveness of combat platforms, logistics and development of shore support infrastructure for sustaining distant operations.

Efforts towards indigenisation and standardisation so as to make the Navy self-reliant and modernise its warfare capability by means of unmanned systems would also be examined.

Aspects complementary to combat effectiveness, such as Training, Human Resource Management, Fleet Maintenance and pan-Navy measures for enhancing safety will be reviewed.

With reference to safety, IN Safety Organisation including rescue support during submarine accidents in the IOR will be discussed. The Commanders will also review the security of establishments in the backdrop of terrorist threats and the prevailing security scenario.



The Commanders will also discuss plans for enhancing and sustaining INs operational footprint in the IOR in keeping with the Honble Prime Ministers vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). In this regard, initiatives to further maritime cooperation with other navies in the IOR as also the INs ability to proactively respond to maritime security challenges, including natural calamities, in the IOR will be reviewed.
Gandhinagar, Oct 22 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Gujarat on Sunday to launch various projects including the Rs. 615-crore 'roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro)' ferry service.

This is PM Modi's third visit to the state in a month, where assembly elections will be held soon.

At a public meeting in Ghogha, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Phase 1 of the RO RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej.

This ferry service shall reduce the travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat, from about seven or eight hours, to just over an hour.

When fully operationalized, it will also enable movement of vehicles.

Modi will also travel in the maiden voyage of this service, from Ghogha to Dahej.

The Prime Minister shall also address the gathering at Dahej, after completion of the voyage.

Also at the public meeting in Ghogha, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd.

From Dahej, Modi will travel to Vadodara.

At a public meeting there, he will dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre; the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme; and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda, at Vadodara.

The Prime Minister will hand over keys of houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban, as well as Rural).

He will lay the Foundation Stones of several infrastructure and development projects, including an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects, and a flyover.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the capacity expansion of the Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, and a greenfield marketing terminal project of HPCL, at Vadodara.
Srinagar, Oct 22 (IBNS): Terrorists killed a woman and injured another in Seer village of Tral in south Kashmiras Pulwama district on Sunday.

According to reports, terrorists shot dead Yasmeena, daughter of Ghulam Rasool Bhat, resident of Khunmoh and injured Ruby, wife of Muhammad Shafi Wagay of Seer.

Ruby was shifted to a hospital from where she has been referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment.

Government forces have cordoned off the area to nab the assailants.



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)


Dhaka, Oct 22 (IBNS): Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday reached Dhaka city to commence her two-day visit to Bangladesh.

Sushma Swaraj's Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali received her at the Bangabandhu Air Base.

She is visiting the country at the invitation of Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

During the visit, EAM and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister will co-chair the 4th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, read a statement issued by the MEA.

EAM is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.

This is the second visit of EAM to Bangladesh and comes soon after the State visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India in April 2017. The visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties.
Srinagar, Oct 22 (IBNS): Terrorists lobbed a grenade on the house of former legislator member and senior National Conference leader in Tral town of South Kashmir on Sunday afternoon.

According to reports, terrorists lobbed grenade which exploded inside the house of legislator resulting in injury of one Assistant Sub Inspector of Central Police Officer.

Reports further added that injured CRPF officer Ali Mohd of 180 BN were rushed to hospital for special treatment.

Soon after the incident government forces launched a hunt to nab the assailants.



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Dhaka, Oct 22 (IBNS): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Relationship with Bangladesh of utmost priority! EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on PM Bangladesh SheikhHasina Discusses ways to deepen partnership," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj apprised PM #SheikhHasina of the productive discussions at the JCC and tangible progress made since her visit to India," he said.

The two leaders discussed the issue of Rohingya people arriving in Myanmar to Bangladesh.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj discussed situation arising out of influx of displaced persons from Rakhine State and need for an early & lasting solution," Kumar posted.

Swaraj on Sunday reached Dhaka city to commence her two-day visit to Bangladesh.

Sushma Swaraj's Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali received her at the Bangabandhu Air Base.

She is visiting the country at the invitation of Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

During the visit, EAM and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister will co-chair the 4th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, read a statement issued by the MEA.

EAM is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.

This his is the second visit of EAM to Bangladesh and comes soon after the State visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India in April 2017.

The visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties.

Image: Raveesh Kumar Twitter page
Guwahati, Oct 22 (IBNS): A Sub-Inspector (SI) of Assam police on Sunday died mysteriously in jail.

The SI was earlier arrested with two other police officials in connection with alleged death of a minor boy in police custody in Guwahati.

According to the reports, Tamizuddin Ahmed, SI of Bharalumukh police station in Guwahati was found dead in the central jail on Sunday morning.

Tamizuddin and his two colleagues including former officer-in-charge of Bharalumukh police station, Uma Bora and SI Azizur Rahman were arrested by Guwahati city police on October 17 last after investigation report revealed that, a 14-year minor boy was reportedly died in police custody.

According to the reports, a Guwahati based NGO for child rights UTSAH had received information on Feb 10 last that a 14-year old minor boy had died after being arrested by police in connection with an alleged theft case.

Following the incident, the NGO filed a complaint before the Assam State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) and the Guwahati High Court had initiated a Suo Motu PIL after released the news in local papers.

The Guwahati High Court had directed the Assam police to initiate a probe into police custodial death incident.

Following directive by the court, an inquiry was initiated and three cops of the Bharalumukh police station were arrested after found their alleged involvement with it.

On Oct 20 last, a local court had sent them to judicial custody, but Tazimuddin Ahmed one of the accused was found dead in the jail on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the family members of Tazimuddin alleged that, it was a murder and a prime accused person Uma Bora is involved with it.

On the other hand, police had started a probe into the mysterious dead of the cop in judicial custody.
Dhaka, Oct 22 (IBNS): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday met key political leaders of Bangladesh- Begum Khaleda Zia of BNP and Leader of Opposition Raushen Ershad.

During her meeting with Zia, issues of mutual interest were discussed between the two leaders.

Swaraj and Raushen Ershad exchanged views on strengthening bilateral relations during their meeting.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with the Leader of Opposition Raushen Ershad. Both leaders exchanged views on strengthening bilateral relations.," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets with Chairperson of #BNP Begum Khaleda Zia @BegumZiaBD and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest," he tweeted.

Sushma Swaraj earlier met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Relationship with Bangladesh of utmost priority! EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on PM Bangladesh SheikhHasina Discusses ways to deepen partnership," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj apprised PM #SheikhHasina of the productive discussions at the JCC and tangible progress made since her visit to India," he said.

The two leaders discussed the issue of Rohingya people arriving in Myanmar to Bangladesh.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj discussed situation arising out of influx of displaced persons from Rakhine State and need for an early & lasting solution," Kumar posted.

Swaraj on Sunday reached Dhaka city to commence her two-day visit to Bangladesh.

Sushma Swaraj's Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali received her at the Bangabandhu Air Base.

She is visiting the country at the invitation of Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

During the visit, EAM and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister will co-chair the 4th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, read a statement issued by the MEA.

EAM is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.

This his is the second visit of EAM to Bangladesh and comes soon after the State visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India in April 2017.

The visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties.


Srinagar, Oct 22 (IBNS): Terrorists shot dead a UttarPradesh resident in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

According to reports, terrorists fired indiscriminately on non local Shakir Ahmad resident of Uttar Pradesh and killed him onspot.

Police have started investigating into the killing of the person.

Earlier in the day, a woman was killed and another was injured after suspected militants opened fire on them in Tral area of Pulwama district.



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
This file photo taken on September 26, 2013 shows various historical newspapers after the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy on display during an exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, DC. US President Donald Trump said on October 21, 2017 he will allow long blocked secret files on the assassination of John F Kennedy to be opened to the public for the first time. The November 22, 1963 assassination -- an epochal event in modern U.S. history -- has spawned multiple theories challenging the official version that Kennedy was killed a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.

(AFP Photo/ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would allow the release of more than 3,000 previously classified files related to former President John F. Kennedy's assassination more than half a century ago.

The U.S. National Archives has said that, pending presidential approval, it would make all the files available on its website in a single day by next Thursday.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

"The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," the White House said in a statement issued later.

Most of the files are believed to be from the 1960s and 1970s, stemming from the 1963 assassination and aftermath. But several dozens were generated by government agencies in the 1990s in apparent response to the conspiracy theories raised by the controversial Oliver Stone film "JFK."

The U. S. Congress passed the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act in 1992, requiring that the millions of pages, many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents, be published in 25 years.

Over the years, the National Archives have released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted. But one final batch remains, and only the U.S. president has the authority to extend the papers' secrecy past the deadline on Oct. 26, according to local media reports.

Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, was shot dead on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, who was accused of the shooting, was killed two days later by Jack Ruby.
Guwahati, Oct 22 (IBNS) : The state advisory board of the National Security Act (NSA) has started itas hearing on Assam farmer leader Akhil Gogoias detention under the act in Guwahati.

The farmer leader and RTI activist was re-arrested by the Assam police on September 25 last, who was earlier arrested on charge of threatening to wage war against the country by allegedly urging the indigenous people of Assam to take up AK-47 rifle to protect their rights.

According to the reports, the 3-member state advisory board headed by retired Judge of Gauhati High Court PG Agarwala has been taken hearing of the investigating officers of the cases loadged against Akhil Gogoi.

The ongoing hearing by the state advisory board of NSA will be ended on October 26 next and the board would likely to announce their verdict on the same day.

Meanwhile, the leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), who is now presently lodged in jail, could apply for his bail before the court during the period.

Gogoi was re-arrested by the Nagaon police from the premises of district judge court in Dibrugarh in presence of a magistrate under the NSA in connection with a case registered at Jakhalabandha police station (case no 139/2016 under sections 120/120 (B)/147/148/149/435 of IPC) related to the eviction drive in Kaziranga last year.

Earlier, Akhil Gogoi was arrested by the Dibrugarh police from his residence in Golaghat town on September 13 evening in connection with the case (180/2017 under sections 120 (B)/121/124 (A)/109/153/153 (A)/34 of IPC) registered at Moran police station against him.

Assam police had also slapped 33 other cases against the farmer leader where as many as 12 cases have been registered against Gogoi out of which four cases registered each in Nagaon, Lakhimpur, one each in Guwahati, Golaghat, Dibrugarh and Dhemaji.

The Assam farmer leader was earlier arrested by the Dibrugarh police after he allegedly threatened to take up arms to protect the indigenous people in the state in view of the BJP-led Union government attempt to grant citizenship to the hindu Bangladeshi people.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Karachi, Oct 22 (IBNS): Security forces in Pakistan have killed at least eight terrorists in Pakistan, media reports said.

According to media reports, the deceased include chief of terrorist outfit Ansarul Shariah.

In a press release, the spokesperson of the paramilitary force said the Rangers along with Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials conducted a raid in Raees Goth area of Baldia Town on Thursday night after receiving intelligence reports on the presence of Ansarul Shariah militants, Geo News reported.

While five were killed on the spot, three others died later in the hospital, media reports said.

One CTD official and two Rangers personnel were injured during the exchange of fire, reports said.

Two deceased terrorists have been identified as Arsalan Baig (target killer) and Sheharyar alias Dr Abdullah Hashmi.

Hashmi is the leader of the terror outfight.
Toronto, Oct 22 (IBNS): Four people have been arrested as anti-Trudeau and anti-racism demonstrators clashed here on Saturday.

The protest was organised at Nathan Phillips Square.

The protest against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was organised on the issues of the Liberal government's tax policies and financial dealing with former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr.

However, the protest was countered by some demonstrators who had accused the anti-Trudeau group of disguising the rally to support far right and racist views.

In the course of dual demonstration, one woman was injured while one officer was assaulted.

Ronny Cameron, who helped to organise the anti-Trudeau rally, was quoted by media as saying: "Theres many people, many Canadians that oppose Justin Trudeau and what hes doing right now, and I wanted give people an opportunity to come together, voice their opinion, meet other like-minded Canadians.'

"And, unfortunately, Antifa shows up and tries to make it seem like were a bunch of racists -- and were obviously not, he added.

US soldier Sgt.Christopher Speer was killed in a grenade thrown by Khadr fifteen years ago during a firefight between the U.S. soldiers and Taliban fighters.

After serving ten years of imprisonment, Khadr admitted his guilt and recanted in American custody of Guantanamo Bay. He was later allowed to go to Canada.

During the period of his imprisonment, Khadr filed a civil suit against the Canadian government for conspiring against him along with the US counterpart and for breaching his rights.

In 2017, the Canadian government paid a sum of C$10.5-million to Khadr as a compensation.

In July, a Toronto court has turned down a request from wife of a dead U.S. soldier, Tabitha Speer, to freeze Canadian citizen OmarKhadr's assets, terming it as "extraordinary".



(Reporting by Souvik Ghosh)
Do you suffer from triskaidekaphobia? Well, youre not alone. The number 13 has been known to give shivers to even the most sane amongst us. Friday the 13th is considered the unluckiest day in a year, hotels skip having a 13th floor, going straight from 12 to 14. And you know what they say happens to the first person to rise when there are 13 guests at a dinner party?

In 1881, The Thirteen Club was constituted to improve the number's reputation. The clubs 13 members walked under ladders and spilled salt at the first meeting to ward off all negative associations with the number. However, these heroics were soon forgotten.

So, what scares the bejeesus out of people? We present 13 reasons why folk think that 13 is an unlucky number.

1. There were 13 people at the Last Supper

It was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and he was the 13th man to take his place at the table. Many now fear that if 13 people share a meal together at a table, one of the diners will perish within a year.

Leonardo da Vinci, 1498 via reuters

2. The Norse legend

One of the stories from the Norse mythology narrates the tale of a dinner party that was ruined by Loki (the trickster god) whose appearance at the gathering plunged the world into darkness and led to the death of a god called Balder. Loki was the 13th guest.

amino apps

3. The number 13 is an oddity

The number 12 has always seen as a sign of completeness. The Gods of Olympus were 12 in number. There are 12 hours of the clock, 12 months in a year, and 12 signs in the Zodiac. In Christianity, there are 12 apostles of Jesus. Hence, 13 is unlucky, period.

verywell.com

4. 13 letters in a name spells doom

You would be surprised how many people believe this to be true. It is said that people who have 13 letters in their name have the devils luck. Jack the Ripper had 13 and look how he turned out.

getty

5. Women menstruate roughly 13 times a year

Some superstitions are more bizarre than others and this is the perfect example. Many fear the number 13 because women get their period roughly 13 times a year, based on a cycle length of 28 days.

india today

6. A coven has 13 members

Traditionally, a witches coven was always believed to have 13 members and that never bode well with those who were normal. For the witches, however, since a year consists of 13 lunar months and witchcraft is closely associated with the moon, the number signifies completeness.

Conservatives for Palin

7. Traditionally, 13 steps led up to the gallows

As per tradition, there were 13 steps that led up to the gallows. Of course, the gallows varied but the number of steps would often add up to 13. A park ranger at Fort Smith Historic Site once said, 13 steps on the gallows  12 up, and one down.

daily times

8. Friday the 13th

There are several superstitions associated with the number  dont cut your hair, dont pass a cemetery, dont walk under a ladder, and so on. Businesses avoid starting any fresh work on this day.

getty

9. Hotels refuse to have a room 13

There are many hotels that refuse to have a Room 13. The Carlton Hotel in London took it a step further and refused to have a floor 13 entirely. Similarly, you may have noticed that some planes also do not have a row 13.

reddit

10. Tuesday the 13th is unlucky

Its not just Friday the 13th that puts superstitious people on edge. In Spain, people believe that Tuesday the 13th brings bad luck. They are extra cautious on this day.

the legion of decency

11. The ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi

Dating to 1772 BC, the preserved ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi omitted the number 13 from its list of laws. The laws are numbered 1 to 282 with numbers 13 and 66-99 missing.

getty

12. The execution of the Knights Templar

The mass execution of the Knights Templar  who protected the Holy Grail - began on October 13, 1307 which happened to be a Friday.

wordpress/Shroud of Turin

13. The Zoroastrian tradition

Believers of the Zoroastrian tradition claim that at the beginning of the 13,000th year, the world will be thrown into insurmountable chaos as evil will wage a devastating war against the good.

reuters

Are you spooked? We know we are
The increasing braid chopping incidents in the valley have scared people to the extent they have started guarding villages at night. Police, however, have accused radical elements and detained worker of a political party for raising the false alarm of braid chopping.

According to a report by The Hindu, the police in North Kashmir revealed that miscreants who attacked women had three objectives.

It is aimed at disturbing peace; creating animosity between people and security forces, especially the police; and creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty for women to confine them to home so that the radical religious agenda of these elements is realised, a Srinagar-based police spokesman said.

The police said some 45 trouble mongers had been identified in Baramulla. The Baramulla police said they had arrested 18 persons involved in the attack on three territorial Army men on October 18. A notorious stone-thrower, Qaiser Bilal Bhat, had hatched a conspiracy to get Army men killed by falsely accusing them of being braid-choppers, the police said.

AFP

On the 12 braid-chopping incidents in Baramulla, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, Some occurred within the four walls of victims houses. One of the victims was consulting a psychiatrist. There are some radical elements who dont want women to be given a free hand. They want to stop women from pursuing education and government and private jobs and this is happening right now.
Gujarat Maritime Board

In order to help and reduce the travel time between Saurashtra to South Gujarat, the Gujarat government has come up with a ro-ro ferry service. Read more

Here are more top news of the day:

1) RBI's Decision Of Forcibly Linking Aadhaar To Bank Accounts Faces Fresh Scrutiny In SC Petition

bccl/representational image

Posing a fresh challenge to Aadhaar, a writ in the Supreme Court has questioned the constitutional validity of the Reserve Bank of India's decision to make its linkage with bank accounts mandatory. Read more

2) US Is 'Considering' India's Request For Armed Drones In Indian Air Force For A $8 Billion Deal

reuters/representational image

The Trump Administration is "considering" India's request for armed drones for use in the Indian Air Force. Read more

3) 252 Of 275 Rail Bridges Found Unsafe For Train Travel, As Ministry Scrambles To Take Action

Reuters

The railway ministry has ordered a review of all the rail bridges in the country that need after it was found that out of the 275 such bridges only 23 had speed restrictions on them. Read more

4) Shameful Gender Equality Scenario At Work, As Tech Cos Only Have 26% Women In Engineering Roles

reuters/representational image

The overall representation of women in the engineering workforce of IT firms is just 34 per cent, according to a survey, revealing inadequacy in roles and positions at workplaces in India. Read more

5) Delhi HC Takes Tough Stand On Sexual Abuse, Says Victim's Silence Can't Be Proof Of Consent

reuters/representational image

The Delhi High Court, taking a stern stance on sexual abuse and consent, observed that the silence of a rape victim cannot be taken as proof of consent for sexual relations. Read more
Already reeling under ethnic-cleaning crisis, Myanmar police have seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine pills in the north of violence-racked Rakhine state this month.

afp

Millions of the caffeine-laced meth tablets were intercepted in Maungdaw district, the centre of an army-led crackdown that has driven more than half a million Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border into Bangladesh in just two months.

Myanmar troops poured into the area in late August to launch a counter-offensive against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts. This grew into a full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, according to the UN and others.

reuters/representational image

As the region reels from the refugee crisis, a lucrative narcotics trade continues across the border into Bangladesh, where there is high demand for the addictive meth pills known by their Thai name "yaba" or "crazy medicine".

"We have seized 3,563,355 stimulant tablets from five drugs trafficking cases starting from this month in Maungdaw," local anti-drugs officer Maung Maung Yin told AFP.

It was the largest monthly haul in the area since February when police launched a statewide anti-narcotics operation, he said.

reuters

"We seized these drugs while we were working to enforce tight security in the area because of the situation," the officer added, in reference to the violence that seen hundreds of Rohingya villages torched.

Seven ethnic Rakhine men -- who, apart from the Rohingya are the other main minority group based in the area -- have been arrested in connection with the trafficking, he said.

State media said the pills, which sell for around $1-2 each, were marked with the "WY" stamp of the ethnic Wa drug lords who run Myanmar's lucrative narcotics trade.

The heavily-armed Wa churn out the tablets in laboratories in Myanmar's northeast, where they run a independent statelet guarded by a standing army.

reuters/representational image

Huge amounts of drugs are smuggled from that "Golden Triangle" zone south to Bangkok and beyond, but a westward route to Bangladesh -- the gateway to other South Asian markets -- has also flourished.

In recent years Bangladeshi security forces have seized millions of meth tablets from traffickers trying to enter the Cox's Bazar area by land and sea.

Earlier this month two Myanmar soldiers were caught with nearly two million yaba pills in Maungdaw.
Technology has become all pervasive circa 2017. Be it something as simple as printing your document, or sharing your precious memories on social media, and more.

With this deep integration, and the repetitive association of various tasks to certain tech brands in our digital lives, we have unknowingly started defining these brands and products by turning them into verbs. This just goes to show how powerful these tech companies and their offerings have become!

Xerox

Weve often used the term, Xerox these documents for photocopying something. However, did you know that Xerox is actually the name of a brand, and the machine is called a photocopier? Xerox is known to make one of the best photocopying machines, so the name stuck on for years, and is still used today, even if it's a Canon or HP photocopying machine!

Google

Google is the place we go to when we are stuck with some annoying query in our head. Even after knowing that this multi-billion-dollar tech giant is the mastermind behind the famous Android devices, we dont stop Googling our queries. Whether it's How much is $999 in Indian Rupees or How to make pancakes. All we need to do is Google our query and it is presented to us by the divine search engine.

Uber

Uber has somewhat taken a special place in our heart for public transport -- we dont travel to places anymore, we just Uber there! Now the attitude of the kaali-peeli taxis and rickshaws drivers doesnt really matter! Just call for an Uber.

Snapchat

We love Snapchatting, whether we're travelling the city, eating at fancy places or even the casual weekend binge-watching. Snapchatting instead of just typing boring text is too convenient and you don't need to worry about any bad snaps with the disappearing images feature!

Shazam

Whenever were at a pub or even at a restaurant and we listen to a track that weve unheard of, all we need to do is Shazam it to let us know the track name, artist and album. The app is called Shazam, and we all love to Shazam!

Facebook

One of our most favourite social media platforms, on which we chat, share images, memories and so much more. We often use the term- Facebook the images, and numerous other instances using Facebook as a thing to do rather than a social media platform.

Paytm

This one too has taken an upward trend in India since the infamous demonetization that caused chaos in the market. With cash on the low-low everyone was PayTMing money to each other through this e-wallet and while the brand earned millions, it also earned this crazy phrase.

WhatsApp

The entire trend of texting started by sending regular texts over the mobile network, and we used to ask people to text us. However, with the internet added to the mix, we were introduced to WhatsApp and everything, be it images, documents or even location, we casually use the term WhatsApp it to me and everything else is now history.

Netflix

Netflix is an online video streaming platform, yet whenever you plan a movie date with your loved one, you dont think twice to ask her to just Netflix and Chill.

YouTube

Looking for latest Bruno Mars album or a tutorial on cool life hacks to make life simpler, YouTubing helps us fill that void.

Photoshop

Photoshop is the name of a photo-editing software by Adobe, yet people dont think twice to refer to edited photos as being Photoshopped even if theyre edited on some other software.

PowerPoint

Professionals often use the term PowerPoint when they talk about digital presentations, however, PowerPoint is actually a part of Microsoft Office Suite.

Skype

Skype today has become so synonymous to video calling that people often refer to Skype one-another as opposed to the conventional video call even when theyre doing it on Google Duo or WhatsApp!

Wikipedia

This one is really common among students. Making assignments and projects is just a Wikipedia search away. Gone are the days of browsing through thick encyclopedias!
We all know that Google's Android operating system is the most widely used OS in the world. Sadly, it's also one of the most exploited platforms with rampant security leaks!

Good news is that you -- yes, you, dear reader -- can make Android more secure. And Google will pay you a cool Rs 65,000 for your trouble.

Google Play -- the Android app store from where we download all our favourite smartphone apps -- has announced its Security Reward Program. By collaborating with HackerOne -- a reputed website which reports security leaks in popular apps and platforms -- and popular Android app developers, Google wants to incentivize Android and Play Store security research in a bug bounty model.

A bug bounty model is where users or developers can report a bug to the ecosystem operators in return for a reward. Apart from Google, Facebook, Uber, Twitter, and many other technology companies run bug bounties where everyone is encouraged to report security holes in their systems in exchange of monetary prize.

REUTERS

Google's inviting users and developers to identify security holes ranging from (but not limited to) the following scenarios:

Where the hacker gains full control of system (where it can download and execute arbitrary code, native, Java code etc. Javascript). Where UI is manipulated to commit a transaction -- for example, causing a banking app to make money transfers on behalf of the user without their consent. Where a misleading webview is displayed to carry phishing attacks.

For the sake of security holes discovered in Google Play Store, the search engine giant is willing to offer US $1,000 as reward (which translates to about Rs 65,000).

The goal of Google Play Security Reward Program is to further improve app security which will benefit developers, Android users, and the entire Google Play ecosystem.
Optus is continuing to invest in its network and services in regional Australia with the latest investment in Bendigo in Victoria of $2.8 million aimed at improving 4G mobile coverage over the next 18 months.

Optus regional market manager for Bendigo, Duane Dalton, said this investment would further improve network coverage for Optus customers across the region.

As one of the largest regional centres in Australia, with a thriving local business community and growing population, we know how important fast and effective mobile coverage is to the people of Bendigo.

In the next 18 months, an additional three new sites are planned, with residents and business owners in Kangaroo Flat South and Maiden Gully South set to benefit as well as people attending events at Bendigo Showgrounds.

In the past 12 months, Optus has invested $1.85 million to build four new sites at Ironbark, Quarry Hill, Bendigo South and Epsom, and upgraded a fifth site at Long Gully, which the telco says has vastly improved coverage and the customer experience for residents and local business owners.

Bendigo Hospital recently benefitted as well, with a dedicated solution to enhance coverage within the building now providing Optus 3G and 4G services.

And, as previously announced, new sites will also be built at Jackass Flats and Flora Hill.

Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters, said, Constituents of Bendigo rely on mobile connectivity more than ever, whether it is people trying to run a business, children trying to do their homework or even simply trying to communicate with friends and family, so much of our lives is now online.

This investment from Optus comes at a vital time when locals have been pleading for increased connectivity on the local mobile network.

Optus says that, in addition to building two new sites, it will continue work to upgrade existing infrastructure at Bendigo Tafe, Whitehills, Huntly, Epsom, Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat and Strathdale.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 07:29:05|Editor: Song Lifang

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Aircraft of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during the 33rd annual Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Airport, state of Texas, the United States, on Oct. 21, 2017. The 33rd annual Wings Over Houston Airshow kicked off here on Saturday, with thrilling aerial performances and displays. (Xinhua/Song Qiong)

HOUSTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd annual Wings Over Houston Airshow kicked off at the Ellington Airport in the U.S. state of Texas on Saturday, with thrilling aerial performances and displays.

The two-day Commemorative Air Force (CAF) air show is dedicated to showcasing vintage World War II aircraft, along with the thrills of modern aviation.

Produced by the CAF, the non-profit airshow featured a special Vietnam War Tribute demonstration by an F-4 Phantom II, F-100 Super Sabre, MiG-17 and other aircraft. A special commemorative fly-by of a B-25 recognized the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid in World War II, honoring the last living Raider, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, who just celebrated his 102nd birthday.

The show also recognized the U.S. Coast Guard for their rescues following Hurricane Harvey and include a demonstration of the Dolphin MH65D helicopter.

At the show, fans also have the chance to see a large number of vintage and modern military aircraft, meet distinguished pilots and other veterans, and enjoy numerous exhibits and activities.

"We fly to give to honor our veterans, express thanks for our freedom, and bring history to life," said Airshow Director Bill Roach.

Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the CAF has more than 13,000 members and a fleet of 165 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 76 CAF units for care and operation.

The CAF is also dedicated to honoring U.S. military aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance.
LG U+ and Huawei have successfully completed "Dual-Connectivity" technology verification during a 5G field test in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

"Dual-Connectivity" technology provides a 20Gbps downlink rate by linking a 3.5GHz base station with a 28GHz base station, and the two companies say the verification showcases a major achievement in 5G joint innovation.

Previously, LG U+ has used a laboratory environment to verify "Dual-Connectivity" technology between 4G base stations, but in the field test LG U+ and Huawei say they successfully completed the verification between 5G base stations, and also set up a foundation for future 4G-5G "Dual-Connectivity" in a 4G-5G heterogeneous network.

Kim Dae Hee, managing director of LG U+ 5G Strategy, said, "By demonstrating Dual-Connectivity technology, which will play a key role in multi-operation of 4G and 5G wireless base stations, we will develop various next-generation technologies to provide a 5G service."

LG U+ and Huawei will continue to carry out 5G technical co-operation and verification, to meet the arrival of the commercial launch of 5G.

Huawei and LG U say the field verification of 5G "Dual-Connectivity" technology saw the terminal simultaneously connected to 3.5GHz and 28GHz base stations, and receiving data from the two base stations, providing a significant increase in single-user rate.

The verification was conducted through co-operation between two base stations at a LG U+ 5G test base in Seoul, and it was confirmed that the downlink data from both the 3.5GHz base station and the 28GHz base station was combined to provide a rate of around 20Gbps, the two companies announced.
In damage control mode again, this time ahead of an ABC programme apparently detailing more of the same issues with the NBN that have been widely publicised, NBN Co chief Bill Morrow has said that the network will never make a profit unless it is protected from competition.

In an interview with Fairfax Media, Morrow said the company was getting $43 per month from RSPs per connection and needed $52 to break even.

"We, NBN and the board, are betting that future applications are going to bring more value into homes, that they are going to need more bandwidth or more data and that the retail service providers will pay us more," he was quoted as saying.

Morrow said this was a gamble the company had taken and if it did not work out, then it would have a problem.

The NBN Co chief saw competition to the network from both 5G technology, which is due to make its entrance in a few years, and even the existing 4G technology when the towers were up.

He told Fairfax that the company was recouping its excess costs on wiring two million-odd homes that were difficult to access, by balancing the cost against the easy-to-wire city dwellings.

Last week, Morrow made a bid to deflect criticism of the network by advancing his arguments as to why the Australian rollout should not be compared to that in New Zealand.

A levy will soon be charged to fixed line competitors to the NBN Co, beginning at $7.09 per month. This is to subsidise NBN delivery to customers whose premises are difficult to connect.

Morrow said neither Labor nor the Coalition had envisaged any threat to the NBN from wireless technologies when the network was planned.

He said that while a levy on mobile broadband would not go down well with consumers, the government would either have to regulate to protect the NBN Co's existing business model or else change it.

One option is to put the NBN expenditure on budget and write it off as funding necessary infrastructure.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Hate crimes are up 30% in the UK over the previous year, rising from 62,518 reported offenses in 2015-16 (the year ends in March). The following year, 2016-17, that number rose to 80,393. Brexit and Islamophobic reactions against extremist terrorism are thought to explain the increase.

At the same time, violent crime is up by 13% in the UK this past year. Why that should be is unclear, since crime had been falling during the previous decades. Some of the increase, however, is simply greater willingness to report such crimes and better police record-keeping. Violent crimes tracked included knife crime, sexual offenses and violence against the person.

The murder rate was up 8% to 629 deaths, and the official report excluded the 35 killed in terrorism in Manchester and London.

On the other hand, the increase of violent crimes apart from murder could be an optical illusion. The BBC says, The separate Crime Survey of England and Wales, which estimates offences including those that are not reported to police, suggests that 2016 crime levels were broadly stable with 2015. That is, more violent crimes may be being reported than in the past. You have to wonder whether social media and ubiquitous closed circuit tv on Britains streets are implicated in the rise of victims reporting crimes to police. Since were now all under surveillance and Facebook and Twitter friends know when something awful happened to us, we may as well tell the police, too.

But heres the real kicker. The BBC points out, about two in every 100 adults had been victims of violent crime last year, compared with a peak in 1995 of five in every 100 adults. .



h/t Great Britain Office for National Statistics

That is, there has been a profound reduction in the percentage of Britons affected by violent crime over the past twenty years. At the same time, millions of immigrants have come in, including Muslims (the Muslim population in Britain has doubled over this period). So we can only conclude that high immigration rates, which began after 1995, go along with a reduction in the proportion of the population affected by violent crime.



h/t BBC

Predictably, Trump managed falsely to blame the increases on Britains small Muslim population, which is 4.3 percent of the population of 65 million.

This sort of conspiracy theory is extremely dangerous, and is the sort of thing that led to the Nazi genocide of German Jews. As it is, Trump is feeding into the trend toward increased hate crimes against minorities in the UK with which I began this essay.

The slight increase in violent crime, after two decades of steep decline, is completely unrelated to British Muslims.

Violence is connected to poverty, but it is as connected to white Christian poverty as to any other kind. A study that looked at the social class of perpetrators and victims, according to the Guardian, has been conducted on a scientific basis:

A study titled Young People and Street Crime, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board across 32 London boroughs, illustrated that when other relevant social and economic factors were taken into account, race and ethnicity had no significance at all. Crime is more prevalent in poor areas, and since black people are disproportionately poor, they are disproportionately affected  as perpetrators and victims. Its class  not race or culture  that is the defining issue. When we took everything else into account, ethnicity dropped out of the model altogether, says Marian Fitzgerald, a visiting professor of criminology at the University of Kent.

The problem of knife violence is disproportionately a problem of young men. But you cannot blame the younger generation, as the Guardian says, the number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time nationwide is at the lowest rate for a decade. Alcohol and drug use among young people in Britain have plummeted.

Trump wasnt nearly as upset about the 59 people a right wing white guy gunned down in Las Vegas as about this small statistical fluctuation in another country. Nor has he tweeted about white supremacist violence against Muslims in Britain and France. He isnt interested in reality, just in scapegoating those hes already decided to hate, or those he thinks his constituency hates. Fascism.


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Netizen Report | (Global Voices Online) |  

On 19 October, Egypts highest court of appeal postponed the trial of prominent activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah to 8 November. The 36-year-old father and husband was a leading voice in the 2011 protests that helped to overthrow former president Hosni Mubarak.

Abd El Fattah is currently serving a five-year jail term for violating Egypts protest law, which prohibits public demonstrations without prior authorization by police. He has already served 3.5 years of his sentence. In Thursday's hearing, the judge withdrew from Alaas case and referred it to another circuit. As the reason, he cited embarrassment without providing any further clarifications.

Abd El Fattah is being prosecuted for taking part in a protest denouncing military trials of civilians in November 2013. Although several people were arrested for participating in the demonstration, all of them  apart from Abd El Fattah  have since been released or pardoned.

In a separate case, Abd El Fattah faces an additional jail term for insulting the judiciary over a tweet that criticized Egypts justice system for its lack of independence. This charge stems from comments he made during a controversial 2013 trial in which 43 NGO workers were sentenced to prison after they were found guilty of defaming the Egyptian judiciary.

In 2016, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that Alaas detention is arbitrary and identified several irregularities in his trial. Mr. Abd El Fattah has not been guaranteed the international norms of due process and guarantees to a fair trial, the group said.

Since Egypts 2013 military coup which ended the rule of elected president Mohamed Morsi, and brought to power general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, thousands of activists, journalists and protesters have been imprisoned. Rights groups say 60,000 political prisoners are languishing in jail under Egypts flawed justice system. Violations under the system include ill-treatment, arrests without warrants, lengthy pretrial detentions, mass trials, military trials, and a disturbing rise in death sentences.

In another prominent case in Egypt, the trial of photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid (known as Shawkan) was once again postponed. Shawkan, who has been in pretrial detention for five years, will appear before court again on 24 October. He was arrested in August 2013, while photographing Egyptian security officers using undue force against protesters who opposed the ousting of Mohamed Morsi.

While the Egyptian government has taken a harsh approach towards public protest, their tactics for monitoring the activities of human rights and democracy activists extend deeply into the digital realm. Since the protests of 2011, there has been significant evidence that Egyptian state actors have used technical surveillance in order to target activists.

The German government reportedly canceled a security training for Egyptian police in monitoring cyber crimes and extremist content. According to Associated Press, the German government decided to cancel the training for fear that the police would use acquired skills to monitor citizens who have no connection to organized crime.

Via Globalvoices.org
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TeleSur |  

Over the past week, the Taliban has led a number of attacks in the country.

Suicide bombers have attacked two mosques in Afghanistan, killing at least 72 people, including several children.

In Kabul, a bomber detonated an explosive in a Shia mosque during Friday prayers. The interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said 39 people died.

The Islamic State group says one of its suicide bombers detonated a vest at the scene but provided no evidence to support the claim.

In a separate bombing at a Sunni mosque in central Ghor province, a police spokesman said at least 33 people had been killed.

The second attack appeared to target a local leader from the Jamiat political party, according to a statement from Balkh provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor, a leading figure in Jamiat.

No one has claimed responsibility.

Afghanistans Shia population has been heavily hit this year, with at least 84 people killed and 194 wounded in attacks on Shia mosques and religious ceremonies, according to a UN report released last week.

The Islamic State group said its fighters had carried out many of the bombings.

But over the past week, the Taliban has been responsible for many other attacks, killing 130 people.

On Wednesday, Afghan security forces were targeted in an ambush which nearly wiped out an army camp in the southern province of Kandahar.

Two other attacks on the same day left six policemen dead in the northern Balkh province and another nine were killed in Farah.

Just a day earlier, the Taliban had also launched a number of other attacks, killing at least 74 people.

As a result, Kabul has refused to hold peace talks with the group, but the CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, is still promoting attempts to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table.

As the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan reached its 16-year anniversary, the Taliban has reiterated its opposition to Americas arrogant politics and evil policy, noting that it is not tired nor will it feel fatigue in its ongoing war to expel occupying forces from the country.

via TeleSur

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

At Least 60 Dead After Suicide Bombers Attack Mosques In Afghanistan | TIME
Stuff reports:

New Zealands biggest ocean sanctuary is dead in the water, in a Winston Peters deal that has blindsided the Greens. The 620,000 sq km Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary, announced by John Key at the United Nations in 2015, was hailed around the world and passed its first reading in Parliament unopposed. But fishing companies and iwi bodies filed legal action opposing it, saying the sanctuary would deny them fishing rights agreed in Treaty settlements.

Even though basically no-one actually fishes there!

NZ First, whose senior MPs are close to the fishing industry and whose campaign was partly bankrolled by players in the fishing industry, demanded Labour stop the sanctuary. And it is understood Jacinda Ardern agreed a Labour-NZ First government would not progress legislation to establish the sanctuary in this three-year Parliamentary term.

So Jacinda did a deal with NZ First to appease the NZ First corporate donors!

The Kermadec sanctuary was one of the dealbreakers that swung negotiations in Labours favour.

So they sold out the worlds largest marine sanctuary in order to gain power from Mr 7%. How does that fit with the values they talk about so much.

She told Stuff she was not aware of the Kermadec sanctuary being killed off. We have yet to see the coalition agreement between Labour and New Zealand First, she said. Im not going to comment on speculation and rumour.

So we have a Mickey Mouse Government of three parties where they dont even know what each party has agreed!

But fishing industry spokesman Charles Hufflett, a shareholder in family fishing company Solander, said the industry had lobbied NZ First to stop the sanctuary.

A big win for the fishing industry and a blow for conservation.

NZ First leader Winston Peters and senior MP Shane Jones are intimately involved with the fishing industry. Fishing industry players associated with Talleys, Sealord, Simunovich and Vela Fishing have all donated to their campaigns, either this election or previously.

Winston is loyal to his donors.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 09:54:27|Editor: ZD

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RABAT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Holders TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo qualified late on Saturday for the African Confederation Cup final after a 0-0 tie against Morocco's FUS Rabat here.

Mazembe advanced on an aggregate score of 1-0 from two legs in the run to defend their title.

After the match in the capital of Morocco, Mazembe remains the only unbeaten team having won seven matches and drawn five and FUS ended their perfect home record this season in the competition with five victories.

TP Mazembe will meet the winner between Club Africain of Tunisia and host South Africa's SuperSport United who face each other in Tunis on Sunday with the first leg score of 1-1 in South Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 10:59:38|Editor: Song Lifang

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YANGON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has launched private-sector task forces to join the Union Enterprises for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD) in the conflict-torn Rakhine state, the Myanmar News Agency reported on Sunday.

The UEHRD, chaired by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, was established following her speech to the nation on Oct. 12.

The mechanism is aimed at enabling the government and all local and international organizations to work together for the development of the northern Rakhine state.

The nine task forces cover construction and infrastructure, agriculture and livestock breeding, economic zones development, information and public relations, job creation and vocational training, healthcare, micro-financing, fund raising and tourism promotion.

The groups were set to devise long- and short-term plans to increase trade and investment for starting businesses and creating job opportunities.

The task force groups, which involve the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, will visit Rakhine state to conduct study on preliminary requirements, the report said.

Local businessmen have donated 17.77 billion kyats (13 million U.S. dollars) on Saturday at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center under the program of UEHRD.

Moreover, Myanmar has also launched a project of re-construction of destroyed houses in Rakhine early this week.

The project for Mro ethnic people at the village of Kondaing was introduced days after Aung San Suu Kyi announced the mechanism involving the private sector, local non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, friendly countries and United Nations agencies.

Extremist terrorists renewed attacks in the districts of Maungtaw and Buthidaung in Rakhine state in August, prompting Myanmar's security forces to counter the offensive and causing displacement of local residents.
May 3, 2021, 12 AM

In September 2014, Gibraltar issued a stamp with 2,183 legibile words in the design. This 2 stamp commemorates the 75th anniversary of beginning of the evacuation of Gibraltar during World War II.

On Belgiums International Womens Day commemorative issued in March 2014, the womans face is formed by 606 words in four languages taken from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The United Nations Postal Administration issued a souvenir sheet of three stamps featuring microprinting of the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its preamble in three different languages. The declaration is in English on the $1.15 sta

The United Nations Postal Administrations Universal Declaration of Human Rights souvenir sheet issued Oct. 27 includes 5,400 words: 1,771 on the $1.15 stamp; 1,969 on the 2 francs; and 1,660 on the 1.70. A few of the words from a mock-up design of the $

By Dingguo Dai

A new souvenir sheet from the United Nations Postal Administration includes the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its preamble in English, German and French.

These 5,400 words are microprinted on three stamps: a $1.15 stamp for use from the U.N. post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; 2 francs for the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and 1.70 for the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria.

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The souvenir sheet was issued Oct. 27, the first day of the two-day UN Expo 17, a World Series of Philately exhibition and stamp show devoted to United Nations philately, held Oct. 27-28 at Sundman Hall in the American Philatelic Center at 100 Match Factory Place in Bellefonte, Pa.

The sheet commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights translation passing the 500th mark. Considered the worlds most translated document, it has been translated into 501 languages as of November 2016.

I wanted to know how many words were microprinted on the three stamps in the new souvenir sheet, so I asked the U.N. Postal Administration.

Malli Hui of UNPA replied by email with the following figures.

The English version ($1.15 stamp) has a total of 10,747 characters (including punctuation marks, letters, digits and spaces) and 1,771 words.

The French version (2.20fr) has a total of 11,996 characters and 1,969 words.

The German version (1.70) has a total of 12,079 characters and 1,660 words.

Belgiums International Womens Day stamp, issued March 10, 2014 (Scott 2687), officially achieved a Guinness world record for the most words on a stamp.

The online listing at www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-words-on-a-postage-stamp reads: The most words on a postage stamp is 606 words in four languages taken from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The stamp was issued by bpost (Belgian Post Group) to mark International Womens Day 2014. The stamp depicts the face of a woman made exclusively from words. Only full words counted towards the total.

Only a half year later, Gibraltar Post proclaimed a new philatelic world record for the most words on a postage stamp.

This 2 stamp (Scott 1474) has 2,183 legible words, according to Gibraltar Post. The design also includes figures from the Gibraltar evacuees memorial sculpture.

The stamp was issued Sept. 10, 2014, and is the high denomination of a set of five commemorating the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the mass evacuation of Gibraltar during World War II.

In announcing this set of stamps, Gibraltar Post said: During the Second World War there was a fear that if Nazi Germany and its allies took Gibraltar and the strait, there would have been catastrophic consequences  And to accommodate the influx of military personnel required to reinforce the Rock, it was decided that 16,000 civilians who were not deemed essential to its defence, should be evacuated.

I compared the new Universal Declaration of Human Rights sheet with the current record of 2,183 words on the stamp from Gibraltar, but no single stamp in the U.N. sheet includes more than 2,000 words. However, if we can change one view point, the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights issue has the most words on a souvenir sheet.

No previous souvenir sheet has had so many words (5,400 words) and characters (34,822).

In my reply email to Hui, I strongly suggested that the UNPA apply for a new Guinness world record for this Universal Declaration of Human Rights souvenir sheet. Hui told me that the UNPA is moving forward with this.

She added, This is a fun fact no matter what happens.

Rorie Katz of UNPAs graphic design team designed the sheet.

Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands printed it by offset, also using silver foil and a microprinting technique for the tiny text on each stamp.

The image in the selvage of the sheet is based on a photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt taken Nov. 1, 1949, during her visit to U.N. headquarters in Lake Success, N.Y.

Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On the website www.un.org, the United Nations said: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.

For ordering details for the new U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights souvenir sheet, visit their website.
by Tanya Gazdik , October 22, 2017

Technology brands led the pack as being most authentic in the eyes of the consumer.

According to the 2017 Cohn & Wolfe Authentic Brands Study, The top 10 in the U.S. re Amazon, PayPal, Burts Bees, Crayola, M&Ms, Lego, Hersheys, Newmans Own, AAA and UPS. The Top 10 global brands are Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, PayPal, Adidas, Intel, Lego, BMW and HP. Technology brands comprise 70% of the top 10 most authentic global brands and are prominent throughout the full top 100, available at www.Authentic100.com.

Consumers today want to buy from companies that engage with them in a genuine way, says Donna Imperato, chief executive officer of Cohn & Wolfe.

Our research shows a link between brands that behave and communicate authentically and their ability to attract and keep customersand, ultimately, build stronger businesses, Imperator says in a release.

advertisement advertisement

Consumers personal interactions with brands are a key driver of perception of brand authenticity, adds Lynn Fisher, executive vice president and global director of the branding and insights group at Cohn & Wolfe.

Technology has become a ubiquitous and integral part of how people manage their lives, so there are countless opportunities for these brands to make a positive connection, Fisher says in a release. Our study shows that people view our top-ranked technology brands as genuinely wanting to deliver new ways to make peoples lives better and easier to manage.

The Authentic 100 index is a key part of Cohn & Wolfes Authentic Brands study, which examines the role of authenticity in business, the attributes associated with an authentic brand and the impact of authenticity on consumer, investor and employee attitudes and behaviors. Each year, the study assesses the role authenticity plays in brand success.

In 2017, 91% of consumers globally indicate they are willing to reward a brand for its authenticity via purchase, investment, endorsement or similar action. Specifically, 62% will either purchase or express increased purchase interest in a brand they view as authentic.

Generational differences were evident in the findings. While Gen Xers and Baby Boomers emphasize their personal relationships with brands when evaluating authenticity, Millennials tend to want personal attention and more. They also emphasize innovation and social consciousness, with determinants such as provides original ideas and solutions and contributes to making the world a better place taking more importance.

The 2017 Authentic Brands study is the result of a combination of primary and secondary research, including surveys on more than 1,400 brands, measuring more than 200 global brands, administered over two months (May to June 2017) to over 15,000 consumers in 15 markets: Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Migraine is one of the most common and debilitating conditions in the United States. While there are therapies that can help to manage migraine, not all patients respond. A new study finds that ketamine, which is a drug primarily used as an anesthetic, could offer an alternative treatment.

Share on Pinterest Researchers suggest that ketamine could be used to reduce migraine pain intensity.

Migraine is a condition characterized by recurrent attacks of moderate or severe headaches, most commonly on one side of the head.

Some people with migraine may also experience visual disturbances, such as blind spots, tunnel vision, or temporary blindness. This is known as migraine with aura.

According to the Migraine Research Foundation, around 39 million men and women in the U.S. experience migraine. Of these, around 4 million have at least 15 migraine days every month.

There are several medications and non-drug therapies that can help to prevent migraine attacks, or at least lessen their severity. However, some migraine patients fail to respond to existing treatments, highlighting the need for more therapeutic options.

Dr. Eric Schwenk, the director of orthopedic anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and colleagues believe that ketamine could meet this need.

In a new study, Dr. Schwenk and team found that nearly three quarters of migraine patients treated with the drug experienced a reduction in migraine pain intensity.

The researchers recently presented their findings at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting, held in Boston, MA.
Figuring out whats happening with wildlife based on annual counts is not easy. So many factors affect where and when they travel, from predators to weather, habits to habitat.

So when Yellowstone National Park did its summer count of bison this year, it was somewhat surprising to see that although the animals suffered their second highest culling and killing since 2000  1,274 animals  it was the untargeted central herd that shrank substantially and not the northern herd, which is the main target of the bison removals.

Its unknown what happened, but something changed in Yellowstone this spring that made a whole bunch of bison from the parks central herd decide not to migrate back to their traditional Hayden Valley home. That was revealed in the parks summer bison counts, which showed the central herd declining by 42 percent.

So something really big happened this year to change the distribution dynamic on the landscape, said Rick Wallen, the parks lead bison biologist.

Bison reduction

The first thought was that maybe those central herd animals were disproportionately killed during the winter by hunters outside the parks boundaries and through the Interagency Bison Management Plan agreement that ships a portion of the herd to slaughter. The winter slaughter program, which donates the animals to tribes for meat, is an attempt to reduce the bison population and slow outmigration from the park into Montana.

Nearly 7,500 Yellowstone bison have been killed since 2000. Yet the parks bison have, once again, proven to be incredible survivors. Between 2000 and 2016 the population more than doubled, rising from 2,600 to 5,400 animals. Between 2008 and 2017, the northern herd has increased by 275 percent.

They just know how to survive on our landscape, Wallen said.

That doesnt seem to be the case with the central herd, though. Since 2008 that group of bison has exhibited a lower potential for population growth, according to Yellowstones survey. Maybe they are migrating to the Gardiner area in winter and being slaughtered, killed by hunters, or simply not returning to the central herds usual haunts after winter.

Strangely, out of 12 collared central herd bison, 11 survived the winter and six wintered on the western side of the park, not to the north where the slaughter program takes place.

So it appeared they had high survival, Wallen said. It makes you wonder how many migrated to the Northern Range.

Bison history

More than 100 years ago, only 23 free-ranging wild bison remained alive in Yellowstones remote Pelican Valley. Giving that remnant herd U.S. Army protection was one leg of the parks historic bison restoration, but it wasnt believed to be enough. So the Army imported 21 more bison that were essentially treated like cattle.

That herd started out in the Lamar Valley, where buildings from the Buffalo Ranch still stand to mark that early era in bison management. By the 1930s, with the Lamar herd grown to more than 1,000, the National Park Service decided to set the bison free and let them roam the park as wild animals. Wallen said some of those bison were moved to create the central herd, which now occupies the Madison, Gibbon, Firehole, Hayden and Pelican valleys.

According to research by Texas A&M University, for about 40 years the Northern Range animals, which inhabit the Lamar Valley, Little America and higher elevations in the region, were largely separated from their central herd cousins.

Now that seems to be changing for most, but not all, of the bison.

There was some stirring in the pot of genetics, Wallen said.

Central loyalist

Bison No. 3225 is a central herd stalwart. She was collared 12 years ago and has remained free of the disease brucellosis, which can cause cattle to abort. Brucellosis is the main reason cited for sending bison to slaughter. The slaughter is a cooperative attempt by the many federal and state agencies to try and keep Montanas cattle herds from being quarantined should a cow test positive for exposure to brucellosis.

Not everyone agrees with the tactics of slaughter, noting that elk roam free between Yellowstone and Montana and also test positive for exposure to brucellosis. But for now, this is the compromise the many agencies have worked out.

3225 has also remained faithful to the old migration route out of Hayden Valley toward West Yellowstone.

I dont remember her ever going on a different movement pattern than Hayden to West, Wallen said. She has stuck to that longstanding pattern of the central herd.

Wallen guessed 3225 could be 15 years or older, and so may be one of the oldest bison in that herd.

There are not a lot that live beyond 12, he said.

One of the reasons bison populations can grow steadily is they have few predators. Wolves and grizzly bears will kill a few, mostly calves but also a few injured or aged adults. Most die after getting injured  either from falling or being hit by vehicles  or contract parasites and cant convert their food into enough energy to survive. One dead bison, which may weigh 1,000 pounds or more, can feed a lot of predators.

Westward expansion

Bison 3225s ancestors tried to pioneer outside the park into the West Yellowstone area in the 1980s, but werent welcomed by the state of Montana until 2015 when Gov. Steve Bullock agreed to let the animals stay year round on about 400 square miles of mostly Custer Gallatin National Forest. Prior to that agreement, bison were annually hazed back into the park by helicopters and horsemen every spring.

Would the central herd have expanded into that forest area and grown in population if it hadnt been repeatedly hazed? Wallen thinks so, and speculated that maybe after being turned back so many times more bison began migrating to join the northern herd.

Theres never been a year we didnt get migrants, Wallen said. The question is how long was it happening?

A removal of about 750 bison in 1997 seems to indicate central herd animals either moved in to fill the missing Northern Range bisons vacancies, or had migrated over in winter and were slaughtered, since the roughly 750 bison in that northern population, in theory, should have been wiped out by such a removal, Wallen said.

They are such social animals, its easy to see how some would stay with the group after hanging out together during the winter, he said.

Yet park biologists rarely see a northern herd animal migrate to the central herds summer pastures, so the flow seems to be largely one-way traffic.

Tracking migrants

In hopes of providing more information to researchers, Yellowstone will collar an additional 15 or so bison before this winter. By being able to track their migration in real time with GPS, the Park Service could reduce its capture of bison for slaughter when those depleted members of the central herd arrive in the Gardiner Basin.

The question is: how many bison does that one collar represent? Wallen said.

The agency has also asked, as it has in the past, that tribal and sport hunters limit their harvest outside Yellowstones western boundary, which is all central herd bison. Park officials are also recommending that no more than 1,250 bison be killed by hunters or shipped to slaughter this winter.

In the future, Wallen said hed like to see the bison use the landscape how theyd like.

But for now, the interagency plan is guiding management as the annual debate over bison slaughter and the carrying capacity of Yellowstones grazing lands continues. A 2000 court-mediated agreement between the secretaries of agriculture and interior and then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer requires Yellowstone to reduce the bison population in Yellowstone to around 3,000 animals. The park has a way to go to reach that figure.

The aerial count of bison in August was 4,816. Of that total, 3,969 were counted in the northern herd and 847 in central Yellowstone. Overall, the population decline from last year was about 12 percent, with 389 bison killed in the Gardiner area and 97 on the western side of the park.

So whats going on? Why is the central herd declining even though fewer are harvested? Why are more central animals migrating north instead of west like they used to do? In the future will the central herd disappear after animals like 3225 die and take with them the habit of moving west? Will bison ever occupy the land west of Yellowstone that has been opened to them?

Its unlikely to see new exploratory patterns to the west if that subgroup is declining in abundance, Wallen said. You need more animals to develop a migratory pattern out to the west to explore some of those new areas.

Bison populations and their migratory habits are always going to change, he added.

Thats part of preserving the ecological processes, letting them figure out how to live in here.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 11:09:39|Editor: Song Lifang

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CARACAS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The opposition's governors-elect in Venezuela will evaluate swearing an oath before the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) over the weekend, said Laidy Gomez, the fresh winner of the gubernatorial election in the western state of Tachira, on Saturday.

"We must evaluate the positions of civil society who came to express their opinions," the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) winner told a press conference in addressing the controversy created when the five victorious MUD candidates refused to swear an oath to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC).

President Nicolas Maduro had stated before the election that all winners would have to swear to obey the ANC, and those who did not would not be allowed to take their seats.

Maduro was echoed Saturday by ANC President Delcy Rodriguez, who was quoted as saying that "they must swear an oath before the ANC to take on their state legislative functions."

The MUD categorically rejected the idea as it has always maintained that the new legislative ANC was an unconstitutional body, which was elected to replace the National Assembly, where the opposition holds a majority.

Four of the five opposition winners belong to the Democratic Action (AD) party, a member party of the MUD. AD's president, Henry Ramos Allup, has said the candidates can decide for themselves whether to take the oath or not.

The 18 winning governors from the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) swore an oath on Wednesday during a special session of the ANC.
Ottawa (AFP) - The appointment of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization is "absolutely unacceptable" and "ridiculous," Canada's premier said Saturday.

"When I heard of Robert Mugabe's appointment... quite frankly, I thought it was a bad April Fool's joke," Justin Trudeau said during a press briefing.

"It is absolutely unacceptable and inconceivable this individual would have a role as a goodwill ambassador for any organization, much less the World Health Organization," Trudeau said.

The foreign ministry later called for the appointment to be "rescinded without delay."

"Given the serious human rights abuses under Mugabe's regime, such an appointment is inconceivable and unacceptable," a statement read.

"It goes against the goals of protecting the world's most vulnerable populations."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the UN health agency, this week asked Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The decision triggered confusion and anger among key WHO member states and activists who noted that Zimbabwe's health care system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's regime.

Faced with a wage of criticism over the appointment, Ghebreyesus said Saturday that he was "rethinking" his decision.
BossembAlA (Central African Republic) (AFP) - "Finally in Bangui, and without incident," said Evelin Bokassa, a truck driver from the Central African Republic (CAR) who has just arrived in the landlocked capital city after completing a treacherous five-day journey from the west coast of Cameroon.

He has driven along what's known as "the corridor" -- winding, dangerous roads, full of bandits and thieves, that act as the main supply route to Bangui, on the southeastern side of the country.

Years of neglect have left many of the roads in ruins and outbreaks of inter-communal violence between different ethnic and religious communities have made the route even more perilous.

"You arrive at a checkpoint, you need 2,000 to 3,000 CFA francs (3 to 4.50 euros, $3.60 to $5.40) Why? We do not understand. It is harassment!" said Bokassa, whose surname he shares with Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a military dictator who ruthlessly ruled CAR for 13 years.

Evelin started this most recent journey in the coastal city of Douala, the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon.

Transporting 30 tonnes of goods, including palm oil, sacks of grain and five goats along the 1,500- kilometre (930-mile) route, he slaloms between potholes and past the hulks of overturned, rusting trucks, long since abandoned.

With no bus service, about 20 passengers have also paid 5,000 francs (seven euros) for the privilege of travelling on top of the goods in the truck to reach Bangui -- their T-shirts and hats reddened by dust kicked up from the road.

UN peacekeepers escort convoys transporting vital aid and food into the Central African Republic

Two UN vehicles -- one at the front, the other at the back -- guard a convoy of vehicles as the trucks make their way along unkept, bendy roads.

For years now, UN peacekeepers in military vehicles have been escorting convoys transporting vital aid and food into CAR, as many drivers are reluctant to cross the border due to the instability.

Only trucks carrying UN goods will be guarded if they break down, but most of the dozens of trucks making the journey are carrying a mix of commercial goods.

The drivers know that if they get into problems, they are on their own.

Hoping for protection

"I'm stuck," said Idriss, a 27 year old Cameroonian driver, whose truck broke down close to the town of Bossembele, on the main road between Cameroon and Bangui.

Passengers sit in an open truck as they travel along "the corridor", the only supply road to Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic

"I'm afraid that villagers will arrive with weapons and threaten me," he said while leaning against his vehicle, complaining that even if UN forces see him, they might not stop.

It is 6:00 pm and soon night will fall -- meaning the risk of robbers grows.

After some time UN peacekeepers from the Bangladeshi contingent of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission (MINUSCA) arrive in an armoured vehicle and assess the broken-down truck.

Idriss is lucky because his trailer is stamped "UN", so they will guard him overnight until a tow arrives -- albeit in silence, as they don't share a common language to communicate.

Further along the route, in a ditch on the side of the road, villagers armed with shotguns and machetes have surrounded another broken-down truck.

"They are there to offer to protect the vehicle," said Evelin as he drove past the truck.

"But the same villagers will return to steal his goods if the driver refuses to pay them 10,000 to 15,000 francs (15 to 23 euros)."

Taxes

It's common to see the wreckage of trucks along the dangerous road from Bouar to Bangui, in the Central African Republic

The truck drivers often complain about having to pay bribes.

In Beloko, in CAR next to the Cameroon border, an armed group called the FDPC (the Democratic Front of the Central African People) has blocked the road with a barricade and demands a "tax" from each truck driver while UN peacekeepers look on.

The FDPC is one of a number of armed groups that has fought the Central African Republic government and also other rebel groups in the former French colony over the last decade.

"It's 2,000 francs or they kill you," said Thierry, a CAR driver.

In another town, Binenge, local villagers have also constructed a small wooden barrier to block the road, demanding drivers pay 1,000 francs to pass.

Locals also help rebuild the road with earth that loosens when rain falls.

"We don't want an accident," smiled one of the workers, who knows that keeping the road intact is good for business.

As Evelin travels towards the CAR capital, one section of the journey is particularly bumpy and the most painful.

For 60-kilometres, the road is unpaved and some trucks get stuck in the mud -- causing the rest of the traffic to slow down.

Passengers hitch rides on trucks as they speed along the roads in the Central African Republic, sometimes under UN protection

As his truck arrives in Bangui, Evelin explains that "we are lucky" as heavy rainfall can lead to trucks not moving for days.

"I've been doing this for 12 years. I want to do something else," he said.

In a few days time, he will embark on the same journey again, back to Cameroon, only this time the trip could last longer than five days.

"Why don't I go to work in Europe?" he pondered.

"It seems the roads are all beautiful there, right?"
22.10.2017 LISTEN

Rating womens beauty can be very difficult, especially African black beauty. Black womens beauty is already a controversial and rather political subject for they are often a subject of mockery for hiding their own hair under European womens hair. Black womens beauty is probably the most underrated in the world, mainly because for centuries, black women have been made to feel they are just not beautiful enough, compared to European and Westerns standards of beauty, the long straight hair, the pale skin and the blue eyes. For me as a black woman, it pains me to see how millions of black women are not comfortable in their own beauty. I hate weaves, I really do. I just think straight flowing hair just looks wrong on a black indigenous African woman.

So my top 10 most beautiful African women can only be women who are comfortable in their own skin and hair. Black African women who refuse to imitate European or White beauty. Black women who are not only fearless but bold. Black women who are proud and confident to be black and do not have a hint of apology in their melanin or hair. For me, this is what it means to be black and beautiful. No weaves, No bleached Skin and preferably no fake nails too. Just raw beauty enhanced with minimal natural looking cosmetics.

So according to Just Jean, these are without a doubt the most beautiful women in Africa, and I will surely tell you why.

Ajuma Nasenyana (KENYA)



I absolutely love Ajuma. I love her spirit and everything that she represents. Her indigenous beauty resembles everything beautiful about being black and African. She is one woman whom when I look at her pictures, I see her speaking for all of us, the misunderstood black African women. I see a picture of suffering yet strong and resilient. Her beauty sparks certain deeps emotions in me pertaining my race. When I look at Ajuma I feel sadness, anger, love then pride. I love the color of her eyes, the full dark lips, the beautiful short natural hair and her perfect skin. Her beauty is unapologetic and undiluted.

Sadly AJuma said her beauty is celebrated more in the USA and Europe than it is in her native Kenya or Africa. In Kenya, because of her dark skin, she was not seen as attractive. But Ajumas international success as a fashion model changed the perception of black African beauty. Whats not to love about this inspiring empowering melanin goddess. A powerful force to reckon with not just in black beauty, but in black women empowerment. I have never attempted to change my skin. I am natural, Ajuma once said. Well, that is why I rate her the most beautiful woman in Africa. I just love her.

2. Lilian Uwanyuze (RWANDA)



Ethnic beauty at its best. Rwandas Lilian is an absolute melanin stunner. I love her tribal warrior look. She wears her hair in edgy styles that ooze sophistication. Oh and that Africa tattoo on her back, eccentric. I am not a fan of tattoos but hers is the only tattoo I absolutely admire. Shes proud to be African and wears that pride on her sleeve, literally. Melanin cuteness overload. Thats why she is my number 2 most beautiful African woman, or should I say warrior Queen.

3. Nyakim Gatwech (SOUTH SUDAN)



How can one look at Nyakim and not be mesmerized by such enchanting beauty? Oh she is one of my favorite African beauties. Her shiny dark skin has earned her the nick name Queen Of The Dark. She grew up being told if she ever wanted to make it as a fashion model, she had to bleach her skin. But Nyakim always embraced her dark skin with pride and boldness and she dared to make it as a successful model in her own right. Her confidence is so refreshing, especially at such a time where black women are resorting to more skin bleaching. I love her more because she often wears my favorite color orange, and it complements her skin perfectly. I consider Nyakim the 3rd most beautiful African Goddess.

4. Lharley Lhartey (GHANA)



Lharley Lharteys Instagram pictures speak sophistication and true African beauty. The presenter, Instagramer, and fashionista is one of Ghanas emerging faces of authentic beauty. I love her confidence and how she embraces her full figure and her beautiful short hair brings out the African Queen in her. I think she represents what it means to be an African woman who is proud of her hair, her skin and full figure. I rate her as the 4th most beautiful African woman. Maybe she could have been number 1, because whilst writing this article she is the only melanin beauty I felt jealous of, honestly. I mean seriously, she is in her own league.

5.Nandi Mngoma (SOUTH AFRICA)



I dont think we can talk about African beauty without mentioning South Africas Nandi. I consider her the perfect Africas sweetheart. Africas oil painting. To me, she looks like a fairy tale princess. Too pretty. Too perfect. God certainly took his time when he was fashioning her. The songstress and social media personality is not only blessed with enchanting beauty, but she also has a beautiful soul and speaks her mind out unapologetically. Thats why I rate Nandi as the 5th most beautiful African woman, or should I say, princess.

6. Destiny Owusu (GHANA)



When we mention melanin on social media, Destiny also known as Ohwawa comes to mind. She is known for her signature hashtag #IsYourMelaninOnFleek and she certainly knows how to work that melanin. She is now considered as one of the new emerging faces of ethnic beauty. She is empowering to the black woman, not only is her melanin on fleek, but her hair too. She wears her own hair. She wears her own skin. She is so on fleek so I rate her the 6th most beautiful African goddess.

7. Kaone Kario (BOTSWANA)



Kaone is Botswanas most successful model who has made her mark as a top model in Botswana and on the International scene. Her radiant natural beauty is mesmerizing. I am captivated by the naive and vulnerable look in her eyes. I see a woman who is just herself, doesnt even try to be beautiful, yet she is absolutely gorgeous and stands out. Kaone is my number 7 most beautiful African woman.

8.Nomazamo Mbatha (SOUTH AFRICA)



I love everything about this talented South African actress and model. I love her creativity with her hair. She keeps her beauty so African and ethnic. She wears the most stunning dreadlocks and afro hair. And how beautiful is her golden skin? I consider the award winning actress the cream of Southern African beauty and one of the finest women South Africa has to offer. She had to be my number 8.

9. Thando Hopa (SOUTH AFRICA)



Oh beautiful Thando. Pretty pretty pretty. Her beauty is not only enchanting but its angelic. She looks like she has just stepped down from the heavenly realm to us mere mortals. She radiates purity and innocence. But she is not only beautiful, she is a powerful activist too. Thando fought the stigma of albinism in South Africa. She has remained true to herself. I love how she wears her hair too, just beautiful. That is why she is my number 9 beauty. Shes an angel.

10. Mayowa Nicholas (NIGERIA)



I could not leave such a fresh faced teenager out of my top 10 list. That would be criminal. Whats not to love about Mayowa. Shes the new face of Calvin Klein among other major international achievements as a top model and it looks like she hasnt even begun. The Nigerian born beauty is a free spirit who is fun loving, young and true to herself. In her most recent interview, she said her wish is for all women to feel beautiful and empowered. Well with such wisdom like that, this melanin beauty had to make my final 10.

Mayowas wish is for every woman to feel beautiful and empowered.

Well, writing this article made me look at my pictures a few times, yep looking at professional pictures of super photogenic beautiful women can be quite intimidating and daunting. More so being a woman who is rating the whole of Africas most beautiful women. I had to question the sanity of my own beauty a few times. Oh, I felt so average! I felt not worthy to even stand next to these melanin beauties. So Mayowas inspiring words were actually very encouraging to me. Its every womans birth right to feel eternally beautiful. More so African women. We are all beautiful, yes even those who wear weaves, but these top 10 just happen to professionally carry themselves so well, and represent true African beauty at its best!

So I dared myself, that no matter how intimidated I felt by these top 10 beauties, I dared myself to end this article with a picture of myself. And to my readers, if you are a black woman reading this, in your mind just place your best picture at the bottom of this article, or even the very top, and rate yourself as one of the 10 most beautiful women of Africa! Be empowered.

Originating at jeangasho.com
Nairobi (AFP) - Last weekend's truck bombing in Mogadishu killed at least 358 people, making it the deadliest in Somalia's history, an attack that analysts say underscores the fragility of the internationally-backed government.

With Somalia's security forces disorganised and riddled with corruption, and deepening suspicion between central and regional governments, the October 14 blast highlights the al Qaeda-aligned Shabaab's ability to exploit state weakness and prosecute asymmetric war to deadly effect.

- Shabaab gains? -

Militarily, the situation has been largely static in recent months.

Evicted from the capital in 2011, the Shabaab has maintained its control in many rural parts of central and southern Somalia. "There have been no recent strategic gains" on either side, says Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po in Paris -- neither for the Shabaab nor the Somali army, backed by African Union troops and an increasingly active US military.

"On the surface at least, what we see is stagnation," says Matt Bryden, founder of the Nairobi-based Sahan Research thinktank, who points out that the Shabaab has proven resilient, able to replace commanders and fighters killed by US air strikes.

Map locating the Somalian capital Mogadishu, where a truck bomb attack left dozens dead.

The International Crisis Group (ICG), however, said Friday that Shabaab has recently regained control of several areas outside Mogadishu, including Barire, a strategically significant town on a major road 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the capital.

"Averting attacks in Mogadishu is ever harder when surrounding districts revert back to Shabaab control," the ICG says.

- Weak security -

The Shabaab's intelligence network allows it to exploit flaws and weakness in the security apparatus.

For example, the recent Shabaab gains around Mogadishu were, the ICG says, permitted by the withdrawal of government forces in a row over unpaid salaries.

Attempts to establish new security checkpoints at the city's gateways have also been subverted, as happened last Saturday, when the truck, though packed with explosives, was waved through by officers.

"We know from past experience that they've been able to infiltrate security forces, or to put their own people in government uniforms," aasays Bryden.

Also significant: the bombing last weekend came days after both the country's defence minister and army chief resigned, without explanation. The simultaneous departure weakened President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a situation used by Shabaab to its advantage.

The site of the truck bomb explosion in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on October 14 that killed at least 358

"It is not that the Shabaab is very strong, it is that the others are really weak," Marchal says.

- Fractured government -

Federalism in Somalia has existed on paper since 2004, but only began to take shape five years ago. There are now five federal regional states, not including Somaliland which claims independence and does not recognise the central government.

Relations between Mogadishu and the regions are fraught, as each struggles for a greater share of power and seeks foreign allies.

Security stakes are high because if the embryonic national army is only deployed in and around the capital, and the 22,000 AU troops secure outlying urban centres, then it is left to regional militias to fight the Shabaab in the bulk of the country.

Hundreds of people, chanting anti-violence slogans and wearing red or white bandanas in a show of grief, took to the streets of Mogadishu on October 18 to condemn the deadly attack that has shocked Somalians

Recently, the diplomatic crisis pitting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia against Qatar "has aggravated such friction", says ICG.

Some federal regional states have taken sides with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to the dismay of Mogadishu, which has sought to remain neutral in a bid to maintain the substantial it receives from both sides.

Marchal deplores the "chaos brought by the Gulf crisis, where any federal president, under the pretext of receiving funding, makes ill-judged foreign policy declarations."

- What next? -

"Unless the government shifts its posture and engages with the federal member states so they become partners in fighting Shabaab, instead of trying to fight both Shabaab and the federal member states, I don't think we're going to see very much progress," says Bryden.

ICG says political opponents could seek to take advantage of the latest crisis to bring down the president. It urges him to "work quickly to improve relations with federal states" and resolve quarrels over distribution of resources. Otherwise, analysts warn, the only winner will be the Shabaab.
The Northern Regional branch of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has chided some youth group believed to be affiliated with the party for staging a violent protest against the national school feeding program.

The group, that calls itself the Burma Camp Youth Wing, went on a rampage earlier this week, locking up the office of the school feeding program at Oboabo, a suburb of Tamale in the Northern Region, over what they described as unfair allocation of schools to the region's caterers.

The group's leader, Mohammed Kamil, in an earlier interview with Citi News, accused the Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, of 'hijacking' the allocation exercise without giving them a stake in the process.

But the acting Northern Regional Communication Director of the NPP, Issahaku Latif, said the party was not in support of the youth's action.

According to him, it was surprising that the youth had taken the law into their own hands when there was a laid down procedure to have their views aired.

He said the youth should have made their concerns known to the party, and not resort to locking up the offices as they did.

Latif, however noted that, his outfit will take up the matter and find an amicable way of addressing it.

The party is always open and the directorate is open for you to come and raise those particular concerns, to say that you are not very happy.the party will take the matter up and then will go to various government appointees and we will raise this particular concern, he said.

While urging the youth to exercise restraint, he called on them to submit themselves to the laid down party procedures by registering their complaints properly.



By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Geneva (AFP) - The World Health Organization said its director general will issue a statement Sunday on the naming of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, amid speculation that the controversial move will be reversed.

A spokeswoman for the UN's public health agency, Fadela Chaib, told AFP that an announcement on the Mugabe fracas would be made "in the coming hours".

She declined to comment on whether WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus would retract the honorary role he gave earlier this week to Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader, which triggered widespread outrage.

Tedros tweeted late Saturday that he was "rethinking" the decision and calls for its reversal have continued to mount.

Activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States have denounced a prospective role for Mugabe within the agency, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under his 37-year rule.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, told AFP in an email.

"Reversing will actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public," he added.

The US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done.

"The only person whose health 93-yo Mugabe has looked out for in his 37 year reign is his own."

Richard Horton, the editor of the leading medical journal The Lancet said: "WHO DG stands for Director-General, not Dictator-General. Tedros, my friend, retract your decision, consult with colleagues, and rethink."

Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister, took charge of WHO in July.

His election as the first African leader of the organisation was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of WHO's work is based.

But his decision to honour one of Africa's most controversial leaders has raised questions about his leadership just four months into his tenure.
Senior House masters of Bolgatanga Senior High School (BIGBOSS) have denied allegations that; they refused to sign an exact for a first year student, Elliasu Zakaria, to seek medical care leading to his death.

Students of BIGBOSS in the Upper East Region on Friday evening vandalized four vehicles belonging to the school and teachers over the death of the deceased.

The irate students accused their senior house masters  Mr. Osman Iddrisu and Isaac Dzandza for deliberately refusing to sign an exact urgently for the deceased who was seriously ill and needed medical attention, resulting in his death.

The situation led to the deployment of a joint police and military personnel to protect and save lives and property.

But speaking to Citi News, senior house master, Mr. Osman Iddrisu said the deceased never came to them with an exact to be signed.

On Friday head master briefed us as management that weve lost a student from Bawku who was rushed to the hospital two days ago and he passed away. So it was on our way to Bawku that we heard that students had mass up at administration and said we the senior house masters refused the deceased an exact to go home and treat himself that was why he died.

But in the bus, the student who was with the deceased told us it was untrue that house masters denied the deceased an exact because he did not send the deceased to any senior house masters house or office for an exact.

We as senior house masters did not even know when the deceased was sent to hospital because the deceased reported to the schools dispensary when he was not feeling well then the nurse recommended that the deceased to be sent to hospital for medical attention because he was vomiting blood so we house masters were not aware of the situation, Osman Iddrisu stated.

Head master of the school Afelibiek Ababu who spoke off record said, a resolution reached at during a crunch meeting with the security apparatus at the Regional coordinating council have decided that, the police should be present in the school during daytime to observe students movement and the military join them in the night for patrol till Monday, 23rd October.

He added that, from Monday to Friday, the police will only be visible in the nights adding that, a committee will be constituted to investigate the matter and perpetrators will be dealt with.

Meanwhile calm has returned to the school as students were seen going about with their normal duties.



By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Geneva (AFP) - The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador following widespread uproar against the appointment.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health minister who took charge of the UN agency in July, had earlier this week given Mugabe the honorary role to help combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.

But activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States condemned the move, saying Zimbabwe's healthcare system has collapsed under Mugabe's 37-year authoritarian rule.

"Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment," Tedros said in a statement.

"I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns," he added.

"I have also consulted with the government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization."

In Zimbabwe, Foreign Minister Walter Mzembi said that "the inordinate noise around the designation... does not assist the cause in the first place," according to state-run broadcaster ZBC.

"So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate," he added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office tweeted that it welcomed WHO's "decision to rescind President Mugabe's appointment & pleased @DrTedros heard concerns".

Canada's foreign ministry also applauded the decision, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he thought the nomination was "a bad April fool's joke" when he first learned of it.

'An insult'

In announcing the appointment, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

That claim was widely blasted by critics, who noted that the 93-year-old and increasingly frail Mugabe travels abroad for his own medical needs, calling that a sign of the devastation he has wrought on Zimbabwe's health system.

Zimbabwe's main opposition MDC party had called the appointment "laughable" and "an insult".

'Damage is done'

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, said he has listened to concerns over Robert Mugabe's appointment as a goodwill ambassador

While the WHO boss's climbdown was met with immediate approval, the Mugabe storm raised questions about Tedros's leadership of an agency still emerging from a crisis that led some to question its long-term viability.

In an email to AFP shortly before the announcement of the reversal, the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, said Tedros faces a massive task in restoring WHO's credibility and that episodes like the Mugabe affair are not helpful.

"WHO went through an existential crisis with its disastrous handling of the Ebola crisis (in West Africa). Dr Tedros's election is a chance to reset that narrative," Jha said.

"The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," he added, while predicting that the reversal would "actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public."

Before the withdrawal was announced, the US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done."

Investigation needed?

Tedros's election as the first African director general of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation's work is based.

Tedros is not the first African statesman to be put in a bind over apparent loyalties to Mugabe.

The leaders of South Africa's government, who counted on Mugabe's support in the battle to end apartheid, have previously been criticised over their hesitation to condemn human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including brutal and violent crackdowns on the opposition.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitor, called for an investigation into the "absurd" Mugabe appointment.

"There must be more to the story," UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

"How could Dr Tedros, a sophisticated political figure, have chosen to honour a man who has brutalised human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa and its health system into a basket-case?"

burs-bs/txw
Sevare (Mali) (AFP) - The commander of an African coalition force preparing to fight jihadists in the troubled Sahel region appealed on Sunday for political support.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" -- made up of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- is due to launch its first operation at the end of October but is still lacking in funding.

On Sunday, UN Security Council ambassadors visited the command headquarters in the central Malian town of Sevare for talks on the security crisis in the region.

"We are first of all waiting for fundamental political support," from the Security Council, force commander and Malian general Didier Dacko said.

But he said the force is also in need of equipment and training backing.

"We had planned to reach maximum operational capacity in the next few months, in 2018, and at the rate things are going, we think it's achievable," Dacko added, providing there is necessary support.

The estimated budget for the force's first year of operations is estimated at 423 million euros ($499 million), but so far only 108 million euros have been raised.

The vast Sahel region has turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness since chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, the Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Malian general Didier Dacko is the head of the "G5 Sahel" -- made up of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger

A fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, which borders Mali, killed 13 paramilitary police on Saturday, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the Sahel region was descending into all-out violence and said the world body must help the region confront the threat from Islamist militants.

He put forward four options to back the force, including setting up a UN support office in the Sahel and sharing resources from the 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission in Mali.

A UN meeting on support for the force is scheduled for October 30, as well as a donor conference in Brussels in December.

On Friday, Mali's parliament agreed a three-month extension of the state of emergency because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

Mali has become particularly volatile since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 12:19:48|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping's report Wednesday to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has fueled heated discussion about translation among the Chinese public.

The colloquialism and quotes in his report have caught the attention of the public, sparking a discussion about how these words and expressions should be translated into English properly.

On microblog Sina Weibo, a post about how to translate the report had been forwarded more than 50,000 times and received about 70,000 likes as of 10 a.m. Saturday.

"How to translate 'Bu Wang Chu Xin' in English" instantly became a trendy topic after Xi's report delivery, drawing a big number of comments from regular citizens as well as English language experts.

"Bu Wang Chu Xin" meaning "never forget why you started" was included in Xi's report.

Nine foreign linguists had been asked to translate and edit the document -- the most important Chinese policy statement in five years. It has been translated into 10 foreign languages.

The four Chinese characters "Bu Wang Chu Xin" directly translates into "don't forget your original intentions."

Many say it is difficult for Western readers in English to get the real meaning hidden in the Chinese expression. One of the editors, Holly Snape, agreed.

Snape coming from Britain told Xinhua that she found it very difficult to convey some Chinese ideas in English.

"Even as a non-Chinese native speaker, I can feel the determination behind the report, and how big the ideas are," she said. "In many parts of the original, there was a tempo and rhythm and real feeling with many difficult nuances to convey in English."

"Bu Wang Chu Xin" is just one example of the 32,000-character document. There are many expressions in the report that contain cultural elements.

While talking about national rejuvenation, Xi used an expression "Qiao Luo Da Gu," or drum beating and gong clanging. In Chinese, "Qiao Luo Da Gu" indicates celebrations, as well as bluff and bluster.

In another instance, Xi mentioned "Ya Cha," or step by step, when he talked about reform. "Ya Cha" is reportedly a way of growing rice, which requires farmers to work step by step.

"This is a powerful document, which makes me feel strong and vigorous," said Olga Migunova from Russia, one of the translators.

Learning Chinese for more than 10 years, Migunova has been involved in translating many government and CPC documents.

"I feel that all I did in the past decades was just preparation for translating this report, and I often feel that my Russian is not good enough!"

Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, said that Xi's use of colloquialism in the report shows he is "a linguist who knows how to use clear, easy language to convey deep thoughts and philosophy."

Xi has worked at the grassroots level, and knows exactly about the general public life, Zhang said.

"His use of expressions shows that his theory is deeply connected with the people," Zhang said.

He added that by inviting foreign translators and editors to help with the report's translation is an indication that the congress is "more global."

"By allowing foreign translators to get involved in the process, the congress not only managed to spread its own ideas, but also absorbed elements from other culture," the scholar said.
The widespread and protracted controversy raging over the revocation of the right of some radio-station operators to carry on with their business is clearly far less about free-speech rights and definitely far more than the flagrant violation of the laws and regulations governing electronic-media culture in the country. Such infringements, as have been clearly and unmistakably articulated by the executive operatives of the National Communications Authority (NCA), and the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, range from the expiration of operational licenses to the failure to promptly pay for public broadband usage, the illegal cannibalization of broadcast spectrum and operating under environmental circumstances and labor conditions deemed to fall well below acceptable professional standards. In all, over 131 radio stations, of various operational categories, have been caught in the media-swoop dragnet (See Sanctioned Radio Stations Given 50% Discounts in Payment of Fines Citifmonline.com / Modernghana.com 10/20/17).

The sanctioning of the affected radio stations actually exposes the seamy underbelly of gross incompetence of former President John Dramani Mahama, himself, and the latters ministerial appointees for the Communications cabinet portfolio, namely, Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, the erstwhile substantive minister for the sector, and Mr. Felix Ofosu-Kwakye, his fawning hip-shooting, diarrheal-moutheddeputy. Needless to say, for the entire duration of their tenure, these two men behaved more like brash and brazen party propagandists than bona fide executive operatives of the Mahama cabinet which, by the way, was largely made up of graduate-school attendees. Messrs. Omane-Boamah and Ofosu-Kwakyedid far better volleying unprintable insults at the political opponents of their prime benefactor and paymaster, including then main Opposition Leader, Nana Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo, presently the substantive President of the Democratic Republic of Ghana, than manning our nations humongous communications apparatus. The ongoing media scandal is thus clearly another nail in the casket of any chance of former President Mahamas much-touted attempt to head the top ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the lead-up to Election 2020.

The former Rawlings Communications Minister would be far better off investing his time, energy and attention in community service, the way many a criminal convict may be ordered by a court of law to do, as a means of recouping some of his lost political sheen and traction, than quixotically attempting to narcissistically have a highly unlikely rematch against the man whose presidential victory was deliberately snatched from him by the Atuguba-presided and Wood-constituted Supreme Court panel that adjudicated the 2012 presidential election.

Both the Ministry of Communications and the National Communications Authority have yet to inform the Ghanaian taxpayer about precisely how much Messrs. Omane-Boamah and Ofosu-Kwakyes scandalously criminal sleeping on the job cost him/her in the wallet. Of course, it is quite obvious that the toll of such gross executive and criminal incompetence on the part of the Mahama Posse cost Ghanaians millions of cedis. If this preceding observation has any iota of validity, then, of course, it absolutely stands to reason to have these two men, and any other associates who may be equally guilty of such fraudulent shirking of their executive and/or official responsibilities, promptly arraigned before a legitimately constituted court of law and rigorously prosecuted for causing financial loss to the State.

There is absolutely no witch-hunting here, whatsoever, only the lawful call of our incredulously incompetent, irresponsible and reprehensible former executive operatives to account. The Akufo-Addo government owes the hardworking and longsuffering Ghanaian taxpayer this much moral obligation.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
22.10.2017 LISTEN

"...We found that several of the statements and passages contained in the Facebook suicide note....were exact copies of other work some of which go back to 2008. In the midst of public corruption run amok, and Ghana journalism and education systems having been on a downward spiral since the 1970s, many Ghanaians today do not like to read... Like Akufo Addo speech writers, many Ghanaians simply copy... In this Facebook crazy world, we would have expected that the Government of Ghana...and the Ghana Police...would have already prominently issued statements about this case, which most likely is a "first" of its kind in Ghana...", (Prof Lungu, 20 Oct 17).

Having been online a whole lot longer than Facebook itself, and longer than so many of the people who can't go through a day without checking their so-called Facebook "walls" a 1000 times each day, we recently recommended to an NGO in Ghana to set up a Facebook account rather than invest in a website (World Wide Web) for the "quickie bang", for obvious reasons. A Facebook "wall" after all is free of charge and many Ghanaians are increasingly interested in matters that are on Facebook, even if they are of puerile interest, with insignificant public policy connotations.

In the midst of public corruption run amok, and Ghana journalism and education systems having been on a downward spiral since the 1970s, many Ghanaians today do not like to read, conduct research, or discuss matters of critical importance, other than about themselves, their friends, and ball games.

Like Akufo Addo speech writers, many Ghanaians simply copy/plagiarize other peoples work: they do not bother to properly attribute, or provide even a list of potential sources.

Of interest here is the recent case of the young man, Kofi Shanti Boafo (may he Rest in Peace).

Mr. Boafo, an employee of the Efia Nkwanta Hospital according to the report, having already started his nuclear family, is reported to have committed suicide 3 days after posting a message on Facebook to that sad effect (Ghanaweb, sourced AdomOnline - see notes).

However, the report actually did not indicate how Mr. Kofi Shanti Boafo committed suicide, whether Ghana Police is investigating the case for potential "foul play", or what his employer, Efia Nkwanta Hospital, knows about the reported suicide of their employee.

Surely, we cannot rule out the impact of the death on some of Mr. Boafo's colleagues at the Efia Nkwanta Hospital even if it is true that Mr. Boafo's parents were not inclined to allow marriage to a young girl who, from the report, came from another part of Ghana, or should we?

Are hospital employees receiving counseling? Are there doctors at that hospital who understand depression. Are there doctors trained to find symptoms of suicide among employees?

More to the point, in this Facebook crazy world, we would have expected that the Government of Ghana would have already, prominently, issued statements about this case, which most likely is a "first" of its kind in Ghana.

We would have expected to see, hear, or read statements from the Ghana police about a Ghana national's "Suicide-by-Facebook".

Or, are Ghanaian authorities not concerned that in this world where "copying" is a norm, that there might be other Ghana nationals who may be tempted to use a similar method to end their lives, or worse?

In fact, far in the deep recesses of the "Comments" thread to the article on Ghanaweb, an individual by the name "Zion" is actually saying and thinking about a similar action, wondering, saying:

"....hmmmmmm. it takes to love...just a month ago I nearly gave up to life...still the pain is deep......may be a may be next...".

This is a serious matter!

Copy-cats, professional police officers call them!

Again, significant as this matter is, and sensing that critically the statements attributed to Mr. Boafo in totality did not all make sense, we searched Facebook and other online records for more information from our vantage point.

We did not find any information about official response to the Facebook and subsequent reported suicide of young Mr. Boafo.

But interestingly, we found that several of the statements and passages contained in the Facebook suicide note (Kofi Shanti Boafo's Facebook "wall" was still active and online as of this writing), were exact copies of other work some of which go back to 2008.

In fact, when we found 3 cases of those instances we simply made the conscious decision to stop comparing online.

One of the sources of Mr. Boafo's "Facebook Suicide" note is from the last letter "Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, 23, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire,... a military policeman who was killed by a mob at Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, Iraq, in July 2003, titled " sent to his family, titled, "Time is so precious":

"....Dear Mum and Dad. If you are reading this, then you will know I won't be coming home. I am up in the stars now looking down on you making sure that you are safe....I am sorry for all the times I have been a pain but I know the good times outweighed the bad tenfold. Thank you for being the best parents anyone could ever have wished for...Remember that every time you are thinking of me, I am thinking of you, too. Look after yourselves....".

Sourced to the Daily Mail, that portal in fact has a photo of Lance Corporal Ben Hyde in his service uniform. (Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1039441/Goodbye-dearest-love--heartbreaking-letters-facing-death-loved-ones.html#ixzz4w5yn5jPX ).

The other potential source of Mr. Boafo "Facebook-Suicide" note is from a piece titled, "This Is Why I Have To Say Goodbye To You." In part, the posting says:

"....I cannot seem to say these words out loud. To me, saying goodbye has always seemed so final. Life is crazy like that. People come in and out of your life; neither one is ever expected. I have found, however, that some people will always come back to you. The ones meant to be in your life will return somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, I do not believe you will ever return. That is why I have to say goodbye....Our relationship, like so many others, had its extreme ups and downs. I tried to focus on the ups, while relentlessly making excuses for you...Hes just busy and He treats everyone like that became the norm... I may have lost someone that didnt love me, but you lost someone that truly loved you..." .

This piece was posted to the internet by Bri Lee , May 1st 2014 (See at,

https://thoughtcatalog.com/bri-lee/2014/05/this-is-why-i-have-to-say-goodbye-to-you/).

Directly from a Facebook page titled, " Love & Life " and posted April 29, 2016 , this third statement is an exact copy of the Boafo Suicide-by-Facebook note:

"....Our relationship, like so many others, had its extreme ups and downs. I tried to focus on the ups, while relentlessly making excuses for you for the downs. Hes just busy and He treats everyone like that became the norm. I put you before almost anything and anyone else in my life. You knew I loved you, yet you did nothing about it. All I had was hope. You were so important to me. It is extremely difficult writing these words in the past tense. I once thought you would be in my life forever...I cant let you hurt me any longer. Life is too short to repeatedly get your heart broken...The only way to fix it is by saying goodbye...".

(See and read about that one at https://www.facebook.com/L.LloveNlife/).

Is the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Police Department 100% convinced about the circumstances surrounding the reported suicide of young Mr. Boafo?

Does the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Police care?

So it goes, Ghana!

SOURCES & NOTES

1. Ghanaweb General News, sourced to adomonline.com , Ghanaian man posts suicide note on Facebook and kills himself (https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Man-commits-suicide-3-days-after-posting-suicide-note-on-Facebook-592642).

2. Daily Mail Reporter , http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1039441/Goodbye-dearest-love--heartbreaking-letters-facing-death-loved-ones.html (UPDATED: 19:45 EDT, 28 July 2008)

3. Love and Life, (https://www.facebook.com/L.LloveNlife/).

SUBJ: Sad -- Like Akufo Addo's Speech, Ghana Man's Facebook Suicide Note Not All Original!, Lungu 21 Oct 17, Powered by: www.GhanaHero.com, Prof Lungu 20 Oct 17.
What the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) allegedly did may not be politically savvy or even professionally self-protective, but it may not be necessarily wrong in the realm of fellow-feeling humanity. It squarely comes out of what psychologists call Professional Bonding. There may even be a personal edge to it, especially when one reckons the fact that, traditionally, the members of our security agencies have been housed together in communities called the barracks. I have personally lived in both the police and the military barracks, respectively, with my elder maternal cousin and my maternal uncle, a recently deceased former Chaplain-General or Padre of the Ghana Armed Forces.

It was the professional bonding between these two men that caused Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, the IGP, to let on to his professional brother, that is, Mr. Bright Oduro, that the order for the latter to proceed on leave, scarcely three months before he was officially due to retire, had come from the proceedings of a cabinet meeting at the Flagstaff House (See Sack IGP for Professional Misconduct  PPP to Akufo-Addo MyNewsGh.com / Ghanaweb.com 10/21/17). Indeed, the one who did his brother the greater wrong here was the Commissioner of Police (COP) and Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS). And here, of course, we are talking about Mr. Oduro.

In both professional and private terms, Mr. Oduro egregiously, and flagitiously, betrayed the trust of his old friend, brother and colleague. He acted childishly like the wounded animal that he made out of himself. And, of course, it is a crime that Mr. Oduro, if he is possessed of any remarkable modicum of conscience, would live to regret for the rest of his life. Of course, Mr. Asante-Apeatu would also, whether he likes it or not, have to live with the painful fact that he may have effectively lost the trust and confidence of the Akufo-Addo cabinet and the Flagstaff House at large. Indeed, as the tired old maxim goes, it will boil and boil over for quite a considerable while before it simmers down.

The problem that we are clearly dealing with here is the inescapable fact that the key players of the Akufo-Addo government, having resided on the gray margins of opposition political culture for nearly a decade, seem to be having quite a difficult time in sorting themselves out and finally settling down to the nitty-gritty of realpolitik. Unfortunately, Team Akufo-Addo is chock-full of complete amateurs and plain mercenaries with an imperious sense of entitlement in the snootily entrenched manner of kingmakers who fail to soberly appreciate the fact that the real and true kingmakers of Fourth-Republican Ghanaian political culture are the voters and, indeed, the average Ghanaian taxpayer.

I must quickly interject here to say that having waited on the margins of opposition politics for nearly a decade, the Akufo-Addo cabinet could easily have waited out the three, or so, months that were left on his contract before the substantive Director-General of the CID naturally transitioned into retirement. The Service, that is the GPS, as we all know, was rocked by quite its fair share of scandals in the waning months of the Mahama regime, including the infamous recruitment scam at the Police Training Depot. And so both practically and politically speaking, it may not be a very savvy idea to have the IGP pushed out of office right on the heels of the Owusu Contretemps.

It is a veritable national contretemps or at least quite an embarrassment for the Akufo-Addo Administration because the timing of the Owusu Affair makes it uncomfortably seem as if the victims involuntary exit was tactically orchestrated by forces at the heart of the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP), but well outside the official confines of the Presidents cabinet, at least on the face of it. Well, I hate to say this, but it is long past time for decisions made at the Flagstaff House to be objectively seen to be coming out of the Flagstaff House and not outside of it.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
22.10.2017 LISTEN

ENERGY WATCH has become aware of the refusal of the Ministry of Finance to release the accrued prize stabilisation levy to the tune of GHC 500, 000,000 to the relevant institutions to aid the poor consumer.

We indicate fully, our displeasure of the Ministry of Finance's dithering in releasing the funds as anti public interest.

As part of the petroleum price build up, there is 10 pesewa per every litre sold at the pump that consumers pay for. The purpose of this amount is mainly for prices to stabilize hence the name price stabilisation levy.

Thus consumers pay this levy so that when petroleum prices go up as we are witnessing now, the Energy Ministry will alert the Ministry of Finance to release the funds to one of the agencies responsible for the sale of the petroleum products to stabilize the prices.

Our checks with the relevant institutions indicate that the levy has yielded more than GHS500 000 000 and it is expected that the money would be released for its intended purpose.

As industry watcher, we are aware of the dire effect on the consumers should the finance ministry refuses to release the funds.

We acknowledge that the ministry of finance has discretionary powers in dealing with such cash inflows. There is also a groundswell of public opinion pointing to the ministry of finance in an anti-public interest in the handling of the prize stabilisation levy.

We are by this statement giving Energy Ministry, Finance Ministry, NPA, BOST and the government for that matter 3 working days to ensure that the money is released to bring the petroleum prices down and stabilize the market, failure by which we will use all legitimate public manifestations and legal means to bring justice to the poor consumer.

We are right to daring the Finance ministry to do the needful. We are also obligated to demand and rightfully expect the relevant institutions to insists on the Ministry of Finance to use the Prize Stabilisation levy for its intended purpose.

As a matter fact, we urge parliament to activate its oversight role in the matter of the GHC500,000 000 accrued prize stabilisation levy. This will be in the greater national interest.

For us at *ENERGY WATCH*, we are committed to an unflinching advocacy in ensuring that consumers are not exploited by the very institutions mandated by law to protect them.

Thank You.

Signed:

Kofi Bossman

(Executive Director- Energy Watch)
22.10.2017 LISTEN

Dear Mr.President,

It is my candid belief you will make time to read and answer my calls when necessary. Is expected you will show a superior commitment to duty and country and not the rants of your Upper East regional minister who is reported to have said he won't answer to calls if he is busy at night with his wife.

Well! I personally have a great covet for these beautiful descendants of Eve. So I decline to poke my nose into a clear manifestations of his Id. What Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako calls the "animal part of man" Your Excellency, I pray God grants you strength to work and fulfill his purpose.

Age with grace,Sir!

Permit me to re-echo portions of Michael Jackson's song to buttress a point. I'm not naive of your crave for good lyrics and your skilled dance. I recently saw a social media video where a man who appears to be you,dancing to the popular tune, "One corner." Michael Jackson sang "heal the world, make the world a better place for your and for me.....and the entire human race."

What happened to that dream? Mr president, forgive me but I'm in a hurry to make my case. I shall return to the lyrics of Michael Jackson soon. I watched you "filli filli" onTV3 late news saying "you are in a hurry" Refreshing! Isn't it? Every African leader should in actual fact be in hurry. Our continental problems are same in shape and form. Mention any African country and I will make precise catalog of our nagging problems without sweat.

In Ghana my beloved country, the problem is you. Yes! I just said you. "If the people can not trust their government to do the job for which it exists to protect them and to promote their common welfare- all else is lost." Mr President, you said you are in a hurry. Can you be in a hurry to protect us?

Will you be in a hurry to promote our common welfare? The answers are obvious,NO. I see you in a hurry to set these militias free. I see you in a hurry to commission Mahama's "photoshopped" projects. I see you in a hurry to employ all your family and friends whiles telling us to look elsewhere for Jobs because the public sector is full. I see you in a hurry to sending us back to the primitive days of political tyranny. I see you in a hurry to launch an amateur Ghana post app which has only brought you local embarrassment.

You can open to page 167 of the NDC's Accounting to the people Green Book and you will realise the digital house addressing system is our brain child. The activities of your parallel forces is alien to our constitution. I have taken inspiration from the fisherman who won a case against the EC, to lace my boots and meet the AG in court soon.

The horrendous violence by these militias of your party has kept many citizens at risk with no hope of protection from our tamed security. The recent judgment given by a court in Kumasi on the activities of invincible forces is the most ridiculous judgment I have ever read.

If a "fine" case of second degree felony can be reduced to a misdemeanor which can't attract a custodial sentence, what do you expect? Mr president, you got to be in a hurry to fix our economy, security, education, health and infrastructural deficits.

In my earlier article published on ghanaweb on the 18th of October,2017, I called on you to stop the showmanship and fix the economy. It appears Eugene Arhin decided to keep it away from you. When are you collecting our money from Mr. Alfred Woyome, SADA , GYEEDA, SUBA, etc ? Talk is indeed cheap. Employ the wasting away doctors, physician Assistants, Nurses etc. Remember to reduce fuel prices, light bills and water tariffs.

Your Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akofo-Addo, now tell me if you truly share in the dream of Michael Jackson. Are you healing your country and making it a better place for you and for me?

I take refuge in the endless fortitude and sagacious attributes of the Ghanaian voter.

Until then, I am your servant-- a true descendant of Ndewura Jakpa and adopted Son of H E John D. Mahama.

Yours faithfully,

Azeko Razak

[email protected] Tel:0245519547
Sevare (Mali) (AFP) - An appeal by Sahel region countries for help in their battle against jihadist violence received a boost Sunday when a visiting UN Security Council ambassador pledged support.

"I can assure you Burkina Faso and the G5 Sahel Countries will get the support they need," said Ethiopian ambassador Tekeda Alemu, who co-presided with his French and Italian colleagues in the 15-strong UN delegation ending a five-day visit to the region.

The trip came on the initiative of France, which is presiding over the UN Security Council this month.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" states -- comprising Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- are to launch a first operation against the jihadists at the end of October but lack funding for equipment and training.

Earlier Sunday, the ambassadors had visited the command headquarters in the central Malian town of Sevare for talks on the security crisis in the region.

Sevare is just east of Mopti, in central Mali, an area which has seen a severe worsening of security in recent months, giving greater urgency to a G5 move to relaunch a joint regional force initially created in November 2015.

On Saturday the ambassadors had expressed frustration at delays in the implementation of a 2015 Malian peace accord.

Force commander and Malian general Didier Dacko said before Alemu's statement that he was waiting for "fundamental political support" from the Security Council.

The estimated budget for the force's first year of operations is estimated at 423 million euros ($499-million), but so far only 108 million euros have been raised.

Extremist hotbed

The vast Sahel region has turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness since chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, the Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Malian general Didier Dacko is the head of the "G5 Sahel" -- made up of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger

A fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, which borders Mali, killed 13 paramilitary police on Saturday, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the Sahel region was descending into all-out violence and said the world body must help the region confront the threat from Islamist militants.

He put forward four options to back the force, including setting up a UN support office in the Sahel and sharing resources from the 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission in Mali.

A UN meeting on support for the force is scheduled for October 30, as well as a donor conference in Brussels in December.

Mali has become particularly volatile since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

On Friday, Mali's parliament agreed a three-month extension of a state of emergency because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 12:49:53|Editor: Song Lifang

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ISLAMABAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Troops in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi killed eight militants during a successful overnight operation, officials said Sunday.

Paramilitary troops Rangers and the counter terrorism department of police conducted a joint operation in Baldia Town area of the city by acting on an intelligence tip-off, Rangers spokesperson said.

The law enforcement agencies sealed the area where is suspected of having terrorists' hideouts, and asked the militants to surrender. But the insurgents opened fire at them after being cornered.

Three security personnel were injured during the firing, after which the law enforcers retaliated and killed five militants.

Three other insurgents were injured during the exchange of firing and were shifted to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to injures.

Meanwhile, the injured troops are said to be in a stable condition at hospital.

Identities of the killed militants have not been revealed yet.

The spokesperson said that some of the militants' accomplices fled the scene during the operation by taking advantage of the darkness of the night.

A huge cache of arms were recovered from the hideout which was later sealed by the police for investigations.
Since billionaire Victor Okafor aka King of Money (Ezego) died mysteriously in December 1999 an accident while returning home for Christmas and to celebrate his birthday, things have allegedly not remained the same.

One would think lots of property-hijacking and fights amongst relatives would have taken place after the billionaire's death in Ihiala town, Anambra state. But this is not so, according to reports.

The N500m mansion belonging to the late billionaire is said to be abandoned over his connection with the dreaded Okija shrine.

READ ALSO: Billionaire Sujimoto looks for a wife, promises her house in Banana Island and Rolls Royce (photo)

The mansion taken over by weeds (Source: Yes International)

PMNews reports that the mansion which houses lots of golden chairs and tables, expensive fabrics, rugs, electronics, electrical appliances, abandoned vehicles and others worth millions of naira is said to have remained untouched since the billionaire's death.

One would think lots of property-hijacking and fights amongst relatives would have taken place after the billionaire's death in Ihiala town, Anambra state. But this is not so, according to reports.

Even with the high rate of robbery in the area where the mansion is situated, no robber seem to be interested in touching the building or the amenities it houses, even without security men in sight. All for the fear of being dealt with by the deity which is assumed to have killed the billionaire owner.

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Legit.ng gathered that the billionaire was said to have attracted the anger of the deity after he allegedly could not defend himself over a report by one of his kinsmen who reportedly dragged him to the shrine over business transaction which he alleged that Okafor had cheated him.

The entrance of the N500m mansion (Source: Google)

Reports are that since the 'king of money' died years ago, members of the immediate family including his wife and children have not returned to the mansion.

The will Ezego had prepared was not read because the lawyer who prepared the will one Barrister Barnabas Igwe was brutally murdered with his wife.

Legit.ng visits Evans the kidnapper's house, how should he be punished? - on NAIJ. com TV

Source: Legit.ng
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 14:10:03|Editor: Song Lifang

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least two people, including a pro-government local leader, were killed and eight others wounded in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar on Sunday, local police said.
- The body of Late Oluseyi Adekunle has been found in the Lagos lagoon

- Adekunle who resides in Ondo state had attended a church programme in Lagos

- His body was seen floating by the river bank, around Lekki-Ikoyi bridge on Sunday, October 22

A report by Premium Times indicates that the body of Oluseye Adekunle, the man who jumped into the lagoon in Lagos, has been found.

According to the report, the late Adekunle's body was discovered by a local fisherman today, Sunday, October 22, morning at about 5.00 a.m. floating by the river bank, around Lekki-Ikoyi bridge.

The body was reportedly recovered due to the efforts of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) Marine Police and the State Environmental Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).

Lagos state government agencies have been making attempts to recover the body. Photo credit: lindaikejisblog.com

READ ALSO: Uber driver attempts to kill himself over N90,000 debt, rescued by RRS (photos)

Legit.ng gathered that the body has since been taken to Lagos Mainland Hospital Mortuary.

LASEMA's general manager, Adesina Tiamiyu said that the police will carry out further investigation on the matter.

He also enjoined Lagosians to always endeavour to be their brothers keeper by reporting any of such incidents on time so as to avoid the repeat of such sad incident.

Legit.ng had reported that the marine police and other officials rushed to the scene to rescue the victim but were unsuccessful in their attempt.

READ ALSO: Lagos state gives quit notice to owners of properties blocking drainage channels

What could make you take your own life? on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- A man has killed himself in Katsina state after his charm failed to work

- The man, Ahmadu Maikare was a member of Isan Gona Vigilante group

- Members of the vigilante group fled immediately the incident occurred

A man has killed himself in Katsina state after his charm, meant to protect him from gunshots failed to work.

According to Daily Trust, a show of bravery turned awry as a member of Isan Gona Vigilante Group, Ahmadu Maikare in Katsina state shot himself dead while testing the charm.

The incident was said to have occurred at Dubul village in Matazu local government area of Katsina state.

Katsina state government is in support of vigilante groups operating in the state. Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Boko Haram ambush Army commanding officers convoy, kills six

Legit.ng gathered that members of the vigilante group had converged at the residence of their leader, Sumaila Rabiu, to take part in a traditional ceremony and initiate new members when the incident happened.

The deceased is reportedly from Gidan Jimina village in Malumfashi local government area of Katsina state.

The late Maikare who was in the middle of the gathering to display his prowess, wrapped himself up in the charms, did incantations, picked a dane gun and fired on himself. He died instantly.

Members of the vigilante groups fled after the incident, while his relatives and friends stayed back to remove his corpse.

The Police Public Relation DSP Gambo Isah in the state confirmed the incident and said investigation is ongoing on the matter.

Meanwhile, the body of Oluseye Adekunle, the man who jumped into the lagoon in Lagos, has been found.

The late Adekunle's body was discovered by a local fisherman today, Sunday, October 22, morning at about 5.00 a.m. floating by the river bank, around Lekki-Ikoyi bridge.

READ ALSO: Nigerian billionaire Ezegos N500m mansion, cars abandoned years after his mysterious death

Boko Haram abducted my husband and the federal government forgot about him on - Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng came across a touching post shared by a corp member who claims she has now been robbed twice in the last 6 months.

According to Titi Sunday-Goya, she recently became a victim of armed robbery attack at her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), barely six months after the first one.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who is currently serving in Jalingo, Taraba state, had shared her story back in April 2017, when her room was broken into by robbers.

According to Titi, she was 'luckier' the second time around, as she happened to be away from her room when the robbers struck, unlike the last time when they showed up around 2am, carting away their valuables in the process.

Titi claims she has been robbed at her NYSC PPA twice in the six months. Photo: Facebook/Titi Sunday-Goya

READ ALSO: Female corp member repairs orphanage in Oyo state (photos)

Sharing the post of her first attack in April, Titi wrote: "What a bad night. I waited for morning to come but morning was still very far from us. Serving our father's land yet no security. Our lives & properties had just been mortgage with because we answer d clarion call.

As at 2:15 am this morning this heartless being just left our compound, stole all our valuables. Phones, Laptops, tab phone television, plus cash. etc today. My phone, Tab phone & laptop was also stolen. Where do we start from? 8 flats with more than 15 corp members were just robbed this morning. God help us. We are helpless right now."

READ ALSO: I give up on this country - Corps member who was allegedly assaulted by SARS men says

See the post she shared after she was again robbed recently. She wrote: "I'm not rich yet they keep coming to steal from me. Thank you lord I'm better then. Another robbery attack again after 6months. Thanks to God I was not at home this time. My WCW goes to my cute brother who came & took me out that day."

Chai!

NYSC members doing little wonders - on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit.ng
- President Muhammadu Buhari is back to Nigeria after a four-day working visit to Turkey

- The presidents official aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 4.05pm on Sunday, October 22

- The president and his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials on arrival

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, October 22 returned to Abuja after a successful four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that the presidents official aircraft which took off from Ataturk airport, Istanbul, at about 12pm (Turkish time), landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 4.05pm.

Buhari, accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials, including his chief of staff, Abba Kyari; Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim; minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammad Bello and other presidential aides.

READ ALSO: Ipob supporters protest in Turkey as Buhari finishes his visit for D-8 summit

While in Ankara, Buhari was hosted by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyeb Erdogan, for a fairly long one-on-one meeting, on Thursday, October 19, before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, October 22, by the presidents spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the outing was Buharis first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with Erdogan who as prime minister visited Abuja in March, 2016.

He said that Buharis objective during both visits focused on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation and trade cooperation.

Others were education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.

Shehu noted that the visit had achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives.

Buhari, who participated in the 9th D-8 Summit in Istanbul on Oct. 20, also held bilateral meetings with some member-countries.

The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the `D-8 member-countries and the establishment of a positive working relationship, especially between Buhari and Erdogan, Shehu said.

Those on Buhari's entourage included the minister of interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd); the comptroller-general of NCS, Colonel Hami Ali (rtd) and the Attorney-General and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Others included the ministers of foreign affairs, Geoffery Onyeama; defence, Brig-General Mansur Dan Ali (rtd); education, Adamu Adamu and industry, trade and investment Okechukwu Enelamah.

The national security adviser, retired Maj-General Babagana Munguno (NSA), the acting director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Arab Yadam and Nigerias ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda also accompanied Buhari to the occasion.

President Buhari arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, October 18 to take part in the Developing 8 (D-8) Summit, which began on Friday, October 20.

The president arrived in Turkey, in company of his wife, Aisha, as well as other dignitaries.

READ ALSO: Buhari visits mausoleum of Turkeys founding father, meets Erdogan (photos)

Are Nigerians truly tired of President Buhari? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has revealed that the beginning of his success was when he donated his 6 months salary to the building of Covenant University

- In a visit with the founder of the institution, Bishop David Oyedepo, Dogara stated that ever since he took that action, the favour of God had been upon him

- In response, Oyedepo praised the speaker for being a true follower of the commission and stated that he (Dogara) would continue to experience promotion for remaining consistent in his walk with God

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives, has disclosed that the moment he donated his 6 months salary as a contribution to the building of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state, was the beginning of his success, The Sun reports.

The speaker made the revelation when he paid a visit to Bishop David Oyedepo, General Overseer and founder of the Living Faith Church and Covenant University.

READ ALSO: APC to focus on grassroots empowerment to lift Nigerians into wealth - Kachikwu

Legit.ng gathers that Dogara disclosed that Gods grace and favour had been upon him ever since he made the donation to the university.

The speaker further lavished praise on Oyedepo, stating: You have never ceased to inspire people like us and to inspire our generation.

We pray that God will continue to increase and enlarge your coast. We pray that God gives you uncommon and unparalleled wisdom so that we can rescue not just Nigeria, but the black race.

In response, the cleric declared his full support for the speaker.

Oyedepo stated: I have zero doubt about Dogaras integrity; I will stand with him anywhere.

The testimony of his frontline role in the Christian Youth Corpers Fellowship in Akwa Ibom state is there in the record today.

In spite of the attack on his health, he still went back to complete his mission there. Its not just about religion, its about the fear of God and the love for humanity.

The speaker is a follower of this commission. And no wonder hes manifesting the grace of this commission. How could someone do away with his six months of salary? If he told me I would tell him dont do it.

But he would do what his father does, and so he must see what his father sees.

Your lifting has just started, your promotion has just begun. He has remained consistent in his walk with God.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Bishop Oyedepo, caused uproar after his video of payment of tithes and offerings hit the internet.

In the video, Bishop Oyedepo disclosed that those who pay their tithe are qualified for Gods blessings; adding that there are conditions to receiving Gods blessings as long as one takes to prophetic instructions.

Ex Bishop David Abioye's driver quits Living Faith Church, converts to Islam - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 15:00:10|Editor: ying

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least two people, including a pro-government local leader, were killed and eight civilians wounded in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar on Sunday, local police said.

The blast occurred in a hotel in Ishkamish district Sunday morning, provincial police spokesman Abdul Khalil Aseer told Xinhua.

The initial information found that the target of the attack was Nazuk Mir, a former jihadi commander, who has been killed in the explosion, Aseer said, adding the casualties were shifted to a hospital in the district, southwestern of provincial capital Taluqan city.

Authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident.

The Taliban outfit and Islamic State (IS) militant group often target civilians and religious clerics as well as local leaders for their support to the Afghan government and the U.S.-led forces stationed in the country.

More than 650 Afghans were killed and over 560 others wounded by the targeted attacks in 2016 across the country, according to official figures.
Sooty Feathers Tell the History of Pollution in American Cities Audobon Society (CM).

Itsy Bitsy Spider: Infants React with Increased Arousal to Spiders and Snakes Frontiers in Psychology

Financial Innovation: A World in Transition Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Cities chasing Amazons headquarters should be careful what they wish for TreeHugger

Big question for U.S. cities: Is Amazons HQ2 worth the price? Chicago Tribune (Re Silc).

Brutal Killing of Journalist Exposes Something Darker in Malta NYT and Brutal murder exposes Maltas murky politics FT

Breaking Up Tech Barrons

The New Monopolists Project Syndicate

Catalonia

China

North Korea

Need for a National Policy to Safeguard the Rights of Indias Home-Based Workers The Wire

Puerto Rico

Brexit

Landslide for populist billionaire in Czech elections FT

The Battle That Created Germany Handelsblatt. Teutoburg Forest, plenty of Game of Thrones-y detail.

Syraqistan

Trump Transition

Time for Politicians to Stop Deficit Fearmongering The Real News. Interview with Stephanie Kelton.

Democrats in Disarray

Health Care

Imperial Collapse Watch

Class Warfare

How I Socially Engineer Myself Into High Security Facilities Vice

Food Innovation Recipes: Rewritable Narrative The Future Now (RB).

A Big Test of Police Body Cameras Defies Expectations NYT

How statistics lost their power  and why we should fear what comes next Guardian. From January, still germane.

Everything You Know About Neoliberalism Is Wrong Social Europe (CL). Really?

Antidote du jour:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.

.
Lambert here: A happy result indeed! Perhaps Deripaska should have used a straw, as Peter Thiel seems to have done?

By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

Oleg Deripaska, Russias aluminium oligarch, has lost his campaign to stop negative press reporting of his business conduct. In a judgement issued on October 17, a federal Washington, D.C., judge dismissed in a summary judgement, without trial, Deripaskas claim to have been defamed by the Associated Press.

In May Deripaska launched a lawsuit in the Washington court in a bid to defend his reputation. Mr. Deripaska has never stolen assets from Ukraine or elsewhere, lawyers for Deripaska said in their 12-page complaint against Associated Press (AP), the New York-based press agency. The claim sheet can be read here. It is defamatory, the lawyers added, to make Deripaska (pictured below, left) appear to have been engaged in criminal conduct and making him appear infamous or odious.

This week Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle (above, right), a senior federal judge, rejected the claim. Deripaska cannot argue that merely being associated with the interests of the Russian government is defamatory, she wrote, even if it is false in the case of his contract with [Paul] Manafort. Accordingly, the Court must dismiss Deripaskas complaint with prejudice because the statements in his complaint do not qualify as false and defamatory statements under D.C. law. For the full judgement, click.

Deripaska timed his US lawsuit as he was attempting to recruit US investment banks to underwrite an initial public offering (IPO) of his shares in the Moscow aluminium and electricity holding EN+, of which he is presently president and sole owner. His share sale has been scheduled for the London Stock Exchange next month. UK regulators and the London exchange disallowed Deripaskas earlier attempt to sell shares in his Russian Aluminium (Rusal) company, the prime asset in EN+. Rusal listed its shares instead on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Ahead of the EN+ IPO, Deripaska has picked Greg Barker, a former staff man for Roman Abramovichs oil company, and a junior cabinet minister under Prime Minister David Cameron between 2010 and 2015, to be the non-executive chairman of EN+. The appointment was made public in London on October 18, the day after the Washington court judgement was released. For a summary of the controversies involving Barker, granted a life peerage by Cameron, read this.

Three US banks are involved in the new Deripaska share sale  Citi, JP Morgan, and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. But there is only one share buyer  a Chinese company without the cash to meet the $500 million share purchase it has announced with EN+. Instead, the Russian and Chinese governments have ordered their state banks to anchor the share sale. For an investigation of the Russian and Chinese sides to this story, read this.

Deripaskas dealings with Paul Manafort, a US lobbyist and political campaign organizer for Donald Trump, had been reported in print and in a videoclip by AP last March. Among its claims, AP reported that Deripaska had paid Manafort for work designed to greatly benefit the Putin government. For an independent investigation of the Deripaska-Manafort connection and of the $18 million Manafort received from Deripaska but has yet to repay, read this.

In the Washington court Deripaska insisted his business with Manafort was nothing more than ordinar[y] commercial dealings, not political influence-peddling. Deripaska insisted he was no Kremlin cats paw. His reputation had been damaged, Deripaska told the court, in his trade, profession, and community standing by [AP] making him appear to have been engaged in criminal conduct. When Deripaskas lawyers demanded a correction and retraction of the report, AP refused. In their subsequent court filing, Deripaska applied for a jury to decide if he had been libelled, and what money compensation he should receive, plus exemplary damages  a sum intended to punish AP and warn others.

In its defence, AP told the court Deripaska was trying to intimidate the press and prevent investigation of his business. APs reporting was protected, the court was told, by a 2011 statute of the District of Columbia designed to prevent SLAPP lawsuits. This acronym stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation: thats a lawsuit intended by those bringing it to censor, intimidate, or silence critics by imposing the cost of legal defence which reporters and publishers cant afford. In addition to Washington, D.C., anti-SLAPP statutes protect the press in 28 US states from New York to California. For details, read this.

According to AP, Deripaskas complaint fails to state any claimIn particular, the Complaint is fatally deficient because (a) the alleged implications are not actionablesome are protected statements of opinion and privileged as a matter of law, others are not of and concerning Deripaska, and none are reasonably capable of conveying the defamatory meanings alleged; and (b) Deripaska is a public figure who fails to plead facts plausibly alleging publication with actual malice, the degree of fault required by the First Amendment [of the US Constitution]. But a motivated plaintiffand, especially, a well-resourced onecan assert such substantively meritless SLAPP claims to impose significant costs, burdens, and distractions on a publisher. Often, the goal of the litigation is not to win the lawsuit but punish the opponent and intimidate them into silence.  Even if no judgment is entered against the defendant as a result of a SLAPP, a pall of fear and timidity [is] imposed upon those who would give voice to public criticism, creating an atmosphere in which the First Amendment freedoms cannot survive.  For APs 26-page argument, click to open.

Judge Huvelle agreed, and ordered Deripaska out of court. Referring to him as a self-described private investor and industrialist, she ruled that as a public figure under US law, reporters may report on Deripaska as AP had done, even if they had been inaccurate or mistaken. Russian oligarch status for Deripaska, the judge ruled, means freedom for journalists to investigate him, pursue what evidence they can find, and publish what his critics and adversaries say about him.

This repeats the judgement issued, also by the federal district court in Washington, against Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven. For that story, which goes back to the year 2004, read this. The 60-page judgement by Judge John Bates, identifying Russian oligarchs as public figures for reporters to investigate under constitutional protection, opens here.

Oleg Deripaska and Pyotr Aven together at the annual Christmas dinner for the oligarchs hosted by President Vladimir Putin each December.

According to Judge Huvelle, Deripaska is no stranger to news coverage related to his role as a Russian oligarch and one of Putins closest confidantes The Court notes that Deripaska does not dispute any material facts presented in the APs discussion of the factual background as it relates to Deripaskas biography and his role in advancing Russian interests internationallyGiven this concession and the many articles cited that reference Deripaska on this topicthere can be no doubt a public controversy exists relating to Russian oligarchs acting on behalf of the Russian government. For the purposes of the article in questionwhich touches on this broader issue as well as narrower concerns relating to the Trump campaigns contacts with RussiaDeripaska is a limited-purpose public figure.

Deripaska can be fairly described as a limited-purpose public figure who has pursued a central place in a public controversy, particularly given that Deripaska has been the subject of more than a decade of media coverage on topics related to his wealth and his relationship with the Russian government. As such, Deripaska is required to plausibly allege that the AP published the defamatory falsehood with actual malice, that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. Deripaska does not succeed in doing so.

The question must be, Huvelle continued, if Deripaska and Manafort did not have a contract to further Russian interests, is it defamatory for the AP to say they did? Under the circumstances, the answer must be no. Deripaska does not deny that a contract in some form existed Moreover, it is readily available, judicially noticeable information that Deripaska openly associates himself with the Russian government. For the AP to do the same cannot be defamatory, even if it were not true.

US lawyers familiar with Deripaskas litigation record believe Huvelles ruling is the sharpest rebuke Deripaska has ever received in the US courts. It wont give comfort to the US banks in London, one of these lawyers comments, even if the UK libel law protects Deripaskas soft and sensitive parts from the press in that country.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had signaled he intended to deal forcefully with Catalonias independence movement. When regional president Carles Puigdemont ignored Rajoys demands to withdraw his coalitions suspended declaration of independence, Rajoy scheduled an emergency meeting with his cabinet on Saturday. Even though many expected he would hit the red button of using Article 155, almost no commentator expected Rajoy to move as aggressively he indicated he would on Saturday. Even if you take a dim view of the ham-handed moves of the separatists, this is a Franco-style crackdown. Stirring those memories is going to make this Constitutional crisis even more charged than it would have been. As the Financial Times summed it up:

The Spanish prime minister will sack the entire Catalan government and call new regional elections within six months in an extreme move set to crush the regional independence movement.

From the Guardian:

Pending almost certain approval in the senate on Friday, direct rule will be imposed next weekend. Citing the Catalan governments conscious and systematic rebellion and disobedience, Rajoy said Carles Puigdemonts government would be stripped of its powers and its functions would be assumed by the relevant ministries in Madrid. The Catalan president will not be empowered to call elections, which Rajoy said he hoped would be held within six months. We are not ending Catalan autonomy but we are relieving of their duties those who have acted outside the law, he said. He did not go into details of how article 155 would be applied but a government statement said: A series of measures will be introduced regarding sensitive issues such as security and public order, financial management, taxation, the budget and telecommunications.

Not that the government in Catalonia has a forum in which it could get a fair hearing, but earlier commentators reading of the scope of Article 155 argued that some of the measures Rajoy intends to take go beyond what Article 155 allows. The article allows central government to employ necessary methods to force a regional government to comply with the Constitution and protect the interests of Spain. The only route mentioned explicitly is that the national government can direct all authorities of the rebellious region. From Aljazeera:

Josep Costa, a professor of political science at Barcelonas Universitat Pompeu Fabra, told Al Jazeera: The Spanish government really didnt have a plan to proceed with 155, so theres a lot of uncertainty as to what can be done and what cant. Costa claims he has seen many proposals, such as the creation of an interim government to run Catalonia, that are clearly not possible under 155. Theres no doubt [Article 155] has limits  including the Catalan statute of autonomy, which cannot be repealed, Costa said.

In other words, not that such niceties matter (Spanish judicial independence is #58. below Saudi Arabia and Rwanda), but it appears that having Madrid push aside the Catalonian government, as opposed to tell its various administrative offices what to do, doesnt look kosher. Note that Rajoy does seem attentive to some of these issues; in his address, he claimed that Catalonias self government was not being suspended. Its hard to take that at face value when Madrid has almost entirely taken control of the spending If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..

Needless to say, Puigdemont rejected Rajoys plans and vowed to fight on. From the BBC:

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont says Catalonia will not accept Madrids plan to impose direct rule on the region. He described it as the worst attack on Catalonias institutions since General Francos 1939-1975 dictatorship, under which regional autonomy was dissolved. Spanish PM Mariano Rajoys plans include the removal of Catalonias leaders and curbs on its parliament. He said he would call for a session in the Catalan parliament to debate a response to Mr Rajoys plans. Addressing European citizens in English, he added that the European Unions founding values were at risk in Catalonia.

While the government in Madrid clearly has the means and the will to put down the separatists in the short term, the question is at what cost? Things to watch:

Will the local police refuse to comply? If the police do not cooperate with Madrid, it will be well nigh impossible for Madrid to exercise control. It cant readily or quickly replace most of these officers. The police dont need to go into confrontation, they can just act like incompetent bureaucrats: go passive aggressive and ask for orders to be explained multiple times, drag their feet, make openly lame excuses for why they didnt do what they were told to do.

I have no idea where the loyalties of the rank and file police lie, and reader input would be extremely helpful. Catalonias police refused to participate in Spains campaign to prevent the referendum, when the Guardia Civil first made raids to seize ballots and ballot boxes, as well as arresting some officials, and the second, high-profile effort to prevent citizens from voting. That does not mean that all or even many police backed the independence movement, merely that they decided to take a hands off position. The chief of Barcelonas police force, who supports the secessionists, is popular locally and threats to arrest him may backfire If the police again stand aside, this would make maintaining order more difficult and would undermine appearances of legitimacy within Catalonia.

How will Madrid enforce its will on cities and towns? Note that two-thirds of the mayors defied the Spanish government to support the referendum.

How many citizens will give visible support to the separatists? This isnt just a matter of how large the initial rallies against Rajoys planned takeover are, although the press reported today that with no advance planning. 450,000 rallied in Barcelona. Its a matter if enough people are willing to engage in civil disobedience that its impossible for the police to jail them or they start undermining credibility if they try (as in they are forced to set up internment camps) Bloomberg claims the separatists plan to target infrastructure, but Ive seen comments on other sites that see that sort of talk as an effort to discredit the secessionists.

Even though the historical parallels look ugly, its not at all clear that the separatists are up for anything resembling a real fight. Recall that Rajoys coalition consists of a mix of interests, with the majority merely wanting a better deal with Spain (most important, Basque-style control over the spending of tax revenues collected). As our Andrew Watts noted:

Are you guys being serious with these Spanish Civil War comparisons? The Catalonian separatists are led by a bunch of wallet clutching conservatives. Their followers are mostly middle class. Theyll fold at the first sign of trouble much less violence. The Catalonians couldnt even issue a proper declaration of independence. If Madrid thought they were serious its likely they wouldve held back on invoking Article 155. The outbreak of civil wars arent great for your countrys credit rating or economy.

How quickly will political blowback increase the costs to Rajoy? Catalans are seen in most of Spain to be privileged whingers, so stomping on them is a popular exercise. But the Basques can throw a wrench in Rajoys plans, and they have made clear they dont like what is happening in Catalonia. From Bloomberg:

The Basque Nationalists, who allowed Rajoys minority government to pass a budget earlier this year have abandoned the prime minister since the Catalan crisis escalated, stalling approval of next years spending plans and adding further uncertainty to the economic outlook.

And from the Guardian:

Article 155 has never been invoked and the decision could trigger the unravelling of the 1978 constitution that established the 17 autonomous communities that make up Spain. The constitution was devised specifically to accommodate Basque and Catalan national aspirations. The other 15 communities  including some that have no historic identity as such  were effectively invented so as to avoid the impression that the Catalans and Basques were getting special treatment. Many now believe that this federation of 17 regions, or cafe para todos (coffee for everyone), is obsolete and that the constitution needs an overhaul.

How long can Rajoy take the damage to Catalonias economy, which is big enough to hurt Spain? Rajoy seems to have lost the plot that harsh treatment of Catalonia, particularly if the crisis is protracted, will do even more damage to Spain. And the costs are already mounting. From a must-read article by Don Quijones:

Its not easy being a Catalan bank these days. In the last few weeks the regions two biggest lenders, Caixabank and Sabadell, have lost 9 billion of deposits as panicked customers in Catalonia have moved their money elsewhere. Moving their official company address to other parts of Spain last week may have helped ease that resentment, allowing the two banks to recoup some 2 billion of deposits. But the move has angered the roughly 2.5 million pro-independence supporters in Catalonia, many of whom have accounts at one of the two banks. Today they expressed that anger by withdrawing cash en masse The fallout of political instability in Catalonia is being felt across the whole economy. Real estate investment in the region, both domestic and foreign, is drying up. Starwood European Real Estate Finance, the European subsidiary of the U.S. property giant Starwood Capital, has announced that its shifting its focus away not only from Catalonia but Spain as a whole, and toward more stable European markets. Its not just investments that have been put on hold. People are not spending much either. Important consumer purchases have been put on hold until some semblance of stability returns, and people are not going out as much as before. Based on my own observations, the bars are emptier and the streets are quieter. Tourism to Catalonia, Spains most visited region last year, slumped by 15% in the two weeks following the referendum on independence, according to industry experts

Quijones also describes at some length how Spanish consumers are boycotting Catalan products.many of which are composed heavily of inputs from the rest of Spain. He continues

The web of interdependency between Spain and Catalonia is so tightly woven that if one goes down, the other goes with it. Catalonia accounts for 20% of Spains GDP, and roughly a quarter of Spanish exports and the governments tax revenues. Without it, theres no way the Spanish State would be able to meet its gargantuan financial obligations  not even with Mario Draghis help!

Will the separatists embark on a sustained campaign of violence? Even though Andrew Watts view, that most Catalans who oppose Rajoys takeover dont have the stomach for a real uprising, does not contradict the possibility that this struggle over the future of Catalonia could give birth to a militant separatist movement. And it does not take many people operating on a dedicated basis to do enough damage so as to represent an ongoing threat. Please correct me if this estimate is too low, but Naked Capitalism readers earlier estimated that the military wing of the Irish Republican Army consisted of about 300 people.

And there may be a bigger lesson to consider. While advocates of peaceful protest argue that non-violent demonstrations have led to large-scale political change faster than violent revolts, correlation is not causation. Unfortunately, it is likely that non-violent demonstrations can succeed only in certain contexts: when the peaceful demonstrations are so large that putting them down risks civil war, and potential disobedience by the police and/or military, and when the elites are either divided or rational enough to recognize that even if they can win in the near and maybe even intermediate term, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. By contrast, if the government is irrational or simply unwilling to cede power, violence may be the only way to wrest power from its hands. Do you think the Afrikaners would have given up South Africa had it not finally become clear that they could no longer hold it?

Rajoy has not made a single conciliatory gesture, not even trying to present himself as being left no option other that to invoke Article 155 and proceeding in a more gradual manner to create the appearance of being measured and giving Catalonias citizens the chance to rethink their stance (or as Lambert puts it, for Quislings to come forward). Instead, he has embarked on a course of action that appears destined to produce the greatest amount of conflict. Rajoy might take heed of Cate Blanchettes observation as Queen Elizabeth: I do not like wars. They have uncertain outcomes.
(Natural News) The amoral Monsanto corporation has been caught yet again fabricating news about its controversial weedkiller Roundup. Uncovered documents that attorneys now suing the worlds most evil corporation are calling the Monsanto Papers reveal that the St. Louis-based chemical giant schemingly wrote up a pro-Roundup editorial back in 2015 that Forbes published as if it had been written by Henry I. Miller, a professor at Stanford University.

What apparently happened was that Monsanto was none too happy with a game-changing report that came out from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), that indicted glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in Roundup, as being a probable human carcinogen. Monsanto went into defensive mode by trying to claim that IARCs research was false, pulling in folks like Miller who have a history of defending agrochemicals to shill in favor of Roundup.

The Monsanto Papers show that Monsanto had contacted Miller and asked him to do a write-up that would rebut the claims made by IARC in an attempt to quell public fears about glyphosate and Roundup. Miller told Monsanto that he was busy, but invited the multinational corporation to send over a high-quality draft from which he could make a few modifications and publish it under his name in Forbes. Monsanto agreed and proceeded with its cover-up, only to be outed earlier this year for this blatant act of deception.

The documents, which include internal emails and memos, reveals among other things, how Henry I. Miller, a Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, allowed Monsanto to ghostwrite an editorial he published on Forbes.com and claimed as his own in 2015, reports CBS San Francisco.

For two years, Miller was believed to be the writer of those words. But now, emails between Miller and Monsanto employees show the company wrote the piece and Miller added a couple of words to it prior to publication.

Henry Miller has been a shameless Monsanto shill for at least the past decade

Before being let go from Forbes, presumably due to public scrutiny about these types of malfeasances, Miller had been a key player in the Monsanto propaganda ring for more than a decade. Many of Millers shill pieces for Monsanto appeared in Forbes, which Natural News has repeatedly drawn attention to as part of our investigative research into Monsantos mainstream media cronyism.

On many occasions, Miller has gone to bat in defense of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), just as he has for other harmful chemicals similar in their toxicity to glyphosate, such as DDT. If its bad for people and the environment but good for corporations, Miller has been there to promote it. Throughout his tenure at Stanfords Hoover Institution, which receives funding from corporations like Monsanto and other industry groups, Miller has pushed biotechnology, junk food, and even tobacco, the nicotine of which Miller says is not particularly bad for you.

Miller has also made the claim that radiation exposure is good for you, as are chemical pesticides like so-called neonicotinoids that research shows are contributing to the decline of honeybees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Conversely, Miller has attacked the organic industry as being a colossal hoax, even going so far as to argue that organic agriculture is somehow harming the environment. Back in May 2017, Miller tweeted the following ridiculous statement on Twitter (and yes, he was serious):

#OrganicAgriculture is to the environment what cigarette smoking is to human health, followed by a link to an article published in the neoconservative-leaning media outlet National Review.

Sources for this article include:

CBSLocal.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

USRTK.org
A wrong-way driver caused a serious crash in Reading, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning.

The accident happened on Route 95 southbound in the area of exit 37A.

A preliminary investigation by Massachusetts State Police indicates that a 26-year-old woman from Conway, South Carolina was traveling northbound in the southbound travel lanes in a 2013 Honda Civic when her vehicle struck a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, which was traveling southbound at the time.

The driver of the Honda, a 24-year-old man from Nashua, New Hampshire, was transported to Lahey Hospital in Burlington with serious injuries.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation but alcohol is believed to have been a factor as it relates to the wrong-way driver.

State Police were assisted on scene by Reading Fire and EMS, Reading Police, and MassDOT.

No other information was immediately available.
Chicago police issued an alert Saturday after at least a dozen ATMs were found to have skimming devices attached to them at stores and banks across the city.

The devices  placed over or inside card slots to steal account information from customers  were discovered at 13 separate locations in less than a month, according to police.

Those locations, as well as the date the skimming devices were used, include:

Associated Bank in the 5200 block of North Central Avenue on Sept. 23

Walgreens in the 1500 block of West Fullerton Avenue on Sept. 26

7-11 in the 10700 block of South Ewing Avenue on Sept. 27

Walgreens in the 1600 block of West Belmont Avenue on Oct. 2

Fifth Third Bank in the 600 block of West Diversey Parkway on Oct. 4

Chase Bank in the 5600 block of West Montrose Avenue on Oct. 6

Walgreens in the 400 block of North Michigan Avenue on Oct. 8

Walgreens in the 2300 block of West Irving Park Road on Oct. 8

Fifth Third Bank in the 0-100 block of West Division Street on Oct. 9

Walgreens in the 3100 block of West Irving Park Road on Oct. 11

Walgreens in the 200 block of West Madison Street on Oct. 12

Walgreens in the 100 block of North State Street on Oct. 12

Walgreens in the 0-100 block of West Monroe Street on Oct. 18

[[452277293, C]]

In some of these instances, a camera was also placed at the ATM to record PIN numbers as they were entered, police said.

The community alert from police was issued a day after the Better Business Bureau put out its own warning about the three devices found most recently at Walgreens stores in Chicagos Loop.

To combat the theft of account information or even your identity, experts advise you to inspect a machine before swiping your credit or debit card.

The Better Business Bureau recommends twist. Twist it, see if its actually an actual machine, the card reader, to see if it falls off or something on top of it, said Chicago BBB President Steve Bernas.

Walgreens said Friday that a third party owns and operates the ATMs in its drugstores, and the company planned to inspect the machines at each of its Chicago locations. [[452266453, C]]

Any business that offers an ATM as a convenience to their customers could face this issue, a spokesman for Deerfield-based Walgreens said in a statement.

The ATMs in our drugstores are owned and operated by a third party and at our request they will immediately begin to inspect all ATMs in our Chicago locations, the spokesman added.

Chicago police also recommend that you cover your hand when entering your PIN number as an added precaution. Anyone who has used the machines at these locations should also monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity.

If you see any type of irregularity when placing your card into the reader, or if you suspect that a skimming device has been installed, authorities ask that you notify the establishment or call 911 to report the incident.
A rhino turned the tables on a suspected poacher in Namibia, charging and injuring the man while he was allegedly tracking it.

The incident happened in Etosha National Park after suspect Luteni Muharukua and other alleged poachers illegally entered the wildlife area in hopes of killing rhinos for their horns, The Namibian newspaper reported last week.

The newspaper said the rhino "appeared from nowhere" and quoted Simson Shilongo, a police officer, as saying the rhino inflicted a severe leg injury on Muharukua after he fell while fleeing.

The suspect's friends found refuge for him on a nearby mountain and police arrested him there on Oct. 15, a day after he was injured, according to Shilongo. Muharukua was being treated at a hospital under police guard.

The Namibian posted an online cartoon showing a snarling rhino butting a man with a rifle who is already airborne from the blow. "The poacher, poached!" reads the caption.

Rhino poaching has increased in recent years in Namibia, which has one of Africa's biggest populations of the critically endangered black rhino. Neighboring South Africa is home to most of the continent's rhinos, including the more numerous white rhino species.

Rhinos have been heavily poached to meet demand for their horns in parts of Asia. Some consumers believe rhino horn can cure illnesses if ingested in powder form, although there is no evidence that the horn, made of the same substance as human fingernails, has any medicinal value. Rhino horn is also seen by some buyers as a symbol of status and wealth.
The leader of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system is calling for the consolidation of the 12 community colleges into a single system led by a vice chancellor.

The plan, unveiled Tuesday, is projected to save $28 million by reducing the number of administrators. CSCU President Mark Ojakian is expected to present the proposal to the Board of Regents for Higher Education on Thursday.

Ojakian tells the Hartford Courant savings from his plan will be invested in services that directly affect students, such as longer library hours and career services and advising. He says it also will make it easier for students to enroll in any community college or several at once with a single application.

Ojakian hopes the changes will be in place by July 1, 2019.
Four people were injured in a shooting on Elliott Street in Hartford late Saturday night.

Police said just before midnight crews responded to the area of 11 Elliott Street to investigate a shooting. Four people were injured, though police said the injuries are not life-threatening.

The victims have not been publicly identified.

A witness told NBC Connecticut they heard five shots ring out.

The Hartford Police Department Major Crimes unit is investigating.
A woman walks as she is holding new stuff she bought in Deir al-Zour city in eastern Syria, Sept.11, 2017. Food and medical aid started entering Deir al-Zour city, days after the Syrian army lifted the Islamic State (IS) siege on the city, where 93,000 civilians have been besieged for three years. (Xinhua Photo)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Sunday that they have captured the al-Omar oil field, one of the largest energy fields in Syria.

Located in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, the SDF said it captured it from the Islamic State (IS) and kept the Syrian government forces three kilometers away.

A day earlier, some reports emerged about the Syrian forces' control over the oil field, but sources in Deir al-Zour said the field was still under IS control until the SDF declared capturing the facility on Sunday.

Al-Omar field produces 30,000 oil barrels per day and contains a gas factory and electricity-generating station.

The SDF fighters are now concentrating their operations in Deir al-Zour, just days after fully capturing the northern province of Raqqa, which was the de facto capital of IS.

The Syrian army is also advancing in Deir al-Zour, capturing over 90 percent of the capital city there, and advancing in the countryside.

Still, the SDF control over the field may trigger some tension with the Syrian army, which was advancing toward the field after capturing the city of Mayadeen, deemed as the capital of IS in Deir al-Zour.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has teamed up with Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and the Dallas County Community College District to host a "You're Hired Job Fest."

UPS, Amazon, Walmart and Fed-Ex will all be at the job fair looking to hire more than 2,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time employees.

The "You're Hired Job Fest" will be held on Thursday October 26 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.

The hotel is located at 400 N. Olive Street, Dallas, Texas 75201. The job fair will be held in the 3rd floor conference room.

For more information, click here.


The U.S. Coast Guard searched for two missing crew members on Saturday from a crude oil-bearing barge that caught fire off the Texas coast.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Jennae Steinmiller says that emergency responders are also working to contain the spread of oil, which had reached the shoreline of Mustang Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico about 14 miles (22 kilometers)from the site of Friday morning's explosion.

A Port Aransas city official told The Associated Press Friday that one of the crew members had died. Steinmiller wasn't able Saturday to confirm the death, saying that no one had been recovered from the water.

The explosion happened while a tugboat with the barge was pulling in its anchor early Friday about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Port Aransas. Steinmiller says the barge was carrying about 132,000 barrels of crude oil.

Six crew members were able to safely escape from the tugboat. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
Police on Monday were waiting for confirmation that a body found over the weekend was that of a 3-year-old girl who disappeared from her suburban Dallas home earlier this month.

Sgt. Kevin Perlich, a Richardson police spokesman, said investigators don't have reason to believe the body found Sunday is not that of Sherin Mathews, but they're still waiting for the medical examiner's office to confirm it and to determine a cause of death.

Sherin, who was adopted from India last year, was reported missing by her father, Wesley Mathews, on Oct. 7. He told police that he had ordered her to stand near a tree outside of their home at around 3 a.m. as punishment for not drinking her milk, and that she was gone when he went to check on her about 15 minutes later. Authorities say he waited five hours to report her missing.

Mathews, 37, is charged with abandoning or endangering a child and is free on bond. No additional charges had been filed as of Monday afternoon. According to police, Mathews said the girl was developmentally disabled and malnourished when he and his wife adopted her, and that they had to put her on a special diet that included feeding her whenever she was awake, including in the middle of the night, to help her gain weight.

After Richardson Police announced on Sunday that they had found the body of a child not far from Sherin Mathews home, neighbors started showing up to the site to pray for the little girl.

He and his wife, Sini Mathews, attended a court hearing Monday to determine whether they could regain custody of their 4-year-old biological daughter, who was placed in protective custody after her sister went missing. The judge postponed the hearing until Nov. 13 to give Wesley Mathews time to hire a civil attorney, said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services. The girl will remain in foster care at least until that hearing or until a judge orders a change in custody.

"We do have the names of some relatives who have expressed interest in taking care of her," Gonzales said. "We can begin looking into those relatives, but it is entirely up to the judge where she is placed."

Authorities using dogs to search for Sherin found the remains Sunday in a drainage tunnel about a half-mile from the family's home.

Rafael De La Garza, an attorney for Wesley Mathews, told The Dallas Morning News after Monday's hearing that his client was "mourning the death of his child," but he didn't address the criminal charges. De La Garza did not immediately reply to a phone message from The Associated Press.

Wesley Mathews told police that after doing an initial search after realizing his daughter was missing, he went inside and did laundry while waiting for her to come home or for daylight so that he could continue searching.

Police said they believe Sini Mathews was sleeping when the girl went missing and was unaware of the alleged punishment.

Kent Starr, an attorney for Sini Mathews, said that as part of Wesley Mathews' bond agreement, the couple cannot live together. Starr told the Dallas Morning News that his client is seeking to regain custody of her other daughter and that she has cooperated with the police in trying to help identify Sherin's body.

The body of an unidentified child has been found near the home of missing 3-year-old Sherin Mathews, Richardson police say.

Police said one of their searches on Sunday led them to the open field less than half a mile from the Mathews home, where search dogs helped find the body inside a culvert that runs under East Spring Valley Road near South Bowser Road.

The field is located in a neighborhood and surrounded by homes.

William Prussack, who lives in a townhome that overlooks the field, said he walks it every day with his dogs and never noticed any sign of the missing toddler.

"It's 150 yards from my driveway. We're absolutely devastated right now," Prussack said.

He and other neighbors watched crime scene investigators, some in hazardous materials style suits, inch their way across the field looking for evidence. Police have not said what specifically brought them to this site, other than to say continuous searching for more than two weeks helped lead them to the body.

"This can happen anywhere now. I never would have dreamed anything like this would have happened by my home," said Prussack. "To know that something this evil lurks so close to your backyard, you just can't help but wonder, it's like death knocking at your door."

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.
U.S.-backed fighters captured Syria's largest oil field from the Islamic State group Sunday, marking a major advance against the extremists in an area coveted by pro-government forces.

With IS in retreat, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been in a race to secure parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.

The Al-Omar oil field was a major source of income for the militant group and is considered one Syria's most productive. The condition of the field, which has been controlled by IS for three years, was not clear following intense coalition and Russian airstrikes.

The SDF, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said it captured the field in a "swift and wide military operation." It said some militants have taken cover in oil company houses nearby, where clashes are underway. The U.S.-led coalition confirmed the SDF had retaken the oil field.

After coming under heavy fire from IS, pro-government forces retreated from the area around Al-Omar field, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The SDF said government forces were 3 kilometers (2 miles) away from the fields.

Syrian troops, backed by Russian warplanes and Iranian-sponsored militias, have retaken nearly all of the provincial capital of Deir el-Zour, as well as the town of Mayadeen, another IS stronghold, which is across the Euphrates River from the Al-Omar field.

The SDF focused their operations in rural Deir el-Zour on the eastern side of the river, and have already seized a major natural gas field and other smaller oil fields.

IS captured Al-Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. At the time, the field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day. Its current potential is unknown.

Syria had proven oil reserves of 2.5 billion barrels as of 2015, giving it the largest supply among its neighbors after Iraq. The oil industry was a pillar of the Syrian economy before the conflict in 2011.

As IS advanced in Syria, it seized control of most of Syria's oil fields and made petroleum a major earner for the militant group, which sold it on the black market to other insurgents and the Syrian government.

Since the coalition began operations against IS in 2014, the militants' oil production has been reduced from a peak of approximately $50 million per month to currently less than $4 million, the coalition said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The government lost the al-Omar field to other insurgents in 2013.

Al-Manar TV, operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah, said the fight for Al-Omar was still underway and denied the SDF's claim to have captured it. The militant group fights alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

The official Syrian news agency said troops regained full control of Khosham, a town on the eastern side of the Euphrates River that they lost a day earlier to IS. The Observatory for Human Rights said parts of the town remain contested.

It's not clear how Syrian troops will respond to the SDF's seizure of Al-Omar. Assad has vowed to eventually bring all of Syria back under government control.

The two sides have accused each other of firing on their forces in Deir el-Zour province, but a rare face-to-face meeting of senior U.S. and Russian military officers last month appeared to have calmed tensions.

Syria observers have said the race between the US-backed fighters and the Russian- and Iranian-backed Syrian government forces is likely to be a source of direct confrontation in the absence of a political agreement.

IS has suffered a series of major setbacks in recent months, including the loss of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists' self-styled capital, and the Iraqi city of Mosul. Most of the territory the group once held has been seized by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces.

An estimated 6,500 IS fighters remain in eastern Syria and western Iraq, many concentrated along the Euphrates River valley straddling the border, the U.S. military said last week.
Two police officers were injured while several protesters were arrested during a demonstration outside the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Center City Saturday afternoon.

A group of protesters, describing their demonstration as "Abolition Weekend," gathered on Arch and 12th streets near the Pennsylvania Convention Center around noon where the conference is taking place. On a Facebook page promoting the rally, organizers outlined the reason for the protest.

"The International Association Of Chiefs Of Police is coming to have their national convention in Philadelphia," they wrote. "However, we are clear of the damage that these individuals inflict on communities across our country. This weekend, we are standing up, saying no more, and laying the groundwork to abolish this corrupt system of policing we have in the United States."



The protesters carried signs that included the words, No Good Cop in a Racist System, No War on the Poor, Abolish the Police, and IACP has love 4 Nazis. They also repeatedly chanted, "If we don't get it, shut it down," and "No racist police. No justice no peace."

One woman who witnessed the protest expressed confusion regarding what the purpose of the protest actually was.

"Martin Luther King stood for something," she said. "What do you stand for? What are you doing?"



Many of the protesters refused to speak on camera. One protester talked to NBC10's Aaron Baskerville however.



"Minority groups don't get their due respect and there is no one held accountable for when actions are taken," she said.

Chuck Fleeger, a police officer from College Station, Texas who is attending the IACP conference, suggested that the protesters have a conversation with law enforcement.

"Let them have their conversation right now," Fleeger said. "I'm from another state. The dialogue that they need to have is they need to have dialogue and relationships with their police department."

At some point during the demonstration, a scuffle broke out between some of the protesters and officers, police said. At least two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police also said several protesters were arrested though they did not reveal how many. They were taken to 9th District police headquarters on 401 N. 21st Street where a crowd of protesters gathered.

During Saturday's protest, Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke to police chiefs from cities across the country who are attending the IACP conference, and encouraged them to forge new relationships between local and federal authorities. Sessions is expected to speak again during the conference's conclusion on Monday.


Police and liquor officials seized 67 gallons of moonshine, 22 guns and a Kia Soul from the home of a man they say was working as a bootlegger.

Winston Delano Terry, 73, faces felony charges after he was caught illegally selling homemade alcohol in Virginia and Tennesee, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said Thursday.

Terry's home in Jonesville, Virginia, near the Tennessee border, was raided by state police and ABC special agents on Oct. 13. The raid followed a months-long investigation.

Our undercover operatives made numerous buys during the past several months, culminating in the enforcement activity," ABC Special Agent in Charge Steve Baffuto said in a statement.

A photo from the ABC shows dozens of mason jars full of liquid.

The ABC's chief operating officer said the charges against Terry help protect public safety.
Strong Santa Ana winds and scorching temperatures have prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a Red Flag Warning across the county for potentially dangerous fire conditions.

The warning will be in effect for San Diego County deserts, mountains and valleys until Tuesday due to low humidity, high temperatures, and gusty winds, according to NBC 7s First Alert forecast.

Cal Fire and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) officials have increased staffing as a precaution.

Liberty Zabala's Morning Forecast for Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017

"Were in this for the long haul. We have to be ready and have things in place if anything should start," said Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser.



SDFD officials also said their agency is increasing the number of on-duty firefighting crews, staff and fire apparatus in the city.

Those additions include:

Contracting a fixed-wing air tactical platform and supervisor

Helitanker on the ground at Montgomery Field Airport which is capable of dropping 2,6000 gallons of water, foam or retardant

Additional five brush engines, five standard engines, and three water tenders

NBC 7's Audra Stafford reports how firefighters are preparing to battle expected fires due to Santa Ana winds and excessive heat this weekend.

Temperatures will soar Sunday and Monday, with low-90s at the coast and low-100s in the valleys. The heat is forecasted to linger through Tuesday, potentially even into Wednesday.

Cal Fire officials said brush throughout the county is very dry and will fuel any fires that might spark.

Amid this Fire Weather Watch, Cal Fire Chief Tony Mecham said additional resources would be used, including San Diego County Fire Reserve firefighters staffing all front line fire engines. Reserve firefighters will also cover five county water tenders.

Cal Fire personnel will also be assigned to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps if military helicopters are needed to fight a fire. Cal Fire has also opened the Brown Field Reload Base and will bring in two large air tankers.

"We're ready to go when the time comes and we can be anywhere within Southern California within 20 minutes to a fire after we load," said Air Tanker Pilot, First Officer Joshua Kryzsco.

Heating up starting Sunday w/ Monday and Tuesday being the hottest days w/ temps in coastal & valley locations 15-25 degrees above average. pic.twitter.com/mu6Tq6mSzO  NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) October 20, 2017

The agency is funding the staffing of a Strike Team of Wildland Fire Engines for the weekend in both San Diego and the North Zone. Cal Fire is also in contact with Baja Mexicos version of Cal Fire, CONOFOR, are will use an agreement with Mexico if needed.

SDFD also advised residents to be prepared and have an emergency plan ready in case of an evacuation.

"If you havent yet talked to your family about an emergency plan, theres no time like the present," said SDFD Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. "Putting a plan in place and practicing that plan will give you the best chance of staying safe during an emergency."



The precautions come amid the 10th anniversary of San Diego's devastating and deadly Witch Creek Fire, and as firefighters in Northern California continue to battle nine wildfires burning across the state in the deadliest series of fires in Californias history.

The October Fire Siege  which began on Oct. 8  has spawned 21 wildfires that burned more than 245,000 acres, forcing evacuations and destroying 6,900 structures. Forty-two people died in the costly wildfires.

Cal Fire said San Diego residents should be cautious during this fire danger period and remember the motto: "one less spark means one less wildfire."

For fire evacuation tips visit this website.
As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Middle East this weekend, he'll hope to achieve something that has eluded top American diplomats for a generation: sealing a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would shut the doors of the Arab world to neighboring Iran.

While the United States strives to heal the rift between the Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and resolve civil wars in Yemen and Syria, Tillerson is the Trump administration's point man on an even more ambitious and perhaps even less likely geopolitical gambit.

U.S. officials see a new axis that unites Riyadh and Baghdad as central to countering Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly as the Iraqi government struggles to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way. He arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and planned to visit Qatar on Monday.

The effort to wean Iraq from Iran and bond it to Saudi Arabia isn't new, but U.S. officials are optimistically pointing to a surer footing they believe they've seen in recent months. They're hoping to push the improved relations into a more advanced phase Sunday when Tillerson participates in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh.

Tillerson will seek Saudi financial generosity and political support for Iraq, its embattled northern neighbor. Two U.S. officials said Tillerson hopes the oil-rich Saudis will contribute to the massive reconstruction projects needed to restore pre-IS life in Iraqi cities such as Mosul and lend their backing to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He is treading delicately among a host of powerful countries on Iraq's borders which are increasingly trying to shape the future of the ethnically and religiously divided nation.

The officials briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly preview Tillerson's plans.

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Nevertheless, the relationship is still plagued by suspicion.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter-century, and earlier this year unblocked long-closed border crossings. But the emergence of arch-Saudi rival Iran as a power player in Iraq continues to gnaw at Riyadh and Washington.

Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, following last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

President Donald Trump wants to see "a stable Iraq, but a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran," H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, said this past week. He suggested Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role.

The U.S. view is that the alternative may mean more conflict in Iraq, which endured years of insurgency after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion and ethnic warfare when the Islamic State group rampaged across the country in 2014.

"Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other," McMaster said Thursday at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is something they share with groups like ISIS, with al-Qaida. They pit communities against each other because they use tribal and ethnic and sectarian conflicts to gain influence by portraying themselves as a patron or protector of one of the parties in the conflict and then they use that invitation to come in and to help to advance their agenda and, in Iran's case, I think is a hegemonic design."

Trump and his national security team have framed much of the Middle East security agenda around counteracting Iran, which they see as a malign influence that poses an existential threat to Israel and other American allies and partners in the region. They also accuse Iran of menacing the United States and its interests at home and elsewhere in the world.

Shortly after taking office, Tillerson identified improving Saudi-Iraqi ties as a priority in the administration's broader policy to confront and contain Iran. Officials say he has devoted himself to the effort.

On his second official trip abroad, Tillerson in February canceled a planned "meet and greet" with staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to focus on the matter, according to one of the officials who previewed Tillerson's current trip.

Tillerson's decision to skip that gathering was widely criticized at the time as a sign of disengagement with his employees, but the official said Tillerson adjusted plans to speak by secure telephone to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the Iraq rapprochement.

Tillerson, according to the official, implored al-Jubeir to visit Baghdad as a sign of Saudi goodwill and commitment to the effort to defeat IS, which then still held about half of Mosul.

Al-Jubeir agreed. Two days later, he made a surprise trip to the Iraqi capital. He was the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in 27 years.
One person is dead after a crash that took place at the intersection of Bedford and Plymouth streets in Middleboro, Massachusetts.

On Saturday at 12:56 p.m., the Middleboro Police Department received several 911 calls reporting a crash on Bedford Street.

According to officials, a 2014 Isuzu delivery truck, registered to Peapod, LLC and operated by 30-year-old Tony Hourani, of Carver, pulled out of a driveway at 190 Bedford St. and collided with a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

The motorcycle was operated by 24-year-old Michael G. Garner, of Middleboro. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Saturday afternoon Stop & Shop released the following statement:

"Earlier today, there was a fatal accident involving a Peapod truck. At this time we are cooperating fully with local officials as they investigate this incident and cannot comment further. We offer our deepest sympathy to the victim's family and loved ones."

The crash is still under investigation.
California passes legislation allowing the liquification of human bodies

Last Oct. 15, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the controversial Assembly Bill 967, or the bill that makes it legal to dispose of human remains through water cremation. Also known as alkaline hydrolysis, Californians will be able to choose this cremation method for their loved ones as early as 2020.

Despite its name, water cremation doesnt actually make use of water. The process entails placing a body into a steel vat containing an alkaline solution composed of 95 percent water and five percent potassium hydroxide or lye. The combination of chemicals, pressure, and heat that reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius) quicken the rate of decomposition until all that are left behind are bones, sterile water, and any medical implants. The remaining bones are then crushed into ash and returned to the family.

Matter Baskerville, an Illinois-based funeral director whose funeral home utilizes water cremation, has stated that the process leaves behind a finer, softer ash than what is normally produced by flame-based cremation.

According to DailyMail.co.uk, water cremation was first developed as a way to get rid of animal carcasses by processing them into plant food. It remained this way until the 1990s when two researchers at Albany Medical College in New York began disposing of lab animals through alkaline hydrolysis. These researchers then became involved with a company called WR2 that constructed the first water cremation machine that could handle a human body. The first known use of the machine was in 2006 in the Mayo Clinics anatomical bequest program in Rochester, Minnesota.

Proponents of water cremation have touted it as a green alternative to standard cremations and burials amid growing concerns over the carbon footprints of these methods. For one, the use of energy to heat and cool the lye is said to emit 80 percent less carbon dioxide than flame cremations that burn natural gas. Water cremation also leaves behind inorganic materials like tooth fillings and pacemakers, which could ease the fears of toxic chemicals polluting the environment. (Related: California may legalize liquid cremation in bizarre attempt to fight global warming.)

Moreover, the roiling lye has been said to sterilize organic materials, break down toxic chemicals, and reduce the risk of disease spreading. Joe Wilson, CEO of alkaline hydrolysis systems manufacturer Bio-Response Solutions, told ScientificAmerican.com: Its hot as hell in there, and alkali is a powerful sterilant at temperature. Even the hardiest pathogen, an anthrax spore, is easily killed.

The new law will require funeral homes to apply for permits from their local water authorities before they can offer water cremation as an option. These permits will allow the funeral homes to send the remains into the sewage system on-site. Alternatively, the funerals homes could partner up with companies experienced in handling and disposing biological waste. These came as responses to concerns over the high pH levels involved in water cremation, as the pH of the discharged wastes goes above 11.

While some people have approached the idea of water cremation with trepidation, others have embraced it as a huge and positive change in cremation. Todd Gloria, the California assemblyman who wrote the bill, is one of them. Gloria has stated that he hopes water cremation will become the new norm, and is taking the necessary steps to do so. I plan to be cremated. It would be poetic if I could take advantage of my own bill, said Gloria.

Find more coverage of weird science at WeirdScienceNews.com.

Fast facts about cremation

In 2012, Nevada had the highest cremation rate at 74.2 percent. In contrast, Mississippis cremation rate was at 16.9 percent.

The act of scattering ashes in different locations at different times is known as wildcat scattering, a practice that is prohibited but popular in Central Park and Disneyland.

Ashes can be scattered at national parks, at sea, and by air. However, there are strict regulations for each one. For example, national parks require permits for scattering remains. Scattering remains by ship or by plane over sea, meanwhile, needs to be reported to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within 30 days.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScientificAmerican.com

HuffingtonPost.com

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 16:15:21|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a "global event" thanks to its openness, according to journalists and observers.

"China's role in international affairs is becoming more important in all directions, especially in economic and political fields," said Andrey Kirillov, Beijing bureau chief of Russia's TASS news agency. "China is the second biggest economy, and for this reason, the situation inside China has influence to the whole world."

The congress is a "global event," and it has attracted plenty of attention from foreign journalists because of its content, the issues raised and the problems being solved, Kirillov said.

All these issues are of great importance, including changes in China's economic approach, formation of a new economic development model, changes in society, poverty relief and political issues such as a new leadership, he said.

"Journalists are also interested in China's foreign policy," he added.

TASS published 15 to 20 stories and a major summary on the first day of the congress Wednesday, according to TASS journalist Nikolay Selishchev.

More than 3,000 journalists have come to Beijing to cover the congress. Among them, 1,818 are from overseas including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, 6.7 percent more than the 18th CPC National Congress. Foreign reporters come from 134 countries, 19.6 percent more than the previous congress, according to the press center.

"Now China has a strong voice in foreign affairs, including politics and economics. This is connected with the policies the country takes. So it is interesting to know what decisions about foreign policy and approaches to the world's market development will be made at the congress", Kirillov said.

The Chinese currency has joined the elite reserve currency basket of the International Monetary Fund, or the Special Drawing Right basket. It is a very important shift for the yuan to become a currency unit used not only in trade inside China, but also in international financial operations, he said.

For all these reasons, according to Kirillov, decisions made at the congress will be very important not only for China, but for the whole world.

Ana Goguadze, Georgian sinologist and founder and president of Georgian-Chinese media platform SINOMEDIA, said that China has opened its door to the world and "showed its power and humanity" at the same time.

"The world is curious right now. I think we all want to see how far China can go, everyone agrees that the country with the great past is becoming stronger and stronger every year," said Goguadze.

Yuksel Mansur Kilinc of Turkey's Yon Radyo 96.6 radio station said that the Communist Party's openness to foreign journalists is a display of confidence.

Watanabe Yasuhito, with Japan's Kyodo News, agrees.

"We usually hear the official words from officials of the Foreign Ministry, but here at the congress, we get to hear the voices of grassroots CPC members," Watanabe said.

Zhang Xixian, professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, said that one of the reasons why the congress drew so much global attention is that China's "comprehensive national strength" is rising.

"China's contribution to world economic growth and its power in leading world development are on the rise, and the world is beginning to shift its focus to China," he said.

"The advantages of the CPC political system are gradually showing, which brings attention to the Communist Party," he said.

Zhang said that for almost 70 years, the CPC has helped developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Belt and Road Initiative have also attracted the attention of many countries.

Abdulwaheed Odusile, head of Nigeria's journalists association, said that China and Nigeria are increasingly close and China has helped a lot with construction work in Nigeria, partly the reason why their journalists came to cover "such an important event."

"The 19th CPC congress is one that is open and transparent to the entire world, and it accepts acclaim as well as criticism," Zhang said. "Such openness has a big impact on the world."
Cities already have tolls and charges for a lot of services (parking and roads, licenses) in a city but Google is far more efficient at generating money from targeting ads and mobile ads.

Volume, a leading magazine on architecture and design, published an article on the GoogleUrbanism project. Conceived at a renowned design institute in Moscow, the project charts a plausible urban future based on cities acting as important sites for data extractivism  the conversion of data harvested from individuals into artificial intelligence technologies, allowing companies such as Alphabet, Googles parent company, to act as providers of sophisticated and comprehensive services. The cities themselves, the project insisted, would get a share of revenue from the data.

A three-stage Speculative Expansion Strategy for Google in physical space, starting with the co-creation of a new type of public license within its existing digital infrastructure, and through which the access to users presence in public spaces could be generating financial returns for the city..

Google creates a new partnership with the city, and grants it access to new mechanisms for financial revenue (but under Googles terms). This process helps it build public goodwill and political capital, but also lays down the foundation for more dependency

Google simplifies the bureaucratic and aggregates more urban stakeholders within its new platform and provides them with new mechanisms for value creation. This process helps it to become a standard for future planning, citizen mobilization and event-hosting efforts

Google becomes the go-to partner for the Smart City, displacing all other competitors because of its focus on human behavior rather than infrastructure. This helps it to establish a monopoly over both the physical and digital realms, leading the next generation of global tech conglomerates

Sidewalk Labs (Google Alphabet company) will turn Quayside, a 12-acre undeveloped waterfront area in Toronto, Canada, into a digital marvel and demo of this new revenue generation.

Alphabet is building a city where buildings have no static use. For example, the centrepiece of the proposed neighbourhood in Toronto  the Loft  will offer a skeleton structure that will remain flexible over the course of its lifecycle, accommodating a radical mix of uses (such as residential, retail, making, office, hospitality and parking) that can respond quickly to market demand.

Here lies the populist promise of Google Urbanism: Alphabet can democratise space by customising it through data flows and cheap, prefabricated materials.

The main input into Alphabets algorithmic democracy is market demand rather than communal decision-making.

That Alphabets urbanism as a service might not appeal to the residents of Toronto does not matter. As a real estate project, its chief goal is to impress its future missing residents above all, millions of Chinese millionaires flocking to Canadas housing markets. Doctoroff was not equivocating when he told the Globe and Mail that Alphabets Canadian venture primarily is a real-estate play.

Alphabets urban will also impact politics. The courting of Alphabet by Canadas politicians along with the bidding war that has erupted over Amazons second North American headquarters  some cities have offered it incentives to the tune of $7bn to relocate there indicate that cities still want Silicon Valley Tech Giants.

Alphabets capabilities  Cheap, modular buildings to be assembled quickly; sensors monitoring air quality and building conditions; adaptive traffic lights prioritising pedestrians and cyclists; parking systems directing cars to available slots. Not to mention delivery robots, advanced energy grids, automated waste sorting, and, of course, ubiquitous self-driving cars.

Alphabet essentially wants to be the default platform for other municipal services.

Google also can have Wifi from bus stops and street lights and ads from billboards and public flat screens and ads to mobile devices from the Wifi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 16:50:26|Editor: ying

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MANILA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Philippine government forces have rescued all hostages held by the pro-Islamic States (IS) militants that took over the southern city of Marawi for five months, a military commander said on Sunday.

"We believe that there are no more remaining hostages," Col. Romeo Brawner told a news conference in Marawi. "The latest number of hostages that we rescued was 20. That is the last (batch of hostages) that we rescue."

As of Sunday noon, Brawner said fighting between government forces and up to 30 militants continues.

"Today there is still firefight going on inside the main battle area. But the Maute-ISIS is now occupying only one building. So, there's just one building left for the government forces to clear," Brawner said.

He said among the fighters holed out in the militant-occupied building are women. "It's a well-fortified (two-level building) by the lake and the enemies are hiding in the basement," he said.

"They are apparently the wives of the fighters. We believe that they really chose to stay with their husbands. It looks like they have chosen to fight it out together with their husbands," he said.

On Tuesday, the military announced soldiers killed Isnilon Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, the remaining militant leaders. After their death, Brawner said there is now "leadership vacuum" in the ranks of the extremists.

He said the conflict has so far killed 919 extremists and 165 soldiers and policemen. A total of 864 firearms have been recovered from the militants, he added.

The war has also claimed the lives of nearly 100 civilians and displaced thousands who fled when the war broke out on May 23.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday that he will not lift the martial law in Mindanao even after the government forces recaptured Marawi, saying military rule is needed to crush all terrorist groups in that region.

Duterte imposed martial law on the entire Mindanao region hours after the Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants took over Marawi on May 23.

On Tuesday, Duterte said troops have liberated the ruined city from the IS-linked militants. But firefight continues as troops flush out the remaining rebels and rescue the remaining hostages.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 17:30:32|Editor: Yamei

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TRIPOLI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Libya's National Human Rights Commission on Saturday evening revealed that bodies of illegal immigrants are scattered on the coast of Khoms city, 120 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli.

"The National Human Rights Commission strongly condemns inaction of local authorities in Khoms city to meet their moral and humanitarian duty towards the bodies of illegal immigrants scattered on the coast of the city," the commission said in a statement.

The commission demanded concerned authorities to "establish a special graveyard for (bodies of) illegal immigrants in the outskirts of the city."

The commission said the phenomenon of the scattered bodies of illegal immigrants is not dealt with properly, and that activists and staff of the Red Crescent have confirmed that the bodies of the migrants remain on the city's shores for weeks sometimes, which could spread epidemics and diseases.

The commission also appealed to international migration organizations to provide assistance to local authorities of Al-Khoms.

The city of Khoms is one of Libya's major migrant departure points towards European shores.

The International Organization for Migration in Libya recently announced that more than 8,000 illegal immigrants of 23 African and Asian nationalities have been voluntarily repatriated from Libya this year so far.

Libyan naval forces on Saturday announced that nearly 9,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued off Libyan coast during the first half of 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 17:35:34|Editor: Yamei

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DUBAI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Deyaar Development, one of the biggest property firms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said Sunday it has partnered with China's telecommunication giant Huawei to offer smart home solutions.

The Dubai-based company said in a filing to the Dubai stock market that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei to provide Deyaar clients with technology solutions, including smart home applications.

The five-year partnership would enable Deyaar to provide advanced technology solutions for residents in its properties across Dubai.

"Connected homes are no longer a futuristic concept; they are realistically achievable today," said Deyaar's CEO Saeed Al-Qatami.

Colin Hu, managing director of Huawei Enterprise, UAE, hailed the partnership with Deyaar as "an excellent example" of the expansion of digital transformation in the region.

Deyaar said that the partnership also eyes increased security solutions, including the application of Huawei's CCTV video cloud solution.
Turkish students performing traditional Chinese song in Ankara, Turkey. (Xinhua/Qin Yanyang)

ANKARA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's growing ties with China have generated a keener interest among the Turks in learning the Chinese language and culture that has never been seen before.

"Learning the Chinese language is something that I've wanted for some time, because I'm interested in Asian cultures," Elif Aslan, a 16-year-old student of a private high school in Ankara, told Xinhua.

"Like the Turkish culture, the Chinese culture is also very rich, there are similarities in fact and I like it," she said with a smile, while her classmates nodded.

Aslan chose to study Chinese as a second foreign language as English is the compulsory foreign language the school requires its students to learn.

Turks now can learn Chinese in at least 10 universities across the country, mainly in big cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, as well as in private Chinese language teaching programs.

At the Cagri Dil Okulu (Cagri Language School) in downtown Ankara, courses are offered to middle-aged students who can study Chinese by interacting face to face with native Chinese teachers.

"We opened these courses some seven years ago. In the beginning, we had three or four students. But since four years ago, there has been an increase of interest in Chinese language, and now we have several classes of 15 pupils each," Bahar Ozturk, one of the managers of the Cagri Language School, told Xinhua.

"We have a class full of students who are passing a proficiency test here in Chinese," said Ozturk, explaining that the popularity of this language results from China's ever growing economic power in the world.

"People want to learn Chinese as communication practices in order to go there and get a job there, or start a company and trade with fellow Chinese companies," she said.

Since 2012, the China-Turkey ties have been growing steadily and, accordingly, the bilateral trade has witnessed a sharp rise. Regular exchange of visits by officials from the two countries also helped promote the cultural exchange between the two countries, located on the east and the west ends of the Asian continent.

China's direct investment in Turkey was valued at 642 million U.S. dollars in 2016 and is likely to balloon as China is working on many infrastructure projects in Turkey.

Turkey, a major regional player and G20 member, is also one of the hubs of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China due to its geographic location, making it a natural point of confluence on the ancient Silk Road.

Another popular place for the Turks to learn Chinese language is the Confucius Institute located in the prestigious Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara.

The institute offers general Chinese language and business courses to both METU students and the public. It aims to introduce the Chinese culture, history, economy, politics and foreign policy to Turkey's academic community as well as to experts from other professions.

The institute launched for the first time in April a Chinese language course for the employees in the Office of the Turkish Prime Ministry. It became so popular that many other state institutions want to follow suit.

Du Yun, one of the headmasters of the institute since April 2016, told Xinhua that there are about 280 students currently learning Chinese at his institute.

"And there are another 1,400 primary and middle school students learning Chinese in Ankara at seven teaching sites", Du said.

He believed that the popularity of Chinese language in Turkey is due to the increasingly important global influence that China boasts.

Some Turkish students choose to learn Chinese language not only for the love of Chinese culture, but also because they want to study in China, or to conduct research on China's experience of development, Du said.

"And the main and ultimate goal is to find a job in a Chinese company or to work in China," he said.

Yusuf Islam Tuna, one of Du's students, is a good example.

Tuna fulfilled his dream of pursuing his education in China by obtaining his bachelor's degree in economics at METU, which enabled him to get a scholarship for joining a six-month intensive Chinese studying course in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, Fujian province.

After that, he was enrolled into a master degree program on Chinese economy at the Renmin University in Beijing.

"After mastering fully the language, I started my master's degree on Chinese economy in Renmin University and all of this started from taking lessons at the Confucius Institute in Ankara. It was a life change," Tuna said.

He was very thankful to his Chinese teachers in Ankara, not only for teaching him the language but also offering valuable assistance and guidelines on how to live and work in China.

"The role of the institute in realizing China's long-term goals is essential, and this establishment is concretely contributing to improving the China-Turkey relations," he said.
Map shows the important places that ISIS still controls as of November.

But in 2017, the Islamic States losses drastically accelerated, and the militants are now returning to their insurgent roots.

Map shows important places that ISIS has captured in the last four years.

Over three years, the group achieved military dominance in critical places in almost every province in Syria and across northern and central Iraq.

The militant group shocked the world in June 2014 as it seized control of more than 50 places, including Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city.

The Islamic State grew out of an insurgency in Iraq and was affiliated with Al Qaeda until 2014. By that time, ISIS had established a foothold in Iraq and Syria.

Map shows strategic cities, towns and resources that the Islamic State has controlled in the last four years. The size of each square is proportional to the approximate area of each place.

The Islamic State carved out a sprawling territory across Iraq and Syria through military dominance over 127 important places. The group governed the residents of dozens of cities and towns, and it benefited from their taxes. The militants also had control over strategic locations, like military bases and border crossings, as well as economic assets, like oil fields and dams.

How Places Compare by Size New York City Baghdad Damascus Mosul Raqqa New York City Baghdad Damascus Mosul Raqqa New York City Baghdad Damascus Mosul Raqqa The New York Times

In October, United States-backed forces pushed the Islamic State out of Raqqa, the groups de facto capital, dealing a heavy blow to the militants.

The offensive began in June and left widespread destruction, displacing about 270,000 residents. United States-led coalition airstrikes there were reportedly killing hundreds of trapped civilians every month, wrote Samuel Oakford in a report for Airwars, a nonprofit group that tracks reports of civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria. According to the report, the coalition has confirmed four civilian deaths in the battle for Raqqa.

Destruction Over Time in Raqqa June 2017 June 2017 June 2017 July 2017 July 2017 July 2017 July 2017 July 2017 July 2017 August 2017 August 2017 August 2017 August 2017 August 2017 August 2017 August 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 September 2017 October 2017 A series of satellite images from June to October this year shows the growing number of neighborhoods across Raqqa, Syria, that have sustained serious damage. Source: European Space Agency

In four months, the Islamic State lost not only Raqqa, but two more of its most important cities.

In July of this year, the Iraqi government announced that it had finally retaken control of Mosul after three years of Islamic State rule and a brutal nine-month battle. Iraqi forces faced stiff resistance from Islamic State militants there, often in dense urban areas that were difficult to navigate. Much of the city was destroyed.

The Maydan area of Mosuls Old City, where the last Islamic State militants were corralled and eventually killed by Iraqi security forces. Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

Mosul held huge symbolic value for the group. It was there, in June of 2014, that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, declared a caliphate after his fighters took control of Mosul and swept through other parts of northern Iraq and Syria, seizing dozens of cities.

A still image taken from video of a man said to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, in what would have been his first public appearance in Mosul. Reuters

The Islamic States remaining strongholds in Iraq fell quickly after Mosul was retaken. Tal Afar, near Mosul, was captured by Iraqi forces in an offensive that lasted just 11 days. And in October, the militants barely put up a fight in Hawija.

The last remaining area of Islamic State control in Iraq is a sliver along the Euphrates River that stretches across the border into Syria. But the Iraqi military said on Friday that it had seized Qaim, a town on the Iraqi side of the groups last border crossing.

June 2014: 52 Number of key places the Islamic State has gained or lost control of in each month Gains 2014 2015 2016 2017 Losses March 2017: 9 June 2014: 52 Number of key places the Islamic State has gained or lost control of in each month Gains 2014 2015 2016 2017 Losses March 2017: 9 June 2014: 52 Number of key places the Islamic State has gained or lost control of in each month Gains 2014 2015 2016 2017 Losses March 2017: 9 The New York Times | Source: Conflict Monitor by IHS Markit. Note: Control indicates the militants military dominance over a place. Some places shown as controlled by the Islamic State in Jan. 2014 may have fallen under its control at an earlier date.

Downstream of Raqqa, the militants lost the last of their control in Deir al-Zour, the capital of a resource-rich province by the same name. The Syrian government broke a nearly three-year siege by the militants of a government-held pocket of territory in Deir al-Zour in September, and it announced on Friday it had taken full control of the city.

Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have also seized Mayadin, where coalition officials believed many of the Islamic States leaders had relocated from Raqqa.

Mosul Raqqa Aleppo ISIS control Oct. 26, 2015 Deir al-Zour IRAQ Mayadin SYRIA Qaim Baghdad ISIS control Oct. 30, 2017 Damascus Mosul Raqqa Aleppo IRAQ Deir al-Zour ISIS control Oct. 26, 2015 SYRIA Damascus ISIS control Oct. 30, 2017 Baghdad The New York Times | Source: Conflict Monitor by IHS Markit

Despite these dramatic losses, analysts say that the Islamic State is not defeated. An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 militants remain in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State has been shifting tactics and returning to its insurgent roots. Analysts say it will continue to have some local support and the ability to lodge attacks throughout the region.

The networks will survive and the insurgency will continue in these areas, probably under a different brand, says Columb Strack, a principal analyst at IHS Markit.
With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones

383 cops died in line of duty in past one year

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Around 383 police personnel including 98 from the Border Security Force and CRPF have been killed on duty in the past year, Intelligence Bureau director Rajiv Jain said.

Jain who was speaking at the Police Commemoration Day event said that 383 personnel have been killed across the country between September 2016 and August 2017. He said that 42 were from the Jammu and Kashmir police.

Nearly 76 belonged to Uttar Pradesh police, 56 to the BSF, 49 to the CRPF, 23 to Chhattisgarh police, 16 to West Bengal police, 13 each to Delhi police and the CISF, 11 to ITBP, and 12 each to Bihar and Karnataka police.

The majority of the police personnel were killed while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, combating terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir and fighting Left-wing extremism.

According to data published by the National Crime Records Bureau, a total 737 police personnel were killed on duty in 2015, including 38 in anti-terrorist operations, 36 in anti-Left wing extremism operations and 39 by other criminals. The majority of the police personnel - 616 - were killed in accidents while on duty.

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Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

Ahead of Gujarat assembly elections 2017, Congress shapes up anti-BJP front

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a bid to put up an anti-BJP front ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections 2017, the Congress has managed to rope in OBC leader Alpesh Thakor into the party.

The party is also reaching out to the 24 year old Hardik Patel who is leading the stir for reservation in jobs and education for the influential Patidar community. The Congress says that it is confident of bagging the support of Patel.

Further the Congress will also reach out to Jignesh Mevani, the Dalit rights campaigner. The Congress is attempting to set up an anti-BJP front in Gujarat where polls are a few months away.

Thakor who heads the OBC, ST, SC Ekta Manch made the decision after a meeting with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. He told reporters after the meeting that Rahul would take part in their rally to be held on October 23.

The Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the Gujarat polls. The EC had however indicated that the polls in the state where the Congress has been out of power for 22 years will be held before December 18.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 6:01 [IST]
Demonetisation deliberate move by 'PayPM' to help his friends: Rahul Gandhi

If Cong is elected in HP, decision on 1 lakh govt jobs, pension scheme in 1st cabinet meet: Rahul

Himachal will vote for...: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's appeal to people on election day

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Yatra's impact not in Himachal, Guj polls but in 2024: Congress

Are Russian bots running Rahul Gandhis Twitter account? BJP wants to know

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Are bots running Rahul Gandhi's campaign on Twitter? The sudden rise of the Congress vice-president's popularity on Twitter has come in for questioning by the BJP.

Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani tweeted, tagging a news agency report suggesting use of fake retweets by the Congress, "Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan?"

The news agency had reported that a number of automated bots or web robots that can produce automated mass retweets with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic have been frequently retweeting Gandhi's posts on Twitter.

A Twitterbot is a software which may autonomously perform actions such as tweeting, retweeting, liking, following, unfollowing or direct messaging other accounts.

The agency report said that on October 15, "OfficeofRG" retweeted US President Donald Trump's tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption "Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug".

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged bots with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice-president's tweets.

Countering Irani's attack on Mr Gandhi, former MP and chief Congress social media cell Divya Spandana rubbished the reports on use of alleged bots.

In a tweet she said that the agency story "is factually wrong... can understand your eagerness to please the information and broadcasting minister and the 'Bots Janata Party'."

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 6:51 [IST]
Bihar: Woman gangraped in Hajipur; one person arrested

India

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Hajipur(Bihar), Oct 22: A woman was allegedly raped by an auto-rickshaw driver and another person near Kela Bazaar area of Hajipur town in Vaishali district, police said on Sunday.

The auto-rickshaw driver was arrested by the police after the woman identified him, Hajipur GRP, Station House Officer (SHO), Imran Alam said adding that the case has been handed over to the women's police station where an FIR has been lodged on the basis of the victim's statement.

The woman, a maid of a Patna High Court lawyer, was on her way to Patna from Hajipur in an auto-rickshaw whose driver and another person raped her at an isolated place near Kela bazar near Gandhi Setu under town police station of the district last night, the police officer said.

Both the persons threatened her with dire consequence if she would open her mouth with regard to the incident, he added. After the incident, the victim returned to Hajipur railway station in the same auto-rickshaw and she narrated her woes to the Hajipur GRP SHO, who arrested the auto-rickshaw driver while the person is absconding.

PTI
Can Aadhaar be linked with bank accounts? SC to decide

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Reserve Bank of India's decision to make linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts has come up before the Supreme Court. The petitioner has challenged the constitutional validity of this decision. The petition is likely to be heard this week.

Interestingly the writ came up before the SC a day after the RBI said that linking Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandatory under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The government has issued a gazette notification GSR 538(E) dated 1 June 2017 regarding Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, inter alia, making furnishing of Aadhaar (for those individuals who are eligible to be enrolled for Aadhaar) and permanent number (PAN) mandatory for opening a bank account," the RBI said.

The petition filed by Kalyani Menon Sen also challenged the validity of the circular which made it mandatory for citizens to link Aadhaar with their mobile numbers. Both the decisions are violative of an individual's right to privacy, the petitioner also contended.

She says in her petition that the decision to like Aadhaar with bank accounts by amending the rules under the PMLA is violative of the promise that parting with biometrics by individuals was on a voluntary basis.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 5:46 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 18:05:39|Editor: Yamei

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PYONGYANG, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday denounced South Korea for its "policy toward the north" as one destroying the inter-Korean relations and a product of ambition to stifle its compatriots in the north in collusion with the United States.

The official Rodong Sinmun said in an article that Seoul is taking advantage of the U.S. sanctions and pressure against Pyongyang, which is in close collaboration with the United States in its "maximum pressure and engagement" policy toward the DPRK.

It also charged that South Korea's policy of "simultaneously pushing ahead sanctions and pressure and dialogue" is "extremely contradictory and absurd sophism" and "an impudent act of deceiving the public opinion to cover up their confrontational nature."

"In fact, the puppet authorities, crying out that the 'north's access to nuclear weapons can never be allowed,' are desperately cooperating in the U.S. moves to ignite a nuclear war against the north," it said.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul remain tense since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office earlier this year.

The DPRK has condemned the series of U.S.-South Korean join military exercises as bringing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to a "touch-and-go" point.
Delhi: Man confesses to killing friend, storing body parts in fridge over affair with wife

India

oi-Madhuri

Delhi Police arrested a 31-year-oldman for allegedly murdering his co-worker, chopping his body and hiding it in a refrigerator after he suspected him of having an affair with his wife in South Delhi's Mehrauli. The man has been identified as Badal Mandal.

26-year-old Vipin Joshi, a native of Uttarakhand was hacked to death on October 15 and his dismembered body stuffed inside a fridge in south Delhi's Saidulajab area.

According to police, Badal told cops that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one would suspect him of killing Joshi, a senior police officer said.

On the day of the murder, Mandal took a meat cleaver from the restaurant and went to Joshi's home. They both then drank alcohol at his Mehrauli flat. Mandal then killed Joshi with the cleaver and then used the weapon to sever the dead body's head, police said.

Mandal then hid the body parts in a refrigerator and fled to his in-laws' house in Kolkata. He was leter arrested after one of the relative's of Badal informed the police.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 10:09 [IST]
Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

Gujarat assembly elections 2017: Two Hardik Patel supporters join BJP

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

There was a lot of drama in Gujarat as two aides of Hardik Patel joined the BJP. The two leaders joined the party just a few hours after the Congress wooed Patel into its fold.

Reshma Patel and Varun Patel met with BJP chief Amit Shah at Ahmedabad and made their decision to join the party which is in power in the state since the past 2 decades.

Earlier Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki said at a presser that he was confident that his party would win at least 125 seats. The BJP is trying to win the elections, but the Congress will stop its victory march, Solanki also said.

We respect as well as endorse the cause for which Hardik Patel is fighting. I appeal to Hardik to support the Congress during the polls. We are also ready to give him a ticket if he wants to fight elections in the future," Solanki told reporters.

However, speaking to ANI, Patel said that he could not contest elections because of his age, but agreed with the Congress to unite against the BJP.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 6:16 [IST]
FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K

In J&K, 14,000 dropouts find their way back to schools

One Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist gunned down in Jammu and Kashmir

PMs dream of development in J&K is becoming a reality: Puri

J&K: Militants hurl grenade at NC leaders house in Pulwama

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Militants on Sunday lobbed a grenade at the residence of a National Conference leader in Jammu and Kashmir.

Militants hurled grenades at the residence of Ex MLA Gulam Nabi Bhatt in Pulwama district's Tral area.

In the incident, ASI/GD of CRPF sustained splinter injury on the left-hand elbow but his condition is reported to be stable.

Earlier in the day, unidentified militants shot a woman at Seer village in Pulwama's Tral. In the wee hours of Sunday, militants had neutralised a terrorist in Handwara region.

On Thursday, militants had lobbed a grenade at PDP MLAs house in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. The grenade exploded at the compound of his residence and no casualties have been reported. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shopian AS Dinkar said no damage was caused due to the "mysterious blast."

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 17:25 [IST]
FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K

In J&K, 14,000 dropouts find their way back to schools

One Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist gunned down in Jammu and Kashmir

PMs dream of development in J&K is becoming a reality: Puri

J&K: One terrorist killed in encounter with security forces in Handwara

India

oi-Madhuri

One terrorist has been killed in an encounter with Security forces in Handwara's Hajin city of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. A counter-operation is currently underway in the area.

The Army also recovered grenade, rifle and Pakistani currency notes from terrorist killed in Handwara encounter.

The encounter began this morning after the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation following information about the presence of terrorists.

However, the slain terrorist has not been identified as yet. Meanwhile, two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants are believed to be hiding in the area.

The encounter came a day after terrorists attacked the house of People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mohd Ashraf Pir in Tral town of Pulwama.

OneIndia News
New India in making, infrastructure to be no less than US, Europe in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari

Party will stay away from proceedings: PDP writes to Delimitation Commission

J&K: PDP MLC leader Vikramaditya Singh resigns from party

India

oi-Madhuri

Vikramaditya Singh, People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and the son of senior Congress leader Dr. Karan Singh resigned from the party on Sunday. Singh posted his resignation letter of social media sites including Twitter and Facebook.

He is son of senior Congress leader Karan Singh who is J&K's former Sadr-e-Riyasat.

Today I resign from the J&K Peoples Democratic Party and from the Legislative Council. Sharing my letter of resignation to the honble CM. pic.twitter.com/jFL8RjB7nE  Vikramaditya Singh (@vikramaditya_JK) October 22, 2017

In his resignation letter addressed to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minster, Singh cited the reason of his resignation as disharmony in views between him and his party.

He wrote, "the question of illegal settlement of Rohingyas in the state, the inclusion of the period of pertaining to Dogra rule and contribution made by the rulers in the state text books and the demand for public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh."

"It is clear that the PDP has rejected these issues that strongly reflect the sentiments of people in Jammu region," his resignation letter further added.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 12:26 [IST]
Kerala: Man molests woman in Kozhikode; accused on run

India

oi-Madhuri

In a shocking incident, a man attempted to molest a woman in in Kerala's Kozhikode on October 18. The entire incident has been captured on a CCTV camera installed at the spot, the video of which has gone viral on social media.

Following the outrage on social media over the gruesome assault, police registered a case in the matter.

It is leanrt that the incident happened on October 18 at around 3pm, when the girl who is a college student, was walking down the deserted YMCA road.

In the video, the man is seen walking infront and sneaking up on the girl and attempting to grope her. However, as she raised an alarm, the man runs away.

A case has been registered against an unidentified man for attempting to molest a woman in Kozhikode's Nadakkavu. accused yet to be arrested.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 11:45 [IST]
'Mersal' has addressed important issue: Rajinikanth

India

pti-PTI

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday lauded the crew of actor Vijay's starrer 'Mersal', saying the film has addressed an important issue.

However in a terse Twitter message, he did not explicitly refer to any specific issue, although the film has courted controversy over Goods and Services Tax, with BJP claiming that there have been incorrect references to the central taxation.

"Important topic addressed..... Well done!!! congratulations team#mersal' Rajinikanth said in a brief tweet.

Diwali release "Mersal" has kicked up a row with the BJP taking exception to references on GST in the movie.

BJP leaders, including Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, have been demanding that the "incorrect" references be deleted from the big-budget flick.

However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his senior colleague P Chidambaram, DMK working president M K Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.

The BJP had on October 20 objected to what it termed as "untruths" regarding the GST in just-released "Mersal", and wanted dialogues on the central taxation to be deleted.

Actor Vishal had earlier accused Raja of advocating piracy by watching the movie online, a charge rejected by latter.

PTI
Fact Check: PM Modi never told ICC to replay the India-England semi-final game at T20 World Cup

PM Modi meets UK PM Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of G20 summit in Bali

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What PM Modi said after meeting world leaders at G20 Summit

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Modi in Gujarat: PM launches 615 cr Ro-Ro ferry service in Ghogha

India

oi-Madhuri

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Gujarat on Sunday for the third time this month, as the BJP pulls out all the stops ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Modi inaugurated first phase of the Rs. 615 crore roll-on roll-off ferry service service in Ghogha by remote control.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said,''Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro service is a significant project. He congratulates the state government on the occasion.''

The ferry service, which will reduce the distance between the two towns from 310 kilometres by road to 30 kilometres, his "dream project".

PM will also address a gathering in Ghogha and undertake a journey to Dahej from Ghogha on the ferry.

In Vadodara, Modi will inaugurate eight different projects worth Rs 1,140 crore. Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Vinod Rao said Modi will dedicate to people a Rs 100-crore city command and control centre in Badamadi Garden, Rs 125-crore Janmahal city transport hub and multi-level parking (under PPP), a Rs 160 crore multi-modal city transport hub, Rs 267 crore waste-to-energy processing plant.

This will be his third visit to the poll-bound state in October. A week ago, on October 16, he had visited Gujarat and had addressed party workers at a village near Gandhinagar.

Before that he had visited Gujarat to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various development projects in Rajkot, Vadnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch.

He also held a roadshow in his hometown Vadnagar on October 8.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)
PM Modi, Xi Jinping greet each other at G-20 dinner in first meet after Galwan clash

Opposition has no authority to question EC: PM Modi in Gujarat

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Gujarat on Sunday for the third time this month, addressed a public meeting at Vadadora after inaugurating a number of projects and laying foundation stones.

Taking a dig at Congress, PM Modi said that the "Opposition had no right to question the Election Commission, which has found itself in the eye of a controversy for its decision to hold back the dates of the Gujarat Assembly election."

On October 12, the EC had announced Assembly poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh but did not announce the dates for Gujarat, only saying that it would go to the polls before December 18.

This has been questioned by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, senior leader P Chidambaram and some others in the Congress party.

"Some of them (Opposition) are worried why Modi is coming to Gujarat after Diwali. They can't say anything to me, so they are targeting the Election Commission," the prime minister said and asked the gathering, "You tell me, should I not come to Vadodara?"

To hit out at the Congress, Modi referred to the recent Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat in which Congress leader Ahmed Patel won by defeating BJP's Balwantsinh Rajput.

"In the recent election, votes were counted and TV channels were showing who is the victor, but they (Congress) did something after which a recount took place in which they won," Modi said.

"Those who won in the recount are now asking the Election Commission why Modi is going to Gujarat," he said.

"They do not have any moral right to ask this question to the Election Commission," Modi said.

The Congress has alleged that the NDA government had pressurised the EC to delay the announcement of Gujarat election schedule, so that the prime minister could offer sops to his home state before the model code of conduct came into force.

"EC has authorised PM to announce date of Gujarat elections at his last rally (and kindly keep EC informed)," said a sarcastic tweet by Chidambaram.

The prime minister proceeded to the airport with a roadshow across the city, passing through Alkapuri, Fatehgunj areas.

The 14 km stretch from Navlakhi ground to Vadodara airport was cordoned off for Narendra Modi's road show.

OneIndia News
Pune: 2-year-old girl sexually assaulted, murdered after being abducted

India

pti-PTI

Pune, Oct 22: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl, who went missing from near her home in Pune, was found dead, police said today. The police feared that she may have been abducted and strangulated. The toddler went missing from near her house close to a farm off Sinhgad Road late last night following which her parents, who are daily wage labourers, approached the police.

She was found dead early this morning about 500 metres from her house, a police official said.

"Prima facie, it seems that the girl was strangulated as there are marks on her neck. Some residents living in the vicinity of the farm spotted the body this morning," an official at the Sinhgad Road police station said.

"A case of kidnapping was registered immediately. This morning, the girl was found dead near the farm behind a housing society off Sinhgad Road," he said.

Asked if the child was sexually assaulted, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Swargate division, Shivaji Pawar said it was yet to be ascertained as the medical report was awaited. "We have registered a case on charges of kidnapping and murder. An investigation into the case is underway," Pawar said.

However, according to the latest reports, the girl was sexually assaulted and then was murdered.

PTI
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 18:05:40|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress has received good wishes from foreign leaders, political parties and organizations around the world.

The messages speak highly of the CPC's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions, and express full confidence that the CPC will lead China to even greater prosperity.

The following is an edited version of some of these messages.

Peter Goodfellow, president of the New Zealand National Party

The 19th CPC National Congress will be of great significance to China's socio-economic development in the next five years and beyond. New Zealand welcomes China's Belt and Road Initiative and looks forward to extensive and in-depth cooperation with China under the initiative.

0 Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) and former prime minister

China has made remarkable achievements in development under the strong and capable leadership of the Central Committee of the CPC, and the 19th CPC National Congress will continue guiding China to achieve the great goal of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian Congress Party

The 19th CPC National Congress is of vital importance during China's decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society and key period of developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. India would like to extend its best wishes to the Central Committee of the CPC and wishes the 19th CPC National Congress a complete success.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, president of Thailand's Democratic Party and former prime minister

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Central Committee of the CPC, with Xi Jinping as the core, has comprehensively strengthened party discipline and cracked down on corruption, and has achieved great accomplishments in promoting reform and development.

Vukota Govedarica, president of the Serb Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The 19th CPC National Congress has great significance for the future development of the world, because it defines China's prospects and seeks to build a thriving society and realize the Chinese Dream.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

China enjoys high prestige on the international stage and plays an important role in solving international and regional hotspot issues. The tasks determined at the 19th CPC National Congress will surely be completed, helping China realize sustained prosperity and development.

Ichiro Ozawa, head of Japan's Liberal Party

China has made remarkable achievements in various fields under the leadership of the Central Committee of the CPC with Xi Jinping as the core. The great idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind is of profound significance.

Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany

The 19th CPC National Congress is of special importance, as it will advance with greater courage and foresight the reforms aimed at promoting economic innovation and social progress, to the benefit of the people of both China and the world.

Gregor Gysi, president of the Party of the European Left

The CPC will make greater achievements under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the 19th CPC National Congress will further define the direction for China to push forward various undertakings in the future.

Keiko Fujimori, president of Peru's Popular Force party

The Central Committee of the CPC with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has been staying true to the mission and leading its people towards realizing the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream.
Put Aadhaar linking with bank accounts on hold: Bankers association

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The public sector banks' officer union has demanded that the mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts must be put on hold. The union said that no such decision could be made in the wake of the matter pending before the Supreme Court.

Another organisation All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has also registered their protest against instructions given by some of the banks to designate certain branches as special cells for enrolment of Aadhaar.

The government should make it clear before the common citizens of the country that the seeding of Aadhaar is purely voluntary and not mandatory, All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said in a statement.

The advisory to this effect should also be passed to all the stakeholders. We also demand that the government should look for alternatives or add more workforce into banks to implement Aadhaar related works in the public sector banks," AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco said.

Earlier in the day, Reserve Bank of India said linkage of biometric identity number Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandatory.

The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts.

AIBOC further contested that the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was meant to cover targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services that were paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Moreover, it said the Aadhaar Act prescribed that enrolment was entirely voluntary.

If the act of getting an Aadhaar card is voluntary under the law, it wondered, how can the government make it mandatory for continued access to banking and telecom facilities that were not covered by the Act in the first place.

At a time when the resources of the public sector banks are under severe strain, employing their resources on Aadhaar seeding will further constrain them in their efforts of recovery of NPAs, which eventually will further deteriorate the health, it said.

"At present, this work is being done by some private agencies and bank premises are being used by them. Latest instructions are to disengage these private agencies and entrust the Aadhaar enrolment/updation work entirely to the bank staff," AIBEA said.

This is unacceptable since the bank staff are overburdened due to inadequate recruitment and increased volume of work of implementing various government schemes, among other things, it said.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 6:06 [IST]
Ramdas Athawale says will support BJP in Gujarat elections

India

pti-PTI

Thane, Oct 22: The RPI (Athawale), an ally of the BJP, has said it will support the saffron party in the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat. RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale also advised the Shiv Sena to "not to quarrel" with the BJP and slammed the MNS for its anti-hawker agitation.

"We will ensure the BJP gets the maximum number of seats and also the largest vote share in the coming elections in Gujarat," he said. Athawale was addressing a press conference at Mira Road last night. The Union minister said the Shiv Sena should "not pick up quarrel" with the BJP and both parties should fight the future elections together.

Athawale criticised the Raj Thackeray-led MNS for its drive to forcibly evict illegal hawkers from parts of Thane district "The MNS workers, instead of attacking hawkers, should go to border and fight the enemies." He said the issue of illegal hawking can be tackled by police and the local administration.

The Dalit leader said to protect hawkers the RPI activists will come out on roads. A large number of common people make their purchases from hawkers, he said, adding the government should come out with a policy for them.

PTI
The joy of our lives: Sushma Swaraj's husband warm birthday wishes for late leader

Remembering Sushma Swaraj on her death anniversary: Facts about Iron Lady of India

Return of displaced persons can restore normalcy: Sushma on Rohingya crisis

International

oi-PTI

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday expressed deep concern at the spate of violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar's Rakhine State.

Nearly 600,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State where the army has launched a crackdown against militants.

Myanmar doesn't recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

Bangladesh has sought India's "sustained pressures" on Myanmar for its resolution.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State," Swaraj said after talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commission.

She, however, preferred not to use the word "Rohingya" and said "we have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population".

Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.

"It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state.

"The only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the State," she said.

Ali said Dhaka was "happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian cause related to Rohingyas in Bangladesh".

"We further urged India to contribute towards exerting sustained pressure on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the including sustainable return of all Rohingyas to their motherland," he said.

India has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities, Swaraj said.

India has supported implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan-led Special Advisory Commission report.

India and Bangladesh today discussed the common challenge of terrorism and resolved to fight the scourge together even as New Delhi reaffirmed its status as a reliable development partner of Dhaka.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, October 22, 2017, 21:13 [IST]
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By adigal

Edited to add: Thank you all for your support. I truly felt alone after hearing all of the bootlicking journalists sing Kelly's praises. You all really helped.

Now they all have egg on their faces cause their shining White Knight lied and Sociopath Sarah claims they can't question a 4-star General. Heh.

I am not one of those who think that Gen Kelly is some sort of a savior. I know that he had a terrible record at DHS. I know he enabled Trump's lie about 3 million illegal voters. I know that he "joked" about using a ceremonial sword on the media. I thought he was probably more like Trump than most thought. I have seen this, and know who this man basically is.

But still. I didn't expect that he was such an aggressive racist, a vicious woman hater, a bigot who was either proud of his bigotry or so ensconced in it that he doesn't even understand how his words would sound. I listened to Gen. Kelly's defense of Trump yesterday. I have to be honest: I haven't been this upset since we were lied into the Iraq War. There are many reasons for this, and many layers.

First is that Trump didn't ever know Sgt. Johnson's name. This was obvious, even the day after he was called on for his horrendous phone call to Mrs. Johnson. He still didn't mention Johnson's name, or Mrs. Johnson's name. That seems to be OK with Kelly.

Then Trump went and attacked a US Congresswoman. Typical Trump. We expect this from the sociopath. And it barely registers anymore, which is upsetting. But then Kelly came in.

When John Kelly, ex-General of the USMC, got up and viciously, forcefully, almost gleefully ripped apart a member of the US Congress, a dear friend of a dead soldier, a mentor, a woman, a black woman, I wanted to throw up. I am still somewhat nauseous. The hatred and vitriol in his voice, calling her an "empty barrel," (which Lawrence O'Donnell has noted is racist) then calling her "this woman" and refusing to use her name, further dehumanizing her. Lying that she was somehow "spying" on the phone call. Lying about her involvement with a building she was instrumental in naming. Saying she came out back then in "her all that" or something close (I can't find the quote right now) which I took as his mocking the way she dresses, as though he is the arbiter of women's dress.

He was "stunned" that Congresswoman Wilson was listening in. Let's put aside the fact that a 4-star General was stunned at such a normal thing and what that tells us about his experiences in life. Let's focus on the fact that it is the widow's choice who to have with her. The mother's choice. And they chose Congresswoman Wilson. Then he implied that the family just didn't understand what Trump said, as if the fault lies with the poor, dumb (black) widow, and not the POTUS, who should know better. There was more that made me sick.

Women used to be "sacred." Notwithstanding who Kelly works for, and what he has said and done to women, this was proudly and arrogantly stated by Kelly, as though this is something lost. Sacred? Like we should be put up on a pedestal, fragile little flowers, protected by the big strong white men, who kept us out of colleges, out of management positions, at home, pregnant, barefoot.

He is such an old white sexist he didn't even understand how offensive this was. (and I'm older, so I am not being ageist about him.) Not allowing anyone to ask any questions except those who are Gold Star families or friends. Clearly implying that those in service are superior to those who aren't. Gold Star families ARE sacred. Except, in Kelly's view, those who question Trump: Mrs. Johnson. The Khan family.

Speaking of the Khan family... Kelly said that Gold Star families were sacred until the convention last year. The bootlicking media is trying to spin this as though he was talking about Trump taking on the Khan family. I had a different read on it. I felt he meant that the Khan family politicized their son's death, and they were at fault. Oh, and they are also people of color. Like the Johnsons. So at fault. Coincidence? Not likely.

So many offensive aspects to that screed yesterday. So much to unpack. And then the media reaction. The bootlicking. The discussion of how dignified he was. How "presidential." As though white supremacy, bigotry, sexism are desirable traits.

The media have fed into this belief that Kelly is somehow this Savior of our Republic. The White Knight -- literally White. The brave man who will wrestle Trump to the ground when he tries to burn down the universe. They covered for Kelly, they made him out to be somehow explaining Trump to us in a compassionate and clear way.

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This should really be required viewing for everyone in the western hemisphere. I just happened to take it out of my local library, and despite some prior knowledge of the basic origins of Islam (with which Part I is primarily concerned) it was Part II, "The Awakening", where I got my first real glimpse of a truly alternative view of the history of the entire world.

I, in fact, watched the first part with my conservative brother-in-law (from Idaho) who viewed it with a bemused smile on his face, and at one point said "this is a really skewed version of the truth, and I will give you my take on it when it is over."

I doubt he'll ever even bother to watch Part II (I've yet to see the third part myself, quite frankly).

So, I encourage anyone who attempts to watch this video not to be discouraged from continuing after viewing only Part I, and to watch the second part in its entirety. You'd have to be either born a Muslim, or have attended a very "progressive" school, indeed, to be familiar with what is revealed.

I imagine many people will hold my brother-in-law's opinion while viewing the first part of the documentary. Particularly those whose "take" on Muslims is primarily formed by media accounts of so called "violent acts of radical Islamic fundamentalism".

All I would request is to "hang in there" for what I would assume, for most people (such as myself), will be a real eye-opener...

(And kudos to PBS for having the courage to broadcast something like this!)

(Article changed on October 21, 2017 at 22:06)

(Article changed on October 21, 2017 at 23:49)
(Vision, Insight, Path, Impetus)

Serendipty -- noun--Unexpected good fortune, the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for, the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way, a natural gift for making useful discoveries by accident, the lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance.

The word serendipity derives from a story, The Three Princes of Serendip, first published in 1557 in Venice by an enterprising printer called Michele Tramezzinoby. The slightly modified version of the story with which we shall concern ourselves is the story of 3 princes who are sent out by their father the King to seek their fortune. They ride off in different directions with open hearts, high confidence and great anticipation. Each encounters various challenges and each eventually finds good fortune in the form of princesses, kingdoms and riches in wholly unexpected ways.

Unfortunately, unreported in the story was the fact that at the same time there were thousands of other princes, not from the Kingdom of Serendip, sent out by their own fathers to seek their own fame and fortune, with similarly open hearts, high confidence and great anticipation, who fared not nearly so well. As they traveled their own paths, sooner or later, after much progress or little, in dramatic ways or subtle, each stopped progressing, having become enmeshed in invisible, sticky, impediments. Some princes lost their way early on in their journey, sometimes in spectacular fashion. Sometimes these impediments were so subtle that some of our princes who had already traveled far were wholly unaware that they were at all encumbered. These princes settled down where they had stopped, sometimes proud and happy with how far they had come, blissfully unaware that their ultimate potential destination had not been reached. Others who had traveled equally far were only vaguely aware of the source of a nagging dissatisfaction with their accomplishments.

Some of these princes, without any of the statistically anomalous luck enjoyed by their serendipitous brethren, made their way home with equally fabulous riches, fame and princesses. For in addition to open hearts, high confidence and great anticipation they each had other gifts that enabled their success. Happily, each left these gifts to their own children who, each and every one, went on to complete successful journeys of their own.

Less happily, all but one of the progeny of the three Princes of Serendip came to a bad end while waiting for thunderous good fortune to strike once again. The last son of the last Prince of Serendip had watched all of his brothers and sisters and cousins either rush off blithely to their doom or waste away in self-satisfied idleness squandering their inheritance on Picketh IV tickets.

This Son of Serendip decided to find a way to make his own luck. He decided to study the paths of other princes and princesses and find the secrets of self-created serendipity.

Vision -- A clear idea of where you want to go

The prince left the kingdom, disguised himself as a lowly scribe and offered to act as a chronicler to other princes from other kingdoms as they set out on their own quests. The first prince that took up his offer was Prince Myop.

Prince Myop was brilliant, fearless, handsome and strong. He said, "Come Scribe, chronicle my victories as I make my fortune." They made their way out of town where he grabbed Prince Seren by the arm. "Look, Scribe, a damsel being harried by scoundrels; prepare to document my first glory." After bravely chasing a group of drunken farm boys away from a milk maid and accepting her lukewarm thanks, he looked up and pointed to bear clawing a tree in a wood. Charging at the bear with a bloodcurdling scream he fearlessly engaged it in battle for a goodly time matching the bear strength for strength, speed for speed and ferocity for ferocity before the bear turned and ran. Never had Prince Seren seen the match of skill, strength and courage. While catching his breath Prince Myop spied a magnificent stag further into the forest and gave chase. After killing the stag he hoist it onto his shoulders and looked up when he caught sight of a band of outlaws carrying bags of ill-gotten gain. Dropping the stag, he confronted them and fighting like a fearless demon he dispatched all 12 in a trice. Finding that the thieves' spoils were composed of corn meal, chickens and a small pig, he let the pig and the chickens go, left the meal in the clearing and ran down a nearby forest path at a dizzying speed. The path led through a dangerous swamp where Prince Myop bravely fended off alligators and snakes while carrying "the scribe" on his shoulders. Just before nightfall, when their strength was failing them and they thought they would die of thirst, the swamp transitioned into a pleasant wood. Following a path in the last light they came to the rear of a large estate. Joyfully they rushed to the gate and called for entrance where they were welcomed back into Prince Myop's castle from whence they had left that morning.

Insight -- A clear idea of where you are

Prince Seren left Prince Myop's castle the next day in low spirits. If such a man with such strengths could struggle and fail so quickly, what could he possibly learn that would enable him to succeed?

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From Consortium News



President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at joint press conference on Feb. 15. 2017.

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President Donald Trump's new Iran policy clearly represents a dangerous rejection of diplomacy in favor of confrontation. But it's more than that: It's a major shift toward a much closer alignment of U.S. policy with that of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Whether explicitly or not, Trump's vow to work with Congress to renegotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, and his explicit threat to withdraw from the deal if no renegotiation takes place, appear to be satisfying the hardline demands Netanyahu has made of Washington's policy toward Tehran.

Specifically, Netanyahu has continued to demand that Trump either withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or make far-reaching changes that he knows are impossible to achieve. In Netanyahu's Sept. 19 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu declared, "Israel's policy toward the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it." And he made no secret of what that meant: If Trump doesn't "cancel" the deal, he must get rid of its "sunset clause" and demand that Iran end its advanced centrifuges and long-range missile program, among other fundamentally unattainable objectives.

Trump's statement on Oct. 13 managed to include both of the either/or choices that Netanyahu had given him. He warned that, if Congress and America's European allies do not agree on a plan to revise the deal, "then the agreement will be terminated." He added that the agreement "is under continuous review," and our participation "can be canceled by me, as president at any time."

One provision the administration wants Congress to put into amended legislation would allow sanctions to be imposed if Iran crosses certain "trigger points," which would include not only nuclear issues but the Israeli demand that Iran stop its long-range missile program. Ballistic missiles were never included in the JCPOA negotiations for an obvious reason: Iran has the same right to develop ballistic missiles as any other independent state, and it firmly rejected pro forma demands by the Barack Obama administration to include the issue in negotiations.

Trump went a long way towards Netanyahu's "cancel" option by refusing last week to certify that Iran was keeping up its end of the JPCOA. That move signaled his intention to scrap the central compromise on which the entire agreement rests.

Although the Middle East is very different today than during the George W. Bush administration, some parallels can be found in comparing Trump's policy toward the JCPOA and Bush's policy toward Iran during the early phase of its uranium enrichment program.

The Likud Wing

The key figures who had primary influence on both Trump's and Bush's Iran policies held views close to those of Israel's right-wing Likud Party. The main conduit for the Likudist line in the Trump White House is Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, a primary foreign policy adviser, and a longtime friend and supporter of Netanyahu. Kushner's parents are also long-time supporters of Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank.

Another figure to whom the Trump White House has turned is John Bolton, undersecretary of state and a key policymaker on Iran in the Bush administration. Although Bolton was not appointed Trump's Secretary of State, as he'd hoped, he suddenly reemerged as a player on Iran policy thanks to his relationship with Kushner. Politico reports that Bolton met with Kushner a few days before the final policy statement was released and urged a complete withdrawal from the deal in favor of his own plan for containing Iran.

Bolton spoke with Trump by phone the day before the speech about the paragraph in the deal that vowed it would be "terminated" if there weren't any renegotiation, according to Politico. He was calling Trump from Las Vegas, where he'd been meeting with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the third major figure behind Trump's shift towards Israeli issues.

Adelson is a Likud supporter who has long been a close friend of Netanyahu's and has used his Israeli tabloid newspaper Israel Hayom to support Netanyahu's campaigns. He was Trump's main campaign contributor in 2016, donating $100 million. Adelson's real interest has been in supporting Israel's interests in Washington -- especially with regard to Iran.

In a public appearance in Israel in 2013, when Adelson was asked about his view on negotiating with Tehran, he suggested dropping a nuclear weapon on a desert in Iran and then saying to the Iranians, "See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development...."

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From Our Future

Economically, culturally, strategically, and morally, Donald Trump's obsessive efforts to ban Muslim immigrants and refugees from the United States have impoverished us all. His most recent attempt proves it.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Hawaii partially blocked Trump's third attempt at a Muslim ban, saying that it failed to provide "sufficient findings" to support the argument that allowing immigration from six Muslim-majority nations would harm the United States.

The judge, Derrick K. Watson, cited a Trump campaign document that said, "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

On Wednesday a judge in Maryland issued a similar ruling, calling the Administration's actions "an inextricable re-animation of the twice-enjoined Muslim ban."

Trump's record is unambiguous. He has issued a long-running stream of ignorant and bigoted comments against Muslims, including:

"I think Islam hates us." (It does not.)

"We have a problem in this country; it's called Muslims. We know our current president (Obama) is one." (We do not. He is not.)

"I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down." (They did not.)

Candidate Trump said that he would not rule out creating a database of all Muslims in the country. He said he would expel all Syrian refugees, despite the fact that it was American military policy that made them refugees in the first place.

He said, "They could be ISIS, I don't know. This could be one of the great tactical ploys of all time. "Later he said, "This could make the Trojan horse look like peanuts."

If you say you're going to discriminate against all members of a certain religion, and then keep issuing travel bans that almost exclusively affect only members of that religion, it turns out that judges remember what you said, take you at your word, and conclude that's what you meant to do.

Trump argues that his ban makes us safer, but a bipartisan group of national security officials filed an affidavit in response to his first attempt at a Muslim ban that said, in part...

"We view the Order as one that ultimately undermines the national security of the United States, rather than making us safer ... It could do long-term damage to our national security and foreign policy interests, endangering U.S. troops in the field and disrupting counterterrorism and national security partnerships. It will aid ISIL's propaganda effort and serve its recruitment message by feeding into the narrative that the United States is at war with Islam ... It will have a damaging humanitarian and economic impact on the lives and jobs of American citizens and residents."

Some of these officials oversaw highly aggressive and ill-advised military actions in the Middle East, as well as substantial intrusions into civil liberties at home. They are not predisposed to "give peace a chance," or to err on the side of privacy and other ideals. They may not be credible on every issue, but if they say Trump's ban makes us less safe, there's every reason to believe them.

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From The Hill



American Flags

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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

These words tell timeless truths about the nation we love, a nation that is stronger when we are united and endangered when we are divided, and a nation where liberty and justice are the equal birthright of all.

By contrast President Trump, from the moment he took office, has acted like the president of 35 percent of our people, demonizing and ostracizing huge numbers of Americans, deliberately dividing Americans against each other, fomenting hatred and fear of American against American, seeking to tear apart the fabric of our diverse society and violate the patriotic vision of Americanism upon which our Pledge of Allegiance is based.

We now learn from criminal and counterintelligence investigations, and reporting in the free press of America, that a chosen tactic of the Russian dictator attacking democracy is to foment hatred of American against American, race against race, and religion against religion.

This Russian tactic of stirring up racial and religious hatred in America, designed in part to elect an American president who has been praised by Nazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan, who have reciprocated with chants of "Russia is our friend" at white supremacist rallies, has found a powerful ally in the Oval Office who even slanders his predecessors in the presidency.

Serious journalists, historians and psychiatrists should publicly consider the unnatural and destructive hatred that obsesses President Trump about former President Obama, and how this hatred has contributed to Trump's dangerous and irresponsible actions, from launching a wrecking ball attack against health care in America to ripping apart international agreements and increasing the dangers of environmental destruction and war.

Trump hurts America, and helps our enemies, when he tells the lie that previous presidents of both parties did not care enough for troops who gave their lives in service and the families who love them.

While Russian intelligence continues its attack against our democracy, Trump hurts America when he compares intelligence officers who defend our democracy to Nazi Germany, describes those investigating the Russian crime as pursuing a hoax, treats Gold Star families as political tools, accuses those who report the news of being enemies of the people, and wages aggressive war against the American and democratic notion of an informed citizenry making democratic decisions after an informed and respectful debate based on facts, truth and science.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's project is to destroy the underpinnings of democratic values and the credibility of democratic institutions. Almost every day, whether he understands this or not, Trump is both a beneficiary and ally of Putin's attack against America.

Trump hurts America when he falsely attacks the patriotism of black players in the NFL, a seamy tactic that has been reportedly embraced by the Russian cyberwar attack against America that has turned its bigoted aggression against the NFL.

Trump divided America, hurt America and alienated America from friendly nations when he described Hispanic immigrants as rapists and criminals. Trump hurts America, endangers our democratic allies and increases the risk of war when he attacks a long and growing list of international agreements.

Trump hurts America, including many Americans who voted for him, when he systematically attacks our health-care system without any cogent alternative through reckless actions that most experts believe is destructive in the extreme to the health of the nation.

Trump hurts our national security when he praises foreign dictators, repels democratic allies, personally attacks and threatens the chairmen of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, and undermines our secretary of State during delicate and critical negotiations.

Trump hurts America when he violates a cardinal tenet of our Pledge of Allegiance by dividing race against race, religion against religion, neighbor against neighbor, American against American and undermines the great patriotic notion that America is one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.
Anti-riot police beef up security during the bi-weekly protest by the opposition in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Oct. 16, 2017. NASA supporters continue to demonstrate against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials, despite the opposition leader Raila Odinga pulling out of the scheduled Oct. 26 presidential re-run, and demanding fresh elections in the next three months. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)

NAIROBI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to beef up security across the country to ensure next week's presidential election is peaceful.

Kenyatta, who addressed the nation on Friday during celebrations to mark the Heroes Day in Nairobi, urged Kenyans to stand up and reject leaders who are scheming to plunge the country into chaos.

"As we prepare for the presidential election on Oct. 26, it is important that we maintain peace, just as we did and have done before. Voting to elect leaders of our choice is a right that was hard won by our forefathers, which we should guard it jealously," he said.

Kenyatta said his government will not tolerate chaos disguised as exercise of freedom to create suffering in the country.

He said those calling for some Kenyans to stay away from the polls were against the ideals that the country's forefathers struggled and died for.

"To those threatening and intimidating the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), its staff and other entities, this must cease forthwith. We must trust, nurture and safeguard our institutions to enable them to grow and perform their functions," he said.

The warning comes amid the poll standoff between the ruling coalition led by Kenyatta and the Opposition coalition, the National Super Alliance (NASA) after its leader Raila Odinga withdrew from the repeat polls accusing the IEBC for failing to implement reforms requested by them.

Odinga argued that the mistakes that brought about the annulment of the vote was most likely to be repeated because reforms have not been taken at the electoral body.

The opposition leader has since urged the IEBC to postpone in light of the ongoing political turmoil and disagreements among the stakeholders, urging his supporters to stay away from the Oct. 26 presidential elections.

After the Aug. 8 election, Odinga contested the outcome, claiming that election officials rigged the vote in favor of Kenyatta.

The Supreme Court on Sept. 1 annulled presidential race results in a verdict that sent shockwaves to many and reverberated across the world.

However, Kenyatta said Kenya has a constitution that guarantees many rights but it was saddening that those freedoms are being used to perpetuate impunity and create anarchy.

He said Kenya has had a second peaceful election since 2007 and that the government will not allow a repeat of the painful past where lives and properties were lost.

"We vowed never to repeat the regrettable events that almost sunk us. We must, therefore, wake up and say "No" to any misleading leader out to plunge Kenya into chaos. Kenyans have the choice and means of resisting such leaders and their evil schemes, and should do it now," Kenyatta said.

He said the East Africa needs to move forward and away from the unending campaign mood and called on Kenyans to exercise their democratic right on Oct. 26 to defend their inalienable right to vote for the leader of their choice.

Kenyatta said the government is ready to counter any threats to national security during and after the Oct. 26 fresh presidential elections. He said the security apparatus has been enhanced and appropriately deployed to maintain law and order.

"The law will apply equally to all regardless of social class, political position and no one will be spared. For those who thrive in chaos and relish anarchy, your days are numbered; the law will take its course and sanction you accordingly," said the president.

He said Kenyans chose to remain peaceful, allowing democracy to prevail despite all forms of incitement targeted at the majority.

While Odinga has argued that there will be no election on Oct. 26 after his withdrawal, Kenyatta has insisted the poll will go as planned and threatened to deal with troublemakers.

Kenyatta said he has personally shown his respect for the law by accepting the annulment of his clear victory and subsequently offering himself for re-election.

He urged Kenyans to vote for him so that his government can continue with its transformational development projects.

The current standoff between Odinga and Kenyatta supporters has divided many Kenyans with a good number of citizens living in the capital Nairobi planning to take their children and other family members to their rural areas where they believe they would be safer.
From Alternet

The West continues to throw gasoline on its fires.



Twin-Explosion in southeastern Kobane

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News comes like a hurricane. Iraqi forces take Kirkuk, while Syrian Democratic Forces seize Raqqa. Ai Weiwei releases a film about refugees, while refugees continue to trek across the Sahara Desert and across the lip that divides Myanmar from Bangladesh. Puerto Rico still has no power, while a cyclonic storm hits Ireland. U.S. troops die in Niger, a massive bomb kills hundreds in Mogadishu (Somalia), the Taliban attacks in Paktia and Ghazni (Afghanistan). A sensation of dread fills the air over the potential of another illegal American war, this time against Iran or North Korea or both.

It is difficult to digest. There seems to be too much sorrow, too much pain, too little understanding of how to turn these stories from tragedy into hope.

It would seem obvious that the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa should allow for celebration. But even here, for those who follow this story, there is hesitation. That "victory" comes paired with the events in Kirkuk, showing that the aftermath of the defeat of ISIS is going to be as complex and difficult as the war against ISIS. Borders are shifting, States are consolidating their territory. Will the Syrian Arab Army now move north towards Raqqa and clash with the Syrian Democratic Forces, just as the Turkish Army might move south to dampen the ambitions of the Kurds who are the dominant power in the Syrian Democratic Forces? Will the Kurdish Question -- so long suppressed -- be the next powder keg to explode across fragile West Asia?

What to make of the deaths in Somalia and in Afghanistan, shocking numbers dead, shocking that they have made so little dent in the consciousness of the West. It is hard for the West to acknowledge the bare humanity of the dead Somalis and the dead Afghans. Their names have not been noted, their lives difficult to understand. It is as if there is wall that separates our human species being, those who live in zones of great war and tragedy are separated from those who live with the illusion of peace, in countries that produce the conditions for war but deny that they have a hand in it. So easy for the Western public to ignore the bombings in Afghanistan, a country wrecked most recently by a Western war.

Even easier to ignore Somalia, whose descent into warlordism is fundamentally linked to overfishing of corporate trawlers inside Somalia's territorial waters and interventions by foreign powers (including the United States). None of this complicity matters. All that one registers is that there were deaths there, a passivity that suggests that there will always be death there and that they have cultural problems that they have to sort out.

There will never be hashtags for these Afghans and Somalis, nor indeed will their flags fly anywhere (what do their flags even look like?). It is easier for Western consumers of the news to imagine themselves at a cafe' in Paris or on the Ramblas in Barcelona; attacks there cut to the core, reflect the humanity at one side of the division. Harder to imagine being in central Mogadishu or at the district administration building in Ghazni. Those who are there are on the other side of the international division of humanity.

What to make of the refugee crisis, the flood that will continue to grow and bedevil the West? These refugees are again anonymous bodies, huddled together, desperation as their motif. There is something timeless about Salah Jaheen's poem on a Palestinian refugee, "Caging his suffering within his ribs/Withered and starving/Sitting around doing nothing."

But this futility is not enough. Jaheen looks at the refugees and writes, "and in the line, there are a thousand families/and five hundred thousand sorrows." Sorrow is what strikes the poet, but surely there is more there, as any of us who have written stories about refugees know. There is expectation and anticipation, for if these did not exist in the minds of the refugee, then the refugee would not have bothered with the long trek.

The fact of the refugee migration and of war is undeniable. But what is bewildering is why the refugees are on the move and why there are wars. It is always convenient to rest the blame on culture: the Shias and the Sunnis do not get along or the Turks hate the Kurds or that Islam has a violent streak that cannot be moderated. These are the reflexive, and racist, explanations for a reality that should be understood not only through cultural explanations, but also through explanations that are available and yet ignored.

Hunger

On Monday, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) celebrated its founding in 1945 with World Food Day. Last month, the FAO released a sobering report that has received far too little attention. In its report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017, the FAO showed that global hunger has risen for the first time in a decade, with its figures showing that 815 million people around the planet suffer from hunger. That's more than 1 in 10 people. The figure has risen by 38 million from last year. The UN's World Food Program called this report's findings an "indictment of humanity."

Buried in the report is an astounding number: that 489 million of those who are chronically food insecure and malnourished live in countries affected by conflict. That means the vast bulk of those who are starving live in conflict zones. Three quarters of children who are stunted by age five, who suffer from acute malnutrition, live in these same areas, mostly West Asia, North Africa and Central Asia in a belt of dry land that has been susceptible to climate change as much as to the seemingly endless war.

Indeed, the FAO finds that the increase in hunger is "largely due to the proliferation of violent conflicts and climate-related shocks." In Iraq, for instance, two districts, Ninewa and Salah al-Din, used to produce a third of the country's wheat and 40 percent of its barley. Today, thanks to the illegal US war on Iraq in 2003, the food production in the region is severely compromised. In Ninewa, up to 68% of the land used for wheat cultivation has been compromised, while up to 57% of the land for barley is no longer usable. Famines in South Sudan and Yemen are a direct consequence of war, with Somalia itself experiencing famine as a result of war and drought, with six million people of its 14 million in dire need of food. Boko Haram's growth in northern Nigeria and around the Lake Chad basin is directly linked to the desertification of the region.

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Adult ADHD has been a gold mine for Pharma. "Estimated to be twice the size of the pediatric ADHD population, the highly prevalent, yet largely untapped, adult ADHD population continues to represent an attractive niche to target," wrote the market research agency, Datamonitor, in 2008.



Taxpayers Should Be Reimbursed for the Latest Pharma Ruse

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Pharma promotion of Adult ADHD for no other reason than to sell drugs is aggressive and shameful. Adult ADHD "affects up to 5% of adults. However, fewer than 20% of adults with ADHD are currently diagnosed and treated," screamed a 2014 "medical" article in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. The authors not only had 11 financial conflicts of interests to Pharma, some were actual employees of Eli Lilly.

An ad from a website named consequencesofadhd.com tells doctors to "screen for ADHD" and warns that "adults with ADHD were 2X more likely to have been divorced." An ad from a website named depressionandadhd.com features a woman saying, "I'm depressed"" and proceeds to ask doctors, "Could it be ADHD? ADHD was found in 32% of adults with a depressive disorder. Look for ADHD in patients who present with depression."

In 2009, Shire, who makes the ADHD drugs Adderall, Vyvanse, the Daytrana patch and Intuniv launched a Nationwide Adult ADHD Mobile Awareness Tour, which included a "mobile screening initiative" called the RoADHD Trip. Get it? The caravan, anchored by "the RoADHD Trip Tractor Trailer," turned into a tented area with eight "self-screening stations."

For the screening campaign, Shire said it was partnering with the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), "a leading adult ADHD patient advocacy organization, in an effort to assist up to 20,000 adults to self-screen for this disorder." Medical professionals could "learn" from Pharma salespeople too! A "field-based team of experienced psychiatric nurses" would "provide in-office education to physicians and their staff on ADHD in adults," promised Shire.

Screening for health conditions for which people have no symptoms but expensive treatments exist is widely seen as nothing but a marketing device that leads to overdiagnosis, overtreatment and overmedication and rising health care costs often on the taxpayers' dime.

And there was more Adult ADHD marketing----like McNeil's scheme in New York City for Concerta. "Pedestrians mulling around Times Square in New York City can learn more about ADHD by responding to an advertisement on the CBS jumbotron, via text message," reported an article in Medical Marketing & Media.

The 15-second ad--no attention problems there--read "Can't focus? Can't sit still? Could you or your child have ADHD?" and ran on a 26 x 20 foot screen four times per hour. When pedestrians texted "ADHD" to a certain number, they "received a near-instantaneous text message in return containing a link to the 'Concerta Mobile Web Experience,' a branded mobile-optimized platform for McNeil's ADHD drug,'" reported the article. Visitors to the McNeil website got a coupon for a 30-day free trial of Concerta.

Pharma, as it does with other "awareness" campaigns to drive expensive drugs, has funded "patient" groups to market awareness of adult ADHD. One front group known as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), receives payouts from Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson's McNeil division, Novartis, Shire US and UCB-----all ADHD drug manufacturers. Eli Lilly makes Strattera, Johnson & Johnson makes Concerta, Novartis makes Ritalin and Focalin and UCB makes Metadate CD.

And, as Pharma does with its most expensive drugs, it relies on U.S. taxpayers to pay its outrageous prices. In 2010, CHADD lobbied for recognition of adult ADHD with the Social Security Administration and "the inclusion of AD/HD and other neurobiological disorders in the definitions/eligibility categories for government benefits programs such as SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, developmental disability, and vocational rehabilitation programs."

CHADD even told a Social Security Administration Advisory Panel that: "A subset of adults with AD/HD is unable to be gainfully employed because of the chronic, substantial inattention and executive functioning challenges caused by the disorder."

Now comes the news that----surprise!----Adult ADHD is likely another marginal "disease" trumped up by Pharma for no other reason than profiteering. "A new study suggests that adult-onset A.D.H.D. is rare -- if it exists at all," says the New York Times this week. The study "all but ruled out adult-onset A.D.H.D. as a stand-alone diagnosis," and "Most apparent cases of adult-onset attention deficits are likely the result of substance abuse or mood problems."

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The troubling questions about the death of Sgt. La David Johnson in Niger didn't begin and certainly won't and shouldn't end with the bungled call that Trump made to Johnson's widow, Myeshia Johnson. Apart from the furor it ignited and the war of words between White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Black Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, the call did make Johnson and his death front page news. That's just the start.

The official reason Johnson and three other US servicemen were killed is that they were ambushed by purportedly Shahab, ISIS or Al-Qaeda fighters while on a training mission with Niger army forces. This narrative may change over time only because the military has kept a tight, need-not-to-know, lid on the mission and the action. Officially, the nearly 1000 US troops who have been in the country since 2013 are there to train the Niger forces in counter-terrorism tactics and operations.

Though Johnson was not a Green Beret, he was part of special forces units in the country. The other three soldiers killed were Green Beret forces that operate in the country. Their missions are the most hush hush of all. The question of why Johnson and any other American troops are there is a question that wasn't asked before Johnson's death, but now is. The answer is just as murky. Again, officially, it's to train army forces there in counter-terrorist actions. Why US special forces operatives are on the front line engaging in combat, or snooping for alleged terrorist operatives, or even if there are any terrorist forces nesting there is unknown. Johnson's death won't be enough to get the Pentagon to answer those questions.

The infamous call that Trump made to Johnson's widow came fully two weeks after Johnson, and the three Green Berets were killed. Why did it take so long? How much did Trump really know about the operation that Johnson was involved with? If Trump did insult Johnson's widow by saying he "knew what he signed up for," that shows far more than crude, crass, insensitivity. It hints that Trump really didn't know much about US involvement in the country. He certainly didn't seem to know Sergeant Johnson's name. According to Johnson's mother who listened to the call he kept referring to Johnson in speaking to Mrs. Johnson as "your guy."

Johnson's death also opens yet another deeply troubling issue which was bound to surface, Trump's call or not. Johnson is an African-American special forces soldier. He was the only African-American among those killed in the attack. There were accounts that he was left behind in the attack. The Pentagon has been tight-lipped on this as well. It has neither confirmed or denied whether this was the case.

If there is truth to this, then there's more questions. Was Johnson's separation from the other soldiers killed just an inadvertent happenstance in the fog of war? If so, why did it take two days more to find his body? And was, as some reports have it, was his body mutilated? This latter gruesome possibility was fanned by the report that his widow had him interred in a closed casket.

The big issue though for many is race. There is no evidence the Pentagon treated Johnson's death any different than any other fallen soldier. More than likely the delay in recovering his body was due to the fluid and chaotic state of a combat scene. It was the gross insensitivity of Trump toward his widow that made race the issue in the death. This was fueled by the prideful statement by Defense Secretary James Mattis that "the U.S. military does not leave troops behind." This boost seemed to fly squarely in the face of the fact that Johnson apparently was left behind whether accidental or otherwise.

Mattis's bold assertion would be jumped all over by some in the press and the public considering what happened to Johnson. But he quickly scotched these questions and doubts by simply demanding that no one question the actions of US troops. Presumably by that he meant no questions will be answered about the actions of US forces wherever they are.

So, did Trump and the military hide, cover-up, or were simply ignorant of what Johnson and the other Green Berets were doing at the time of their ambush? This is a troubling question that hasn't been answered. As for the bumbling Trump call, Trump loudly protested that it was deliberately misrepresented, and that he cares deeply for the troops. As proof of that there was no issue made of his call to the families of the other three slain servicemen. Whether that's true, it's a question that only the families can answer.

The one indisputable fact is that Johnson and the others were killed. Neither their families or the American public really know the full story why. Maybe that even includes, the man who should know, Trump.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is an associate editor of New America Media. His latest book is, The Trump Challenge to Black America (Middle Passage Press) will be released in August. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.
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Trump "has promised that he will have our backs," says CIA head

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer



Mike Pompeo, seen here in 2011, said Thursday that the CIA is 'going to become a much more vicious agency.'

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According to Mike Pompeo, the agency he leads -- which has supported coups across the globe, engaged in targeted killings, and led a detention and torture program -- has not been nasty enough.

Speaking Thursday at a Foundation for Defense of Democracies forum, the CIA director, who has signaled support for torture, said "we've now laid out a strategy for how we're going to execute our strategy with incredible vigor. We're going to become a much more vicious agency in ensuring that we are delivering this work. We are going to go to the hardest places with some of the hardest people and of our organization to crush it."

President Donald Trump, he said, "has promised that he will have our backs and that he will resource us."

Addressing the threat posed by Kim Jong-un, Pompeo said the North Korean leader's "end-state... is the continued capacity to go to sleep in a really nice bed in Pyongyang every night."

He said "we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving [their] objective" of hitting the U.S. with a nuclear capability. Pompeo also said there should be focus on "the enormous conventional weapon systems put in the hands of this man, and the other elements of their nuclear program and other delivery technologies of those nuclear weapon systems."

Asked by a Financial Times reporter what would happen if Kim Jong-un "kicked the bucket for whatever reason," Pompeo said, "you know, given the history of the CIA, I'm just not going to talk about that. Someone might think there was a coincidence if, you know, there was an accident," he said to laughter from the crowd. "It's just not fruitful. We have a clear U.S. policy. It is an effort to diplomatically and economically challenge the North Korean regime in such a way that they won't get to that end-state."

He also said section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act "was skewed by Edward Snowden," adding that he's "very hopeful that Congress will renew" the surveillance authority, which is set to sunset at the end of the year unless Congress renews it.

Digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, meanwhile, has called it a "key legal linchpin for the National Security Agency's vast Internet surveillance program."

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Every day I flip on a news channel, hoping to see some journalism. I'm usually disappointed. Most of the time I see, from the major news networks, junk news.

If there's going to be a conversation about "Fake news," there should also be a conversation about junk news, the main product the #MSM delivers

What is junk news? It's a regurgitation or creation of distractions that take us away from the real problems we face in the world.

As I write this, CNN obsesses over the latest "bombshell" about Bill O'Reilly. Before that, there's a huge amount of time wasted discussing Sarah Sanders remark about it being inappropriate to challenge a General.

I call that junk news. Real journalists should be talking about how the Republicans are just steps away from authorizing the elimination of the estate tax, or what I call the Dynasty tax, because it's the tax that at least puts some brakes on the creation of power dynasties like the Waltons, the Trumps, the Mercers, and so many more.

Real journalists should be talking about how the DNC cleared out all the progressives and Bernie supporters, how it is gearing up to continue business as usual for the neoliberal leaders and incumbents.

Real journalists should be investigating what's happening in Puerto Rico, not just giving anecdotal reports. They should be doing FOIA requests for instructions, emails, policy dictates. Maybe they are and it certainly can take a long time to get responses to FOIA requests. But they should, at least, be asking the questions.

Every day, the MSM should be talking about the neoliberals, exposing them for exploiting the ninety-nine percent and stealing from the commons.

Every day, the MSM should be talking about how billionaires and foreign corporations are corrupting politics.

The list could go on and on, and I hope you'll add to it in the comments.
Global Aerial Imaging Market Growth And Forecasts, 2017-2021

https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-aerial-imaging-market-2017-2021/request-sample

https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-aerial-imaging-market-2017-2021

Aerial imaging is all about ground surface images, which are taken from an elevated surface with the use of cameras. These cameras are mounted on different air vehicles such as airships, balloons, helicopters, kites, and UAVs for taking images. Aerial imaging processing is done using few patented technologies to deliver the finest quality and detail of every feature. Web-based access and tools enable easy view and analysis of images and information.Get request sample @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global aerial imaging market for 2017-2021. The report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAGlobal Aerial Imaging Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Cooper Aerial Fugro Kucera International BLOMASAOther prominent vendors AirFotos ARC Aerial Imaging Bluesky International Coptercam Digital Aerial Solutions GeoVantage Getmapping HALO Aerial Imaging High Eye Aerial Imaging McKenzie Geospatial Surveys Midwest Aerial Photography Ocuair Ofek PROPELLERHEADS AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHYBrowse full report @Market driver Infrastructure resilience using GIS technology For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Inaccuracy in image data collection For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Aerial thermal surveys For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space?About Us :Radiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services.GET IN TOUCH201 Spear Street 1100, Suite 3036, San Francisco, CA 94105, United StatesTel : 1-415-349-0054Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744Mail: sales@radiantinsights.com
Harbor Springs frees up funding with public safety millage

The Harbor Springs public safety millage will free up some of the funds impacted by the Headlee Amendment, but city officials say it isn't a long-term fix.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 19:35:58|Editor: ying

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) called for an end to the use of minors in armed conflict in the Horn of Africa nation.

The Head of Protection, Human Rights and Gender Cluster at AMISOM, Kareem Adebayo, in a statement issued on Sunday also called for the protection of all Somali children to prevent them from getting involved in armed conflict.

"The training that we have just concluded is therefore a pertinent training because in the context of asymmetrical warfare where you have non-state actors who are actively causing havoc where they are; whether in Somalia with Al-Shabaab, whether in Nigeria with Boko Haram or whether in Syria with ISIL - these people use children, they brainwash the children to achieve their dastardly acts," he said.

He said the training was critical as every child born in Somalia was at risk of being recruited as a soldier.

Adebayo, who is also AMISOM Acting Chief of Staff, was speaking at the conclusion of a 12-day training that involved at least 23 participants drawn from the Somali National Security Forces (military, police and intelligence) and Somalia government officials.

The AMISOM-backed Training of Trainers (ToT), which was aimed at preventing the recruitment and use of children as child soldiers in Somalia, noted that the issue of child soldiers is an evil that needs to be eradicated.

Lt Col Ewen Turner, Representative of the British Peace Support Team in East Africa, said he was privileged to be part of the groundbreaking effort to rid Somalia of child soldiers.

"There is a chance now that a child born in Somalia since the conflict started has a chance to not become directly involved in the fighting," Turner noted.

He said he looked forward to similar trainings "delivered by Somalis for Somalia and Somalia people."

Adebayo said he expected the participants to transfer the skills learned at the workshop back home and help the country in tackling the issue of child soldiers at the war front.

"Every child born in that country (Somalia) is potentially a child soldier unless we have this kind of training. So, the training is to ensure that the Federal Government of Somalia, Somali National Army, Somali Police Force, the federal member states are all alive to their responsibilities that they don't use children as child soldiers," Adebayo added.

The acting chief of staff said the training is part of AMISOM's exit strategy, aimed at leaving the country in the able hands of Somalis.

The training, which was facilitated by experts in the field of child soldier eradication, saw the participants awarded certificates.
Boyaa Poker Tour Announces Prize Pool Payouts for Macau Final

October 22, 2017 Boyaa Interactive

The Boyaa Poker Tour is on fire with thousands of players from all five main regions battling online for an invitation for the Macau Final. The event is set to run in Babylon Casino, Macau, China from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1, and there's a minimum of HK$6 million guaranteed in prizes (about $770,000 USD).

Today, we are finally revealing the BPT Main Event payout and blind structure!

HK$6 Million and 42.5 Billion Game Chips to Start the Show

The Boyaa Poker Tour is summoning 600 players from around the world by offering up six million Hong Kong dollars and 42.5 billion Boyaa Poker chips in the Macau Final. Six hundred online winners from dozens of countries will be competing for fabulous rewards, making for an unbeatable BPT 2017!

Following BPT's standard of constant improvement, the prize pool payout has been upgraded to a HK$1.2 million top prize for the champion, plus cash rewards for the top 200 players and chip rewards for the top 300. That's right. If you come to Macau, you'll probably win something!

Moreover, if there are extra available seats, the BPT will allow players to buy in directly, which will increase the final prize pool proportionally. For example, an additional 2 million HKD into the prize pool would be broken down as such: 1.2 million+2 million*10.25%=1.45 million HKD.

2017 BPT Main Event Payout Structure

Place Percent GTD CashHKD Play Chips Extra Bonus Percent 1 20.00% $1,200,000 200,000,000 10.25% 2 10.00% $600,000 200,000,000 5.25% 3 5.00% $300,000 200,000,000 2.75% 4 4.17% $250,000 200,000,000 2.33% 5 3.50% $210,000 200,000,000 2.00% 6 3.00% $180,000 200,000,000 1.75% 7 2.50% $150,000 200,000,000 1.50% 8 2.00% $120,000 200,000,000 1.25% 9 1.67% $100,000 200,000,000 1.08% 10 1.33% $80,000 200,000,000 0.90% 11 1.17% $70,000 200,000,000 0.83% 12 1.03% $62,000 200,000,000 0.77% 13 0.92% $55,000 200,000,000 0.72% 14 0.83% $50,000 200,000,000 0.68% 15 0.77% $46,000 200,000,000 0.63% 16 0.70% $42,000 200,000,000 0.60% 17 0.63% $38,000 200,000,000 0.57% 18 0.57% $34,000 200,000,000 0.53% 19-27 0.50% $30,000 200,000,000 0.50% 28-36 0.43% $26,000 200,000,000 0.47% 37-45 0.38% $23,000 200,000,000 0.44% 46-54 0.33% $20,000 200,000,000 0.42% 55-63 0.28% $17,000 200,000,000 0.39% 64-72 0.25% $15,000 200,000,000 0.38% 73-90 0.22% $13,000 200,000,000 0.36% 91-120 0.18% $11,000 150,000,000 0.34% 121-150 0.15% $9,000 150,000,000 0.33% 151-200 0.13% $8,000 150,000,000 0.32% 201-250 100,000,000 251-300 60,000,000

Prize pool information:

Six hundred players advanced through the online qualifiers and six million Hong Kong Dollars are GTD guaranteed. 42.5 billion game chips, distributed according to the table above. Buy-ins at the casino for seats in the tournament will be added to the guaranteed prize pool.

Gold to forge glory!

2017 BPT is also introducing new rewards for the Main Event and final table. After crushing the competition, the eventual winner will grab HK$1.2 million, a unique trophy and a champion bracelet.

Also, players who reach the final table of the Main Event will receive a stylish gift from sponsor 57 Society International Limited Company. Winners of the side events, including the 57 Society Worldwide Digital Cup, Ladies Event and others, will get a custom platinum necklace.

Gold to forge glory!

Main Event Results Will Count Toward GPI (Global Poker Index)

The Boyaa Poker Tour has been included in GPI rankings since 2016. In this year's Macau Final, the top 200 players will get points toward their GPI ranking. Join us and build up your international poker reputation.

Professional and Relaxed

Prizes aside, BPT is offering a first-rate service to increase the poker experience. Held at the Babylon Casino of Macau, this year's BPT will last five days, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1.

Group A will start on Oct. 28 and Group B will start on Oct. 29, and the two groups will compete for Day 2 qualifiers.

Colossal cash rewards, personalized trophies, online broadcasting, points for the Global Poker Index and five days of adventure at the Babylon Casino in the City of Dreams. Your legend starts here, in Macau, on Oct. 28. Come and win it!

For more information, please refer to the Boyaa Poker Tour website or visit Facebook and search "Boyaa Poker Tour."

Sponsor generated content by Boyaa Poker Tour
The family of Tristian Tris Kemp, the 26-year-old Guam son who was killed in a triple shooting death in Colorado two days ago, is honoring his memory and planning to bring him home to his mom on Guam.

Kemp graduated from George Washington High School in Mangilao, joined the U.S. Air Force after high school, and deployed twice to Afghanistan and completed his tour of service, according to a statement on a GoFundMe page.

After his (military) service, Tris continued  proudly serving the American people by seeking employment with a private contractor based in Afghanistan serving our military, according to the family statement.

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Sadly Tris was taken from us in a horrible shooting in Colorado.... He was a fun, adventurous, outgoing, funny and caring person. Everyone would have loved him.

Thomas Perez, Kemp's uncle, took to Facebook to share the news of his nephew's dark death. Hundreds of family members and friends grieved the loss of the "true American hero."

"He was gentle, funny and a kind, loving person who worked hard and was brave enough to put his life on the line for this country several times," Perez said.

"May God Bless you all and I pray you never have to go through what we are experiencing now."

Suspect identified

Kemp and a friend, a 22-year-old senior at Colorado State University, Savannah McNealy, were shot and killed by an Air Force staff sergeant who is known to the two victims, and were part of a larger group that was celebrating the CSU students birthday, according to police in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The suspect has been identified as Michael Zamora, 30, according to Fort Collins police. Through the course of the investigation, police stated in a news release, detectives learned that the victims and the suspect had been out socializing together with a larger group on the evening of Oct. 18.

The victims took a rideshare back to an apartment near CSU just before 2 a.m. on Oct. 19, police stated.

A short time after they arrived at the apartment complex, investigators believe Zamora shot the victims and ultimately himself, according to Fort Collins police. A handgun and two rifles registered to Zamora were recovered at the scene. Zamora died.

The suspect was an Air Force staff sergeant assigned to Warren Air Force Base, home of the 90th Missile Wing, part of the country's intercontinental ballistic missile defense.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-10-22 21:44:15

Press Information

Firmus Capital

Singapore



Mr Lim Su Kiat

CEO

+65 6709 5799

email

http://www.firmus.com.sg





# 690 Words

SingaporeCEO+65 6709 5799

SINGAPORE - (ACN Newswire) - Lim Su Kiat, co-founder of Rockworth Capital Partners Pte Ltd ("RCP"), has formed a new investment management company Firmus Capital Pte Ltd ("Firmus Capital"), which will start operations on 1 November 2017.Firmus Capital, with a focus on real estate and an initial portfolio of Australian commercial assets transferred from RCP, is led by a dynamic and capable team of investment management professionals with a strong track record in investment and asset management, and deep local market knowledge of the markets it is invested in.The establishment of Firmus Capital follows a shareholder-led review of RCP's investor strategy, where it was decided that a separate, independent investment management company would be set up to provide a dedicated investment and asset management platform to manage the capital of family office investors, create long-term value and better align investors' investment objectives.Keith Ong, ex-Investment Director at RCP, is now Firmus Capital's Head of Investment Management and Capital Transactions, and he will lead the investment and asset management team in Singapore and Australia. Elicia Chua, former Finance Manager at RCP, assumes the role of Fund Controller and will support the finance reporting, treasury and tax functions at Firmus Capital.Mr Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Firmus Capital said, "We are excited to announce the launch of Firmus Capital, an investment management firm with a key focus on real estate. Firmus is derived from the Latin word signifying Stability, Strength, and Steadfastness; and embodies the characteristics that are relevant and true to our business. We believe that our strong investment track record and experience in managing private capital gives us a strong foundation to better meet the needs and objectives of our investors. We thank our investors and business partners for their continued support and look forward to an exciting future ahead." About Firmus CapitalSingapore-based Firmus Capital is an investment management company with a key focus on direct real estate investments. Firmus Capital has an active portfolio of commercial assets in Australia including landmark properties such as Phoenix Shopping Centre. The team comprises of dynamic and capable investment management professionals with domain knowledge in real estate investments and asset management. We offer comprehensive asset and investment management solutions, working closely with our investors to provide tailored investment solutions that are aligned with their risk profiles and investment objectives across different asset classes and markets.Mr Lim Su Kiat, CEO of Firmus Capital, brings with him more than 15 years of experience in real estate fund management for private equity and listed REITs in Asia. Since co-founding RCP in 2011, Mr Lim raised over S$400 million in private equity from family offices and corporate investors, and invested in excess of S$800 million into retail and office real estate assets. Prior to RCP, Mr Lim was with Frasers Centrepoint Commercial, and was involved in capital market transactions in excess of S$650 million for Frasers Centrepoint Group's retail and commercial REITs. In 2006, Mr Lim joined Allco Finance Group, a Sydney headquartered integrated Investments & Funds Management firm, and was involved in direct real estate origination and capital transactions in excess of S$1.5 billion across Asia including Japan and Australia for Allco REIT, a Pan-Asian commercial REIT, on the SGX. Mr Lim started his career in real estate at Urbis, a leading Melbourne based property economics advisory firm and holds a PhD from Monash University, Australia.Mr Keith Ong, Firmus Capital's Head of Investment Management and Capital Transactions, has over 17 years of real estate fund management experience across various key cities in Asia and Australia. He has been actively involved in real estate investments throughout his career and has transacted in excess of US$1.7 billion across various asset classes from opportunistic to core mandates. Mr Ong was formerly the Investment Director at RCP and was involved in asset management and deal execution at ARA, Singapore's largest private equity real estate firm. Mr Ong began his career in JTC Corporation and was involved in the acquisition of industrial properties in Singapore. Mr Ong graduated from Cambridge University with a MPhil and BSc (Real Estate) (2nd Upper Honours) from National University of Singapore.
Authorities in Malta on Saturday offered an unprecedented 1 million euro reward and full protection for anyone with information on who killed an investigative reporter with a car bomb.

A government statement called the October 16 car bomb slaying of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, whose reporting on corruption targeted the prime minister and other top figures on the southern Mediterranean island, a case of extraordinary importance.

It said, in an unprecedented measure, it was offering the money to whomever comes forward with information leading to the identification of those responsible for her slaying.

The government is fully committed to solving the murder  (and) bringing those responsible to justice, the statement said.

The Maltese government offered a reward in a bank heist case a few years ago, but this was believed to be the first time it posted a reward in a murder case.

In the last 10 years, there have been 15 Mafia-style bombings or similar attacks in Malta, and many of the crimes have gone unsolved.

Top European Union officials have denounced Caruana Galizias slaying as an attack on journalistic freedom and insisted that rule of law prevail in the tiny member nation.

Malta is widely considered a tax haven and a tempting venue for those looking to launder or hide ill-gotten gains.
Nigerias Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, has reacted to an exclusive PREMIUM TIMES story on how the federal government reinstated a sacked civil servant despite a pending corruption trial.

This newspaper on Friday reported how controversial chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, was secretly recalled to the service and promoted to head a directorate in the Interior ministry.

Mr. Maina was in 2013 declared wanted by the Nigerias anticorruption agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES show that Mr. Maina is still on the commissions wanted list.



Dark complexioned Maina is allegedly complicit in the over N 2 billion Pensions Biometric Scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He remains at large, after charges were filed against his accomplices, the EFCC stated on its website.

Mr. Dambazau, in a statement by his press secretary, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, confirmed that Mr. Maina is now in charge of the Human Resources Department of the ministry.

The minister however denied responsibility for Mr. Mainas recall to the service.

The statement explained that Mr. Maina was posted few days ago to the Ministry of Interior by the Office of the Head of Service on an Acting capacity to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the Director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry.

The minister blamed Mr. Mainas recall on the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

He said the two bodies are responsible for issues relating to Discipline, Employment, Re-engagement, Posting, Promotion and Retirements of Federal Civil Servants.



The statement did not say if Mr. Dambazau was aware Mr. Maina is still a fugitive wanted by the EFCC.

It is understood that Mainas last posting was with the Ministry of Interior, and that is probably why he was re-posted back to the Ministry, the statement added.

Trouble started in 2012 when Mr. Maina was accused of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion. Mr. Maina, was drafted by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2010 to sanitize a corrupt pension system.

Based on the allegation of corruption, Mr. Maina was invited by the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration.

The Senate after completion of its investigation issued a Warrant of Arrest against Mr. Maina.

Ignoring the panel, Mr. Maina went ahead to sue the Senate and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and thereafter went into hiding after being declared wanted by the police.

Consequent upon this, Mr. Maina was dismissed by the Head of Service for allegedly absconding from duty and attempting to evade arrest and charged to court.

He was on July 21, 2015 mentioned by the EFCC as a major accomplice in a 24-count charge filed against Stephen Oronsaye and two others before a Federal High Court bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.

While Mr. Oronsaye and the two other accused were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, the EFCC said Mr. Maina was at large.

Mr. Maina is said to have spent these past years in the United Arab Emirates, from where he kept lobbying to win the pleasure of the Buhari administration.
The Nigerian government through the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said on October 11 it was reviewing practices in the health sector, especially whether medical doctors employed by government can engage in private practice.

The minister said government had set up a committee to review the laws guiding medical practice and whether they conflict with the Nigerian code of conduct for public officials.

The pronouncement has ignited a controversy, given the contrary stipulation of the Code of Ethics prescribed by the MDCN, which is the public agency regulating medical and dental education and practices in Nigeria.

According to some practitioners who have spoken on the issue, the federal government has no power in law to undertake a review that would ban practitioners working in public institutions from private practice.

They hinged their position on the Regulated and Other Professions (Private Practice Prohibition) Decree No 1 of 1992, which exempted doctors from the ban of public officials from private practice.

But according to a top official of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian, MDCN, who spoke with this newspaper, the said decree has been repealed by the 1999 Constitution.

The official argued that the constitution does not allow medical doctors and dentists employed by public health institutions to engage in private practices.

The official agreed to speak with Premium Times only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue among doctors.

He said although the MDCN code of ethics permits doctors and dentists, especially consultants and registered practitioners of over 10 years, to operate private services in their free time, such acts are against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The Constitution is superior to any Act or Code governing any profession operating in Nigeria, he said.

Section 1 and 2 (b) of the Fifth Schedule of the constitution forbids public officials from practicing in any private institution, local or international.

Under the code of conduct for public official stipulated by the 1999 Constitution, no public official is allowed to engage in any private business apart from farming.

But doctors and dentists rely on the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria to own hospitals and admit patients.

According to the 2008 Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria, Part E, 49: Medical and dental practitioners who are in full time employment in the public service in Nigeria are free to employ their spare time and unofficial hours to engage in private medical or dental practice for remuneration.

Several Nigerians have, however, alleged that doctors in public hospitals even refer patients to their private clinics for treatment in order to make more money off them.

They said the law regulating private practices by medical doctors and dentists in public practices has also been exploited by some doctors to shun their duties in public hospitals even during their official hours.

A legal practitioner, Ola Adeosun, while speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, said owning or working in private practice as a civil servant is wrong.

He said: The constitution is clear, you cannot do private practice as a public officer. Once you are working with the government you are violating the law by engaging in private practices and this is also so for lawyers.

It is the leadership of MDCN that has allowed the irregularity. What the government is doing by making the pronouncement is trying to enforce the provision of the constitution. By my interpretation of the constitution, the government is only doing what ought to be done, he said.

How it all started

The Nigerian Medical Association in 1992 secured an exemption to run private practices through the decree Regulated and Other Profession (Private Practice and Prohibition) promulgated by the Ibrahim Babangida military regime.

The decree prohibits other categories of workers in public employment from engaging in private practices but exempted doctors and dentists following agitation by their professional body.

According to the code of medical ethics of Nigeria:

1. A registered doctor in full employment in public service should not engage in extramural private practice during official hours under any circumstance, but may run one private consulting clinic which will open for business when he is not on official duty.

It is however unethical for a registered practitioner in full time employment in the public service to give in-hospital care, that is investigatory admission and institutional care, to patients outside the hospital in which he is in full employment.

However, the code contravenes the Code of Public Conduct and also the Nigerian Constitution.

In any event, said our source at the MDCN, the 1992 decree has since been repealed under the 1999 Constitution (Certain Consequential Repeals) Decree No 63 of 1999 Laws of the Federation Of Nigeria).

A DOCTORS VIEW

Many doctors and consultants spoken to refused to speak officially on the matter.

However, the Lagos State chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Olubunmi Owojola, said there was a need for the government to clarify its stance in order to remove ambiguities and misinterpretation of the proposed policy.

Mr. Owojola urged government to clarify whether specialist doctors cannot be invited by private hospitals in cases of emergency or that private hospitals requiring the attention of specialist doctors must move their patients to public hospitals.

While conceding that the law does not permit doctors in public hospitals to work in private hospitals, he said they can offer specialist services to private hospitals.

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Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria have condemned the Federal Governments decision to reinstate former Chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, into the civil service

The groups said the reinstatement has put in doubt the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how Mr. Maina was secretly reinstated into the Ministry of Interior despite being wanted by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, over a multi-billion naira pension fraud since 2013.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, in a statement on Sunday exonerated himself from the reinstatement.

He said Mr. Maina was deployed to his agency to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of the director heading the human resources department of the ministry.

He blamed Mr. Mainas recall on the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

This development has angered civil society organisations who, in interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, questioned the potency of the anti-corruption mantra of the current administration.

The coordinator, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, Olanrewaju Suraj, said the reinstatement signifies a major setback in the fight against corruption.

This is a setback not only for the anti-corruption war but also for some of us who have been advocating against corruption, he said on a telephone interview. It is completely demoralising and also before the international community, it pitches the anti-corruption war as a mere fluke that is been used by this government without any commitment or sincerity.

It further explains that it is only EFCC that is genuinely fighting corruption and government is merely latching on the achievements of EFCC.

Mr. Suraju accused the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, as the architect of the reinstatement of a civil servant who has disobeyed the three arms of government.

Maina has defied the three existing arms of this government. The 7th Assembly summoned Maina severally but he defied and failed to appear before them over the period for which they tried to investigate his activities in the pension tax fraud. The Judiciary has asked that he should appear based on the charges of EFCC, he has failed to do that. In the course of the investigation, EFCC which is an executive body tried severally to invite Maina to come and answer some of the allegations and issues, he never responded and only ran out of the country to Dubai where he spent the stolen money lavishly.

For this government not only to bring him back behind the back behind the doors but surreptitiously admit him back him back into the system and promoting him from the position of Assistant Director further confirms that the Minister of Interior is the architect of the shenanigan.

He added that the EFCC should immediately declare him wanted and they should go to any length to ensure that he is arrested and brought to court for further prosecution.

Similarly, Chido Onumah, Coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, said, the anti-corruption war becomes a problem when the government keeps working for and against itself.

Its quite unfortunate. Sometimes you wonder why the federal government continues to shoot itself in the foot when it comes to the war against corruption.

It creates problem for the government because corruption is not only about perception, its about belief. If people dont feel that the government is sincere about the fight against corruption, it becomes problematic.

Mr. Onumah asked the presidency to answer questions that have arisen from the reinstatement while charging EFCC to swing to action on the information at hand.

The EFCC has to follow up on this case, he said. Going by their words that he is on their wanted list; that means he has a case to answer with them. Now that he is in the country, we hope that they will do the needful and let the public know the outcome of their own investigation.

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre asked the EFCC to lay the facts on the issue he described as highly controversial.

Mr. Musa said he is sceptical about the sincerity of members of the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration who looked into the case in 2013.

There are lots of confusion about this issue. We (Nigerians) need to see a report either from EFCC or ICPC indicating that the man has done something wrong. If the National Assembly has any report on the investigations they have done, let them make the report public. If he has not done anything wrong and its just a calculated attempt by those corrupt people who are stealing pension money, then its unfair.

If there is no report by these agencies, it would be unfair just to believe the corrupt members of the National Assembly of that time. If there is such report and the government went ahead to do what they have done, then we will now raise our concern.

The presidency is yet to comment on Mr. Mainas reinstatement.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched a fresh manhunt for a former head of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Mr. Maina was sacked from the civil service in 2013 and was in 2015 placed on the wanted list of International Police (INTERPOL) by the EFCC.

PREMIUM TIMES on Friday reported how Mr. Maina was secretly reinstated to the civil service, with promotion, despite being wanted for alleged corruption.

Additional details obtained by this newspaper show that the embattled civil servant was issued a letter of reinstatement dated October 2 by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

The Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Dambazau, earlier on Sunday absolved himself of any culpability in Mr. Mainas reinstatement, saying it was done by the Head of Service.

The October 2 letter claimed that Mr. Mainas case was reviewed and that a decision was taken that he be reinstated.

The same letter also gave his new posting as acting director of the Department of Human Resources at the Ministry of Interior.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the reinstatement was at the behest of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who gave a favourable legal advice on the case.

Mr. Malamis spokesperson, Salihu Othman, however said he was unaware of his bosss role in the deal.

Irked by the news of Mr. Mainas silent re-entry into the country, the EFCC leadership convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to strategize on the case.

A source, who was part of the meeting, said the commissions boss, Ibrahim Magu, who was out of Abuja when PREMIUM TIMES broke the Maina story, convened a meeting of operatives working on the case.

As part of the fallouts of the meeting, according to our source, operatives were detailed to smoke out Mr. Maina wherever he mmight be.

Mr. Maina is said to be shuttling between Kaduna and Abuja since he sneaked back into the country.

Aside the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Mainas new work place, detectives are said to have spread around the city, including a safe house that is said to have been offered Mr. Maina by one of the nations security agencies.

Also being closely watched by operatives are Mr. Mainas many houses in Abuja including one EFCC sources said he bought in June 2015 for a massive $2 million cash.

Corroborating our source, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Maina is still a fugitive. We are after him.

The EFCC is also said to be deeply angry at how someone that was put on the wanted list of INTERPOL could be helped by government officials to sneak back into the country and then rewarded with a promotion to higher office.

The commission suspects sabotage, according to a highly placed official.

Documents seen by our reporter show the many correspondences between the EFCC and Interpol on the request to put Mr. Mainas name on the agencys wanted list.

The commission first wrote the Inspector General of Police in November 2015, a few days after Mr. Magu assumed office, asking for Mr. Mainas name to be flagged by Interpol.

However, the letter was declared missing by the office of the Commissioner in charge of Interpol at the Force Headquarters, making the commission to make the request again.

On January 12, 2016, Interpol wrote to the EFCC again requesting for additional details to enable it publish the red alert. EFCC replied the letter, providing the details requested.

However, a search for Mr. Mainas name on the Interpol website returned no record.
A social critic and an ally of a presidential aide, Paul Ifere, has been arrested by officials of the Cross River State Police Criminal Investigation Department.

Mr. Ifere was arrested on Thursday allegedly at the premises of Police Headquarters, Abuja, while honouring an invitation on a petition he had written over plots to assassinate him.

He was reported to have been driven to Calabar, Cross River state capital where he has been detained since then.

When PREMIUM TIMES reviewed Mr. Iferes Facebook page, several posts critiquing the state government were seen.

The last one titled; GOVERNOR BEN AYADE JITTERY OVER HON PAUL ADAH & PRINCE JEDY-AGBA COALITION was posted on September 10, 2016.

The Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, an associate of Mr. Ifere, alleged that the arrest is politically motivated.

But the police denied any politics saying he was arrested based on petitions written against him.

ARREST POLITICALLY MOTIVATED  OBONO-OBLA

The arrest is politically motivated, Mr. Obono-Obla told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday. Ifere has a reputation as a social critic. He writes a lot of articles exposing incompetence, corruption, maladministration in Cross River and that has not gone down well with the authorities.

Mr. Obono-Obla narrated how the victim was arrested.

He had previously written a petition to the police that there was a plot to assassinate him. So on Thursday he got a phone call from the police officer handling the matter that he should come to the force headquarters. He saw the man and as he was coming out of the station, he was waylaid by a team of armed police officers. They arrested him and drove him by road to Calabar. Since then he has been detained and the police have not allowed access to him except his lawyer.

We have information that he will be arraigned in court on Monday on allegations of kidnapping and membership of secret cult which are all trumped up. They just want to use that to make sure he is detained before hell be arraigned before the right court of jurisdiction. This whole plot is to silence Ifere.

CROSS RIVER POLICE REACT

Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES. He said the suspect will be arraigned before the court on Monday but denied allegations that the arrest has a political undertone.

He is actually arrested. He is inciting indigenes of the state on issues of security that didnt even happen. He is peddling false rumou, creating problems in the state. For somebody that will write that the state should expect more armed robbery, is that professional? He incites people to write against not only the government but also against security organisations and by that compromising the security of the state.

There have been petitions against him ever before I became a commissioner. There was a letter from a Director from the Ministry of Justice and sometime in August another petition from someone I cant remember the name now. The person in the petition wrote that Paul Ifere texted him that he should have been killed, that he was the one that prevented the killing. Since that time when the petition was written against him, he ran away from the state and since then we have been looking for him.

Mr. Inuwa denied allegations that Mr. Ifere was arrested on the order of the state governor, Ben Ayade.

Let me assure you that nobody is using the police. We are professionally investigating the case. I will never charge him on an offence he didnt commit and I will never magnify the offence against what he actually committed.

ITS WITCH-HUNT  IFERES LAWYER

The lawyer to Mr. Ifere, Utum Eteng said the petition against his client has no offence to charge him to court.

The petition by the states Attorney- General state no offence. Its all speculative. A lawyer will just crack his brain to find out the charges that can be given but you know when they are set to hunt you, they will give any charge.

What I suspect they will do just to keep Ifere off is to perhaps to give a charge that the magistrate will not have jurisdiction on so that he can be remanded. If this happens, the law has equally provided windows that we will pursue. At the end of it, justice will be done.

APC FUMES

Meanwhile, the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mens Ikpeme, alleged that the arrest was hinged on Mr. Iferes exposure of some governments financial transactions among other things.

Whosoever ordered his arrest under the assumptions of legal authority deprived Paul the liberty of movement and screened him away from seeing his lawyer and his people. Paul Ifere also uncovered several other fraudulent activities of government. The shock of Paul Iferes malicious arrest shall be damaging to his person as he has been physically detained without legal justifications, APC wrote on Sunday.

The All Progressives Congress, Cross River State, calls on the state government and their security cohorts to urgently release Paul Ifere.

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday returned to Abuja after a four-day working visit to Turkey.

The president left Nigeria for Turkey after presiding over Wednesdays Federal Executive Council meeting.

While in Turkey, the president held bilateral meetings with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan. He also attended the meeting of the group of eight developing nations, D-8.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 19:36:00|Editor: ying

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TOKYO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to win a majority in Sunday's lower house election, according to exit polls by local media.

Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is projected to win over 253 seats, taking majority of the 465-seat lower house of parliament by itself, said an exit poll by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
President Recep Erdogan hosted Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria for a fairly long one-on-one meeting in Ankara, the Turkish capital on Thursday before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations.

This was President Buharis first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with President Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, 2016.

Though the meeting of the group, Developing Eight, simply D-8 in Istanbul was what President Buhari set out to attend, he spent an earlier 24 hours in the capital, Ankara, to round off the technical meetings of delegates from both governments in what can be summed as a compressed State Visit.

President Buharis overarching objective during this visit for both occasions was to focus on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation; trade cooperation; education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.

Expectations on major concrete deliverables out of the trip had been loudly suggested by our officials, even before the meetings began and from the early outcomes we got, there is every reason for that excitement. The visit has achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives.

The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the G 8 members and the establishment of a positive working relationship especially between Presidents Buhari and Erdogan. This is an added bonus.

Here are some takeaways from the bilateral meetings between Nigerian and the Turkish government leaders:

SECURITY AND PARTNERSHIPS ON TRANSNATIONAL CRIMES

The two governments agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and arms trafficking.

Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organization FETO which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot last year which the Turkish population gallantly resisted.

There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organization and for which reason their passports have been declared invalid by their country.

Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organization which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organizations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more.

Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organisations for which they need each others help.

There is, equally, the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbours, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands.

On the issues of the suspected terrorists of Turkish origin in Nigeria, President Erdogan received the best assurances from our leader that Nigeria will not allow any person or organization to use her territory for any subversive activities.

President Buhari used every given opportunity to denounce the failed coup attempt.

The Turkish citizens who have sought and already obtained assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) since they became stateless persons have been warned not to engage in any political activities while they are in Nigeria.

Turkish authorities for their part gave all assurances that no subversive activities against Nigeria will be permitted of their citizens or on their territory.

Nigeria and Turkey also discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the North-east, especially that Turkey has the experience in handling about five million refugees in her territory.

On the specific issue of arms smuggling, the Nigerian team which included the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Hamid Ali, reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration.

Industry, Trade, Investment and Transportation

The primary objective of the visit by the president was to seek ways to increase the size of trade and investment between both countries had in many ways been realized.

After the various meetings, the delegations agreed that there are basic complementarities between both countries which should result in more trade and investment relations between them.

Turkey serves as a hub and intersection for transport, trade, religion and cultures.

Nigeria as a large domestic market is considered as the access to a West African market (which together is twice its size).

The volume of trade between both countries fluctuates severely (from Turkeys perspective) and does not seem to follow a pattern. For instance, there have been swings of 40 per cent trade surplus in a year to a trade deficit of 30 per cent the next year.

In addition, the level of trade generally between D-8 Member States is also low. The proportion of trade between member states is only about 7 per cent, while the European Union (EU) has about 65 per cent trade relations between member states.

It was agreed by them all to boost the amount of trade between the D 8 member states.

To achieve this, certain concrete steps aimed at increasing the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria, Turkey and the D 8 were outlined and these included:

The setting up of a technical committee to analyse the trade relations between both countries with a view to increasing the volume. This committee will come up with a roadmap with timelines for defining and measuring key goals.

At present, there are 48 Turkish companies operating in Nigeria, with investment of about $600 million, whereas Ethiopia, a smaller economy, has investments of over $3 billion from Turkey. Our government is determined to understand why Nigeria with stronger innate complementarities with Turkey, is not attracting similar or larger investment.

Some of the agreements that both countries agreed that will potentially advance these objectives include a treaty against double taxation, investment promotion and protection agreement, banking regulation, and preferential trade agreement. Nigeria also gave commitments to make further efforts to diversify the economy and make the environment attractive for investment.

Some of these measures include diversifying the economy from relying primarily on Oil & Gas, to developing other areas of comparative advantage; enhancement of initiatives and programmes.

The programmes currently being implemented including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP); creating the enabling for business and investment; industrialization programs; extensive build-out of hard infrastructure (including roads, rails, power, etc.) and focus on deepening trade relations with strategic partners (including Turkey).

The team from Nigeria also brought home lessons from Turkey, which included; using their Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model for the funding of infrastructure requirements.

For instance, the Turkish Government has just completed a $26billion BOT arrangement with a consortium to build and expand the Istanbul airport into the largest in the world.

The BOT arrangement does not cost the government anything, as the private sector partner fully funds the financing.

The Turkish Government recommended the BOT arrangement for Nigeria, especially as government funding takes exceedingly long time and is fraught with a lot of bottlenecks and bureaucracy.

CIVIL AVIATION

In regards to this specific sector, Turkey made a demand for increased slots of air transportation for their airline, the Turkish Airline, and in addition made a case for a Turkish Company seriously interested in bidding for the concession of the Abuja Airport.

They were informed that the airport concession process in Nigeria is ongoing and Turkish Investors are welcome to participate

EDUCATION AND HEALTH MATTERS

Nigeria and Turkey reached very important agreements on matters concerning education and health.

These are key areas in which Turkey has made a lot of progress.

There are existing Turkish investments in these areas in Nigeria and it is on record that a number of countries in the world, including some in Africa have shut down schools and hospitals on the request of their home government following allegations that they are owned and operated by this organization accused of terrorism.

The smart thing the owners of some of these businesses did is that they transferred part or full ownership to Nigerian citizens at the onset of the crisis.

The Nigerian government delegation has accepted offers by the Turkish authorities to support a new group, the Maarif Organization intent on setting up of schools and specialist hospitals as new investors who are not tainted by such accusations.

It was in this regard that this new organization, the Maarif Foundation for educational, was introduced to the Nigerian delegation. A delegation from the foundation will visit Nigeria to commence the process of registration as well as following the procedures of establishing the new schools.

The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of scholars, exchange of students and exchange/sharing of ideas, skills and education technology and to improve scholarships for Nigerians to study in Turkey.

They also agreed to resolve the issues relating to Nigerian students in Turkish universities that are facing exclusion due to visa challenges.

Nigeria and Turkey have equally agreed to strengthen and promote investments in health institutions and this, as promised by the President will proceed quickly, that is as soon as the details of the various agreements reached in the bilateral discussions are laid on his table.

DEFENCE

The two countries agreed to strengthen defence and military cooperation initiated by them a few years ago. This had already lead to the establishment of the Defence section in the Turkish Embassy, Abuja in 2013 and Nigerias Defence section in Ankara in 2016.

In the latest rounds of discussions, Nigeria and Turkey penned an agreement on military training.

They also agreed to collaborate towards the development of the Defence Industries Corporation, DIC in Kaduna into a Military Industrial Complex of Nigeria, which is a key agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Furthermore, two Turkish companies have taken the giant stride to collaborate with the DIC in the production of arms and ammunition.

Of the two companies, one is establishing a rifles production line and the supply of raw materials, technical assistance and training while the second one is partnering the DIC in the conceptualization, designing, consulting, invention, manufacturing, marketing, sale, exportation and sale of military industrial products.

NINTH SUMMIT OF THE D 8

The ninth summit, which took place in Istanbul on October 20 also marked the 20th Anniversary of the organization.

It also witnessed the handover of the baton of its leadership from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sahid Khaqan Abbasi to President Recep Tayyep Erdogan of Turkey.

At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government adopted a communique which spelt out the direction of the organization for the coming two years under Turkey.

IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS:

*The Turkish Minister of Economy plans to visit Nigeria as part of the Trade Ministers of the D-8 Conference holding in Abuja between November 14 and 17, 2017.

*Nigeria will consider hosting the Joint Action Committee (JACO) on boosting the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria and Turkey in January 2018.

This will also include a business forum with the private sector of both countries.

The Turkish Ministry of Economy will send a formal notification to the Nigerian Government in the coming days.

*The Turkish Government will prepare a case study of the BOT model used to fund airport and other infrastructure projects to Nigeria. Specifically, the case-study on the successful builds and expand Istanbul Airport project.

*Turkey will invite Nigeria for the Turkey-Africa Business Forum that will be taking place in Istanbul sometime in autumn.

*Nigeria will work on ratifying the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of the D-8.

*Nigeria and Turkey will in the coming weeks sign an agreement against trafficking in weapons, humans and drugs.

*Nigeria will raise a technical committee to advise her on how to ramp up trade and investment with Turkey as well as with other members of the D-8.

Taking everything concerning the trip as a whole, the two meetings, i.e. the bilateral between Nigeria and Turkey and that of the D-8 in which the country participated, it can safely be concluded that this is perhaps one of the best outings by President Muhammadu Buhari in a little over two years of his administration.

The President was accompanied on this mission by his wife, Aisha Buhari, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, Education, Adamu Adamu, and that of Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah.

The rest included the National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno; the acting Director-General. National Intelligence Agency, Arab Yadam; the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Hamid Ali; and Nigerias Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Paragalda.
The body of Oluseye Adekunle, the man who jumped into the Lagoon around Lekki Toll gate in an attempt to commit suicide on Friday has been found.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the body was discovered by a local fisherman early Sunday morning at about 5.00 a.m. floating by the river bank, around Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge.

The body was recovered from the lagoon by coordinated effort of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) Marine Police and handed over to the State Environmental Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).

The body has since been taken to Lagos Mainland Hospital Mortuary.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu said that the police will carry out further investigation on the matter.

Mr. Tiamiyu also enjoined Lagosians to always endeavour to be their brothers keeper by reporting any of such incidents on time so as to avoid the repeat of such sad incident in the State.

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The European Union, EU, has denied favouring President Muhammadu Buhari above other candidates during the 2015 Presidential Elections in Nigeria.

Santiago Fisas, the former Chief Observer of the 2015 EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), and Member of the European Parliament, said this in Abuja on Sunday while making clarification on EU assessment of the 2015 Elections.

Mr. Fisas said that the EU was more interested in deepening democracy and the electoral process than who emerged as the president.

The international community is not in favour of any candidate above others, he said.

He, however, commended former President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat and sacrificing his personal ambition for the interest of Nigerians.

The election was done in a proper way and I praise former President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat.

I think it has proved that he is a man of the state, that he put the interest of Nigeria before his own interest.

That is an example in Nigeria and for many countries in Africa to follow, he accepted that he lost election to another party, he said.

Mr. Fisas said that the mission was in Nigeria to assess the present electoral reform process and the extent to which previous EU Election Observation Mission recommendations had been addressed,

He commended the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for what it described as its increasing initiatives, including an improved continuous voter registration and the merging of accreditation and voting process for off-cycle elections.

The Mission Head, however, identified areas of failures which he said required urgent attention.

The areas according to him, include, provisions empowering INEC to sanction campaign violations, increase transparency in the publication of results and reinforce policies to better integrate women and youth into political life.

We know to run for election in Nigeria is quite expensive. We also know that campaign is costly so I believe that political parties should help women in campaigning.

It is very important to promote the participation of women in politics from the local election.

Security is important and the people must be free to go to vote.

It is important that Nigeria merge the accreditation and voting on the same moment, this is important for the comfort of the people, he added.

He also advised political parties to ensure internal democracy by ensuring that their primaries were done in a democratic way,

According to him, it is important to know the background of the candidates and be sure they are the right people to run for election

He commended the National Assembly for the progress made so far in constitutional and electoral amendment.

He, however, called for expedited action of the amendment process, noting for election reform to be effective, amendments need to be adopted as soon as possible.

Mr. Fisas said that there was the need for the implementation to start well before 2019 general election.

He also harped on the need for an inclusive, transparent and credible election, to ensure public and political confidence.

This according to him is crucial for Nigerias democracy.

(NAN)
The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, said on Saturday that it has neutralised and set ablaze many Boko Haram structures in Urga area near Konduga in Borno State.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Olatokunbo Adesanya, an air commodore, made this known in Abuja.

Mr. Adesanya explained that an air force component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE conducted an attack on a location in Urga area close to Konduga.

Previous intelligence reports, gathered through Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF ISR platforms, had indicated the presence of a large number of insurgents in Durwawa settlement in the outskirt of Urga.

Accordingly, one Alpha Jet aircraft was detailed to carry out air interdiction on the target and overhead the location, the aircraft acquired and attacked the target twice with bombs.

Subsequently, Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the aerial attack set off a fire, causing damage to the insurgents structures within the settlement and neutralizing most of the insurgents while a few of them fled the location, he said.

The director explained further that the aerial attack by NAF was in furtherance of efforts at ensuring the complete decimation of the insurgents by not allowing them to continue their terrorist attacks on innocent Nigerians.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN-OCHA, said about 3.4 million people need nutrition assistance due to food crisis caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

This is contained in the UN-OCHA Humanitarian Situation Report for the month of September.

OCHA explained that 2.7 million people were targeted for immediate intervention, adding that only 936,200 people were reached with nutrition support within the period under review.

The report indicates that three Stabilization Centres (SC) were set up at Damboa, Dikwa and Ngala Local Government Areas to enhance management of acute malnutrition.

It stated that some 60 health personnel were also trained in Borno and Yobe states to enhance operations at the stabilisation centres.

The UN agency added that effective modalities were evolved to streamline the Infant and Young Child Feeding scheme with the Blanket Supplementary Feeding and Emergency Food Distribution programmes to control the scourge.

It added that the UN in collaboration with humanitarian partners had decentralized activities in eight local government areas of Borno State to combat malnutrition.

The report lists the affected areas as Damasak, Ngala, Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza, Kukawa, Kala-Balge, Gubio, Nganzai and Guzamala.

The progress toward key indicators is on track except for the management of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications, which remain hampered by the unavailability of services especially in the newly accessible areas.

Lack of access to most areas has been the impediment in providing life-saving nutrition support to those in need.

Nutrition activities are limited to few areas where humanitarian actors have access and where healthcare structures are in place, it stated.

The report pointed out that about $6.5 million was required to implement five projects and facilitate smooth running of the nutrition support services in the affected communities.

It disclosed that a maternal and child health week exercise would be conducted to contain malnutrition in the war ravaged region.

OCHA said that some of the activities line up for the campaign included supplementation of micro-nutrients deficiency, screening and referral of under-5 children.

The campaign is design to help children who were not assisted under the routine exercises to achieve its target, it said adding that mobile outreach is critical in the campaign.

(NAN)
Authorities in Kogi State on Sunday expressed shock at the death of a senior civil servant who reportedly committed suicideafter going months without pay.

But the states head of service, Deborah Ogunmola, said the death of Edward Soje should not be blamed on Kogi State.

Mr. Soje, 54, was a director at Kogi State Teaching Service Commission until his sudden suicide on Friday evening.

His death was immediately connected to the impoverished state he was left after going months without being paid by state government.

His death reportedly came 10 days after his wife gave birth to a set of triplets. The News Agency of Nigeria said the couple had been childless since they got married 17 years ago.

But in her Sunday statement, Ms. Ogunmola said Mr. Soje was caught in false age declaration practices during a staff verification exercise introduced by Governor Yahaya Bello.

His pay was stopped after proof emerged that he falsified his age records. His confession to the offence is on video, Ms. Ogunmola said.

Notwithstanding, the state decided to retain Mr. Soje in service following talks with labour union officials, the official said.

Following engagements with Labour which spanned several months, the Kogi State Governor magnanimously commuted the disciplinary action due against certain categories of offenders by grant of pardon. Mr. Soje fell into one of the categories.

Pardoned staff were processed for reinstatement and payment in batches. Mr. Soje was in the September 2017 batch and he was aware of this fact.

The Kogi State Teaching Service Commission where he works has forwarded a template for payment to Government and Mr. Soje was aware that he was listed to receive six months back pay, leaving only two months (August and September) outstanding.

Edward Soje was not just my staff; he was also married to my sister-in-law. His death is shocking, both as one related to him in some way, and one responsible for him in an official capacity.

The state government has endured public backlash since the news of Mr. Sojes demise became public knowledge Saturday.
Thirty one percent of teachers in public schools in Sokoto state are not qualified, a committee set up by the state government has reported.

But most of the teachers are educated enough to be trained to enhance their qualifications to be in the classroom, the committee stated, according to a statement by Imam Imam, spokesperson to the state governor.

In addition to training those not qualified, the committee recommended the employment of 548 more teachers in order to achieve a teacher/student ratio of 1:40, the standard set for public schools in the state.

These were part of the recommendations of the schools needs assessment sub-committee of the committee on state of emergency set up by Governor Aminu Tambuwal to proffer practical solutions to challenges confronting education in the state.

Presenting the report at Government House, chairman of the sub-committee, Shadi Sabeh, said it assessed 360 schools. He urged the government to act urgently to restructure the imbalance in teachers distribution especially between rural and urban areas.

Theres need to repost 537 teachers from some schools that are over-staffed within the Sokoto metropolis to the many that are lacking teachers in rural areas, he added.

Mr. Sabeh said lack of ICT infrastructure in schools was a cause for concern, especially because 73% of teachers surveyed lacked computer skills.

Government must enforce compliance with Federal Governments directives that all teachers must be registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). At the moment, only 14 percent of the teachers have the necessary registration.

In general, there is an ardent and urgent need for a robust capacity building program that will close the training gap among teachers in the state. This is against the backdrop that 90% of teachers surveyed have not attended any form of training, workshop and seminar in the last three years he stated.

In his remarks, Governor Tambuwal promised to implement the report and put in place other measures to turn around the fortunes of the sector.

He said the government would draw up a new training schedule to give all teachers opportunities for refresher courses.

Let me repeat it here that no teacher will be sacked from government employ. We will retrain them to update their knowledge. Those who at the end prove untrainable will be moved to other parts of the civil service where their expertise will be required.

I want to commend the members of the sub-committee for a diligent job. The people and government of Sokoto state will forever be proud of your service, he added.

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The 17 governors from the South-west, South-east and South-south are to meet in Lagos on Monday to discuss latest national issues forge stronger partnership.

The meeting is coming after 12 years of a similar gathering.

A statement by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Tunji Bello, said the meeting would be co-hosted by the Governors of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode and Akwa Ibom, Emmanuel Udom.

Mr. Bello said the meeting is in line with the realisation that the different states in the South have since 2005 developed several areas of comparative advantage which could be harnessed and become mutually beneficial.

According to him, the governors would also be expected to adopt a common position on the issues of armed robbery, kidnapping, devolution of powers and issue of fiscal federalism which have all gained prominence of late.

The 2017 Lagos summit of the 17 Southern Governors representing the South-south, South-west and South-east zones is expected to come up with a communique after the deliberation.

It is noteworthy to recall that the inaugural meeting of the Southern Governors took place in Lagos in 2001 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Bello said.

The statement added that the predominance of views is that if the Southern states speak with one voice, they are bound to attract weighty and credible listenership.

Governors from the South-east and South-south zones have been meeting intermittently with the latest on October 9 in Owerri where they rejected calls for the breakup of the country while rallying support for its continued existence as an indivisible entity.

The governors made their position known in a communique issued at the end of an extensive meeting of the South-east/South-south Governors Forum in Owerri.

They reiterated that a divided nation would not be acceptable to the people of the two zones and re-echoed the need for the country to remain united.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that eight governors and one deputy governor attended the meeting.

The communique was signed by Chairman of the forum and governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel.

The forum commended the role played by stakeholders and patriots in instituting broad-based negotiations between the North and the South-east, saying this led to the setting aside of a quit notice issued to the Igbo by some groups.

It, however, expressed worry over what it considered lack of significant federal presence in the region and called for more attention to be paid to the infrastructural needs of the affected states.

The forum also resolved that the regions would unite in a way that would be beneficial to the political future of the people of the region.

It said that the bond between the South-east and South-south zones was much more than political party considerations.

The forum also commended the efforts of security agencies in the regions, saying these had brought peace and stability.

It commended the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for organising security summit in different zones and expressed optimism that the outcome would lead to better policing in the country.

Governors, who attended the meeting apart from Mr. Emmanuel were Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta).

Others were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ben Ayade (Cross River) while Anambra was represented by its deputy governor, Nkem Okeke.

(NAN)
Some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Sunday described the death of the partys Caretaker Chairman in Lagos State, Babatunde Solanke, as shocking.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Solanke died on Saturday at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital after slumping in a hotel in Ikeja.

The deceased had scheduled a meeting with some chieftains of the party in the state on the fateful day.

He has been buried in his hometown, Abeokuta, Ogun.

NAN reports that the deceased was appointed the caretaker chairman in August by the partys national leadership following the dissolution of the state executive.

The dissolution followed a leadership tussle between two factions in the state chapter.

Mr. Solanke was mandated to conduct congress to elect a new executive within three months.

A former factional chairman of the party in Lagos State, Moshood Salvador, said that he was devastated by Mr. Solankes sudden demise.

He said that the deceased sent him a text message at 3.00 p.m. on the scheduled meeting.

Mr. Salvador described Mr. Solanke as a gentleman who was committed to the unity and progress of PDP.

He was a complete gentleman who was trying his best to unite everyone ahead of the congress.

He is a peacemaker and a friend of all. This a great loss for the PDP family. It is so sad that we have lost him.

I pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and the fortitude for the family to bear the loss, he said.

Another former factional Chairman of Lagos PDP, Segun Adewale, described the death as sad.

He said that he had information that Mr. Solanke scheduled a meetings with some chieftains of the party.

He prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul.

The Head of Publicity of the caretaker committee, Femi Careena, said Mr. Solankes death was an unpleasant surprise.

He said that it was painful that he died on duty for the progress of the party.

Mr. Careena said that all activities concerning the congress would be suspended for a week to honour Mr. Solanke.

In his reaction, a former Publicity Secretary of the party, Taofik Gani, said that Mr. Solanke was committed to midwifing a progressive PDP in the state.

He said that the deceased was always responsive and desirous that things should be done properly.

He was a true politician with zeal to reconcile. I pray Lagos would get somebody like him to conclude the caretaker chairmanship, he said.

Politicians should learn to be simple and take quest for offices very selfless.

I pray that the Lord will bless his soul and give his family the fortitude to bear the loss, he said.

NAN reports that a former Vice National Chairman of the party, Bode George, had on Saturday described Mr. Solankes death as painful.

Mr. George said that Mr. Solanke would be missed for his commitment to the party

(NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 19:51:02|Editor: ying

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BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi electoral commission on Sunday said it has suggested May 12, 2018 as a date for the next parliamentary elections for the next four-year legislative term, a commission official said.

The Council of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) proposes the new date for the cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to be the date of the elections of the parliament for its next legislative term, Gatie al-Zouba'i, deputy head of IHEC's Commissioners Council said in a statement.

According to the Iraqi constitution, the parliamentary elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the current legislative term, and the date of the elections must be set by a resolution of Abadi's cabinet in coordination with the IHEC. The elections date must be ratified later by the current parliament before the endorsement of the Presidential Council to be fully approved.

Iraq's previous general election was held on April 30, 2014, when Iraqis elected 328 lawmakers for the parliament, which in turn elected Abadi to form an inclusive government from the Shiite alliance, Kurds and Sunnis.

Zouba'i did not say whether the elections will be held simultaneously with the provincial elections, as the parliament on Aug. 7 voted by majority to merge the country's parliamentary and provincial elections in 2018.

In addition, it is not yet clear whether the Kurdish parties will join the Iraqi elections following the referendum on September 25 on the independence of the Kurdish region and disputed areas, which won a majority of some 93 percent of the voters.

The latest date for the elections came despite escalating tensions between Baghdad and the region of Kurdistan due to the controversial independence referendum.
A 28-year-old student, Aarinola Olaiya, is set to break a 28 years old record at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Ms. Olaiya is expected to graduate with distinction and emerge the 2017 overall best student from the medical school of the university, one of Nigerias oldest universities.

She will thus become the first person to graduate with distinction in Surgery from OAU since 1989.

The Ife University Medical Students Association, IFUMSA, disclosed the superlative feats of Ms. Olaiya via Twitter during the weekend.

Aarinola Olaiya becomes the 1st Student in 28yrs to have a Distinction in Surgery at the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, OAU, Ife. Congrats! tweeted OAU Medical Students Association via its handle @IfumsaOau

John Owotade, now a professor, graduated with distinction in Dentistry in 1989. It is however not immediately known if Mr. Owotades 1989 achievement covered the whole College of Health Sciences, like Ms. Olaiyas in 2017.

The President of IFUMSA, Matthew Kayode,who congratulated Ms. Olaiya told PREMIUM TIMES he would check the facultys records on Monday.

The graduation ceremony where Ms. Olaiya is expected to be formally announced and receive her accolades is set to hold in December.

It is about determination, dedication and grace, Ms. Olaiya told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday. I am happy!

To earn overall distinction and become best graduating student, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, as OAU College of Health Sciences released the students final MBChB results, that Ms. Olaiya grabbed distinctions in the following 12 courses:

Part Three First MBChB Examination.

Distinction in Medical Biochemistry

Medical Physiological Sciences.

Part Four Second MBChB Examination

Distinction in Pathology

Distinction in Pharmacology

Distinction in CLI

Part five Third MBChB Examination.

Distinction in Dermatology and Venerology

Distinction in Mental Health

Distinction in Obestrics and Gynaecology

Part Six Final MBChB Examination Result

Distinction in Surgery

Distinction in Medicine

Distinction in Community Health.

Commenting on the young womans feat, one of her colleagues, Anthony Ifedigbo told PREMIUM TIMES that Ms. Olaiya had set pace for others and made everyone proud.

She did very well because it takes grace to achieve such feat in college of health sciences, said Mr. Ifedigbo. We are proud of her.

Another student, simply identified as Bimpe, said: I know Aarinola very well. Although the going was tough but she became tougher to get going. I am happy for her. Whoever knows what this record means will definitely know that this beautiful young lady must have read her eyes out. It takes hard work to achieve great success in Great Ife.

About 17 prizes and awards await Ms. Olaiya during the December convocation ceremony to be held at the universitys Amphi Theatre.
The State Government of Osun has alleged that the report by BudgiT, a technology-based transparency and accountability organization, on its debt profile and financial situation is inaccurate.

BudgiT in its recent report titled State of States; an analysis on states domestic and external debt, said Osuns debt situation was worrisome.

It stated that the state was heading towards insolvency because of the huge debt of the state amounting to N52.56 billion.

BudgiT chided the state government for obtaining loans for projects that did not add to or improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state for the smooth refund of the loans.

The State received N123.59billion in bailout funds  the biggest in contemporary Nigerian history, the report stated.

Osuns spending plan over the years came with the borrowing of N18.38 billion to build six mini-stadia to amuse, and at best make its youthful population active.

Also borrowed was N30 billion at a lending rate of 14.75 per cent, for roads and waterworks infrastructure which generate no income and therefore cannot provide for long-term sustainability repayment plans.

Another N11.4 billion was borrowed at a 14.75per cent lending rate to build schools, which would also unfortunately bring in no income into the States coffers. Even more debilitating to Osuns economic prospects was that the repayments for all these debts ran concurrently, and deductions were made out of whatever revenue was to accrue to Osun State.

Taking these loans which did nothing to improve Internally Generated Revenue amid large Overhead costs means the bulk of the States existing revenue is instead diverted into debt repayment.

Total personnel costs which hitherto stood at N16.8billion in 2011 when government revenue was N54.8billion, have increased astronomically to N32.4billion, N42billion and N48billion in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Osuns revenue, padded with savings from the fiscal buffer that is the Excess Crude Account (ECA) rose to N55.96 billion in 2012, hitting a high of N61.89 billion, before falling back to N57.1 billion in 2014. However, N4.84 billion, N2.87 billion, N8.5 4billion and N12.65 billion was deducted at source to cover the States liabilities in the year 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.

But a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adelani Baderinwa, on Sunday said the report was a gross misrepresentation of facts and a narrow view of the economic importance of the massive infrastructural projects funded with the loans, and the laudable economic policies of the Governor Rauf Aregbesolas administration.

The BudgiT report, with all economic and financial indicators is incorrect, short of expectation from a respectable and objective organisation and total disregard to reports of other national and international organization on the true situation of the state of Osun, the statement said.

BudgiT did not take into cognition, the report of the National Bureau of Statistics which described Osun as the second economic development state after Lagos in the South-West, and the markedly economic improvement differences before and during the Aregbesolas administration.

The commissioner noted that early in October, The United Nations Global Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index ranked Osun second richest state in Nigeria, adding that the Renaissance Capital, a leading emerging markets investment bank in Africa, revealed that Osun, Ekiti, Lagos and Oyo states were the leading economies in Nigeria.

Osun debt profile is put at N179 billion by the NBS. The loan is still within the capacity of the government to access and pay back in a normal economic situation and government has indeed been servicing its debts without public knowledge before the Peoples Democratic Party induced economic recession, he said.

The loans obtained by the Aregbesolas administration have been prudently and judiciously used for the transformative development that is evident in every part of the state.

Mr. Baderinwa further argued that most successful governments in other parts of the world achieve development and great dynamic society through the aid of loans and other financial facilities which they put to good use.

China and U.S.A that are the most developed economies in the world and are incidentally countries with highest debt profile which indicated that as rich as they are, their resources seem not enough for their development plans, thereby resorting to loans, he argued.

The administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as a visionary, prudent, accountable and proactive one took the loans to finance rapid development of infrastructure that made Osun a reference point and cynosure of good governance in the land.

May we note that with the new look that the state is carrying today in terms of infrastructure and socio-economic development by which many accolades had been poured on the government of the State of Osun led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at national and international levels, and the facts that many of its projects have been copied at national and international levels, commendation is what should be showered on the government by the people as they often do.

The steady investment in infrastructural development like dual carriage roads, power, hospitals and education among others contributed to the growth in the GDP of Osun.

In conclusion, the BudgiT report on Osun financial situation is far from the truth, inaccurate and we reject it in entirety.
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.




The largest Arab-American business organization in America, AACC provides services to more than 1,500 small businesses to multinational corporations, and to business professionals.

"It is a great honor for me to be recognized by such a prestigious organization as the Arab American Chamber of Commerce," Kayrouz said in accepting the award Friday Oct. 13 at the Henry in Dearborn.

"I will continue to defend the rights of everyday people who come to my offices seeking my help. Helping others to achieve their rights has always been my mission and I won't be discouraged from that public service."

More than 700 people including government officials, corporate executives, small business leaders, and community leaders attended the sold-out event.

Kayrouz has received many honors and distinctions over the years both for professional legal work and philanthropic endeavors.

In 2016 Kayrouz was named "Best Female Attorney" by the readers of Detroit Metro Times in its annual survey.

She has been featured on the cover of the Metro Times and named by Crain's Detroit Business in 2014 as the "American Dreamer." In 2012, she was named "Top Lawyer of the Year" in a survey of more than 18,000 Michigan lawyers.

Kayrouz is a popular guest speaker on the University circuit. In 2012, Kayrouz served as the national sponsor of the 50th Gala for St. Jude Children's Hospital. She is a frequently sought speaker on legal and motivational issues at universities around the world.

A thought leader in American politics, Kayrouz hosted fundraisers at her home for various local, statewide and national candidates including for US Congress and president. Kayrouz serves on the re-election campaign committees of several judges as well as supporting many judicial candidates.

As a leading champion for Lebanon, Kayrouz hosts Lebanese government officials in pursuit of her philanthropic work through the Joumana Kayrouz & Daughters Foundation which provide support to needy families in Lebanon.

For more information on Joumana Kayrouz visit www.YourRights.com

SOURCE Joumana Kayrouz

Related Links

http://www.yourrights.com


Born in CHOP's Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU), the 15-month-old girls, from Mooresville, N.C., have spent their entire lives living in the Hospital, until recently when Erin was discharged from CHOP. Abby still remains in the Hospital.

"Nearly five months after separation, we are happy to announce that both Erin and Abby Delaney are doing well as they continue to recover from this very complex surgery," said neurosurgeon Gregory Heuer, MD, PhD, who co-led a multidisciplinary team alongside plastic and reconstructive surgeon Jesse Taylor, MD. In total, approximately 30 individuals helped carry out the complex 11-hour surgery. It was the 24th time that doctors at CHOP separated a pair of conjoined twins, more than any other hospital in the Western Hemisphere.

"This is one of the earliest separations of craniopagus conjoined twins ever recorded," said Dr. Taylor. "We know that children heal better and faster the younger they are, therefore our goal for Erin and Abby was separation as soon as possible with minimum number of surgeries."

"Although this has been a long journey, with many ups and downs, Riley and I are thrilled to see how well the girls are doing today," said Heather Delaney, the twins' mother. "We are so grateful for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia team, and for the support and encouragement that our families, our friends and the community have given us during this long journey."

After a Prenatal Diagnosis, Preparing for Separation

Heather and Riley Delaney were told during a prenatal ultrasound that the twins they were expecting were joined at the top of their heads, a connection type called craniopagus conjoined twins. Craniopagus is the least common type of conjoined twins, accounting for only about 2 percent of cases. They were quickly referred to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP for prenatal care and delivery. Abby and Erin were born by C-section on July 24, 2016, in CHOP's SDU, a unique unit exclusively for mothers carrying fetuses with known birth defects. The girls were 10 weeks premature, each weighing two pounds and one ounce.

Once the babies were born, Dr. Heuer and Dr. Taylor could get an even clearer picture of precisely how the twins were joined and developed a plan that would involve a series of procedures over the several months, ultimately culminating in the separation surgery.

In October 2016, they operated on the twins to cut through the bone where the skulls were joined, and to place a device that would be used to gradually push the two apart. Called "distraction," the process would add one or two millimeters of separation a day. Similar procedures had been used successfully in other types of reconstructive surgery, but this was a new technique in the separation of conjoined twins. The distraction process added more than two centimeters of separation.

Over the next five months, the girls had several more surgeries as steps toward separation, including the placement of tissue expanders below the skin where their heads were joined. Like water balloons, the expanders were gradually filled with fluid to slowly stretch the skin. The extra skin was needed to cover the gap when the twins were separated.

While the surgical team worked and planned, Heather and Riley and the rest of the medical team took care of the twins. The physical and occupational therapy team at CHOP found creative ways to help the twins continue to develop, despite being conjoined. One innovation was a specially built swing large enough to hold both girls.

Complex Separation Surgery Lasts Over 11 Hours

Months of preparation culminated during the early morning hours of June 6, 2017, as the anesthesiology team, led by Alison Reed Perate, MD, and Matthew Pearsall, MD, began to prepare the twins for their separation surgery.

Dr. Taylor first removed the skin expanders. Next, three neurosurgeons, including Dr. Heuer, worked for hours to separate the blood flow between the two girls. This required cauterizing blood vessels and separating their shared dura, the covering of the brain that lies under the skull. They found that the girls did share a small amount of brain tissue, and they separated this as well. More than halfway through the surgery, the teams flipped the girls, and the surgeons began the same process from the other side.

As expected, separation of the sagittal sinus, the large vessel that carries blood from the brain to the heart, was the most complex part of the surgery. The girls were finally separated at 8:43 p.m. The surgeons then used artificial material to replace missing skin, and sewed the stretched skin created by the expanders to cover the gap.

"The ability to plan and carry out this type of surgery is testament to the skill and expertise available here at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia," said N. Scott Adzick, MD, CHOP's Surgeon-in-Chief. "I'm extremely proud of Dr. Heuer, Dr. Taylor and the entire CHOP team, and I'm thrilled that Erin and Abby have a promising future because their courageous parents entrusted their daughters to our care."

Recovery Continues

Following the separation surgery, Abby and Erin recovered in CHOP's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, later moving to other units of the hospital and finally to CHOP's rehab unit for more intensive occupational and physical therapy. The girls were closely followed by their surgeons, nutritionists, developmental pediatricians, and other specialists to ensure they received the best clinical care to thrive and grow. On July 24, they celebrated their first birthday, receiving more than 300 cards from people around the world.

Over the next few years, the twins will need additional plastic and reconstructive surgery to replace the missing bone areas at the tops of their heads and to normalize their hairlines and minimize scarring. For now, after spending more than a year at CHOP, their parents are preparing to take them home to North Carolina sometime later this year.

"The girls are inspiring," said Heather. "As their parents, it is very neat for Riley and me to have a front row seat to this and watch them overcome these incredible obstacles. We cannot wait to see what their future holds!"

Watch this video to hear the girls' story first-hand, as told by their parents and members of their medical team.

About Conjoined Twins:

Doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have separated 24 sets of conjoined twins since 1957, more than any other hospital in the Western Hemisphere. The physicians have also managed the care of many others whose separation was not surgically possible. Conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births; most are stillborn. Approximately 75 percent of conjoined twins are female and joined at least partially in the chest and share organs with one another. If they have separate sets of organs, chances for surgery and survival are greater than if they share the same organs. Craniopagus, represented by fusion of the skull, is the least common type of conjoined twins, accounting for 2 percent of cases.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 546-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu

Contact: Ashley Moore

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

[email protected]

Cell: 215-630-4683

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Related Links

http://www.chop.edu


Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 19:56:05|Editor: ying

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SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) and two Taliban militants were killed in clashes which erupted in northern Afghanistan's province of Jawzjan, an official said Sunday.

"Militants loyal to the Taliban and IS clashed with each other on Saturday night, resultantly 12 fighters including 10 IS armed men and two Taliban fighters were killed in Qush Tipa district of the province," Hekmatullah, the provincial governor's spokesman told Xinhua.

More than three dozen armed men from both the rival groups have reportedly been killed in the infighting which flared up in northern Jawzjan and eastern Nangarhar province over the couple of weeks.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
Bruises have covered much of her body, attesting to the abuse she has suffered at the hands of her husband over two decades. Even while carrying his child, he continued to beat her.

"I was pregnant when he once kicked me and I fell from my bed," says the 43-year-old from the Armenian capital of Yerevan, adding that she now suffers from chronic health problems.

Requesting anonymity for fear of being targeted by more violence, she says she has nowhere to turn.

Family members discourage her from divorcing, fearing it would bring shame on them in Armenia, where traditional, conservative values hold sway in this mainly Christian country.

"I was probably not very strong," she says, "But the main factor was my parents' honor."

Plus, she adds, she wouldn't be able to afford to raise her three children alone if she left her husband.

The case is far from an anomaly in this Caucasus nation of nearly 3 million.

The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, a grouping bringing together local NGOs, says 5,000 women called their special hotline this year complaining of spousal abuse.

Other victims may have never gotten the chance.

Dire Statistics

According to the Armenian NGO, at least four women have died at the hands of their partners or family members in the first six months of 2017 alone. Overall, it says, at least 50 women have been killed as a result of domestic violence in Armenia over the last five years.

Despite the dire statistics, Armenia has no law criminalizing domestic violence. It is also just one of only two Council of Europe member states that has failed to join the Istanbul Convention on Prevention and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.

However, the National Assembly, Armenia's national parliament, appears set to finally overcome obstacles to a bill that would criminalize domestic abuse and protect its victims.

"This law is essential, and a shame that it hasn't been passed [already], despite repeated promises and lots of advocacy from local groups, and [that] victims of domestic violence continue to suffer unprotected from the state," says Giorgi Gogia, the South Caucasus director of Human Rights Watch.

However, critics say the proposed legislation would be an unnecessary intrusion by the state on the rights of the family. They also contend it is being pushed by "foreign governments" and lacks public backing inside Armenia.

A leading NGO in Armenia suspects such groups are receiving support from the Kremlin, which is wary of Armenia, a close ally, steering from Moscow's orbit and closer to the West.

The Kremlin conducted a similar "smear campaign" in 2012 when Armenia's parliament pushed to pass a gender-equality bill, according to one analyst.

'Nonexistent Conspiracy'

Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian, who penned the proposed legislation, denies Yerevan has come under foreign pressure to pass the bill, saying the government views the issue of domestic abuse as a top priority.

Harutiunian says some opponents wrongly believe the legislation will make it easier for the government to take children away from their parents.

"The thing that is clear from what critics have said is that they either don't understand the legislation or haven't read it," claims Harutiunian.

The passion the bill has stirred was evident during a public debate in Yerevan on October 9.

Representatives of several obscure groups claimed the West, and the European Union in particular, were forcing Armenia to pass the legislation in order to weaken the rights of families.

One of them, Hayk Nahapetian, questioned official statistics on domestic-abuse fatalities, claiming the problem is grossly exaggerated by pro-Western civic groups.



A high-ranking clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic Church, part of the Orthodox community, disagreed.

"Even if there is some foreign intervention or a desire to please some foreign forces...why should we see a nonexistent conspiracy?" said Mikael Ajapahian. "I personally don't see any conspiracy."

"If I have a normal family, if I am a loving father, a loving husband, or a loving son, if I love and am loved, which article of this law on prevention of domestic violence could harm me?" the archbishop went on. "So do not create imaginary monsters, do not fight against imaginary monsters, and be tolerant toward each other."

Hasmik Khachatrian, a young woman who was abused by her husband for almost a decade, also made a case for the bill's passage during the discussion. She said it would protect victims of domestic violence and spare them "the kind of obstacles that I have encountered."

Echoing statements by law enforcement officials, Deputy Justice Minister Vigen Kocharian told parliament on October 17 that Armenia's existing criminal and family codes do not sufficiently empower relevant authorities to tackle the problem.

"About 47 percent of cases of sexual abuse of minors take place in family settings," the official said. "Some people may not be concerned about this problem, but we are concerned."

Vague Wording?

Some critics have pointed to what they consider vague wording in the legislation, which defines four types of domestic abuse: physical, sexual, psychological, and economic.

Some lawmakers on October 17 pressed Kocharian to clarify what that means, sparking heated exchanges.

One leading Armenian NGO has claimed that some, if not most, of the groups opposed to the bill appear to have connections to the Kremlin.

The Union of Informed Citizens said late last year that their research uncovered that the main organizations, political parties, and movements opposed to the legislation -- including the Pan-Armenian Parental Committee, Stop G7, the Yerevan Geopolitical Club, For Restoration of Sovereignty, and Sputnik Armenia -- either were pro-Russian in orientation or even deeply dependent on Russian funding.

According to the Union of Informed Citizens, two of the most vocal critics of the proposed law are Arman Boshian and Hayk Ayvazian.

Boshian leads the Pan-American Parental Committee, which has informal links to the All-Russian Parents' Resistance movement founded by Sergei Kurghinian, an ethnic Armenian living in Russia. Kurghinian has been a big supporter of the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, according to the NGO.

Boshian is also reportedly active with the group Stop G7, which, according to Union of Informed Citizens, has railed against the domestic-violence legislation on social media, mainly Facebook.

Also connected to Stop G7, according to the Armenian NGO, is Ayvazian, who has peddled the canard that Washington has been manufacturing biological weapons in U.S.-funded laboratories in Armenia. The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has refuted that claim.

At least one observer sees parallels with the campaign that the Kremlin allegedly coordinated in 2012 when Armenia tried to pass gender-equality legislation. Social media then became the tool for Moscow's "smear campaign," according to Maro Matosian.

"Identical video clips and articles -- all in the Russian language -- appeared in Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and other states that sought to align themselves with European standards," Matosian wrote in an op-ed for the U.S.-based Asbarez newspaper. "The well-organized campaign had individuals paid by Russian organizations spread misinformation and lies among the population as a scare tactic."

The gender bill was eventually approved by parliament in May 2013. A vote in parliament on the domestic-abuse legislation is expected soon.

Written by RFE/RL correspondent Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service


Several opposition and rights activists have been detained across Kazakhstan as the day of an early presidential election scheduled for November 20 nears.

Police in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen on November 15 detained noted opposition activist Estai Qarashaev, who was sentenced to six days in jail several hours later on a charge of violating regulations for holding public gatherings.

Qarashaev was among oil workers who protested in 2011 to demand higher wages. Police brutally dispersed the protests, killing at least 16 people.

In the country's largest city, Almaty, on November 15, police detained Aset Abishev, a member of the founding committee of the Algha Qazaqstan (Forward, Kazakhstan) party that has been trying unsuccessfully for eight months to get registered for the election.

It is not clear why Abishev was detained. Last week, five other members of the unregistered party were detained for taking part in an unsanctioned rally in August.

WATCH: Several activists of a Kazakh opposition movement have been arrested and police were stationed outside the door of another ahead of a snap presidential election scheduled for November 20.

Meanwhile, in the village of Bobrovka in the East Kazakhstan region, rights activist Serik Ydyryshev was detained, his wife Gulmira Berikqyzy told RFE/RL on November 15. According to Berikqyzy, her husband's arrest is linked to the upcoming early presidential election. The police department of the East Kazakhstan region was not available for comment.

One day earlier, opposition activist Rashid Qamaldanov was sentenced in Almaty to 15 days in jail for taking part in an unsanctioned rally earlier this year.

In Astana, the capital, jailed activist Sandughash Qantarbaeva stared a hunger strike last weekend, protesting her administrative arrest that she says was handed to her to prevent her from taking part in protests on the day of the presidential election.

Many activists complained to RFE/RL that they have been followed and that police have been monitoring their homes. According to the activists, the pressure imposed on them is directly linked to the presidential poll, while the countrys Constitution guarantees them freedom of expression and freedom of public gatherings. An Interior Ministry official denied that measures to prevent the activists from holding rallies on the day of election are under way.

President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, who has tried to position himself as a reformer, on September 1 called the early presidential election and proposed changing the presidential term to seven years from five years. Under the new system, future presidents will be barred from seeking more than one term.

Critics say Toqaev's initiatives have been mainly cosmetic and do not change the nature of the autocratic system in a country that has been plagued for years by rampant corruption and nepotism.

Toqaev's predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who ran the tightly controlled former Soviet republic with an iron fist for almost three decades, chose Toqaev as his successor when he stepped down in 2019.

Though he was no longer president, Nazarbaev retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council. He also enjoyed substantial powers by holding the title of elbasy or leader of the nation.

Many citizens, however, remained upset by the oppression during Nazarbaev's reign.

Those feelings came to a head in January when unprecedented antigovernment nationwide protests started over a fuel price hike, and then exploded into countrywide deadly unrest over perceived corruption under the Nazarbaev regime and the cronyism that allowed his family and close friends to enrich themselves while ordinary citizens failed to share in the oil-rich Central Asian nation's wealth.

Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of his Security Council role, taking it over himself. Since then, several of Nazarbaevs relatives and allies have been pushed out of their positions or resigned. Some have been arrested on corruption charges.

A Toqaev-initiated referendum in June removed Nazarbaev's name from the constitution and annulled his status as elbasy.

msh/mj
Kosovo has held an election to choose mayors and councilors in 38 municipalities, in another step in the young republics effort to solidify its democratic credentials.

The polling stations closed at 7 p.m. local time and the Central Election Commission (CEC) said the turnout was around 44 percent.

International observers said that the voting process took place without any major irregularities.

"Procedures are respected. We were informed only about technical problems," said Alojz Peterle, chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Kosovo.

Some 1.89 million people have been registered to vote at 2,505 polling stations in 38 municipalities, with the mayors race in Pristina likely to be the most closely watched.

Western-backed Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by 115 countries, although not by Belgrade or Moscow.

There are some 120,000 Serbs in Kosovo, and most of them oppose the Pristina authorities.

The CEC has said that 27 of the municipalities have an ethnic-Albanian majority, 10 have ethnic-Serb majorities, and one is mostly ethnic Turkish.

The CEC also said that the number of registered voters includes Kosovar citizens living abroad and is often larger than the actual population of Kosovo, currently about 1.81 million.

After casting her ballot in the capital, Pristina, CEC chief Valdete Daka called for fair and democratic elections and urged all registered voters to go to the polls.

She later said that the voting process was continuing normally and that no major irregularities had been reported.

Prolonged Political Instability

Democracy in Action, a nongovernmental organization, will have some 3,000 observers monitoring the election, Ismet Kryeziu, the groups chief, told a news conference ahead of the polls.

In Pristina, eight candidates are competing in the mayoral race, including incumbent Shpend Ahmeti of the nationalist Vetevendosje movement (VV).

Arban Abrashi, the minister of social welfare and a current member of parliament from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), is also competing.

Earlier this year, Kosovo experienced a prolonged period of political instability created by inconclusive June elections.

The political gridlock eased in September when a coalition headed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the New Alliance for Kosovo (AKR), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) agreed to form a government.

The deal gave the coalition, which also included ethnic-Serb and other non-Albanian minority parties, 63 of parliament's 120 seats.

President Hashim Thaci had said he would give Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the AAK, a formal mandate to try to form a government once he could show he had a deal showing a majority coalition was in place.

Security Incident

Kosovo Police spokesman Baki Kelani told RFE/RL that early voting was moving smoothly.

"Creating a peaceful and secure climate for all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, as well as maintaining order, peace, and public security in the country before, during, and after the election is the Kosovo police's [priority]," according to the countrys police chief, Shpend Maxhuni.

Police said they had seized an explosive device from a bus entering Kosovo from Serbia via the Jarinje border crossing point on October 22.

According to Besim Hoti, deputy police commander for the municipality of North Mitrovica, the bus with a Serbian number plate was carrying 50 people.

Hoti told RFE/RL that two hand bombs and two electric detonators were found in the bus during security checks at the border crossing.

He said police were questioning one of the drivers and two other people in connection with the incident.

With reporting by BalkanInsight




Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny addressed supporters in the southern city of Astrakhan hours after his release from a Moscow detention center following a 20-day term served for organizing unsanctioned protests against President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in the rain to about 300 people, Navalny on October 22 said, "Do we need this kind of power that makes fun of us? No, and that's why I'm a candidate, the right candidate for Astrakhan."

The 41-year-old Navalny, who has vowed to run in the March 2018 presidential election, said he was "ready to work" after his release from the Moscow detention center.

Navalny left the detention center early on October 22 after serving the 20-day sentence imposed by a Moscow court that found him guilty of repeatedly violating laws regulating protests and demonstrations.

"Hi. I'm out," Navalny wrote on his Instagram account, posting a picture of himself on a street.

Earlier in the day, Navalny supporters hung a banner on a bridge close to the Kremlin reading, "It's time to get rid of Putin and time to elect Navalny," AFP reported.

Navalny has campaigned actively ahead of the 2018 vote, building a formidable base among Russians, particularly younger voters, who have taken to his message of fighting corruption among top government officials.

However, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said in June that he is ineligible to run for public office because of a financial-crimes conviction in one of two high-profile cases that he says were fabricated by authorities for political reasons.

CEC chief Ella Pamfilova said on October 17 that Navalny cannot run for office until "sometime in about 2028 plus six months" due to the conviction.

However, in a posting on his website after the rally, he said he would continue his presidential campaign and that he had a right to take part in the 2018 election.

"We have more right to take part in the elections than all the other candidates combined," Navalny wrote.

A spokeswoman for Navalny said the authorities had authorized the rally at Druzhba (Friendship) Park in Astrakhan, located 1,300 kilometers southeast of Moscow near the Caspian Sea.

The activist has organized protests in cities nationwide on several occasions in recent months, including on Putin's 65th birthday on October 7.

Demonstrators called on the authorities to let Navalny run in the presidential election, and hundreds were detained by police.

Rattling The Kremlin

In addition to organizing street protests, Navalny has rattled the Kremlin by publishing reports alleging high-level corruption among allies of Putin.

Although Putin, who has held power as president or prime minister for 18 years and remains widely popular, has not officially announced he will run in 2018, he is expected to do so and to secure an easy victory.

During Navalny's latest jail term, Ksenia Sobchak, the Russian socialite, TV personality, opposition activist, and daughter of a former St. Petersburg mayor, said she would run in the presidential election.

Sobchak, 35, said her candidacy would serve as a way to cast a protest vote, a vote against all -- a reference to a feature that was common on many Russian election ballots until it was outlawed in 2006.

Speaking about Sobchaks decision to run, Navalny said in Astrakhan on October 22 that everybody has a right to participate in the elections and run for office.

Navalny also said that he likes some candidates "more and some less" than others.

Last month the crusading lawyer publicly mocked the idea of Sobchak standing for office, saying she would be endorsed by the Kremlin as the liberal rival to Putin.

Analysts say the Kremlin is eager to bolster turnout and strengthen Putin's mandate in what could be his fourth and last presidential term.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


Pakistan's security forces say they have killed eight militants in a raid in the southern port city of Karachi.

The Pakistan Rangers paramilitary force said in an October 22 statement that the militants died overnight in a joint raid with counterterrorism officers that triggered a heavy exchange of fire.

It said five "terrorists" were killed on the spot, while three others were wounded and later died on the way to a hospital.

The statement said that the head of a newly formed, Al-Qaeda-inspired group called Ansarul Sharia Pakistan was among those killed.

The militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on opposition lawmaker Khawaja Izharul Hasan from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) last month.

Hassan escaped unharmed in the September 2 attack, but a police officer and teenage bystander were killed.

The Pakistan Rangers said a counterterrorism officer and two paramilitary troops were also wounded in the raid in Karachi, adding that weapons and explosives were seized from the militants' hideout.

Karachi, Pakistan's largest city with more than 14 million inhabitants, is considered a hiding place for the Pakistani Taliban and other militants.

Based on reporting by AFP and Dawn
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 20:01:07|Editor: ying

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LJUBLJANA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Some 1.7 million Slovenian eligible voters began to cast their ballots on Sunday in the nation's sixth presidential election.

The voters will go to around 3,200 polling stations opened from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and make their choice among nine candidates, of whom a record five are women.

After the closing of the polling stations, the National Electoral Commission will be updating the results on its webpage in real time as the count progresses.

The vote count is expected to conclude at about 10:00 p.m., but the final result will only be announced on Nov. 3, after the Commission counts the ballots sent in by mail.

If none of the candidates passes the 50 percent mark, a run-off will be held on Nov. 12. Whether or not there is a run-off, the new president will be sworn in on Dec. 23, according to the Slovenian Press Agency.
The latest Majlis podcast looks at the situation in Turkmenistan now that the Asian Indoor and Martial Games (AIMAG) that the country hosted have ended.

Listening to Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, it would appear that the situation in the country is fine and he has spoken about big plans to spend billions of dollars in the coming years.

However, recent developments inside Turkmenistan since the AIMAG closing ceremony on September 27 suggest that the situation is anything but fine.

Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RL's media relations manager, moderated a discussion that took a good look at what the current situation is like in Turkmenistan.

We were joined from Scotland by Doctor Luca Anceschi, a professor of Central Asian Studies at Glasgow University. Farruh Yusuf, the director of RFE/RLs Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, also took part and I had a few things to say as well.

Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes.
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California employers will need to modify their job applications and update their training for those involved in the hiring process after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed two new laws, both effective Jan. 1.

[SHRM members-only toolkit: Managing the Hiring Process in California]

Statewide Ban-the-Box Law Signed

California became the 10th state to require private-sector employers to "ban the box" on employment applications asking about applicants' criminal conviction histories when Brown signed A.B. 1008 on Oct. 14.

The law prohibits most public and private employers with five or more employees from asking applicants about criminal conviction histories until after a conditional offer of employment has been made. Positions required by law to undergo employment screening are exempted.

"It is not a surprise that California enacted this law given how many other states and cities have similar laws, including since several cities in California such as San Francisco and Los Angeles have recently enacted their own versions," said Michael Kalt, an attorney with Wilson Turner Kosmo in San Diego and the government affairs director for the California State Council of SHRM.

Kalt added that while well-intentioned, the new law's requirements may delay hiring decisions and increase HR's administrative burden. "The law may create unintended consequences such as employers avoiding conviction history checks, which may increase the likelihood of hiring someone who presents a danger, or encourage some employers to simply avoid making initial offers to people they improperly suspect may have a conviction history," he said.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, who sponsored the legislation, said that the intent of the law is to give applicants with a criminal record the opportunity to be judged on their qualifications and not their criminal histories. "After a conditional offer has been made there is nothing preventing an employer from conducting a background check," he said.

Roughly 7 million Californians, have an arrest or conviction record that can undermine their efforts to obtain employment, according to McCarty's office.

Nationwide, 29 states and over 150 cities and counties have adopted ban-the-box laws, and in 2013, California passed a similar law that applied to state agencies, cities and counties. Ten states and 15 major cities have adopted ban-the-box hiring laws that cover both public- and private-sector employers.

"For many California employers, this will necessitate revising initial employment applications to remove boxes or questions that ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions," said Benjamin Ebbink, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Sacramento. "If the employer has a supplemental application or form that is only provided to applicants after a conditional offer of employment has been made, that document may continue to ask about conviction history."

If an employer wants to deny an applicant a position based on reviewing conviction history, it must make an individualized assessment and provide the applicant with an opportunity to respond before making a final decision, Ebbink said.

The individualized assessment must consider the nature and gravity of the criminal offense, the time that has passed since the offense and the completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job sought, added Jennifer Mora, senior counsel in the labor and employment department of Seyfarth Shaw's Los Angeles office. "The employer may but [is not required to] document the individualized assessment."

Mora explained that if the individualized assessment leads to a decision that the applicant's conviction history is disqualifying, then the employer must provide a written notice which goes beyond what the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires, including:

The conviction at issue.



A copy of the conviction history report.



The applicant's right to respond to the notice before the employer's decision becomes final.



A deadline for that response.



An explanation that the response may include evidence challenging the accuracy of the conviction history and evidence of rehabilitation or mitigating circumstances.



The employer must consider any information the applicant submits disputing the accuracy of the conviction history before making a final decision, Mora said.

She noted that if an employer then makes a final decision to deny employment based on conviction history, a second written notification must be provided to the applicant, which must include:

The final denial.



Notice of any existing procedure to challenge the decision or request reconsideration, and the right to file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.



Kalt added that the new law does not preempt conflicting municipal ordinances such as those in Los Angeles and San Francisco, adding to potential confusion, and that the law does not provide any protections against negligent hiring lawsuits.

"Employers may find themselves in the uncomfortable position of choosing between not hiring an applicant with a conviction history and risking a lawsuit for employment discrimination or hiring the individual and risking a negligent hiring or retention lawsuit if there is a resulting incident or problem," Ebbink said.

There is also concern about how the law would relate to or overlap with the new California Fair Employment and Housing Council regulations on criminal history and adverse impact, and whether employers will be confused about their obligations between the two.

Kalt provided the following tips for HR professionals doing business in California:

Update applications to remove inquiries related to conviction history.



Train hiring managers and supervisors, as well as any third-party recruiters, to avoid inquiring about an applicant's conviction history until after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.



Train hiring managers and any third-party investigators on the types of information that may be obtained during a background search for conviction history information.



Train those involved in the hiring decision about the factors that must be considered when determining whether prior convictions disqualify an applicant.



Develop protocols and notices for the process where the employer notifies applicants of potentially disqualifying convictions and provides an opportunity to respond.



Review local ordinances for additional requirements or limitations regarding conviction history information.



Questions About Past Salaries Are Soon Off-Limits

A.B. 168 restricts employers' use of salary history information, which includes compensation and benefits. Signed by Gov. Brown on Oct. 13, the law bars employers from requesting the pay history of job applicants. Employers may consider salary history information that an applicant voluntarily offers, however. Employers are also required to give applicants the pay scale for a position upon request.

California joins a growing number of states and cities preventing employers from asking about applicants' past salaries. San Francisco recently passed an ordinance that will go into effect on July 1, 2018.

Supporters of the law say that basing salaries on prior compensation allows wage discrimination to follow people from job to job. "However, employers have generally argued that they utilize salary history information for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons, such as matching their job offers to current market rates," Ebbink said. "Employers have argued that prohibiting them from reviewing salary history information will result in wasted time for both parties where the employee's expectations or requirements for compensation far exceed what the employer is able to offer for the position."

According to federal data from 2015, the median wages for women in California are 84.8 percent of those for men.

Prior to Jan. 1, HR should carefully review the company's employment applications and hiring processes to ensure that they do not inquire into, or rely upon, salary history information, Ebbink said.

Was this article useful? SHRM offers thousands of tools, templates and other exclusive member benefits, including compliance updates, sample policies, HR expert advice, education discounts, a growing online member community and much more. Join/Renew Now and let SHRM help you work smarter.




South Bend sparks two multi-million-dollar projects with city money

Plans for the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, led by South Bend Chocolate Co. owner Mark Tarner, and a 69-unit apartment complex near Notre Dame will both move forward.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 20:11:11|Editor: ying

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TOKYO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to win a solid majority in Sunday's lower house election, according to exit polls by local media.

Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is projected to win 253 to 300 seats, taking majority of the 465-seat lower house of parliament by itself, while its coalition partner the Komeito Party is expected to win 27 to 36 seats, said an exit poll by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The Party of Hope led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) are vying for the largest opposition, with the Party of Hope likely to win 38 to 59 seats and the CDPJ projected to win 44 to 67 seats, according to the NHK poll.

Meanwhile, multiple exit polls showed that pro-constitutional reform forces are set to secure over two thirds of the lower house seats, paving way for the prime minister to realize his long-term ambition of revising the postwar pacifist constitution.

According to the NHK poll, the four parties in favor of revising the constitution, the LDP, the Komeito Party, the Party of Hope and the Japan Innovation Party, are expected to win 326 to 392 seats, over 70 percent of the 465 lower house seats.

Voter turnout was 29.99 percent as of 6:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), down 4.99 percentage points from the previous lower house election in 2014, according to government data.
This year skywatchers will get to witness three supermoons in a row on Jan. 21, Feb. 19 and March 20.

A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon's perigee, or the point in its elliptical orbit at which it is closest to Earth. This makes the moon appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual.

The first supermoon of 2019 was the Super Blood Wolf Moon on Jan. 20-21, which coincided with a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon." A second supermoon of 2019 will follow on Tuesday, Feb. 19, during the Snow Moon, which will be the closest full moon of the year. Then on March 20 at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT March 21) , the Worm Moon (opens in new tab) will reach full phase about 29 hours after the moon reaches perigee. ['Supermoon' Photos: The Closest Full Moon Until 2034 in Pictures]

What is a supermoon?

While astronomers have traditionally defined a supermoon as being the single closest full moon in a year, that definition has gained some wiggle room in recent years. By the original definition of a supermoon, the most "super" supermoon of 2019 will be on Feb. 19, when the moon will reach perigee about 6 hours before it is officially full.

The moon's average distance from Earth is 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers), but its orbit isn't perfectly circular, so that distance varies a small amount. When the moon reaches its closest perigee of the year on Feb. 19, it will be 221,681 miles (356,761 km) away from Earth.

Supermoons don't happen every month because the moon's orbit changes orientation as the Earth goes around the sun. So, the long axis of the moon's elliptical path around the Earth points in different directions, meaning that a full (or new) moon won't always happen at apogee or perigee.

When to see the supermoon

The first supermoon of 2019 happened on Jan. 21, when the moon reached its fullest phase at 12:16 a.m. EST (0516 GMT). That full moon peaked 14 hours before the moon was actually closest to Earth; it reached perigee on Jan. 21 at 2:59 p.m. EST (1959 GMT). You can see Space.com's full coverage of the Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse here.

When the Snow Moon becomes officially full on Feb. 19 at 10:53 a.m. EST (1553 GMT), it will be about six hours past perigee. The moon will be at its closest at 4:07 a.m. EST (0907 GMT) on Feb. 19. Although the moon is officially "super" on Feb. 19, it will still look pretty full (and super!) to the casual observer the night before and after.

For skywatchers in New York City, the Snow Moon will rise on Feb. 19 at 5:46 p.m. and set the next morning at 7:35 a.m. local time. To figure out when the moon will rise and set from your location, check out this moonrise and moonset calculator at timeanddate.com.

The third and final supermoon of the year will happen during the Worm Moon, which reaches full phase on March 20 at 9:43 p.m. EST (0143 GMT on March 21). It will become full about a day and 6 hours before reaching perigee, which happens on March 19 at 3:48 p.m. EST (1948 GMT). This supermoon happens to coincide with the vernal equinox, which marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Editor's note: If you captured an amazing skywatching photo or video and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
Bright, blue flashes stretch from the tops of powerful thunderstorms toward the edge of space, providing a fascinating celestial show for astronauts on the International Space Station, and now, scientists are learning more about these showstopping displays.

In 2015, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen captured a video of the strange blue flashes dancing above the clouds as the space station passed over the Bay of Bengal.

These features are called blue jets  a type of transient luminous event (TLE) resulting from activity in and below powerful thunderstorms on Earth. One of the photographs captured by Mogensen showed a pulsating blue jet that stretched 25 miles (40 kilometers) above sea level, according to a statement from NASA. [Earth From Space: Amazing Astronaut Photos]

Using these observations, researchers from Denmark's National Space Institute studied the elusive features to learn more about how storms form and develop over time. Their findings showed that 245 pulsating blue discharges were observed during the 160 seconds of video footage, which is equal to roughly 90 blue-jet flashes per minute, the researchers said in a new study describing the findings.

The study also revealed evidence of red sprites, which glow in the upper atmosphere following large lightning flashes on Earth. Red sprites are difficult to detect because they last only a few milliseconds.

In fact, visual evidence of TLEs wasn't available until 1989. Some of the first observations of these events were of red sprites photographed by cameras on board the space shuttle, as well as from images taken during a NASA and University of Alaska airborne campaign.

Recently, however, astronauts aboard the space station have been able to capture various natural light shows on camera, including red sprites over two different storms within 3 minutes of each other  first over the American Midwest and then later near the coast of El Salvador. These red sprites, which were spotted in August 2015, stretched roughly 60 miles (100 km) above Earth, according to the statement.

Observations of strange atmospheric features like red sprites and blue jets help improve researchers' understanding of lightning and thunderstorms, which can lead to better storm models and weather forecasts. Furthermore, researchers also aim to learn more about why storms produce different TLEs in different circumstances.

"TLE studies have been, to an extent, fortunate observation," Tim Lang, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in the statement. "We've gotten better at finding them, but it's mostly case-based analysis."

Researchers will soon have the opportunity to capture even better storm observations from space using NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor, which was installed on the orbiting lab in February 2017, and the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, which is slated to launch to the space station later this year. These instruments will allow researchers to analyze storms from both below and above, and closely examine thunderstorms' impact on Earth's atmosphere.

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Algiers, Oct 21, 2017 (SPS) An Algerian parliamentary delegation led by Chairman of the Commission on foreign affairs, cooperation and the national community abroad at the People's National Assembly (Lower House) Abdelhamid Si Afif will take part in the 42nd European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO 2017), scheduled for 21-22 October in Paris, said the Assembly in a communique.

An international parliamentary meeting themed "Decolonization of Western Sahara: What role for Europe" will take place at the French National Assembly on the initiative of MP Jean Paule Lecoq.

Many EU MPs and ambassadors of Africa, Europe and Latin America will attend the conference.

MPs, lawyers and experts in international law will hold plenary sessions and workshops on four main themes: the political situation, the construction of the Sahrawi state in exile, natural resources and human rights. Each session will culminate in a general debate.

The works will culminate in the adoption of many proposals including the setting up of a human rights monitoring group, broadening the MINURSO mission and the setting up of a monitoring group that works in collaboration with the organization in charge of monitoring Western Sahara's resources. (SPS)

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Shaheed El-Hafed (refugee camps), Oct 21, 2017 (SPS) -President of Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, said Thursday that the Polisario Front will spare no effort to make successful the mission of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Western Sahara Horst Kohler provided that Morocco shows political willingness.

In a statement to the press after meeting Kohler, the Sahrawi president said that the meeting was direct, positive and important. He emphasized the role the UN should play to complete the decolonization process in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa

Ghali also expressed the Polisario Fronts willingness to cooperate with Kohler, and stressed that the Sahrawi party will spare no effort to make his mission successful provided that Morocco, which has been undermining UNs efforts since 1991 to date, shows political willingness.

Sahrawi president also hoped that Kohler will be backed by the UN Secretary General and Security Council members, notably its five permanent members.

In this regard, he called on the UN to take into consideration the African Unions role as a key stakeholder in the mission of decolonization in Western Sahara." (SPS)

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A motorcyclist has died after a crash on a busy road in north-east London.

Emergency services raced to the scene of the incident in Hackney at about 11am on Sunday.

Scotland Yard said it was called to reports of a male who had fallen from his motorcycle.

The man, aged 40, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Green Lanes, at the junction with Woodberry Avenue, just outside The Finsbury pub.

Witnesses described seeing a forensics tent at the scene as a police cordon was put in place.

A Met Police spokesman said: Enquiries into the full circumstances are ongoing and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Officers are in the process of contacting next of kin. A post-mortem will be scheduled in due course.

Officers from Hackney remain on scene and road closures are in place.

Road closures are likely to be in place for some time as a police investigation is carried out.

Anyone who witnessed this incident but has not yet spoken with officers should call Chadwell Heath Traffic Garage on 0208 597 4874 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also tweet information to police via @MetCC.
M ore than 300,000 expats living in Spain will be allowed to stay despite a no deal Brexit, the country's foreign minister has said.

Alfonso Dastis claimed his government would ensure that the lives of ordinary Britons in the country are "not disrupted" in the event of a "no deal" Brexit.

Spain is host to the largest number of British citizens living in the EU (308,805) and just over a third (101,045) are aged 65 and over, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Theresa May is facing pressure from some Tories to leave the EU without an agreement so Britain can free itself from Brussels regulations, avoid a costly "divorce bill" and take what some see as full advantage of the benefits of Brexit.

Brexit: The Prime Minister gave a speech on the second day of the summit / EPA

The minister told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I do hope that there will be a deal.

"If there is no deal we will make sure that the lives of ordinary people who are in Spain, the UK people, is not disrupted.

Talks: Chancellor Angela Merkel, Theresa May and President Emmanuel Macron laugh together at the EU Summit / Getty Images

"As you know, the relationship between the UK and Spain is a very close one in terms of economic relations and also social exchanges.

"Over 17 million Brits come to Spain every year and many of them live here or retire here and we want to keep it that way as much as possible."

Theresa May: Brexit talks 'positive' but 'there's still some way to go'

The pledge came as International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said a commercial relationship with the bloc would only fail if the EU punished Britain for having the audacity to leave.

He warned Brussels to put the prosperity of EU citizens ahead of any desire to make the UK pay a price for quitting the bloc, and sign a mutually beneficial trade agreement.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry warned that "intransigence" from Theresa May has left Britain "heading for no deal".

Thousands of anti-Brexit activists march to Parliament in protest 1 /16 Thousands of anti-Brexit activists march to Parliament in protest Demonstrators head towards Parliament Square. REUTERS Signs include 'I love EU' REUTERS The pro-EU march began in Hyde Park Corner. Si Carrington 'NHS? Brexit Wrexit' Oliver Day The march took protesters through the streets of London. Oliver Day One protester brought along a papier mache Queen, in reference to the blue and yellow hat she wore at the State Opening of Parliament. Peter Bailey 'Exit Brexit' Jonathan Hawley The September sun shone as activists marched through the streets. Martin Tod Roads were blocked during the protest. Maggie Jones The campaigners set off shortly after 11am from Hyde Park Corner. Maggie Jones The rally saw the activists march through the streets of central London. Johann Ketel EU colours of blue and yellow were seen throughout the march. Judi Conner

And Dr Fox said leaving without an agreement and trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was "not exactly a nightmare scenario".

But he stressed he would "prefer to have a deal because it would give greater certainty and almost certainly greater openness" and said reaching agreement does not need to be complicated if there is political will.

"I don't think they're (the negotiations) difficult in terms of the trade law or the trade negotiations themselves. The difficulty is the politics," Dr Fox told ITV's Peston On Sunday.

"In other words, how much does the European Commission and the European elite want to punish Britain for having the audacity to use our legal rights to leave the European Union.

"That's the thing.

"And what will the price be for the prosperity of European citizens of that decision?

"I would hope that economic sense would dictate that we put the prosperity agenda of the whole of the European continent in a global context at the top of that agenda not ever closer union, in other words the drive by the Commission towards their political objective which has a near-theological level."

The Prime Minister is continuing to negotiate so-called withdrawal issues with the EU, including expats' rights, a financial settlement and the Irish border.

Only when "sufficient progress" is made in these areas will Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier recommend that EU leaders give the green light to talks on a future trading relationship.
U K business leaders have united to urge David Davis to agree a Brexit transition deal "as soon as possible".

It comes as firms prepare to make "serious decisions" about jobs and investment early next year.

In a draft letter intended for the Brexit Secretary and obtained by Sky News, five of Britain's biggest business lobby groups also called for the transition period to match current trading arrangements with the European Union as closely as possible.

Theresa May has requested a time-limited transition of around two years with the UK and EU trading on broadly similar terms to now and payments to Brussels to fulfil already agreed budget commitments.

Key Brexit Players - In pictures 1 /8 Key Brexit Players - In pictures David Davis Reuters Michel Barnier AP Tim Barrow AFP/Getty Images Oliver Robbins Sabine Weyand Didier Seeuws AFP/Getty Images

But although EU leaders have agreed to begin scoping work on a future relationship, they have made clear to the Prime Minister she must make more concessions on a divorce payment to unlock talks on trade and a transition.

The private letter, which is believed not to have been sent yet, was reportedly signed by the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, manufacturing trade body EEF, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses.

It said: "Agreement (on a transition) is needed as soon as possible, as companies are preparing to make serious decisions at the start of 2018, which will have consequences for jobs and investment in the UK.

"And the details of any transitional arrangement matter: the economic relationship the UK and EU has during this time-limited period must match as close as possible the status quo."

The letter added: "It is vital that companies only have to undertake one adjustment as a result of the UK's withdrawal, not two - and that businesses, the UK Government and authorities in the EU have enough time to make the changes needed to deliver Brexit successfully."

Commenting on behalf of the Open Britain campaign group for close ties with the EU, Labour MP Chuka Umunna said: "Business groups are understandably alarmed by the Government's lack of progress in the talks.

"And the full-blown Cabinet disagreements over how a transition period would work make it even less likely that a deal will be reached.

"No deal would be devastating for business, for people's jobs and wages and for national security. The Prime Minister needs to face up to the reality of the situation, stop pandering to the ideological zealots driving the country towards a cliff-edge, and commit to staying in the Single Market and Customs Union."

Additional reporting by Press Assocation
T he only way to deal with British Islamic State fighters in Syria will be to kill them in almost every case, an international development minister has said.

Rory Stewart said converts to the terror group believed in an "extremely hateful doctrine" and said fighters can expect to be killed given the threat they pose to British security.

Hundreds of British citizens are known to have travelled to Syria to fight with Islamist groups during the course of the six-year conflict.

Brett McGurk, a top US envoy for the coalition fighting the militants, has said his mission is to ensure every foreign IS fighter in Syria dies in Syria.

Mr Stewart, who is minister of state for Africa, was asked about the comments on BBC Radio 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics.

Rory Stewart said the matter of what to do with British ISIS fighters was morally difficult / Rebecca Reid

The minister said they were "very difficult moral issues", adding: "These are people who have essentially moved away from any kind of allegiance towards the British Government.

"They are absolutely dedicated, as members of the Islamic State, towards the creation of a caliphate, they believe in an extremely hateful doctrine which involves killing themselves, killing others and trying to use violence and brutality to create an eighth century, or seventh century, state.

"So I'm afraid we have to be serious about the fact these people are a serious danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost every case, to kill them."

Mr Stewart, a former diplomat, went on to say: "These are people who are executing people in the back of their heads, who have held women and children hostage, who are torturing and murdering, trying by violence to impose their will.

"Our response has to be, when somebody does that, I'm afraid, to deal with that."

Mr Stewart also said British authorities had made it "very clear" that people should not be volunteering with militia groups to fight IS.

"If you wish to serve your country and you wish to fight terrorism, then please apply to join the military or join the police or join our intelligence services, we'll train you, we'll work with you to do it in a legal and controlled fashion," he said.

Mr Stewart also confirmed it remained British policy to remove Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.

"I don't think anyone should be in any doubt that the control that he has is brutal and ultimately fragile," said Mr Stewart.

"The policy of the British Government is that Bashar Al-Assad needs to step aside and we need transition to a new government, because so long as that man is in power it is going to be impossible to have a long-term, stable, sustainable future for Syria."
A n Oxford medical student who stabbed her boyfriend with a bread knife but escaped a prison sentence may be allowed to return to university, it has emerged.

Christ Church college, Oxford, has agreed that Lavinia Woodward can suspend her studies for 18 months.

Although the student, now 24, knifed her boyfriend during a drink and drug-fuelled attack, the judge found that she was "an extraordinarily able young lady" and ruled not to send her to prison.

After Miss Woodward's conviction for unlawful wounding, for which she was given a 10-month sentence suspended for 18 months, Oxford originally planned to hold a swift inquiry which could have seen her expelled.

The fact she has suspended her studies means a staff panel will only be able to consider whether she should be expelled once she states her desire to return.

Martyn Percy, dean of Christ Church, told the Standard: We note that Lavinia Woodward has been given a suspended sentence as a result of her conviction for unlawful wounding earlier this year.

As a College we are concerned for the welfare of all our students, and it is clearly a matter of regret and sadness when any young person blights a promising career by committing a crime.

Ms Woodward is not currently studying at Oxford, having voluntarily suspended her medical studies.

The question of her future will now be decided by the University, which has procedures in place where a student is the subject of a criminal conviction.

Oxford University said it could not comment at this time.

Lawyers for Miss Woodward said: "The disciplinary process at Oxford is for the proctors ... In due course that process will no doubt be concluded."
In Copper Ridge, a neighborhood perched below the Rims on Billings West End, 58 new lots were approved in July. In Falcon Ridge, an adjoining subdivision, 35 new lots were approved in August. Just to the southeast, 67 lots for Silver Creek Estates were approved in October.

Those subdivisions already have hundreds of homes, and that sort of growth isnt new to the West End. It was a driving factor behind School District 2s decision to build a new middle school more than two miles west of any other school in the district. Ben Steele Middle School opened with about 750 students  about 100 more than district officials initially projected.

While SD2 added four more students this year  total  the district has fallen short of projections created in 2013 calling for major growth, especially at early elementary grades. At the same time, enrollment has gone through the roof in other school districts in western Yellowstone County that funnel most of their kids into Billings high schools.

Combine that with large classes in middle schools in Billings, district officials are pitching a new vision:

We need to take care of our high schools, said SD2 Superintendent Terry Bouck in a recent facilities meeting.

Younger grades

Before Billings had built new middle schools and remodeled elementary schools in 2013, the district had recently hired a new superintendent, signed off on a new facilities master plan, and had to make decisions about how to grapple with growth.

Billings westward sprawl means that students arent necessarily clustered near already-existing neighborhood schools  and in some cases, that growth has leapfrogged Billings school boundaries.

Growth in SD2 has leveled out in the past few years, and incoming elementary classes havent matched their larger cohorts that entered the district in preceding years. K-5 enrollment saw a net decline this year.

Meanwhile, enrollment in other school districts in western Yellowstone County is rising.

Elder Grove, a K-8 district, is pitching a bond to build a new middle school.

Laurel is offering a $52.5 million bond to deal with booming enrollment.

Both districts have already exceeded their growth projections  and Laurels were created by the same firm as Billings.

Elysian already extensively remodeled its K-8 school, which had an enrollment of about 200 students when a $10 million bond passed in 2013. The school added 43 students this year, up to 351.

In SD2, Bouck will be retiring at the end of the school year. The district is revising the facilities master plan and getting new demographic projections. And again, trustees will be asked to create a plan to grapple with growth  but of a different kind.

Billings still has room to grow within school boundaries; some developments are filling up, some still have vacant lots, and housing growth has been slow-going at others. And there is still undeveloped land. Active West End subdivisions  including Copper Ridge, Falcon Ridge and Silver Creek  are all in Ben Steeles attendance area, and a handful of active subdivisions in the Heights will funnel into Billings schools.

Even when growth is limited to nearby K-8 districts, those students eventually make their way to Billings high schools.

'The pig in the python'

Brian Carter, an architect at Integrus, will admit its not the most popular phrase, but its an accurate representation of Billings enrollment picture. Class sizes in middle school and early high school are unusually large. Combined with growing contributions from K-8 districts, existing high schools are likely to get squeezed.

School enrollment is rarely a uniform picture, and classes can fluctuate from year to year. In 2015-16, the SD2s fifth-grade class was 1,160 students. Third grade was 1,301. The next school year, the rising sixth-grade class gained 20 students. The rising fourth-graders lost 10.

The picture gets murkier after sixth grade for Billings. Students from Blue Creek, Canyon Creek, Independent, Pioneer and Morin school districts flow into the Billings system. For the past two years, the sixth-grade class has added about 95 students when it began seventh grade. In high school, students from Lockwood, Elder Grove, Elysian and Canyon Creek join the spigot. The eighth-grade class added about 200 students when beginning ninth-grade last school year, and about 170 this year.

So middle school classes are typically larger than elementary classes, and early high school classes are even bigger. But junior and senior classes shrink as students drop out or graduate early.

High school principals say theyre doing OK with enrollment now, but they were apprehensive about future additions. A grandfathering process allowing more students than usual to attend schools outside their boundaries has scrambled enrollment a bit, but the process will filter through in a few years.

In two years, were going to hit 1,900 kids in our building, said Skyview High School Principal Deb Black, citing projections adding students from Castle Rock, Medicine Crow and Lockwood middle schools. Were built for 1,700.

Skyview converted a pair of computer labs to classrooms this year to cope with growth, and Black said theyve largely been able to meet class size accreditation standards  for now.

Senior High's principal said students were packed into rooms like sardines  two years ago.

West sends more students to the Career Center than any other school does, giving West a little more breathing room. And enrollment at the high school, about 1,830 this year, came in below expectations. But growth is on the horizon, since Elysian and Elder Grove funnel most of their students into West. (Some students typically opt to attend Laurel.)

This building could not function with 2,100 kids if we didnt have the Career Center, said principal Dave Cobb. No way.

The Career Center is as full as it's ever been, with about 530 kids attending in the morning and 570 attending in the afternoon. Thats not including the scores of children who attend the Career Centers preschool, which functions as a real-world lab for high-schoolers studying early childhood.

Were definitely about as tight as this building can get, principal Scott Anderson said. Were all the same. Everyones getting stretched now. Weve addressed that at the elementary and middle school. Now we need to look at addressing that at the high school.

Longer-term growth

Impending growth doesnt necessarily mean permanent growth, though students from Elder Grove and Elysian will likely buoy high school enrollment for years to come even if SD2s elementary classes dont boom. And recently, they haven't.

At this year's fall count, enrollment for grades K-3 is between 1,217 and 1,224 for each. Last year, only one grade level in the elementary district was smaller.

But even if those numbers hold stable, and a similar number of students filter in from K-8 districts, class sizes will be about as large as the ones high school administrators today are watching warily.

As for grades four and five? With enrollment approaching 1,300 before any students from additional K-8 districts, they'll likely be the largest classes in recent memory.

The enrollment projections that called for bonkers growth in SD2 are due for a full-on revision this winter, according to district officials, and may be available in December.

District officials are also awaiting results from a November Lockwood vote to create a high school district that would pull about 10 percent of Billings high school students out of SD2. If that vote passes, Lockwood residents would have to pass a second vote with a price tag for the new district.

What if numbers don't hold up? There's no indication that the local economy is perched on a cliff, ready for a swan dive that leaves those empty West End lots undeveloped, halting housing growth within SD2 and surrounding K-8 districts.

But expansion makes some folks nervous  a Billings trustee who feared the district was over expanding with new schools quit in 2014  and there are good reasons why.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 20:16:12|Editor: ying

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RIYADH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Iraq signed on Sunday an agreement here in Riyadh to form a coordination council, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The council will open an era of new and improved ties between the two countries that shared cold relations for more than two decades.

The council, which was approved by the Saudi cabinet in August, aims to raise the level of strategic, investment and cultural relations between the two countries, opening a new window for Iraq to revive its economy. Saudi Arabia aims with the council and other initiatives to reduce the influence of Iran in Iraq.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi signed the agreement.

"I look forward to the meetings of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council to move towards a broader and more welcoming horizon," King Salman said.

King Salman has repeatedly stressed during the past year the significance of supporting Iraq, its security and stability, prompting the re-opening of the new Arar border crossing after it was closed for more than 27 years. Last week, Iraq and Saudi Arabia also opened air links when Saudi budget carrier Flynas made the first commercial flight from Riyadh to Baghdad since 1990.
A young British man has been sentenced to three months in prison for touching a man's hip in a Dubai bar, campaigners say.

Jamie Harron faced three years in jail when he was arrested in July and charged with public indecency.

The 27-year-old electrician claimed he had been holding a drink as he moved through a crowded bar, and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it on himself or others.

The businessman who made the complaint has since dropped the allegation, but local prosecutors continued with the case.

Since his arrest on July 15, Mr Harron is said to have since lost his job and has spent tens of thousands of pounds in expenses and legal fees.

He had already been given a one month prison sentence after being convicted for public drunkenness and awaits further court proceedings.

In court on Sunday, he was sentenced to three months in prison but lawyers plan to appeal, campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said.

The group said he is "angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next".

DiD chief executive Radha Stirling added that Mr Harron is not currently in custody while the appeal is considered.

Following the incident at the Rock Bottom Bar, he was arrested, had his passport seized and was jailed for five days before being released on bail.

Over the last two month's Mr Harron's family have been mounting a desperate effort to get him home.

Dad Graham said: Patricia and I have not been able to relax for a moment. We never dreamed we would have to face something like this. I wanted him to tell his story to the press but he really did not think it would be necessary.

We can't believe that this nightmare has gone on for three months. Jamie is a good boy. He has never been a problem and never in trouble.

We are a very close family and it is killing us to think of him spending even three nights in jail, let alone three years.

He added: The UK embassy has not done anything to help and seem to think it is absolutely fine for British nationals to be abused in this way.

People have to stop visiting that country. Since Jamie was arrested, I have researched and found that this is more common than any of us think.

Mr Harron, from Stirling, had been working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in Dubai when the incident happened.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. We are providing consular assistance."
T he University of Cambridge has banned its Arabic students from studying in Palestinian territories as part of their year abroad.

The decision comes after a number of Cambridge students travelling there were either interrogated or deported by Israeli security.

The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been occupied by the Israeli state since the Six Day War of 1967 (although Israel officially disengaged from Gaza in 2005, its status as an occupied territory remains a matter of dispute in the international sphere).

Five students, four female and one male, faced difficulties when landing at Ben-Gurion Airport, in Tel-Aviv, throughout the 2016/17 academic year.

They are required as part of their course of study to spend eight months in a country where their chosen discipline is the first language.

Due to the instability of many Middle Eastern states, the choices available to Arabic students are relatively limited, with the majority opting for Egypt and Jordan.

The territories are the first place to be taken off of the list of acceptable destinations since Syria erupted into civil war in 2011, ending a long-standing partnership with Damascus University.

Most travelling to study in Palestine undertake an Arabic language course at Birzeit University, in Ramallah.

In order to get there, however, they must either fly to Tel-Aviv and travel by road, or fly to Jordan and navigate an Israeli-controlled border crossing.

Because the Israeli government doesn't offer student visas for study in the Palestinian West Bank, despite offering foreign student visas for its own institutions such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, any student hoping to stay for longer than this was forced to leave and re-enter every three months.

As well as this, a recent intensification of security checks at Israeli security over the past year contributed to the obstacles faced by incoming students.

Ben Gurion Airport, where students faced interrogation and the risk of deportation / REUTERS

"I found out that a number of students, coming from different universities around the world, had been kicked out of Israel because they had admitted to studying in Palestine," says one student, 21, who asked to remain anonymous. She was deported after a six-hour interrogation and overnight stay in a detention centre earlier this year.

"You get forced into this catch-22 where you can't admit to studying there but you can't lie about it either."

The student was eventually deported and flown back to Luton Airport. It is understood she has been banned from entering Israel.

"I did nothing wrong. I didn't commit a crime or do anything illegal but once they realised I might be spending time in the West Bank their whole approach to me just flipped.

"The interrogators screamed in my face, yelling things like 'F*** you' and 'This is my country'. They said they had unlocked my phone and spoken to all my friends and family, saying I'd been working as a volunteer in Palestine - none of which was true. It was so surreal."

Another Cambridge student, aged 21, was refused entry later in the year after hours of interrogation when she tried to return to Israel via the Jordan crossing. Students from other universities around the world, in London, the US and Australia, have had similar experiences.

A spokesman for the Cambridge University Palestine Society said: "We were extremely saddened to hear that the Asian and Middle Eastern studies department have been forced to ban their students from studying in the West Bank on their year abroad.

"We understand, given the distressing interrogations and deportations these students have been subjected to, why the faculty took this decision.

"But it is incredibly unfortunate that Cambridge students will now be unable to study at one of the leading universities in the Middle East and denied the chance to see the effects of the occupation first-hand."

Cambridge University says the ban is 'regrettable' / AFP/Getty Images

A spokesman for the University of Cambridge said: "Whilst we do not ban independent travel to, or study in, the Palestinian territories, students cannot choose to spend their Year Abroad in the West Bank for the time being due to recent difficulties faced by students in securing visa renewals from the Israeli authorities.

"This is regrettable but our first duty is to ensure that students are able to complete their year abroad in an Arabic-speaking region before commencing their final year of study at the University of Cambridge."

The Standard has contacted the Israeli Embassy for comment.
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In response to the four collisions American 7th Fleet warships have had during 2017 (and 17 sailors killed) in September the U.S. Navy ordered its ships to completely (broadcast and receive)turn on their AIS (Automated Identification System) when travelling in congested waters. AIS was originally developed to make it easier to track ships at sea and was rapidly adopted by most large commercial vessels in the 1990s. AIS is essentially an automatic radio beacon (transponder) that, when it receives a signal from a nearby AIS equipped ship, responds with the ship's identity, course, and speed. This is meant to enable AIS ships to avoid collisions with each other. The original AIS only had a range of 20-35 kilometers but by 2006 space satellites were developed that could track AIS transmissions worldwide.

The U.S. Navy adopted the policy of using AIS in listen only mode when overseas, especially in potentially hostile waters. American warships monitored AIS transmissions around them but obviously did not show up on the AIS monitors of nearby commercial ships. American destroyers are built to be stealthy (difficult for radar to detect) and that meant in congested waters commercial ships would concentrate on the other large commercial vessels in the area that were quite easy to track via radar and AIS. Until recently (the last 5-10 years) American warships devoted a lot more time and effort towards training sailors on bridge watch (who took care of navigation round the clock) to handle these conditions. This training was important because the average age of warship sailors on bridge watch was in the mid-20s while sailors on larger commercial vessels were much older and had a lot more experience at sea. The 7th Fleet, and the U.S. Navy in general, had responded to heavier workloads (because of tensions with China and North Korea, plus the War on Terror) by letting the bridge watch training system (and training in general) deteriorate. This was kept quiet, or least out of the mass media, until recently and for that reason it came as a surprise when senior officers in the 7th fleet were openly blamed for complicity (and relieved) for this situation. The U.S. Navy is now going through a leadership and training shakeup as well as more realistic attitudes towards maintenance and deployment schedules.

One quick response to the situation was the order to turn on AIS transmissions for warships in potentially dangerous situations. That makes these warships less stealthy but as the number of accidents (and near misses) in 2017 demonstrated this was preferable to more collisions and loss of life (usually to the warship crews). Besides the warships in question are already operating close to shore and in crowded waters, which makes it difficult to be hidden from any local navy. Commercial ships have become very dependent on AIS, which has greatly reduced collisions (and crew anxiety) at sea. After 2000 international agreements mandated that ships larger than 300 tons, and all passenger ships, carry and use AIS at all times.

While this made it practical to track all high seas commercial traffic, it was also exploited by smugglers and pirates. Some ships travelled (in violation of international law) with its AIS and other trackers turned off. Usually only criminals turned these devices off, and this was often discovered when navies spot one of these silent (AIS not broadcasting) ships at sea. It didnt take long for some intelligence agencies (those with ocean surveillance space satellites and lots of ships and subs at sea) to exploit the silent AIS ploy to create better ways to track smugglers by noting when some ships turn off their trackers and then turn them on again as they are about to enter a port (or some other area where AIS use is mandatory). Some nations, like Iran and North Korea have cargo ships that are often found running dark. Naturally intelligence agencies developed methods to take advantage of this and a growing number of smugglers, usually North Korean, are detected and tracked because of AIS manipulation.

Before AIS came along most large ships carried (and still carry) INMARSAT, which enables shipping companies keep track of their vessels, no matter where they are on the planet. INMARSAT became available in the 1980s and uses a system of satellites which transmit AIS-like signals to anywhere on the oceans. It only costs a few cents to send an INMARSAT signal to one of your ships, and a few cents more to receive a reply. The trackers and satellite based navigation systems in general soon proved invaluable by prevent collisions or running into reefs, rocks, or (in bad weather) coastline.

The smugglers soon responded to intel agency tracking of AIS activity with new tricks. Back in 2012 Iran was caught hacking AIS signals. Iran was sending false AIS signals to assist its smuggling operations. After 2012 security researchers found even more ways to hack AIS and is calling for changes in the AIS software to make more difficult to spoof (send false signals).

Apparently Iran has been working for some time to come up with ways to confuse the international ship tracking system. These maritime security technologies were developed as a safety feature and have proved valuable in other ways as well by providing the positions of ships caught in storms or taken by pirates. All ships now use GPS coordinates to record location and constantly report that back to the home office. Iran exploited this by having two of its ships trade INMARSAT IDs while they are near each other, leaving the U.S., or anyone else checking INMARSAT data, unable to track ships that have been switched. Well, for a while at least. Once the intel people caught onto this scam the developed ways to counter it.

Because these tracking systems were, after 2000, required by law (international agreements) for all sea going vessels this new tech was particularly useful in counter-terror operations. Coast Guards the world over have also found the systems a big help. But apparently pirates in some areas have gained access to the systems (via bribes or theft) and a large number of pirate attacks appear to have been helped by technology meant just to safeguard ships at sea. But overall the tracking systems have done far more good than bad.
Over 250,000 Haitian descendants do not have legal residence due to a deliberate policy of non-regularization of migration. | Read More
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:01:21|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- A number of Iranian jurists and lawyers have urged the United Nations for an action to end the ongoing pressures and violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, 70 Iranian jurists and lawyers asked the UN to take practical action to address the plight of Myanmar Muslims and do something beyond an expression of concern.

The letter also makes a reference to the UN human rights office's report on the dire situation in Myanmar for serious action by the UN.

Last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has allocated 300,000 U.S. dollars to improve the living condition of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced readiness to construct emergency camps and field hospitals for the refugees on Bangladesh's border with Myanmar.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:06:24|Editor: ying

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MADRID, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Maritime Rescue services confirmed on Sunday morning that they have rescued 346 immigrants from dinghies attempting to cross from North-Africa to Spain in a period of less than 48 hours.

The return of calm weather to the area has seen a further wave of immigrants attempt to make the dangerous sea crossing to Europe, with around 1,500 rescued this month, according to the services.

The majority of this weekend's rescues have taken place in waters south of Spain's Andalusia and off the Balearic Islands.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, 104 immigrants were rescued from six dinghies off the coast of Almeria (southeast Spain), with a further 29 plucked from dinghies in the Straits of Gibraltar. Meanwhile, 15 people, who are thought to be Algerians, were rescued from waters off the south coast of Mallorca.

Saturday saw the rescue of 198 people from a total of 9 different dinghies off various points of the south coast of Spain.
Photo: Mike Cernovich/Facebook

Extreme right-wing blogger Mike Cernovich says he has gained access to the shitty men in media list, which circulated among women in publishing and journalism last week. The vocal anti-feminist activist who was charged with rape in 2003 offered a $10,000 bounty for a copy of the list on October 16. On Saturday night, he promised to publish it in full, and has already listed two names, along with the unsubstantiated allegations against those individuals. In a post on his site DangerAndPlay, Cernovich says he wants to give the men accused of sexual misconduct time to reply before adding the others  though, he apparently didnt seem to take the same consideration for the men he outed today. The allegations about one of the individuals on the spreadsheet appeared to be exactly the same as those listed next to another man, suggesting that one entry is a copy of the other. He later tweeted the name of a second man on the list, who had also not commented by early Saturday evening.

Like the creators of the list, who expressly asked women not to share it with men and stated that the allegations be taken with a grain of salt, Cernovich also tells readers that he does not claim these accusations are true, adding that he is merely reporting on the existence on [sic] the list and the accusations contained therein before asking readers to reserve judgment. In publishing the names without comment or verification, however, Cernovich is illustrating just how questionable his judgment is. When Buzzfeed News published a piece about the list the morning after it was started, they did not share the names of the people on the list, just that it existed. For this reporting, Buzzfeeds Doree Shafrir faced vociferous criticism from women on Twitter. Buzzfeed defended their choice to report on the list as a breaking-news story, but for obvious reasons, they felt it was not prudent to name names yet, as the claims made were anonymous and unverified.

So, who is this mens rights activist and known troll and why has he commandeered a document meant for the protection of women? The New Yorker wrote that Cernovichs online persona is driven by two mottos: conflict is attention and attention is influence. Cernovich himself was charged with rape in 2003, though the charge was eventually reduced to misdemeanor battery for which he served community service. Hes also a rape apologist. Have you guys ever tried raping a girl without using force? he tweeted in August 2012. Try it. Its basically impossible. Date rape does not exist.

If there is anything this past year has taught us, its that the process of reporting and dealing with accusations of sexual assault is broken. Regardless of the moral questions surrounding the list and those who made it, its pretty clear that Mike Cernovich doesnt come at it from the perspective of serving justice for the victims of sexual harassment. There is a feminist conversation to be had about this list, but thats not the one that interests him.

We have reached out to the men Cernovich named and will be updating the post as more news breaks.

Update: After threatening to publish the list in full, Cernovich has only released two names as of Sunday morning. He told the Cut Im doing my homework and clearing every word through legal.
Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

Maybe youre one of the estimated 50 to 70 million Americans who suffer from sleep disorders, including insomnia; maybe youre also among the 4 percent of American adults who rely on prescription medication in order to fall asleep. If so, Matt Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, has a bit of bad news for you.

In a section of his new book, Why We Sleep, Walker explores the latest scientific research to show the unfortunate truth about sleeping pills: They dont work as well as we wish they did. Sleep medications dont deliver the same restorative benefits as natural sleep, and even though people who take them often swear by them, the research suggests that the drugs dont tend to increase sleep quality beyond placebos. Currently, Walker says, the best available treatment method for combating chronic sleeplessness is not pharmacological at all; its psychological.

Recently, we spoke with Walker about this aspect of his book, including his skepticism over sleeping pills and his enthusiasm for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. What follows is a lightly edited and condensed version of our conversation.

Theres a lengthy section toward the end of the book that discusses your concerns about sleeping pills. Whats most worrisome about them to you?

The quality of sleep that you have when youre on these drugs is not the same as normal, naturalistic sleep. Theyre classified as sedative hypnotics, so the drugs actually just sedate you  and sedation is not sleep.

And you argue that this distinction, between natural sleep and sedation, is why sleeping pills dont deliver the same benefits of sleep. Right?

Thats right. The way that they work is by targeting a set of receptors, or welcome sites, in the brain that are lured to basically stop your brain cells from firing. They principally attack those sites in the cortex, this wrinkle of tissue on the top of your brain, and they just switch off the top of your cortex, the top of your brain, and put you into a state of unconsciousness.

Sleep, in contrast, is this incredibly complex ballet of neurochemcial brilliance that results in numerous areas of the brain both switching on and switching off. We dont have any good pharmacological approach right now to replicate such a nuanced and complex set of biological changes.

My second problem with sleeping pills: They dont tend to increase sleep much beyond placebos. People may be fooled into thinking that theyre getting more sleep, but actually theyre not. This was not my conclusion  it was a committee of experts, who reviewed 65 separate drug placebo studies, and their conclusion was simple: There was no objective benefit of sleeping pills beyond placebo. Their summary was that the impact of sleeping pills was small, and of questionable clinical importance.

And my third problem: They are associated with a higher risk of death and cancer.

About that last point, in your book you do raise the possibility that its not sleeping pills thats causing those things  its whatever is causing you to have trouble sleeping, which weakens your immune system.

Yeah, I think that would be the counterargument, and I think its a very reasonable one at this stage. But I think an equally reasonable, equally tenable explanation is that they do shorten your life and increase your risk of cancer. The answer is we just dont know which of those two things it is.

But what I wanted to do with that section of the book is make people aware of these dangers in a way that no one has really, truly communicated to the public before. I just want to arm people with knowledge so that they are informed, and allow them to make the choice. That was my hope.

So you dont think most people even know about the true downsides of sleeping pills?

No, I dont think they do. And Im not even necessarily aware that their doctors prescribing those sleeping pills to them are aware of that. Theres been a breakdown in a communication of the science. It does seem quite clear to me that the public is not aware of those facts, because when I present that evidence at public talks or speak about it, I usually just get these stunned, shocked faces. Then they spend the hour of Q&A that comes after all of these talks asking about these facts, because people are desperate for sleep and theyre really quite shocked by the evidence, and they want to seek further advice and help.

Im not an M.D., and I dont pretend to be an M.D., but what I do want to do is convey to you and the public the science, and then you can take that information. You can speak with your doctor. You can see what the best medical recommendation would be. But someone should be communicating that information.

Dont many people feel like theyre helped by sleeping pills, though?

I suspect that they do because of that placebo benefit. If you look at the studies, the placebo effect is really quite significant and can add up to 15, 20 minutes of sleep, and can help you sleep in a more stable, less fragmented manner. In truth, I think its the greatest evidence of the notion of mind over matter. The brain is capable of influencing sleep and the body itself. I certainly dont challenge the fact that if youre given a pill and swallow it, that you sleep better. You do. Thats very clear.

I should note that the extension of those 15, 20 minutes of sleep by way of the placebo effect is not unimportant. Its great. Its very important. If you started adding 20 minutes of sleep a night for the rest of your life  its like a compounding interest. Thats remarkable. That should be celebrated. However, the sleep that you get is not sufficient nor natural, and, secondly, if research is showing a strong association between a drug and a higher risk of death and higher risk of cancer, then I couldnt in good faith suggest that people take that drug.

So you dont believe there are any upsides to sleeping pills?

No, not from the science that Ive seen. I think the hard part for me is that there is an alternative to medication, something called CBT-I.

Yes! I was just going to get to that. CBT-I is this form of therapy where you only go to bed when youre sleepy, and then gradually go to bed earlier and earlier until youre sleeping seven to eight hours per night. How quickly is CBT-I gaining mainstream acceptance, to the point where thats recommended over sleeping pills in conversations with our doctors?

Its actually happened. So, in 2016 the American College of Physicians made a landmark recommendation based on the evidence, which is that CBT-I must be used as a first-line treatment for all individuals with chronic insomnia  not sleeping pills. And what that tells you is that the scientific and medical community have come to some degree of consensus regarding the head-to-head, sort of CokePepsi challenge, between CBT-I and sleeping pills, and theyre strongly in favor of CBT-I. It just hasnt trickled down to the public, who are seeking help for their desperate state of insomnia.

How did CBT-I come about?

Well, it really started off trying to examine what was keeping people awake. Lets just take a step back and ask the question: What are the features that people describe when they say, Look, I cant sleep. Im having real difficulty with sleep? Then lets break that down further: What is it about sleep that is difficult to you? And people would say, I have the Rolodex mind, where I just get spinning wheels as soon as my head hits the pillow. So we knew that anxiety-related issues are a problem. We knew that people were describing lying in bed for long periods of time, and they couldnt fall asleep.

And we also knew that they were sleeping eventually, because often people like that would say, Well, Im falling asleep watching television. We know that you can fall asleep, but when they go into the bedroom, theyre wide awake and dont know why. So what seems to be happening is that because your brain is such an associative device in terms of learning, if youre lying in bed awake, its learning the association between the bed being about being awake and not being about sleep.

So, why dont we break that association? Heres the recommendation: if youve been in bed for 20 minutes and you cant fall asleep, thats not good. The advice is: Get out of bed, go to a different room with dim lights, read a book, and only return to bed when youre sleepy. That way, your brain will relearn the association between your bed being about the place of sleep rather than of being awake. It was just this clever, systematic evaluation of not being able to sleep and what that means  walking people through what the problems are with their sleep, and then thinking about behavioral and cognitive, psychological approaches that can help to try and solve that.

And how exactly do we know that CBT-I works more effectively than sleeping pills?

From the clinical control studies that all drugs have to go through, we know exactly what the benefits are in terms of minutes and sleep structure, and we also know what happens when you discontinue those drugs. Since the emergence of CBT-I, which came on the scene probably ten years ago, it has subsequently gone through, essentially, exactly the same type of clinically controlled trials. You put a group of individuals on CBT-I, you put another group on another form of psychological treatment, lets say talk therapy, for example. You put these two psychological treatments head-to-head and you can then see exactly what the similar sleep benefits are when youre performing the therapy, and when you cease the therapy. People have then done longitudinal follow-ups with those patients to see exactly how long the sleep benefits of CBT-I last.

Therefore, you can take that data from those separate studies, and you can compare them to those done for sleeping pills. Here is the amount of benefit that you get from sleeping pills, and here is the amount of benefit from CBT-I. You can do the CokePepsi challenge, as it were, and see which one wins out.

You write that sleeping pills also carry the risk of rebound insomnia, where when you stop taking the pills, your insomnia comes back, but worse.

Right, and that doesnt happen with CBT-I. Thats one of its big benefits. With CBT-I, you go through a four- to six-week session of treatment with a trained sleep practitioner, and when you stop those sessions, you can maintain that benefit, up to 12 months.

Whereas if your sleep treatment is sleeping pills, not only do you go back to the bad sleep that you were having before you started, the sleep tends to be worse because of withdrawal. Its called drug tolerance  when you go off the drug, you go into this withdrawal state.

From reading your book, I learned what happens when you mix one of the side effects of sleeping pills, daytime grogginess, with caffeine. Even though people take sleeping pills, they feel tired during the day, so they drink more coffee to stay awake, which makes it harder for them to go to sleep  which leads them to taking more pills, and so on. But I want to touch on coffee and sleep in general. If I value getting a good sleep, should I stay away from coffee?

If you can stay away from it, I would certainly recommend that you do. The first recommendation is that you should cease caffeine intake after about 1 or 2 p.m. And the reason is twofold. Firstly, caffeine is a stimulant, and, by the way, its the only stimulant drug that we readily give to children. And its a psychoactive stimulant drug, thats its classification. Its one of the largest drug experiments that happens on this planet. Its the second-most traded commodity in the world after oil, which tells you all you need to know.

Secondly, even if youre someone who has no trouble falling asleep  I have people telling me, I can have an espresso after dinner and fall asleep just fine  the danger in that is the following: Even if you fall asleep fine, the depth of sleep, the quality of sleep that you will have, will not be as deep or as rich in quality if caffeine is circulating around the brain. And you dont know that, of course. Youre still asleep. Youre just not getting the best sleep that you could be.

Is that because of the stimulant?

Correct. You cannot transition down to those very deep stages of sleep when caffeine is present. And, often, people will wake up in the morning and go, Well, I do feel kind of groggy and unrefreshed. But I fell asleep fine and I stayed asleep. So it must not be the caffeine. They dont connect the dots.

So then they wake up the next day, not knowing it was the caffeine that made them feel unrefreshed because of the lack of deep sleep, so then they have to drink more caffeine throughout the day to bring themselves back up to alertness. Which makes it even less likely that theyll be having deep, quality sleep the next night. So they awake even more unrefreshed the following day, and so on and so forth. And the problem then becomes a vicious cycle.
Harvey Weinstein at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The steady stream of models passing through Harvey Weinsteins orbit may not have been a coincidence, according to a new report from the L.A. Times.

Weinstein began developing his connections in fashion in the early 2000s. As he was securing his power in Hollywood, he got to know people in fashion who were increasingly interested in partnering with celebrities. Weinstein went on to serve as an executive producer on Project Runway, invested in the company Halston, and backed his wife Georgina Chapmans fashion line, Marchesa.

But in addition to using the fashion world, and magazines like Vogue, to increase the profile of the actresses he worked with, sources interviewed by the L.A. Times say that Weinstein also used fashion as a pipeline to women. They said that models, oftentimes young and working overseas far from home, were particularly vulnerable.

At least ten former and current models, including Cara Delevingne and Angie Everhart, have accused Weinstein of various forms of sexual misconduct. One former model Zoe Brock told the L.A. Times she believes that men connected to Weinstein intentionally sat her next to him at a dinner party in Cannes in 1998.

Someone put me there next to him  that was on purpose. I am pretty sure that there are a lot of people that would like to sit next to Harvey Weinstein, Brock told the L.A. Times. So why was it me?

Later that night, Brock alleges that Weinstein stood before her naked and asked for a massage. She said she locked herself in a bathroom to escape his advances.

Through his spokesperson, Sallie Hofmeister, Weinstein has unequivocally denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Regarding the accounts of Brock and the other women who have accused Weinstein, Hofmeister said: Their recollection of events differs from that of Mr. Weinstein. Read the full story here.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:06:25|Editor: Yamei

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Xi Jinping delivers a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on behalf of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2017. The CPC opened the 19th National Congress at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday morning. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has in recent years served as a stabilizing factor and source of wisdom in a world troubled with uncertainties and challenges.

Reading the signals from the ongoing 19th CPC National Congress, analysts worldwide said they are confident that the CPC will lead China to make more contributions to world peace and development.

SUPPORTING GLOBAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

David Shambaugh, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a leading U.S. think tank, said that China "has a particularly important leadership role to play in global governance."

He mentioned various areas in which the world has seen China significantly increase its contributions, including climate change, global health, international peacekeeping, global economic governance, energy security and reshaping multilateral institutions.

China was one of the first to sign the Paris Agreement, and has reaffirmed its commitment to fighting global warming after the United States announced its decision in June to withdraw from the accord.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his report at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress, China has taken a driver's seat in international cooperation on climate change and become an "important participant, contributor, and torchbearer" in the global endeavor for ecological civilization.

The country more than met its carbon emission reduction goals last year, and pledged a package of 3.1 billion U.S. dollars to the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change for developing countries.

Avery Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he thinks that "China, sticking with this path, makes it more likely that eventually even the United States will come back to the consensus on climate change."

China is also a staunch supporter of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions and a provider of international humanitarian relief. It is the top contributor of UN peacekeepers and the second-largest contributor to peacekeeping funds.

Khairy Tourk, a professor with the Stuart School of Business of the Illinois Institute of Technology, said that even though its per capita income is not as high as those of advanced nations, China is already providing the world with public goods, such as sending peacekeepers, fighting piracy, and sending medical missions to really poor countries to take care of the people who cannot afford to have good medical treatment.

On economy, China is an indispensable force to counter global economic sluggishness. Over the past five years, China has contributed more than 30 percent of global economic growth.

These remarkable achievements did not come easily, as the country has made tremendous efforts to deepen all-round reforms and adjust its economic structure to address tough challenges and maintain sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, China is committed to promoting an open economy and free trade. Gerishon Ikiara, an international economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said that China's active participation in global economic cooperation and support for open and free global trade have benefited itself and all other countries.

The scholar said he expects China to continue to play a leading role in shaping the global system of trade integration, which will help spur global growth.

OFFERING SOLUTIONS WITH CHINESE WISDOM

China's "more proactive" action in setting the agenda for global growth and governance is exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative, a "very powerful idea," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, a U.S. nongovernmental organization promoting U.S.-China ties.

The initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, aims to promote trade, financial integration, infrastructure inter-connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

By linking countries and regions that account for more than 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of the global gross domestic product, the initiative is a "perfect example" of China sharing its wisdom and solutions for global growth and governance, Kuhn said.

What's more, in Shambaugh's opinion, the initiative "has great potential for many countries and global development."

"Most of the countries along the Belt and Road have significant development need -- electricity and power, transport infrastructure, IT connectivity, etc. -- which China can contribute greatly to fulfilling," he said.

Nigel Haworth, president of the New Zealand Labor Party, said the initiative shows that China has started looking constructively at new ways of complementing existing systems of economic integration, such as the World Trade Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In addition, the Belt and Road Initiative also helps safeguard regional peace, said former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, noting that it creates an opportunity for countries with different state systems to work together to protect the region from terrorism.

"One should be counting all the benefits of stability, with less wars, less tension, less crises and less terrorism. It is very important to have a global picture," he said.
7-Year-Old Boy Killed by Pit Bull Attack in Massachusetts

A 7-year-old boy was killed Saturday night on Oct. 21, after being attacked by pit bulls in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Lowell Police responded to a report of an injured child at a residence on Clare Street, around 6 p.m. Saturday, 7NewsBoston reported.

The Middlesex District Attorneys office said that a preliminary investigation into the incident suggests the child entered a fenced-in area where two pit bulls were located, before he was attacked.

Reports said a witness allegedly tried to fight off the two dogs, but they did not stop the attack, 7NewsBoston reported.

Lowell police said they found the child already dead when they arrived at the scene, according to the Boston Globe.

After the attack, one of the pit bulls escaped the fenced area but was later captured and euthanized, the district attorneys office said. The other pit bull is now in the custody of animal control officials.

As of writing on Sunday, Oct. 22, no charges have been filed and the incident remains under investigation by the district attorneys office, Lowell police, and state police.

After the incident, a neighbor said he saw the boys mother and that she is still trying to wake up from this nightmare, according to 7NewsBoston.

Authorities have not yet revealed the boys identity.

State police also assisted in responding to the scene, Spokesman David Procopio said in an e-mail on Saturday night, the Boston Globe reported.

A video showing the scene of the attack can be seen below.

From NTD.tv
Japan's Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe puts rosettes by successful general election candidates' names on a board at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 22, 2017. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Abe to Push Reform of Japans Pacifist Constitution After Ruling Bloc Election Win

TOKYOJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling bloc was headed for a big win in Sundays election, bolstering his chance of becoming the nations longest serving premier and reenergizing his push to revise the pacifist constitution.

Abes Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition was set to win 311 seats, keeping its two-thirds super majority in the 465-member lower house, an exit poll by TBS television showed. Public broadcaster NHK also said the ruling bloc was closing in on a two-thirds majority, although some other broadcasters had the ruling bloc slightly below the two-thirds mark.

A hefty win raises the likelihood that Abe, who took office in December 2012, will have a third three-year term as LDP leader next September and go on to become Japans longest-serving premier. It also means his Abenomics growth strategy centered on the hyper-easy monetary policy will likely continue.

Final official results from the election, which coincided with an approaching typhoon, are expected early on Monday.

The U.S.-drafted constitutions Article 9, if taken literally, bans the maintenance of armed forces. But Japanese governments have interpreted it to allow a military exclusively for self-defense.

Backers of Abes proposal to clarify the militarys ambiguous status say it would codify the status quo. Critics fear it would allow an expanded role overseas for the military.

Abe said he would not stick to a target he had floated of making the changes by 2020. First, I want to deepen debate and have as many people as possible agree, he told a TV broadcaster. We should put priority on that.

The LDPs junior partner, the Komeito, is cautious about changing the constitution, drawn up afterJapans loss in World War Two. Several opposition parties favor changes, but dont necessarily agree on details.

Referendums Risky

Amendments must be approved by two-thirds of each chamber of parliament and then by a majority in a public referendum.

Now that pro-constitutional change parties occupy more than two-thirds of the parliament, the constitution will be the most important political issue next year, said Hidenori Suezawa, a financial market and fiscal analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities.

And as we saw in the U.K. , a referendum could be tricky. So while Abe is likely to be prime minister for the time being, it is too early to say whether he can stay in power until 2021. Abe declined to say if hed run for a third term.

Abe had said he needed a new mandate to tackle a national crisis from North Koreas missile and nuclear threats and a fast-aging population, and to approve his idea of diverting revenue from a planned sales tax hike to education and child care from public debt repayment.

He called the poll amid confusion in the opposition camp and an uptick in his ratings, dented earlier in the year by scandals over suspected cronyism and a perception he had grown arrogant after nearly five years in office.

Abe has backed U.S. President Donald Trumps tough stance towards North Korea, which has test-fired missiles over Japan, that all options, including military action, are on the table. Trump is to visit Japan Nov. 5-7 to reaffirm the leaders tight ties.

Abes Gamble Pays Off

Abes snap poll gamble had seemed riskysome early forecasts saw the LDP losing a significant chunk of seatsafter Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, often floated as a possible first Japanese female premier, launched her conservative Party of Hope.

That party absorbed a big chunk of the failed main opposition Democratic Party, which abruptly decided to run no candidates of its own. But voter enthusiasm soon waned despite its calls for popular policies such as an exit from nuclear power and a freeze on the planned sales tax rise.

Koike did not run for a lower house seat herself  she was in Paris for a climate change event on Sundayand failed to say whom her party would back for prime minister.

We had sought to put policies first. But we ended up with a very tough outcome, so I deeply apologize for that, Koike told NHK.

A new Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), formed by liberal former DP members, was vying with Koikes party for the top opposition spot, although both will have just a fraction of the LDPs presence if forecasts prove accurate.

Day by day, we felt we were getting more voter support for our call to revive more decent politics, and not fret about whether its right or left wing, said CDPJ lawmaker Tetsuro Fukuyama.

Several experts noted the ruling blocs win was less a victory for the conservative, long-ruling LDP than a defeat for a divided opposition.

Simply put, this was the self-destruction of the opposition, said Zentaro Kamei, a senior research fellow at think tank PHP Institute and former LDP lawmaker.

Shinjiro Koizumi, the LDP lawmaker son of popular former premier Junichiro Koizumi, warned against LDP complacency.

Its not just that our party has become arrogant and complacent. People are also getting increasingly fed up with us, he told NHK.

Abe, 63, has already led the LDP and its partner, the Komeito, to four landslide wins since he took the helm of the party. But turnout has been low and the LDP has typically won with about 25 percent of eligible votes. Others either stayed home or backed opposition parties.

Kyodo news agency estimated turnout on Sundaywhen heavy rain from powerful Typhoon Lan lashed much of Japan  at 53.7 percent, one point above the record low in the last lower house election in 2014.

Reuters
Members of the 3rd Special Forces Group, 2nd Battalion salute the casket of U.S. Army Sgt. David Johnson at his burial service in the Memorial Gardens East cemetery on Oct. 21, 2017, in Hollywood, Fla. (Gaston De Cardenas/AFP/Getty Images)

Body of 4th Soldier Killed in Niger Ambush Found a Mile From Battle Site

The Department of Defense is investigating why the body of a fourth Special Forces soldier killed in an ambush in Niger on Oct. 4 ended up a mile from the site of the attack.

The loss of our troops is under investigation, said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. We investigate anytime we have our troops killed, whether it be in a training accident or combat.

The FBI has also joined the investigation into the ambush.

However, various lawmakers, most notably Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), have demanded answers as to what went wrong while the soldiers were on patrol.

McCain raised the possibility on Thursday of issuing a subpoena as a means to get answers from the Trump administration about the attack.

Questions have been raised about where the body was found, and why the soldier, Sgt. La David Johnson, was left behind.

Johnson was part of a Special Forces (Green Beret) squad advising and assisting Nigerien soldiers patrolling north of the countrys capital. The force of about a dozen Green Berets and 40 Nigerien soldiers were ambushed by about 50 Islamic terrorists.

Four Green Berets and five Nigerien soldiers were killed in the attack. The other three U.S. soldiers who lost their lives were Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29. Sgt. Johnson was only 25.

US Troops Provide Vital Support

The United States has 800-1,000 troops in Niger operating in an advise-and-assist role. Nigers borders are beset by Islamic terrorist groups allied with of inspired by al-Qaeda, such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or ISIS-influenced groups like Boko Haram. There are also 4,000 French soldiers in the country.

These four lives were the first U.S. military fatalities in the country. U.S. troops have been on the ground in Niger since at least 2012.

Mattis said Terrorists are conducting war on innocent people of all religions, they are conducting war on innocent people who have no way to defend themselves.

Were providing refueling support, intelligence support, surveillance support, Mattis said.

But also we have troops on the ground. Their job is to help the people in the region learn how to defend themselves.

We call it foreign internal defense training, and we actually do these kinds of missions by, with, and through our allies, he said. In this specific case, contact was considered unlikely, but theres a reason we have U.S. Army soldiers there and not the Peace Corps, because we carry guns.

US Navy Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, further clarified the role of U.S. forces in the region:

US forces are in Niger to provide training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces, including support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts, in their efforts to target violent extremist organizations in the region.

One aspect of that is training, advising and assisting the Nigeriens in order to increase their ability to bring stability and security to their people.

Niger is one of the countries Islamic terrorists use as a pathway from sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa and on to Europe.

From NTD.tv
California Mom Supplied Drugs to Local High School

San Diego police have arrested a 48-year-old mother who is suspected of supplying drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes to high school students.

Kimberly Quach is accused of running a network of teenaged dealers who sold drugs to other students in the La Jolla and Carmel Valley area.

Her $1.3 million home in Carmel Valley was known as a party spot where teens could get pot, booze, and pills.

Included in the investigation is Cathedral Catholic High School where Quachs eldest daughter is a senior. It is known at the school that if you need anything, you can have Quach buy it for you, said one investigator.

Other area high schools might be targeted in the investigation.

Quach was arrested on Sept. 28 and charged with 37 counts including employing a minor to sell or carry marijuana, furnishing marijuana to a minor over the age of 14, child abuse, theft by false impersonation, and selling or providing a minor with both Suboxone and Alprazolam (Xanax), and other charges.

San Diego police began the investigation after parents found Suboxone pills in their daughters room. Suboxone is a pain reliever also used to combat opioid addiction. The parents checked their daughters phone and found text messages in which the child asked for pain medication. One of Quachs two children was a friend of the teen who sought the drugs.

A search warrant affidavit filed Oct. 3 by San Diego police investigators alleges that Quach showed one teenager how to sell drugs, and that the teen collected customer money in cash and through online payments. The teen admits to making about 10 sales.

Upon executing the warrant, police said they found drying pot plants, planters, and grow lights in the four-bedroom, three-bath home on Astor Place where Quach lives with her fiance and two children.

The house was the site of frequent loud parties, according to neighbors, with lots of teenagers coming and going, and a lot of vehicular traffic. It seems the police found a list of students who were to be invited to a party, and are investigating those students first.

Cathedral Catholic High School sent a letter to the parents of children on the invitation list. The letter read, in part:

Recently, the parent of a CCHS student was arrested and charged with the sale and possession of illegal drugs and other controlled substances. The investigation that triggered that arrest is ongoing and affects Cathedral Catholic and other high schools in the area.

As part of that effort, San Diego Police and the District Attorneys Office are directly contacting a number of CCHS families to ask for their help. Officers working the case believe there are CCHS students who may be witnesses or who may have information that would assist their them.

I think its really sad and it breaks my heart that any adult would sell drugs to a child, said Tene Williams.

Williams is one of the Cathedral parents who received the letter from the school last Friday.

Quach has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail at the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee on $200,000 bail.

This is not the first time the San Diego State University graduate and mother of two has been arrested. In 2015 Quach pleaded guilty to writing bad checks and stealing more than $950 from an old high school friend. The charges were reduced to misdemeanors.

In a final ironic twist, Quach serves as vice president of a nonprofit foundation, the Andy Paul Sanchez Foundation that raises money for at-risk students.

From The Epoch Times
Coffee Shop Closes After Manager Makes Slanderous Comments about Police on Facebook

Kato Mele was forced to close her coffee shop in Lynn, Massachusetts, this week after comments her daughter made online about police angered customers.

Meles 23-year-old daughter, Sophie, who was the manager of the cafe, posted on her personal Facebook page that they would never host a Coffee with a Cop event, saying police were racist bullies and other pejoratives.

Mele, who did not agree with the post, asked her daughter to take it down, which she did, then fired her as the coffee shops manager.

She also reached out to the local police department.

The White Rose Coffee House publicly acknowledges and apologizes to all Law Enforcement agencies and specifically the Lynn Massachusetts Police Department for the reprehensible affront, distasteful, biased and hateful remarks made by the manager of the White Rose on a personal Facebook page, Mele wrote in an op-ed in the local paper, the Daily Item.

She invited them in for coffee on Monday, Oct. 16.

The White Rose Coffee House realizes that we have a long road to hoe to ingratiate and demonstrate our true appreciation for law enforcement and all first responders, she wrote.

Despite Meles best efforts, her daughters post spread, and even though Sophie later wrote an apology, it was too late. Someone posted pictures of Sophies Facebook comments on the shops Yelp page and reviewers started giving it low reviews.

As of Sunday, Oct. 22, Yelp had a sign on the page that read:

This business recently made waves in the news, which often means that people come to this page to post their views on the news.

While we dont take a stand one way or the other when it comes to these news events, we do work to remove both positive and negative posts that appear to be motivated more by the news coverage itself than the reviewers personal consumer experience with the business.

As a result, your posts to this page may be removed as part of our cleanup process.

Locals also started to boycott the coffee shop.

Mele said she not only lost her customers, but suffered abuse online. She said her daughter received death threats because of her comments, and both shuttered their social media accounts. Mele also closed those of the coffee shop.

Ive lost my business and Ive lost my daughter  I dont know how this story just keeps building, but I need people to leave me alone, said Mele told the Daily Item. Im closing my business so I can stop being harassed.

From NTD.tv
Harvey Weinsteins Chauffeur Tells All about his Former Employer

The chauffeur who worked for film producer Harvey Weinstein alleges that the media giant regularly picked up girls in their 20s, and that when several escorts didnt show up, Weinstein took out his anger on him.

Mickael Chemloul, 56, worked as Weinsteins chauffeur in Cannes, France, from 2008 to 2013.

He told The Sun that Weinstein regularly picked up girls while he was in town for film festivals, despite being married and having kids.

Weinstein was a terrible man to work for, he told the paper. Everyone knew him as le porc [the pig] because of his size and because he sweated so much. When he came to Cannes we all knew what to expect.

He recalled one occasion where Harvey got in the car after a festival with a woman around 25 to 30, who had clearly had a few drinks.

He said Weinsteins wife, Georgina Chapman, who was pregnant at the time, was back at the hotel resting.

He heard the girl in the back of the car say to Weinstein, Dont hurt me, then turned around to see Weinstein pulling her hair.

This was a fairly familiar sight for me, but even I was shocked, he said.

They went back to Weinsteins hotel, but instead of going back to his wife, Weinstein got another room with the young woman.

Chapman called Chemloul at about 4:30 a.m. to ask where Weinstein was.

I was in an awkward spot. All I could think of was he had gone for a meeting with some business friends. I felt forced to lie, he told The Sun.

Weinstein emerged from his other room at 5 a.m. looking disheveled with his shirt out, Chemloul said, and went back to the room he shared with his wife.

It was so stressful working for himI was taking him to parties and I know he was going to orgies as well but I had to keep quiet, he told The Sun.

He quit working for Weinstein in 2013 and filed a lawsuit against him in 2014 after Weinstein allegedly attacked him. He said Weinstein took out his anger on him while he was driving after two Eastern European hookers failed to show up.

He went crazy and hit me. At that moment, there was no question Id never work for him again, he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The injuries were severe enough that Chemloul didnt work for four days.

A local prosecutor in Draguignan, France, dismissed the case despite Chemloul having medical records to prove he had been injured, according to the Nice-Matin, a media based in Nice, France.

A spokesperson for Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter that Chemloul was fired because of his poor driving.

A bartender who worked at the Hotel du Cap, the luxury resort on the Cote dAzur just outside of Cannes where Weinstein would stay when he was in town, said that the reports surfacing about Weinsteins predatory behavior didnt surprise him.

[With Weinstein] its everything you have read, and worse, the bartender, who has worked there for 20 years, told the Reporter.

He was always in here with one or two young girls, he said.But we are always polite because he is a guest.

A housekeeper at the Majestic Hotel, another of Weinsteins Cannes haunts, said she didnt know who Weinstein was, but when shown a photo, remembered him vividly.

He was the ugly one who thought he was God, she told the Reporter. I didnt even know who he was, but he was very bossy.

Men like George Clooney or Brad Pitt, they were such lovely men and so handsome. But not him. He was a mean pig.

Chapman, a British fashion designer with whom Weinstein had two children, announced her separation from the movie mogul on Oct. 10.

Weinstein is reportedly in rehab for sex addiction.

Weinstein, 65, faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, including from well-known Hollywood actresses. The company he co-founded and co-chaired, Weinstein Co, announced on Oct. 6 he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the business. Then, on Oct. 17, he was also forced off the companys board of directors.

From NTD.tv
Police Seek Couple for Brutal Murder of 13-Day-Old Infant

Police charged a Utah couple with murder in the death of their 13-day-old infant boy and issued warrants for their arrests.

Maria Elena Sullivan, 26, and Dylan James Kitzmiller, 21, were charged with first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse as second-degree felonies, according to court filings, Fox reported.

NEW: WJ police are looking for these 2. Cops: Dylan Kitzmiller beat a 13 day old to death, the mother, Maria Sullivan, doesn't report. pic.twitter.com/zwii4cNOmh  Chris Jones (@jonesnews) October 21, 2017

The couple will be held on $1 million bail once arrested, West Jordan police said.

The baby was born on Sept. 4. On Sept. 17, Sullivan called an ambulance to her relatives home in West Jordan because she saw the infant grasping for air. The paramedics could not restore the infants breathing and he was pronounced dead.

Police allege that Kitzmiller regularly abused the child and that Sullivan failed to report it and did not seek treatment for the injuries.

The couple was staying in the West Jordan home with a relative.

On the day the infant died, the mother was on the phone talking about how she wanted to get away from Kitzmillers abuse. During the call, Kitzmiller was taking care of the child by himself.

After the call, the mother went downstairs and saw her baby wearing only a diaper and Kitzmiller moving the infants legs in a rough weird bicycle thing. Kitzmiller told the mother the baby would be fine and that she should put it to sleep.

That night Sullivan heard the baby gasping for air. She said she pinched the boy on the cheek to get him to respond. After a few more gasps the baby stopped breathing.

The couple called 911 from upstairs, but paramedics could not save the infant.

During questioning, investigators found out from Sullivan that Kitzmiller was using heroin. The man was also rough with the baby, but she continued to leave the child in his care. Sullivan also told police that Kitzmiller was verbally abusive toward her.

Sullivan said that Kitzmiller abused the boy on several occasions, grabbing his shoulder, throwing the child in the air, swaddling him face down and on one occasion covering the infants mouth as he cried. Sullivan also said that Kitzmiller threw the boy from hand to hand, slapped him in his face, and bit his hands.

When police questioned Kitzmiller, he said that Sullivan and her relatives had yelled at him for treating the baby roughly. He also said that Sullivan used heroin in front of the child, but that she was not responsible for any of the injuries.

A medical examiner determined that the baby boy had lost one pound of his birth weight in 13 days, had a spinal fracture, a broken rib, massive swelling of the brain, and scratches and bruises.

Wow, thats frightening, really frightening, Kristen Peterson, a neighbor, said. You never really know whats going on two or three houses down from you.

From NTD.tv
An officer wipes away tears during a vigil for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officer Charleston Hartfield at Police Memorial Park on Oct. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas. ( Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Policeman Killed in Las Vegas Massacre Left Funeral Note

An off-duty Las Vegas policeman and former soldier who was killed in the Las Vegas massacre left a funeral note with instructions.

Charleston Hartfield was one of the 58 people killed at a country music festival when Stephen Paddock opened fire from the windows of the Mandalay Bay hotel. Hartfield died trying to get others away from the gunfire during the worst mass shooting in the history of the country.

Today we lay to rest a fallen brother, Police Officer Charleston Hartfield. Services begin 11AM at Central Church. https://t.co/QmallMqemK pic.twitter.com/trhdmSQ2bT  LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 20, 2017

The 34-year-old was buried on Oct. 20, after a funeral that brought 2,000 people, including family, friends, police officers, and military officers. There was also a motorcade down the Las Vegas Strip, Fox News reported.

Hartfield, a father of two, began a computer file with instructions for his funeral a year ago. The file was discovered by his wife after the massacre. He wanted to be remembered humbly.

I would like for everyone to enjoy themselves. And remember me for who I was. The truth only. None of that stuff about how great I was. Only real stories, he wrote.

Police motorcade is on its way to Veterans Memorial Cemetery via US95 for a private graveside service for Officer Charleston Hartfield. pic.twitter.com/eBZUTPsxlj  LVMPD (@LVMPD) October 20, 2017

But the people who admired Hartfield did not see it necessary to keep that particular request. Nevada National Guard Brig. Gen. Zachary Doser said Hartfield was everything good about being an American at the funeral.

That night, in a hail of gunfire, Charlies last actions spoke for him, said Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, referring to Hartfield. He took actions to save lives.

Hartfields requests show the impression serving in the military left on him.

The only way I would like to be placed in the ground is if its in a veterans area. That way myself and the crusty old vets can hold formations and continue to protect and serve our great country once more, Hartfield wrote.

Funeral procession for LVMPD Officer Charleston Hartfield passes the Mandalay Bay & Welcome to Vegas sign. RIP. Thank you for your service. pic.twitter.com/qlqcqT0sdi  Kyndell Nunley (@KyndellNews3LV) October 20, 2017

Hartfield served in the Army for 17 years, and on a police force for 11 years. Lombardo said he considers Hartfields death on-duty, since he was playing the role of protector at the time.

The Nevada National Guard honored Hartfield by promoting him to first sergeant.

From NTD.tv
MORGANTOWN, West VirginiaA shortage of nurses at U.S. hospitals hit West Virginias Charleston Area Medical Center at the worst possible time.

The non-profit healthcare system is one of the states largest employers and sits in the heart of economically depressed coal country. It faces a $40 million deficit this year as it struggles with fewer privately insured patients, cuts in government reimbursement and higher labor costs to attract a shrinking pool of nurses.

To keep its operations intact, Charleston Medical is spending this year $12 million on visiting or travel nurses, twice as much as three years ago. It had no need for travel nurses a decade ago.

Ive been a nurse 40 years, and the shortage is the worst Ive ever seen it, said Ron Moore, who retired in October from his position as vice president and chief nursing officer for the center. Charleston Area Medicals incentives include tuition reimbursement for nursing students who commit to work at the hospital for two years.

Its better to pay a traveler than to shut a bed, he said.

Hospitals nationwide face tough choices when it comes to filling nursing jobs. They are paying billions of dollars collectively to recruit and retain nurses rather than risk patient safety or closing down departments, according to Reuters interviews with more than 20 hospitals, including some of the largest U.S. chains.

In addition to higher salaries, retention and signing bonuses, they now offer perks such as student loan repayment, free housing and career mentoring, and rely more on foreign or temporary nurses to fill the gaps.

The cost nationwide for travel nurses alone nearly doubled over three years to $4.8 billion in 2017, according to Staffing Industry Analysts, a global advisor on workforce issues.

The burden falls disproportionately on hospitals serving rural communities, many of them already straining under heavy debt like the Charleston Area Medical Center.

These hospitals must offer more money and benefits to compete with facilities in larger metropolitan areas, many of them linked to well-funded universities, interviews with hospital officials and health experts show.

Along West Virginias border with Pennsylvania, university-affiliated J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown is spending $10.4 million in 2017 compared with $3.6 million a year earlier to hire and retain nurses.

But these costs are part of the facilitys expansion this year, including adding more than 100 beds as it grows programs and takes over healthcare services from smaller rural providers that have scaled back or closed.

J.W. Ruby, the flagship hospital for WVU Medicine, offers higher pay for certain shifts, tuition reimbursement, $10,000 signing bonuses and free housing for staff who live at least 60 miles away.

Next year, the hospital is considering paying college tuition for the family members of long-time nurses to keep them in West Virginia.

Well do whatever we need to do, said Doug Mitchell, vice president and chief nursing officer of WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals.

Not Like Other Shortages

Nursing shortages have occurred in the past, but the current crisis is far worse. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be more than a million registered nurse openings by 2024, twice the rate seen in previous shortages.

A major driver is the aging of the baby boomer generation, with a greater number of patients seeking care, including many more complex cases, and a new wave of retirements among trained nurses.

Industry experts, from hospital associations to Wall Street analysts, say the crisis is harder to address than in the past. A faculty shortage and too few nursing school slots has contributed to the problem.

Hospitals seek to meet a goal calling for 80 percent of nursing staff to have a four-year degree by 2020, up from 50 percent in 2010. They also face more competition with clinics and insurance companies that may offer more flexible hours.

Healthcare experts warn that the shortfall presents risks to patients and providers. Research published in August in the International Journal of Nursing Studies found that having inadequate numbers of registered nurses on staff made it more likely that a patient would die after common surgeries.

UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, has invested millions to attract nurses, but still has 300 jobs to fill. At times, nursing vacancy rates in some of its departments has hit 20 percent or higher.

Weve rarely canceled a surgery or closed a bed because of lack of staffing, said Terri Poe, chief of nursing at the hospital, the states largest, which serves many low income and uninsured residents.

Last year, the medical center covered nearly $200 million in unreimbursed medical costs for patients. It spent $4.5 million for visiting nurses during fiscal 2016, including $3 million for post-surgery services, compared with $858,000 in 2012.

Healthcare labor costs typically account for at least half of a facilitys expenses. They jumped by 7.6 percent nationally last year, after climbing at a rate closer to 5 percent annually in recent years, said Beth Wexler, vice president non-profit healthcare at Moodys. The spending has proven a boon for medical staffing companies like AMN Healthcare and Aya Healthcare.

Missouris nursing shortage reached a record high in 2017, with almost 16 percent  or 5,700  of positions vacant, up from 8 percent last year. Thirty-four percent of Missouri registered nurses are 55 or older.

Our biggest challenge is getting the pipeline of experienced nurses, said Peter Callan, director of talent acquisition and development at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, which is expanding. There are fewer and fewer as people retire.

Last year, the academic medical center hired talent scouts to identify candidates, Callan said. It spends $750,000 a year on extras to attract and keep nurses, including annual $2,000 bonuses to registered nurses who remain in hard-to-fill units and up to five years of student loan repayment assistance. It offers employee referral bonuses and a chance to win a trip to Hawaii.

Smaller hospitals find it much harder to compete in this climate. More than 40 percent of rural hospitals had negative operating margins in 2015, according to The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

In rural Missouri, 25-bed Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital had to offer signing bonuses, tuition reimbursement and pay differentials when staffing is critically low in units such as obstetrics.

They havent closed beds, but have hired less experienced nurses, raised salaries and turned away at least one patient who would have been in its long term care program.

Weve had to try whatever it takes to get nurses here, said Rita Brumfield, head of nursing at the hospital. Its a struggle every day to get qualified staff.

To see the entire graphic on the U.S. nursing shortage, click here.

By Jilian Mincer
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:26:32|Editor: Liangyu

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by Xinhua writer Gao Lu

HOUSTON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has done a great job in eliminating poverty and improving people's livelihood, a local U.S. expert on China has said.

Meanwhile, the party is also evolving by fixing its own problems, added Jon R. Taylor, a political science professor at University of St. Thomas in Houston, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Recalling China's history of development, he pointed out that the CPC has led China through several stages, from getting China back on its feet to turning China into a preeminent country in the world.

Among other great achievements, China's high-speed rail has become "the envy of the world," and the development of the homegrown large passenger plane C919 has also garnered worldwide attention, he said.

The scholar added that he particularly admires the CPC's willingness and determination to alleviate and eliminate poverty. "That is amazing and laudable," he said.

By reducing poverty, the CPC has kept its promise of improving people's lives, and has also helped China modernize in all sorts of ways, he added.

Meanwhile, thanks to the CPC, China has become "the leading proponent of economic globalization and liberalization" since the United States has "dropped the ball," he said.

All those achievements clearly show the role of the CPC, he said. "If it was not the party, China would not be where it is today. People can disagree with that all they want, but imagine where China would be today without the CPC in its primary role as the leading party."

At the same time, the CPC, just like any political party in the world, has its own problems, such as corruption, but it is addressing them, said Taylor.

"Here's the thing to keep in mind about China: They don't hide it underneath a bush," he said.

Taylor said that in his public administration ethics class, he has shown his students the smartphone app with which the Chinese people can report corruption to the government.

"That is not the stereotype of a closed society and closed political party. That is a political party that obviously continues to modernize, continues to move forward, and continues to at least understand that the times change," he said.

Taylor emphasized that Western countries must understand that China has a different system from Western-style democracy.

"The Communist Party of China is a leading party for a reason," said the professor, "because it has tremendous success and continues to have success."
People wave separatisy Catalan flags and placards during a demonstration organised by Catalan pro-independence movements ANC (Catalan National Assembly) and Omnium Cutural, following the imprisonment of their two leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, in Barcelona, Spain, October 21, 2017. (Reuters/Ivan Alvarado)

Spain Urges Catalonia Secessionists to Obey Madrid

BARCELONAThe Spanish government has urged Catalonians to accept direct control from Madrid and ignore instructions from the restive regions secessionist leadership once it has been removed from power.

Sundays message came a day after Madrid resolved to take the unprecedented constitutional step of firing the Catalonia government, a last resort to thwart its independence campaign and calm fears of unrest and economic turmoil in the heart of the euro zone.

The decision, to be implemented this week, brought tens of thousands of pro-independence protesters onto the streets of Barcelona on Saturday and was rejected by Catalan President Carles Puigdemont.

The regional parliaments speaker, Carme Forcadell, said she would not accept Madrids move and accused Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of staging a coup.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis responded on Sunday with the call to obey Madrid.

All the government is trying to do, and reluctantly, is to reinstate the legal order, to restore the constitution but also the Catalan rules and proceed from there, Dastis told BBC TV.

We are going to establish the authorities who are going to rule the day-to-day affairs of Catalonia according to the Catalan laws and norms  I hope everyone will disregard whatever instructions they will be planning to give because they will not have the legal authority to do that.

Catalonias leaders say they will not accept direct rule imposed by Madrid, raising the prospect that they and their supporters will seek to defy the Spanish government when the time comes to remove them from office.

Rajoys plan still needs Senate approval in a session set for Friday. Once it gains the expected approval Madrid can take full control of Catalonias finances, police and public media and curb the powers of the regional parliament for up to six months, until fresh regional elections.

Street protests for and against independence in Catalonia have involved hundreds of thousands of people. Though a violent crackdown by national police during Catalonias Oct. 1 independence referendum left hundreds injured, the protests have remained peaceful so far.

But Rajoys unprecedented plan to use special constitutional powers has angered both sides and raised concern over the potential for unrest if Catalan leaders resist and call for civil disobedience.

Economic Fears

They have not done that, but investors are worried about the possible fallout from such moves by a region that makes up a fifth of Spains economy. Hundreds of companies have shifted their headquarters outside the region and Madrid has made downward revisions to its economic forecasts.

Mikel Lekue, a 24-year-old Spaniard studying in Barcelona, said he did not support Catalan independence but criticized Rajoys tactics in invoking article 155 of the national constitution for the first time to take control of a region.

I dont agree with article 155. For all the errors the Catalan government has made, and they have made many, I dont think the solution is to remove Catalan autonomy, he said as he walked in central Barcelona with a friend.

I think they need to sit down and talk.

Catalan President Puigdemont, who made a symbolic declaration of independence on Oct. 10 after the referendum, called Rajoys move the worst attacks against the people of Catalonia since Spains military dictatorship.

Puigdemont has stopped short of saying he would make good his threat to push ahead with a parliamentary vote on independence before direct rule takes effect.

I ask the (Catalan) parliament to meet in a plenary session, during which we, the representatives of the citizens sovereignty, will be able to decide over this attempt to liquidate our government and our democracy, and act in consequence, Puigdemont said in a televised address.

Rajoy, who acted with backing from King Felipe and the main opposition party in Madrid, said the crisis was jeopardizing recovery in the euro zones fourth-largest economy.

Our objective is to restore the law and a normal cohabitation among citizens, which has deteriorated a lot; continue with the economic recovery, which is under threat today in Catalonia, and celebrate elections in a situation of normality, he said.

The regional assembly is expected to decide on Monday whether to hold a session to formally proclaim the republic of Catalonia.

Catalan media have said Puigdemont could dissolve the regional parliament and call elections by next Friday. Under Catalan law, those elections would take place within two months.

That would enable Puigdemont to go the polls earlier than envisaged by Rajoy, who spoke of a six-month timetable, and to exploit the anti-Madrid sentiment running high in the region.

By Sam Edwards
Strange Twist in Texas Murder Case Surfaces on Death Row, Delaying Execution

AUSTIN, TexasTexas inmate Larry Swearingen, who has been sitting on death row for 17 years, may have been plotting to avoid his date with the execution chamber in November by having a serial murderer take the fall for his crime, according to a county prosecutor.

But an attorney for Swearingen denies such a plot exists with a second death-row inmate, Anthony Shore, and Shore has not tried to take the rap for Swearingens convictions. The attorney said over the weekend that the county prosecutions collusion accusation is false and part of a series of blunders in a faulty prosecution.

For Shore, with five murder convictions, admitting to one more killing would not change his death sentence. But for Swearingen, such a confession could spare his life.

The questions about a confession led a state court to call for the postponement of Shores planned Oct. 18 execution a few hours before his scheduled lethal injection until authorities can determine the facts.

Swearingen was convicted of raping and strangling Melissa Trotter, a 19-year-old college student, with pantyhose in 1998 in an area north of Houston in a crime similar to murders that Shore has been convicted of committing.

Larry Swearingen was sentenced to death in 2000 for 1998 murder of Melissa Trotter in Sam Houston Natl Forest. pic.twitter.com/eRGBY94Tjb  Jay R. Jordan (@JayRJordan) October 4, 2016

Shore has never said that he killed Trotter, which could take Swearingen off the hook. But the Montgomery County District Attorneys office said it believes the two death row inmates are perpetrating a fraud upon the criminal justice system.

Dubbed the tourniquet killer, Shore was known for using tourniquets to torture and strangle five girls and young women in the Houston area in the 1980s and 1990s.

@LauraLynnSmiles Laurie Lee Tremblay, Maria Carmen Del Estrada, Diana Rebollar, Dana Sanchez are remembered. pic.twitter.com/hsWVFWu3u0  LauraLynnMoserPark (@LauraLynnSmiles) January 13, 2014

A folder containing information about the murder for which Swearingen had been convicted was found in Shores cell in July, prosecutors said.

It contained court crime scene photographs of the Trotter murder, court exhibits and a hand-drawn map where Trotters body was found, prosecutors in Montgomery County, north of Houston, told Texas Governor Greg Abbott in an Oct. 16 letter.

District Attorney Brett Ligon said in the letter his office had evidence that Shore would take blame for the Trotter murder and falsely claim responsibility.

We remain absolutely certain of Swearingens guilt of Melissa Trotters murder, Ligon said.

On the day of Shores execution, however, no such claim had been made and his court-appointed attorney said the allegations of a scheme to confess to the Trotter murder were unfounded.

Mr. Shore was not responsible in any shape or form with the Melissa Trotter homicide and any documents found in his jail cell related to the homicide were either given to him by Mr. Swearingen or openly attainable through public sources, K. Knox Nunnally said in a telephone interview.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which is investigating the case, said death row inmates are in single cells and do not have physical interaction. But they can talk to each other from their cells or when they are in recreation areas near one another.

Lawyers for Swearingen for years have said he is innocent and that they have experts who can show he could not have taken part in the murder. The lawyers have argued there were serious flaws in his prosecution and no physical evidence tying him to the murder.

James Rytting, an attorney for Swearingen, said there was no collusion with Shore and dismissed the allegation from prosecutors.

As far as I am concerned, they have bamboozled their way through this, Rytting said in a telephone interview.

By Jon Herskovitz
James Hughes of Louisville, Ky. holds a sign calling for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act during a rally for Senate Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in Louisville, Kentucky on Oct. 31, 2014. (Luke Sharrett/Getty Images)

The Beginning of the End of Obamacare?

During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Trump promised to repeal Obamacare at least 68 times. Last week, President Trump delivered a one-two punch at the unpopular and ineffective law. President Donald Trumps order is not exactly a repeal and replace of Obamacare. But the measure, together with a change in subsidy payments, is expected to accelerate Obamacares demise and put pressure on Congress to find a permanent fix.

A Heavy Blow

Trump signed an executive order on Oct. 12, expanding access to association health plans for small businesses and citizen associations. Additionally, the plans can be purchased across the state lines. The order is expected to revitalize the individual health insurance markets, offering more choices to consumers and bringing down premiums.

Later that same day, the White House announced its decision to end federal subsidies to insurers under Obamacare. The subsidies are meant to help lower the out-of-pocket expenses of low-income Americans who buy insurance on Obamacare Exchanges. (The federal subsidies to lower the premiums of those who are insured under Obamacare are not affected.)

President Trumps executive actions could trigger a chain reaction in the health insurance market that spells doom for Obamacare. The law was poorly designed, negotiated in bad faith, and abysmally implemented. It has failed in almost every respect, even by government standards.

CBOs Rosy Predictions

Obamacare has cost much more than advertised. Before it passed, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected Obamacare would cost $938 billion over ten years. But in 2016, the number was revised up to $1.938 trillion from 2017-2026, a 107 percent increase. It looks as if someone at CBO intentionally removed the 1 before the decimal in the 2010 report.

The Obamacare exchanges attracted far fewer enrollees than projected. CBO estimated in 2017 there would be 23 million people insured through the Obamacare exchanges. In 2017, however, only 9.2 million Americans signed up on federal exchanges, 40 percent of CBOs 2010 projection.

If a weather forecasting company constantly misses the mark by 40-100 percent in its daily temperature forecast, it would not be in business for long. It is beyond me why CBO is still in existence.

Death Spiral of the Obamacare Exchanges

Huge annual premium increases were commonplace for Obamacare enrollees since the rollout of the Obamacare exchanges in 2013. A 2016 report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicated the average annual cost of an unsubsidized premium for an individual healthcare plan was $2,784 before Obamacare in 2013. By 2017, the average annual cost for a similar plan on HealthCare.gov was $5,712, an increase of 105 percent.

Data from online health insurance company ehealthinsurance.com are consistent with HHSs findings. According to ehealthinsurance, the average premiums of unsubsidized individual Obamacare health insurance plans have almost doubled (an increase of 99 percent) since 2013; Over the same time period, family premiums have increased 140 percent.

High premiums force younger, healthier people to drop Obamacare coverage. Consequently, the Obamacare risk pool skews more towards older, sicker people who tend to seek medical attention more often. The insurers have to raise the premiums, resulting in an exodus of more younger, healthier people, hence what is called a death spiral.

So much for promises that Obamacare could save a typical familys premium by up to $2,500 a year.

Obamacare Too Disruptive

One of the goals of Obamacare was to reduce the number of uninsured in the United States. The portion of uninsured Americans indeed dropped to 8.6 percent in March 2017 from 18.4 percent in 2013, mainly due to Medicaid expansion.

But the cost of providing Medicaid to a larger population has been disrupting the whole health insurance market.

Over 5 million people lost their insurance and doctors. The unsubsidized Obamacare individual plansroughly 2.1 million in 2017feature prohibitively expensive premiums, sky-high deductibles, and meager benefits.

The employer-sponsored health insurance market was hit as well. According to the Kaiser Family Foundations annual employer health benefits survey, the number of Americans insured through employment decreased from 157 million in 2013 to 151 million in 2017, presumably because businesses chose to drop or reduce health insurance benefits for their employees. Meanwhile, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums for family coverage have increased 19 percent since 2012.

The Winner: Health Insurance Companies

While millions of Americans have suffered the fallout of Obamacare, the health insurance industry has thrived during the era of Obamacare. The insurance companies have learned to cut their Obamacare losses, while taking advantage of a growing population of younger, healthier retirees. Insurance companies profitability in Medicare soared 279 percent in 2016. Profit from Medicare more than offsets their losses in the Obamacare exchanges; it has become the new growth engine for the insurance companies.

The general trend is growing the portion of health care claims that are directly or indirectly paid by the federal government, Deep Banerjee, a director at S&P Global Ratings, told CNBC.

No wonder one of the nicknames of Obamacare is the Health Insurance Profit Protection and Enhancement Act.

President Trumps executive order is not likely to have an immediate impact on health insurance premiums and medical cost. In a few years, however, the new measure could totally reshape the landscape of the individual health insurance market.

In the long run, permanent healthcare reform is needed. The American people handed the control of the House, Senate, and White House to the Republicans in the 2016 election. 10 months in, Congress has failed to deliver any major reform.

The Republicans need to make good on their promises to repeal and replace Obamacare. The 2018 midterm election is only a year away. Trumps election success demonstrated how powerful the voters wrath can be.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A B-1B Lancer flies by during a U. S. Air Force firepower demonstration at the Nevada Test and Training Range Sept. 14, 2007, near Indian Springs, Nev. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

US B1-B Bombers, High-Tech Fighters Flex Muscles at Seoul Air Show

Two U.S. B1-B Lancer bombers joined South Korean Air Force jets in a precision low-altitude flying demonstration at the Seoul Air Show.

Prior to the air show, the B1-Bs engaged in an air-to-surface missile test.

This is the second appearance of the supersonic, nuclear-capable bombers over Korea in the past two weeks.

On Oct. 10, two B1-B Lancers participated in a military drill over the ocean off the Korean coast.

Though ostensibly a commercial air show, where aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft-related products are marketed to airlines, the event was staged at Seoul Air Base, a military facility.

The U.S. and South Korean air forces didnt waste the opportunity to show off their high-tech products.

The air show saw an assembly of powerful planes: the latest American F35s and F22s along with South Korean F-15K fighter jets, and the big B1-Bs.

Meanwhile. the nuclear-power USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier task force returned to the South Korean port of Busan on Oct. 21 after a five day joint-forces exercise involving fighter jets, helicopters, and 40 naval ships and submarines from the U.S. and South Korean navies.

These exercises come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump continue to make statements about their willingness to defend their nations and their allies territories.

North Korea characterizes the military exercises as preparations for invasion and considers them to be a provocation.

The United States describes the joint exercises differently.

The purpose of those exercises and operations are to enable the combined defense of the Republic of Korea, said Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, U.S. commander of Carrier Strike Group Five.

The United States is taking the opportunity to show the North Korean regime exactly what it would face if North Korea were to attack the South.

The military realities might not sway North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but his generals might be a bit more practical.

On Oct. 10 the White House announced that President Donald Trump will visit South Korea as part of his Asia trip in November.

South Koreas official Yonhap News Agency reported that Trump might visit the demilitarized zone.

In a pair of tweets, the president cast doubt that he might consider direct talks with North Korea.

Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid hasnt worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators, he tweeted.

From NTD.tv
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:36:34|Editor: Liangyu

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RABAT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has created exemplary experience for developing countries to lead their people heading in a right direction, said Habib Belkouch, leader of Morocco's second largest political party.

Belkouch said his party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, is closely watching the 19th CPC National Congress, a week-long meeting which opened Wednesday in Beijing and marks China's most important political event in five years.

The landmark conference will elect a new CPC Central Committee and CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, amend the CPC Constitution, and draw a blueprint for China's development in the next five years and beyond.

Commenting on the achievements China has made in the past few decades, Belkouch recalled his trip to the Asian country and said he is "amazingly surprised."

"Seeing how a population of about 1.4 billion is governed, how the country is able to achieve all this development in 30 years ... we could only hail the role played by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese president who leads this experience," he said.

Noting that his party is concerned about building on the country's history while embracing modernity and openness, Belkouch said he is impressed by China's "capacity to link millennia-old heritage to strong modernity."

As regards Morocco-China cooperation, Belkouch stressed that the development of bilateral relations is a keen interest at the highest level in Morocco.

The number of Chinese visitors to Morocco is growing year-on-year, and the north African kingdom has become a key economic platform for Africa-China cooperation, he noted.

Particularly, he emphasized that the Belt and Road Initiative is an important platform for Morocco, which looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the world's second largest economy in the areas of investment and infrastructure.

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is aimed at promoting trade, financial integration, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

The Authenticity and Modernity Party, said Belkouch, hopes to see Morocco-China relations grow stronger, especially in the economic area, so that Morocco can benefit from the Chinese experience.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:46:37|Editor: ying

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar is set to refurbish the largest and tallest building in its world heritage site stone town to woo tourists.

Issa Haji Ussi, Minister of State, President Office and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Zanzibar, told Xinhua on Sunday that the move is one of the strategies aimed at boosting the number of tourists from the current 400,000 to 500,000 in the next three years.

"We're looking for funds and Oman Government has agreed to support us in refurbishing the Palace of Wonders building located at the stone town of Zanzibar," the official said, without divulging the total cost of the project.

"Currently, the building houses the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast," the minister said, revealing that the building is dilapidated and needs urgent refurbishment.

He said tourism is a foreign exchange earner for Zanzibar, "that's why we're coming up with a number of strategies to make it grow and woo as more tourists as possible."

Ussi also disclosed that Zanzibar is now eying for tourists from as far as Russia, China, and Middle East countries because for years it has been relying on those western countries, European countries and the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 21:51:38|Editor: ying

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CAIRO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday urged security bodies to exert utmost efforts to hunt for the perpetrators of the Friday terrorist attack that left 16 policemen dead in the desert of Giza province.

Sisi's remarks came during a meeting with Defense Minister Sedqi Sobhi, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, and head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service Khaled Fawzi, Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef said in a statement.

Sisi called for intensifying security and military efforts to prevent any infiltration attempts by terrorists via the country's borders.

President Sisi asserted that Egypt will effectively and decisively continue to fight terrorism and combat those who fund terrorists, the statement added.

The Egyptian president also affirmed that the sacrifices of those policemen, who were killed in the attack, will not go in vain.

On Saturday, Egyptian Interior Ministry announced that 16 policemen were killed and another was missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in Wahat area in the desert of Giza province near the capital Cairo.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 22:26:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Ashraf Eissa, spokesperson of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)'s Joint Special Representative (JSR), speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan, on Oct. 22, 2017. United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur on Sunday announced that it has been reducing its military personnel in Sudan's Darfur. Some 1,440 military personnel and 240 police components have been reduced in line with the newly adopted UN Security Council Resolution (2363). (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

KHARTOUM, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Sunday announced that it has been reducing its military personnel in Sudan's Darfur.

Some 1,440 military personnel and 240 police components have been reduced in line with the newly adopted UN Security Council Resolution (2363).

"Since the beginning of the reconfiguration process, two battalions of the mission's military components, a Nigerian and Pakistani, each with 720 personnel, have been reduced," Ashraf Eissa, spokesperson of UNAMID's Joint Special Representative (JSR), said at a press conference.

"Two police units, a Bangladesh and a Senegalese, each with 120 personnel, have also been reduced," he added.

He confirmed that the ongoing Phase 1 of the reconfiguration process is expected to be completed by January 2018.

"At the end of Phase 1, we will be reducing our authorized ceiling for uniformed personnel to 11,395 military and 2,888 police," he added.

Phase 2 involves a further reduction of military personnel to 8,735 and police personnel to 2,500 by June 30, 2018, noted Eissa, adding that by the end of January 2018, there will be a review of Phase 1, following which Phase 2 shall commence.

In the meantime, the spokesperson stated that the mission has closed 11 team sites across Darfur according to the timelines provided by the UN headquarters in New York and the Security Council.

The UN Security Council has recently adopted Resolution (2363) on reconfiguration of the UNAMID in two phases, each lasts six months.

The UNAMID is considered the second biggest peacekeeping mission in the world, after the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2008, the UNAMID was deployed in Darfur, a region that has been witnessing military clashes between the Sudanese army and the rebels since 2003.

UN statistics shows that the clashes have left 300,000 dead and displaced around 2.5 million others.
The Federal Government of Nigeria Friday raised concerns over continuous electricity supply to the Republic of Benin and Togo in the face of outstanding bills while Nigerians need the same power.

Speaking during the opening meeting of the route and environmental and social impact assessment study on the Nigeria-Benin 330 KV reinforcement project, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power) Dr. Louis Edozien, urged the company in charge of the bilateral power deal: Communaute Electricique du Benin (CEB) and Togo to pay up the mounting debts.

He said that the ministrys primary responsibility is to satisfy the electricity needs of Nigerians, although the federal government is committed to integrating ECOWAS electricity market.

He told the West African Power Pool (WAPP) delegates that currently Nigerians are not satisfied. I will explain why it makes sense to do this even in the context of the current dissatisfaction but it is very difficult to make that argument very persuasively when the electricity we have already supplied is not paid for.

So, I want to use this platform to emphasis to CEB that the debt that has accumulated for electricity already supplied needs to be settled as quickly as possible. It helps us explain to Nigerians why we should and must sign the supply by doing projects like this one.

Now, not only must the debt be paid but a mechanism must also be put in place to make sure the debt doesnt ballon again and those are paid for as and when due.

According to him, the essence of the commitment to supply power to the West Africa CEB and Niger Link arose out of a government/government multi-lateral understanding about optimizing the use of the River Niger as a resource.

Edozien however informed the delegates that the Nigerian electricity industry has moved from a vertically integrated government monopoly to an industry with private investors hence the need for a power purchase agreement.

He said it is necessary to move the arrangement into a proper contract and I believe that that discussion is already on the way to move CEB contract from basically a government to government multi-lateral agreement to a proper purchase agreement with the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company for the existing supply.

Now as your needs grow and as projects like this one are completed, you sign the amount of energy you are buying from Nigeria. Our expectation is that you will look to individual generation operators two of whom are here to contract the supply you need. The regulator is here and he is putting in place regulatory framework so that that is possible so that you should contract directly with the people who want to supply you and I believe you have one such contracts already.

Speaking, the Interim Managing Director and WAPP chairman, Mr, Usman Gur Mohammed, explained that the project which is the second Ikeja West (Nigeria) to Sakete (Benin Republic) transmission line will be due for commissioning in 2021.

The project, he said, is expected to take 24 months after six months of feasibility studies and the procurement process.

The TCN boss noted that African Development Bank is committed to financing the project, adding that it was the ones that funded the line from Ikeja West to Sekete and would still use the same funding corridor.

The ECOWAS representative said that the 330KV Nigeria/Togo Interconnection Reinforcement Project shall aim to augment the power exhange capacity of its predecessor that was actually the very one commissioned by WAPP in 2006.

He added that the project shall stabilize the WAPP coastal transmission backbone spanning from Nigeria, Cote d Ivoire through Benin, Togo and Ghana, and to increase the power potential of ECOWAS countries like Niger, Burkina and Mali.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Vice Chairman, Sanusi Garba noted that government will not under the arrangement compromise power supply to Nigeria.

Source: IWIN


REGINAAfter John Strang shot and killed his wife in their Saskatchewan home, he drove his Jeep  packed with guns, ammunition, handcuffs and duct tape  to the home of a female friend for a chilling conversation.

He told Lynn Larsen that she haunted him and he fantasized about raping her.

He said he thought about killing a lot of people and that he had killed his wife earlier that day.

It was just out of the blue, Larsen told The Canadian Press. I just shot up a quick prayer in my head, not that he saw, to help me through.

I felt that I couldnt show fear  that would have been a big mistake.

The conversation between Strang and Larsen lasted nearly two hours on the night of Aug. 1, 2015, at her ranch home near Rockford, east of Saskatoon.

Her grandchildren were staying with her and had gone to bed.

Her husband, Roland, was out at a singing competition, but she told Strang he was expected home at 11 p.m.

A few minutes before 11 p.m., Strang headed for the door.

You are lucky your grandkids were here, because I would never hurt a child, he told her.

After Strang left, Larsen called police.

Officers found Lisa Strang dead on a basement sofa in the couples home in McLean, east of Regina. She had been shot in the back and in the head.

Strang was arrested two days later near North Battleford.

Details of the case emerged in a Regina courtroom earlier this month when Strang pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his 47-year-old wife and to uttering a death threat against Larsen, now 58.

Strang, 50, is to receive an automatic life sentence this Wednesday. Crown and defence lawyers have jointly recommended he not be eligible for parole for 17 years.

Read more: Saskatchewan man pleads guilty to second-degree murder in 2015 death of wife

I hope that he never gets out, said Lisa Strangs aunt, Pat Torgrimson of Swift Current, Sask.

She describes John Strang as a controlling figure who didnt want his wife to have much contact with her family.

I never liked him from Day 1, Torgrimson said. He kept her under his thumb.

Court heard the couple met at the University of Regina and married in 1991.

In 2004, Lisa Strang became finance director for the governing Saskatchewan Party.

I personally watched over the years how she mentored and helped her colleagues to become not just better employees, but also better people, Patrick Bundrock, the partys executive director, told court in his victim impact statement.

He described how she listened to Celtic music and Simon and Garfunkel songs in her office. She crafted blankets each time a co-worker had a baby. She cared about people, he said.

In 2005, I lost my daughter. And every year on the anniversary of her passing, I would receive a beautiful homemade card from Lisa. She would always remember, each and every year.

In the last three years of her life, Lisa Strang lost 100 pounds by walking on a treadmill at home each night after work. She became more confident and happy, Bundrock said.

She also complained openly about her marriage, court heard. She didnt like her husbands spending habits and was frequently paying off his debts.

About the same time, John Strang, an off-and-on truck driver, griped to others about a lack of intimacy with his wife.

And then he met Lynn Larsen.

He was introduced to Larsen and her husband through a friend and developed a secret, erotic fixation on the woman, court heard.

In June 2015, Strang phoned Roland Larsen and lied about having stomach cancer and only a few months to live. He asked to stay at their property to get away from things.

He then purchased handcuffs and sexual enhancement supplements from the internet.

And, showing off four guns in the back of his Jeep, he told a co-worker: I could shoot someone, no problem.

When Bundrock learned that police were searching for Strang, he knew something bad had happened to her. He sent a text hoping she was OK, but never got a response.

Lisa always put John first, Bundrock told the judge.

I am so angry because Lisa was on the way to becoming a new person, and she had so much potential and she was killed by the person that she trusted the most.

Larsen says she never got to meet Lisa Strang.

And shes still trying to get over her terrifying night with John Strang.

It hasnt been easy, she said. I dont think it ever will be.

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MONTREALWarda Naili says the first time she donned a niqab six years ago, it became a part of her.

The Quebec woman, a convert to Islam, said she decided to cover her face out of a desire to practice her faith more authentically and to protect her modesty.

And in an image driven society, she found it liberating that people would now have to connect with her based on who she was, not what she looked like.

My interpretation  and its very personal  is that my niqab is my portable curtain, Naili, 34, said in an interview near her home in Montreal.

I can go everywhere and be reached, and reach people as I want.

Read more:

Ottawa should show courage on Quebecs Bill 62: Editorial

Trudeau says Quebec shouldnt tell women what to wear and what not to wear

Ontario MPPs denounce Quebec law targeting Muslim women

Since its adoption on Wednesday, the Quebec governments religious neutrality bill has been the subject of heated debate.

In light of this, the government will publish the rules on how it will be applied, the provinces justice minister said Sunday.

Stephanie Vallee said the decision to publish the document, which was originally intended only for administrators, was made in order to fully inform the public on the controversial legislation.

In a lengthy interview with The Canadian Press, Vallee said she was stunned by the intense reaction to Bill 62, which requires anyone giving or receiving state services to do so with an uncovered face.

On Sunday, Vallee called for calm and stressed the need to reposition the law in its context.

She noted that most members of Quebecs legislature agree with the principle behind the bill.

I must admit that the interpretation weve heard is quite particular, because we were concerned throughout the bill with preserving balance and especially preserving individual freedoms, she said.

Fatima Ahmad, a 21-year-old Montreal university student, said she felt compelled to begin wearing the niqab just over a year ago, during the month of Ramadan.

I realized it was something I wanted to do, and I loved it, she said. Its part of my devotion towards God and it also deals with modesty.

The legislation forbids anyone from receiving or giving a public service with their face covered.

That includes city services such as public transit.

While the law does not mention a particular religion, many say it unfairly targets Muslim women who wear religious face coverings.

Justin Trudeau is weighing in further on the Quebec law banning people from covering their faces while receiving public services. The prime minister says it is not the role of government to tell women what they can or cant wear. (The Canadian Press)

Ahmad says the bill could technically stop her from attending university, although shes hoping that wont happen since most of the faculty members shes spoken to have said theyll support her.

She also takes buses and the subway to get around, both to school and social engagements.

In the future, she says she expects to have to stay home more often.

Naili, for her part, says she already stays home most of the time to avoid the discrimination she faces on the street.

The exception is hospitals, which she says she must visit on a regular basis for health problems.

She says she doesnt see how the law can claim to be helping women when it will make her depend on her husband for rides and force her to change what she wears.

I want to control who I give the permission to access my body, she said. I think every woman, and every person, should have this right.

Both Naili and Ahmad say they made the choice to wear the niqab on their own, based on the way they interpret their religion.

But having made the choice, neither feel they can just remove the garment, other than when necessary for identification purposes.

Its something very personal to me, its part of who I am, my identity, Ahmad said. Its not something I can just take off to receive a public service.

The political opposition has said the law doesnt go far enough, while members of the Islamic community said it violates the right of Muslim women right to express their religion as they see fit.

Some city leaders, including Montreals mayor, have said theyll resist applying it to city services.

But not all women whove worn niqabs feel positively about them.

Ensaf Haidar, the wife of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi, says she had to wear the niqab in Saudi Arabia at times because it was mandatory.

She feels niqabs are a way of erasing women from public view and says she doesnt believe they have a place in Canada or Quebec.

When the niqab is there, the woman is absent, she said in a phone interview. Shes like a ghost.

Haidar lives in Sherbrooke, Que. with her three children as she fights for the release of her husband, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for his criticism of Saudi clerics.

She says she doesnt believe wearing the niqab can be a choice and hopes to see it gone from Canada one day.

We came here to be free, Haidar said. Were here because there are a lot of things we cant do in our country.

I am here and I am free and I am me.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 22:31:45|Editor: Zhou Xin

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YANGON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has been helping Myanmar in development of the country's banking and monetary services by nurturing skilled banking personnel, He Biqing, the general manager of ICBC's Yangon branch, has said.

Speaking here at the opening of the "Belt and Road, Golden Myanmar" Financial Services Summit, he said that being one of the world's largest banks, ICBC would like to assist Myanmar with its work skill and profession for the development of the country's banking and monetary sector as 80 percent of the bank staff are from Myanmar.

The meeting took place at a time when Myanmar is experiencing an economic reform and ICBC would like to discuss and exchange the experiences with its Myanmar counterparts, he added.

Noting that economic and trade undertakings between Myanmar and China have been continuously increasing, Myanmar Minister of Commerce Than Myint expressed recognition of China as Myanmar's largest foreign investor which has always supported the country's reform, inviting more investment from China for the development of its banking and monetary sector.

Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang said there exists many economic opportunities with Myanmar, and he recalled State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in China in May, expressing the hope for further enhancement of "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship between the two countries.
Ayman Elkasrawy got the phone call late on a Sunday night in February. An incredulous friend was on the line, with a strange and troubling question.

Did you pray for the killing of the Jews?

The friend sent him an online article about Masjid Toronto, the downtown mosque where Elkasrawy worked as an assistant imam. It included a video: rows of Muslim worshippers standing under fluorescent lights, their eyes closed and hands cupped. At the front of the crowded room was Elkasrawy, dressed in white and praying to God in Arabic.

O Allah! Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them, read the articles translation of his prayers. O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews!

Elkasrawy remembered the scene, filmed during Ramadan eight months earlier. He also remembered praying for Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque, a bitterly contested holy site.

But he was shaken by the English translation. I was surprised, he says. When I (saw) that, I even doubted myself. Did I say that?

Elkasrawy woke up the next morning feeling calamitously misunderstood. He was bursting with things he wanted to explain, but he also realized he had made serious mistakes, for which he needed to apologize.

Neither I, Masjid Toronto or the congregation harbour any form of hate towards Jews, he wrote on Twitter later that day. And so I wish to apologize unreservedly for misspeaking during prayers last Ramadan  I sincerely regret the offence that my words must have caused.

His apology only fanned the flames. Elkasrawy was suspended from his mosque and fired from Ryerson University, where he worked as a teaching assistant. Toronto police opened a hate crime investigation and condemnations rained down, from Parliament Hill to the National Council of Canadian Muslims. Elkasrawy also became a bogeyman in the federal Conservative party leadership race, cited in campaign literature as an example of Muslim extremism.

We need to clarify what is going on at this mosque, Meir Weinstein, head of the far-right Jewish Defense League of Canada, told the Toronto Sun. Is this a den of worship or a den of hate?

Eight months later, the story is crystallized online as a putative reminder of the hatred that can fester within Canadian society. A Google search for Ayman Elkasrawy  once yielding just a smattering of academic papers and social media profiles  now turns up pages of hits that brand him a genocidal anti-Semite.

Offline, however, new layers of the story began to reveal themselves.

Elkasrawy went quiet soon after his Twitter apology, advised by everyone in his life to stop talking. But a month after the scandal broke, he reached out to a stranger for help.

Bernie Farber is a household name in Torontos Jewish community, the former head of what was once Canadas leading Jewish advocacy group. Both affable and combative, the white-goateed Farber has spent most of his career tackling anti-Semitism. For the past two years, until his retirement in early October, he also ran the Mosaic Institute, a non-profit that promotes diversity.

Farber opened his email one day to discover an unusual request: would the Mosaic Institute help Elkasrawy learn from his mistakes? Farber immediately said yes, assembling a team of experts and planning a cultural sensitivity curriculum.

But after meeting the young imam, Farber was puzzled by the facts of this case. Elkasrawy was always quick to admit he made a serious mistake  it was wrong to pray about the Jews. But he also insisted his words were twisted, an explanation he struggled to articulate.

Farber was bothered by the discrepancy between the quiet, dignified man he had come to know and someone who would pray for Jewish people to be slain. Over the years, he has developed almost a sixth sense for detecting anti-Semites. Elkasrawy did not fit the mould.

At a time when white supremacists are mobilizing across North America, the fight against anti-Semitism has taken on renewed urgency. But this is a story that is far more tangled than it first appeared.

It is about an imam who made hurtful mistakes that he could not adequately explain. But it is also about the slipperiness of language  especially in a climate of viral misinformation, polarized debate and geopolitical conflicts that have found fresh battlegrounds in Canada.

Elkasrawys prayers were undeniably problematic, but they were also distorted to fit a certain narrative that gave his words added potency amid rising anti-Islamic sentiment.

In a controversy that hinges on his words, a central question was never fully investigated: Did Elkasrawy really say Jews were filth? Did he really call for them to be killed?

According to several Arabic experts contacted by the Star, the answer is no.

Ive learned a personal lesson throughout this entire process, Farber says. Do not take anything for granted. Not even words.

Ayman Elkasrawy prefers not to speak at all, whenever he can help it.

At about six feet and 285 pounds, the bearded and bespectacled 32-year-old has an understated presence for someone who looms so large. He speaks softly and hesitantly; in the presence of strangers, he tends to fade into the background.

Im not so good at being social, he says. The more you talk, the more you make mistakes.

Born and raised in a devout family in Egypt, Elkasrawy has dual Canadian citizenship through his father, an agronomist who immigrated here in 1976. He spent three summers with his dad in Toronto, a different planet in the eyes of a 13-year-old kid from Cairo.

After university, he moved to Canada to continue his education and is now at Ryerson pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering. While he sometimes wears traditional dress at the mosque, at Ryerson he blends easily with the campus crowd  just another grad student riding his Bike Share in jeans, sneakers and a backpack that looks slightly shrunken on his broad frame.

Im not so good at being social. The more you talk, the more you make mistakes Ayman Elkasrawy Toronto imam in controversial video

Elkasrawy and his wife, Somaia Youssef, found a religious community in Masjid Toronto (Toronto Mosque) on Dundas St. W., located in an old bank building near the bus terminal. The mosque opened in 2002 but did not hire a resident imam until 2015, so it sometimes asked Elkasrawy  who had memorized the Quran  to lead prayers or Friday sermons.

He was timid at first, even avoiding eye contact with congregants, but received positive feedback and was officially hired as an assistant imam in 2015. Elkasrawy sees this work as a spiritual duty and found himself spending hours at the mosque nearly every day  not just leading prayers, but also teaching and planning events, such as networking socials for Muslim professionals. I felt thats like my second home, he says.

Over the years, Canada has become home for Elkasrawy as well. But as with many immigrants, an invisible umbilical cord connects him to the part of the world where he was born. His Twitter feed is dominated by Egyptian and Middle Eastern politics. He mostly retweets accounts he follows, including one called Friends of Al-Aqsa.

The silver-domed Al-Aqsa mosque is located on an elevated limestone compound in East Jerusalem. The compound  known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jewish people as the Temple Mount  is Islams third holiest site (after Mecca and Medina), and Judaisms holiest.

Over the past century, the compound has become an explosive flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In 2000, a provocative visit by Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked clashes that escalated into the deadly Second Intifada. This summer, the mosque was at the centre of some of the worst violence, and biggest demonstrations, Jerusalem has seen in years.

For many in the Muslim and Jewish diasporas, stories about the holy site are front-page news. On June 26, 2016, the latest headlines were about a skirmish between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers.

What people understood about the incident depended in part on the media they consumed. According to the Arab press, Israeli officers stormed Al-Aqsa mosque, beating worshippers and deploying tear gas and rubber-tipped bullets. According to Jewish newspapers, masked Arab assailants were arrested after hurling rocks, chairs and slurs at Jewish tourists.

For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa violence was particularly alarming because it broke out during the last 10 days of Ramadan, an especially sacred time in Islams holiest month. So Elkasrawy decided to include the mosque in his prayers at Masjid Toronto. I thought maybe this will help, praying together for this place, he says.

It was nearly midnight by the time he finished reciting the Quran and began his supplications.

Unlike sermons, which are more like religious lectures, supplications are invocations to God; during prayers, they are recited by imams who face away from the congregation. While made in the highly technical style of Quranic Arabic, and typically in a rhyming scheme, supplications are often improvised.

Elkasrawy spent 10 minutes thanking God and asking for help  for protection from evil and greed, for beneficial knowledge to humanity, for good health, empathy, benevolence and love of the poor.

He then prayed for victimized Muslims around the world. He thought of Syria, a recurring topic of prayer at his mosque, invoking a quote from the Hadith (reports of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions). He also prayed for Al-Aqsa, repeating a supplication he had found on the internet earlier that day.

Meanwhile, someone was filming. This didnt bother Elkasrawy; prayers are sometimes recorded for worshippers unable to attend. When the mosque posted the video on YouTube, he scanned various parts, curious about his performance. Then he forgot about it.

The video sat there in its corner of the internet, barely seen. The next time Elkasrawy watched it was eight months later, when he got the phone call: Did you pray for the killing of the Jews?

On a sunny morning in May, Elkasrawy rode an elevator to the 34th floor of a Bloor St. office tower, where two prominent members of Torontos Jewish community awaited him.

Dressed in jeans and an electric blue sweatshirt, Elkasrawy sat across a boardroom table from Bernie Farber  the one-time CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress  and Karen Mock, a former director with Bnai Brith Canada and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. He was also joined by his mosques senior imam and officials from the Muslim Association of Canada, which owns Masjid Toronto.

Everybody was there for Mocks anti-racism workshop, one of five sessions Farber had organized to educate an accused anti-Semite. The mood was friendly and relaxed, with pleasantries and business cards exchanged.

But those abhorrent words loomed over this group of newly acquainted Muslims and Jews: Purify Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews!

When it comes to Jewish-Muslim relations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the ever-present elephant in the room, Farber says  even in Canada, where both minorities share the burden of religious discrimination. According to Statistics Canada, Jewish people are the most frequent targets of police-reported hate crimes, while attacks against Muslims are the fastest-growing.

But there is also enormous diversity within both groups, which are sometimes the source of one anothers pain. There is mounting concern over anti-Semitism in certain corners of the Muslim world; meanwhile, Jewish people on the far right are among the loudest voices in the anti-Muslim movement. Israeli-Palestinian debates also have a tendency to slide into accusations of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.

Farber, who once ran for the provincial Liberals, says Muslim issues have become a divisive topic among Jewish Canadians. He says he has received criticism from right-leaning members of his own community for defending Muslim Canadians and for supporting M-103, the parliamentary motion to recognize and condemn Islamophobia, which prominent Jewish advocacy groups opposed.

But he remains a vocal ally of Canadian Muslims. After the Quebec City mosque shooting in January, he joined people who gathered at mosques to form rings of peace across the country  an act of solidarity spearheaded by a Toronto rabbi that was covered by media outlets around the world.

But just two weeks later, that feeling of solidarity crumbled. Supplications at Masjid Toronto Mosque: Slay them one by one and spare not one of them, read the headline on a story published by CIJ News, an obscure right-wing website that has since been taken down.

Elkasrawys prayers quickly gained widespread coverage, from the Star and Sun to the CBC and the Canadian Jewish News, the countrys largest Jewish weekly. Bnai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, also wrote about the incident after urging Ryerson to fire Elkasrawy from his job as a teaching assistant.

The imam became a topic of heated discussion around Farbers Sabbath table. I was very troubled by it, he says. I was hearing a lot of anger. I was also hearing a lot of How could this be? Just last week I was involved in a circle of peace, and now this happens.

Farber wasnt exactly surprised, however. This was not the first time an imam had been accused of preaching hate against Jewish people, even in Canada. Elkasrawys story emerged around the same time as other accusations of anti-Semitism in Canadian mosques. This summer, a Jordanian cleric was also charged by Montreal police after allegedly praying at a local mosque for Jewish people to be killed.

But something about the Elkasrawy case struck Farber as odd, and he was skeptical of the website that broke the story. Ive been in this business long enough to know that before judgments are made, you really need to get all the facts, he says.

So in April, when a mutual friend reached out to Farber on Elkasrawys behalf, he was intrigued.

The imam said he wanted to gain a better understanding of Canadian norms and values, in the hopes of learning from his mistakes. Farber  who once helped a repentant neo-Nazi leave her white supremacist organization  agreed to help.

Given the disturbing anti-Semitic prayers Farber had read about in the news, his initial plan was to prescribe intensive anti-racism training. But he changed his mind after meeting Elkasrawy.

Were not dealing with a racist or anti-Semite, he says of his gut reaction. I really saw a young man who felt beaten down for something that he didnt quite understand.

Farber switched gears. He organized five workshops to help Elkasrawy develop a better understanding of Canadas cultural, legal and human rights landscape. (The workshops were provided at no cost, though the mosque later made a small donation to the charity.)

Elkasrawy learned about anti-racism, hate crime laws and Canadas human rights framework. He also visited his first synagogue  Beth Tzedec, Canadas largest Jewish congregation  where he learned about Judaism and discussed interfaith issues with a rabbi and reverend.

Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl did not ask Elkasrawy to explain himself, but he expressed how his language was harmful. We are concerned about discrimination against Muslims, he said, as Elkasrawy nodded. But we are also concerned about extremism that comes out of the Islamic community.

Our people hear the extremism and when you speak that way, thats what they hear. They become afraid. And they become angry.

During each session, Elkasrawy listened intently and occasionally jotted notes. He also asked questions, including one he repeated several times: How do you speak (clearly)? How do you tell things?

When the program ended, Farber reached a conclusion. I just do not believe that Ayman is a hateful person, he says. He came in here with an open heart and a real willingness to understand.

But he still couldnt wrap his head around the words Elkasrawy had been accused of saying, or the imams muddled attempts to explain himself.

Two things were clear: Elkasrawy was sorry. He also felt misunderstood.

I made this mistake, he said at one point. But not that mistake.

Translation is not an exact science. Words are like prisms, refracting different shades of meaning. A good translation is one that captures the right hue.

Elkasrawys prayers were first translated on CIJ News, a website founded and edited by Jonathan Dahoah Halevi.

Halevi describes himself as a retired lieutenant-colonel and intelligence officer with the Israel Defense Forces, who now researches the Middle East and radical Islam. He learned Arabic in school and university, he once explained to an interviewer.

He has also been a go-to pundit for the now-defunct Sun News Network and its offshoot Rebel News, a right-wing media website that has drawn controversy for its anti-Muslim coverage.

Halevis writings and statements suggest that he sees himself as a soldier in the information wars  particularly when it comes to allegations against Israel, which he challenges by using continuous, intensive and thorough research, according to a profile on the Economic Club of Canadas website.

This work includes counting Gaza fatalities in his free time, according to a 2009 NPR article that described his macabre hobby. During the first Gaza war, NPR wrote, Halevi suspected Palestinians of exaggerating their civilian fatalities and spent six months scrutinizing 1,400 deaths listed by a human rights group  checking each name against a terrorist database he personally compiled and whatever he finds on the internet.

Halevi has also written extensively about Islam and Muslim Canadians on CIJ News, where his Arabic translations have drawn praise from the anti-Islamist blog Point de Bascule. His knowledge of the Arabic language gives him an advantage when it comes to understanding the ambitions of the enemy, the Quebec-based blog wrote last year.

On Feb. 18, CIJ News published a story about Masjid Toronto, which included his translation of Elkasrawys controversial prayers.

Halevi later told the Toronto Sun that he was prompted to dig up the material after reading media coverage of a rally outside the mosque.

The rally was ostensibly to protest the federal Islamophobia motion, but demonstrators brought signs that read Say no to Islam and Muslims are terrorists. The protest was roundly criticized, including by local politicians who denounced it as an Islamophobic display of ignorance and hate.

But in his interview with the Sun, Halevi suggested the real hate was happening inside the mosque. The double standard and hypocrisy was appalling, he said.

After the story broke, Masjid Toronto took all its videos offline but it was too late; a new, edited clip was posted on YouTube, crediting Halevi with its translation and referencing an extreme anti-Muslim ideology known as counter-jihad. The account hosting the clip also mentions Vlad Tepes Blog in its video description.

The counter-jihad is described by researchers as a loose network of people and groups united by the belief that Muslims are plotting to take over the West. A recent National Post investigation described Rebel News as a global platform for the counter-jihad, and linked Vlad Tepes Blog  regarded as a key website in the movement  to a frequent Rebel News contributor.

Rebel jumped on the story about Elkasrawys prayers, which it credited our friend Jonathan Halevi with breaking. In a video segment, Rebel commander Ezra Levant plays the YouTube clip while imploring his viewers to look at what the folks inside the mosque were saying.

Look at the translation written on the screen, Levant says in the video, which has now drawn more than 35,000 views. Here they are talking about Jews  theres a lot of Jews in Toronto  and how they need to be killed one by one.

But such stories contained a glaring oversight: this was not at all what Elkasrawy said.

This is the consensus that emerged from five Arabic experts who independently analyzed Elkasrawys prayers at the Stars request. The experts  from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom  are Arabic translators, linguists and university professors with published book chapters, academic papers and textbooks. None of them knows Elkasrawy.

The experts found that the imams prayers were not without fault, and many clarified that they do not condone or excuse some of the language he used.

But they also described the initial, widely circulated translation as mistranslated, decontextualized and disingenuous. One said it had the hallmarks of a propaganda translation.

The YouTube clip was particularly troubling for Arabic sociolinguist and dialectologist Atiqa Hachimi, an associate professor at the University of Toronto.

This is because the clip was digitally manipulated: the first two seconds were cut and pasted from a different prayer Elkasrawy had made two minutes earlier. A slanted translation then transformed this Quranic verse from Thou art our Protector. Help us against those who stand against faith to Give us victory over the disbelieving people.

It changed their meaning in such a way as to promote the dangerous myths that violent extremism and hate are inherent to Islam, Hachimi said.

Arabic sociolinguist and dialectologist Atiqa Hachimi, an associate professor at the University of Toronto was one of five Arabic experts the Star consulted for this story. Hachimi believes a clip of Toronto imam Ayman Elkasrawy's prayers was mistranslated and lacking in conteP

Elkasrawy also was not referring to Jewish people when he said slay them one by one, a line from the Hadith that is often invoked as a cry for divine justice. This line was misunderstood as being part of his prayer about Al-Aqsa mosque; in fact, it was the closing line in a previous supplication that he made on behalf of suffering Muslims around the world, Hachimi said.

As for Purify the Al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews, a more accurate translation is Cleanse Al-Aqsa mosque from the Jews desecration of it, according to Nazir Harb Michel, an Arabic sociolinguist and Islamophobia researcher at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

The crucial word here is danas. Arabic-English dictionaries list several possible definitions  among them besmirch, defile, and spiritual impurity or filth  so context is key in determining the appropriate translation. Harb Michel said no translator worth two cents would choose the filth definition in the context of Elkasrawys prayer.

When danas is used in reference to a holy place  like Al-Aqsa  the common definition is desecration, the experts agreed. He does not say the filth of the Jews, said Jonathan Featherstone, a senior teaching fellow at the University of Edinburgh and former Arabic lecturer with the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

But what did Elkasrawy mean by desecration? Again, context is instructive. Days before his prayers, he and his congregants were reading reports of Israeli police deploying tear gas and rubber-tipped bullets inside Al-Aqsa mosque  actions many Muslims would consider to be a desecration of the site, especially during the 10 holiest days of Ramadan.

Elkasrawy now realizes how wrong it was to mention the Jews, especially since his intention was to pray for the mosque, not against people.

If I could say it in a more clear way, he says, it would be O Allah, protect the Al-Aqsa mosque from occupation. Or preserve the sacredness of the Al-Aqsa mosque from violation.

He said Jews is widely used in the Arabic-speaking world to mean Israeli forces or Israeli occupiers, not as a sweeping reference to all ethnic and religious Jews. But he acknowledges this common usage is problematic. And, he asks, How is it perceived in my (current) community? Its something I didnt take into account.

I have never thought of anything against people of Jewish faith, he says. In Islam, we believe that no one should be forced into any religion. We cannot hate any people, any group, because of their ethnicity or their religion.

Halevi declined requests for a phone interview but, in emailed responses, he stood by his original translation of Elkasrawys prayers. He did not answer specific questions, including why he chose the filth definition, but sent links to various websites and Arabic-English dictionaries.

He also did not answer questions about the source of the digitally manipulated clip, saying only that the original video was available on his website until the mosque deleted its YouTube channel.

But Halevi provided context that he considered important: excerpts from Islamic books that promote praying against disbelievers; translations of violent, aggressive or anti-Semitic statements made by other Muslims; links to CIJ News, which Halevi took down shortly after being contacted by the Star.

Canadian imams deny any rights of the Jews over the Temple Mount or in (the) Land of Israel/Palestine, Halevi wrote.

Bnai Brith Canada said two Arabic experts independently verified the original translation before the group urged Ryerson to fire Elkasrawy. Bnai Brith said it also reached out to the imam on Facebook but did not get a response. (Elkasrawy deleted his account shortly after the story broke.)

Statements like this have been made in many parts of the world and its actually been used directly as incitement, said Bnai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn. Jewish people have lost their lives over statements like this.

Mostyn rejects the linguistic opinions obtained by the Star, in one case accusing an expert of having an anti-Israel bias. But he would not identify his own translators, citing concerns over their safety. The Stars request to interview them anonymously was also declined.

In response to the Stars questions, Bnai Brith solicited a third opinion from Mordechai Kedar, an assistant professor with the Arabic department at Israels Bar-Ilan University.

In a phone interview, Kedar did not remember being asked to evaluate Elkasrawys entire supplications, just the phrase that referred to Jews and danas. But he said he didnt need any context to interpret Elkasrawys prayers because when it comes to what Israel is doing, it is the worst meaning of the word.

Nobody should give them the benefit of the doubt that they mean something else, because they dont, he said. (They want) to make the mainstream media in the free world believe them that they are the targets, when they are the problem in the whole world.

Like Halevi, Kedar is a former Israeli intelligence officer and media pundit. His views have also drawn controversy, and Kedar once served on the advisory board for Stop Islamization of Nations  an organization co-founded by the anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller and designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S.-based civil rights watchdog.

Kedar argued Elkasrawys language was meant to create a religiously charged rage and anger against the Jews.

Reacting violently against (Jewish people) in revenge for their deed is almost a required reaction, he wrote in an email. You can call it, in one word, terrorism.

Bnai Brith Canada has not gone so far as to allege verbal terrorism, and said it is glad Elkasrawy has undergone cultural training, but its position remains unmoved: Mr. Elkasrawys message at the mosque was irrefutably offensive and anti-Semitic.

Farber feels differently. He says Elkasrawy chose his language poorly, especially when he referred to the Jews, and failed to understand the harmful impact of his words.

But he now believes Elkasrawys prayers were misrepresented to the public. Like many people, Farber accepted the initial translation unquestioningly, but now says if people were going to take that and ruin lives, we should have been a lot more careful.

He said something thats highly charged and highly political and could be anti-Zionist  but its not anti-Semitic, Farber says. And that changes the flavour of this.

In the rush to condemn Elkasrawys prayers, Muslim organizations were among the first in line.

Unacceptable and inappropriate, his mosque said in a statement. Appalling and reprehensible, wrote the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the countrys largest Muslim advocacy group.

There was much to disapprove of, in addition to the mention of Jews. Many Muslim Canadians disagree with praying negatively and feel frustrated when religious leaders speak in ways that reinforce harmful stereotypes.

Prayers like slay them one by one also have no place inside a Canadian mosque, says Mohammad Aboghodda, a lecturer with the Understanding Islam Academy, an educational charity in Mississauga. Aboghodda was one of the Arabic translators consulted by the Star.

This quote from the Hadith has a specific reference to ancient Islamic struggles but is sometimes used in prayers for divine justice; Elkasrawy says he invoked it on behalf of Syrian people killed and tortured by the government regime or by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists.

But Aboghodda finds this language inappropriate, even if well intentioned  it would be like a priest delivering a Sunday sermon and quoting Bible verses that say wrongdoers will be completely destroyed.

Thats a very common old prayer, but it implies violence that we dont need, he says. I think many young and novice imams go to the old books and just copy these from it.

These were some of the concerns Muslim groups had in mind when they denounced Elkasrawys prayers  public statements that many took as an implicit acceptance of the initial translation. But those statements did not reveal whether the Muslim community thought the translation was accurate, or whether they understood Elkasrawys words at all.

How many Canadian Muslims speak Arabic? Contrary to assumption, only about 20 per cent of the worlds Muslims are native Arabic speakers; according to the latest census, 1.2 per cent of Canadians cite Arabic as their mother tongue. Quranic Arabic, which Elkasrawy used in his prayers, is also notoriously complex and difficult to deconstruct.

Hachimi pointed out that several Arabic-language newspapers also clearly relied on English reports of the incident, because when they back-translated the word filth, they chose a different Arabic word  najas  from the one Elkasrawy used in his prayers.

And who bothered to check the original video? The translation was not verified by the National Council of Canadian Muslims, executive director Ihsaan Gardee confirmed in an emailed statement.

He said the organization is now deeply troubled to learn that the widely circulated clip of Elkasrawys prayers was manipulated and the translations called into question. But in the fast-moving aftermath of the scandal, he said, the organization could only respond to what was being reported  in other words, it reacted to the CIJ News translation.

Unfortunately, we are living in a time where the very worst is believed about Canadian Muslims  contrary to the reality that the vast majority are contributing positively, Gardee wrote. So when a story like this emerges that contains the words of religious leaders speaking in a way that is understood  rightly or wrongly  to be promoting hatred against anyone, it is critical that human rights advocates be quick to condemn such language.

Officials from the Muslim Association of Canada said their first priority was to reach out to the Jewish community and apologize for their employees inappropriate language, which violated the mosques stated policies.

But that doesnt mean they considered the translation to be accurate  they didnt. We avoided this detail because a clear position was required so that there will be no confusion of our stand on this, spokesperson Abdussalam Nakua wrote in an email.

Elkasrawys prayers exploded into view at a particularly fraught time.

Only weeks had passed since a gunman stormed into a Quebec City mosque and massacred six Muslim worshippers. The United States had just inaugurated a new president who campaigned on a Muslim travel ban. The acrimonious debate around the Canadian Islamophobia motion had reached a fever pitch, with Liberal MP Iqra Khalid even receiving death threats.

Elkasrawys prayers were quickly taken up by politicians. A month after they emerged, MP Steven Blaney  who was then running for the federal Conservative party leadership  cited Elkasrawy in a campaign email seeking donations to stand against violence and radicalization. (Should Allah kill all the Jews? I dont think so but frighteningly, some do.)

I feared for the people inside the mosque, that they might be attacked because of this Ayman Elkasrawy Imam in controversial video

Right-wing groups also latched on to the story and Elkasrawys picture was used on a poster at a rally against M-103. A hate crimes complaint was filed by the Jewish Defense League, which has been active in anti-Islamic protests. (A local JDL member is himself facing possible hate crime charges in the U.S. in connection with an alleged assault on a Palestinian-American man in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.)

Were dealing with a community in fear, Farber says of Muslim Canadians. Even if the community itself might feel that Well no, this translation isnt exactly right  we dont want to make people more angry. In the end, Im not particularly surprised that the mosque and others involved said, Lets shut this down and apologize.

Elkasrawy said his first priority after the story broke in February was to apologize to the Jewish community. He worried, too, about further inflaming the situation. I feared for the people inside the mosque, that they might be attacked because of this.

He decided to let things calm down before attempting to explain himself. But within days, posters were plastered around Ryersons campus, where Elkasrawy had been a teaching assistant on and off since 2008, a job that partially funds his graduate studies.

The posters had a picture of his face and the words Fire him now  a demand that was echoed by Bnai Brith Canada. The student who led the postering campaign, Aedan OConnor, recently announced on Facebook that she is now working with Rebel Media.

Ryerson and its new president, Mohamed Lachemi, were already under pressure to respond to previous reports of anti-Semitism on campus. A meeting was quickly called between Elkasrawy and the dean of Ryersons engineering department.

Elkasrawy attended the meeting and brought a more accurate translation of his prayers, assuming this would be a first step in the universitys investigation. According to Elkasrawy, his translation was disregarded and Ryerson officials deliberated for about 15 minutes before handing him a two-page termination letter.

Ryerson declined to be interviewed for this story, stating that it does not discuss human resources matters.

For Elkasrawy, this was the moment that killed any hope he had of eventually explaining his side of the story. The YouTube clips, the media coverage, the public statements, his suspension, the police investigation, the termination  it all braided together into a knot that felt impossible to unravel. It all happened in 10 days.

Elkasrawy says he agreed to speak with the Star because I have nothing to hide. He has contemplated leaving Toronto or changing careers, but for now, he wants to move forward.

He has returned to his mosque, which conducted its own internal probe into the incident. He has applied, unsuccessfully, for new teaching jobs at Ryerson. And while the hate crime complaint against him remains active, Elkasrawy says he has yet to be contacted by police.

When asked what this experience has been like, Elkasrawy sighs heavily, his eyes drifting to the floor of his modest downtown apartment. He explains in a wavering voice that he has tried to take an Islamic point of view.

People go through difficult times, hard times, in which they have to be patient and have some forbearance, he says. You have to listen to people and learn from this experience.

He is holding tight to the lessons hes learned, including those from the Mosaic Institute. Chief among them: when you speak, your meaning has to be clear  not just in your own head or to the people in front of you, but to Canadians of all backgrounds.

Once the word comes out, even if the person who was hurt later understands your meaning, it will leave something in his heart, Elkasrawy says. It will not be the same as before.

The translators

The Star consulted five Arabic experts for this story. They are:

Mohammad Aboghodda, Understanding Islam Academy

Atiqa Hachimi, University of Toronto

Nazir Harb Michel, Georgetown University

Jonathan Featherstone, University of Edinburgh

Kristen Brustad, University of Texas at Austin

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A classic green and white Parks Canada sign now welcomes visitors to Rouge National Urban Park at a Markham entrance after the provincial government signed over its portion of the parklands to the federal government and paved the way for other public bodies to do the same.

This has been a priority for our government since the very beginning, said federal Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott, who represents the riding of Markham-Stouffville.

Were celebrating a very significant milestone in the completion of Canadas first national urban park, she added.

The agreement announced this weekend transfers 6.5 square kilometres of land from the province to Parks Canada. Ontario has also relinquished its interest in 15.2 square km managed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and 1.1 square km of land managed by the City of Markham, paving the way for those bodies to also transfer management to Parks Canada.

Once that happens, the federal government will manage 80 per cent of the 79.1 square kms identified for the Rouge National Urban Park. The remaining 20 per cent of land is expected to be transferred to Parks Canada by other municipal governments in the coming months.

Ontarios Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid thanked the various groups and people whove spent decades fighting to protect the area, offering a special thanks to Lois James, 94, who is often called the mother of the Rouge, and Jim Robb, whom he jokingly called a pain in the butt.

Though the provincial government endured some political shrapnel for delaying the transfer of provincially managed lands to Parks Canada until the ecological protections in the federal Rouge National Urban Park Act were strengthened this summer, Duguid said, we truly believe that weve got it right and that makes me very proud.

Rouge National Urban Park covers the traditional territories of a number of First Nations, including the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, which never surrendered their rights to the lands.

Its good to have this park so that they can renew themselves with the creators beauty, said Mississaugas of the New Credit elder Garry Sault.

While decades ago the establishment of parks excluded First Nations, Louis Lesage, who spoke on behalf of Huron-Wendat Nation Grand Chief Konrad H. Sioui, said things are different today thanks to examples like Rouge National Urban Park.

He encouraged parents to bring their children to the park and to teach them the history of the lands, which were once home to the largest First Nations villages in Canada.

Some, though, are still concerned about the level of environmental protections in the park.

Jim Robb, general manager of the Friends of the Rouge Watershed, expressed concern that Parks Canada is looking at extending private leases to farmers before the park management plan is completed.

We want them to complete the management plan in a public open forum before they extend the leases, he said. Hes concerned that some farming in the park, which he described as industrial and pesticide dependent, may not be consistent with their goals of environmental protection.

There is room for other farmers in the park who take a more ecological approach though, he said.

Rouge National Urban Park Superintendent Pam Veinotte said Parks Canada hasnt extended any of the private leases yet. Instead, they are working concurrently to finalize the management plan and examine the leases at the same time.

Part of the character of this national urban park is that you have this mix of urban and forest, said Anna Baggio, director of conservation planning for CPAWS Wildlands League.

Obviously there needs to be restoration but I think we can work with the farmers to get there, they want to see this land well-managed and so do we, she said.

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A group of travellers hunched under canoes set off along a 23-kilometre trading route to portage from the Humber to the Don River.

They carried everything they needed for the journey on their backs  clothing, food and firewood  and planned to arrive before dark.

Unlike early Indigenous hunters, fishers and traders, the portagers didnt have any wild animals to worry about, but then again, the Davenportage is all about sticking to tradition.

On Sunday afternoon, about 30 historian athletes and voyageur philosophers carrying 10 canoes travelled along Davenport Rd.  or Davenport Trail  to recognize Torontos rivers, history and Indigenous people.

Dating back thousands of years, the trail connected Indigenous settlements with hunting and fishing grounds and trade routes tied to the Great Lakes, Atlantic Canada and the Midwest, according to Heritage Toronto. In Objibwe, it was named Gete-Onigaming meaning at the old portage.

In 2014, four friends mapped out and followed roughly the same route, portaging through downtown Toronto. Thats when the Davenportage was born. Theyve continued it every year since, boasting that everyone who tries it comes back the next year.

The Davenportage is a joyous and interesting way to experience the city, using traditional modes of transportation  feet, paddling and portaging, said Nicholas Brinkman, co-founder and organizer.

European traders, missionaries and soldiers discovered the trail in the 1600s. By 1793, when the Town of York (now Toronto) was established, it had been transformed into a road for wagons and horses.

What appealed to me the most is connecting to Torontos past, forming a visceral connection, said Bethany Reed, who was participating for the first time.

The portage started at Etienne Brule Park with a sacred smudging ceremony and opening prayer, led by Mike Ormsby of Curve Lake First Nation.

Think of the Indigenous people youre following, youre walking in our footsteps Ormsby said to the group before they set off. I really respect what you guys are about to do.

Along the way, Davenportage participants dropped off canned goods at the Yorkville Fire Station and stopped for split pea soup, coffee and tea at the Tollkeepers Cottage at Davenport Rd. and Bathurst St. A Community History Project, the tollgate operated from at least 1850.

They made their way down Davenport Rd. until it turned into Church St. Then they followed smaller streets and finished at the Evergreen Brick Works, along the Don River.

A group of eight, including Brinkman, started the trek earlier, with a 15-kilometre run to the Don River, followed by a paddle to Lake Ontario and up the Humber River to the park.

The experience is spiritual and ridiculous, Brinkman said.

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The babys hands and feet had become icy, swollen and red. The flesh was splitting off, resembling blanched tomatoes whose skins peeled back from the fruit. She had lost weight, cried petulantly, and clawed at herself from the intense itching, tearing the raw skin open. Sometimes her fever reached 39 degrees.

If she was an adult, her mother had noted, she would have been considered to be insane, sitting up in her cot, banging her head with her hands.

Later on, her condition would be called acrodynia, or painful tips, named so for the sufferers aching hands and feet. But in 1921, they called the babys affliction Pinks Disease, and they were seeing more cases every year. For a while, physicians struggled to determine the etiology. It was blamed on arsenic, ergot, allergies and viruses. But by the 1950s, the wealth of cases pointed to one common ingredient ingested by the sick kids  calomel.

Parents, hoping to ease the teething pain of their infants, rubbed one of many available calomel-containing teething powders into their babies sore gums. Very popular at the time: Dr. Moffetts Teethina Powder, which also boasted that it Strengthens the Child . . . Relieves the Bowel Troubles of Children of ANY AGE, and could, temptingly, Make baby fat as a pig.

Beyond the creepy promise of Hansel and Gretel-esque results, there was something else sinister lurking within calomel: mercury. For hundreds of years, mercury-containing products claimed to heal a varied and strangely unrelated host of ailments. Melancholy, constipation, syphilis, influenza, parasites  you name it, and someone swore that mercury could fix it.

Mercury was used ubiquitously for centuries, at all levels of society, in its liquid form (quicksilver) or as a salt. Calomel  also known as mercurous chloride  fell into the latter category and was used by some of the most illustrious personages in history, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Edgar Allan Poe, Andrew Jackson, and Louisa May Alcott.

Drawing from the Greek words for good and black (named so for its habit of turning black in the presence of ammonia), calomel was the medicine from the 16th to the early 20th century. By itself, calomel seems fairly innocuous  an odourless white powder. But dont be fooled. Taken orally, calomel is a potent cathartic, which is a sophisticated way of saying it will violently empty out your guts into the toilet. Constipation had long been associated with sickness, so opening the rectal gates of hell was a sign of righting the wrongs.

Some believe the black part of its name evolved from the dark stools ejected, which were mistaken for purged bile. Allowing bile to flow freely was in harmony with keeping the body balanced and the humours happy.

The purging occurred elsewhere, too  in the form of massive amounts of unattractive drooling, a symptom of mercury toxicity. Still, physicians found their drug of choice in calomel.

Benjamin Rush was one such physician. He pioneered the humane treatment of psychiatric patients, but unfortunately thought that mental illness was best treated with a dose of calomel.

When the mosquito-borne Yellow Fever virus hit Philadelphia in 1793, Rush became a passionate advocate of extreme amounts of calomel and bloodletting. Sometimes, 10 times the usual calomel dose was employed. Even the purge-loving medical establishment found this excessive. Members of the Philadelphia College of Physicians called his methods murderous and fit for a horse.

At the time, Thomas Jefferson estimated the Yellow Fever fatality rate at 33 per cent. Later, the fatality rate of Rushs patients was found to be 46 per cent.

Ultimately, it was Rushs influence on improving Philadelphias standing water problem and sanitation  plus a good, mosquito-killing first frost of autumn  that ended the epidemic.

Still, calomel continued to be used. It wasnt until the mid-20th century that mercury compounds finally fell out of favour, thanks to a solid understanding that heavy metal toxicity was actually, you know, bad.

Most people know of elemental mercury as that slippery, silvery liquid once used with ubiquity in glass thermometers. If you were a child before helicopter parenting, you might have had the opportunity to play with the contents of a broken thermometer. The glimmering balls skittered everywhere and delighted children for hours.

There was always something mystical about quicksilver, as it was often called. Its older Latin name, hydrargyrum, spoke to its astonishing uniqueness  water silver  and gave rise to its Hg abbreviation on the periodic table of elements. The only metal that is liquid at room temperature, its also the only element whose common name was taken from its association with alchemy and a Roman god.

So it almost makes sense that people expected magical things from mercury. Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (246221 BCE), was one of them. Desperate for the secret to immortality, he sent out search parties to find the answer, but they were doomed to fail. Instead, his own alchemists concocted mercury medicines, thinking that the shining liquid was the key.

He died at 49 from mercury poisoning. But hey, why stop there? In an attempt to rule in the afterlife, Qin had himself buried in an underground mausoleum so grand that ancient writers described it flowing with rivers of mercury, its ceiling decorated with jewelled constellations. Thus far, the tomb is unexcavated due to the toxic levels of mercury that threaten to release if its opened.

Quite a bit later, when Abraham Lincoln was immortalizing himself in history, he too was a victim of liquid mercury. Before his presidency, Lincoln suffered from mood swings, headaches and constipation. In the 1850s, an aide noted, he alwys had a sick headache  Took Blue pills  blue Mass. These sick headaches were also known as bilious headaches and could conceivably be cured by a good cathartic that also allowed bile to flow.

So what was this mysterious blue mass? A peppercorn-sized pill containing pure liquid mercury, licorice root, rosewater, honey and sugar.

Lincoln only grew worse after taking the pills. There are several accounts of his volatile behaviour at the time, with bouts of depression mixed with rage, as well as insomnia, tremors, and gait problems, all of which could theoretically be blamed on mercury toxicity.

Lincoln, to his credit, seemed to recognize that the blue mass might be making him worse rather than better, and he apparently decreased his use once he entered the White House.

Mercury has had an entwined relationship with syphilis for centuries. In the 15th century, the Great Pox began to make its way across Europe. Genital sores sprouted after exposure to an infected sexual partner and progressed to rash and fevers. Later, foul-smelling abscesses spread over the body, some so severe that they ate away at flesh and bone.

People were desperate for a cure. By the 16th century, mercury came to the rescue.

Mercuric chloride arrived on the scene. Unlike calomel, mercuric chloride was water-soluble and easily absorbed by the body, making its poisonous results seem all the more effective. It burned the skin when applied (It hurts! Therefore, it works!), and the copious salivation was considered a sign of successful purging.

Elemental mercury was heated for steam baths, where inhalation was considered beneficial (and is a potent route of mercury absorption).

These regimens would often continue for the rest of the sufferers life. There was no denying a common saying at the time: A night with Venus, and a lifetime with mercury.

Nowadays, we do know that mercury and other metals such as silver can kill bacteria in vitro. All scientists know, however, that whats good in the petri dish isnt necessarily good in the human body. Its unclear if syphilis sufferers were cured by their mercury treatments or if they simply moved on to the next phase of the illness, which could consist of many symptom-free years.

That is, if the mercury toxicity didnt kill them first.

Edited excerpt from Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang, MD & Nate Pedersen. Copyright  2017. Used with permission of Workman Publishing.

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COOPER CITY, FLA.Mourners remembered not only a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between U.S. President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman, but his three comrades who died with him.

Some of the 1,200 mourners exiting the church after Saturdays service said the portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was joined on stage by photographs of Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Johnsons family asked reporters to remain outside for the service.

We have to remember that one thing: that it wasnt just one soldier who lost his life, said Berchel Davis, a retired police officer who has six children in the military. He said the preacher and Rep. Frederica Wilson both made that a part of their talks. That was a good gesture on everyones part.

He and others said the fight between Trump and Wilson was never mentioned during the service.

Johnsons pregnant widow, Myeshia, had held the arm of an army officer as she led her two young children and her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The modern hymn Im Yours could be heard coming from inside.

Johnsons sister, Angela Ghent, said after the service that it dont feel real that her brother was killed.

It hasnt hit me yet, I havent had time to grieve, said Ghent, who last spoke to her brother a few weeks before he died. She said she was glad mourners got to hear about her brothers love for bikes and cars, not just his military service.

The fight between Trump and Wilson had taken the focus off Johnson, whose widow is due to have a daughter in January. Sgt. Johnson told friends she will be named LaShee. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, already had a 6-year-old daughter, AhLeeysa, and 2-year-old son, La David Jr. An online fundraiser has raised more than $600,000 to pay for the childrens education.

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How every investor lost money on Trump Tower Toronto (but Donald Trump made millions anyway)

Johnsons mother died when he was 5; he was raised by his aunt. His family enrolled him in 5000 Role Models, a project Wilson began in 1993 when she was an educator where African-American boys are paired with mentors who prepare them for college, vocational school or the military.

We teach them to be a good man, a good husband and a good father. Sgt. Johnson typified all of those characteristics, said mourner Carlton Crawl, a public school consultant who is one of the programs mentors.

In 2013, a year before he enlisted, Johnson was featured in a local television newscast for his ability to do bicycle tricks, earning the nickname Wheelie King. He said he learned his tricks by going slow.

Once you feel comfortable, you could just ride all day, he told the interviewer.

The war of words between the president and Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Myeshia Johnson in a phone call that her husband knew what he signed up for and didnt appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnsons aunt. Wilson was riding with Johnsons family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone. She was principal of a school Johnsons father attended.

Trump tweeted Wilson fabricated his statement and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her wacky and accused her of SECRETLY listening to the phone call.

Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, entered the fray Thursday. The retired Marine general asserted that the congresswoman had delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

Wilson, who is black, fired back Friday when she told The New York Times: The White House itself is full white supremacists.

The retorts persisted Saturday morning, with Trump tweeting: I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!

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VALLETTA, MALTA  The blast from the bomb planted in the rented Peugeot of Maltas best-known investigative journalist was so powerful it took police investigators four days to collect body parts and wreckage scattered across sun-baked fields next to the road.

Tracking down potential suspects with deep grudges against the victim, Daphne Caruana Galizia, however, will take far longer.

It is a very long list, Maltas prime minister, Joseph Muscat, one of the journalists many targets, said in an interview. She was a very harsh critic of mine.

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Malta offers $1.18 million to discover who killed reporter

Sons of slain Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia call on prime minister to resign

Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia filed her final blog post criticizing Maltese government officials. Thirty minutes later she was dead

The list of people whom Caruana Galizia offended and infuriated as a prolific journalist in this tiny Mediterranean island nation includes many members of Muscats ruling Labour Party as well as the leader of the centre-right opposition. Also on the list: the president of Azerbaijan and his family, executives of a Chinese electrical equipment manufacturer, foreign drug barons, an Iranian-born banker and people active in offshore tax havens like Panama and the British Virgin Islands.

All of them were the targets at one time or another of Caruana Galizias relentless probing of the underbelly of the European Unions smallest country, a nation that boasts Europes fastest growing economy but has been hit by six car bombings in the past two years, all of them unsolved.

How a country that has in many ways been so successful could be the scene of such a macabre and brutal murder on a picturesque road only a half-hours drive from the capital, Valletta, has left many asking what went wrong.

In the absence of hard evidence, Maltese are grasping at wild coincidences and conspiracy theories.

The murder took place exactly five years to the hour after the dismissal of Maltas former senior official in the European Union, the disgraced former health commissioner John Dalli. The murder, Dalli said, had absolutely nothing to do with his own troubles.

Dalli was another regular target of Caruana Galizias writing  Everything she wrote about me was a lie, he said  and yet another well-connected insider who, despite detailed allegations of corruption, has never been prosecuted in Malta.

Dalli, who in December filed a harassment complaint with the police against Caruana Galizia, said he was very angry when he heard she had been killed. It basically removed my chances of exculpating myself from everything she said about me, he said.

Justin Borg-Barthet, a Maltese legal expert who lectures at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, said the legal system, built up during British colonial rule, has been so steadily eroded by political meddling and constant reshuffling of the police leadership that virtually nobody expects justice to be done in the case of the murdered journalist.

Trust does not function as a reliable constitutional principle when people are untrustworthy, he said.

Caruana Galizia, 53, had an insiders grasp of that world. There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate, she wrote in her last blog post Monday afternoon, just a half-hour before she left her family home by car to run errands and was blown to pieces.

The bombing stunned Malta, where known criminals sometimes attack one another but where the streets are safe and violence against public figures is extremely rare. It also sent tremors through the European Union, which took in Malta as a member in 2004 and, at a time of deep disillusionment with the European project in Britain and elsewhere, has often pointed to Maltas economic success as an example of how Europe can work.

Christian Peregin, the founder of an online news site, Lovin Malta, and an admirer of the dead journalist, said the killing had exposed a reality that Caruana Galizia had spent decades trying to uncover, a mission that won her a long list of enemies and scores of libel suits.

One of those who sued her this year  and got a court to freeze her bank accounts  is Maltas economy minister, whom she enraged with a February report that he had been seen along with an aide in a brothel in the German town of Velbert. The minister, who was visiting Germany on government business, insisted he had been attending a conference at the time of the reported sighting.

Beneath the veneer of a successful, well-to-do European nation there is something darker here, Peregin said. Malta is between Europe and North Africa. We speak English and have very English traditions, but we also speak Maltese  basically a mix of Arabic and Italian  and our national psyche is always somewhere between these two very different worlds.

This split has in turn helped shape and harden a deep and often passionate political divide between the Labour Party, which Caruana Galizia loathed, and the Nationalist Party. She used to support the Nationalists until a new leader took over whom she described as being in cahoots with criminals because of his previous work as a lawyer on behalf of Maltese clients who she said ran a prostitution racket in London.

The Nationalist leader, Adrian Delia, was so angered by Caruana Galizias articles, which included details of a secret offshore bank account he controlled, that he filed four complaints against her for defamation.

He dropped the cases after the killing and is now trying to position himself as her defender, demanding that the prime minister, Muscat, resign and take political responsibility for the car bomb.

Saviour Balzan, a veteran editor and long-time adversary, called Caruana Galizia a spiteful snob who reveled in ridiculing people she viewed as inferior, particularly those who supported the Labour Party.

When the partys former leader, Dom Mintoff, died at 96 in 2012, Caruana Galizia rejoiced at his passing: She wrote in her blog, Running Commentary, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah . . . may you rot in hell.

She stirred such strong feelings that her killing even prompted cheers in some quarters. Ramon Mifsud, a police officer whom she had portrayed in her blog as a drunken habitue of bars and lap dancing clubs, celebrated her killing with a post on his Facebook page: Everyone gets what they deserve, cow dung. Suspended from the police force, he quickly deleted the message.

She was certainly the best investigative journalist Malta has ever seen. However, she was at times also a tabloid trash writer, and did not always follow normal journalistic standards, Ken Mifsud Bonnici, a Maltese legal adviser to the European Commission in Brussels, said, speaking in a personal capacity. Nevertheless, he added: People do not get killed for publishing lies.

Maltese news media reported that the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia was made from Semtex, the plastic explosive that brought down a Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. Maltas previous car bombings involved more easily obtained explosives and targeted known criminals or their associates.

The police commissioner, Lawrence Cutajar, the fifth person to hold Maltas top law enforcement job in just four years, declined at a news conference Thursday to comment on the kind of explosive used. He was so evasive in his response to questions that local journalists left the event convinced that the case, like previous car bombings, would never be solved  despite the presence of investigators from the FBI and Dutch police.

With trust in the police so low, representatives of the islands main news outlets filed a petition with a court in Valletta demanding that any information found by investigators on Caruana Galizias phone and computer relating to her sources be kept secret to protect their security.

When a leading journalist  an institution  is killed and you dont have any faith in the justice system, everyone becomes a suspect, Peregin said. We are all scared because we have no idea who killed her.

It could be anyone she has written about over the last 30 years, or it could be a message to the Maltese press or the government: Watch out for your neck and accept our demands or we will do worse.

Balzan, the managing editor of Malta Today, said that while he was a critic of Caruana Galizias work, he was appalled and frightened by her murder.

What happened has taken us back to the Stone Age, he said. Who would want to work in journalism after this? Why should I go to work when people are asking: Who will be next?

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Back in the day, business simply required a legal license to operate. The corporate veil was rarely pierced as management expected to run its operations with little outside interference.

But times have changed and the business model has been forced to reach out, not only to stakeholders, but to civil society. The concept of voluntary corporate social responsibility grew simultaneously with the growth of global supply chains as consumers became aware that cheaper goods often meant the cost of individual safety or health.

In addition, rapid development by multinationals without respectful community consultation led to murder, violence and protests. Today, a social license is slowly becoming a norm, particularly for mining companies who need acceptance from local communities in order to carry out their extractive processes.

Some will argue that the expansion of industry responsibility is disastrous to the business model itself. But most realize profits at the expense of corrupt behaviour, environmental degradation or in violation of human rights are no longer tolerable.

To that end, three consultations regarding the role and activities of corporations, both at home and abroad, are under discussion in Ottawa.

Previous efforts have failed, but the expectations are high for the appointment of an independent ombudsperson for the extractive sector. Long championed by John McKay, MP for Scarborough Guildwood, the anticipation is that the office will be well resourced and have strong investigatory powers.

Secondly, activists are urging the Canadian government to adopt a national action plan regarding the interrelationship of business and human rights. Nearly 40 other countries are developing or have already developed plans to support the UN inspired guiding principles espoused by global governance guru John Ruggie of Harvards Kennedy School.

His multiyear study brilliantly resets global links by noting that it is a states duty to protect human rights, a corporations responsibility to respect human rights and a moral obligation on the part of all actors to provide access to justice and remedies to those whose rights have been violated.

Finding justice for victims is very difficult for both jurisdictional and governance reasons. Corporations often operate in countries with fragile democracies that do not respect the rule of law, while victims are unable to find a court with jurisdiction to hear their allegations.

Finally, the government must prevent corruption in its $20 billion per year procurement industry. According to a recent report, fraud in the procurement process ranks at 33 per cent, making it a major concern. This too has implications for human rights.

Just before the 2015 election, the Harper regime brought down the hammer on corporate transgressions of bribery and fraud. Strong guidelines were issued to ban corporations from bidding on government contracts for up to 10 years if they were found to have contravened legislation, such as the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.

However, enforcement of these guidelines is difficult, time consuming and expensive to investigate, while fraud can spread like an octopus over multiple jurisdictions, making it difficult to pinpoint.

In addition, officials often lack resources. Speakers at a recent Ottawa conference expressed frustration that a number of high profile terrorism-related investigations diverted personnel and money from corporate crime examinations.

Is there a solution? Possibly.

The government is considering the use of deferred prosecutions agreements (DPAs), which are in place in the U.S. and the U.K., and more recently in France. A DPA does not replace a criminal prosecution, but rather acts as an additional tool for prosecutors.

Under the scheme, a corporation that has been charged must adhere to certain conditions, which may include significant fines, as well as independent monitoring, for a prescribed amount of time. If the business complies, charges will be withdrawn. If they dont, the charges remain.

The idea of a company getting off the hook is repugnant, but there may be potential advantages. A DPA allows a company to carry on, saving the jobs of employees. It also reduces the blame for innocent employees as a companys reputation is likely to take a hit.

Generally, offences that result in bodily harm, affect public safety or national security are ineligible for DPAs. Any crime that violates human rights should similarly be excluded.

Too often human rights concerns have been shoved out of the way in the busy intersection of business, law and politics. We cant do that any longer. Its time to put human rights in the drivers seat. Its time to give human rights a big green light.

Penny Collenette is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and was a senior director of the Prime Ministers Office for Jean Chretien.

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Last June the Liberal government introduced Bill C-58, whose purpose is to amend the Access to Information Act, a 1982 law that grants Canadian citizens the right to view government records.

Reform is sorely needed for this law, which is akin to a rusted manual typewriter in the iPhone-Twitter age. But the hopes of transparency advocates were crushed by this partially regressive bill. Its most dangerous feature is to grant agencies the right to reject any request they call vexatious or made in bad faith  a poorly worded blank cheque that is strangely more Harperite than the former government would have dared, and one that surely will be used for political censorship.

The Liberals also broke their campaign promise to ensure the Access to Information Act applies to the offices of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers. Yet the scope of the problem is much larger than that.

Over the years, Ottawa has been spawning wholly owned and controlled puppet companies to perform public functions and manage billions of dollars in taxpayers money, all while claiming these are not covered by freedom of information (FOI) laws because they are private and independent. This trend  which critics call pseudo privatization or information laundering  is quietly and adroitly defeating the entire purpose of the law.

This key problem is also missing from Bill C-58. Under most other nations FOI laws, entities such as the Canadian Blood Agency, our nuclear Waste Management Organization, local airport authorities, and others  many of them vital to our public health and safety  could never escape information law coverage as they do now. Why do we tolerate this?

MPs have been pleading this point for three decades, ever since cabinet ignored the 1987 all-party report called Open and Shut, which advised that access to information coverage be extended to cover all federal government institutions.

In the 2006 election, the Conservatives pledged they would extend the acts coverage to all organizations that spend taxpayers money or perform public functions. Once in office Prime Minister Stephen Harper added a few foundations, and all Crown corporations and their subsidiaries, to the laws scope. Yet that was only a start, for in Canada more than 100 quasi-governmental entities are still not covered by the Access to Information Act.

The world access standard is to include entities at least 50 per cent publicly owned or performing public functions. The laws of Britain, France, India and New Zealand provide good models. Among our provinces, Newfoundland has partly caught up to the world with its reformed 2015 access law, in which these entities are covered: a corporation, the ownership of which, or a majority of the shares of which is vested in the Crown.

Meanwhile, the global contrasts to Canada grow wider every year, a gap that would likely have embarrassed the father of our Access to Information Act, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 2006 an FOI law was passed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therein, the definition of a public body includes each institution, company or foundation whose sole share, or more than 50 percent of its share, belong to the state or government.

Coverage in the Russian FOI law includes records created by organizations subordinate to public bodies, and the good Israeli FOI law covers all corporations that the state owns more than half. (On this point even Iran and Israel can agree.)

I am well aware that some such nations have appalling human rights problems and the laws may be poorly applied in practice. But it shows that global FOI standards have risen to such a level that even they endorse the principle, along with advanced democracies.

We should not study this problem for another 30 years. By stubbornly holding Canada back in such an insular, stagnant backwater within the FOI world, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is placing our countrys reputation for democratic process at risk. We can, and must, do much better, now.

Stanley Tromp is a Vancouver independent journalist and author of the book Fallen Behind: Canadas Access to Information Act in the World Context.

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Abortion laws part of population decline, Letters, Oct. 13

Thank you for publishing Dan Di Roccos thoughts. He has raised issues that need to be explored, discussed and understood so that we can make important decisions about our countrys future.

The cause of an under-populated Canada is not abortion. The causes are more like a near 10-million-square-kilometre country that is cold for much of the year, womens lack of need to have more offspring and too little immigration.

Outlawing womens fundamental right to abort unwanted pregnancies is not a better solution than immigration to increase the population of Canada. Reproductive rights are the basis of every womans autonomy.

Mr. Di Rocco does not seem not understand that the future is precarious. Climate change, with its resulting severe weather that causes disasters like drought and flooding, and political and religious-based violence, will increasingly cause huge numbers of people to migrate from one place to another. Think European migrant crisis. Think Rohingya. Humans have migrated since we could walk upright. We will never stop.

Shouldnt we be trying to guarantee a future for those children who are already alive, perhaps hungry, maybe starving, possibly dying of curable diseases, no matter where they currently live? Why not trust that most humans, given their circumstances, will do their best? Why not believe that the immigrants who come to Canada will deeply care about this place? That they will bring strengths, ideas, dreams and schemes, and capabilities that will add to this amazing, multicultural society.

Leslie Chiswell, Toronto

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Quebecs niqab ban bill strips womens choice, Paradkar, Oct. 18

I want to express my strongest disappointment in Quebecs attempt to take away the right of women who choose to wear the face veil. This move is counterproductive, unwise, undemocratic and violates rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedom.

It is a tiny, insignificant fraction of the Muslim community who adhere to this dress code. While we have the right to disagree with those who choose this dress code, we should still be able to show maturity in our judgment, overcome our personal prejudice and show respect to these women.

It is ironic and puzzling that while we vehemently criticize religious fanatics who tell women what to wear, we also act in the same manner as these fanatics in trying to bully women and dictate how to behave. It is shameful and disgusting.

This move will certainly tarnish the image of Quebec and will dissuade people from living there or investing in the province.

What should we expect next from these new mullahs who claim to know what is best for women? Is the Quebec government going to tell them what to read, how to talk and walk and whom to marry?

We live in an era of extremism. It is either my way or the highway. Not only religious figures in all denominations have lost their sanity, even secularists have gone mad.

I wonder if the Quebec government is trying to make Quebec great again, as President Donald Trump is trying to do in the U.S. Or is it trying to liberate women from darkness and backwardness? Or is it simply trying to distract people from the real issues facing them?

As Star columnist Shree Paradkar put it, if governments dont belong in peoples bedrooms, they certainly dont belong in womens closets.

This attempt to infringe on the rights of women will only add fuel to the fire of hate against a marginalized community. Please leave them alone. Those who choose to wear the niqab are doing so out of choice and devotion to their faith. Who are we to take away their rights?

They dont pose a threat to our well-being. They certainly dont undermine the safety and security of the country. They are law-abiding citizens who are adhering to their principles, according to their beliefs and understanding.

Abubakar Kasim, Toronto

As an Ahmadi Muslim woman, I categorically stand against Quebecs Bill 62, which forces Muslim women who wear a niqab or burka to uncover their faces to access public services.

It doesnt take a genius to figure out this bill has nothing to do with the niqab. I believe this nonsensical law is unconstitutional and goes against the very fabric of Canadian culture. Both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms protect freedom of religion and expression, which this law collides with.

This bill will isolate Muslim women and further create divides in Quebec against Muslims, fuelling the existing problem of Islamophobia.

Imrana Qudrat, Toronto

Women are allowed to have faces in Canadian life. Any rule that requires women to hide their faces to suit men must be rejected. I agree with Quebecs decision to ban the niqab. Its oppressive to support the niqab. Can you imagine requiring men to cover their faces?

Judy Steed, Toronto

Religious rights are so indoctrinated into our culture that it overshadows secular opinions.

Concerns of being accused of racism, bigotry or being anti-Muslim often stop individuals from publicly stating their viewpoint and governments from making objective decisions.

Being able to see someones face when you are carrying out a public transaction is an important part of Canadian culture, just as disallowing members of a nudist community to transact public services naked. They would be arrested for indecent exposure.

There are many people who feel as I do and it has nothing to do with religion. Therefore I agree with Quebecs Bill 62, with its premise that it is secular.

Margaret Johnston, Toronto

By emulating the principled opposition of Tom Mulcair to the niqab ban in Quebec, new NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has practically ensured there will be no repeat of the Orange Wave in that province, and the NDP will remain firmly entrenched at the bottom of the political ladder in this country. This after he claimed he respected the decision of Quebecers in this regard.

Ken C. Price, Oakville

The Quebec government has set a dangerous precedent. Regardless of the shenanigans of not naming Muslims as the prime target of Bill 62, Quebec has managed to import the dangerous Islamophobic strain from Europe into Canada.

It has proved that the words of women are less meaningful than their faces. Can these politicians not imagine the plight of a woman being denied emergency services on the pretext of unreasonable attire?

Quebec is setting Canada on the path of violent extremism. Nine months ago, a Quebec terrorist killed innocent worshippers in a mosque. Their burial cannot be negotiated since the town and the province, except Montreal, didnt want a Muslim cemetery on purely Islamophobic grounds.

Perhaps, as a nation, we didnt learn from the disaster of the residential schools.

I came from a part of the world where terrorism has ruled for a long time. Terrorism is not based on religious thought, although that plays a minor role. Terrorism is based on a lack of social justice and discrimination.

When I saw Canada, my Canada, I saw a country that treated all equally, where all Canadians were Canadians regardless of the colour of their skin and their belief system. But Quebec and its provincial Liberal politicians dont think so.

Muhammad Saleem Usmani, Toronto

Quebec, you are repeating Canadas sad history. This is how the terrible treatment of Indigenous peoples started. They dont dress like us, they are not like us and they must be made to be like us. What next? Muslim children taken from their parents and sent to a special school where they will be trained to be like us.

Shame on you Quebec!

Keith Parkinson, Cambridge, Ont.

Is Quebec niqab ban racist or reasonable?, Letters, Oct. 19

All hail letter writer Tom Needham. How about men wearing veils! Face coverings should only be for blizzards or sandstorms. Otherwise, show your face.

Anita Kern, Toronto

Harvey Weinstein and the niqab: two ways of erasing the individuality of women.

Harvey Weinstein demeaned women, objectified them and used them as interchangeable tools for his personal needs. He controlled them. To him, they had no individuality.

Likewise, the niqab makes women interchangeable, takes away their individuality and is a creation of men. I cannot help but wonder why only womens faces are covered. Why not mens faces? If men also wore the niqab, we would be having a totally different conversation.

Wearing different clothes is a statement of individuality. Yes, women can wear, or not wear, whatever they want, but no one should be required to cover their face.

The laws/culture of the land must supersede the rules/customs of religion. We no longer accept genital mutilation, no matter how many religions support that.

Religion and the nation state are both human constructs that have perpetually been in conflict. Too often, abhorrent behaviour hides behind the cloak of religion.

Elka Enola, Oakville

The Quebec government is right. This is not about religion or religious freedom. Face coverings like the niqab or burka are about male dominance, power and control  always have been. There is nothing in the Quran or any other of the holy books about women being required to wear them.

Douglas Trollope, Mitchell, Ont.

Full-body covering and full nudity are opposite ends of the extreme self-exploitation spectrum, which continues to malign and dehumanize all women.

Respecting diversity is the product of equal treatment not special treatment, and that must include women. Anything less is a threat to the equality and balance of our secular society.

Kat Duffy, Mississauga

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Two people hospitalized with injuries sustained in a three-vehicle crash late Saturday night were in "stable condition," as of Sunday morning, according to the Billings Police Department.

The crash occurred on Fourth Avenue North and North 25th Street at about 11:30 p.m. and involved four vehicles, including a motorcycle.

A southbound Hyundai Accent had apparently failed to yield to a blue Chevrolet, BPD Sgt. Shane Shelden said. A white Ford Mustang was also involved in the crash.

"Once officers arrived on scene, passengers of one of the vehicles were found to be unresponsive," Shelden wrote in a press release issued Sunday morning. "Those passengers were transported to the hospital where they were cared for and both are now in stable condition."

A motorcyclist following behind was uninjured after laying down his bike to avoid colliding into the wreckage, Shelden said.

Fourth Avenue North between North 25th and 26th streets remained closed for several hours after the crash as police continued to investigate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 22:41:48|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Egypt stressed on Monday the importance of respecting the Spanish Constitution as a basis for resolving the crisis in Catalonia.

Egypt closely follows the developments of the crisis and the repercussions of the referendum held on the first of October, Spokesperson for Egyptian Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

The spokesperson stressed, in this regard, the importance of adhering to the principles of the constitution and respect for Spanish law, as the starting point to overcome this crisis.

He expressed Egypt's aspiration that Spain "overcomes this crisis as soon as possible in order to maintain its stability and protect the aspirations of the Spanish people."

On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the Spanish ministries will take control over the Catalan regional government under the application of the article 155 of the Spanish constitution.

Rajoy explained that the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, would be dissolved, their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries and elections would be called within six months.

All these measures have to be passed by the Spanish Senate to be fully implemented.

The crisis developed after about 2.26 million people took part in a referendum on Catalan independence on Oct. 1 despite the Spanish constitutional court ruling it illegal.
They want someone transformational, someone committed to equity  its mentioned twice in the job ad  and also inclusion, human rights, transparency, integrity and trust.

Someone, who will walk the talk.

After a tumultuous two years under a director, fired after a damning education ministry report that found feelings of alienation, marginalization and discrimination flourished under his leadership, the York Region District School Board is looking for someone to set it on a new path.

The deadline to apply is Friday.

Read more:

York school board ousts controversial director

Report blasts York school board director for cultivating culture of distrust

York Region school board directors 10-year contract raises questions

A unique opportunity for an equity-focused transformational leader to inspire change organization-wide and champion the boards renewed commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights in an environment of transparency, integrity, trust and resolve, the ad says, in bold letters.

This is both a challenging and an exciting mandate  and calls for a highly skilled and respected leader with extensive knowledge of best practices in teaching for optimal learning, it continues.

Former director J. Philip Parappally was dismissed by school board trustees in April, after a Ministry of Education probe into the board found he was directly responsible for cultivating a culture of fear in the organization, played favourites and left staff feeling intimidated and fearful.

The blistering report, also took aim at the process used to hire Parappally, and the unprecedented terms of his contract, including an unheard-of decade-long tenure and a job-for-life clause.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter urged the board to implement 22 directives to address concerns, including an overhaul of the director selection process.

Over the summer, trustees and staff immersed themselves in updating the process. This included creating a committee of staff, trustees and community members to be involved in setting the terms for the process, hiring executive search firm Phelpsgroup to lead the search, and asking the public to take part in a survey.

As a board, we have really tried to have a more open and collaborative process  as much as possible given the nature of a hiring process, said board chair Loralea Carruthers.

We have had over 1,000 responses to our survey and the executive search firm has conducted dozens of individual and group interviews, she said, including all trustees, all members of the senior team, all community advisory committees, community groups, principals, teachers, support staff, students and anyone who reached out directly. We have been very intentional in ensuring that the process is clear, collaborative and all the information is available on our website.

In order for a candidate to make the final cut, they will have to sit through two interviews with trustees, and require a vote from nine of the 12 trustees.

The aim, Carruthers says, is to make sure the process is as transparent as possible.

When Parappally was hired in 2014, the process was plagued with controversy: the recruiting firm quit halfway through, Parappally was allowed to bring notes into his interview, and, according to critics, lacked relevant experiences required for the job  yet continued to be supported by trustees.

In the ministry report, staff said they felt Parappallys unusual hiring was the cause of, and the beginning of, much of the difficulty the school board was facing.

Hunter, when asked last week about the York boards search for a new leader, said its an absolutely critical role in our school system.

The role of the director has a tremendous influence on our system of education and I certainly would expect that this board in particular really brings forward candidates that really embody those values of equity, inclusion and transparency and brings that forward in the process of the recruitment, as well as in the selection, she told the Star.

Whoever takes the helm has a big job, as the board addresses the directives given to them by Hunter in the wake of the damning report, which also probed incidents of racism and Islamophobia at the board. She said the board has work to do when it comes to equity and inclusion and thats why she issued her orders.

Ive certainly been very clear with the board that I expect them to follow the directions and, more importantly, the outcomes that they are intended to achieve  that every student in our system wants to have a safe and inclusive school environment, where their well-being is at the forefront of our classrooms and our schools.

In general, the potential pool of directors is small.

Frank Kelly, of the provincial Council of Directors of Education, said York should be an appealing possibility because its a big urban board that still has a good reputation.

An insider, or a director currently working at a mid-sized board, or a senior superintendent or associate director at other large boards are likely candidates, as are administrators with experience at the provincial education ministry.

But, he added, you dont have a long list of people jumping up and down to be director. Part of the reason is that the pay is not that much higher than a senior staffer, despite the huge responsibility.

York is appealing on a lot of levels, said Kelly. You are working in a board that is progressive  and it is  and that has resources, which it does.

It should be attractive to people. It has great resources, great buildings and is a combination of both urban and rural areas.

Its got a lot of factors that would make people want to apply  I hope the board gets a broad field to pick from.

The goal is to select a new director by the end of November. But any new candidate will require majority support from trustees  and approval from the ministry.

If he or she doesnt meet any one of those requirements, it could mean back to the drawing board for round two.

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SuperValu Inc. (SVU) announced this week that it will acquire Associated Grocers of Florida Inc. for $180 million.

Ag Florida, a retail cooperative headquartered in Pompano Beach, Fla., generated revenue of $650 million during the year ended July 29. SuperValu CEO Mark Gross said on a call with analysts that he expected run-rate synergies of at least $16 million by the end of the third year after the close, with transaction costs of up to $7 million and transition and integration costs of up to $15 million during the first two years.

Eden Prairie, Minn.-based SuperValu said Wednesday, Oct. 18, that will fund the transaction, which it anticipated would close by the end of the year, with cash on hand and incremental borrowings from an existing asset-backed loan.

SuperValu shares rose Wednesday morning but close down 11.1% to $17.23 by the day's end and trended down by further by Friday. The stock has dropped around 50% in 2017.

Ag Florida represents SuperValu's third major transaction in a year. On Dec. 5, SuperValu closed the $1.37 billion sale of its Save-A-Lot deep-discount grocery business to Onex Corp. On April 10, SuperValu announced plans to acquire California private wholesale grocery distributor Unified Grocers Co. in what Gross said was another bid to grow its customer base in "Hispanic and other ethnic formats." The $390 million deal closed June 23.

"We're obviously investing significantly in what I'll call the Hispanic market and ... people's desires to have different types of food and authentic food, and for us to then have a distribution network that allows you to tap that in across the country," Gross said on the call Wednesday.

Since the Aug. 28 close of Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) - Get Free Report $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc., grocery companies, already grappling with thin margins, have increasingly focused on changing consumer preferences for both food and shopping channels.

"I fully believe that physical stores will continue to be an essential part of the shopping experience, and I believe we are well-positioned here with the extensive base of stores we supply," said Gross, calling grocery shopping "a sensory experience" for many. Still, SuperValu is enhancing its mobile and desktop sites and signed a multiyear deal with delivery startup Instacart to provide loyalty programs, he added.

Both SuperValu and rival Kroger Co. (KR) - Get Free Report "seem to keep selling off on the same headlines related to Amazon," wrote Pivotal Research Group LLC analyst Ajay Jain. "The continued pounding is overblown, in our view." Although "the challenging backdrop for the sector is actually resulting in significant opportunities for SuperValu's wholesale segment," SuperValu shares are "increasingly mispriced" due to investors shortchanging its wholesale operations, he said.

Editor's note:A version of this article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.

"The existing competitive threats across SuperValu's retailing operations are more than fully accounted for," Jain added. "The stock is discounting a level of financial distress that we don't foresee taking shape."

Barclays Capital analyst Karen Short, anticipating "unprecedented changes and challenges" ahead in grocery after the Amazon-Whole Foods deal, estimates that 12% of grocery sales will shift to e-commerce channels within the next five to 10 years.

"This share shift will result in staggering closures and job losses in the conventional food industry," she wrote. "In our view, the only solution is M&A. Unfortunately, market share and concentration analysis is dated at best -- and in this era -- this outdated view of the food retail landscape will only exacerbate food retailers' abilities to survive."

SuperValu and Ag Florida did not respond to requests for comment.

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A string of severe hurricanes that swept across the south and southeastern portions of the U.S. and Puerto Rico toward the end of the third quarter could put a big dent in economic growth.

Investors will get the chance to see exactly how big that blow was when a preliminary reading on third-quarter GDP in the U.S. is released on Friday, Oct. 27.

"This was such a bizarre quarter because of those hurricanes," Ken Mahoney, president of Mahoney Asset Management, said in a call. "Most economists have seen that as an aberration and I think whatever the number is going to show for GDP, much like the unemployment report, could be an aberration with an asterisk next to it."

Economists surveyed by FactSet anticipate the U.S. economy to have grown 2.5% from July to September, slowing from 3.1% growth in the second quarter. This is just a preliminary number -- it will go through two revisions.

Elsewhere on the economic calendar: The Markit PMI manufacturing index for October will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 24; durable goods orders and new home sales for September will be issued on Wednesday, Oct. 25; international trade in goods and the pending home sales index for September are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 26; and the final reading on consumer sentiment for October is expected on Friday.

The pace of earnings in the coming week accelerates again with 183 S&P 500 on the calendar reporting. Just under one-fifth of S&P 500 companies have already reported in what is turning out to be a better-than-expected third quarter. So far, just more than 70% of those that have reported have exceeded analysts' profit estimates, according to Thomson Reuters, while nearly 72% have bested sales consensus.

"The earnings story I think is the story that's holding up the market right now," saidMahoney, pointing to recent record gains for the three major indexes. "A lot of people are coming into this earnings season thinking let's sell the news and that hasn't happened."

For the quarter as a whole, analysts anticipate blended earnings growth of 4.2%, or 2.1% excluding energy, according to Thomson Reuters estimates. Revenue is expected to rise by 4.4%.

Tech and telecom earnings in the week ahead include Seagate Technology PLC (STX) - Get Free Report on Monday, Oct. 23; Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) - Get Free Report , AT&T Inc. (T) - Get Free Report and Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) - Get Free Report on Tuesday; and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) - Get Free Report , Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) - Get Free Report , Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - Get Free Report , and Xerox Corp. (XRX) - Get Free Report on Thursday.

Alphabet is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL?Learn more now.

Consumer earnings include VF Corp. (VFC) - Get Free Report , Hasbro Inc. (HAS) - Get Free Report , and Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB) - Get Free Report on Monday; Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) - Get Free Report , Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) - Get Free Report , General Motors Co. (GM) - Get Free Report and McDonald's Corp. (MCD) - Get Free Report on Tuesday; Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) , Coca-Cola Co. (KO) - Get Free Report , Visa Inc. (V) - Get Free Report and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) - Get Free Report on Wednesday; Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) - Get Free Report , Ford Motor Co. (F) - Get Free Report and Mattel Inc. (MAT) - Get Free Report on Thursday; and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) - Get Free Report on Friday.

In healthcare earnings, Biogen Inc. (BIIB) - Get Free Report and Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) - Get Free Report will report on Tuesday; Amgen Inc. (AMGN) - Get Free Report and Anthem Inc. undefined on Wednesday; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) - Get Free Report , Gilead Sciences (GILD) - Get Free Report and Celgene Corp. (CELG) - Get Free Report on Thursday; and AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) - Get Free Report and Merck & Co. (MRK) - Get Free Report on Friday.

Eli Lilly is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells LLY?Learn more now.

Oil and industrials earnings include Halliburton Co. (HAL) - Get Free Report on Monday; 3M Co. (MMM) - Get Free Report , Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) - Get Free Report , Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) - Get Free Report , Stanley Black & Decker Inc. (SWK) - Get Free Report and United Technologies Corp. (UTX) - Get Free Report on Tuesday; Boeing Co. (BA) - Get Free Report on Wednesday; ConocoPhillips (COP) - Get Free Report and Statoil ASA (STO) on Thursday; and Chevron Corp. (CVX) - Get Free Report and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) - Get Free Report on Friday.

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Join Jim Cramer, CNBC's Jon Najarian and Other Experts Oct. 28 in New York

Jim Cramer will host CNBC's Jon Najarian, TD Ameritrade's JJ Kinahan, famed analytics expert Marc Chaikin and other market mavens on Oct. 28 in New York City to share successful strategies for active investors.

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Activist RBR Capital on Friday officially kicked off its campaign to break up Credit Suisse (CS) - Get Free Report with an 11-page presentation arguing that the big bank would have a sum-of-the-parts valuation of about 85 billion francs, significantly more that its current 40 billion franc market capitalization.

The occasionally activist fund recently accumulated a stake of between 0.2% and 0.3% and put together a presentation it released at the Robin Hood Investors conference Friday afternoon, seeking to divide up the large institution into three parts.

As previously reported, the RBR Capital proposal would divide Credit Suisse into three companies, an investment bank restoring the First Boston name (CS acquired First Boston in 1990), an asset management group and a third company that would hold its retail and business banking operation. The fund expects post-split up, a newly formed First Boston investment bank would have a 15.6 billion market capitalization, a divided off wealth management operation would come in at 62.5 billion francs and the remaining asset management business would have a value of 6.8 billion francs. The firm suggested that their idea would "break a big problem" into "smaller problems." Both the asset manager and First Boston 2.0 would conduct IPOs in Switzerland and New York respectively.

However, there are a variety of factors that suggest that RBR Capital will have a tough time succeeding in its break up campaign. To get a sense of how the Credit Suisse campaign might play out, The Deal spoke with David Trenchard, who was vice-chairman at London-based activist fund Knight Vinke Asset Management in 2013 when it sought unsuccessfully to drive UBS AG (UBS) to spin off its investment bank.

Trenchard, now an independent consultant working with activist and advisory firms, argues that although the RBR Capital thesis has merit, it may have difficulty convincing Credit Suisse investors to support a breakup proposal.

"I think the likelihood is that shareholders will conclude that breaking up Credit Suisse would be an incredibly complex thing to do," Trenchard said. "There are many linkages among various businesses that would be difficult to separate."

Trenchard noted that Credit Suisse would likely struggle with what to do with its vast derivatives exposure, which would need to be allocated with one of the separated businesses.

"If you put the derivatives in the First Boston investment bank then it becomes a highly leveraged firm," Trenchard noted. "If you put it in the commercial bank then that may be perceived as a little less risky because it becomes part of a much larger asset-based business."

Trenchard said he expects some investors will argue that the Swiss investor doesn't have enough skin-in-the-game. "If people believe in the argument, then the size of the stake shouldn't matter," Trenchard said. "However, some investors take the view that if you don't have a big position, you shouldn't be making demands."

The sometimes activist fund has a minuscule stake in Credit Suisse. As a result, it will need to get the backing of lots of big and small investors to drive its campaign forward. So far, that effort is getting mixed results. The largest Credit Suisse holder, David Herro, of Harris Asset Management, a 9% stakeholder, reportedly first slammed RBR Capital's idea but then later suggested that he could back the fund's idea of splitting off the CS investment bank.

An additional concern is RBR Capital's limited and lackluster track record when it comes to activism. The fund, run by Rudolf Bohli, has launched three activist campaigns at two companies, according to FactSet Inc. Earlier this year, the fund sought unsuccessfully to install three dissident directors to the board of GAM Holding AG.

In 2016, RBR and another fund, Cologny Advisors LLP, sought to install two dissident directors at Gategroup Holding but they were defeated at the company's annual meeting, FactSet reported. The fund had more success in 2015 when it succeeded at installing two directors as part of a settlement with the airline catering company. In May 2016, a unit of China's HNA agreed to buy the company, giving RBR Capital a win.

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Editors' pick: Originally published Oct. 20.
The following companies are subsidiares of Quanta Services: (De) Lazy Q Ranch LLC, 1 Diamond LLC, 1Diamond AS, 618232 Alberta Ltd., 8246408 Canada Inc., Advanced Electric Systems, Advanced Electric Systems LLC, Advanced Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Alexander Publications LLC, Allteck GP Ltd., Allteck Limited Partnership, Apprenticeship Programs Inc., Arby Construction, Arcanum Chemicals LLC, Arnett & Burgess Oil Field Construction Limited, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners (Rockies) LLC, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd., B&N Clearing and Environmental LLC, Banister Pipelines Constructors Corp., Banister Pipelines Constructors GP Ltd., Banister Pipelines Limited Partnership, Brent Woodward Inc., Brink Constructors Inc., Brink Constructors Inc. A Corporation Of South Dakota, Brown Engineering and Testing, CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership, CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership (Regd Name) CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-Spec Limited Partnership, Canadian Utility Construction Corp., Cat Spec Limited LP, Cat Spec Ltd, Cat Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat Spec Ltd. LP, Cat Spec. Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd (A Domestic limited Partnership), Cat-Spec Ltd LP, Cat-Spec Ltd., Cat-Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat-Spec Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd. Limited Partnership, Catalyst Changers Inc., Chatham Electric, Citadel Industrial Services L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Coe Drilling Pty Ltd., Computapole, Conam Construction Co., Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, Conti Communications Inc., Crux Subsurface Canada Ltd., Crux Subsurface Inc., Cutting Technology - 1 Diamond LLC, DB Utilities Inc., DE Lazy Q Ranch LLC, DNR Pressure Welding Ltd., Dacon Corporation, Dashiell (DE) Corporation (Dashiell Corporation), Dashiell Corporation, Dashiell Corporation DBA Dashiell (DE) Corporation, De Mears Group, De Mears Group Inc., Delaware Quanta Technology LLC, Delaware Underground Construction Co., Didado Utility Company Inc., Digco Utility Construction L.P. Digco Utility Construction Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services. Ltd. L.P., Driftwood Electrical Contractors, EHV Power ULC, ELITE PIPING & CIVIL L.P., ELITE TURNAROUND SPECIALISTS LTD, Elite Fabrication Ltd. Elite Fabrication LP, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Lp, Elite Piping & Civil Ltd L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. Limited Partnership, Elite Piping and Civil L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists L.p., Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. LP, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. Limited Partnership, Energy Consulting Group LLC, Enscope, Enscope Pty Ltd, FIC GP LLC, Field Personnel Services LLC, First Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC, First Infrastructure Capital GP L.P., Five Points Construction Co., G-Tek, G-Vac, GEM Engineering Co., Grand Electric Inc., Great Lakes Line Builders, Grid Creative Inc., Grid Manufacturing Corporation, Grid Training Corporation, H.L. Chapman Pipeline Construction Inc., Haverfield Aviation, Haverfield Aviation Inc., Haverfield International Incorporated, Heritage Midstream LLC, IM Electric Inc., IUC ILLINOIS LLC, IUC Nebraska LLC, InfraSource Construction LLC, InfraSource Field Services LLC, InfraSource Services LLC, InfraSources Construction LLC, Infraestructura ETP de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, Infrasource Engineering Company PC, Infrasource Iowa Underground LLC, Infrasource Of Pa LLC, Integracion Tecnologica del Peru SAC, Intermountain Electric Inc., Intermountain Electric Inc. A Corporation of Colorado, IonEarth LLC, Irby Construction Company, Irby Construction Company Inc., Iron Mountain M.J. Electric LLC, Island Mechanical Corporation, J.C.R. Construction Co. Inc., J.C.R. Utility Construction Co., J.W. Didado Electric Inc., J.W. Didado Electric LLC, J.w. Didado Electric, JBT Electric LLC, Kingston Contracting Inc., Lazy Q Ranch LLC, Lazy Q Training Center LLC The Lazy Q Lineman School, Legend Foundation Services, Lex Engineering Ltd., Lindsey Electric L.P., Logical Link, Longfellow Drilling, M. G. Dyess Inc., M. J. ELECTRIC LLC IRON MOUNTAIN, M. J. Electric LLC, M. J. Electric LLC - Iron Mountain, M. J. Electric LLC DBA M. J. Electric Iron Mountain LLC, M.J. Electric LLC DBA M.J. Electric Iron Mountain, M.J. Electric LLC Iron Mountain, MTS Field Services, MTS Field Services (Richmond Co), MTS Quanta LLC, Manuel Bros. Inc., Marathon Construction Services, Mears Canada Corp., Mears Equipment Services LLC, Mears Group Inc., Mears Group Pty Ltd, Mears Installation LLC, Mearsmex S. de R.L. de C.V., Mejia Personnel Services LLC, Mercer Technical Services, Microline Technology Corporation, Mid America Energy Services Inc., NACAP Niugini Ltd., NC Northstar Energy Services Inc, NGI Construction, NGI Construction Inc., NGI Construction Inc. (FN), NLC CA. Inc., NLC FL. Inc. Northwest Lineman Center, NLC ID. Inc. Northwest Lineman College, NLC TX. Inc., NPC Energy Services LLC, Nacap Australia, Nacap PNG Limited, Network Communication Services, North Houston Pole Line L.P., North Houston Pole Line Limited Partnership, North Sky Communications, NorthStar Energy Services Inc., Northern Powerline Constructors Inc., Northstar Energy Solutions LLC, Northwest Lineman Center, Northwest Lineman College, Northwest Lineman Training Center, Northwest Lineman Training Center Inc., Nova Constructors LLC, Nova Constructors LTD, Nova Equipment Leasing LLC, Nova Group Inc, Nova Group Inc (CA), Nova Group Inc., Nova Group Inc. DBA NGI Construction, Nova NextGen Solutions LLC, O. J. Pipelines Canada Corporation, O. J. Pipelines Canada Limited Partnership, O.J. Industrial Maintenance, O.J. Pipelines Canada, One Call Locators Canada Ltd., P.D.G. Electric, PAR Electrical Contractors Inc., PDG Electric Co., Par Internacional S. de R.L. de C.V., Performance Energy Services Guyana Ltd., Performance Energy Services L.L.C., Phasor Engineering Inc., Phoenix North Constructors Inc., Phoenix Power Group Inc., Potelco Inc., Potelco Incorporated, Power Delivery Program Inc., Price Gregory International Inc., Price Gregory Services LLC, Probst Construction Inc., Probst Electric Inc., QEPC, QEPC Power Solutions LLC, QES GP LLC, QP Energy Services LLC, QPS Engineering LLC, QPS Engineering LTD., QPS Engineering PLLC, QPS Environmental, QPS Flint Construction, QPS Flint Tank Services, QPS Global, QPS Global Services, QPS Global Services (Richmond Ci), QPS Professional Services, QPSE, QS Mats, QSI Engineering Inc., QSI Finance (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance (Cayman) Pvt. Ltd., QSI Finance Canada ULC, QSI Finance GP (US) LLC, QSI Finance I (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance I (US) LP, QSI Finance II (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance II (Lux) S.a r.l, QSI Finance II (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance III (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance III (Lux) SARL, QSI Finance IV (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance IX (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance V (US) L.P., QSI Finance VI (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance VII (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance VIII (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance X (Canada) ULC, QSI Inc., QSN Lux Holdings I SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings II SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings III SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings IV SCSp, QTSL LLC, QUANTA FOUNDATION SERVICES, Quanta APL GP II Ltd., Quanta Asset Management LLC, Quanta Associates L.P., Quanta Aviation Services LLC, Quanta Canada GP ULC, Quanta Canada Holdings III Limited Partnership, Quanta Canada Holdings LP, Quanta Canada III GP Ltd., Quanta Capital GP LLC, Quanta Capital LP L.P., Quanta Capital Solutions Inc., Quanta Cares, Quanta EPC Services, Quanta Electric Power Construction LLC, Quanta Electric Power Construction Management Inc., Quanta Electric Power Services LLC, Quanta Electric Power Services West LLC, Quanta Energized Innovations Ltd., Quanta Energized Services U.S. LLC, Quanta Energized Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Energy Services LLC, Quanta Environmental Solutions, Quanta Equipment Company LLC, Quanta Government Solutions Inc., Quanta Holdings I (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Holdings II (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Infraestructura de Chile SpA, Quanta Infrastructure Services LLC, Quanta Infrastructure Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Quanta Inline Devices LLC, Quanta Inspection Services, Quanta Insurance Company Inc., Quanta International Holdings (US) LLC, Quanta International Holdings II Ltd., Quanta International Holdings Ltd., Quanta International Limited, Quanta Kingsvale LP Ltd., Quanta Lines Pty Ltd., Quanta Maine Services LLC, Quanta Middle East LLC, Quanta Pipeline Services Inc., Quanta Power Australia Pty Ltd, Quanta Power Generation Inc., Quanta Power Inc., Quanta Power Solutions India Private Limited, Quanta Resource Development, Quanta Services Africa (PTY) Ltd., Quanta Services Australia Pty Ltd., Quanta Services Chile SpA, Quanta Services Colombia S.A.S., Quanta Services Costa Rica Ltda., Quanta Services Guatemala Ltda., Quanta Services International Holdings II LP, Quanta Services International Holdings LP, Quanta Services Management Partnership L.P., Quanta Services Netherlands B.V., Quanta Services Panama S. de R.L., Quanta Services Peru S.A.C., Quanta Services Puerto Rico LLC, Quanta Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface LLC, Quanta Tank Services, Quanta Technology Canada ULC, Quanta Technology LLC, Quanta Technology UK Ltd., Quanta Tecnologia do Brasil Ltda., Quanta Telecom, Quanta Telecom Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services LLC, Quanta Telecommunications Services LLC, Quanta Underground Services, Quanta Underground Services (Culpeper Co), Quanta Underground Services (Spotsylvania Co), Quanta Underground Services Inc., Quanta Utility Engineering Services Inc., Quanta Utility Installation Company Inc., Quanta Utility Operation LLC, Quanta West LLC, Quantecua Cia. Ltda., R. R. Cassidy Inc., RMS Holdings LLC, RMS Holdings LLC (Delaware), RMS Welding Systems, RMS Welding Systems LLC, Ranger Directional, Realtime Engineers Inc., Realtime Utility Engineers Inc., Redes Andinas de Comunicaciones S.R.L., Riggin & Diggin Line Construction, Rms Welding LLC, Rms Welding Systems LLC, Road Bore Corporation, Ryan Company Inc. The, Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, Ryan Company Inc.(The), Seaward, Seaward Corp, Seaward Corporation, Service EC (DE) Inc., Service Electric Company (DE), Service Electric Company Inc., Service Electric Company of Delaware, Servicios Par Electric S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Infraestructura del Peru S.A.C., Southwest Trenching Company Inc., Specialty Tank Services L.P., Specialty Tank Services LP, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Ltd., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. (LP), Specialty Tank Services Ltd. L.P., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold General LLC, Stronghold Holdings (BVI) Limited, Stronghold Inspection L.P., Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Lp, Stronghold Inspection Ltd L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Limited Partnership, Stronghold Ltd., Stronghold Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Management Holdings LP, Stronghold Specialty General LLC, Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Tower Group LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group Ltd. LP, Stronghold VI LLC, Subterra Damage Prevention Specialists Ltd., Summit Line Construction, Sumter Utilities Inc., T. G. Mercer Consulting Services Inc., TA Construction, TC Infrastructure Services Ltd., Taylor Built, Texas Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, The Aspen Utility Company LLC, The ComTran Group Inc., The Hallen Construction Co. Inc., The Massachusetts Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc Of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc. (Massachusetts), The Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Incorporated of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Of Massachusetts Inc., The Ryan Company of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company of Massachusetts (FN), Tom Allen Construction Company Inc., Tom Allen Construction Company of Delaware, Trans Tech Electric, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd., TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey I&E Ltd., Turnkey Automation Ltd. L.P., Turnkey Automation Ltd. LP., UCC Underground Construction Co. Inc., Ucc - Underground Construction Co., Underground Construction Co. Inc., Underground Construction Co. Inc. (Delaware), Underground Electric Construction Company LLC, Utilco Inc., Utility Fleet Services, Utility Line Management Services Inc., Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Utility Training Services Corporation, VALARD Polska sp. Z o.o., Valard, Valard, Valard Construction (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Construction (Quebec) Inc., Valard Construction 2008 Ltd., Valard Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Valard Construction LLC, Valard Equipment (AB) Ltd., Valard Equipment GP Ltd., Valard Equipment Limited Partnership, Valard Geomatics (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Geomatics BC Ltd., Valard Geomatics Ltd., Valard Mechanical Ltd., Valard Norway AS, Valard Sweden AB, Valard Zagreb d. o. o., Wade D. Taylor Inc., West Coast Communications, Winco Helicopters, Winco Inc., Winco Inc. an Oregon Based Corporation, Winco Powerline Services, Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Services Inc., World Fiber Inc., and mmit Line Construction Inc..

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 22:41:48|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou Evergrande won their seventh consecutive Chinese Super League (CSL) title with two more games in hand after the club beat Guizhou Hengfeng 5-1 in the 28th round match on home turf on Sunday.

Gao Lin celebrated his 100th goal for Evergrande when he broke the deadlock with a header in the 15th minute. Alan extended their lead to 2-0 two minutes later.

Wang Fan pulled one back for Guizhou in the 29th minute, but Du Wei's own goal shortly after the half break dampened Guizhou's hope for one point.

Yu Hanchao and Muriqui scored two more goals for Evergrande in the 77th minute and injury time to seal the score 5-1.

In another decisive game, second-placed Shanghai SIPG lost 2-1 to Guangzhou R&F at home, and were nine points away from Guangzhou with two more rounds of games remaining.

In other 28th round matches on Sunday, Changchun Yatai beat Jiangsu Suning 3-1, Chongqing Lifan tied 1-1 with Shanghai Greenland, Tianjin Elion beat Beijing Guoan 2-0.
Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. The company operates in three segments: Enterprise Software; Appraisal and Tax; and NIC. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. Tyler Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, and services a line of lift trucks, attachments, and aftermarket parts worldwide. It manufactures components, such as frames, masts, and transmissions; and assembles lift trucks. The company markets its products primarily under the Hyster and Yale brand names to independent Hyster and Yale retail dealerships. It also sells aftermarket parts under the Hyster and Yale, as well as UNISOURCE and PREMIER brands to Hyster and Yale dealers for the service of competitor lift trucks. In addition, the company produces and distributes attachments, forks, and lift tables under the Bolzoni, Auramo, and Meyer brand names; and designs and produces products in the port equipment and rough terrain forklift markets. Further, it designs, manufactures, and sells hydrogen fuel-cell stacks and engines. The company serves light and heavy manufacturers, trucking and automotive companies, rental companies, building materials and paper suppliers, lumber, metal products, warehouses, retailers, food distributors, container handling companies, and U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
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| 2017-10-22 22:51:51|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Sunday promised to keep the same positions for any opposition commune councilors who defect to his ruling party before the opposition party is dissolved, government-aligned media Fresh News reported.

The Cambodian government filed a complaint to the Supreme Court, requesting the dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Oct. 6, a month after its leader Kem Sokha was arrested for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the government with the United States' support. He was charged with treason, the charge that could face up to 30 years in prison.

"It's more than 99 percent that the CNRP will be dissolved, and the dissolution will be made before the conviction of CNRP's leader Kem Sokha," the Cambodian prime minister was quoted as saying by Fresh News when he spoke to about 4,000 garment workers at a get-together in Phnom Penh.

"For commune chiefs, deputy commune chiefs, and other commune councilors of the CNRP, if you want to retain your positions, you should defect to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) because your party will be dissolved," said Hun Sen, who is also the CPP's president.

The prime minister described his offer as a "win-win" policy and vowed not to bow to any pressure from outside the country.

The Southeast Asian country is gearing up for the national elections in July 2018.
Telefonica Brasil S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile and fixed telecommunications services to residential and corporate customers in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G as well as mobile value-added services and wireless roaming services. The company also offers data services, including broadband and mobile data services. In addition, it provides pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology, IPTV, and cable, as well as pay-per-view and video on demand services; network services, such as rental of facilities; other services comprising internet access, private network connectivity, computer equipment leasing, extended service, caller identification, voice mail, cellular blocker, and others; wholesale services, including interconnection services to users of other network providers; and digital services, such as entertainment, cloud, and security and financial services. Further, the company offers multimedia communication services, which include audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, texts, and other information, as well as sells devices, such as smartphones, broadband USB modems, and other devices. Additionally, it provides telecommunications solutions and IT support to various industries, such as retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, government, etc. It markets and sells its solutions through own stores, dealers, retail and distribution channels, door-to-door sales, and outbound tele sales. The company was formerly known as Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A. - TELESP and changed its name to Telefonica Brasil S.A. in October 2011. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2009 shows the Palace of Wonders in Zanzibar Stone Town in Tanzania. The Stone Town, which used to be a trading center in East Africa, is a seashore city with winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses. Most of the houses are well preserved and constructions built in the 19th century still can be seen in the town. The harmonious combination of different cultures attract lots of tourists every year. The Stone Town was listed by the UNESCO in 2000 as a world cultural heritage site. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar is set to refurbish the largest and tallest building in its world heritage site stone town to woo tourists.

Issa Haji Ussi, Minister of State, President Office and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Zanzibar, told Xinhua on Sunday that the move is one of the strategies aimed at boosting the number of tourists from the current 400,000 to 500,000 in the next three years.

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2009 shows a view of Zanzibar Stone Town in Tanzania. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

"We're looking for funds and Oman Government has agreed to support us in refurbishing the Palace of Wonders building located at the stone town of Zanzibar," the official said, without divulging the total cost of the project.

"Currently, the building houses the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast," the minister said, revealing that the building is dilapidated and needs urgent refurbishment.

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2009 shows local residents shopping in the market in the Zanzibar Stone Town in Tanzania. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

He said tourism is a foreign exchange earner for Zanzibar, "that's why we're coming up with a number of strategies to make it grow and woo as more tourists as possible."

Ussi also disclosed that Zanzibar is now eying for tourists from as far as Russia, China, and Middle East countries because for years it has been relying on those western countries, European countries and the United States.

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2009 shows a post office in the Zanzibar Stone Town in Tanzania. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)
My experience and feelings about voice assistants are pretty mixed. I've asked Siri lots of questions over the years, but its reliability is so shoddy that I largely ignore its existence. I'm not an Amazon lover or Prime member either, so Alexa and its devices were never of much interest to me.

However, the promise of doughnuts  with a free Google Home Mini  was enough to get me to wait on line at one of the company's promotional Donut Shop pop-up stores. At $49, the Home Mini is impulse-buy cheap, but I needed an even sweeter price to consider building out a smarter home.

After spending a week with Google Home Mini, here are my impressions.

It sits where it won't worry anyone

I set my charcoal-grey Home Mini up on the dresser next to my bed because my roommates don't feel comfortable with the speaker in a common space. I can't blame them, as the Home Mini already hit its first privacy controversy, for constantly eavesdropping. That pushed Google to disable the ability to activate the Mini by tapping its top.

When I asked Google Home Mini how my day looked, the thing just wouldn't shut up.

But as I plugged in the Mini's power cord, I laughed at its mute switch, the toggle that disables its microphone. Why did Google put this thing on the backside of the puck, near the power cord? That's the most inconvenient place you could put it, aside from under the device.

In my first week, I didn't once make the effort to toggle this privacy switch, and I doubt that I  or anyone else  will. It feels purely like window dressing to assuage privacy-minded users, as I'd guess that most Google users who would use a smart speaker have already accepted that the search giant will know everything about them.

Talking to Home Mini

The thought of spending my day talking to a disembodied voice was a large part of why I waited this long to try out a smart speaker. So, when I followed one of the prompts that came with the speaker, to ask Google how my day looks, I recoiled at its response.

(opens in new tab) Google Home Mini

The thing just wouldn't shut up, rattling off my local forecast, my first appointment and even playing the news from NPR. I would have heard even more if I had reminders or upcoming flights in my Google calendar, or had I asked on a workday when it could tell me about my commute. Fortunately, it gets this verbose only when you ask about your day, which I don't believe I will do again, as I'll instead just ask for specific things.

Even when I got the Home Mini to send a series of commands to the Harmony  wherein I just wanted it to turn on the USA Network  I saw mixed results.

Looking at the other commands that the Google Home app suggests to ask, I found some that would prove valuable  hands-free calling and asking for the news  and others that don't apply well to my life. While I understand that knowing traffic conditions is valuable to those with cars, I couldn't care less, as I rely on New York's subway-transit system. While the Mini also offers transit estimations, I've already memorized every route I use and didn't need to ask.

Yes, the speaker is a resource for an abundance of answers to trivia questions, but I'm still trained to type these things out by hand. It's not just about muscle memory either, because thanks to copy and paste and email, I can do more with that information if I look it up on my smartphone or laptop, using Google by hand.

My fledgling smart home

When I brought the Mini Home into my home, I realized how ill-prepared I was for this new member of the digital family. I've never owned a piece of smart home gear before, so I borrowed an iDevices Socket bulb and a Harmony Hub to test.

My first night spent with these devices was filled with the headaches of setting the gear up. I started with the Socket bulb, because I thought it would be simpler, but it wasn't.

For starters, I couldn't command Google to turn on the light, but the situation improved when I screwed the bulb in tighter  it was already pretty snug  which fixed the issue. Even more frustratingly, though, the Socket's colored night-light seems to be controlled only by Siri, and not Google Assistant. I did find one perk of the Socket light: It gave me the option to dim the bulb halfway, for when I didn't need as much brightness.

Things got worse when I tried to use the Harmony Hub, which supports the Google Assistant and my cable box and TV. Pairing everything and getting started was a breeze, but doing anything with it all made me want to punt the Hub off my fire escape, when I thought every command had to start with "Hey, Google, ask Harmony to " which felt like doing twice the work.

I kept trying to train the Hub to turn both the TV and cable box on and move to a specific channel, but it wouldn't recognize my commands. Then, I realized that the Google Assistant lets you create shortcuts so you don't need to say, "ask Harmony," every time. And Harmony allows for something called Friendly commands for making sure your custom, multistep Activity commands have an easy spoken trigger.

Annoyingly, it seems the window for Friendly command setup is meant to be accessed only when originally pairing your device, as I had to unpair my Home Mini from my Harmony to get back to that window.

But even when I got the Home Mini to send a series of commands to the Harmony  wherein I just wanted it to turn on the USA Network  I saw mixed results. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes the Home Mini just spoke as if it were performing the commands, but I saw no results.

Multiple virtual DJs

The first questions I asked my Home Mini were about music, commanding the device to play songs from Google Music and Spotify. For its size and price ($50), the Google Mini produces decent-sounding audio, with enough bass and clarity to fill my bedroom without distortion.

Its ability to process natural language is respectable. When I said, "Hey, Google, play St. Vincent's latest song," it pulled up "Los Ageless," (the correct answer). When I asked the device to play Kanye West's best album  a trick question and something of an internet meme  it played a greatest hits album from Mr. West (though the answer is 808's & Heartbreak).

MORE: What's the Best Music Service for You?

I found another quirk while trying to call up the song "Keep It 100" by Grandtheft & Keys N Krates. Spotify, my original choice for the default player, refused to pull up the original version, instead playing a remix.

My favorite use of the Home Mini so far is to play the latest episodes of my favorite podcasts.

Interestingly enough, the Home Mini pulled up the right song when I said, "Play 'Keep It 100' from Google Play Music." And since that's a mouthful, I changed the default music app to Google Play Music.

Also, Spotify played my Spotify Time Capsule playlist (which it generates for every user) only when I asked for it by its official name, "Your Time Capsule playlist," and not by "My Time Capsule playlist."

My favorite use of the Home Mini so far, though, is to play the latest episodes of my favorite podcasts. The device speedily streamed the latest episodes of Desus & Mero's Bodega Boys show and David Shoemaker's The Masked Man podcast. While I had trouble getting the Google Mini to load other shows, such as Not Your Demographic, that issue fixed itself once I simply added "podcast" to the end of my "play the latest episode of ..." request.

Features that need to grow

While I was excited to ask my Google Home Mini to help me find my iPhone, I found out that this feature doesn't work as perfectly as I wanted. Sure, you can have the speaker send a ringtone to an iPhone  to show you that you yet again lost your handset in the sofa  you don't hear anything if the phone's on silent.

I found another mixed blessing in the Google Home Mini's alarm-clock tool, which was easy to set up, which I did by simply saying, "Set an alarm for 5:55 a.m. on Monday through Friday." And while this alarm did the job of waking me up for work, I hit a wall when asking it to change the alarm tone. I wanted to use a unique song, and not some generic melody, which Google Home Mini told me it cannot do.

The alarm clock dipped in its value during my testing, as Google disabled the tap-to-stop function. Google had kept that function even in the first days after the company disabled the top sensor's other functionality.

Outlook

As I waited at the Home Mini Donut Shop, I thought about how clever it is for Google to point out how this smart speaker is shaped like a doughnut. By highlighting the device's tiny size and comparing it to one of America's most beloved baked goods, Google may convince this sweets-loving country not to view the always-listening puck as a creepy proposition. Also, while I  and many others  pay for doughnuts all the time, I've never thought about dropping dough on a smart speaker.

(Image credit: Shaun Lucas/Tom's Guide)

I'm not in love with my Google Home Mini, but I'm not kicking it out of the bedroom either. As for how long it stays plugged in, I'm not sure. Its tenure as my alarm clock might end soon if I keep having to yell at it in the morning. But unless I can find more ways to use this speaker, the odds of it moving to the shelf that holds my very rarely used Snapchat Spectacles will rise. I'll report back in a month to let you know where my Google Home Mini ends up.

Credit: Shaun Lucas/Tom's Guide
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 23:16:59|Editor: yan

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by Shristi Kafle

KATHMANDU, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Thamel has been the major attraction of tourism industry in Nepal's capital for over four decades. From hippie days to the modern times, this 100-square-km area has been regarded as a haven for tourists from any corners of the world.

With numerous star and boutique hotels, restaurants and bars, and shops that cater to global tourists, Thamel is slowly turning into a commercial hub amid traffic congestion, crowds, waste and pollution.

But this Sunday morning, the vibrant Thamel looked silent and composed, and what's behind is that it became a "vehicle-free zone," effective from this Sunday.

A team from Metropolitan Traffic Police Division and Thamel Tourism Promotion Council, along with local leaders, gathered on the spot and formally announced the drive by placing several "Vehicle Free Zone" boards on the streets.

Sarbendra Khanal, chief of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, told Xinhua that "Thamel is facing traffic congestion since long due to haphazard movement of unwanted vehicles. There is also sound pollution and tourists have to face various hassles so we have launched this drive to make Thamel well managed."

The drive aims to make the movement of foreign tourists hassle- free, ensure safety of pedestrians and make Thamel a more livable place in Kathmandu. This initiative is part of a long-term vision of promoting this popular tourist destination as a walking zone as in other tourist spots of the world.

Since the roads in Thamel are narrow and poor, tourists and other pedestrians often face risks due to haphazard movement of vehicles.

To be noted, it is not a complete blanket ban on vehicular movement inside the Thamel, vehicles have been restricted into certain routes. In its preliminary phase, the vehicle-free zone has covered a few road sections, but has been planned to expand gradually.

Foreign tourists strolling Thamel have welcomed the latest move, saying it would make Thamel more likeable among tourists.

Martin, 65, a tourist from the Netherlands, shared with Xinhua, saying, "It is the best idea that I have heard in long time. It's very difficult to walk and enjoy as every time, motorbikes and taxis create disturbance. This move is welcoming."

His comments were echoed by several other foreign tourists who were roaming in Thamel on Sunday afternoon.

"It's amazing; it will make Thamel a better place. I think it makes it easier for people to wander or to shop and to spend their money and help the economy," a French tourist, Lauren, told Xinhua.

Before the implementation of the plan, various stakeholders including civil societies, local clubs and tourism entrepreneurs had held several rounds of discussions with Metropolitan Traffic Police Division and Thamel Tourism Promotion Council with regard to this drive.

There are concerns from hoteliers and entrepreneurs regarding supply of items and receiving foreign guests and the council has ensured special passes and necessary arrangements for the effective implementation of plan.

Though the tourism entrepreneurs are of view that this decision might cause difficulty in their business, authorities hold that it will yield positive results in the long run. They are hopeful that the vehicle-free-zone would contribute for the overall development of Thamel and tourism promotion of the country.

"Nobody is coming here to make our city or area managed and beautiful, its our collective responsibility. Such campaigns will attract more number of foreign tourists in the long term", Khem Tiwari, a local leader from Thamel, said.

According to the council, there are nearly 5,000 tourism enterprises in Thamel while around 30,000 people are directly and indirectly employed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 23:22:00|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ISLAMABAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Officials in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi confirmed Sunday that they have busted the network of militant organization Ansar-ul-Sharia and killed its chief.

In a press briefing on Sunday evening, Col. Faisal, an official of paramilitary troops Rangers, confirmed that they killed eight militants including the organization's commander Abdullah Hashmi in an overnight operation in the city.

The official said they received a tip-off regarding the presence of the militants in Baldia Town area of the city, with the additional information that the group is planning to carry out a huge terrorist attack.

He said the killed militants also included two target killers and facilitators of the group, who got training from Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Faisal added that some of the "dangerous militants" including close aides of the chief and some target killers fled the scene, and search for them is going on.

He said that their three troops got injured during the operation.

The official said that the group took credit of various activities of terrorism in the city including attack on political party Muttahida Qaumi Movement's leader, and killing of four policemen.

As their activities in Karachi were reported for the first time in April this year, the group is comprised of highly-educated individuals from Karachi, who used social media as a tool to pollute minds of young educated people and brought them to terrorism.

Earlier in September, local media reports claimed that the group's chief has been arrested by the law enforcement agencies, but neither the officials nor the group's spokesperson confirmed the claim at that time.
I'm now convinced that WA is the place to go - but I am quite surprised that the southern part of WA has so much to offer - I did not know that! I was absolutely sure that it would be the northern part that would be the most spectacular place to go in WA.

Kerry we are now a little split on whether to spend two weeks in the northern part of WA or in the southern part of WA - thank you for that!!

We considered going for two weeks in northern WA to go see Karijini NP as it was suggested to be one of the very finest NP's WA has to offer, but I see it is a long ride from Exmouth for just that one thing!

BellaHampshire we would most definitely want to pay Denmark a visit while we were expirincing the southern parts of WA and it would be lovely to stay at that place you are talking about.

As we have now settled on going to WA it raises a bunch of new questions that I hope you guys can help us with.

We are likely to spend the full three weeks driving around in a car or a campervan to see as much as we can along the way. We do however not know whether to rent a SUV and then sleep at hostels/motels along the way (it is high season and it will be difficult to book the overnight stops in advance) or rent a campervan and sleep at caravan parks as we would only need a site to park it (might be easier in high season). The comfort of driving a SUV is larger than that of a campervan, but it might also be more expensive as we would need to book day to day overnight stops. What would you guys do?

Best regards

Kristian
Depending on the fare type on the domestic flights, more expensive fares allow for more luggage weight.

I do not believe you can fly direct from Osa (Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez) to Tortuguero village. You need to go through SJO, which might lead to spending a night somewhere in between.

For driving in CR, you may want to read http://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/driving-costa-rica/ and search this forum for many prior, recent, threads re recommended rental companies and the mandatory insurance.

You may not need to rent a car for your Osa portion. See more re How to get to Drake Bay- http://www.martinasplace.com/main/theme/plan.php#content .

Great site for the Caribbean coast, incl. transportation, accommodations, things to do, etc - https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/transport-to-puerto-viejo.php .

If you are already in Tortuguero and want less touristy, you may want to continue by boat to Moin dock (vs La Pavona dock), then the land portion to Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva, Manzanillo.

See my review of Cahuita NP, if interested - . We liked it there in 2016 and returned again in 2017.

Note that the weather there is different from what some call traditionally dry / rain seasons in CR. See https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/weather.php for the average amount of rainfall per month in S. Caribbean.

Since you might be there in Dec., it might be rainy, which is the case with a lot of months there (Sept. - Oct. are the sunniest). It does not mean do not go. Just be prepared, have portable small rain ponchos or an umbrella, etc. During our first trip there, we spent a couple of wks there in July, which is the rainiest time there, and we did have frequent rains, cloudy days, but we saw a lot of wildlife and thought the beaches were beautiful. (We would call them dark sand, in comparison to the sugar-white beaches of some Caribbean islands.)

For transportation options, see or https://geckotrail.com/transportation/ . For shared shuttles, we used Interbus and Pleasure Ride. There is also Caribeshuttle. The https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/transport-to-puerto-viejo.php has public bus schedule, too. There are public buses you can take from the Mepe terminal in San Jose (not right from SJO airport) to S. Caribbean. About 5-6 times cheaper than the cost of 1-way shared shuttle ticket. We also used a private transfer from SJO to S. Caribbean once, when our flight was landing in the afternoon.
Dear fellow travellers,

I will arrive in Bangkok on October 27th and leave back from Bangkok on November 24. So I have a month. I came up with the the following itinerary trying to get the most out of my Thailand/Vietnam experience while being able to enjoy it and without feeling rushed.

I enjoy beautiful nature,interesting markets and people, fish markets, anything exotic, adventure, beautiful beaches with crystal clear water, places with a great vibe and atmosphere, exotic getaways, great Thai food, vibrant as well as untouched beaches and more.

Itinerary:

1) I will arrive in Bangkok on October 27th and without leaving the airport, immediately take a flight to Chiang Mai.In Chiang Mai (I have not booked that flight yet as I keep my options opened), I will stay for one week to explore all the highlights and must sees in that area leaving Chiang Mai on November 3rd (and might possibly consider to stay until Sunday November 5th to witness that amazing parade of that famous festival on the evening and leaving Chiang Mai on Monday November 6th instead (do not know if that is not too long though)

2) Take a flight from Chiang Mai to Krabi and do the following in 7 to 10 days:

Enjoy Krabi and then I might go to Khao Lak and possibly include Khao Sok park as well (however I read that guided tours there are extremely expensive and without them, it is not worth it and difficult to go there...is this true?). From Khao Lak, I am thinking about taking a 3 day snorkeling liveaboard to the Similan Islands (Is this worth it during this time of the year? I am not sure about this and would greatly appreciate other options and ideas) After Khao Lak, I would go to Koh Yao Yai. There is a ferry between Koh Yao Yai, Koh Yao Noi (a nearby, smaller, but more populated/developed island), and Phuket island

3) Take a flight to Saigon and do the following in 7 to 10 days:

a) Explore Saigon

b)Relaxing in Nha Trang

c)Explore Hanoi and Halong Bay

4) Take a flight back to Bangkok (maybe spend a day in Bangkok as I have been there before and spend a week there) before taking a flight back home.

Questions to part 1 of itinerary: What are the absolute highlights and must sees in Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas that are just amazing? I mean I have my ideas but I would like to get your ideas and suggestions as I am trying to avoid wasting time through tourist traps where you get there and say to yourself why the hell did I come here? Also, is 10 days too much time staying in Chiang Mai exploring all it and the surrounding areas have to offer considering I have 30 days overall?

Questions to part 2 of itinerary: Is 7 to 10 days a good amount of time to explore the south Thai islands as indicated in my itinerary? Again, I am looking for must sees and highlights that significantly add to the overall experience that have that wow effect. Would you add something or leave something out? Any specific advice/suggestions greatly appreciated.

Questions to part 3 of itinerary Vietnam: Is 7 to 10 days a good amount of time to explore Vietnam as indicated in my itinerary? Again, I am looking for must sees and highlights that significantly add to the overall experience that have that wow effect. Would you add something or leave something out? Any specific advice/suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your help.

Klara
OP, ok I understand.

Other interesting things might be:

traditional footwear (geta sandals, jika tabi)

socks (tabi)

traditional clothes (hanten, happi)

kitchen items - Japan has a multitude of unique kitchen accessories and kitchen tools

pottery - I am partial to Mashiko pottery

things for arts and crafts

soft plushies

amazing sun umbrellas (parasols)

rice cookers

takoyaki forms (you can use them to make your own halal versions)

taiyaki forms (same as above)

nabe pots

Cameras are a very individual thing, what's pro and high end to one person is everyday use for someone else, so I can't be of help here. But keep in mind that when it comes to second hand shops you will be limited by your lack of Japanese ability.

Personally, I don't find cameras in Japan to be that much cheaper than elsewhere. In my case it was actually cheaper to buy one in the US.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some brands, like Panasonic, or I believe Sony, will only have models with Japanese menus here.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 23:27:02|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed on Sunday Moscow's partnership with Astana in a congratulatory message to his Kazakh counterpart, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Russia and Kazakhstan remain "reliable partners" bound by a common historical past and a spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, Lavrov said in the message, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

Lavrov noted in the message a host of bilateral agreements between the two countries, particularly the Russian-Kazakh treaty on good-neighborliness and alliance in the 21st century, which reflects their commitment to further deepening of relations.

Kazakhstan used to be a part of the former Soviet Union. It set up diplomatic relations with Russia in 1992.

The central Asian country is a member of the Russia-led Commonwealth of the Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union.
In true snow country like Hokkaido, if there is a snow storm, even if the main roads are plowed, the side streets are often icy and snowy. Also, if a heavy snow storm comes while the OP has a car, expect visibility problems and dangerous road conditions. Snow tires do the job somewhat but driving will be slower and more dangerous than trains. Chains are only used for climbing up the hill.

I still remember one year when I was leaving CTS airport on 12/26. A snow storm started right when we got to the airport. We saw our incoming plane arrive on time, but our plane ended up having a delay of 3 to 4 hours. Things can change very quickly.
Train Travel in Japan - Help with the Following Routes!

Train Travel in Japan - Help with the Following Routes!

Hi all,

It's the first time my partner and I are doing such a big trip and we are feeling overwhelmed with the travelling around Tokyo. I was hoping you would all be able to help me with a few questions I have re the trains:

***Route 1 (Narita T2 > Tokyo Shinagawa***

Train: Narita Express

Questions:

1) On Hyperdia, I went look at the timetable for this route and loads of different routes came up (some with transfers). We really want to ensure we get a direct train from the airport to Shinagawa so how do we make sure we are getting the right one? (and is this possible?)

***Route 2) (Shinagawa > Kyoto Station***

Train: Nozomi Shinkansen

Questions:

1) I read somewhere that not all bullet trains stop at Shinagawa (I can't remember which one it said, but it wasn't Nozomi or Hikari). Please can you confirm whether this is true or whether we are able to get the Nozomi direct from Shinagawa to Kyoto?

2) Secondly, where does this specific Shinkansen terminate? (i.e at Osaka Kansai airport?). I just want to make sure 1) we don't miss our stop/get on the wrong train when looking at it for from the station (!) and 2) it clear when the train pulls up in Kyoto

3) What platform in Shinagawa does this specific train leave from?

4) I presume there are JR ticket offices in every station? As I think we can manage the self serve for the JR Yamanote line (I say!) but think it's safer to buy the longer journeys at counters

***Route 3: Kyoto station > Osaka Tennoji Station***

Train: Haruka express train

Questions:

1) Again, can we simply go to a JR ticket office and request the 'haruka train'?

2) Where will this train terminate and is it clear when the train pulls up to Tennoji?

3) What platform in Kyoto do we need to go to in order to make sure we get the Haruka express train?

***Route 4: Osaka Tennoji station > Kansai International Airport***

Train: JR Haruka limited express line

Questions:

1) As per above, can we buy tickets at an office

2) What platform do we need to be at in Tennoji?

3) Will the train terminate at KIX?

Sorry for all the questions but any help would be most appreciated!

Thanks
Suggestions for Ryokan similar to Sanga (as booked out)

Suggestions for Ryokan similar to Sanga (as booked out)

Hello

We are planning a last minute trip to Japan. We had our hearts set on staying at the Ryokan Sanga (in Minamioguni). It is completely booked out (we usually plan our trips months in advance so I feel very disorganised).

I would be grateful to hear suggestions of an alternative similar to Ryokan Sanga, please.

There are 2 of us & we would like to stay 3-4 nights between 14 Nov - 08 Dec (preferably the earlier end).

Thank you, DR
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.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 23:52:10|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- British police were dealing with "a hostage situation" at a retail park in Nuneaton, local media reported on Sunday.

Warwickshire police said a man with a shotgun has taken hostage at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, and told people to stay away from the scene, according to the report.

Warwickshire police's Twitter account confirmed that officers and a number of police cars were on the scene outside the MFA Bowl bowling alley in the park.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 23:57:12|Editor: Zhou Xin

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CANBERRA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Workers at Australia's airports, including baggage handlers, aircraft engineers and caterers, will face tougher security screenings before commencing their work, in a crackdown the government said will better protect airports from 21st-century security threats.

Detailing the new measures in a media release on Sunday, Australia's Minister for Transport Darren Chester said while airline passengers had been exposed to intense screening at airports for some time, workers had not, and protecting Australia's borders from terrorism and other serious crimes was the government's top priority.

"Airport workers, together with their vehicles and belongings, will be randomly selected for explosive trace detection testing and other screening when entering or working in secure airside areas at major airports," Chester said of the new measures.

"Other measures being introduced include stronger access controls and additional security awareness training for aviation workers.

"These measures strengthen existing controls to ensure airport workers are authorized, properly identified and appropriately trained before entering secure airside areas. They may also be subject to security screening in the course of their duties."

Chester said the drive concerning airport workplace security would be phased in "progressively" in order to ensure Australia's airports to not encounter delays or any other disruptions as a result of the heightened measures.

"The measures will be progressively implemented and will provide flexibility for airports to ensure they continue to function efficiently and effectively," the minister said.

"The Australian government continues to counter security threats and is committed to providing the Australian public with safe and secure air travel."
The next NATO Summit will be held in Brussels on July 11-12, 2018.

This decision was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, an Ukrinform correspondent reported from Brussels.

"I am pleased to announce that the next NATO Summit will be held on July 11-12, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium," the NATO Secretary General said.

Among the main issues on the agenda of the high-level meeting, he called the strengthening of cooperation between Europe and North America, the adaptation of the Alliance for the 21st century. In response to evolving threats, NATO implemented the biggest reinforcement of collective defense in a generation.

"Our multinational battlegroups in the east of the Alliance are now fully operational and we are strengthening our presence in the Black Sea region. We are also stepping up our efforts against cyber-attacks and hybrid threats," Stoltenberg stressed.

ish
Saudi Arabia and Iraq signed on Sunday an agreement to form coordination council. (Xinhua Photo)

RIYADH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Iraq signed on Sunday an agreement here in Riyadh to form a coordination council, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The council will open an era of new and improved ties between the two countries that shared cold relations for more than two decades.

The council, which was approved by the Saudi cabinet in August, aims to raise the level of strategic, investment and cultural relations between the two countries, opening a new window for Iraq to revive its economy. Saudi Arabia aims with the council and other initiatives to reduce the influence of Iran in Iraq.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi signed the agreement.

"I look forward to the meetings of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council to move towards a broader and more welcoming horizon," King Salman said.

King Salman has repeatedly stressed during the past year the significance of supporting Iraq, its security and stability, prompting the re-opening of the new Arar border crossing after it was closed for more than 27 years. Last week, Iraq and Saudi Arabia also opened air links when Saudi budget carrier Flynas made the first commercial flight from Riyadh to Baghdad since 1990.
Lisbon, Portugal (UroToday.com) Guideline recommendation for atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) diagnosed on prostate biopsy recommends repeat biopsy within 3-6 months after initial diagnosis. The authors attempted to discern the rate of detecting clinically significant prostate cancer on subsequent biopsy as well as any predictors associated with progression using the 5 tier Gleason grade grouping system (GGGS).A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent prostate biopsy at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston from 2008 to 2015 was performed. GGGS and D'Amico risk stratification were used to report pathology and prostate cancer risk stratification, respectively.A total of 593 patients who underwent prostate needle biopsy were identified, of which 27 (4.6%) had the diagnosis of ASAP. Of these, 11 (41%) had a repeat biopsy. Median time from initial ASAP diagnosis to repeat biopsy was 147 days (IQR: 83.5-247.0). Of the 11 patients diagnosed with ASAP, distribution across the GGGS on follow-up biopsy is as follows: 7 (63.6%) benign, 3 (27.3%) GG1 prostate cancer and one (9.1%) GG2 prostate cancer. In a logistic regression analysis, ASAP was not associated with subsequent diagnosis of prostate cancer (OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.064 to 3.247, p=0.432). In a linear regression analysis, there was no association between ASAP and classification of cancer risk.The authors concluded that patients diagnosed with ASAP on index biopsy managed according to NCCN recommendations, are more likely to be diagnosed with benign pathology and clinically insignificant prostate cancer upon repeat biopsy. These findings require further external validation of the results in a large cohort of patients in order to discern the appropriateness and timeliness of repeat biopsy among patients diagnosed with ASAP.Presented by: Kosarek CAffiliation: The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United StatesWritten by: Hanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.Twitter: @GoldbergHanan at the 37th Congress of Societe Internationale dUrologie - October 19-22, 2017 - Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal (UroToday.com) In this study, the authors assess the cost effectiveness of the urinary PCA3 test in patients with serum PSA between 4-10 ng/mL. Of note, the utility of the PCA3 test is in differentiating cancer from inflammation, not specifically high-risk cancer.The authors have previously assessed the diagnostic utility of the urinary PCA3 test in the grey zone of PSA 4-10 ng/mL, but in this study they assess the cost effectiveness of such a test. It is more expensive than PSA testing.Economic modeling was used to assess two diagnostic strategies:1) PSA testing alone  biopsy for PSA > 4 ng/mL2) PSA testing followed by PCA3 testing if PSA between 4-10, biopsy if PCA3 also abnormal (cutoff not indicated)For the model, 1000 patients with PSA between 4-10 ng/mL were included. They used data from 20984 biopsy specimens of patients with PSA between 4-10. The following values were utilized for PCA3 accuracy: 73.5% sensitivity and 90.6% specificity. Costs were based on Russian standards.Strategy 1 demonstrated 6992 false positives, while strategy 2 identified only 657 false positives and 2211 true positives. Urinary PCA3 avoided 90.6% unnecessary biopsies, but 26.5% of PCa was missed. Strategy 1 was 1.5 fold more expensive than Strategy 2.While the cost was improved, the high rate of missed cancers is concerning. The authors understand this and feel need additional work is needed before adopting this strategy. However, if the 26.5% of cancers missed with low-volume Gleason 6, it may still be a worthwhile strategy.Sequencing studies to improve outcomes and reduce cost are important in this area. However, all cost effectiveness studies are limited by utility outside the country it was conducted in.Presented by: Andrey SivkovAffiliation: National Medical Radiology Research Center, RussiaWritten by: Hanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.Twitter: @GoldbergHanan at the 37th Congress of Societe Internationale dUrologie - October 19-22, 2017 - Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal (UroToday.com) Dr. Mottet gave an overview of prospective trials analyzing observation vs. treatment in prostate cancer. The SPCG 4 trial showed a clear benefit to surgery with a relative risk of 0.75 (CI 95% 0.61-0.92) and 0.62 (95% CI 0.44-0.87) in overall death and prostate cancer specific death, respectively.However, the PIVOT trial showed no survival benefit at all between observation and surgery.Both overall survival and cancer specific survival (CSS) were similar. Additionally, ProtecT also showed no difference between surgery, radiotherapy and active monitoring in these outcomes. All 3 trials did show that there is a clear advantage for local treatment with regards to progression.Dr. Mottet continued to give several important key messages that these 3 trials provide:1) Randomization is feasible, provided there is a will.2) Death rate from localized prostate cancer is low even with an attitude resembling watchful waiting. However with longer follow-up, there is more progression/relapse, and more side effects if patients are treated.3) Surgery is far from being undoubtedly superior to radiotherapy. So far it has been shown in randomized prospective trials that it is equal to surgery, although there are differences in the side effect profile. However, it is most important to note that surgery has been shown to be equal to radiotherapy with the addition of 6 months of hormonal androgen deprivation therapy, as was given in the ProtecT trial, even to patients with low risk disease.Dr. Mottet elaborated on the information we still lack. Firstly, there is no data on these patients beyond 13 years of follow-up, which is clearly not long enough. Comorbidities are the key driver for overall survival and longer follow-up is needed. Unfortunately, there is no validated practical tool available to define life expectancy and the existing tools based on comorbidities like the Charlson comorbidity score, are not clinically practical on a day to day basis. There is also no data on different types of radiotherapy effectiveness, including brachytherapy, hypo-fractionation and the combination of EBRT and brachytherapy.Current focal treatment studies are performed only on low risk disease patients, and more accurately, very low risk disease patients, which makes us wonder whether these patients need any kind of treatment at all. Therefore, Dr. Mottet recommends active surveillance (AS) for low risk patients and for specific patients with intermediate risk disease, as has been recommended by the ASCO guidelines, adopted from the Canadian guidelines. In a 10 and 15 year follow-up of AS patients there is 98% and 94.3% CSS rate, respectively.In conclusion, in low risk disease patients there is no survival impact after a follow-up of 12 years for local treatment. There might be a survival impact for local disease for patients with intermediate risk, after 12 years of follow-up. Therefore, active treatment should not be offered to patients with a life expectancy of less than 10 years. Additionally, at a median of 12 years follow-up, for many screen detected patients systematic treatment is far too aggressive for low risk disease patients, and questionable for some intermediate risk disease patients. Better selection tools are required for both groups.Speaker: Nicolas Mottet, FranceWritten by: Hanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, @GoldbergHanan, at the 37th Congress of Societe Internationale dUrologie - October 19-22 , 2017- Lisbon, Portugal
Prominent Washington correspondents discuss topics making headlines around the world including the retaking of Raqqa from ISIS and President Trumps upcoming trip to Asia. Join moderator David Rennie of The Economist, along with our panelists, Thomas DeFrank of the National Journal and Dan Raviv of i24 News. Listen this Saturday and Sunday on the Voice of America!
Dozens of insurgents have been killed in clashes between two rival Taliban groups in western Afghanistan, local officials tell VOA.

At least 40 Taliban militants from the warring sides have been killed in clashes between the two sides in the Khifaan region of Shindand district in western Herat province, bordering with Iran, according to Jailani Farhad, the spokesperson for Herats governor.

The clashes also left at least a dozen militants wounded on both sides, provincial authorities told VOA.

The infighting erupted Saturday night between two Taliban commanders, Mullah Samad and Mullah Nangyalai. The former supports the new Taliban leader, Mullah Hebatullah, who became Taliban leader following the death of his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in neighboring Pakistan's Baluchistan province in May 2016.

Nangyali belongs to Mullah Mohammad Rasool's group that severed ties with the Taliban's leadership and has been operating as a splinter of the insurgent group in the country.

The group refused to pledge allegiance to Hebatullah as the leader of the movement. Since the separation, both groups have engaged in periodic clashes in Herat and elsewhere in the country.

Ghazni operation

In another development in southern Ghazni province, dozens of Taliban insurgents have reportedly been killed in clashes with Afghan security forces that launched a new offensive against the militants in the province.

As many as 38 Taliban militants were killed in Ghaznis restive Andar district Saturday, Ghazni police chief, General Mohammad Zaman told VOA.

Zaman said a local Taliban commander, identified as Qari Fazlur Rahman alias Qari Kochi, and two group leaders, identified as Abdul Ali and Omar Farouq, were also killed in the operation.

The joint-operation by Afghan Special Forces and U.S forces, comes days after the Taliban launched a coordinated attack on Anadr district police headquarters, killing about 40 people, including civilians, and wounding more than 30 others.

A wave of violence

Since Tuesday, a wave of terror attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State, killed and injured hundreds of people, in what is called one of the deadliest weeks in recent years in the country. The suicide attacks and bombings, including attacks on mosques, killed more than 200 people last week in several Afghan provinces.

Taliban have increased their attacks to portray the insurgent group as a force to reckon with while the Islamic State terror group is attacking the county's Shiite minority, to start a sectarian war in the country.

These brutal and senseless attacks against people at prayer are atrocities. The persons most responsible for the attacks must be brought to justice, said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) while condemning a suicide blast that killed at least 15 cadets and wounded several others in Kabul on Saturday.

The United States has also condemned the violence in the country and reaffirmed U.S support to the Afghan government and its security forces.

In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering. The United Sates stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country, the U.S. State Department said Friday.

VOAs Khalil Noorzai and Zafar Bamiani contributed to this report from Herat and Ghazni provinces.


Experience shows that foreign interference in crises does not work and China supports the Myanmar government's efforts to protect stability, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday, amid ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

More than 500,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled across the border to Bangladesh following a counter-insurgency offensive by Myanmar's army in the wake of militant attacks on security forces.

U.N. officials have described Myanmar's strategy as "ethnic cleansing". U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmar's military leadership responsible for its harsh crackdown.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that China condemned the attacks in Rakhine and understands and supports Myanmar's efforts to protect peace and stability there.

China and Myanmar have a deep, long-standing friendship, and China believes Myanmar can handle its problems on its own, he added.

Asked why China's approach to the Rohingya crisis was different from Western nations, Guo said that China's principle was not to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

"Based on experience, you can see recently the consequences when one country interferes in another. We won't do it," he said, without offering any examples of when interventions go wrong.

China does not want instability in Myanmar as it inevitably will be affected as they share a long land border, Guo said.

"We condemn violent and terrorist acts," he added.

Guo's department has been at the forefront of building relations with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who visited China in 2015 at the Communist Party's invitation, rather than the Chinese government's.

Department head Song Tao also visited Myanmar in August and met Suu Kyi.

Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Rohingya insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

The European Union and the United States have been considering targeted sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership.

Punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals are among a range of options that have been discussed, but they are wary of action that could hurt the wider economy or destabilize already tense ties between Suu Kyi and the army.
Boko Harams renewed campaign of suicide bombings in Far North Cameroon has bred suspicion that remains even as attacks have died down. Local communities are currently blocking 400 former Boko Haram hostages from returning home.

Hundreds of former Boko Haram hostages and fighters are lining up to be served food at Mozogo, on Cameroons northern border with Nigeria. They look tired and hungry.

Among them is 45-year old Asta Hamina brought into the camp a week ago by the Cameroon military. She said she was found around Sambisa forest, a former stronghold of the insurgents.

She said when she remembers the torture she went through in the Sambisa forest, she is frightened and prays that such a thing should never happen again. She said her wish is to return home and start her life all over again.

But her dream of returning home may not be achieved soon. Some of hostages have confessed that after they were taken hostage by Boko Haram fighters during attacks on their villages and taken to Nigeria, they were forced to join the jihadist group as fighters and their children were used as suicide bombers.

Arouna Abba, a community leader at Mozogo, said they are not ready to accept the former hostages in their villages for fear of being infiltrated once again by the terrorists. He said some of them may be spies or been brainwashed with Boko Haram ideology.

He said they first of all want the government of Cameroon to assure them of their security and safety. He said their resources are stretched and the economic needs of villagers who braved attacks and stayed home will increase if they allow the former hostages to return. Abba said villagers already lack water to drink and it will terrible if they share the little they have.

Some of the former hostages said they spent two years with Boko Haram and decided to flee and hand over themselves to the military or local self-defense groups. Others said they had fought for Boko Haram but chose to lay down their arms because they realized they were misled.

Mozogo is one of the Cameroon towns that have suffered severe Boko Haram atrocities, with schools, markets, churches and Mosques burned by members of the group.

Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of Cameroons far north region is pleading with communities to receive the former hostages, and assuring them that the government will protect them.

He said many of the former hostages have assured him that they do not have anything to do with the terrorist group and are ready to contribute to building their country.

Bakari said among the returnees in the camp are 120 girls, 125 boys and many children of school age and they have been asking the UNHCR to consider either creating an orphanage or opening a school in the camp should the returnees stay be extended. He said Cameroons president, has asked for a more secured site to be provided to the returnees for the meantime.

Soldiers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger, part of a multinational joint task force of the lake Chad Basin Commission have rolled back Boko Haram gains since last year, but the insurgency remains a potent threat.

The conflict that began in northeast Nigeria 8 years ago has left at least 25,000 people dead and led more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes.
Israeli police have arrested 15 members of a Jewish extremist group for allegedly threatening to attack Arab men who date Jewish women.

Bentzi Gopstein, the leader of the group called Lehava, was ordered to remain under house arrest after a court appearance Sunday. Most of the other members were released.

Gopstein denied the charges as "nonsense," insisting Lehava operates within the limits of the law.

Gopstein's lawyer blames those he calls leftists and reform Jews for pressuring police to act.

Police say they arrested the 15 after an undercover investigation into Lehava. A police spokesman said the operation was meant to "prevent radicalization by members of the group and harming others on the basis of racist nationalism."

Lehava and Gopstein have been under police scrutiny for several years over threatening comments made about non-Jews. Several Lehava members were arrested for trying to burn down an Arab-Jewish school in 2014.

Gopstein has encouraged arson attacks on churches and has been seen near weddings between Jews and Arabs shouting racist slogans, including "Death to Arabs." He has also condemned homosexuals.

Some Israeli politicians have called for Lehava to be branded a terrorist group.
Visitation to Glacier National Park has never been higher, and need for maintenance has never been greater. My Model T friends driving classy, century old Fords helped boost the record visitation, but park repairs require attention in Washington.

This year created volumes of historic memories in Glacier National Park. In June, over 620,000 people visited the park, 30 percent above 2016. Attendance in July topped a whopping 1 million people, a 23-percent increase and a new monthly record. Included were 400 tourists riding in 175 nicely maintained Model T Fords. They spent beau coup bucks in Whitefish, Eureka, Polson, Kalispell and Glacier Park.

While this increase in park visitation brings economic benefits to local communities, including those in Lincoln County where I live, travelers cause wear and tear on park resources.

This surge in visitation to Glacier hastens infrastructure aging and deterioration while annual maintenance funding from Congress is unreliable. In recent years, our National Park Service put off repairs on roads, bridges, water systems, and buildings throughout Glacier. The maintenance backlog in the park totals more than $148 million.

Catastrophic 2017 wildfires compounded GNPs maintenance needs. Talk about shock and awe and ruin! Some aspects of Glacier may be impossible to replace. For instance, the historic Sperry Chalet burned. Built in 1914, many of us have hiked to this spectacular chalet.

Congress must dedicate funding to our national parks to fix years of neglect and wildfire devastation.

Glaciers not the only national park suffering from neglected maintenance. Our National Park System needs $11.3 billion for deferred infrastructure repairs. Recently, I heard Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke tell Western governors that the previous presidents decision to cancel offshore oil leases cost the Department of Interior enough money to pay all deferred maintenance with billions left over.

No question, postponing maintenance can be more expensive in the long run. Replacing infrastructure that has been allowed to waste away costs more. Ask any Model T driver if a quart of oil is cheaper than a rebuilt engine. Treasures like national parks are no different.

There is a growing bipartisan movement in Congress to designate a dedicated funding stream solely for NPS maintenance needs. The National Park Service Legacy Act (S.751 and H.R.2584), introduced this year with support from both sides of the aisle, offers a practical solution to reduce infrastructure backlog at national parks. Its encouraging to see our leaders in Washington come together to address this important national problem.

Montanans should count our blessings. Glacier is more popular and brings more economic growth to our state and my county than ever before. Help me to encourage Washington, D.C., to ensure resources to repair infrastructure.

More visitors will come. Two Model T Ford national clubs have devoted huge sections of nationally circulated magazines to vintage car touring in our beautiful state, especially Glacier National Park. For details type MTFCA or MTFCI into your internet search engine.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 00:27:17|Editor: Zhou Xin

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LONDON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The China National Peking Opera Company (CNPOC) returns to Britain for the fourth time when it brings four performances to London's Sadler's Wells this weekend, with the debut of "A River All Red" on Saturday night attracting over 1,000 Chinese nationals and Londoners alike.

This is the fourth time the CNPOC has brought productions to Britain, following its tours in 2005, 2015 and 2016.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations. With the troupe's first three tours well received by British audience and critics, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming called the troupe "a golden brand" for China and UK cultural exchange.

The performance of "A River All Red" in London is a reproduction of the classic. The opera is a show presenting all four fundamental elements of this performing art -- singing, speaking, acting and fighting.

The company has also made improvements on the original production by fine-tuning the tempo, adding more stage imagery effects with modern multimedia technology.

British audience Dylan Dryden told Xinhua that the performance of Chinese opera is extraordinary.

"It is very very good, very classic -- the costumes and the fashion expressions and the make up and the singing and story -- it's very good, I don't understand the mandarin but I read the story and it's very touching," he said.

The opera's leading actor Yu Kuizhi said in an interview with Xinhua that after three times of touring in the UK, the passionate engagement of the audience and the wide attention of the mainstream media have shown the cultural literacy and appreciation of the British audience and their strong interests in Chinese traditional culture.

As China's premier Peking Opera organization, the CNPOC comprises celebrated performers, playwrights, directors, composers and stage designers, and has accumulated some of the finest repertoire of productions ranging over the wide diversity of Peking Opera performance styles as well as innovative pioneering works.
Japanese voters are going to the polls Sunday for a general election.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling coalition is expected to win the two-thirds super majority it held in parliaments lower house before Abe dissolved the chamber in September.

A coalition victory in the snap election would likely ensure Abe receives another three-year term as head of the Liberal Democratic Party next year, extending his premiership.

Opinion polls indicate voters consider Abes government a safe choice as the country deals with anxiety over North Koreas nuclear and missile development.

One hiccup in voter turnout, however, may be Typhoon Lan, which is expected to sweep ashore Sunday, battering large chunks of Japan.
Six Somali civilians were killed in a landmine explosion on Sunday, just days after the countrys deadliest attack killed hundreds.

Officials in Lower Shabelle region confirmed to VOA Somali that two women and four men died after an improvised explosive device hit a minibus at Daniga village about 35 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

Deputy Governor of Lower Shabelle Ali Nur Mohamed says the victims were traders bringing farm produce and were travelling from Afgoye to Balad.

They were bringing spinach from Afgoye when the explosion hit their explosion, there are no injuries, all those on board died and the bodies of six people were recovered, he said.

Mohamed said militant group al-Shabab is burying landmines in the area because they heard the government may be planning a military offensive. He warned officials against publicizing military activities.

There are people in the system of the government who are publicizing military plans on their Facebook pages, saying there is an imminent attack or saying the president is going to Afgoye, he said.

He said security forces have found two more landmines Sunday planted in Elasha Biyaha, a Mogadishu suburb, and says they are being dismantled.

Sundays attack comes just over a week after the truck bomb in the capital left at least 358 people dead and 228 injured. Nearly 60 people are still missing presumed dead.

On Sunday, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo flew to Uganda to seek military assistance as the government prepares to respond to the attack, according to sources close to the government.

On Saturday Farmajo told members of the Somali army they will be departing for the frontlines. He said he is joining in the battle in support of the troops.

I will be the first, Im ready to come to the battleground and sacrifice my life for the defense of Somali people, he said.
Friends and relatives of a couple whose bodies were found in Joshua Tree National Park say they believe the two got lost while hiking in the sprawling desert park and struggled in the searing heat with little food or water before they died in a sympathetic murder-suicide.

Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, had been missing for nearly three months after going for a hike in late July and failing to return to their bed-and-breakfast. Their disappearance launched an exhaustive search. Crews spent more than 2,100 hours scouring the rugged terrain before finding their bodies in a steep canyon Oct. 15.

Autopsies found both had gunshot wounds and evidence at the scene led detectives to believe Orbeso shot Nguyen and then himself, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said in a statement Friday. The stunning announcement came days after Orbesos father, who was with searchers who made the discovery, said the bodies were locked in an embrace.

Brutal elements

The Orange County Register reports there was evidence the pair had been battling the elements. The bodies were under a tree, with clothing covering their legs to protect them from the blazing sun. They appeared to have been rationing food and had no water.

Nguyens family said investigators told them that based on the circumstances and positioning of the bodies, they believed the two died in a sympathetic murder-suicide.

We hold no grudges against Joseph or the Orbeso family, they said in a statement and offered their condolences.

We thank God that well be able to give Rachel a proper burial and lay her to rest.

Investigation continues

As for authorities, Orbesos actions remained under investigation, though his motive may never be known.

Since we dont have any evidence (note, message) to tell us why the shooting occurred, we are left to speculate, sheriffs spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said. Knowing that they rationed food, had no water and were seeking shade certainly sheds a different light on the apparent dire circumstances.

Orbeso and Nguyen had once dated, and he took her to Joshua Tree to celebrate her birthday, his best friend Austin Young told the newspaper.

A gun found near the bodies was registered to Orbeso. Young said Orbeso worked as a security guard and may have carried the gun to protect Nguyen.

I think they got lost and were suffering in 100-degree heat, Young said.

They had a choice of a slow and painful death or a quick death, he said. And they made the choice of a quick death.

Vast national park

The Joshua Tree Search and Rescue team said on its Facebook page that its easy to get lost in the vast park covering more than 1,200 square miles of the Mojave and Colorado deserts, 130 miles (209 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

You can take a short hike and lose sight of the road, and, if you didnt pay attention to what the landmarks look like, in the opposite direction, you could start wandering, the team said.
The World Health Organization rescinded Sunday its appointment of Zimbabwe's longtime President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador.

"I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

Tedros, who became head of the WHO in July, had announced his appointment of Mugabe two days earlier during a conference in Uruguay, saying that Zimbabwe could "influence his peers in his region" and praising the country's commitment to providing health care for all.

But over two dozen organizations quickly released a statement slamming the decision, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned"  citing Mugabe's record of human rights abuses and claiming that the country's healthcare system has collapsed under his nearly 30-year rule.

The United States called the appointment of Mugabe by WHO's first African leader "disappointing."

The United States has maintained sanctions on Zimbabwe since 2003, citing the leader's use use of millions of dollars to travel abroad, human rights abuses, and accusations of electoral fraud.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said he would be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help diffuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website Sunday.

I would go, yes, Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house in Plains, Georgia, whether it was time for another diplomatic mission and whether he would do so for President Trump.

Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had spoken to Trumps National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, who is a friend, but so far has gotten a negative response.

I told him that I was available if they ever need me, the Times quoted Carter as saying.

Told that some in Washington were made nervous by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns war of words, Carter said Im afraid, too, of a situation.

They want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim, who, Carter added, has never, so far as I know, been to China. And they have no relationship. Kim Jong Il did go to China and was very close to them.

Describing the North Korean leader as unpredictable, Carter worried that if Kim thinks Trump will act against him, he could do something pre-emptive, the Times reported.

I think hes now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland, Carter said.

In the mid-1990s, Carter traveled to Pyongyang over the objections of President Bill Clinton, the Times report said, and struck a deal with Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader, that defused the nuclear crisis and led to the 1994 Agreed Framework, in which North Korea pledged to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for aid.
A look at the best news photos from around the world.
Philippine troops were locked in an intense urban firefight Sunday with the last remnants of a pro-Islamic state alliance, as the army sought to declare an end to the countrys biggest internal security crisis in years.

An estimated 30 people, including militants and some of their family members, were battling to hold a fortified, two-story building next to Marawi Citys vast Lake Lanao, and appeared ready to fight to the death, according to the deputy commander of the operation.

Theres just one building and theyre inside, Colonel Romeo Brawner told a news conference. We believe these are ones who decided to fight it out, because they believe that if they die there they will go to Heaven.

Brawner said soldiers were using loudspeakers to urge them to surrender and anticipated the gunfight could go on until midnight. They did not know how many people in the building were alive or dead, he said.

Siege of Marawi

The siege of Marawi has stunned the Philippines and stoked wider concerns that Islamic State loyalists have learned how to thrive in impoverished Muslim areas of the island of Mindanao and use its jungles and mountains as staging posts to launch attacks.

Those fears are compounded by the Marawi rebels ability to recruit young fighters, stockpile huge amounts of arms and endure five months of ground offensive and government air strikes that have devastated the city.

Leadership vacuum

The military made a significant gain with last weeks killing of Isnilon Hapilon, Islamic States emir in Southeast Asia and Omarkhayam Maute, a leader of the Maute militant group. Another leader and possible bankroller of the operation, Malaysian Mahmud Ahmad, was likely killed also, the military said.

Brawner said the authorities believed foreign operatives were among those still fighting and it was clear there was now a leadership vacuum.

At this point we dont know who is really the leader, he added. Our government forces will try to do everything to finish the firefight today.

Troops have started a phased withdrawal and the authorities may soon allow some residents to return to homes not damaged by the fighting, which displaced at least 300,000 people. More than 1,000 have been killed, mostly militants.

The government estimates the rebuilding of Marawi could cost at least 50 billion pesos ($971 million).
Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition figure, was released from jail Sunday after serving a 20-day sentence for calling an unauthorized demonstration.



Navalny was arrested on Sept. 29 as he planned to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod for a rally that officials had sanctioned. But a court sentenced him for organizing another event, an unauthorized protest in President Vladimir Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg.



Navalny plans to run for president against Putin in next March's election. He has repeatedly served jail terms connected to rallies critical of the Russian government.



After his release from jail, the anti-corruption campaigner traveled later Sunday to Astrakhan, a city located about 1300 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of Moscow. He planned to address an authorized rally there.



Photographs from the scene suggest the rally attracted several hundred people.



Navalny this year twice called for demonstrations nationwide. The size and number of the events rattled the Kremlin.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced Saturday he would dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call for new elections in an attempt to prevent the semi-autonomous region from declaring its independence.

Rajoy made the announcement after an emergency Cabinet meeting to deal with the political crisis caused by secession efforts undertaken by the regional leadership of Catalonia.

Rajoy's office invoked Article 155 of Spain's constitution, which gives the government the power to take away some or all of Catalonia's autonomy. Opposition political parties have agreed to support the imposition of central rule over Catalonia. Rajoy is nearly certain to get the required votes next week from Spain's upper legislative body, which is ruled by Rajoy's conservative party.

Carles Puidgemont, Catalonia's leader, said the prime minister's move was "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the era Francisco Franco, and called for a meeting of the Catalan parliament. Franco was Spain's military dictator from 1939 to his death in 1975.

"Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with he goal of ousting a democratically elected government," said Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell. She said Rajoy's new move is "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."

Rajoy said Saturday Puidgemont's threat to secede "has been unilateral, contrary to the law, and seeking confrontation."

Barcelona police say 450,000 demonstrators took to the streets in the regional capital Saturday with many waving Catalonia's red and yellow separatist flag. Some protesters shouted "freedom" and "independence."

WATCH: Jamie Dettmer's report from Barcelona



"We are here because the Spanish government made a coup without weapons against the Catalan people and their government institutions," said Joan Portet, a 58-year-old protester.

Voters in Catalonia voted in favor of independence in the October 1 referendum, but fewer than half of those eligible to cast a ballot took part, with opponents boycotting the process. Rajoy's government dismissed the referendum as illegal.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted improving ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way to counter Iran's growing military assertiveness in the region.

Tillerson, participating in the initial meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh, told Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that their improving links showed "great potential." He cited the August reopening of a major border crossing between the two countries and the resumption of direct flights between Baghdad and Riyadh.



"Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations and strengthen cooperation on a host of issues," Tillerson said. "Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity and we take great interest in it."

The top U.S. diplomat said the United States is "grateful for this progress and urge you to expand this vital relationship for the stability of the region. The United States stands ready to support continued cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq and we congratulate you."

WATCH: Secretary of State Tillerson



Salman said, "We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism as well as attempts to destabilize our countries. These attempts require our full attention. ... We reaffirm our support for the unity and stability of our brother country of Iraq."

Abadi voiced his approval of "the thriving relations between our two brotherly countries. We are open and we want to move away from the past. The region cannot tolerate any further divisions. Interference in the internal affairs of other states should stop."

Shi'ite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia were estranged for several decades following Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter century, with a Saudi foreign minister visiting last February, followed by the reopening of the border crossing and the resumption of flights between the two capitals.

Complicated relationship



Still, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iraq is complicated by Iranian military actions in the region, with Tehran-backed militias playing a key role in helping Iraqi security forces overtake Kurdish forces in the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk last week and in defeating Islamic State militants who had taken over parts of Iraq.

Tillerson on Sunday called for Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers to leave Iraq.

"Those fighters need to go home," he said. "Any foreign fighters need to go home."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded on Twitter, describing U.S. foreign policy as "shameful" and "dictated by petrodollars."

"Exactly what country is it that Iraqis who rose up to defend their homes against ISIS return to?" he said.

Tillerson traveled on to Qatar where he held out little hope of seeing an end to the four-month diplomatic standoff between Qatar and a group that includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. He said the United States remains concerned about the negative economic and military consequences.

"We again call on all the parties involved to continue to work towards discussion and dialogue and finding a way to deal with the differences," Tillerson said.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of promoting terrorism and fostering closer ties with Iran, which Doha has denied.

Tillerson is also visiting Pakistan, India and Switzerland on his six-day trip.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 00:47:20|Editor: yan

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KAMPALA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's ministry of health on Sunday said it is following up 55 people suspected to have had contact with the Marburg cases.

Jane Aceng, minister of health, told reporters that the number of Marburg cases remains three, with one confirmed case, one suspected and one probable case of the viral disease in the eastern district of Keen.

She assured the public that the country has the capacity to effectively handle the Marburg outbreak.

"The ministry of health therefore calls upon the population to remain calm but be on alert amidst this epidemic," she said.

Uganda on Oct. 19 confirmed the outbreak of the deadly Marburg hemorrhagic fever.

The last Marburg outbreak in Uganda was reported in central and western parts of the East African country in 2014.

Marburg is a severe and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as the one that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever, according to the World Health Organization.

According to the global health body, the illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly with severe headache and malaise.

Case fatality rates have varied greatly, from 25 percent in the initial laboratory-associated outbreak in 1967, to more than 80 percent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1998-2000, to even higher in the outbreak that began in Angola in late 2004.
Trying to quell accusations that he is ousting activists from the party's left flank, Democratic Chairman Tom Perez told fellow Democrats on Saturday that unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an "existential threat" to the nation.

"We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history," Perez said as he addressed the first Democratic National Committee gathering since his February election.

The former Obama Cabinet official blistered "a culture of corruption" that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities and leadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee. Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the DNC younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison over Perez in the postelection race for party chairman.

Perez spent time during this week's proceedings meeting privately with frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint. He apologized publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members before he announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim.

"If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell `em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party," he said, "because you're trying to get s--- done. That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We're trying to move the ball forward."

Republicans, meanwhile, have exalted in the internal wrangle, painting the DNC as incompetently discordant.

"The Democratic Party's message of doom and gloom has left them leaderless and nearly extinct in most of the country," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said. "If Tom Perez wants his party to stick with that same failed strategy, Republicans will gladly keep working to help the middle class by cutting their taxes and fixing our broken health care system."

To some extent, the Democrats' developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race, but they also fit into the ongoing philosophical tussle on the left.

Sanders' backers accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favor and shutting out the Vermont independent who still seeks to pull the party toward his ideology. Those frustrations carried over into the DNC chair race between Perez, the former labor secretary, and Ellison.

Now, Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's superdelegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control. Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House. They face an uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won last November. Democrats also want to increase their gubernatorial roster from the current 15 state executives.

Separately, former Attorney General Eric Holder urged the party to play the long game necessary to overcome Republican advantages scored when GOP-run legislatures drew congressional and legislative districts around the country after the 2010 census.

Holder leads a political action group, with fundraising support for former President Barack Obama, to back candidates in states where gerrymandering gives Democrats an uphill path to majorities. He singled out Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, among other states, where Republicans "picked their voters" with districts that "are impressive in their geographic creativity but they are destructive to representative democracy."

The Supreme Court earlier this month heard oral arguments in a case challenging the Wisconsin districts. Legal analysts expect Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the court's swing vote, will decide whether the court for the first time declares partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional.
Turkey's banking regulator urged the public on Saturday to ignore rumors about financial institutions, in an apparent dismissal of a report that some Turkish banks face billions of dollars of U.S. fines over alleged violations of Iran sanctions.

"It has been brought to the public's attention that stories, that are rumors in nature, about our banks are not based on documents or facts, and should not be heeded," the BDDK banking regulator said in a statement, adding that Turkey's banks were functioning well.

The Haberturk newspaper on Saturday reported that six banks potentially face substantial fines, citing senior banking sources. It did not name the banks. One bank faces a penalty in excess of $5 billion, while the rest of the fines will be lower, it said.

Asked to comment, a spokesman for the U.S. Treasury, which is responsible for U.S. sanctions regimes, said only: "Treasury doesn't telegraph intentions or prospective actions."

Two senior Turkish economy officials told Reuters Turkey has not received any notice from Washington about such penalties, adding that U.S. regulators would normally inform the finance ministry's financial crimes investigation board.

U.S. authorities have hit global banks with billions of dollars in fines over violations of sanctions with Iran and other countries in recent years.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump last week adopted a harsh new approach to Iran by refusing to certify its compliance with a nuclear deal struck with the United States and five other powers including Britain, France and Germany under his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump argues the deal was too lenient and has effectively left its fate up to the U.S. Congress, which might try to modify it or bring back U.S. sanctions previously imposed on Iran.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said Trump's strategy involved placing additional sanctions on Tehran and that Washington had been "engaging our allies and partners" with the aim of denying funds to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Haberturk report comes as relations between Washington and Ankara, which are NATO allies, have been strained by a series of diplomatic rows, prompting both countries to cut back issuing visas to each other's citizens.

U.S. prosecutors last month charged a former Turkish economy minister and the ex-head of a state-owned bank with conspiring to violate Iran sanctions by illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on Tehran's behalf.

President Erdogan has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, and tantamount to an attack on the Turkish Republic.

The charges stem from the case against Reza Zarrab, a wealthy Turkish-Iranian gold trader who was arrested in the United States over sanctions evasion last year. Erdogan has said U.S. authorities had "ulterior motives" in charging Zarrab, who has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S.-led coalition said allied fighters captured Syria's largest oil field from the Islamic State group on Sunday, marking a major advance against the extremists in an area coveted by pro-government forces.



With IS in retreat, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been in a race to secure parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.



The SDF, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said Sunday it captured the Al-Omar field in a "swift and wide military operation." It said some militants have taken cover in oil company houses nearby, where clashes are underway. The U.S.-led coalition confirmed the SDF had retaken the oil field.



The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces retreated from the area around Al-Omar field after coming under heavy fire from IS. The SDF said government forces are three kilometers (two miles) away from the fields.



Syrian troops, backed by Russian warplanes and Iranian-sponsored militias, have retaken nearly all of the provincial capital of Deir el-Zour, as well as the town of Mayadeen, which is across the Euphrates River from the Al-Omar field.



The SDF have focused their operations in rural Deir el-Zour on the eastern side of the river, and have already seized a major natural gas field and other smaller oil fields.



Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist from Deir el-Zour who monitors the fighting through contacts there, said SDF forces have seized control of the oil field but are still clashing with militants in the adjacent housing complex.



IS captured Al-Omar in 2014, when the group swept across large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The field was estimated to produce around 9,000 barrels a day, making it a key source of revenue for the extremists. Its current potential is unknown, following a series of strikes on IS-held oil facilities by the U.S.-led coalition.



The government lost the Al-Omar field to other insurgents in 2013.



Al-Manar TV, operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah, said the fight for Al-Omar was still underway and denied the SDF's claim to have captured it. The militant group is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.



The official Syrian news agency said troops have regained full control of Khosham, a town on the eastern side of the Euphrates River that they lost a day earlier to IS. The Observatory said parts of the town remain contested.



It's not clear how Syrian troops will respond to the SDF's seizure of Al-Omar. Assad has vowed to eventually bring all of Syria back under government control.



The two sides have accused each other of firing on their forces in Deir el-Zour province, but a rare face-to-face meeting of senior U.S. and Russian military officers last month appeared to have calmed tensions.



IS has suffered a series of major setbacks in recent months, including the loss of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists' self-styled capital, and the Iraqi city of Mosul. Most of the territory the group once held has been seized by an array of Syrian and Iraqi forces.
Debate is intensifying in Washington on the merits and potential pitfalls, the risks and possible rewards, of the United States possibly pulling out of the international nuclear accord with Iran.

The U.S. Congress has decisions to make now that President Donald Trump has withheld certifying Irans compliance with the pact co-negotiated by the Obama administration.

As a candidate and as president, Trump has consistently bashed the nuclear accord with Tehran as one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.

The pact halted much of Irans nuclear activities, but left a multitude of other thorny topics unaddressed, from Tehrans ballistic missile program to its support for international terrorism.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley says a new approach is needed.

The United States has now embarked on a course that attempts to address all aspects of Irans destructive conduct, not just one aspect. Its critical that the international community do the same, Haley said.

Some on Capitol Hill applaud the move. Among those agreeing the president is Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

I think it was one of the worst deals I have ever seen, and President Trump has every right to change it or tear it up, Graham said.

Americas closest allies are urging caution. Speaking Friday at the Center for Strategic and International studies in Washington, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said she saw no alternative.

"We need the JCPOA, she said, referring to the Iran deal by its formal name  the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Scrapping it would be a gift to Iran's hardliners and a first step towards future wars.

That argument is echoed by prominent Democrats in Congress. Among the deals supporters is Senator Tim Kaine.

If you weaken diplomacy, you raise the risk of unnecessary war, and thats what this president is doing. If we take a step back from the deal, Iran will take a step back. And what will they ask for, that they get to now increase centrifuges or get some of their enriched uranium back? I do not want to give Iran one thing back from this deal, said Kaine.

Iran says it is adhering to the nuclear pact, at least for now. But that is not good enough for some Republicans.

Under the deal, after the passage of 15 years, the Iranians can enrich and reprocess [uranium], no matter how they are behaving, Senator Graham said.

Defenders of the accord note that Congress already provided tools to punish Tehran for behavior not covered by the nuclear accord.

We have given the power to the president to impose more sanctions on Iran for bellicose behavior, for activities in other countries, for violations of human rights, for violating U.N. Security Council resolutions on their missile program, Senator Kaine said. The president should use the sanctions power we just gave him.

Under former president Barack Obama, the United States committed to the nuclear accord as an executive agreement that can be revoked, not as a formal treaty binding future administrations. For many Republicans, pulling out would be an appropriate use of President Trumps authority. According to many Democrats, it would be a dangerous mistake.


Muslim leaders in the Washington area have condemned the recent terrorist attack in Mogadishu that killed nearly 400 people and injured 228. Imams and diplomats expressed shock and horror at Friday prayers.

Imams, Somali community leaders, the ambassadors of two African nations, a representative from Turkey and officials from the U.S. Department of State gathered at Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, one of the nations largest, on Friday to condemn terror, especially the recent attack in Mogadishu and offer condolences to the families of those killed or injured.

Among U.S officials at the event were, Eric Stromayer, acting deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs, and Vincent Spero, acting director for East Africa office.

'Act of evil'

Imam Shaker Elsayed, an imam at Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, preached in his Friday sermon that terrorism has no place in Islam and condemned the Mogadishu attack.

As our Somali brothers and sisters are mourning, let me emphasize that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam and Islam is a peaceful religion, Imam Elsayed said.

Ambassador Moawiya Osman Khalid of Sudan, has described the recent Mogadishu terror attack as an "act of evil."

They are evil and cruel people who are trying to reshape the view of the Islamic people. We understand that Somali people are strong and they will stop, fight and push back against all those criminal activities, Khalid said.

Republic of Chad Ambassador Mahamat Nasser, also spoke at the event, urging Muslims around the world to unite in the fight against terrorism that continues to spoil the peaceful image of Islam.

We are Muslims we know that our religion is peaceful, not violent. That is why Muslims all over the world should unify our views against those spoiling the image of Islam, Nasser said.

The event, attended by hundreds of Muslim mosque congregants, was organized by the Somali Embassy in Washington.

On the same day, similar prayer services for the victims of the Mogadishu bombing were held at more than 20 mosques across the U.S. and Canada, said Ahmed Isse Awad, Somalia's ambassador to the United States.

Jump in fatality toll

The prayers come as the Somali government officially declared a sharp increase in the death toll from the truck bomb, putting the final tally at 358 people killed, 228 injured and 56 missing.

The uncertainty about the death toll was evident in the fluctuating numbers being reported by the media, quoting health officials. Some insisted on the official number while others put the death to more than 350 and nearly 400 injured.

As the search-and-rescue operation concluded three days after the blast, the government said the recorded death toll was 281, with more than 300 injured, but at that point it still did not know the whereabouts of many missing Mogadishu residents.

The only thing all agreed on was that the death toll could increase.

Somali government officials have declared war against al-Shabab militants they accuse of being behind the blast, the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history, a responsibility the militants have not claimed so far.

Over the past 10 years, the group has bombed dozens of hotels, restaurants and other targets in Mogadishu, as part of its campaign to topple the government and install a strict version of Islamic law in Somalia.
Key U.S. senators called Sunday for the White House to be more forthcoming about the country's military involvement in Niger after four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush there earlier this month.

In separate interviews on NBC's "Meet the Press" news show, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senate leader Charles Schumer said they support an effort last week by Republican Senator John McCain to find out the details of the attack as well as the scope of the U.S. campaign against Islamic State in the west African country. Both Graham and Schumer said they had been unaware of the substantial number of the U.S. troops in Niger.

"I didn't know there was 1,000 troops in Niger," Graham said. "This is an endless war without boundaries and no limitation on time and geography. You've got to tell us more.

"We dont know exactly where were at in the world militarily and what were doing," Graham said. "So John McCain is going to try to create a new system to make sure that we can answer the question, why were we there, well know how many soldiers are there, and if somebody gets killed there, that we wont find out about it in the paper.

I can say this to the families, Graham said. They were there to defend America. They were there to help allies. They were there to prevent another platform to attack America and our allies.

Schumer said, "We need to look at this carefully. This is a brave new world. There are no set battle plans."

He said that he would favor revisiting the current congressional authorization for overseas military action that is 16 years old, an agreement stemming from the 2001 terror attacks on the U.S.

"There is no easy answer but we need to look at it," he said. "The answer we have now is not adequate."

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Graham and McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, last week that the military is shifting its counter-terrorism strategy to focus more on Africa. The defense chief said military leaders want to expand their ability to use force against suspected terrorists.

U.S. officials believe the Niger attack was launched by a local Islamic State affiliate, but the Pentagon is still investigating the circumstances of how it occurred.
Prominent Yemeni journalist Afrah Nasser has been denied entry to the United States to accept an award, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In September, the CPJ announced that it would present its 2017 International Press Freedom award to Nasser, who has been living in exile in Sweden.

Though she holds Swedish citizenship and has a legitimate reason to travel to the United States, she has been denied a visa - potentially due to U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban which includes restrictions on travelers from Yemen.

"While there are good reasons why I should travel to the U.S. and join the CPJ, my two U.S. visa applications to date have been rejected by the American embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. I am currently applying for the third time, and I am not optimistic," Nasser wrote on her blog Friday.

"The proposed travel ban has gone through various iterations, but what I know for sure is that my visa applications to the U.S. embassy in Stockholm were rejected because of it," she wrote.

Nasser is hoping to receive the award from the New York-based committee's award ceremony on November 15. She applied for asylum in Sweden in 2011 after receiving death threats in connection with her blogs and stories critical of the regime in Yemen. She has continued to report on the war in the country from Stockholm for the past six years, according to the CPJ.
World Health Organization director general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has rescinded the appointment of President Robert as a goodwill ambassador following a public outcry.

In a statement posted on its website Sunday, Ghebreyesus said, Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs (non communicable diseases) in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment.

I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization.

It is my aim to build a worldwide movement for global health. This movement must work for everyone and include everyone.

Ghebreyesus noted that for me, what is important is to build political leadership and create unity around bringing health to all, based on WHOs core values. I remain firmly committed to working with all countries and their leaders to ensure that every one has access to the health care they need.

We must build bridges that bring us together and help us move forward in our quest to achieve universal health coverage. I thank everyone who has voiced their concerns and shared their thoughts. I depend on constructive debate to help and inform the work I have been elected to do.

There was a public outcry last week when Ghebreyesus appointed Mr. Mugabe with political and civic society leaders expressing dismay over the move, stressing that the Zimbabwean leader is unfit to be an ambassador to champion the fight against cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and other non communicable diseases in Africa.

They cited Zimbabwe as a bad example of how to run health services, noting that people are failing to even access public medical facilities due to the current harsh economic situation in the southern African nation.

But his backers said he was the right candidate for the position as Mr. Mugabe always fights for oppressed people in Africa and other nations.
The cranes are in place to build a mammoth new bridge over the shipping channel here. The span will be anchored by two Washington Monument-size spires that will be taller than the nearby flame-tipped refinery towers.

The $500 million bridge, with a higher clearance and a deeper channel, will let supersize oil tankers push into the inner harbor, spurring industrial growth and uncorking the ports potential as a petrochemical trading hub.

Add in new pipelines nearby, and crude-oil exports are projected to triple by 2024, an increase worth at least $36 billion a year for a port that already provides more than 13,000 jobs.

In the shadow of all that economic progress, however, is the poor and polluted neighborhood of Hillcrest. It is squeezed between the port and the interstate, hemmed in by oil tanks on one side and miles of refineries on another.

The bridge, as designed, would complete the isolation of the neighborhood, which is predominantly Hispanic and African American. And that, two residents argued in a complaint filed with the federal Transportation Department, would be a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Massive infrastructure projects inevitably present challenges to adjoining communities that historically have taken years, and even decades, to sort out. In Hillcrest, however, homeowners are being offered two or three times the depressed value of their homes to move out, a remarkably generous deal  and a surprisingly quick resolution.

Can that agreement serve as a model for a new president who has vowed to slash through the red tape of big projects to prod economic development? Or will it stand as an uncommon example of progress on civil rights, housing and the environment?





Just beside the port, Rosie Ann Porter stood on the back deck of a house that will soon be gone from a neighborhood that is dying. Her sturdy home, with its 17 windows and airy rooms, is one of fewer than 500 residences left in impoverished Hillcrest.

The blocks of once-neat houses, with the good candy on Halloween and the grapefruit trees in the yards, gave a couple of generations of oil workers a place to live close to work  and exposure to carcinogens for decades.

Murder, Porter said, referring to the refineries at the end of her street. Theyve gotten away with murder. Thats what I think.

From a boat in the shipping channel, in the warm sunset glow, theres a certain imposing beauty to Refinery Row. It looks like a chemistry set left out by giants.

The Koch brothers Flint Hills Resources operation supplies most of the jet fuel used by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Citgo gasoline goes to its network of thousands of service stations.

But decades of emissions, leaks and explosions have left Hillcrests residents distrustful and complaining of serious health problems.

You cant let your windows up and enjoy a fresh breeze coming through the house, said Porter, a retired helicopter parts supplier. When theyre up and the refinerys spilling out those fumes, its nothing nice. She stopped eating her grapefruit years ago.

Her daughter grew up with severe asthma, which Porter blames on refinery emissions. As a girl, Therri Alexandria Usher assumed that her frequent nosebleeds and near-yearly bouts of bronchitis were routine parts of growing up, just like the towering stacks a few blocks away.

I thought that was where God made clouds, because I would see the smoke coming out of the big poles, said Usher, 28, a statistician for the federal government who lives in Columbia, Md. When youre growing up there, you think of it as normal, really.

A federal jury found Citgo guilty of criminal violations of the Clean Air Act in 2007 and fined the company $2 million, but an appeals court overturned the verdict in 2015, citing a botched jury instruction.

That left the people of Hillcrest with no compensation  and still "breathing a mixture of chemicals found in Refinery Row outdoor air" that over many years "increases the risk of a cancer," as the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry put it in a 456-page public health assessment last year.

Then came what residents thought was the final blow: the big bridge project. Its design included a new section of highway that would box in Hillcrest on all four sides.

Residents were used to losing against powerful oil interests. But a civil rights lawyer urged Porter and an elderly neighbor, Jean Salone, now deceased, to file a complaint with the Federal Highway Administration that argued that the bridge plan violated the Civil Rights Act.

Lawyers Erin Gaines of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Kelly Haragan at the University of Texas School of Law wrote in the 2015 filing that the state "continues to perpetuate past discrimination against African Americans in the historically segregated Hillcrest neighborhood," a community that "has already borne disproportionate environmental and health impacts" from building Interstate 37 in the 1960s and decades of encroaching industry.

They wagered that their legal argument would help persuade President Barack Obamas transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx. The Charlotte native often recalled how the new interstates had destroyed the connective tissue of his grandparents neighborhood, just as infrastructure projects had marginalized poor and minority neighborhoods in Baltimore, Miami and Los Angeles.

Texass effort to tap $686 million in federal funding for the $1 billion project came as Foxx and other officials were trying to make amends for that history using civil rights law. The future of the bridge and port was put on hold until the complaint was resolved.

That was the big leverage, Gaines said, given that the port touts itself as the fourth-largest in the United States by tonnage and the top exporter of crude oil.

The complaint was filed in March, and by Christmas 2015 a deal had been struck in near-record time: Texas transportation officials agreed to offer Porter and her neighbors voluntary buyouts to vacate the polluted industrial zone they call home. And they would subsidize rent for a few years for tenants, who make up more than half of Hillcrests population, who chose to move out.

The terms were far more favorable to residents than in a typical project, where the government might seize land and homes through eminent domain. In Hillcrest, officials offered to relocate much of the neighborhood. Hundreds of families were eligible.

Owners essentially would be able to trade in their homes for comparably sized ones in nicer neighborhoods, even if the homes cost several times more.

Washington signed off on the bridge. The relocation program would cost $45 million if 70 percent of those eligible were to take part, Texas transportation officials said. Funding would come from the state, a regional planning organization and the port authority, a Texas entity supported by industry.

The milestone agreement was to begin within months.

Instead, a sticking point emerged that stalled progress for another year: Should Hillcrests undocumented immigrants receive the same generous terms as legal residents?

As the 2016 presidential campaign rolled on, with its passionate and polarizing debate over immigration, federal and state officials sparred over the rights of the undocumented people living in Hillcrest.

Those residents were included in the deal, argued federal officials who cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any program receiving federal funding.

No, argued state officials, they were barred from the deal by the federal Uniform Act, which specifically excludes "an alien not lawfully present" from receiving relocation assistance.

On Jan. 18, two days before the end of the Obama presidency, the Federal Highway Administration declared that Texas was not in compliance  and threatened to withhold the $686 million from the project.

"For the Obama Administration to go back on their approval agreement and try to force TxDOT to break the law by paying benefits to illegal aliens is unconscionable," Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.), who represents Corpus Christi, said in a statement.

Farenthold had been scrambling behind the scenes. In an interview, he said his office sought help from President Trumps team.

We just made a couple of calls, he said. The gist was: Hey, this is hung up. What do we need to do to get it moving again?

It worked, Farenthold said.

The Obama-era legal interpretation was jettisoned. Undocumented immigrants would not receive the relocation buyout or other benefits. A top federal highway official signed Texass write-up of the renegotiated agreement Feb. 3.

How was a new solution negotiated less than two weeks after Trumps inauguration?

A Farenthold aide pointed to conversations between the congressmans office and transition officials, including those with the Justice Department, which provides guidance on civil rights issues to other agencies. The White House referred questions to a Justice spokeswoman, who did not provide answers.

In response to questions, the Transportation Department said in a statement, We believe this case demonstrates the [Federal Highway Administrations] commitment to ensuring that civil rights protections are enforced. The statement continued: Secretary [Elaine] Chao did not play a role in this matter.

No undocumented immigrants have been publicly vocal about being excluded. One homeowner who is here illegally declined to discuss the policy when a reporter visited Hillcrest.

Port officials said their research indicated that only a handful of undocumented immigrants would be affected by the carve-out. Community organizers and Texas lawyers, including those who filed the civil rights complaint, said they had not received requests for help.

That may indicate that people have gone underground. The Trump administration's tougher immigration enforcement and the state's new law permitting local police to inquire about immigration status have had a chilling effect across the board, said Justin Tullius, a lawyer for the Texas immigrant rights group Raices. The message being received, he said, is: "Come forward at your own risk."

Farenthold praised the new approach.

Trump has a huge commitment to infrastructure, the congressman said in the interview, and doesnt hate Texas.

Transportation projects are about more than transportation. Theyre about jobs, communities and people, and how they all get stitched together  or pulled apart.

The president has proposed overhauling how the nation weighs competing interests in building its infrastructure and argues that permitting requirements are shackling ingenuity and growth. The plodding and expensive process is a massive self-inflicted wound on our country, he said in August at Trump Tower in New York.

Trump has proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agencys budget by 31 percent, targeting environmental justice, enforcement and other areas, and he says studies on the impact of projects can be reduced to a few simple pages.

But without those protections, advocates argue, the poor and disenfranchised may lose rights in the name of progress.

The Hillcrest deal, which allows people to escape from miserable conditions in an unusual way, was a direct outgrowth of those regulations and their requirements.

It was a night-and-day difference from a complaint where you just get radio silence for years and years and years, said Haragan, one of Porters lawyers.

Farenthold said that although Hillcrests buyout makes sense because of the poverty of his constituents, offering such programs widely would be costly and should be considered only on a case-by-case basis. Were talking a major change in policy if this is adopted broadly, he said.

The Hillcrest experiment in how to kill a neighborhood quickly to make way for growth has been painful for many.

Mary Runnels, a retired nurse, said relocation benefits for renters arent good enough to allow her to leave, despite her neighbors blaring music and the enormous white storage tank that looms over her apartment.

The port will pay the difference in rent for 3 years if people move elsewhere.

What happens after that? asked Runnels, who doesnt see how she can afford Corpus Christis well-kept suburban neighborhoods, minutes from the water. You get put out.

The boarded-up buildings, empty lots and mattress-strewn sidewalks share unnaturally quiet streets with those who remain, who still take the bus to work and walk to church.

When the houses are razed, the last vestiges of a community will vanish, too.

This was a beautiful neighborhood when we moved in here, said Janie M. Chinn Mumphord, 85. Her house, where she raised three sons, was one of the first to go after she moved out in June. I pray that all my friends who want to get out of here will be able to. Weve been out here together. What will it look like? Iraq?

Usher, who received her doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University last year, said Corpus Christis leaders failed Hillcrest residents.

Now that Im out of it, really I blame the city, she said. You basically sold us out. Its money. Its racial history. Its segregation. All of it sort of culminates in Hillcrest.

Porter, her mother, is leaving, too, with complicated emotions. Porter grew up here. Her own mother bought the house on Peabody Avenue and raised her children there. She stayed there as long as she could, confined to bed and on a respirator, her daughter by her side.

Its just like the last of . . .  Porter said, halting amid the tears, the last of my connection to her.

Porter fought the oil companies in court and lost, then filed a legal complaint and won.

But the relocation deal doesnt settle the books on the resentment and anger she has from watching Hillcrest go from something to nothing.

What Porter wants is to pick up the house and carry it with her when she goes.

Instead, it will be knocked down like hundreds of others to make way for a new stretch of highway leading to a bridge that promises an economic renaissance worth billions.
Most of a Bethesda high-rise remains without electricity and water after a fire Saturday, meaning hundreds of displaced residents wont be able to return to their apartments for days, authorities said Sunday.

A fire broke out in the buildings below-ground electrical room Saturday morning, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital and prompting the evacuation of the 550-unit tower at 5225 Pooks Hill Rd., and displacing as many as 1,500 people. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews responded to a call of smoke on the upper floors about 9 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

Fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said Sunday that six people were treated for smoke inhalation, and another dozen were taken to the hospital for other medical reasons  including existing conditions that required them to be under medical care.

An emergency shelter coordinated by the Red Cross and the county hosted up to two dozen people overnight, Piringer said. The rest were assumed to have stayed with family or friends or stayed in hotels, he said.

[Six residents and a firefighter evaluated after blaze at Md. apartment; 1,500 displaced]

Piringer said residents were allowed back into the building  the North Tower of a two-building high-rise complex  to retrieve personal items and medication. An emergency generator was powering elevators and hallway lighting, but was could not power individual apartments, he said. There was no water above the buildings seventh floor, he said.

The fire was believed to have been accidental and originated with the power system, though investigators had not specified an exact cause by late Sunday afternoon. The damage was estimated at $1 million, the fire department said.

More than 140 firefighters responded to the scene, first clearing a stairwell of smoke before coordinating an evacuation of hundreds of residents down 18 floors. Crews also swept individual floors and apartment units to make sure everyone inside the building was accounted for.

Its a large building so [its] logistically very challenging, Piringer said.

The development, Promenade Towers Bethesda, consists of two high-rises. Residents of the South Tower were allowed back in on Saturday, but because the North Tower did not have power or water, occupants could only retrieve their essential belongings and medication  but could not stay overnight.

A call to the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which took over after the fire department cleared the scene, was not immediately returned.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Sochi, Russia, Oct. 12, 2017. (Kremlin Photo)

MOSCOW, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed on Sunday Moscow's partnership with Astana in a congratulatory message to his Kazakh counterpart, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Russia and Kazakhstan remain "reliable partners" bound by a common historical past and a spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, Lavrov said in the message, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

Lavrov noted in the message a host of bilateral agreements between the two countries, particularly the Russian-Kazakh treaty on good-neighborliness and alliance in the 21st century, which reflects their commitment to further deepening of relations.

Kazakhstan used to be a part of the former Soviet Union. It set up diplomatic relations with Russia in 1992.

The central Asian country is a member of the Russia-led Commonwealth of the Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union.
THE DISTRICT

Police release name of fatally shot woman

Police have identified a woman who was shot and killed in the Anacostia section of Southeast Washington at about 11 p.m. Friday as Shawntese Murphy, 30, of Suitland, Md.

The shooting occurred in the 1600 block of U Street SE, said Officer Sean Hickman, a police spokesman. When Murphy was found, she was unconscious and unresponsive, Hickman said.

Police said investigators later discovered that another person was shot during the incident. A man who suffered non-life-threatening injuries was found at a hospital, police said.

 Luz Lazo and Martin Weil

MARYLAND

3 men die in car crash following police chase

Three men were killed early Saturday in a police chase that ended with a vehicle crashing in Charles County, authorities said.

At about 2:10 a.m., a Maryland State Police trooper attempted to stop a 2013 Honda Civic that had run a red light on Old Washington Road in Waldorf. Police said the vehicle fled the trooper, going south in the northbound lanes for about 300 yards and then fleeing at excessive speeds before crashing into a tree.

Police identified the driver of the Honda as Sollan Belina, 28, of North Carolina. The passengers were identified as Joseph Nystrom, 24, also of North Carolina, and Luis Daboin, 24, of Hughesville, Md.

Authorities said that the incident is under investigation and that alcohol and speed appear to have been factors

 Luz Lazo

Teachers walk out on Baker address

Dozens of Prince George's County teachers walked out in protest when County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) was introduced to address the Maryland State Education Association at its annual convention.

Theresa Dudley, president of the Prince Georges County Education Association, said the protest Friday afternoon was in response to an ongoing wage dispute with county leadership.

Andrew Mallinoff, campaign manager for Baker, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The disruption came as Betty Weller, president of MSEA, introduced Baker to address the crowd.

"What a way to start off," said Baker, who has received high marks in recent polls looking at the 2018 gubernatorial race.

 Ovetta Wiggins

THE REGION

Two pedestrians killed in separate incidents

Two pedestrians were killed in separate incidents Saturday morning: one was struck by an SUV on Shady Grove Road in Montgomery County; the other on the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

The incident in Montgomery occurred about 2:30 a.m. Saturday near Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville when, police said, a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe westbound on Shady Grove Road hit Jaumoithe Houseal, 19, of Welbeck Road in Montgomery Village.

The driver of the Santa Fe remained at the scene, Montgomery County police said. The incident remains under investigation.

In the bridge incident, U.S. Park Police said a 47-year-old man was struck and killed at 7:30 a.m. The bridge remained closed to traffic for more than three hours.

Park Police have not yet released the identity of the victim in that case.

 Luz Lazo
When Larry Jackson bought his first apartment in the Anacostia neighborhood in the late 1970s, he said Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE was a street you didnt want to walk on.

In recent years, Jackson, a 57-year-old mechanic, has seen new development push out the drugs and dealers he said once loaded this street.

Last week, the city said that Starbucks plans to open a store on the thoroughfare, its first stand-alone location in the poorest wards east of the Anacostia River, where the District has long struggled to attract national retailers.

It shows Martin Luther King Highway is coming up, said Jackson, standing outside Distads Tire and Auto, where he has worked for 18 years.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), whose administration helped Starbucks choose the location in Maple View Flats, a housing and retail site the city is helping to build, said she knows "every corner of Washington, D.C., is a great place to do business."

This is how we expand prosperity  by being intentional about how we develop our neighborhoods and ensuring that as we grow, we create jobs for residents and set our communities up for long-term success, Bowser said in a statement.

Businesses such as Starbucks can mean jobs for residents in Ward 8, where unemployment is 14.2 percent  the highest in the city. But economic development can also lead to displacement for the District's long-term residents, Jackson said.

Its a risk, Jackson said. Its the risk that poor black folks face.

[D.C. Council member wants to call east of the river the East End.]

A recent study found that Washington's booming economy is leaving its longtime black residents behind, with the median annual income for black families at $41,000 in 2014  unchanged since 2007  compared with $120,000 for white families in the District.

A lot of people with a lot of money are coming into this city, said John Howard, who has lived in Southeast Washington for more than five decades. People who have been here for years are moving to Ward 9,  he said, referring to Prince Georges County.

But Courtney Snowden, Bowsers deputy mayor for greater economic opportunity, said the administration wants retailers who will hire in the neighborhoods where they are located.

D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) acknowledged that some residents are concerned about gentrification, but he said he was hard at work ensuring the development not only benefits our longtime residents, but enables them to grow the wealth that they deserve.

Starbucks has shown a commitment to hiring D.C. residents in positions that offer benefits and managerial tracks, Bowser said in the news release. The company made job offers to people ages 16 to 24 in September during the D.C. Opportunity Fair as part of a national initiative to hire 1 million young people who are out of work and out of school.

It was not difficult to persuade the company to move into Maple View Flats, Snowden said.

We are no longer a city that people are running from, Snowden said. We are a city that people are flocking to. We have a lot to be proud of.

Starbucks began looking at Maple View Flats, which is under construction and will include affordable housing units, 14,500 square feet of retail space and two levels of underground parking, as part of a national initiative to open in at least 15 underserved communities, spokeswoman Alisha Damodaran said. She noted the company has signed a letter of intent but said there is a still a long way to go in terms of signing a lease.

The company has 94 locations in the District, she said. Although there is a Starbucks inside Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and in the Safeway store on Alabama Avenue SE, the Maple View location would be the companys first stand-alone store east of the river.

[The healthy D.C. economy is leaving behind longtime black residents]

Its about time they fix up Ward 8, resident Gloria Benbow said after hearing about plans for the Starbucks.

The 51-year-old cook, who grew up in Southeast Washington and recently moved back to the neighborhood, said developments such as Maple View Flats are signs of progress.

She is getting there  she is trying, Benbow said, referring to Bowser.

The mayor also announced last week that Uber opened a hub in the shopping center in East River Park NE, which will provide support for Uber drivers and is expected to hire 25 full-time employees.

These neighborhoods are open for business, said Snowden, who lives in the Deanwood neighborhood in Ward 7. It is a matter of cultivating the right partnerships with the right retailers.

Howard, a marketer for a dental company, said he appreciated news about Starbucks but would rather see a grocery store or more affordable housing. There are only three supermarkets between Wards 7 and 8. At a Starbucks in the District, a medium latte can cost more than $4.

The city needs to be doing all it can to help the working poor, he said.

Previous attempts to attract supermarkets east of the river  over multiple city administrations  have failed.

Bowser's critics questioned whether she could have done more in 2016 when Walmart abruptly pulled out of a deal to build two stores east of the Anacostia, after receiving approval from the city to build three stores in wealthier parts of the city. The retailer said the projects were scrapped because of disappointing performances at its other D.C. stores and increased costs for the proposed stores.

"I'm blood mad," Bowser said at the time.

[As D.C. prospers, supermarkets proliferate  except in poor areas]

Although no major retailers have been announced to replace Walmart in the Skyland Town Center in Southeast and the Capitol Gateway Marketplace in Northeast, Snowden said her office is continuing to try to secure retailers in demand by the community.

Snowden, whose position Bowser created when she took office in 2015 to focus on the needs of overlooked communities, said that there are some who "are fearful of progress and what it means for the future" but that the vast majority of residents are "hungry for retail."

Taboris Johnson, a maintenance worker who lives across the street from Maple View Flats, is one of those residents.

"It's bringing business to the area, and a diversity of people," said Johnson, 28, a Bowser supporter. "And they have free WiFi."
Tina Mendez Morgan and her brother, Louis G. Mendez lll, support renaming J.E.B. Stuart High School after their father. Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr. was a decorated World War II Army colonel. (Dayna Smith/For The Washington Post)

As the campaign intensified to strip J.E.B. Stuart High School of its name, Lisa McQuails friendships began to fracture.

McQuail, an advocate for erasing the name of the Confederate general from the Northern Virginia school, was barred from an alumni group on Facebook, she said. So they communicated on the page End Confederate & Segregationist Names for Public Schools.

Ive lost many friends, McQuail said. Its going to take years to rebuild the alumni community.

The two-year debate in Fairfax County over the renaming is poised to end this week, with the school board expected to settle on a new name.

But that is unlikely to silence the controversy. The debate in Falls Church has found echoes across the South as communities clash over which figures deserve to be honored in public spaces and the appropriate destination for Confederate imagery.



One suggestion to replace J.E.B. Stuart as the high school name is Louis G. Mendez Jr., shown in 1961, an Army colonel and longtime Fairfax resident. (Oscar Porter/U.S. Army for The Washington Post)

Backers of the change insist it is inappropriate to honor a Confederate cavalry commander who fought to preserve slavery. The keepers  people who want Stuarts name to remain on one of the districts most racially diverse high schools  argue that renaming the school amounts to obliterating history.

The Fairfax County School Board voted three months ago to drop the name, but that hardly ended the controversy. Picking a new name has been no less fraught.

In a nonbinding ballot in September, more voters supported calling the school Stuart than any other option, which renaming proponents attacked as a false compromise and no change at all.

Divisions form

After a white supremacist walked into a South Carolina church and murdered nine black parishioners on a June evening in 2015, Stuart students, parents and alumni in Fairfax began agitating for a name change. They were boosted by the Hollywood star power of actress Julianne Moore and producer Bruce Cohen, both J.E.B. Stuart graduates.

The pair started an online petition that generated close to 40,000 signatures.

But that was only the start. A committee was formed, but members couldnt agree on a path forward.

One of the committee members, Debbie Ratliff, doesnt blame the districts handling of the process for the charged community debate that ensued.

The level of toxicity would have been the same, she said. We all feel very passionate about this.

The school board finally voted in July, deciding 7 to 2, to rename the school. As part of that vote, the board agreed to consider  in a spirit of compromise  stripping the initials J.E.B. and calling the school Stuart High.

The contenders

On a Saturday in August, hundreds of community members filled the Stuart auditorium to hear and offer suggestions for a new name. Fliers advocating for Barbara Rose Johns, who as an African American teenager fought for school integration, were distributed by community members outside the auditorium.

Kenneth Longmyer, whose daughter is a Stuart student, was among those who advocated for Rose Johns  appropriate, he said, because Rose Johns was a woman of color.

We thought it was high time to recognize groups that had been ignored or overlooked when schools were being named, he said.

Speakers lined the aisles of the auditorium for hours to voice support for one name or another. A document was projected on a large screen, tracking every written suggestion. Some, such as "Schooly McSchoolface" and "Triggered Snowflake," appeared to mock the process.

A week later, the community vote  which was limited to one vote per household in the school attendance area  was held and a list of more than 70 suggestions was whittled to five. Superintendent Scott Brabrand forwarded those selections to the board.

They were, in order of popularity: Stuart; variations of Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice; Rose Johns; Peace Valley, the street on which the high school sits; and Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr., a decorated World War II Army colonel and longtime Fairfax resident.

Name-change proponents are quick to argue that the sum of votes favoring something other than Stuart outnumbered those who wanted to keep a variation on the old name.

Everyone who doesnt want the name change voted for Stuart, said Cohen, the Hollywood producer. Its absurd, because the vote was to change the name, and Stuart is not a name change.

Supporters of a new moniker, including Cohen, have generally rallied around Marshall, Rose Johns and Mendez. They view the renaming as an opportunity to have the Falls Church school better reflect its diversity.

The school is 54 percent Hispanic, 22 percent white, 13 percent Asian, 9 percent black and 2 percent multiracial, according to Virginia Department of Education data.

The number of Hispanic students is one reason Tina Mendez Morgan and her brother, Louis G. Mendez III, believe that their fathers name is the most fitting. Mendez, who died in 2001, was of Mexican American, Native American and Spanish descent, they said.

The Hispanic community and the student body needs a Hispanic role model, Mendez Morgan said. I just think thats the right thing to do.

The Mendez family hadnt paid much attention to the renaming imbroglio. They were pulled into the clamor after one of Mendezs adult children learned that his name had been nominated. Since then, Mendez Morgan and her brother have campaigned for their father.

Col. Mendez graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1940. He was a battalion commander in the Army's 82nd Airborne "All American" Division during World War II.

After a decorated military career, he worked as an educator and for what became the Education Department. Several of his 12 children attended Stuart.

Not only did he have this stellar career in the Army, but . . . he was involved in education, Mendez Morgan said.

Criticism of the process

Opponents of the renaming say they, too, have been wounded by invective from their neighbors. One former Stuart student encountered such a hostile environment inside the high school after opposing the renaming that his father transferred him to another school, according to a lawsuit filed by Fairfax residents against the school district over its renaming policy.

Those residents argued that the regulation was vague and ambiguous, resulting in arbitrary and capricious actions by the school board, according to court papers.

The regulation is unconstitutionally vague and raises equal-protection issues, said attorney H. Jay Spiegel, who is representing the residents.

Denise Patton, a resident who hopes the lawsuit is successful, said those who have taken issue with the renaming are concerned about finances. It would cost about $512,570 to replace school gear if the school were called Stuart and about $800,620 for a complete name change.

The big concern for the name change has nothing to do with the Confederacy, she said. Its money.

The school boards renaming vote will proceed despite the lawsuit, according to a district spokesperson.

The new name must be in place by 2019. The board can heed the communitys preferences  or not.

At least two board members said during a work session earlier this month that they favored naming the school after Marshall. Others said that would conflict with the existing George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church. One board member said she would support Stuart; others said, unequivocally, they would not.

School board member Elizabeth Schultz, who represents the Springfield District, expressed concerns about the process.

What was the point of a community vote if we werent going to listen to the vote? she asked. If the boards going to do what its going to do, I feel like maybe what were going through is almost like a game of charades.

The divisions sown by the debate wont heal any time soon, warned board member Tamara Derenak Kaufax, who represents the Lee District.

I began every one of these conversations with our board saying that we need to be working on policy changes that build bridges and not ones that create greater chasms, she said.

I dont know if thats going to be possible in this process at all.
Columnist

Three Texas researchers spent a year watching and then recording Hispanic first-graders from low-income families as they experienced an unusual approach to learning. They were encouraged to initiate projects, ask questions without raising their hands, give feedback to one another, and decide where and with whom to work.

This method has proved effective in Montessori classrooms worldwide for more than a century. It is still relatively uncommon in the United States, but it worked in the Texas school. The students eventually scored 30 percentile points above similar children in ordinary classes.

So the researchers were stunned at the negative reaction when they showed the video to first-graders who had not been taught that way. What they found casts troubling light on one of the most influential educational research findings ever.

The first-graders shown the video "seemed to think the learning was terrible," said researchers Jennifer Keys Adair, Kiyomi Sanchez-Suzuki Colegrove and Molly E. McManus in the fall issue of the Harvard Educational Review. They all agreed that "the children in the film should be less noisy, more still and much more obedient to have any chance of being good learners."

One boy said the right way to learn was to keep your mouth zipped, eyes watching . . . and ears listening!

Their teachers told the researchers they liked the new approach but stuck with traditional methods because they didnt think bilingual children from low-income backgrounds could handle it.

Why? They didnt have enough vocabulary, the teachers said. In school after school, we heard educators repeat that parents did not talk to their children enough or give them the vocabulary they needed to be successful in school.

The researchers, who work at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University, knew where that idea came from. Few studies have been reported as widely as the 1995 work of University of Kansas psychologists Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley. Working with 1,318 observations of just 42 children, Hart and Risley concluded that in their first four years, impoverished children heard 13 million words on average, compared with 45 million heard by children of affluent parents. The early advantage in word exposure correlated strongly with better language and literacy skills five or six years later.

In a 2003 article, Hart and Risley said the risk to our nation and its children made anti-poverty efforts to change childrens lives more urgent than ever.

For 35 years, I have covered educators trying to raise achievement for low-income children. They told me the Hart-Risley findings meant childrens language experiences had to be enriched as early as possible, essentially from birth, and at every grade after that. Apparently, many people in education didnt get that message. Much more research and outreach is necessary.

I had no idea educators were misinterpreting the Hart-Risley conclusions as a warning against ambitious methods such as those in the video. The Texas researchers have so far found this misunderstanding in only the five schools they have studied, but it is deep and consistent enough to suggest that the problem is widespread.

Risley died in 2007, Hart in 2012. University of Kansas researcher Dale Walker, their close associate, told me they would be extremely disheartened that their research was being misinterpreted and misrepresented for what appears to be an excuse to not provide young students with the educational content they need to be successful.

The Texas researchers critique how the Hart-Risley study was conducted as well as how it has been interpreted. But their most compelling finding is the need to help teachers adopt the student-led learning they found worked so well. The classroom dialogue and sharing in their video are essential for building vocabulary, but when classrooms are too rigid, controlled and task driven, students cannot initiate and continue conversations with their peers, they said.

It is hard to think of anything more disheartening than denying 6-year-olds a chance to be enriched by a stimulating program for fear their vocabularies arent good enough. I have never encountered educational research so distorted, to such ill effect.
Cadyn Harrington, 15, center, is in her second year in the venturing crew. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

In the Great Hall of All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Md., the members of Boy Scout Troop 52 recently planned a trip to Shenandoah National Park. They talked about what clothes to wear, what food to bring and their campsites expected elevation.

And, as usual, they recited the Boy Scout law. But it wasnt just boys participating in the meeting and preparing for the trip  girls were a part of the group too.

While the Boy Scouts of America announced on Oct. 11 that it will be fully inclusive for girls for the first time in its nearly 100-year history, Troop 52 may be one of the few groups that already knows what inclusion looks like. Though the girls are technically part of a Venture Scout crew, which is a co-ed program, they've been participating in activities alongside the boys since 1997.

The rest of the world is going to catch on to what were doing here, Scoutmaster Will Stone, 55, told the group during a recent meeting.

[Scout wars: Girl Scouts accuse Boy Scouts of recruiting girls to increase membership]



Assistant patrol leader Larissa Sakaria, 16, top center, discusses upcoming events with fellow troop members. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

This is 15-year-old Cadyn Harringtons second year in the venturing crew, which she joined after deciding that her Girl Scout troop was no longer a good fit for her interests. Since joining the group, Cadyn said there isnt anything separating her from the boys  aside from the different uniforms and rank advancements.

Its a really cool experience because youre out with the girls doing your own thing, but youre also interacting with guys, she said. Were just a part of the troop.

In recent years, Boy Scouts of America has changed membership rules, lifting the ban on openly gay scouts and troop leaders and allowing transgender boys.

Even with the latest change, Lidia Soto-Harmon, the chief executive of Girl Scouts Nations Capital, says she thinks Girl Scouts will continue to be the best choice for many.

While the national Girl Scouts organization serves 1.8 million girls, Girl Scouts Nations Capital serves 60,200 girls, specifically in the District and counties in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. This program is tailor made for girls and a co-ed program, Soto-Harmon argues, benefits boys more than girls.

Parents should have lots of choices about whats best for children and my hope is that they will look at the ways their children learn and pick what is best for their daughters, she said. I think that Girl Scouts is best for their daughters. . . . When they say girls want to do the same things boys do, its happening at Girl Scouts.

Stone said the co-ed program has been good for everyone in his 70-person troop. Sixteen of the members are girls.

The troop camps and hikes and participates in service projects. During the meeting they passed out plastic bags for the upcoming Scouting for Food project, an annual food drive.

Meredith Sherman, 19, served as Venture crew president and assistant senior patrol leader while she was in Troop 52 and said some of the boys resisted her leadership. But she stuck with it, and eventually, she said, the boys learned that women deserve the same respect.

Sherman went to an all-girls high school and now, studying at Tufts University, she reflected on her experience in Troop 52 and said it was really rewarding.

By the end of the year they accepted my leadership, that its a totally normal thing for a girl to have a leadership position over boys, Sherman said. Theres a really important element to young boys being exposed to girls doing all the same things as them, having leadership positions over them, so I think it really cultivates a sense of acknowledgment and respect.

Troop 52 has never been one to wait around for the national organization to officially permit a change.

An openly gay scout, Pascal Tessier, belonged to the troop before the ban on gay troops was lifted and he then became one of the nations first openly gay youths to achieve the Eagle Scout ranking under the changed policy.

[An openly gay Eagle Scout achieves a milestone in Montgomery County]

Senior patrol leader Camaran Gaillard, 17, said its been normal for him to participate alongside the girls and hes glad the national change will allow girls to work toward the same recognition as the boys who achieve the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Theyve always been doing the same Scout skills as weve been doing. Theyve always been a part of this troop, Camaran said. Weve grown so accustomed to them being there so its not a big deal to us. All the craziness going on, it seems foreign to me.

Despite the integration, there are moments when the girls are aware that they are not full members of the troop.

Before Stone wrapped up the meeting, he explained certain next steps needed to work toward the Eagle Scout award, and Larissa Sakaria, 16, zoned out. No matter how far she advanced, as a girl she had never been granted the access to achieve that goal.

Stone, noticing she had lost interest, approached afterward and asked, what did he always remind her?

She replied: Anything that a guy can do, a girl can do  and probably better.

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of Girl Scouts in the D.C. area. It has been updated.
1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Photos from the Women in Military Service for America Memorial celebration at Arlington National Cemetery View Photos Nearly 1,000 servicewomen, from World War II to present conflicts, gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the only major, national memorial honoring the many U.S. women who have served. Caption Nearly 1,000 servicewomen, from World War II to present conflicts, gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the only major, national memorial honoring the many U.S. women who have served. Salwan Georges Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

Elvira Chiccarelli grew up during the Vietnam War and felt a call to serve her country. Her mother had been a cadet nurse in World War II, and in 1975 Chiccarelli, a dentist, joined the Air Force. But when she reported for duty, her commanding officer told her that he did not want women working there and assigned her to an auxiliary unit.

On Saturday, watching the celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the retired lieutenant colonels eyes got misty.

Weve touched every kind of service  medical, dental, computers, flying, said Chiccarelli, 67, who had traveled from Panama City Beach, Fla., to attend with her daughter, who is in the Air Force and shares the same name. Any place they needed people, women have stepped forward and demanded to give our talents to the country.

Women have been enlisting in the U.S. armed forces since 1917, but it wasn't until 1997 that a memorial was erected for them. The arched semicircle and reflecting pool at the top of the road that leads to Arlington National Cemetery is still the only major national memorial honoring the 3 million women who have served.



ARLINGTON, VA - OCTOBER 21: Staff Sergeant Cantress R. Noel-Mabrey, U.S. Army speaks during the 20th Anniversary of Women In Military Service For America Memorial celebration on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

The idea for the memorial, which originated with a group of World War II servicewomen in Toledo, wasnt easy to implement, said retired Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught, who was president of the Womens Memorial Foundation when it was being planned and built.

There are more than a few who did not think this was necessary, and some who didnt think it was deserved, she told several hundred attendees at the anniversary ceremony, many in uniform, who gathered in the fall sun.

In her own mind, there had been questions.

We had fought to become integrated, and this was a step to set us apart again, she said. But as I went around the country talking, particularly to World War II women . . . this was something we needed to do.

Returning from the war, in many cases they were just told to go home, and they didnt even get VA benefits right off the bat, retired Maj. Gen. Dee Ann McWilliams, president of the Womens Memorial Foundation, said in an interview. For them, commemorating their service was important because: It says, What you did was important to your country. 

The memorial rose from a dilapidated structure just outside the cemetery gate that had been erected during the Hoover administration.

Now the site, which includes indoor exhibits, attracts 150,000 visitors a year.

Some visitors are scholars who come to view artifacts related to womens military service  including books, photographs, documents and other objects donated by people around the country. Veterans can register and add a picture, the dates they served and a personal story.

This World War II woman veteran broke codes long before coding was a thing

Lt. Col. Carmen Brown-Hill, 47, traveled from Oklahoma City to attend the anniversary, 20 years after being there for the memorials unveiling.

Back then, the Iraq veteran recalled, You wanted to say, Wow, its about time. It was perfect timing and it was much needed.

However, to retired Army Col. Flora Sullivan, 75, a Vietnam veteran, the thought that there would be such a memorial had not occurred to her while she was serving.

Thats back in the 60s, and in those days women just didnt get very far in the service, she said. I didnt know I was being discriminated against.

Sullivan, who lives near Philadelphia, attended the ceremony with a sister and niece who also served, and a sister who did not.



Attendees listen to a speaker at the memorial. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Her niece, retired Lt. Col. Diane Huber, 59, who lives outside Tampa, said her mother and aunt had eased the path for future generations: Its fun to hear their stories of what people have gone through.

Speakers included retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody, who was the first American woman to become a four-star general. But as retired Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, another four-star general, told the attendees, The real objective is to have no more firsts, that the opportunities and successes of women in the armed forces become routine.

Over the 26 years that she served, Chiccarelli quietly broke some barriers. She was one of the first female dentists on active duty, and among the first servicewomen given the option to wear pants instead of a skirt. An image of her walking in pants was used on a recruiting poster.

But she also endured ingrained sexism. At meetings with colleagues, she said, Theyd go around and say, Doctor, do you have something you want to say? And Elvira? 



ARLINGTON, VA - OCTOBER 21: El Chiccarelli, MD, and her mother Elvira Chiccarelli share a laugh during the 20th Anniversary of Women In Military Service For America Memorial celebration on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Her daughter Elvira Chiccarelli, 26, is a pediatric resident and Air Force captain who traveled from New Orleans for the ceremony. She said that the struggles of women like her mother made her own experience smoother and more equitable.

Were able to serve and not even get to think about the fact that were women, she said. Other than that were not expected to do all the pullups, I think everyone expects the same of me and Im given the same opportunities.
A woman who was critically injured in an apartment fire in Northeast D.C. on Saturday, was later pronounced dead at the hospital, D.C. fire officials said Sunday.

Officials said Sunday the blaze was believed to have been caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.

The fire began shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday in an apartment building at 4028 Eighth St. NE, in the Brookland area, according to Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for D.C. Fire and EMS. Fire officials said the womans mattress caught fire  probably due to a lit cigarette or other smoking materials, and that the fire was accidental.

[Brookland fire leaves one in critical condition]

The victim, an elderly woman who was not immediately identified, was not found with significant burns. She is believed to have suffered smoke inhalation, Buchanan said. Officials said the smoke detectors in the unit were not functional.
An X-ray shows a total ankle replacement, with plastic and metal-alloy prostheses attached to the shin bones and the ankle bone. (Courtesy of Duke Health)

Once disparaged as borderline quackery, the total ankle replacement is gaining acceptance as a treatment for crippling arthritis and serious injuries.

For years, doctors discouraged patients from getting the procedure  called ankle arthroplasty  because of persistent controversy over the earliest techniques, which involved cementing metal ankle reconstruction devices to bone. Sometimes the parts loosened prematurely or caused infections, leaving patients in worse shape than before.

Rather than surgery, doctors prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers and recommended that patients wear comfortable shoes laced up to the ankles. In extreme situations, they sometimes recommended ankle fusion surgery, which uses screws, plates and bone grafts to fuse the bones on each end of the ankle joint into one continuous bone. However, that procedure left patients with little ankle flexibility and an unusual gait.

But now some orthopedic surgeons are performing total ankle replacements, in which bone and tissue are removed to make way for highly sophisticated metal and plastic implants. These doctors say that the procedure, which has taken decades to improve, is highly effective at relieving arthritic pain and enabling patients to regain the use of their ankle and resume a more active life.

This turnabout in medical treatment is due largely to the development of a half-dozen implant devices that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration beginning in the early 1990s. These prosthetic devices  made of advanced metal alloy and plastic  cover both the major shin bone and the ankle bone and are engineered to interact with each other and the patients body in a way that maximizes mobility and flexibility.

At the same time, the medical profession has made great strides in developing better surgical techniques to ensure that the implants remain in place and function properly for years. As part of the typical two-hour operation, the Achilles tendon is often lengthened to improve the ankles range of motion without causing swelling or pain. (Surgeons can lengthen a contracted tendon by making small cuts on it at the back of the ankle. As the wounds heal, the tendon stretches out.)

Improved surgical techniques and instruments allow doctors to put the artificial ankle in the correct position, said Selene Parekh, a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon at Duke Health in North Carolina, which performs many of these procedures. It is critical to make sure the ankle is balanced so that it has no unusual stress on it, he said. Just like a new set of tires, if they are installed with an alignment issue on the car, they will wear out quickly. This is the same analogy that goes to an ankle replacement.

Still, for all of the improvements, the long-term success and patient satisfaction with total ankle replacement are not as high as for knee and hip replacements, although some ankle surgeons say they are closing the gap. And the surgery  which can cost $40,000 or more  is more challenging and risky than other types of procedures.

Although Medicare generally covers ankle replacement surgery provided certain medical requirements are met and FDA-approved implants are used, many private insurers have long denied coverage for the procedure, asserting that it is still experimental and risky.

You have your general surgical risks, which include infection, healing problems of the wound, integration of implant into bone, blood clots, things like that, said Gary Feldman, a Washington area podiatrist and surgeon. When it comes to ankle replacement  probably more so than other major joints  you have the risk of developing arthritic changes in the adjacent joints. Thats always been a concern.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms often show up first in the foot and ankle and gradually spread to other joints. However, Parekh insists that osteoarthritis is no more likely to spread as the result of an ankle replacement than a knee or hip replacement. When you have a fusion of any joint, you can develop arthritis of any of the adjacent joints above or below the fused joint, he said. Its the same for the whole body, not more so in the foot and ankle.

Although ankle replacement has been around since the 1970s, Feldman insists that it is still in its infancy.

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, an association of 2,200 orthopedic surgeons and specialists, says the number of ankle replacements is increasing dramatically. But a precise number is hard to come by.

A study published in the journal Orthopedics in 2016 found that 2,340 total ankle replacements had been performed in academic-related hospitals between 2007 and 2011 and that the annual figure had more than doubled  from 290 in 2007 to 632 in 2011  "as the procedure gained popularity among orthopedists."

A report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, cited 4,435 "hospital encounters" or discharges involving total ankle replacements in 2014. That appears to be the most recent official count of ankle replacement surgeries

Whatever the number, it pales by comparison with the more than 750,000 hip and knee replacements performed every year in the United States and the approximately 25,000 ankle fusions performed annually as of 2010.

As many as 90 percent of total ankle replacement implants are intact five years after the surgery, but that the number drops to 80 percent after eight years, according to an analysis of recent studies that was done by Washington University Orthopedics of St. Louis. The analysis concluded that most patients will probably need some type of corrective procedure within a decade or so of the surgery.

One of the biggest challenges is the sheer complexity of ankles, compared with the ball-and-joint structures of knees, hips and shoulders. Ankles and feet consist of hundreds of bones, joints and muscles as well as a network of nerves, tendons and ligaments. They provide extraordinary flexibility and mobility. And ankle joints serve as shock absorbers for the body, with a very small surface area to bear the weight. Once injured, they are hard to repair, especially in older people.

The foot and ankle society said the procedure is appropriate for patients who do not respond well to more-conservative treatment, such as prescription drugs to relieve pain or ankle braces to provide added support.

A 2016 study by the group, comparing total ankle replacement with fusion surgery, praised ankle replacement for its "preservation of functional range of motion"  something that is sacrificed in ankle fusion. But there were also big downsides to ankle replacements, according to the report, including the risk of "severe osteoporosis" and significant "bone defect."

The apparent increase in total ankle replacements comes as a large and active baby boomer population and older athletes and runners are looking for relief from ankle pain. Millions of Americans seek treatment for ankle problems every year, including an estimated 50,000 who are experiencing what is called end-stage ankle arthritis. That occurs when the ankle cartilage has been worn away completely by bone-on-bone friction.

Kay Hedrick of Jacksonville, N.C., who suffered for decades after breaking her right leg in a roller skating mishap in Indiana in 1967, is a believer in total ankle replacement.

The wife of a Marine officer who spent much of her life raising a family at military installations across the country, Hedrick said she suffered ever-mounting pain in her ankle, which, unknown to her and her doctors, had also been injured in the fall. Over the years, the bones in the ankle deteriorated while near-crippling arthritis set in.

It was just one of those progressive things, where we could do less and less, she said. I was bound and determined not to let it affect me too much . . . but I was never comfortable, lets put it that way.

Hedrick, 76, said she was forced to cut back on many of the activities she loved most, including three-mile walks with her husband. She wore a brace for a time and experimented with homeopathic ointment to try to relieve the pain. One doctor recommended ankle fusion, but she resisted for fear of losing the up-and-down movement of her leg. (Research shows that fusion procedures alter the biomechanical performance of the foot and ankle and may result in postoperative complications.)

Five years later, a foot specialist she visited while vacationing in Arcadia, Fla., broached the subject of a total ankle replacement and said that she would qualify for the procedure. Back in North Carolina, she made an appointment at Duke Health with Parekh, who performed the operation April 25 of this year.

Parekh cut into the front of the ankle and down through the soft tissue all the way to the bone. Then he cut away from both sides of the joint to make way for the implant. He removed enough bone to install two metal pieces and a plastic piece  called the Cadence total ankle replacement  to hold the ankle together and provide it with flexibility. Then he stitched up the repaired joint.

Most patients can begin to walk with crutches after two to three weeks as long as they wear a protective boot. But specialists say rehabilitation can take another six to 12 weeks, and in some cases additional months of physical therapy is required.

By September, Hedrick seemed to be well on her way to a full recovery and spent time with her husband, Vince, at a campground in Mount Airy, N.C. Ive got pretty much full use of the ankle, she said. I dont have full range of motion yet, but it takes a full year when you have ankle replacement to totally heal.

Its so nice not to be in pain all the time, she said. I feel very blessed to have gotten that good a result from the surgery.

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Did volcanoes in Russia, Greenland and Alaska affect the lives of ancient Egyptians?

It may sound improbable, but according to a new study, the answer is yes.

In a paper published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers shows that volcanic eruptions in high northern latitudes of the globe can affect the Nile watershed, causing the flow of one of the worlds mightiest rivers to slow.

This, in turn, could keep the lower Nile from flooding in the late summer months  a regular occurrence on which ancient Egyptians relied to irrigate their crops.

No Nile flooding meant no irrigation, which meant a bad year in the fields, low food supplies and, ultimately, civic unrest, researchers say.

Its a bizarre concept that Alaskan volcanoes were screwing up the Nile, but in fact thats what happened, said Joseph Manning, a historian at Yale University who worked on the study.

Manning said the idea of comparing geological evidence of volcanoes with records kept by the ancient Egyptians occurred to him about two years ago.

He was at a dinner with geographer Francis Ludlow, who had contributed to a seminal study that re-dated volcanic eruptions and looked at how they may have affected the climate at the time.

Around their third glass of wine, Manning asked Ludlow whether he had any data on volcanoes that erupted from 305 to 30 B.C.  the centuries that the powerful Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt, and Mannings area of expertise.

When Ludlow pulled the data up on his computer, Manning was stunned. He instantly recognized the dates of some of the volcanoes as corresponding with times of upheaval in Ptolemaic Egypt.

It almost looked too good to be true, Manning said. And thats when we started to work.

The two researchers teamed up with William Boos, who studies the fluid dynamics of tropical atmosphere with an emphasis on monsoon circulations to try to understand how an explosive volcano in a different part of the world might affect the East African monsoon season.

The authors explain that sulfurous gases released during a powerful volcano can form reflective sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere. Because these aerosols reflect solar radiation, they lead to a cooling effect that can last one to two years. This, in turn, affects what is known as the hydroclimate, including the amount of surface evaporation and rainfall.

Its an indirect response, but because of atmospheric circulation and energy budgets, we find that large volcanic eruptions cause droughts, particularly in monsoon areas, Manning said.

He added that the effect on the Nile watershed appeared to be greatest for volcanoes in the high northern latitudes of the globe.

To see how this dynamic played out in the real world, the authors compared the dates of ancient volcanic explosions from ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica to the Islamic Nilometer  an ancient record of the heights of the Niles annual summer flood.

The Islamic Nilometer, which covers more than 1,000 years from 622 till 1902, is the longest-known annually recorded observational hydrological record, the authors wrote.

Through this work, they found that the flood height of the Nile during an eruption year was consistently lower than during non-eruption years  in all but one case.

On average, the impact of an explosive volcano reduces river flooding by 25 percent below the mean, Manning said.

Although the Nilometer did not go back to the time of Ptolemaic Egypt, the authors still were able to compare data about the timing of ancient volcanoes with socioeconomic and political activity from that era. They were aided by a trove of well-dated records, particularly papyri, that survived.

The researchers found an increase in revolts against Ptolemaic rule in eruption years, suggesting the events might have been triggered by the stress of the Nile failure and not by overtaxation or resentment of Greek rule, as previously has been thought.

And while they discovered no relationship between volcanic explosions and the initiation of wars, the group did find that ongoing wars were more likely to cease after a violent volcano.

This could be because shortly after volcanic eruptions altered the Nile flow, warrior kings had to leave the battlefield and return home to mitigate civil unrest.

For example, after major volcanic eruptions in 247 and 244, historical documents suggest that Ptolemy III was called to address food shortages at home just as he and his troops were about to enter Babylon.

If he had stayed, he might have conquered the entire Near East  possibly changing the course of human history, Manning said.

The authors note that there are a lot of causes for the variability of Nile flooding  not just volcanoes. And the ancient Egyptians were fairly adept at handling the rivers unpredictability, for example, by relying on grain storage.

Similarly, they point out that there are other reasons besides Nile failure that would have led to revolts in Ptolemaic Egypt: ethnic tensions between Egyptians and Greek elites, heavy state taxation and the cost of having nearly constant military operations.

The authors are not saying that volcanoes caused all civil unrest in Egypt, but they do think the eruptions could have been a factor.

The work suggests that humans may be a little less in control of our destiny than we realize.

As current events have shown, we still live in nature, Manning said.
An occasional series of health questions, answered

Q: I've been diagnosed with cancer and hope for a second opinion before I start treatment. I'd like to ask my oncologist for a referral, but that feels like I don't trust her. How do I do this without offending her?

A: How about this: "I love you, but let's both get a second opinion," suggests Jonathan Schaffer, an orthopedic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. After all, he reminded me, "it's you and your doctor in this battle, not you against your doctor." In other words, partners, not adversaries.

The number of misdiagnosed cases varies depending on the study or institution but it's worrisome no matter who you ask. Schaffer is also managing director of the hospital's MyConsult service, which has provided tens of thousands of online second opinions; he notes that they disagree with the original diagnosis in more than 11 percent of patients seen. James Naessens, a policy and health services researcher at the Mayo Clinic who led a study on misdiagnoses, told me that 10 to 20 percent of all cases nationwide are misdiagnosed, affecting at least 12 million people and possibly many more.

Given these numbers, its no wonder that second opinion consultation services are popping up at hospitals and start-ups all over the country. Its no longer necessary to wait weeks to get an appointment with a specialist, and its no longer required to fly across time zones to get the best medical opinion. All you need is Internet access and the required fee, which usually starts at about $500 per consultation. Second opinions are typically covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

I know something about all this myself: In the mid-1980s, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at a San Francisco hospital. After the surgery to remove my cancerous testicle, the oncologist ordered tests to see whether the cancer had spread. I could not have been more relieved when he told me it had not. My mother, however, insisted I get a second opinion  and, lo and behold, a surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York told me I had advanced metastatic disease, for which I then received treatment.

Every patient has a right to a second opinion, says Joseph Fins, chief of medical ethics at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, and it would worry me if a physician was opposed. Asking for a second opinion doesnt necessarily mean youre questioning a doctors recommendation. For many, its seeking the peace of mind that comes with leaving no stone unturned.

Not all second opinions are created equal. Fins says that you want to make sure that person is board-certified in their specialty and that they're affiliated with an academic medical center because they're likely to be "better than average." He cautions against taking recommendations from friends, noting that this is not like choosing a hair stylist, instead suggesting sources such as the annual U.S. News and World Report compilation of hospitals and doctors.

As for asking your doctor for a referral, Fins warns of an inherent bias effect, meaning your doctor may suggest someone who is comparably predisposed in the same practice group, in the same institution. Such a physician is also likely to follow the same treatment guidelines, which means you may get a pro forma confirmation of your original diagnosis.

That rang true to me as well. When my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer four years ago, her pulmonologist in New York referred her to an oncologist at the same medical center. Their diagnoses and treatment plans matched up. My indefatigable mother got yet another opinion elsewhere, which confirmed the diagnosis but altered her treatment plan. According to a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Medicine, a change in the treatment plan is recommended as much as 30 percent of the time.

Theres almost no excuse for not getting a second opinion today, especially with the prevalence of electronic health records, easy uploading of data and access to video conferencing. All of these technological advances are reducing the geographic barriers to care, Cleveland Clinics Schaffer told me.

Whether a patient uses Cleveland Clinic's program, a similar one at Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston or a non-hospital online service staffed by board-certified doctors, such as Second Opinion Expert, the basics are pretty much the same: Upload your data. Pay the fee and wait about a week to get the results, which will include a diagnosis and proposed treatment plan. "In a majority of the cases, the physician specialist does not really need to see the patient in person," Ash Dave, president of Second Opinion Expert, explained in an email. Their doctors use the imaging, pathology and lab reports to make the diagnosis.

So what should you do when you want a second opinion?

Dont be talked out of seeking another opinion by your current doctor or anyone else; this is your decision.

Be upfront but respectful with your doctor. You are partners in this, and having your doctor on your side makes it easier to transfer your medical records and coordinate care.

Dont shop for a specialist who will tell you what you want to hear. You need the unvarnished truth.

Provide the second doctor with all relevant information in your medical record. Fins warns about the discontinuity of care if all the facts dont follow you.

If the second doctor disagrees with the first, youll have another decision to make. The doctor who told me I had metastatic disease said, If you follow my advice and Im wrong, youll have had an unnecessary surgery. If you do what the other doctor recommends and Im right, youll be dead. I followed his recommendation, and he turned out to be correct: Three decades later, Im alive, in large part due to that second opinion.

Do you have a medical question of similar general interest? Submit it to stevenpetrow@gmail.com.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 01:42:29|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ALGIERS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Algerian troops on Sunday killed two armed militants and captured another one in a wide-scale operation in eastern region of the country, Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The source specified that "two dangerous terrorists were killed during an ambush set up in the woods of the locality of Laaouana, in Jijel province, 380 km eastern Algiers."

Two Kalashnikov machine guns and 4 loaded magazines were also retrieved during this ongoing operation.

Elsewhere, army counterterrorism troops arrested "a dangerous terrorist," in another operation conducted in the province of Batna, 370 km southern east Algiers.

The militant was carrying a Kalashnikov machine gun, three loaded magazines and a grenade.

This terrorist is nicknamed Abu al-Khatab, as he joined terrorist fiefs in 1998, specified the source.

Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats.

A few militants affiliated to al-Qaida 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.
Patricia Evans estimates that she has spoken with more than 45,000 people, 97 percent of them women, who have dealt with severe verbal abuse by a partner.

The phrases and speech patterns used by their abusers  insults such as lazy and stupid, statements (That never happened or I never did that) meant to distort past events, and accusations that slowly isolate them from family and friends  were strikingly similar. As opposed to a bad-tempered partner or someone who occasionally says something cruel and then apologizes, verbal and emotional abusers engage in abuse over years and decades, convincing the victim shes at fault, finding ways to cut off her emotional or financial support, and slowly erasing her consciousness, as Evans, an expert on domestic abuse, put it.

We definitely see this as an epidemic, said Cameka Crawford, a spokeswoman for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, an advocacy group based in Austin. It doesnt happen overnight. Its gradual and continues to happen for years.

The Office on Women's Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, lists 11 signs of emotional, or nonphysical, abuse, including humiliating victims, monitoring what they are doing, discouraging them from seeing friends or relatives, constantly accusing them of cheating, and telling them what to eat or wear. The Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women adds "name-calling" and "constant criticism." Crawford's group adds: trapping a victim in her home, blaming her for the abuse, damaging objects, threatening to hurt loved ones or pets, and "gaslighting" (distorting the victim's reality by, for example, denying past events or saying the abuse is "all in your head").

None of these actions involve physical abuse, but they can be severely harmful. The Office on Womens Health notes, Attempts to scare, isolate, or control you also are abuse. They can affect your physical and emotional well-being. And they often are a sign that physical abuse will follow.

The Domestic Violence Hotline  which has received more than 4 million calls since 1996  says that while 58 percent of the calls, emails and texts it received in 2016 involved physical violence as one component of the call, 84 percent of those 323,000 contacts involved emotional or verbal abuse.

Domestic abuse is about an imbalance of power and control, Crawford said. One person tries to control the other using lots of different tactics to keep the power over them in the relationship.

Jeanne King, a psychologist who has specialized in domestic abuse since 1999, said she often gets calls from women or men who reach out only after years of emotional abuse turn physical.

Its the physical abuse that helps them wake up to whats happening, she said. If youre dealing with intimate-partner violence, you are usually coming in with lots of exposure to emotional abuse, verbal abuse and often financial abuse.

The potential for it to become physical is often there, but it doesnt always happen. Ive had people say, I dont hit my wife. Im above that. Im a CEO, Im a physician, Im an attorney; thats beneath me. But theyll keep their partner in a room, block the door, prevent their partner from leaving. Theyre violating their rights without putting their hands on them.

Evans said some verbal abusers never use physical violence because they know hitting means jail. But they engage in demoralizing or trivializing behavior, such as deciding for their partner what they should think, feel or want, saying such things as Youre not really hurt or You just want to argue.

A woman in her 50s living in California, who spoke on the condition that she not be identified by name, said it took two decades to leave her abusive marriage. She met her husband when they were in their late 20s. They had mutual friends, and she said he struck her as easygoing and comfortable to be with.

But when they returned from their honeymoon, things took a dark turn. She said he would rage at her for up to an hour at a time, calling her names, such as lazy, stupid and dumb, wag his finger in her face, say she was the worst mother, and threaten to leave her with no money and take away their child. Most frighteningly, some of this raging occurred while they were in the car, and he was driving. During their last year of marriage, she said, he started holding her down when he was yelling, claiming he had to do that because I dont listen. By the time she filed for divorce, she felt scared, twisted and devastated, with no self-esteem. She felt better only when she read a book about verbal abuse.

Crawford and King said that if a person recognizes abuse and is not in immediate danger, the first thing to do is get educated  by contacting the hotline, finding a domestic-violence group or reading about the issue online.

Surprisingly, the hotline and other experts recommend against marriage counseling for an abusive situation. They say marriage counselors focus on a 50/50 split of responsibility to improve the marriage rather than addressing the fact that one person is abusing the other. Also, the abuser may manipulate the counselor or become enraged later about what happened in the session.

Both parties need to feel safe during the sessions, Crawford said. A lot of the time, the victim doesnt feel safe and is worried about retaliation. Oftentimes what can happen is, couples can go in and the couple presents one way in the session, so the counselor is unaware of how the abuse is occurring. So they may provide feedback inadvertently that allows the abuse to escalate.

Crawford said that abusive partners who want to change could enter a program to address their behavior, particularly a battering intervention and prevention program.

King said: Marital therapy is not recommended when theres domestic violence. Thats pretty much standard in the literature. The reason is that marital therapy is based on a systems approach, which means you spread the responsibility across the system, but thats the very thing that supports the abuse dynamic.

She said that it takes years of training and experience to understand the abuse dynamic. As a clinical psychologist trained in domestic violence, she sees couples together, but she also meets with the individuals separately. She calls what she does domestic-abuse intervention in the context of relationship therapy.

Evans said: Marriage counseling does not work if the therapist is trained to see it as 50/50. Every day I hear from women who go to marriage therapy and are told, Can you be sweeter? Try harder and hell try, and everything will be fine. Abuse is not 50/50.

Sandra Stith, a licensed marriage counselor and professor of family studies and human services at Kansas State University, has developed counseling programs for couples in certain types of abusive relationships.

She said that graduate students in psychology are learning more about domestic violence than was taught decades ago, so there may be couples therapists who can help, but they must be well educated in domestic violence. She said a good counselor should be trained to screen for domestic abuse, thus determining early whether couples counseling is appropriate. Also, someone seeking help with a domestic abuse situation should ask therapists, Do you have experience in this area, or can you refer me to someone who does?

Stith agrees that a caller to the hotline should probably not be referred to couples counseling as a first response. If youre in a situation in which you call the hotline, you likely need to talk to a domestic-violence expert who hopefully will work on a coordinated community response, she said.

Not everyone who recognizes emotional abuse wants to end the marriage immediately. Some may hope the abuser will change. And some dont want to share custody of young children or may not have the financial or familial resources to leave.

Evans said whether an abusive partner can change depends on many factors, including his desire to not want his partner to leave or to want her back if she has left, and how hard he is willing to work. King said the reasons behind the abuse matter in terms of treatment, too. Theres no one psychiatric diagnosis or situation that explains why some people are abusive. Some may suffer from trauma or have a mental-health issue, such as a mood disorder, addiction or a personality disorder.

Crawford said education about emotional abuse is important. People are just starting to have more of a conversation about it, she said. What Ive seen just in the last three years at the hotline, there used to be a lot of conversation and questions that placed blame on the victim, such as Why do they stay? Now more conversations are about What are some of the signs? The questions were getting are about the complexities of this issue.

Evans said verbal abuse is not new, but some factors allow it to continue. Its still a male-dominated society, she said. She also noted that abusers may see people on the news engaging in name-calling and think its acceptable.

Evans stressed that people who want to get out of an abusive relationship should understand that the most dangerous time for them is when theyre about to leave or are in the midst of leaving  and need to plan cautiously.

The Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-SAFE or thehotline.org.

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I dont think we have ever faced a point when all, and I do mean all, of our issues seem to be under attack at once, said Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women's Law Center. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

It started with a kind of Trump-era emergency alert.

Under the Trump Administration, we are already seeing a serious reduction in federal civil rights enforcement, read the email sent to lawyers and legal organizations nationwide this summer. Simultaneously, reports indicate that new waves of gender-based hostility and harassment . . . have increased in schools and workplaces across the country.

In months since the warning, scores of attorneys have joined forces to beat back what they say is a wave of threats to legal protections for women, spurred by President Trumps election.

The email blast came from the National Womens Law Center and represents the organizations first step in building a rapid-response legal collective prepared to take on the womens rights cases that it fears the administration will ignore or inspire.

Theyve dubbed the effort the Legal Network for Gender Equity.



Lawyer Debra Katz, right, speaks to Fatima Goss Graves. When the election happened, I think there was an immediate sense of urgency, Katz said. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

Organizers point to decisions the Trump administration has made that could curb advancements for women, including allowing more employers to opt out of covering birth control in workplace insurance plans and suspending an Obama administration effort to shrink the gender wage gap. In the course of one term, the changes could shift what the federal government is willing to do in womens interests and what companies, individuals and institutions feel emboldened to try, NWLC leaders said.

When the election happened, I think there was an immediate sense of urgency, said Debra Katz, a lawyer with a resume full of litigation related to whistleblower cases, sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination.

Katz is one of 216 lawyers in 32 states involved in the legal network. Organizers hope to recruit more.

This  what we are in the midst of right now  is absolutely the kind of atmosphere where dangerous retreats can happen, serious gains can be lost, Katz said.

The network of lawyers has begun assessing 43 cases, including a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against Walmart. Many of the cases come from people who contact the Washington-based NWLC, which has the capacity to take on just two cases a year without the network.

With lawyers on board who can pursue cases in most states, the emails and conference calls organized by the center have all but declared legal war.

I think we are very much at the point of wondering what could possibly be next, said Fatima Goss Graves, who in July became president and chief executive of NWLC. She also is the first black woman to lead the 45-year-old organization. I dont think we have ever faced a point when all, and I do mean all, of our issues seem to be under attack at once.

Right here, right now

Kassandra Lawrence was desperate.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Justice Department each had investigated the sheriffs deputys claim of pregnancy discrimination against her employer and determined in April that  while her case had merit  neither agency would bring a legal case.

Lawrence couldnt afford the cost of a private attorney upfront. So, in an effort to find an alternative, she did an online search for pregnancy discrimination and Ivanka Trump  the only high-profile person she knew who was talking about family-leave issues. The search led her to a story that mentioned the NWLC.

I just knew that what happened to me wasnt right and shouldnt happen to anyone else, Lawrence said. It certainly didnt seem right that you need to be rich, or somehow have a lot of extra money for a lawyer to even get to court.

The problems had started when Lawrence delivered her second child. She had been working for the Stafford County, Va., sheriffs office for eight years when she became pregnant again. The pregnancy went smoothly, but the delivery did not. Lawrence lost a lot of blood during a complicated Caesarean section.

In the middle of her recovery, the sheriffs department told Lawrence she needed to report to work on a specific date or reapply for a job, according to her lawsuit. She had 12 weeks leave, no more, under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and she had already taken too much time off. All of it was essentially regarded as optional by a department official who said women chose to have children, the lawsuit says. She should have planned things in a way that wasnt so disruptive.

The sheriffs office and Stafford County, both named in Lawrences suit, declined to comment.

Lawrence needed her job, and she liked it. She still does. So she went back to work in pain and with scar tissue wrapped around some of her organs. Lawrence put off surgery to remove it because she knew how it would be received at work.

When she took time off for carpel tunnel surgery on her weapon hand  necessary to do her job  department officials accused her of medical malingering, she said, using leave time to be with her kids.

Thats when she saw it: a memo from the sheriff asking employees to donate leave time to a colleague undergoing cancer treatment. The sheriff asserted that, while the man had exhausted his 12 weeks of leave, he deserved the departments help, Lawrence said.

I had already, at this point, had a lot of strange conversations, had a lot of things said to me about women being such an unfair burden on the department, Lawrence said. First, you question yourself. You do. Then, like most people who need their jobs, you [get] angry. You get scared. But that memo, I just couldnt believe that theyd put this attitude in a memo, clear as day.

NWLC connected her with Phillis Rambsy, a lawyer in the network. Rambsy said their first conversation lasted more than an hour.

She was determined but, unfortunately, living and working in a time and in a place where her rights dont appear to have been recognized, Rambsy said. The sad thing is that place is here. That time is right now.

Rambsy and her law partner, Tom Spiggle, decided to take Lawrences case on contingency, with payment due if the lawyers win the case or secure a settlement. Many lawyers in the network plan to take cases the same way. NWLC will not cover their costs nor will it share in any settlements or court-ordered payouts.

Faith in the courts

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has announced a set of decisions that have roiled womens rights advocates.

On Aug. 30, the White House Office of Management and Budget put on hold a rule that would have required employers with 100 workers or more to share with the EEOC information about the race, ethnicity and gender of employees. Supporters said the rule, set to take effect in 2018, would all but force companies to correct pervasive gender and racial pay disparities.

The administration said the rule would impose too big a burden on employers. Ivanka Trump, who has positioned herself as an advocate for gender equity issues in the administration, gave the delay her seal of approval.

Then last month, the administration took aim at another Obama administration policy when the Education Department rescinded federal guidance on how colleges and universities should deal with sexual assault on campus and announced an interim plan. The move came after an official in charge of the Education Department's civil rights division told the New York Times in July that 90 percent of sexual assault allegations on campus are illegitimate. The official later apologized for her comments, calling them "flippant."

And this month, the administration expanded the number of companies that can opt out of an Affordable Care Act provision requiring employer insurance to cover birth control.

"Our greatest concerns have begun to turn into realities," Graves said. "We have little choice but to put out faith in the courts."

Suzanne Goldberg, a professor at Columbia Law School, said the Trump administrations approach to policies affecting women continues a familiar pattern in history. Some administrations have pushed to expand legal equity while others pulled the country toward the status quo, said Goldberg, who also leads Columbias Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.

In those periods of retrenchment, strategic partnerships between nonprofit groups and lawyers in private practice are a little-recognized way many civil rights gains have been made.

People think about the country as this place where the government and the vast majority of citizens have always been these ferocious defenders of fairness and equality, Goldberg said. The truth is a little messier than that.
FLORIDA

Soldiers killed in Niger mourned at service

Mourners remembered not only a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between President Trump and Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.), but also three comrades who died with him.

Some of the 1,200 mourners exiting the church after Saturdays service said the portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was joined on stage by photographs of Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to the Islamic State.

Johnsons pregnant widow, Myeshia, held the arm of an Army officer as she led her two young children and her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The modern hymn Im Yours could be heard coming from inside.

Johnsons widow is due to have a daughter in January. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, have two children.

Johnsons mother died when he was 5; he was raised by his aunt. His family enrolled him in 5000 Role Models, a project Wilson began in 1993 when she was an educator where African American boys are paired with mentors who prepare them for college, vocational school or the military.

In 2013, a year before he enlisted, Johnson was featured in a local television newscast for his ability to do bicycle tricks, earning the nickname Wheelie King. He said he learned his tricks by going slow.

Once you feel comfortable, you could just ride all day, he told the interviewer.

 Associated Press

Three small earthquakes reported in Oklahoma: The U.S. Geological Survey reports three small earthquakes have been recorded in northern Oklahoma. The most recent of the quakes recorded late Friday and early Saturday was a magnitude 2.5 at 11:03 a.m. Saturday near Renfrow, 103 miles north of Oklahoma City. The agency initially rated the temblor at 3.2. No injuries or damage are reported. The survey also recorded a magnitude 2.7 quake near Byron at 7:54 a.m. Saturday and a magnitude 2.6 temblor at 11:51 p.m. Friday northwest of Guthrie.

Police arrest protesters in Philadelphia: Several people have been taken into custody following a brief clash between police and protesters in Philadelphia. Protesters gathered for a noon protest of a law enforcement conference being held at the city's convention center, carrying signs denouncing police and chanting slogans.

 Associated Press
SYRIA

Trump calls Raqqa victory a breakthrough

President Trump on Saturday issued a statement portraying the Islamic State groups ouster from its Syrian stronghold as a milestone in the U.S. fight against terrorism and a step toward a political transition and lasting peace in Syria. But that assessment runs counter to warnings in recent days from his national security aides.

Kurdish-led forces on Friday declared victory in Raqqa, the extremists self-declared capital. Trump called it a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology and said the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight. He said the United States will back diplomatic negotiations to end the violence, allow refugees to return home safely, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people.

There is no indication, however, that a political transition will come anytime soon. U.N.-led talks have shown no serious signs of picking up steam. The ouster of Islamic State forces from Raqqa and other parts of Syria has overlapped with the increased influence of Iran and Russia in the country and a stronger hand for the Assad regime, dimming prospects for the type of solution Washington has long wanted.

National security officials, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, have warned that the eviction of Islamic State forces from Raqqa does not mean the group wont be able to carry out attacks on U.S. interests. The U.S. military this past week estimated that 6,500 ISIS fighters remain in eastern Syria and western Iraq.

 Associated Press

AFGHANISTAN

Rockets fired into Kabuls Green Zone

Three rockets were fired into Kabuls fortified Green Zone Saturday, where two exploded near the NATO compound housing U.S. military personnel and foreign forces.

A few hours later, a suicide bomber attacked a busload of military cadets, killing 15 of them, by detonating explosives near the entrance gate of the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, about seven miles from the NATO complex. Another four cadets were injured, an Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman said.

The attacks on the NATO complex caused no injuries or damage to the compound, officials said.

Saturday's attacks came a day after a massive suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on the southwestern edge of Kabul killed 39 people and injured another 45.

 Antonio Olivo

Turkish president questions whether U.S. is a democracy: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States on Saturday, castigating Washington for what he said was an "undemocratic" indictment against his security detail. "They say the United States is the cradle of democracy. This can't be true. This can't be democracy," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. "If arrest warrants are issued against my bodyguards in absentia . . . in the United States, where I went upon invitation, excuse me, but I will not say this is a civilized country." A U.S. grand jury in August indicted 15 Turkish security officials over a brawl between protesters and Erdogan's security personnel during the Turkish president's visit to Washington in May.

Malta offers reward for clues on blogger's bombing: Malta's government is offering a reward of 1 million euros ($1.18 million) and full protection for anyone with information on the Oct. 16 car-bomb slaying of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, whose reporting on corruption targeted the prime minister and other top figures on the southern Mediterranean island. Caruana Galizia's reporting exposed Malta's links to offshore tax havens through the leaked Panama Papers. The slaying stunned the island's citizens, who followed her blog on corruption to see which business, financial or political figures were the latest in her sights.

DNA tests confirm death of Filipino terrorist: DNA tests have confirmed the killing of Isnilon Hapilon, one of the FBI's most wanted terrorist suspects. The Philippine military reported that Hapilon was killed Monday by Filipino troops in a final battle to quell a siege in the southern city of Marawi by Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to the Islamic State. The Philippine military said Hapilon led a disastrous siege by Islamist militants on southern Marawi on May 23 in a nearly five-month uprising that has left at least 1,127 people dead, including 915 militants and 165 soldiers and policemen. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said DNA tests done in Virginia confirmed the death.

 From news services
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 02:12:34|Editor: Zhou Xin

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AMMAN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Sunday hailed the liberation of the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State (IS), the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said the restoration of the city and its liberation from the terrorist group is a testimony to the international community's solid stance and humanity and that their unity are stronger than terrorism and its darkness.

The minister said Jordan will continue to play an active role in the international coalition against the Islamic State at the military, security and ideological levels.

The success in the restoration of several territories that used to be under the control of the terrorist regime needs to be followed with strategies at the security and ideological levels.

The success in the field needs to needs to be followed by a complete ceasefire in Syria and the acceleration of the launch of a political process in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2254 to meet the aspirations of the Syrians.

He added that the political solution to the crisis in Syria that preserves the country's security and stability is the guarantee for sustaining the success against the IS and radical ideologies.

Early this week, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the liberation of the Syrian northern city of Raqqa, after fully defeating the Islamic State group.

The SDF announced Raqqa would be part of a decentralized federal Syria.
UNITED NATIONS

WHO chief revokes Mugabe appointment

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday revoked his appointment of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador after the choice drew widespread outrage and criticism.

WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus said at a conference in Uruguay on noncommunicable diseases last week that Mugabe had agreed to be a goodwill ambassador on the issue.

After the outcry from international leaders and health experts, the WHO chief said he had changed his mind, saying it was in the best interests of the U.N. health agency. Tedros said he had consulted with Zimbabwes government about his decision.

Mugabe, 93, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwes once-prosperous economy falls apart and the countrys health-care system deteriorates. He also faces U.S. sanctions over his governments human rights abuses.

The heads of U.N. agencies and the U.N. secretary general typically choose celebrities and other prominent people as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to global issues.

 Associated Press

MALTA

Thousands join rally to honor slain journalist

Several thousand Maltese citizens rallied Sunday to honor an investigative journalist killed last week in a car bombing, but the prime minister and the opposition leader  targets of Daphne Caruana Galizias reporting  stayed away from the gathering.

Participants at the rally in Maltas capital, Valletta, placed flowers at the foot of a memorial to the 53-year-old reporter that sprang up after her Oct. 16 slaying. Hundreds later held a sit-in outside police headquarters, demanding the resignation of the commissioner.

Caruana Galizia had repeatedly criticized police and judicial officials.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said before the events start that he would not attend because he knew the anti-corruption reporters family did not want him there.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia also skipped the rally, saying he did not want to stir controversy.

Muscat and Delia had brought libel lawsuits against the reporter.

Just before her death, Caruana Galizia had posted that there were crooks everywhere in Malta. The island nation, a member of the European Union, has a reputation as a tax haven.

Caruana Galizia focused on political corruption and scandals, and she reported on Maltese mobsters and drug trafficking. She also wrote about Maltese links to the Panama Papers leaks on offshore financial havens.

 Associated Press

Yemeni journalist denied entry to U.S. to receive award: A Yemeni journalist has been denied a visa to the United States, where she is to receive the International Press Freedom Award, said the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Trump administration in September announced the most recent iteration of the U.S. travel ban, which includes restrictions on Yemeni citizens. Afrah Nasser, who is also a citizen of Sweden, where she resides, says the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm has twice rejected her visa application.

Putin critic Navalny released from detention: Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition figure, was released from jail after serving a 20-day sentence for calling an unauthorized demonstration. Navalny was arrested Sept. 29 as he planned to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod for a rally that officials had sanctioned. But a court sentenced him for organizing an unauthorized protest in President Vladimir Putin's home town of St. Petersburg. Navalny plans to run against Putin next year.

Slovenia's leader faces runoff: Incumbent Borut Pahor won the most votes in Slovenia's presidential election but will face a runoff against an ambitious challenger. A near-complete vote count showed Pahor with 47 percent of the vote. His closest rival had 25 percent. No candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, forcing the runoff.

Indonesia seeks answers as top general is denied U.S. entry: Indonesia is seeking clarification after its military chief was denied entry to the United States, an official said. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Indonesian Embassy in Washington had sent a diplomatic note to the State Department. Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo and his wife were told by their airline shortly before departure that U.S. officials would deny them entry, said a military spokesman. Nurmantyo had been invited by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff to attend a conference.

 From news services
THE FINAL capture of the Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa this week by U.S.-backed Syrian forces brings the would-be caliphate to the brink of extinction: It has lost 87 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria and probably will soon be driven from the rest. But the terrorists' defeat raises complex challenges for the United States in Iraq and Syria, where Iran and Russia are entrenching their forces and consolidating influence at the expense of U.S. allies. If there is a countering American strategy, it isn't evident.

While gratuitously undermining the Iran nuclear agreement, President Trump promised that the United States would resist Iranian aggression in the region. Yet the administration remained passive as Iranian-led militia forces helped the Iraqi army push U.S.-allied Iraqi Kurds out of the disputed city of Kirkuk and nearby oil fields; Mr. Trump said the United States was neutral in that fight. On Syria, Washington appears content to step aside as Russia and Iran work to restore the authority of the blood-soaked regime of Bashar al-Assad  and consolidate bases for themselves.

During the fight for Raqqa, the Russia-Iran-Assad coalition recaptured territory on the other side of the Euphrates River, including the towns of Deir al-Zour and Mayadin. It is winning what has been a race to grab territory in eastern Syria, including the country's main oil fields. And unlike Washington, Moscow and Tehran clearly intend to continue backing their allies once the Islamic State is wiped out. Rather than remain in Syria, the State Department says, the plan is to "turn [Raqqa] over to other countries and the host country"  which probably means Russia, Iran and the Assad regime.

Moscow has managed to draw Syria's neighbors into its pacification scheme. Last month Turkey agreed to a deal to help end the fighting in the northwestern province of Idlib, much of which is controlled by an al-Qaeda-linked coalition. In recent days, Turkish forces have been advancing into territory near the Turkish border. It remains to be seen whether the Turks will confront the extremist forces or turn on the U.S.-allied Kurds; for now they appear to be negotiating with al-Qaeda.

Left out of this emerging new order is Israel, whose strong objections to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls Iran's incipient "military entrenchment" in Syria have been brushed aside by Russia. Israel recently stepped up its own military action to stop an Iranian buildup, bombing sites deep inside Syria. Yet while Mr. Trump's disavowal of the Iranian nuclear accord pleased Mr. Netanyahu, there is no sign of U.S. intent to arrest the more imminent Iranian threat to Israel in Syria.

Mr. Trump may believe he can extract the United States from Iraq and Syria without harming strategic interests. If so, he is repeating the mistake of President Barack Obama. A failure by the United States to defend its allies or promote new political arrangements for the two Arab states will lead only to more war, the rise of new terrorist threats and, ultimately, the necessity of more U.S. intervention.
Regarding Roy Eidelson's Oct. 15 Outlook essay, "Psychology is finally coming to grips with enabling torture":

Psychology benefits society and improves peoples lives. It is critical to distinguish between the actions of two rogue psychologists who designed and implemented the CIAs notorious detainee torture program during the George W. Bush administration and the profession of psychology as a whole.

I agree with Mr. Eidelson that tortures corrosive effects are an assault on human dignity  and that ultimately endangers and diminishes us all. The successes of the nations many hard-working and dedicated psychologists should not be tarnished by the shocking and unacceptable actions of two renegade psychologists. The American Psychological Association stands firm against torture and in support of the science and ethics that guide us to live better lives.

The discipline is committed to doing good, as are the vast majority of people engaged in the field. Every day, psychologists take on urgent challenges that plague our nation. Their work supports increased access to affordable, quality health care, strives to prevent gun violence and shines a light on police-community relations. They have been on the ground in Houston and Puerto Rico in the aftermath of horrific natural disasters and in Las Vegas and Orlando after unthinkable human tragedy; they will be there for years to help these communities rebound. Their work is hard, and their goals are ambitious. Psychology as a field is committed to achieving them.

Arthur C. Evans Jr., Washington

The writer is chief executive of the

American Psychological Association.
TESTIFYING BEFORE the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was asked about his decision to deploy a Justice Department lawyer to help prosecute the killer of an Iowa teenager who identified as both male and female. The choice is a welcome sign that the federal government has not entirely left transgender Americans behind. But, as Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) pointed out to Mr. Sessions, the aggressive prosecution of a possible hate crime "doesn't tell the whole story" about a Justice Department that has also rescinded protections against workplace and classroom discrimination toward transgender people.

Family and friends of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson describe his gender as fluid: He referred to himself as "he" and "him" but liked to wear feminine clothing and sometimes went by the name Kandicee with friends. In March 2016, he was shot dead in an alley in his home town of Burlington, Iowa. State prosecutors are pursuing charges of first-degree murder against the main suspect in the teenager's death, and the federal government is investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.

According to Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers, Justice Department attorney Christopher Perras is joining the case to allow a smoother transition between state and federal prosecutions should the federal government decide to bring hate-crime charges. It's rare for the Justice Department to assign its lawyers to work on state cases. That Mr. Sessions appears to have personally requested federal intervention shows a willingness to be forceful in prosecuting crimes against transgender people.

This willingness contrasts with the attorney general's decision to roll back protections for transgender people under federal anti-discrimination law. While the Obama administration argued that discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender identity would be prohibited by laws against sex-based discrimination, Mr. Sessions has advocated a narrower legal interpretation. In February, he supported the revocation of guidance defending the rights of transgender students.

To be sure, criminal prosecution is a different matter from an anti-discrimination case. Mr. Sessions has promised to "enforce hate-crime laws aggressively" as part of his tough-on-crime stance. And he seems to be making good on that promise  even though, as a senator, he voted against the expansion of hate-crime legislation to include attacks on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

We are glad to see the Justice Department work to bring to justice the killer of a young person who was just beginning to figure out an identity and place in the world. But defending transgender people, often the most vulnerable among us, means much more than bringing charges against those who attack them. It also requires shielding them from harassment at work and school and protecting them from situations  such as being forced to use bathrooms that dont align with their gender identity  that can lead to violence. If, as Mr. Sessions told Mr. Franken, the Justice Department has no hostility toward transgender people, he must also understand that prosecuting hate crimes against them is less than half the battle.
Regarding George F. Will's Oct. 19 op-ed, "The extremist 'Party of Science' ":

The Party of Science thanks Mr. Will for his inquiry about fetal development. He would be happy to hear that much is known about this subject that could inform our policymaking.

The circuitry for neurons involved in pain perception develops between 23 weeks and 30 weeks. Although legislators have latched onto reports of reflexive or hormonal responses to pain around 20 weeks, this represents a poor understanding of the science because these responses can be elicited by non-painful stimuli and occur without cortical processing.

The problem here isnt the state of the science; it is legislators understanding of the science. If legislators were truly concerned about pain, they would also consider the pain these babies experience on delivery, since most late-term abortions are performed because of lethal fetal anomalies. The question a compassionate person would ask is not does a fetus experience pain? but which is more painful for a fetus with a lethal fetal anomaly, abortion or delivery?

The Party of Science is willing and able to cite the data in support of its positions. If Mr. Will and the legislators making these laws are unable to understand the science, they should leave these decisions to the physicians who do.

Katharine McNeill, Bronx, N.Y.

The writer is a neurologist at

Montefiore Medical Center.

In his predictable antiabortion piece, George F. Will failed even once to mention the other party, i.e., the pregnant woman. Surely, she is entitled to all of the legal protection afforded to other citizens. The problem is that abortion is unique in all of jurisprudence (with the possible exception of a dispute between conjoined twins) in that prior to the time when the fetus is viable, neither party is independent of the other. In any other case, the law can direct the parties to stay apart.

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court recognized this and rendered a decision that was Solomonic in its brilliance. Without invoking science, morality or religion, the court ruled that the mutually exclusive rights of the two parties should shift from favoring the pregnant woman early in pregnancy to the fetus later. The three stages (trimesters), while arbitrary, recognize this and provide a rational basis for abortion law. It should be noted that the court's ruling transcends issues of cognition, pain perception and even whether the fetus is a person at conception. This continuing controversy has resulted from the failure to acknowledge the fundamental insolubility of this problem.

B.K. Krueger, Ellicott City

When legislators won't compromise on whether the government may force my daughter to bear a child against her will, I'm grateful. The debate is "politically toxic" because antiabortion individuals do not believe that the rights of the pregnant woman may ever, in her sole judgment, override those of her fetus. This discomfort with women's agency may be why, in a column about abortion, George F. Will did not use the word "woman" even once.

Ruth Moors DEredita, Vienna

George F. Will made a reasonable case for the House bill banning abortion after the 20th week.

But in his attack on the term potential life, he was not paying attention to how modern fertility clinics have overcome the earlier problems of low success vs. catastrophic high-birth numbers. Its because they no longer implant non-viable fertilized eggs. The practice now is to grow fertilized eggs as long as possible in the petri dish, five days, before inspecting them under a microscope and selecting only the good ones for implantation.

It turns out that on average, for all ages and considering the health of the women trying to become pregnant, only a minority of fertilized eggs survive, and about half the time the reason for failure is that the egg was non-viable at the time of ovulation.

The Party of Science to which Mr. Will referred misses this, too. Todays science seems to suggest that it is reasonable to refer to fertilized eggs as potential life.

Edward H. Takken, Alexandria
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he arrives to visit the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology on the outskirts of Manila on Oct. 18. (Aaron Favila/Associated Press)

ERRATIC, PROFANE and crude, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is a person to whom the old adage applies: Watch what he does, not what he says. In his first year in office, he launched a nationwide extrajudicial campaign against suspected drug dealers and users in which thousands of people were killed, often by police or by vigilantes on motorcycles without due process or protection of their rights. Now, Mr. Duterte has said he may end the awful campaign. Lets hope he means it.

Mr. Duterte won the presidency last year with fiery promises to go after drug abusers much as he had pursued criminals as mayor of the southern city of Davao, where armed vigilantes turned into death squads. In his final campaign rally in 2016, he declared if elected president, he would kill criminals and "dump all of you into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there."

Once he was in office, a violent campaign unfolded in which at least 5,000 and perhaps many more people were killed by police and by vigilante squads. Mr. Duterte retained high public approval ratings and brushed off international criticism of his brutal methods.

But more recently, public outrage erupted after closed-circuit video footage showed how a 17-year-old student, Kian Loyd Delos Santos, was dragged by police toward where he was shot dead on Aug. 16. The event triggered a large opposition rally and led to an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation. The young man was one of 82 people killed from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16, part of one of the deadliest weeks in the drug war.

An early October poll suggested that Mr. Duterte's approval ratings were sagging and that he had especially suffered among poor people who were once a bulwark. Risa Hontiveros, an opposition senator, told the Financial Times recently that the poll numbers were an "ominous warning" and added, "There are deep and widening rumblings of discontent across different social classes and all over the country with rampant killings, fake news and numerous accusations of corruption."

On Oct. 10, Mr. Duterte made a decision to effectively pull the 160,000-strong national police off the drug war and turn it over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which has only about 1,800 officers. This suggested that the president may be pulling back from the indiscriminate campaign on the streets; Mr. Duterte said the drug agency would be ordered to go after "big fish," networks and suppliers. Mr. Duterte made a similar shift in January, then rescinded it five weeks later. The hope is that this time he is serious.

His motivation may be, in part, President Trump's expected visit in November. Mr. Duterte, who spat insults at President Barack Obama, has made a determined effort to redirect Philippine foreign policy toward China and Russia. Mr. Trump, who has an unabashed affinity for crude strongmen, should do what he can to bring Mr. Duterte back toward the United States and discourage him from resuming the extrajudicial drug war.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. greets churchgoers as he leaves the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington on Oct. 1. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press)

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has made it his mission to try to convince the American public that the Supreme Court is something unlike other Washington institutions  different from the gridlocked mess across the street in the Capitol, more disciplined and respectful of its place in the constitutional constellation than the bellicose White House down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The nine justices are not Democrats or Republicans, he often says, leaving unmentioned the political process that got each of them installed in their lifetime appointments. They put aside their personal and partisan preferences and go where the law and the Constitution lead them, he says.

[Political wars damage Supreme Courts reputation, Roberts says]

Roberts, beginning his 13th year as the chief justice of the United States, is usually self-confident and sure-footed in his task.

But in the biggest political case of the Supreme Court's term, Roberts's actions opened him up last month more for criticism than praise. In the court's examination of partisan gerrymandering, Roberts lamented the predicament the court would be in if called upon regularly to choose winners and losers among Democrats and Republicans.

Critics on both the left and right called him out, saying it sounded as though he were more worried about polishing the courts reputation than fulfilling its duty.

The case was about whether Wisconsins Republican legislative leadership had so gerrymandered the states legislative districts as to make GOP control inevitable and Democratic opposition practically futile. In the first election after the district lines were drawn, Republican legislative candidates got 48 percent of the statewide vote but captured 60 of 99 State Assembly seats.

[Supreme Court divided on Wisconsin gerrymandering case]

The courts decision could reshape the nations politics. Although the court has been vigilant about guarding the redistricting process against racial gerrymandering, the justices have never rejected a states plan because it was too partisan.

Roberts was skeptical that the court had a role to play, because the political redistricting process might belong exclusively to the peoples elected representatives. That is not so unusual  the last time the court considered the issue, in 2004, four of the nine justices said the court should stay out of partisan redistricting.

And Roberts was also leery of the mathematical test challengers had come up with to try to measure when normal politics became unconstitutional bias. (One version is called the efficiency gap, or EG.) Thats not so unusual, either. There are plenty of skeptics of the plan.

But Robertss real objection seemed to be that forcing the court to make such decisions would put the justices in a no-win position and tarnish the reputation that they  he  had worked hard to burnish:

We will have to decide in every case whether the Democrats win or the Republicans win. So its going to be a problem here across the board. And if youre the intelligent man on the street and the court issues a decision, and lets say, okay, the Democrats win, and that person will say, Well, why did the Democrats win? 

The answer that a mathematical test found a way to gauge when partisan gerrymandering was too prevalent will not be convincing, Roberts said.

The intelligent man on the street is going to say thats a bunch of baloney. It must be because the Supreme Court preferred the Democrats over the Republicans. And thats going to come out one case after another as these cases are brought in every state. And that is going to cause very serious harm to the status and integrity of the decisions of this court in the eyes of the country.

As quickly as anyone could say Bush v. Gore, or Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, criticism came from both left and right.

"Wait," the conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin wrote in The Washington Post. "Especially for a 'conservative' justice, where does it say in the Constitution that the court should 'ignore constitutional violations if it makes the court less respected by people who don't read opinions'? This is an entirely illegitimate concern."

Joseph R. Fishkin, a University of Texas law professor writing on the liberal legal blog Balkinization, said he had a simple and realist answer for Roberts: That thing you are worried about, where the Courts intervention is perceived as partisan and thereby erodes respect for the Court? It is not going to happen.

More likely, Fishkin wrote, is that Robertss imaginary intelligent man on the street will say: What a bunch of baloney. The Court is refusing to fix this problem even though theyre the only ones who can fix this problem. I guess they are part of the problem.

There was more.

In expressing his skepticism of the test the challengers said the court could use to decide when a redistricting plan became an outlier, Roberts went a little far in his self-deprecation.

The whole point is youre taking these issues away from democracy and youre throwing them into the courts pursuant to  and it may be simply my educational background, but I can only describe as  sociological gobbledygook, Roberts said.

No one has ever doubted Robertss brain, and its unlikely the Harvard graduate who dazzled at Harvard Law School was underserved by his professors.

Paul Smith, the attorney for the challengers, responded, Your Honor, this is  this is not complicated.

Justice Elena Kagan served up the droll observation that if state legislators could use enhanced voter technology to draw maps to lock in majorities for election after election, surely judges could use the same techniques to determine when those plans had gone too far.

And the American Sociological Association weighed in on Roberts as well, in a somewhat snooty letter released publicly.

We are particularly concerned about a person of your stature suggesting to the public that scientific measurement is not valid or reliable and that expertise should not be trusted, wrote Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, the associations president. What you call gobbledygook is rigorous and empirical.

He added, Should you be interested in enhancing your education in this area, we would be glad to put together a group of nationally and internationally renowned sociologists to meet with you and your staff.

That doesnt seem likely.

Roberts, of course, has a point. The Supreme Court has a mandate from Congress to review decisions about redistricting from the lower courts and either affirm or reverse those decisions. The court in recent years has been drawn into redistricting battles in Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas.

If the court decides charges of partisan gerrymandering should receive the same scrutiny as charges of racial gerrymandering, there will no doubt be more challenges making their way to the high court.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, 81, probably holds the deciding vote in the case. But he may not be around to review the redistricting challenges that would follow the 2020 Census.

It would be Roberts and the court he heads that would be left to apply the gobbledygook and avoid the baloney.
President Trump told House Republicans, We are on the verge of doing something very, very historic. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump on Sunday afternoon urged House Republicans on a conference call to rally behind a Senate-passed budget bill, touting it as the quickest way to enact sweeping tax cuts later this year without Democratic support.

We are on the verge of doing something very, very historic, Trump told GOP lawmakers, adding that success on tax cuts could provide a springboard to action on other shared legislative priorities, according to a Republican familiar with the call.

Following multiple failed attempts to overhaul the health-care system, Republicans are eager for a marquee legislative victory and see tax reform as their best shot at working with Trump to deliver on a major campaign promise.

During the call, Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) argued that passing the revised Senate budget this week provides the best shot to get a tax bill enacted by the end of the year, according to participants.

Republican leaders argued that is the better alternative at this point to negotiating with the Senate to resolve differences with the Houses fiscal blueprint.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Budget Committee, said passage of the Senate budget could occur this week.

Such a move may save as many as 10 or 12 legislative days, Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said during an appearance earlier Sunday on Fox News Sunday. He called that prospect a big deal.

In a bid to build momentum for taking that course, Trump and Vice President Pence joined the House GOP call.

A senior administration official familiar with the call said Trump spoke for about 10 minutes and delivered what amounted to a pep talk, cheering everyone on.

The budget adopted by the Senate will allow the Republican-led chamber to pass a tax bill through the reconciliation process, which prevents Democrats from mounting a filibuster against the legislation. That would allow passage with 50 votes instead of the 60 needed to cut off a filibuster. There are 52 Republicans in the chamber.

Even so, Trump expressed hope that a tax bill would attract some Democratic votes, said the administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a call that was not open to reporters.

The official said Trump also said action on the tax bill could lead to other victories, including promised legislation to spur $1 trillion in investment in the nations roads and other infrastructure, as well as welfare reform.

He also said passage of the tax bill would set Republicans up well for the 2018 midterm elections, the official said.

Significant differences between the House and Senate blueprints could have presented a stumbling block. Most notably, the House version authorized a tax overhaul that does not add to the deficit, while the Senate approach increases the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. But most conservative hard-liners in the House, a group that has raised concerns in the past about deficit spending, appeared to be inclined to accept the Senate version in the interest of accelerating work on a tax overhaul.

The actual writing and selling of a bill still poses significant challenges in the coming weeks, however. Even with the wiggle room that the Senate budget gives lawmakers to add to the deficit, Republicans need to find massive amounts of new revenue. Thats because their tax-cutting wish list tips the scales at an estimated $5 trillion.

Tapping any meaningful source of new money means pinching one constituency or another. Asked Sunday about a New York Times report that Republicans are considering capping what workers can contribute tax-free to their 401(k) retirement accounts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) demurred. Were just beginning the process of actually crafting the bills, he said in an appearance on CNNs State of the Union. Its way too early to predict the various details.

Nevertheless, congressional Republicans are eyeing an aggressive schedule for moving a tax package. House Republicans are aiming to unveil, amend and pass a bill by mid-November.

In addition to joining the conference call, Trump penned an editorial published in USA Today on Sunday  the 31st anniversary of the last major overhaul of the tax code, he noted. He said that it is imperative to ignite Americas middle class miracle once again.

Trump is also set to press the point in person when he joins Senate Republicans on Tuesday for their weekly lunch at the Capitol.
The Democratic National Committee gathered here over the past week with one worry on every activist's mind: We'd better not lose the Virginia governor's race.

Its a surprising case of the jitters over a place that hasnt elected a Republican to statewide office in eight years  and that voted resoundingly against Donald Trump last year. But nationally, Democrats havent won a marquee race since losing the presidency. They lag Republicans in fundraising. A loss for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam against Republican Ed Gillespie on Nov. 7 could stir doubts about message and strategy just as the party is gearing up nationally for next years all-important midterm elections.

Were Ground Zero, Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said inside the Ballys casino here, where party leaders and activists from all 57 states and territories gathered over the past few days. All eyes are on us. I can understand that, because last year broke my heart.

Less clear is whether the jitters will help  or whether a Northam victory gives Democrats any kind of road map for 2018. Leaders and activists spent a lot of time in Las Vegas talking about Nevada and Virginia, two increasingly urban and diverse states that bucked 2016s Trump wave, as models for what every state party could achieve if they organized and elevated their activist base.

They spent less time talking about Trumps winning message on jobs and fairness, or the states where it was so effective, or how to win in those places with a sales pitch of their own.



Former president Barack Obama joins hands with the Democratic candidates for statewide office in Virginias Nov. 7 election. From left: lieutenant governor candidate Justin Fairfax; Attorney General Mark Herring, who is seeking reelection; and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is running for governor. (Alexa Welch Edlund/AP)

From a branding perspective, we have a huge problem, said Ken Martin, the chairman of Minnesotas Democratic Farmer-Labor Party. It was the biggest challenge for us in the last year  and our biggest mistake was uniting around Stop Trump. 

Defeat in Virginia could also prompt another brawl between progressive activists and the party's establishment. Northam, backed by most of Virginia's elected Democrats, won his nomination over Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed former congressman Tom Perriello  a race that some activists saw as a replay of the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries.

Northam's defeat would let activists argue that the party that picked Hillary Clinton over Sanders (Vt.), and Tom Perez over Sanders-backed Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) for Democratic National Committee chairman in February, had once again bet against progressives and lost. It would set the stage for more infighting in 2018.

Ideology aside, most party leaders seemed bent on avoiding in Virginia the kind of overconfidence they say settled in near the end in 2016, when many Democrats assumed that Clinton would win the presidency.

That sense of complacency led people to take their foot off the gas, Martin said. We saw a dip in volunteers in the last few weeks, turnout dropped. That cant ever happen again.

Perez went further, rebuking Democrats who believe Virginia is now solidly, safely, permanently blue after years of population growth in the diverse suburbs of Washington. I hear demographics is destiny and its nails on a chalkboard to me, the DNC chairman said at a session here over the weekend. Demographics is not destiny. Organizing is destiny.

Northam, a former Army doctor and pediatric neurologist, is in a neck-and-neck race with Gillespie, a former lobbyist and GOP strategist. There are a number of reasons to wonder whether Democrats can retain the executive mansion, which Terry McAuliffe now occupies.



Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie is a former chairman of the RNC and a former lobbyist. (Steve Helber/AP)

The DNC began pouring resources into Virginia in July, spending $1.5 million up front to hire 40 staff members. In addition, national staff members were loaned out to run communications for campaigns down the ballot. The party paid for direct mail to nonwhite voters; DNC Hispanic Media Director Francisco Pelayo and party operative Andrea Peoples were tasked with outreach to Latino and black female voters.

But theyre doing it with less money than the Republican National Committee. The DNC raised $4.4 million in August and spent slightly more money than it took in. As of last month, its debt  $4.1 million  was almost twice the size of its cash reserves. The RNC, meanwhile, reported $45.9 million in the bank and no debt. With less fanfare than the DNC, it has spent $3 million in Virginia, helping fund 80 staff members on the ground for Republican campaigns.

The RNC never left Virginia and has had field staff on the ground since 2013, said RNC spokesman Michael Ahrens.

The Northam-Gillespie race has heated up in the last month, as Gillespie, who once urged his party to moderate on immigration, launched half a dozen TV and radio ads warning that Northam would leave Virginia vulnerable to the Central American gang MS-13 by refusing to ban sanctuary cities with policies of protecting illegal immigrants and not cooperating with federal authorities to deport them. (Virginia does not have sanctuary cities.)

Democrats have jumped at the chance to link Gillespie with Trump.

Weve got an opponent whos running a Donald Trump-style campaign, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said in a video message to the gathering in Las Vegas.

Weve watched a Republican nominee for governor run racially tinged ads that play on our fears, said former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. Former president Barack Obama delivered a similar critique of Gillespie at a Northam rally in Richmond last week.

[Obama tears into Gillespie at campaign rally]

But the partys broader strategy for winning in states Trump won has been less of a focus.

Democrats believe Trump would have lost the White House last year had he not stolen the mantle of populism, a traditionally Democratic message. But there was not much soul-searching about messaging among those who convened in Las Vegas. There was no debate about the identity politics that the partys critics accused them of embracing in 2016, and little discussion of how to communicate differently in the states that supported Trump last year.

Instead, party leaders focused heavily on organizing and engaging the base.

The DNC, for instance, is looking at Virginia and New Jersey, the other state with a governors race next month, to test new voter outreach technology. In an interview, DNC Chief Technology Officer Raffi Krikorian said the party had deployed Facebook messenger bots, texts to likely voters, and tactics for encouraging volunteers to turn their own social-media contacts into voters.

My teams focus is on how we get tools in the hands of activists and state parties, Krikorkian said. Were seeing if we can leverage friends effectively. Instead of doing canvassing on a geographic basis, what if we start with your circle of friends?

The year so far has frustrated Democrats trying to turn Trump's high disapproval ratings, and the burning energy of political activists, into votes. Democrats have over-performed in a series of special legislative races. And the DNC is helping Washington Democrats ahead of a Nov. 7 special election that could flip the state's Senate from red to blue. But the investments haven't yet paid off with victories. The DNC spent $2 million and hired 10 staff members to boost Jon Ossoff's campaign for a House seat in suburban Atlanta  a historically expensive race that Republicans ended up winning.

[Koch group launches anti-Northam push in Va. governors race]

In interviews, state party leaders said they have spent the year rebuilding. Jane Kleeb, the chairwoman of Nebraskas Democrats, assembled a list of the states Democratic officeholders because none existed. Stephen Webber, the chairman of Missouris Democrats, told a Midwestern caucus meeting that his party had developed a message for rural counties where we used to win 60 percent of the vote and now barely win 15 percent  a populist campaign against corporate farming conglomerates.

An additional challenge as 2018 approaches is keeping the battles inside the party at bay.

In Las Vegas, some Democrats remained committed to those battles. For the first two days of a four-day meeting, much of the news coverage focused on a conflict over the list of the partys at-large membership, which included several lobbyists; at a Friday meeting, the resolutions committee put the party on record against any donations from people who represent corporate interests that the party opposes.

But for most Democrats, the best way to stave off another round of infighting is to win.

Said Holder: Now is not a time for our party to be beholden to ideological litmus tests. Were held together by common interests.

Read more at PowerPost
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 02:42:41|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The British police on Sunday stormed a bowling alley at a leisure complex in Nuneaton and ended an armed hostage siege with no casualties being reported.

Police said the incident is not terror-related.

Local police officers said two hostages had been held in Bermuda Park in Warwickshire, but a gunman had been arrested.

The suspect was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital, while two other men escaped uninjured, the medics said.
An Afghan security official stands guard at a checkpoint in Afghanistans Kandahar province. Security in Kandahar has been intensified after deadly attacks nationwide in the past week. (Muhammad Sadiq/EPA/EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)

Worried about eroding security, elected officials in Afghanistan sought answers this weekend from President Ashraf Ghani's administration, asking why more was not done to prevent suicide attacks that have killed nearly 200 people in one of the bloodiest weeks of the year.

The president gives lectures, and his advisers and ministers are clapping for him, Saleh Mohammad Saljoqi, a member of parliament from the western province of Herat, said during a Saturday evening session with security officials, according to local news reports.

Alas, they should see what is going on in this country, he said.

In the past week, Taliban suicide bombers broke through security checkpoints at police and military compounds in Humvees, allowing fighters to storm the gates in commando-style raids that, in one case, nearly wiped out all 60 Afghan National Army soldiers based in a post in the southwestern province of Kandahar. In that attack, 43 soldiers died, while nine were wounded.

Other attacks included the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Kabul that killed 54 people and injured 55, and a rocket attack on the NATO compound inside the city's fortified "Green Zone" that caused no injuries.

Earlier in the week, several attempts at suicide attacks in the city were foiled when officials arrested three people driving in trucks loaded with explosives.

[Taliban attacks in Afghanistan kill more than 70 people amid push for peace talks]

Some elected officials accused Pakistan, which has aided the Taliban in the past, of facilitating the attacks. Pakistan, threatened with sanctions by President Trump for allowing safe havens for terrorists near its border with Afghanistan, denies assisting the group and has made a point of condemning the attacks.

Other Afghan officials, as well as security analysts, believe that the attacks are a show of force in response to Trumps plan to add 4,000 U.S. troops in the country  bringing the total U.S. presence to about 13,500  while increasing nighttime raids and aerial bombing of Taliban forces.

The attacks show that they are here and are busy fighting and the airstrikes have not affected them, said Abdul Hafeez Mansoor, a parliament member from the central province of Panjshir. They are doing their utmost to deteriorate the situation and are using any means and measures for doing so.

On Sunday, Ghani visited a police compound in Paktia province, which borders Pakistan, to offer condolences to the families of about 80 people killed Tuesday in a Taliban raid. Toryalai Abdiyani, the local police chief, was among those killed.

Terrorists can shed our blood, but they cannot break our will, Ghanis Twitter feed read before he headed to Gardez, Paktias capital. RIP Gen. Abdiyani, a brave son & soldier of our soil.

[Trump faces the grim reality of Afghanistan: No quick path to victory, no clear way out]

Mohammad Radmanesh, a Defense Ministry spokesman, noted that 270 Taliban fighters were killed in Kandahar in recent days.

We are resolved to stop them, prevent them and reduce their might and power to zero with the passage of time with the available resources, Radmanesh said.

But with the Islamic State militant group  which asserted responsibility for the bombing of the Imam Zaman Shiite mosque in Kabul  also operating in Afghanistan, it is getting more difficult to prevent all attacks, he said.

This is true that the terrorists from around the world have gathered in Afghanistan and are involved in sabotage activities, Radmanesh said.

Mariam Koofi, a member of parliament from the northeastern Badakhshan province, lamented what she sees as an increasingly complicated fight for security in Afghanistan.

Unlike in the past, we have seen the attacks happening more in urban areas, Koofi said, calling for more resources for the nations small air force. Our intelligence is weak and cannot prevent such attacks.

Sharif Walid contributed to this report.

Read more:

Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for a troop increase

Some Afghan troops training in the U.S. feared violence and corruption at home. So they went AWOL.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Officials of the election administration committee bring in ballot boxes for counting in Tokyo. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured a crucial victory in Japan's parliamentary elections on Sunday, with his ruling bloc maintaining a supermajority that could allow it to push for a revision of the nation's pacifist constitution.

With results still trickling in Monday, public broadcaster NHK reported that Abes Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller coalition partner, Komeito, had received at least 312 seats in the 465-seat House of Representatives.

The result further illustrates the political savvy of Abe, 63, who has proved an enduring force in Japanese politics despite scandals and fluctuating approval ratings.

This is a win for Abe, said Sheila Smith, a Japan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, adding that the supermajority showed a real endorsement of Abes leadership

[In Japan, a scandal over a school threatens to entangle Abe]

The decisive victory is expected to bolster Abes hopes in an upcoming leadership contest within his party, potentially cementing the prime ministers place in history. If Abe serves out a complete four-year term, he will remain at the helm during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and become Japans longest-serving prime minister.

However, any attempt to amend Japans postwar constitution may end up being Abes most controversial legacy. With Sundays vote, Abe and his allies have retained the two-thirds majorities in both houses of parliament that are required to call for constitutional amendments.

Abe has long sought to revise Article 9, which renounces war, and remove the ambiguity surrounding Japans military, known as the Self-Defense Forces.

While many conservatives view the amendment as overdue, many voters remain skeptical. South Korea and China, Japans neighbors, also are nervous about what they see as the potential return of a militaristic Japan.

In an interview with NHK after polls closed, Abe said he would push for an amendment.

The ruling parties have been granted a majority, he said. I think it was the peoples voice telling us to make progress in politics and bring results with a stable political base.

For a leader touting stability, the election had been a gamble. Abe had called the vote more than a year early, justifying it by saying that he needed a new mandate to deal with the threat posed by North Korea and to work through the details of a consumption-tax increase.

Many analysts said Abes motive was more opportunistic, however, with the prime minister taking advantage of the disarray of the Democratic Party, Japans main opposition party, and a small bump in his approval ratings after a number of scandals earlier this year.

For a while, it didnt look as if the bet would pay off. After the vote was announced, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, a staunchly conservative former LDP member, founded her own party, which soon attracted many members from the Democrats. Some, including Koike herself, compared her mercurial rise to that of Frances Emmanuel Macron this year.

Unlike Macron, Koikes challenge did not live up to the hype. The governor opted against running in the election  and then left for a scheduled business trip to France on election day. Koikes Party of Hope was in third place with 49 seats on Monday morning, as another new party  the anti-amendment Constitutional Democratic Party  placed second with 54.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, Koike said she was disappointed.

Its a very harsh result. My remarks and behavior made people feel unpleasant, and that led to the harsh result, Koike said, according to Kyodo News. I reflect on this and feel I might have been arrogant.

In contrast with recent elections in the United States and Europe, relatively few divisive issues were on display in Japan ahead of the vote. This, plus the relative good health of the economy, led Daniel Sneider of Stanford University to call the vote a "Seinfeld election"  an election about nothing.

The LDP has long dominated postwar Japanese politics. For many Japanese voters, Abes leadership represents stability after years of short-lived governments before he returned to the prime ministers office in 2012.

Some analysts suggest, however, that the weakness of the opposition may mask discontent with Abe and a lack of support for many of his policies. One exit poll cited by Kyodo showed 51 percent of voters saying they dont trust Abe, while 44.1 percent said they do.

Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University, said that the election exposed a lack of widespread support for Abes policies. Abe did not win because people enthusiastically support him, Nakano said. People are disaffected and the opposition is divided.

The bad weather may have also helped Abe. The approaching Typhoon Lan left voters battling strong winds and heavy rain to make it to polling stations. On Monday, Kyodo estimated the final turnout at 53.69 percent, only marginally above a record low in the 2014 election.

That turnout was remarkable given the weather, said Tobias Harris, a political analyst with Teneo Intelligence, but it was ultimately not good enough to give much of a boost to opposition candidates in close races.

The typhoon delayed final results, with 12 municipalities postponing vote counts until Monday.

Despite the rain, a number of voters could be found exiting a polling station in Tokyos cosmopolitan Roppongi neighborhood Sunday morning. Nobue Koizumi, a 67-year-old retired translator, said she had felt compelled to vote because of fears about Abes security policies.

He uses the North Korea issue as his strategy just to win this election, said Koizumi, who voted for the Constitutional Democratic Party.

But others said they were voting to back the status quo.

I dont particularly support Abe, but I do support the LDP, said Hiroki Shinohara, a 54-year-old wholesaler at the Tsukiji fish market. I feel its doing whats right for Japan, and Japan needs it.

Yuki Oda contributed to this report.

Read more:

Japans push to revise its constitution isnt a bid to deny history, Abe ally says

North Korea fires another missile over Japan, triggering warnings and condemnation

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Syrian Democratic Forces fighters walk down a ruined street in Raqqa on Friday, after the SDF expelled Islamic State militants from the northern Syrian city. On Sunday, the SDF captured Syrias biggest oil field. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S.-backed forces seized control of Syria's biggest oil field on Sunday, accelerating a race with the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies to take over the last major strongholds of the Islamic State in the east of the country.

Kurds and Arabs fighting under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces captured the al-Omar oil field in Deir al-Zour province after charging about 60 miles through the desert and launching a surprise assault, according to U.S. military and SDF officials.

The capture of the oil field came two days after the SDF officially declared victory in the Islamic States de facto capital, Raqqa, freeing up forces for what is expected to be an intensified effort to drive the militants out of their remaining positions in neighboring Deir al-Zour, said Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S. military.

[U.S.-led coalition declares ISIS forces vanquished, battle for Raqqa over]

Deir al-Zour is where most of Syrias oil is located, and it is emerging as a key front in the wider war for influence in the Middle East, between the United States and its allies and the Iranian and Russian alliance that is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The capture of al-Omar gives the Kurdish-led SDF control over a vital strategic asset that could serve to give it leverage in any future negotiations over the status of Kurds in Syria and to fund the fledgling autonomous region they are building in northeastern Syria.

It also risks triggering a confrontation with the Syrian government, potentially drawing the United States into a fight with Syria, Russia and Iran.

Syrian government loyalists advancing from the west had reached the outskirts of al-Omar only days before and had seemed poised to take the oil field until the SDF launched its offensive. The oil field contains roughly a quarter of Syrias oil reserves and had been a significant source of income for the Islamic State as it attempted to build a statelike structure in the vast areas it once controlled in Iraq and Syria.

The surprise assault was intended to leave the militant group no time to sabotage the oil fields infrastructure, as it typically does when retreating from important areas, Dillon said. The U.S. military provided support in the form of intelligence and combat advice, he said. But Dillon declined to say whether U.S. Special Operations forces deployed in Syria alongside the SDF had participated in the operation. We put our forces where they need to be to support our partners, he said.

[The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa tests U.S. commitment to Syrian Kurds]

Al-Omar was taken without significant damage to the oil facilities there, according to a statement issued by Liliwe Abdullah, a spokesman for the SDF operation. SDF fighters are now battling with Islamic State holdouts who retreated to a nearby housing complex for workers, the statement added.

Dillon said the U.S. military and its allies are not in a race with the Syrian government to take territory from the rapidly disintegrating forces of the Islamic State. The battle there, nonetheless, is shaping up as a competition between rival powers for control over an area that contains most of Syrias oil reserves and a key regional trade route.

The next major prize is the town of Bukamal, which straddles the highway linking the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to the Syrian capital of Damascus. Control over the border town would enable Iran to reopen a vital land route between Tehran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in Beirut, deepening its strategic reach into the heart of the Middle East.

The United States and its SDF allies are also planning to advance toward Bukamal, where the Islamic State has now concentrated its forces, Dillon said. First, however, they will have to clear and consolidate their hold over the large area that was seized Sunday.

Our mission is to defeat ISIS, Dillon said, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State. Our priority was the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa, and now that defeat has happened. They [the SDF] have made this very quick sprint down to al-Omar, and they have to reinforce that area. The offensive operations on Bukamal will be difficult and will take a lot of forces.

Zakaria reported from Istanbul.

Read more

ISIS releases audio it claims to be of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

ISIS has been a catastrophe for Sunnis

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who vanished from his remote base in Afghanistan in 2009, endured five years of brutal militant captivity and was recovered following a controversial prisoner swap with the Taliban, begins a sentencing hearing Monday that could send him to prison for life.

In an Army courtroom at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Oct. 16, Bergdahl, 31, entered a guilty plea to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. His fate will be decided by a military judge. Bergdahl is hoping the torture he endured as a prisoner, including being caged and beaten, will warrant leniency.

The misbehavior charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life, is a rare accusation, used when troops flee, surrender or endanger fellow service members through disobedience. On the desertion charge, he could receive a maximum sentence of five years. Bergdahl has said he left his base to walk to another U.S. facility, where he hoped to air his grievances about alleged problems in his unit.

[Bowe Bergdahl in his own words]

The judge, Army Col. Jeffrey R. Nance, will also have to grapple with the defenses renewed assertion that President Trumps criticisms of Bergdahl, before and after he took office, have tainted the trial process and should lead to the cases dismissal. Trump has called Bergdahl a dirty, rotten traitor.

Nance said in February that comments by Trump on the campaign trail were disturbing, but he concluded they did not amount to unlawful command influence.

The president brought the issue back into focus this month when he declined to comment on the trial but said, I think people have heard my comments in the past. In response, the defense wrote last week that President Trump stands at the pinnacle of an unbroken chain of command that includes key participants in the remaining critical steps of the case.

Brian Bouffard, a former Navy lawyer who handles courts-martial and civilian cases, said that unlawful command influence is a showstopping no-no in military courts and will be an issue for Nance.

The administration appeared to try to get ahead of the matter Friday. "The President expects all military personnel who are involved in any way in the military justice process to exercise their independent professional judgment, consistent with applicable laws and regulations," a White House statement said.

Prosecutors are expected to use testimony from troops who have said they were injured on recovery missions after Bergdahl walked off his outpost in rugged Paktika province. Attempts to find him involved thousands of troops and diverted resources, such as surveillance drones and helicopters, as ground troops scoured the area for weeks.

Nance has ruled that a Navy SEAL and an Army National Guard sergeant were wounded in firefights that probably would not have happened if Bergdahl had not gone missing.

Nance also could take into account Bergdahls treatment in Pakistan, where he was held for much of his captivity. An Army physician who testified in the case found that Bergdahl suffered muscular nerve damage in his lower legs, degenerative back damage and a loss of range of motion in his left shoulder that prevents him from lifting heavy objects.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, a senior Army officer who interviewed Bergdahl, testified in 2015 that he found Bergdahl unrealistically idealistic and that a jail sentence would be inappropriate, given the circumstances of the case. Another doctor concluded that Bergdahl exhibited signs of schizotypal personality disorder, a variant of schizophrenia that has less frequent or intense psychotic episodes.

In addition to confinement, Bergdahl could receive a dishonorable discharge and lose his medical benefits.

Bergdahl, who has been working at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, said Trumps comments were hurtful and expressed doubts he would receive fair treatment, according to an interview published this weekend by Britains Sunday Times.

At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, Im the guy whos going to cut your throat,  he told the newspaper. Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor whos going to sign the paper that sends me away for life.

President Barack Obama negotiated a prisoner swap in May 2014, handing over five Taliban operatives held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for Bergdahl. Obama administration officials defended the decision, saying it was in line with long-held military doctrine that troops can never be left behind on the battlefield. But some Republicans said the deal amounted to negotiating with terrorists.

Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday urged Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to "go home," and warned European companies doing business with the Revolutionary Guard in Iran that they could face "great risk" from sanctions.

Shiite militias mostly composed of Iraqi citizens but backed by Iran were instrumental in helping the Iraqi army drive the Islamic State from Mosul and other strongholds in Iraq. There have been reports of Iranian advisers among them. Tillerson said they have no business being on the battlefield now that the Islamic State has been routed.

Certainly, Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home, Tillerson said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, using two common acronyms for the Islamic State. Any foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home, and allow the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbors.

A senior U.S. official indicated that Tillerson was referring to the Iranian-backed popular mobilization units and the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

[Revolutionary Guard is facing more pressure from Trump administration]

The position of the Iraqi government and the position of our government is that there should be a single Iraqi security force answerable to the Iraqi state, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to a pool reporter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ideal, he added, is that the militia fighters either go home or they integrate into the Iraqi security forces.

Irans broad and growing influence in the region dominated Tillersons public comments Sunday, though he covered a wide variety of issues in his talks with Saudi officials. He hailed the budding new relationship between Riyadh and Baghdad, saying it could pave the way for a stronger, independent Iraq.

We do seek to support, as does the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a whole of Iraq, that is secure and stable and has the ability to stand on its own, he said. We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside Iraq.

The United States had pressed Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Persian Gulf for years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq to reestablish ties with Baghdad. Riyadh refused, saying that the situation in post-invasion Baghdad was too dangerous to locate an embassy there and that it did not want to support the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In recent years, under Malikis Shiite successor, Haider al-Abadi, the Saudis and other Arab states have tried to make up for what Jubeir on Sunday called lost ground.

In other remarks designed to send a message to Tehran, Tillerson also advised European companies to avoid investing in businesses linked to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is involved in many parts of Irans economy.

Those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, or any of their entities, European companies or other companies around the globe, really do so at great risk, Tillerson said.

The threat of more sanctions is one of the most potent weapons for undercutting Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal. The potential for Iran to rejoin the world economy and improve its fortunes was the main reason Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in the landmark agreement with six world powers, including the United States. But the Trump administration is taking a more aggressive stance toward a country it considers a malign actor in the region, largely because of actions not addressed in the nuclear deal.

[Fact-checking Trumps speech on the Iran deal]

In Riyadh, Tillerson attended the inauguration of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council. Abadi called the council an important step toward enhancing relations.

We are facing in our region serious challenges in the form of extremism, terrorism, as well as attempts to destabilize our countries, said Saudi King Salman. These attempts require our full attention.

Tillerson praised other small milestones in the improving relations, such as the August opening of a border crossing and direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad. He said the new council can boost cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State and help with the rebuilding of infrastructure in areas liberated from the militants.

Your growing relationship between the kingdom and Iraq is vital to bolstering our collective security and prosperity, and we take great interest in it,  Tillerson said before the agreement establishing the council was signed.

Tillerson also talked with Saudi officials about the ongoing war in Yemen, where Saudi-led airstrikes have killed thousands of people over the past three years. The vast majority have been civilians.

Tillerson is trying to revive hopes of ending an economic embargo that four Arab countries have imposed on Qatar since June. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt contend that Qatar finances terrorism, interferes in their domestic affairs and is too friendly with Iran. Doha denies the allegations and has accused Saudi Arabia of violating Qatari sovereignty and attempting to engineer a change of power.

The dispute has had negative consequences, economically and militarily, for those involved, Tillerson told reporters in Doha after meeting with Qatari officials. And certainly the United States has felt the effects of that as well.

None of us can afford to let this dispute linger, he added, calling on all parties to minimize the inflammatory rhetoric.

His wish went unfulfilled. Only minutes later, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, while standing beside Tillerson at a news conference, spoke of the so-called diplomats from the blockading countries. We do not see them make any diplomatic or mature statements, he said.

Last month, after publicly showing sympathy for Saudi Arabias stance, President Trump offered to mediate the dispute, predicting that youd have a deal worked out very quickly. But with the prolonged squabble at a stalemate, Tillerson has chided the Saudi-led bloc of countries, saying they are unwilling to sit down and negotiate as Qatar has offered to do. Tillerson has expressed pessimism at the likelihood of an imminent breakthrough.

Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
Not so long ago, Cesar Parra's world changed with a cup of coffee  a freshly brewed, richly aromatic ambrosia served at one of this nation's fast-multiplying quality cafes.

It came as a shock, having a good cup, said Parra, 47, a late-to-the-game coffee lover who spoke on the sidelines of a master class for baristas. I was born and raised in Colombia. And all my life, Id been drinking bad coffee.

For decades, this South American nation harbored a dirty little secret. In the land of Juan Valdez and his mule, Conchita  the fictional characters from advertisements who have hooked the world on rich mugs of Colombian coffee since the 1950s  it was nearly impossible to get a good cup of Joe.

The reasons are well established. The finest arabica beans from Colombias emerald hills were mostly exported, leaving domestic coffee consumers to drink the proverbial dregs. Some of the coffee consumed locally actually came from cheap imports from as far away as Vietnam. Then theres the way filtered coffee is prepared here. The most popular style is tinto  a weak and watery concoction with a shelf life rivaling Spam.

Even at five-star hotels in Bogota, youd have a hard time, said Roberto Velez, chief executive of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. We grew the best. But Colombians just werent used to drinking quality coffee.

Globalization is changing that  specifically a wave of well-traveled Colombian entrepreneurs who, along with a number of foreign investors, are upping the quality of domestic coffee roasting and brewing. Together, they are fomenting a revolution in Colombias coffee-drinking culture.

In Latin America, the better-coffee trend is percolating well beyond Colombias borders. Supermarkets in Brazil were long known for peddling a few cheap, lower-quality brands. But as consumers there clamor for a better brew, grocery stores are stocking locally produced gourmet beans.

Panama, meanwhile, is world-famous for cultivating Geisha  a prized coffee variety known for its subtle, almost tea-like favor. Yet for years, Panama was as infamous as Colombia for serving up bad brews at home. That has changed, however, with a new crop of third wave coffee houses  reflecting a movement to produce and serve artisanal coffee.

In Colombia, domestic consumption of coffee  which lagged global trends for years  is skyrocketing, with experts citing the wider availability of better-quality coffee as a major factor.

Hundreds of new cafes have opened in recent years, with much of that growth coming from just one chain, Tostao. Since opening in December 2015, the company has democratized good coffee, offering prices so low that even maids and construction workers can afford a quality cup.

Yet the most elaborate new brew houses are elevating coffee to an art form, replicating the almost laboratory-like cafes pioneered by hardcore java hipsters in such places as New York, Berlin, Seattle and Tokyo. The good coffee has excited the senses of Colombians like Parra, who feel as if they are discovering their nations most famous (legal) export for the first time.

An aspiring cafe owner, Parra said he became inspired after sampling the brews at one of the capital's new high-style cafes. His obsession drove him one recent afternoon to downtown Bogota, where he joined 14 students for classes at Varietale. One of the capital's hippest coffee shops, it serves, among other things, blends produced via vacuum and heat in glass siphons.





For the attendees  from simple aficionados to baristas  the classes offer the kind of minutiae about coffee qualities typically reserved for agribusiness schools. In one exercise, students placed 12 grams of grounds from different batches into cups before dousing them with hot water. They smelled the bouquet, then slurped and spit, as if at a wine tasting.

As drinkers, I think Colombians only now are really understanding what good coffee tastes like, Parra said.

Colombians began to get a taste of premium coffee at least as far back as the early 2000s, when Juan Valdez  the now-global chain established by the national coffee federation  began opening cafes. The quality of Colombian coffee beans was already on the rise. In the early 1990s, when coffee prices collapsed on the commodities markets, Colombia responded by encouraging its farmers to better compete globally by producing finer varieties of beans. The government has additionally deployed experts to help teach farmers to better judge well-balanced taste and acidity levels.

But experts say the spurt in quality coffee shops began more recently.

The idea came in large part from Colombian entrepreneurs who had traveled to Europe and the United States and experienced coffee-drinking epiphanies. Abel Calderon, co-owner of Varietale, for instance, opened his first branch in 2015 after sampling what Colombian coffee could taste like at cafes such as Storyville in Seattle.

We had to taste our coffee outside of Colombia to appreciate what it could be like here, he said.

Pedro Gasca, a former executive with the Colombian airline Avianca, co-founded Tostao after visiting global chains like Pret a Manger.

The concept was tweaked for Colombia. Realizing that the majority of the high-end coffee shops here were priced out of reach for most Colombians, Tostao instead went for volume  selling coffee that has earned approving nods from specialists for as cheap as 40 cents a cup.

Coffee drinking per capita in Colombia still lags places such as the United States, France and Brazil. But between 2009 and 2014, the most recent data available, coffee consumption soared 33 percent in Colombia, compared with 15 percent globally. That rush to java is evident in Tostaos rapid growth. In just 20 months, it has leapt to 200 locations  becoming as ubiquitous in Bogota as Starbucks is in the United States.

We discovered that Colombians  I mean all Colombians, including the working class  really wanted a good cup of coffee, Gasca said.

At the same time, international entrepreneurs have spotted the odd hole for better-quality coffee in Colombia's market. Starbucks arrived in 2014. Tyler Youngblood, a native Californian, launched a coffee-roasting operation in Colombia in 2010. His company, Azahar Coffee Co., opened its first Bogota coffee shop in a makeshift metal container in 2013. This month, it opened a far larger cafe.

The firm uses some of the highest-quality beans available  the kind almost always exported in the past.

I think the point is that Colombians have a right to drink their own best coffee, Youngblood said.

Another boost for coffee culture, local entrepreneurs say, came from peace.

The official end last year of Colombia's half-century-long war with the left-wing FARC guerrillas, as well as an easing of paramilitary violence in some coffee-growing regions, has opened up swaths of the country to local farm-to-table restaurateurs and coffee shop owners, some of whom are striking deals directly with farmers.

Alejandro Gutierrez, chef at Salvo Patria  a Bogota restaurant that started as a coffee shop six years ago  recently tasted coffee grown and roasted in the battled-scarred Meta region. Meta is not one of the countrys better-known coffee regions, and Gutierrez was surprised by the beans quality. He ended up ordering batches for his restaurant, which lists coffee-growing regions for blends on its menu in the same way it does for wines.

That whole state was FARC territory, and you wouldnt have thought about it before as an option for good coffee, he said. But here you have this great coffee coming from there, and who knew? Well, now we know.

anthony.faiola@washpost.com

Wesley Tomaselli in Bogota and Anna Jean Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

Read more

Colombias FARC rebels launch a political party, trading bullets for blazers

A side effect of peace in Colombia? A cocaine boom in the U.S.

A FARC rebel on life in war-torn Colombia

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/10/2017 (1850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK  Mount Paektu is an active volcano that occupies a revered place in Korean legend as the birthplace of the Korean people. But it may be paying a price for their division.

Located on the border of North Korea and China, the volcano has been appropriated by Pyongyang as the sacred mountain of the revolution. Propagandists for the Communist state spin a tale, most likely apocryphal, that the late leader Kim Jong Il was born there while his father was a guerrilla fighting the Japanese.

The sacred mountain, however, is just 100 kilometres from the site where North Korea, now led by Kims son, Kim Jong Un, tested its sixth and most powerful nuclear weapon on Sept. 3.

David Guttenfelder / The Associated Press Files Mount Paektu is located close to the site where North Korea tested its sixth nuclear weapon. After the tests, Chinese authorities closed part of the tourist park on their side of the mountain because of rock slides.

Shortly afterward, Chinese authorities closed part of the tourist park on their side of the border because of rock slides. Chinese authorities would not say definitively whether the nuclear test was to blame, but seismologists think it is likely.

The explosion registered as a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and was blamed for water bottles rolling off tables, furniture toppling in China and apartment buildings rattling all the way to the Russian port city of Vladivostok.

It is just one example of the way that North Koreas headlong rush to become a nuclear power is degrading the environment in and around the countrys borders.

The first casualty is inside North Korea itself, around the rugged, granite mountains of North Hamgyong province. All six of North Koreas nuclear tests have taken place there at a site known as Punggye-Ri.

Satellite images taken after the last test show numerous landslides around the site as well as water leaking from the entrance to one of the tunnels, according to 38 North, an academic website on Korea run by Johns Hopkins University.

These disturbances are more numerous and widespread than seen after any of the Norths previous five tests, and include additional slippage in pre-existing landslide scars and a possible subsidence crater, the report said.

Another analysis of satellite data found that Mount Mantap, a 2,133-metre peak above the test site, lost a little elevation from the force of the underground explosion.

It did move the mountain, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, N.M.

He said he believes, however, that there has been no significant leakage of radiation because the test took place in a tunnel more than 900 metres below and notes the visible damage was less extensive than after underground tests in Pakistan.

The North Koreans seem to be pretty good at this. Theyve buried their test site well, he said.

After the nuclear test, the ground around the test site continued to rumble. Seismologists were particularly stumped by a tremor recorded on Sept. 23 that appeared to be a magnitude 3.4 earthquake under Mount Mantap, an area that does not ordinarily experience earthquakes.

A joint report published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California, Santa Cruz concluded that tunnels in the test site collapsed.

It was the mountain collapsing into the cavity created by the explosion hundreds of metres below the surface, said Thorne Lay, a professor at UC Santa Cruz.

What analysts are looking for in the satellite images are fissures and craters  which would indicate a breach in the mountain large enough to allow radiation in dangerous quantities to vent to the outside.

These are minor landslides, nothing like you see in California with mud pouring down, said Joseph Bermudez, a leading expert on the North Korean military and one of the authors of the 38 North report.

Still, if I were near any nuclear test site, I would be concerned about the environment, especially an active test site, Bermudez added. History has shown there are often leakages and North Korea has not had a really great record as far as environmental protection.

North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests around the same site. The Sept. 3 test involved a device estimated at 250 kilotons  17 times the force of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Every country that has developed a nuclear program has harmed its own people, said Matthew McKinzie, director of the nuclear program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

He compares the situation with East Germany, where the extent of environmental degradation wasnt known until after reunification in 1990.

The satellite photographs taken after the last test show water draining from the test site that was likely forced out from underground by the explosion and could leach into the groundwater. A stream near the test site runs to the nearest sizable city, Kilju, about 40 kilometres away.

Even closer is the Hwasong labour camp, which is nestled next to Mount Mantap and houses an estimated 20,000 political prisoners and their families. North Korean defectors in South Korea have said they believe prisoners were used to dig the tunnels of the nuclear test complex.

Satellite images also show North Korea has failed to dispose safely of nuclear waste.

In Pyongsan, north of the capital, Pyongyang, tailings are routinely dumped from North Koreas largest uranium mine into an unlined pond, which is likely to contaminate the groundwater, 38 North has reported.

Defectors have complained as well about the environmental and safety risks of the nuclear program.

North Koreas facilities are dilapidated and North Korea woefully lacks the ability to manage the facilities, wrote a defector group, North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, in a brochure published last year.

 Los Angeles Times
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 03:32:51|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 5,112 million dinars (2,045 million U.S. dollars), representing 14 percent of Tunisia's draft state budget for 2018, would go to the ministries of interior and defense, TAP news agency reported on Sunday.

The state budget of Tunisian for the year 2018 is estimated at 35,851 million dinars, an increase of 4.3 percent compared with 2017.

The budget provided to the interior ministry has increased by 12.5 percent compared with 2017.

The increase could be explained by the purchase of equipment and materials to be used in the fight against terrorism and smuggling, as well as the preservation of the country's borders, according to analysts.

The budget for Tunisia's defense ministry in 2018 also increased from 2,016 million dinars in 2017 to 2,233 million dinars.

Meanwhile, the largest amount of budget was distributed to the ministry of education, compared with those reserved for the other 26 ministries, representing 13 percent of the total state budget.

There is also a notable increase of 49 million dinars in budget allocated to the presidency of the government from this year's 122.4 million dinars to 168.3 million dinars in 2018.

As for the budget of the Assembly of People's Representatives (Parliament), it is estimated at 30.9 million dinars, an increase of 1.5 percent compared to the budget of 2017.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/10/2017 (1850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last fall, a one-sentence directive contained within a mandate letter from Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman to infrastructure and public works committee chairman Coun. Marty Morantz, presented a pile of opportunities larger than a Winnipeg snowbank:

Review and research innovative snow-clearing opportunities with a view to finding savings, efficiencies and improvements.

In Winnipeg, swirling snowfalls are simply a reality of existence. Surviving them  and not allowing them to kibosh going to the Jets game or making the weekly grocery run  is a rite of passage for many Winnipeggers, for whom hardiness is next to godliness. Others choose to simply hunker down.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The citys acting director of public works is expected to file a report about snow-clearing ideas, but it could take until 2019 for any recommendations to be implemented, because itll come too late to factor into 2018 budget talks

One group that cannot pull the blinds and pour another cup of cocoa is Winnipegs public works department. After flakes fly, its up to city employees and private subcontractors to hit the streets with heavy machines and clear snow and ice.

Compared with other cities, Canadian and otherwise  which have found novel and innovative solutions to moving the white stuff  Winnipegs snow clearing is behind the times.

The report regarding innovation is tardy, too. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipegs acting director of public works, was supposed to present a report to the standing policy committee on infrastructure renewal and public works Sept. 11.

He didnt. Snow will likely hit Winnipeg before Berezowskys report lands on Morantzs desk. Morantz said he knew Berezowsky would ask for a 90-day extension, which the councillor granted.

Plowing problems came to a head in the city last winter. In December, after Winnipeg got dumped with more than 68 centimetres of snow thanks to two Colorado lows and numerous Alberta clippers, the city proved incapable of clearing it in a timely fashion. Traffic on city streets was snarled for days and sidewalks remained snowed in for longer.

Because we had those two massive snowfalls, it was quite a challenge, Morantz said.

Basically, most of the complaints that we received after the last two years were around sidewalk clearing.

Berezowsky said when crews plow high-volume streets, they use boulevards to store snow. However, due to lack of snow storage space, it often piles onto sidewalks.

In Montreal, which has an annual snow-clearing budget of $155 million, crews use an innovative strategy that emulates crop harvesting.

Instead of pushing the snow onto the boulevard, a plow with a blower attachment sends the snow directly from the road into a five-ton dump truck driving in tandem. When one truck is full, it peels out and another one rolls up. There are limitations  the blower can make quick work of loose snow, but cant move big chunks packed down by the vehicles that venture onto snowy streets.

This strategy prevents obstructed sightlines caused by high snowbanks at intersections, eliminates the need for crews to return and remove them later, and ensures snow doesnt pile up on sidewalks when operators run out of space.

Thats not the only innovation Montreal has undertaken. Theyve also been inspired by Icelands capital, Reykjavik.

There, pipes under the sidewalks carry geothermally heated water that melts the snow off of them.

The system covers 50,000 square metres, according to the National Energy Authority of Iceland. Montreal is launching a $26-million pilot project with a similar system on 670 metres of high-traffic Rue Sainte-Catherine sidewalk.

While that price tag would nearly melt through the entirety of Winnipegs $33.8-million snow-clearing budget, quicker sidewalk clearing would save people like St. James resident Cassandra Jones a lot of frustration.

Jones, who uses an electric wheelchair, is sometimes stranded inside her home because sidewalks arent clear.

It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, because if they dont plow them very well, it can be really hard to get around, she said.

Sometimes its days and days and days and they just dont bother. They do downtown really well but they dont seem to bother with residential sidewalks as much.

Jones said shes thankful for her friend John Wiebe. Wiebe, who has one arm, takes his snow blower and clears a path so Jones can get to Sunday worship.

Thats pretty bad when someone has to buy a snow blower just so I can get to church.

In many Canadian cities, clearing the city sidewalk isnt just neighbourly  its the law.

In Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Toronto, the onus is on the homeowner to clear walks adjacent to their properties.

Homeowners in Edmonton, for example, have 48 hours after a snowfall to clear the snow or risk a $100 fine.

Don Turenne, management supervisor of Edmontons parks and roads services department, said Edmontonians, generally, have no problem clearing city sidewalks.

Its been that way for years, Turenne said.  I dont hear a lot either from the media or through complaints. Weve been doing it for so long that citizens just treat it as one of the expectations.

If theres additional budgetary requirements, by that time, most of the planning for the 2018 budget will be complete. Its quite possible wed have to refer to the 19 budget, which will not be considered until later next year Coun. Marty Morantz

Turennes inklings are backed up by statistics.

Troy Courtoreille, Edmontons acting director of the complaints and investigations section of the community standards branch, provided specifics.

We see a varying compliance rate that averages 77 per cent during most winters, but it can drop as low as 65 per cent or increase to about 90 per cent, he wrote in an email, noting variables such as fluctuating weather, educational campaigns, and enforcement targeting affect the numbers.

Generally, homeowners follow the bylaw, but there are known problematic neighbourhoods whose compliance rate(s) (are) lower than average.

Winnipegs policy, by comparison, is opaque. It doesnt outline when work should start after a snowfall, and simply says residential sidewalks will be completed within five working days following the commencement of work by city crews or private contractors.

Berezowsky called requiring homeowners to clear sidewalks an alternative and said it doesnt fit in within the definition of innovation.

Innovation is not putting the responsibility back onto someone else at a cost, he said. Thats called service reduction.

Novel ideas dont end at sidewalks, of course. Many cities use a strategy called pre-wetting to help chemicals stick to roads and reduce the amount used. A study on the effectiveness of pre-wetting, done by members of the department of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo, found pre-wet salt outperformed dry salt by between 14 and 38 per cent in 2002-03.

In Ottawa, a liquid de-icer is applied to rock salt to help it bind better to the road. Salt usage has been reduced by one-fifth as a result.

Starting this winter, Edmonton will undertake a similar policy. Crews will spray roads with a brine solution before snow falls to prevent it from sticking. The hope  although this remains to be seen  is that pre-wetting can prevent the need to plow in some cases, potentially saving the city from spending the entirety of its $54-million budget.

Other jurisdictions have cut down on salt use by using unconventional alternatives, including beet juice (which Winnipeg has been experimenting with for a few years), cheese brine and molasses.

While Winnipegs report on the future of snow clearing is delayed, its not moving quite as slow as molasses  Morantz and Berezowsky have been looking at many new possibilities.

Morantz wouldnt speculate on the final contents of the report, but talked about some approaches that caught his eye. Specifically, he described a plow with a snow gate attachment  one that plows the road and clears windrows in one fell swoop  as having piqued his interest.

Berezowsky also outlined several potential measures, including tools inside equipment that sense the exact temperatures of roadways, entirely chloride-free ice-melting methods and expanding the citys limited pre-wetting program.

While improvements may eventually come, Winnipeggers will keep having to take perverse pride in navigating snow-plugged streets and sidewalks. It may take until 2019 before any of the reports recommendations are implemented, as it will come too late to factor into the citys 2018 budget talks.

If theres additional budgetary requirements, by that time, most of the planning for the 2018 budget will be complete, Morantz said.

Its quite possible wed have to refer to the 19 budget, which will not be considered until later next year.

Berezowsky warned implementation can be slow.

Industry would never go ahead and fully implement something without a policy change requirement by the city  which would have to be proposed and passed through council.

Declan Schroeder is a senior journalism student in the creative communications program at Red River College in Winnipeg. This article was a product of a feature-writing assignment.

dschroeder42@academic.rrc.ca
Saudi-led coalition launched a series of airstrikes on Sunday targeting the home village of the Houthi-allied former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in southeast of Sanaa. (Xinhua Photo)

SANAA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched Sunday a series of airstrikes targeting the home village of the Houthi-allied former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southeast of the capital Sanaa, said a security official.

The airstrikes targeted the Jarban area in the village of Sanhan, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Local residents said the airstrikes targeted several sites, mountains and farms in the area.

No casualties were reported, but dozens of residential houses near the targeted locations were slightly damaged.

The coalition has resumed military air campaign on surrounding military sites and in Sanaa over the past two days, nearly two months after the coalition halted the air strikes on Sanaa following Aug. 25 airstrike that killed 14 residents, including six children in the capital.

Meanwhile, the coalition continued air strikes on other rebels' bases across northern Yemen.

Last week, Saleh was admitted to the hospital in Sanaa, where he had a successful operation performed by a Russian medical team, according to a statement by Saleh's General People's Congress party.

Saleh had narrowly survived an assassination attempt in his residence in 2011, amid all-out popular protests against him that eventually ended his 33-year rule.

In September 2014, Saleh's loyal forces helped the Shiite Houthi rebels to seize control of Sanaa and much of the country's northern areas.

The United Nations Security Council later accused Saleh of obstructing Yemen's political peace and imposed financial sanctions and a global travel ban on him.

The conflict has drawn in the Saudi-led Arab coalition in March 2015 to help the internationally recognized Yemeni government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi counter the Houthi-Saleh rebellion.

More than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the two-and-half years of war with over 3 million others displaced, according to UN agencies.

The country has also been hit by a deadly cholera epidemic and is now on the brink of mass famine.
Categories Culture

Homepage Image: Getty Images

Though its been a tough year for Angelina Jolies marriage, shes made it clear that her family remains her number one priority. That was evident especially last night when the actress/director/humanitarian attended the Los Angeles premiere of her latest effort, The Breadwinner. Angelina walked the red carpet with two of her three daughters and posed with them alongside the animated films lead actress, Saara Chaundry. Though nine-year-old daughter Vivienne was not in attendance, 11-year-old Shiloh and 12-year-old Zahara showed up looking chic next to their mom, who stunned in a white Ulyana Sergeenko gown. The movie is focused around an Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family, a powerful narrative that speaks to so many subjects that Angelinawho co-executive produced ithas been vocally passionate about. Thats likely why she felt that its LA premiere should be a family affair. We absolutely love getting to see these mother-daughter moments with the Jolie-Pitts, and know that moments like these with her kids are getting her through some of the tougher times.



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UPDATE, Oct. 23: Glenn Whipp, the journalist who first reported the story for the Los Angeles Times, said on Twitter that almost 200 more women have reached out to him to discuss Tobacks alleged behavior.

Updating again: Since this story published on Sunday, 193 additional women have contacted me to talk about Toback. https://t.co/beVGHWpdmc  Glenn Whipp (@GlennWhipp) October 23, 2017



PREVIOUSLY: In a new Los Angeles Times report, 38 women accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment.

The allegations against Toback somewhat resemble those against producer Harvey Weinstein, who was fired from his own company earlier this month after scores of women said the career-making mogul assaulted, harassed or intimidated them. Toback, 72, stands accused of harassing women he employed and women he approached on the street.

Its long been said that Toback was a sexual predator. In 1989, Spy Magazine reported that he would approach women, brag about being a Hollywood director, ask whether theyd like to consider a role in one of his forthcoming films and then ask them to meet him at late hours. Gawker echoed these claims in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Now, days after the #MeToo hashtag encouraged survivors of sexual assault to speak out on social media, more than three dozen women told the Los Angeles Times that Toback ejaculated in front of them, probed their masturbation habits, demanded they disrobe and/or rubbed his groin against their bodies. These incidents allegedly occurred in hotel rooms, on movie sets and in offices.

Toback was a notorious name in Hollywood circles, even though he never achieved widespread household fame. In 1991, he received an Oscar nomination for writing the Warren Beatty gangster movie Bugsy. Many of his films, including Fingers, The Pick-Up Artist, Two Girls and a Guy and Harvard Man, revolve around womanizers, the mafia or both. The idea is not to have a separation between my life and my movies, Toback said in a 2002 Salon interview.

Story continues

HuffPost contacted Tobacks agent, Jeff Berg, for comment on Sunday. Best to speak directly to him, Berg said in an email, providing Tobacks mobile number. When reached, Toback said he is writing something in response and declined to comment further.

Tobacks accusers include Louise Post, the guitarist and vocalist for the rock band Veruca Salt. He told me hed love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes, she said.

Actress Chantal Cousineau said, while rehearsing a monologue for Harvard Man in 2001, she heard Toback masturbating. Another woman, whom the Times called a well-known actress, said Toback ignored her protestations and would not let her leave his hotel room until she pinched his nipples and stared into his eyes as he ejaculated in his pants.

Mere days before the Times report, onetime aspiring actress Sari Kamin recounted the harassment she suffered at the hands of Toback. With sauce on his face and pieces of pasta dangling from his goatee, Toback told me he needed to masturbate seven times a day to feel steady in the world, Kamin wrote in a blog post on Medium. The director allegedly accompanied her to a hotel room, where he asked her to remove her clothes to prove she could handle filming a nude scene.

Toback denied the allegations in a statement provided to Variety: All I can tell you is Ive never heard of this woman, and its totally defamatory on her part to invent them. This is totally distressing to me. Im 72 years old, but Im not even close to having Alzheimers, and I dont have trouble remembering things in great detail. [...] I totally condemn all the behavior she depicts.

Actress Melissa Sagemiller, who told HuffPost that Weinstein made innuendoes or harassed her on three separate occasions, said, when asked whether shed interacted with other predatory men in the business, Well, my first movie was a James Toback movie, and he was blackballed out of Hollywood for indecent activity, so thats no surprise.

Toback wasnt fully blackballed, despite the years of reports about his behavior. In 2008, he directed a sympathetic documentary about boxer Mike Tyson. In 2013, Toback and friend Alec Baldwin made Seduced and Abandoned, a documentary about trying to secure financing for an updated version of the classic erotic film Last Tango in Paris. (A representative for Baldwin declined to comment to HuffPost.)

Tobacks most recent project, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, starring Sienna Miller and Baldwin, premiered at this years Venice Film Festival.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Kim Kardashian celebrates her birthday at Tao nightclub at the Venetian in Las Vegas in 2014. (Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage)

As an Oct. 21 baby, I have the distinction of sharing my birthday with model-actress-Slutwalk champion Amber Rose, the late, great actress and writer Carrie Fisher (may she rest), and the entrepreneurial juggernaut, selfie-taking reality star known as Kim Kardashian. But while we share the same birthday  this year Kardashian turns 37, while I am turning an age thats none of your business  the way we celebrate our day is decidedly different. To wit:

Our birthday wardrobes

As helpfully detailed by People magazine, which did a retrospective of Kardashians birthday ensembles over the past 10 years, Kardashian likes to get pretty dolled up in honor of her special day. Witness the red bodycon dress she wore to party at Tao nightclub back when she was still BFFs with Paris Hilton, the black bandage dress she sported 10 years ago at another Vegas birthday celebration, and the striking silver number she donned in celebration of her 30th back in 2010.

Kim Kardashian celebrating her birthday through the years. (Photo: Wenn/Getty Images)

Conversely, I tend to go a bit more relaxed in my birthday attire  and, no, not so relaxed that I wear only my birthday suit. Though I did don a leopard-print bodycon number for a house party I threw back in 2011 when our birthday coincided with the rapture, my general birthday aesthetic is pajamas. Possibly with footies. Probably with Disney characters on them (Mickey is acceptable, Tigger is preferable). Though if pressed to go out, Ill usually throw on something acceptable like jeans and a cute top  the typical going-out-in-L.A. uniform.

Photo: Getty Images

Our birthday activities



2012: When Kardashian turned 32, she went on a tour through Italy  Florence, Rome, and Venice  with her future third hubby, Kanye West, where they skipped art galleries in favor of shopping and generally enjoyed the hell out of themselves.

Kimye in Venice, Italy, on Oct. 21, 2012. (Photo:Maurizio La Pira/ Splash News)

Meanwhile, I spent mine at Disneyland wondering what the f**k I was doing with my life. Dont get me wrong  running around the park with three friends was a grand old time. But an onslaught of personal and professional turmoil has a way of making you feel like the good days arent that great. Plus, Italy remains on my bucket list. Sigh  Ill get there some day.

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2013: Kardashian turned 33, and it was arguably one of her biggest birthdays ever  as that was when boyfriend Kanye became fiance Kanye, after the rapper rented out Pac Bell Park in San Francisco and proposed to Kardashian with great fanfare (and cameras).





That year, I was decidedly more low-key for my birthday  as you can imagine  and had a small dinner with friends at a vegan cafe. You will be shocked to learn that no paparazzi showed up, so I was left in relative peace. There was also no surprise proposal  though Im not upset about that. Being married was more work than I was ready for at the time.

2014: For birthday 34, Kardashian took a private jet to Vegas, where she, her friends, and her family all partied at Tao with a huge cake and all the bells and whistles. Kardashian tends to spend a lot of birthdays in Vegas  witness her celebrations when she turned 30, 31, and even 33, when she had a delayed birthday shindig after the grand proposal.

Kanye West helped Kim Kardashian celebrate her birthday at Tao nightclub at the Venetian in Las Vegas in 2014. He even smiled. (Photo: Getty Images)

After a job that required me to go to Vegas once a year for four years and operate on maybe an hour of sleep over the course of four days, I avoid Vegas. Just thinking about it makes me tired. Instead, I drove to the desert in a 20-year-old Honda I borrowed from my landlord, went to the Integratron, where they do a sound bath with crystal bowls over a supposed healing vortex (yes, Im one of those), and soaked in the hot springs, all by my lonesome. It was wonderful  even when the car battery died on the way home.

2015: When Kardashian turned 35 two years ago, she was super pregnant with son Saint, so her birthday was different from Vegas bashes gone by  but was in no way more low-key. West rented out a movie theater to screen the Steve Jobs biopic that had just come out, and everyone dressed up as their favorite version of Pregnant Kim.

WHY R U SO PERFECT  @kendalljenner #KENDALLJENNER A post shared by CEO: jOYCEBONELLi COSMETIQUES (@joycebonelli) on Oct 22, 2015 at 9:54am PDT

I wasn't expecting to look this way again quite yet, but Happy Pregnant Birthday @kimkardashian !! A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on Oct 21, 2015 at 9:18pm PDT

I too went to the movies on my birthday that year (and I think it may have been to see the same Jobs biopic), but wound up sitting in front of one of those jerks who talked through the whole thing and overexplained the film in a not-so-quiet stage whisper to his seat mate, despite me asking him to kindly shut up several times.

2016: Last year, when Kardashian turned 36, it was right after the horrors of the Paris robbery, so she kept things pretty quiet  as did I, with another low-key dinner with friends. Perhaps I was doing so out of instinctual solidarity with my co-birthday celeb, I dont know. Either way, Im a firm believer that flashy birthdays can be fun, but the nonflashy ones are just as good (if not better).

Our birthday gifts

Kardashians 35th brought out Wests signature rose wall bouquet, along with a massive artisan cake  the likes of which have popped up during many of her birthday celebrations in the past.

My husband never ceases the amaze me! He rented out the entire movie theater to screen the new Steve Jobs (It's sooooo good BTW) and had all of my family & close friends come dressed up as their best pregnant Kim look (fake baby bumps provided on arrival!) Not sure if that was to make me feel less huge or just a fun cool theme but I loved it & had the best time ever, feeling so very comfortable eating churros with a bunch of pregnant women! Just what I needed, the perfect chill yummy food birthday!!!! A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 21, 2015 at 8:57pm PDT

Me? I get gifts too  clothes and trinkets and homemade treats that come from the heart. And, sure, Ive gotten bouquets of flowers from boyfriends and friends, but I prefer to buy myself flowers on my birthday. Mine are decidedly less fancy  and they dont come in wall form. And I often grab them from Whole Foods or some like-minded grocer. This ensures Im never without flowers on my birthday. (Its also a form of self-care, because why not?) It may be less flashy, but at least I know theyre fair-trade.

Photo: Getty Images

Our social media celebrations

Even though Kardashian had a quiet birthday last year, Kanye pulled together a sweet gift of videos from her childhood and posted them online:

Mama Kris shared a snippet of it too:

My sweet girl Kimberly, I remember this day like it was yesterday. you are a slice of heaven, then and today!! pic.twitter.com/XMpb4r2nBQ  Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) October 21, 2016

And on her 35th, countless friends and family posted throwback pictures, shots from the party, and other assorted birthday madness in tribute to Kardashian.

Happy Birthday my beautiful angel girl!!!!! You are the most amazing daughter, wife, sister, Mother, ROOM MATE, and best friend. God has blessed me with you and it has been the most wonderful 35 years. I love you beyond wordsMommy  A post shared by Kris Jenner (@krisjenner) on Oct 21, 2015 at 1:16pm PDT

 A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Oct 22, 2015 at 6:15am PDT

She has been my partner for life. We always seem to end up on the craziest adventures together. I love and admire the person you have become and learn from you every day. Happy Birthday! A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on Oct 21, 2015 at 4:23pm PDT

Happy birthday beautiful @KimKardashian! A post shared by Caitlyn Jenner (@caitlynjenner) on Oct 21, 2015 at 3:58pm PDT

I know social media is supposed to make birthdays awesome, because that little Facebook nudge reminds everyone you know to post a note on your wall, and it tends to spill over into Twitter and all the other social platforms. But nobody posted about me on social media. Largely because Im not on social media anymore. Who the hell wants to be on social media these days!?

Photo: Getty Images

Our standing heading into this years birthday

Leading up to the big day, MSNBC took a quick look at Kardashians net worth as she prepares to turn 37. Spoiler alert: Shes worth a lot. Lets just say my net worth is  a bit less at the moment. But Im not bothered. You never know whats right around the corner.

We dont know what Kardashian is doing for this years birthday, and you know what? I dont know what Im doing either (and, yes, I know its practically tomorrow). But Im pretty sure whatever we do, itll be special. Cause Oct. 21 babies are awesome. Happy birthday to us!





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Donald Trump is embroiled in a heated battle with a Democratic congresswoman who says the president told the grieving widow of slain U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson that he knew what he signed up for during a condolence call.

In his latest attack on U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida, Trump blasted the congresswoman as wacky and accused her of secretly listening in on his call on Tuesday to Johnsons pregnant widow, Myeshia Johnson.

Wilson is a personal friend of the Johnson family and was in the car when Myeshia took the presidents call on speakerphone.

The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2017

Johnsons mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, confirmed Wilsons account of the call and told The Washington Post that President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband.

But Trump continued to deny Wilsons version of events, insisting Friday: The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!

Myeshia Johnson cries over the body of her slain husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, after it was returned to the U.S. on Tuesday.

Trump first tweeted a denial on Wednesday, claiming he could prove he didnt say those words to the widow. He has yet to offer concrete proof.

Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2017

Later that day, Trump told White House pool reporters, I didnt say what that congresswoman said, didnt say it at all, she knows it.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also claimed Wednesday that Wilsons account of the conversation was disgraceful and disgusting, but never explicitly denied that the president told the young widow her husband knew what he signed up for.

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Sgt. La David Johnson

I still stand by my account of the call b/t @realDonaldTrump and Myeshia Johnson. That is her name, Mr. Trump. Not "the woman" or "the wife"  Rep Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) October 18, 2017

Wilson has continued to stand by her account. She has also criticized Trump for referring to Myeshia in comments as the woman or the wife, and for calling Johnson your guy in the presidents call to Myeshia.

In Wednesdays press briefing, Sanders said that just because the president said your guy, I dont think he didnt know his name.

The controversy first began Monday, when Trump was asked during a press conference about the four U.S. Army special operations commandos killed in an ambush in Niger earlier this month, whose deaths the president had yet to publicly comment on. Johnson was among the soldiers killed in the attack, along with Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Bryan Black.

Asked whether he would call the families of the fallen soldiers, Trump said he would and then claimed that past presidents, specifically his predecessor, Barack Obama, had not done so in similar situations.

The traditional way if you look at President Obama and the other presidents, most of them didnt make calls, a lot of them didnt make calls, Trump said. I like to call when its appropriate, when I think Im able to do it. They made the ultimate sacrifice, so generally I would say that I like to call.

Trump was fact-checked in real time and called out on his false claim later in the press conference. He was then forced to walk back what Obama aides called an outrageous lie, admitting that his predecessor probably [called] sometimes and maybe sometimes he didnt. I dont know.

Since then, Trump made good on his promise to call Johnsons family  with obviously controversial results  and that of Sgt. Dustin Wright, who was also killed in the Niger attack.

Wrights brother, Will, told PEOPLE that his father had an emotional, 20-minute phone call with Trump and said the presidents comments were appropriate and his tone was great.
Whats happening in Niger? Heres what you should know

On October 4th, a team of 12 U.S. Army soldiers were ambushed by ISIS during a mission in Niger. Officials are currently trying to understand what exactly happened during and after the attack, and little has been released about the investigation. But heres what we know so far about the goings-on in Niger.

The attack occurred on the Niger-Mali border and claimed the lives of four U.S. Army soldiers  Sgt. La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright. According to CNN, its estimated that 50 ISIS members were involved in the ambush.

The firefight lasted about 30 minutes before French Mirage jets flew in to disperse the attackers and reprieve the wounded Americans.

R.I.P to our fallen soldiers #niger #military #government #cnn #donaldtrump #congress #fallensoldiers #heros #army #conspiracytheory A post shared by State vs Us (@statevsus) on Oct 20, 2017 at 7:28am PDT

ABC News reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that its highly likely that the Greater Sahara brach of ISIS is responsible for the attack. Terror groups, ISIS, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, and Boko Haram are all located in the area, but none have yet to come forward to lay claim.

The U.S. Army Green Beret soldiers stationed in Niger are there as part of a counterterrorism mission that aims to train the Nigerien military to fight ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in, and around, their country. Rival terror groups are currently all fighting over routes between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The United States launches an investigation into the deadly Niger ambush and confusion that followed https://t.co/ZzBQnAPlI8 pic.twitter.com/yphVpaExO8  CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2017

ISGS was founded in 2015 by former ll-Qaeda member Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi. According to the Pentagon, Syrian ISIS leaders have yet to recognize ISGS as an official ISIS branch, ABC News reports.

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This group carries out small attacks on local pro-government and French/United Nations-connected military in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Currently, there are about 800 U.S. troops in Niger, and the U.S. has held a military presence in the country for five years.

Trump's response to four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger is already being compared to Benghazi https://t.co/eGbckv22ws pic.twitter.com/QoaVn1xNGA  Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 20, 2017

What officials are trying to figure out is why Sgt. La David Johnson was left behind for 48 hours after the attack. Other members of government want answers as to how French forces carried out the rescue and if the U.S. soldiers were the actual target of the attack, or were mistaken by ISIS for French forces.

The FBI is now involved in the investigation and members of the American government, like Senator John McCain, are criticizing the Pentagon for their withholding of details. This backlash may lead to a larger Benghazi-like investigation if officials continue to hold back information.

More details are expected to be released in the following days.
Harvey Weinstein is disputing Lupita Nyongos account, and Twitters got ideas about why hes only coming for her

Weve seen the name Harvey Weinstein in the news quite a bit these past few weeks, after several women publicly shared their stories of sexual assault and harassment at his hands. The most recent to add her voice to the choir was actress Lupita Nyongo. However, Weinstein has since disputed her claims.

On Thursday, The New York Times published a lengthy op-ed penned by Nyongo, in which she detailed her experiences with the now disgraced producer. Nyongo wrote that while she was a student at the Yale School of Drama in 2011, Weinstein invited her to his home in Connecticut for a private screening of a film. Things took a disturbing turn when eventually, he asked her to go to a bedroom with him and offered her a massage.

I thought he was joking at first. He was not, the actress wrote.

Nyongo said she quickly attempted to flip the script and insisted on massaging him instead, so she could buy herself more time to find a way out. Weinstein agreed, but soon after tried to take off his pants. At this point, the actress quickly made her way towards the door.

Lupita Nyongo writes in @nytopinion: What Harvey Weinstein did to me https://t.co/9m5tKiQTPm pic.twitter.com/1GF0nYxhcn  The New York Times (@nytimes) October 19, 2017

Lupita Nyongos account brings the number of women accusing the producer of sexual assault and harassment to fifty.

But for some reason, Harvey Weinstein has only found the time to dispute Lupita Nyongos claims.
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] How are you feeling about the news [INAUDIBLE] Fantastic, great. Very very happy. And how is your sister in law doing? I haven't seen her for a while but I think she is okay. Thank you. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]

If you're in the job market, we know about some pretty cool people who are hiring.

Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince Harry have put out a call for applications for a job in Kensington Palace, and the whole thing sounds like a dream come true. The royals are officially hiring someone for the Senior Communications Officer job for maternity-related reasons, and you can throw your hat into the ring if you think you're the right fit.

What exactly do they need? Allow the position description to tell you.

"We require a Senior Communications Officer to support the work TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Prince Henry of Wales on a Maternity Cover contract," the job posting says. "This role will work both reactively and proactively to manage the daily news flow to the media, communicating with audiences via traditional, digital and social media."

It sounds like quite a feat to take on, but if you've got extensive communications, marketing, or media experience, you might be the right fit.

RELATED: Watch Pregnant Kate Middleton Dance with Paddington Bear in the Middle of a Train Station

"The successful candidate will lead on communications plans and the delivery of engagements and overseas tours. Drafting and circulating Press Lines will also be a key part of the role, as well as organizing and giving press briefings and handling out of hour's media [inquiries]," the post says. "They will conduct research for special projects and contribute to strategic discussions, actively making decisions where required."

You can apply for the gig here, but only until Oct. 26. Don't forget us little people if you get it!
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 04:02:54|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KHARTOUM, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has provided 106 million euros to support Sudanese affected by natural disasters, a Sudanese official announced Sunday.

Sudan's First Vice-President and Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Saleh met the visiting European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.

"The first vice-president's meeting with the European official reviewed the positive development regarding the humanitarian and political affairs in Sudan," Attal-Mannan Bakheet, Sudan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, told reporters.

"The EU donated 106 million euros for Sudan to meet the needs of people affected by natural disasters in the country," he noted.

Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement that Bakheet met earlier on the day with Stylianides and briefed him on the development of the situations in the country.

According to the statement, Stylianides' visit in Khartoum tends to enhance the standing cooperation between Sudan and the EU in the humanitarian field, inspect the EU projects in Darfur and get acquainted with the conditions of the refugees from South Sudan.
DENVER (AP)  A Cub Scout was kicked out of his den after he questioned a Colorado state lawmaker about her position on gun control and previous comments she made about African-Americans' health and eating fried chicken.

It was the latest political flashpoint for the Boy Scouts after President Donald Trump used his speech at the organization's national jamboree in July to rail against "fake news" and former President Barack Obama and boast about beating Hillary Clinton.

Eleven-year-old Ames Mayfield posed the questions at an Oct. 9 event in Broomfield, between Denver and Boulder. Cub Scouts had been told to come prepared to talk to Republican state Sen. Vicki Marble about issues important to them.

Ames' mother, Lori Mayfield, said a local scout leader later told her that the topic of gun control was inappropriate because of its political nature and that the boy's questions were disrespectful.

The Boy Scouts, which includes the Cub Scouts, refused to comment on why the boy was asked to leave but say he will remain in scouting after finding a new group.

"The Boy Scouts of America is a wholly nonpartisan organization and does not promote any one political position, candidate or philosophy," the organization said Friday in a statement.

Cub Scouts is for children in the first through fifth grades. They meet in groups of children from the same grade called "dens," which are part of larger "packs."

Ames was only kicked out of his den, not the larger pack. Since the other available den met while he attends classes, changing to another den within the pack was not an option. He's joining a den in a new pack at his church, his mother said.

The leaders of the group that kicked Ames out did not return phone messages and emails left by The Associated Press.

In online videos recorded by Lori Mayfield, the scouts asked questions about why people wanted to vote for Obama just because he was black and about Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. It was unclear which scouts asked the questions. Mayfield blurred the identities of all the children except for that of her son.

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In the video showing Ames asking about gun control, he read from a printed sheet, telling the lawmaker that he was shocked that she sponsored a bill that allowed domestic violence offenders to own guns. He also rattled off a list of survey statistics about Americans' views on the issue and spoke about the trouble Las Vegas shooting victims would have paying their bills.

"There is something wrong in our country where Republicans believe it's a right to own a gun but a privilege to have health care. None of that makes sense to me," he said.

After nearly 2 minutes, an adult is heard cutting him off, remarking on his thorough question. Marble responds by talking about the need for "crime control" instead and saying that the Vegas shooting and the 2012 Aurora theater shooting both happened in "gun-free zones."

Marble drew national attention in 2013 after she seemed to draw a link between the health of black people and eating fried chicken and barbecue in comments made during a legislative committee hearing. The head of the state Republican Party and others criticized her words.

She then issued a statement saying she was saddened that her comments were interpreted as disparaging.

During the scout meeting, Ames told Marble that he was "astonished that you blamed black people" for their health problems.

She replied, "I didn't. That was made up by the media. So you want to believe it, you believe it, but that's not how it went down."

Marble went on to say Americans enjoy multicultural food but cautioned that people also need to consider whether they are predisposed to any diseases because of their genetic makeup.

In a statement Friday, Marble said she did not know about Ames' dismissal until she read about it. She said she did not blame him because she thought there was an "element of manipulation involved" by his mother.

Mayfield denies that. She said she and her son, whom she said is gifted and likes to watch the news, researched Marble together, and she typed up his questions using his words. The mother questioned why the Scouts would chose to invite such a controversial lawmaker to speak.

The Boy Scouts and their Denver-area governing council said they were "pleased that the family will continue their participation in scouting," the statement said. "We are committed to working with families to find local units that best fit their needs."

___

Associated Press writers James Anderson in Denver and Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Florida, contributed to this report.
Cairo (AFP) - At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert on Friday, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the incident and said some of the attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Security forces, who are hunting down Islamic militants in the region, were ambushed late Friday on a road to the Bahariya oasis, some 200 kilometers southeast of Cairo, according to the interior ministry statement.

According to a source close to the security services, the convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

The Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition movement, has long denied involvement in violence.

Mohamed Morsi was elected as Egypt's first civilian president in 2012, but the army overthrew him a year later following mass protests against the divisive Islamist's rule.

Since then, an extensive crackdown on the group has left it in disarray with competing wings that have disagreed on whether to use violence, after police quashed their protests.

Analysts say a section of the Brotherhood has encouraged armed assaults against policemen in Egypt.

Authorities have also been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the violence.

The small group Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, none of the militant groups claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

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The Islamic State group's deadly attacks on the military and police include a recent assault on a checkpoint in Sinai on July 7 that killed at least 21 soldiers.

The group has maintained a steady war of attrition with sniper attacks and roadside bombings.

But unlike their parent organisation in Iraq and Syria, they have been unable to seize population centres in the peninsula bordering Israel and Gaza.

In October 2015, IS claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from the popular South Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
(AUSTIN)  All five living former U.S. presidents will be attending a concert Saturday night in a Texas college town, raising money for relief efforts from hurricane devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush are putting aside politics in contrast with President Donald Trump, who has vowed to help Texas and Florida for as long as it takes but has criticized Puerto Rican leaders while suggesting aid there wont be unlimited. Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which made landfall after Harvey and Irma had battered other areas.

Having so much ex-presidential power in one place is unusual. George H.W. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said all five of Saturday nights attendees havent been together since the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas in 2013, when Obama was still in office. He didnt answer a question about whether Trump was formally invited.

The concert features the country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Soul Man Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. Its happening at Texas A&M Universitys Reed Arena in College Station, home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinsons disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility, though he participated in the coin flip at Februarys Super Bowl in his hometown of Houston.

George W. Bush was Texas governor before leaving for the White House and now lives in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haitis 2011 earthquake.

Its certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something thats not political, they can rake in big money.

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Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of poor leadership, and later tweeted that, Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldnt be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said those attending Saturdays concert were always going to be viewed more favorably since polling consistently shows that any ex-president is seen as less polarizing than the current president.

They cant get away from the politics of the moment, he said of current White House occupants. Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nations grandfather.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, eventually unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as One America Appeal. In it, George W. Bush says, People are hurting down here. His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, We love you, Texas.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both affected the U.S. Virgin Islands. Organizers expanded the fundraising campaign to help those storm victims, too.
As Spains Catalonia pushes toward independence, Barcelonaone of the most-wired cities in the world and longtime host of the largest mobile tech conference worldwide, Mobile World Congress is ready to become a tech capital.

Miquel Marti, CEO of Barcelona Tech City, organizer of startup incubator Pier 01, makes the usual San Francisco comparisons but with a twist: Were also the Miami of Europe, the gateway to the Spanish-speaking world.

There are 400 million native Spanish speakers globallymore than native Arabic, French-Canadian, and Japanese combined. Pier 01 itself is expected to jump next year from its current 1,000 residents to approximately 2,500, says Marti.

That hustle comes amid the bustle of a $1.5 billion startup scene, driven by Pier 01s $587 million in investment funding but buoyed by some of the tech sectors biggest names and most blueblood blue chipsall piled on top of a significantly lower cost of living with a breezy bohemian flavor influenced heavily by native sons Salvador Dali, Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso. Its easy to see why Spain is reluctant to say adios to the Catalan haven and why the worlds tech giants are eager to say hello in any language they can.

Airbnb

Airbnb has a hot-and-cold relationship with the city, which requires Airbnb hosts to have hard-to-obtain tourism licenses. Under the threat of a ban earlier this year, Airbnb recalled 1,043 illegal spots from its databasewhich jumped from 11,000 in 2014 to 20,000 nowand offered free lodging to survivors of the terrorist attack this summer. But the city is still pushing a $704,000 fine. Barcelona is a tourism jewel as the citys 1.7 million residents last year saw 8 million foreign visitors900,000 of whom used Airbnb.

Amazon

This year, the Seattle-headquartered company opened a $35 million airport warehouse devoted to Amazon Fulfillment, its third-party shipping service. It expects to have 1,500 workers by 2020. Amazon amzn also announced this past spring that it intends to add 500 more jobs by 2019 with a seller support hub.

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Airbnb's offices in Barcelona. They were designed by Cloud Coworking.

Antai

Since 2012, the venture builder has launched 14 digital businesses in eight countries, with hubs in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, and Santiago. It also manages a $47 million marketing inventory. The CEO has also co-founded other upstarts, like Wallapop. (See below.)

CartoDB

Touting skills for location data analysis, and visualization, CartoDB counts Amtrak, AXA, Deloitte, Google Trends, Mexico City, the U.S. National Park Service, New York City, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Twitter twtr among its clients. It recently tripled its adoption rate and scored $23 million in Series B funding from Accel and Salesforce Ventures.

Privalia

Last year, French rival Vente-Privee bought Privalia for $588 million in Barcelonas biggest-ever exit. The Spanish flash-sale company held top rankings in Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. (In 2015, it scored $488 million in sales.) Privalia had achieved that stature on only $189 million in six rounds of funding, making the ROI sizable.

Scytl

In 2014, Scytl, an online voting company born at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, received $91 million in a Series C roundhalf of which came from New York Citys Vulcan Capitaland has handled almost 400 elections in 25 countries. But after the 2016 U.S. election, it halted plans to IPO this year, citing concerns that it would lose its independence if it were tied to stakeholders in a specific country (hi, Russia!) or, say, Facebook fb or Google googl .

Tiendeo

Its the Kayak for those flyers and catalogues you get with the Sunday newspaper or in junk mail, digitizing them to maximize comparison shopping. Tiendeo launched an expansion in Japan, but already claims 4 million downloads and 17 million monthly users since launching in 2011.

Wallapop

A second-hand trading app, $43 million of investment and 11 million users in its first two years of existence got investors and analysts talking about Wallapops chances as a Spanish unicorn. It purchased New York-based Sell It to branch into the U.S., but keeps costs low with only 80 employees.

WeWork

WeWorks arrival in Barcelona this winter is meant to take notice by design as it grabs prime real estate in a golden tower in Barcelonas District 22@ innovation neighborhood. Its next-door neighbor (in a silver tower) is Amazon. Its an especially tantalizing office for lean entrepreneurs given that monthly cost of living in Barcelona is $2,854, about half that of New York or San Francisco.
Angelina Jolie hit the red carpet Friday night with two special ladies by her side: daughters Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Zahara Jolie-Pitt.

The mother-daughter trio looked close as can be as they smiled and posed for photographers at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres where The Breadwinner, the upcoming animated film about a headstrong young girl in Afghanistan who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family, was having its Los Angeles premiere. (Jolie served as a producer on the film.)

Jolie, 42, wore a white Ulyana Sergeenko demi-couture crepe dress with three-quarter length sleeves. The Oscar winner accessorized the look with a diamond ribbon brooch and cream pumps.

Shiloh, 11, wore an all-black ensemble  which included a long-sleeve button-down collared shirt, vest, and slacks. The short-haired pre-teen carried a black backpack on her shoulders, and wore a two necklaces over her shirt.

Zahara also wore an all-black outfit. Her look was a flowing sheer asymmetrical gown which she wore over a black mini slip dress. The 12-year-old paired the frock with ankle-length lace-up boots.

Angelina Jolie

Much has changed over the last year in Jolies life, but her dedication to her children has remained constant. After filing for divorce from Brad Pitt on Sept. 19, 2016, Jolie retreated from the spotlight to focus on her family as they worked to heal from the traumatic split.

I have had my ups and downs. I guess I am a little bit stronger, the actress, director and philanthropist told PEOPLE in September. We all have our difficult times, but as a mother you also have a responsibility first and foremost towards the kids. They are going through their formative years and everything else comes second to that.

And while Jolie plans on taking on more acting roles in the future, including Maleficent 2, she said her priority remains her children (aside from Zahara and Shiloh, Jolie is also mother to Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Vivienne and Knox, 9).

Everything will be around the children, she said. I havent worked for over a year now because they needed me home. Everything was just stopped. Im really sitting and talking with them because everything affects them. Every location, every type of project, Im going to have to adjust it to however much they can handle.

The Breadwinner hits theaters Nov. 17.
After Rey hands that lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, its possible that The Last Jedi could jump ahead in time pretty significantly. New comments from director Rian Johnson might suggest that the film wont follow a direct linear path from the final scene of The Force Awakens. At least, that is, after the first scene.

On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter published a recap of an event L.A.s Regal Theaters where Johnson spoke about The Last Jedi. He revealed that he was hesitant to have the opening of The Last Jedi jump forward in time beyond the moment where Rey is standing on the cliff in The Force Awakens.

In every other case, Star Wars movies jumped forward in leaps of time. I knew I was supposed to do that but the last image was intriguing. I knew I wanted to know where we were going next. Johnson is right. Every single Star Wars film has always taken place a significant amount of time after its previous installment. For example, ten years pass between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, three years pass between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and 32 years pass between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This means, The Last Jedi will make history by being the first numbered, episodic film which takes place one second after its predecessor. (Though a case could be made for Rogue One taking place just moments before A New Hope)

Still, because the vast majority of the footage in the trailers sees Luke wearing an all-black outfit, and not the white robes he wore in The Force Awakens, it stands to reason a time-jump will happen right after that lightsaber gets passed back and forth.

An A-Wing fighter in 'The Last Jedi'

The Hollywood Reporter also noted that Johnson said that his favorite ship is the A-wing, of which the new film will have plenty. Johnson was also quoted as saying that the Star Wars films are a fine line between bubblegum and opera. With so many references to previous Star Wars movies packed into The Last Jedi, everyone may have forgotten about the classic Return of the Jedi fighter thats making a huge comeback: the A-Wing. First seen in Return of the Jedi, the A-Wing was the faster, more compact alternative to the X-Wing. And apparently, Last Jedi director Rian Johnson loves it. But loves countunity with The Force Awakens just a little bit more.

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The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

Written by Ryan Britt

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People with HIV should be quarantined, and the U.S. would be safer if they died more readily, according to Betty Price, a Republican state representative and wife of former Health Secretary Tom Price.

The Georgia-state lawmaker and former anesthesiologist, who now represents people who live in the northern Atlanta area, was asked in a hearing what the U.S. is legally able to do to limit the spread of HIV throughout the state.

Its almost frightening, the number of people who are living that are carriers with the potential to spread, Price said during a Georgia House of Representatives committee meeting on access to health care in the state (around the one-hour mark of the video). Whereas in the past, they died more readily, and at that point theyre not posing a risk. So weve got a huge population posing a risk if theyre not in treatment.

Price also said that while she didnt necessarily want to quarantine people with HIV, that is exactly what she wants to do.

I dont want to say the quarantine wordbut I guess I just said it, Price said to Dr. Pascale Wortley, director of the Georgia Department of Public Healths HIV epidemiology section, according to STAT News.

Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition, so we have a public interest in curtailing the spread.  Are there any methods legally that we could do that would curtail the spread?

In 2014, about 50,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the statethe second-highest rate of new diagnoses among all states the following year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prices incredibly disturbing comments were condemned for perpetuating the stigma that still exists around HIV, Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality.

Its very troubling to hear comments like that, he told STAT News. It shows the amount of work that still needs to happen to educate elected officials on the reality of the lives of people living with HIV. Im hoping Representative Price would be open to sitting down, meeting with folks, hearing how those comments sound and recognizing thats not the direction we need to go in.

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Price's husband, Tom, was the health secretary under President Donald Trump who has faced his own share of condemnation. Price, who served less than a year, was forced to resign after facing criticism for taking private planes at the taxpayers' expense.

Price did not immediately respond to calls from Newsweek.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 04:07:56|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HARARE, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had withdrawn the appointment of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as the goodwill ambassador for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.

WHO announced last Friday that it had bestowed the honor of goodwill ambassador on Mugabe in recognition of his government's efforts in fighting NCDs.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, said in a statement Sunday that he had listened to those expressing concerns and heard the different issues they had raised.

And after consultations with the Zimbabwean government, he said they concluded that the rescinding decision was in the best interest of the UN agency.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government said Mugabe had accepted the decision by WHO.

Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi said the decision will not affect Mugabe, who will continue to work to raise awareness on NCDs.

"We respect the WHO decision as much as we respect the initial decision to honor our president," Mzembi said.

The minister added that the decision was a loss to WHO rather than an embarrassment to Mugabe.

Mugabe and his wife remain under European Union and United States sanctions imposed in the early 2000s for political reasons, though several of Mugabe's allies in government and party have been removed from the EU sanctions lists.
By Robert Muller and Petra Vodstrcilova

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Andrej Babis won a thumping victory in Saturday's election as voters shunned traditional parties and gave a mandate to the anti-establishment businessman pledging to fight political corruption while facing fraud charges himself.

Babis's ANO movement got 29.6 percent of the vote, nearly three times as much as anyone else in an election that saw a record nine parties secure seats in parliament's lower house. He now faces the tricky task of finding willing government partners ready to overlook his legal troubles and domineering manner.

ANO is the first party to break a quarter century of dominance by two mainstream centre-right and centre-left parties, highlighting a shift in Europe where a refugee crisis has helped the rise of protest groups.

Babis has promised to bring his business expertise to government. He pledges to resist deeper integration of the European Union and any efforts in Brussels to force the country of 10.6 million to take in refugees.

The dramatic power shift comes as the Czech Republic has enjoyed rapid economic growth, a balanced budget and the lowest unemployment in the EU. Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade.

But unlike ANO, the Social Democrats -- who led a government with ANO and another partner since 2014 -- failed to capitalise on that, and had their worst showing, at 7.3 percent, since the country peacefully split from Slovakia in 1993.

Two other protest movements -- the Pirate party courting unhappy liberals and the far-right, anti-EU SPD -- surged to almost 11 percent each, making them, respectively, the third and fourth largest parliamentary players.

Babis faces tough negotiations after former partners the Social Democrats and centrist Christian Democrats both said on Saturday they could not be in a cabinet with anyone under police investigation.

The runner-up centre-right Civic Democrats also ruled out a government with ANO as well as two other small factions.

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Babis was undeterred and said he would talk to all parties.

"I believe we will build a government that will be one team," Babis told supporters and journalists at his party's headquarters. "We want to fulfil our programme for a better life in our country."

Drawing comparisons with U.S. President Donald Trump for his business background and anti-establishment message, Babis has maintained his popularity despite charges he illegally received a 2 million euro EU subsidy when he ran his food, agriculture and chemical empire, worth an estimated $4 billion, before entering politics.

He has denied wrongdoing and has also fought back against rivals questioning his past business practices and accusations of conflicts of interest.

His holdings, including interests in national newspapers and a radio station, were placed in a trust earlier this year.

EUROSCEPTICS

Babis's tough EU line and refusal to adopt the euro until the currency zone reforms have played well with eurosceptic Czechs but raised the prospect he may join Hungary and Poland on a collision course with the bloc.

But he also supports EU membership and does not share the relatively illiberal ideology of Budapest and Warsaw.

On Saturday, he said his party was pro-European despite reservations about talk of a two-speed Europe that could sideline countries like the Czech Republic which are not using the euro.

"It is not true that we are any threat. We are pro-European!" Babis said. "I am ready to fight for our interests in Brussels."

At home, he has promised to use growth of over 3 percent to cut sales tax, lower income tax for most workers and ease the burden on companies. He pledges to build more highways in the next four years than what was completed in the past decade.

Whether he can find support for this programme is still a question. If coalition talks with mainstream parties fail, there is also the possibility ANO will form a cabinet with backing from the Communists or the far-right SPD.

President Milos Zeman has said he would allow a month for negotiations before calling a new parliament, the trigger for the current administration to depart.

He told online news website parlamentnilisty.cz he would not object to Babis forming a government even while facing police charges. He also said he would have no objections to talks involving SPD or the Communists.

(Reporting by Robert Muller and Petra Vodstrcilova; Additional reporting and writing by Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet; Editing by Ros Russell and Robin Pomeroy)
American environmentalist Tom Steyer - REUTERS

California billionaire Tom Steyer announced Friday that he will dump at least $10 million into a national television advertising campaign calling for President Donald Trumps impeachment.

In the ad, Steyer argues Trump should be ousted from office because he has edged the country toward nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI and threatened to shut down news organizations he does not like. He urges viewers to call their members of Congress and tell them to bring articles of impeachment.

"People in Congress and his own administration know this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons," Steyer says in the ad. "And they do nothing."

Steyer plans to spend eight figures to air the television ads nationally, but he would not give an exact amount. His investment comes as he considers running against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, and as Democrats in Washington argue over whether efforts to impeach Trump are smart or worthwhile.

About | Impeachment

"If Democrats want to appease the far left and their liberal mega-donors by supporting a baseless, radical effort that the vast majority of Americans disagree with, then have at it," said Michael Ahrens, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

Republicans will focus on "issues voters actually care about," such as the economy and cutting taxes, he said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Steyer also said he will spend seven figures on an accompanying digital ad campaign.

An impeachment resolution brought last week by Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas died before coming up for a vote. Green has vowed to try again.

But Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California think impeachment attempts are not worthwhile because they will fail in the Republican-led Congress and could energize GOP voters heading into the next election.

Steyer has poured his wealth into a variety of political efforts, mostly focused on stopping climate change.
Barcelona (AFP) - Catalonia's separatists weighed their options Sunday ahead of a week that will see Spain take the drastic step of sacking the region's government as well as calling fresh elections to try and stop the country breaking up.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive will be booted out, with Madrid taking control of ministries under unprecedented measures announced on Saturday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

"Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull.

Catalan parties are due to meet Monday to organise a full gathering of the regional parliament to debate next steps -- a session that could potentially give the ruling separatists another opportunity to declare unilateral independence, which they have been threatening to do since a banned referendum on the issue on October 1.

As nearly half a million angry separatists took to the streets of regional capital Barcelona on Saturday, Puigdemont declared Rajoy guilty of "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people" since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Among other repressive measures, Franco -- who ruled from 1939 until 1975 -- took Catalonia's powers away and banned official use of the Catalan language.

Though Catalans are deeply divided on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people. Catalonia fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.

Spain's government says it had no choice but to use previously untested constitutional powers to seize control of the region, faced with the country's worst political crisis in decades.

"What we are doing is following strictly the provisions of our constitution," Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told BBC television.

Responding to accusations of a "coup", he said: "If there is a coup d'etat, it is one that has been followed by Mr. Puigdemont and his government."

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- Headache for Madrid -

Madrid could take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs, while new elections for the regional parliament must be called within six months.

The Senate, where Rajoy's conservative Popular Party holds a majority and his approach to Catalonia enjoys support from other major parties, is set to approve the measures by the end of the week.

But political analysts warn that Madrid faces a serious struggle in practical terms to impose control over the region.

Potential scenarios include Catalan police and civil servants refusing to obey orders from central authorities.

"What is going to happen if they don't abide by it?" said Xavier Arbos Marin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, raising the prospect of the government trying to "take them out by force".

There is fierce debate among experts over whether the government's actions are even legal, he added.

Independence supporters may also seek to scupper Madrid's plans through civil disobedience, such as surrounding regional ministries.

"If police try to enter one of the Catalan institutions, there will be peaceful resistance," said Ruben Wagensberg, spokesman for new activist group En Pie de Paz.

Antonio Crespo, a 65-year-old retiree who joined a protest in the Spanish capital on Sunday night against Madrid's takeover, described Rajoy's decision as "disastrous".

"It's a huge retreat of freedoms and rights," he told AFP.

- 'Group of rebels' -

Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Spain's foreign minister tried to strike a reassuring tone.

"We are not going to arrest anyone," Dastis told BBC television, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in.

But he warned that if Puigdemont's government keeps trying to give orders, "they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia".

Puigdemont says 90 percent backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given as 43 percent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from a vote that was declared illegal by the courts.

Opinion polls suggest the wealthy region is evenly split over independence, with separatists saying it pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of Spain.

The crisis has rattled a European Union that is already grappling with Brexit.
By Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) should overturn its decision to appoint Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, global health leaders said on Saturday, describing the move as unjustifiable and wrong. Britain said Mugabe's appointment was "surprising and disappointing" and added that it risked overshadowing the WHO's global work. The United States, which has imposed sanctions on Mugabe for alleged human rights violations, said it was "disappointed." "This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations' ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "This selection underscores why the United States continues to push for U.N. reform and leadership actions that uphold our shared U.N. ideals." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Mugabe, 93. He is blamed in the West for destroying his country's economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister. In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all". The former Ethiopian health and foreign minister, who was elected last May as WHO's first African director-general, added: "Today I am also honored to announce that President Mugabe has agreed to serve as a goodwill ambassador on NCDs for Africa to influence his peers in his region to prioritize NCDs." But the NCD Alliance, which represents 28 international health groups seeking to combat chronic diseases, said it was "shocked and deeply concerned" to hear of the appointment, given Mugabes "long track record of human rights violations". Jeremy Farrar, a leading global health specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust charity also said the decision was "deeply disappointing and wrong" and called on Tedros to be brave and reverse it. "Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for and those that Dr Tedros has stood for since becoming DG and has done over many years," Farrar said. "Brave leaders are willing to listen, rethink and overturn bad decisions, this is one such case," he said. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO chief had made the move seeking broad support for the agency's work. "Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health," he said by e-mail. Human rights activists also criticized the move. Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch described the choice by WHO, a United Nations agency as "sickening". "The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa  and its health system  into a basket-case," he said. He noted that Mugabe himself had traveled to Singapore for medical treatment three times this year rather than in his homeland. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in GENEVA, Kate Kelland in LONDON and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Nick Zieminski)
By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Consumer Reports said on Friday that Tesla Inc had apparently misunderstood the "average" reliability rating the magazine assigned to the electric carmaker's Model 3 sedan this week, calling it generally "positive" for an all-new vehicle. Tesla criticized the rating on Thursday, saying "it's important to note that Consumer Reports has not yet driven a Model 3, let alone do they know anything substantial about how the Model 3 was designed and engineered." The rating for the Model 3, which is lower priced than earlier Tesla models and aimed at giving the Silicon Valley automaker mass market appeal, was part of magazine's annual survey of new vehicle reliability. The survey predicts which cars will give owners fewer or more problems than their competitors, based on data collected. Its scorecard is influential among consumers and industry executives. "Tesla seems to misunderstand or is conflating some of what we fundamentally do," the magazine, sometimes called the buyer's bible for car shoppers, said in a statement. "Tesla appears unhappy that CR expects the new-to-market Tesla Model 3 to be of average reliability, which is generally a positive projection for any first model year of a car," the magazine said. Tesla launched production of the Model 3, its newest car, over the summer. Consumer Reports said its rating was based on 2,000 consumer survey response about Tesla models. It also noted that its survey listed Tesla's Model S sedan as the magazine's top rated car with "above average reliability for the first time ever." Palo Alto, California-based Tesla said earlier this month that "production bottlenecks" had left it running behind in ramp-up plans for the Model 3, which is still short in supply with long waiting lists for deliveries. "As with all the cars we review ... we will thoroughly test and evaluate the Model 3 with the same care and scrutiny we apply to all the cars we test just as soon as we can get one - we're waiting patiently along with other consumers," Consumer Reports said. (Reporting by Nick Carey; editing by Tom Brown)
New York (AFP) - Could Harvey Weinstein go on trial for sexual assault, rape or harassment? Experts assess his mounting legal woes with around 40 actresses publicly accusing the disgraced Hollywood mogul.

New York police are pressing two sex crime investigations, London police are pursuing allegations from three women and Los Angeles detectives have interviewed an Italian actress alleging she was raped in 2013.

Legal eagles say the 65-year-old, twice married father of five could potentially go on trial in civil or criminal courts, and is likely to be hit by out-of-court settlements that could see the mogul declare bankruptcy.

- Could Weinstein be charged? -

The allegations against Weinstein range from harassment to sexual assault and rape. The producer insists that all sexual relations were consensual.

Many of the accusations date back 10 to 20 years, and as such could be subject to statute of limitation laws, which would prevent prosecution, although these vary in different US states.

In New York, there is no statute of limitations on rape in a criminal court, but lesser sexual assault offenses cannot be prosecuted after five years have elapsed.

Manhattan detectives are investigating alleged forcible oral sex in 2004, an offense serious enough to potentially still be prosecuted.

The Los Angeles investigation of the alleged rape of an Italian actress in a hotel room near Beverly Hills in 2013, is also recent enough to be prosecuted.

The trouble is finding enough evidence to bring charges and be reasonably confident of securing a conviction, says criminal lawyer and ex-prosecutor Michael Weinstein (no relation).

"You need a credible victim and you need evidence," he says. And preferably from the day, or the day after. "Either a first-hand account of what happened, or a text message, email message which describes the inappropriate behavior."

- What are the obstacles to criminal prosecution? -

Manhattan's district attorney Cyrus Vance, whose sex assault case against IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn collapsed in 2011 when his accuser changed her story, decided in 2015 against prosecuting Weinstein.

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An Italian model wore a wire in which the producer admitted to harassment, but Vance decided the evidence was insufficient and the model not credible enough.

The difficulty of persuading a jury that sexual assault took place "beyond a reasonable doubt" was underscored this year at the trial of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, which ended in a hung jury in Pennsylvania.

On the other hand, there is "a lot of public pressure in these cases," to bring charges, says Ann McGinley, law professor at the University of Nevada.

- Civil suits? -

The burden of proof is less onerous in civil suits, says New York sexual harassment lawyer Bryan Arce. O.J. Simpson was acquitted of double murder at his criminal trial in 1995, but was later ordered in civil court to pay $33.5 million in punitive damages over the double murder of his wife and her friend.

But even civil suits are subject to statutes of limitations. Even in rape cases, suits must be brought within five years in New York.

Victims can seek damages for loss of earnings, loss of career, emotional distress and punitive damages for malicious intent and egregious behavior. While amounts vary, they rack up into millions, McGinley said.

"I consider it highly likely that there will be civil lawsuits filed against him, I also consider likely that they will be settled," she told AFP.

Fox News paid out millions to settle allegations against its late former boss Roger Ailes and star presenter Bill O'Reilly.

- How might Weinstein pay up? -

According to The New York Times, Weinstein has already reached eight private settlements with women. The amounts involved were not disclosed.

But if civil suits snowball, Arce warns Weinstein could protect himself by claiming "some sort of bankruptcy."

"The floodgates have now opened," he said. "There is only so much money to go around... at that point that's when you claim bankruptcy."

Whatever the outcome, none of it is good for the former Hollywood boss.

"The story is not going to end well for him," concluded Weinstein, the lawyer.
A Cub Scout was kicked out of his den after asking his state senator questions about gun control

It is not always easy to ask the tough questions, but it is so nice when someone does. This week, a Cub Scout was kicked out of his den for asking his state senator a simple question. Colorados Vicki Marble was visiting the group of cub scouts when 11-year-old Ames Mayfield asked an important question about gun control. According to 9News, his other den mates had asked similarly political questions about fracking, fossil fuels, and the border wall. However, Ames was the only Cub Scout asked to leave his den.

In recent years, the Boy Scouts have made strides to become more inclusive. Theyve worked to improve trans rights for their members, and recently decided to start admitting girls into the Scouts.

However, it looks like this Cub Scout troop still has a long way to go.

Cub scout 'heartbroken,' kicked out of his den for asking Colorado state senator tough questions https://t.co/6FdAvCnZlG pic.twitter.com/ROWE9Z7VjA  9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) October 20, 2017

As Senator Vicki Marble took questions from the kids, Ames readied to ask his own.

Why on earth would you want somebody who beats their wife to have access to a gun? he asked.

Besides touching on domestic violence and mistreatment of women, Ames also brought up a great point about healthcare.

Theres something wrong in our country where Republicans believe its a right to own a gun, but a privilege to have health care.

Lori Mayfield, Amess mom, captured the questions on video, shared by 9News. After, she met with Amess pack leader, who informed her that her son would have to find another den within the pack. When Ames heard the news, he was rightfully heartbroken, citing that he felt he had a really good relationship with his Den leader. And Lori has defended her son. She doesnt think gun control should have been off the table.

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I dont think any child should be banned from coming back for asking a tough question. Most certainly, the punishment far exceeds any crime, if there was one, and I dont think there was one, she explained.

The Boy Scouts released a statement after the incident.

The BSA and the Denver Area Council are committed to working with families interested in Scouting to find local units that are the best fit for their children It is important to note that the Scout is still part of the Cub Scout pack, and we are working with the family to offer the Scout options that will allow him to continue his Scouting experience in a way that fits his and his familys needs. Beyond that, I hope you understand that we cannot discuss personal details regarding our youth members.

Plenty of Cub Scout groups around their community have reached out to Mayfield and Ames, inviting him into their Packs. We hope this tough kid finds a Pack that can support and foster all childrens rights to ask questions that will undoubtedly affect their futures.

All this kid did was ask Why on earth would you want someone who abused women to have access to a gun?



I want to thank his parents... https://t.co/CFJs6JRLtW  Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 20, 2017

To Shannon Watts point, we would also like to thank his parents for raising such a strong and considerate kid. Keep on, Ames.
The last time the Yellowstone County Attorneys Office came to you for additional help was 2000. The office asked for public safety resources back then to help with the offices criminal operations. We, as a community, benefited greatly from that levy and those resources continue to be used to keep the criminal justice system moving forward.

However, the rapid increase in our criminal justice filings has made it difficult to rely on that levy. That is why this year, for the first time since I became county attorney, the office asked the county commissioners for a significant amount of help. After taking a close look at the numbers, they provided us with much-needed staff and attorney positions for criminal and child abuse and neglect cases. To be able to provide this help, the commissioners committed a significant amount of county general funds to slow the loss from the current county attorney levy funding. According to the countys finance director, even with that additional money, in several years the county attorney levy reserve will be depleted.

The County Attorneys Office is asking for help now because much has changed. For one, Yellowstone County has grown considerably. Most of these additional residents are good, hard-working, and honest people. Too many are not. It is this population of offenders that this office must deal with daily. Many are the victimizers in the horror stories you see on television or read in The Gazette: the young child raped and physically abused by a sick and perverted family member, women terrorized in their homes by a serial rapist, sexually explicit images of young children possessed by a child pornographer, a neighbors business robbed by a gun-toting felon, and a family devastated by the callous actions of a drug-influenced murderer. But you do not see and read it all. You dont read about hundreds of child abuse and neglect cases or court calendars so full of felony cases that it takes county attorney staff and attorneys nearly the entire day to plow through them, only to get ready for the next days calendar. This growth has led to more required court filings every day.

On top of community growth is the scourge of methamphetamine. Meth was substantially involved in one-third of all felony criminal cases we filed in 2016, greatly outpacing all other abusive substances. We started to track the meth numbers in 2016. Meth was involved in a large percentage of all the child abuse and neglect cases that the office filed. This tells you what you already know: Criminals steal from you to get money for meth; criminals kill other people for meth; criminals fight with law enforcement because of meth; parents do unspeakable things to their kids and each other because of meth. For our community it is a monumental challenge.

Since 2011, child abuse and neglect cases have tripled and our criminal filings have doubled. The sheer numbers in Yellowstone Countys criminal justice system have increased so dramatically that they led the 2017 Montana Legislature to provide for two additional judges in our community despite the budget cuts and tight times Montana currently faces.

These additional judges and courtrooms are desperately needed. When these judges take office at the beginning of 2019, my office will be responsible for staffing two new courtrooms as well as the six we currently have. I dread judges hearing, Im sorry judge, but my prosecutors were busy in another courtroom when the case came up. I dont ever want a victim to hear, Im sorry, the prosecutor for your case cant meet with you because she is too busy right now. This office will always do its best to avoid any scenarios that put anyones safety at risk.

The staff at the County Attorneys Office comes to work each day and tries to do what is just. Since taking office in 2011 this office has used the resources entrusted to it as effectively and efficiently as possible. But the justice system in your community needs help to keep up with the demand. The office needs adequate staff to take your calls and try your cases. You as the voters have the power during this election to define the type of community we live in. Help me keep the bad guys where they belong  behind bars and away from you.

Thank you.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 04:28:00|Editor: yan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzanian government is to launch a countrywide demolition targeting houses built in unplanned areas, a senior official announced on Sunday.

William Lukuvi, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, said the exercise is aimed at ensuring that buildings are built in planned areas and not otherwise.

The government's move came at the time when studies show that more than 50 percent of urban residents in the East African nation live in unplanned settlements.

The minister blamed the unplanned settlements on local officials who turned a blind eye to people building houses and other structures haphazardly.

He said the majority of town planners were spending most of the time in the comfort of their offices instead of being in the field.

"We cannot continue with the (land) formalization exercise while there are some few people thwarting the efforts. Council directors, land officers and urban planners are the major obstacle to this," the official said, vowing a war with officials who continue thwarting the government's land formalizing efforts.

With a population of 5 million, the country's commercial capital Dar es Salaam has approximately two-thirds of its residents living in informal settlements.
Nairobi (AFP) - Last weekend's truck bombing in Mogadishu killed at least 358 people, making it the deadliest in Somalia's history, an attack that analysts say underscores the fragility of the internationally-backed government.

With Somalia's security forces disorganised and riddled with corruption, and deepening suspicion between central and regional governments, the October 14 blast highlights the al Qaeda-aligned Shabaab's ability to exploit state weakness and prosecute asymmetric war to deadly effect.

-- Shabaab gains? --

Militarily, the situation has been largely static in recent months.

Evicted from the capital in 2011, the Shabaab has maintained its control in many rural parts of central and southern Somalia. "There have been no recent strategic gains" on either side, says Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po in Paris -- neither for the Shabaab nor the Somali army, backed by African Union troops and an increasingly active US military.

"On the surface at least, what we see is stagnation," says Matt Bryden, founder of the Nairobi-based Sahan Research thinktank, who points out that the Shabaab has proven resilient, able to replace commanders and fighters killed by US air strikes.

The International Crisis Group (ICG), however, said Friday that Shabaab has recently regained control of several areas outside Mogadishu, including Barire, a strategically significant town on a major road 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the capital.

"Averting attacks in Mogadishu is ever harder when surrounding districts revert back to Shabaab control," the ICG says.

-- Weak security --

The Shabaab's intelligence network allows it to exploit flaws and weakness in the security apparatus.

For example, the recent Shabaab gains around Mogadishu were, the ICG says, permitted by the withdrawal of government forces in a row over unpaid salaries.

Attempts to establish new security checkpoints at the city's gateways have also been subverted, as happened last Saturday, when the truck, though packed with explosives, was waved through by officers.

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"We know from past experience that they've been able to infiltrate security forces, or to put their own people in government uniforms," says Bryden.

Also significant: the bombing last weekend came days after both the country's defence minister and army chief resigned, without explanation. The simultaneous departure weakened President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a situation used by Shabaab to its advantage.

"It is not that the Shabaab is very strong, it is that the others are really weak," Marchal says.

-- Fractured government --

Federalism in Somalia has existed on paper since 2004, but only began to take shape five years ago. There are now five federal regional states, not including Somaliland which claims independence and does not recognise the central government.

Relations between Mogadishu and the regions are fraught, as each struggles for a greater share of power and seeks foreign allies.

Security stakes are high because if the embryonic national army is only deployed in and around the capital, and the 22,000 AU troops secure outlying urban centres, then it is left to regional militias to fight the Shabaab in the bulk of the country.

Recently, the diplomatic crisis pitting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia against Qatar "has aggravated such friction", says ICG.

Some federal regional states have taken sides with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to the dismay of Mogadishu, which has sought to remain neutral in a bid to maintain the substantial it receives from both sides.

Marchal deplores the "chaos brought by the Gulf crisis, where any federal president, under the pretext of receiving funding, makes ill-judged foreign policy declarations."

-- What next? --

"Unless the government shifts its posture and engages with the federal member states so they become partners in fighting Shabaab, instead of trying to fight both Shabaab and the federal member states, I don't think we're going to see very much progress," says Bryden.

ICG says political opponents could seek to take advantage of the latest crisis to bring down the president. It urges him to "work quickly to improve relations with federal states" and resolve quarrels over distribution of resources. Otherwise, analysts warn, the only winner will be the Shabaab.
Kabul (AFP) - The death toll in the Shiite mosque attack in Kabul has jumped to 56, officials said Saturday, as the Afghan capital reels from the latest deadly violence.

"The toll from yesterday's Imam Zaman mosque attack has increased to 56 killed, including women and children, and 55 wounded," an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.

Officials had previously put the number of dead at 39 and 45 wounded in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group, which belongs to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

The lone suicide attacker struck as worshippers gathered for evening prayer on Friday at the mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city.

It was one of two deadly mosque attacks in the country on Friday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

The second assault happened in the impoverished and remote province of Ghor where a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 20 and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said.

People expressed anger at the government's inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of the country's civilian deaths in the first half of the year.
Donald Trump has pledged his personal funds to help pay aides' legal fees: Martin H. Simon - Pool/Getty Images

Donald Trump put almost $500,000 (379,000) of his own money towards the legal bills of his administration staff and campaign aides who are embroiled in investigations into Russian meddling in the US presidential election.

The President has dismissed claims his campaign team may colluded with Moscow, but the an investigation into the allegations is being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

It is unclear how the $460,000 (348,000) will be accessed and who will be able to request it, but campaign aides' legal costs are expected be considerably more than half-a-million dollars.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a White House offiicial told political news website Axios that the structure of the payouts was yet to be decided.

Mr Mueller's team has been interviewing current and former White House officials in their probe, and Trump campaign officials and others turned over tens of thousands of emails and documents to federal and congressional investigators.

One former campaign aide, Michael Caputo, has spoken publicly about the financial toll the legal bills have taken on his family, revealed he had been forced to empty out his children's university savings accounts.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the President's re-election campaign have been covering some of the costs, including payments to the law firm representing his eldest son.

Donald Trump Jr is set to be grilled by Mr Mueller's team over a 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked Russian who promised to dish up dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The President's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his then campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting at Trump Tower in New York.

Mr Trump has reportedly promised to use his personal finances to match the $430,000 paid by the Republican National Committee towards Mr Trump Jnr's legal bills.

The money will "defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides", an official said.

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Mr Trump has repeatedly denied he colluded with Russia to win the election and has voiced scepticism about the conclusion by US intelligence agencies that Russia had a clear preference or his victory in the November 2016 election.

Last month Facebook said 10 million users saw adverts that ran on the company's social media platform last year that have been linked to a Russian internet agency which allegedly sought to influence the election.

Most of them did not name a presidential candidate but promoted divisive messages on issues such as immigration, gun control, and gay rights.

The continuing investigations and attention on the Russia allegations have infuriated Mr Trump, who claims the probes are an attempt to delegitimise his presidency.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," he tweeted on Saturday. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Norman Eisen, an ethics lawyer in Barack Obama's administration, said Mr Trump's pledge to spend his personal funds "raises substantial questions under federal criminal law and federal ethics law," including whether the money might be construed as part of an effort to glean more favourable testimony and whether current federal employees are allowed to accept such gifts.

"Whenever an individual who is the focus of an investigation, as President Trump is the focus of this investigation, offers anything of value to witnesses who may be able to affect the course of the investigation, that raises very serious questions on a variety of legal authorities," he said.

He said he would have hesitated to recommend such an offer and warned it would likely draw prosecutorial scrutiny.

Last month the US government ethics watchdog was accused of quietly scrapping a policy that banned lobbyists from making anonymous donations towards the legal bills of White House staff.

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) appeared to have reversed a revision to guidance which prohibited government employees accepting contributions to legal funds from unnamed donors.

A legal defence fund has reportedly been set up for Trump aides likely to face questioning in the investigation into Russian interference in last year's election.
President George W. Bush shakes hands with U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore Cavallaro while visiting Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Eric Draper/White House via Getty Images

A former White House Press Secretary has revealed how George W Bush behaved when confronted with the distraught mother of a dying soldier.

It comes as pressure continued to mount on Donald Trump for his treatment of the families of four US Special Forces troops killed in Niger.

Mr Trump criticised the conduct of former Presidents and said most of them didnt make personal calls to families of the deceased. The claims were quickly found to be false.

They were given even less credence by Dana Perino, who accompanied Mr Bush as he visited critically ill servicemen in hospitals.

In an account that was published by the Chicago Tribune in 2016 but has recently gained renewed attention, Ms Perino described an occasion when the Republican President was visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

While there, the mother of a dying solder reacted badly to his visit.

She yelled at the President, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in that hospital bed, Ms Perino wrote.

She continued: I noticed the President wasn't in a hurry to leave - he tried offering comfort but then just stood and took it, like he expected and needed to hear the anguish, to try to soak up some of her suffering if he could.

Later, as we rode back on Marine One to the White House, no one spoke.

But as the helicopter took off, the President looked at me and said, That mama sure was mad at me. Then he turned to look out the window of the helicopter. And I don't blame her a bit."

Mr Trump, who has presented himself as a champion of the military, is accused of reacting slowly to the deaths of Green Beret Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson and Dustin Wright and La David Johnson, killed in the West African country of Niger.

He is also alleged to have told the widow of Sgt Johnson: He knew what he signed up for.

Questions remain over the circumstances of their deaths, and the FBI is now involved in the ongoing investigation.
President Donald Trump: AP

Donald Trump has said the end of the Isis caliphate is in sight following the recapturing of the Syrian city of Raqqa from the terrorist group  but Isis continues to hold significant territory in Iraq and Syria.

Terror attacks in the UK and other Western countries are also likely to increase despite Isis being driven out of its de-facto capital, analysts have warned.

I am pleased to announce that the Syrian Democratic Forces, our partners in the fight against Isis in Syria, have successfully recaptured Raqqa  the terrorist groups self-proclaimed capital city, Mr Trump said in a statement. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.

The President said the US would now support local security forces and de-escalate violence across Syria.

Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honours the will of the Syrian people, Mr Trump added.

But despite the Presidents assertions, the retaking of Raqqa by a US-backed Syrian force has not mitigated the global terror threat, experts have said.

Along with still holding large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, Isis still has control over pockets in Egypt and Libya and has affiliates operating in countries including Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

And even as it does lose significant strongholds such as Raqqa, the terrorist group is finding new ways to lure in recruits without the promise of an Islamic state, according to analysts.
After his victory in Sunday's election, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a daunting in-tray, ranging from North Korean missiles to a rapidly ageing society.

Here are some of the key challenges for Japan and its 63-year-old leader:

- North Korea -

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and blasted two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido in the space of less than a month.

Both launches prompted emergency evacuation orders but, with so little time to seek shelter, many Japanese feel a sense of helplessness in the face of the unpredictable threat from Pyongyang.

Abe has steadily upgraded Japan's military to counter the North's threat, saying the time for talk is over and urging the international community to apply more pressure on the hermit state.

Adding to the friction between the nations is simmering anger in Japan after North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies.

Many Japanese suspect more people have been kidnapped and kept alive in North Korea.

On the other side of the conflict, North Korea says Japan has not sufficiently atoned for its brutal 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula until the end of World War II.

- Demographic time bomb -

The most pressing domestic issue for Japan is a ticking demographic time bomb that affects all areas of life from the economy to society.

Japan is on its way to becoming the world's first "ultra-aged" country, meaning more than 28 percent of its population will be over 65.

Very low birthrates and an expanding elderly population mean a shrinking workforce is having to pay for the ballooning cost of welfare.

Despite a labour shortage, wages have not risen in a meaningful way. This has tempered domestic consumption, forcing policymakers to dish out a generous stimulus package to safeguard the fragile economy.

The mix of problems has pushed many young people to postpone marrying and starting a family, only adding to the demographic issue.

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The government has done its best to encourage young people to have children and urged firms to raise wages and help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. But the efforts have not resulted in significant changes.

As people migrate from the countryside to the cities, experts predict that Japan's regional communities will gradually fade away and urban centres will be swamped by an elderly population.

- Economic growth, but slow -

Japan has managed six straight quarters of economic growth -- its best run in a decade -- but at a sluggish annual rate of 1.3 percent, eking out a slight gain from the 0.9 percent when Abe took power.

Abe has sought to pep up the world's third-biggest economy with a high-profile blitz dubbed "Abenomics", a combination of big government spending and ultra-loose monetary policy from the Bank of Japan.

But while the policy has fattened corporate profits and has sent the stock market to a 21-year high, it has failed in the goal of shrugging off the deflation that has plagued Japan for decades.

- Ballooning debt -

Japanese government debt is at the highest level of any industrialised nation, more than double the size of its economy.

Experts have long warned Japan must shrink its debt mountain or face a sharp increase in its borrowing costs and even the risk of default.

But Abe has continued to issue new debt to fund stimulus packages to prop up the lumbering economy.

He has also delayed a second consumption tax hike, a step economists say is needed to rein in debt.

Most of the debt is held by domestic, long-term, institutional players, shielding Tokyo somewhat from moves by fickle foreign investors.

- Changing business culture -

Japan has struggled to keep pace with globalisation and changing times, especially in its once-mighty corporations, which now lag behind their foreign competitors in terms of innovation.

The country's firms have been slow to get women in top positions and have struggled to integrate the older population.

Meanwhile, some traditional male-dominated boardrooms have become scenes of scandals, such as at Toshiba where executives ignored codes of sound governance and hid financial losses.

Two high-profile scandals at carmaker Nissan and steel manufacturer Kobe Steel -- which employed a young Abe -- have dented the reputation of the formerly unassailable Japan Inc.

Abe has attempted to cut red tape and encourage innovation, but critics say reform is proceeding at a snail's pace.

Boosting immigration to reinforce Japan's workforce and ease the population crisis is the subject of much scholarly debate but the idea has never really gained public support.
All five living former U.S. presidents took to the stage in College Station, Texas, on Saturday night for a benefit concert raising funds for hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama first came together last month to launch the hurricane relief fund One America Appeal. The initiative has raised $31 million to date, with contributions from more than 80,000 donors. One hundred percent of proceeds has been pledged to helping hurricane victims recover.

On Saturday, 10,000 people gathered at Texas A&M Universitys Reed Arena for the sold-out Deep from the Heart: One America Appeal concert, reported the Texas Tribune. Lyle Lovett, Lee Greenwood and Gospel legend Yolanda Adams were among the performers who regaled the crowd. Pop star Lady Gaga also made a surprise appearance, and announced she was donating $1 million to the hurricane relief fund.

Nothing more beautiful than everyone putting their differences aside to help humanity in the face of catastrophe. #OneAmericaAppeal pic.twitter.com/2TPdPonvWv  xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) October 22, 2017

The audience cheered wildly when the five former presidents appeared on stage. They last gathered together in 2013, when Obama was still in office.

We could not be prouder of the response of Americans  when they see their neighbors, when they see their friends, when they see strangers in need, Americans step up, Obama told the audience. And as heartbreaking as the tragedies that took place here in Texas and in Florida and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been, what weve also seen is the spirit of America at its best.

Obama went on to highlight the charitable efforts of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, calling the senior Bush an outstanding American who has always shown grace and character and courage and served America nobly throughout the years.

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President Donald Trump did not attend the show, but sent a prerecorded message that was screened during the event.

This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another, Trump said in his greeting.

Learn more about the One America Appeal on the initiatives website. And watch the benefit concert in the video below:

Related...

All The Living Former U.S. Presidents Rally To Help Hurricane Victims

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Paris (AFP) - France has charged eight men, including three minors, following an investigation into far-right activists allegedly plotting to target politicians and mosques, prosecutors announced Saturday in Paris.

The men -- aged between 17 and 29 -- are accused of being party to a "criminal terrorist conspiracy", and of links to Logan Alexandre Nisin, a militant who was arrested near Marseille in June.

Nisin is the founder of a group dubbed OAS. He was detained after posting that he planned to attack blacks, jihadists, migrants and "scum".

The 21-year-old had earlier come to the attention of French authorities as the administrator of a Facebook page glorifying neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in 2011 in Norway.

The prosecutor's office in Paris said that the group formed by Nisin "had plans to commit violent actions with vague outlines".

Anti-terror police had arrested 10 people on Tuesday over the alleged plot, but two of them, including Nisin's mother, were released, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Among the potential targets for attacks were places of worship, including mosques, politicians, "people of North African descent or black people" and "anti-fascist" activists, a probe source said.

"The organisation was planning purchases of weapons and paramilitary training. Some were already trained in shooting," the source added.

OAS was the acronym for the Secret Army Organisation, a French far-right paramilitary group that fought to stop Algerian independence.

Nisin was formerly active in the far-right political group Action Francaise.

France remains under an enhanced security status. Parliament on Wednesday adopted a tough anti-terror bill which which replace a state of emergency imposed in 2015 after jihadist attacks in Paris.
Berlin (AFP) - A knife-wielding man randomly attacked passersby in central Munich on Saturday, lightly injuring eight people, police said as they excluded terrorism as a motive after detaining the suspected perpetrator.

The 33-year-old suspect already has a police record for theft and violence and appears to suffer from "psychiatric problems", Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told a news conference.

He expressed confidence that they had detained the perpetrator of the attacks and that there was no longer any threat to the public.

Andrae said the man has so far refused to speak to police and his motive remains unknown.

But "absolutely no element" of the investigation leads police to believe it was a politically or religiously-motivated act of terror, he said.

The man attacked people with his knife at random, causing light injuries to eight people: a 12-year-old boy, six men and one woman, said Andrae.

Six of the people were Germans, one Italian and one Romanian.

Most of the injuries were superficial cuts.

The attacks occurred in six separate locations near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT. The suspect then fled by bike.

During the several hours he remained at large there was a palatable sense of panic in the city, with police urging residents to stay indoors.

In July 2016, a German-Iranian teenager who police say was obsessed with mass murderers, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 05:13:05|Editor: yan

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OTTAWA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Police shot a 22-year-old man dead in Saskatchewan,Canada after he rammed his vehicle into a police car, according to CTV Sunday.

Police received a call Saturday night about a man being fired at by some people in a vehicle in North Battleford of Saskatchewan province.

After police arrived at the intersection of two roads, the man rammed his vehicle into a police vehicle and police opened fire at the vehicle in response to the driver's actions.

En route to hospital, police confirmed the man died around 9:40 p.m. of injuries resulting from the discharge of RCMP firearms.

A female who was in the vehicle suffered minor injuries. She was taken to hospital for treatment and released into custody. One officer was injured and taken to hospital with minor injuries and later released.

Police is conducting an investigation of the incident.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GlaxoSmithKline's Shingrix shingles vaccine for use in adults aged 50 and over, a move widely expected after an advisory panel to the agency last month voted unanimously to recommend its approval, the company announced on Friday. Shingrix is seen as an improvement over Zostavax, the only currently marketed shingles prevention vaccine, sold by Merck & Co. The vaccine is considered one of the more important products in Glaxo's pipeline, with annual sales forecast to reach $1 billion by 2023, according to Thomson Reuters data. Glaxo said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on immunization practices is expected to vote on a recommendation for the use of Shingrix at its meeting on Wednesday. The company said it expects Shingrix "will be available shortly."The vaccine demonstrated its efficacy in two pivotal Phase III studies involving more than 29,000 subjects. Shingrix has shown greater protection against shingles among older recipients than Zostavax. Four years after injection, the Glaxo vaccine remained about 90 percent effective in people over age 70, while the efficacy of Zostavax declines noticeably over time. Older adults are most at risk for an outbreak of shingles, a painful, often debilitating blistering rash that results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and remains latent in those who have had that disease. Given in two doses two months apart, Shingrix also reduces incidence of nerve pain following a shingles outbreak. Shingrix contains a component used to help boost efficacy from Agenus Inc, which is entitled to royalties on future sales. The vaccine won its first approval in Canada last week and is awaiting approval decisions in Europe, Japan and Australia. (Reporting by Bill Berkrot and Deena Beasley; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Moussa Aksar NIAMEY (Reuters) - Gunmen on pick-up trucks and motorcycles coming from Mali killed 13 gendarmes and wounded five more in an attack on their base in western Niger, security sources said on Saturday. The village is a few dozen kilometers (miles) from where militants killed four U.S. soldiers in an ambush on Oct. 4 that has thrown a spotlight on a U.S. counter-terrorism mission in Niger, a country that straddles an expanse of the Sahara. Niger's military officials confirmed the attack. The assailants crossed over the border from Mali and drove up to the village of Ayorou, about 40 km (25 miles) inside, before springing their attack, the security sources said. "They were heavily armed. They had rocket launchers and machine guns. They came in four vehicles each with about seven fighters," said a security source on the scene. Reinforcements later arrived and stopped them as they tried to cross back over the border, another security source on the scene said, triggering a gun battle. They escaped into Mali and were being pursued, he added. "Land and air forces are pursuing the assailants with a view to neutralising them," a statement from Niger's military said, confirming the death toll. In the initial attack one of the assailants was killed in an exchange of fire but others managed to make off with four Nigerien army vehicles, the first security source said. Since taking over swathes of northern Mali in 2012, and then being scattered by a French-led counter-offensive the following year, Islamist militants have established themselves in lawless spaces across the desert. They have used these areas as a springboard for a wave of attacks that threaten to destabilize West Africa. Fighters have inflicted damage on military outposts, killed security officials and civilians, kidnapped Westerners and sometimes mounted high-profile attacks on hotels and resorts across the region, including in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Several Islamist groups and well-armed ethnic militia operate in the area along the Mali-Niger border. There have been at least 46 attacks there since early last year. However, officials suspect many of them, including the ambush on the joint U.S.-Niger patrol, to be the work of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, led by Arabic-speaking north African militant Adnan Walid al-Sahrawi. He has pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, although the extent of their ties are not known. No group has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, nor the one that killed the U.S. soldiers. Responding to its ever growing militant threat, Mali on Saturday announced a year extension of a state of emergency. "I hope we won't need to continue extending the state of emergency," Defence Minister Tiena Coulibaly told reporters. "We hope that before Oct. 31, 2018, order will be restored." The increasingly fluid, cross-border nature of the militant threat forced the Sahel countries Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso to launch a joint force -- known as "G5 Sahel" -- in July, to try better coordinate policing their deserts. But it has yet to receive a commitment to more than a fraction of the donor funding that it needs. A U.N. Security Council delegation was in Mali on Saturday to discuss the force. "This tragedy is one more element that ... underlines the urgency of a strong and determined response through the creation of the joint G5 Sahel force," French permanent representative to the U.N. Francois Delattre told journalists during the meetings. (Reporting by Boureima Balima; Additional reporting by David Lewis in Nairobi, Cheick Amadou Diouara, Aaron Ross and Tiemoko Diallo in Bamako and Tim Cocks in Dakar; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Robin Pomeroy)
New Delhi (AFP) - India on Friday welcomed US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments that Washington would rather work with New Delhi than Beijing over the next century, saying it shared his optimism about their burgeoning relationship.

Speaking ahead of a visit to India next week, Tillerson called Wednesday for deeper cooperation with India in the face of growing Chinese influence in Asia and said Washington wanted to promote a "free and open" region led by prosperous democracies.

President Donald Trump's top diplomat also said Beijing sometimes acted outside international conventions, citing the South China Sea dispute as an example.

India welcomed the comments, saying they "highlighted our shared commitment to a rule-based international order", the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions."

Tillerson's remarks came hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Communist Party congress signalled that Beijing intended to play a greater role in world affairs.

The unexpectedly sharp comments were seen as a warning to Beijing that Washington would build regional alliances to counter China's ever-growing power, while promoting free trade and open sea lanes.

Beijing responded Thursday by saying that America was biased.

"We hope the US side can look at China's development and role in the international community in an objective way, and abandon its biased views of China," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Experts say stronger US-India ties could act as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China, which has been building its military and acting increasingly assertively on the world stage.

India has historically avoided alliances, preferring to maintain cautious relations with both Washington and Beijing, but Trump has developed a warm relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tillerson will visit New Delhi next week for talks but the exact dates have yet to be announced.

His visit will also take him to Pakistan, India's arch-rival and nuclear-armed neighbour.
By Robert Muller

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic must seek partners beyond the central European Visegrad Group to find common ground on issues including migration and food quality, Czech parliamentary election winner Andrej Babis told Reuters.

He said the country needs to seek an active role in the European Union and look for allies for a common goal of halting illegal migration.

The billionaire businessman, who won 29.6 percent of the vote in this weekend's election, is against deeper EU integration and adoption of the euro, and has raised concerns he may join Poland or Hungary on a collision course with the EU.

But he insisted on Saturday that the ANO party which he leads was pro-European and ready to take on an active role in the EU.

"We have to prepare topics, propose to the European Council (of EU leaders) what we want to change. Double food quality, solution to migration, the fight against migration and other issues," Babis told Reuters in a brief interview at ANO headquarters after the election results were counted.

"We certainly have an ally in Austria, Mr Kurz, who has the same view as we do on migration," he said, referring to Austrian conservative election victor Sebastian Kurz.

"The Visegrad group must find other allies, we need Austria and other countries, in the Balkans, or Slovenia, Croatia and perhaps others," Babis added.

ANO won 78 seats in the 200-seat lower house and will need partners to form a majority. Several parties have however rejected joining an ANO-led government because they say Babis poses a threat to democracy due to his accumulation of business and political power.

Some said they could not join a cabinet led by Babis personally because he faces fraud charges over a 2-million-euro subsidy a decade ago. He denies wrongdoing.

This has led to the possibility that, failing other options, Babis may form a government which would depend on parliamentary support from the Communist Party or the far-right, anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy party.

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Babis said this was something he did not want to do.

"I do not want to cooperate with them," he told Reuters.

"We have invited everyone for talks. We want to hear all arguments at a table; the arguments they have (mainstream parties against joining a coalition) ... they don't need to worry when they come with us."

(Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by James Dalgleish)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gorran, a main opposition party to Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, called on Sunday for his resignation, and for a "national salvation government" to be formed to deal with crisis pitting the Kurds and the central Iraqi authorities. Gorran, or the Change Movement, blamed Barzani for the "disaster" facing the Kurds after the loss on Oct. 16 of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, captured by Iraqi forces in retaliation to a Kurdish independence referendum held last month despite warnings from Baghdad and neighboring Iran and Turkey. "The Kurdistan presidency must be dissolved and a national salvation government be formed to overcome the current situation," said a statement published by the party leadership after meeting in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya. Gorran supports the right of Iraq's Kurds for self-determination but it opposed holding the referendum on Sept. 25, saying the timing was ill-chosen. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli, editing by David Evans)
Milan (AFP) - Voters in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto voted Sunday in referendums on autonomy, against the backdrop of Catalonia's push for independence from Spain.

The consultative votes are only the beginning of a process which could over time lead to powers being devolved from Rome.

Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following.

Nonetheless, with both expected to vote in favour of the principle of greater autonomy, analysts see the referendums as reflecting the pressures that resulted in Scotland's narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain's decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.

After a slow start in both regions, turnout -- which will have a critical bearing on the significance of the results -- had by early evening passed the minimum 50 percent required in Veneto for the result to be considered valid.

There is no threshold for Lombardy, where by 1900 GMT turnout was 30.5 percent. A low turnout would weaken the region's hand in any subsequent negotiations with the central government.

"I'm happy that thousands, I hope millions, of voters in Veneto and Lombardy are asking for closer and more effective politics with less bureaucracy and waste," said Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League which had pushed for the referendums.

In a first for Italy, voting in Lombardy is being conducted on computer tablets, raising the cost of the ballot, but it should ensure an early result after polls close at 11 pm (2100 GMT).

- New powers -

European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani on Sunday took care to distinguish between Catalonia's chaotic independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid, and the votes in Italy.

"First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia," he told the Rome daily Il Messaggero.

"In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution."

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He said Europe should "fear" the spread of small nations: "It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe."

Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, which houses Venice, are home to around a quarter of Italy's population and account for 30 percent of its overall economic output.

With dynamic economies and lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large net contributors to a central state widely regarded as inefficient at best.

"Our taxes should be spent here, not in Sicily," says Giuseppe Colonna, an 84-year-old Venetian.

Fiscal rebalancing will be a top priority for Veneto president Luca Zaia and his Lombardy counterpart Roberto Maroni if the votes go their way.

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion euros.

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions -- a concession the cash-strapped state, labouring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford.

The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education.

They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration -- steps which would require changes to the constitution.

- Domino effect ? -

The referendums could have a domino effect -- a similar autonomy vote is being debated in Liguria, the region that includes the Riviera coastline, and Emilia Romagna, another wealthy industrial part of the country, is already trying to negotiate more devolved powers.

Economist Lorenzo Codogno said Italian unity is not under threat but added: "The issue is likely to spread, and eventually, it will require a generalised approach by the next government and a reform of the constitution."

Although the referendums have been driven by the Northern League, which has long abandoned its secessionist principles, the Yes campaign is backed by most of the centre right and sections of the centre left.

Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, says greater self-rule "is an idea shared by everyone, not one that belongs to the League".

A substantial body of opinion regards the votes as unnecessary extravagances, at a cost of 50 million euros in Lombardy and 14 million euros in Veneto.
Milan (AFP) - Voters in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto vote Sunday in autonomy referendums attracting additional interest against the backdrop of Catalonia's push for independence from Spain.

The consultative votes are only the beginning of a process which could, over time, lead to powers being devolved from Rome. Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy northern regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following.

Nonetheless, with both regions expected to vote in favour of the principle of greater autonomy, analysts see the referendums as reflecting the centrifugal pressures that resulted in Scotland's narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain's decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.

Both regions are expected to vote in favour of more autonomy but the level of turnout will have a critical bearing on the significance of the results.

In Veneto, it has to pass 50 percent for the result to be considered valid. There is no quorum in Lombardy but low voter participation would weaken the region's hand in any subsequent negotiations with the central government.

Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, which houses Venice, are home to around a quarter of Italy's population and account for 30 percent of its overall economic output.

- New powers -

With dynamic economies and lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large net contributors to the coffers of a central state widely regarded as inefficient at best.

"Our taxes should be spent here, not in Sicily," says Giuseppe Colonna, an 84-year-old Venetian whose sentiments appear to be widely shared in the floating city.

Veneto President Luca Zaia says 30 billion euros ($35 billion) are wasted every year at a national level and fiscal rebalancing will be a top priority for him and his Lombardy counterpart Roberto Maroni if the votes go their way.

Lombardy sends 54 billion euros more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion.

Story continues

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions -- a concession the cash-strapped state, labouring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford.

The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education.

They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration -- steps which would require changes to the constitution.

- Pandora's box? -

All of this will take time if it happens at all. But the referendums could have a domino effect in the shorter term. A similar autonomy vote is being debated in Liguria, the region that includes the Riviera coastline, and Emilia Romagna, another wealthy industrial part of the country, is already trying to negotiate more devolved powers.

Economist Lorenzo Codogno says that while Italian unity is not under threat, Sunday could mark the opening of a Pandora's box.

"The issue is likely to spread, and eventually, it will require a generalised approach by the next government and a reform of the constitution."

Although the referendums have been driven by the Northern League, which has long abandoned the secessionist principles on which it was founded, the Yes campaign is backed by most of the centre right and sections of the centre left.

Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, says greater self-rule "is an idea shared by everyone, not one that belongs to the League."

There is also a substantial body of opinion that regards the votes as unnecessary extravagances: organising them will cost 50 million euros in Lombardy and 14 million in Veneto.

The referendum questions are framed differently in the two regions but both ask voters to say Yes or No to "further forms and special conditions of autonomy."

In a first for Italy, voting in Lombardy will be conducted on computer tablets. Acquiring them raised the cost of the ballot but should ensure an early result after the polls close at 11:00 pm (2100 GMT). They open at 7:00 am.
By Leika Kihara and Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc scored a big win in Sunday's election, bolstering his chance of becoming the nation's longest-serving premier and re-energizing his push to revise the pacifist constitution. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition won a combined 312 seats, keeping its two-thirds "super majority" in the 465-member lower house, local media said. A hefty win raises the likelihood that Abe, who took office in December 2012, will secure a third three-year term as LDP leader next September and go on to become Japan's longest-serving premier. It also means his "Abenomics" growth strategy centered on the hyper-easy monetary policy will likely continue. Final official results from the election, which coincided with an approaching typhoon, are expected early on Monday. The U.S.-drafted constitution's Article 9, if taken literally, bans the maintenance of armed forces. But Japanese governments have interpreted it to allow a military exclusively for self-defense. Backers of Abe's proposal to clarify the military's ambiguous status say it would codify the status quo. Critics fear it would allow an expanded role overseas for the military. Abe said he would not stick to a target he had floated of making the changes by 2020. "First, I want to deepen debate and have as many people as possible agree," he told a TV broadcaster. "We should put priority on that." The LDP's junior partner, the Komeito, is cautious about changing the constitution, drawn up after Japan's defeat in World War Two. Several opposition parties favor changes, but do not necessarily agree on details. REFERENDUMS RISKY Amendments must be approved by two-thirds of each chamber of parliament and then by a majority in a public referendum. "Now that pro-constitutional change parties occupy more than two-thirds of the parliament, the constitution will be the most important political issue next year," said Hidenori Suezawa, a financial market and fiscal analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities. "And as we saw in the U.K. ... a referendum could be tricky. So while Abe is likely to be prime minister for the time being, it is too early to say whether he can stay in power until 2021." Abe declined to say if he would run for a third term. Abe had said he needed a new mandate to tackle a "national crisis" from North Korea's missile and nuclear threats and a fast-aging population, and to approve his idea of diverting revenue from a planned sales tax hike to education and child care from public debt repayment [http://reut.rs/2yC0pma]. He called the poll amid confusion in the opposition camp and an uptick in his ratings, dented earlier in the year by scandals over suspected cronyism and a perception he had grown arrogant after nearly five years in office. Abe has backed U.S. President Donald Trump's tough stance towards North Korea, which has test-fired missiles over Japan, that all options, including military action, are on the table. Trump is to visit Japan Nov. 5-7 to reaffirm the leaders' tight ties. ABE'S GAMBLE PAYS OFF Abe's snap poll gamble had seemed risky - some early forecasts saw the LDP losing a significant chunk of seats - after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, often floated as possibly Japan's first female premier, launched her conservative Party of Hope. That party absorbed a big chunk of the failed main opposition Democratic Party, which abruptly decided to run no candidates of its own. But voter enthusiasm soon waned despite its calls for popular policies such as an exit from nuclear power and a freeze on the planned sales tax rise. Koike did not run for a lower house seat herself - she was in Paris for a climate change event on Sunday - and failed to say whom her party would back for prime minister. "We had sought to put policies first. But we ended up with a very tough outcome, so I deeply apologize for that," Koike told NHK. A new Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), formed by liberal former DP members, got 54 seats, beating the 49 seats of Koike's party to become the biggest opposition group, although both have just a fraction of the LDP's presence. "Day by day, we felt we were getting more voter support for our call to revive more decent politics, and not fret about whether it's right or left wing," said CDPJ lawmaker Tetsuro Fukuyama. Several experts noted the ruling bloc's win was less a victory for the conservative, long-ruling LDP than a defeat for a divided opposition. "Simply put, this was the self-destruction of the opposition," said Zentaro Kamei, a senior research fellow at think tank PHP Institute and former LDP lawmaker. Shinjiro Koizumi, the LDP lawmaker son of popular former Premier Junichiro Koizumi, warned against LDP complacency. "It's not just that our party has become arrogant and complacent. People are also getting increasingly fed up with us," he told NHK. Abe, 63, has already led the LDP and its partner, the Komeito, to four landslide wins since he took the helm of the party. But turnout has been low and the LDP has typically won with about 25 percent of eligible votes. Others either stayed home or backed opposition parties. Kyodo news agency estimated turnout on Sunday - when heavy rain from powerful Typhoon Lan lashed much of Japan - at 53.7 percent, 1 point above the record low in the last lower house election in 2014. (Additional reporting by Hyun Oh, Elaine Lies, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Yoshiyuki Osada, Sumio Ito, Malcolm Foster and Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Larry King and Peter Cooney)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 05:28:07|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MEXICO CITY, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), currently taking place between Mexico, Canada and the U.S., must strengthen trade and investment in the agricultural sector, said the Mexican government on Sunday.

While NAFTA talks continue, Mexico is seeking to diversify its export markets and is expanding agricultural exports to China, Japan, South Korea and countries of the Arabian Peninsula, said Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada.

"For the country, the principles come first and then, our interests. If we stay on this path, it will go well, as we are defending a fair deal for an agricultural sector that is worth over 95 billion U.S. dollars to Mexico," said the minister in a statement.

According to Calzada, Mexico will show firmness, strong will and patience in the renegotiation, to obtain a position which will increase trade and investment in Mexican agriculture.

Of the 95 billion U.S. dollars that agriculture is worth a year to Mexico, 30 billion come from exports and about 24 to 25 billion come from imports, he said.

To improve this, one of the objectives of the Mexican government is to better programs and resources so small producers can access value and export chains.

The fourth round of NAFTA talks ended in Washington on Tuesday with marked differences between Mexico and Canada on one side, and the U.S. on the other, including on dispute resolution and rules of origin.

The fifth round will take place in Mexico City from Nov. 17-21, with more rounds now being added for the first quarter of 2018, beyond the seven originally planned for.
By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese voters deliver their verdict on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's nearly five years in power in an election on Sunday that will determine if he has the clout to push ahead with his cherished goal of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution. Media forecasts show Abe's gamble on the snap poll is likely to pay off, with his conservative Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition closing in on the two-thirds "super majority" it had in parliament's lower house before dissolution. [http://tmsnrt.rs/2kGwCm5] A hefty victory would raise the likelihood that Abe, who took office in December 2012 promising to bolster defense and reboot the economy, will win a third term as LDP leader next September and go on to become Japan's longest-serving premier. It would also reenergize Abe's push to revise the war-renouncing constitution by clarifying the status of the military, while maintaining his "Abenomics" growth strategy centered on the Bank of Japan's hyper-easy monetary policy. The constitution's Article 9, if taken literally, bans the maintenance of armed forces. But Japanese governments have interpreted it to allow a military exclusively for self-defense. Backers of Abe's proposal say it would just codify the status quo. Critics fear it would allow an expanded role overseas for the military. The LDP's junior partner, the Komeito, is cautious about changing the constitution, but media have forecast that the LDP and pro-revision opposition parties are on track for the two-thirds majority needed to begin to change the charter. A weak LDP showing, however, could trigger moves to replace Abe when his term as party chief ends, and cloud the outlook for amending the constitution. Abe, 63, has already led the LDP to four landslide wins since he took the helm of the party, but turnout has been low and the LDP has typically won with about 25 percent of eligible votes. Others either stayed home or backed opposition parties. This time, Abe said he needed a new mandate to tackle a "national crisis" from North Korea's missile and nuclear threat and a fast-ageing population. He called the poll amid confusion in the opposition camp and an uptick in his ratings, dented earlier in the year by suspected cronyism scandals. The move seemed risky after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, often floated as a possible first Japanese female premier, launched her Party of Hope to challenge the LDP as a conservative rival. The Party of Hope absorbed a big chunk of the failed main opposition Democratic Party. But voter enthusiasm soon seemed to wane despite its calls for popular policies such as an exit from nuclear power and a freeze on a planned sales tax rise. Koike is not running for a lower house seat herself - she will be in Paris for a climate change event on Sunday - and has failed to say whom her party would back for prime minister. A new Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), formed by liberal DP members, is now vying with Koike's party for the top opposition spot, though both will have just a sliver of the LDP's presence if forecasts prove accurate. (Reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Michael Perry)
The Hill of Evil Counsel is the site where the Jewish high priest is said to have plotted to hand Jesus to the Romans - Quique Kierszenbaum / Telegraph

In another city, the fight over the hilltop property plot might be an unremarkable planning battle, pitting profit-driven developers against unhappy local residents. But Jerusalem is no ordinary city and the Hill of Evil Counsel is no ordinary hill.

The hilltop is so called because it is the spot where Caiphas, the Jewish high priest, decided to betray Jesus and hand him over to the Romans for crucifixion. It is a key site in the New Testament and the birthplace of the centuries-old anti-Semitic trope of Jews as Christ killers.

Now, Jews, Muslims and Christians are fighting to keep the area from being turned into luxury flats.

The Hill of Evil Counsel, which has sweeping views of Jerusalems Old City, had been administered for hundreds of years by the Greek Orthodox church, which owns huge swathes of property in the city, including the land on which Israels parliament is built upon.

In recent years the church has gone on a controversial land-selling spree, taking in millions of dollars from property deals. In one of the deals, it agreed to sell a 110-year lease for the hilltop to Michael Steinhardt, an American financier and David Sofer, a London-based Israeli businessman.

Theodore Friedgut, a retired Canadian-Israeli professor, has lived on the site for more than 50 years and will lose his home if development goes ahead Credit: Quique Kierszenbaum

The developers plan to cement over the open space - once used by British military bands for practices - and build apartment buildings, where the flats and their epic views will likely end up in the hands of wealthy foreigners who visit Jerusalem a few times a year.

The developers project, and the churchs decision to sell them the lease, have infuriated local residents.

The Greek church have no right to lease it and to destroy it. They are supposed to protect it, not sell it off the highest bidder, said Sarah Sallon, a British-Israeli doctor who has lived in Jerusalem for 30 years. This magnificent view is all of our heritage and we fight for it as a group of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Sarah Sallon has been involved in trying to stop the development going ahead Credit: Quique Kierszenbaum / Telegraph

A church official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the current Greek patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos, had inherited a mountain of debt from his predecessor, who was forced from power in 2005 and exiled to a small room in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre compound.

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We did not wake up one morning and say: Hill of Evil Counsel, lets develop that area. We came into power with a big problem and with 40 million shekels (8.7 million) in debt connected with the area and we had no choice. We had to deal with it, he said.

The church relies on income from its property portfolio to survive, the official added.

The Abu Tor neighbourhood where the hill is located is divided between Israeli and Palestinian residents and was a frontline during the 1967 war. Israeli troops once used the second floor of a hilltop monastery to look down on Jordanian forces below. Abu Tor literally means father of the bull, after one of Salahedins generals who according to legend rode a white bull into battle against the Crusaders.

The Greek Orthodox church has administered the site for hundreds of years Credit: Quique Kierszenbaum / Telegraph

Palestinian families from the eastern part of Abu Tor said they joined with their Jewish neighbours in opposing the plans, and were worried an entrance road planned for the development might force some of them out of their homes. We will join any demonstrations against this, said Nawal Zakaria Bazalamit, the 74-year-old matriarch of her family.

A law firm representing the developers did not respond to a request for comment.

Opponents of the plans dont know if they will prevail against the well-heeled developers. Theodore Friedgut, a retired Canadian-Israeli professor of Russian history, has lived on the hill for more than 50 years and remembers surveyors coming immediately after the 1967 war, looking for potential opportunities. We saw there was interest in develop all the way back then, he said.

But Mr Friedgut points out that misfortunes have befallen those who have previously tried to commercialise the site.

In the 1980s a consortium tried to take over the Hill of Evil Counsel in partnership with the church, but the project collapsed and the two sides fought a bitter legal battle.

Another time, a Greek priest allegedly began to put pressure on the few families who lived in rent-controlled houses on the hill, demanding they pay more. According to locals stories, he drowned in the River Jordan soon after, not far from the spot where Jesus is said to have been baptised.
John McCain receives the the 2017 Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden at the National Constitution Center: Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden has found the feud between Republican Senator John McCain and Donald Trump laughable, according to the New York Times.

The idea that Trump is going to intimidate John McCain? Give me a break, Mr Biden said in an interview with the newspaper. Mr Biden served as vice president to Democratic President Barack Obama.

Mr McCain has received praise from Democrats as he has continued to voice his misgivings about several of Mr Trumps policies and objectives.

During a speech in Philadelphia last Monday, Mr McCain questioned half-baked, spurious nationalism in Americas current foreign policy.

To abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems, he said, is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

The war of words between the senator and the President escalated on Tuesday when Mr Trump replied, I fight back. The US leader also continued to bemoan Mr McCains decision to vote against a bill that would have dismantled Obamacare.

Mr McCain, a former prisoner of war who is currently battling brain cancer, simply responded: I have faced tougher adversaries.

Mr Biden said McCains speech was, to him, a message to the country.

I think he was delivering a message to the country, to his colleagues and to any of the opinion makers that would listen, and that is, Look, this is serious stuff, our role in the world is not guaranteed, democracy is not guaranteed, we know how to do this and, damn it, wed better focus and know whats at stake, Mr Biden told the Times.
(Photo: Win McNamee via Getty Images)

The notion of the three retired generals surrounding Donald TrumpNational Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Chief of Staff John Kellyprotecting Americans from an unstable, impulsive demagogue who might create global catastrophe has been around almost as long as the Trump presidency.

The narrative, which posits that these individuals are privately more moderate and responsible, has been bandied about by pundits, reporters and other observers. For many in the public its been something to feel mildly hopeful about, no doubt.

But in the case of John Kelly it never quite fit. And now, in the aftermath of the week-long controversy over Trumps call to the widow of a soldier killed in an ambush in Nigera story in which Kelly emerged to defend Trump and make false statementsits clear the narrative regarding Kelly has always been absolutely incorrect.

While Mattis, for example, successfully, quietly lobbied Republican members of Congress not to ban medically-necessary treatments for transgender servicemembersand was reportedly angered by Trumps decision later to ban transgender people entirely from the military without even consulting himKelly, early on, as head of the Department Homeland Security (DHS), showed himself to be a loyal foot soldier in carrying out the agenda of then White House advisor Steve Bannon and others in the White House.

Kelly moved quickly with the plan for mass deportations that Trump envisioned and which too many believed would never happen, turning DHS into a deportation machine. He expressed his belief that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unconstitutionalsomething refuted by many legal expertsand clearly influenced Trump to end DACA and irresponsibly put the fate of millions of young people who grew up in this country in the hands of a dysfunctional Congress. And regarding Trumps Muslim ban, while believing he should have slowed it down, regretting the rollout of the first ban (which Bannon spearheaded), Kelly nonetheless defended it as constitutional and necessary, later claiming an unprecedented spike in terrorist travel which he didnt quantify.

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What falsely cast Kelly in a more moderate, restraining light for much of the media, particularly as he moved on from DHS to the White House at the very end of July, was both the fact that he was a military man who might discipline Trump (which never did happen), and the fact that hes credited with helping to purge Bannon from the White House.

But perhaps too much was read into the latter action or at least the motivation for it.

Bannon was a disruptive force in the White House, and he was incompetent, as his clumsy Muslim ban push, without proper vetting, proved from day one. But ideologically he and Kelly are clearly in the same place on immigration. Bannon wants undocumented immigrants thrown out of the country and wants Muslims banned from it. Kelly, judging by his zealous enforcement of Trumps policies put in place by Bannonagrees. Kelly, however, was much more experienced and efficient at carrying out hostile action against immigrants while also keeping it as below-the-radar as possible.

It becomes easier to believe that Kelly wanted Bannon, and the equally disruptive and show-boating Sebastian Gorkawhod been accused of links to a Nazi group in Europe, and whom Kelly also reportedly bootedout of the White House more so because of their lack of discipline and their attention-seeking than because of their ideology. Kelly has, after all, shown no compunction to purge the more low-key but nonetheless equally extreme white nationalist Stephen Miller from the White House.

But heres the funny thing about ideology: Even the most disciplined are bound to expose themselves in a highly-charged, angry moment, because the sheer force of it is so strong.

Kelly admitted he was stunned to see Florida Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson discuss the contents of a condolence call from Trump to the wife of Sgt. La David T. Johnsoncontents which he nonetheless confirmed were true. He was angry, and that was clear by both his passion to come into the White House press briefing room (while rarely giving interviews) and his steadfast desire to engage in character assassination against Rep. Wilson.

But Kelly, driven by rage, didnt check his facts.

And his recollection of Wilsons speech at a dedication for a new FBI building in Miami in 2015  a false memory  shows he saw in this black female politician a braggart and an empty barrel whod done little for the community and who was all about promoting herself. The video of the 2015 event of course revealed that she didnt brag about getting the money for the building, as Kelly had claimed. She wasnt even in Congress at the time the money was allocated, in 2009. In actuality, she lauded GOP members of Congress for helping her, at the behest of the FBI, to get the building named after two FBI agents whod lost their lives and whose service, along with others, Wilson spent most of her nine minute speech talking about.

Any cursory reading up about Wilson, too, would have shown a woman dedicated to the community she represents in Miami, including spearheading a successful mentoring program for youth through which Sgt. Johnson came up.

Kelly stereotyped Wilson when he saw her speaking in 2015, in much the way that Bannon or Gorka or Miller or Trump might, tucking away a memory of her that simply wasnt true. But it fit neatly into how Kelly likely views politicians  as people who are not members of what he, by virtue of his comments about people who serve in the military, clearly defines as a military elite class  and how he likely views black people and women.

And then, in a moment of anger, this false memory, put in place by stereotyping and bias, was triggered, and it drove even this most disciplined of military men to jump off the cliff of reason into the abyss of ugliness, innuendo and outright defamation without checking his facts.

Kelly also showed himself in that press briefing to have an authoritarian impulse, portraying the military as an institution not only to be revered, but to be obeyed. As Masha Gessen noted in the New Yorker, he spoke in the language of a military coup. (White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would give even more credence to that observation the following day when she told a reporter who pointed to Kellys false statements that its highly inappropriate to question a four-star Marine general.)

Perhaps most interesting is that even under Kellys watchand Kelly is reportedly referred to by some White House staffers as the church lady who polices access to Trumpthe president chats with Bannon on the phone several times a week.

Kelly may not speak publicly often, nor do so with the bravado, sarcasm and edge of Bannon. His tone and demeanor are, more often, certainly much lighter and softer. But, by both his actions at DHS and his words last week, its clear hes not ideologically far off from Bannon, who certainly doesnt want Trump to be restrained.

Follow Michelangelo Signorile on Twitter: www.twitter.com/msignorile

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Valletta (AFP) - Citizens mourning the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are calling for Malta's deeply-ingrained tribal politics to be put aside so the shaken island nation can begin healing its wounds.

The initial shock at Monday's car bomb assassination is now turning into demands for a united front -- with tens of thousands, party allegiance aside, expected at a national rally on Sunday demanding justice for the journalist.

Caruana Galizia's anti-corruption blog shone a light into the murky corners of Maltese politics, rattling the Labour government -- and, more recently, their sworn enemies in the Nationalist opposition.

On Saturday, the government offered an award of 1 million euros ($1.2 million) for information leading to the arrest of those responsible, saying it was "fully committed to solving the murder" and to "bringing those responsible to justice".

"As we are seeing protests develop, we become aware of what has been fought for in terms of maintaining democracy," said Geraldine Spiteri, one of many paying her respects to Caruana Galizia at a growing tribute of flowers, candles and messages in Malta's capital Valletta.

"People in Malta politicise every issue," the lawyer said, citing the "deep-rooted tribal mentality, which is very worrying".

"But certain things go beyond that. I am encouraging people to attend on Sunday to show the powers that be, on both sides, that people are concerned."

Maltese politics is split between Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's centre-left Labour Party, and the centre-right Nationalists.

Family party loyalty is strong. Come election time, families can expect personal visits to ensure turnout. With votes pretty much secure, partisan point-scoring can take priority over upholding the tiny Mediterranean islands' democratic institutions.

Caruana Galizia's grisly assassination has added further fuel to the politicians' tribalist bickering.

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- 'Crocodile tears' -

Carmelo Pace, a retired factory worker, was a self-confessed "avid" reader of Caruana Galizia's blog.

"I don't support the government, I support the opposition, but they are just pointing fingers at each other," the 74-year-old said, adding that politicians lamenting her loss were shedding "crocodile tears".

Caruana Galizia, 53, made searing allegations of financial corruption against Muscat's inner circle, largely based on the Panama Papers leak, forcing him to call a snap election in June -- which he won comfortably.

She had recently turned her spotlight on Adrian Delia, the new leader of the Nationalist Party, which hitherto had sought to capitalise on her allegations.

Kurt Sansone, online editor of the Malta Today newspaper, said that following her murder, the country's long-running political divisions now had to be addressed.

"The polarisation does not help because our institutions need to be beefed up. This is not a situation that started a few years ago," he told AFP.

"The hope is now that the police and the magistrate can get to the bottom of this. The country needs closure in order for us to move forward."

Newspapers in the European Union's smallest state are running a common front page on Sunday, under the slogan "the pen conquers fear".

Hours after they hit the newsstands, the community-organised national demonstration for justice will march through Valletta's historic streets.

- Young generation unsure -

"People need to go. It's important. If no-one goes, nothing will change," said Marie, 22, a teaching student.

"Something is definitely wrong in Malta. If people our age do nothing, that means the future will be the same. Let's try and think positive."

At the impromptu memorial to Caruana Galizia, sun-seeking cruise ship tourists photograph the flowers.

Older Maltese sit on the shady benches and debate the aftermath, while younger residents do likewise on their smartphones.

An air of fatalism has swept around online forums where young people have been discussing the murder, leaving the next generation unsureabout where Malta goes from here -- a duty, in a country of only 430,000 people, that will inevitably fall into their hands.

"Unfortunately, especially on social media, a lot of people are saying that this is the end of democracy and freedom of speech," said Robert Napier, president of the University of Malta students' council, who has been trying to bolster undergraduates' morale and resolve.

"No matter how far people are willing to go, nothing should silence our students, who are ultimately the leaders of tomorrow."
Seoul (AFP) - Choi Siwon, a member of popular K-pop boy band Super Junior, on Saturday apologised over the death of a renowned restaurateur who died after being attacked by his family's pet dog.

The 53-year-old woman, surnamed Kim, who ran a famous Korean restaurant, Hanilkwan, in Seoul, died in hospital of blood poisoning on October 3, days after she was bitten by a French bull dog raised by the Chois.

The dog, untied, was out on a walk with Choi's father when it attacked Kim, a neighbour.

"I lower my head and apologise to the bereaved family... and convey my deep condolences," Choi wrote on his Instagram account.

"As a member of the family raising the dog, I feel greatly responsible", said the 31-year-old Choi.

But his belated apology sparked online attacks saying that his apology was not sincere.

In the face of the criticism, Siwon removed photographs of himself cuddling the dog, named Buxy, from his Instagram account.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta snubbed a crisis meeting called by the top election official for Thursday, saying he would instead spend the time campaigning for next week's presidential vote re-run. The first presidential vote in August, which Kenyatta won by 1.4 million votes, was annulled by the Supreme Court over procedural irregularities. The re-run is set for Oct. 26 but opposition leader Raila Odinga has pulled out, alleging a failure to improve oversight of the election, casting doubt on how the vote will proceed. Election board chairman Wafula Chebukati, in a stark message to political leaders on Wednesday, said he could not guarantee a credible vote under present conditions, and demanded Kenyatta and Odinga meet him for talks. The board, known as the IEBC, set the meeting for 1130 GMT in Nairobi but then said it had been postponed to an unspecified date and time. Chebukati later tweeted that he had met Odinga and was "looking forward" to meeting Kenyatta, though it was not clear if the president intended to respond to his call. Opposition demonstrations, which have led to confrontations between police and protesters, and divisive rhetoric by politicians have stoked uncertainty in Kenya, East Africa's largest economy and a stable Western ally in a chaotic region. Speaking at a campaign rally in the western town of Saboti late on Wednesday, Kenyatta said the priority was for Kenyans to go to the polls on the set date. "We are not interested in telling the IEBC what to do. We want them to prepare so Kenyans can vote on the 26th," he said. However, Odinga, whose call for mass protests on election day has sparked fears that the crisis could turn violent, called for serious talks on the impasse after meeting Chebukati. STALEMATE Odinga said his withdrawal should force the commission to start a fresh 90-day electoral cycle, including fresh candidate nominations. The election board says the vote will go ahead. Chebukati's call for a meeting with the candidates followed the flight of one IEBC commissioner to New York. Roselyn Akombe said she had fled due to threats and said the planned election would amount to a mockery of democracy. The ruling Jubilee party filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Thursday alleging opposition politicians were in contempt of court for obstructing a re-run by withdrawing from the race and by ordering supporters to continue protests including during trainings of election staff in western Kenya. "The current political climate indeed strikingly resembles the period prior to 2007-2008 post-election violence," said Francis Ole Kaparo, chair of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, a government body in charge of preventing hate speech. Following the disputed 2007 poll, more than 1,200 Kenyans were killed. (Reporting by Duncan Miriri and John Ndiso; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
By Raya Jalabi KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Turkmen and Arab shoppers stroll through an open-air food market in an ethnically mixed area of Kirkuk, haggling over the price of tomatoes and gossiping about their neighbors. Ostensibly, it's a normal day in the city of 1 million in northern Iraq. But nearby stand Iraqi Army soldiers, sent by the central government in Baghdad this week to wrest control of the city from Kurds after their vote for independence on Sept. 25. The army's recapture of oil-producing Kirkuk province and other territory across northern Iraq has dismayed the city's Kurds but brought comfort to residents from other ethnic groups. "Of course things are better now that the Iraqis have taken back the city," said Mohammad, a Turkmen butcher grinning over a large pile of ground meat. "We're all brothers, but at the end of the day, Kirkuk is not for the Kurds. It's for Iraq." An Arab couple who have seen Kirkuk change hands several times before said they now feel safer and more comfortable. "This is our city after all," said the elderly Hajji Ahmed. Across the street in a Kurdish-owned restaurant, the mood is different. "None of my Kurdish regulars want to come to eat here anymore, they don't feel safe," said the owner, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. "We're all afraid because our fate in the city is unknown." Thousands of people fled Kirkuk after rumors of looting and violence against Kurds spread on social media, though residents said many later returned. No one Reuters spoke to had witnessed or suffered any aggression. "LOST FOREVER" The scenes now are a far cry from the Kurds' jubilation on the day of the independence referendum, when they danced and sang in the streets. Though the referendum was opposed by international allies, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani was confident its outcome would give his government leverage to negotiate secession. Kirkuk is seen by many Kurds as the future capital of an independent Kurdish state. Including it in the referendum was widely seen as a unilateral move to consolidate Kurdish control. Peshmerga fighters seized Kirkuk in 2014 after Iraqi security forces fled, leaving the region's oilfields vulnerable to Islamic State militants who had swept across northern Iraq. But any notion of consolidated Kurdish power was quashed on Monday when Kurdish forces quietly withdrew, allowing the Iraqis to retake the city and other disputed territories claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the Kurds. Kurdish flags used to hang from street lamps and buildings across the whole city but are now seen only in Kurdish areas. Roadside vendors now sell the flags of the Iraqi army and Shi'ite paramilitary forces. "Kirkuk has been lost forever," said a Kurdish resident of the Shorja district. FEELINGS OF BETRAYAL Kurds in Kirkuk feel betrayed by their political leaders and humiliated by Baghdad, which forcibly displaced them from the city under late dictator Saddam Hussein. Some civilians are now deployed along the highway to the regional capital, Erbil, with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. "We brought our guns to defend against the Iraqi invaders," said one, a retired Peshmerga fighter. "We were betrayed, even by our own political leaders. So we had to come with our weapons to fight." The men have built berms and road blocks to slow traffic into the small town of Altun Kupri, or Perde in Kurdish. "Now we only have orders to defend. But if they try and come to Erbil, we will attack them ferociously. We have to protect our people," Bakr Razgai, a local commander, said before clashes in the area on Friday morning. Such bravado was hard to find in Kirkuk. In the Kurdish neighborhood of Shorja, a poster hanging in front of the main market and showing late Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani's face next to a Kurdish flag has been scribbled over. "I've been up every night since Monday, afraid for my life," said Abdullah, a Kurdish clothes salesman. A friend said this was because of propaganda on social media and asked him if he had seen anything bad happen. Abdullah had not. "But Im still afraid," he said. (Additional reporting by Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk and kawa Omar in Perde, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 05:53:12|Editor: Zhou Xin

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RABAT, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Morocco said Sunday it will send emergency medical aid to Madagascar to relieve the pneumonic plague epidemic that hit the country.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI gave his instructions to send medical aid to the Madagascar, according to a statement by the Moroccan Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry.

An outbreak of plague, also known as the Black Death, in Madagascar has so far killed nearly 100 people and experts are warning the disease is still spreading.

The relief aid consists of 34 tons of medicines, medical material and protection equipments, the statement said.

It added that this aid will back up the mechanism set up by Madagascar's government to counter and contain the pandemic.
Getting to the path of totality to watch the Great American Eclipse was, for many, difficult and expensive. Hotel rooms were booked years in advance, and rooms cost as much as $1,500 a night. For many migrating eclipse chasers it required a degree of advanced planning and the ability to take time off work or school.

And though this weekends Orionid meteor shower will be visible, as NASAs Bill Cooke told Newsweek, around the world, theyre not the brightest shooting stars. So they wont be so visible in cities, suburbs, or anywhere with real light pollution. Youll need to go someplace truly dark. For many people, that wont be possible.

But that doesnt mean you have to miss out.

While NASA wont be live streaming the meteor shower as they did with the Great American Eclipse, there are other means of watching meteor showers from home.

The website Slooh hosts live feeds from their observatories in the Canary Islands and Chile. The website offers multiple feeds, which can all be watched for free. Users do have to pay in order to control the telescopes remotely or take snapshots of the images they see.

So while you might struggle to get a clear view of the 20 meteors per hour in Nashville or Chicago, you can see them crystal clear from the comfort of your home. Even if you're somewhere quiet in the Northwest, the Plains, or along the East Coastall places where rain or snow showers are expected to interfere with visibilityyou can still watch the show.

For those who are out in the countryside with clear visibility (congratulations to the eastern Dakotas and Nebraska), technology can still help out. The American Meteor Society offers a free smartphone app that helps users pinpoint the best spots to observe. The app has a function where observers point their screens toward the sky and swipe their fingers in the direction of the meteors they observe. That crowdsourced data gets sent back to the AMS and helps them generate a crowdsourced log of each meteor shower.

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So if you have access to a computer or smartphone, weather be damned, this weekend meteor shower can be truly "egalitarian."

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 05:58:13|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Children participate in an event to celebrate the 22nd Anniversary of the Cuban School of Wushu and Qigong in Havana, Cuba on Oct. 22, 2017. The Cuban School of Wushu and Qigong celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Sunday in a popular square in Havana with a massive demonstration of Chinese martial arts. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

HAVANA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban School of Wushu and Qigong celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Sunday in a popular square in Havana with a massive demonstration of Chinese martial arts.

From breathing exercises to Qigong movements performed by young and old students, as well as traditional martial arts executed by children, the celebration saw varied performances.

"It has really been 22 years of transformations, of perseverance and steadiness, of fulfilling a mission and being able to bring Chinese culture, not only to the Chinese who live here and their descendants, but to all Cubans," Roberto Vargas Lee, director and founder of the school, told Xinhua.

Vargas Lee said that Wushu and Qigong are already inserted within Cuban society and the school is present in all the provinces of the country.

Located in Havana's Chinatown, the Cuban School of Wushu was founded in 1995 with the aim of developing Chinese martial arts and therapeutic exercises (Jian Shen Qigong) and also contributing to the rescue of Chinese traditional culture.

"China has put these ancient martial arts in our hands for the benefit of all Cubans and we will continue in this endeavor for many more years," he said.

Vargas Lee participated in the various demonstrations of Qigong and concluded the celebration with a special interpretation of the song "Cabalgando con Fidel," a single dedicated to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

"170 years ago, the first Chinese arrived in Cuba and there is a common history. I think, with the Wushu school, we have helped to build bridges of friendship between our countries," he said.

The school now has about 15,000 students all over Cuba and 2,500 in Havana.

Although the highest percent are represented by children and young people, elderly people also are attracted to the practice.

In the Qigong demonstration celebrated at Old Havana's San Francisco square, many students took part, to show how these exercises improve their quality of life.

"Wushu and Qigong have contributed a lot to me because they give me spiritual and mental peace and help with all the problems of daily life," Edenia Curbelo, 74, who has been practicing this martial art for 15 years, told Xinhua.

For others like Nidia Naranjo, 68, practicing Qigong represents a way to have "a healthy mind and body" as well as an opportunity to meet new people.

"I have been practicing these exercises since four years ago and I happily go out every morning to perform them to maintain good health," Naranjo told Xinhua.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

The manufacturer of Bosch and other dishwasher brands today recalled 469,000 dishwashers because the power cord can overheat and catch fire. The recall is an expansion of a two-year-old recall that included 194,000 Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, and Jenn-Air dishwashers for a total of 663,000 models in the U.S. and Canada.



Over the past two years, BSH Home Appliances, which announced the recall with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has received five reports of the power cords overheating and causing fires that resulted in property damage.

In the 2015 recall, BSH reported 10 incidents of power cords overheating, including five reports of fires that caused property damage. BSH said that the overheating occurred when the dishwashers were in use, not when they were sitting idle.

No injuries have been reported.



The recall includes models manufactured over a span of seven years from January 2008 to January 2017 and sold for $850 to $2,600. They were available in stainless steel, black, white, and with the option of adding a custom panel.

Dishwasher fires are more common than you might imagine.

According to the latest data we have, dishwashers accounted for 987 fires, three fatalities, 23 injuries, and almost $15 million in property loss from 2012 to 2015, says Don Huber, Consumer Reports director of product safety.

A significant number of dishwasher fires are attributable to electrical failure or malfunction, short circuits, improper installation, and overloading of the dishwasher, Huber adds. We suggest that dishwashers be installed only by certified technicians, and that you avoid overloading them.



What To Do

BSH says that owners of the recalled dishwashers should stop using them and arrange for a free inspection and replacement power cord. The repair should take less than an hour.

If you purchased a Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, or Jenn-Air dishwasher over the past seven years, check the CPSC recall notice to see whether your model is affectedthere are too many to list here. You can also call the BSH recall hotline at 888-965-5813 or go to the website of the brand you own for more information. They are:

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Bosch

Gaggenau

Jenn-Air

Thermador

Before you call or go online, locate your model and serial numbers. These identifiers are printed inside the dishwasher either on the top of the inner door panel or on the side of the panel. Bosch advises owners to pay special attention to the serial number because not every unit from the same model line is included in the recall. If you enter your information on one of the websites, youll quickly find out whether your machine is included in the recall.



Consumer Reports has tested some of the recalled models but did not encounter problems with overheating power cords. Weve flagged the affected models in the dishwasher ratings on our website.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2017, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Cottbus (Germany) (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel hails from Germany's ex-communist East, yet it is here where the anger against her runs deepest and the far-right protest party AfD has celebrated its strongest gains.

The electoral success of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which scored 12.6 percent in September 24 elections, stunned much of the country.

But in Cottbus, located in the Lusatia coal mining region near the Polish border, many cheered the strong result for the party whose battle cry is "Merkel must go".

In the city of 100,000 people that is dominated by drab Soviet-style tower blocks, the AfD even beat the chancellor's conservatives, more than doubling its national result by attracting 26.8 percent of the vote.

The list of grievances against Merkel is long if you listen to Klaus Gross, 67, a former army officer of the Soviet-allied regime who became a sales representative after Germany's 1990 reunification.

"First we had the policy of rescuing the euro, then renewable energy with all these wind turbines everywhere," he said, pointing to a green energy push that unsettles many in a region dependent on massive open-pit coal mines.

"Then the shut-down of nuclear power plants, overnight," he went on, referring to the 2011, post-Fukushima decision to shutter Germany's nuclear reactor fleet.

"And then finally the refugees", he added, pointing to Germany's mass influx of more than one million asylum seekers since 2015, which has became Merkel's key political liability, even within her own conservative bloc.

"Who asked us if this was what we wanted?", Gross fumed. "Much of the population has been ignored by Merkel and her people!"

- 'Like a pop star' -

In a restaurant near the Cottbus city centre, local AfD candidate Marianne Spring-Raeumschuessel was approached by a couple aged in their thirties.

"We voted for you!", the young woman whispered to her. "You're right!"

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"They have celebrated me like a pop star around here," said Spring-Raeumschuessel, a former businesswoman aged in her 70s.

She spoke with glee about the fact Merkel's reduced majority has forced her into tough coalition talks with two smaller parties, predicting that "it will not work".

The fact that the chancellor said, after scoring her party's worst result since 1949, that she had done nothing fundamentally wrong, showed that "Mrs Merkel understood nothing".

Wolfgang Horbenz, 76 and a former power plant mechanic, said the establishment parties must once more take the people seriously and that the AfD "has a future as long as the other parties refuse to change their policies from top to bottom".

- Money 'wasted' on refugees -

Cottbus, 120 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Berlin, boasts some historic homes from its early 20th century days as a flourishing textile industry hub -- but since the Cold War era it is dominated by residential blocks made from prefabricated concrete slabs.

Gerd Loesky, a 73-year-old retired home decorator, lives in one of them.

What galls him is the mass arrival of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees over the past two years, he said, telling AFP: "It bothers me that they come here ... and that money is wasted on them."

Horbenz, the mechanic, conceded that "we do not have many", with the town hall putting the number of migrants in Cottbus at around 3,000.

He said locals "do not want a situation like what I saw in the Ruhr basin" -- the industrial heartland of western Germany that attracted large numbers of Turkish and other foreign-born labourers from the 1960s.

Eastern Germany still lags behind the west in income and wealth, and heavily-indebted Cottbus has long had to scrimp on fixing its roads and bridges or investing in its schools or kindergartens.

"Now many people are asking: 'Where does all the money come from for the refugees'?" said Gross. "All of a sudden? That's just not on!"

Margrit Koal, a 65-year-old doctor and AfD voter, said that since the election one month ago, she once more feels "hope".

"I'm happy because there's now a force in Germany that forms a counter-pole to the established parties," said Koal.

Asked about the openly racist and revisionist remarks made by some AfD politicians, she said "every public person sometimes says things that they may regret later".
Myanmar police have seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine pills in the north of violence-racked Rakhine state this month, an officer said Sunday.

Millions of the caffeine-laced meth tablets were intercepted in Maungdaw district, the centre of an army-led crackdown that has driven more than half a million Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border into Bangladesh in just two months.

Myanmar troops poured into the area in late August to launch a counter-offensive against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts. This grew into a full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority, according to the UN and others.

As the region reels from the refugee crisis, a lucrative narcotics trade continues across the border into Bangladesh, where there is high demand for the addictive meth pills known by their Thai name "yaba" or "crazy medicine".

"We have seized 3,563,355 stimulant tablets from five drugs trafficking cases starting from this month in Maungdaw," local anti-drugs officer Maung Maung Yin told AFP.

It was the largest monthly haul in the area since February when police launched a statewide anti-narcotics operation, he said.

"We seized these drugs while we were working to enforce tight security in the area because of the situation," the officer added, in reference to the violence that seen hundreds of Rohingya villages torched.

Seven ethnic Rakhine men -- who, apart from the Rohingya are the other main minority group based in the area -- have been arrested in connection with the trafficking, he said.

State media said the pills, which sell for around $1-2 each, were marked with the "WY" stamp of the ethnic Wa drug lords who run Myanmar's lucrative narcotics trade.

The heavily-armed Wa churn out the tablets in laboratories in Myanmar's northeast, where they run a independent statelet guarded by a standing army.

Huge amounts of drugs are smuggled from that "Golden Triangle" zone south to Bangkok and beyond, but a westward route to Bangladesh -- the gateway to other South Asian markets -- has also flourished.

In recent years Bangladeshi security forces have seized millions of meth tablets from traffickers trying to enter the Cox's Bazar area by land and sea.

Earlier this month two Myanmar soldiers were caught with nearly two million yaba pills in Maungdaw.
Sisters Sabina and Nirma worked for more than a year, along with Sabinas daughter, Cindy, at a child care center called Hope Head Start in Albuquerque. They were always paid late, often weeks at a time. In November 2015, they were forced to resign, because they had not been paid for more than three weeks and could not afford to work for free.

Wage theft is a very serious problem in New Mexico, and can destroy the financial solvency of working families like Sabina and Nirmas who live from paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, all too often, unscrupulous employers refuse to pay workers for all their hours, violate minimum wage laws, refuse to pay overtime and force people to work off the clock.

Our government and its agencies must serve working families by ensuring that people are paid fairly for every hour worked.

Wage theft impacts workers of all socioeconomic backgrounds, but immigrant families like Sabinas and Nirmas are especially vulnerable to the crime. A 2013 study by Somos un Pueblo Unido on Mexican immigrant workers and wage theft in New Mexico found that wage theft is not limited to undocumented immigrants. While the percentage of undocumented immigrants who acknowledged experiencing at least one instance of wage theft was particularly high (29.6 percent), 22 percent of immigrants with legal documentation acknowledged wage theft as well. According to the study, non-English speaking wage theft victims were less likely to report it to authorities, because they feared reprisals and had concerns about language access, among other issues.

Wage theft also damages New Mexicos already weak state and local economies. When employers do not pay workers their wages and corresponding payroll taxes, they diminish local, state and federal revenues. Wage theft also gives employers who break the law an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding employers who comply with the minimum wage laws.

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Sabina and Nirma are members of El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, an Albuquerque-based immigrants rights and workers justice organization that works with low-wage workers to combat wage theft. They, along with El CENTROs organizers and members, demanded payment at a protest outside the preschool. However, their employer still refused to pay them.

The sisters went to the Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) office in Albuquerque to file wage claims. However, they could not communicate with DWS because they only speak Spanish and the claim forms were only available in English. They could not read the form in English, and Sabinas daughter Cindy had to translate it for them. DWS did not offer any assistance to fill out the forms.

While low-wage immigrant workers successfully organized in New Mexico to pass some of the strongest wage enforcement laws in the country, the governmental departments responsible for enforcing these laws, under the leadership of Governor Susana Martinez, have for years failed to enforce them.

In addition to other systemic barriers, they also have refused to offer translation to Spanish speakers like Sabina and Nirma, sending a message to immigrant workers that they are not welcome to report violations. This emboldens bad apple employers.

Two years after having filed her claim, Nirma has yet to receive any compensation. She also struggled to obtain any information about her case from her investigator because of the language barrier. During the two months that Sabina was out of work, she struggled to pay rent, bills, her daughters tuition and to buy food. The lack of salary and the injustice that Sabina experienced increased her stress, and caused her family many other related problems.

Wage theft impacts workers of all socioeconomic backgrounds, but immigrant families are especially vulnerable to the crime.

Yet low-wage workers are more organized than ever, and are successfully fighting back against these challenges. On January 18, El CENTRO, along with workers who are victims of wage theft, New Mexico Comunidades en Accion y de Fe (CAFE), Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLE), and Somos Un Pueblo Unido, filed a lawsuit against the state agency responsible for enforcing New Mexicos wage protection laws, demanding that it do its job.

Soon afterwards, the legal team, led by the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and Somos Un Pueblo Unido, won a court order prohibiting the state government from enforcing certain illegal policies that prevented workers from filing claims. Later, in another hard-earned victory for our working families, we defeated DWS attempt to throw out our lawsuit. After that, DWS conceded that many of its policies were unlawful and is now in the process of proposing new enforcement rules to comply with the law.

Our government and its agencies must serve working families by ensuring that people are paid fairly for every hour worked. Until then, we will continue organizing alongside New Mexican working families and continue to use everything at our disposal to fight for our workers rights. We will build upon New Mexicos proud legacy of resistance and of passing local policies to improve conditions for low-wage workers.

El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos is a grassroots, immigrants rights and workers justice organization based in Albuquerque, NM that works with Latino immigrant communities and allies to defend, strengthen, and advance the rights of our community.

Connect with the El CENTRO on Twitter: @ELCENTRO_NM and on Facebook:@ElCentrodeIgualdadyDerechos
US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis speaks about the deaths of four US soldiers in Niger earlier this month as he meets with his Israeli counterpart at the Pentagon on 19 October 2017: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

The ambush in Niger that led to the deaths of four US soldiers is said to have partially been the result of a massive intelligence failure.

Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, Dustin Wright, and Sergeant La David T Johnson died and two others were injured when 40 to 50 militants ambushed a 12-man US force in Niger on October 4, according to the Pentagon.

Congress now has questions about the scope of the US mission in Niger as well as why the Green Beret-led team was without sufficient support to fight off the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by a local terror group that claims association with Isis.

In the ensuing rescue operation to get the US soldiers out of the area during a firefight with the militants, it appears Mr Johnsons body was left behind.

His body was only recovered 48 hours later  found by Nigerian nationals  and returned the US.

In an interview with NBC, a senior congressional aide who was briefed on the matter said the House and Senate armed services committees have questions about whether the Pentagon is properly supporting the troops on the ground in Niger.

There was no US overhead surveillance of the mission, he told NBC, and no American quick-reaction force available to rescue the troops if things went wrong. If French fighter jets had not arrived, he said, the situation could have been much worse for Americans.

The aide spoke to NBC on the condition of anonymity.

Senator John McCain had recently expressed frustration about the lack of details emerging from the Pentagon about the incident in Niger.

On Thursday, Defence Secretary James Mattis said that the Pentagon does not have all the accurate information yet regarding the ambush. The FBI is also investigating the incident.

The bureau told the Wall Street Journal it is not uncommon for it to get involved in these types of military investigations.

During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked whether the White House believed there was a massive intelligence failure in Niger.

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We're going to wait until that review is complete by the Department of Defense, and we'll answer those questions at that time, Ms Sanders replied.

Earlier in the briefing, she said: The Department of Defense has initiated a review, which occurs any time there's an American that's killed in action. We're going through that process. The President, the Department of Defense, and, frankly, the entire country and government want to know exactly what happened.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired Marine General, said on Thursday that an investigation doesnt mean anything was wrong ... doesnt mean that heads are going to roll.
Australian police divers have recovered the bodies of two fishermen from a sunken trawler and were Sunday searching for four others missing since the boat capsized nearly a week ago.

The commercial fishing trawler with seven on board sank in rough seas off the coast of central Queensland state on Monday.

Rescuers have been scouring the waters near Middle Island, north of the town of Seventeen Seventy, but just one crew member has been found alive.

Ruben McDornan was rescued by a passing catamaran after treading waters for several hours in heavy seas without a life jacket, Queensland's Courier Mail reported.

McDornan told rescuers he had heard his crewmates trying to get out of the trawler's cabin.

Two bodies were recovered late Saturday after the boat "Dianne" was located by sonar lying on the seabed at a depth of 30 metres (100 feet), Queensland Police said.

The identities of the pair have not been confirmed.

Police said they would continue to search for the remaining crew Sunday, adding that their efforts were being hampered by debris and poor visibility.

"Specialist police divers are only able to remain under water for 13 minutes and most of those 13 minutes have been spent removing debris from the wreckage," they added.

McDornan's rescuers earlier told the Courier Mail it was "pure luck" they had spotted the 32-year-old while moving their vessel to calmer waters to ride out the poor weather conditions.

"He was tired, he was exhausted, he was shaking, he was dehydrated and adrenaline kept him going," the rescuer, named by the newspaper as Lyn, said, adding that McDornan was battling two to three-metre-high waves.

"He was just so lucky. He was just in our line of where we plotted to.

"He's a fit young man, which kept him going, because they were rough waves."
Police in Florida may be dealing with a serial killer after three people were found murdered in less than two weeks in the same neighborhood.

"Someone's terrorizing the neighborhood," said Tampa Police Interim Chief Brian Dugan at a news conference Friday. "We're still sifting through evidenceWe think they're related.

Read: Convicted Murderer Phil Spector Allowed to Leave Prison to See His Dentist

The shooter murdered a third victim, 20-year-old Anthony Naiboa, on Thursday night in the Seminole Heights neighborhood, police said. Naiboa, who had autism, had gotten off the bus at the wrong stop on his way home from work and was walking home when he was gunned down, according to reports.

Officers who were patrolling the neighborhood heard the gunshots and quickly found Naiboas body, police said.

"This person, whoever did it, was able to sneak away," Chief Dugan said.

Naiboa was killed just 50 feet away from the bus stop where another man, 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell, was killed on October 9th, police said. On October 13, Tampa city workers also found the body of Monica Hoffa, 32, in an empty field. Police said she was shot and neighbors reportedly heard gunshots the day before.

Police have increased their presence in the neighborhood amid the slayings. In each of the shootings, the victim was alone and was not robbed, police said.

Enough is enough, Dugan said in a plea to the killer during a Thursday press conference. I don't know what your motive is. I don't know what your problem is. There's been enough carnage. You have severely affected some families.

Tampa police released surveillance video of someone they believe may be integral to solving Mitchells murder. The person, who was walking alone near the area and time of the murder, was wearing long pants, a long jacket and a hood, police said.

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Police have warned the community to be aware of their surroundings and travel in groups. He also asked residents to turn on their porch lights.

"If you're walking alone, you're either a suspect or a potential victim, and that's what they need to remember in this neighborhood," Dugan said.

Read: Serial Killer Rodney Alcala Implicated in New York Cold Case Murders

Police asked that anyone with any other information about the crimes to come forward. Crime Stoppers is offering an $18,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Anyone with information can call 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
Belfast (AFP) - In the heart of a Protestant area of east Belfast, a group of students belt out a traditional Irish song as part of their weekly Gaelic language practice.

At the Skainos Community Centre, there is little sign of the bitter political dispute over a language associated more with Catholic Irish nationalism.

"It's massively growing," teacher Caoimhe Ni Chathail told AFP. She is part of the "Turas" (Journey) project which connects people from Protestant communities to their own history with the Irish language.

After the choral practice, the biggest class of beginners the 31-year-old has ever seen take their place at the centre, which is decorated with Gaelic-language posters such "Mionna Na Bliana" -- which depicts the months of the year.

The creation of an Irish Language Act is the main obstacle standing between Catholic Irish republicans Sinn Fein and the Protestant, pro-British Democratic Unionist Party in negotiations -- ongoing since March -- to form a power-sharing government in Belfast.

Enthusiastic vocalist and former English teacher Linda Ervine, director of the Turas programme, said Gaelic "has been used in a political sense to represent one particular viewpoint".

While Gaelic is the first official language of the Republic of Ireland, in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, it is only an officially-recognised minority language.

The last census in 2011 found that almost 11 percent claimed some familiarity with Gaelic; 3.7 percent claimed they could speak, read, write and understand it.

However, just 4,130 people, 0.2 percent of the population, said it was their main language -- fewer than those who said Polish and Lithuanian.

Paul Lynas, a retired public servant who has been attending classes for just over three years, said he did not care about any political associations.

"Protestants who came from Scotland, many of them would have spoken Scots Gaelic and Protestants have always been involved in Gaelic," he told AFP.

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"I really don't see it as anything revolutionary."

- Gaelic revival -

The school provoked a mixed response from the Protestant Unionist community when it opened in a local Methodist church in 2011.

"Some people left the church... and we've had some verbal abuse on Facebook," Ervine said.

Since then, the project has flourished with classes mushrooming from one per week to 13.

More than 160 students ranging from beginners to experts, children to adults take part in the free singing lessons, group chats and classes.

A couple of pensioners set up near two friends in their 20s, while a young girl in a beige hooded sweater sits next to a distinguished-looking middle-aged man in a dark suit and red tie as he takes down notes.

The revival of interest in the Gaelic language is reflected in the education system.

In 2014/2015, some 5,256 primary school children were enrolled in an Irish-language curriculum, double the number of a decade earlier.

Ervine, said: "They expect this number to double within the next 15 years."
President Donald Trump once again declined to provide specifics about his administrations plan for North Korea, claiming the United States is prepared for anything.

You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be. Would it be nice not to do that? The answer is yes. Will that happen? Who knows, Trump told Fox Business Networks Maria Bartiromo in an interview that aired Sunday.

Bartiromo had asked Trump about his relationship with Chinas President Xi Jinping, and if that relationship was solely based on attempts to control North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. As North Koreas largest trading partner, China is thought to have considerable leverage and influence over the region. Trump replied that he and Xi Jinping have an exceptional relationship and that China was being helpful, although he did not elaborate.

Hes got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea. Well see what happens, Trump said about Xi Jingping. In the past, Trump has criticized China in this regard, claiming in September that North Koreas sixth nuclear missile test, which detonated a hydrogen bomb, was an embarrassment to the country.

While Trump has repeatedly used bombastic rhetoric to describe the situation in North Korea, his deputies have taken a more diplomatic approach. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last Sunday that diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops.

The president has also made clear to me that he wants this solved diplomatically. Hes not seeking to go to war, Tillerson said on CNNs State of the Union earlier this month.
Rachel Maddow on Friday doubled down on her controversial reporting on the deadly Niger ambush on U.S. troops, in which she linked President Donald Trumps travel ban with the deaths of four soldiers.

Maddows report, delivered Thursday and reiterated Friday, strongly suggested that Trumps addition of Chad to his travel ban prompted the country to withdraw its U.S.-partnered counterterrorism troops in Niger, thus causing an increase in attacks by the self-described Islamic State in the area.

Over the course of the day today lots of people have been very upset with me for reporting that last night, which is fine. I didnt know you cared, Maddow said in her Friday segment.

But the upset over my reporting doesnt mean that anything I reported wasnt true. Everything I reported was true.

Watch Maddows original Niger report from Thursday below.

...so no wonder Trump doesn't want to talk about Niger. https://t.co/2TALH1fEKH  Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) October 20, 2017

Andrew Lebovich, a PhD candidate in African History at Columbia University and a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, called out the segment on Twitter, arguing, these things are not linked, they have to do with areas on literal opposite ends of the country.

These things are not linked, they have to do with areas on literal opposite ends of the country. You are supposed to be better than this. https://t.co/szHZ18DUwE  Andrew Lebovich (@tweetsintheME) October 20, 2017

The MSNBC host on Friday also briefly attempted to hedge her speculation, before adamantly reinforcing her theory once again.

Now, this doesnt mean that Chad withdrawing their troops was necessarily the cause of what happened to those U.S. troops who were ambushed, Maddow said.

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Then, spinning off into another tangent, she added:

But honestly, if you are looking at the central domestic mystery here, which is why didnt the president even acknowledge those deaths, in the worse combat causalities of his presidency ... If you are interested in the central mystery of why the president is so reluctant to talk about that or take questions on that  well it really is true, his administration just took what is widely believed to be absolutely inexplicable action to alienate, anger and insult the country that has been our most effective military partner against Islamic militants in the part of the world where these attacks just happened.

Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Niger after a group of 50 militants affiliated with the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara ambushed the patrol team during a routine train-and-advise mission.

More than two weeks after the ambush, still not much is known about why the troops were under-protected and why they were there in the first place.

Maddows theory on the ambush drew sharp criticism from experts familiar with the region, including assistant professor Laura Seay of Colby Colleges Department of Government, who spoke to HuffPosts Willa Frej after Maddows segment aired.

No, thats crazy, Seay said of Maddows suggestion that Chadian troops were battling ISIS in Niger. Everybody that I know is appalled by this. I would like to think that Maddows researchers are more responsible.

After Maddow defended her Niger reporting on Friday, Seay tweeted at the MSNBC host to sort out the facts.

Maddow told her audience that the Chadians were protecting civilians from ISIS, Seay wrote. They were not.

While the major problem was implying a causal relationship based on facts, @maddow did say one false thing on Thurs. https://t.co/BIQ30mRi5X  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

.@maddow told her audience that the Chadians were protecting civilians from ISIS. They were not. https://t.co/rTLVYjZuHt  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

The Chadians were protecting civilians from Boko Haram, not the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, but its actual connection to ISIS is pretty weak & its grievances are localized.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

Any viewer without detailed knowledge of jihadi groups in the Sahel watching this would assume that the group the Chadians fought is...  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

...the same group that ambushed the American & Nigerien troops killed on Oct. 4. But it wasn't.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

Nor is there a shred of evidence that the departure of Chad from an entirely separate conflict 700 miles away "emboldened" ISGS to attack.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

There are 2 possibilities here. One is that @maddow & her team are genuinely confused by these dynamics & not getting help from an expert.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

The other is that @maddow & her team are deliberately twisting facts to mislead viewers into believing something that isn't true.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

As a longtime viewer of the show & fan of @maddow herself, I'm deeply disappointed either way.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

I really hope that @maddow & @MaddowBlog will call any of the many experts on extremist groups in the Sahel who can sort out the facts here.  Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) October 21, 2017

In a column for Slate, Seay warned that Maddows irresponsible conspiracymongering could lead left-leaning individuals down a rabbit hole similar to conservatives who blame the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on the Obama administration.

Seay wrote: Maddows approach to this story  just asking questions that are neither based in evidence nor likely to contribute to an accurate understanding of what happened in Niger and why  drags liberals down the same path that conservatives traveled with Benghazi, one of irrational, fearmongering claims that only serve to prolong the suffering of the families of the fallen while doing nothing to explain the root causes of the event.

In doing so, she added, Maddow also preyed upon Americans lack of knowledge about Africa, a widespread problem that ranges from not understanding how large the continent is to major news organizations mislabeling maps for national broadcast.

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By Emily Flitter TANGIER ISLAND, Md (Reuters) - This summer, a delegation of Republican climate activists visited Tangier Island, a speck of grassland in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, to try to convince its 450 residents to take climate change seriously. At a dinner attended by island residents Aug. 2, the activists from RepublicEn headed by former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis laid out the stakes: The sea level is rising, and some scientists estimate that within decades the island, already suffering severe erosion, will need to be abandoned. The people of Tangier Island were used to this kind of message. Former Vice President Al Gore, a prominent Democratic climate activist, had given the same speech to islanders three days earlier. They were also used to rejecting it. "We'll talk to everybody," said James Eskridge, mayor of the mainly Republican island community. "But they're not going to change many minds here." Residents, he said, do not believe in climate change: they want a new sea wall to prevent erosion, not a lecture about saving the world with solar panels. Tangier Island's steadfast rejection of climate change reflects the rigidity of American opinions about global warming, often defined along political party lines. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows more than a third of Americans, mainly Republicans, reject the scientific consensus that climate change is driven by human activity. Less than a third of Americans believe global warming poses an imminent threat to the United States. These views barely budged after a series of devastating hurricanes this summer. That rift in opinion has proven to be a headwind for U.S. lawmakers seeking broad solutions to stem climate change, like imposing a cost on carbon emissions or encouraging cleaner renewable energy technologies to replace fossil fuels. And while conservatives have long been skeptical about climate change, doubters have a powerful new ally: U.S. President Donald Trump. He has called climate change a hoax and has started withdrawing the United States from a global pact to combat it, citing what he calls the huge economic cost. Eskridge told Reuters Trump called him in June after seeing a report about severe erosion problems on the island, telling him not to worry about sea level rise. "I believe man plays a part in it but not to the extent that others have been talking about - that's what me and Donald Trump were talking about," Eskridge said. (Reuters wider image: http://reut.rs/2yvd0Hf ) "WE'RE LOOKING TO STAY" An Army Corps of Engineers study in 2015 showed Tangier has lost two thirds of its mass since 1850 because of erosion, a process scientists say is being exacerbated by climate change. Journalists and politicians now view the island as a symbol of the climate crisis. Tangier residents are happy with the attention but believe their problem is simpler. A sea wall built on one side of the island in the late 1980s has prevented the land behind it from eroding, they say, so another sea wall is the answer. "We're not looking to have our light bills cheaper, we're looking to stay here," said Deborah Pruitt, 57, who works at the island's museum, where printouts of news reports about the island are displayed on a wall. Conservative climate activists like Rob Sisson of ConservAmerica and Mitch Hescox of the Evangelical Environmental Network said the rejection of climate change by Tangier residents is not surprising: their groups often have trouble convincing fellow Republicans global warming is a real issue. Often, they say, people object to the idea that humans could possibly change the climate even if they wanted to. Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, one of a handful of Republicans to publicly declare a belief in climate change, said she has a strategy for getting fellow Republicans to think of solutions: "I've found that the best way ... is to not dwell on the causes," she said in an email. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and David Gregorio)
(CLEVELAND)  Cleveland State University says it will create an advisory committee and offer more sensitivity training after officials were criticized for their response to a flyer that urged LGBT students to kill themselves.

The school said Friday in a statement that its initial response had been inadequate and left students and staff feeling unsafe, unheard and unvalued.

Hate has no place in our community. It never will, the statement said. We unwaveringly value our marginalized students, faculty and staff.

The flyer appeared on a bulletin board Oct. 12, the same day a new LGBT center opened on campus. It urged LGBT students to follow those who had killed themselves and showed a silhouette of a man hanging from a noose. It contained a gay slur.

The flyer was taken down but officials said at the time it would have been allowed to stay if the unknown people behind it had followed school posting procedures.

University president Ronald Berkman originally said the school was committed to upholding free speech rights instead of explicitly condemning the flyer.

We will continue to protect free speech to ensure all voices may be heard and to promote a civil discourse where educational growth is the desired result, Berkman said at the time.

The schools response angered students and provoked protests, petitions, and a tense, crowded town hall meeting where students spoke about LGBT people they knew who took their own lives.

Peter Sherman, a 23-year-old gay Cleveland State theater major, says he participated in the protests and town hall session because he believes the school should ban flyers urging students to kill themselves.

People are free to believe whatever they want, but free speech doesnt protect incitements to violence, Sherman told The Associated Press on Friday. Asking people to commit suicide is an incitement to violence.

The controversy comes as universities across the country struggle to balance concerns over freedom of speech while ensuring campus safety following a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Officials at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland said Thursday that such flyers would be prohibited on their campus and should be considered a violent threat against students.

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Mike Brickner, policy director at the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the flyer should be considered protected speech because it didnt target specific individuals, but that it raised novel questions about the legality of speech that encourages suicide. Brickner said it echoed the controversial case of Michelle Carter, a Massachusetts woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter in August after she sent her boyfriend text messages urging him to kill himself.

That has opened up a dangerous concept. We start to walk down the path of criminalizing speech in that way, Brickner said. Its a question courts may continue to grapple with.

The debate has left many students feeling torn. School newspaper editor Katie Hobbins, 22, says that as a journalist, she sympathizes with free speech advocates, but that as a bisexual woman, she feels threatened.

Because it is a first amendment issue, they cant take that down, but it also pains me that theres nothing the universities can do on that matter, Hobbins said.
Robert Mugabe - 2013 AFP

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has long faced United States sanctions over his governments human rights abuses. But the World Health Organizations new chief is making the longtime African leader a "goodwill ambassador."

With Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus told a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases that hed agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

Tedros, an Ethiopian who became WHOs first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region."

A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press on Friday.

In his speech, Tedros described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all."

Two dozen organizations - including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research U.K. - released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus Credit: Anfitti/EFE

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the conference, to no avail.

The southern African nation once was known as the regions prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwes health system, saying that Mugabes policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its populations access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. "The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicizing the health sector, to maintain its hold on power."

The report said Mugabes policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

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The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his governments rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

U.N. agencies typically choose celebrities as ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they hold little actual power.

Last year, the U.N. dropped the superhero Wonder Woman as an ambassador for "empowering girls and women" after the decision drew widespread criticism.
U.S. District Court nominee Thomas Farr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September. (Photo: CSPAN)

WASHINGTON  The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance U.S. District Court nominee Thomas Farr, a North Carolina attorney with a long record of defending laws that weaken voting rights for African Americans.

Farr, who is President Donald Trumps choice for a lifetime seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, cleared the committee on a party-line vote. He now awaits confirmation by the full Senate. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday that he wasnt sure when Farrs vote would be scheduled.

Civil rights groups and the Congressional Black Caucus are outraged by Farrs nomination, claiming he has built a 38-year legal career on restricting voting rights and stripping protections from people of color.

Farr, 62, defended North Carolinas sweeping voter suppression law passed in 2013, one of the most restrictive in the country. The law required voters to present government-issued photo IDs in order to cast a ballot, shortened the early voting period and eliminated same-day voter registration and out-of-precinct voting.

Farr represented the state before the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2016, arguing that the law was not a nefarious thing. But the court ultimately struck down the law that year, saying it targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision and noted the laws correlation with data showing voting methods African Americans were most likely to use. Farr appealed to the Supreme Court, but the high court declined to hear his case.

Farr also defended a number of the states redistricting maps that were rejected by federal courts for being racially discriminatory. As Mother Jones Ari Berman reported, the Supreme Court struck down two of the states congressional districts because the legislature had packed black voters into heavily minority districts in order to reduce the influence of minorities in adjoining districts held by white Republicans. A lower court also struck down 28 state legislative districts for discriminating against black voters.

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When civil rights groups sued North Carolina in 2015 for violating the National Voter Registration Act, better known as the motor voter law, Farr defended the state in court once again. The lawsuit alleged the state broke the law by failing to collect voter registration applications or provide online voter registration opportunities. A federal district judge ruled for the plaintiffs, stating, Voter enfranchisement cannot be sacrificed when a citizen provides the state the necessary information to register to vote but the state turns its own procedures into a vehicle to burden that right.

Farr also has ties to the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), whose legacy includes opposing the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, and leading a 16-day filibuster against naming a federal holiday after Martin Luther King Jr. Farr was Helms campaign attorney in 1984 and 1990. In 1990, Helms sent postcards to 125,000 African American voters falsely stating they could be prosecuted and imprisoned for up to five years if they tried to vote in a precinct in which they had lived for fewer than 30 days.

The Justice Department sued the campaign, saying the mailing was intended to intimidate black voters. Farr has denied knowing about the postcards.

North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis (R) and Richard Burr (R) are both supporting the confirmation of Thomas Farr to a U.S. District Court in North Carolina. (Photo: Mark Wilson via Getty Images)

North Carolinas senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, both Republicans, have thrown their support behind Farrs confirmation.

His wealth of experience will serve North Carolina well, Burr said in a statement.

He is impeccably qualified, and I am confident he will be an independent-minded judge committed to fairness and will faithfully apply the law, Tillis said in a statement.

But civil rights leaders say Farr is one of the worst federal court nominees theyve ever seen.

It is no exaggeration to say that had the White House deliberately sought to identify an attorney in North Carolina with a more hostile record on African- American voting rights and workers rights than Thomas Farr, it could hardly have done so, reads a letter to senators signed by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

William Barber, president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, said theres no reason to think Farr will be an independent voice on the bench, given how aggressively hes fought against voter protections.

Thomas Farr has been the lead attorney in attacking every modern effort in North Carolina to empower the states African American voters; and in most cases, he has been a public architect of the regressive and discriminatory backlash, Barber wrote to senators. Based on his outspoken history and aggressive litigious style of opposing African Americans and the rights of the vulnerable, African Americans have no trust or faith that Thomas Farr can be independent, fair, and impartial in serving as a member of the esteemed federal judiciary.

Another group, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations, also wrote a letter to all 100 U.S. senators this week urging them to vote no on Farr.

Farr is one of a number of controversial judicial nominees that Trump has put forward this year. With Republicans in control of the White House and the Senate, conservatives have a lot of leeway to nominate and confirm whomever they want to lifetime jobs on the federal bench.

In July, the Senate confirmed John Bush to a lifetime post on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Bush has compared abortion to slavery, said he strongly disagrees with same-sex marriage, mocked climate change and proclaimed the witch is dead when he thought the Affordable Care Act might not be enacted.

The Senate also confirmed Kevin Newsom to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in August. Newsom wrote a 2000 law review article equating the rationale of Roe v. Wade to Dred Scott v. Sandford, the 1857 decision upholding slavery. He also argued in a 2005 article for The Federalist Society, a right-wing legal organization, that Title IX does not protect people who face retaliation for reporting gender discrimination. The Supreme Court later rejected that position.

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (bottom 2nd L) reacts while chatting with Chief Justice John Roberts (C) during a new U.S. Supreme Court family photo including Justice Neil Gorsuch (top R), their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017. Also pictured are Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front row, L-R), Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan (back row, L-R), Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (seated C) leads Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front row, L-R), Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan (back row, L-R), Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Neil Gorsuch in taking a new family photo including Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (bottom L) chats with Chief Justice John Roberts (bottom R) during a new U.S. Supreme Court family photo including Justice Neil Gorsuch (not pictured), their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017. Also pictured are Justice Elena Kagan (back row, L-R), Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (seated L-R), Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sonia Sotomayor (top L) and Justice Neil Gorsuch (top R) chat during a new U.S. Supreme Court family photo including Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (L) chats with Chief Justice John Roberts (R) during a new U.S. Supreme Court family photo including Justice Neil Gorsuch (not pictured), their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

U.S. Justice Neil Gorsuch (top R) leans in to speak to Justice Stephen Breyer (bottom R) as the members of the U.S. Supreme Court including Chief Justice John Roberts (seated L), Justice Clarence Thomas (seated C) and Justice Sonia Sotomayor (top L) gather for a new family photo with Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (seated C) leads Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front row, L-R), Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan (back row, L-R), Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Neil Gorsuch in taking a new family photo including Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (seated C) leads Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front row, L-R), Justice Anthony Kennedy, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan (back row, L-R), Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Neil Gorsuch in taking a new family photo including Gorsuch, their most recent addition, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2017.

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By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore-headquartered solar panel maker REC hopes to be exempt from potential U.S. restrictions on imports following a recent trade finding that said no significant injury to the United States had been caused by makers including those from Australia, Canada and Singapore. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce by early next year measures which his administration will take to limit imports after the U.S. International Trade Commission found in September that U.S. panel makers had been harmed by cheap imports. Many companies have warned that a solar trade dispute involving potential import tariffs between the United States and other countries could cost thousands of jobs and slow down the development of the clean energy technology. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in September found injury from imports from several countries with which it has free trade agreements (FTA), including Mexico and South Korea. However, USITC said that "with respect to other FTA countries" including Canada, Australia or Singapore, there was "not a substantial cause of serious injury". Still, REC Chief Executive Steve O'Neil said the industry was watching closely. "We're certainly paying a lot of attention to it. We will know more once the Trump administration makes their final ruling," he told Reuters. More than 90 percent of the world's solar panel-making capacity is in Asia, with China accounting for 70 percent of the output followed by southeast Asia, O'Neil said. High costs, the lack of raw materials and infrastructure make it hard for U.S. solar panel producers to compete with those in Asia, forcing several U.S. solar makers into bankruptcy in the past years. REC was founded in Norway but is headquartered in Singapore and majority-owned by China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) [CNNCC.UL]. The company has production capacity of 1.5 gigawatts (GW) and sells about half of its panels in the United States, 30 percent to Europe and the rest in Asia. Despite the concentration in Asia, O'Neil said the global solar market remained fragmented, with hundreds of panel makers competing and no single firm having a market share of more than 8 percent. "We know consolidation is coming and maturing will happen, but right now, it's still a race for scale, for technology, and to emerge as a winner in the solar-panel manufacturing end of the market." Rooftop solar is growing rapidly thanks to a near 30 percent drop in the cost of solar panels since 2016 and government policies that allow consumers to sell their excess solar power into the grid. "This year we've tripled our sales in Australia," O'Neil said. The world is expected to add up to 100 GW of solar power capacity this year that will bring the cumulative installed capacity to 300-350 GW, O'Neil said. Besides the United States, REC sees India, Europe and Southeast Asia as growing markets to tap, he said. (For a graphic on 'World solar power capacity', click http://reut.rs/2l2ZvsX) NEW TECHNOLOGIES O'Neil said there were several forms of experimental technologies with which the sector hoped to make further inroads. It also includes finding ways to improve the performance of single panels. O'Neil said that off-grid solar power as well as hybrid systems, including working together with batteries were "getting some traction." Solar power is seen to have large potential in regions that are not connected to power grids, such as many of Southeast Asia's remote islands. So far, most of this back-up has been provided by diesel generators, but thanks to improving technology, batteries are being increasingly used. "If you replace diesel in an island with a solar system, the payback is astounding," O'Neil said. REC Solar has also participated in the testing of floating solar PV in Singapore's Tengah reservoir as land-scarce countries explore options to tap on solar power, he said. (Reporting by Florence Tan; editing by Sonali Paul and Henning Gloystein)
(TAMPA, Fla.)  Police believe the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old autistic man who took the wrong bus home from work on Thursday night is linked to two other suspicious deaths in a Florida neighborhood.

The deaths, which took place in the same neighborhood over the past 10 days, prompted Tampa police to warn residents in the Seminole Heights neighborhood not to walk alone at night. And theyve asked residents to leave porch light and other external lights on at night.

Now we have someone terrorizing the neighborhood, Interim Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan said during a Friday news conference.

He said the three victims have no ties to one another. Dugan asked the public to look at surveillance video of a man who was walking in the area on Oct. 9 when Benjamin Mitchell, 22, was killed. On Oct. 13, Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, was found dead in a vacant lot.

On Thursday night, officers were patrolling in the area when they heard gunshots. Dugan said they rushed to the area, where they found Anthony Taino Naiboa dead on the sidewalk, about 100 yards (91 meters) from where one of the other victims was killed.

You can imagine the frustration of these officers to hear gunshots and not be able to find this person, Dugan said. He was in the prime of his life and was taken instantly.

He said Naiboas parents became worried Thursday and called police when he didnt come home.

Investigators have few leads. Officers have blanketed the neighborhood, are talking to residents and showing them the video of the man walking.

Its clear to me that theyre all linked, Dugan said. Im convinced we are going to catch this person. Its frustrating and it makes me angry they are able to vanish so quickly.

He said the FBI and the Hillsborough and Pinellas county sheriffs officials have pledged support.
More than 50 years ago, Stephen Hawking wrote his doctoral thesis on how universes expand.

On Monday morning (GMT), that research became available for anyone to read through a digital library maintained by the University of Cambridge.

SEE ALSO: Researchers watched as gold was made millions of light-years from Earth

By making my PhD thesis Open Access, I hope to inspire people around the world to look up at the stars and not down at their feet; to wonder about our place in the universe and to try and make sense of the cosmos," Hawking said in a statement.

Hawking's 1966 thesis, "Properties of expanding universes," is the most requested item in the University of Cambridge's open access repository. The catalogue record gets hundreds of views per month, according to the the university. In recent months, hundreds of readers have made requests to download the entire thesis.

Hawking gave his permission to make the document available, and Cambridge officials hope his decision prompts current students to provide the same public access to their work and encourage its former academics to do the same. (The university has been home to 98 Nobel Prize recipients.)

The historic Cambridge University Library maintains the physical papers of scientists like Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin and has made their research data available online.

"Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and enquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding," Hawking said.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon slammed former President George W. Bush Friday, calling his presidency the most destructive in the history of the United States.

Speaking at a banquet convention for members of the California Republican Party, Bannon said that there has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bushs.

Bannon also criticized Bush for the rise of China as a world power and said that the former president embarrassed himself during an anti-bigotry speech he gave earlier this week that was widely viewed as a takedown of President Donald Trump.

Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry and compromises the moral education of children, Bush said at the time. Bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed.

A spokesperson for Bush denied that the speech was directed at Trump. But that didnt stop Bannon, Trumps former employee, from ripping into the former president.

President Bush, to me, embarrassed himself, Bannon said. Its clear he didnt understand anything he was talking about He has no earthly idea whether hes coming or going, just like it was when he was president of the United States.

Bannon has returned to his role as executive chairman of the so-called alt-right news site Breitbart following his dismissal by Trump in August. He was working with Trump during his presidential campaign when the then-candidate routinely criticized Bushs brother, Jeb, who was running for the office as well.

President Bush and former first lady Laura Bush attended Trumps inauguration in January.
Steve Bannon speaks at the California Republican Convention in Anaheim, California - FR170512 AP

Former White House advisor Steve Bannon depicted former President George W. Bush as bumbling and inept, faulting him for presiding over a "destructive" presidency during his time in the White House.

Mr Bannon's scathing remarks on Friday night amounted to a retort to a speech by Mr Bush in New York earlier this week, in which the 43rd president denounced bigotry in American politics in the era of Donald Trump and warned that the rise of "nativism," isolationism and conspiracy theories have clouded the nation's true identity.

But Mr Bannon, speaking to a capacity crowd at a California Republican Party convention, said Mr Bush had embarrassed himself and didn't know what he was talking about.

Mr Bannon said Mr Bush has no idea whether "he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president."

"There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's," Mr Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of Mr Bush's name.

The remarks came during a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his call for an "open revolt" against establishment Republicans.

He called the "permanent political class" one of the great dangers faced by the country.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the hotel where Mr Bannon spoke, chanting and waving signs - one displaying a Nazi swastika.

The protesters were kept behind steel barricades on a plaza across an entrance road at the hotel, largely out of view of people entering for the event. No arrests were reported.

A man protests outside the California Republican Convention Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Mr Bannon also took aim at the Silicon Valley and its "lords of technology," predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years.

He called the threat to break up the nation a "living problem."

He also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans, in a state that Mr Trump lost by over 4 million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics.

In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

"You've got everything you need to win," he told them.
A powerful blast detonated overnight at a police station ripped off the buildings entrance. A dynamite-laced apartment doorway blew a chunk of rubble more than 250-feet away, into the living room of a neighboring building. And a provincial town was put on lockdown after a suspected car-bombing.

There have been at least five bomb blasts or scares in Sweden since the early hours of Friday, Oct. 13. It must be stressed that police have not identified a connection between the blasts, and each attack is being investigated separately. But these incidents have rocked the Scandinavian nation, and have added fuel to the alt-rights campaign to use the country as a cautionary paradigm of liberal immigration policies gone astray.

Heres what you need to know.

The bombs:

No one was reportedly injured or killed in any of the incidents.

Overnight on Oct. 13, a strong explosion caused extensive damage to an apartment building in the Swedish city of Malmo, which has been experiencing a rise in gang violence and gun murders. In January, the area police chief called for the publics help in clamping down on mafia-like activity. On Oct. 16, police, forensics experts and bomb technicians rushed to the scene after an explosion caused by a suspected car bombing in Malmo. An explosion at a police station in Helsingborg on Oct. 18 damaged the station entrance, and shattered windows of nearby buildings. Police have blamed the attack on criminal networks. The town of Norrkoping was placed on lockdown on Oct. 18 after reports of a suspected car bomb. Around 9:30pm on Oct. 19, police received a distress call about a suspected explosive in the stairwell of an apartment building in Malmo.

Why this matters:

Crime in Sweden has become a highly politicized since U.S. President Donald Trump used the country as an example of how more open immigration policies supposedly result in upsurges of crime. In a now widely ridiculed gaffe, the president cited a non-existent incident last night in Sweden during a speech in February. Swedish authorities, and Swedish media, have strenuously rejected the claims made in that speech

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Alt-right talking heads have rallied around the remarks, using any episode of violence in Sweden as evidence that the president presciently exposed the nations spiraling moral decrepitude.

Whats being said about it:

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the police station blast an attack against our democracy, and urged cops to get tougher on crime.

Malmo police chief Stefan Sinteus has suggested bolstering the local police force with soldiers.

Paul Joseph Watson, a contributor at conspiracy website infowars.com said the recent series of bombings highlight how President Trump was lambasted, only to be proven right. Breitbart, which has lamented Swedens ostensible fall from utopia to grenade attack capital, has speculated the police station blast was an act of terrorism.

However, there is no evidence that any terrorist organization was involved in any of the recent incidents, and the alt-right claims have no basis in fact.

Bottomline facts:

There is a vast gulf between perceptions of rising crime, and actual crimes. (Incidents of reported crime increased marginally from 2015 to 2016, according to the Swedish Crime Survey, which cautions that increased claims of crime dont necessarily mean that actual crime has surged.) Stockholm, Swedens capital, has just been ranked among the worlds top ten safest cities.

Sweden has accepted the largest number of asylum-seekers per capita of any European nation  and a government survey shows foreigners are 2.5 times more likely to be suspected of crimes  but the fact remains that most offenders are Swedish-born.
Bossembele (Central African Republic) (AFP) - "Finally in Bangui, and without incident," said Evelin Bokassa, a truck driver from the Central African Republic (CAR) who has just arrived in the landlocked capital city after completing a treacherous five-day journey from the west coast of Cameroon.

He has driven along what's known as "the corridor" -- winding, dangerous roads, full of bandits and thieves, that act as the main supply route to Bangui, on the southeastern side of the country.

Years of neglect have left many of the roads in ruins and outbreaks of inter-communal violence between different ethnic and religious communities have made the route even more perilous.

"You arrive at a checkpoint, you need 2,000 to 3,000 CFA francs (3 to 4.50 euros, $3.60 to $5.40) Why? We do not understand. It is harassment!" said Bokassa, whose surname he shares with Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a military dictator who ruthlessly ruled CAR for 13 years.

Evelin started this most recent journey in the coastal city of Douala, the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon.

Transporting 30 tonnes of goods, including palm oil, sacks of grain and five goats along the 1,500- kilometre (930-mile) route, he slaloms between potholes and past the hulks of overturned, rusting trucks, long since abandoned.

With no bus service, about 20 passengers have also paid 5,000 francs (seven euros) for the privilege of travelling on top of the goods in the truck to reach Bangui -- their T-shirts and hats reddened by dust kicked up from the road.

Two UN vehicles -- one at the front, the other at the back -- guard a convoy of vehicles as the trucks make their way along unkept, bendy roads.

For years now, UN peacekeepers in military vehicles have been escorting convoys transporting vital aid and food into CAR, as many drivers are reluctant to cross the border due to the instability.

Only trucks carrying UN goods will be guarded if they break down, but most of the dozens of trucks making the journey are carrying a mix of commercial goods.

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The drivers know that if they get into problems, they are on their own.

- Hoping for protection -

"I'm stuck," said Idriss, a 27 year old Cameroonian driver, whose truck broke down close to the town of Bossembele, on the main road between Cameroon and Bangui.

"I'm afraid that villagers will arrive with weapons and threaten me," he said while leaning against his vehicle, complaining that even if UN forces see him, they might not stop.

It is 6:00 pm and soon night will fall -- meaning the risk of robbers grows.

After some time UN peacekeepers from the Bangladeshi contingent of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission (MINUSCA) arrive in an armoured vehicle and assess the broken-down truck.

Idriss is lucky because his trailer is stamped "UN", so they will guard him overnight until a tow arrives -- albeit in silence, as they don't share a common language to communicate.

Further along the route, in a ditch on the side of the road, villagers armed with shotguns and machetes have surrounded another broken-down truck.

"They are there to offer to protect the vehicle," said Evelin as he drove past the truck.

"But the same villagers will return to steal his goods if the driver refuses to pay them 10,000 to 15,000 francs (15 to 23 euros)."

- Taxes -

The truck drivers often complain about having to pay bribes.

In Beloko, in CAR next to the Cameroon border, an armed group called the FDPC (the Democratic Front of the Central African People) has blocked the road with a barricade and demands a "tax" from each truck driver while UN peacekeepers look on.

The FDPC is one of a number of armed groups that has fought the Central African Republic government and also other rebel groups in the former French colony over the last decade.

"It's 2,000 francs or they kill you," said Thierry, a CAR driver.

In another town, Binenge, local villagers have also constructed a small wooden barrier to block the road, demanding drivers pay 1,000 francs to pass.

Locals also help rebuild the road with earth that loosens when rain falls.

"We don't want an accident," smiled one of the workers, who knows that keeping the road intact is good for business.

As Evelin travels towards the CAR capital, one section of the journey is particularly bumpy and the most painful.

For 60-kilometres, the road is unpaved and some trucks get stuck in the mud -- causing the rest of the traffic to slow down.

As his truck arrives in Bangui, Evelin explains that "we are lucky" as heavy rainfall can lead to trucks not moving for days.

"I've been doing this for 12 years. I want to do something else," he said.

In a few days time, he will embark on the same journey again, back to Cameroon, only this time the trip could last longer than five days.

"Why don't I go to work in Europe?" he pondered.

"It seems the roads are all beautiful there, right?"
(BERLIN)  A man with a knife attacked eight people in Munich on Saturday and then fled, police said. The suspected assailant, a local German already known to police for theft and other offenses, was arrested a few hours later.

No one was seriously hurt in the attack that started at around 8.30 a.m. in the Haidhausen area, east of downtown Munich. Police said they believe it was not a terror attack, they suspect instead that the assailant had psychological problems.

The lone attacker apparently went after passers-by indiscriminately with a knife, police said. He attacked eight people in all, including a 12-year-old child, at different sites. They mainly had superficial stab wounds and in at least one case had been hit.

About three hours later, police arrested a man matching a description they had issued based on witness reports. They said he was heavy, unshaven with short blond hair and had a black bicycle and a backpack.

The 33-year-old suspect, who was carrying a knife when he was arrested, was already known to police for bodily harm, drug offenses and theft, city police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters.

The suspect didnt immediately give police any information on his motive.

There are absolutely no indications at present of a terrorist, political or religious background, though we can only rule things out when all the questioning is finished, Andrae said. Rather than that, we believe that the perpetrator had psychological problems.

He said police have no serious doubts that the suspect was the assailant, and that there was no longer any danger to the public.
Damascus (AFP) - Syrian troops and militia retook the desert town of Al-Qaryatain from the Islamic State group on Saturday ending a three-week-long fightback by the jihadists, state media said.

It was the latest in a string of reverses for IS in Syria this month that on Tuesday saw US-backed forces capture its emblematic bastion Raqa.

The jihadists had seized Al-Qaryatain on October 1 in a surprise counteroffensive against the Homs province town which they had lost to Russian-backed government forces in April last year.

"Units of the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with allied forces have restored security and stability in the town of Al-Qaryatain after eliminating the Daesh terrorists," the state SANA news agency reported, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said that more than 200 jihadists had pulled out of the town during the night, withdrawing into the vast desert that stretches all the way to the Iraqi border.

There was no immediate word on the fate of the town's residents during IS's three-week reoccupation.

Al-Qaryatain was a symbol of religious coexistence before the civil war broke out in 2011, with some 900 Christians among its population of 30,000.

But during their first eight-month-long occupation of the town in 2015-16, the Sunni Muslim extremists of IS repeatedly targeted its Christian minority.

IS abducted 270 Christians, transporting them around 90 kilometres (55 miles) into the desert and locking them up in an underground dungeon. They were freed 25 days later.

The jihadists also destroyed parts of a monastery in the town and reduced a fifth-century mud brick church to rubble using explosives and bulldozers.

Government forces are engaged in twin Russian-backed offensives against IS, mopping up the last pockets it still holds in the desert and pushing down the Euphrates Valley towards the Iraqi border in the east.
You may regret photographs of your awkward teenage years, but at least they won't be fossilized for people to dig up 76 million years from now. Paleontologists are thrilled a dinosaur didn't get quite so lucky, because it means they were able to discover a remarkably well-preserved tyrannosaur skeleton.

Scientists have been digging in Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument for two decades now, and they've found other fossils belonging to the species they expect the new discovery to represent. But this one is an adolescent dinosaur and in very good condition, two features that make it extra special.

The team still needs to finish uncovering the bones before they can make real judgments about what the discovery represents. "When you first find these fossils, often they're very sort of unremarkable-looking, because most of the time very little of the fossil is exposed," Randall Irmis, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Utah, told Newsweek. "Once you start uncovering a little bit and you see that hey, a lot of these bones are still connected in life position, you start to get excited."

10_20_teratophoneus_curriei_drawing

Nobu Tamura/Wikimedia Commons

That's the case with the current example, which Irmis says he expects belongs to a species called Teratophoneus curriei, a relative of the famed Tyrannosaurus rex that followed it about 15 million years later. (Like its more famous follower, T. curriei was a voracious carnivore with stubby, two-fingered arms.) The paleontologists know they're missing the tip of the tail and maybe a couple of toes, but they're confident they have at least three-quarters of the dinosaur's skeleton.

That includes the skull, the bones of which are still connected precisely as they were when the tyrannosaur was alive. "I can already say that based on what we saw in the field, the skull looks absolutely spectacular," Irmis says. That's convenient, since the skull will play a key role in the scientists' final identification of the dinosaur's species.

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The dinosaur, which is referred to as a subadult, likely died when it was between 12 and 15 years old. "People often get the most excited about new species being found, but it's actually really critical to have many specimens from different life stages," says Irmis.

Scientists already have a slightly younger and a slightly older T. curriei, but filling in the gap those two specimens left will show Irmis's team how quickly it grew and how its skeleton changed as it did so. The new specimen had grown to almost 20 feet long by the time it died, and was likely buried in a river or floodplain.

That said, the scientists won't be able to absolutely confirm the dinosaur's species until they finish removing the rock around the bones. Excavation in the field focuses on finding just enough of the bones to dig around them; then everything is shipped to the lab still encased in rock, in order to protect the fossils.

10_20_teratophoneus_curriei_tyrannosaur

Mark Johnston/NHMU

Irmis and his colleagues now need to carefully remove that rock to view the fossil's details. "Really, we still have the majority of work ahead of us, even though we've already finished the excavation," Irmis says. He estimates it will take as many as 10,000 person-hours of work to prepare the entire fossil.

Once the process is complete, the bones will offer another window onto the region's past. Irmis says that when the tyrannosaur was roaming around Grand Staircase-Escalante, the area would have looked nothing like the high-elevation desert it is today. Instead, the teenage dino would have explored brilliant green swampy forests similar to Louisiana's bayous.

The national monument where the fossil was found has been in the news this year, in President Trump's quest to roll back public lands. President Clinton's decision to create a national monument in 1996 was controversial at the time, and the region's status remains so today, despite its unique geology and paleontology. "These species that we're finding in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, whether they be dinosaurs or crocodiles or turtles or mammals, they're only found in this one place," Irmis says. "They're found nowhere else on Earth."

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Texas authorities believe they have found the body of a 3-year-old girl who disappeared after she was put out of her home earlier this month.

Sherin Mathews, who had a developmental disability, vanished in the early hours of Oct. 7. after her father, Wesley Matthews, placed her outside of her home in an alleyway at 3 a.m. as punishment for not drinking her milk.

Read: Retracing Missing Baby Gabriel's Steps

When Mathews checked on Sherin 15 minutes later, she was gone, the father told police.

The Richardson Police Department said investigators discovered a body around 11 a.m. Sunday in a culvert beneath a road and believe it to be the toddler, reports said.

While a medical examiner has yet to see the child's body and make a positive identification, police said "It is most likely" Sherin Mathews."

The location where the body was found is close to the Mathews home, the Dallas News reported.

During their investigation, police found that someone had driven the familys SUV away from the home and returned an hour later on the morning that Sherin went missing.

The family did not contact police until five hours after the 3-year-old disappeared, authorities said. Police then issued an Amber alert for Sherin. Officers said they and other volunteers went door-to-door searching for the young girl, to no avail.

Law enforcement has since searched the Mathews home and taken a number of items, including a vacuum cleaner, trash bags, hair fibers, cell phones and laptops, police said.

Police have also taken DNA swabs, receipts, grass and other debris from three vehicles belonging to the Mathews family, according to reports.

Read: Hikers Found Dead After Months Missing May Have Died in 'Sympathetic Murder-Suicide'

Police initially charged Mathews with child endangerment and he was released on bond, reports said.

The Mathews adopted Sherin in June 2016 after she was abandoned in her native country of India, the Dallas News reported.
Tom Hanks at the National Archives Foundation Gala on Oct. 21, 2017, in Washington. (Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Worried about the state of the world today? Actor Tom Hanks recommends this: Brush up on your history.

At the National Archives Foundations annual gala in Washington on Saturday night, Hanks was given the Records of Achievements Award for his powerful illumination of the American story through his vast body of work in film and television.

Hanks, who has been described as Hollywoods top history buff, spoke of the importance of learning from the past as a way to navigate the complexities of the present.

People are upset about whats going on today. Theyre furious, theyre frustrated, theyre worked up, Hanks said, according to CNN. If youre concerned about whats going on today, read history and figure out what to do because its all right there.

Hanks also touched on the national controversy regarding confederate monuments  saying that while history should not be erased, an open discussion and reexamination of whats being taught and celebrated is also critical.

Lets have that discussion, lets have that be part and parcel to an ongoing re-examination about what is taught about [Americas founding], Hanks said. But the destruction, the destruction is anti-social, period, the end. Be intelligent, and be smart, write about it, bring it up, talk about it.

Hanks has said before that he supports moving Confederate monuments and statues to museums where they can be appreciated with ample context provided.

If Im black and I live in a town and every day I have to walk past a monument to someone who died in a battle in order to keep my grandparents and my great-grandparents illiterate slaves, I got a problem with that statue, he told The New York Times earlier this month . I would say if you want to be on the safe side, take them all down. Put them in some other place where people can see them, in a museum somewhere.

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.@tomhanks is being honored for his powerful illumination of the American story through his work in film & television. #RecordsofAchievement pic.twitter.com/w8yCUFq69H  Archives Foundation (@archivesfdn) October 21, 2017

The Records of Achievements Award is the National Archives Foundations top honor  one reserved for individuals whose work has cultivated a broader national awareness of the history and identity of the United States through the use of original records.

Explaining Hanks nomination for the honor, U.S. Archivist David Ferrieros said no actor has covered the span of 20th-century American history as broadly as [Hanks].

Hes served in World War II (in both the European and Pacific theaters), negotiated for the U.S. in the Cold War, fought in Vietnam, worked in Congress, and led the space program, Ferriero wrote in a news release, referring to roles roles Hanks has had. Hes fought pirates and deadly viruses, befriended mermaids, and saved both Private Ryan and Gary Powers.

Hanks said he was dazzled to be part of the gala and described his love for history and digging into archives for work.

Part of my job has always been one not far from that of a lay-historian, to understand that I am a part of the documenting of the human condition and the American idea, even in the silliest of stories, he said in a statement.

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EPA website is being updated 'to reflect EPAs priorities under the leadership of President Trump': AP

America's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reportedly removed dozens of references to climate change from its website, along with resources to help local governments from tackling the issue.

New analysis from The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI), a watchdog which monitors federal environmental agency web pages found one EPA website - which previously offered climate and energy resources for state and local governments - has had references and links to climate science and policy removed.

Other websites taken down in April have returned to the EPAs site with references to climate change omitted, it said. Other references have also been removed.

Six months ago, the EPA began overhauling its archive of climate change resources, stating they were being updated to reflect the new administration under Donald Trumps leadership.

It previously contained tools to help governments use renewable energy and implement climate change policies.

The group highlights the site is now a page on energy resources - but misses around 15 mentions of the phrase climate change.

Large portions of climate resources that were formerly found on the previous website have not been returned, and thus have ultimately been removed from the current EPA website, it said.

Many of these resources can still be found in a snapshot of the EPA website taken on 19 January, the day before Mr Trumps inauguration.

The new website launch was done without an accompanying news release and the decision not to include particular climate resources was not explained, the report states.

The EDGI said in the half a year since the overhaul of the EPAs website began, certain subdomains - such as epa.gov/climatechange and epa.gov/climate-impacts - have remained removed.

However, an EPA. spokesman told The New York Times the original pages have been archived and remain available by searching through the agencys web archive, a link to which is at the top of its energy resources page.
Several of President Donald Trumps unconfirmed nominees may be breaking the law by working at their proposed government agencies before the Senate has confirmed them.

The four officials showing up to work at three different agenciesthe State Department, the Office of Management and Budget and the Environmental Protection Agencyappear to be skirting the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, POLITICO reported on Friday.

Passed in 1998, the act prohibits most nominees to vacant government positions from doing the work at the agency in an acting capacity. It is unclear whether Trump's administration is directly violating the act, but some say he is violating its spirit.

"He is going further than (prior administrations)," Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told POLITICO.

It seems like in some cases theyre taking people and potentially giving them roles that go beyond what theyre supposed to have, Ornstein added.

A Trump administration official told POLITICO that it is following federal guidelines that allow the White House to appoint nominees to consultant or advisory roles before the Senate confirms them, a process that can take months to years.

Trump has blamed Democrats for stalling his nominees, and indeed, Senate Democrats have been especially critical about two unconfirmed nominees to the EPA, currently overseen by controversial administrator Scott Pruitt.

Trump in July nominated Michael Dourson to head the EPAs Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Preventionand Dourson is already working as an adviser to Pruitt on chemicals, E&E News reported on Wednesday.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, demanded that the EPA "immediately terminate its relationship with Mr. Dourson until the nomination process is complete."

Gillibrand referred to the Senate's constitutionally mandated role of scrutinizing major appointments with an up-or-down vote that will put senators "on the record whether they are on the side of protecting chemical companies or protecting families.

Story continues

In May, Trump nominated Susan Bodine to head up the EPAs enforcement office, and she also is already working there as an adviser to Pruitt on those issues.

Democratic senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island outlined their objections in a five-page letter last month that questioned her commitment to environmental protection and also her competence.

EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman told POLITICO that filling vacancies before Senate confirmation is not unique to our administration, but something that is a common practice. She also noted that several Obama administration nominees served in key roles before the Senate confirmed them.
Donald Trump is offering at least $430,000 of his own funds to help defray the legal costs of aides amid federal probes into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump pledged the funds after news surfaced that the Republican National Committee has paid approximately the same amount in legal fees for Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., Axios and The Washington Post reported.

Trumps money wont likely be used to reimburse the committee, the Post reported. Money will defray the costs of legal fees for his associates, including former and current White House aides, sources told Axios.

Few details are yet known about Trumps move, such as which staffers costs may be covered. None of the money will be used to pay legal costs for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign after less than a month in his post. He is refusing to accept any funds from Trump or the RNC, sources told Axios. The New Yorker reported last month that two of Flynns siblings had launched a legal defense fund for him.

In March, Flynns lawyer said he would testify before federal investigators in exchange for immunity, and that he has a story to tell.

Trumps payment plan raises ethical questions. For one, an aide who accepted the money would be in a difficult position if he or she had pertinent information to share with a federal investigator about Trump or his son.

Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell questioned Trumps motives.

Maybe he feels guilty that his associates and aides are now having to bear the burdens of these bills, she told MSNBC. Whether or not its his motivation, this would be a very effective way to keep them in line and keep them in hock to him.

She added: If he doesnt want people who know where the bodies are buried  if theres bodies  to flip on him and disclose that information ... offering to pay legal bills is an effective way to keep pulling the strings.

Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, also underscored in a tweet the complicated conflicts such payments could trigger.

Story continues

A potential witness or target of an investigation (and boss of investigators) paying for legal fees of other potential witnesses or targets? https://t.co/uUl8FS4YBe  Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) October 21, 2017

Its unclear if the president will begin paying his own legal fees and those of his son, or will continue relying on funds from the RNC.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Ulf Laessing

TUNIS (Reuters) - Month-long U.N.-backed talks aimed at bridging differences between rival Libyan factions ended on Saturday with no discernable progress towards stabilising the country and paving the way for elections.

A month ago U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame, the latest in a series of Libya envoys since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, announced a one-year action plan for a transition toward presidential and parliamentary elections.

Since then the U.N. has hosted in Tunis delegations from rival parliaments from eastern Libya and Tripoli, which are meant to draw up amendments to a previous U.N.-mediated plan signed in December 2015.

But at the end of a second round of talks Salame said only that discussions would continue, without giving a new date.

"There are some area of consensus ... but there are parts which need discussions with the political leaderships inside Libya," Salame told reporters, without giving details.

Delegates will return to Libya on Sunday, the U.N. mission said in a statement. Salame will go to Tripoli next week to discuss how to move the talks forward, a U.N. source added.

The North African country has been in turmoil since Gaddafi's downfall gave space to Islamist militants and smuggling networks that have sent hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe.

Political and military fractures have left the country mired in conflict and the OPEC member's economy in freefall. Rival parliaments and governments have vied for power.

The U.N. tried a similar approach in 2015 of hosting Libyans in luxury hotels abroad but the deal never won support from the power-brokers and factions aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar that control eastern Libya.

Haftar is just one of many players in Libya controlled by armed groups divided among political, religious, regional and business lines.

A U.N. source said a major obstacle at the Tunis talks had been how to integrate Haftar, who is opposed by many in western Libya, in any deal and whether he would control a future national army.

Story continues

Western states have tried to work with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, but it has been hamstrung by internal splits and been unable to halt a slide in living standards or tame the power of armed groups.

Under the new U.N. plan, once amendments have been agreed a national conference is meant to approve the members of a transitional government that would run the country until elections.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Ros Russell and Robin Pomeroy)
Washington (AFP) - The United States called Friday for Iraqi federal forces to limit their "movements" in areas claimed by both them and the country's Kurds to avoid more violence between Washington's allies.

Iraqi forces clashed with Kurdish units in the northern province of Kirkuk on Friday, part of a largely bloodless operation that saw them retake swathes of disputed territory from the Kurds in a matter of days.

Both federal and Kurdish forces have been key US allies in the war against the Islamic State group, but a common jihadist enemy did not erase long-running territorial and financial disputes between the two sides.

"In order to avoid any misunderstandings or further clashes, we urge the central government to calm the situation by limiting federal force movements in disputed areas to only those coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

As Kurdish authorities have vehemently criticized Iraqi operations in the disputed areas, the statement effectively amounts to a call on them to cease.

The US also urges "all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm," Nauert said.

Iraqi Kurdish forces gained or solidified control over a number of disputed areas in the course of the three-year war against IS, which saw federal troops flee their posts in the north during the initial jihadist onslaught in 2014.

But a non-binding referendum on independence held by the Kurds last month provided the excuse and the winding down of major operations against IS the opportunity for Baghdad to make good its losses.

The US opposed the independence referendum, as did Baghdad and various neighboring states.

But while the US appears likely to have given at least tacit approval to the Iraqi operation, the statement also made clear that federal forces regaining control of disputed territory does not end the debate over the status of these areas.

"The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution," Nauert said.
Donald Trump will not visit the UK this year, the White House has confirmed.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it "still hasn't been determined" whether the US president would make a full state visit to Britain, following reports a planned trip had been downgraded.

Prime Minister Theresa May made the offer of a state visit - an honour usually reserved for a president's second term - seven days after his inauguration in January, when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House.

It prompted a wave of criticism and threats of mass protests.

Mr Trump has subsequently visited France and Germany, but the president has yet to fly to London and diplomats were said to be discussing plans for a less controversial working trip, which would mean Mr Trump did not meet the Queen.

Ms Sanders told a press briefing that Mr Trump was would visit Britain "sometime next year".

Asked if the trip would be "a working visit or a state visit", the White House press secretary said: "That still hasn't been determined. We're still going back and forth with our allies there. And once we have those travel details outlined and determined, we'll certainly let you know.

"But they've made the invitation for the President to come. We've accepted and we're working out the logistics."

She added: "We anticipate that it will be sometime next year. But at this point, there's no other details beyond that."

Theresa May talks with Donald Trump during the G20 leaders' summit in Hamburg (REUTERS)

Mr Trump was reported to have told Ms May earlier this year that he would not make a state visit to the UK until he is guaranteed a warm welcome.

More than 1.8 million people signed a petition against his invitation and House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told MPs that Mr Trump should not be allowed to address Parliament.

London mayor Sadiq Khan also opposed the visit, saying he was not sure it is appropriate for our government to roll out the red carpet for such a controversial figure.

A Downing Street spokesman said earlier this month: Our position on the state visit has not changed  an offer has been extended and President Trump has accepted. Exact dates for President Trump to visit have not yet been arranged.
Today, the New York Times reported that President Trump is going to declassify the cache of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was killed in 1963. Were extremely wary of praising anything that POTUS #45 does, but maybe this isnt the worst thing hes done while in office. We also are fully aware that this is a way to deflect heat off the questions of his treatment towards a Gold Star family, and how Sgt. La David Johnson was killed in the first place.

The Warren Commission, in its report released in 1964, concluded that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone, and much of the documents related to their investigation were sealed. Many Americans were, and are, still very skeptical that the Warrens account of the event is accurate. Conspiracy theories have abounded over the years, bubbling up most recently during the mid-90s when Congress passed a 1992 law mandating that the National Archives make the documents available to the public in 25 yearswhich is this year, 2017. Politico explained that Trump could block the release of the documents, but hes signaled today that he plans to make them public.

So what does this mean, exactly? Well, most practically, it could settle long-standing conspiracy rumors. It could also kick off another wave of X-Files paranoia among theorists. Politico explains that many of the documents recount Oswalds trip to Mexico, just weeks before he killed the President. Previously released FBI documents suggest that Oswald spoke openly in Mexico about his intention to kill Kennedy, Politico writes. Which, if true, reflects very poorly on intelligence services at the time, who were rumored to be surveilling Oswald.

Some of the more popular JFK conspiracy theories involve the Mafia, Cuban nationalists, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was sworn in as President while Jackie Kennedy was covered in blood and body matter from JFKs shooting. Someone should let 45 know that Senator Ted Cruzs dad did not actually have anything to do with the assassination.

Photos via Getty Images / Getty Images

Photos via Getty Images / Getty Images

Written by Meagan Fredette

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A man was just minutes from home after a 2 hour commute from his construction job when he was struck and killed by a rock allegedly thrown by teenagers from a Michigan overpass.

According to WXYZ, 32-year-old Kenneth Andrew White was in the passenger seat of a van on when the large rock went through the windshield and hit him. He was knocked unconscious and was pronounced dead when he arrived at the Hurley Medical Center in Flint.

His fiancee Aimee Cagle told Click on Detroit that she had to tell their 5-year-old son that his daddy was not coming home.

He was a good man and a good father, Cagle said. For some senseless act, for it to be just a rock, just to take him so soon.

On a GoFundMe page created to raise money for Whites burial expenses, the young mother spoke of her heartbreak and thanked those who donated for their support.

This was my heart that was destroyed but i just wanted to say thank you to all who have donated! There is still kindness and love out there i just hate that its because of the travesty. He was my best friend and the? love of my life. Thank you to all.

Whites sister, Alicia Waskoski, told The Detroit News that her brother loved being a working man.

Several teens have been arrested, and law enforcement sources told WXYZ News that the group  who have not been identified  were allegedly throwing the rocks as a prank.

The Detroit News reported that the Genesee County Sheriffs Office was investigating the incident as a potential homicide.

Photos from the scene show a gaping hole on the passenger side of the windshield, with the glass smashed.

According to MLive, four other vehicles were reported hit by large rocks on the highway, as well.
Its hard to know what went through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mind when he published a Facebook post against Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh last Saturday evening. Its possible he didnt give it enough thought.

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Netanyahu accused Alsheikh of hiring a political advisor at a cost of millions without a bid and of a tsunami of illegal leaks. The two accusations were completely false, fake news. Lior Horevs consulting firm cost the taxpayer NIS 325,000 (roughly $93,000) in 2016 and NIS 238,000 ($68,100) in the first nine months of 2017. The company is tasked with specific missions. Horev has no classification that allows him to know whats going on in the prime ministers investigations.

Most importantly, there are no leaks from the police. The commissioners heroic battle on this issue has borne fruit. The first victims of this battle have been the journalists reporting on police affairs, who are now forced to receive stories from the interrogation rooms from other sources, mainly from the interrogees lawyers. Interrogees have interests; so do their lawyers. It wouldnt be unreasonable to assume that the leaks are also coming from sources close to Netanyahu.

Netanyahu and Alsheikh. If the prime minister thought he was selecting a loyalist as the police commissioner, he was wrong (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

In general, the prime ministers investigations are being conducted under a media blackout. Such a blackout did not exist in investigations of previous prime ministers, neither in Ariel Sharons case nor in Ehud Olmerts case. What troubles Netanyahu is the investigations, not the leaks.

Netanyahu's campaign against the police isnt spontaneousits a planned move. The timing is planned too: A moment before witnesses start marching back into the offices of the Lahav 443 fraud investigation unit, a moment before police investigators return to the prime ministers residence on Jerusalems Balfour Street for another visit.

The move makes sense: This is the time to sow the seeds of delegitimization among the public. Not only are the investigators suspected of leaks, the actual investigation is illegitimate. And so, Knesset Member David Amsalem was sent to propose a law that would grant a sitting prime minister immunity from investigations. The bill wont pass, because the heads of the coalition partiesNaftali Bennett, Moshe Kahlon and Avigdor Liebermanwont take part in a law that will crown Netanyahu as their eternal ruler, but the media is reporting about it and social media is responding and the seeds are being sown.

Netanyahu knows, of course, that the decisions in his case wont be made in the market square, neither in the protests at Petah Tikvas Goren Square nor in his supporters rallies at the Tel Aviv Convention Center. He also knows, however, that decisions in investigations of this kind are not mathematical. The public atmosphere has an impact. The investigations against Ehud Olmert were conducted after the Second Lebanon War, when the feeling among the public was that he had lost his legitimacy to serve as prime minister (Netanyahu made sure to organize and fund the campaign that fostered this feeling, and he knew why he was doing it).

Netanyahu has a wide support base today. Its his arsenal as the investigations enter the final straight. Its his asset.

But he made a mistake with the police commissioner, and perhaps with the attorney general as well. When he appointed Alsheikh and Avichai Mandelblit, he assumed what everyone assumes at such momentsthat they would be grateful for the appointment, that when their loyalty for the organizations values clashes with their affiliation with a political bloc, that when their loyalty to their subordinates clashes with their loyalty to the person who appointed them, they would favor him. They may not do anything illegal for him, but they would know how to play for time, delay testimonies, make excuses, cut resources. Such things have happened in the past.

But Alsheikh is a different type. Netanyahu's Facebook post sent him through the roof.

First of all, Netanyahu vilified the jewel in the police chiefs crownhis campaign to eliminate the leaks. Alsheikhs work in this field is really unusual. The measures for locating and deterring leakersprimarily the lie detectorwere not only introduced and improved, they were also enforced by law. MK Amsalem tried to intervene, as if to promote the law but actually to sabotage it. The police chief turned the attorney general against him, and the hurdle was removed.

Second, Netanyahu's expectations are absurd. The way Alsheikh sees it, the conspiracy theories around the prime ministers investigations are like the conspiracy theories accusing the Shin Bet of murdering former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Theyre a joke. Many people are involved in the investigations. The police commissioner can appoint officers, but he cant tell them to bury the investigation. Its not the police chiefs job to keep the right-wing bloc in power. He cant do it.

And he doesnt want to do it. These arent the values he was raised on in the Shin Bet. Its possible, of course, that theres an investigator or an attorney who may be intimidated by the campaign. This possibility is the reason the police chief chose to openly confront the prime ministers comments. Its his way of maintaining his investigators integrity, and maybe even deterring the prime ministers side from pursuing the campaign.

Does Netanyahu regret appointing Alsheikh? That question remains open. One things for sure: If Netanyahu thought he was selecting a loyalist as the police commissioner, he was wrong.
What Im about to write is difficult, and its important for me that you read it to the end, even if you end up losing sleep over it, as I hope it will prompt you to do something. Im allowing myself to present the matter in its full gravity, as our society is strong enough to deal with reality as it is. I believe theres a solution for every challenge, and that every difficultly contains an opportunity as well.

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The ways things have been looking over the past few weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isnt engaging in statesmanship. Hes mainly engaging in public relations. In any other place, this may end peacefully, but in the State of Israel, it could result in war. An unnecessary war, which would cost the lives of soldiers and civilians, our sons and daughters who are not supposed to die.

When considering those who surround the prime ministerhis government members and the members of his Political-Security Cabinetthe concern is even greater. The inexperience on matters of security, the lack of diplomatic discretion and the absence of political balance, alongside arrogance and a disregard of our enemies, areas we have learned in the pasta recipe for disaster.

Cabinet meeting. If Iran does expand in Syria, whats Netanyahu planning to do? Declare war? (Photo: EPA)

US President Donald Trump outlined a good direction for Israel when he declared his intention to prevent Iran from reaching a nuclear weapon and to take measures against the Revolutionary Guards and the terrorism Iran is spreading throughout the world.

Israel, as a serious and quiet partner behind the scenes, plays a considerable part in helping him implement his plan. Israel has unique intelligence and operational abilities whose contribution to the US efforts is immensely more important and efficient than fiery rhetoric, regardless of how fluent the speaker is in English. Granted, Irans expansion in Syria isnt good for us, and its a threat that must be addressed, but this is not the way a responsible statesman acts.

When Israels prime minister declares out loud: We wont let Iran expand in Syria, what are the ramifications? Isnt that the beginning of the escalation? If Iran does expand in Syria, what is he planning to do? Declare war?

Unfortunately, the prime minister favors headlines and empty slogans over a logical strategy. The prime minister knows the headline will be soon forgotten, and that everyone will soon be busy with the next slogan. But in statesmanship, declarations arent forgotten that easilyespecially declarations made by prime ministers.

Measured military responses coupled with quiet diplomacy vis-a-vis the players on the northern front are the right thing to do, especially when they are directed at preventing Hezbollah from growing stronger, while not directly targeting Iran and Syria. But when they are accompanied by harsh words and populist statements, they become dangerous.

What we saw at the Golan Heights on Saturday is no longer errant fire but a measured Syrian response to the Israel Air Forces justified strikes on Syrian territory. The IDFs quick response is justified too. But sensible and levelheaded leadership doesnt have to add vehement words to the fire. We are the strongest country in the region, and its unnecessary and unwise to shout it out from every stage. When it comes to the northern front, we should act according to the biblical verse from the Book of Amos: At times like this a prudent person stays silent.

And heres the new headline: The Israeli government is halting negotiations with the Palestinian Authority following the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and the PA.

While a pressured Hamas turns to the PA, we are harming the PA and bolstering Hamas and its claims. Its hard to imagine a more foolish response.

Lets not kid ourselves, Hamas is a tough enemy. But why not put Hamas and the PA to the test? Why not toss the ball into their court and announce that if they prove over time that they are indeed interested in agreements and in putting an end to violence, Israel will take practical measures to improve the standard of living for Gazas residents? Why not say that if the PA regains control of the strip, and if it turns out Hamas is indeed committed to stopping violence and reaching agreements rather than firing rockets at Israel, there would be room to discuss a seaport and airport for Gaza?

Imagine a situation in which Hamas is weakened and is forced to accept the PAs authority, while Israel improves Gazans living conditions.

Why hurt Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisithe sympathetic and friendly president of the biggest and strongest Arab country, which happens to also be bordering Israel and Gazawho was behind the reconciliation move and invested a lot of effort in it and put his own reputation on the line? Whats the point?

And yes, we must make Hamas understand that if the purpose of the agreement is to allow the organization to grow stronger ahead of another round of fighting, the IDF will deal it a critical blow. This is not something that can be done with fiery statements; its done with a sensible policy and elementary and quiet preparations.

Yet Bibi is once again giving in to the radicals in his government and to the "Mr. Media" inside of him, Israel is once again a rejectionist country lacking any vision and policy, and the government once again prefers fiery headlines over policy and statesmanship.

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. The ball is now in the IDFs courtthe responsible adult whose job is to reduce the price of war (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

The suspension of negotiations with the PA in response to the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and the PA, and the fiery statements against Iran as the Israeli governments only reactions, leave no room for doubt: The government has lost its political way and is incapable or unwilling to seek a diplomatic solution for the conflicts. This is a misfeasance of the basic responsibility of the government and its leaderto do everything in their power to reduce the chances of war and to make it their top priority.

Let every Jewish mother know: The prime minister, the cabinet and the government are dragging us to war.

In such a reality, the ball is now in the IDFs courtthe responsible adult whose job is to reduce the price of war.

The IDF must be capable of defeating Hezbollah within several days in a bold and powerful operation, which would include quickly removing the missile and rocket threat against Israels citizens. From a military perspective, victory means only one thingdenying the enemys ability or willingness to fight.

We knew how to do it in the 1967 Six-Day War and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when we shifted to an offensive in Syria, and when we decided to cross the Suez Canal. Yes, were talking about different conditions and different times, but those enemies were much stronger.

Unfortunately, this didnt happen in the 2006 Second Lebanon War and in the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. The political echelon failed to define clear targets, and the heads of the IDF's General Staff failed to properly prepare the army, and then led it in a clumsy and hesitant manner. Thats not how you build the strength and deterrence that are so important to Israel in the Middle East in particular, and in the international arena in general.

But its possible, its in our hands, and the IDFthrough the right planning and preparation (and not necessarily in a major exercise)will know how to do it. Naturally, I shouldnt write anything else, but I stand behind my words with the weight of my experience.

There are no easy wars, and all wars are painful, so we must prepare.

Id like to clarify that Im not calling for war. On the contrary. Like everyone else, I would rather see the Israeli government come to its senses, regain its sanity and return to the diplomatic path in order to implement its responsibility to prevent or reduce the chances of war. But if it fails to do so, every sensible and strong person must enlist to end this governments term before we reach a disaster. And as long as one of these two things doesnt happen, we must put our faith in the IDF as the responsible adult.
Do you want to know the phenomenon of boosting property value? Here are some factors that can cause a home's value to appreciate or depreciate in Pakistan.
Featuring poets and activists Isabel Ribe and Tara Evonne Trudell and an open mic for performers on the topics of immigration, borders, exile, and expatriation. All proceeds go to the Santa Fe Dreamers Project.

Featuring poets and activists Isabel Ribe and Tara Evonne Trudell

Isabel Ribe was born in Washington, D.C., to parents of Colombian and New Mexican heritage. She has lived and worked all over the world; she currently resides in Santa Fe, where she is a poet, artist, social worker, and grad student.

As a multimedia artist, Tara Evonne Trudell weaves poetry, photography, film, and audio components into her work to express creative visions that address social issues, especially around the border between the United States and Mexico.

The evening will also feature a one-hour open mic for performers (including men and gender-neutral folks) on the topics of immigration, borders, exile, and expatriation. Bring your poetry, prose, music, performance art, or dance. Writers, please read original work only. Sign ups at 5:45; 7 mins max.

All proceeds go to the Santa Fe Dreamers Project

No one turned away for lack of funds
Credit union donates to food pantries

First Community Credit Union raised $3,500 for area food pantries and collected more than 1,000 food drive items in its third-quarter charity program.

The Village maintains accreditation

The Village Family Service Center has achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation, based on documentation, study and interviews.

The Village has been accredited continuously since 1982.

Donation will help zoo with exhibit

EMC Insurance Cos. Bismarck Branch has donated $2,000 to Dakota Zoo.

The money will go toward a new penguin, meerkat and red panda exhibit on which construction is to begin in 2018.

Banks work together to aid food pantry

Eight local banks recent Banking for the Food Bank competition netted 45,202 items for Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry.

Participants were the Bank of North Dakota, BNC National Bank, Choice Financial, Dakota Community Bank, First International Bank and Trust, First Western Bank and Trust, Kirkwood Bank and Trust and Starion Bank.

BNC National Bank received the traveling trophy for collecting the most items.
Branden promoted

Todd Branden, a native of Audubon, Minn., was promoted Oct. 7 to the rank of brigadier general, becoming one of only four general officers within the North Dakota National Guard.

A ceremony was held for Branden at the Air National Guard base in Fargo, where he became the newest "one-star" to lead the airmen of the 119th Wing, also known as the Happy Hooligans.

His new duty position is the North Dakota National Guard assistant adjutant general for air.

Branden enlisted in the North Dakota Air National Guard in 1979 as a traffic management specialist and earned his commission in 1995 from the Air National Guard Academy of Military Science.

He has served in multiple leadership positions at the 119th Wing, including the 119th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander, 119th Mission Support Group deputy commander and, most recently, the 119th Mission Support Group commander.
A Cause for Claws Thrift Store (701-751-5828)  Seeks volunteers to sort, test, repair and set up store displays. All profits support a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

Abused Adult Resource Center (701-222-8370)  Volunteers advocates needed to help answer the crisis calls in the evenings and on weekends. An advocates role is to listen, offer support and give options. Free training provided.

AID Inc. (701-663-2122 or 701-663-1274)  Adults to sort clothing, sort other donations, pricing, cashiering, cleaning, organizing, hanging clothes, sorting, testing and repairing electrical items and other various tasks.

American Cancer Society (701-433-7582)  Volunteer drivers for Road to Recovery Program.

American Red Cross (701-223-6700)  Disaster and Health and Safety Services to teach CPR/first aid courses, aid in disaster response locally and nationwide, training provided. Adults and youth 16 and older.

Arc of Bismarck (701-222-1854)  Work in the thrift store.

Augusta Place Prospera Community (701-323-3274)  Assist residents with activities, bingo and Sunday visits.

Baptist Health Care Center (701-223-3040)  Assist residents with clinic appointments, activities, meals, chapel on Sunday and bingo.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (701-222-0797)  Be a mentor for youth.

Bismarck-Mandan Chapter of SCORE (701-328-5861)  Volunteer management counselors to provide free and confidential mentoring and counseling for those who wish to start a small business. Call or stop by the office at the Bank of North Dakota building on Memorial Highway.

Buckstop Junction/Missouri Valley Historical Society (701-250-8575)  Conduct tours of historic buildings, help with The Shoppe, building or grounds maintenance, general office work, Corn Feed/Old Settlers Day, publicity or adopt a building.

Burleigh County Senior Adult Program (701-255-4648)  Deliver meals to homebound elderly individuals and assist as nutrition servers, gift shop attendants, Wii bowling scorekeeper and answering phones.

Central Dakota Humane Society (701-667-2020)  Provide companionship, exercise and socialization to the dogs and cats; assist with basic animal care; assist with special events.

Charles Hall Youth Services (701-255-2773, ext. 303)  Volunteer mentors needed to commit to supporting, guiding and mentoring at-risk youth. Mentors serve as positive role models, teaching youth healthy and safe ways to have fun and to meet positive academic, career and personal goals. Mentors must be minimum of 21 years of age. Training provided.

CHI St. Alexius Health (701-530-7159)  Deliver mail and flowers, escort patients, help with the gift shop.

CHI St. Alexius Home Health & Hospice (701-530-4500)  Share your time, energy and compassion while enriching your own life and lives of others. Help with a variety of activities such as companionship, errands, respite care, administrative and bereavement support. Volunteers who are a veteran, can play an instrument for music therapy and/or perform pet therapy are particularly needed.

Community Action (701-258-2240)  Help in the donation center and the food pantry.

Cystic Fibrosis Association (701-222-3998)  Help with mailings and fundraising events.

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch (701-223-7979)  Help in thrift store and perform janitorial duties.

Dakota Zoo (701-223-7543)  Accepting applications for adult volunteers to provide animal conservation programs and animal handling for educational programs. Training provided. Also looking for general volunteers for light building and repair projects. Carpentry, mechanical and fencing skills are a plus but not needed.

Lutheran Social Services Senior Companions (701-838-7800)  Seniors 55 and older who are healthy, active and interested in helping their older neighbors.

Make-A-Wish (701-280-9474)  Help with upcoming special events.

Manchester House (701-223-5600)  Be a mentor for youth. Must be at least 18.

Mandan Golden Age Services (701-663-6528)  Pick up prepared meals at Mandan Senior Center and deliver them to the homes of the elderly.

McLean Family Resource Center (701-462-8643)  Assist with crisis line.

Mental Health America of North Dakota (701-255-3692)  Help with data entry, various office duties.

Neighbors Network Program (701-323-4277)  Volunteers with pickups to help move donated furniture items to clients homes.

New Song Church (701-258-5683)  Janitorial and light maintenance work. For details, email erickson.e.michael@gmail.com.

North Dakota Operation Lifesaver (701-223-6372)  Help spread the message about railroad safety.

Pride Inc. (701-258-7838)  Support people with disabilities in social and recreational activities, especially between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, Monday-Friday, also evenings and weekends. Staff on site to assist at all times.

Public Health Emergency Volunteer Reserve Corps/Medical Reserve Corps (701-328-1334)  Accepting registration of volunteers to assist with public health emergencies. Medical and non-medical volunteers needed. Choose to help only in own county, in the surrounding counties, statewide or anywhere in the U.S. Register at www.ndhealth.gov/EPR/volunteer.

Ruth Meiers House (701-222-2108)  Sorting donations, stocking food pantry shelves, dining room servers, childrens learning center aides, baby boutique program assistants and special event help. More information: www.ruthmeiers.org.

St. Vincents Care Center (701-323-1974)  Entertainers for background music for Sunday social events.

Salvation Army (701-223-1889)  Assist with meals, activities and tutoring in the youth program; stock food pantry shelves; light maintenance work.

Sanford Health (701-323-6011)  Greet and assist visitors in the surgical waiting room, deliver flowers, help in the gift shop and Coffee Corner and assist with special projects.

Sanford Health Hospice (701-323-8400)  Volunteers needed to assist terminally ill patients. Assistance commonly includes visiting, reading and taking walks; child care assistance; bereavement support; and administrative/clerical work. Orientation, training and support provided.

Seeds of Hope store (701-222-8370)  Greeters, price clothes, stock and straighten shelves, Diggers Delight and more. Creative people needed for designing gift baskets and store displays.

Tracys Sanctuary House (701-258-5889)  Perform daily housekeeping tasks, answer phones, stock kitchen and food pantry.

Volunteer Care Givers for the Elderly (701-223-9290)  Assist with transportation, yardwork, light housekeeping, respite care, errands and shopping and other companionship activities with the elderly.
Moroccos Flag Carrier, Royal Air Maroc, has vehemently rejected the disrespectful statements pronounced by Algerias Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, who accused the company of carrying something other than passengers in an allusion to drugs.

RAM said in a statement that the Algerian foreign ministers blunder reveals a complete ignorance of the air sector which is regulated by highly-qualified international bodies.

RAM added that it operates as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and that it ensures strict respect of international rules and regulations in terms of security.

The Algerian foreign minister thought that he could seriously slander Moroccos carrier by making unfounded statements aimed indisputably at undermining Moroccos influence through its national airline. This, added the statement, shows a blatant lack of professionalism and a complete ignorance of diplomacy.

RAM rejects such false statements towards an airline, which has been working for years for fostering social and economic ties in Africa, said the statement, adding that RAM is an internationally-recognized company operating according to the best standards related to regulating global air transportation.

Renowned for its internationally-recognized security standards, RAM is the second airline in Africa, said the statement, noting that it ranks among worlds leading airlines and benefits from a 4-star airline certification by Skytrax, an international airline rating and review system.

Royal Air Maroc was awarded, by Skytrax for three years in a row, the title of the best regional airline in Africa in recognition of its major role at the continental level.

With a 60-plane fleet, the carrier serves 97 destinations in four continents. The company employs over 4,000 employees of different nationalities.

In addition, RAM partners with leading groups as aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Safran in aircraft engine maintenance, Air France industries in aircraft maintenance, and Servair in the catering sector.

It has developed robust partnerships with major international airlines such as Qatar Airways, Iberia, Turkish Airlines, and Saudi Airlines. RAM has also trained hundreds of African pilots and technicians.

Given all these references, Royal Air Maroc is outraged by such false statements made by the Algerian foreign minister, said the statement, assuring that RAM intends to uphold its honor and that of its 4,000 collaborators and 7 million passengers, including 2 million African passengers, by availing itself of the right to reply.
Following the verbal blunders uttered by Algerian Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, who blatantly accused Moroccan banks of laundering cannabis money in Africa, the Professional Grouping of Moroccan Banks (GPBM) released a statement rejecting such accusations as hateful and irresponsible.

The diatribe against Morocco that the Algerian Foreign Minister shamefully made during a meeting at the Algerian Business Leaders Forum, reflects complete and blatant ignorance of governance rules and ethics governing activities by Moroccan banks all over the world and of course in the African continent, said the GPBM in a statement.

The Professional Grouping of Moroccan Banks reserves the right to reply to the serious remarks made by the Algerian foreign minister, the statement said, pointing out that Moroccan banks deplore that Algerian officials failed to keep pace with the institutional and economic evolution witnessed by African countries in all areas.

The statement points out to reports of international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), rating agencies and finance observers worldwide, which all deem the Moroccan banking sector as a reference in the MENA region and Africa thanks to its high performance and respect for most advanced prudential rules, mainly the Basel II and III standards, IFRS, said the statement.

The GPBM statement went on to highlight that Moroccan banks are present in Africa thanks to their level of good governance, transparency, and the fight against money laundering and terrorism funding pursuant to FATF standards, in which Morocco is a founding member, in addition to the different international obligations on conforming or sharing financial data to which Morocco adheres.

Moroccan banking establishments, partnered with renown international banks, are supervised and governed by one of the most modern banking legislations that include advanced standards to combat money laundering and are subjected to rigorous, ongoing banking supervision by Moroccos central bank (Bank Al Maghrib), the GPBM noted.

The Moroccan banks apply this same rigor in their development internationally, including in Africa, with a clearly-devised strategy and a transparent model in all its economic, financial, technical, human and social aspects, said the statement.

Armed with these assets, the Moroccan banking sector puts its trust in the African continent and has been committed, on the field and for decades, to its development for the benefit of its population and economy, said the grouping, assuring that we remain alert and on standby to preserve and reinforce our presence and contribution to the economic and social development in Africa, while strictly and constantly respecting the best international practices as well as modern standards.

Last May, Attijariwafa Bank, la Caisse Centrale de Garantie and le Groupe Credit Agricole du Maroc have all won 2017 African Banker Awards in various categories.

Moroccan banks are now present in 22 African countries and around 17 per cent of their foreign activity is on the continent.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Photo: Greg Kahn/Getty Images

The bread and butter of the second most powerful court in Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, is administrative law. Since the nerve center of the federal government resides in the capital, a number of the major disputes of our time  on health care, the environment, the powers of the president and his agencies  end up there. Abortion rights arent a part of that caseload.

But now that the Trump administration has entered the picture, the D.C. Circuit has been presented with the case of Jane Doe, an unidentified, undocumented teen who was pregnant at the time she was seized at the border by immigration authorities. Because she entered the United States without her parents, J.D., as the 17-year-old is known in court papers, is now in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which has exercised a sort of veto power over her decision to end her pregnancy, now at the 15-week mark.

This was by design. Of all the people Donald Trump could have chosen to lead the Office of Refugee Resettlement  the sub-agency charged with looking after unaccompanied minors  he picked E. Scott Lloyd, a staunch abortion foe who, according to The Wall Street Journal, has personally counseled undocumented teens to try to talk them out of abortions. The agencys restrictive ways, including the false choice of letting J.D. agree to her deportation or else carry her pregnancy to term, prompted a federal judge earlier this week to blow a fuse and immediately order her released so she could get the procedure.

I have to tell you, Im astounded that the government is going to make this 17-year-old girl who has received judicial authorization for a medical procedure to which she is constitutionally authorized choose between a pregnancy that she does not want to go forward with to term or returning to the country from which she left, fumed U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in open court before her ruling on Wednesday. Those are her options.

Predictably, the Trump administration, which has yet to skirt a culture war it doesnt like, took the fight to the D.C. Circuit. The controversy was so unusual and unprecedented that Chief Judge Merrick Garland, whom you may remember as the Supreme Court justice that never was, ordered the audio of the proceedings livestreamed on its website.

But Garland didnt preside over the case. Instead, the assignment fell randomly to U.S. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a hard-core conservative who is often floated as a potential Trump pick to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is said to be weighing retirement. On Friday, Kavanaugh opened the emergency hearing by warning that hed like to avoid a sweeping constitutional ruling  a sign that hed try his darndest to save face, and possibly his chances at a promotion to a higher court, by issuing as minimal a ruling as possible. The three-judge panel was a good draw for Trump, rounded out by U.S. Circuit Judges Karen Henderson and Patricia Millett, appointees of the first President Bush and President Obama, respectively.

The 90-minute hearing for Garza v. Hargan, as the case is known, was in every which way a judicial spectacle unlike any in recent D.C. Circuit history. The session, which is worth listening to in full, was a microcosm of all the constitutional clashes one might expect the Trump administration to jump into: immigration law and the personhood of undocumented immigrants; the plight of unaccompanied minors; the future of Roe v. Wade; federalism and states rights; moral opposition, as a matter of federal policy, to a womans exercise of her constitutional rights.

The crux of the governments argument, presented with a straight face by Catherine Dorsey, a career Department of Justice attorney, was that the administration shouldnt facilitate an undocumented minors abortion  in part because the government has an interest in promoting childbirth and protecting fetal life. At one point, Kavanaugh suggested that letting J.D. go through with the procedure would make the government complicit in something it finds morally objectionable.

To Brigitte Amiri, the ACLU attorney representing the teen, this foot-dragging is akin to standing in the way and imposing an undue burden on her right to end her pregnancy. Every day matters for J.D. Its been three weeks. And its been three weeks too long, Amiri told the judges.

The federal government, by law and policy, already facilitates abortions to women in its custody. It is only underage immigrant women during the current administration who cannot exercise their choice. Never mind that J.D. has already gone through all the steps a conservative state like Texas, where shes in a HHS shelter, has required of her: Shes obtained court permission for the abortion, was assigned a legal guardian, and has attended one session of pre-abortion counseling. Her lawyers have already arranged for transportation and the costs of the procedure. It is a bureaucrat in Washington who is preventing the final step.

Later Friday, the D.C. Circuit, on a 2-to-1 vote, sided with the Trump administration. The sparse, two-page order doesnt say who wrote it, though it has Kavanaughs fingerprints all over it. The court gave the government until the end of the month to secure a sponsor  a lengthy administrative process reserved for unaccompanied minors. In the courts view, this process, if undertaken expeditiously, would not unduly burden the minors right under Supreme Court precedent to an abortion. And yet the government is already on record as wanting no part of facilitating this. Theres no evidence its position will change.

Judge Millett, who did sign her name to a searing, ten-page dissent, exposed the governments stance for what it is. That is an astonishing power grab, and it flies in the teeth of decades of Supreme Court precedent preserving and protecting the fundamental right of a woman to make an informed choice whether to continue a pregnancy at this early stage, Millett wrote.

She then seemed to train her sights on her two colleagues, as if they were the true obstacle on J.D.s path. The search for a sponsor, which could add weeks of uncertainty and not turn up a single person, stands as an immovable barrier to J.D.s exercise of her constitutional right [in a way] that inflicts irreparable injury without any justification offered for why the government can force her to continue the pregnancy until near the cusp of viability.

And so concluded the D.C. Circuits unlikely foray into the realm of reproductive rights. The ACLU has called the decision dangerous, but otherwise hasnt said what its next play will be. We do have a sense of what the government wants: Push J.D. to the point of inevitability. In the main, the rights and lives of undocumented immigrants may not matter much to the Trump administration; its only when a pregnant teens future is at stake that human dignity must be protected at all costs.
Read the signals, Mitch! Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Appearing on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would call a vote on bipartisan health-care legislation to stabilize the Affordable Care Act  that is, if President Trump is onboard with it.

Im not certain yet, what the president is looking for here, but Ill be happy to bring a bill to the floor if I know President Trump would sign it, McConnell told Dana Bash.

Trump has been difficult to pin down on the issue, to put it mildly. After Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray announced they had come to an agreement on a bill this week, Trump contradicted himself within a matter of minutes on whether he would support it. He has appeared to back some sort of short-term fix to Obamacare, but has also tweeted that he would never bail out insurance companies (a very inaccurate depiction of what the bill would actually do). Whether Trumps intense hatred of his predecessors signature law will override the prospect of a possible political win  not to mention relief for millions of Americans  is anyones guess.

The Alexander-Murray bill has been in the works for months, ever since the collapse of a major GOP effort to repeal Obamacare in July. But the effort has been lent new urgency after Trumps decision to cut off key payments to insurers, which could lead to skyrocketing premiums for some consumers who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Acts individual marketplace. Trumps unwillingness to commit to the payments has already led to a spike in prices.

The narrowly tailored legislation would guarantee the continuation of the payments for two years and restore funding for Obamacare outreach that the Trump administration has gutted. In return for those concessions, Republicans would gain increased flexibility for states that want to tinker with the Affordable Care Act.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, the bill has been co-sponsored by several Republicans wary of being held responsible for a collapsing health-care system  including some who had previously voted for (or even co-sponsored) legislation to kill the Affordable Care Act.

On Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill has the support of 60 senators.

Even if Trump does indicate his support, theres the GOP House to contend with. House Speaker Paul Ryan is plainly unenthusiastic about any legislation that would prop up Obamacare. But if the president and Senate are leaning on him, Ryan and his hard-line caucus may well bow to the pressure and approve it anyway.

In a hopeful sign that a deal may materialize, Office of Management and Budget chief Mick Mulvaney suggested on Sunday that President Trump could back some form of congressionally mandated insurance payments in conjunction with more minor tweaks to Obamacare.

If an agreement doesnt emerge soon, the drama might come to a head during budget negotiations at the end of the year. Democrats could threaten a government shutdown if Republicans dont accede to a set of legislative demands that would likely include restoring the insurer payments and offering protection to DACA recipients.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Sunday, President Trump continued to go on the attack against Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who took issue with his phone call to the grieving widow of one of the U.S. troops killed in Niger earlier this month.

Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote R!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2017

Earlier this week, Wilson had been with Myeshia Johnson, one of her constituents and the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, when President Trump called Ms. Johnson to express his condolences. Wilson said she heard the conversation on speakerphone.

Wilson claimed that, during the call, Trump did not use the soldiers name, and informed Johnson that her husband knew what he signed up for  but when it happens, it hurts anyway.

Johnson was killed after American troops on patrol were ambushed in Niger on October 4 under murky circumstances.

Wilson harshly criticized Trumps conduct, calling it horrible and insensitive.

Johnsons mother then verified Wilsons account, telling the Washington Post that Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband.

Trump pushed back in personal terms on Twitter, and delegated John Kelly not only to contradict Wilsons version of the conversation but also to call her character into question by erroneously claiming she had once taken credit for the funding of an FBI building in her district. Wilson then accused Kelly of racist language and said, The White House itself is full of white supremacists. On Sunday, she referred to the Niger incident as President Trumps Benghazi.

Trump made the call to Johnson in the first place to quell criticism that he had not reached out to the families of troops killed in action  criticism he fanned on Monday when he falsely claimed he was in the habit of calling grieving military family members, while previous presidents, including Barack Obama, had not done so consistently.

In addition to the hasty phone calls, the Trump administration has been rush-shipping condolences to military families who have seen loved ones killed in action, seemingly in order to substantiate Trumps assertion.

Now, Trump finds himself in a familiar spot: resorting to ad hominem attacks to distract from easily disproved falsehoods and, in the process, dragging out what could have been a one-day story into an ugly saga that shows no signs of fading.

The Trump administration could have avoided the entire mess if it had simply apologized for the presidents inaccurate statements on Monday, or for offending a war widow  regardless of Trumps exact choice of words during his phone call. But if weve learned anything over the last two-plus years, its that, given the choice to back down an inch or to ignite an ugly, multi-front war of words and perceptions, the president will always pick the latter option.
At Fort Coleb Hotel in Kamukuzi division, Mbarara municipality, John Vianney Tumushabe is about to walk his Charity down the aisle. This is an almost too good to be true showdown  one that will linger in their memories for life.

But what is certainly more outstanding was that the groom and his enterouge decided to deviate from the traditional two or three-piece suits to don much more modern, custom fit, handmade suits. In the words of the event photographer Kenneth Wilks, they were off the hook.

I have taken pictures at countless weddings but I had not seen anything like this. It was unique and my lens surely liked them. The pictures I took that day have been definitive to my photography, he continued to say.

Sserwadda measuring a client before making garments

Custom fit  locally known as fitting  suits have become increasingly popular not just in music videos but also at formal functions like weddings, introductions, dinners et al and one of the brains behind the astonishing designs is Bright Sserwadda.

Sserwadda was born in December 1992 in family of business people. For example his late father, Dan Sserwadda, had been sewing suits for a living.

My father died when I was a toddler; so, I didnt get to see him work but his friends often talked about how great his suits were. So, I guess this thing is in the blood, he told The Observer.

Sserwadda immediately showed interest in the business as early as primary school. After sitting for his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at Mbarara Preparatory School, one would say he had already made up his mind to join the suits business commercially.

But he was too young to make such a decision. So, we had to talk him into joining secondary school although you would clearly see where his passion was, his elder brother Jay Wavamunno recalled.

Sserwadda conceded and joined Masaka Secondary School but every holiday, he would go to his fathers friends workshop and learn sewing. In his Senior Four vacation, he made his first suit. He was ready.



BIRTH OF BRYT SUITS

When he put the last point on his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exam in 2009, Sserwadda resolved he wasnt going to join university but was instead going to start sewing suits commercially.

Some of Sserwada's handmade garments

He started a company and called it Bryt Suits  the easiest business brand name for him to create, he said. I am Bright and I make suits  Bryt Suits, simple!

However, the dynamics of the business were not as simple especially for a man who started with absolutely zero shillings.

He was fortunate that he still had his late fathers equipment. So, he started sewing for clients and it is from the profit and savings that he generated capital to set up his own shop right in the middle of Mbarara town.

I didnt even have a coin when I started. Not a cent! I was sewing from someones shop, then I moved to Kampala for a couple of months. When I returned to Mbarara in 2011, I rented my own shop on Grand West arcade and I have never looked back since, he added.



THE PHONE AND BUSINESS

Sserwanda admits he was and still is not a business guru. Aspects like recordkeeping, accounting, inventory and marketing which are vital for business growth are not his areas of strength.

Although he employs four people, they are all directly involved in sewing. Everything else, he handles on his handset.

This phone can do so much. I balance myself here. I keep my records on it, when I need materials  some which we get from as far as Nairobi and China, I place the orders on my phone and when mobile money came, clients even make their orders and payments here as well. It is my mobile office, he said.

When it comes to marketing, Sserwaddas life has been even much revolutionarised by the internet and social media. Now, he shares samples of his work on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram for potential clients to see and order. The results, he says, have been phenomenal.

According to a feature on The Workshop Uganda, a fast-rising online business media enterprise, Sserwadda makes as many as 200 suits a month. The number normally goes higher during peak seasons like the festive season.



SUIT THE BRYT WAY

At La Grande mall in Mbarara town where Bryt Suits is located, suits samples hang beautifully in the shelves. They come with accessories such as gold buttons, bow ties, and shoes.

When this writer walked in, his measurements were taken. After close negotiation, Sserwadda agreed to make the suit at Shs 250,000. If the materials are available, making a suit, he says, takes approximately about seven hours. The process also involves ironing, buttoning, finishing and delivery.

Our suits range from Shs 200,000 minimum and can go as high as Shs 500,000 depending on what the client wants, he noted.

Sserwadda believes time is the most important aspect of business; so, he and his team strive to deliver on their work as fast and as precisely as possible.

He is, however, baffled by clients who change goalposts even after placing orders. Not only does this increase the cost of production, it also affects the financial benefits that accrue.

A client walks in, we take the measurement and he says he wants a fitting suit. When we deliver exactly that, he says, this is too fitting so we have to retouch it all over again. That process is costly, he added.

But despite the challenges, Sserwadda created designs that have influenced even popular culture and fashion in Uganda.

He has designed top musicians including BET Award winner Eddy Kenzo, Mun G, Aziz Azion, Ray G, Khalifa Aga Naga and has a working relationship with fashonista Brian Ahumuza of Abryanz collection, who doubles as his mentor and role model in the business.

Sserwadda appeals to the youth not to undermine jobs, to be patient, be honest with themselves and get mentors who will drive them to the next level, criticize them where necessary and advise them frequently without judging them.

He, however, remained tightlipped about his future plans but what is without a doubt is that dressing men is not just a business for him. It is a passion, a lifestyle  one that he is not about to stop.

TV West manager Ronald Santana recently took to his Facebook account to express his satisfaction after donning a suit designed by Sserwadda.

That young man has a gift, he told The Observer in a phone interview, adding: I have used his services multiple times and I dont regret it even once.

Born and raised in Mbarara, Sserwanda, 25, and four of his siblings were raised mostly by their mother Tushabe Sserwadda, a businesswoman, after their father passed on.

Besides suits, Sserwadda also deals in shirts, belts, leather shoes, trousers and other men-related clothing.



alex.taremwa@yahoo.co.uk
The youth are bitter with their MP Muyingo

A group of youth opposed to the proposed removal of the presidential age limit has disrupted a consultative meeting called by National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in Luweero district.

This afternoon NRM party leaders right from the village to the sub county level convened at Sarabwa playground in Kikyusa town to re-affirm their support for the proposed scrapping of article 102 (b) from the constitution, which caps the president's age at 75 years.



The area legislators including the woman MP, Lillian Nakate, the Bamunanika County MP, John Chrysestom Muyingo and the LC V chairman, Ronald Ndawula were expected to attend but they sent aides to represent them.



The meeting that was convened by Paul Sarabwa, the Kikyusa sub-county NRM party chairperson degenerated into chaos when angry youths besieged the leaders at the playgrounds denouncing the proposed amendments.



They displayed placards expressing their dissatisfaction.

"Don't touch article 102(b)," read one of the placards. They faulted their areas MPs for supporting the proposed amendment without consulting them.

"We the youth of Luweero dont want the age limit lifted. Those in power are in their 70s and are about to die and want to leave us in political uncertainty. It's us the youth who will serve the consequences of the turmoil that may result from amending the Constitution", said one of the protestors.



The NRM leaders attempted to block the youth but were restrained by Sarabwa and police officers from Kikyusa police station.



Sarabwa condemned the protestors, saying they were being intolerant. He however, said this will not stop them from supporting the proposed amendment to enable President Yoweri Museveni to stand again.

"The amendment is very good because it will enable our children that we have invested in so much also be able to stand for presidency. Also, the elderly will have a chance to stand. When the constitution is amended, it doesnt mean that Museveni will be the beneficiary", Sarabwa said.



Led by Hassan Mutesasira, one of the protesters said that the proposed constitutional amendment is not a matter for NRM but the country, which makes it wrong for the area MPs to reduce the consultations to their party structures.

"Weve have never sent them [MPs] to amend the Constitution to enable us the youth to stand for presidency as they claim. We, the youth have no money to stand for the presidency. Let President Museveni go and retire at his home in Rwakitura."



He also claimed that the area MPs are holding secret meetings and paying off party mobilisers to endorse the proposed amendments and sign documents showing they consulted their constituents.

"Weve never told our MP Chrysostom Muyingo that we want the Constitution amended. We dont want the Constitution amended more so when we even lack basic social services like water in the area. Our message is simple, we, the people of Kikyusa dont want the age limit amended", said a resident.

Erasmus Mutyaba, another resident asked the MPs to convene general meetings like they did during their campaigns and consult all stakeholders for fair representation.

"We want our MP to come and consult us on this age limit matter just like he came to us when he was seeking for our votes. We dont want the constitution amended", Mutyaba said.



After disrupting the meeting, the youths led a peaceful procession in Kikyusa town vowing to soldier on until their area MPs denounce the proposed amendment.



Eria Ndawula Mande, the Luweero sub-county NRM party chairperson, says it isn't unlawful to support the proposed amendment.



"Weve all agreed that the constitution be amended the constitution itself has that provision. There is no need to fight and amending it doesnt necessarily bring a new president. Let those opposed to the amendment not vote the elderly when elections come. Museveni is our preferred candidate those making noise shouldnt vote him when the time comes", said Mande.
55 people believed to have come into contact with a Marburg victim in Kween district have been placed under surveillance, the health minister Jane Ruth Aceng has said.

A 50-year-old woman from Chemuron village in Moyok parish in Moyok sub-county in Kween district died of Marburg on October 17.

Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) is caused by the Marburg virus, a rare but severe type of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, which affects both humans and non-human primates like monkeys and baboons.



Speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon at the ministry of health headquarters, Aceng said that they have listed 55 people for a follow up as they could have come in contact with the deceased during the burial ceremony.

She says 13 of the 55 people have completed the 21 day follow-up from the time of the death of the probable case, while the rest remain still under close monitoring.



Aceng stated that Uganda has capacity to handle the outbreak and is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the neighbouring countries to contain the disease.

"The probable case that passed away, passed away on the 25th of September. The confirmed case passed away on the 13th of October. In between so many things could have happened that we dont know. So until we have managed to round up people and follow them up for the 21 days and then another 21 days and there is nothing that is when we can be comfortable.

And in this particular case, the suspect case is the little child who came from another village, another sub-county but also had signs and symptoms similar to that of Marburg. That is a suspect case. The probable case in this case is a 42-year-old man who passed away when we did not take samples.", said the minister.



Aceng specifically warned people who are staying near forests and caves and across the borders to be very vigilant of their health and contacts.



Uganda will for the first time host the Global Health Security Agenda conference from October 25-27 at Common Wealth Resort Munyonyo with an aim of supporting countries to build their capacities to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and public health threats.

Aceng says for the first time the Global health Security Agenda conference is being held in a state with an active outbreak of an infectious and potentially highly fatal disease. She assured the delegates of their safety saying Kween district is more than 300km away from Kampala.



According to Aceng, although three isolation wards have been set up at Kapchorwa district hospital and Kaproron health center IV in Kween district to handle cases, they are currently empty as most of the contacts are being monitored from their homes.



Uganda registered a single Marburg in September 2014 involving a healthcare worker. The source of infection was not identified nor was there any secondary cases identified.
The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) has shut down Kanungu Broadcasting Services (KBS) radio in Kanungu district over alleged breach of minimum broadcasting standards.



Eng Godfrey Mutabazi, the executive director of UCC wrote to city businessman, James Musinguzi Garuga, the managing director, Kanungu Broadcasting Services on October 20 directing him to cease operations effective immediately.



He accuses KBS of ignoring directives from UCC to stop the broadcast of certain programs that violate the minimum broadcasting standards. Mutabazi also accuses the radio station for failing to submitting recordings of the said programs as directed in the Commission letter dated October 17.

Godfrey Mutabazi the executive director of UCC

In the said letter, Mutabazi asked KBS to suspend the station manager, Ronalds Agaba alias Mwene Ngaro and Desmond Kyokwijuka Misri, the host of the Global Focus program and anchor of Rukiga news, who were accused of 'fuelling public insecurity'.



He also asked management to suspend their programs and submit recordings of all broadcasts by the aforementioned presenters that aired over the past 30 days.



In his October 20 letter, Mutabazi warns that should KBS radio resume broadcasting operations without rectifying the above breaches and obtaining a valid broadcasting license, the Commission shall not hesitate to carry out further enforcement actions against it, including prosecution of its directors for illegal broadcast under section 27 (2) of the UCC Act 2013.



Garuga, the proprietor of the radio couldn't be reached for a comment as his phones were switched off. One of the employees who spoke to URN on condition of anonymity blamed their woes on political intrigue.



He claimed that some National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders recently threatened to push for the closure of the station for allegedly giving platform to those against the presidential age limit removal.



KBS is a popular destination for opposition leaders targeting audiences in the districts of Kanungu, Rukungiri, Kabale and Kisoro.
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HUNTER  Growing up, Donald Aune would hear stories from his mother about the sod house she lived in as a child in the late 1800s near Milton.

She talked about how cozy it was despite the harsh prairie winters and how hard it was to keep clean; it was made of dirt, he said. And she talked about snakes.

Sometimes the snakes would be hanging in there, he said. Wasnt that many, I dont think. They would crawl in.

One day, a man with a camera stopped by to document the house and the family  Aunes grandparents John and Marget Bakken and their two children at the time, Matilda and Eddie. Tilda, in her pale dress, was Aunes mother and probably about 4 years old.

To many Americans the house has become a symbol of the Homestead Act that opened up land in the West for thousands of pioneers like the Bakken family. The photo, by John McCarthy of Milton, was later used by a Treasury Department artist in a 1962 U.S. postage stamp commemorating the centennial of the law. Norway would use the same photo for a 1975 stamp honoring Norwegian-American emigrants.

A reproduction of the photo is on display at the Fargodome, which 93-year-old Aune recently got to see. But, for Aune, who now lives in Hunter, the Bakkens story didnt start with that sod house on the prairie and it didnt end there either.

Starter homes

Sod houses were once common starter homes for settlers staking their claims. The Homestead Act, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, gave away as much as 160 acres to each family that lived continuously on the land for at least five years.

Aune still has a copy of Homestead Certificate No. 6678 that his grandfather received Feb. 12, 1903, after he completed his residency. It bears President Theodore Roosevelts name.

Sod, blocks of soil held together by roots, was a cheap, readily available building material on the Great Plains where trees were rare and railroads that could haul in lumber werent always available, according to Tom Isern, a history professor at North Dakota State University. They were especially common in Nebraska and Kansas where settlers arrived long before railroads. In North Dakota, where settlers usually arrived just before or even with railroads, many preferred cheap wooden sheds to sod perhaps because they were faster to build.

Once settlers became owners of the land and could use it as collateral for a bank loan, Isern said they would replace their sod houses with wooden frame houses.

John Bakken was born in 1871 to Norwegian parents in Benson, Minn., about 80 miles southeast of Wahpeton. When he was 9, his family moved to Milton, 65 miles northwest of Grand Forks.

They dug a hole in the side of the hill, and he laid trees and covered it with straw and hay on top, Aune said, describing a sod dugout. That was their first winter.

Dugouts were even more primitive than sod houses, being generally small because digging is hard labor and hard to keep dry because of groundwater, according to Allen G. Noble, a retired geography professor at the University of Akron (Ohio). Most settlers would have preferred at least a sod house.

According to Aune, his grandfathers family eventually rented homes in Milton, a town built along the railroad tracks, and John Bakken found work as a drayman, a kind of delivery man, and farm hand.

The photo

It wasnt until 1896, three years after he married a Norwegian immigrant named Marget, that he would homestead. By then much of the good land had already been taken, which is why he could only claim 80 acres in Silvesta Township, 10 miles south of Milton, according to Aune. Bakken probably could have found better land farther west where fewer settlers had laid claim, but his family was in the area.

This may be when that starter sod house was built. McCarthy took a photo of it in 1898.

The photo shows Bakken standing to the side and looking toward his house. His wife stands at the door holding a washtub. Tilda and her brother both wear dresses. Some historians thought there were two girls, but Aune said it was common for little boys to wear dresses probably because they didnt cost as much as pants. A curious dog sniffs at the wall, where roots could be seen sticking out.

My mother remembered it real good when they took that picture because she said she remembered that little dog, Aune said, correcting historians assumption it was a family dog. That was his dog, the photographers.

When the Homestead Act stamp came out in 1962, the artist had left out the kids and the dog. Isern and Aune said it might have been because stamps at the time werent allowed to portray living people. Marget Bakken had died in 1948, but John Bakken would live until 1965.

I think they have to be dead 10 years before they put them on the stamp and here my granddad went to the post office and here he saw this stamp, Aune said.

A bigger house

Most settlers never saw sod houses as permanent homes, just enough to get them through their residency, according to Noble. The average life of a sod house was six to seven years.

Yet the Bakken family lived in theirs, according to Aune, until they built their frame house in 1905, nearly a decade after they first homesteaded, with lumber John Bakken hauled in by horse from the train station in Milton. Bakken had chosen to build a frame barn first. But, as if to compensate, the frame house was a big one with four bedrooms and an indoor bathroom.

It still stands to this day having recently been reshingled. Aunes son, Steve, lives in it, and they farm the same land their forefathers farmed. Aune said he basically grew up in that house and asked his uncle Marvin Bakken to sell it to him when the latter decided to sell.

Of the sod house, nothing remains.

Aune said his grandfather showed him the spot where it once stood, but thats all he knows. We farmed right over it.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
ONAMIA, Minn.  Leaders of a Native American tribe say public safety on their central Minnesota reservation worsened last year when a nearby county terminated an agreement that allowed tribal police to provide law enforcement.

Mille Lacs County's decision to terminate the agreement with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe ended 25 years of cooperation between the tribe and county sheriff's office, Minnesota Public Radio reported. County officials said they ended the agreement because the relationship had ceased to be cooperative and the band was exercising law enforcement authority outside of its jurisdiction.

Without the agreement, tribal officers don't have authority under state law to act as peace officers and pursue investigations, leaving those functions to the county sheriff's office. Tribal police can arrest suspects but must turn them over to the sheriff's office.

Interim tribal Police Chief Sara Rice said it's a frustrating situation.

"All the officers know that they can at least make a dent in this," Rice said. "It's never going to go away completely. But you can help to deter it in some way, or hold people accountable for what they're doing and what they're bringing here."

But Mille Lacs County Attorney Joe Walsh disputes that law enforcement on the reservation has gotten lax since the agreement was revoked. He said the county hired about 10 new deputies and is providing equal coverage as before.

The move came amid a growing problem of opioid abuse in the area. The tribe says it's had nearly 50 overdoses this year, including a few deaths.

"It's drug dealers, drug users, just the criminal element that's here," said Pete Nayquonabe, a resident on the reservation. "You can see it and feel it. And there's just a feeling of not being safe anymore."

Rice said opioid addiction has led to an increase in burglaries, thefts and elder abuse.

"They're being taken advantage of, or stuff's missing from their houses," she said. "It's all to get the next high."

Gov. Mark Dayton urged the county and the band to work out a new agreement in mediation.
Meet candidates running in Salem

SALEM  Join the Salem Rotary Club as it hosts Meet the Salem Candidates Night from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at the Historic Salem Courthouse, 58 E. Broadway.

Community members will have an opportunity to meet the 12 Salem candidates running for town supervisor, town clerk, town council, town justice and highway superintendent. Candidates will get five minutes each to provide a brief history of who they are and what office they are running for, what they hope to accomplish during their term, reasons why they are the best for the job and why voters should vote for them.

In addition to those candidates, Tony Jordan, Washington County district attorney, will also be at the courthouse for a meet and greet. Also, Tom Rogers will provide an explanation of the three propositions on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Everyone is encouraged to linger afterwards and enjoy casual conversations with the candidates and fellowship.

Religions in the News forum slated

CAMBRIDGE  The Cambridge United Community Center will host a Religions in the News forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday at 81 E. Main St. in the Lower Brieman Building.

Join a lively conversation with four Americans shaped by very different ethnic and religious traditions as they discuss their spiritual journeys, perspectives and how they wrestle with the issues of the day.

For more information, call 518-677-3863.

Meeting planned

on growing hemp

GREENWICH  Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County will hold an informational meeting on growing industrial hemp at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Washington County Fair offices, 392 Old Schuylerville Road. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner will co-host the event.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball has stated that, Industrial hemp has great potential to become a significant cash crop for farmers and drive economic growth across New York as it becomes more widely used in major industries. To achieve this goal, the state has established a program to position New York as a national leader in the industrial hemp renaissance. Individuals interested in growing industrial hemp are invited to learn more about this opportunity.

Topics covered will include growing industrial hemp and varieties; processing hemp; and technical assistance in applying for a permit to grow industrial hemp. Speakers include Professor Larry Smart from Cornell University, Tim Sweeny from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, and Trey Riddle from Sunstrand LLC. Soup and dessert will be served.

To register, call Cornell Cooperative Extension Washington County at 518-746-2560 or email washington@cornell.edu.

Corinth to mark sesquicentennial

CORINTH  Corinth Town Historian Rachel Clothier of the Corinth Museum will present a program at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Corinth Free Library, 89 Main St. This slide presentation will highlight the sesquicentennial celebration that took place in the town of Corinth in 1968. Clothiers presentations are always informative and entertaining.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Corinth Free Library by stopping in at 89 Main St. or by calling 518-654-6913.

The Corinth Free Library will close early on Friday to enable staff to attend a training workshop. On that day, the library will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Corinth Free Library will be closed in the evening on Oct. 31. The hours for that day will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Author to discuss womens suffrage

LAKE GEORGE  The Caldwell-Lake George Library will host a lecture by Adirondack author and storyteller Sandra Weber at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 336 Canada St. as part of a series commemorating the centennial of the passage of the womens suffrage act in New York state.

Weber will discuss her latest book, The Womens Suffrage Statue. Drawing on diaries, letters, newspapers and historic photographs, this first-ever history of the monument explores the controversy, myths and artistry behind this neoclassical yet unconventional work of art.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Contact the library at 518-668-2528 for reservations.

Eat, drink and help contribute to cause

BOLTON LANDING  A fundraiser is planned for Jeannie and Skinny Russell, who lost their home on South Trout Lake Road to a fire on Oct. 6.

Friends will hold a benefit from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Fredericks Restaurant, 4970 Lake Shore Drive. Activities for the evening include a $15 dinner buffet, silent auction and music by D.J. Patrick Stacey.

To donate a silent auction item or to make a personal donation, contact Pat Cianci at 914-474-6857 or email pat.cianci@gmail.com.

Explore maps with

a noted collector

LAKE LUZERNE  The Hadley-Lake Luzerne Historical Society will present Maps in the Age of Exploration at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hadley-Luzerne Public Library, 19 Main St.

Cal Welch, noted map collector, and daughter Caroline will discuss their collections and the early history of map making. An enlightening PowerPoint presentation of old Adirondack maps will be presented with Q&A follow-up.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 518-696-4520.

Hubbard Hall hosts Halloween events

CAMBRIDGE  Once again, Kelvin Keraga hosts an evening of creepy and chilling tales, told by some of the regions best storytellers. Whispering Bones will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hubbard Hall, 25 E. Main St.

Whispering Bones is a great mix of classic legends, new stories and whispered folktales that are spooky, eerie and fantastical. All proceeds from the show will go to help Hubbard Halls Arts Education Scholarship program. This program helps to ensure that no student at Hubbard Hall is ever turned away from a class based on financial limitations.

This years featured cast includes: Siri Allison, Leila Bruske, Barbara Chepaitis, Margaret French, Tony Pallone, Doug Ryan and Kelvin Keraga.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for students, and are available online at hubbardhall.org, by calling 518-677-2495 or at the door.

Hubbard Hall will host its third annual Hubbard Hall-O-Ween Celebration at 7 p.m. Saturday. Costumes are encouraged. Delicious treats like apple cider and pumpkin bread will be available. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students or $20 for a family of three or more. Tickets and concession sales go to support the Hubbard Hall Dance Costume Fund.

All ages invited to Trunk or Treat Fest

QUEENSBURY  The Queensbury United Methodist Church will host its third annual Halloween Party and Trunk or Treat Fest from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at 460 Aviation Road, rain or shine.

All ages are invited for games, snacks and a costume contest. The party concludes with trunk or treating in the back parking lot. Enter through the back downstairs entrance.

Call 518-793-9728 for details.

Roast beef dinner

to be served up

SOUTH GLENS FALLS  The South Glens Falls United Methodist Church will serve a roast beef dinner from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday at 15 Maplewood Parkway.

Cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children ages 5 to 12. Take-outs and delivery are available by calling 518-793-1152.

Mad Science at Brant Lake YMCA

BRANT LAKE  The YMCA of Brant Lake will hold Mad Science Saturday for kids at 11 a.m. Saturday at 148 Tannery Road. Learn about the power of pressure, hot air balloons and hovercraft rides.

Call 518-494-5384 or 518-494-4422 for more information.

Methodist church to host free yard sale

QUEENSBURY  Sanfords Ridge United Methodist Church will hold its annual free fall yard sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 1919 Sanfords Ridge Road. The indoor sale will offer Christmas decorations, housewares, toys, sporting goods, clothing, books and linens. All items are free.

For more information, call Pastor Jeannette at 518-496-6048.

Harvest Dinner set in South Hartford

The Hartford Yoked Parish will serve a Harvest Dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the South Hartford Church House, corner of routes 40 and 196 and Gilchrist Hill.

The menu includes oven-baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, scalloped corn casserole, cranberry salad, coleslaw, rolls, assorted pies, coffee, tea and milk.

Cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children ages 12 and younger; and free for children younger than 5. Take-outs are available.

The parish will offer a craft and bake sale table as well.

Recovery center to hold costume party

HUDSON FALLS  The Hope & Healing Recovery Community Outreach Center will host a Halloween costume party from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at 2 Maple St. There will be ghoulish snacks and music by D.J. Prodigal Son.

Quakers to hold

free movie night

SOUTH GLENS FALLS  The Adirondack Friends Meeting will hold a free movie night at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 27 Saratoga Ave. The Quakers will show the movie The Dish. Snacks will be available.

For more information, go to www.adirondackfriendsmeeting.org.

Church is looking

for craft vendors

WARRENSBURG  Craft vendors are needed for the Nov. 25 and Dec. 2 bazaars at The Church of The Holy Cross, 3764 Main St. If interested, call 518-623-3066 or visit Info@HolyCrossWarrensburg.org.

Seniors are selling gala raffle tickets

QUEENSBURY  Raffle tickets will be on sale starting Monday for the Queensbury Senior Centers annual fall Basket Gala at 1 p.m. Nov. 18. There will be more than 60 baskets. Raffle tickets will be on sale until Nov. 18.

Baskets are on display at the Town of Queensbury Activity Center, 742 Bay Road. The price of the tickets will be $1 per ticket or 10 for $5 and 25 for $10. There is a $5 charge to attend the gala. There is limited space. Pre-register at QSC by calling 518-761-8224.

Rock for Rescue to help homeless cats

HUDSON FALLS  Rock for Rescue, a Halloween-themed concert to benefit the cats of FACT Animal Rescue, will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Strand Theater, 210 Main St. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for kids younger than 10. Two local bands will be featured, and there will be raffles, bakes sales and costume contests.

For more information on the event, to volunteer or to view available adoptees, go to www.factanimalrescue.com or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FACTAnimalRescue/.

Department honors past and present

GREENWICH  The Greenwich Volunteer Fire Department held a memorial service at 11 a.m. Oct. 15 honoring past and present members of the department. A memorial was constructed at the new firehouse mostly by donations from the public. Engraved bricks with past members names are in the memorial, for any members who have served at least five years with the department. A reception was held at the station following the ceremony that was well attended by more than 50 invited guests. Each family was called up individually and got to ring the bell in memory of its family member.

Eric Dupuis, owner of Dupuis Scapes and Stones, donated all the material and labor to put this together. The department purchased the flag pole. Other donations were from: Flynn Brothers Funeral Home, Dupuis Landscaping, Tony Brower, Stonebridge Steel and the Greenwich Department of Public Works.

Leadership class announces project

GLENS FALLS  The ARCC Leadership Adirondack program, now in its 27th year, accepts prospective leaders from regional businesses and provides them opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Through a series of sessions and tours, the class learns about different industries and the economic drivers in the region.

Each year, the Leadership Adirondack class chooses a fundraising project submitted by area nonprofit organizations. Last years class raised more than $8,000 for the Family Service Association of Glens Falls. This year, the class has chosen the Open Door Mission as its fundraising project.

Open Door is a faith-based organization committed to filling the gaps in services not provided elsewhere in the community. Learn more about the Open Door Mission by visiting www.opendoor-ny.org.

For more information on the Leadership Adirondack program, visit www.adirondackchamber.org or follow the ARCC on Facebook to stay up to date with the 2017-18 class.
Dillman completes graduate studies

OSWEGO  McKenzie Dillman of Queensbury completed graduate studies in August at SUNY Oswego with a Master of Science in Education degree in technology education.

Tingley is named an Alden Scholar

Joseph Tingley of Queensbury, a senior at Allegheny College, has been named an Alden Scholar for his junior year academic record.

To earn Alden Scholar honors, students must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours, incur no infractions on the Honor Code and achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or higher for the entire academic year.

Tingley was also an Alden Scholar for his freshman year and is current editor of the school newspaper, The Campus, and on the varsity swimming team.

Tingley, a history major and journalism minor, is the son of Kenneth and Gillian Tingley of Queensbury.

Kennedy inducted into honor society

ELMIRA  Chelsea Kennedy of Diamond Point was one of more than 30 students inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society during a ceremony held last week at Elmira College.

Phi Eta Sigma, the oldest and largest first-year honor society, was founded in 1923 at the University of Illinois with the goal of encouraging and rewarding academic excellence among full-time, first-year students in institutions of higher learning.

The society has established chapters in more than 350 institutions of higher learning in the United States. Elmira College is the 289th chapter, established in 1990.

The three Greek letters, Phi, Eta and Sigma, represent the basis of the organizations membership, in that they mean literally lovers of wisdom.
QUEENSBURY  A New York City man who pleaded guilty to a felony in connection with a drug raid at a motel has been sentenced to 9 months in Warren County Jail.

Craig A. Simmons, 31, was put on probation in 2013 after his plea to criminal possession of a controlled substance for a February 2013 seizure of crack cocaine and heroin as well as $2,000 in cash at a motel in Queensbury. He was one of three New York City men arrested after the raid, and the two others were sentenced to state prison terms.

Simmons was deemed less culpable than the other two and was sentenced to probation. But he was found to have violated the terms of the probation and was sentenced to the jail term Wednesday in Warren County Court.
GLENS FALLS  Dipping delicately fine brushes into acid dyes, filmmakers gently added colors of pink, lime and baby blue to the flowing folds of womens gowns or butterfly wings, transforming individual black and white film frames into color.

Frame-by-frame, the animated images burst forth, dazzling film audiences in the late 1800s. By 1937, artists completed tens of thousands of drawings that were then hand-painted for the Disney classic Snow White.

Such meticulous and labor-intensive creations fell out of favor by the 1980s, often replaced by advancing technology and digital animation.

Nonetheless, Polish fine-artist and filmmaker Dorota Kobiela, who wrote and directed the acclaimed Loving Vincent, decided a few years ago she wanted to make a hand-painted film. And what was first conceived of as a film short about artistic visionary Vincent van Gogh became a much bigger endeavor.

I was 30 when I came up with the idea to do Loving Vincent, the same age that Vincent was when he started painting, Kobiela said in a release. The reason we made the film is not because we want to be the first, or that we want to set any records, it is because we believe that you cannot truly tell Vincents story without his paintings, so we needed to bring his paintings to life.

Starting this summer, during a limited release, audiences around the world packed theaters to witness this masterful creation and pay homage to the artist who once wrote to his brother Theo, I can do nothing about it if my paintings dont sell. The day will come, though, when people will see that theyre worth more than the cost of the paint and my subsistence.

And this weekend, as part of the Adirondack Film Festival, Loving Vincent made its way to Glens Falls with its multiple showings (more added because of demand), accompanied by audience discussions with two of the films artists. Additionally, attendees had the rare chance to see van Goghs Orchard with Arles in the Background on display in The Hyde Collections rotunda.

This is living our mission to reach out to the community and bring arts organizations together, said Anne Saile, interim director of The Hyde Collection. When we heard Loving Vincent was part of the film festival, the conversation began ... This is a wonderful event and our one and only van Gogh is on display.

The Hydes original van Gogh

The Hydes van Gogh is a drawing in pencil, pen, black and violet ink that only comes out of the museums archives about once every five years.

We have to be careful with the drawing so that it doesnt come into the light, Saile said. Certain pieces of the archives cant stay out. The van Gogh will be out until Oct. 22.

The van Gogh has been at the Glens Falls museum for nearly 80 years, after art dealer Karl Lilienfeld spotted the drawing in 1939 at a New York City auction. He acquired it at that time for Charlotte Hydes collection, said Jonathan Canning, the director of curatorial affairs.

Canning explained that in February 1888, van Gogh left Paris for Arles in Provence, southern France, in part to escape the industrializing city and return to the countryside.

He was excited to get back to nature and to see vivid colors and conceived of the idea of painting Arles through the four seasons, Canning said. This drawing is thought to date from early in his 18 months in Arles; say, March or April because some of the trees have begun to bloom, but not all. By April 1888, according to another letter to his brother, he had already painted 14 images of orchards.

And van Goghs collection of Japanese prints influenced this drawing.

Like many Japanese artists, van Gogh used a reed pen in executing this drawing. The variety of marks  short vertical strokes or dashes of line, stippling and squiggles, convey a sense of natures wakening in this spring orchard, Canning said. Highly religious  van Gogh had briefly been a Protestant preacher to miners  he believed that one lived closest to God in nature rather than in the rapidly industrializing cities. He even conceived of assembling his Arles orchard paintings into triptychs  three-part paintings, a traditional form for altarpieces in the Middle Ages.

The making of Loving Vincent

It took the films creators four years to develop the technique for the full-length feature film that emulates van Goghs thick impasto swirls and dashes. And more than two years of working with a team of 125 painters to hand-paint 65,000 frames on more than 1,000 canvases that trace van Goghs final days.

And in a dramatic and heart-wrenching scene, a gaunt and feeble van Gogh stumbles into the Auvers, France inn where he was living, clutching his belly and moaning from the gunshot that took his life on July 27, 1890.

Initially, crews shot the film with actors and painted over it frame by frame.

According to the films creators, the actors worked either on sets specially constructed to look like van Gogh paintings, or against green screens, with the van Gogh paintings being composited in, along with computer-generated animation, after the shoot.

Director Kobiela worked with a team of 125 painters at studios in the Polish cities of Gdansk and Wroclaw, and at a studio in Athens, to complete the paintings for the film.

The overall inspiration for the paintings came from van Goghs hundreds of paintings, sketches and drawings.

Tyler Berry, who came to The Hyde on Saturday with co-painter and friend Ryan Chapman, was one of Loving Vincents painters.

Berry, a figurative painter, applied to the film company on a whim and actually forgot about it. But, he got a call to audition and he flew from his Connecticut home to Poland for the films tryout.

I bought a one-way ticket and packed for five months in case I was selected, Berry said. It was three days and we painted a key frame and animated three to seven frames ... we had to emulate the style of the head painter.

The painting animators, like Berry and Chapman, used the reference footage and painted over it with brush strokes, colors and impasto. Berry explained that was the first frame of their shot that they would continue to repaint to create the animation.

Six frames equaled a half-second of film, he said. I painted about four- to five-hundred frames or about four frames a day.

Because painters were paid by the frame, Berry and Chapman created their own schedules of about eight to nine hours of painting on the film a day, leaving time to work on their own creations.

I have lots of landscapes, Berry said.

Berry and Chapman worked in all three studios.

The way the animation worked, painting animators first painted the key frame and took a picture of it with a Canon D20 digital stills camera at 6k resolution.

Then they would scrape a segment of the key frame to create a minuscule movement; take another picture and move on to the next movement. Sometimes, Berry said, he would have to scrape one key frame 10 times.

At the end of the day we would upload our work to the main server for post production, he said.

In the making of Loving Vincent painters went through 6,500 tubes and 1,300 litres of paint.
QUEENSBURY  The Queensbury Union Free School District is scheduled to vote Monday on awarding bids for major renovations to the high school.

The Legacy 2020 Project, approved by voters last year, will cost a maximum of $39.74 million.

The project was approved in 2016 by a 537-203 vote.

If approved, the contracts will go to the following low bidders:

General construction work prime contract to Bunkoff General Contractors Inc. of Latham, for $18.42 million.

Plumbing construction work prime contract to Crisafulli Brothers Plumbing & Heating Contractors, Inc. of Albany at $933,000.

Mechanical construction work prime contract to BPI Piping Inc. of Waterford, as the low bidder, in the amount of $3.92 million.

Electrical construction work prime contract to Schenectady Hardware & Electric Co. Inc, as the low bidder, in the amount of $3.49 million.

Site construction work prime contract to Jersen Construction Group LLC, of Waterford for $2.19 million.

At the time of the vote, Superintendent Douglas Huntley pointed out the plan had already been three years in the making and added that he appreciated being in a community that supports schools.

Turnout was very light, with about 5.5 percent of the 13,540 registered voters within the Queensbury Union Free School District casting ballots. There was snow the day of the vote, and it was the only item on the ballot.

The project is designed to make safety, energy efficiency and classrooms better. The front of the school will get a revamp, with a new media center and community multi-purpose room where the wooden gym currently is. A new gym will be built as part of a 16,000-square-foot addition to the rear. Classrooms will get a makeover to include more flexible, movable furniture to allow for group collaboration, and white boards and LCD projectors will be added to the walls. A small addition to the STEM wing of the building will create three new classrooms.

Site improvements, including drainage upgrades, work on two grass fields, improved traffic flow around the high school and additional parking, will be included in the project.

The funding plan calls for state aid to pick up $26.55 million of the cost, nearly 71 percent. The local share is $13.19 million, which will be paid by debt that is coming off the districts books.

The board meeting is at 7 p.m. in the administrative conference room.
The town of Queensbury has an ethics problem with its lawyer, John Aspland.

Aspland, a managing partner in Fitzgerald Baker Morris Firth, is intimately involved in dirty politics in the town. That is not right and it should never be permitted by the legal counsel in any community.

A string of seven emails sent between 2:13 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, 2017 and 11:51 a.m. Aug. 15, 2017 confirm that.

Michael Grasso, chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee, sent an email to Aspland, Queensbury Town Board members Brian Clements and Doug Irish and Queensbury Town Board candidate Hal Bain on Aug. 14, 2017.

In the email, Grasso reviewed the merits of a letter Bain dropped off from his doctor, and whether it was enough to get Bain removed from the Republican primary ballot. Grasso indicates the only way for Bain to get off the ballot is by a judges order.

Aspland, the town attorney and vice chairman of the Queensbury Republican Committee, responds the next morning at 8:22 and writes, I do not think this will work and explains why.

Eight minutes later Irish chimes in, I think if we want to get Tony (Metivier) out of office we will need the committee in Ward 1 to step up to get Hal (Bain) elected and then have him resign before taking office and let the board appoint for however long election law allows. I think it would be 1 year in that case. Unfortunately, we know many of the Ward 1 committee people have been actively supporting Tony (Metivier), so I am not sure how effective that would be. If Hal is in a position where he cannot campaign at all, I think we will wind up losing this race to a Democrat, RINO, call what you want hes certainly not a Republican in my eyes.

Five minutes later, Aspland responded, This would be optimal.

Optimal.

Consider that for a second.

The town attorney signs off on a plan  some would call it a scheme  to keep a Republican candidate on the ballot and get him elected even though he might not be able to serve. In my eyes, what Aspland views as optimal is a plan to defraud the voters in Ward 1.

It is clear to me that Asplands ethics have been compromised. And no matter how much he contests that conclusion, any advice or counsel he gives in the future that goes against the views of Metivier, a fellow Republican I might add, or Democratic Supervisor John Strough will be suspect.

Citizens should be rightfully concerned over whether he serves his client  the town  or his party.

Back on Nov. 21, 2016, Supervisor John Strough predicted this might happen.

When Town Board members Irish (the current chairman of the Queensbury Republicans), Clements and Bill VanNess (the previous chairman of the Queensbury Republicans) voted to change the towns legal representation to Fitzgerald Morris Baker Firth because the law firm would be less expensive, Strough pointed out that at least three lawyers in the firm serve on the Warren County Republican Committee, the firm had contributed money to Republican political candidates and committees and Aspland had previously represented Irish in an election dispute against Irishs Democratic opponent in 2015.

Metivier agreed that was not right either, and the Republicans have tried to punish him ever since.

What is even more galling is that Irish, Clements and VanNess voted to replace a law firm  Miller, Mannix, Schachner & Hafner  which has a policy of not allowing its lawyers to serve on political committees or make political contributions.

That is how it should be.

You can now make a case that Irish, Clements and VanNess cast their votes not because it saved the town money, but because they wanted to take care of some colleagues in their party.

Even if that is not the case, that is what it looks like.

This should be the pervading, overriding issue in the upcoming town election. Until Queensbury removes partisanship from its business dealings, it will be viewed as corrupt.

And any candidate who believes the status quo is acceptable should be viewed as corrupt as well.
When voters approved Marsys Law last year there were a lot of gloomy predictions about its impact on law enforcement and the courts. So far, most of those predictions havent occurred.

The constitutional amendment guarantees 19 rights to victims, such as the right to prevent the disclosure of information that could be used to locate or harass them and to the timely notice of criminal proceedings. Sixty-two percent of North Dakotans who went to the polls liked the idea and the measure passed easily. Opponents feared the measure would result in more work for law enforcement, infringe on the rights of defendants, slow court proceedings and possibly make it more difficult to prosecute cases.

Randy Ziegler, Bismarck deputy police chief, told the Forum News Service the law has been invoked 11 times to Bismarck officers. "Eleven is a very, very small number," he said. At the Burleigh County State's Attorney's Office, 26 people have asserted parts of the law.

Across the state law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have tracked the use of Marsys Law to varying degrees. There dont seem to be any definitive numbers on how much it has been used. Ward County has reported the most issues with the law. Ward County State's Attorney Roza Larson said some parts of Marsy's Law are invoked in the county "almost always."

Its apparent North Dakota voters wanted victims to get a fair shake. They didnt see the law as handicapping law enforcement, they saw it making life easier for crime victims.

There are still questions about the implementation of the law. Cases involving juveniles could become an issue. How much information about juveniles can be released to victims? The attorney generals office has issued one opinion on the law and provided an 11-page guidance document to explain the laws requirements to law enforcement officials and prosecutors.

Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota State's Attorneys' Association, believes the state Supreme Court will eventually have to provide a ruling to guide law enforcement. "Then we can use that one seminal case to figure out how to treat all the other little issues that pop up," he said.

The cost of the law also was an issue. The Office of Management and Budget estimated the measure would cost almost $4 million during this two-year budget cycle. Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel said the attorney generals office was given $815,000 to update the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification program, given that the existing system wasn't able to provide all the notifications required by Marsy's Law. It will take two to three years to complete that project. Other costs appear uncertain.

The bottom line, Marsys Law hasnt resulted in many of the problems that opponents predicted. Its still early, but it appears the state can make Marsys Law work.
Yonghe Zhang (born 27 October 1940, another name Huilin), an American scientist. He is the most influential proponent of Ionocovalency (IC) theory: Everything exists in ionocovalent potential.

He proposed many chemical models and parameters: Effective nuclear charge, IC-Model (Full-Text), Ionocovalent electronegativity, Lewis cation strengths, Ionocovalent crosslink density, Ionic polarizing energy, Orbital hybrid bonding procedure, Effective principal quantum number, Ionicity, -covalency and spatial covalency, forming a Dual Method of the multiple-functional prediction. It could explain quantitatively the chemical phenomena and correlate qualitatively to the universal observations, forming International Ionocovalency Schools.

He improved the Nobel Prize Pauling electro-negativity, in which "the major difficulty is that the attraction for an electron is clearly not expected to be the same for different valencies of an element" (atom electronegativity). Zhang proposed an ionic electronegativity in different valences and it is therefore encompassed in university textbook

He was elected Member and Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemist.

Miserable Childhood

Yonghe Zhang was born in a wealthy family. The property was confiscated by CCP. Mother was thus committed suicide. Father's life can not escape the fate repressed. In 1951, when 11 years old Zhang participated in the People's Liberation Army, his father became the "Glorious Army Family Members", and so was rescued. In 1952 pestilence, three sisters no one spared death. 1960 China Famine finally killed his father, from then on he becomes a lonely goose.

Career Dream

After the military demobilization in 1953 he back to Yongdeng High School, serving as the student's president. Unfettered life experience evoked his determined diplomatic career dream. In addition to the Russian language offered by the school, he also taught himself English and Polish. He Wrote a letter in four languages to apply for the Foreign Affairs College. However, an event of ruining his whole life occurred.

Small Insurgent

In high school, Zhang Yonghe led the student protest referring a CPC principal's sex scandal, so he was designated as the "anti-CPC " and the entire young age experienced suffering physical and mental stress, being buried and back to life when mining the ore. More serious is lost apply for University political qualifications. However, he did not give up the pursuit of life. When the admission exam, he chose English as the test subjects, which the school had not been opened. He completed within 15 minutes the 1959 English entrance examination almost full marks and admitted to Lanzhou University in the condition of being politically supervised.

Spared Death

Graduated from Lanzhou University in 1965, he was assigned to the Shanghai Petrochemical Research Institute as an engineer. During the Cultural Revolution, when he write on the posters paper two wordsdown withbut on the back of the poster paper printed three wordsMao Zedong a political investigator found and got it as the evidence, combined with landlord family origin and history of anti-CPC faced the bad luck of being executed, thanks to the good people to hide "incriminating evidence"spared death.

In 1974 he married the same fate capitalist daughter Wang Rongping. Married 10 years, the outer suburbs wife, unfortunately, suffering from a brain tumor, baby reared by him alone.

Blip

The end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, in order to recover the lost years, wiped out a contemptuous life in difficult circumstances, he finished his paper published the ion electronegativity. 1987 elected as a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Chemists.

Soon, Central Shanghai Municipal Office of Scientific Research convey General Secretary Hu Yaobang "four-point instructions on the care and support of Zhang.

Despite drastic changes. General Secretary Hu Yaobang, unexpectedly deposed. Zhang was alluded to Hu Yaobang "liberalization" route and had to carry the young son and sick wife to the United States.

Came to the USA

In 1988 he came to the United States in exchange for the scholar. In order to get a better medical insurance for his wife, he accepted a government job as an ecology scientist for the City of New York in 1992, but his wife soon died. 20 years in the laboratory, he developed ultra-trace element analysis technology, training technical backbone. Retirement in May 2013.

A Debate with Pauling on Electronegativity

The concept of electronegativity was recognized as a useful ordering principle in chemistry especially since the definition given by Pauling in 1939. However, it is unlikely to contribute to an understanding of the chemical reactions involved in the valence change because it is not uniquely defined.

In 1981 Zhang established the spectroscopic quantum model for the effective nuclear charge and effective principal quantum number Z*= n*(Iz/R) and proposed the first ion electronegativity in valence states, quantifying the Paulings single-value electronegativity. Mackay et al. pointed out that the major difficulty in Pauling's electronegativity is that the attraction for an electron is clearly not expected to be the same for different valencies of an element, and they encompassed in their university textbook the Zhang electronegativity in valences. But Pauling was still in the confusion A Letter from Linus Pauling stated: I must say that I am not able to form a reliable opinion about the value of your work. I note that for a number of the elements your calculated values are close to my values of the electronegativity, and also that for other elements there is a considerable deviation. I suggest that you might discuss some property of the elements, in various compounds, and in different valence states, in order to find out whether or not your values are helpful in understanding the properties. Zhang responded with the new research and a second paper, A scale for strengths of Lewis acid, was published, satisfactorily replied Paulings concern, wherein 126 metal ions Lewis acid strengths, in various compounds, and in different valence states, are calculated from the model: Z = z/r2 - 0.77 Xz + 8.0 . The calculation results agree fairly well with the Pearson classification and the previous work.Based on this model, an ionocovalent school formed in France headed by Josik Portier and Lenglet M, and Zhang received hundreds of appreciation letters and cards. A letter from Nobel Laureate, Henry Taube confirmed: "Electronegativity continue to be a useful concept, and becomes even more useful when it is treated as a function of oxidation state." ( Debate on Pauling Electronegativity Confusion.)

Ionocovalency theory

The new research made Zhang find the ionocovalent duality in hydrogen atom and proposed ionocovalency theory that everything exists in Ionocovalency, the ionic energy harmonized with the covalent environment:

I(Z*)(n*rc-1) = Ze2/r = n*(Iz/R) rc-1

which correlates with quantum potential and spectroscopy, in which he revealed new findings on molecular science ( Science Letter )

Being composed of the ionic function I and the covalent function C, the model describes quantitatively the dual properties of bond strengths, charge density, and ionic potential. Based on the atomic electron configuration of 1s-nf and the various quantum-mechanical built-up dual-parameters, the model formed a Dual Method of the multiple-functional prediction, which has much more versatile and exceptional applications than traditional electronegativity scales and molecular properties.

He unified the old antagonistic qualitative relations of the ionic-versus-covalent dichotomy of bond nature and established a new quantitative ionocovalent continuum scale (Ionocovalency in Molecular Science) In this scale, the ionic and the covalent are inversely proportional; the pure ionic and pure covalent bonds could be seen as two extremes of an ionocovalent continuum. And so a covalent bond scale has the ionic bond degree (Ionocovalent Bond Parameters, Functions and Scales).

He correlated ionocovalency with the macro-micro and physical laws. It is derived from the microscopic deduction of quantitative experiments and mathematics and correlated to the macroscopic induction of the universal qualitative observations. Therefore, this interpretation of the survival mechanism of the hydrogen atoms of the source of all things, through the micro-and macro-induction of Ionocovalency model, bound to describe the existence of universal things (Ionocovalency in Universal Philosophy)..

Yonghe Zhangs Major Works

* Zhang, Y. Electronegativities from Ion ization Energies, J. Mol. Sci , Chinese , 1, 125(1981).

* Zhang, Y. Electronegativities of Elements in the Valence States and Their ...1 Electronegativities of elements in valence states, Inorg. Chem., 1982, 21 (11), pp 38863889

* Zhang, Y. Electronegativities of Elements in Valence States and Their ... 2 A scale for strengths of Lewis acids, Inorg. Chem., 1982, 21 (11), pp 38893893

* Zhang, Y. A Spectroscopic Quantum Model: 1. Effective Nuclear Charge 2. Effective Principal Quantum Number J. Am. Huilin Ins. 2012, 4, 1-23

* Zhang, Y. Ionocovalency and Applications 1. Ionocovalency Model and Orbital Hybrid Scales.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2010, 11, 4381-4406. IC-Model Full-Text

* Zhang, Y. Ionocovalency and Applications 2. IC-Lewis acid strengths J. Am. Huilin Ins. 2011, 11,

* Zhang, Y. Ionocovalency and Applications 3. Ionocovalent Crosslink Density J. Am. Huilin Ins

* Zhang, Y. Ionocovalency Theory, J. Am. Huilin. Ins. 2011, 5, 1-11

* Zhang, Y. , J. Am. huilin. Ins. 2011, 5 (B), 1-9

* Zhang, Y. Zhang Ionocovalency Contributions, J. Am. Huilin. Ins. Dec.11, 2010

* Zhang, Y. Universal Ionocovalency, J. Am. Huilin. Ins. 2011, 9, 26

* Zhang, Y. Am.Huilin Inst., Zhang Electronegativity, J. Am. Huilin. Ins Jan.31, 2011

* Zhang, Y. Debate on Pauling Electronegativity's Confusion, J. Am. Huilin. Ins. Nov. 19, 2011
Merciful God, in place of the painful brouhaha over one of the fallen soldiers in Niger, all Donald Trump needed to do was try to better express the comfort the soldier's loved ones so desperately needed.

There are difficult times when one is reaching out to comfort others and what Trump said did not convey the much needed succor one wished to convey. And in getting misunderstood, first and foremost out of concern and regret you attempt to better get said what you were trying to say.

This Trump did not do, and in place of doing so, he tried to find another to share his lack of concern for the damage he had done. One might have thought that the commander-in-chief who bears the highest responsibility for our troops being placed into harms way might have better intended to say:

Your dear loved one being willing to go into harms way in service to the people of his land was heroic, but that does not make the loss of such a remarkable citizen any easier to suffer. The nation owes him a debt of gratitude that cannot be paid in terms of greatly easing the loss of your cherished loved one and there is surely little comfort to be found in what we can say. But, I would like there to be a sincere hint of such in terms of how much I, and fellow citizens, sincerely wish we had such words.

Sam Osborne

West Branch, Iowa
How can Amazon  or any company  fill a second headquarters with 50,000 people?

"Let me show you," said Thomas Paulson, a Minneapolis investment analyst who has followed Amazon for 17 years, as he pulled up a staffing chart on his iPad. "Their success has surprised even them."

Beneath the hype of Amazon's search for a second headquarters are numbers that defy gravity and a business strategy that investors wouldn't tolerate from most companies.

Seattle-based Amazon has expanded from a base as the world's largest online retailer to become a major competitor in several other industries. Its web services business is the largest provider of data warehouses for corporate America. Its logistics unit is building out airfreight, trucking and shipping lines. And its media business is now one of Hollywood's biggest producers.

All four businesses have reached a size that make Amazon the fastest-growing large company in the United States at the moment  and perhaps ever.

It's leaping from $100 billion to $200 billion in annual sales faster than all but one of the handful of U.S. companies that have accomplished that. Exxon crossed $200 billion instantly when it bought Mobil in 1998. Amazon is mostly growing organically and could hit $200 billion next year, just three years after reaching $100 billion. Apple did it in five years, Walmart six and Berkshire Hathaway seven. UnitedHealth Group is on the verge of doing it in six years.

In the process, Amazon is gobbling up people like a maw, adding a net 111,000 to its worldwide staff last year. That's nearly as many people as it employed in 2013. Amazon started this year with 341,000 people and was expected to add 136,000, not counting the 87,000 who joined in its acquisition of Whole Foods or the 120,000 holiday-season temps.

For Paulson, who started his own investment firm, Inflection Capital Management, this year after two decades working for Alliance Capital and Cornerstone Capital Management, Amazon's ability to keep hiring at a fast rate is so important that he checks on the company's top human relations executive, Beth Galetti, every time he visits the Seattle headquarters.

"I want to make sure she's liking her job and succeeding in her job," Paulson said. "These are really big (hiring) numbers when you go forward."

Last month, Amazon announced that it envisions spending $5 billion on a second corporate home that may someday employ 40,000 to 50,000 people. It gave political and development leaders in U.S. and Canadian cities six weeks, until Thursday, to prepare real estate and incentive proposals.

Amazon turned from a fast-growing company to an ultrafast-growing one in 2011, a year when it accelerated the construction of giant distribution centers for its retail business, and its web services business also hit the gas. Its staffing grew 67 percent that year, the fastest since its earliest years when the base was small. From 2012 through last year, it averaged 44 percent annual growth to its head count  a staggering pace usually seen in much smaller or younger companies.

Amazon declined to comment for this story. In a letter to shareholders early last year, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos ascribed the rapid growth as the payoff from a "distinctive organizational culture" built around a few principles. "I'm talking about customer obsession rather than competitor obsession, eagerness to invent and pioneer, willingness to fail, the patience to think long-term, and the taking of professional pride in operational excellence," he wrote.

Bezos, a former hedge fund investor, started Amazon in 1995 as a way into the then-nascent world of internet retailing. He first offered books from a small warehouse near the Seattle Kingdome, added music and videos a few years later and rolled into other categories to become an "everything store."

Bezos encourages risk and tolerates failure at a level beyond what's seen in most large companies. "Outsized returns often come from betting against conventional wisdom, and conventional wisdom is usually right," he wrote to shareholders last year. "Given a 10 percent chance of a 100 times payoff, you should take that bet every time."

In 1998, Bezos took the critical step to make such risk-taking possible by telling shareholders that Amazon would focus on long-term growth more than short-term profits. He's repeated that idea every year since and investors have gone along, accepting small profits and occasional losses from Amazon even now, 20 years after the company went public. Its stock price, which started at $1.50 in 1997, closed above $1,000 Tuesday.

"Amazon's stock keeps getting bid up despite the fact they run at break-even," said Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor and author of the new book "The Four," which explores the high-level strategies of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. "They have reshaped the compact between investors and companies."

Nearly all other U.S. companies are under pressure to hit quarterly profit targets or deliver dividends while Amazon reinvests nearly everything it makes into future businesses. "If you said to Best Buy or General Mills, we're going to give you access to the debt and equity markets so you can raise almost an infinite amount of capital, and their boards said all they needed to do with that capital is break even, those companies could be remarkably innovative," Galloway said. "They're not given that luxury."

Amazon is now spending heaviest to build its shipping infrastructure and to make shopping even less of a hassle for consumers. One example: Amazon's voice-activated Echo devices shorten ordering time and give the company deeper insight into buying patterns.

As Amazon mushrooms from retail giant into a major player in enterprise data, transportation logistics and media, some analysts say its chief constraint is likely to emerge from government regulators. Earlier this month, the European Union told Luxembourg to force the company to pay nearly $300 million in back taxes, part of a crackdown on sweetheart tax deals in Europe.

Antitrust regulators always have an eye on the company; its growth fueled a debate in legal circles this year about whether U.S. competition laws can keep up. Other analysts note such challenges are unlikely because it has many competitors.

Amazon's No. 2 executive, Jeff Wilke, recently told the Wall Street Journal that Amazon has "incredible competition" in all its businesses and that its biggest, retailing, gets less than 1 percent of what people worldwide spend to shop. In China, the world's most populous country, Amazon is a bit player and a local company, Alibaba, is also using dominance in online retailing to expand into new businesses.

The other challenge Amazon faces is finding enough people to sustain its growth. The company's recruiters already swamp U.S. business schools looking for workers. Amazon's mammoth warehouses, which need about 1,300 people apiece, are constantly advertising. It offers starting hourly pay at $17 and benefits, including education for other vocations, that are unseen elsewhere.

Of the four tech giants Galloway profiles in his book, he said he thinks that Amazon has the best chance to reach $1 trillion in market capitalization first. That means more than doubling its present value of $478 billion and leaping past Apple, Google and Facebook, which investors now value more highly. Where the four overlap competitively  in voice services, artificial intelligence, media  Amazon is currently winning, he said.

"If there's one that's pulling away from the other three, it's Amazon," he said. "If I wrote the book two years from now, I would predict the name of it would be 'The One.'"
Q. We are struggling financially. Our situation isnt desperate but it is stressful. I heard an ad on the radio about a company that can make arrangements so we only have to pay 50 percent of our debts. This would be a very helpful if it is true. Is this a good option?

A. What you are referring to is debt settlement. In this kind of agreement, a company promises to reduce your debt by 50 percent by offering your creditors settlements. It sounds promising, but the results are often not what you expect them to be. Heres how the debt settlement process works.

When you sign up for a debt settlement service, you send monthly payments to the debt settlement company, but they do not forward your payments to your creditors. Instead, they hold your money in an account until you have enough money to offer a single creditor a settlement. Depending on the size of your debts, it can take months for just one creditor to be offered a settlement.

Because your creditors are not being paid monthly, you go further delinquent. And because they are not receiving payments, your creditors will charge you late fees and interest, consequently raising your balance. In the meantime, your credit report is negatively impacted when you do not make monthly payments.

Once you have enough money to make a settlement, the debt settlement company pays one creditor. Even after this one creditor gets paid, however, you will still suffer the ripple effects of debt settlement. You will pay a fee to the debt settlement company to settle with creditor, but then the IRS will tax you on the amount of forgiven debt. The payment will show up on your credit report as a settlement, which negatively influences your credit score. And to make matters worse, your other creditors who have not received any payments may opt to sue you since you have not paid them. Also, your creditors do not have to agree to accept a settlement.

On October 12, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed suit against two companies offering settlement services. The companies were operating under the name FDAA. The CFPB alleges that the companies violated the law by falsely promising to eliminate consumers debts and improve their credit scores. According to the CFPB, FDAA and it owners lied to financially vulnerable consumer. They deceived consumers about their affiliation with the federal government. They deceived consumers about the companies debt relief and credit repair abilities. They failed to make proper disclosures about not paying debts and they took illegal advance fees for their services.

In my experience it is rare that debt settlement services help consumers. If you are looking for reliable options to help reduce your financial stress I suggest you contact a non-profit accredited credit counseling agency.
MILWAUKEE | A dairy industry group with strong ties to Wisconsin has added more examples to its list of what the group says is "fear-based" food labeling.

The latest examples range from "non-GMO" labels on products for which no genetically modified version exists to "no added hormone" labels on poultry products when the addition of hormones is already prohibited by federal law.

Some food companies have turned to "fear-based" labeling that plays on the fears of things like GMO products, synthetic animal-growth hormones and high fructose corn syrup, the National Milk Producers Federation says about its "Peel Back the Label" campaign.

The dairy industry trade group, based in Arlington, Va., says nearly 70 percent of American consumers look to food labels when making purchase decisions, but that some of the information is misleading.

For instance, one company has labeled its table salt as "GMO-free," when it could never have been GMO in the first place because salt has no genes to modify.

Some of the new examples cited by the Peel Back the Label campaign this month include canned sliced carrots with "non-GMO" labels, when there's no such thing as a genetically modified carrot; a "GMO-free" label on lettuce, when there is no genetically modified lettuce of any type; and a "no added hormones" label on chicken from Tyson Foods, when it's illegal to sell poultry in the United States that was raised with added hormones.

Similar marketing practices have taken place with dairy products, according to the National Milk Producers Federation, which says it represents about 70 percent of Wisconsin's dairy farms through farm cooperatives and individual memberships.

"The deceptive labels and fear-based marketing increasingly used by some food manufacturers damages consumer trust and jeopardizes the safe, sustainable farming practices that have enhanced farm productivity over the last 20 years," said Jim Mulhern, federation president.

"Fear shouldn't be a factor when consumers are grocery shopping. Trying to scare people into buying a product over unfounded fears is irresponsible marketing," Mulhern said.

Critics of the campaign say it's upsetting that the trade group is using dairy-farmer money to attack food companies, including some in the dairy industry, when consumers want more information about what's in their food.

Research indicates many consumers continue to believe that chicken contains added hormones or steroids, when it doesn't, Tyson Foods said in response to the Peel Back the Label campaign.

"In fact, research conducted by ORC International in June of 2017 showed 76 percent of respondents believed there are added hormones and steroids present in chicken. We continue to communicate our products do not contain added hormones or steroids, given this common consumer misperception," Tyson spokeswoman Caroline Ahn said in an email.

"We do accompany the 'no added hormones or steroids' statement with a line indicating federal law prohibits such use, which is meant to address any potential confusion," she said.

The National Milk Producers Federation hasn't revealed its budget for the Peel Back the Label campaign but has said it's a "fairly hefty" amount being spent.

One of the latest foods the campaign attacks is Cuties Mandarin oranges.

"When every citrus product on the market is already free of any GMOs, Cuties' non-GMO label is a deceptive distinction without a difference  one clearly designed to boost market share at the expense of unwitting consumers," the National Milk Producers Federation said.

Cuties, based in California, could not be reached for comment.
MINNEAPOLIS | UnitedHealth Group shares jumped 5.6 percent in trading last week after the company's earnings increased 26 percent for the third quarter, beating analyst estimates and prompting a boost to full-year financial guidance.

The quarterly results were the first reported under new CEO David Wichmann, who took over the top job in September from longtime chief executive Stephen Hemsley.

During a conference call with investors, Wichmann said UnitedHealth Group, based outside the Twin Cities, would continue to focus investments going forward on its fast-growing Optum division for health services, including pharmaceutical benefits management, non-hospital health care and technology.

The company's UnitedHealthcare division is the nation's largest health insurer. This month, the benefits business announced expansions into the commercial markets in Maine and Minnesota.

"We recently decided to enter the Northern Plains health insurance markets, including Minnesota, beginning in the second half of 2018," said Steve Nelson, the UnitedHealthcare chief executive, during the call with investors. "Our team in Minnesota is looking forward to serving our neighbors more fully in coming years."

For the third quarter, UnitedHealth Group reported earnings of $2.49 billion on $50.32 billion in revenue, compared with earnings of $1.97 billion on $46.29 billion in revenue during the year-ago quarter.

After adjusting for one-time factors, its $2.66 earnings per share easily topped the $2.56 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

UnitedHealth Group now expects adjusted net earnings for the year of about $10 per share, up from a previous range of $9.75 to $9.90.

At the end of the third quarter, nearly 45 million people in the U.S. were covered by UnitedHealthcare health insurance, up about 845,000 people, or 2 percent, from the year-ago quarter. Much of the growth came from the sale of Medicare Advantage plans to seniors, as well as supplemental Medicare policies.

During the third quarter, earnings from operations grew at a slightly higher rate at Optum than in the health insurance business, although both grew at double-digit rates.

At Optum, Wichmann said UnitedHealth Group is trying to "reinvent" the pharmaceutical benefits management (PBM) business with better technology and more transparency. Health plans hire PBMs to manage medication benefits for enrollees, including negotiations on the cost of drugs and the creation of pharmacy networks.

As a non-hospital provider of health care services in the U.S., Optum has large businesses in urgent care and outpatient surgery centers.

In Brazil, UnitedHealth Group sells health insurance while also operating hospitals and clinics. Last month, regulators in Chile disclosed the company is in the process of acquiring a health plan in the country that also operates in Colombia and Peru.

Going forward, UnitedHealth Group will make "selective" investments globally. The company will continue with smaller "plug-in" acquisitions in the health insurance business.

"The more significant investments that we'll make going forward, particularly on the growth front, will be through Optum, as we have in the past," Wichmann said.

UnitedHealth Group employs about 18,000 people in Minnesota.
PIERRE | No other part of the West saw such a succession of trading posts as did the heart of modern-day South Dakota, where the Bad River meets the Missouri near Fort Pierre.

The South Dakota State Historical Societys latest book, Fort Tecumseh and Fort Pierre Chouteau: Journal and Letter Books, 18301850, transcribed and annotated by Michael M. Casler and W. Raymond Wood, details two such posts that reached their golden age under the American Fur Company in the 1830s and 1840s.

Central to the book are the forts letter books and a journal. Company employees recorded daily activities in journals and relayed company business as well as personal information about the individuals at the post in letters. Letter books, which contained copies of all outgoing correspondence, were once common items at all posts on the upper Missouri, but only a few survive today.

The few letter books in existence today are dynamic documents, says Jay D. Vogt, director of the South Dakota State Historical Society. They illustrate the nature of commerce in this region and are a rich resource for historians. Scholars Casler and Wood have done a service to researchers in compiling them into one volume.

Editors Casler and Wood transcribed and annotated these rare materials, including some translated from the original French. Known for over a century, the Fort Tecumseh journal and the letter books from Fort Tecumseh and Fort Pierre Chouteau are published here in their entirety for the first time.

Casler, a former park ranger with the National Park Service, has written numerous articles on the upper Missouri River fur trade from his home in Williston, N.D. Wood is the author of numerous publications and has a doctorate degree in anthropology from the University of Oregon. He taught anthropology at the University of Missouri for nearly four decades.

Fort Tecumseh and Fort Pierre Chouteau: Journal and Letter Books, 18301850 is available for $29.95 plus shipping and tax from the South Dakota Historical Society Press, sdhspress.com, or from local and online booksellers.
BELLE FOURCHE  Plans are being finalized for the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial to be placed at the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center on Nov. 11, 2017. The dedication is sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3312.

Plans for the day include Pastor Paul Howard as keynote speaker, a music program, and will feature the Belle Fourche Honor Guard.

Middle School students collected pennies for several years as a donation toward the memorial. They have raised over $1400. A community member donated $1,000 toward the six-foot memorial in honor of a fallen Vietnam soldier from Belle Fourche by the name of Leland Kahler. However, the total project will be about 10 times the amount raised so far.

A spaghetti feed will follow the memorial dedication hosted by middle school students to help raise funds.

A donation account has been set up under the name Post 3312 Vietnam Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank or donations can be sent to VFW Post 3312, PO Box 276, Belle Fourche, SD 57717.
Genres : Action, Dark Comedy, Horror, Mystery

Starring : Naomi Watts, James Marshall, Eric Thal, Michael Ironside, Edward Herrmann, Dan Hedaya

Director : Dick Maas

Plot Synopsis

When the elevator in the 102-story Millennium Building starts to malfunction the management sends in a mechanic to solve the problem, but not everyone is happy about it-especially the elevator. After several of New York's finest are killed, the government, fearing terrorism, seals off the building. Now it is up to the mechanic and a reporter (Naomi Watts) to face an enemy whose bloodthirst is only met by its unpredictability...an enemy that is determined to fight off any intruder looking for the dark secret that lurks inside the belly of The Shaft.
Prisons play a key role in Nebraskas criminal justice system by protecting public safety and preparing inmates for return to our society. Under the leadership of Director Scott Frakes over the past two years, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) has been making great strides and working to better achieve their mission. From expanding facility capacity to automating sentence calculation processes and expanding programming, the agency has been adopting data-driven practices to modernize its operations and facilities.

While Scott and his team have accomplished much over the past couple years, their efforts havent come without support from numerous partnerships.

To realize many of these changes, we have taken an all hands on deck approach by working with all three branches of state government on several initiatives. Since 2014, Nebraskas three branches of government have collaborated with the Council of State Governments Justice Center on justice reinvestment initiatives, which included the successful passage of sentencing reform with LB 605 (2015). In August, NDCS announced they had successfully completed implementation of their justice reinvestment initiatives. These included risk/needs assessments and programming reviews to protect public safety and help prepare inmates for reentry into the community upon completion of their sentence.

Successful outcomes for NDCS also require proper funding. Since entering office I have made it a priority to adequately fund our corrections system. I worked with the Legislature in 2015 to secure an additional $37 million over two years to improve operations in the corrections system. In 2016, the Legislature and I agreed upon an additional $26 million to expand our current prison facilities. This year, we worked together again to provide another $75 million in housing investments to appropriately house and care for the needs of elderly inmates and to deliver better programming for those with behavioral health needs.

We are beginning to see tangible results from these investments. Eight of our ten facilities are successfully filling vacancies and retaining staff members. The agency has put more of a focus on leveraging data to manage the prison population and better deliver programming. This year, NDCS completed over 7,000 risk-needs assessments on inmates to determine where they should be housed and what programming can help prepare them for reentry. Last month, the agency opened a new 100-bed dormitory at their community corrections facility in Lincoln, which is preparing inmates to return back into society.

While we continue to see great progress, we still have work to do. Staffing at two of the states maximum security facilities continues to present a challenge. To address this, Director Frakes recently instituted a new hiring bonus for corrections officers at these facilities along with raises for more experienced workers. These bonuses and incentives aim to decrease the amount of overtime required by the current workforce. If these strategies succeed, a higher level of staffing will alleviate pressure on our workforce, allowing our officers to better focus on their jobs, families, and personal well-being. We want our corrections officers to go to work each day feeling secure and supported in their environment as they protect public safety.

Hiring more corrections officers not only benefits our loyal officers, but also saves the taxpayer money as well. Every vacant position which is filled by a full-time team member rather than overtime saves an estimated $13,000 per year.

Looking to the future, we also continue to put a focus on programming to prepare inmates for their return to the community. More than nine in ten people currently in our prisons will reenter society. One program new to NDCS is titled Thinking for a Change. It is helping inmates to recognize criminal thinking and replace them with constructive thinking and problem-solving skills. The program aims to reduce recidivism (the rate of reoffending) as well as lower incidents of inmate misconduct in our facilities.

Weve also seen great community support for innovative partnerships thanks to the philanthropic support of Nebraskans like Rhonda and Howard Hawks as well as Ken Stinson and others. Last fall, NDCS launched a new partnership with Defy Ventures, a nonprofit organization which transforms the lives of individuals with criminal records by hosting entrepreneurship, employment, and character development training programs. Defy Ventures currently operates in three NDCS facilities: the Nebraska State Penitentiary, the Omaha Correctional Center, and the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. By providing this opportunity, Defy not only equips inmates with multiple skills they can use once they return home, but it also makes our prison environments healthier and safer.

Thinking for a Change and Defy Ventures are just two examples of the innovative programming changes NDCS has made. These changes are evidence-based and are helping accomplish our goal of rehabilitating the individual rather than simply holding onto them until their sentence is finished. Ultimately, this approach helps ensure inmates have a constructive pathway to reentering society rather than a quick return to a taxpayer-funded prison. These programs, combined with increased housing and new hiring initiatives, are building a bright future for NDCS.

If you have any questions or comments on our work in transforming our criminal justice system, I hope youll share your ideas. Please call my office at 402-471-2244 or email me at pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov.
Friendships are supposedly both free and priceless. But for one Rapid City woman, friendship came at a cost of more than half-a-million dollars.

To help a friend resolve what she was told were unending issues with the IRS, Kelly Lhotak lent Judy Lynn Carroll at least $600,000 over a 16-year period, according to court documents. But there apparently was no prolonged tax problem  authorities say it was all part of Carrolls scheme to defraud Lhotak after Carroll won millions in the lottery.

Carroll, 58, a native of California, is now facing 35 charges of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court of South Dakota. Each charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

The womens paths crossed sometime in the mid-1990s, when they became neighbors and good friends in El Cajon, a city in Californias San Diego County, Carrolls charging document states.

Over the course of their conversations, Lhotak reportedly learned that Carroll and her husband, James, won $5.2 million in the California lottery in 1989. The amount was to be paid in annual installments over 20 years.

From November 2000 to October 2016, Carroll allegedly repeatedly asked Lhotak for financial help in settling her federal taxes and other related expenses. And this continued even after Lhotak moved to Rapid City in 2002.

Carroll falsely told Lhotak the Internal Revenue Service had completely frozen all her assets, including  Carrolls trust account where Carroll indicated her lottery winnings were held, reads a portion of her 12-page indictment. Carroll told Lhotak the loan would be repaid in full once her assets were unfrozen.

During these years, Lhotak sent Carroll money totaling $622,236 via cashiers checks, wire transfers and prepaid debit cards, the document states. The biggest single amount listed was some $93,000, which Carroll reportedly said represented her final tax obligation and paying it would allow the IRS to release her frozen assets.

IRS records show only one instance between 1995 and 2015 when Carrolls bank accounts were frozen to pay her delinquent taxes, authorities say. In May 2008, a levy of $6,700 was taken from her account.

Carroll gave various misleading reasons why she couldnt repay Lhotak, including that her husband became a victim of identity theft in Florida, the indictment states. Investigators say they couldn't find such a case involving Caroll or her husband.

Carroll is accused also of asking her accountant to write a false report about her IRS issues, as well as her lawyer one about the Carroll familys supposed assets of $17.9 million, when Lhotak asked for proof to back up her funding requests.

At one point, when Carroll asked for money to pay the attorney handling her husbands identity theft case, Lhotak apparently said she would send the money directly to the attorney. Carroll said this wasnt an option, citing reasons that included the attorney only wanted money loaded onto prepaid debit cards, the indictment reads.

In response, Lhotak bought about $30,600 worth of prepaid cards for Carroll, the document states. On about 86 occasions, it says Lhotak also wired money amounting to $300,000, which Carroll said would be loaded on her attorneys prepaid cards.

But investigators say the transaction histories for the prepaid cards show no payments toward attorneys or the IRS. Between 1995 and 2015, Carroll is said to have paid the IRS only $54,000.

Carroll was charged with almost three dozen counts of wire fraud in August, and a warrant for her arrest was issued. She was arrested by the FBI in Montana on Oct. 12, and asked to appear at the federal court in Rapid City. She is free from jail on bond, according to the Marshals Service.

She is scheduled to make her first appearance at the Rapid City federal courthouse on Monday, where her charge will be read and she will be asked to enter a plea. She is being represented by the Federal Public Defenders Office.

Lhotak, who now owns a storage facility in Box Elder with her husband, declined to answer questions when reached by phone. Lhotak said she cant make public comments since she is considered a witness in the case.

Oct. 23, 2017, corrections: Carroll was charged with 35 counts of wire fraud; she was arrested by the FBI; and she was asked to appear in court on her own.
Two men arrested in undercover sex stings during the annual Sturgis bike rally have been sentenced, while two more have pleaded guilty.

Iowa resident Aaron Vandekamp, 24, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted trafficking in involuntary servitude and forced labor, court records state.

Vandekamp admitted responding to an online ad during the 2015 rally and negotiating with a pimp to have sex with a 15-year-old girl. Vandekamp said he offered the pimp  who turned out to be an undercover agent  $150 for the girl and was arrested during their supposed meeting, according to a statement he submitted in court.

At his sentencing in February, Vandekamp was ordered to also serve three years of supervised release. He was one of four people arrested during the 2015 rally stings, all of whom have pleaded guilty and received prison time.

The Sturgis undercover operations, conducted every year since 2013, target people wanting to engage in sexual activity with minors. State and federal law enforcement agents have posed as either pimps or teenagers on ad sites or social media platforms, where they came into contact with the defendants. All the cases have been prosecuted at the federal court in Rapid City.

On Oct. 2, Ryan Kammerer of Box Elder was sentenced to two years of probation for attempted possession of child pornography in 2016.

The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to the offense, saying he asked for nude photos from what he believed to be a 15-year-old boy he met on a social media app.

Kammerer asked the teen to meet him to engage in sexual acts, but Kammerer did not show up, according to court documents. He admitted also to having chatted online with other minors.

Kammerer was among nine men arrested during the 2016 rally, and his case was the first among them to be concluded. Two other arrestees that year have also pleaded guilty and are waiting to be sentenced.

Cody Two Lance, 34, of Rapid City pleaded guilty in September to attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

In a written statement, he admitted sending nude photos of himself to an underage male via a social media app. He was arrested during a planned rendezvous with the supposed 15-year-old.

Two Lance faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing in March.

Also last month, 62-year-old Duane Hosek pleaded guilty to attempted receipt of child pornography.

The Rapid City man admitted sending nude photos of himself to what he thought was a 15-year-old boy he met through an online ad. Hosek said he requested a nude photo of the boy, which he didnt receive, reads a statement from him.

He was arrested outside Stevens High School where he arranged to meet the teen to engage in sexual acts.

Hosek is also set to be sentenced in March and faces five to 20 years in prison for the offense.

During the rally stings this year, nine men were arrested, bringing to 36 the total number of people nabbed in the operation since 2013. Nineteen have been convicted, one has died and the rest of the cases are still ongoing.
Sleep tight, and definitely don't let the bed bugs bite  or any bugs, for that matter.

If you have a bug problem that requires professional help but finances are tight, All Seasons Pest Control is offering a "scholarship opportunity" that would provide free pest elimination services, including bed bugs, roaches, and mice, during this holiday season.

"Times can be tough, so our gift to you is a complimentary service. We know there are hardships in life and we want to make your holidays a little brighter," says a flier from the company.

A news release from the HOPE Center in Rapid City says anyone who is interested can fill out an application and return it to Anna Quinn at the HOPE Center at 615 Kansas City St. Applications are available at the HOPE Center, or at rapidcityjournal.com attached to this story.

Applications are due by Dec. 15. (The online application provided to the Journal lists the 2016 application deadline. The deadline for applications this year is Dec. 15.)

Selected applicants will be contacted.

Lifeways receives $7.5K grant

A youth addiction counseling organization has received a grant from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation.

Lifeways said in a news release that it received the $7,500 grant to support and expand Youth to Youth in conjunction with its other school-based prevention and intervention programs.

According to the organization's website, Lifeways is a nonprofit organization that partners with the state, city and schools to provide addiction counselors to Rapid City Area Schools. In its tagline, "We PIC students over addition," the "PIC" stands for prevention, intervention and connection.

Part of that includes its Youth to Youth program, a peer-to-peer prevention program already in all the local high schools and two middle schools that can now reach out to the other three middle schools.

In the program, students work together to spread the "power of prevention." The group is also planning a spring Y2Y Conference.

To learn more, call 716-6555 or email office@lifeways.us

Credit union staff raises money for children's network

BISMARK, N.D. | The staff of the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas raised $40,600 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals last month.

A news release from the credit union says Miracle Jeans Day, on Sept. 13 this year, is an annual event to raise money for local Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. This year's fundraiser brought in a record-breaking amount, according to the release, with participation from 23 credit unions in North Dakota, 22 in South Dakota, plus the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas.

Each year a rivalry between the two states for who can raise more has inspired strong participation, according to the release. This year, Bob Herrington, CEO of North Star Community CU in Maddock, N.D., issued an added challenge that North Star credit union could raise more money than all of the South Dakota credit unions combined.

If Herrington won, Jeff Olson, president/CEO of CUAD, agreed to take a pie in the face along with Herrington during CUADs New Ideas Conference on Oct. 3 in Sioux Falls.

South Dakota raised $7,045, but North Star raised $14,206 and received a Miracle Match of $10,000 from CO-OP Financial Services, bringing their contribution to more than $24,000.

"Our Dakota credit union partners continue to demonstrate how enthusiasm and a commitment to serve the kids and families treated by CMN Hospitals can lead to remarkable fundraising success," Joe Dearborn, senior director for Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, said in the release.

The money will support the three Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals in the Dakotas: Sanford Childrens in Fargo, N.D.; Sanford Childrens in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Rapid City Regional in Rapid City.

Items were also collected during the conference for Sanford Children's in Sioux Falls, including clothes, toys, games and toiletries.

According to its website, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals raise funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide treatment for children across the U.S. and Canada.

'Hunger scan' raises funds for local food pantries

Two local grocery stores raised $4,300 for Feeding South Dakota as part of a national scan campaign to benefit food pantries and food banks.

According to a news release from SpartanNash Foundation, the two Family Fare stores in Rapid City, at East Saint Patrick Street and on Mountain View Road, raised the money for Feeding South Dakota during the "hunger scan."

During the 12-day event, store guests who visited any participating store in eight states had the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 at any checkout lane, with 100 percent of dollars raised going to support community food pantries and food banks.

It was the fourth scan campaign the SpartanNash Foundation held in 2017, according to the release, with the proceeds benefiting local Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, patriotic partners and food banks.

Each store selected the local community food partner its campaign would support, according to the release.
BISMARCK, N.D. | Native American students in North Dakota are struggling in school despite the state's overall high school graduation rate remaining high.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction held a Dropout Prevention and Re-engagement Summit on Oct. 1, The Bismarck Tribune reported. The summit was scheduled after teachers of Native American students across the state asked to know more about dropout prevention strategies.

The total graduation rate was nearly 90 percent for the 2015-16 school year, the most recent data available. But the rate for Native American students was about 65 percent.

State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said that since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002, achievement gaps for all subgroups have gone down, except for Native American students.

"That is not OK, and it keeps me up at night. Obviously, what we were doing for 15 years was not working. We have to re-examine that, and we have to do things differently," said Baesler.

She also said that the replacement for No Child Left Behind will help with those efforts.

Sandy Addis is the keynote speaker and director of the Clemson University's National Dropout Prevention Center. She said the state is "significantly ahead of the nation" in terms of its high school graduation rate,

Addis said while there has been some progress among Native American students, there's much more room to improve. She notes that low-income student graduation rates continue to fall behind.
BILLINGS, Mont. | Practices at the Billings Veterans Affairs dental clinic led to delays in care and in some cases risked patients' health, according to a federal investigation.

Billings dentist Kelly Hale complained in 2016 that former chief of dental services Robert Bourne didn't allow staff dentists in Billings to access a computerized system to log requests for consultation and treatment for veterans outside the VA system, The Billings Gazette reported.

An investigation by the VA's Office of the Medical Inspector found dentists had to fax a form to the VA Clinic at Fort Harrison near Helena for electronic entry, delaying treatment for patients who needed teeth pulled or biopsies of oral lesions, leaving them to suffer pain for "longer than necessary." The investigation also found Bourne routinely denied care outside of VA facilities when it should have been approved.

Veterans who were denied outside consultations were forced to drive hundreds of miles to the nearest VA clinics to receive treatment.

In one case, there was an 11-week delay from the time a non-VA dental care consultation was faxed until the request for a biopsy of a suspicious oral lesion was entered into the computer, the investigation found. Hale complained that he submitted a request for the biopsy of an oral lesion for a patient and was not notified that the consultation had been approved, that the care had been completed or that the lesion was cancerous.

Dr. Benjamin Atwater, the acting chief of medical staff at Fort Harrison, reported he told Bourne in December 2015 to stop using the faxed forms, but that he didn't follow up to make sure procedures were changed, the investigation found. Atwater sought an investigation of issues with administration of dental services, which was done in February 2016.

Atwater said he again told Bourne in February 2016 to stop using the paper consultation forms and that Bourne reported he had done so.

However, the other dentists said they still did not have access to the computerized system. Hale said he filed a request for access to the necessary system and reported that Bourne denied the request.

The Office of the Medical Inspector conducted its investigation in June 2016 and found the dentists were still using the unapproved forms, according to the report.

Bourne has stepped down as chief of dental services, but he remains a staff dentist at Fort Harrison

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is now fighting the VA's recommendation made in July that Hale be fired for professional misconduct based on allegations that he abused patients, used disrespectful language or conduct and endangered safety or caused injury at a VA facility.

The Office of Special Counsel says the recommendations were made in retaliation. The request for the investigation into Hale's conduct was filed two weeks after he was identified as the whistleblower in late 2016.

Hale is now in an administrative position, but his work is unclear because the Billings VA dental clinic has been closed since January. Montana VA spokesman Mike Garcia told the Gazette that the Billings dental position is scheduled to be filled in January.

The Office of Special Counsel obtained a stay of Hale's proposed firing. It expires on Nov. 19.
Trump supporters are correct in their gripes about media objectivity. They and their leader can validly complain that we in the newsbiz are not mere stenographers who regurgitate the pros and cons of the bile he spews. Oftentimes, there are no pros to his cons.

When Trump goes on Twitter to viciously stomp on somebody or other  like the American citizens desperately trying to survive in Puerto Rico, who have the audacity to speak Spanish  or when he takes actions that sabotage health care delivery simply to satisfy his passion to destroy anything with the "Obama" label, it is not our job to act like robots and merely recite whatever he's done or said without putting it in a values context.

We have a professional responsibility when Trump threatens to pull federal assistance out of storm-ravaged Puerto Rico to continue covering the persistent misery that Hurricane Maria has left in her wake. That would be considered the backdrop for the president's tweeting, but for the residents of the U.S. territory who are now trying to survive without electric power or communications, to say nothing of food and water, it's not a backdrop at all. It is very much in their foreground.

And when POTUS abuses his power by cutting off insurance-company subsidies for lower-income Americans who simply want access to health care, we are honor-bound to report that the action has the potential to drive premiums sky-high, pricing both poor and lower-middle-class individuals and families out of medical protection. Ditto for his executive order that makes it easier for insurance hustlers to offer plans that offer borderline fraudulent coverage to those suckers who would buy such policies. These plans are to health care coverage what Trump University was to education.

Not that we reporters make much of a difference. Those who believed Trump was their guy will not be persuaded otherwise. Those of us who accurately cover the substance and framework of any Trump developments, no matter how grotesque, are dismissed immediately by the president as purveyors of "fake news," and vilified or threatened by some of his supporters.

Some of his glib henchmen, like Steve Bannon, call us sinister agents of some sort of "Deep State," a phrase that is market-tested to suggest that we are part of a formal secret malevolent structure that perpetuates control for the rich and powerful. Never mind that those same rich and powerful often have been targets of our reporting. As Bannon and his wordsmiths claim to see it, we are part of a plot to deny the masses what is fairly theirs.

Meanwhile, the president is never-endingly on his spiteful rampage, which includes belittling anybody he sees as an enemy. That's literally in the case of retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who is 5-foot-7 and has had the temerity to suggest that the White House had become a chaotic "adult day care center." So, the president of the United States dismisses Corker as "Liddle Bob Corker," ridiculing his stature but not understanding that Corker has tremendous stature and power in the Senate.

Yes, committed Trump supporters, we newspeople are adversarial. For real. We should be. And we're used to being hated, so you'll just have to stand in line.
PIERRE | Earlier this fall the always-innovative Trail of Governors program added four statues to the streets of Pierre from South Dakotas history of chief executives. One shows a man with hatchet in hand.

Thats Tom Berry. Its an image based on a photograph from his 1932 campaign for governor, when he got axes as gifts from folks wanting spending cuts.

He took an axe to state government many times during his pair of two-year terms from January of 1933 to January of 1937.

He chopped salaries of state government employees 10 percent. He slashed state government spending on public colleges and universities 40 percent.

He cut down the lieutenant governor from his first term who had challenged him in a primary en route to a second term.

He embraced the New Deal programs that President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought to the nation.

He ended South Dakotas second era of prohibition with a 3.2 percent beer law and unlimited licenses.

He used the state Senate to negotiate a compromise on the rate of the new gold-severance tax, getting it down to 4 percent after the House of Representatives set the bar at 10.

But Berry, a Democrat from the Double X Ranch near Belvidere, lost his bid for a third consecutive term to Republican Leslie Jensen.

The cover of a new biography about Tom Berry shows him in the saddle on a horse. The title says it all: South Dakotas Cowboy Governor.

The author, Paul Higbee of Spearfish, covers a lot of ground in just 102 pages and four chapters. Hes written a fine book that I cant recommend highly enough.

Berry was one of only four Democrats that voters of South Dakota elected as governor.

The first was William J. Bulow. A late replacement in the 1924 campaign after the original Democratic nominee died, he lost that election.

But Bulow profited politically from the 1925 legislative probe into the failed Rural Credit program. He ran again in 1926 and won.

Bulow served two terms as governor, along the way fighting the Republican majorities in the Legislature to a standstill over the state budget.

In those days, there wasnt a limit of two consecutive terms. But Bulow didnt run for a third term. Instead, he campaigned for the U.S. Senate seat and won.

Berry was born April 23, 1879. He spent six years in the state House, from 1925 through 1930.

After losing his bid for a third term as governor in 1936, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1938. He lost again.

In 1942, he challenged Bulow in a three-way primary for the Senate and won the Democratic nomination. But then Berry lost the November general election.

That was his last campaign.

Tom Berry died Oct. 30, 1951, seven years before Ralph Herseth won his first and only term as South Dakotas third Democratic governor.

Democrat Dick Kneip won three terms in a row in 1970, 72 and 74. Only Republicans have won since.
Genres : Comedy, Action

Starring : Johnny Yune, Margaux Hemingway, Raf Mauro, Lee Delano, John Fujioka

Director : Elliott Hong

Plot Synopsis

A Code Red Release! Enter the Dragon meets The Three Stooges in this uproarious comedy that The New York Times called A Hysterically Insane and Inane Comedy Send-Up . They Call Me Bruce is an outrageous comedy caper that takes on the mob, the FBI and just about everything else and leaves you holding your sides with laughter. This zany comedy features the celebrated Korean comic Johnny Yune (They Still Call Me Bruce) as a bumbling Bruce Lee lookalike who secretly dreams of emulating the Kung Fu king. This loveable klutz finally gets his chance when his job as an Italian chef takes him unsuspectingly into the dangerous world of the mafia. His new bosses send him off across the country delivering what Bruce thinks is Chinese flour, but is really cocaine. Along the way, poor Bruce is pursued by a wild assortment of characters, including Margaux Hemingway (Lipstick, Killer Fish) as a gangster moll who wants his precious cargo. Directed by Elliott Hong (Kill the Golden Goose).
Obamacare repeal? Dead.

Tax reform? Dead and demoted to tax cuts, now also on life support.

Republicans may have unified control of government, but they seem curiously incapable of getting major agenda items through.

Maybe it's because Republicans have insisted on cutting out Democrats and doing things unilaterally. Or at least they had been until Thursday, when a bipartisan coalition of 24 senators signed onto a bill to patch up Obamacare. While President Trump and congressional Republican leadership remain skeptical about working with the enemy, this could be the start of a turnaround for the GOP.

To be clear, "bipartisan" ideas are not necessarily "good" ideas. Sometimes a policy that both parties support turns out to be a huge mistake.

As a political matter, though, it can be extremely useful for the majority party to get buy-in from the other side, for three reasons.

First, it offers political cover to do necessary but unpopular things.

If you actually want to reform and simplify the tax code, you have to close loopholes benefitting some constituents. If you want to cut rates without increasing deficits, you need to find money elsewhere, either through spending cuts or other tax increases, which some affected group is going to be unhappy about.

Likewise, if you want to wring money out of the health-care system, you likely have to inflict pain on someone, whether it's patients, providers, insurers or drugmakers.

In other words, despite what Trump may claim, few policy changes are really win-win. There's almost always going to be at least one loser, who will likely be loud and angry.

And if your party and your party alone takes ownership of these changes, that loud and angry loser is going to direct this rage at you.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., surely knows this. It's one reason he refused to work with President Barack Obama on almost any major policy initiative. That way, whenever bad things happened, Republicans could throw up their hands and proclaim "Don't blame us!"

And in fact Republicans said this all the time, even over bad stuff unrelated to any Democratic policy decisions.

Now, surprisingly, McConnell has boxed in his own party in the exact same way.

He declared his intention for Republicans to govern solo, both by crafting bills of major consequence in secret, without Democratic input, and by attempting to pass those bills through a process requiring zero Democratic votes.

In so doing, he's forced Republicans to take the heat for every controversial decision Congress makes.

No wonder, then, that the party appears to be giving up or watering down basically every major pay-for in their tax overhaul. These include the border-adjustment tax (remember that?) and full elimination of the state and local tax deduction.

Republicans are similarly stuck with the blame for everything that goes wrong in the health-care system. A majority of Americans already say that Trump and congressional Republicans are responsible for any problems with Obamacare moving forward because they're the ones in charge, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

And when the broader economy softens  which it inevitably will  Republicans will again get stuck holding the bag because they hogged the bag.

Second, if Republicans worked with Democrats to find some middle ground and pass their initiatives through so-called regular order, the Grand Old Party wouldn't be so easily tripped up by hostage-takers.

Right now, Republican leadership is beholden to the craziest members of its own party. Someone such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) knows he can make unreasonable demands because McConnell can't afford defections.

And, of course, giving in to fringe demands can cost leadership the votes of more moderate members of their caucus, a dynamic we saw during the Obamacare repeal efforts.

Aiming for a bipartisan coalition of the middle 60 or so votes, instead of requiring the vote of nearly every Republican, would avoid giving undue power to any one legislator (crazy or otherwise).

Finally, if the majority party successfully achieves meaningful support from the minority, it's less likely that a major policy initiative would be undone or sabotaged when the balance of power shifts.

That's a lesson the Democrats have learned with Obamacare, which passed along party lines (despite Obama's efforts to woo Republican votes).

Presumably GOP leadership fears that working with Democrats on an Obamacare fix could leave Republicans vulnerable to being primaried from the right. But what's a bigger threat: some criticism for playing nice today or facing millions of uninsured Americans a few years from now?
Death should not be a taxable event. Surprisingly, though, the idea that it would be such an occasion has become a political issue that can pit family-run farms and ranches against Washingtons political elite who think certain Americans should be taxed two or three times on their wealth. I disagree.

I dont need to tell hard-working farm and ranch families in South Dakota theyre in a land-rich and cash-poor business. They know the assets on the balance sheet far exceeds earnings. But too many lawmakers in Washington dont seem to care.

The case against the death tax is pretty straightforward. An individuals wages are taxed when they are earned. Interest, dividends and capital gains are taxed again. When the owner of those assets passes away, the death tax can hit earnings yet again. Its this extra assessment on previously taxed assets that folks find so objectionable.

Wealth isnt only measured by the money a person has in a bank account. Its also measured by non-liquid assets, like land or other property. That can spell trouble for a land-rich family-run farm or ranch if the death-tax collector shows up at the door, particularly now, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture says cropland values have increased by 400 percent over the last 15 years.

For supporters of the death tax, their favorite talking point is that it only hits a small number of family-owned businesses, farms and ranches, as if that somehow justifies a confiscatory tax on a larger swath of Americans. What they conveniently fail to mention is the large expense  both in time and money  that farmers and ranchers invest during their lives to avoid being a death tax statistic. Too often, these folks have to hire lawyers, accountants and estate planners, which can cost well over $100,000 to develop an effective estate plan. They can also spend tens of thousands of dollars each year in life insurance premiums  all to avoid being a victim of the death tax.

A South Dakota rancher and estate planner recently wrote, My brothers and I own an 8,000-head cattle feeding and finishing operation that will be threatened by the death tax if nothing changes  Repeal of the death tax means farmers, ranchers, and small business owners like me can stop wasting money on a tax that threatens our familys future. That extra money can be spent more wisely in our local economy, which helps our community grow through increased jobs, wages, and purchasing.

I get it. Many of my Democrat colleagues who support the death tax see it as an opportunity to raise revenue and spend it on federal programs. They dont think many farmers and ranchers pay the death tax, and for those who are fortunate enough avoid it, the tens of thousands of dollars they shell out to do so are just a mere inconvenience. In effect, they are punishing success by demanding another big tax at death. To those lawmakers, Id say you need to meet more farmers and ranchers.

In my opinion, one family-run operation thats forced to sell because of the death tax is one too many. Now is the time to bury the death tax once and for all, and Ill continue my years-long fight to do so in the tax reform bill Im working on in the Senate.
In April, President Trump signed an executive order mandating Secretary Zinke to review dozens of national monuments with an eye toward shrinking or revoking their protections altogether. One of those national monuments was Montanas Upper Missouri River Breaks.

In response to this review, more than 24,000 Montanans submitted comments to Sec. Zinke telling him to leave the Breaks and other national monuments alone. As a result, Sec. Zinke recommended no changes to the Breaks, at which point we thought the national monument was safe from political partisan games, at least for the time being.

We were wrong.

Last week, Congressman Greg Gianforte turned his back on Montanans and voted for a bill in the House Natural Resources Committee that throws all national monuments into perpetual jeopardy, including those we have in Montana. This bill allows the current and future presidents to shrink national monuments and makes it virtually impossible for future presidents to designate any additional ones.

To make matters worse, Sen. Steve Daines is co-sponsoring a companion bill (S. 33) that also prevents future presidents from designating national monuments. Both H.R. 3900 and S. 33 target the Antiquities Act, the 1906 law that enables presidents to set aside and permanently protect public lands that have exceptional natural, cultural, historical, and scientific value to the people of Montana and the U.S.

Despite the outpouring of support for the Breaks and other national monuments this summer, despite the Colorado College poll that shows 77 percent of Montanans support national monuments, Rep. Gianforte and Sen. Daines are aligning with Utahs congressional delegation to dismantle the Antiquities Act, a central pillar of Theodore Roosevelts conservation legacy and a key component of Americas conservation heritage. During the past 110 years, 16 presidents  eight Democrats and eight Republicans  have used the Antiquities Act to designate 157 national monuments.

Absurdly titled the National Monument Creation and Protection Act, H.R. 3990 was introduced by Utah Congressman Rob Bishop to further his long crusade to dispose of and industrialize public lands that Montanans and other Americans cherish for their natural beauty and cultural importance. Had H.R. 3990 or S. 33 been law in 2001, the Upper Missouri River Breaks would never have been protected as a national monument or attracted thousands of additional visitors who spend millions of dollars each year in Fort Benton and other gateway communities surrounding the monument.

Monument protection of the Upper Missouri River Breaks ensures future generations will enjoy the same opportunity we now have to hunt the best big game in the world; to view tipi rings, rock art, and other artifacts that go back thousands of years; and to camp and hike in the same riverside spots that Lewis and Clark did in 1805. Monument protection of Pompeys Pillar similarly enables future generations to physically connect with a moment that changed the course of Montanas history.

If either of these bills becomes law, we will lose an important tool to permanently protect the places that embody our shared legacy as Americans. As Sec. Zinke suggested this summer, there are still places in Montana, such as the Badger-Two Medicine, that could be protected using the Antiquities Act. These bills will close the door on that opportunity.

National monument protection of these special places did not occur out of thin air. Thousands of Montanans wrote comments, attended public meetings, and spoke up for protecting the Upper Missouri River Breaks. H.R. 2900 and S. 33 would make it difficult, if not impossible, for any future president to act on this kind of groundswell of public support.

Call Rep. Gianforte at 202-225-3211 and Sen. Daines at 202-224-2651 and ask them to withdraw their support of H.R. 3900 and S. 33 and instead support the preservation of places that define who we are as a people.

Nicolle Fugere is owner of Missouri River Outfitters in Fort Benton. Hilary Hutcheson is host of Trout TV, a fly-fishing guide, and owner of Larys Fly and Supply in Columbia Falls. Shane Doyle is an educator and Crow tribal member living in Bozeman. Larry Epstein is a former Glacier County attorney living in Essex and Helena. All represent Hold Our Ground at holdourground.org.
Senator Daines, you have been in the press a lot lately; 1) on the need for forest management reform to reduce the risk of wildfire and 2) about the high-tech industry conference you recently held in Missoula.

Thank you for promoting a call for action to solve Montanas problems. You make valid points regarding Montanas technology revolution and the good high-paying jobs it could bring.

In contrast, your statements about wildfires and forest mismanagement fall short and oversimplify a complex subject. The mailbox flyer you recently sent us is rife with misleading statements. For example, you assert that eliminating citizens right to challenge the federal government and give the state decision authority over national forests would pave the way for more and cheaper timber sales; lead to more logging jobs; and eliminate wildfires. Sounds good in theory, but just like building a high tech industry, its not that simple.

Since how National Forests are managed affects all Western Montanans, I hoped you would listen to everyones views, as well as consult the wealth of scientific data and studies that are readily available before you draft legislation. However, your flyer states A healthy forest is a managed forest and were done listening to those who tell us otherwise. This suggests that you are not serious about seeking facts or listening to opposing views. Although you say the recent wildfires are a result of forest mismanagement, you fail to state why. One cannot judge whether our forests are being properly managed without clearly defined objectives.

In your guest column on bringing high-tech to Montana you say: You dont have to trade the great Montana way of life, our hiking, fly-fishing and hunting, to have a good-paying job. Technology has removed geography as a constraint to business and Montana is realizing those benefits. Similarly, we should not use up our public land assets that attract such businesses.

Polls suggest that industry leaders repeatedly admit the quality of our environment is a bankable commodity. We all know that our quality of life here is largely created by living close to national forests. How we manage our forests influences whether high-tech companies choose to locate here.

So Senator Daines, why not sponsor a summit that explores not only what kind of technology infrastructure we need to support a high-tech economy, but what kind of National Forest management programs and priorities we need as well? Why not seek expert advice on how we can reduce the fire risk while simultaneously creating healthy forests that protect the environmental qualities that would attract high-tech companies to invest in Montana? It should be possible to maintain highly valued recreation opportunities, scenic quality, water quality, and wildlife habitat and reduce the fire risk. We can have high-tech jobs and jobs in the woods to reduce fuels. Yes, I think we can have our cake and eat it too. However, we must be willing to listen to all sides of an issue. How about it, Senator Daines?

I am doing my part by hosting a series of lectures on Fire and Forest Management at the North Ravalli County Library in Stevensville, Montana, this November. How about you host a conference of high-tech industry and natural resource leaders that, instead of looking backwards to the '50s and '60s, look to the future. We need a new paradigm that manages the assets of our National Forests to benefit all Americans while attracting new high-tech jobs for Montanans.

 Margaret Gorski

Stevensville, MT
Watching the massacre that just took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, has left me wondering how many more will we be witness to? Looking back on previous acts of terrorism that have been committed here in the United States, the biggest percentage of them have been carried out by our own white home-grown terrorists. For this I have been thankful. Had the majority of these atrocious hate crimes been committed by blacks, Mexicans or Muslims, it would have left a blood trail of innocent victims murdered by racists. We spend hours reporting on these hate crimes. Hours are spent studying these terrorists, and what made them do it. The monetary cost to the American taxpayers would be horrendous.
Pro Trump candidates are jockeying for position.

West Coast emigrant Troy Downings campaign is chaired by West Coast Lola Zinke. Whos ill suited to deflect Downing's voting in Montana fewer times than hes wrongfully applied for resident Montana fishing and hunting licenses.

East Coast emigrent Matt Rosendale certainly has the strongest Montana GOP support. He's favored by Stephen Bannon and the Robert Mercer organization that motivated targeted voters to vote for Donald Trump.

Fourth generation Montanan, recently District Judge Russell Fagg is blaming Senator Tester for voting against Gorsuch, and voting for the Affordable Health Care Act.

The Koch brothers supported Price, Pruitt and DeVos as Cabinet level department heads.

The Koch brothers, and Robert Mercer, may decide who will defeat Senator Tester!

Meanwhile theres growing national consensus that our President does not understand war and peace, government debt, Kremlin support for North Korea, record breaking wildfires, hurricanes, and the Iran problems.

And for many, has now made health care much less affordable than under the Affordable Care Act.

Yet still refuses to comply with bi-partisan Congressional vote to punish Kremlin cyber war operatives.

Or acknowledge anti USA Kremlin information warfare, while our weak National Security Agency gets weaker.

 Bob Williams, Stevensville
Guwahati: Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) had seized huge quantity of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from a vehicle bearing registration of Uttar Pradesh in Nagaland's Zunheboto district on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

According to the reports, based on specific input, a troop of 5 Assam Rifles had conducted an operation at Natha Zhimomi area and seized huge quantity of IMFL from a vehicle.

'The troop established a Mobile Vehicle Check Post at the area and intercepted a Scorpio Mahindra bearing registration number UP-16- J-5522 carrying liquor,' PRO, HQ IGAR (North), Assam Rifles Lt Col Amitabh Sharma said.

The security personnel also apprehended a person identified as Vitoka Yeptho and recovered 384 bottles of MC Dowell's Rum and 72 bottles of Beer Kingfisher in possession from him.

Later, the nabbed person along with recovered liquor was handed over to Zunheboto Police Station for further investigation.

Earlier, Assam Rifles had recovered 61 cases of MC Dowell's Rum from a Maruti Gypsy bearing registration number NL-07-H-6065 at Zungti village in Zunheboto district and apprehended a person identified as Yepaka on October 18 last.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Oct 22: The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinsons disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bushs wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Soul Man Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them some of Americas finest public servants.

This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another, Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents  Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton  made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems, said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bushs presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haitis 2011 earthquake.

Its certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something thats not political, they can rake in big money.

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of poor leadership, and later tweeted that, Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldnt be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

They cant get away from the politics of the moment, he said of current White House occupants. Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nations grandfather.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as One America Appeal. In it, George W. Bush says, People are hurting down here. His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, We love you, Texas.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.
KHAJURA, BANKE, Oct 22: Two people died and one was injured in separate incidents in Banke.

Sandeep Juwal, 25, from Parasi Municipality-9 in Nawalparasi, a cement factory worker, died after he was hit by a falling machine while trying to fix it at his workplace. He was the worker at Ganapur-based Bageshwori Cement Industry in Janaki Rural Municipality, police said. He, left severely injured in the incident, was rushed to the Kohalpur Medical College where he succumbed last night, Banke police chief Tek Bahadur Tamang confirmed.

Similarly, Mangala Sunar, 19, from Narayanpur-9 in Dailekh was killed in a motorcycle accident here last midnight. The accident took place when an over-speeding motorcycle (Bhe 4 Pa 6860) she was pillion riding met with an accident at Rangila Chowk of Baijanath Rural Municipality as the motorcyclist lost control over it. Motorcyclist Sujan Rawat, 27, was severely hurt in the accident and is being treated at the Kohalpur Medical College, the District Police Office said.

Meanwhile, one man was found dead near Rangila Chowk and the police are trying to ascertain his identity.(RSS)
Genres : Action, Crime, Thriller

Starring : Halle Berry, Dana Gourrier, Christopher Berry, Lew Temple, and Malea Rose

Director : Luis Prieto

Plot Synopsis

A typical afternoon in the park turns into a nightmare for single mother Karla Dyson when kidnappers snatch her young son Frankie. With no cellphone and no time to wait for police, Dyson jumps into her car to follow the vehicle that holds Frankie. As the pursuit turns into a frantic, high-speed chase, Karla must risk everything and push herself to the limit to save her beloved child.
Ive worked here almost since the day it was open for business. At first, I was here just one day a week, so that Bill could have a day off  which he used to do bookkeeping at home. I remember their long dinning room table which was covered with pile after pile of paperwork. I dont know where they ate dinner. Slowly, this place absorbed my life until my brain looked like Bills dining room table. In 98, when he felt like stepping back from ownership, Bill offered to sell it to me but, happily, he kept working with us all. It has been a great honor to own the Seattle Mystery Bookshop since 1999. Sadly, that is now going to come to an end.

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop will close on Saturday, September 30th at the end of the day.

Why? There are so many reasons. Blame Amazon? Sure, thats the easy thing to say but the massive changes in the world of bookselling are far larger than that. In fact, the changes in the over-all economy make it a much, much bigger story.

To be fair, you have to look back to the rise of mega-stores like Barnes & Noble. They were exciting but they began the phenomena of deeply discounting books. They wanted bodies in the stores, they wanted customers to buy books and CDs and calendars and to drink coffee and browse magazines and they were willing to use books as a loss leader to get you in there. And people went. There was no way for small independents to compete with what a large corporation could do, or what they demanded from the publishers. Publishers paid more attention to them because they had to. Publishers let them do things (claiming a certain percentage of damage from each shipment without detailing which and what; getting placement fees for putting books in prominent places; author events denied to small shops) not allowed to the small independents. That would come back to bite them when Borders collapsed and left a significant hole in the publishers business model.

The next blow to independent booksellers came from the rise of e-books and here, too, publishers made a terrible mistake. For decades, publishers released some books in hardcover and some as paperback originals  mass market paperbacks to be precise. In a year, the books in hardcover would usually be released in paperback. That way, those who could afford to buy hardcovers and who didnt want or need to wait could get it when it was new. Those who couldnt afford the hardcover price knew they could get it at the library or get it in paperback in a year. This was a model that allowed all budgets to get books - a true mass market for books.

Think of Hollywood. Movies would come out and play for weeks or months. You could go to it and pay full price at night, or go see a matinee for a bit less. If your city had them, you could wait to catch a movie you wanted at a second run theater, weeks after it premiered but months before it might, might, show up on cable. Again, it was a model that allowed for a mass audience. When movies on cassette became practical, think of what it would have done to the Hollywood model if movies could be rented at the same time they hit theaters allowing people to see a movie for far cheaper than going to a theater?

Thats what publishers did. They allowed a far less expensive version of their books to be available right away, undercutting the sale of hardcovers with the cheaper e-version. What they shouldve done was to give the hardcovers time to sell before releasing the e-book along with the mass market. But they didnt. They way they did it took the legs out of the publishing of hardcovers. In reaction, in order to make up for dropping sales, they upped the price of all books, driving more of the market to the cheaper alternative of e-books. And they blew it with paperbacks, too. They said the marketplace was moving away from mass markets, that readers, and bookclubs, and booksellers wanted trade paperbacks at twice the price of the mass market. The mass market paperback was dead. If it was, they murdered it. The fallacy here is that trade paperbacks limit the number of books that someone with limited disposable income can buy AND those higher priced trade paperbacks were undercut by the e-book prices as well. (Now, it should be noted, that publishers are beginning to release titles that have been trade paperbacks as mass markets. Wed assume sales of the more expensive trade paperbacks have slowed and publishers are trying to lure readers back with the traditionally less expensive softcover. Yet now there are far fewer places to sell those cheaper editions. And now Hollywood allows you to rent movies at home so who needs to go to movie theaters any more!)

The American Booksellers Association moved to stem the tide of readers going to e-books by making it possible for independents to sell them too. But it was pointless. You cant pay the rent and your employees with the sale of dirt cheap e-books. Thats a business model that cannot work unless youre a huge outfit that also sells tires and tubesocks.

So, anyway, Big Box stores and on-line and e-book sales are a huge part of it but there are at least two other equal parts.

The second is the over-all economy. The Great Recession took away a lot of jobs and dislocated a ton of folks  especially in downtown Seattle, where we are. Suddenly, the disposable income that theyd used to buy books was greatly lowered, if there at all. And as the prices for everything increased so that sales and sales taxes could bring in something like what was needed to pay the citys bills, there was much more competition for our fun money; gas was higher and parking cost more as the city tried to find new sources of funds since fewer people were employed and the merry-go-round stopped spinning as it had. Those people who suddenly had less money to spend were heavily drawn to those inexpensive e-books, or to the library. All those new millionaires and billionaires might be good for investment bankers and real estate developers, but they can only buy and read so many books. The mass audience for books was sidelined after that crash. You still hear news stories about how middle class wages are stagnant, and that has a direct effect on sales for everyone.

Except at Amazon. Yes, theyre cooking along well, arent they? When people have less money to spend on fun stuff they go where they can get the most for their money  to places who discount heavily. And since people are stressed and lack the time to go out shopping, a place that is convenient and that discounts is a godsend, right? Amazon is poised to be the largest apparel seller in the country and Macys and Pennys close stores. No mystery there.

The third part is generational. For the last decades, the entire publishing world  bookshops, publishers, authors  had been supported by huge post-WWII generations who moved up through their jobs and had the extra money to spoil themselves and their children, and to begin collecting books, collecting hardcovers. After all, there was no alternative to the printed book until books on tape in the late 80s. As their collections grew, they became more sophisticated in their collecting. They demanded first editions, preferably signed. Theyd wait for them, not needing to read them when the book first came out, as long as theyd be able to add another signed copy to the shelves. Theyd backfill too, searching for titles theyd missed from an author theyd only recently began to collect. Author tours became the thing and bestselling authors were created from huge lines of collectors and fans. Piles of books would evaporate during a signing and unknown writers quickly became bestsellers authors.

But now that generation of collectors has begun to retire from it. Theyre downsizing from the homes in which they reared their children and are moving to smaller apartments or condos or retirement centers. They dont have room for the collections they so lovingly built. They want them to go to others who will cherish them because their kids or grandkids dont care. The problem is that every collection is made up of the same authors and the same titles because these authors were vastly popular to a mass audience and were printed in large numbers and now theres not a generation of collectors coming up to soak up these books. They were reared on TV, they had the pleasure of reading beaten out of them in school, or they, too, have some of these books but dont feel the need to fill in their collections  it just isnt their thing. The great collector generations grandchildren dont yet have the disposable income to buy books. Theyre saddled with massive college debts, rents and mortgages are sky high, theyre starting their families and babies are expensive, everythings expensive, they dont have the disposable income their parents and grandparents had and, what the hell  it is just so easy and cheap to order on-line on their phones where the do most of their reading.

And here we are.

Those are the big reasons. There are many smaller ones, some unique to Seattle and Pioneer Square (unendingly difficult and expensive parking, street construction, the end of the Ride Free zone, viaduct removal, ball games, protests and marches), and some national (the increased use of credit cards and their transaction fees, higher international mail costs, vendors screwing down on payments).

Then, too, there was me. I dont have the easiest personality and I rub some/many people the wrong way. I can be too impatient and prickly and more than a few people have referred to me as a curmudgeon. I am all of that. I have always known that I have been the shops greatest drawback and I know it contributed, in some way, to the fall in sales. If I caused you to shop here less, I apologize.

Just after the LA mystery bookshop closed in 2011, we had a major LA author in to sign. He was still furious that those owners had closed without saying anything  that they were in trouble and needed help. He asked Why didnt they ask for help? That stuck with me. A few weeks later I composed a letter to that author as well as to two other international bestselling authors who had also been here to sign multiple times and laid out for them their sales with us over the years. I pointed out that sales with in-shop signings were far higher than with signed copies from another source. I asked them to use their influence with their publishers to ensure that small independent mystery shops were made a priority and were put on their tour schedules. I asked what they were prepared to do to help the small mystery bookshops who helped to launch their careers. I heard back from none of them.

Weve fought with publicity departments for over two decades to be seen as a viable location for their Big Name authors. Ive made the point that if they dont send their Big Name authors to us we wont be here to help their beginning authors get to be Big Names. Ive beseeched authors we used to normally get for formal signings but who are now brought by only for stock signings that we need their help, that we need them to talk to their publicity departments. Most shrug it off, declining to get involved with tour schedules. Those who have benefited from the exposure and attention of little shops, who are so grateful for our help launching them into bestsellerdom suddenly do not wish to use their power and leverage to help those who gave them attention and benefits. I contacted sales and all the tip-ins went to Barnes and Noble. I have no control over that Well who the hell has more control that a major bestselling author? Weve done what that author said, weve repeatedly asked authors for help and here we are.

Im sure some will say we shouldve done more to ask for help, to make our situation clear. We have. Were written many blog posts about the dangers of not supporting small businesses that will go away if you dont. A few years ago we had to downsize to survive. That was a very clear indication that sales were not supporting what we were doing. Clue #1. That move was not enough so we held the Go Fund Me drive to pay off bills that were holding us back. Clue #2. That worked and bought us a year. We let the staff shrink because we couldnt afford to have the staff we need. Clue #3. Lastly, we tried to sell the place. Clue #4. The clues were there. Weve been playing fair all along.

At one time, when this shop was young, there were at least three dozen independent mystery bookshops around the globe. NYC had four. DC had three. Now there are but a handful. It isnt just us. I am dead certain that none of those that closed wanted to, but, in the end, there was no choice.

Were all heartbroken to close the shop. I personally feel as if I have failed Bill. But we all fought hard to keep it going for years but the sharp bottom line is people have not been buying enough books from us to keep it working for a long time. Time to say goodbye.

I want to thank all of those loyal customers who have been regulars over the years. Its been a gas.

What happens next? Its a mystery.

~ JB
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The Prison Art Show is an annual function at the Pier 5 Law Offices featuring artwork from incarcerated men and women all over the country. But the 2017 Prison Art Show has a singular and surprising distinction  it hosts more than two dozen works by Ghost Ship proprietor Derick Ion Almena, who has been charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the December 2016 warehouse fire that claimed three dozen lives. Almena remains incarcerated at the Santa Rita Jail, but SFist attended the opening of the Prison Art Show to get a few snapshots of the conflicting and dark work of Almena, plus some more uplifting pieces by several other inmates.





As seen above, Almenas artwork is mostly pencil and ink sketches etched onto ripped-out Bible pages. Some are presented framed, others are hung by clothespins. Theyre sort of spiritually darker versions of what you might see in a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, but with the obvious contextual backdrop of his current legal and emotional troubles.



Artwork by Derick Ion Almena, Image: Joe Kukura

Almena is represented by high-profile defense attorney and Rocky Horror cast lookalike Tony Serra, whose Pier 5 Law Office is hosting the Prison Art Show for its 18th year. Its good for prisoners to have art as a form of self-medication, Serra told SFist, while he was also self-medicating if you catch my drift. When they get on the inside, thats their only major creative outlet.



Artwork by Derick Ion Almena, Image: Joe Kukura, SFist. A family friend says the right-facing swastika is meant as a Hindu symbol

Serra did give an update on Almena and his case, wherein Almenas bail was just lowered to $750,000 but it is still too large a sum for him to afford. Thats no bail, thats bullshit, Serra fumed. Hes not a flight risk, he waited around and told everybody where he was.



Artwork by Derick Ion Almena, Image: Joe Kukura

Several of the inmates pieces were more hopeful in their tone, notably these adorable foxes literally made out of standard-issue inmate sweatpants! The show was initiated in the late 90s from works by Native American death row inmate Patrick Hooty Croy, whom Serra got acquitted after a 12-year legal struggle. He started doing Indian art, and was sending us a whole bunch, Serra said. We started just showing Indian art, it started first as a tribute to the Native Americans imprisoned.



Prison Art Show, Image: Joe Kukura

The show now takes work from inmates all over the U.S. A lot of the art is, I call it, rising out of their needs and desires, Serra added. Pictures of an apple, which they dont get or infrequently get, a picture of a beautiful naked woman because theyre deprived of female contact. Its a good way to ventilate the needs and emotions they have.



Artwork by Christopher Geier, Image: Joe Kukura

The pieces are sold and the money goes to inmates families, as prisoners are not legally allowed to profit from their work. The crocheted pieces above were accompanied by an artists statement that began, I have been incarcerated at San Quentin since 1995 and crocheting for approximately six years.

Good work Pier 5 Law Offices! And thanks for the photo @this_is_sara_frances A post shared by Stuart Schuffman (@brokeassstuart) on Sep 6, 2017 at 7:10pm PDT

Pier 5 Law Offices has been in the news recently for what we may see as more whimsical purposes  the above F**k Donald Trump and his Nazi Friends banner they hung in September. Originally it was just supposed to say F**k Trump; Pier 5 attorney Brian Ford told SFist. It was a week or two before the Crissy Field protest was planned with the alt-right folks, we decided it should say F**k Trump and his Nazi Friends. It was a statement of solidarity with the sentiment of the Bay Area, it was as declaration principle, it was identifying ourselves and where we stood.

Things got less whimsical when the death threats started rolling in. Last week was when the troll attack happened, Ford said. The response from the alt-right was very organized, it went out on a couple of different chat boards. We got some violent threats, some threats to burn down the building. The phone lines were so jammed up we has to put them on nine-mode for a few days. (Nine-mode refers to automatically sending all calls to voicemail, as receptionists couldnt handle the call volume.)

Broke-Ass Stuart led an online campaign to jam Yelp with five-star reviews, to counteract all of the bogus one-star reviews coming in from wingnuts nationwide. (The reviews are still pretty ugly, and conspicuously dated.) But obviously the firm thats represented Almena, Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow and countless other controversial defendant takes the all-publicity-is-good stand. Their current banner reads Time to Topple the Tyrant Trump, and they have plenty more Trump banners in the works.

Related: Profiles Of Eight People Who Died In The Oakland Warehouse Fire
The Vietnamese delegations participation in the ADMM and ADMM and its official visit to the Philippines will be made at the invitation of Philippine Secretary of National Defence Delfin Lorenzana.Its engagement in the events reflects Vietnams active, proactive and responsible participation in different spheres of cooperation within the framework of the ADMM and ADMM+.It is also to continue implementing Vietnams initiatives within the framework of ASEAN defence cooperation while affirming its role and position in the region and the world through activities at multilateral forums and promotion of common efforts to maintain peace, stability and development in the region.Meanwhile, the delegations official visit to the Philippines aims to discuss measures to boost bilateral defence relations in the time ahead, thereby helping to intensify the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership.

Vietnamplus
Genres : Crime, Sci-Fi

Starring : Ralph Byrd, George Barbier, Kay Sutton

Director : John H. Auer

Plot Synopsis

S.O.S. Tidal Wave is both a political thriller and one of the earliest examples of the disaster film genre. The corrupt Clifford Farrow (Ferris Taylor, A Man Betrayed), his sights set on winning the New York City mayoral race with backing from the nefarious political boss Melvin Sutter (Marc Lawrence, Flame of Barbary Coast), sees the world as his oyster.



That's until stalwart television journalist Jeff Shannon (Ralph Byrd, Jungle Book) unmasks a system that would place the unscrupulous and unqualified Farrow into power. S.O.S. Tidal Wave remains true to its crime thriller roots until a very surprising twist. The devious Farrow and Sutter, using stock horror film footage of a tsunami-like tidal wave, try to convince an unsuspecting public that the killer wave is about to hit New York, thereby throwing voters into a War of the Worlds-type panic. Will Jeff be able to convince the public of this hoax in time to save the election?
The three-day exhibition also displays over 40 ancient legal documents proving Vietnams indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.



Addressing the opening ceremony on October 20, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Hoang Vinh Bao said the exhibition introduces the sea-based livelihoods and culture of Vietnamese people in coastal areas and islands.



Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son stressed that the tourism sector makes up of 7 percent of the nations gross domestic production (GDP). It served a record number of over 10 million international tourists in 2016, including 230,000 French visitors.



The figure is expected to increase in 2017 as Vietnam welcomed almost 9 million foreign holidaymakers in the Jan-Sep period, Son said, expressing his belief that the exhibition will contribute to bringing more tourists to Vietnam.



Joseph Ahekoe, Editor-in-chief of Francophonie Actualites magazine, who has been to Vietnam several times, expressed his excitement when watching the photos, saying that the exhibition makes him feel like being in Vietnam.



Vietnam has huge potentials that need to be fully tapped for stronger development, he said.



A similar exhibition was held in the Czech Republic in July and two others will be organised in Russia and the US.

Vietnamplus
125 Years Ago

Laundry woes: A great many young men who are dependent upon laundries of Sioux City will have to wear their other shirt for a few days or buy a new one. That is because of a fire in the Millspaugh Laundry, 305-307 Water St., that broke out in the dry rooms on the second floor. It took firefighters a good hour of hard work to bring the flames under control.

On horseback: A mounted police officer has been detailed by Capt. Wicks to do his duty as Sioux Citys first mounted policeman in the residence section of the city. He went on duty for the first time Saturday evening.

New Corn Palace: With ringing unanimity, representatives of business men met at the courthouse and resolved to have a Corn Palace in 1893. A committee will be appointed to form a stock company and will consider broadening the basis of the festival to be larger than ever before.

100 Years Ago

Candy cutback: Sioux City candy manufacturers, having been warned of an impending sugar famine across the country, have started decreasing the output of sweets. The move on the part of the two largest candy makers  Palmer Candy Company and Johnson Biscuit Company -- have reduced the production of candy without cutting the number of workers and payroll by reducing the days work to 10 hours, reducing overtime and discontinuing Sunday operations.

Christmas gifts: A total of 1,400 soldiers and sailors of the United States Army and Navy who have enlisted from Sioux City will receive Christmas cheer bags from the Sioux City and Woodbury County chapters of the Red Cross. Nearly 2,000 women and children made the bags. Each bag, with an American flag sewn on the front, will include such items as a handkerchief, writing pad and pencil, envelopes, paper-covered book, knife, mirror, neckties, mouth organ, electric torch, compass, games, tobacco, pipe, cigarette papers, water-tight matchbox, chewing gum, food such as fruit, chocolate, and dates, plus puzzles.

Female bootleggers: Bootleggers, according to police, are multiplying. The high cost of liquor and its great demand has caused even housewives to go into the business. In the most recent case, in police court Thursday, five women defendants were granted a continuance. Only small quantities of liquor were found in the raids  from a half pint to three gallons.

50 Years Ago

In the news: Elmer Swenson has been appointed as the new city personnel director by City Manager Burford Watson. Mr. Swenson, 47, will end a 27-year service to Roberts Dairy Co. Nov 1, but will continue his position as chairman of the Mayors Committee for International Visitors. Mrs. Etta Grider, 621 Eighth Street, was installed as president of the Sioux City Branch, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Joleen Machacek and Gary Mansfield have been elected Riverside High Schools Homecoming queen and king.

Paddy and Prince: The dramatic story of Paddy and Prince, the celebrated fire horse team of the early 1900s, has kindled the imagination of Mrs. Ralph Crary, a will-known Sioux City author. She has written a juvenile book, Rookie Fireman, which has found its way into an interest of Walt Disney productions. She dedicated the book to retired firefighter Theodore McElhouse, 86, who knew the horses. The horses were acclaimed as world champions in the bunk hitch race.

Council primary: Sioux City voters nominated four out of the six candidates for City Council to face off in the November general election. The top vote-getters are Councilman Earl Grueskin and newcomers Paul Berger, Noel McKenna and Anthony Kauspedas in Tuesdays primary election. They defeated candidates Elmer Mickey Colt and Joe Cernohlavek.

25 Years Ago

Nature Center: Stone State Park will be the home of a regional nature center and outdoor amphitheater, the Woodbury County Conservation Board announced Tuesday. Plans call for an 11,000-square-foot center in the heart of the parks native prairie and timber. The center should be completed by early 1994.

War Eagle update: The statue of Chief War Eagle will be put back where it belongs next spring overlooking the Missouri River and Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The Indian leader surveyed this area 150 years ago. The statue was removed and placed in storage four years ago after a landslide threatened to topple it. It will be placed on a more secure hill nearby.

Headliners: North High School homecoming king and queen are Katrina Boley and Brian Emmick. Maurice Topf has been re-elected president of the Siouxland Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 29. Paul Kirwin is the new president of the Greater Sioux City Board of Realtors.

These items were published in The Journal Oct. 22-28, 1892, 1917, 1967 and 1992.
VERMILLION, S.D.  Two University of South Dakota professors have been awarded grants from the National Science Foundation for their research into germanium crystals and dark matter detection.

Jing Liu and Guojian Wang are two of 30 faculty members from institutions across the United States receiving fellowships through the NSFs Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research or EPSCoR.

Both will receive more than $150,000 over a period of two years to fund their research.

Liu, an assistant professor of physics at USD, will receive his fellowship for research on creating germanium crystal detection devices on campus that can detect radiation, as well as hopefully someday detect dark matter.

Wang, a research assistant professor in the physics department, is receiving his fellowship for research into growing purer germanium crystals for use in detectors such as the ones built by Liu and his team.

According to the NSF, EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-4 fellowship awards total roughly $5.6 million and will be distributed to researchers across 20 states. Awardees will make extended collaborative visits to laboratories and scientific centers, establish partnerships with researchers with complementary expertise, learn new techniques, have access to sophisticated equipment, and shift their research focuses in new directions.
LE MARS, Iowa | As residents continue to debate the proposed PlyWood Trail, organizers have identified three potential routes for the recreational trail stretching from Le Mars to Sioux City.

An engineering firm, McClure Engineering, unveiled the routes at community meetings last week in Merrill and Hinton. Both dissenting and supportive comments were aired by residents, and another set of meetings could come in January, as efforts to finalize a route continues.

PlyWood Trail Committee member Ryan Meyer said the meetings were designed to keep residents apprised of the trail, which would link Le Mars and Sioux City, the Woodbury County seat. The name is a contraction of the two counties.

Dozens of people attended a prior round of meetings in August.

The meetings this week were the first time the three potential routes were presented publicly. Meyer said many bicyclists and others really want the trail, while other people, including some of 30 landowners who have property where the trail may go, are more skeptical.

"We owe it to continually address their concerns as they arise. It was reiterated in each meeting that land cannot be forcibly condemned for trail usage," Meyer said.

Meyer explained if the trail was to cross private land, it would have to be voluntarily acquired in one of three ways, with the owner either donating it, selling or granting an easement for it.

The east alignment, also called the River Route, would run along the Floyd River and would be the most picturesque in terms of observing nature.

The Central Route is the most direct route and shortest, routing essentially along U.S. Highway 75. It also would have the least impact on landowners, as most of the property needed could be obtained in rights-of-way from the cities and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

"That goes right through all four communities," Meyer said.

The West Route would not run along Highway 75 in the middle miles. It would veer a few miles west, south and then back east along existing county roads from Merrill to Hinton. A trail would be placed along each of those three county road sections.

If chosen, the River Route would not pass directly through Merrill and would require an additional 2.5 miles of trail construction, on top of the previously projected 16 miles of the most central route along Highway 75.

"It is the most scenic, it is the farthest from the highway, off the beaten path," Meyer said.

The estimated cost for the trail has been $10 million, or perhaps more if the longer the river or west routes are used.

Jeff Schug of McClure Engineering said fleshing out a more detailed estimate is part of the next phase in finalizing the route choice. A figure often used for other trails is up to $1 million per mile.

Neal Adler, executive director of the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce, noted trail organizers have continually said the funding will come in two ways -- fundraising donations and state and federal trail grants. Adler said Plymouth County residents are primed to donate considerably to the trail.

"The faster the funds are raised, the faster the project can be put together," Adler said.

Meyer said a final route will be picked early next year, after consultation with landowners over the final months of 2017. The decision will then be aired in a third series of community meetings.

Some members of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have expressed reservations about the trail.

Schug said an earlier meeting in Le Mars had a large number of trail supporters, the reaction by people in the Hinton meeting seemed to be split 50-50 and those who spoke in Merrill were more questioning or dissenting.

The Sioux City Council voted in favor of claiming ownership, sponsorship, and maintenance for a portion of the trail. The city of Le Mars has agreed to be the contracting authority for development and construction and both Merrill and Hinton city officials have indicated favor as well.
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.
Tony and Ann Verdoorn, of Orange City, Iowa, will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary with an open house, hosted by their family, from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 at Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Home in Orange City.
SIOUX CITY | Claire O'Brien tapped her cane into the carpet, punctuating the length of her military service in World War II.

"Two years, six months, 29 days," she said. "I think I served longer than many men. I'm kind of proud of that, you know."

I met O'Brien one decade ago while conducting interviews for an exhibit at Sioux City's Betty Strong Encounter Center, one detailing the extraordinary experiences of 14 men and women who served the U.S. during the "war to end all wars."

Yes, men AND women. Two of the veterans we featured in that 2008 exhibit were women: Armeda Jenness, of Kingsley, Iowa, who died in 2012, and O'Brien, a Sioux Cityan who was 85 at the time.

She's one of two surviving members of that effort, a popular exhibit that led to the Journal's cooperation with the Betty Strong Encounter Center on two subsequent series: A 2015 project in which 50 Vietnam War veterans from Siouxland were featured in the Journal and at siouxcityjournal.com, and a similar 20-part series detailing the work of soldiers, sailors and Marines who answered our country's call during the Korean War. All 70 veterans showcased in those exhibits were men.

This fall, the Journal again teams with the Betty Strong Encounter Center to present, "Serving Her Country: Women in the Military." The three-week series will see Journal photographers join reporters in presenting feature profiles, portraits and audio/video clips on 20 women from across the tri-state area who served the U.S. in all branches of the military.

These women, who staffed Navy hospitals in World War II, monitored communications as terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and logged time in the Middle East within the past decade, did more than their share of heavy lifting for our country before returning home to raise children, care for patients, educate students and start businesses.

"I am a women's advocate, for all of us, not just those in the military," said O'Brien, a longtime high school teacher and counselor who returned in retirement to her hometown in 2006.

Claire O'Brien, 95, followed a sibling into military service during World War II. Older sister, U.S. Army Nurse Corps 1st Lt. Dawn O'Brien followed their mother's lead, Mary Beryl O'Brien, a German who volunteered with the U.S. Navy's Yoemanettes.

"Our mother met troop trains in Sioux City during World War I and gave the troops fruit as they stepped off the trains," O'Brien said.

Local military service among women stretches back beyond that point. On Veterans Day in 2016, folks gathered in the Dakota City Cemetery at Dakota City, Nebraska, to dedicate a headstone for Sophronia Hunt, who was 81 when she died in 1928. Hunt was one of an estimated 400 women who dressed as a man and served on the front lines for the Union Army during the Civil War.

Historian Shirley Sides, of Dakota City, tracked down the story of Hunt's service with an Iowa Civil War regiment from Pottawattamie County. She carried a rifle into battle for one month until ordered off the front lines once Army officers discovered she was a woman. She then worked as a nurse before losing her husband who had a leg blown off and died in the war.

Hunt, who went without a grave marker for 88 years, has one now that reads, "Civil War Veteran," a reminder that local women have played an instrumental role in our country's march to preserve freedom.

Many women, tragically, have paid the ultimate price while in the line of duty. In World War I, four women on the U.S. side were killed in enemy action. That number grew to 16 in World War II.

Accidents and disease claimed the lives of an estimated 359 World War I military nurses and more than 500 women serving the military during World War II.

Woodbury County residents embarked on a project to remember their young people killed during World War II as Memorial Stadium was erected in Sioux City in 1949. At least two women are listed on the memorial plaque that, for decades, graced the stadium entrance: Pfc. Betty Jane Montamdon, a 21-year-old Sioux Cityan and 1942 Leeds High School graduate was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve when she was killed in a plane crash while on leave in California in September 1944.

U.S. Army Nurse Corps 2nd Lt. Elizabeth C. Crow died that same month in a hospital in England. Her husband, George P. Crow, told the Journal he believed his wife had been serving in France when she was wounded. Elizabeth Crow enlisted in Sioux City on July 6, 1943, and worked for more than a year as a supervisor in military hospitals overseas. Her death was listed as "DNB," or died non-battle.

Their stories underscore risks women faced while joining the fight, danger all too evident to Alexis Trucke of the Iowa Army National Guard, who toted a pistol and rifle while conducting search-and-question sessions with Afghan women in the Paktia Province in 2010-11.

Trucke deployed just 29 days after celebrating her 18th birthday, the youngest Iowa soldier serving in the Middle East at the time she set foot on foreign soil.

"I signed up as I was looking to broaden my horizons and was unsure what I wanted to do in life," she said.

The military, she said, has helped pay for the bulk of her education. She returns the gesture by continuing her work with the Iowa Army National Guard, where she's risen to the rank of E5 Sergeant.

Already a veteran of 7 1/2 years, Trucke, 25, of Logan, Iowa, recently signed on for another six-year tour.

"Absolutely, I'm proud of my service," she said. "I think seeing the world helped me grow and figure things out on my own. Now, I can do things without second guessing."

U.S. Naval Reserve Pharmacist's Mate First Class Claire O'Brien didn't see the world seven decades ago during her service. Instead, she saw the country from a troop train as it made its away from New York, where she trained, to San Franciso's 12th Naval District Headquarters, where she served the majority of her war-time tour. Like Trucke, O'Brien said she grew into independence while processing records, participating in night-time blackouts and counseling Marines returning from battle.
The Sioux County Conservatives, a political organization aimed at supporting conservative politicians, has been one of the more vocal critics saying LGBTQ beliefs go against what is written in the Bible.

"We can argue about anything until we are blue in the face but we are all in this together," Tolsma said. "We got to find a way to be able to communicate and have a conversation with dialogue with one another."
LAWTON, Iowa | While some of her family members served in the military, Vicki De Witt wasn't initially sure that was the right path for her.

After graduating from South Sioux City High School in 1979, the then-Vicki Gill "wanted to do something with travel," so she took some courses in airline reservations. But she quickly noticed that airline jobs were on a downward trajectory, so she reconsidered.

"My Dad served in the Navy, my sister was in the Army," De Witt said. So, she followed that lead and joined the Army Reserves in Kansas City in 1981.

That ultimately led to a military career that ran to 2012, when she retired as Chief Master Sergeant of the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa National Guard in Sioux City. She retired as an E-9, the highest rank an enlisted member could attain: "I was kind of proud of that."

De Witt, now 56, looked back and said it didn't take long to see she'd found her life's work.

"It was right away. When I got into basic training, it was an adventure. It was hard, of course," she said. "I just needed to grow up, and it was good for me."

The seventh of 11 children, De Witt became vocal -- "my dad would say I was mouthy" -- to make sure she got her points across. In a big family, she also learned the value of hard work, saying, "You learn that if you want it, you have to earn it."

De Witt said that same lesson applies in the military: "Show up, do your job and do it well."

She moved back to Sioux City in 1983, but found that women couldn't serve in the Army Reserve infantry unit so she veered to the Air National Guard. By November 1983, she moved to a full-time position in the 185th, first in the publication distribution office.

Over her nearly 30 years in the 185th, she had many roles, as a public health technician, a maintenance administrative job and in the human resources department, which is known as Force Sustainment in military language.

De Witt liked the job diversity.

"When I got something up and running, I thought of new adventures, things I thought I would be good at," she said.

She went overseas for two main deployments, back when the 185th was still a fighter squadron, before the change to a refueling wing. One deployment was in Germany and the other to Saudi Arabia. The latter most concerned her family because it came in October 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

The Saudi Arabia-based operation involved guard members handling tasks toward keeping Iraqi aircraft from getting into off-limits places. There ultimately was no danger for De Witt.

De Witt and her husband, Rocky De Witt, a Woodbury County supervisor, live in rural Lawton. She is a senior consultant services representative in the Sioux City office for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

De Witt is proud to see her son, Chase Gill, has joined the 185th, continuing her family's military tradition.
SIOUX CITY | The black tanker rail cars carrying crude oil continue to rumble through Sioux City and Northwest Iowa regularly, though statistics suggest there are fewer than in recent years.

The opening of new oil pipelines, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline that passes through five Northwest Iowa counties, has led to a reduction in rail shipments, as has a reduction in oil production in western North Dakota's oil regions, where much of the oil passing through Siouxland originates.

Even with less oil passing through the area on railroad tracks, it takes just one train derailment to create a potentially dangerous situation -- an explosion or fire -- and put local residents at risk. It's why local emergency agencies continue to monitor the trains and conduct training exercises to prepare for an oil train accident.

"We just had training on it this summer. We have crude oil training every year," said Mark Aesoph, Sioux City Fire Rescue Fire Marshal and administrator of the department's HazMat team.

Le Mars, Iowa, Fire Chief Dave Schipper said the number of large trains carrying crude oil may be down, but shorter trains carrying oil pass through the area regularly.

"We see them every day," Schipper said. "It's still out there. The (Dakota Access) pipeline I'm sure will alleviate a lot of that."

Crude oil shipments by rail are down across the United States. A May report from the Association of American Railroads showed 40,235 carloads of oil were shipped on U.S. rails in the first quarter of 2017, down 36 percent from the first quarter of 2016 and the lowest of any quarter since the first quarter of 2012.

How much of that oil is passing through Siouxland via rail can't be pinpointed.

Rail companies are required to notify state emergency management agencies of the number of trains carrying 1 million gallons or more of crude oil through the state. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department records show that a high of 20-30 trains per week transported crude oil on BNSF Railway tracks through Sioux City in March 2015. That number had dropped to four or fewer trains per week this past July. BNSF lines run through Lyon, Sioux, Plymouth and Woodbury counties. The tracks run through Sioux City and across the Missouri River into Dakota County in Nebraska.

BNSF spokesman Andy Williams said the company is shipping less crude oil.

"BNSF has seen a decrease in crude by rail volumes primarily driven by lower U.S. oil production and the use of pipelines to move this commodity. Our overall volumes in 2016 were down by 5 percent ...," Williams said.

Union Pacific, which also runs trains through Sioux City, is shipping less crude oil as well. Company spokeswoman Kristen South said Union Pacific has shipped fewer than 10,000 carloads of crude oil across its 23-state network so far in 2017, down from roughly 46,000 carloads in 2016 and 89,000 in 2015. South said she couldn't provide a specific breakdown for how many carloads passed through Sioux City, but about a dozen carloads of crude have been shipped across Iowa this year.

It appears that the increasing number of oil pipelines servicing North Dakota's Bakken oil-producing region have played a large role in that decrease. The Association of American Railroads report showed that the rail share of oil movement dropped from 62 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2016. In that same time period, pipeline share rose from 31 percent to 57 percent. Crude oil pipeline capacity has risen from 170,000 barrels per day in 2007 to 1.2 million barrels per day in 2017.

The Dakota Access Pipeline added to that shipping capacity, entering into commercial service in June. The $3.8 billion project can transport up to 520,000 gallons of crude oil per day from North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. Of the 1,172 miles of pipeline, 348 miles pass through 18 Iowa counties, including Sioux, O'Brien, Cherokee, Buena Vista and Sac counties.

Pipeline supporters have said shipping oil via pipeline is safer than by rail. That claim gained momentum after a series of fiery oil train derailments -- one of them killing 47 people in Canada -- during a nine-month period of 2013-14 raised concerns about safety of shipping crude oil by train.

Schipper said that by observing the trains that pass by Le Mars, he still sees a large number of oil tank cars. The number of large 100-car unit trains may have decreased, he said, but there are still several shorter trains, not subject to emergency management reporting requirements, carrying crude.

"These trains to me are a lot more dangerous than pipelines," Schipper said, because pipelines generally run underground through rural areas. Railroad tracks run through the middle of many Siouxland cities.

There have been few, if any, major oil train derailments and explosions in recent years. And even if there isn't as much oil on the rails anymore, the risk is still present, Woodbury County Emergency Management coordinator Rebecca Socknat said.

"It doesn't go away because it's not in the news or it's not happening," Socknat said. "We still plan for it. We know it's there. We know it's still a possibility."
We will embrace only cautious optimism until the ink is dry on final new rules expected sometime before the end of next month, but positive signs related to the Renewable Fuel Standard and, by extension, Midwest farm states like Iowa emerged last week.

Consider:

- On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported: "President Donald Trump intervened personally with the Environmental Protection Agency amid pressure from Republicans in the politically important state of Iowa who worried the agency was poised to weaken biofuel quotas, three people familiar with the discussions said. Trump directed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to back off any changes that would dilute a federal mandate for biofuel use, the people said."

- After phone calls with both Trump and Pruitt on Wednesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said: "I had a very productive call with President Trump. Both of them (Trump and Pruitt) affirmed to me their continued commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard."

- In a letter to Iowa Senators Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst, as well as other lawmakers, Pruitt wrote: My responsibility as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is to faithfully administer the laws passed by the U.S. Congress. This agency must and will respect those laws."

In response to the letter, Ernst on Thursday night said: "Over the last few weeks, I had serious concerns about the EPA following the spirit and the letter of the RFS, which I made clear to my committee colleagues, the EPA and the White House. Tonight, Im pleased to see these commitments from EPA Administrator Pruitt to uphold the RFS as intended by Congress.

On Friday, Grassley responded: Its a great day for Iowa and a great day for rural America."

The federal RFS began with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and was expanded and extended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It requires transportation fuel sold in the U.S. be blended with a minimum volume of renewable fuels.

On July 5, the EPA issued proposed RFS volume requirements for total renewable fuel, cellulosic biofuel and advanced biofuel for 2018 and a proposed volume requirement for biomass-based diesel for 2019. Key pieces of the announcement included:

- The EPA proposed to keep the conventional ethanol requirement of 15 billion gallons the same in 2018.

- The EPA proposed decreases in the cellulosic biofuel requirement from 311 million gallons to 238 million gallons and the advanced biofuel requirement from 4.28 billion gallons to 4.24 billion gallons in 2018.

- The EPA proposed no increase in the biodiesel requirement of 2.1 billion gallons between 2018 and 2019.

Perhaps no state is impacted by RFS rules more than Iowa, the No. 1 producer of ethanol and biodiesel in America. Because we wish to see stability and expansion within an industry not only important to the future of agriculture states like ours, but to the future of America because it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduces dependence on foreign oil, we stand with supporters of renewable fuels in urging robust blending targets and no reductions in volume requirements under the RFS moving forward.

In a July 23 editorial, we urged our elected state and congressional representatives to take a leadership role in defending the RFS in response to the EPA's proposed new rules. To their credit, those leaders - in particular, we cite strong advocacy by Reynolds, Grassley and Ernst - appear to be making a difference.

Today, the landscape looks positive for favorable final rules. Until the decision is announced, though, we encourage elected leaders, as well as industry leaders, to take nothing for granted and continue holding the Trump administration's feet to the fire.
Bob Vander Plaats' Other Voices column in Thursday's Journal was nothing less than blasphemy. He claims to be a Christian, and I'll leave that judgment to the Lord. But this I can tell you with confidence: Few gay people feel the "love" that Bob and his Christian political movement claim to share.

You can't smile and gently speak of God's love while stabbing someone in the back and still call it love. Vander Plaats and his religious/political movement oppose every single civil right that gay people might enjoy.

It's perfectly OK with him if I'm fired from my job, denied seating at a restaurant or movie theater, denied medical care by doctors or pharmacists, denied credit, denied housing or apartment rental, denied civil (not religious) marriage, denied hospital visitation, denied inheritance rights, denied adoption rights, denied family memberships at clubs, denied the right to serve my country in the military.

Vander Plaats and his political organization are out there every day advocating to deny all of these rights to gay people. That's his real agenda. And then he pens a column claiming to "love" gay people. There is no Christian love in political movements like this.

Let's be clear. Vander Plaats doesn't speak for Chrisianity. He speaks for his own worldview to advance his own political agenda. Jesus Christ never advocated denial of legal rights to others. Bob fails to mention that because, frankly, his actions reflect those of the biblical Pharasees more than they do of the biblical Jesus. Feel free to read the scriptures and discern for yourself.

Millions of Christians firmly believe that God's word requires that we love and serve one another and leave the moral judgments to Him. And that means speaking out and making sure that our gay brothers and sisters have no fewer rights or liberties than anyone else, not the opposite. - Jim Sorvaag, Sioux City
Hoosier Park hosted the second night of Breeders Crown eliminations on Saturday, October 21, with 14 eliminations on the 14-race program.

Lost In Time took the lead at the quarter and held control to take the first of three eliminations of the Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace in 1:52.4.

Wide through a :27 opening quarter, Lost In Time cleared the front from This Is The Plan, sitting second, and Nutcracker Sweet, in third. Unchallenged through a :56.3 half and through three-quarters in 1:26, Lost In Time turned for home maintaining his lead while pursued by Nutcracker Sweet from first over. This Is The Plan gave chase to his inside to take second, while Keystone Tenacious rallied up the inside to finish third.

By A Rocknroll Dance out of the Artiscape mare Summer Mystery, Lost In Time, owned by A Rocknroll Dance Racing, Douglass Miller, William Rufenacht, and Team S Racing, won his fourth race in six starts, compiling $385,555 in earnings. Trained by Jim Mulinix and driven by Scott Zeron, he paid $2.80 to win.

"There was a huge head wind down the lane, so I tried to set it up so I could get a breather up the backside," Scott Zeron said. "I knew it was going to turn into a sprint with the wind not being in my favor, so it worked out great fractions to play off where I could come home fast."

Positioned off a quick pace, Stay Hungry split horses late, edging to a narrow victory in the second elimination for the Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace in 1:50.4.

Grand Teton brushed to the lead following a :26.1 quarter, with Shnitzeldosomethin sitting in the pocket and Stay Hungry in third. Following a :54.4 half, 6-5 favourite Hayden Hanover tipped first over moving into the far turn, rushing uncovered until Shnitzeldosomethin pulled pocket at three-quarters, timed in 1:23.

Shnitzeldosomethin took control from Grand Teton into the stretch. Stay Hungry moved off the rail, moving between Grand Teton faltering at the rail and Hayden Hanover hanging toward the center of the track to draw alongside Shnitzeldosomethin in the final sixteenth, getting his nose in front in the final strides to win. Whos Better, closing from last, finished third, with Western Passage rallying for fourth.

Owned by Brad Grant and Irwin Samelman, Stay Hungry, by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Dragon Again mare My Little Dragon, won his fifth race in seven starts, earning $137,964. The $7.00 winner is trained by Tony Alagna and was driven by Doug Mcnair.

"I thought he was tremendous," Tony Alagna said. "He's so much better off a helmet -- last week, he went to the front, and he was the favourite in there, and I don't really think that's his game. He was explosive when he popped the plugs tonight."

Karpathian Kid brushed to the front, sat the pocket, and rushed through the inside to win the third Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace elimination in 1:51.

Im A Big Deal grabbed the front in :26.3 before Karpathian Kid took the lead into the backstretch. Closing Statement, pacing fourth, tracked the odds-on favourite's move to the lead and overtook Karpathian Kid before a :55 half.

Closing Statement expanded his lead moving around the final turn, hitting three-quarters in 1:23 while the field cut into his margin through the stretch. Karpathian Kid moved up the inside, matching strides with Closing Statement into the sixteenth pole before pacing by to win. Dorsoduro Hanover, shooting up the passing lane, finished third.

Winning his fourth race in 11 starts, Karpathian Kid, by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Dragons Lair mare Vysoke Tatry, has earned $151,267 for owners David and John Prushnok, David Miller, and Lawrence Means. Trained by Erv Miller and driven by David Miller, he paid $3.40 to win.

"He raced very well; the trip worked out good," David Miller said. "He's a nice horse - he's got a great attitude, he moves great, and he's got speed, so he's got all of the qualities."

Hannelore Hanover cruised going wire to wire in the first of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown Open Trot, winning in 1:52.4.

Taking control before a :28 opening quarter, Hannelore Hanover traveled unchallenged through a half in :57.4 and began to kick clear of pocket-rider Jl Cruze and Il Sogno Dream, tipping first over around the turn, heading to three-quarters, timed in 1:25.4. Hannelore Hanover held the front through the stretch, strolling home while Mambo Lindy rallied down the center of the track for second, while Jl Cruze, Il Sogno Dream, and Pinkman rounded out the finalists.

A five-year-old mare by Swan For All from the Dream Vacation mare High Sobriety, Hannelore Hanover won her eighth race in 15 starts this season and her 34th in 56 overall. Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino, and Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, the Ron Burke trainee, driven by Yannick Gingras, has earned $2,111,939 in her career, and returned $2.40 to win.

"We were happy with her today; she did exactly what she was supposed to do," Ron Burke said. "She finished up strong with her earplugs still in. Last week [in the Sires Stakes Final], we were a little worried [because] she didn't even finish a good second - she kind of gave up a little bit, and that's not like her. We tried a new shoe on her last week for the first time in her life, and I really think that was it; she didn't like the shoe."

Sent the 8-5 favourite, Crazy Wow won the second Breeders Crown Open Trot elimination going wire to wire in 1:53.

Moving to the front before the quarter, Crazy Wow put up splits of :26.3 and :56.4 unchallenged on the lead. Stable-mate Gural Hanover, from sixth, moved first over into the turn, marching up to the leader's wheel at three-quarters in 1:25.1 before Crazy Wow coasted through the stretch in front of Marion Marauder closing down the center of the track for second, with pocket-rider Lookslikeachipndale, Homicide Hunter, and Resolve completing the top five.

A five-year-old son of Crazed out of the Mr Vic mare No Pan No Gain, Crazy Wow, winning his 20th race in 57 starts, competes for owners Our Horse Cents Stables, Stable 45, Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, and Deo Volente Farms, earning $2,089,870 in his career. Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Yannick Gingras, he paid $5.20 to win.

Mach It So went gate to wire to take the first of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown Open Pace, winning in 1:48.2.

Setting a :26.1 opening quarter, Mach It So paced through a :54.3 half before undergoing pressure from Sintra, pulling first over from fourth, heading into the far turn. The two battled as Rock N Roll World chased at the inside third moving towards three-quarters, timed in 1:21.1.

Turning away Sintra in the stretch, Mach It So strolled to the wire in front, while Mcwicked rushed through the center of the track to snag second, with Missile J, Rock N Roll World, and Sintra rounding out the finalists.

A seven-year-old gelding by Mach Three out of the Beach Towel mare Beach Dancer, Mach It So, returning $11.00 to win, won his 38th race in 116 starts, earning $2,204,147. Owned by Bamond Racing LLC, he is trained by Jeff Bamond Jr. and was driven by David Miller.

Taking control heading to the half, Dealt A Winner held off a trio of challengers in the final strides to take the second elimination for the Breeders Crown Open Pace, winning in 1:49.3.

Keystone Velocity launched to the front, pacing a quarter in :27.1 as Mel Mara edged out of the pocket to circle to the front into the backstretch. Dealt A Winner followed Mel Mara wide into the backstretch, moving towards the top before a :54.4 half.

Unchallenged around the far turn, Dealt A Winner passed three-quarters in 1:22.3 as Mel Mara chased in the pocket and All Bets Off advanced first over. Keystone Velocity, shooting through the passing lane, lunged toward Dealt A Winner approaching the final eighth, with Split The House deeper at the inside and Manhattan Beach flying off cover late. Dealt A Winner narrowly held off Keystone Velocity, who finished second, while Split The House, Manhattan Beach, and All Bets Off completed the top five.

A five-year-old gelding by Cams Card Shark out of the Matts Scooter mare Lazan Hanover, Dealt A Winner, owned by Jeffrey Snider, won his 15th race in 58 starts, earning $962,870. Trained by Mark Silva and driven by David Miller, he paid $4.40 to win.

"He's been in top form and holding it there for quite awhile," David Miller said. "Mach It So raced quite well, too. It'll be a good race next week."

International Moni swept by his competition in the stretch, winning the first of three eliminations for the Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot in 1:52.4.

Top Flight Angel set the first quarter in :27.3 then yielded for the pocket as Dover Dan moved to the lead into the backstretch. Rubio, trotting third, angled first over, brushing to the front after a :55.3 half. Rubio held control around the final turn, while International Moni began gaining ground from fifth, trotting into third at three-quarters in 1:23.3.

Dover Dan, riding the pocket, pulled and overtook Rubio in the stretch. International Moni, towards the center of the track, continued to reel in his competition before kicking clear into the sixteenth pole, hitting the line in front of Seven And Seven, closing for second, and Dover Dan, who held third.

Owned by the Moni Maker Stable, International Moni, by Love You out of the Speedy Crown mare Moni Maker, won his eighth race in 13 starts this season and his ninth in 25 overall, earning $537,442. Trained by Frank Antonacci and driven by Scott Zeron, he paid $3.40 to win.

"The race set up great with so much action going on," Scott Zeron said. "It was setting up great for me sitting from the five hole. I was able to come first up like I wanted to, and, coming down the lane, I asked my horse, never slowed him down from the second I moved him, and he never slowed down coming down the lane."

Lindy The Great led every step in the second Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot elimination, winning in 1:53.

Strolling through fractions of :27.3 and :56, Lindy The Great remained unchallenged through the rest of the mile as Snowstorm Hanover, the 6-5 second choice, went off stride moving first over into the turn. Past three-quarters in 1:23.3, Lindy The Great strolled to the wire wrapped up, while New Jersey Viking dove into the passing lane and rallied for second, with Giveitgasandgo snagging third.

By Crazed out of the Muscles Yankee mare Highscore Kemp, Lindy The Great won his fifth race in 14 starts, earning $209,933 for owners K R Breeding LLC and Robert Rudolph. Trained by Frank Antonacci and driven by Tim Tetrick, he paid $4.20.

What The Hill won going wire to wire in the final Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot elimination, winning in a track-record 1:52.1.

Uncontested through fractions of :28, :56.4, and 1:24.3, What The Hill's lone challenge came from Yes Mickey in the stretch, who edged out of the pocket, attempting to slingshot by the tempo setter through the stretch. What The Hill, the 6-5 favourite, remained in front by a length and a half at the line, with Yes Mickey finishing second and Guardian Angel As finishing third.

Earning $808,212 in his 10th win in 28 starts, What The Hill, by Muscle Hill out of the Angus Hall mare K T Cha Cha, competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, Jerry and Theresa Silva Stables, and Deo Volente Farms. Trained by Ron Burke and driven by David Miller, he paid $4.40.

Marching first over around the final turn, Crystal Fashion powered to the top and held on to win the first of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot, winning in 1:54.3.

Odds-on favourite Samo Different Day left for the top, trotting a :28.3 opening quarter with Moosonee in second and Crystal Fashion third. Following a :57.2 half, Crystal Fashion tipped first over moving into the far turn, trotting alongside Samo Different Day at three-quarters in 1:26 clear of Moosonee trotting third and Fiftydallarbill moving towards the center of the track fourth.

Crystal Fashion eventually overtook Samo Different Day in the stretch, while Fiftydallarbill lunged through the center to take second. Samo Different Day held third, while Dawson Springs and Moosonee rounded out the top five.

A gelding by Cantab Hall out of the Tagliabue mare Window Willow, Crystal Fashion, owned by Fashion Farms LLC, won his fourth race in 11 starts, earning $155,292. Trained by Jim Campbell and driven by David Miller, he paid $6.20.

Fourth Dimension broke the track record in his elimination performance, winning the second Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot elimination in 1:54.

Moving towards the front as Mets Hall posted a :27.3 opening quarter, Fourth Dimension cleared the lead moving into the backstretch, trotting unchallenged through a :57 half and three-quarters in 1:25.4. In the stretch, Mets Hall angled off the rail to pursue Fourth Dimension, drawing alongside into the eighth pole before Fourth Dimension extended his lead into the final sixteenth, finishing clear of Mets Hall in second, with Missile Hill splitting horses to take third and You Know You Do and Skyway Torpedo completing the finalists.

Winning his sixth race in eight starts, Fourth Dimension, by Chapter Seven out of the Muscle Hill mare Corazon Blue Chip, races for Courant Inc., and has earned $139,700 so far this season. Trained by Marcus Melander and driven by Brian Sears, he paid $5.80 to win.

Downbytheseaside took the first of two eliminations of the Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace going wire to wire in 1:51.1.

Grabbing the front heading towards the first turn, Downbytheseaside put up fractions of :27.3, :57, and 1:24.3 with no pressure on the lead. Boogie Shuffle, riding the pocket, tipped into the passing lane in the stretch, but only chased and held second, while Photobombr Hanover split horses late to take third, with Miso Fast and Ocean Colony rounding out the finalists.

Owned by Country Club Acres, Joe Sbrocco, Richard Lombardo, and Diamond Creek Racing, Downbytheseaside, by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Allamerican Native mare Sprig Hanover, won his 10th race in 17 starts this season and his 18th in 30 overall, earning $1,661,841. Trained by Brian Brown and driven by Brian Sears, he paid $4.00 to win.

"We're much happier with his performance this week," Brian Brown said. "When you're down at the half in :57, you should make it home, but he was down at the half in :57 last week [in the Tattersalls] and didn't. We think we got it figured out - he had a high liver enzyme, so we're working on it with good-old cranberry juice; it's been helping the horse. I think we got him on the right track - Brian [Sears] was definitely happier with him."

With 3-5 favourite Fear The Dragon out of contention, Rock N Tony shot by pacesetter Blood Line to upset in the second Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace elimination, winning in 1:50.2 at 28-1.

Sitting the pocket, Rock N Tony stalked Blood Line as he posted fractions of :27 and :55.4 before experiencing first-over pressure from Macs Jackpot moving into the far turn, with Funknwaffles riding his cover second over. Through three-quarters in 1:22.3, Blood Line held a narrow lead in the stretch, with Rock N Tony diving to the passing lane at the eighth pole, shooting to the lead coming to the line. Blood Line held second, Beckhams Z Tam closed for third, with Macs Jackpot and Funknwaffles completing the top five.

Returning $58.00 to win, Rock N Tony, a gelding by Rockin Image out of the Cole Muffler mare Pandemonious, won his 13th race in 29 starts, compiling $487,812 for owners Anthony Lombardi and Rocco Ruffolo. He is trained by Erv Miller and was driven by Trace Tetrick.

"I expected him to race good, that's why we put him in here after [winning] last week's [Sires Stakes final]," Erv Miller said. "The sickness that plagued him about a month and a half ago - seems like he got over that. He's definitely heading in the right direction again. He's paid for himself several times over."

During the program of eliminations, Hoosier Park conducted draws for some of the Breeders Crown finals. The finals for the $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot, $500,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace, $527,500 Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace, and $526,500 Open Trot will be drawn live on Monday, October 23 along with the finals for the Mare Pace and Mare Trot. Below are the fields as they were drawn:

$600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Pace

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Reign On Me-Yannick Gingras-Richard "Nifty" Norman

2-Come See The Show-Tim Tetrick-Linda Toscano

3-Rainbow Room-David Miller-Joe Holloway

4-Youaremycandygirl-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

5-Majorsspeciallady-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

6-Im With Her-Paul MacDonell-Paul MacDonell

7-Strong Opinion-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke

8-Fire Storm-Jody Jamieson-James Morrison

9-Pueblo Blue Chip-Jody Jamieson-David Menary

10-Rock On Ladys-Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-Trent Stohler

AE1-Kissin In The Sand-Tim Tetrick-Nancy Johansson

AE2-Aims Whisper-Mark MacDonald-Kevin Lare

$600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Trot

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Atlanta-Richard Zeron-Richard Zeron

2-S M S Princess-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

3-Hey Blondie-Andrew McCarthy-Chuck Sylvester

4-Manchego-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter

5-Phaetosive-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer

6-Top Expectations-Marcus Miller-Erv Miller

7-Jordan Blue Chip-Scott Zeron-Paula Wellwood

8-Lily Stride-Tim Tetrick-Mark Harder

9-Seviyorum-Andy Miller-Julie Miller

10-Looking For Zelda-Tony Hall-Norm Parker

AE1-Basquiat-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter

AE2-Impinktoo-Peter Wrenn-Jim Dailey

$600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Karpathian Kid-David Miller-Erv Miller

2-Western Passage-Brian Sears-Casie Coleman

3-Lost In Time-Scott Zeron-Jim Mulinix

4-Closing Statement-Brian Sears-Joe Holloway

5-Stay Hungry-Doug Mcnair-Tony Alagna

6-Whos Better-David Miller-Brian Brown

7-Shnitzeldosomethin-Peter Wrenn-Dylan David

8-Dorsudoro Hanover-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke

9-Keystone Tenacious-Mark MacDonald-Paul Kelley

10-This Is The Plan-Tim Tetrick-Chris Ryder

AE1-Nutcracker Sweet-Tim Tetrick-Jimmy Takter

AE2-Odds On Lauderdale-Scott Zeron-Tony Alagna

$600,000 Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Crystal Fashion-Tim Tetrick-Jim Campbell

2-You Know You Do-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter

3-Fiftydallarbill-Trace Tetrick-William Crone

4-Fourth Dimension-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander

5-Mets Hall-Andy Miller-Julie Miller

6-Dawson Springs-Joe Bongiorno-Tony Alagna

7-Moosonee-Yannick Gingras-Christopher Beaver

8-Missile Hill-Joe Bongiorno-Tony Alagna

9-Samo Different Day-Brian Sears-Jimmy Takter

10-Skyway Torpedo-Peter Wrenn-Alvin Miller

AE1-Fashionwoodchopper-David Miller-Jim Campbell

AE2-Hat Trick Habit-Scott Zeron-Frank Antonacci

$500,000 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Seven And Seven-David Miller-Thomas Durand

2-Top Flight Angel-Andy Miller-Julie Miller

3-What The Hill-David Miller-Ron Burke

4-International Moni-Scott Zeron-Frank Antonacci

5-Lindy The Great-Tim Tetrick-Frank Antonacci

6-New Jersey Viking-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

7-Guardian Angel As-Tim Tetrick-Anette Lorentzon

8-Giveitgasandgo-Corey Callahan-John Butenschoen

9-Yes Mickey-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt

10-Dover Dan-Corey Callahan-John Butenschoen

AE1-Moonshiner Hanover-David Miller-Christopher Beaver

AE2-Jake-Daniel Dube-Luc Blais

$500,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace

Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer

1-Sintra-Jody Jamieson-David Menary

2-Mcwicked-Brian Sears-Casie Coleman

3-Dealt A Winner-David Miller-Mark Silva

4-Split The House-Brett Miller-Chris Oakes

5-Mach It So-David Miller-Jeff Bamond Jr.

6-Keystone Velocity-Daniel Dube-Erv Miller

7-Manhattan Beach-Sam Widger-Walter Haynes Jr.

8-Rock N Roll World-John De Long-Jeff Cullipher

9-All Bets Off-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke

10-Missile J-Tim Tetrick-Linda Toscano

AE1-Check Six-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke

AE2-Mel Mara-Corey Callahan-Dylan Davis
President Donald Trumps new Iran policy clearly represents a dangerous rejection of diplomacy in favor of confrontation. But its more than that: Its a major shift toward a much closer alignment of U.S. policy with that of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Whether explicitly or not, Trumps vow to work with Congress to renegotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, and his explicit threat to withdraw from the deal if no renegotiation takes place, appear to be satisfying the hardline demands Netanyahu has made of Washingtons policy toward Tehran.

Specifically, Netanyahu has continued to demand that Trump either withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or make far-reaching changes that he knows are impossible to achieve. In his September 17 speech to the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu declared,

Israels policy toward the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it.

And he made no secret of what that meant: If Trump doesnt cancel the deal, he must get rid of its sunset clause and demand that Iran end its advanced centrifuges and long-range missile program, among other fundamentally unattainable objectives.

Trumps statement last Friday managed to include both of the either/or choices that Netanyahu had given him. He warned that, if Congress and Americas European allies do not agree on a plan to revise the deal, then the agreement will be terminated. He added that the agreement is under continuous review, and our participation can be canceled by me, as president at any time.

One provision the administration wants Congress to put into amended legislation would allow sanctions to be imposed if Iran crosses certain trigger points, which would include not only nuclear issues but the Israeli demand that Iran stop its long-range missile program. Ballistic missiles were never included in the JCPOA negotiations for an obvious reason: Iran has the same right to develop ballistic missiles as any other independent state, and it firmly rejected pro forma demands by the Barack Obama administration to include the issue in negotiations.

Trump went a long way towards Netanyahus cancel option by refusing last week to certify that Iran was keeping up its end of the JPCOA. That move signaled his intention to scrap the central compromise on which the entire agreement rests.

Although the Middle East is very different today than during the George W. Bush administration, some parallels can be found in comparing Trumps policy toward the JCPOA and Bushs policy toward Iran during the early phase of its uranium enrichment program.

The key figures who had primary influence on both Trumps and Bushs Iran policies held views close to those of Israels right-wing Likud Party. The main conduit for the Likudist line in the Trump White House is Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, primary foreign policy advisor, and longtime friend and supporter of Netanyahu. Kushners parents are also long-time supporters of Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank.

Politico that Bolton met with Kushner a few days before the final policy statement was released and urged a complete withdrawal from the deal in favor of his own plan for containing Iran. Another figure to whom the Trump White House has turned is John Bolton, undersecretary of state and a key policymaker on Iran in the Bush administration. Although Bolton was not appointed Trumps secretary of state, as hed hoped, he suddenly reemerged as a player on Iran policy thanks to his relationship with Kushner. reports that Bolton met with Kushner a few days before the final policy statement was released and urged a complete withdrawal from the deal in favor of his own plan for containing Iran.

In a public appearance in Israel in 2013, when Adelson was asked about his view on negotiating with Tehran, he suggested dropping a nuclear weapon on a desert in Iran and then saying to the Iranians, See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development.

The Likud Party policy preferences on Iran dominated the Bush administration in large part because of the influence of David Wurmser, a Likudist who was a Middle East advisor first to Bolton and later to Vice President Dick Cheney. Wurmser was a co-author, with Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, of A Clean Break , the 1996 paper that advised Netanyahu to carry out military strikes against Syria and Iran and to remove the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Wurmser convinced Cheney that the administration should seek a pretext for attacking Iran.

But it was Bolton who worked with Israeli officials to plan a campaign to convince the world that Iran was secretly working on nuclear weapons. His goal was to sell key European nations on a UN Security Council resolution accusing Iran of developing a nuclear program. Bolton explains in his memoirs that the assumption of his strategy was that either the Security Council would strip Iran of its right to have a nuclear program or the United States would take unilateral military action.

In the summer of 2004, a large collection of documents allegedly from a covert Iranian nuclear weapons research program was suddenly obtained by Germanys foreign intelligence agency. Those documents became the sole alleged evidence that such a program existed. But this writer found more than one telltale sign of fraud in the papers , and a former senior German foreign office official told me on the record in March 2013 that the source who passed on the documents was a member of the Mujihadeen e-Khalq (MEK), the armed Iranian opposition group. The MEK has allegedly worked with Israels Mossad for some time.

Neither the Bush administration nor the Trump administration viewed the alleged danger of nuclear proliferation by Iran as the priority problem per se; it was rather an issue to be exploited to weaken the Islamic regime and ultimately achieve regime change. Hilary Mann Leverett, the NSC coordinator in the Persian Gulf from 2001-03, told this writer in a 2013 interview that Wurmser and other Cheney advisors were convinced that the student protests of 1999 indicated that Iranians were ready to overthrow the Islamic Republic. In his statement last week, Trump blamed Obama for having lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran just before what would have been the total collapse of the Iranian regime.

After Netanyahu became Israeli prime minister in early 2009, his administration worked assiduously for four years to maneuver the Obama administration into giving Iran an ultimatum over its enrichment program. Obama rejected such a proposal, but Bolton has repeated his call for the United States to bomb Iran year after year.

Now the Trump administration is playing out a new chapter in the drama of the Likudists and their patrons in Washington. Their objective is nothing less than using U.S. power to weaken Iran through military means if possible and economic sanctions if necessary. The remarkable thing is that Trump is cooperating even more eagerly than did Bush.
Business / Companies

by Staff Reporter

GOVERNMENT is now in the final stages of concluding the implementation of the Zisco deal with Hong Kong-based company R&F as it seeks to revive the former steel manufacturing giant to make it a net exporter.Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Mike Bimha told exporters at a ZimTrade annual exporters' conference that key components of the agreements had already been signed with R&F and they will soon revert back to the market with the full details of the deal as well as other operational details.When fully operational, Dr Bimha said, Zisco will narrow the trade deficit by $350 million per year after cutting down on steel products imports.The company is also expected to be the single largest foreign currency earner with annual exports of $1 billion projected.Currently, minerals and tobacco contribute over 80 percent of the country's total export earnings while manufactured products and services each contribute less than 10 percent."We have finalised the deal with the investor, R&F, a company from Hong Kong who are not into steel-making but are providing capital."We are now in the process of finalising the implementation strategies for the company. We have already signed the agreement and very soon we should provide information on the full agreement," said Dr Bimha.Revival of Zisco is also expected to boost other firms like coal miner Hwange as well as the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)'s business as a significant part of its business involved transporting coal to Zisco.He said Government was fully committed to the revival of the steelmaker which folded operations in 2008, given its potential to contribute towards the country's economic turnaround.Zisco was once Africa's biggest integrated steel manufacturer and anchored the economic activity in the Midlands Province as well as other downstream industries in the manufacturing sector across the country.Efforts have been made before to revive Zisco with India's Essar Group agreeing to buy 54 percent of the firm in November 2011 in a deal worth $750 million.The deal, however, failed to sail through and collapsed in 2015 on disagreements over mineral claims.Meanwhile, Dr Bimha said Government and other stakeholders were in the process of formulating the new industrial, trade and export policies that are meant to drive Zimbabwe's export-led industrialisation agenda.This is also expected to enhance the country's exports and narrow the current trade deficit estimated at $1, 3 billion."The trade deficit that we have experienced over the years, which currently stands at over $1, 3 billion, demands that exports grow at a much higher rate than imports if the country is to sustain the balance of payments."Exports have continued to sustain the economy of Zimbabwe over the years, contributing more than 60 percent of the country's foreign currency earnings," he said.He, however, told exporters to improve on the competitiveness of their products and services to meet international best practice.This year's annual exporters' conference was held under the theme "Building Synergised Pillars for Export Competitiveness".
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE:

Iran and North Korea are prime Trump administration targets for war and regime change.

US war plans were drawn long ago against both nations, updated over time, implementation perhaps coming, a high-risk scenario in both theaters, madness if Washington preemptively attacks either country.

Neocon Nikki Haley is Trumps leading administration antagonist, notably on North Korea and Iran. Her hostile early September address on the Islamic Republic before the hawkish American Enterprise Institute preceded Trumps decertification of the JCPOA nuclear deal  an international treaty the president defied by his action.

Haleys address was a deplorable litany of beginning-to-end Big Lies. On Wednesday during a Security Council open debate on the Middle East, she was at it again

She lied saying Washingtons goal is peace, security, and human rights for the region.

She lied claiming nearly every threat to peace and security in the Middle East is connected to Irans outlaw behavior.

Washington considers aiding Syria combat the scourge of US-supported terrorism outlaw behavior.

Iranian actions in Syria and the region are positive, not destructive, and malign, as Haley claimed.

She lied saying Iran flagrant(ly) violat(es) Security Council Resolution 2231. It endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, prohibiting its military from any activity related to ballistic missiles able to deliver nuclear warheads.

Iran is in full compliance, all its missiles capable only of carrying conventional ones. Haley lied claiming otherwise, falsely accusing the country of aggressive, destabilizing, and unlawful behavior.

It fully complies with the JCPOAs letter and spirit. Washington, NATO, Israel and their rogue allies are outlaw nations, waging aggressive wars in multiple theaters, threatening more.

Resolution 2231 doesnt prohibit Iran from activities related to combating terrorism or dealings with other countries, including aiding them fight this scourge.

Haley criticized its regional efforts  combating ISIS and other terrorists America and its rogue allies support, she failed to explain.

Her remarks included a long laundry list of long ago discredited canards.

Washington, Israel, and its sinister AIPAC lobby resent Iranian sovereign independence, its military strength solely for defense  an obstacle to Israeli regional dominance, along with Americas presence.

Were Haleys hostile Wednesday remarks prelude for initiating diabolical Trump administration plans ahead, including naked aggression against the country  nuclear deal decertification a starter for whats to come?

Haley called for tough Security Council action against Iran not forthcoming. Washington ignores international law, acting unilaterally or with rogue allies, pursuing its ruthless imperial agenda.

Does it include war on North Korea and Iran? Is Trump reckless enough to launch the unthinkable against one or both countries?

Is he willing to risk nuclear confrontation and WW III? Humanity holds its breath to find out.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
Unlike the last time around, Longview voters this November will have a wide spectrum of candidates with various viewpoints to choose from to fill three city council positions.

Council candidates have proposed differing solutions to key city issues such as homelessness, unemployment, infrastructure, housing shortages and industrial opportunities.

The Longview council could have three new councilwomen after Election Day, but two would have to beat incumbents.

Political opposites

The council will have at least one new member since Councilwoman Mary Jane Melink decided not to run again this year. Political newcomers Megan Richie and MaryAlice Wallis are competing to fill Position 5 on the council.

Wallis has said she would offer leadership that is similar to current council positions, while Richie said she would bring a new perspective to the city.

Richies campaign got off to a rocky start this summer when she claimed a Federal Way police officer had assaulted her in 2013. The case went to trial in 2016 but the jury sided with the police department.

The two opponents are the only ones to have already faced off in a primary, and also have some of the most strikingly different viewpoints in the Longview City Council race.

Both have strong political affiliations: Wallis with the Republican Party and Richie with the Democratic Party. Both candidates have said, if elected to the nonpartisan council position, they would listen to all their constituents before making a decision.

Wallis, who won 54 percent of the vote in the primary election, has emphasized job creation through coal and methanol plants.

Richie, who received 29 percent of the votes in the primary, has said that while she likes Millennium Bulk Terminals as a company, she would rather see Longview move towards cleaner energy opportunities.

Wallis has stood by her assertion that she would not support a low-barrier homeless shelter that does not require sobriety for admission. She has said that the problems with the areas homelessness population have lessened since Love Overwhelming closed earlier this year.

Richie, on the other hand, has said the homelessness problem has not gone away and in fact has become worse since the shelter closed. She said several types of shelters are necessary to address homelessness, including a low-barrier option.

The two candidates also disagreed on potential increases to car tab fees, whose funds go to the Transportation Benefit District: Wallis has said she wants the fees to stay at $20 while Richie has said she would consider increasing the fee to as much as $80 in order to improve roads.

Campaign funding has also been lopsided in this race.

To date, Richie has raised about $4,000 for her campaign from Cowlitz County Democratic clubs and the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, a union organization.

Wallis, on the other hand, has raised more than $12,500. She received large contributions from Cowlitz County Republican groups, the Washington Association of Realtors, JH Kelly LLC and Millennium Bulk Terminals. Other donors include current councilmen Chet Makinster and Mike Wallin, as well as former Longview mayors Ramona Leber and Dennis Weber (whos also a current county commissioner).

Providing options

Dianne Quast has said she chose to run against Position 6 incumbent Chet Makinster to provide the public with more options.

During the last election, there were no challengers and Quast said that is not good for democracy.

Councilman Makinster has said he wants to continue to serve the Longview community, which he sees as on the verge of better times.

The opponents have different visions for how to address homelessness.

Quast, who was recently selected for the countys Homeless Housing Task Force, has said that the moratorium on new shelters was in place for far too long. She said there should be a continuum of different types of homeless shelters because there is not just one type of homeless person.

Makinster has said that while shelters are necessary, he wants to protect the public first and foremost.

He has advocated against low-barrier shelters and also proposed an amendment barring emergency shelters in the citys office and commercial district to protect businesses there. The amendment was not adopted by council.

Quast, who worked in affordable housing for 27 years, has argued that a lack of housing could be the cornerstone of many social issues in Longview.

She has said that changing zoning for increased density would encourage developers to build more residential housing.

Makinster had similar thoughts, arguing that the council could change zoning to allow residential buildings to have five floors instead of only four.

Quast has said Longview can create jobs through clean energy opportunities instead of depending on fossil fuels because, At some point, we need to press ourselves to do better.

Makinster, on the other hand, has voiced support for proposed coal, methanol and fertilizer plants  as long as they can successfully pass the environmental permitting process.

Makinster has now raised nearly $12,000 with large donations from Republican clubs, realtor groups and Millennium Bulk Terminals.

Quast has raised about $7,000 from Democratic clubs and the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

Experience vs. energy

Amber Rosewood said she is running against incumbent Steve Moon to bring energy and a different background to the council.

Moon said he was involved with the city council for five years before he was appointed to Dennis Webers vacated seat in 2012. For that reason, he said he has the experience and dedication necessary for the job.

Rosewood has said she would advocate for more youth activities in Longview to give younger generations a reason to stay in the area.

Moon has said the council needs to make sure the fire and police departments have the staffing and equipment necessary to function. Moon said he voted against the police station remodel because he did not agree with the decision to use Public Safety Funds for the project but he does think the upgrades are crucial.

Rosewood said she is grateful that the council passed an emergency shelter zoning ordinance. She added that the city has an obligation to protect both homeless individuals and residents.

As a member of the ad hoc committee that worked on the shelter zoning ordinance, Moon said the purpose of the regulations was to create a balance between where shelters can be located and the potential impact on the surrounding community.

At locations such as Mint Farm and Barlow Point, Moon has said he would support any industry that can pass the strict state permitting process.

His opponent said she would like to see Longview become a leader in cleaner industries such as industrial hemp and solar panels.

The candidates both proposed higher density zoning for multifamily housing units as a way to address housing shortages. Moon added that the council can reconsider parking and green space requirements for buildings that are close to parks or downtown.

Rosewood has articulated the importance of complete streets that create space for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians to coexist.

Moon has advocated for more trade classes in schools to give young people an alternative to the four-year college degree track.

Rosewood has said the city can expand its health sector jobs to employ Lower Columbia College graduates with degrees in health and services.

Moon has currently raised more than $4,000 and has financial support from the Washington Association of Realtors and Millennium Bulk Terminals.

Rosewood has not released campaign contributions because she filed paperwork stating she would not raise or spend more than $5,000.

Ballots for Longview City Council general election were mailed out Friday and must be submitted or postmarked on or before 8 p.m. Nov. 7.

For links to more in-depth articles, check the online version of this story at www.tdn.com.
Spokanes new psychiatric hospital took a step toward completion Friday as workers celebrated the topping off of the steel outline.

Iron workers, other construction workers and staff from Providence Health Services watched as the final beam for the three-story structure was hoisted into place.

As is tradition, it was capped with a small evergreen tree, a tradition thought to date back to Scandinavia more than a millennium ago.

The new hospital, scheduled to open next fall, will have beds for 100 psychiatric patients. Its a joint venture between Providence, which provided the land, and Fairfax Behavioral Health, which will operate the hospital.

The beam, painted white, was signed on one side by workers, and the other by kids from St. Annes Children and Family Center, which sits kitty-corner from the construction site on West Fifth Avenue.

Bill Bouten, president of Bouten Construction, said students from the center had eagerly watched the demolition of the former Providence Family Medicine building on the site and the early construction work.

Earlier Friday, he said he saw a young girl parting the bushes at the day care to watch iron workers finish the structure.

I thought, There is a future construction worker, thats one of our gals,  Bouten said to the assembled workers.

Alex Herr, director of real estate and construction for Providence in Eastern Washington and Montana, said the new hospital would allow Providence to deliver badly needed mental health care.

This is a major milestone for us, he said.
The Eagle Creek fire started on federal land and blazed across 48,831 acres, most of it federal property in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

But a 15-year-old Vancouver boy is facing criminal charges in the state judicial system, not federal.

Why is that?

The Hood River County District Attorneys Office announced Thursday that the boy appeared recently in Hood River County Circuit Court and was arraigned on a juvenile court petition. He faces allegations of reckless burning, depositing burning materials on forest lands, unlawful fireworks possession, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering other people. A witness has said she saw a boy throw fireworks into the Eagle Creek Canyon the afternoon of Sept. 2, leading to the fire.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne C. Hayden said she couldnt comment on the Eagle Creek case, but noted that federal prosecutors evaluate alleged criminal conduct by youths based on a federal law that guides most juvenile crimes into state court.

But states typically are better prepared to handle the prosecution, incarceration and rehabilitation of juveniles, Yin said, with specific programs geared for youths while the federal correctional system is dominated by maximum- and minimum-security prisons.

State courts also offer some more flexibility in potential punishment.

For instance in this case, if the boy would be found guilty, it would depend, of course, on the details  what were his intentions, etc., Yin said. Assuming this was recklessness as opposed to pure maliciousness, maybe a lot of community service, like clean-up and restoration efforts on the weekends for a suitably long time.

Hood River juvenile authorities have declined to release any information about what happened during the suspects first appearance in juvenile court. No subsequent hearing dates have been scheduled for the boy, a court official said Friday.

The Oregonian/OregonLive has filed a public records request to get more information about the case under state law.

Oregon State Police after initially identifying the suspect as a 15-year-old Vancouver boy have also declined to say more, citing concerns over public response to his alleged role in the fire.

However, in an emailed statement Friday, state police spokesman Sgt. Kaipo Raiser said OSP has not learned of any credible threats to (the suspect) or his family and have received no complaints from them to this point. Additionally, we have not looked into any of the threatening social media comments to date, but will continue to monitor and re-evaluate that decision as the case progresses.
Editors note: Todays editorial originally was written by state Rep. Jim Walsh. Editorial content from other authors and publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

The Washington Department of Ecology seems determined to oppose any industrial development in Cowlitz County. And the rest of the 19th Legislative District.

About three weeks ago, Ecology issued an opinion denying a water-quality permit sought by Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) to complete its coal export facility. Ecology bureaucrats claimed that the project would cause significant and unavoidable harm to nine environmental areas: global air quality, vehicle traffic, vessel traffic, rail capacity, rail safety, noise pollution, social and community resources, cultural resources and tribal access to traditional fishing locations near Bonneville Dam.

A few of these factorsparticularly global air qualityare not described in any relevant federal or state law. Rationalizing the unprecedented opinion, Ecology Director Maia Bellon relied on some broad rhetorical strokes: The 1971 State Environmental Policy Act confers an awesome responsibility on the Department of Ecology and that is a responsibility to protect land, air and water for future generations and I take that responsibility very seriously. And future generations deserve no less than the Department of Ecologys decision today to deny the Millennium coal export terminal to be constructed on the shores of the Columbia River.  I am denying Millenniums proposed coal export project.

Bellons rhetoric exaggerates slightly. She doesnt have the authority to deny the project, just certain permits related to it. Some radical environmentalists echoed Bellons rhetoric and proclaimed Ecologys opinion the end of coal in Washington state. But the actual results arent so certain. MBT can appeal the opinionand has indicated that it will.

More important: Few of Ecologys objections have anything to do with the fact that the MBT permit application involves coal. The opinion focuses instead on the trains and ships moving the coal around. So, any major industrial project could be delayed on the same basis.

Answering Bellons rhetoric, MBTs Bill Chapman said: Ecology appears to have intentionally disregarded decades of law defining the Clean Water Act. Multiple recent decisions by the agency seem biased against the Longview community, and particularly blind to the need for employment opportunities in Cowlitz County.

Former State Attorney General Rob McKenna agrees with Chapman. In his newsletter, McKenna recently noted: Many suspected, even before its unprecedented global EIS process, that Ecology was determined to find a reason to deny permits for this project.

Ecologys wandering focus harms more than just the MBT project. In June, Ecology announced a revised plan to combat global climate change. This newer version of an older agency plan would give energy-intensive, trade-exposed companiessuch as paper mills, aluminum smelters and several other types of plantsmore time to comply with new, legally-dubious pollution guidelines.

Under those guidelines, facilities emitting more than 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.7 percent annually. (However, instead of reducing their own emissions, companies owning the facilities could purchase credits from other companies.) The plan would affect the Weyerhaeuser and KapStone facilities in Longviewas well as Cowlitz Countys Headquarters Landfill and Puget Sound Energys Mint Farm Generating Station.

Its important to point out that the state has passed no law requiringor even suggestingthis plan. Its a bureaucratic scheme cooked up with no direct involvement or oversight by any elected official, answerable to voters. Every time schemes like this are brought to the legislature, theyre voted down.

In a press release promoting the scheme, Sarah ReesEcologys special assistant on climate change policyindulged in familiar, exaggerated rhetoric: Carbon pollution has reached rampant levels and were committed to capping and reducing it. Climate change is the most significant environmental issue of our lifetime, and governments need to act now to protect what we have today for future generations.

Not without the consent of the governed.

There are still other local development projects that are subject to Ecologys opinions. The Port of Longview is cleaning up of an old International Paper site that it now ownsthe Port is even willing to contribute some of its own money to do a quality joband needs Ecologys OK to proceed. The proposed fertilizer plant at the Mint Farm will need multiple permits. And oyster farmers west of here are waiting on a permit to battle an invasive shrimp species thats destroying their prime oyster beds.

In the meantime, Ecologys Director offers groovy insights like this: we feel very comfortable that we are making a down payment on our fair share of solving the climate problems that are not just happening in the state of Washington, but having global impacts.

Even the Seattle Times editorial board has noticed the troubling drift in Ecologys focus. It recently asked: How do we ensure that the Department of Ecologys expanded reachincorporating economic and environmental factors beyond its normal scopeavoids morphing into an exuberant, job-killing agency?

The Department of Ecologys focus on global impacts is a luxury paid for by limiting the prospects for the working people of Cowlitz County. Director Bellon and the other Department of Ecology bureaucrats need to return their focus from global ambitions to local concerns.
Entertainment / Radio

by Staff Reporter

REGIONAL commercial radio stations are fast becoming the in-thing across the country's provinces.Government, through the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), issued regional commercial radio broadcasting licences to eight companies some two years back.This was after BAZ invited applications for the provision of community radio broadcasting in 25 areas of the country. The decision has gone miles in promoting communal participation in various issues through radio.YaFM (Zvishavane), Nyaminyami FM (Kariba), Breeze FM (Victoria Falls), Diamond FM (Mutare), Skyz Metro FM (Bulawayo), Capitalk 100.4FM (Harare), Hevoi FM (Masvingo) and Faya FM (Gweru) are the eight licensed and operating stations.With tailor-made programmes, community-based radio stations have in their short stint managed to capture the attention of many. The aforesaid have literally become first choice stations for their respective communities. In fact, they have become the pride of their particular areas.For the first time since Zimbabwe's attainment of independence, communities now have solid radio representation, marshalled by personalities that they mix and mingle with on a daily basis.Across Manicaland, it is Zimpapers' Diamond FM that dominates the radio landscape while YaFM, Faya FM, Nyaminyami FM rule the roost in Zvishavane, Gweru and Kariba respectively. It is the same case in the communities in which the other stations are operating.Officiating at YaFM's second anniversary celebrations, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, who is also Mberengwa West constituency Member of Parliament, Dr Joram Gumbo, noted that community radio stations are an appropriate tool for development."The station is development-oriented and has assisted the community in times of need by sharing relevant information to rally all stakeholders together. The people of Mberengwa have developmental issues that they want known by relevant authorities through radio and YaFM is playing its part in this regard," said Dr Gumbo."There was also a pledge that the radio station would be a true representative of the people of this region and it has lived to that commitment. Our hope is that this will continue into the future. Such is the power of radio when its efforts are directed towards nation building. It energises the spirit of unity and commonality of vision is realised."YaFM promised to be a voice of the miners situated along the Great Dyke at its inception. Thus, apart from dealing with diverse issues that create the everyday life of its community, the radio station has still maintained a conscious bias towards mining issues."Our artistes and musicians who have for long yearned for airplay can now do so without traversing distances. We now have the platform and we can now have new stars coming from this area just like was the case with the late Andy Brown, Leonard Dembo, Paul Matavire, Zvishavane Sounds and Devera Ngwena Jazz Band," he said.YaFM chairman Munyaradzi Hwengwere is grateful for the support received."It is our desire to increase our coverage in areas within our vicinity, particularly the peripheral regions of Mberengwa. We do not see ourselves as a Zvishavane radio station but a voice of miners across the Great Dyke," said Hwengwere.YaFM and Diamond FM are both based in vibrant and mineral-rich communities. The former swims in gold and platinum- rich environs while the latter is situated in the country's richest diamond mining fields.Diamond FM went on air on November 4, 2015 and was officially launched on May 13, 2016. The station captures, celebrates and amplifies the aspirations of the people of Mutare through English, locally spoken languages and dialects of Manicaland.Through live streaming, anyone outside Diamond FM's terrestrial reach, but with internet connectivity, can tune into the station for free.Station manager Leander "Lee-Kay" Kandiero says: "The station has been well received especially locally with a survey done by Top Line Research in 2016 showing that 97 percent of listeners in Mutare listen to Diamond FM. The last two Zamps reports show that of all local commercial radio stations, Diamond FM has the best showing."Kandiero said the station plans to have a three-day festival as part of its second anniversary celebrations in May next year.
Looking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once the Islamic States capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective military power of the United States.

Perhaps its a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once its engaged, that the fall of Raqqa in Syria this week provoked so little public discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the parents of Americas fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice that our military has achieved a goal that three years ago seemed distant and uncertain.

The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: Its a mistake to provoke the United States. It may take the country a while to respond to a threat, but once the machine of U.S. power is engaged, its relentless  so long as the political will exists to sustain it.

The Raqqa campaign is a reminder, too, of something we rarely see in these divisive days  the continuity of U.S. commitments from the Obama administration to Trump. Truly, it was a shared enterprise. Trump deserves credit for accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State and giving commanders more authority. But the basic strategy  and the will to resist the jihadists in the first place  was President Barack Obamas.

A secure and confident Trump would invite Obama to the White House to meet with commanders and troops returning from the battle. That would remind the world that the United States can keep its word across administrations. Trump, still anxious about his authority, seems incapable of such generosity.

Thinking back to the beginning of this campaign is to recall how fragile it seemed at first. The Islamic State exploded in the summer of 2014, overrunning Mosul and racing like a firestorm across the Sunni regions of Syria and Iraq. The lines of defense buckled. The Kurdish capital of Irbil was in danger; so was Baghdad.

As a condition of U.S. military involvement, Obama demanded a new government in Baghdad that would be less pro-Shiite sectarian and better able to win Sunni trust. He was right, and he got what he wanted in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister with Haider al-Abadi, who has had a steadier hand than Iraq-watchers initially predicted.

When Obama announced his goal to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State, it sounded like an obtuse and conditional war aim. And it didnt help that nobody agreed on a name for this enemy, variously called ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. The United States was hardly enthusiastic for the war after long, frustrating battles against Islamist insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Obama pushed ahead.

The campaign got off to a slow start. Tribes in Iraqs Euphrates Valley pleaded for U.S. aid that was initially slow to arrive. The Iraqi military was a mess until the U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service began to display real combat power. But gradually, mostly invisibly, the battle turned: U.S. air power killed tens of thousands of recruits to the caliphate, obliterating anyone who raised a digital signal. The U.S. military said little about this harsh campaign, but Syrian and Iraqi fighters saw it, and people go with a winner.

Watching this battle unfold during multiple visits to Iraq and Syria, I saw two factors that changed the tide. First, the United States found committed allies. The toughest fighters initially were Kurdish, the KDP and PUK peshmerga militias in Iraq, and the YPG in Syria. They stood their ground and fought  and died. (This Kurdish loyalty is worth remembering now, in their time of trouble.) The anti-Islamic State alliance broadened as the Iraqi military got stronger, and the YPG recruited Sunnis into an expanded coalition dubbed the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Victory came from marrying these committed fighters to Americas devastating firepower. The United States could dial in strikes from an array of platforms  drones, fixed-wing aircraft, advanced artillery. The ruin of Raqqa makes it look like we just pounded everything, and the United States should make a self-critical accounting of civilian loss of life. Honesty about the wars human cost, and U.S. responsibility for mistakes made in the fog of battle, is the best bridge to the future.

The problem with this campaign from the beginning was that our military dominance was patched on top of political quicksand. Thats still true. Obama never had a clear political strategy for creating a reformed, post-Islamic State Syria and Iraq; neither does Trump. Our military is supremely effective in its sphere, but the enduring problems of governance, it cannot solve.
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Italy's 2 richest regions seek more autonomy from Rome

Carlo Andrea Carnevale Ricci, president of a voting section, checks the electronic voting operation system at the Berchet School polling station, in Milan, Italy on Saturday.

AP, Milan :

Voters in the wealthy northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are heading to the polls to decide if they want to seek greater autonomy from Rome, riding a tide of self-determination that is sweeping global politics.

While the twin referendums Sunday are non-binding, a resounding "yes" vote would give the presidents of the neighboring regions more leverage in negotiations to seek a greater share of tax revenue and to grab responsibility from Rome. The leaders want more powers in areas such as security, migration, education and the environment.

Lombard President Roberto Maroni has lowered expectations, saying he would be happy with a 34 percent turnout among the region's 7.5 million voters, equal to the national turnout in a 2001 constitutional referendum.

The Veneto autonomy drive dies if voter turnout is below 50 percent plus one of the region's 3.5 million voters.

Even though the referendums - which are approved by Italy's constitutional court - don't seek independence, the autonomy drive is a powerful threat to Rome's authority. Together, Veneto and Lombardy account for 30 percent of GDP and nearly one-quarter of the nation's electorate.

Both regions are run by the anti-migrant, anti-Europe Northern League, which has long given up its founding goal of secession as it seeks a national profile. Also supporting the referendum is former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the populist 5-Star Movement.

With the Democratic Party urging its voters to abstain, the votes Sunday will measure the mood ahead of a national election next year, when Berlusconi says he will make autonomy a goal for all of Italy's regions.

Critics of the referendum argue that the non-binding vote carries no legal weight, is not needed to trigger autonomy negotiations and is a costly waste of resources.

Yet such arguments play into the hands of the "yes" campaigners, who see such put-downs as part of an anti-democratic, elite, centrist decision-making in Rome. Those sentiments have been echoed in the Catalan independence drive in Spain, in the U.S. election of Donald Trump as president and in Britain's vote to leave the 28-nation European Union.

The Italian constitution already grants varying levels of autonomy to five regions in recognition of their special status: the largely German-speaking Trentino-Alto Adige; the French-speaking Aosta; the islands of Sardinia and Sicily; and the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia for its position on the border with then-Yugoslavia as a Cold War hedge.

Veneto was twice denied by the constitutional court to chance to hold a referendum for autonomy before a 2001 constitutional change that allowed Italy's 15 regions to seek autonomy.

These votes Sunday are the first referendums to pose the question to voters, while Emilia Romagna, a center-left region, has recently opened talks with Rome on greater autonomy without a popular vote.

"Our taxes should be spent here, not in Sicily," says Giuseppe Colonna, an 84-year-old Venetian whose sentiments appear to be widely shared in the floating city.

Veneto President Luca Zaia says 30 billion euros ($35 billion) are wasted every year at a national level and fiscal rebalancing will be a top priority for him and his Lombardy counterpart Roberto Maroni if the votes go their way. Lombardy sends 54 billion euros more in taxes to Rome than it gets back in public spending. Veneto's net contribution is 15.5 billion.

The two regions would like to roughly halve those contributions-a concession the cash-strapped state, labouring under a mountain of debt, can ill afford. The two regional presidents, both members of the far-right Northern League, plan to ask for more powers over infrastructure, the environment, health and education. They also want new ones relating to security issues and immigration-steps which would require changes to the constitution. Economist Lorenzo Codogno says that while Italian unity is not under threat, Sunday could mark the opening of a Pandora's box.

"The issue is likely to spread, and eventually, it will require a generalised approach by the next government and a reform of the constitution."




Tillerson in new bid to ease Gulf crisis

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is greeted as he arrives at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh on Saturday.

AFP, Riyadh :

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Apart from the months-long crisis, Iran's rising influence in the Middle East is also expected to figure high on the agenda of America's top diplomat during talks in the two capitals.Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran. Doha denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July. US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before he arrived at Riyadh's King Salman air base on Saturday, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg. "There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."

Aside from the Gulf dispute and Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism will also figure in his talks, the State Department said. While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is leading a top-level ministerial delegation at the meeting, in a sign of warming ties as Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia seeks to counter Tehran's influence in Shiite-majority Iraq. On the Gulf crisis, the goal will be to try to persuade the two sides to at least open a dialogue.

After holding a working dinner with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday night, Tillerson was scheduled to meet other Saudi leaders Sunday before heading for Doha.

Simon Henderson, a veteran of the region now at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, said the disputing parties do not want to lose face. "Tillerson will say: 'Come on kids, grow up and wind down your absurd demands. And let's work on a compromise on your basic differences'," he said.

Kuwait has tried to serve at a mediator, with US support, but the parties have yet to sit down face-to-face.

During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year "strategic partnership" with India. Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.

Meabwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Riyadh Saturday in a visit aimed at upgrading strategic ties, amid warming relations between the Arab neighbours.

The tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

It also comes after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, his second visit to the region in recent months to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha.

Abadi is on Sunday to take part in Riyadh in a meeting to establish a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council aimed at boosting cooperation.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson is also set to take part in the meeting.
ISIS` end `in sight`, says Trump after historic Raqa victory

AFP, Washington :

US President Donald Trump said Saturday a transition can soon begin to set conditions for lasting peace in Syria now that the end of the ISIS "caliphate is in sight" with the fall of Raqa.

The United States and its allies will support diplomatic negotiations "that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people," Trump said in a statement.

The declaration came four days after US-backed Kurdish-led forces recaptured Raqa, the capital of ISIS self-proclaimed caliphate and its last major stronghold in Syria. Trump said the entire city has been liberated from ISIS control, which he said marked a "critical breakthrough" in the global struggle against the terrorist group.

"With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight," Trump said.

Since capturing it in 2014, ISIS had used Raqa as a base for planning and conducting attacks in the west, including the November 13, 2015 suicide bombings and mass shootings in Paris that killed 130 people.

French Foreign Minister Yves Le Drian celebrated ISIS's defeat on Friday and declared "the crimes of the Bataclan have not gone unpunished," referring to the concert venue where ISIS terrorists massacred 90 concertgoers.




Traffic movement in N Ctg turns normal

Chittagong Bureau :

The supporters of Manzoor Alam put barricade on Chittagong -Rangamati Highway at Hathazari intersection yesterday morning. NN photo

The traffic movement after suspension of three hours on Chittagong-Rangamati,Ctg-Khagrachai highway restored from 1 pm yesterday. Following the arrest of transport leader Manzoorul Alam , the supporters of Manzoor Alam and the workers of transport sector in north Chittagong put barricade on the highways from 9 am yesterday.

Manzoorul Alam was arrested by CMP police from stadium crossing infront of officers club on Saturday night following the shoot out to a Jubo league leader. Later on bilateral meeting with police authority, the barricade was withdrawn from 1 pm by the protesters. Mentionable that Manzurul Alam is also the President of Chitagong District Road transport Owners group and General secretaryof Chittagon Nazirhat Khagrachari bus owners association, sources said.


Ctg people protest reassessment of holding tax : Mohiuddin

Chittagong Bureau :

Former city mayor and the city AL president ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury said the people of Chittagong continued protest program against the mayor regarding assessment of holding taxes. former mayor and elderly leader of the ruling party declared that if the mayor does not change his decision they will be compelled to call non-cooperation movement against CCC.

At last, the incumbent Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) A J M Nasir Uddin and maximum leaders of ruling Awami League (AL) stood face to face regarding increased holding taxes in the city..

Moreover, dissatisfaction among the people of Chittagong is increasing against the incumbent mayor and CCC day by day in connection with the rigid stand of incumbent mayor to increase the taxes.

Despite the protest against the Mayor is rigid on his stand to increase the taxes. But, it is reported that only five councilors of CCC are favour of increasing the holding taxes while rests are dissatisfied over the decision. Moreover, the "Ex Councilor's Forum", an organization of former ward councilors of CCC is also against the decision of increasing holding taxes.

Chowdhury called a special meeting of Chittagong City AL's presidium and secretariat members on Friday evening at his residence at Chasma Hill in the port city. The meeting has taken decision to send letter to the AL president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and General Secretary Obaidul Quader MP about the increase of holding taxes which is making the party and party leaders alienated from people just before next national poll.


How to rein future mass migration

Baher Kamal :

The world is on the move. More people have been forced to flee their homes than at any time since the Second World War due to increased conflict and political instability, hunger, poverty, and an increase in extreme weather events linked to climate change.

Such a short paragraph hardly depicts the growing drama of migration, but much can be learned from World Food Day 2017, marked on 16 October, which this year proposes specific ways to address the huge challenge of massive human movement.

Large movements of people today are presenting complex challenges, which call for global action, says on this the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), adding that many migrants arrive in developing countries, creating tensions where resources are already scarce, but the majority, about 763 million, move within their own countries rather than abroad.

One key fact to understand the current reality is that three-quarters of the extreme poor base their livelihoods on agriculture or other rural activities.

Consequently, creating conditions that allow rural people, especially youth, to stay at home when they feel it is safe to do so, and to have more resilient livelihoods, is a crucial component of any plan to tackle the migration challenge, says the UN specialised body.

Meantime, one key solution is to invest in food security and rural development, which can address factors that compel people to move by creating business opportunities and jobs for young people that are not only crop-based (such as small dairy or poultry production, food processing or horticulture enterprises).

It can also lead to increased food security, more resilient livelihoods, better access to social protection, reduced conflict over natural resources and solutions to environmental degradation and climate change, FAO adds.

"By investing in rural development, the international community can also harness migration's potential to support development and build the resilience of displaced and host communities, thereby laying the ground for long-term recovery and inclusive and sustainable growth," according to the WFD 2017's theme "Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development."

Migration is part of the process of development as economies undergo structural transformation and people search for better employment opportunities within and across countries.

The challenge is to address the structural drivers of large movements of people to make migration safe, orderly and regular, FAO underlines, adding that in this way, migration can contribute to economic growth and improve food security and rural livelihoods.

In an unprecedented gesture, Pope Francis on July this year donated 25,000 euro to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's "efforts supporting people facing food insecurity and famine in East Africa."

The Pope said the funds are "a symbolic contribution to an FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought." See: Pope Francis Donates to FAO for Drought, Conflict-Stricken East Africa.

The WFD is marked just a week after FAO launched its State of Food and Agriculture 2017 report, in which it recalls that population growth, increasing urbanisation, modern technologies, and climate change are transforming the world at a fast pace.

The report posed questions such as what direction are these transformations headed in? Are they benefiting the poor and the food insecure? And will the food systems of the future be able to feed and employ the millions of young people poised to enter labour markets in the decades to come?

Meanwhile, two UN high officials -Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and the head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and William Lacy Swing, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration- have addressed the key issues of climate change and migration.

Climate change migration is reaching crisis proportions, they wrote on 10 October, noting that over the last 18 months, some 20 countries have declared drought emergencies, with millions forced off their land.

According to Glasser and Swing, while it may not be the first time, for many, it could be the last time they turn their backs on the countryside and try to make a life in urban slums and informal settlements, adding that for at least the last two years, more people have been forced from their homes by extreme weather events than by conflict. "We need to set about the long-haul task of making the planet fit for purpose once more through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and, in the meantime, making it more resilient to disasters, limiting the damage already done." The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017, for it part, warned that exacerbated by climate-related shocks, increasing conflicts have been a key driver of severe food crisis and recently re-emerged famines.

Conclusion: the causes of growing human suffering have been clearly identified-conflict, political instability, hunger, poverty, and an increase in extreme weather events linked to climate change. Aemedies have been also presented. All is needed is for decision-makers to listen and implement. The future of migration can in fact be changed.

(Baher Kamal is Senior Advisor to IPS Director General on Africa & the Middle East. He is an Egyptian-born, Spanish-national, secular journalist, with over 43 years of experience).
News / Africa

by SAHRDN

THE Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN) calls on Tanzanian authorities to drop charges against 13 people including some lawyers who were detained this week after Tanzanian law enforcement agents raided a meeting they were attending in the capital Dar es Salaam.SAHRDN (a coalition of Southern African HRDs organisations), understands that the 13 people drawn from Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda and who include lawyers, were attending a legal consultation organised by the Community Health Services and Advocacy (CHESA) and the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), during which legal consultations took place regarding a case which CHESA and ISLA intend to file in courts to challenge the Tanzanian government's decision to impose some limitations and discontinue the provision of some health services.Although the 13 were initally released, they were re-arrested by police on 20 October 2017. Media reports say Dar es Salaam police head Lazaro Mambosasa told journalists during a media briefing that the 13 people were arrested and detained for allegedly promoting homosexuality.SAHRDN considers the arrest and detention of the 13 people as a shameful attempt to stifle freedom of expression, assembly association, guaranteed in the Tanzanian Constitution and is an abuse of laws by the Tanzanian authorities.More worrying to SAHRDN is the arrest and detention of lawyers, which we consider to be a concerted effort to prevent legal practitioners from exercising their legitimate rights to represent their clients without any interference or hindrance. Such association of lawyers with the causes of their clients is deplorable.Tanzanian authorities need to appreciate that freedom and independence of the legal profession is an essential ingredient for the proper functioning of the rule of law in any democracy.The Tanzanian government needs to recognise the valuable role played by lawyers and to promote and support their work in line with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which in Paragraph 23 states that lawyers, like other citizens, are entitled to freedom of expression.SAHRDN also reminds the government of Tanzania that it has a fundamental obligation under Paragraph 16 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers to ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference and are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad and that they must not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognised professional duties,standards and ethics.Therefore, SAHRDN; Calls upon Tanzanian authorities to drop all charges against the human rights defenders and lawyers and to immediately release them unconditionally from detention. Urges the government of Tanzania to take urgent steps to guarantee the security and safety of all human rights defenders and legal practitioners and ensure that they are able to carry out their activities without fear of harassment, intimidation, arrest or detention.
Govt can`t pay for losing jute mills

A LEADING daily reported Sunday that the Textiles and Jute Ministry has demanded to the Finance Ministry for allocating Tk 800 crore in loan so that it can pay workers and employees of state-owned jute mills the allowances that remained overdue for years. The jute industry is a losing concern for years but the government has stopped privatization of jute mills and even taken back some previously sold to private buyers to please union leaders who see the industry easy ground for looting. But the income of the industry is not enough to pay expenditure and most mills are running on subsidy. Consequently workers going on retirement have become the worst sufferers as the Ministry has failed to provide retirement benefits to the workers and the situation is aggravating every year.







It must be emphasized that workers have their right to get the retirement benefits in full so long they are in government pay roll. If anything is responsible, it is the populist labour policy of the government, which has not only reversed the previous privatization programmer and added to its liability by taking back some mills. The Jute Ministry has now decided to take fund from the budget under the cover of loan that may never be recovered as earlier cases suggest.







But the question is why tax-payers' money should be offered to pay for inefficiency of mill management and government failure to profitably run the mills. It is not acceptable in absence of a proper accountability mechanism to hold specific mill management the higher authorities liable for the failure. Incompetent government leaders are sheltering the corrupt system, dishonest people and spilled over liabilities often passing its load on the state exchequer at the end. Such overdue pay and allowances are also causing endless suffering to people in many other sectors such as retiring school and college teachers. The government has not created matching fund to add to their pension fund and such teachers are waiting for years to get the overdue benefits. Many are dying while waiting.







As per reports Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation woes Tk 773.93 crore to workers in terms of gratuity, provident fund and dearness allowances to 70,000 workers and 5500 employees of 26 mills and three other mills. According to BJMC statistics, the state-owned jute mills produce 1.46 lakh tonnes of jute goods per year and export 96,523 tonnes of the produce. But why they are losing is the big question.







We believe the government should review its policy and put loss-making mills to private owners to make them competitive and profiteering. But care should also be taken that privatization does not shelter dishonest people who may turn land of the mills to real estate business instead of modernizing the mills. We can't allow foul play with our jute industry. It must be competitive to stay in business.






Jordanian Queen to visit Rohingya camps today

Jordanian Queen Rania Al Abdullah will visit Cox's Bazar today directly to see for herself the Rohingya situation on the ground.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam reached Cox's Bazar on Sunday afternoon to receive the Queen today.

Queen Rania is scheduled to arrive here this morning, an official told UNB on Sunday.

In her capacity as a board member of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and as an advocate of the work of UN humanitarian agencies, the Queen will visit Rohingyas.

Her visit underscores the urgent need for a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance for this vulnerable population, said an official on Friday.

Rania will visit Kutupalong Refugee Camp and its surroundings in Cox's Bazar, where she will meet women and children who have recently crossed the border from Myanmar and see some of the emergency services offered by the IRC, UNHCR, Unicef, and other humanitarian agencies on the ground, the official said.

She will also brief the media at noon after visiting the camps.

Since late August 25, around 6 lakh Rohingyas, consisting of women and children in the majority, have arrived in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, marking the largest mass refugee movement in the region in decades and a major humanitarian emergency.

In Bangladesh, the total number of Rohingyas is now estimated to have reached around 900,000 people, with more expected to arrive, according to international aid agencies.

The sheer number of new arrivals has overwhelmed pre-existing service providers, leading to significant challenges in the provision of essential lifesaving services and highlighting the need for greater concerted urgent international response.
Greater UN pressure on Myanmar must

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday again urged the United Nations and international community to put more pressure on Myanmar government for taking back their nationals from Bangladesh through peaceful rehabilitation in their homeland.

The prime minister made the call when UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres phoned her on Saterday night.

"The UN secretary general made the phone call to the Prime Minister at around 9.30 pm and talked to her about 20 minutes on the Rohingya crisis," PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said. He said that the prime minister also sought the UN secretary general's support for the implementation of her five-point proposal that she placed in the 72nd UN General Assembly. "I've presented the five-point proposal for a sustainable solution to the problem," she told Guterres. The press secretary said the prime minister thanked the UN secretary general for the phone call and sought his support and continued engagement with the issue until a durable solution to this Rohingya crisis could be found. Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has already been engaged with Myanmar bilaterally to arrive at a workable arrangement for the return of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland by peaceful means. "You're very much aware that the root cause of the problem lies in Myanmar and its solution to be found in Myanmar," she told the UNSG. The Prime Minister said, the Bangladesh foreign minister will visit New York soon to apprise him (Guterres) of the real situation on the ground. "We're also sending our home minister to Myanmar to find out a solution to the Rohingya crisis," she said. The press secretary said the UN secretary general expressed grave concern over the influx of hundreds of thousands of the Rohingya people into Bangladesh. In this connection, he also extended his solidarity with Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue and thanked the government for sheltering and providing services to the forcibly evicted Myanmar citizens. Sheikh Hasina thanked the UN secretary general for his concern, compassion and support for the Rohingya people as well as his continued and strong pro-active role in drawing the UN Security Council as well as the world community's attention to the problem. As of today, she said, the exodus of Rohingyas into Bangladesh continues and the atrocities in Myanmar have not stopped yet. "The number of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (in Bangladesh) has already crossed 600,000 bringing the total number to one million," she said. Sheikh Hasina said her government has given shelter to the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. She said the people and the government of Bangladesh are addressing the crisis together with the cooperation of all UN agencies. "IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, FAO, UN Women, UNDP and other UN agencies are providing emergency humanitarian assistance and services under the coordination and overall supervision of the Bangladesh government," she said.

The prime minister said the government has allowed full access to the UN agencies as well as international and local NGOs to work in Cox's Bazar areas.
She was blunt enough about Indias support for Myanmar

Diplomatic Correspondent :

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in Dhaka yesterday that the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state.

India, for its part, she said has committed to provide financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be undertaken in Rakhine State in conjunction with the local authorities. What she wanted to say was that development of the State would make easier the return of the Rohingyas.

She did not call for immediate return of the refugees although Bangladesh made the plea for sustained efforts by the Indian government to bring pressure on Myanmar government to that end.

Briefing the media at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon Sushma Swaraj even did not utter the word - 'Rohingya' and said her country want safe return of the 'displaced' persons to mean the Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh following persecution of Myanmar military in the Rakhine State. The word Rohingya is officially forbidden in Myanmar.

The exodus continues as the Indian Foreign Minister is on a 24-hour visit to Dhaka to take part in the meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative meeting and hold discussion with senior officials and government leaders on bilateral issues.

But to Bangladesh the Rohingya issue is the single largest critical issue and people here wanted to hear from her India's clear stance on the situation. People in Bangladesh were not interested to hear what assistance India is giving to Myanmar for developments of Rakhine State, they had expected to hear what India is doing

and would do to stop the persecution and ethnic cleansing. Her comments left the issue unanswered for people to feel totally frustrated. It is unbelievable India would not do anything immediately to stop the killing and torching of Rohingya villages.

She only said "India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar. We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population. It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine State," she said.

She also said her country supports the recommendations of Rakhine Advisory Commission, headed by former UNSG Kofi Annan. "We have also supported the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan led Special Advisory Commission report," Sushma said.

Expressing gratitude to the Bangladesh government she said, this is my second visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Bangladeshi counterpart Mahmood Ali.

"India has longstanding development partner of Bangladesh. We would like to work to eliminate terrorism and violent activities. "We are in zero tolerance in this regard," she said.

Sushma said India attaches the "utmost importance" to its relations with Bangladesh.

"Our relations are based on fraternal ties and are reflective of an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership," she said.

"India has always stepped in to assist Bangladesh in times of need," she said recalling the 1971 war of independence when the Indian army shed blood with Bangladeshis to liberate the country.

They vowed to continue to fight "this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries."

"We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," she said.

She said after the Rakhine State crisis, they had launched 'Operation Insaniyat' in September to support the government's "commendable effort" to provide shelter to those displaced people.

"We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," she said.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali urged India "to contribute towards exerting sustained pressure on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the crisis including sustainable return of all Rohingyas to their homeland."

Foreign Minister Ali also thanked India for the support and said they are "happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian assistance".

"India is our most important, trusted and friendly neighbour," he said, adding that the relation now stands on a "historic new height" due to initiatives taken across sectors.

Mahmood Ali said the two neighbours were cooperating in many ways to enhance connectivity through road, rail and waterways.

"We proposed some new regional connectivity initiatives," he said.

Those include: Dhaka-Chennai-Colombo air connectivity, Chittagong-Kolkata-Colombo shipping connectivity, Panchagarh-Shiliguri rail link, internet connectivity with Bhutan through Indian territory, trade route connecting Nakugaon Land Port [Bangladesh] to Gayleyphung [Bhutan] via Dalu [India].

He said during the meeting they also agreed that BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement will be implemented between Bangladesh, India and Nepal [BIN] through exchange of letters keeping provision for Bhutan to join later.

Bhutan earlier expressed its inability to continue with the BBIN now due to its domestic compulsion.

The Foreign Minister said they agreed that MoU for trilateral hydropower cooperation among Bangladesh, India and Bhutan would be signed soon.

"India also agreed to facilitate import of electricity to Bangladesh from hydro projects in Nepal," he said.

In additional to the current import of 660 MW, India agreed to supply 340 MW more electricity from Tripura through Comilla grid, he said.

"We have also discussed new proposals for supply of electricity from West Bengal and India's north-east."

Both ministers also witnessed the signing of three bilateral documents which include capacity building in SMEs, Sale-Purchase Agreement between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Numaligarh Refinery of India.

Ali also handed over the instrument of ratification for the framework agreement on international solar power alliance that Bangladesh ratified in Aug this year.




Return of displaced persons to restore normalcy in Rakhine

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said it is clear that normalcy over the Rohingya issue will be restored only with the return of the displaced people to Rakhine state.

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar. We've urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," she said.

Sushma said they have also supported the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Kofi Annan led Special Advisory Commission report on Rakhine State.

The Indian External Affairs Minister came up with India's position over Rohingya issue at a joint briefing after the fourth Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting between Bangladesh and India held at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.

She also laid emphasis on creating economic opportunities in Rakhaine. "In our view, the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine State is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the State." India, she said, for its part, has committed to providing financial and technical assistance for identified projects to be taken in Rakhine in conjunction with the local authorities.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh urged India to contribute towards "exerting sustained pressure" on Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to Rohingya crisis including sustainable return off all Rohingyas to their homeland.

"We're happy to be reassured that India would continue to support the humanitarian cause related to Rohingyas in Bangladesh," he said. Minister Ali thanked the Indian side for humanitarian assistance provided for Roihingyas.

Around 6 lakh Rohingyas entered Bangladesh since August 25 and the aid agencies struggling to meet their growing need with limited resources. India launched 'Operation Insaniyat' in September to support the government of Bangladesh in its commendable efforts to provide shelter in Cox's Bazar to lakhs of displaced people who have fled Rakhine.

"Through this operation, we've supplied essential requirements by way of parboiled rice, dal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, tea, milk powder, mosquito nets and soap to about 300,000 displaced persons," said the Indian minister.

The materials have been distributed to the intended recipients through the district administration in Cox's Bazar.

Earlier, both the ministers reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral relations and the decisions taken so far.

Sushma Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral issues aiming to take forward the ties to the next level. Mahmood Ali received her at Bangabandhu Air Force base on her arrival at 1:41 pm.

Earlier, Indian Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley paid a three-day official visit to Dhaka from October 3 at the invitation of Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

The two ministers reviewed the status of economic cooperation and development partnership initiatives taken during the visit of Prime Minster of India Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in June 2015 and Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India in April 2017.

India and Bangladesh have witnessed a deepening of bilateral economic cooperation in recent years, particularly in terms of increasing volumes of trade and investment flows, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
Delhi working to resolve pending issues with Dhaka: Sushma

India on Sunday assured Bangladesh of resolving all the pending issues as Bangladesh has long been waiting to see the signing of Teesta water sharing deal.

"We're aware of the outstanding issues. We assure you that we're working to resolve them," Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters at a joint briefing.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said water resources must act as a 'uniting force' between the two countries. "We discussed the issue of sharing of water of common rivers, including the signing of Teesta Water sharing agreement," he said.

Minister Ali said they recalled the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 that the Teesta agreement will be signed during the current tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi.

"We sought India's technical and financial support to carry out a feasibility study on the long-term options for Bangladesh to ensure optimum use of Ganges water," he said.

Both the ministers witnessed the signing and handing over of three bilateral documents which include capacity building in SME, sale-purchase agreement between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Numaligarh Refinery of India.

The Foreign Minister also handed over the instrument of ratification for framework agreement on international solar alliance that Bangladesh ratified in August 2017.

Sushma said India attaches the utmost importance to its relations with Bangladesh and their partnership today touches upon virtually all areas of human endeavour.

"Our relations are based on fraternal ties and reflective of an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership," she said.

In the 4th Joint Consultative Commission, they discussed the common challenges that the two countries face today.

"One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we'll continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries," said the Indian External Affairs Minister.She said both the countries are determined to protect their societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels.

Minister Ali said Bangladesh-India relations now stand on a historic new height due to initiatives taken across sectors, namely trade, connectivity, security, border management, water, power and energy, development cooperation and people to people exchanges, among others.

Both the sides reiterated the strong commitment not to allow use of their soils against each other's interest and zero tolerance against terrorism and violent extremism.

The two countries laid emphasis on bringing down the number of deaths at border to zero.

Minister Ali said the Indian side agreed to supply 340 MW more electricity from Tripura through Comilla grid in addition to current import of 600 MW of electricity.

Both the countries agreed that BBIN Motor Vehicle Agrement will be implemented between Bangladesh, India and Nepal through exchange of letters keeping provision for Bhutan to join later.

It was agreed that MoU for trilateral hydropower cooperation among Bangladesh, India and Bhutan would be signed soon.

India also agreed to facilitate import of electricity to Bangladesh from hydro projects in Nepal.

Sushma Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral issues aiming to take forward the ties to the next level.

Mahmood Ali received her at Bangabandhu Air Force base on her arrival at 1:41 pm.

Earlier, Indian Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley paid a three-day official visit to Dhaka from October 3 at the invitation of Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
Returning Rohingyas may lose land, crops in Rakhine

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban on Sunday. PID photo

SITTWE, Myanmar (Reuters) :

Rohingya Muslims who return to Myanmar after fleeing to Bangladesh are unlikely to be able to reclaim their land, and may find their crops have been harvested and sold by the government, according to officials and plans seen by Reuters.

Nearly 600,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border since Aug. 25, when coordinated Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts sparked a ferocious counteroffensive by the Myanmar army.

The United Nations says killings, arson and rape carried out by troops and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs since late August amount to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingyas.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has no control over the military, has pledged that anyone sheltering in Bangladesh who can prove they were Myanmar residents can return.

Reuters has interviewed six Myanmar officials involved with repatriation and resettlement plans. While the plans are not yet finalised, their comments reflect the government's thinking on how Suu Kyi's repatriation pledge will be implemented.

Jamil Ahmed, who spoke to Reuters at a refugee camp in Bangladesh, is one of many Rohingya who hope to go back.

Describing how he fled his home in northern Rakhine state in late August, Ahmed said one of the few things he grabbed was a stack of papers - land contracts and receipts - that might prove ownership of the fields and crops he was leaving behind.

"I didn't carry any ornaments or jewels," said the 35-year-old. "I've only got these documents. In Myanmar, you need to present documents to prove everything."

The stack of papers, browning and torn at the edges, may not be enough, however, to regain the land in Kyauk Pan Du village, where he grew potatoes, chilli plants, almonds and rice.

"It depends on them. There is no land ownership for those who don't have citizenship," said Kyaw Lwin, agriculture minister in Rakhine state, when asked in an interview whether refugees who returned to Myanmar could reclaim land and crops.

Despite his land holdings, Myanmar does not recognize Ahmed as a citizen. Nearly all the more than 1 million Rohingya who lived in Myanmar before the recent exodus are stateless, despite many tracing their families in the country for generations.

Officials have made plans to harvest, and possibly sell, thousands of acres of crops left behind by the fleeing Rohingya, according to state government documents reviewed by Reuters.

Myanmar also intends to settle most refugees who return to Rakhine state in new "model villages", rather than on the land they previously occupied, an approach criticized in the past by the United Nations as effectively creating permanent camps.

The government has not asked for help from any international agencies, who are calling for any repatriation to be voluntary and to the refugees' place of origin.

The exodus of 589,000 Rohingya - and about 30,000 non-Muslims - from the conflict zone in northern Rakhine has left some 71,500 acres of planted rice paddy abandoned and in need of harvesting by January, according to plans drawn up by state officials.

Tables in the documents, reviewed by Reuters, divide the land into paddy sown by "national races" - meaning Myanmar citizens - or "Bengalis," a term widely used in Myanmar to refer to the Rohingya, but which they reject as implying they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Kyaw Lwin, the state minister, confirmed the plans, and said there was a total of 45,000 acres of "ownerless Bengali land".

Two dozen combine harvesters operated by officials from the agriculture ministry will begin cutting stalks this month in areas under military control.

The machines will be able to harvest about 14,400 acres according to official calculations contained in the plans. It is unclear what will become of the remaining crop, but officials told Reuters they would try to harvest all the paddy, recruiting additional labor to harvest manually if necessary.

An acre of paddy in Myanmar typically makes more than $300 at market, meaning the state will gain millions of dollars worth of rice.

The harvested rice will be transported to government stores, where it would either be donated to those displaced by the conflict or sold, Rakhine state secretary Tin Maung Swe told Reuters by phone.

"The land was abandoned. There is no one to reap that, so the government ordered to harvest it," he said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson, said the government should at least guarantee that the rice would be used for humanitarian support and not for profit.

"You can't call a rice crop 'ownerless' just because you used violence and arson to drive the owners out of the country," he said. Many refugees are fearful to return and are skeptical of Myanmar's guarantees. Those who do decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centers, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters, before mostly being relocated to model villages.

International donors, who have fed and cared for more than 120,000 mostly Rohingya "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) in supposedly temporary camps in Rakhine since violence in 2012, have told Myanmar that they will not support more camps, according to aid workers and diplomats.

"The establishment of new temporary camps or camp-like settlements carries many risks, including that the returnees and IDPs could end up being confined to these camps for a long time," said U.N. spokesman Stanislav Saling in an emailed response.

Satellite imagery shows 288 villages, mostly Rohingya settlements, have been fully or partially razed by fires since Aug. 25, according to HRW.

Refugees say the army and Buddhist mobs were responsible for most of the arson. The government says Rohingya militants and even residents themselves burned the homes for propaganda.

The hamlets where Rohingya farmers lived were "not systematic", and so should be rebuilt in smaller settlements of 1,000 households set out in straight rows to enable development, said Soe Aung, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

"In some villages there are three houses here, four houses over there. For example, there's no road for fire engines when fire burns the villages," Soe Aung said.

Those who decide to cross back into Myanmar will first be received at one of two centers, according to government plans reviewed by Reuters.

At the centers, officials said, the returnees will fill out a 16-point form that will be cross-checked with local authorities' records. Immigration officials have for years visited Rohingya households at least annually for checks, photographing family members.

For refugees who lost all their documents, the government would compare their photos to those that immigration authorities have on file, said Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

Officials will accept as evidence "national verification" cards handed out in an ongoing government effort to register Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. The card has been widely rejected by Rohingya community leaders, who say they treat life-long residents like new immigrants.

"We are not going to go back like this," said Mushtaq Ahmed, 57, a farmer from Myin Hlut village now living in the Tenkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh, where Jamil Ahmed is also staying.

"If I can go back to my house, and get my land back, only then I will go. We invested all our money into those paddy fields. They are killing so many of us with swords and bullets, and killing the rest of us like this."
Almost quarter of money that entered PH recovered

Bangladesh Bank provided an update Sunday on efforts to recover the money stolen from its treasury account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February 2016.

The central bank claimed in a statement that with the active help of the Philippines Justice Department, till now $19.17 million of the $81 million that entered the Philippines had been recovered, while a process is in place to recover the rest.

It said some $29 million of the stolen money which landed in the Solaire, one of the premier names in the Philippines' gambling industry, remains frozen while a trial to determine how it got there continues in the courts of that country. Similarly an embargo was imposed on another $1.2 million which was deposited in the bank accounts of two casino staff.

Additionally another $17 million was detected in the account of money remittance company Philrem, which is now being pursued by the Anti-Money Laundering Council in Philippines.

The Bangladesh Bank statement also claims that the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), whose staff were either deeply involved or had prior knowledge of the heist, even facilitating the breathtaking execution that left BB authorities at a complete loss as to how to react, have made a commitment that if the bank's involvement beyond some individuals acting alone could be proved, it would pay off the entire balance.

The BB has requested people not to be misled by any news without checking its credibility regarding the money recovery process, which now a section of people are spreading through social media.




The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A councillor in Mashonaland East Province, Mutoko South ward 28 reportedly forced villagers to pay 60 cents in order to get proof of residence to register to vote.Heal Zimbabwe Trust reported that Councillor for ward 28, Jerry Masendeke charged community members $0.60 each to authorise their proof of residence."This took place in Nyamuzizi Resettlement area on the 11th of October 2017. In Mudzi ward 1, Village heads Mukombwe and Mbwadzi refused to issue proof of residence to opposition party supporters at Nyamapanda Primary school ward 1 on 11 October 2017," said the trust."In Mudzi North ward 7 on 12 October 2017, unidentified ZANU PF youth were compiling names of people who were registering to vote at Dendera Primary school. The youth also forced several community members to submit serial numbers of their voter registration slips to them."In Mashonaland Central Province, Guruve South ward 7 on the 12th of October 2017, a ZANU PF member, Christopher Pagaravanhu addressed a meeting in Gweshe village and instructed village heads to deny food aid to community members who refuse to submit serial numbers of their voting slips to them."Pagaravanhu also announced that he will compile names of people as they register to vote," said the trust."Mbire ward 17 on 12 October 2017, ZANU PF Chairman Shuden Bandera intimidated community members at Majongwe Primary school by telling them that the BVR process will assist ZANU PF to identify all opposition party supporters in the ward."
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Sunday Mail (SM):

Todhlana:

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Chrispen Tapfuma Mataire (born February 24, 1945 in Chivhu), whose Chimurenga name was David Todhlana, continues his interview with the Sunday Mail comprising Munyaradzi Huni and Tendai Manzvanzvike.In this instalment, Todhlana speaks about how during the early days of the struggle political leaders sent ill-equipped and ill-prepared comrades into Rhodesia just to make an impression to the OAU. He speaks about the clash between James Chikerema and Jason "JZ" Moyo in Zapu and how they, together with Rex Nhongo decided to dump Zapu for Zanu.Read on . . .We have heard from some comrades that both Zapu and Zanu during the early years of the struggle resorted to abducting recruits in Zambia in a bid to show the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) that they had enough fighters to wage the war. Did this actually happen?Yes. We were getting support from the Liberation Committee of the OAU but this support was given in accordance to what we were doing. The committee would ask, "you Zapu since you came here to Zambia, what have you done at the war front in Rhodesia? Have you fought any battles so far? Zanu, how far have you gone?' So both Zapu and Zanu ended up sending comrades who were ill-prepared to the war front. The idea being to prove a point to the OAU that mainzwa here, iZapu yakaridza? Takatumira vakomana vakanoridza, vakadai vakadai so as to increase budget from OAU.How prevalent were such incidences were ill-prepared comrades could be sent to the war front just to make an impression to the OAU?You see, during the early stages, this was done quite often. From the days of William Ndangana and his Crocodile Gang. The idea during these days was not to fight the war proper. The idea was to sabotage the Rhodesian economy. The struggle during these days was a peaceful form of struggle. We were taking lessons from countries such as India. Remember the days of Mahatma Gandhi? They waged a peaceful struggle. So that was the same form of our struggle but of course with a little bit of some sabotage. Even when vana Ngwena (VP Mnangangwa) were sent to Rhodesia, the idea at this time was kuvhundutsira-vhundutsira.This was actually understandable because the comrades who were leading the struggle at this time had no military training. They were just political leaders. People like James Chikerema, Herbert Chitepo, Jason Moyo and so on. They were not soldiers. Zvekuti ngatirwei hondo came much later. During these early days the struggle was more about demonstrations, vanhu vachinotema fodya yevarungu and so on. So kwaitotumirwa comrades who were ill-equipped and ill-prepared. Some would be told kuti munonowana zvombo ikoko kumusha. Kumusha kupi?After your training at Morogoro, where did you go?Todhlana: We were sent to Bulgaria. Our whole group. While in Bulgaria that's when we met comrades from MPLA from Angola and others also receiving training. During training, the instructors would make us compete to establish who the sharp shooters were. I was a sharp-shooter representing Zapu. I would choose what part of the eye to hit. Not just to hit you but to choose which part of your eye to hit (laughs).Were you that good?I think I was. Our training was until the end of 1969. We were brought to Tanzania and were supposed to go to Lusaka but by this time, there were divisions between James Chikerema and JZ Moyo. They had two camps. Chikerema would say "I am the overall in charge representing Nkomo because I am the vice-president of the Zapu." JZ would argue kuti mdara zvimwe zvauri kuita hazvina ma- blessings aMdara Nkomo. So there were lots of quarrels and OAU came up with a position that hakuna macadres from Zapu that could leave Zambia going anywhere and no Zapu cadres could go to Zambia. The borders were sealed.We were taken to Mbeya, still in Tanzania. From end of 1969 to June 1970, we were staying at Mbeya. I was still with Rex Nhongo, Thomas Nhari and others. Nhari was the vice-platoon commander. He was more senior to us. I was the political commissar and Rex was seguranza (security). One day we took a decision  it was myself, Rex and Nhari. We said vakomana, ngatiende kune vamwe vedu kuZanu. Kuno kwatiri kuZapu tiri vaenzi. We agreed to cross the floor from Zapu to Zanu but we didn't know any Zanu camp that was nearby.I can't remember how we ended up in the hands of Kashiri. He was the Zanu representative at Intumbi Camp. We met him in Mbeya and told him our story. We told him that Zapu was disintegrating because of the divisions between Chikerema and JZ Moyo and that only Ndebeles were being promoted in Zapu. In Zanu people were being promoted on merit. This was June 1970. Kashiri was really excited. He went and told his fellow comrades. We told Kashiri that we were not supposed to waste time and so we arranged to meet again and leave Zapu. We sold this idea to some of the Shona comrades who were in Zapu but only those we were close to. We managed to tell just a few. Vhuu and others managed to join us but Magusvini and others we had informed were not there on the day we were supposed to leave. I volunteered to go back to the camp to bring Magusvini and others. Almost all comrades who were at this meeting point protested saying "Davie don't go. Davie you are risking!"When I got back to Mbeya, most of the comrades were in a meeting. When they spotted me, they quickly apprehended me. Yeah, they treated me nicely (grinning), I mean I got thorough beatings. Most of the comrades used to respect me. I remember there was Head Ndlovu akanga ane mazino two pafront. They used to respect me a lot but ndivo vakatanga kundirova. Head Ndlovu was very big and they dealt with me that night. These other comrades who were waiting for me went away after I took long to return to our meeting place.The next day, I was taken back to Morogoro as a prisoner. At Morogoro I was put in an underground cell. This cell was about 2-3km from the main camp at Morogoro. I was in this cell for three months. I was given food once per day. One day, one of the guards came with my food but told me that he had forgotten his cigarettes at the main camp. He then said, chisara uchidya ndinotora fodya yangu kucamp.The moment he got out of sight, I said this is my chance. I ran like a mad dog to the highway. I flagged down a vehicle and in no time I was in Dar es Salaam. I had no idea where the Zanu offices were but I knew that Zanu was in good books with Chama Cha Mapinduzi. I asked people in the streets where I could find the Chama Cha Mapinduzi offices. I found the offices and asked where I could find the Zanu offices.I went to the Zanu offices where I found the Zanu representative Webster Gwauya. I told him about my capture by Zapu. He told me that my fellow comrades, including Rex, Nhari, Vhuu and others were already receiving military training at Intumbi. He took me to Intumbi the next day where I found some of my colleagues vatova macommanders. Rex Nhongo was camp commander, Thomas Nhari in security and inini mafikizolo ndangovewo tauyawo. We all got military training under Zanu. Our instructors were from China.You were receiving training again after having trained under Zapu. Were there any differences between the Zipra and Zanla training?The Zanla training was far inferior than the Zipra training. The Zipra training was more rigorous and you could see you were being trained to be a soldier. YekuZanu haaa it was more like they were training girls.How come when it came to the war front, we hear reports that Zipra managed to gain more ground quickly?Todhlana: I thought I would explain this later. Remember there was the Big Six of liberation movements. These included ANC of South Africa, Zapu from Rhodesia, Swapo from Namibia, MPLA of Angola, PAIDC of Guinea Bissau and Frelimo from Mozambique. These were the liberation movements that were being supported by the Soviet bloc which included Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, Romania and so on. Zanu from Rhodesia, PAC from South Africa and others were seen as splinter groups. They were not receiving support from the Soviet bloc and they got support from China, Albania and to a little extent North Korea.The Big Six were getting support from the Soviet Bloc through the OAU but there was also direct support from these countries. As Frelimo was fighting its war against the Portuguese it opened vast areas and gave sanctuary to Zapu. Frelimo advised Zapu kuti huyai muchipinda kuRhodesia nekuno.By this time, Zapu was using routes where it had to cross Zambezi River to get into Rhodesia. After crossing into Rhodesia there were game parks and so on that the Zipra commanders had to deal with after using the Zambian route. So when Frelimo liberated the Tete Province, it asked Zapu to come and enter into Rhodesia using Tete Province.We also hear reports that the Zambian government supported Zapu?That's very true. Like I told you, Zanu was a nonentity, it was seen as a splinter group. So Kenneth Kaunda supported Zapu. But then when Frelimo offered Zapu to deploy into Rhodesia using Tete Province, that's the same time there were divisions in Zapu. Chikerema and JZ Moyo vainetsana such that they forgot zve strategy yehondo.There was a lot of turmoil in Zapu and so it failed to take up the offer by Frelimo. That offer by Frelimo was extended to Zanu. By this time Zanu had no problems and they embraced the idea. The party quickly sent people like Joseph Chimurenga, Earnest Kadungure, Chinamaropa and others into Tete Province. These comrades went to Tete and assessed the situation and after this, we were then deployed.To be continued next week...
News / National

by Staff reporter

In a landmark ruling that has potential to trigger public outcry, two learned judges of the High Court have ruled that, depending on the circumstances, statutory rape does not usually warrant a custodial sentence.The ruling by High Court judges Erica Ndewere and Owen Tagu flies in the face of the harsh sex laws on the country's statute books that have provisions for jailing sex offenders for as long as 10 years.In their ruling, the judges set free four men who were serving jail terms for indulging in sex with minors after adjudging that the convicts were victims of incorrect sentencing.According to court papers accessed by the Daily News on Sunday, the quartet of Tinashe Makamba (20), Benice Sahumbe (25), Marshal Muchabaiwa (25) and Farai Kapirikwete (19), had applied for reviews of custodial sentences imposed on them.Makamba had been jailed for 18 months for bedding a 13-year-old girl, while Sahumbe was thrown behind bars for 18 months for impregnating his 15-year-old girlfriend.Muchabaiwa had been jailed for 18 months for helping himself to his 15-year-old girlfriend, while Kapirikwete was serving 24 months jail term for indulging in sex with his 15-year-old lover.The 2013 Constitution set the minimum age of consent at 18.In their joint judgment, Ndewere and Tagu, ruled that perpetrators were actually "victims of incorrect sentencing"."The four cases herein are of the same nature. Accused persons in all four matters were rightfully charged of having consensual sex with minors. However, in all cases, all the accused persons succumbed to the same fate of incorrect sentencing," Justice Ndewere said in a ruling delivered on May 17, but was only released two weeks ago.Justice Tagu concurred with the ruling, court papers indicate.The judges pointed out that while the law clearly states that those convicted of statutory rape could be condemned to up to a decade in jail, the general trend in such cases was that perpetrators were allowed to get away with light fines."The purpose of this provision is clearly to deter the vulnerability of minors from sexual abuse which, at law, they are deemed not to have capacity to consent to sexual activities. However, it is the salient facts in casu, which make me conclude that the respective learned magistrates grossly misdirected themselves on sentence. In all instances, the accused persons were in love with the complainants and the sex was consensual in all cases," noted Ndewere.She went on to quote previous cases in which other judges had been lenient on these sex offenders."However, indulging in sex with a minor remains a crime, in spite of the complainant's willingness. But then the sentencing should be appropriate. The sentencing trends on sex with minors otherwise referred to as statutory rape have been dealt with in depth by the late (Justice Arnold) Mutema in the case of State versus Tshuma HB 70/13. From that judgment, it is apparent that non-custodial sentences are usually passed in such offences," she said.The court then substituted the custodial sentences imposed on the four with light fines.Makamba's sentence was reduced to a fine of $200 alternatively one month jail.Sahumbe was fined $300 fine (or two months in jail) the same as Muchabaiwa, while Kapirikwete had 23 months knocked off his sentence to leave him with one month, alternatively $200 fine.However, because the four - who were all jailed last year - had served a better part of their sentences, the court ordered their immediate release from jail."It is therefore correct to conclude that, depending on circumstances, statutory rape does not usually warrant a custodial sentence," Justice Ndewere pointed out.The ruling, flies in the face of Zimbabwe's punitive sex laws.Section 70 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) [Chapter 9:23] reads: "Subject to subsection (2), any person who: Has extra-marital sex with a young person or . . . shall be guilty of sex or performing an indecent act with a young person, as the case may be, and liable to a fine not exceeding level twelve or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years or both."
News / National

by Staff reporter

Far from throwing in the towel, the Team Lacoste faction is mulling throwing the name of Water and Climate Change minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri for the post of vice president in case their trump card in the succession race, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is jettisoned from his position through the planned amendments to the party's constitution.Impeccable Team Lacoste insiders told the Daily News on Sunday that allies of the embattled vice president were coalescing around Muchinguri-Kashiri as their fallback position in the event that a resolution by the Zanu-PF women's league to elevate a woman into the presidium is pushed through at the extraordinary congress set for December.In 2015, the women's league demanded that one of their own be made a vice president of the party and the Republic.The resolution has since gained currency, with eight out of the country's 10 political provinces declaring their desire to vote with their feet for the amendment of the party's constitution to achieve some semblance of gender parity in the top echelons of Zanu-PF.While First Lady Grace Mugabe is seen as the favourite for the post on account of her position as secretary for the women's league, alarmed rivals in the Team Lacoste faction are digging their heels in, insisting the leadership of the party should not be tampered with ahead of key national elections next year.Seeing that the odds are heavily stacked against them, they have come up with an alternative plan whereby they now seek to campaign for Muchinguri-Kashiri to become the second female to occupy the top office, after Joice Mujuru between 2004 and 2014.Highly-placed sources in the Midlands and Masvingo provinces - the bedrocks of support for the Team Lacoste faction - the whole idea is to secure their broader interests beyond Mnangagwa, who has fallen out with the first family."The idea is to swim with the tide but control the ship," said a source."We are aware that our provinces cannot openly defy the president and so behind the scenes we are making moves to ensure that Muchinguri is nominated as the woman's vice president. After all, there is no one who can claim to be more senior than her".Muchinguri-Kashiri, who was one of the key party officials who orchestrated the downfall of former vice president Mujuru, is a key ally of Mnangagwa.Born on December 14, 1958, she was one of the female combatants who participated in the liberation struggle that brought about Zimbabwe's independence in April 1980.She received her military training in Mozambique and worked as President Robert Mugabe's private secretary between 1980 and 1981. She earned her first ministerial appointment in 1997.In 2014, she gave up her leadership of the Zanu-PF women's league to allow Grace to assume the post.Despite her act of magnanimity, many people feel that she was not rewarded appropriately for, presumably because of her association with Mnangagwa.Although she has retreated into her shell since 2014, Muchinguri-Kashiri, who could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print as her two mobile numbers were unreachable, is now emerging as the Trojan horse of the beleaguered Team Lacoste faction, which is fighting a bitter war of attrition with the rival Generation 40 (G40) faction over Mugabe's succession.The G40 faction is pushing for Mugabe's wife to replace Mnangagwa, who enjoys the backing of the Team Lacoste faction.While Masvingo and the Midlands provinces are still vouching to lobby for the maintenance of the status quo in the presidium, realists within the Team Lacoste faction believe Mnangagwa has already lost the battle hence they are converging around Muchinguri-Kashiri to ensure they do not lose the war.War veterans, one of the key constitutions of the Team Lacoste faction, have previously pitched Muchinguri-Kashiri's name in the Zanu-PF succession wars, with Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) chairperson Chris Mutsvangwa saying Grace was no match to Muchinguri-Kashiri.Despite enjoying ZNLWVA's support, Team Lacoste has work cut out for it.To start with, it lacks the numbers in the main wing to push through its agenda. Secondly, the other critical wings in the party - the women and youth leagues - are clearly in support of the constitutional amendments.Also, the final decision rests with Mugabe, who is the sole appointing authority in Zanu-PF.Political analysts this week said Muchinguri-Kashiri could have had a realistic chance of landing the post if it was elected for."It should also not be forgotten that the one centre of power philosophy means that only president Mugabe has the wherewithal to decide who gets the position, so they can as well push for an amendment to the constitution so that it becomes an elective position, to increase her chances," said Eldred Masunungure, a political scientist.Maxwell Saungweme, a political analyst, said while Muchinguri-Kashiri had greater substance than Grace, odds were heavily stacked against her."Unless there is a clear show of defiance against the first family by a significant number of Zanu-PF supporters, Oppah will not succeed," said Saungweme."She certainly has more substance and better political maturity than Grace, but winning the post would mean Zanu-PF supporters openly revolting against Mugabe and his wife. Grace's controversial PhD did not help her get a modicum of political maturity and she would not stand against a seasoned politician like Oppah if there was internal democracy in Zanu-PF," he added.Rashweat Mukundu, another political analyst, said as long as Muchinguri-Kashiri comes as a Team Lacoste candidate, her chances would be very slim."If it rings as a Lacoste plan, then her chances are dimmed by factional shadows. This, as it may, she is a senior party leader and an ex-combatant whose credentials no one can deny," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

One of the three critical wings of the ruling party - the Zanu-PF youth league - threw down the gauntlet yesterday, declaring its undying support for First Lady Grace Mugabe to take over the vice presidency from Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom it described as a cancer, eating away the revolutionary party.The declaration by the youth league's Manicaland chair, Mubuso Chinguno, comes two months before a decisive extraordinary congress where Zanu-PF will amend its constitution to accommodate a woman as vice president and second secretary of the party.As a consequence of the amendment, one of the two serving vice presidents - Mnangagwa or Phelekezela Mphoko - could be dropped to give effect to the quota system, although President Robert Mugabe once hinted in July that he was toying with the idea of appointing a third vice president.Amid suggestions that Mugabe may pass his wife, Grace, and settle on a dark horse to avoid playing his hand too early into the succession race, an executive member of the Zanu-PF youth league made it clear yesterday that they wanted Mnangagwa out of the top three.Chinguno, who chairs the Manicaland chapter of the league, told the Daily News that Mnangagwa had become "a dangerous cancer eating the party away", adding that they wanted not just another woman but Grace to be vice the president."I have been provincial youth chairperson for several years and I have never seen such open rebellion," he told the Daily News, suggesting the vice president has rebelled against the party."Unfortunately, we have been dealing with the side effects of the root cause of factionalism, which is Emmerson. We might say let's do this and that but we will not go anywhere if we don't deal with Emmerson who has been using his proxies to undermine the president. We can fire the whole party but the only way to go forward is to remove him. He is a cancer. We have fired a lot of people since 2014 because of this man. So let us deal with Emmerson at the coming special congress so that all departments pull in one direction," he declared.The Daily News had reported on Thursday that no-one in the women's league appears to have the guts to go ahead of Grace by expressing the desire to assume the second most powerful office in the land in the event that the amendment sails through at the special congress.This has had the effect of giving the first lady a head start in the race to land the position should it become available in fulfilment of the quota system cast aside in 2014 as Zanu-PF sought to cut off Joice Mujuru from the party.On Thursday, the national executive of the Zanu-PF youth league held an extraordinary meeting where they endorsed Mugabe's leadership, and giving him their blessings to stand as the party's presidential candidate in the 2018 elections.They also threw their weight behind a 2015 resolution presented by the women's league at the party conference held in the resort town of Victoria Falls, challenging the party's leadership to walk the talk on gender equality by elevating a woman to occupy one of the VP offices.Although Masvingo and the Midlands provinces - the bedrocks of support for Mnangagwa - would want to preserve the status quo, they are clearly outnumbered as the other eight provinces are fighting in the women's league's corner.While the youth league's resolutions as read out by Kudzai Chipanga, the national chairperson of the wing, did not mention who among the two VPs - Mnangagwa or Mphoko - should pave the way for a woman successor, Chinguno accused Mnangagwa of exhibiting "fake love" towards Mugabe, saying he has become a master at praising the Zanu-PF leader by day but plotting against him at night."There is no loyalty in him, there is only disloyalty. In fact, Zanu-PF will be stronger without him," said the youthful, abrasive politician who narrowly escaped Zanu-PF expulsion in 2014 for aligning with Mujuru.He said the youths were clamouring for Mugabe to replace Mnangagwa with Grace."She (Grace) is a woman who has learnt from the greatest man, a woman nurtured by our president. Some laugh and call her secretary; that only defines that she was the best not only in beauty but her unique qualities as we have seen her condemning unscrupulous activities and leadership within the party. We truly believe that Amai is ready to serve the nation and should be given the chance," said Chinguno." . . . Let's all rally our support behind her for the VP as women need to be represented in our politics. We support gender balance as currently our political dynamics truly reflect that there is no fair representation of women in our politics. We support more women candidates to be elevated and identified to serve the nation," he added.Indications are that the women's league is also set to convene its extraordinary executive meeting soon to reaffirm their contentious resolution.Women's league spokesperson, Judith Ncube, confirmed that the women would push for the resolution to be actualised at the congress in a telephone interview yesterday."Our position still remains, we ask the responsible leadership to make it happen," she said.She, however, could not confirm the reported meeting, saying she would check with secretary for administration Letina Undenge before she can comment on that.Undenge said she needed to check with Ncube: "We do have a position on that (the women's quota) and it has not changed, but on that other issue, let me check with the secretary for information and publicity and I will call you back," she said.The two Zanu-PF officials did not return the calls as per their promise and were subsequently not answering calls to their cell phones.Political scientist Ibbo Mandaza told the Daily News that Mnangagwa might just be serving his last days as VP.He said the women's quota simply points to the fact that Mnangagwa has been firmly targeted."People talk about constitutional provisions; those do not matter, and Zanu-PF has always amended it to suit the current demands," said Mandaza. "Remember the clause (which says one of the VPs must be a woman) was introduced in 2014 to block Mnangagwa, it was removed in 2014 to facilitate his rise and it is now being brought back to remove him".While political commentator Lloyd Msipa opined that Grace was destined to become a vice president, he remained doubtful if Mugabe could expel Mnangagwa saying doing so would amount to writing an epitaph to the former revolutionary movement.Msipa said Mnangagwa represents a brand unto himself, adding the vice president was Zanu-PF personified."His roots go deeper into the revolutionary party and hence attempts to uproot him will not be without consequence," said Msipa who is the Co-founder of Africa Public Policy Research Institute."In recent months, we have seen a toxic Mugabe, influenced by both age and an overly ambitious young wife, being told to dump Emmerson Mnangagwa. He knows, it will not be easy. In the absence of a Mnangagwa death, Mugabe will not succeed in expelling Mnangagwa without disrupting the rank and file of Zanu-PF. Mnangagwa's roots go too deep . . . If Mugabe goes for broke and expels Mnangagwa, the resultant fallout in the army, the intelligence services and war veterans will be catastrophic no unity will be possible before the 2018 elections. In as much Lenin wished Trotsky to succeed him, it was his wish," said Msipa.Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said the buck stops with Mugabe, implying whatever Mugabe wishes would be done.Said Mukundu: "So, if it's Mugabe's desire that he be deputised by his wife, then it will be so. The hope, of course, is that he does not take this final leap into making Zimbabwe a full-fledged banana republic".
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East St. Louis has more crime and fewer police officers than it should have, compared with comparably sized cities in the metro-east.

The city of 27,000, which has had 32 homicides so far this year, should have at least 62 sworn police officers, according to a U.S. Justice Department report. Instead it has 43.

Do we need more police? Yes. Can we afford more? No, East St. Louis City Manager Daffney Moore said.

In surrounding cities, such as Belleville, OFallon, Fairview Heights and Swansea, there is less crime and a higher police visibility. The Justice Department study says thats important to maintaining public safety and deterring crime, bringing businesses to the community and protecting residents.

While the Illinois State Police and St. Clair County Sheriffs Department has assisted in the past, St. Clair County States Attorney Brendan Kelly said more officers are needed in East St. Louis.

The East St. Louis Police Department is overwhelmed and there arent enough officers from the state or the Sheriffs Department to fill that gap, Kelly said. The rising crime in St. Louis and an insufficient number of officers in East St. Louis are proving to be a deadly mix.

Kelly helped form the Metro East Police Commission to provide better direction for the police department and bring it in line with other police departments. The Metro East Police Commission has provided support in terms of training, policy and pointing the way towards best practices that reduce violence, but if there arent enough officers to execute those practices, then the violence will continue, he said.

A federal study titled Policing: Strength In Numbers," concluded that a strong police presence keeps communities safe.

According to the study, there are about 2.61 sworn officers per 1,000 residents nationwide, and 2.32 sworn officers per 1,000 residents in Illinois. East St. Louis has about 27,000 residents and should have a minimum of 62 sworn officers to be comparable with Illinois, and 71 to be comparable with the rest of the country, the report says. But when adjusted for the amount of crime there, East St. Louis should have 173 police officers, the study concluded.

The study said the number of officers should be determined not just by population but by the officers workload as well. The federal study says the level of reported crimes is one of the key factors in the distribution of personnel in any police agency.

Statistically speaking, East St. Louis last year had a rate of 2,828 violent crimes per 100,000 people (757 actual), compared with 436 for the state of Illinois and 386 nationally per 100,000, according to the FBIs Uniform Crime Report.

An East St. Louis officer can expect to encounter an average of 32 violent crimes per year  more than three times as officers in Cairo, Illinois, the runner-up, the study said.

More than a dozen East St. Louis residents were asked at random whether they feel safe in their city. Most said they feel East St. Louis police do a good job, but did not want to give their names.

Lillie Butler, a lifelong resident, said she would like to see more police officers on the streets to make her feel safer. She recalled a time when she felt very safe living in East St. Louis. We need enough police officers to cover our streets ... not just for murders, but for break-ins, robberies and other crimes. Senior citizens are fearful because most of their husbands or wives have passed away and they live alone, she said.

Lots of people try to get into their homes before dark, especially seniors. Its so dark here. We need lights and more police officers. Some of the police officers who have to respond to calls are fearful for their lives because its dark (in the neighborhoods). We need more lights to make them safe as they drive up and down the streets. And, we need more police officers in the department so they can have someone to watch their back. Public safety is very important. We need to feel like they do in other communities around us ... safe, Butler said.

One young man who refused to give his name said he carries a gun to protect himself because he does not trust the police department. When you call them they take their time coming. I carry my own (gun) to protect me.

Manpower helps deter crime

Seven of East St. Louis 43 police officers are out on workers compensation or personal issues. Of the 32 homicides this year, only seven have been solved. The city rarely calls in the Major Case Squad to assist in murder investigations.

Without manpower there is little to no productivity, newly appointed Police Chief Jerry Simon said. Public safety should be No. 1. Businesses wont come to places where they feel unsafe. Residents tend to move away if they are not comfortable. Children and young adults wont feel a need to assist the police in catching the bad guys if they feel they wont be protected by the police. Without interaction between police and citizens, crimes that occur take longer to solve.

Simon said the department is currently doing what other departments are doing to get the best candidates. We do an extensive background check, a physical and psychological test, a written test, a drug test, he said

Without proper staffing you go from call to call. Weve been retroactive rather than having the opportunity to do proactive policing.

Simon recalled a time when East St. Louis had nearly 100 police officers. He thinks the department could manage with 55 officers, but he agrees with the federal study that more are needed and would heighten police presence in the community.

With the proper manpower, you can plan for vacation, personal days, regular days off for officers and schedule training more proficiently, Simon said.

The department has a budget of $3.8 million and a hefty overtime payroll. Simon said he and city leaders are working to hire more officers, but money is an issue.

Another problem for the city is getting qualified applicants. We put a list out and only six people showed up for the test. And, only two of those passed the agility test. Simon said some other nearby police departments do lateral hires, which means a certified officer, no matter the department, can be hired by any police department and they can start to work right away.

That officer would have already been through the police academy and be certified, Simon said. He said he plans to explore that with the city manager and other city leaders.

Proactive policing is the practice of deterring criminal activity by showing police presence and engaging the public to learn their concerns.

East St. Louis officers are constantly running from call to call, which limits their ability to do proactive police work to prevent crime. Neighboring department heads said they believe proactive policing in which you engage the public is very effective in deterring crime.

Moore, the city manager, said per the citys union contract the number of officers the city should have is 60-plus. She believes the city can get by with the current number, but she also is working to increase the workforce.

We need to look at how we structure our shifts and when the most calls are coming in. We need to look at staffing hours better and how we respond, she said.

The department also needs needs updated technology, Moore said. Currently, police officers have to return to the police department inside of city hall to complete police reports instead of doing them on laptops in their squad cars.

Belleville has most officers

Belleville has a population of nearly 45,000 and the police department covers 23 square miles. Belleville Police Chief Bill Clay said the department employs 84 police officers and the police budget is nearly $10 million. There is a turnover rate of about 5 percent, he said. Asked whether he felt stability is important to good public safety, Clay said, Yes, as in any organization.

Clay said he holds his officers accountable by ensuring they adhere to federal, state and local laws. They are also required to follow the department policy manual and daily testing requirements. Officers also undergo mandatory drug testing, he said.

To address criminal activity, Clay said the department has implemented several initiatives and special training: Safe Street operations; Nite Lite detail in the downtown business district; parole and probation compliance details; sex offender registration details; a Blue Team Robbery detail; DEA task force member; school resource officers at both high schools; code enforcement officers who enforce the crime-free housing ordinance; crisis intervention officer certification; Narcan training and certification, and others.

Fairview Heights Police Chief Nick Gailius, who has been leading the police department since 2010, said the department employs 44 sworn police officers and the population in Fairview Heights is a little over 17,000. The Police Department budget is $8 million.

He said a consulting firm hired by the department determined how many officers the city needed.

Police officers by in large are good people who want to help others. And hiring the best candidates will ensure your community is kept safe, Gailius said.

We have a consortium of police departments who work together to recruit and put candidates through a testing process, a thorough background check, and a polygraph test. If the candidates pass all of these tests, he is given a psychological exam by a psychologist, he explained. The officers have an eight-month probationary period, including 12 weeks of field training with direct supervision from an experienced officer, Gailius said.

Fairview Heights doesnt see a lot of violent crime, but deals with a lot of retail theft because of all of the stores located there.

The most prevalent crime is shoplifting, Gailius said. To date, there have been three robberies in Fairview Heights. Assault and battery crime is up from 44 to 60 this year, he said. The department has made 262 fugitive arrests, 154 DUI arrests, and 16 firearm arrests.

St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson, said, Policing is a manpower-driven business. You cant buy robots and replace people with machines. You have to have bodies and cars in the streets. The departments budget, which is set by the St. Clair County Board, is somewhere around $2.4 million. Watson said Its money well spent, and he said the department could use more police. Currently, there are approximately 50 officers in the department.

Watson said the county is different from local municipalities in that everything is close for municipalities. Were trying to cover 700 square miles, he said.

Watson agreed that high police visibility is a deterrent to crime. Criminals look for easy targets, he said. The county has had two homicides this year. The biggest crimes for deputies usually are property crimes and domestic calls are their main calls, he said.

Swansea Police Chief Steve Johnson said Swansea has a relatively low crime rate, but there are areas in the village where police receive more calls for service than others. He said he receives a lot of calls from residents who complain about suspicious things they see in certain areas.

The department has 21 police officers, including the chief, for a village of 14,000.

Swansea police officers get out of their cars and engage citizens on a regular basis. Its part of everything we do, said Johnson. Officers do what Johnson called directed patrols, meaning officers get out and do foot patrols. They walk to businesses, in the parks and neighborhoods. Swansea also has a bike patrol.

Residents are very involved. They demand that we do our jobs. Community involvement is absolutely critical, he said.

In OFallon where Chief Eric Van Hook leads the police department, there are 47 sworn police officers in a city of 29,000. So far this year, there have been nine rapes, eight robberies and no homicides. Crime is relatively low overall.

With the growth OFallon has experienced and will continue to experience, we are reviewing officer allocation and studying impacts of future growth. The arrival of St. Elizabeths Hospital will undoubtedly put some stress on our staffing so we will continue to evaluate our levels and add as we see fit, Van Hook said. The department has a budget of $5.8 million

Police work can be stressful, and police officers are not always respected in every circle, but Van Hook described the job as an honorable and noble profession.

The vast majority of citizens respect the police and the work we do. And, the vast majority of officers believe in the work they do. The profession wont make you rich, but it will reward you in many other ways, he said.
CARBONDALE  A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researchers latest project asks a deceptively simple question: What will Hurricane Harvey reveal to the people of Houston?

Roberto Barrios, associate professor of anthropology at SIUC, has studied disaster reconstruction after major catastrophic events for the past 18 years. He has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study disaster recovery in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the city in late August.

For anthropologists, disasters are what we call revelatory crises, Barrios said. Disasters, I think, in the general culture are often thought of in terms of very acute, specific events  but for anthropologists, disasters are more historical premises. Its about everything that comes before an earthquake or a hurricane.

Barrios previously studied housing reconstruction and resettlement programs in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. He also conducted an ethnographic study of disaster recovery planning in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Crises occur at the intersection of geophysical phenomena and human- or society-created vulnerabilities, he said: they bring to light conditions that had been previously ignored.

Hurricane Katrina occurred in a time when many Americans may have been saying that we were living in a post-racial society, and Hurricane Katrina made us confront the fact that there are tremendous inequities in poverty  that sometimes manifest along racial lines, and also inequities in the distribution of vulnerability  who gets to live in areas that are flood-prone, who is forced to live in those areas, Barrios said.

After Hurricane Harvey, Barrios and his colleague, Raja Swamy of University of Tennessee, Knoxville, became interested in what the disaster would reveal for different social actors in the city of Houston.

Often what a disaster reveals is in the eye of the beholder, Barrios said. For example, when Hurricane Katrina occurred, for certain televangelists  for them it revealed something different (than it did to anthropologists). For them it didnt necessarily reveal racial and class inequities in America; for them it revealed the fact that God was angry with America because we are OK with gay marriage.

He and Swamy plan to conduct intense ethnographic interviews with a wide range of people who represent the diversity of the city to learn how they interpret the disaster and how they hope to rebuild.

The reason its important is because, depending on what the disaster reveals for whom, thats going to be tied to what a person considers necessary in terms of policy for reconstruction, he said.

The researchers already made one trip to Houston earlier this month to conduct preliminary research.

One of the interesting things that we have found  is that for many of residents of Houston, particularly those of lesser means, especially those who are Latino, for them what the disaster reveals is a disaster that is not visible but was already present in the city of Houston, which has to do with issues of environmental justice and the toxicity of many petroleum and petrochemical refinery plants that are causing very high levels of things like childhood leukemia, Barrios said.

Barrios and Swamy plan to conduct more interviews over the January intercession and return for follow-up interviews in March. The bulk of their research will be conducted over a two-month period this summer, and in the fall, theyll prepare an ethnographic report of Houston. They hope to get the grant renewed to continue their research the following year.

Well help people understand the socioeconomic diversity of the city of Houston and how socioeconomic sectors experienced the disaster, in terms of who flooded and who didnt, but also who experienced other forms of disaster, like toxic exposure from those petrochemical companies, he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Heavily armed Zimbabwe Republic Police's Anti Riot police, CIO, CID and suspected Army officers bared Zapu President Dumiso Dabengwa from attending a Gukurahundi atrocities commemoration.A local community-based organization, IBhetshu LikaZulu, had organized the commemorations which were supposed to be held at Bhalagwe, Kezi in Matebeleland South. Ibhetshu LikaZulu felt it was necessary to do a prayer in remembrance of those who were killed by Mugabe's fifth brigade Army for being NdebelePolice had earlier on sanctioned the public event.Bhalagwe is one of the many sites Gukurahundi massacres which were perpetuated by President Robert Mugabe in the early 1980's in Matebeleland and Midlands provinces.The former Home Affairs minister and his entourage were blocked from going to the site of the commemorations.
News / National

by Staff reporter

W.H.O. Rescinds Good-Will Ambassador' Appointment for Mugabe https://t.co/0MuPR3pmTo  The New York Times (@nytimes) October 22, 2017

They were taking chances & it backfired badly.....why on earth would anyone still appoint Mugabe to any position?? https://t.co/aVdqD6Wz12  Thatchic (@KekanaMabs) October 22, 2017

Mugabe breaks another record&enters Guinness for being appointed ambassador fired in 4 days @ProfJNMoyo @matigary @Vokal_DaPoet @vchimhutu  silvanos mudzvova (@SilvanosVhitori) October 22, 2017

Great news Mugabe is OUT as goodwill ambassador due to the outrage it drew.  daniel smith (@Bckrda) October 22, 2017

Twitter was abuzz on Sunday following the decision by the head of the World Health Organisation to withdraw his appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador".WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he decided to rescind his appointment of Mugabe, 93, after listening to the flood of outrage and concerns voiced by international leaders and health experts.See his statement below.Ghebreyesus said his decision was in the "best interests" of the UN agency and that he had consulted with the Zimbabwe government about his decision.An AFP report said that the WHO boss had faced mounting pressure to reverse the decision, including from some of the leading voices in global public health."The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros's) first 100 days, was a misstep," the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K Jha, said in an email shortly before the WHO decision was announced."Reversing will actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public," he added.The US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama's administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done."The only person whose health 93-yo Mugabe has looked out for in his 37 year reign is his own."Multiple critics noted that Mugabe, who is 93 and in increasingly fragile health, travels abroad for medical care because Zimbabwe's health care system has been so severely decimated.Richard Horton, the editor of the leading medical journal The Lancet said: "WHO DG stands for Director-General, not Dictator-General. Tedros, my friend, retract your decision, consult with colleagues, and rethink."Tedros is the former health minister of Ethiopia.His election as the first African leader of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation's work is based.But his decision to honour one of Africa's most controversial leaders has raised questions about his leadership just four months into his tenure.
Brothers put an emphasis on image with the "Lets Tie Things Up" initiative held in conjunction with Alpha Phil Alpha fraternitys district conference Oct. 13-14 in Orangeburg.

Visiting Howard Middle School, fraternity members held workshops on the importance of a positive and professional male image, and career readiness. Students were given information on dressing to impress, and they learned how to tie neckties.

"It's not so much of what you have on, it is how it looks, Alpha Morris Thompson said. It doesn't have to be the most expensive thing that you think you should have, but it should be clean and sleek. If it's not soiled, then you have a presentation going."

Amari Boyd said the tie skills are important.

"We wanted to teach them how to tie a tie because that is an essential skill for a male to have to be successful in life, Boyd said. A lot of them this is their first time learning how to tie a tie and this is just a skill that they will carry on for the rest of their life."

The students got the message:

 "I learned a lot. I learned that you have to present yourself nicely if you want to be treated like a grown man. And if you don't present yourself nicely, people are going to think 'oh  he doesn't know how to wash  he doesn't know how to wear clean clothes, he can't do that by himself  so maybe we shouldn't talk to him.' So that's why you should present yourself that way. That's what I learned from today," Jayden Corley said.

 I learned about being respectful and how they came up to be respectful, Sherman Jones said.

 And Zashawn Hames said, I would dress to impress in the future so I can prove how I would be looking when I am older in the future."

The Alpha conference was held on the campuses of Claflin and South Carolina State universities and included fraternity members from five areas of the state as well as campus chapters The theme was The Urgency of Now: Community Impact and Brotherhood Unity!

Fraternity brothers also visited Brookdale Elementary for the Alpha Men Do Read initiative. The project promotes literacy development with a book drive and dedicated reading time.
Sandy Run K-8 School seventh-grader Amaiyah F. Walker recently received the National Association for Gifted Childrens Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholar Award.

Walker is the first South Carolinian to receive the award since its inception in 2014. The award is only given to a handful of students in grades 6-12 from around the country each year.

According to NAGC, the Jenkins Scholar Award is a very significant program for numerous scholars and advocates of gifted black learners who are often overlooked or not adequately served in school programs.

The award is named in honor of Dr. Martin D. Jenkins, known as the father of research on gifted blacks, and is designed to honor the achievements of highly gifted black students who excel academically in school.

The scholarship is cosponsored by the NAGC Special Populations Network and the NAGC Gifted Racial Accountability and Commitment to Equity Special Interest Group.

Walker will be inducted into the Jenkins Scholar Society at the NAGC 64th annual National Convention on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She will be presented with a $300 scholarship and an engraved accolade recognizing her exceptional test scores, exemplary school work and achievements.

In addition to the national award, Walker was among the top state winners in the 2016 South Carolina Consortium for Gifted Education Contest.

She was a Region 2 Melba McKenzie and LeAnn Crosby Summer Scholarship Contest winner. As a sixth-grader, she competed against gifted students in grades 6-8 in the Greater Columbia area and surrounding cities, which encompassed nine districts. She used the funds to attend Clemson Universities Project WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Summer Camp.
BAMBERG  A Bamberg County court official has been placed on paid administrative leave amid an investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division into funds missing from Bamberg County Family Court.

"I received a letter from the clerk of court requesting an investigation, and then I wrote a letter to the State Law Enforcement Division to do the investigation," Bamberg County Sheriff Ed Darnell said.

"It was in reference to some missing funds. That was just a request from him, and the clerk has been placed on administrative leave, which is Caroline Raysor. She's on paid administrative leave at this time," Darnell said.

Raysor is the senior deputy clerk of court.

Darnell said, "All of this is involving child support funds.

The S.C. Department of Social Services is conducting an audit, Darnell said. They will possibly finish it sometime this week and then, of course, SLED will begin their investigation."

SLED has an open and active case, spokesperson Kathryn Richardson said via email. She didn't provide further details.

Darnell said the entire investigation is now being handled by SLED.

We hate it, but that's just one of those things. I couldn't investigate my own county people anyway. I have to forward it all to SLED and recommend that all calls be made to them in reference to any comments," Darnell said.

Bamberg County Clerk of Court Pedie Hiers said he had no comment on the issue.

A phone listing for Raysor was disconnected and no longer in service.
WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush's speech last week at a forum hosted by his eponymous institute might as well have been titled "Dear Donald." The 43rd president all but called out the current president by name as he lamented the tone and character of today's political rhetoric.

"Bigotry seems emboldened," said Bush. "Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."

Indeed.

Trump likes to label these theories and fabrications "fake news," but "fake news" is Trump's own invention -- and his greatest fabrication to date. Now the rallying cry for millions of Trump supporters, "fake news" is a deflection, a decoy floated on the human sea of credulity to distract people from coverage he finds unflattering. The truth is, what Trump says and does is so often unflattering without embellishment that adjectives and adverbs needn't apply.

One need look no further than last Tuesday when, attempting to comfort the widow of a slain soldier, Trump reportedly couldn't bother to use the deceased's name and reminded the grieving woman that her husband had known what he was signing up for, but "it hurts anyway." You could say that. Or not.

By contrast, Bush's suffering on behalf of the injured and killed whom he sent into harm's way as president is apparent in his visage, in the portraits of wounded soldiers he has painted, and in his ongoing work with troops and military families. Such actions don't alter the pain of a deadly mistake, but they at least indicate a profound empathy that is utterly lacking in the current president.

No stranger to media criticism -- crushing criticism -- Bush never attacked the fourth estate. He also obviously recognizes that worse than a reporter's or editor's error is the undermining of public faith in a free press. Once the government succeeds in eliminating a country's watchdogs, the government becomes the only source of information. Most people know, or should know, how that ends.

The irony is that the very people who curse the media also tend to curse government overreach.

Trump's "fake news" charge is very much in the vein of propaganda. He has created a false narrative to clear obstacles -- such as questioning reporters or the hindrance of accountability -- from his path.

Russians are also very good at this. Recent revelations about fake Twitter accounts tied to Russia through which genuinely fake news was posted and distributed to influence the 2016 election remind us of how vulnerable we are to real fake news. Unfortunately, Trump has helped blur the line between propaganda and what is otherwise known simply as news.

The fact that members of Trump's campaign and family retweeted some of these real-fake news items demonstrates how difficult it can be to recognize what's real and what's not. This may be the greatest challenge of our times. Disinformation combined with generalized antipathy toward the traditional press may be the toxic combination that poisons unity and condemns democratic principles to the hazardous-waste dump. One cannot overemphasize the importance of these developments or of the president's contributions to the undermining of institutions created by our Constitution to monitor government power.

Recall that a president's primary duty, in addition to defending the country, is to protect the Constitution. Yet, in just nine months in office, Trump has done more to challenge the integrity of the First Amendment than any other president in history, including expressing interest in making it easier to sue journalists for libel.

He would never actually push such a measure because Trump (BEG ITAL)is(END ITAL) smart and knows he'd get nowhere. But he also knows that many among his base don't know this. No matter. He's rallied the base with rhetoric and re-enforced the infrastructure of his greatest deception. Talk about fake news.

In other remarks clearly aimed at Trump, Bush addressed bullying and prejudice in public life that "sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children." And: "We can't wish globalization away, any more than we could wish away the agricultural revolution or the industrial revolution."

One needn't be a sleuth to infer that Bush was speaking to the man oft-referred to as our bully-in-chief, as well as to Trump-the-salesman, who convinced working-class Americans that he would bring back all those jobs lost to globalization. As Bush suggested, globalization is the new age and the old one isn't coming back.

A Republican president needed to say these things -- and his name wasn't Trump.
Ive been following the Kurds over the past two weeks, trying to understand and make sense of our nation's once loyal and dependable ally. The State Department is useless, and it still has the same Obama administration team players in charge of policy, so there is a growing gap between the White House policy on Iran and where State is.

The events over recent days are a devastating blow to the Kurds, and to the reputation of the United States. The Kurds have been a faithful, unwavering ally since 1991-92 when we first arrived in Northern Iraq.

They were instrumental in crafting the Iraqi constitution and getting it passed by the parliament in 2004. They are exercising their rights to self-determination. This referendum vote to open a dialogue with Baghdad has been coming for almost two years. The State Department ignored the issue until two days before the scheduled vote, when Bret McGurk released a statement saying the referendum was ill-advised and poorly timed." Thats what passes for policy at State.

The president just articulated the broad outline of the new Iranian policy. Yet the State Department and coalition stood by and watched the Iranian Quds force leader, General Qassem Sulaymani, bribe the PUK leadership into abandoning their defensive positions and letting Shia militia, PMUs and Revolutionary Guard soldiers, operating American unarmed vehicles, M1 Abrams tanks and MRAPS, enter Kirkuk and take over the strategic positions around the city.

The governor of Kirkuk is missing in action. Some 60 Peshmerga have been killed. The senior Pesh commander from the PUK, who refused to abandon his post, is missing in action. All while the USG stood by and watched, as yet another hostile government in Baghdad mounted a military operation against the Kurds. The exact same thing Saddam Hussein did during his reign of terror.

The United States lost more than 5,000 with over 52,000 wounded to unseat Saddam Hussein only to allow a Shia government, controlled and directed by an Iranian general, to take over the country.

Once again, in downtown Erbil, Sami Abdullah Rahman Park is filled with Kurds, Kirkuk residents, sleeping on the ground, having fled their homes in Kirkuk to escape a military attack from Baghdad. This is exactly what went on under Saddam.

This is a day of shame, disgrace and betrayal. When is Secretary Tillerson going to take control of the State Department? This event was the perfect opportunity to put the White House's new Iran policy to the test. How long will the State Department under its new leadership remain missing in action?

Where do we go from here? The presidents new approach to the Iran policy is correct. We must re-establish the reputation and trust in the United States with our trusted allies, and engage politically, and with military and intelligence capacity to roll the Iranian influence and their Shia proxy militias and PMUs back.

State should immediately engage, with new leadership and representatives, to assist and facilitate a dialogue between the Kurds and the Baghdad government. We must make an effort to understand the complex history of Iraq, and specifically the history of Kirkuk and the Kurds who lived there before Saddam took over the city and drove them out.

The U.S. government has some work to do, now.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The white and Indian communities in Bulawayo have welcomed the government's move to establish dialogue with them to understand their challenges, saying this is set to strengthen their relations with the government.Emerging from a closed door meeting with the Vice President, Phelekezela Mphoko, members of the white community applauded the exchange of ideas, saying this is set to change perceptions about them in relation to the government and the hand of reconciliation extended to them by President Robert Mugabe.Those interviewed who included Mr Raymond Roth and Mrs Rose Richards commended the government's move has a lot of socio-economic benefits.Briefing journalists after the meeting, Vice President Mphoko said he is happy that the white community is warming up to government's approach and a lot of business related issues are being attended too in the process.Mphoko said the government is keen to know the issues that are affecting the business community so as to improve the investment climate in the country.He further stated that the white community has been invited to join Zanu PF and be a part of the governing party so that their issues can be attended to even at party level.
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has approved its second batch of Regulatory Laboratory (Reglab) participants comprising 11 local and international FinTech startups.



ADGM said the successful participants, who were selected from a pool of 22 applications, are now admitted within the Financial Services Regulatory Authoritys (FSRA) framework to further develop and test their FinTech innovation.



This announcement coincides with the FinTech Abu Dhabi Event which opened today (October 22) in the UAE capital.



The 11 ADGM Reglab participants offer an impressive range of innovations from nine countries. These are:



*CreditScript (Mauritius): It is the first private credit investment platform in the UAE. Using the latest technology it connects institutional investors to online loan originators across the globe in consumer, student, SME and real estate segments from a single investment platform providing non-correlated fixed income. With a unique combination of structured finance experience and machine learning technology, the firm help institutional investors build bespoke, robo-advisor and/or smart auto-invest portfolios to diversify their risk across lending platforms whilst being a strategic partner for selected loan originators seeking to broaden their funding options



*Chynge (Singapore): AI-powered expert compliance, keeping the global banking system safe from the damaging effects of illicit monies. Chynge is developing machine learning technology which will be able to map patterns of behaviour and derive actionable insight for the purposes of transaction surveillance, in order to manage risk, reduce costs and ensure quality compliance for anyone in the business of moving money.



*Equichain (UK): At the intersection of ICOs and IPOs, EQX expects to be the first regulated exchange of its kind and the market infrastructure of choice for global cryptographic-IPOs. It uses blockchain technology to empower investors and redefine (primary and secondary) capital markets.



Halalah (Saudi Arabia): A FinTech innovation company having its flagship product HalalaH, an integrated GCC-based payment platform comprising an e-wallet that enables user-friendly peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant daily expenditure payments (grocery, petrol, food), in addition to providing offline merchants (especially SMEs) the opportunity to manage and control their cash-flow cycle by accepting payments as well as directly paying suppliers using a single homogeneous platform.



*NewBridge (UAE): A B2B2C Wealth technology platform providing sophisticated robo advisory platform, data aggregation and analytics engine (Canopy), behavioural finance based digital risk profiling solution (Neuroprofiler) to banks, asset managers and FIs in the region. It is in a joint venture with a France-based Robo platform, Fundshop and has Mesitis (Singapore) and Neuroprofiler (France) as strategic partners.



*Nymcard (Lebanon): NymCard helps everyone get access instantly and securely to payment cards enabling them to be part of the digital economy and reduce cash on delivery in online commerce. NymCard is delivered as an end to end mobile experience in which customers are on-boarded with digital KYC and provided with several loading options including a cash-agent model for the under-banked.



*OKLink (UK): OKLink is a platform provider that empowers companies worldwide to offer superior, fast, secure, and low cost value-transfers. It utilises the transparency and power of the blockchain to connect partners worldwide.



*Pyppl (UAE): It enables digital payments for the approaching 1 billion smartphone users in the Middle East and Africa. Pyypl uses blockchain, de-centralised web, and machine learning for new levels of security and compliance, while delivering a superb digital customer experience. The UAE-based Pyypl partners with banks and payment networks for building a world-leading FinTech ecosystem in the Middle East and Africa.



*Remitr (Canada): It offers cross-border payments services which chooses the most cost- and time-efficient rails to reach the payee. These rails include using blockchain networks such as Ethereum or Ripple, as well as traditional bank and SWIFT-based transfer mechanisms.



*Sifr India (Cipher): It optimises cash circulation via the [email protected] solution and eliminates the use of an ATM. The mobile application allows users to withdraw cash from all participating merchants via QR code, NFC and debit card swipe on POS terminals. Plans are already on to mobilise biometrics into the application to further eliminate the need for the mobile application or debit cards.



*Yes Money (Italy): An innovative means of payments: the YM! Card is a high-tech prepayment solution supported by Kitt a fully integrated and web-based platform. This unique combined service will allow a broad range of corporate clients in the UAE to fulfil the requirements of a reliable and cost effective payment system, of a digital program management and of a real-time transaction processing to support their business expansion locally and abroad.



Richard Teng, the chief executive of the FSRA, said: "The overwhelmingly positive response weve had from the global FinTech industry in the first year of the RegLab programme is extremely encouraging."



"We are already seeing some great results from the first cohort, and are looking forward to seeing results from the second, which include fascinating projects such as an Initial Coin Offerings and blockchain-enabled payments, settlements and RegTech solutions, among others," noted Teng.



According to him, the quality of the firms that applied from Europe, Asia and closer to home has been impressive, and speaks volume of the strength and attractiveness of ADGM as a jurisdiction for FinTechs to establish themselves and expand into the Middle East, Africa and Asia region.



"In total, we have 16 FinTech firms in our RegLab programme and we will continue to expand this team to better serve the needs of the financial services industry and our economy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Select Property Group, a premium British property developer, retailer and operator, is offering GCC investors the last chance to invest in its award-winning purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) portfolio, Vita Student.



A revolutionary brand concept, Vita Student was launched in 2012 to meet the growing demand from local and international students who desired to study in the UK but were deterred by the common range of poor quality property options.



Developed in prime city centre locations, its superior quality properties boast the very best facilities, not only creating continued student demand, but also fostering investor confidence which is underpinned by strong rental premiums and significant return on investment (ROI), said a report by Select Property Group.



Boasting 99 per cent occupancy rates across its 452 million ($123 million) portfolio, Vita Student has waiting lists of students that want to live in these properties. Because of its consistently high occupancy levels, it can assure attractive yields to investors and has previously sold out fast to its portfolio of retail investors, it stated.



Extremely popular with the GCC market, a third of Vita Student properties have been sold to investors across the region to date. Now, with the business evolving to a build to hold strategy, Vita Student Portswood is likely to be the last chance for investors to buy into the famed brand.



"Across the UK, the PBSA market continues to be one of the most attractive asset classes in real estate for investors in the GCC and globally, assuring 50 per cent higher yields versus residential property," remarked Adam Price, the managing director of Select Property Group.



"Our Vita Student product has been particularly attractive to those looking to invest in a hassle-free, fully managed model, which benefits from increased returns year-on-year," he noted.



According to Knight Frank, the UKs student property sector is currently valued at 45.8 billion, with property outside Englands capital having a vast impact on that figure.



"Properties in cities with high demand and low supply provide the highest yields and the potential of strong long-term capital growth, yet, when considering real estate investment opportunities in the UK, GCC investors typically overlook cities outside London," explained Price.



"As a result, locations such as Southampton are often unnoticed in the first instance, despite the incredibly attractive product and returns on offer," he said.



With 3701 beds occupied across the Vita Student portfolio to date, only 60 properties remain available to buy at Select Property Groups Portswood development in Southampton, England, with 374 properties already sold since its launch earlier this year.



The group's 700-sq-m community facilities include private study rooms, tiered DJ booth, amphitheater-style cinema room and an integrated restaurant. Prices range from 135,000 - 216,000 and ensure 6.5 per cent net minimum rental return for five years.



"As the UK university term starts again, many people living in the GCC will have settled their children in to their accommodation, or be planning to in the coming years. With the student property sector showing no signs of slowing down, investing in a prime university city now could be your most intelligent move yet," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Safety Design in Buildings (SDiB), an initiative co-founded with Intersec, a leading trade fair for security, safety and fire protection, is now expanding to Tehran, Iran, next month with a conference on November 21.

The event, which was hosted in Dubai back in 2012, has reached all over the GCC and Egypt.



Messe Frankfurt is supporting the first Safety Design in Buildings (SDiB) conference on November 22 in Tehran, Iran.



The move comes following the tremendous interest expressed by Iranian delegates at this year's Intersec in Dubai. The January event saw almost 2,000 security and safety experts from Iran fly in for the mega event.



"What I perceive in Iran is a strong will to invest, as it has the resources in order to do so. Due to the sanctions imposed, there is a pent-up demand, combined with a strong political will to modernise the countrys basic infrastructure," remarked Messe Frankfurt Middle East show director Andreas Rex.



"Iran, the second-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa after Saudi Arabia, with the second-largest population has the necessary will, resources, and opportunities in order to achieve this modernisation," stated Rex.



It is not common where you have a market with all three of these prerequisites. Thus it is an exciting time to enter the Iranian market. These significant first-entrant advantages make it possible even for smaller brands to achieve a major lead over the bigger companies in such a market, if they can mobilise quickly enough, said Rex.



Another major reason for this foray is that Iran is also the single most untapped market in the region.



"Its construction industry is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9 per cent in the period 2016 to 2022.



The fire-safety market, in turn, is heavily dependent on sustained growth in the construction industry, especially as outmoded regulations are updated, which also provides an opportunity for outdate fire-safety equipment and systems to be replaced or modernised.



According to him, the fire-safety market in Iran is projected to grow at a CAGR in excess of 10 per cent in the same period.



The strength of the SDiB conference programme, stated Rex, lies in the fact that it is built around knowledge transfer and open communication between experts, regulators, and the construction community at large. It integrates the entire fire-safety ecosystem, he added.



Messe Frankfurt's top official pointed out that legislation or codes were often unclear, resulting in uncertainty among professionals. "Architects inquire as to what codes and standards they should follow, whether for example British or American or local codes, in order to get a building approved," he noted.



SDiB provides practical assistance in effecting the necessary legislation in different markets, as well as gaining the necessary approvals.



A major component of this is elaborating on the importance of fire safety, and the motivation behind the decisions, designs, criteria and reasoning that has gone into developing the various codes and ratings, he noted.



"Fire safety is often not taken sufficiently seriously until there is a major catastrophe," stated Rex.



"This is followed invariably by the architect, builder, system installers, facilities management and building operations, regulators and even civil defence engaging in the blame game," he noted.



The truth is that fire safety is a team effort that requires mutual cooperation. Every stakeholder needs to know what is required from them in order to make it happen, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain-based Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) has achieved its highest productivity ever of ammonia, urea and methanol in the third quarter (Q3) of this year.



This was made possible while maintaining a high level of performance and a commitment to sustainable development in its business activities, said a statement from the company.



The achievements were all the more impressive since they were made despite the challenges, including the condition of the global chemical and fertiliser markets and low oil prices. It was thanks also to the company employees, their dedication, their professionalism and their desire to overcome all obstacles, it said.



GPIC board of directors chairman Dr Ahmed Al Sharyan praised the professional excellence of the company and the team and its executive management for their implementation of the board of directors strategies.



He also praised the excellent production figures achieved during the summer months that normally leave a negative impact on performance of plants.



Al Sharyan applauded the company's ability and expertise to overcome these obstacles and maintain operations, thus meeting all contractual obligations.



He said GPIC has taken all safety precautions according to well established global standards.



Al Sharyan said fluctuations in global markets have affected the balance of supply and demand. He said despite those challenges, which include increased supply and less demand, there was no obstacle for GPIC to continue production and exports to alternative markets and getting good returns.



This, he said, indicated the sound marketing plans and strategies of the board of directors to meet all challenges. This was done in co-ordination and co-operation with the Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait, the authorised marketer for ammonia and urea and the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), the authorised marketer for methanol.



Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery, company president, expressed satisfaction at the results and also spoke about achievements in other areas such as occupational safety, which are much admired in the industry.



He said GPIC has been able to achieve about 5,638 working days without a lost time accident, which is equivalent to more than 26.6 million hours. This, he said, is the result of careful application of international safety standards.



Dr Jawahery said another major achievement was in ensuring employees stayed safe since they are the real wealth of the Company in ensuring its success.



He said all employees have worked with a lot of professionalism and dedication, while complying with the highest safety standards, to make the success a reality. He said GPIC is always keen to ensure special attention is given to each employee in imparting special training on emergencies and crises situations, in addition to organising lectures on health and safety.



Dr Jawahery said every employee has been made aware on the potential damage caused by unsafe practices and how to avoid it. He praised the employees commitment to all safety applications and the importance of complying with them.



He said GPIC would continue to adhere to its vision and mission to make high quality products while adhering to safety standards and while maintaining team spirit among all employees. This has led to more community appreciation and the company playing an influential role in community service.



Dr Jawahery reiterated all these achievements would not have been possible without the unlimited support of the company's executive management and the board of directors, headed by Dr Al Sharyan.



Total production reached 1.2 million tonnes in the third quarter and this included 347,000 metric tonnes of ammonia, 331,000 metric tonnes of methanol and 525,000 metric tonnes of urea.



On the other hand, the company exported a total of 920,000 metric tonnes. Taiwan was the largest market with 16 per cent, followed by the US, at 15 per cent, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service


A top official from Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently met with Fernando Luis Lemos Igreja, Ambassador of Brazil to the UAE, where they discussed ways to enhance and consolidate economic relations between the two sides, said a report.



Abdullah Saeed Al Nuaimi, Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry board of directors member, praised the economic cooperation between the UAE and Brazil.



During the meeting, he pointed out that the growth of trade volume indicators between the two countries during the previous years confirm the possibility of increasing economic cooperation between the Emirate of Ajman and Brazil in the future, reported state news agency Wam.



Al Nuaimi reviewed a number of investment opportunities and development projects in Ajman.



He also appreciated the keenness of HH Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, and HH Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and president of the Ajman Executive Council, to support the business community in the emirate and provide all the elements that meet prospects for the trade and investment, and tourism sectors.



Al Nuaimi emphasised the need to encourage delegation visits to increase cooperation and trade exchange between Ajman and Brazil, and the importance of organising bilateral trade meetings between people in business, to open up trade and investment channels, in light of the diverse economic opportunities held by the two countries.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading international aluminium smelter, recently organised the second module of its Next Generation Leadership Programme.



The workshop, which was held at the Alba Club, was presented by Prof Lynn Isabella, associate professor of business administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, US.



Case studies on balancing learning and performance, characteristics of high-performing teams as well as linking the learning outcomes to the Line 5 Recovery Project were amongst the key subjects that were discussed during this workshop, said a statement from Alba.



The first module of the programme was held back in February and comprised a two-module curriculum which focused on leadership through managing change, growth, strategy execution, agility and talent management, it added.



CEO Tim Murray said: "We believe that continuous learning plays a key role in developing our people."



Such workshops builds on our companys goal of preparing its next generation of leaders as well as sustaining a stronger future as we prepare for its transformation with Line 6 Expansion Project, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Turkish Airlines is offering special fares for the month of October, giving customers the chance to book a ticket for as low as Dh1,800 ($489.9).



Travellers flying to Istanbul from Dubai International Airport can book tickets for Dh1,800 while customers flying from Abu Dhabi Airport can avail tickets for Dh2,100 ($571.5). For travellers from Kuwait to Istanbul, prices start at KD69 ($228.2).



The offer is valid for bookings made from October 16 to 27 for travel between October 17 and May 30th, 2018.



Istanbul is a city that stands for everything you can look for in a travel destination: centuries of history, wonderfully rich cuisine, a vibrant arts and culture scene. Not only is it an interesting place for travelers to visit, it also is a highly convenient travel hub designed for citizens of the world.



Home to millennia-old monuments, artefact-rich museums and cutting-edge art galleries, Istanbul is a city where tradition and modernity are perfectly balanced with an abundance of major sights. The Byzantine churches and cisterns, Ottoman mosques and palaces, museums and markets galore, are just to name a few, but upon returning home, many visitors find that their most cherished memories are of smaller details such as ferry trips, neighbourhood walks, smiling locals and sensational food.



Whether spending a day, a week or a month, one thing is certain  Istanbul will offer a varied and rich travel experience. - TradeArabia News Service


Holidayme, the online travel portal established in 2014, is on a winning streak with two reputed awards won in a span of one week.



This young startup was recently awarded Number #3 among the top startups in the Arab World by Forbes ME. The regions most successful and promising startups brought together the exciting entrepreneurs and creative minds under one roof and Holidayme ranked as the top contender for the region. Moving from last years position of #5 only in the UAE to #3 in the entire Arabian landscape this year was a huge achievement for the Holidayme.



This continued with the second award - the Online Business of the Year Award - which was received at the recently Gulf Capitals SME Awards.



This is a proud achievement for us at Holidayme, to be recognised and honoured among our peers from the travel fraternity, said Mansour Bin Madi, co-founder of Holidayme, Saudi Arabia. Our teams sole aim is to focus on achieving our goal and strengthening our position in the travel industry, he added.



Holidayme offers integrated travel services ranging from holidays, hotels, customised itineraries and flights to customers across the Middle East. In a span of less than two years, it has grown to be a trusted brand across the region. - TradeArabia News Service


Exclusive: Mike Pence predicts 'better choices,' not Trump in 2024

For four years, former vice president Mike Pence sparked disparaging memes for his unblinking loyalty to Donald Trump. Now he is deferential no more.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Walter Mzembi says Zimbabwe respects decision by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to revoke the appointment of President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Africa but said the global body is the biggest loser.President Mugabe was appointed to the position during a high-level meeting on NCDs in Uruguay on Wednesday, but WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today backtracked on his decision under pressure from Western forces."We respect the WHO decision as much as we respected their initial decision to honour our President," said Dr Mzembi in response to the latest development."The inordinate noise around the designation of the President [Mugabe] as WHO Global Ambassador for Africa does not assist the cause in the first place. If anything it is WHO that has benefited tremendously from its decision in nominating President Mugabe to lead the fight against NCDs through media amplification of WHO itself, and curiosity by the general public on what really are NCDs, by tagging the name Mugabe to the debate. On a name recognition scale, this name beats them all, but it is our business to protect its brand equity from unnecessary besmirching.""So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate while we focus Zimbabwe on its membership obligations. That notwithstanding, the President will carry on with his passion for NCDs which are killing over 40 million people per annum with 80% of them from the developing world," said Dr Mzembi.The Minister added that Cde Mugabe is motivated more by the need to save lives than global ambassadorship.
The southwest Wyoming mine where a worker died last month after being buried in coal has been fined for roof and wall safety issues more than 60 times since 2010, federal mine safety data shows.

Regulators most recently fined the Bridger underground coal mine in May, when inspectors discovered a collapse in a region of the mine where no miners were present.

Jaime Olivas, a 39-year-old father of two, died Sept. 28, an hour and a half after being buried in coal that rolled from the wall of an underground mine near Rock Springs, a state mining regular said.

Bridger, owned by the utility Rocky Mountain Power, is the only underground coal mine in Wyoming. Federal inspections found 80 violations at the underground mine so far in 2017.

While Bridger has recorded more violations than similarly sized surface mines, state regulators and the company say equating underground mines to surface operations is like comparing apples to oranges.

The mine has never met the criteria set out by federal rules leading to a pattern of violations, a Mine Safety and Health Administration distinction that signals a mines safety culture is spiraling.

This has been the first fatality that we have had at Bridger underground, said state mining inspector Terry Adcock. I think that speaks for itself. Im not trying to downplay this, because its a terrible thing.

Surface coal mines generally have fewer fatalities and fewer serious incidents than underground mines across the country. But safety advocates say Wyoming can do more to prevent worker deaths of all kinds. Keeping workers safe has been an Achilles heel for the states energy industry, and it hasnt made much progress, said Marcia Shanor, board chairwoman for the Equality State Policy Center.

Mine officials, meanwhile, are looking for answers as to why this happened.

Safety is our No. 1 concern with our employees, said Spencer Hall, communications manager for Rocky Mountain Power. This has been a devastating accident.

Workers at Bridger are represented by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. A local representative declined to comment for this story.

The accident





How and why Olivas, a 10-year mining veteran, was fatally injured at Bridger are still being investigated by the State Mine Inspectors office and the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

According a preliminary report from MSHA, Olivas was helping another employee secure the roof in an area that had already been mined. The practice involves fixing a mesh material to the ceiling to prevent falling debris so workers can safely remove the heavy long-wall mining equipment, Adcock said.

Olivas was untangling the mesh, assisting an employee who was bolting the ceiling, when a portion of the roughly 10-foot-high coal face rolled, covering Olivas, according to MSHAs preliminary report. Olivas was conscious and speaking to the companys first responders before he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. He died en route.

The Sweetwater County Coroners Office did not respond to a call seeking more information about Olivas death.

Unlike surface mines in the Powder River Basin, where thick coal seams are uncovered by blasting or digging, Bridger practices longwall mining, where heavy equipment holds up the ceiling while shearing long slabs of coal from the wall. The rock roof over excavated areas is then collapsed to relieve a buildup of pressure.

Until the regulators reports are published, it is impossible to interpret what happened to Olivas, said Jurgen Brune, director of the Edgar Experimental Mine Research for the Colorado School of Mines, in an email.

Face or [wall] rolls are unusual but this depends on the circumstances at each mine, said Brune, an expert in longwall mining. The type of failure or collapse experienced in this accident  by the limited information we have at this point  appears to have nothing to do with the normal longwall mining process.

Safety history





Many of the injuries noted in federal reports on the Bridger Mine in the recent past are common for industry jobs: a dislocated finger, a broken tooth or a strained groin. Slips and falls in the mud are the most regular occurrence, according to Adcock, the state mining inspector.

The federal violation history at Bridger did not strike him as reason for alarm, and the mine has come out clean in the last two state visits, he said.

When we are doing inspections, Bridger goes above and beyond for us. We have great compliance from those folks, he said. From the roof control point of view, weve not had any issues whatsoever with Bridger.

Officials from state and federal mine safety agencies, which both oversee safety standards at Wyomings coal mines, say Bridgers record is in line with the industrys average, an argument supported by federal data.

The company noted that the numbers of serious penalties  those that pose significant risk to workers  is below average, and that the rate of citations goes down every year.

In every safety violation there is something that is of concern. There is not a safety rate where you can say, Thats fine, well let it go, said Hall, the company spokesman. Obviously zero is the goal, so they are taking this very seriously and doing everything they can to protect the other workers.

Apples and oranges





Bridger is inspected six times a year, four times by federal inspectors and twice by Wyomings state office. Surface mines are inspected four times every year, twice by the federal agency and twice by the state.

That strong regulator presence at the underground operation may explain why it has a worse record than other mines in the state, said Adcock, the mining inspector.

That has something to do with it. There are probably more things, technically, to look at underground, from fire suppression or ventilation issues to electrical issues, Adcock said. In effect, you are getting twice as many inspection days underground.

The company spokesman said most of the roof and wall issues discovered during inspections were in areas of the mine where no one was working.

[Workers] will come back after five (or) six days to a section and see that part of the roof has fallen, he said. Certainly always of concern, but isnt necessarily reflective of dangerous conditions where the workers are.

The mines record has improved every year since 2013, when a miner died after driving a bulldozer over a highwall at the companys surface mine.

Im sure things were put in place after that, said Hall, from Rocky Mountain Power. Ive gone back and read some of the internal communications at the time, and certainly safety was reemphasized. The safety culture of the company is top of mind, and I think thats been reflected in the lower number year by year.

Worker safety





Wyoming regularly ranks last when it comes to worker fatalities nationwide. From construction to coal mining, the states workers are more often than not employed in high-risk jobs.

Wyoming workplace safety has been a problem for as long as Ive been an attorney in the state, which is 11 years now, said Mark Aronowitz, executive director for Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming. Wyoming is usually triple the national average (for deaths per 100,000 workers). Sometimes Wyoming is quadruple the national average.

It doesnt have to be that way, he said. Though the state does have a high percentage of workers in high-risk fields, other industry states have had success addressing unsafe work environments, he said. Wyoming needs to hold companies accountable when things go wrong, he said.

Its a combination of things. From the highest levels of state government, (its understood) that Wyoming protects its industries, Aronowitz said. We know where Wyoming revenues come from, and we are not going to do anything too harsh or too significant.

Sen. John Hastert, D-Green River, said the state has improved but agrees that it hasnt done enough. Does Wyoming take a protective stance for its energy industries? Yes, it likely does, the former trona miner said.

Mining is unique, though, he said.

I think mining has gotten safer overall, and if you look at the methods of mining, we have significantly less miners underground than we used to have, Hastert said. Mining has inherently been a dangerous occupation, but its gotten a lot safer over the years.

And federal regulations have more teeth when it comes to mining, he said.

Companies pay attention to that. Nobody wants to have their bottom line affected by numerous citations, Hastert said.

Unanswered questions





The state and federal investigations into Olivas death will be made public. The mans family will be briefed on the states finding before a report is released. Adcock said that will happen in the next few weeks.

Whatever the state ends up finding, Hastert hopes Wyoming doesnt grow complacent on the topic of worker safety. It still has a long way to go, said the Democrat from Green River.

Should there be less concern about whats happening in the mines because they have a better record than other industries? No, he says.

You have a death in the workplace. It just underscores that we need to do more.
Lily Lonneker dropped her first pronghorn at 12 years old.

She rested in the grass next to her mom as they watched a a doe and a buck. And in one shot, Lily killed the doe.

I felt really proud of myself. I didnt know I could do that since it was my first one, Lily said recently. It is fun when you get an animal to know youre feeding your family, and you know the animal died in a humane way.

Now 14, Lily plans to chase a bull elk this year outside Jackson.

In a sport historically dominated by men, who pass their skills along to sons, stories like Lilys are becoming ever more common.

Between 2008 and 2016, female resident hunters went from 11,189 to 14,770. Male resident hunters during the same period dropped ever so slightly from 64,649 to 64,371, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Wyoming is one of the states where were not losing resident hunters, said Kathryn Boswell, hunter and angler participation coordinator for the department. Our numbers are going up, and its because women are increasing, and theyre making up the difference.

Boswell, who is also a founding member of the Wyoming Womens Antelope Hunt, doesnt have hard data explaining the increase in women hunters. But she has a few theories from what shes heard from other women.

Its something they can do with their families. They want to put organic meat on the table, she said. And theres a camaraderie that comes with it.

University of Wyoming student Lexi Daugherty agrees. Shes been hunting with her father most of her life and shot a pronghorn in 2015 at the Womens Antelope Hunt.

The 18-year-old believes improving access to hunting will also help create more conservationists. She spent the last two years working with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Game and Fish to secure a 20-acre piece of ground near Jackson that opens access to almost 17,000 acres of public land.

Now it will be there forever, for young girls like me to go hunting on it, she said. And its something thats really special to me.

Hunting also teaches her skills to stay safe in the woods and find food for herself.

Casper teen Krysten Cutler started hunting and fishing with her grandfather, Dale Leatham, who has taken her across Wyoming and the world to chase wildlife.

The two went on a safari to Africa in June with other family members. The 12-year-old shot four African animals including a zebra and impala.

Why not encourage young ladies to go hunting and fishing? Leatham said. Its something you can do the rest of your life. And it doesnt cost that much. You can always go hunting and fishing.

For Krysten, hunting means more time with her grandpa.

He teaches me, and I like doing it because its something to get us outdoors, she said. It bonds our relationship.

The meat from her African animals went to local villagers, though she was able to try each species. A deer she shot recently is at the processor.

People say that men usually only hunt, but clearly thats not true, she said. I was 12 when I shot my first antelope and I know a lot of other girls who shot their first antelope when they were 12, and it should start evolving.

Lily, the hunter from Jackson, isnt sure after this year how much more shell hunt. She doesnt have the same passion for the sport as her mom does. But she also believes in it as a way for women to stay self-sufficient.

Her mom, Gloria Courser, knows that whatever path her daughter chooses, she will be able to take care of herself in the woods.

When Courser started dating her husband in 2006, she didnt have those skills.

We were on a game trail and about 20 minutes in he looked back at me and said Wheres the truck? she said. I looked like the scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz. It was a truly teachable moment. I was out of my element.

The next time they went, she knew where the truck was. And this fall, she was a guide for the Womens Antelope Hunt.

Not every woman will have a passion for hunting, she said.

Its like when I moved away from home, I learned to change my oil. I did it one time, and decided I wouldnt do it ever again if I didnt have to, she said. But trying, learning to do it, learning how to use a firearm, understanding where meat comes from, is important.
A woman with a dream has enlisted the help of two friends and is plowing ahead with plans to establish a place for homeless teens to live in Casper. Miamie Sleep has lived in Casper for 13 years, has been married for 10, and is a step-mom to two boys, 23 and 17.

What gave you the idea for Mimis House? A friend of mine had brought it to my attention that there was a homeless kids problem here. I reached out to Greta Hinderliter with the school district and learned some of the circumstances and what these kids are doing to survive.

How far along is the process? I have two particular people by my side, trudging through this with me: Chastity Greenwood and Angela Horner. Right now, we are working on our 501(3) and we dont have it yet. And zoning for a house like we want is a speed bump right now. Also, we are seeing about trying to get it legalized so I can have at least 17 to 19 year olds together. Right now in the state of Wyoming, you cant house minors with adults. Theres more of a demand for these ages. Of course, it will be 24-hour-a-day supervised.

Youve had some focus groups. What has been the reaction? People have been great. I do have some new information and so I dont know if we can do boys and girls together. We may have to do one sex as we get started. I would like to have at least eight kids as we start. People have been giving me ideas and suggestions I didnt even think about, when we started, I knew zero information. Im doing raffle tickets and the support in this community has been just amazing. So many people are stepping up and wanting to help and donate. And so, if there is a five-bedroom, two-bath house out there that someone has or knows of, that would be great.

What are the concerns at this point? I know theres a concern about having us in the neighborhood. I will have to rezone no matter where we go, but the kids were going to house are the ones who want to be successful, who want off the street, who want to stay in school; thats the program that Im running.

What are the next steps? We do not have a property, were trying to get that 501(c)(3) done so our donors can get a write-off on their taxes. We are trying to do little fundraisers. Im hoping well be able to get something here in the next couple of months.

How can the public become involved? We never turn anything away, resources, donations but with the understanding that they cant collect it on their taxes right now. Connections at this point would be a great help. Meeting the right people, talking to legislators and see if I can get a bill passed to change the age to 17, so minors can live with adults. Call or text me at 797-0548 or send an email to mimishouse6@gmail.com.

Where did the name Mimis House come from? My niece calls me Mimi because she couldnt say Miamie when she was little. It sounds like youre going to grandmas, it doesnt sound homeless, so we decided to go with it.
The Natrona County School Districts nine-member board will determine the immediate educational fate of 750 students Monday night when its members vote on whether to close one middle and three elementary schools.

How those nine men and women will vote remains up in the air.

I really cant tell you where or what this is going to look like when were done Monday night, board chairman Kevin Christopherson said last week.

The vote comes less than four weeks after the district announced on a Friday afternoon that a handful of board members  working from a proposal from district staff  had recommended closing Mountain View, Willard, University Park and Frontier.

Since then, the Mills Town Council  faced with the prospect of losing the communitys last school  has passed a resolution opposing the recommendation. Roughly 50 people turned up to the Oct. 9 board meeting, and a dozen spoke out against the closures.

Uncertain vote

Its unclear how the board will vote. Trustee Angela Coleman came out against the closure of the three elementary schools. Dana Howie said she was still undecided as of Thursday morning. Dave Applegate told the Star-Tribune ahead of the Oct. 9 board meeting that he would make his decision over the next two weeks.

Christopherson said he supported the recommendation as currently written, but, because he predicted that changes would be brought forward, he couldnt say whether he would vote yes or no on whatever the final version is.

I believe its going to survive in some form, he said. Its hard to tell. ... We have to get rid some of those seats. Its obvious we have to close some schools. If we dont close that school, we have to come up with $300,000 to $400,000 a year from somewhere else. No matter what we do, were affecting people.

On Wednesday, trustee Rita Walsh said she was still torn and hadnt decided yet but suggested it was an all-or-none situation, at least for the elementary schools: She said that she wouldnt feel good about closing Willard and University Park but not Mountain View.

I understand the solid, concrete data that staff has prepared for us, and then I listen to, I guess, the emotion and the feelings on how its affecting peoples lives, she said.

Howie said she was sensitive to the fact that the schools are in neighborhoods but pointed out that didnt mean they were full of solely children from those neighborhoods.

Over 70 percent of parents in our district have sent their children to schools outside their neighborhood, even though families who live in the neighborhoods get priority, she wrote in an email Thursday. Out of 138 students at Mt. View, 41 of them live in the neighborhood.

The schools find themselves on the same precipice for different reasons: University Park and Willard are full schools but are small and inefficient, officials have said, meaning larger, emptier schools can absorb their student populations while cutting administrative costs.

Mountain View, meanwhile, is plagued by the declining elementary enrollment that has chipped away at the district in the years since the economy crashed. Mountain View is at less than half capacity, making it one of the emptiest schools in the district.

Frontier, the smallest traditional middle school in Casper, had been on the minds of board members for some time, they have said. At a board meeting on Oct. 9, Coleman said she was opposed to the closing of the three elementary schools but made no mention of Frontier, which Christopherson had characterized as failing academically.

The elected trustees have been in this position before. In November, they voted unanimously to close Grant Elementary, a 94-year-old school that had suffered from declining enrollment and deteriorating infrastructure.

Sinking enrollment

The climate that led to Grants closure has in many ways remained unchanged: The district faces sinking lower-grade enrollment in a county that just completed work on three new elementary schools, approved long before the bust thats shaken education in Wyoming to its core. Officials here have already cut roughly $4 million from the districts budget and will have to shave twice that over the coming two years.

On top of the drop in state revenues, the districts loss of students means even less funding. As of mid-September, there were 970 empty elementary seats in the districts roughly two dozen lower schools, a remarkable reversal that followed years of steady growth (hence the need for new elementary schools).

That $8 million that remains to be cut  which district officials have said they can absorb without layoffs  may be the best-case scenario: Currently, lawmakers are undertaking a complete examination of the states funding system, an examination that could fundamentally alter how much money Wyomings 48 school districts receive.

But right now, thats an unknown. The recommendation facing the board  to close the four schools, as well as shutter or sell four other buildings  is driven by the current situation. Officials have said closing the schools can save the district as much as $500,000 each, as well as thousands more in utilities and upkeep of the buildings.

Parents and Mills officials opposing the closures have raised argument after argument: The district should dip into its reserves, of which it has more than $10 million. The district should stop allowing any student in the district to attend any school, regardless of location. The districts budget shows growth compared with last year, in apparent contradiction to the cries of cuts. The district should shave its administrative staff at its headquarters. The district shouldnt have built Journey Elementary and shouldnt have expanded Bar Nunn.

Those complaints were raised at the Oct. 9 board meeting. As is typical for those meetings, the board did not respond to public comment, leaving many of the questions unanswered in the minds of the critics.

But officials have addressed the concerns in interviews with the Star-Tribune. They arent considering ending school of choice: It wouldnt save money, they say, and transportation is reimbursed fully by the state. The budget grew as a result of legislative changes but still shrank in terms of overall dollars. At the districts main administrative office, more than 40 employees have left and not been replaced since the downturn began. The new elementary spaces were all approved and funded in the years before the downturn, before students began leaving the district in droves. And besides, the money set aside for the new schools couldnt have been legally used for operations, like staff salaries.

As for using savings, Christopherson said that money could be used only once. The district needs consistent savings, and if the funding situation becomes worse, then that $10 million could become more vital to bridging a more serious gap.

Still, other questions remain. Monday nights board meeting, set to take place at Kelly Walsh and will begin with public comment, will almost certainly be the last chance to voice them before the vote.
LARAMIE  Gathered around a steel camera box inside the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, a group of University of Wyoming freshmen pitched questions over the sound of lowing cattle about the infrared telescopes capabilities.

Astronomy and physics majors, the students ignored the boisterous barnyard banter bleeding through the observatory dome walls as they participated in their first tour of the nations second highest professional observatory, which overlooks the Laramie Valley from atop Jelm Mountain at 9,656 feet.

The beauty of having your own observatory is that students can get their hands on the equipment, UW Astronomy and Physics Professor Chip Kobulnicky said. Most major observatories are very hands off. The professionals tell you Dont touch, dont mess anything up. Here, our philosophy is Touch.

The infrared observatory hosts the worlds first major telescope to be controlled by computer and remains the nations largest observatory owned by a single institution, he said. But being owned and operated by the university sometimes means the aspiring astronomers have to share space with other researchers such as UW Department of Molecular Biology Associate Professor Mark Stayton, who is conducting a high-altitude experiment on the observatory property with cattle bred from bovines and yaks, Kobulnicky said.

For most of the students, touring the facility would be a memorable first-time experience, but for Chase Smith, an 18-year-old from Mountain View, the tour was nostalgic.

I always knew I wanted to be a scientist, Smith said. But when I came here for the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp about five years ago, they showed us this telescope being typed in with right ascension and declination  like latitude and longitude, but in the sky  I thought that was really cool.

After leaving the camp, he found himself plastering constellations to his ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars and yearning to learn more about astronomy.

It feels surreal being here again, Smith said. I remember where we camped up here, and I remember which computer we used to type in the coordinates of the stars.

Kobulnicky said hes always excited to see new students enter the program, but having a former summer camp attendee show an interest in the program years later confirms the value of outreach programs.

Chase is a good example of a student that got interested in science because of one of the university outreach programs, he said. It tells us that these early interventions programs matter and get kids interested in science.

Inside the telescope control room, the group huddled around clusters of technology from the last four decades. A boxy black-screened monitor displayed telescope data in orange letters, while a compact display unit across the room provided weather graphics on a full-color LCD screen. A tape deck gathered dust behind a server tower blinking with red and blue LED lights. A lunch-box sized cathode ray tube television was set on a shelf above a flat-screen computer monitor.

The local meridian is the line that divides the sky in half running north and south, Kobulnicky explained as he typed telescope commands into a desktop computer. Thats where we get the terms a.m. and p.m.  ante meridiem, before the meridian, and post meridiem, after the meridian.

Built in the 1970s, the observatory was operational by 1977 and cost about $2 million to construct, according to information provided by UW. While weather on Jelm Mountain can be extreme with wind speeds reaching 100 mph and temperatures dropping below minus 40 Fahrenheit, the location was selected for its proximity to Laramie, comparatively low air turbulence and dark night skies. The 2.3-meter telescope is a classical Cassegrain design, which includes a large, concave primary mirror with a parabolic surface and a smaller convex secondary mirror with a hyperbolic shape, UW documents state.

The facility also provides sleeping quarters for researchers, but Kobulnicky said they are rarely used nowadays.

The sleeping unit was used historically so a group could spend a week up there, but we dont use it for that as much, he explained. With the internet, we can operate the observatory from the (UW) campus. We have to be on site to change equipment out, but operationally we can do everything else from campus.

In addition to being the only university that provides tours for freshmen in their first week of school, UW uses the facility for several research projects, Kobulnicky said.

One of my exciting projects is observing a double star that we believe will be merging in the next five years, he said. This has never been predicted and observed before.

UW Physics and Astronomy Professor Mike Brotherton is currently using the observatory to measure the masses of black holes, Kobulnicky said.

Black holes dont emit their own light, he explained. You have to study them by the light emitted near them. (From the research), we can learn about the evolution of galaxies, and the role black holes have in creating them.

In conjunction with associate professors Hannah Jang-Condell and Michael Pierce, Kobulnicky said he is also in the process of building a spectrograph that will measure the velocity of stars.

The spectrograph will enable us to detect planets around (stars), he said. Thats one of the most exciting parts of astrophysics right now  discovering other planets.

During a pause in the tour, students crowded into a lounge area to discuss their observations and absorb the data they received.

Theres like a two-class difference from physics to astronomy, so its like, Why not? said Alex Higley, an 18-year-old native of Parker, Colorado.

At an early age, Higley acquired a taste for scientific knowledge through television programs.

In fifth grade, I was watching a documentary about stars and it was really wicked sweet, she said. I like reading about theoretical physics  looking at why things work and how things work.

Although Higley said she is more interested in studying the cosmos than engineering, she said the tour was an engaging venue for introducing potential researchers to their equipment.

Kobulnicky said bringing freshmen to the facility early in their first semester helps generate interest in the program and provides students the opportunity to dabble in astronomy right from the get go.

Students can get a hands-on learning experience about how to work with objects and electronics in ways you cannot do at most major observatories, he said, adding with a chuckle, If you break it, fix it, but learn from it. One of my advisers used to say, The amount learned is proportional to the amount broken.
State regulators will soon decide Tucson Electric Power Co.s solar rate case in a ruling that will likely dictate the pace of rooftop solar installations in the area for years to come.

After a three-month delay, Arizona Corporation Commission hearings are set to start in Tucson on Monday, Oct. 23, on proposed new rates for TEP customers with new rooftop solar arrays, as well as for new solar customers of sister utility UNS Electric.

TEPs proposal, which follows a Corporation Commission policy set last year, would reduce credits customers get for excess solar generation while increasing some monthly fees.

The utility says the plan would increase the average bill paid by new solar customers by $14 per month, but the typical home solar customer will still be able to save about $90 a month under initial rates.

Were proposing changes that will help lower costs for all of our customers while helping to bring more solar power into our community from larger, more efficient systems, TEP spokesman Joe Barrios said.

The new rates will not affect customers with existing solar systems, or those who file to connect new systems before the effective date of the new rates, which after a series of delays now isnt expected until February.

Barrios said the changes would reduce a cost shift that results when solar customers avoid buying power from the grid, since those costs are largely recovered through usage-based charges.

But solar installers and industry advocates say TEP could choke off demand for rooftop solar systems in a few years.

While the TEP proposed rates would not kill solar completely, I believe adoption would slow to a crawl and would effectively cease by 2020, local solar installer Kevin Koch, co-founder and co-owner of Technicians for Sustainability, said as a formal intervenor in the TEP solar rate case.

The changes could especially make leased rooftop solar deals  which typically offer small monthly savings  less attractive and perhaps even uneconomical.

The move to end net metering has generated more interest from homeowners who want to install systems before the rate changes, but the uncertainty has left many customers balking at a purchase decision, said Charlie ODowd, president of Tucson-based Abco Solar.

Things have slowed down now, but I have a lot of people on the fence, ODowd said. People dont like uncertainty.

TEP says 3,194 roo top solar systems have been installed in its service area this year through September, compared with 3,388 for all of 2016 and 3,192 in 2015.

SOLAR, PHASE 2

The solar case represents the second phase of a general rate case decided in February, raising TEPs average residential bill about $8.50 a month for typical usage.

In December, the Corporation Commission voted to end net metering  the practice of crediting solar customers for their excess power production at full retail rates  after ruling the practice resulted in a cost shift to customers without solar.

The commission ordered that state-regulated utilities propose new solar export rates, initially based on the average cost of wholesale power each utility gets from utility-scale solar farms, to be adjusted in future rate cases.

In August, Arizona Public Service Co., the biggest state-regulated utility, won approval of new solar rates after reaching a settlement with major solar-industry groups as part of its general rate case.

APSs initial solar export rate is 12.9 cents per kilowatt hour, a couple of cents below its average retail rate, stepping down 10 percent annually and locked in for 10 years, with the option of time-of-use or demand-charge rate plans.

LOWER EXPORT RATES

In its initial filing, TEP proposed a solar export rate of 9.7 cents per kilowatt hour for both TEP and UNS, with 10 percent decreases annually.

Overall, not including basic service charges, TEP residential customers on average pay a rate of 10.78 cents per kWh, while UNS customers pay an average 9.12 cents.

TEP also proposed two rate plans for solar customers, a two-part time-of-use (TOU) plan with higher charges for power usage during peak periods, and a time-of-use plan that includes demand charges with two tiers of charges based on highest usage during a one-hour period in a month.

Each plan would include a $10 basic monthly service charge, compared with $13 for current basic residential plans, and a monthly solar meter fee of $4.32 per month.

The two-part TOU plan would include grid-access charges of $3.50 per kilowatt of system capacity, or $24.50 per month for a typical 7-kilowatt system.

TEP said new solar customers with medium monthly usage of 964 kilowatt hours would still save about $90 on the two-part rate and about $89 on the rate with the demand charges.

The commissions utilities staff agreed with most of TEPs proposals but in a filing suggested a lower meter fee of $3.50 and different solar export rates for the two sister utilities  10.5 cents per kWh for TEP and 12.8 cents for UNS Electric. Alternatively, the staff recommended a common rate of 10.5 cents.

The state Residential Utility Consumer Office, or RUCO, which advocates for residential ratepayers, proposed an initial common export rate of 9.73 cents per kWh, or separate rates of 10.5 cents for TEP and 8.2 cents for UNS.

In subsequent filings, TEP said it stands by its original proposal but it would accept the staffs proposed combined export rate, a reduced meter fee of $3.50 and a grid-access fee of $2.50 per kWh, if the rate would be dropped 10 percent on July 1, to 9.63 for TEP and to 9.2 cents for UNS.

TEP said it would also accept RUCOs combined export rate of 9.73 cents if it were dropped after a year to 8.76 cents.

Solar-industry groups have argued for solar export rates even higher than average retail rates, arguing for adders to reflect savings on transmission and distribution, such as reduced line losses, from local solar installations.

Vote Solar, a nonprofit solar advocacy group, has proposed an initial solar expert rate of 15.4 cents per kWh for TEP and 15.2 cents for UNS.

The Alliance for Solar Choice and the Energy Freedom Coalition of America  which is backed by solar leasing industry leader Solar City  have proposed export rates of 15.4 cents for TEP and 18.2 cents for UNSE.

But TEP, the commission staff and RUCO have rejected those proposals, contending that the groups overstate the benefits that solar have on the grid while ignoring some added costs.

TEP says it costs the utility more to serve residential customers with private solar arrays  about $100 per month on average, compared to about $87 per month for a typical residential customer.

LONGER PAYBACKS

TEP says under the revised plan with an initial export rate of 10.7 cents, the simple payback period for the typical home solar system would go from about seven years under current rates to nearly nine years initially, then to 9.6 years when it is dropped for the first time and to just over 10 years in the next year.

Koch said TEPs estimates of payback periods under its proposal are too short, partly because they include savings from TOU rates unrelated to solar  including a $3 lower basic monthly charge.

Koch calculated that the payback period under TEPs plan would surpass 10 years by 2019, including some other factors, including an expected tariff against Chinese solar panels resulting from a recent U.S. trade complaint, and reductions to the 30-percent federal tax credit for solar systems starting in 2020.

Koch and Abcos ODowd said theyre especially worried that the export rate lock-in period of 10 years will make it difficult to finance rooftop solar systems, typically financed over 20 years, because of the uncertainty of future rates.

You cant make assumptions because after 10 years, you dont know what the export rate could be  it kind of puts you into limbo, ODowd said.

Koch said the proposed solar meter fees are unfair because they would allow TEP to recover the $143 cost of each meter, plus any capital costs, in just over four years.

TEP should allow solar customers, who have been paying a $2 monthly meter fee since February, to pay the meter cost upfront, he contended.
How do todays youths prepare for a workplace where their competition will one day be robots, machines and drones?

It is a question many are grappling with as new technology and automation accelerate the pace by which young people need to be prepared.

But, for what sorts of jobs should they prepare?

Thats the bigger problem, said Chuck Zaepfel, southern district director for Junior Achievement of Arizona. We have students that are trying to figure out their way, but they dont know what they dont know.

A recent survey by Junior Achievement USA showed that 77 percent of parents and teenagers are concerned about having a successful job or career in the future because of the threat of automation.

Entry-level jobs are already disappearing. Some chain restaurants are going to kiosks for ordering, delivery jobs may soon be replaced by drones and store clerks are being replaced by self-checkout stands.

Im kind of surprised the concern is so low, Zaepfel said. Everyone should be concerned and start preparing for a world thats going to be different.

Ali Abdulameer is majoring in business at the University of Arizona with the hope of owning his own business and thinks about someday collaborating with robots.

Yes, its intimidating because machines can do everything faster and better, the 18-year-old freshman said. But human employees are still better because they can problem-solve and machines dont have that critical thinking  yet.

Abdulameer likes the idea of taxing robots, an idea suggested by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

That money should go to secondary education to keep us out of those manual jobs that will be taken by robots, he said. Taxing those robots would help maintain balance.

For now, Abdulameer is refining his soft skills learned through his participation in Junior Achievement at Tucson High Magnet School.

Skills such as networking, writing business plans, adding creative skills to technical ones  things that would distinguish him from a machine.

It doesnt keep me up at night but it does worry me, Abdulameer said. Im sure theres a way to grow machines to help do things better with us instead of for us.

Tucson High senior Victor Moreno spent the summer working for a mortgage company building landing pages and creating targeted Facebook ads.

The 17-year-old plans to attend the UA next year and study electrical engineering and work on developing new apps. He believes higher education is the only way to stay ahead of the machines.

Automation is a big thing that is going to shrink the job market and make it more competitive, Moreno said. In many cases its much easier to use a machine than deal with a person.

He said todays youths need to unplug more often and learn human social skills that robots dont have.

There are certain skills everyone should have, such as communicating clearly, proper dress, good body language, not using slang, Moreno said. You can also get involved in extracurricular programs and internships to get a specific edge over the shrinking job market.

Junior Achievement, for one, is trying to impress upon students the pending reality.

We teach entrepreneurial thinking, financial literacy, money management, Zaepfel said. We teach about their tone, to look someone in the eye when they shake hands. These are irreplaceable skills regardless of what happens in the world.

Every job will still have some human interface.

In 20 years, the availability of plumbing, electrical and homebuilding jobs will likely shrink but not disappear entirely.

There are a lot of blue-collar jobs that we will still need, Zaepfel said. Yet, todays kindergarteners may never need a drivers license.

University of Arizona President Robert Robbins is also working to get ahead of the curve, sharing a vision of a highly automated and cross-disciplinary future.

Robbins sees this as an opportunity for the UA to mitigate the negative effects and to react in a productive way.
NOGALES, Ariz.  Walking into Brackers department store in Nogales, Ariz., is like going back in time. Murals depicting scenes of a very different border, with horse-drawn carriages and women in long dresses, run along the walls. Elegant hats, sparkling with sequins and jewels, line the glass shelves. Silk gowns and dark blazers sway gently on their silver racks.

Now, half of that merchandise is gone. Mannequins stand naked in the front windows, and what remains is stuffed into boxes or plastered with neon sale tags.

Listen to that, said Debbie Bracker-Senday, who co-owns the store with her cousin Bruce Bracker, as the decades-old cash register rung brightly behind her, announcing one of its final sales. Ill never forget that sound.

It is one of the many memories that will stick with her after the department store she grew up in closes. This month, Brackers  once known as a destination for well-to-do shoppers from Sonora and Sinaloa, according to Bracker-Senday  will shut its doors after 93 years. Its one of the latest casualties of a declining economy, a devalued peso, changing shopping trends and anti-immigrant rhetoric, business owners and officials said.

The 91-year-old JC Penneys closed in 2012. The decades-old Robinsons True Hardware shut down in August. A walk through downtown shows vacant storefronts and chain-locked doors.

Its a trend city officials and the community are trying to reverse, although they acknowledge it wont be easy. They want to attract customers from other parts of Arizona and revitalize downtown by bringing in more activities and nightlife.

But some business owners feel that their stores will be unable to rebound after years of struggling to turn a profit.

Once you start having problems, its hard to bring it back, said Bracker-Senday.

While a myriad of reasons contributed to the stores decision to close, including a general preference for online shopping over retail, the closure really came down to a declining number of shoppers from Mexico, which made up about 85 percent of Brackers customers, she said.

Mexican shoppers contribute about 60 percent of the annual sales tax revenue for Nogales, according to a 2014 report from the citys mayor John Doyle. The sales tax income for 2016 was about $8.5 million, slightly down from the previous year, and it will likely continue to decline, said Nogales City Manager Carlos Rivera.

He also cites the devaluation of the peso as a major catalyst.

Thats what initially started this whole mess, he said. For a long time it was 11-12 (pesos) per dollar, and at one point in shot up to 20-22 per dollar, which really hurt business a lot. 

For Bracker-Senday another factor for the drop in Mexican shoppers is the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from the new presidential administration.

Our government didnt respect our nice people across the border, she said. They really didnt realize that the reason there was so much revenue here, and in Tucson, was because of our friends in Mexico.

Rivera thinks that the best solution to help Nogales businesses is to attract more shoppers from within Arizona, following the model of Tucsons downtown revitalization, including food trucks, artisan markets and musical events.

But it will require cooperation from the entire community to make it happen, including local businesses whose core clientele has come from Mexico for decades.

No matter what we do, we cant fix the overall problem. We can spruce up the amenities, the streets, the lighting, we can possibly get some grant money to assist, he said, but we cant do their advertising, we cant change their product.

City Council members are working on several projects to bring more businesses, including building a small amphitheater downtown and applying for preservation funds to improve the facades of some of the older buildings.

But those initiatives will take time and for businesses like Brackers, the issues and costs associated with revitalization  including the stores location of Morley Avenue on a flood plain  arent worth it financially.

I wish more had been done (by the city) when we were here, Bracker-Senday said.

On their last visits to their favorite store, customers talk about the memories theyve made inside those four walls.

About the times when their parents and grandparents made trips in horse-drawn carriages down muddy roads to buy a seasons worth of clothes at the most elegant store in the region, and marveling at the glittering evening gowns that Pearl and Charlie Bracker, Debbies grandparents and the stores founders, had brought back from shopping trips to New York.

Theres no other like Brackers, said Maria Maytorena, who came up from Hermosillo with her daughter to shop at the store one last time. Her arms weighted down with creamy silk communion dresses and navy blazers, gifts for her grandchildren. I bought my wedding dress here. The attention, the quality  only at Brackers.

As Maytorena approached the register, Bracker-Senday said that she had probably purchased her wedding dress from her grandmother, Pearl.

While the thought of turning off the neon Brackers sign for the last time is emotional for Bracker-Senday, hearing what the store and her family has meant for so many people gives her comfort.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Oct. 22 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.
Opinion / Columnist

There are reports that the Zapu President was among delegates that had been invited by Ibhetshu Lika Zulu to a Prayer at Bhalagwe. The police barred this prayer meeting that of course would not disturb anyone at all. A prayer it was, yes just people talking to God with their eyes closed as it is often done here. Even the dead whose bodies were thrown into the disused mine, some reportedly alive would obviously never resurrect to attack ZanuPF members, MDC Alliance or Mujuru's Freedom Train.They were simply rounded up in dozens, murdered and thrown into that mine. And IBhetshu Lika Zulu had organised a prayer..Of cause there would be, as there are always tears and pains as a result of neglect especially by the so called democratic organisations or nations. Indeed there would be as there are always tears emanating from feelings of abandonment and betrayal but this is by no means a threat to peace by a people preoccupied by a daily struggle for survival. There can never be a threat to peace by old people whose surviving off-springs are scavenging the streets of South African towns in search of food and shelter. Not at all. It was just a prayer and nothing else to it.However in a country where a Hitlerite type of a dictatorship is deeply rooted and as it was during Adolf's rise, with the cowardly policies of isolationism and appeasement in strong nations at that time, the perpetrators of Gukurahundi shamelessly have the audacity to bar relatives and other unarmed survivors to just pray, and only to PRAY.The world will one day do and say as the French are saying now about the Rwandan genocide. They were exposed and embarrassed by their clandestine collaboration with the Hutu against the Tutsi. Bhalagwe represents one evidence of modern day primitive barbarism carried out with the tacit connivance of the so called democracies of our time. The lie always repeated that the Gukurahundist murderers did what they did because they were trained by North Koreans should be dismissed by all straight thinking and peace loving people. They were not funded by the poor the North Korean government. No North Korean officers were on the ground while the British and their allies were right here in Zimbabwe watching, witnessing and supporting. The commander of the Gukurahundist Brigade was in fact invited to a very highly distinguished military institution after that and Mr. Robert Mugabe was Knighted after the Gukurahundi genocide by the British. No wonder he has the guts to deny survivors of his atrocious campaign to simply hold a prayer.As for Dr. Dumiso Dabengwa one can imagine the double edged deep agony that he is feeling right now. By the way for the information of those who were too young or notyet born, the man was in jail facing charges punishable by instant hanging during the Gukurahundi genocide. He had been arrested by a South African agent who had rounded up disarmed ex-Zipra cadres and tortured them into being state witnesses against D D.Dabengwa survived the prison torture but many including the Zipra Commander Lookout Masuku did not. He perished there. Having been a Minister under the vicious dictatorship after reluctantly accepting Joshua Nkomo's persuasion to go into the government, it is another act of severe psychological torture to be denied to pray in remembrance of fellow human beings who were murdered just for who and what they were.It should be an inspiration to the younger generation of Zimbabwe however, that there is a Zimbabwean revolutionary giant who stood against the evils of racial segregation up to a point where he was willing to lay down his life in battle to free his country. Dumiso Dabengwa voluntarily left ZanuPF. He was not chased out disgracefully. He left it on his own and told the nation why and how he had gone in the first place. Tribalists and political opportunists have preached all lies but that does change DD, nor does it divert his asbestos revolutionary consciousness that neither burns nor bends. It is not surprising to see him with a few very brave young people like Ibhetshu likaZulu going to pray at Bhalagwe. This is a direct act that does not only reject brutality against unarmed civilians but a practical rejection of political intimidation. It is a clear condemnation of a tribal motivated massacre of people where ever they are or who ever they may be. Hence the dictatorship has no alternative but to deploy dozens of armed police to block this prayer.Ibhetshu likaZulu are practically writing the history of Zimbabwe. Many young Zimbabweans have given up. They have taken citizenships in other countries. Many more have without bothering to think just fled and hidden where ever they can doing whatever they can do as life just goes on. Yes a sizeable number have become modern day Judas Iscariots blindly partaking in the destruction of their very own future for mugs of beer, endless promises and other pledges of peace meal rewards.Police blockades or whatever will never hide the truth. Bribing a handful weak minded individuals who gradually loose sanity will not forever hide the truth. In Bhalagwe there were scores of people who were thrown in there after being executed. Even going there to pray will be a great victory and that victory is certain !!!
Gaudencio Felipe Garcia grabbed Border Patrol Agent Scott Kozma by his ATV helmet, pulled him to the ground and twisted the helmet from side to side, Kozma testified Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

Mr. Felipe Garcia was trying to kill me, Kozma told Judge James A. Soto. He grabbed the back and front of my helmet in an attempt to break my neck.

The fight occurred the afternoon of Feb. 11 near Vamori on the Tohono Oodham Reservation while Felipe and another man were crossing the border illegally, according to court records.

Instead of breaking Kozmas neck, the helmet twisted around his head and blocked his vision, Kozma said. Felipe then stomped down on top of my head before Kozma recovered and handcuffed him.

Defense lawyer Michael Simon contested that version of events. Felipe resisted arrest, but it was unclear how the fight unfolded, Simon said, noting his client suffered injuries to his chest, abdomen and nose.

Kozma was treated for acute neck and lumbar strain and abrasions. Felipe pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer and Soto sentenced him Wednesday to 15 months in prison, which fell in the middle of the sentencing range agreed to in the plea agreement.

The fight near Vamori came as the 671 reported assaults on Border Patrol agents nationwide in the first 11 months of fiscal 2017 were 67 percent higher than during the same period the previous fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics released in September.

Customs officers at ports of entry reported 39 assaults from the start of October 2016 to the end of August 2017, down from 56.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions took aim at assaults on federal officers when he directed prosecutors to make them a top priority during an April 11 speech in Nogales.

If someone dares to assault one of our folks in the line of duty, they will do federal time for it, Sessions said.

And prosecutions of those assaults in Arizona are rising, according to Justice Department records compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse from Syracuse University.

The 48 new prosecutions of assaults on federal officers in Arizona during the first 11 months of fiscal 2017 was up from 34 in each of the two previous fiscal years.

A review by the Arizona Daily Star of 35 federal court cases of assaults on Border Patrol agents and customs officers in Arizona since the start of 2016  as well as several cases in which apparent assaults occurred, but no assault charges were filed  sheds light on how the assaults and prosecutions unfold.

Biting, punching

and stabbing

In a Jan. 24 incident, prosecutors said Leonel Castillo Lepe, a 22-year-old Mexican citizen, allegedly tried to stab an agent near Three Points.

Agents were arresting three suspected border crossers when Castillo tried to flee. An agent caught up with Castillo, who punched the agent in the face. Castillo then tried to stab the agent with a steak knife, but the agents equipment stopped the knife from breaking skin, according to the criminal complaint.

A federal grand jury indicted Castillo on charges of attempted murder of a federal officer and assault on a federal officer which inflicts bodily injury, court records show. His trial is scheduled to start in February.

Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector reported 123 assaults in fiscal year 2016, second only to 151 assaults in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

The Tucson Sectors public affairs office said its total included rocks hurled over the border fence. No rockings resulted in prosecutions in the court cases reviewed by the Star.

Statistics on assaults in the Tucson Sector for fiscal 2017, which ended Sept. 30, were not available, nor was a breakdown of the types of assaults.

Federal court records show agents and customs officers being bitten in the leg, punched in the face, struck by cars on highways, dragged by a car at a port of entry, as well as facing gunfire at checkpoints and attempted stabbings in the desert.

The majority of the 35 cases reviewed by the Star involved border crossers from Mexico and Central American countries, but 11 cases involved U.S. citizens.

In a May 17 incident, Gary Smith, a 76-year-old Tombstone resident, opened fire on two agents at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Arizona 80 with a 9 mm handgun. The agents returned fire, striking Smith in the arm.

He was charged the next day with assaulting a federal officer. His trial is set for Dec. 5.

In a Feb. 23 incident near Bisbee, two men were seen by agents loading bundles of marijuana into an SUV. An agent stopped the SUV and tried to remove the passenger, who resisted.

Katherine Sparks, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was driving the SUV, accelerated and struck the agents leg, causing tendon and ligament injuries, according to the criminal complaint. Her trial is set for Nov. 7.

Prison for some

On the night of March 1, Border Patrol agents working in the Cimarron Mountains south of Casa Grande on the Tohono Oodham Reservation approached a rocky outcropping where they saw drug-trafficking scouts using binoculars and speaking into a radio.

Agents saw Jose Flores Villareal, a 29-year-old Mexican citizen, hiding items in the rocks as a Border Patrol helicopter approached. When an agent tried to arrest Flores, he pushed the agent and swung his elbows back at the agent. During the struggle, Flores started to push the agent towards a 15-foot cliff, according to the complaint filed by the agent.

Flores was sentenced in September to 13 months in prison for assaulting an officer and 37 months for smuggling marijuana.

Prison sentences in the cases found by the Star ranged from time served for a Guatemalan man who bit a Border Patrol agent in the arm near Newfields on the Tohono Oodham Reservation to 46 months in prison for a Mexican man who threw a rock at an agent during a drug-smuggling attempt near Nogales.

The lightest punishment in the cases found by the Star was one year of probation for a Somalian man who drove into a Border Patrol vehicle near Green Valley while trying to escape arrest.

Dismissals for others

In five cases found by the Star, assault charges were dismissed at the request of the government or as part of plea agreements, court records show.

Jose Fuentes Escobar, a 27-year-old citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in December 2016 for crossing the border illegally. But the assault charge included in the complaint filed by a Border Patrol agent, which stemmed from Fuentes allegedly punching an agent in the face, was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

A 26-year-old Mexican man was accused of punching a customs officer in the mouth at a Nogales port of entry in January, but prosecutors requested the court dismiss the charge.

A 41-year-old Honduran man was charged with punching a Border Patrol agent in the face near Douglas. When the man grabbed the agents club, the agent shot him in the leg, according to the complaint. Prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the charge of assaulting the agent.

No reason was given in court records for the requests for dismissals. A spokesman with the U.S. Attorneys Office declined to explain the requests and prosecutors involved in the dismissals did not respond to inquiries from the Star.

Dismissing assault charges is a slap in the face for agents, said Art Del Cueto, president of the local chapter of the National Border Patrol Council.

For Del Cueto, it appears that if its not a slam-dunk case, they dont want anything to do with it.

In other cases, prosecutors decline to file assault charges to begin with, court records show.

Jose Guzman Perez, 21, was sentenced last week for acting as a scout for smugglers in the mountains near Three Points. During his arrest, he and a Border Patrol agent struggled and fell down a cliff, dislocating the agents shoulder.

Guzman was sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling marijuana and for carrying a firearm during a drug crime. But he was not charged with assaulting an agent, court records show.

Del Cueto said he recently attended a muster at a local Border Patrol station where an agent was assaulted a few days earlier. A supervisor told the agents criminal charges werent likely, which elicited groans from the agents.

Two sides to the story

As was the case with Felipes assault of Agent Kozma, court records show defense lawyers regularly dispute how the assaults unfold.

Daniel Hernandez Gutierrez, a 36-year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested in March near Nogales after an agent saw him enter a car near the border. The agent followed the car and Hernandez got out and ran.

The agent grabbed Hernandez while Hernandez tried to crawl under a barbed-wire fence, according to the complaint. The agents arm became entangled in the fence and Hernandez started punching the agent in the arm and shoulder. Hernandez ran away and was caught hiding under an air-conditioner pad.

Hernandezs public defender submitted a letter from a forensic pathologist who said he did not believe the injuries suffered by the agent were consistent with the agents written statement indicating he had been struck for 30 seconds by closed fists.

They are consistent with a scuffle, but not to the severity described, the pathologist wrote.

Hernandez was sentenced Sept. 18 to six months in prison on a charge of assaulting a federal officer, court records show.

In another case, Andrea Tadeo, a 50-year-old U.S. citizen, was charged with assaulting an agent in December 2016 by grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him at the checkpoint in Three Points. Her brother, Pastor Abran Tadeo, a 47-year-old U.S. citizen, was charged with assault for striking an agent with the side mirror of the familys RV as he accelerated.

Tadeos public defender said the Tadeos, who were traveling with five members of their family, were returning to Tucson after spending Christmas in Rocky Point and had already been inspected twice by the time they reached the Three Points checkpoint.

Citing a cellphone video taken by the Tadeos niece that showed the agents account was exaggerated and wrong, the public defender filed a motion Oct. 16 to dismiss the charges due to lack of probable cause.

Their trial is scheduled to start Nov. 14.
A local call center is calling out the dogs after a string of bed-bug complaints from employees.

Management plans to hire special bed-bug-detecting canines after workers filed nine public health complaints in the past five weeks against the Alorica call center at 2929 S. Corona St.

Complaints to the Pima County Health Department, obtained by the Arizona Daily Star, include a claim the company tried to hide the problem from employees.

We have been threatened not to talk about it and are afraid that we will lose our jobs, an Oct. 11 complaint said. We find them crawling on our desks, it added.

A corporate spokesman disputed the claim, saying workers were adequately informed and that Alorica has made extensive efforts to keep the facility free of the blood-sucking pests.

Contrary to what is alleged, the company proactively addressed these issues, said Ken Muche, director of global public relations at Alorica headquarters in Irvine, Calif.

A local pest control firm comes in once a month to inspect and treat the facility, he said in an email statement.

A county pest inspector who visited Alorica four times since Sept. 11 didnt find any bed bugs, which seemed to indicate that eradication efforts were working, the health department reports show.

Management was aware of the bed-bug issue in this facility, and was advised to continue pest control efforts to prevent the potential for reinfestation, the inspectors initial report said.

Yet, complaints continued to mount at the health department from workers who said they were bitten at work or feared they might be.

Bed bugs are visible on the chairs and walls, an employee reported on Oct. 5. The names of complainants were redacted from the complaint reports the county provided to the Star.

An Oct. 11 complaint said employees fear for our health and safety. We also fear that we are put into a position to get fired because we are unable to work properly.

A Sept. 13 complaint said an employees house had to be fumigated after the worker unknowingly brought bed bugs home from the workplace.

They keep having the call center sprayed one room at a time but it is just causing the bugs to move around the building, the workers complaint said.

Wander and spread

Experts say the situation illustrates the challenges of battling bed bugs in the workplace, where outbreaks tend to be smaller but more difficult to detect than in private households.

At home, the pests tend to congregate in one or two places, such as a bed or a sofa, making them easier to find and kill.

At work they tend to wander and spread around the office before anyone is aware of them, said the website of Larry Pinto, a nationally recognized expert and co-author of the Bed Bug Handbook, an industry bible of sorts.

The bugs hitchhike to the office on the shoes, clothes, purses or backpacks of employees, vendors or visitors but often arent noticed right away because they dont bite at first.

No longer able to feed on sleeping people at night, it takes them several months to adjust to a daytime eating routine, Pintos website said.

They can live on cushioned office chairs, in cubicle partitions, and inside electrical outlets under desks, and other sites that keep them close to their food source

Though bed bugs arent known to carry diseases, they often cause severe emotional distress, said Dawn Gouge, a professor of public health entomology at the University of Arizona.

Youre not going to get sick from being bitten, she said, but the amount of stress and strain it puts on peoples lives can lead to quite considerable mental health issues.

Just talking about bed bugs can make people squirm. Gouge said she sees it all the time while teaching classes on the subject at UA. It will start with one or two people and then everyones skin is crawling.

Bed-bug reports to the county health department have held fairly steady in recent years, in the range of 150 to 200 complaints a year since 2012.

Most are from tenants complaining about rental units, but the department also gets occasional complaints from libraries, hospitals, call centers, movie theaters and other busy public places, said Nicholas Ramirez, an environmental health supervisor.

Most employers are cooperative in addressing problems, he said. If not, the county can take them to court, but that hasnt proved necessary so far.

STEPPED-UP EFFORTS

Health department reports suggest the problem at Alorica began in August in a section of the building that handles calls for the CVS drugstore chain. Workers there started contacting the health department a month later.

Management says that they had the place sprayed and that the exterminator said it was an isolated incident, but we find live bed bugs on our desks every morning, an Oct. 11 complaint said. This has been going on for at least a couple months.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has a section of its website devoted to bed bugs in the workplace, recommends that employers alert everyone who works in the building when a bed bug is found and explain the steps being taken in response.

This allows them to take additional precautions to protect their homes as well as limiting rumors and speculation, the EPA said.

Muche, in his statement to the Star, pointed to a recent case as an example of how the company handles sightings.

When a few employees reported bed bugs at their workstations in early October, the issue was proactively discussed with employees in the affected area and a pest control firm was called in but didnt find any bugs. The pest control firms findings were then posted on company bulletin boards, he said.

Employees who report bed bugs are given two days off with pay and provided free home inspections, Muche said. The company will pay to treat homes for bed bugs unless the problem was pre-existing.

He said Alorica is stepping up its detection efforts with the recent decision to bring in bed-bug-sniffing dogs, which can find what human inspectors might miss.

Weve scheduled a K-9 inspection of our entire office and if that K-9 unit finds any pests we will take immediate action to eliminate any issues, he said.
Jesus Loreto had an idea that he knocked around in his head for a while. Really, it was years that he thought about writing a book.

It would be about his mother and his family. It would be about growing up in Southern Arizona, after the family relocated from Northern Sonora.

Loretos book would be about an American family, a family not unlike so many others in Tucson and the rest of Baja Arizona.

While he thought about writing, he didnt commit himself. Writing is daunting. It can be intimidating.

But about 10 years ago, he started writing. Then he stopped. Then after some time had passed, Loreto restarted only to stop again.

The desire to tell his familys story gnawed at him. It was almost as if it were his duty to do so.

He sat down again and this time he didnt stop writing The Tortilla Maker.

He found a publisher, Floricanto Press in California, and three years ago Loretos book was published.

It was a surprise for me when he wrote the book, said Ramona Arvizu Mendoza, Loretos 89-year-old mother. I am glad.

I met Loreto and his mother, and his siblings  Carlos, Ramona, Elsa, Marilyn and Ruby  last week in Oro Valley, where Arvizu lives with her eldest son, Carlos. Loreto was visiting from Tampa, Florida, where he lives. Loreto, who is 63, hasnt lived in Tucson since he left in his early 20s. Nonetheless, Loreto, who has lived in both Carolina states, California and Phoenix, has remained connected to his family and Southern Arizona.

Loretos story begins in his birthplace, Nacozari de Garcia, a small Sonora mining town about two hours south of Douglas. His mother is divorced and raising four children. The family matriarch is her mother, Ignacia Arvizu. Both women are strong-willed, independent, devoting mothers who had been married to abusive, violent men.

Wanting a better life for her four children, Loretos mother moved the family to Bisbee in 1957  with a new husband, a U.S. serviceman stationed at Ft. Huachuca. Loretos mother gave birth to two girls, but in 1961, her husband left the family.

To this day I can remember the tears flowing, Loreto wrote of his mother.

She decided to remain in Bisbee. She ironed clothes, 5 cents apiece, and waited tables at a restaurant. At night she made tortillas that her older children would sell on the street.

In a spare moment or two she would study English and for her citizenship test, he wrote. This was moms finest moment.

Eventually, she and her six children moved to Tucson where Loretos tia and tio lived. There were more opportunities but the challenges remained.

Loretos mother found a job on a dude ranch in the Sabino Canyon area. The older children would work there, too. Loretos after-school job was to take care of Ruby and Marilyn, and cook the family dinner.

Loretos mother also worked at a Tucson restaurant, ironed clothes and made tortillas, tamales and empanadas which the children peddled around the neighborhood

He wrote: We joined the ranks of other entrepreneurs in town, along with old pickup trucks, mostly immigrant workers, sold everything from watermelons to peaches and breads and now Moms handmade flour tortillas!

Loreto said his mother refused to apply for welfare. She was determined to raise, clothe and feed her six children on her own. And she saved money to buy a house on East 32nd Street near South Alvernon Way.

There wasnt much she didnt do, Loreto told me.

Loreto said he wrote the book, which is also a history of our border region, from memory and the familys oral histories. While the book is a personal account of a family, the story makes a loud political statement that resonates in todays social climate where nativism has gone mainstream and occupies the White House and many state capitols.

It is a story of a successful immigrant family, Loreto said.

He wrote it for his family and to share with others. Above all he wrote it to honor his selfless, hardworking mother who did everything she had to do for her children.

I wanted to validate her life, Loreto said. I wanted to say to mom, you did an excellent job.
J.D. Mesnard, speaker of the Arizona House, and other legislators toured promising places on Tucsons economic landscape at the end of last week.

The group hit our booming downtown. Journeyed to Raytheon, with its impending expansion. Toured the Port of Tucson and saw its intermodal connections to Mexican trade.

In short, what they saw was encouraging. But at the same time, on Thursday, the states monthly employment report came out. It showed that, far from booming, the Tucson areas employment remains moribund. In Pima County, the number of employed people actually dropped by 2,300 from September 2016 to September 2017, the state Office of Economic Opportunity reported.

Thats worrisome, and its all happening as we vote on whether to raise Tucsons sales tax by 0.6 percent in two different sales-tax elections that end Nov. 7. At the same time, members of Pima Countys Board of Supervisors continue to ponder a 0.5 percent sales-tax increase to pay for road repairs.

Tucsons sales tax, now a total of 8.6 percent, most of which is charged by the state, will rise to 9.2 percent if we pass the ballot measures that would raise money for early childhood education and for the Reid Park Zoo. It would go up to 9.7 percent if the county board or county voters approve 0.5 percent for roads.

This is actually not that far out of whack from some Arizona communities. Including the states 5.6 percent rate, Bisbee and Benson already have a total 9.6 percent tax on sales. Most Maricopa County cities have a total sales tax rate under 9 percent, but Buckeye, Carefree and Cave Creek each have 9.3 percent rates, while Glendales is 9.2 percent.

So, while Tucsons current sales tax is not that bad  the citys portion alone is 2.5 percent, the same as Marana and Oro Valley  we could soon place ourselves in the upper echelon of expensive Arizona locales.

Thats not the worst thing for the economy, since the money goes to beneficial purposes, but it could at least place some drag on our growth. At some point, as local sales tax rises, more people start crossing city or county boundaries in order to avoid paying higher sales taxes when they shop, especially for bigger purchases.

Or they find internet retail sites that dont charge local sales taxes at all. In either case, local street-front businesses, the ones that keep our city lively and support our neighbors, lose customers. Commercial property goes vacant.

Ever increasing rates are complicated by peoples easy access to avoid that, Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association, told me. Main street businesses are put at an even further disadvantage.

To that end, McCarthy and his group favor legislation that would force internet retailers to charge local taxes, the Marketplace Fairness Act. But that doesnt exist now  online retailers must charge sales tax only if the retailer has a physical presence in the state where the customer is located.

Sales taxes also disproportionately cost the poor, who spend more of their income on taxable items than wealthier people do.

Despite all those problems with sales taxes, the state government is forcing localities toward depending on more of them.

Weve decided over the last 50 years to rely really heavily on sales taxes, then property taxes, then income taxes, McCarthy said.

Our sales-tax temptations arise as Tucson is struggling to move beyond an economy based on population growth. Local leaders have recommended this for years, and now we are there: Population growth is slow. But we havent replaced construction work and other growth-related jobs with new industries.

Maricopa County, in contrast, remains buoyed by population growth, even as other industries such as financial-services firms move in, said Lee McPheters, economist at ASUs W.P. Carey School of Business. A disproportionately high amount of the states economic and population growth remains in metro Phoenix.

In Tucson, some good news lately has shown that efforts at moving past growth-related industries are starting to work. Caterpillar has opened a division headquarters here, Hexagon Mining is expanding and moving downtown, Vector Space Systems and World View Enterprises are sending vehicles into space or near-space, Raytheon Missile Systems is adding jobs by the thousands.

But, as Rep. Todd Clodfelter, a Tucson Republican who helped lead the touring group said, what that means is that the outlook is improving but were not there yet.

So what happens when we throw an extra 0.5 or 0.6 percent sales tax on top of our existing 8.6 percent? And how about a possible additional 0.5 percent sales tax for roads by the county? Put together, it wouldnt be a disastrous effect, but I suspect it would extend our continued slow economic emergence.

Im not saying I wont vote for any sales-tax increases. But when I cast my ballot, I will be thinking about our economic malaise and what will help us escape it.
The Las Vegas shooting has affected all of us to varying degrees, but for people living with a mental illness, it is particularly difficult. I live with bipolar disorder and have advocated on behalf of others and myself living with a mental illness for nearly three decades.

An important part of my lifes work has been to educate the community about mental illness. Unfortunately, many people will often hide their mental illness and their family members do not want to share their experiences because of shame.

There is a stigma associated with mental illness; and until we as a society work to end that stigma, many will suffer needlessly and avoid treatment. With treatment, those with mental illness can and do live in recovery.

It is the avoidance of admitting to the possibility of mental illness and therefore delaying treatment that causes the greatest harm to individuals, families and society at large.

Because there is little or no evidence that Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock fit into many of the categories often associated with mass shootings, many are speculating that Paddock had a mental illness. For some, this is an obvious conclusion because, as I have heard it asserted in the media, a person with good mental health would not commit such an atrocity.

Because I am open about my own mental illness and I have spoken to many groups about my mental illness, I am often asked about violence perpetrated by those with mental illness. I also have been asked if I own a gun. My answer is that I would never own a gun, not because I am concerned that I would harm someone else, but because I would be at risk for suicide. Symptoms of my condition include periods of elevated moods (manic state) and periods of low energy and overwhelming despondency (depressive state).

A study, co-authored by Eric Elbogen, Ph.D., and Sally Johnson, M.D., of the University of North Carolina Forensic Psychiatry Program, shows that people with mental illness are no more likely than anyone else to commit acts of violence. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victim of violence than the perpetrator of violence.

The results of that study were printed in the 2009 edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Nearly 35,000 individuals were interviewed in 2001/2002 and again in 2004/2005. In 2009, the results of those interviews (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202174814.htm) revealed the top 10 indicators of violent behaviors are indicated from the highest to the lowest predictors are:

1. Being young

2. History of violent behavior

3. Being male

4. A history of juvenile detention

5. Divorce or separation in the past year

6. History of physical abuse

7. Parental criminal record

8. Unemployment in the last year

9. Severe mental illness and substance abuse

10. Victimization in the last year.

Not everybody who has committed violence will have an indicator that is listed above. Some people with one or more of the predictors above will never commit a violent act.

We do not know why Paddock did what he did but we do know that he falls into two of the categories listed above (he was male and his father was a criminal). It is easy to assume that Paddock was mentally ill. However automatically designating someone as mentally ill simply because he does not neatly fit a stereotype serves only to increase stigma which can result in the reluctance of people to seek help when they need it.
Three brand new Louis Theroux specials will screen on BBC Knowledge soon.

All filmed in the USA, they tackle sex trafficking, murder and opiate dependency.

Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, is widely considered to be the number one hub for human trafficking in North America. The US Department of Justice estimates that at least one in five of all the countrys victims are trafficked through the city and most of these people will be forced to work in the sex industry.

Milwaukee is said to be one of the most racially divided and impoverished cities in the US. With spiralling gun crime and homicide rates, this Midwestern city encapsulates Americas complex and troubled relationship with guns and the increasing disharmony between African American communities and the police.

Americas love affair with prescription painkillers has led to a population dependent on opiates. But since a crackdown on their over-prescription, where does this leave the two million Americans who developed a habit for these high-strength painkillers? With the pills now becoming increasingly expensive and scarce on the black market, vast numbers of Americans have turned to the cheaper and stronger opiate: heroin. The drug now claims more lives in the US than either car accidents or gun crime. And, for the first time in over two decades, life expectancy in the US is declining  largely attributed to the rise in fatal heroin overdoses.

Updated: Tuesdays at 8.30pm from December 5 on BBC Knowledge.
This Week In Politics has seen Brexit as the main headline once again as Theresa may headed out to Brussels to talk with European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker and Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier. However, the government announced that it wasted millions attempting to privatise NHS staffing and it was reported that the UK is 490 billion poorer. Plus, the government announced it would scrap the 55p benefit helpline charge.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government forces seized Kirkuk from the Kurds, in Mogadishu, Somalia, a lorry bomb killed hundreds of people, Spain have said they will suspend autonomy of Catalonia.

Maltese, anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated and Maduro secured a crucial victory in Venezuela.

UK news

Health minister, Phillip Dunne, told parliament "The Department (DoH) spent approximately 2.8million on external advisers' costs during the sale process for NHS Professionals until the decision was announced on 7 September that NHS Professionals will remain wholly in public ownership." He continued to say that "none of the offers received" reflected the "growing potential and improved performance". The U-turn comes after widespread anger from medical professionals and health unions. This waste of money also succeeds the governments decision to not reverse the public sector pay cap.

The Telegraph and the Mirror have both reported that the UK is 490 billion poorer than previously estimated. This refers to two figures: the flow of foreign direct investment, and the net International Investment Position, which has collapsed from a surplus of 469bn to a net deficit of 22bn. These missing figures come from an update published by the ONS on 29th September.

160 billion comes from the net foreign direct investment, which is down and despite an improvement on summer 2016, it slumped in the second quarter of 2017.

The remaining 330 billion loss can be attributed to the net international investment position, this is the categories of UK resident's ownership of foreign assets and foreign resident's ownership of UK assets combined.

Originally the ONS predicted a surplus in 2016, however, this was revised to a deficit in September. Whilst it sounds gloomy, it is in fact normal for the UK to run on a deficit, but the statistics inform us more about the devaluation of the pound. The main reason why the ONS downgraded the figures drastically was because international investors hold more UK shares than previously realised, in other words this was an accounting error but with the Brexit process this does increase concern for the UK.

Theresa May this week headed out to Brussels to talk with Jean Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier to try and move the Brexit process along, however there was little success. The government also said they would scrap the 55p per minute benefit helpline charge after significant opposition from politicians and campaigners from all parties.

World news

Iraqi government forces seized the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from the Kurds, their allies in the fight against Daesh. The attack happened following a referendum held last month in which Kurds voted to secede from Iraq. Without Kirkuk's oil, an independent Kurdistan would be broke. A lorry bomb attack, blamed on the jihadist group al-Shabab, exploded in the centre of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, killing at least 300 people.

Spain said it would begin the process of suspending Catalonia's autonomy, deepening the constitutional crisis. Daphne Caruana Galizia, an anti-corruption blogger, was assassinated with a car bomb near her home in Malta. She had accused senior politicians of receiving kickbacks through offshore companies that were revealed in the Panama Papers.

President Nicolas Maduro's United Socialist Party claimed a crucial victory by gaining 18 out of 23 governors' elections in Venezuela, with a turnout of 61%, the largest for governors' elections for over a decade. Some winning opposition candidates accepted the results, but a large proportion of the far-right opposition called for protests the results, similar to the violent protests instigated by the opposition previously that killed 100 people.
ceci-lio explica sus actividades deportivas y coloca en este blog los temas que le preocupan o gustan tales como musica de calidad de cualquier tipo,deportes, triatlon y duatlon,futbol, formula 1 , bicicletas y sus accesorios,ecologia, flora, fauna, informatica y en general cosas curiosas
The Casa Rosada, Argentinas Presidential Palace, has introduced Meatless Mondays for its staff of more than 500 which includes President Mauricio Macri. This means that meats of any kind will be absent from the palace menu and staff will only have plant-based options to choose from. This new regulation does not sit well with the beef producers who see it as a political move and a ploy on behalf of the administration to attract more votes.

A decline in meat consumption

The beef industry in Argentina has taken a hit in the last few years not only due to government regulations that include beef export quotas but because of a decline in the domestic consumption of meat.

The country has 5% of the global herd population and for several years had the distinction of being the biggest consumers of cattle. However, they lost that title in 2010 to Uruguay. While some have mourned the loss of this title, the government is working towards the further reduction of meat consumption in the country.

Curbing the obesity epidemic

The introduction of Meatless Mondays is an attempt to start a conversation about healthy eating in a country that has high obesity rates. Argentina still consumes more than twice the recommended daily consumption of beef. Girls have the third highest obesity rates in Latin America with boys taking the number one spot. A UN report identifies the Caribbean and Latin America as having the highest obesity rates.

Other countries have been leading the way in trying to reduce beef eating but there is a lot of opposition to proposed regulations. In Germany, an attempt to introduce veggie days was met with strong opposition and described as an ecological dictatorship.

The significance of Meatless Mondays

Argentine's palace staff is just the latest to join the healthy eating initiative sponsored by the Monday Campaigns Inc - a non-profit public health initiative associated with Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Syracuse universities that dedicates the first day of every week to health.

Monday is chosen as a day for meat-free options for one because it is the start of the work week and a good day to make a fresh start from bad weekend habits. Going meat-free for at least one day a week encourages people to make healthier food choices. Meatless Mondays at the presidential palace in Argentina means that once a week, the cafeteria will only have vegan dishes available.

This is the practice in other government agencies in other parts of the world as a 'lead by example' exercise rather than a legal requirement. However, it is also a growing trend globally spearheaded by groups such as Animal Rights and vegetarian and environmental organisations.
The feud between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has taken yet another turn for the worst. After the leader of North Korea responded to Trump's "Rocket Man" insult, the president fired back on social media.

Trump on Kim

It doesn't come as a surprise to many that Donald Trump has engaged in a war of words with one of his critics. From the early days of the 2016 presidential election, the former host of "The Apprentice" made it part of his routine to hit back against those who opposed him. Whether it was in the Republican primary and his use of several nicknames to describe his opponents, like "low energy" Jeb Bush and "Little" Marco Rubio, to his attacks on the mainstream media and Hollywood celebrities, the billionaire real estate mogul has shown that he will not pull any punches regardless of the criticism he receives for doing so.

Last week, Trump took his feud with Kim Jong-un to another level, mocking the North Korean leader as "Rocket Man" during one of his many tweets. Trump used the nickname to bad mouth Kim again while addressing the United Nations General Assembly this past Tuesday, while also threatening to possibly "destroy" the country. In response, Kim released a statement on Thursday night where he ripped into Trump, calling him a "mentally deranged." As seen on his Twitter account on September 22, the president wasn't done with his attack.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017

Taking to his Twitter feed just before sunrise, Donald Trump responded to the latest rebuttal and statement by Kim Jong-un.

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" Trump tweeted out.

Trump calls Kim Jong Un a 'madman' hours after the North Korean leader accused him of being 'mentally deranged' https://t.co/he1919Xtbi pic.twitter.com/3DjXmPyrlX  CNN (@CNN) September 22, 2017

Twitter reacts

Not long after Donald Trump sent out his early morning tweet about Kim Jong-un, social media critics wasted no time in sounding off.

"I would also consider you a mad man who doesn't mind starting a killing your citizens. That's what taking away healthcare is doing!" one tweet read.

By testing him what exactly do you mean? Are you testing him on his ability to outwit you in a game of words against friend? #dotard  Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) September 22, 2017

Trump of North America, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind stripping his own people of their healthcare, must be repealed & replaced  Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) September 22, 2017

"I simply think it's quite juvenile to have the sitting US president (arguably) engaging in name calling with other world leaders," one Twitter user added.

"t's really sad when most of the world actually agrees with Kim Jung Un about you. That's really saying something!" yet another tweet noted.

I simply think it's quite juvenile to have the sitting US president (arguably) engaging in name calling with other world leaders.  Gerren Peterson (@GerrenPeterson) September 22, 2017

*narrator* "but he just kept going on, gradually worse everyday"  Marcel Steeman (@msteeman) September 22, 2017

"Dear Mr Trump, stop. Just stop. Step down. U are going to get us all killed. Stop. I am begging you, stop," an additional tweet read. As the backlash continued, it showed that many Americans are worried about what could happen as a result of the name calling between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
In recent days, one of the top news stories has been in regards to Facebook selling thousands of political ads to Russia during the 2016 presidential election. In response, Donald Trump was quick to give his thoughts during his most recent Twitter tirade.

Trump on Hillary

The 2016 election cycle will go down as one of the most shocking and controversial in recent memory. The emergence of Donald Trump took the world by surprise, especially once he was nominated at the Republican National Convention last summer. In the months that would follow, the former host of "The Apprentice" would battle the odds on favorite Hillary Clinton, who beat out Bernie Sanders in a tough fight during the Democratic primary.

Up until Election Day, Clinton seemed liked she had the election in the bag, but it wasn't to be as Trump pulled off the upset and has been the President of the United States for the last nine months. His win didn't come without controversy, however, as reports of Russian interference in the election have not slowed down. Despite the evidence that has come forward, Trump has denied any wrongdoing, even with the latest news of Facebook showing how thousands of Russian political ads made its way onto their platform. As seen on his Twitter account on September 22, Trump dismissed the latest Facebook-Russian story, while taking a shot at Clinton in the process.

The Russia hoax continues, now it's ads on Facebook. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017

Taking to his Twitter feed on Friday morning was Donald Trump and the president was not pleased that the Russian scandal was back in the news.

"The Russia hoax continues, now it's ads on Facebook," Trump tweeted, before asking, "What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?"

The greatest influence over our election was the Fake News Media "screaming" for Crooked Hillary Clinton. Next, she was a bad candidate!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017

Not stopping there, Donald Trump once again lashed out at the mainstream media for their alleged bias coverage and support of Hillary Clinton.

"The greatest influence over our election was the Fake News Media 'screaming' for Crooked Hillary Clinton," Trump posted, while adding, "Next, she was a bad candidate!"

Next up

While Donald Trump still rants and raves about the ongoing scandal linking Russia to election interference, he has many more important issues facing him in the White House.

The fight over the future of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance in the form of a proposed bill by Republican senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham, as well his new feud with Kim Jong-un, with the two world leaders continuing to trade insults.
Police in Tampa, Florida are on the hunt for a suspected killer believed to be responsible for the death of three people in less than two weeks. The three victims were all killed in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, according to Fox News reports.

During a press conference on Friday, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said the three killings were most probably linked owing to the fact, that the murders occurred within a mile of each other, in the same neighborhood.

Other similarities were; all the victims were shot dead and were alone during the incident.

Police released a grainy video obtained from CCTV footage, showing a person they suspected could be the killer, and asked members of the community to come forward and help in identifying the person.

Possible serial killer

The latest and the third victim was identified by police as 20-year- old Anthony Naiboa, who was autistic and murdered on Thursday night.

According to Naiboa's family, he left work and took the bus home, but accidentally got off at the wrong stop in the Seminole Heights neighborhood, a short distance from home. Naiboa was shot dead as he walked back.

Police Chief Dugan said that during Naiboa's shooting, police on patrol heard the gunshot, and immediately started searching for where it had originated.

When the officers finally found Naiboa, he was already dead and there was no sign of the shooter.

On October 11, 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was found shot dead in a vacant lot in the same neighborhood.

On October 9, Benjamin Mitchell, 22, was shot dead at a bus-stop in the same area. Police believe he was the first victim in the series of murders.

Mitchell and Naiboa were gunned down 300 yards apart, while all three victims were killed within in a one-mile radius.

Taking a stand

On Friday, angry residents of Seminole Heights took to the streets and marched through the neighborhood in protest of the killings. They also visited the three sites where the victims were found, to place flowers and light candles.

One resident, Michelle Cookson, told Fox News the neighborhood was taking a stand against the killings, and would not allow anyone to terrorize them and force the residents to live in fear.

Police have cautioned residents against walking alone, especially at night, and also urged them to leave their porch and security lights on at night.

A reward of $25,000 was offered by Tampa Police for any information that could lead to the identification or arrest of the suspected killer, with the authorities also asking residents to remain vigilant.
One of the biggest mysteries of the last 50 years has been the events surrounding the death of former President John F. Kennedy. While many have wondered what the forces were behind the shooting of JFK, Donald Trump plans to allow the release of secret documents pertaining to the case that have been hidden of decades.

Trump on JFK

On the morning of November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, rode in the back of a 1961 Lincoln Continental as they made their way through a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. With the roof down, the president and first lady waved to hundreds who took to the streets to see the first couple.

However, shots were fired from high above, which struck Kennedy, as well as Texas Governor John Connally who was riding in front of him. Kennedy was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly after. The events have that day have long been questioned by historians, with many challenging the results of the Warren Commission, which was put together in Congress to investigate the shooting and concluded that the Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman. Fast forward to 1992 when Congress mandated that secret documents detailing classified information about the assassination should be made public 25 years later, with the expiration dating coming up this Thursday. As seen on his Twitter account on October 21, Donald Trump announced that he will allow the documents to be made public.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

Taking to his Twitter account on Saturday morning, Donald Trump made a surprising move by announcing he will allow the release of the John F.

Kennedy assassination documents. "Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted out. According to Politico, Trump was under pressure from the CIA to block the release of the documents, but decided to move forward.

Trump was under pressure from CIA to block release of some JFK assassination documents on national security grounds https://t.co/alWDvfC7mv pic.twitter.com/8udL3341iT  POLITICO (@politico) October 21, 2017

The reaction to the news was one of surprise, with those who believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the shooter becoming hopeful that the documents can back up the theory.

In opposition, the side that doubts the lone gunman theory hoping that the information will point in another direction.

Twitter reacts

Not long after Donald Trump tweeted about the John F. Kennedy documents, critics on social media were quick to fire back and accuse the president of a distraction. "Can you also open up the UFO files, so we can finally see that our country is being run by a leader from a competing galaxy?" one tweet read.

You're going to release documents that were mandated by the 92 JFK Records act to be released by Oct 26 2017?!

What would we do without you?  Sara Bonaccorsi (@SNBonaccorsi) October 21, 2017

There are reasons why the JFK files have been closed. I hope opening them isn't like setting off a ticking time bomb.  Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) October 21, 2017

"This JFK Files thing is quite literally the textbook definition of a distraction.

Trump is a caricature of a corrupt, Nixonian President," Eugene Gu tweeted. "This is yet another distraction, he's hoping we will forget what he said to military families and Russia investigation. Not working," another tweet added.

What is next? Is he going to give us a TV tour of Area 51? Will he declare the existence of aliens over the facts of Russian collusion?  Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) October 21, 2017

This is yet another distraction, he's hoping we will forget what he said to military families and Russia investigation. Not working.  PORP (@TheOfficialPORP) October 21, 2017

This would have been done any way you dooofus. You can't claim this as an accomplishment of your miserable presidency..  Kathy Cancel (@katc704) October 21, 2017

"You're going to release documents that were mandated by the 92 JFK Records act to be released by Oct 26 2017?! What would we do without you?" an additional tweet read sarcastically. As the backlash continued, those who oppose Donald Trump showed they weren't impressed with the president's latest announcement.
Virendra Sharma, an MP of Ealing Southall from Labour Party, tabled a parliamentary motion earlier this week seeking a formal apology from the British government for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened in 1991 when the British were ruling over India. Hundreds were killed, and more than thousand were wounded in the incident. So far, the motion has got eight signatories from different political parties including Labour, Conservatives, the Scottish National Party, the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland.

According to Mr. Sharma: Its a historical amnesia that general people especially new generation should know about.

It hurt deeply at that time, and it hurts deeply now. Unfortunately, its missing in history books of this country. The British have deleted the history and Indians have written many aspects of the incidence in their books every year, now the sentiments related to the event can be judged and justified. History can never be deleted at all.

Earlier responses on the historic incidence

Mr. Sharma, an Indian-origin MP has tabled the motion ahead of the 100th anniversary of the historic massacre in 2019. He has noted the former English PM, David Camerons remarks on the event as deeply shameful event on his tour to India in 2003.

The issue was highlighted earlier this year when an Indian member of parliament Shashi Tharoor traveled to the United Kingdom and delivered his lecture at Oxford on the proposition Britain Owes Reparations to Her Former Colonies.' His book An Era of Darkness: The British Empire In India has publicly hailed in the country.

At that time the opposition parties of India had also hailed the lecture and the book. The topic is widely discussed and termed as a black chapter of the Indian history.

The British intention

Should history be history only? Its a big question for the time. If you remember that and try to compensate with the present, it will lead to a mass destruction of the world society.

This is because only 21 percent of people in Britain regret its colonial history, as found in a poll of 2016. We cant say what will happen with the motion of Mr. Sharma, but the intention of the British people is clear from Liam Foxs comments: The UK is one of the few countries in the EU that does not need to bury its 20th-century history. He is Britains Secretary of State for International Trade, was a prominent campaigner for Brexit.
Main Street Farmers Market will be hosting Falltoberfest next Wednesday, from 4-6 p.m.

Events include music by Ryan Oyer (www.ryanoyer.com), facepainting, pumpkin decorating, a festive photo area, the Chattanooga library book nook, a fermenting demonstration by Harvest Roots and lots of great food including: popcorn from Riverview Farms milling, a sausage sampler from Hoe Hop Valley Farm, caramel apples and hot cider from Wheelers Orchard, and food from The Green Tambourine and Syrup and Eggs.

The event will take place at Main Street Market, on the corner of Main Street and Chestnut Street.
Award-winning actor Xian Lim and TV personality Nicole Cordoves will be hosting the Miss Grand International 2017 pageant in Vietnam on October 25. The two hail from the Philippines and have both confirmed their appearances during the event.

Cordoves arrived in Vietnam earlier this week and will be hosting the preliminary competition on October 23, according to the pageants official social media. Over 70 candidates from around the world will each compete in swimsuits and evening gowns. This will determine their placement during the finals.

Meanwhile, Lim is set to host the coronation event that will be held at Vinpearl Phu Quoc Resort and Villas in Phu Quoc Island, local news website Inquirer.net reported.

This Filipino actor has previously hosted many of the editions of his countrys national pageants.

Grateful

Xian Lim, who also traces back his roots to Malaysia, shared that he is thankful to the pageant organizers for officially selecting him as one of the events hosts. He said he will make sure that the audience will be having a good time.

As a host, I want to have that presence... and I want it to be as entertaining as possible. Im sure it would be a wonderful experience, he added.

Grand finals happening soon

The candidates in Miss Grand International 2017 have already made it through several rounds of the competition such as the national costume contest, swimsuit portion and a number of fashion shows.

For instance, the national costume show featured the ladies in their traditional attire, Global Beauties reported.

The top 10 finalists in the swimsuit preliminaries have been officially announced. The finalists include the contestants from Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, and India.

Also joining them are the candidates from Peru, Malaysia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

These ladies were chosen according to votes from the fans. These finalists also participated in a closed-door interview with MGI president Nawat Itsaragrisil and current titleholder Ariska Pertiwi from Indonesia.

The fans also participated in a voting process to choose three ladies who will have a secure spot in the front row during the opening dance in the coronation night.

The winners are the candidates from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Rehearsals will start on October 23 for the grand finals of the pageant. Miss Grand International is one of the most prestigious beauty events worldwide along with Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss World. It sets itself apart from other competition because of its advocacy against war and violence.
August Wilsons classic play titled Two Trains Running will be presented at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC) in Jamaica, New York, from November 3 to November 5, 2017. Tickets cost between $25 and $35.

"Two Trains Running" debuted on Broadway in 1992 (with a cast that included Roscoe Lee Browne, Anthony Chisholm, and Laurence Fishburne, who won a Tony Award for his role) yet its plot is set in 1960s-era Pittsburg. A diner in an African-American neighborhood is the setting for discussions of race and social change.

Recently, co-producer (and a playwright herself) Andrea J.

Fulton granted an exclusive interview where she discussed the play, her experiences in theater, and more.

Theater, plays, characters, and directing

Meagan Meehan (MM): What initially inspired you to seek out a career in the theater?

Andrea J. Fulton (AJF): Years ago, I met with some actors of color backstage on Broadway. As I got to know these artists, I realized that they were disappointed with the extent to which their talent had so often been overlooked and underutilized. I felt their pain and knew there were audiences that were missing a unique opportunity to experience their performances on stage. I became inspired and personally driven to address the paucity of opportunities for talented artists who found themselves without enough work or work that was not interesting, challenging, or rewarding.

MM: You are not only a producer and founder of a non-profit arts organization, but also an award-winning playwright. How do you balance these different roles, and is there one task thats more important to you at this point in your life and career?

AJF: I never knew when I sat down at age forty-five to write One Drop that I would continue to write plays, be the recipient of awards, a producer, and founder of the Anderson & Bert Cade Fulton Foundation.

My first award, the Emerging Playwright from Theater for the New City, was amazing and Crystal Field, the co-founder, was one of the first to recognize and support my work. My plays have been accepted into numerous festivals and received other accolades such as five AUDELCO Award nominations. This year, I was honored to receive the 2017 Barbour Playwrights Award.

Please, do not let anyone tell you that being recognized for your work is not a motivating factor in continuing to work. I am humbled by being considered for a Pulitzer Prize but I owe it all to the community that I serve, and grew up in, the Africana community, and its rich heritage in America.

My first play, One Drop, is a homage to my heritage and my parents, it is set in St. Tammany Parrish in Mandeville, Louisiana, where they were born. I founded The Anderson Bert Cade Fulton Foundation to celebrate them, and inspire older and late-start artists to continue to strive.

As Oprah said, if you do something you love it will all work out. So, although sometimes it can get extremely busy, I have a great support system and Ive managed to do alright.

MM: What was it about "Two Trains Running" that most appealed to you and what characters and plot lines most interest you?

AJF: August Wilson is a brilliant and complex playwright. His theater works requires great acting and immense resolve because his monologues and dialogues are elaborate and usually require extensive memorization skills.

I cannot say I have a favorite character because all of the characters in this play are so fully rounded, but I was drawn to Two Trains Running because of the idea of history repeating itself. We can directly compare the 1960s movements, where Wilson decided to set the play, to the movements that are reverberating now.

I stand in amazement of authors, playwrights, directors, and artists who are capable of effectively exploring issues that will continue to impact us throughout history.

Only genius can describe a moment, where your word for word predictions, speak truth in another place and time.

Staging, performance, costumes, and production

MM: Why did you decide to stage this play in Jamaica, Queens, and how did you secure the venue?

AJF: In 2016, I made a leap and agreed to produce an August Wilson Play that was first scheduled to be performed in a Brooklyn park. I negotiated a second park and both went so well we were asked to do it again this year. We began rehearsing in a local library when the head librarian took notice and invited us to perform there. She was an innovator and I appreciate her.

Those sets lead us to the historic Brownsville Heritage House in Brooklyn.

Now we are gearing up for the performances at Jamaica Performing Arts Center, (JPAC). Our company has come from free shows, with folks gathering around on a lawn, to a small neighborhood library with "donations accepted," to performing at an amazing venue, in a kindred community where we will offer something wonderful to patrons at an affordable price.

MM: What was the process of getting the costumes, props, lighting, etc., sorted out?

AJF: Selecting the creative team is always a combination of key factors: assessing the level of interest individuals have in the specific work, their availability, cost, and suitability for the project. I have a team of go to artists I work with often. I have been fortunate to have people on my team who are not only very talented, but also passionate, creative, generous, resourceful and humble-- all winning qualities.

MM: This is a period piece, so did that make any aspects of its production more difficult than a play set in modern times?

AJF: Oh goodness, are the 1960s being considered a long-ago period now? Okay, well, period pieces are always challenging because you want to make sure your portrayals are accurately set for the time and history. That's why I bring on experts. Although I am at home in the 60s, I was young and I am bound not to know every historical fact.

MM: Thematically, how does this play differ or conform to the kinds that you usually produce?

AJF: Thematically it fits in well because I love writing and staging pieces that focus on the human condition: love, compassion, hopes, dreams and fears.

All these things involve human nature. I have always been fascinated by how people think, act, their wants and needs, and the idea of knowing that this is what we have in common, recognizing not only what makes us different but most importantly what binds us. It is the basic human emotions we share that most effectively connect us. This is why I love the power of music and tend to create and include music in my plays, because it is universal and has the ability to stir the soul. And, when I hear laughter in the audience, or see a tear wiped from a face, I know I have done something right.

MM: Are you currently anticipating any other projects on the horizon and is there anything more that you would like to discuss?

AJF: We have two great runs scheduled at the Theater for the New City in February and April of 2018. In February we will be performing a revival of the first play I ever wrote, a period piece set in 1800s Louisiana that is based on my family history, called One Drop. It has live music, comedy, and a great story-line.

In April, we will debut my brand-new play, also at TNC. As we get closer to those productions, folks can check TNCs website for details. Like us on Facebook at Fulton Arts Foundation, and stay plugged in for updates and details on these upcoming shows and other developments.
From left, Yin Yonglei, chief judge of the civil division No 1 of the Shanghai People's High Court, and Judge Hu Shihao, director of the Judicial Reform Office of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China, discuss the use of alternative dispute resolution in New York on Monday. Paul Welitzkin/China Daily

Alternative dispute resolution, which involves mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes instead of litigation, is growing in China, and has the backing of the business and legal communities, according to a senior judge of China's Supreme court.

"Dispute mediation, friendliness is conducive to business success and unity and win-win. This is the concept of mediation solution generally accepted by the Chinese," said Hu Shihao, director of the Judicial Reform Office of China's Supreme People's Court. "Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) can help to deepen judicial reform in China."

Hu told an audience in New York on Monday that resolving disputes through mediation has a history of about 2,000 years in China. He and other legal representatives made their comments at a forum at Fordham University that was sponsored in part by Jams, a private alternative dispute resolution provider and the Chinese Business Lawyers Association.

Hu said that 457 mediation organizations have been set up to cover 90 percent of the provinces in China, and that ADR will also likely be used to settle disputes that emerge from China-led Belt and Road Initiative.

Yin Yonglei, chief judge of the civil division No 1 of the Shanghai People's High Court, the equivalent of the New York State Supreme Court, said his court has used mediation to resolve labor, financial and even marriage disputes. "We have also built a system to resolve marine disputes," he said.

Zhang Wei, director of the Shanghai Commercial Mediation Center, said the Chinese have particularly embraced ADR in the last 20 years. "We are developing a way to safeguard everyone's interests and we work with the courts directly to promote mediation," she said.

In 2016, the Supreme People's Court carried out online mediation trials in six provinces and cities such as Beijing and Shanghai and the Shanghai maritime court, noted Shihao. In August China established its first internet court.

"China's court will combine online dispute resolution (ODR) with modern technology to establish online mediation, online judicial confirmation, online trial, an electronic handling platform to promote the (ADR) mechanism," Hu said.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com
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China's private investment has kept growing at steady and sustained pace this year, a senior official said Saturday.

Private investment plays a critical part in Chinese economy, Zhang Yong, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The growth cooled down last year after the country's total fixed-asset investment lost steam and the property and manufacturing sectors underwent a difficult time, he said.

Despite the hardships, private investment increased 6 percent in the first nine months this year, 3.5 percentage points higher than the same period a year ago.

Private investment growth has anchored from last year's weakness, he said.

Zhang underlined the importance of implementing supportive policy for private investors such as streamlining administrative procedures and cutting red tape, lowering market threshold, applying negative-list approach and increasing market transparency.

Private investment should play a bigger role in the future, he added.

Private investment accounts for at least 60 percent of China's total fixed-asset investment. It generates 80 percent of China's jobs, 60 percent of the GDP and 50 percent of the tax revenue.
HCM CITY A network to connect and support Vietnamese small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) on Saturday was launched in HCM City in order to drive the countrys economy.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Nguyen Van Cuong, deputy head of bureau of administration and management II under Government Office, said that SME Vietnam Network is being established following the guidance of the Vietnamese Entrepreneur Development Center under the Viet Nam Association of Small and Medium-seized Enterprises.

The networks members will exchange business opportunities within the country and other countries in the world.

In the network, many activities will help its members improve their brand names, products and services.

Under the special support from Vietnam Chamber of Commerce (VietCham Singapore) and United Overseas Bank Limited, the networks members also will have a chance to access exclusive lending and funding schemes.

Viet Nam has more than 600,000 SMEs, accounting for 97.5 per cent of the countrys companies, contributing more than 40 per cent of the GDP and using 51 per cent of the labour force.

Each year, SMEs create more than half a million new jobs.

According to inh Thi Phuong, director of the Vietnamese Entrepreneur Development Center and SME Vietnam Network, SMEs are still facing many difficulties and challenges such as a shortage of updated technologies and limited access to financial support, which is barrier for expanding their production.

At the launching ceremony, SME Vietnam Network signed an agreement with United Overseas Bank Limited.  VNS
By Le Huong & Hong Van

The northern province of Ha Giang is not only famous for its breathtaking mountains and terraced rice paddies, it is also known for the rich cultures evolved by 12 ethnic groups, including the Nung, Dao and Mong.

The fire dancing ceremony of the Red Dao is an ancient custom in which supernatural power seems to strengthen the dancers, giving them strength and courage to dance on burning coal in bare feet.

The ceremony is ususally held at the end of the year or at the beginning of spring. Fire brings warmth, celebrates bumper harvest and pleases the gods, bringing prosperity and wiping away evils and illness.

At traditional festivals in early spring, men dance on fire to the beat of drums. To perform for tourists, shamans pray to the gods for permission.

To prepare for the ceremony, the head of the family assigns his family to display food and drink and display boiled and raw rice, rice wine, boiled cockerel, fresh-water from streams, pieces of white cotton cloth, incense, silver wrist bands, votive money, lamps and candles. All the offerings are displayed on a long wooden table.

One or more shamans may join in the ceremony. Each has his own duties during the complicated performance, which includes many stages and lasts for hours.

Trieu Van Khien, a shaman from the Dao community in Ha Giangs Hoang Su Phi District, said the appeals to the Fire God started with prayers for good luck, a peaceful and happy life, favourable weather, good health and the dispelling of evils.

As the shaman starts loudly calling, a big bonfire is lit. The shaman then reads the names of all men joining the dance. These are special names to introduce the men to the gods, not their real names.

All the men sit next to the shaman as they are presented to the gods. The shamans power is believed to flow to them.

Dance begins: A dancer runs onto the bonfire in bare feet. VNS Photo Le Huong

The bass sounds from bamboo instruments and drums and the deep sounds from bronze instruments seem to encourage the men. They seem controlled by a supernatutural power, shake their bodies, jump on one leg in front of the altar and then leap onto the burning coal.

They fall into a trance, dancing in bare feet on the red-hot coal, but showing no fear or pain.

They use their feet and hands to throw the burning coal into the surrounding area, putting fear into the audience.

Each of the men jumps around for three or four minutes on the coal before leaping on one leg towards the altar. They then sit down on a bench and let their feet continously pound the ground while their bodies shake.

Before joining the ceremony, the men must keep their bodies clean and free from chemicals, said Khien, The clothes they wear during the ceremony must be free from fat, oil or chemicals and washed by water only. They should stay far from women for three days before joining the holy ceremony, otherwise they may get burnt.

Khien said he had hosted the ceremonies for 30 years. His duty was asking the gods to give power to the men dancing, but he himself does not dance.

Phan Dao Choi, 27, a fire dancer said not everyone could take part in the performances, even if they were strong.

"This is the first time I have joined in. I felt very scared and excited when looking at the big bonfire, he said. Though my legs and arms trembled, I rushed to the fire. After the dance, I was still shaking, but highly conscious of things happening around.

Choi said he strictly followed the rules before joining the ceremonies and felt healthier after the dance.

"This is a valuable ritual handed down by my ancestors. I am happy to perform it for tourists here," he said. "If someone doubts the supernarural power helping Dao men, please try dancing on burning coal for an even shorter time to check what happens."

Trieu Van Quan, deputy chairman of Thong Phong Commune, who practised fire dancing until eight years ago, described his feeling during the dance.

"I felt normal before the dance, but when I started dancing on the coals, I felt as if I had drunk a lot of wine," he said. "I saw everything surround not clearly, just flimsy and yellowish. I did not feel scared at all. The bigger the fire is, the more it attracted me."

"The men dance for better crops and prosperity for the village," he said.

Quan said he used to dance before being handed down the skills to pray for the gods by his father. Since he was the man who prayed to the gods, he no longer was able to join in the dance. "Thats really magic," he said.
A court in south China's Shenzhen City said Saturday it had fined a debt defaulter 100,000 yuan (15,000 U.S. dollars) for taking a first-class flight.

Zhang Li, which is not her real name, is on a national blacklist for failing to repay her debts.

People on the blacklist are, among other proscriptions, forbidden from taking first-class flights and are not able to book tickets with their identity cards.

However, Zhang was found to have bought a first-class ticket from Lijiang, Yunnan Province, to Shenzhen, on Oct. 13 using her passport.

On arrival, she was detained by police at Shenzhen airport.

According to the Futian District People's Court, in November 2015 and April 2017 she was found liable and ordered to pay the debts of her private company of over 7 million yuan. She refused to make the payment and was added to the social credit blacklist.

Following her detention, she paid the fine together with the debts in question.

As authorities work to establish a reliable nationwide credit rating system, courts are exploring new ways of punishing those who do not pay their debts. Among them are the ban from first-class flights and lowering their score at Sesame Credit, a credit-scoring system by Alibaba subsidiary Ant Financial, so that they face upfront charges when renting a car or booking a hotel room.
Since its establishment in 1982, no female teacher has worked at a primary school in the central province of Nghe An because the working conditions are very difficult. The dedication of male teachers saves the day, Minh uc reports.

The Tri Le 4 Primary School is an educational institution like no other in the country.

Thirty-five years since its establishment in the central province of Nghe An, it does not have single female teacher. To say that this is highly unusual, especially for a primary school in a rural area, would be an understatement.

But the reason is very simple. The conditions are too difficult for women to manage.

Located in Tri Le Commune, the school has 44 male teachers aged 24 to 60, who take turns teaching classes in six villages. The village schools, are located near the residential areas of locals, mainly members of Mong ethnic group.

From the communes centre to the schools, the teachers have to ride around 40km on motorbikes, of which just10km are paved. The rest of the way is a muddy path that comes very slippery on rainy days. They always go in group to help each other on the way.

On rainy days, they have to carry the bikes to overcome the slippery parts. It is normal that many slip and fall, despite being careful.

What is heartening and amazing is that despite the hardships, the teachers encourage each other and continue teaching to their beloved students.

The Huoi Moi 2 School in the hamlet of the same name has perhaps the worst conditions in Tri Le Commune. It has 60 students from the first to the fifth grade. Mong kids from 10 different mountain villages, some located 10km away wake up at 4am and traverse mountain paths and wade through streams to get to school.

The distance is not long, but it takes one to three hours to reach, depending on the weather, says Luong Ngoc Xuyen, a member of the Thai ethnic minority, who has taught at the school for four years.

Their size: Teachers of the Tri Le Primary School in Nghe An Provine give students slippers donated by some sponsors. VNS Photo Nguyen Hong Hiep

Due to the extremely difficult road conditions, only physically fit male teachers can work here, although some female teachers are keen on the job.

Xuyen says even male teachers find it difficult to travel by motorbike to this school. Our strength quickly fades. Sometimes I feel Im not strong enough to steer the motorbike.

My motorbike has to be repaired once or twice a month. Many parts quickly wear out. Every two months, I have to change the tires, rims have to be replaced constantly.

Actually, it has only been four years since the teachers are able to ride motorbikes to the Huoi Moi 2 School. Before, they had to trek on a narrow path.

Here, there are no roads, no electricity, no Internet, no clean water. To make a phone call, the teachers must walk 3km up a steep hill to catch the signal. When it rains all weekend, the young teachers must stay at school, taking turns picking vegetables, gathering bamboo shoots and forest banana stalks, and catching fish.

At night, they prepare for the next days lessons in the light of an oil lamp.

Lang Van Nhan, headmaster of the Tri Le 4 Primary School, says the teachers dont just suffer poor living conditions, they are also emotionally deprived a lot of the time. They live far away from home. Some of them have actually chosen to remain single.

The teachers can visit their families once or twice a month if the weather is fine, says Nhan. In the rainy season, the commune is isolated by floods and the road is totally unusable. Then they cant go home for several months.

Nguyen Hong Hiep, 36, has taught at the primary school for 15 years. He admits that there have been times he wanted to give up because he missed his family and two children.

Im a teacher but I cant teach my children any lessons. My wife and grandparents take care of them. Sometimes I feel sad and homesick.

However, the teachers also harbour love and compassion for the poor students in the remote area, and this is what helps them deal with all the obstacles. That, and their shared passion for teaching keeps them going.
Old charm: The new Vietnam House recalls the charm of the storied street corner, but introduces a new generation to Vietnamese food at its finest.  VNS photos Anh Duy

Viet Nam News Vietnamese-Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyens sublime interpretation of traditional Vietnamese cuisine is attracting diners back to Vietnam House restaurant, long revered for its elegant ambience. My Duyen reports. Ha Noi, Hue and Sai Gon all have varying versions of the countrys most well-known dish: pho (beef noodle soup). But its rare that you can sample one, two or all three at the same restaurant, and particularly at one that excels at fine dining, such as Vietnam House. Located at the storied corner of ong Khoi and Mac Thi Buoi Streets in the heart of HCM City, the restored colonial building housed the famed Cafe LImperial in the early 1900s and was a popular destination for the citys affluent. Though I had visited Vietnam House in the past for lunch with business partners, the newly renovated upscale space truly surprised me. Dining was at the highest level with world-class service delivering the best of Vietnamese gastronomy. Dressed in a modern style of the countrys traditional costume, waiters and waitresses served us in a setting vibrant with blues and greens complemented by wooden accents on walls and ceilings. Vietnamese-Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyens unique presentations of classic dishes from the north to south are based on his experience and knowledge travelling through Viet Nam. Nguyen and his culinary team scour local markets daily to ensure only the freshest fruits and vegetables are used for its curated menu of the countrys favourite dishes and signature flavours, elegantly prepared and presented in a modern style. Aside from executive set menus for lunch and dinner, the restaurant also has a special menu for vegetarians with prices starting from VN78,000. Inspired choices On the main menu, lobster spring rolls and soft-shell crab and green mango salad are two of the outstanding starters, while main dishes include charcoal-grilled honey-glazed whole pigeon; grilled lobster with black pepper sauce and sauteed green asparagus; XO garoupa fillet grilled in banana leaf; and pho or wagyu-beef noodle soup.

Fit for a king: Whole lobster char-grilled with Phu Quoc green pepper sauce and sauteed asparagus is a must-try.

Must try: Lobster netted spring rolls are a true delicacy at Vietnam House.

Signature: Char-grilled wagyu beef wrapped with betel leaf, served with angel-hair vermicelli and herbs is one of the signature recipes from chef Luke Nguyen.

Silken: Home-made soya bean curd, an authentic southern sweet that diners should not miss.

As a lover of wrap and roll items, I ordered salmon fresh spring rolls (VN168,000) and lobster netted spring rolls (VN258,000). What a difference from the traditional style: sesame-seed seared salmon rolls served with green mango dill and salmon caviar, as well a sauce made of peanut and soya bean paste.

While I preferred the salmon roll, my children thought the deep-fried lobster rolls were the best they had ever had.

When my family dines out, we rarely eat rice, but the restaurant offers a tamarind and pineapple fish rice soup done in a Mekong Delta style, seafood fried rice, green fried rice with chicken and wok-tossed Thien Ly flowers.

We chose bo nuong la lot (grilled wagyu beef wrapped with betel leaf VN 268,000), an authentic dish with angel-hair vermicelli and fresh herbs, with a special house-made sauce. Well marinated, the beef had a wonderful taste and aroma thanks to the tender and juicy meat imported from Australia.

We then treated ourselves with the must-try dish at Vietnam House, a southern speciality: lobster grilled with Phu Quoc green pepper sauce and sauteed green asparagus (VN 388,000/100 grams).

Though the sauce was a bit too salty for me, the fresh lobster was beautifully prepared and the sauteed asparagus helped balance the taste. Spicy, but so yummy, mum! was the verdict from my kids.

The dessert menu is somewhat limited, but the choices are some of the most popular in Vietnamese cuisine. I sampled au hu nuoc cot dua bot bang truyen thong (house-made soya bean curd served with warm ginger syrup and condensed sweet coconut milk with tapioca; VN98,000).

The pride of Vietnam Houses cooking team, the treat, was delicious and is one of the restaurants best sellers. The silken bean curd, served with coconut milk and warm syrup, was pleasantly fragrant and not as sweet as others I have tried.

The authentic southern sweet was my favourite snack when I was a child. Its a dish not to be missed.

To end their meal, my kids chose the excellent pandan creme brulee (VN 168,000), postponing other favourites like Vietnamese coffee flan and lemon meringue tart for our next visit. VNS

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Vietnam House Restaurant

Address: 93-97 ong Khoi Street, District 1

Phone: (028) 38 222226

Hours: 11am - 11pm last order

Comment: authentic Vietnamese cuisine with modern flair served in a spectacular setting, cosy ambience and refined hospitality
by Vu Thien Khai

My house stood at the entrance to Trai Hamlet, whereas Mr Haus dwelling was at the other end. The little community, with scores of thatched cottages in all, looked like an oasis in the middle of Phung Villages rice fields. Every year, in mid-August, when heavy rains poured down on dreary autumn days Hieu, Mr Haus son, and his younger sister Hanh and I, together with some other kids, had nothing to do but stay at home listening to an ear-splitting croaking of frogs near and far. At midnight, fish appeared in the flooded rice fields around our houses to lay their eggs. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, my father would put on a raincoat, grab a calabash-shaped bamboo basket and fishing-tackle, and wade into the submerged fields to catch fish until late morning. Those evenings we had a big plate of fish stewed with herb dumplings and a bowl of delicious fish soup for dinner.

Often when my mother left home with a basket full of fish to Xanh Market to sell, my father gave me a knowing wink. Go to the pond to take some fish I hid from your mother to Mr Haus family as a token of our friendly relationship, he told me.

Once when I was doing this, my mother had to return home for something and caught me.

Youre just like your crazy father! she reproached me midlly. I just smiled in response. Adults problems dont matter to me so long as I can have fun at Hanhs place, I thought to myself.

Her Dad was my fathers age, but shorter. As he was quite physically weak, he was on the co-operative tree-growing team with other old men.

Before 1945, Mr Hau was the head of Phung Village thanks to his wifes fathers high position in the pro-French regime, but my father told me he knew nothing about community affairs. During the nine year war to drive the French colonialists out of the country, our villagers led political double lives: pro-French in the day and revolutionaries at night. During the later land reforms, his family was classified as middle-class peasantry, thanks to his neutrality in the conflict.

* * *

In 1954, the district chief Cau wanted to take the whole family of Mr Hau, his son-in-law, to join the mass exodus to South Viet Nam, but Mrs Hau begged him to let her family stay behind to take care of her husbands affairs and to look after their ancestors graves. Out of pity for his daughter, Mr Cau gave her several taels of gold. When the land reforms reached full swing, reforming cadres took the gold.

Hieu was like his father because of their poor health. Contrary to both of them, Hanh, aged ten, and her mother were in good health. They had lily-white complexions, waist-length hair and were in good shape.

Coming from a needy family, Hanh had only a few pieces of black clothing made of coarse material that didnt fit her. I never saw her in a flowery blouse. Once, I found her mother staring at her daughter, blushing all over. Despite that, Hanhs eyes seemed never sad.

After the August Revolution, us four kids in our early teens in the whole hamlet Hieu, and his younger sister; Lac, son of the pig farmer and myself  started going to a village pre-school class. Another kid, Lung, remained a block-headed little git. In retrospect, I remembered that we often forced him, a cracked bowl in hand, to stand motionless inside a small circle drawn in chalk around his feet. We often forgot he was stood there until we finished playing our games. His father, thanks to his great strength and skill, could lasso a wild dog with just a wave of his arm.

* * *

His father-in-law Caus exodus to South Viet Nam gave Mr Hau a heavy cross to bear. He especially worried about how his children would get on at school, would they be bullied?

Your Mum has told me that youre falling in love with a girl of a notorious clan of this hamlet, arent you? my uncle asked me angrily once. Ive been so busy in the office that Ive taken little notice of you. Whats worse, your Dad is indifferent to politics. Too bad, too bad! he criticised me mercilessly.

Uncle, what have I done wrong? I asked him.

Next month, a special training course begins in the North. Ill register you, he told me.

Indeed, early the next month, he took me away in his car. Before leaving, I hurried towards Hanhs place to tell her that I would see her later at our familiar get-together. That night, we sat together among the bamboo beside Mr Haus pond, excitedly whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Wait for me, honey! After only years of studying Ill come back to you, I told her.

Im worried, my dear, she said to me.

Early the next morning, we left each other, eyes filled with tears. I remember that she was wearing a Hue-style purple blouse, made from one of her mothers old ones.

When my uncles car passed by her gate I saw her waiting for me. She looked forlorn on that fateful day.

Can you stop here just a few minutes? I asked the driver when we came near to her place.

Ignoring me, he sped down the deserted earth path, on which Hanh and I, hand in hand, had walked to school together, dreaming of a happy life together.

Unfortunately, I didnt know I wouldnt be able to come home for years. I didnt know that her big hug on that last night was the last one in her lifetime. In the end, we were nothing but two grains of sand in the turbulent storm of life.

After twelve years, three months and seven days, I came back to Trai Hamlet. By then our country had been reunified for many years. Sadly, Mr Haus pond was nowhere to be seen. In its stead was a wide concrete road going past the cultural house of the village and leading to the headquarters of the commune peoples committee.

In my old house, only my father with his white hair and bushy beard was left. My mother and several of Hanhs relatives, together with hundreds of Phung Village residents and their children had been killed by bombs from American planes along the banks of the ay River.

What about Hanh, dear Dad? I asked.

She died a terrible death. Her body was found hanged from a bent bamboo tree beside her pond, just like the son of the chief of Phung Village, he answered.

At once, I rushed towards her house and found Hieu in the centre of his courtyard. It seemed he had heard of my homecoming before. He had stood there, waiting for me.

Two years after you left, she died young, hanged on top of a bamboo tree beside our familys pond, where both of you usually sat at the waters edge, Hieu said to me. That late evening, in a purple silk blouse, she went away. Before leaving, she left this notebook for you, he added, handing it to me.

I read the entire booklet, page by page. It recorded what had happened to her from the morning she stood waiting for me by her gate staring at me for the last time.

That afternoon, Hieu and I went to her grave to pay homage to her. Both of us bowed down before her tombstone, eyes brimming with tears. I imagined that that evening, she had her Hue-styled purple blouse on, the colour of faithfulness, an image I kept in my memory throughout our prolonged separation.

Below are her diary pages

Date, month, year 196

Darling, this afternoon, you asked me to go to the cinema to watch a new film as usual. I waited and waited for you at the normal place in vain. After that I had to go to your house. Your dog wagged its tail to welcome me. Behind the door partly covered with a blind was a mantle lamp in the centre of the table that lit up the whole room. I saw your younger uncle sitting beside you and your father. Recognising your uncles voice echoing out loudly I stopped abruptly outside to eavesdrop.

He was began criticising you mercilessly. Next month, a special training course begins in the North. Ill register you, he told you.

I felt as if the ground under my feet was sinking. I was so dazed I couldnt even find my way home.

Date, month, year 196

I had such a high fever that I had to lie in bed for three days. Not until noon of the fourth day, did I rise.

Why do you look at me so strangely? asked my mother. Do you recognise me? Why do you look miserable? You still have us by your side: your parents and elder brother.

I grasped her icy hands. She hugged me tightly, crying.

The next morning, she told me about her puppy love as if she wanted to ease my tension.

I naively fell in love with a farmer who had been a young servant for my family since his childhood. Of course, it was against the wish of many members of my family. My father once roared, Ill have your hair shaved completely and let you drift out to sea on a bamboo raft.

Meanwhile, my elder uncle from Ha Noi warned me. If you decide to marry him, Ill let my men beat him black and blue before putting him in prison, he said.

My mother had died a long time before, so I could hardly find anybody to stand up for me. I once even thought of suicide. One night I tiptoed to our familys pond. When I put my feet in the icy water I seemed to hear your grandmothers voice, If you die young, you think that your mind would be at ease, but youre quite wrong. Your lover will be punished for his whole lifetime by your stubborn brother. After, I slowly retreated back home, and left the rope somewhere behind.

At this point my mother ended her depressing story.

That was why her eyes always looked so sad.

Date,month, year 196

On the morning when I watched your car shooting away at full speed, I knew I had lost you forever.

I remembered that the year before the local authorities had refused to provide a certificate for Miss Hue, the grown-up daughter of former canton chief Kieng, to marry a railway engineer working nearby as her family was ranked as the landlord class.

Obviously, their social classes were different! As for us, how could we have bridged such a wide gap between our two families? I asked myself.

When American planes attacked the North, most young people went to the frontlines. In Trai Hamlet, there were only two youths left: Lung and Lac. For some reason, they were both exempt from military service. While Lac became a deputy chief of the hamlets production team, Lung was still a wasteman. Whenever Lac saw me he would try and chat me up.

Shut up! I said to him. If you were the only man in the world, I still wouldnt marry you, I retorted.

Well, I guess that leaves you with Lung, he told me.

No problem! Hes much better than you.

Date, month, year 196

To my surprise, when I finished my field work, returning home I found my parents receiving Lungs mother and her younger sister-in-law with three high-quality packets of tea on the table. Both strangers stared at me for a short while before leaving.

They came to ask for Hanhs hand in marriage, didnt they? Mum asked Dad. He just kept silent.

Have you accepted their proposal? Mum asked again more loudly. Dad remained quiet.

Oh dear, kill both of us before you agree! she screamed.

In wartime, how can we find an honest young man? Dad replied a few seconds later. Moreover, with the promise of Lungs younger uncle to offer Hieu a place in college, how could I object? Anyway, I havent yet.

My mother moaned bitterly. Do you know that youre going to ruin our daughters life? she reprimanded him.

I agree, Dad and Mum! Youd better answer them as soon as possible, I blurted out with a broad smile.

Mums face went pale. She stared at me suspiciously.

After losing my sweetheart, my heart died of sorrow. It doesnt matter if it ceases beating again, I said to myself.

Date, month, year 196

After graduating from the village secondary school, my elder brother Hieu entered the provincial primary teachers training college thanks to his ability rather than due to any favours. A week after Hieu began his studies, Lung and my wedding took place. I came to his house as a reluctant bride. During our first night as a couple, we lay in opposite directions. We were separated from each other by a long pillow. My husband fell asleep before anything could be consummated. He did the same the following nights. Every night my nuptial bed was shared by two miserable humans: a forlorn wife and an impotent husband.

However, time and again, I dreamt of sitting near my familys pond, alone with you.

Date, month, year 196

I often dreamt of my mother in the middle of the rice fields. She just stared at me with her inquisitive eyes. Time and again, Lungs mother would check to see if I was pregnant by examining the white tulle cloths I hung behind the kitchen. Nothing special! she said in a despairing voice.

Days later, I discovered that the door latch of my room was no longer in its former place. One night my door was ajar and I heard several light footsteps. It was Lungs mother with an electric torch in hand. At the sight of the pillow lying between us, she dropped it onto the floor.

Date, month, year 196

One afternoon, I returned to my own parents place rather late. On my way home, after finishing the field work I walked past your gate, I heard a loud call echoing behind my back. It was your father. Hanh, get in, please. Id like to talk to you for a few minutes, he told me.

We sat on the bamboo plank near the foot of a longan tree. After a short silence, he began his story. Your father was taken in by the dog-meat butchers brother. I was told that the guy is merely a seal-keeper with no power to ratify any CVs, said your father. Hieus admittance into school was normal. So, there were no problems relating to the discrimination about your familys social class. Your miserable living conditions make my heart hurt greatly. I also pity my sons unlucky destiny.

It doesnt matter much to me now, kind-hearted old man, I said. I burst out crying. I took pity on him, on my mother and on myself.

Date, month, year 196

I married you to my son not for you to play tricks on me, warned my mother-in-law one morning.

Mother, what have I done wrong? I asked.

We need you to give birth to a baby boy, thats all, she retorted bluntly.

A few minutes later, she calmed down: My dear daughter-in-law, take pity on us by offering us a son. I beg you, she said.

So far, its my family that has been cheated by yours, I replied.

Date, month, year 196

After many hot arguments between me and her, I was suspicious of her. The dog-meat butcher also stared at me treacherously. Whats more, Lung stayed at his uncles house for many nights.

I decided to hide a knife under my pillow before going to bed. I also wrapped myself with a mat. Unexpectedly, one night when I had just fallen asleep I found my parents-in-law rushing in and tying me tightly with a strong rope. They attacked me brutally.

If you give birth to one baby boy for us to maintain our ancestry, well set you free, she told me. Without waiting for my reply, she stripped me naked and spread my legs wide for her husband to violate me.

Date, month, year 196

The next day, I made up my mind not to tell my parents about the rape. The die is cast! If they knew what happened, they would do nothing, but die of shame, I said to myself.

Returning to my home, I tried to forget what happened. All I could do then was put this diary in Hieus desk, as my last act in life. I did not dare to say farewell to my parents either, because I was afraid that I would cry in front of them. I brought with me my Hue-styled purple blouse previously concealed in my mothers bedroom. Gone were the sweet memories for my mother and the pure heart set aside for you in this piece of clothing! I would put it on this night before going away to the eternal life of my dreams beside you.

At midnight I will go to our pond, look for the rope previously left forgotten somewhere by my mother. I will tie it tightly round my hands. The moment I slowly release my tied hands will be my choice. I will fly towards you now, even if youre thousands of miles away.

My lover, from tonight on I will never be afraid of anything!

Translated by Van Minh
DES MOINES (AP)  Once the nations leading oats producer, Iowa growers now struggle to find markets for the crop.

Thats the dilemma Earl Canfield of Dunkerton faced three years ago: He had about 3,000 bushels of oats, but no place to sell them profitably.

Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, the worlds largest cereal production plant, does not take in oats from Iowa growers.

And most Iowa livestock operations dont include oats in the feed supply of their cattle, pigs and chickens.

With no place else to go, Canfield and his family started a business selling small batches of oats, along with their corn and soybeans, to families feeding horses, goats, cattle, pigs and chickens.

Theres a constant perception that we cant grow good oats in Iowa, because were in the Corn Belt, said Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowas Midwest cover crop expert. But weve proven that we can.

Iowa has led the nation in corn production for 23 straight years, and about 80 percent of the states 30 million crop acres are covered with either corn or soybeans.

Despite that dominance, developing markets for alfalfa, oats and other small grains could help Iowa farmers address some significant environmental problems, including degraded soil and water quality and increased weed resistance to herbicides, experts say.

Canfield said more farmers might be willing to break the steady corn-and-soybean cycle if markets for alternative crops were available.

Weve had to work hard to get around the lack of markets, the Dunkerton farmer said. Its been a leap of faith.

Canada connection

Quaker Oats buys its oats from Canada, where it can find the quantity and quality the company needs, experts say.

But some other companies could be considering a shift.

Some large multinational businesses  grain, beef, pork and dairy processors  are exploring adding oats to the supply chain, driven by the efforts of large retailers like Wal-Mart to become more sustainable.

For example, the companies want to prove to customers that their products are grown using fewer fertilizers and chemicals that can contribute to air and water pollution.

Theres interest, said Matthew Liebman, an Iowa State University agronomy professor who declined to name the companies. I wont say theres commitment. But theres interest.

Iowa last led the nation in oats production in 1989, but by last year had slid to fifth place.

In 1950, Iowa farmers planted oats on about 6.6 million acres, a number that shriveled to 120,000 acres last year, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. Production fell from about 271 million bushels 67 years ago to about 3.3 million bushels in 2016.

The reasons are numerous: Farmers replaced oat-eating horses with tractors to plow fields following World War II, Liebman said. And the nation turned former ammunition plants into ammonia fertilizer plants, alleviating a lot of demand for manure once supplied by the pigs, cattle and dairy cows that many families raised.

Red clover and alfalfa, often grown alongside oats, are legumes that pull nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil, helping fertilize crops that follow them.

The widespread availability of nitrogen fertilizer in the 1950s, and the increased mechanization of crop production, meant that oats for feed and legumes for fixing nitrogen ... went away, Liebman said.

At the same time, more research was poured into soybeans, another legume that adds nitrogen to the soil, and more industrial uses for soy protein and soy oil were developed, Liebman said.

Soybeans have largely replaced forages like oats, alfalfa and other crops, he said. Soybean acres really came up. Corn acres havent changed that much.

King corn

Iowa farmers planted corn this year on about 13.1 million acres, and soybeans on nearly 9.6 million acres.

Low corn and soybean prices have sparked farmer interest in growing oats, alfalfa and other crops, said Carlson, the Practical Farmers of Iowa cover crop expert.

Its easier to talk about adding small grains to a corn-and-soybean rotation now than when we had $8 corn, she said.

Corn prices have tumbled nearly 60 percent since the 2012 high, trading around $3.50 a bushel nationally, while production costs have been slow to follow.

U.S. and Iowa farmers face a fourth year of possible losses, although USDA predicts farmers could eke out a 3.1 percent profit, largely due to livestock revenue.

Oats benefits

ISU studies show oats typically generate less profit than corn and soybeans, but they also reduce the need for expensive fertilizers and herbicides for corn and soybean crops that follow them, putting a little more money overall  $14 an acre  in farmers pockets after the full rotation.

Farmers can cut fertilizer costs 80 to 90 percent, said Liebman, who helped lead the long-term Iowa State research.

Adding to the benefits: Oats grown with red clover reduce soil erosion and improve soil health, establishing land that better holds water  potentially reducing flooding  and retains nitrogen and phosphorus, which can otherwise degrade water quality.

Providing full field cover, oats and red clover or alfalfa also can reduce pressure from weeds, some of which have become resistant to glyphosate and other popular herbicides.

And growers can see an increase in yields for corn and soybeans, which experience less disease. Soybeans, for example, get a 10 percent to 17 percent bump, the research shows.

Carlson said farmers can get better prices for oats when they sell them to other growers as cover crops  or to horse enthusiasts and small cattle producers as feed.

Even breaking even financially, compared to corn or soybeans, its a net gain socially, she said. Youve protected your soil asset, cleaned up water and provided habitat for wildlife.

A Union of Concerned Scientists study shows up to 40 percent of Iowas farmland could shift to growing oats and alfalfa without disrupting markets: Neither significantly raising corn and soybean prices  nor driving down the value of alfalfa, oats and other small grains.

But Iowa farmers would need better markets for that level of adoption, Carlson and Liebman said.

Farmers need to be assured they could get good market prices and not have to haul the crop vast distances, Liebman said. That market pull is essential.

St. Ansgar mill

Grain Millers, a Minneapolis company with a large mill in St. Ansgar, buys oats  along with wheat, barley, rye and other grains  that go into cereal, granola bars, cookies and other products.

It wants more oats from Iowa and southern Minnesota growers, said Jessie VanderPoel, who buys grain for the company.

Grain Millers recently added more storage so it could expand its local purchases, she said.

We mill many more oats than we can buy in Iowa or the U.S., VanderPoel said. Most of our oats come out of Canada. ... And thats the same for any milling company.

Iowa farmers, unused to raising oats, are beginning to grow the crop with the required test weights  an indication of quality  that companies like Grain Millers and others want, Carlson and VanderPoel said.

We buy some of our best oats out of Iowa year after year. It just takes a little education, VanderPoel said, adding that the company works closely with farmers interested in growing good milling oats.

Many Iowa farmers have never grown oats, Carlson said.

Our grandpas knew how to grow them, but younger farmers might have to relearn some stuff, she said.

But Im not talking about growing mangoes, she said. Its something we have a history with. We havent lost all our knowledge.

And geographically, Iowa farmers have advantages, potentially supplying several mills in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

We feel its something that could help farmers environmentally and economically, VanderPoel said.

The Union of Concerned Scientists agrees.

It says a more diverse crop rotation could save cities and states nationwide $157 billion annually through environmental and health gains that include spending less money to clean nutrients from drinking water.

The need for feed

Iowa producers raise tens of millions of pigs, laying hens, turkeys and cattle each year.

But oats arent a large part of the feed they eat, Carlson said.

Over time, they have been replaced with soy protein and distiller-dried grains  a byproduct from ethanol production  that get mixed with corn.

Re-establishing oats as a common part of livestock feed is important to build Iowas small-grains market, Carlson said.

Heres why: Farmers who fail to raise food-grade oats need a feed market that can use their crop.

Carlson said Tyson, Smithfield and other big meat processors that call the shots on feed for Iowa livestock could make a dramatic shift in what farmers grow with even small changes.

Companies can make that decision ... and change things overnight, she said.

In 2014, Canfield said he and his wife, Jane, began talking about ways to add diversity to their crops. We wanted to look more long-term  beyond immediate profits and gains, to farm more sustainably, he said.

Canfield, 48, said hes had to learn how to farm again, relying on fewer fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

We want confidence that what were doing on the farm helps people  for our own health and those who are consuming what were making on our farms, Canfield said.

With the introduction of oats, Canfield shifted to corn and soybeans that are not genetically modified, something that now appeals to his clients.

In Canfields shop, he, Jane and their 18-year-old son Matthew move oats, corn and roasted soybeans through grain mills, then onto a large mixer, along with organic vitamins and supplements, before finally pouring the feed into 50-pound bags.

Making the effort

Not all farmers are willing to invest the time needed to market products directly to consumers, Carlson said.

Jane Canfield said her husband has spent many hours talking with customers and groups about their fledgling business. And car trips take twice as long, because Canfield stops at each convenience store along the way to leave business cards and fliers on community boards, she said.

Its paying off, said Canfield, with business doubling and tripling.

In addition to selling feed, the family sells alfalfa and oat straw for bedding and mulch.

Ive gone to being a price-setter instead of a price-taker, Canfield said.

He hopes to add cattle, pigs and other animals, selling meat directly to customers and eventually using all the grain he grows to feed livestock directly or through his customers.

Adding diversity to his crops and farm operation is the best way to provide an opportunity  and income  for his four children if they decide to join the business.

Were doing it for them  trying to be better stewards of the land, he said.
Grout schedules special events

WATERLOO  The Grout Museum District, 503 South St., will host Museum Madness activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum and the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium

Nov. 13 marks the 75th anniversary of the loss of the USS Juneau, and with it, the five Sullivan brothers. At the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Remembering the Sullivans will commemorate the lives of George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert.At the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium during Museum Madness: Marvelous Minerals, people can learn about the unique and interesting properties of rocks and minerals. Admission to the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum is $10 for adults, $5 for veterans and children 4-13, children 3 and younger and museum members are free. For more information, call 234-6357 or go to www.gmdistrict.org.

Church to host

soup, salad meal

NEW HAMPTON  The First United Methodist Church of New Hampton will hold a soup and salad supper on Thursday in the Family Life Center.Serving will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $9 in advance or $9.50 at the door; advance tickets can be purchased from any FUMC family or at the church office during office hours. There will be a silent auction during the supper.
Guild will host

open house, sale

WATERLOO  The Northeast Iowa Weavers & Spinners Guild will host the fall open house and sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 and noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 29.

Hand-crafted items such as woven rugs, scarves, table runners, bags and purses will be available. In addition, locally produced yarn and fiber will be for sale.

Artisans will demonstrate both weaving and spinning, and class opportunities will be offered.

The guild is at 3257 W. Fourth St., by the Ansborough Hy-Vee.

For more information, call 234-1129 or go to www.neiwsgild.wordpress.com.

Tama-Toledo blood

drive set

TAMA  There will be a Tama and Toledo communities blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Tama Civic Center, 305 Siegel.

For an appointment, go to lifeservebloodcenter.org or call (800) 287-4903.

Trunk n Treat

event planned

HOLLAND  Trunk n Treat is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Colfax Center Church, 18935 K Ave.

At 6 p.m. a light meal will be served, followed by the video Where Is God When I Am Scared? and then Trunk n Treat time. Activities should finish about 7:30 p.m..

Area children are welcome to come in costume and bring a friend. Parents also are welcome to join in the meal and activities.

For more information, call Kristie Salo at 640-0141.

UNI theater

production set

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowas Interpreters Theatre will present In Real Life at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 to 28 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Interpreters Theatre, 040 Lang Hall.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. This production contains mature language and situations. Reserve tickets through Eventbrite. Tickets are first come, first serve beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the doors open at 7 p.m.
CEDAR FALLS  A public meeting updating the construction schedule for improvements to the downtown Cedar Falls flood control levee will be 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cedar Falls Community Center, 528 Main St.

Residents are invited to hear a presentation on plans and ask questions about the staging of construction, said Community Development Director Stephanie Houk Sheetz and new City Engineer John Resler.

The purpose of this meeting is now that we have a contractor on board, where does the contractor want to start work? Sheetz said. Many businesses are saying, What is it going to look like? What roads are they going to be using? What are they going to work on first? And well spend more time talking about what we know for the fall/winter.

Another meeting will be held next spring to review progress and what will happen next summer.

It appears construction will begin between the First Street/Highway 57 bridge and Cedar Falls Utilities, including the area around the citys wastewater treatment plant, Resler said.

Iowa Bridge and Culvert of Washington bid just under $3.6 million for the project and is general contractor. Snyder and Associates of Ankeny will help with administration of the project. Snyder will make a presentation on the project at Tuesdays meeting and take questions.

Construction schedules have yet to be firmed up. The project is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2018. City officials hope to coordinate the work with any private development in the area. Resler also noted the construction includes contingency plans in the event of a flood while construction is in progress.

I think its fair to say theres going to be a lot of construction happening downtown into next year, Sheetz said, as evidenced by developer Mark Kittrells ongoing River Place development along State Street.

Council members in August approved plans to raise the downtown levee 2 to 3 feet. The project was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in June after a lengthy review.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man faces multiple felony charges after an assault involving a gun at a bar.

Rasim Husidic, 39, of 1417 Hawthorne Ave., was arrested after witnesses told police his gun misfired when he attempted to shoot someone.

Police were called to Fusion Bar, 1915 Bourland Ave., shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday and found a victim bleeding from the head.

Witness in a criminal complaint said Husidic had approached the victim in the bar with a gun and pulled the trigger, but it misfired. He then pistol-whipped the victim.

Husidic fled but was later arrested at a home on Grant Avenue on charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent, willful bodily injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Further information was not immediately available.
Economic indicators suggest that Chinas recent GDP growth and financial improvements will be sustained in the coming years. [Xinhua]

Many international organizations recently raised their forecast of China's economic growth. The World Bank, for example, increased their forecasts for 2017 and 2018 from 6.5 percent and 6.3 percent to 6.7 percent and 6.4 percent; the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) raised the two figures to 6.8 and 6.6 percent; and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised them to 6.8 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively.

The adjustments made by these international organizations show their confidence in China's economic future. In the first half of this year, China's economy grew at a high speed of 6.9 percent. Many institutions estimate that this rate will be retained in the third quarter, and maintained or surpassed for the year overall. State media have projected that Chinas economy will gain even stronger momentum after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Chinas economic growth is on solid footing. As a mixed market economy, Chinas economy is dominated by state-owned enterprises. At the end of 2016, the total assets of enterprises administered by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) reached 144.1 trillion yuan, rising 101.8 percent as compared with 2012. The taxes and fees they paid accounted for approximately one-third of the nation's total tax revenue. Their added value accounted for about one-seventh of the national GDP. In 2016, 83 state-owned enterprises appeared in the Fortune Global 500 list.

Enterprises are speeding up reform, and new driving forces for growth are emerging. Remarkable advances have been achieved in cutting costs. In August, the cost and expense on every 100-yuan main business of industrial enterprises with annual revenue from their main business operations of 20 million yuan was 92.74 yuan, down by 0.66 yuan year-on-year. Their leverage rate also saw a sharp decline. At the end of August, the debt-to-asset ratio of these enterprises was 55.7 percent, down by 0.7 percentage points yearly. In reducing overcapacity, SOEs directly administered by the central government, or central SOEs, met and surpassed their goal ahead of schedule in 2016 and in the first eight months this year.

SOEs have made significant headway in establishing a modern enterprise system. Presently, restructuring is underway in more than 92 percent of the subsidiaries of central SOEs and in more than 90 percent of enterprises administered by provincial SASAC. The organization of the board of directors has been standardized in most central SOEs. Pilot reforms have also been launched in selected SOEs to establish mixed ownership, which greatly enhanced the markets role in allocating resources.

Innovation has provided enterprises with growing power. Large investments have been earmarked in research and development. Over the past five years, central SOEs invested 1.7 trillion yuan, or one-fourth of the national total, in sci-tech development, and won 424 national awards, accounting for one third of the national total.

The competitiveness of China's economy has been strengthened. Multiple scientific and technological breakthroughs were made at the most advanced levels. China has developed world-class technologies in areas such as manned spaceflight, submersible deep-sea exploration, high-speed railways, ultra-high-voltage (UHV) electricity transmission, mobile communication, and domestically manufactured aircraft carriers and large passenger aircraft. SOEs have also achieved positive results when fulfilling their social responsibilities. They have played an active part in China's poverty eradication campaign and provided aid to 246 poor counties, helping even more people benefit from China's reform and opening up.

These facts indicate that Chinas economic growth is on solid ground, and give the nation reason to believe that the future will be even brighter.

The writer is a research fellow at the National Academy of Economic Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
CEDAR FALLS  An 18-month nursing contract with Covenant Medical Center will be considered Monday by the Board of Education.

The board meets at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers of Cedar Falls City Hall, 220 Clay St.

The $584,029 contract includes a quarter-time administrative position, 3.05 full-time equivalent nurses and 4.76 health assistants.

Cedar Falls School Board signs nursing contract CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Falls Community Schools is looking for a new supplier of nurses even as 

It would take effect Jan. 1 and replace the agreement Cedar Falls Community Schools signed in August with the Black Hawk County Health Department. That $180,303 contract was only intended to continue through the end of the calendar year as the district sought a new nursing provider. The health department has provided the service to the district in past years.

In other business, the board will:

Hear a presentation on proposed boundary line changes by RSP & Associates of Kansas City, Kan., to account for the upcoming addition of a new elementary school. With the exception of keeping a portion of College Square Mall Apartments at Orchard Hill Elementary School instead of moving it to Southdale Elementary School, the consulting firm is proposing to follow recommendations from 2015. Officials were anticipating construction of the school at that time, but the bond issue funding it wasnt approved by voters until last year.

Consider submitting an application for modified allowable growth to the states School Budget Review Committee. The application seeks additional budget authority for students open enrolling out of the district this fall who werent part of the 2016 certified enrollment and for students receiving English language learner services beyond the five years increased state funding is provided. The request for open enrollment out totals $125,229 in modified allowable growth and the request for English language learners totals $11,741.

Hear reports on the Iowa Assessments and adequate yearly progress plus the 10-year plan for the physical plant and equipment levy.
CEDAR FALLS  City officials are preparing to begin the third and final phase of the University Avenue project in 2018, which includes a double roundabout at the on- and off-ramps at Iowa Highway 58s interchange.

City staff hope to present project plans to the City Council next month and seek construction bids by the end of November.

That phase would get underway while work continues on the second half of the projects second phase between Veralta Drive and Waterloo Road.

A public hearing on plans is planned for the Nov. 20 council meeting and council approval of a construction contract is expected Dec. 18.

That sets it up for spring construction, said Cedar Falls Community Development Director Stephanie Houk Sheetz.

Work on the Viking Road-Iowa Highway 58 interchange would come on the heels of the University Avenue project. A state bid letting for 58/Viking is anticipated for February, with some work beginning in 2018.

This (third) phase is important to the overall traffic operations of University Avenue, Sheetz said.

The road is being narrowed from six lanes to four through Cedar Falls and six of its eight previously signalized intersections are being replaced with roundabouts.

The roundabouts remain a subject of controversy during the public forum portion of City Council meetings. Individuals such as mayoral candidate Jim Skaine and frequent council speaker and Larry Wyckoff continue to criticize the project. If the third phase is not completed as planned, officials say, significant and more expensive widening of the road would be required.

The third phase of University reconstruction is the shortest stretch in terms of road miles, officials said. It would be constructed in two phases, the north half first. University will remain open with one lane of travel in each direction throughout construction.

Some work would be required on the Highway 58 on- and off-ramps to accommodate the double roundabout, staff said. The northbound exit ramp from Highway 58 would remain open throughout construction. It is hoped that will accommodate businesses in the area and provide motorists an alternative to detouring onto Greenhill Road and South Main Street to get to College Square mall.

The Highway 58 on-and off-ramps on the north side of University would be closed during the first part of construction, though the highway will remain open to through traffic. To access University Avenue from southbound 58, traffic coming from the northern part of Cedar Falls would be detoured off 58 to Waterloo Road, which could take drivers to the College Square area.

When construction shifts to the southern portion of the road, the 58 on- and off-ramps on the north side of University would be open but the southbound on-ramp from University onto 58 would close.

The third phase of University would be coordinated with the second phase of the ongoing Dry Run Creek sanitary sewer project, building a new, larger sewer serving most of the southern part of the city. The third phase is anticipated to cost about $4.3 million with the overall total project cost remaining at $38.9 million from the most recent previous projections. The city incurred some $6 million in added costs last year from work in adjacent commercial access roads and other work.

City Council member Susan deBuhr, who has consistently voted against the design of University Avenue as proposed, has asked city staff to discuss with Iowa Department of Transportation officials the possibility of additional state funding for deferred maintenance work on the Highway 58 ramps associated with the construction. The state provided approved about $20 million in funding for the overall project more than two years ago.

Some council members also indicated they wanted to discuss what features should be included in the proposed double roundabout under Highway 58, as it could be an attractive entrance to the city off the highway.
CEDAR FALLS  Bob Seymour was hired to do a job he never applied for 28 years ago  and Cedar Falls is all the better for it.

The city has seen burgeoning growth in its industrial parks and throughout the city. And hes been the citys go-to guy for a huge part of that.

Its impossible to imagine the growth that has occurred in Cedar Falls happening without Bob Seymour, said Mark Kittrell, developer of the River Place residential-commercial project downtown. As an economic developer for over 25 years, he has been a tireless evangelist, a deal maker and sometimes even a counselor  but always with a good-natured smile and the best interest of the community in mind.

Seymour is leaving as the citys planning and community services division manager Nov. 3 to take a position with Community Bank & Trust, working with many of the same businesses he did at City Hall.

It was a family decision, he said, one which will reduce night meetings and other burdens.

It was family  specifically his wife, Joannathat got him into the city job in the first place.

I always tell the story I had no idea where Cedar Falls was. Couldnt point it on a map, said Seymour, a native of Racine, Wis. I was living down in southern Georgia with my wife at the time. She wanted to get back the Midwest, and so did I. She sent out my resume.

He received a call from Jim Krieg, then director of developmental services for the city of Cedar Falls and now general manager of Cedar Falls Utilities.

I came up here in late January and interviewed with Jim on a Friday and Saturday, he said. I got back down to Georgia and had an offer from Jim. He stared a few weeks later. And 28 years later, here I am.

Dave Wilson, executive vice president of Lockard Cos., said, I have so many great memories of working with Bob on various projects such as the Target Distribution Center, the redevelopment of Black Hawk Village Shopping Center with the new Kohls store at the time, Pinnacle Prairies master plan, Kwik Star on (Highway) 58, and many, many more.

Bob always tried to think outside of the box to create new ideas and ways to attract new businesses, Wilson added. He also was a great first impression to the city when we took clients to the city for the first time. ... His institutional knowledge at the city will be greatly missed as he has been intimately involved in literally every new project in the city of Cedar Falls.

Seymour said an achievement of which he is most proud is helping with many others to bring the Target Distribution Center here, constructed in 2001-03, followed by a grocery warehouse expansion in 2007-09. He notes Cedar Falls is one of the few communities which has both of those facilities as well as a retail store.

Target is now Cedar Falls largest private employer with more than 900 employees according to 2016 data from the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber.

And Im looking forward to be able to do the same thing at Community Bank & Trust, Seymour added. Its private sector, but doing the same thing, which is intriguing and exciting. Their philosophy of building relationships is dead-on with what Ive been preaching ever since Ive been with the city.

The Seymours have three children. Madeleine, 24, graduated from University of Iowa and is a project manager at Mudd Advertising; Walter, 21, is a junior at Iowa State University majoring in software engineering, and Annie, 16, is a junior at Waterloo Columbus High School.

Bob will be greatly missed. There is no way to quantify what he was able to accomplish with his time at Cedar Falls, developer Brent Dahlstrom said. He knows what it takes to make a great deal happen and much of the growth in Cedar Falls can be attributed to him.
TRAER  Stick with the usual gas company or switch to local control?

Thats the question before voters in Traer on the Nov. 7 ballot, and one both Alliant Energy and Traer Municipal Utilities are working to educate residents on in the next couple of weeks.

At stake is the towns natural gas infrastructure, maintenance and supply, which has the potential to affect everything from gas rates to reliability.

Both Alliant and TMU officials have been working to educate voters on why they feel theyre the best choice. Citizens for Traers Future, a committee that includes employees of TMU but isnt strictly affiliated with the utility, held a public town hall Oct. 4. Alliant held one Thursday.

TMU has been trying to gain control of the natural gas infrastructure since 2007, when the first referendum passed to allow TMU to begin the condemnation process, said Pat Stief, general manager of TMU.

But residents became concerned about rate hikes in their electric utility bill, and ultimately voted to sign a 20-year franchise agreement with Alliant in 2009. After that, the matter became tied up in the court system until late last year when both sides dropped cases against each other.

With the rates on the electric side stabilized  and dropping, thanks to an investment in a wind turbine  TMU now is putting natural gas municipalization back up for a vote.

We think we can do a better job of responding to service calls. We are located here locally, and weve got crews already established to respond to local emergencies, Stief said.

He said he couldnt guarantee lower rates than Alliant, but I am very confident that we can match or beat Alliants rates, he said.

Alliant officials disputed the rate question.

Right now, our rates are significantly lower than most municipal gas utilities, said Scott Drzycimski, director of customer, community and economic development with Alliant.

He said, in 2015, 23 of 52 municipal utilities in Iowa had a negative operating income, and 15 of those 23 are currently charging more for gas than Alliant.

The reason Alliant can make money in Traer is the economies of scale that we have, he said, noting Alliant employees cover multiple communities.

A yes vote wouldnt automatically put control of the natural gas system into TMUs hands. Instead, it would begin negotiations on a fair price Alliant wants for its system, and one TMU is comfortable paying, before beginning what might be a months-long legal condemnation process.

If the amount of money we have to spend to obtain the system exceeds the level where we cant operate efficiently, effectively and safely, we just wont do it, Stief said. He noted if TMU decides that, the utility would be required to pay Alliants court costs.

Drzycimski said Traer has never had a major outage in its natural gas system, and Alliants employees each have 8,000 hours of training.

Stief noted major outages of an underground gas system are rare anyway, and TMU workers will have the same training.

We will send our people down to receive the same training the Alliant people receive. Its established federally, so regardless of where you work its all the same, Stief said.

In the event of an emergency outage, Stief said, TMU can take advantage of the Iowa Municipal Utility mutual aid program to bring as many people to town as needed.

We could have 25 to 30 people in town in a matter of half a day, he said.

Drzycimski said he feels confident voters will consider Alliants safety record, cost and reliability when voting.

I dont think right now it feels like much of an uphill battle, but this is something we take very seriously because we believe we should be able to continue to serve the people of Traer, he said.

Stief argued TMU is more accountable to its citizens and would invest profits right back into Traer.

Those people (on the TMU board) live in town, we go to church here, we shop in the same grocery stores, he said. They are residents of the community, and the community is what they have in mind.
WATERLOO  The Grout Museum District will host Strolling with the Spirits from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Cemetery.

Meet at the Grout Museum 15 minutes prior to show time and ride a bus, provided by EPI, to Calvary Cemetery and spend the evening strolling down the paths of the Cedar Valleys past, as actors bring residents back to life through live historical interpretation.

People should wear comfortable attire, dress for the weather, and if coming to the 7 p.m. tour, bring a flashlight. The presentation will take place rain or shine. Each program will last about 90 minutes, which includes transportation to and from the Grout Museum of History & Science.

This years cast of characters includes the Sullivan brothers and family, George Beck, Martin Blim and Dr. John E. OKeefe.

Registration is required for Strolling with the Spirits. Admission price for members is $8 and $10 for non-members. To sign up, call www.gmdistrict.org/calendar.
Cook-off canceled;

chili feed still on

CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls Historical Society & Cedar Falls Womans Club Five-Alarm Chili Cook-off has been canceled.

Instead, the Cedar Falls Womans Club will host its annual chili feed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Cedar Falls Womans Club, 304 Clay St.

Cost will be $10, and includes chili, muffin and dessert. Beverages will be available for purchase at the event.

All proceeds will benefit the Cedar Falls Womans Club and their historic House of Friendship.

Joint camp set

Monday at Sartori

CEDAR FALLS  Covenant Clinic Orthopedic Surgery will host its monthly Total Joint Replacement Camp at 6 p.m. Monday in the West Dining Room at Sartori Memorial Hospital.

The program includes a brief presentation from joint replacement experts who work in areas including nursing, discharge planning, and therapy.

The seminar is free and patients can call 272-7200 for more information.

Noon Kiwanis Club

will meet Tuesday

WATERLOO -- - The Waterloo Noon Kiwanis Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the Waterloo Elks Lodge.

This weeks program has Linda Zara, board member for Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley, on volunteerism.

Guests are always welcome to visit the club meetings. Call President Julie Versluis, at 233-1900 ext 2016 for more information.

CF doctor returns

from hurricane aid

CEDAR FALLS  A physician from Cedar Falls, Sharon Duclos, has returned home after assisting the federal medical response to Hurricane Maria as part of the National Disaster Medical System.

Duclos serves as a member of an NDMS Disaster Medical Assistance Team.

As of Thursday, NDMS personnel along with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers have provided care to more than 8,500 people affected by the storm.

Cartoonist speaks

at UNI Thursday

CEDAR FALLS -- The Meryl Norton Hearst Lecture Series at the University of Northern Iowa, hosted by the department of communication studies, will feature graphic illustrator and cartoonist Jen Wang, at 4 p.m. Thursday in Lang Halls Interpreters Theatre.

UNI students will perform Wangs illustrated graphic novel In Real Life at 7:30 p.m. and Wang will give a talk-back afterwards, with a reception to follow.

Wang is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Los Angeles. Her works have appeared in the Adventure Time comics and LA Magazine.

All presentations and performances are free and open to the public.

Heating assistance

applications sought

DES MOINES MidAmerican Energy Company will accept applications now for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for the elderly and disabled.

All other qualified individuals can begin applying Nov. 1.

LIHEAP is a federally funded energy assistance program designed to help low-income families who are having trouble paying their heating bills. Last year, approximately 36,000 households in Iowa received benefits from LIHEAP. The average payment was $440 per household.

LIHEAP funds are received in the form of a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Community action agencies in Iowa review applications and administer the funds.

LIHEAP application forms are available at any community action agency. For more information, go to https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/liheap.

No classes Monday

in Waterloo Schools

WATERLOO -- No classes will be held Monday in Waterloo Community Schools due to district-wide teacher quality professional development.

County Democrats

to hold steak fry

WATERLOO -- Black Hawk County Democrats will hold a fundraiser Thursday.

The steak fry will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the UAW Hall, 2615 Washington St., in Waterloo.

The keynote speaker will be Iowa House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown. Local Democratic candidates will also attend.

Tickets are $25. People can email Jerry Hageman at slinky1.jh@gmail.com to RSVP. Reservations are requested by Monday.
In 2014, Cedar Falls City Council took a visionary step to modernize public safety services. In the old way, police and fire each operated silos with their own bureaucracy and manpower. Under a public safety model, police and fire services are operationally aligned in tactical response, leadership, strategic planning and fiscal management. We are incorporating cross-training, technology and strategy to improve our capabilities better than ever before. The public safety officer is the centerpiece of the program, academy-trained and certified in both police and fire response. Cedar Falls is young in its journey, but public safety services are already measurably better and costing less.

The visionary public safety reorganization was met with resistance. In 2014, the Cedar Falls Firefighters Association cast a public no-confidence vote citing fire staffing levels and claims of public risk, among other things. It would appear the unions main aim is defend the status quo  to divide police and fire departments, add career firefighters, maintain an insular firehouse culture and ignore the realities of new technology and manpower models. Their way adds head count, would raise property taxes and creates no appreciable value to the taxpayer. Despite the claims, Cedar Falls continues to maintain one of the best fire prevention and response programs in the state and nation evidenced by our Class 3 ISO rating, an unbiased measure of community fire risk. The ISO rating is based on fire prevention and suppression programs, fire response capabilities and water infrastructure.

The PSO is the hero in the public safety model. Response times are reduced, numbers of qualified firefighters on the scene are increased, technologies and tactics are improved and the total cost of service is minimized. PSOs are prepared to fight a fire or to arrest a criminal. They are on call, nearby and prepared. Highlights of Cedar Falls most trained, versatile and efficient responders:

PSOs combine skills of police and fire for effective incident response.

PSO ranks will soon grow to 21 officers (a 77 percent increase over current career firefighter levels) capable of responding to any incident.

Each PSO eliminates 16 hours of non-value-added shift time (rest and ready time) per career firefighter.

PSOs are reducing incident response time by 1-3 minutes.

PSOs (more firefighters on the street) are critical to maintain our Class 3 ISO rating, currently in the top 1 percent of Iowa.

PSOs (more police on the street) are critical to maintain our crime rate, currently 39 percent lower than the national average.

In 2016, the firefighters union rescinded its no-confidence vote. Unfortunately, it appeared more political than practical. They continue to wage an anti-public safety campaign based on fear and sentimentality. The union condemns city leaders, staff and cooperating public safety personnel in letters, articles and social media posts. The union calls its director and chiefs liars and makes misleading, unfounded and inaccurate accusations about incident response. They intimidate trained public safety officers from being part of fire operations. This needs to stop.

In most cities, the bureaucratic and cultural resistance to this change would be too great. But Cedar Falls is made of leaders and believers. Public Safety Director Jeff Olson, Deputy Public Safety Director Craig Berte and Fire Chief John Bostwick deserve accolades for being change agents and for successfully ushering in the new era of public safety response. The police union also has demonstrated remarkable commitment to continuous improvement. It heeded the call for more training, staffing flexibility even in light of fire union friction. Many career firefighters are supportive of modernization, but sadly, the fire union serves as a collective mouthpiece for status quo. I sincerely hope the fire union will embrace the merits of the unified public safety strategy and be part of our collective solution. The programs full potential depends on it.

The city, as measured by outcomes, not head count, is operating a modern public safety department that delivers one of the highest service levels in the most cost-effective manner possible. We are safer and better protected with a PSO program than any traditional police/fire model. Cedar Falls Public Safety Department is a model many more will follow. It isnt comfortable to be on the edge of reform, but it is satisfying to see the positive results.
 Flash

Among the new diplomatic concepts, thoughts and strategies put forward by President Xi Jinping, the idea of building a community of a shared future for mankind is a key contribution.

The concept has become the theme of a major chapter that Xi addressed in the keynote report he delivered at the all-important 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China earlier this week.

"We call on the people of all countries to work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind, to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity," Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, told the more than 2,000 delegates.

He added that China will continue to play its part as a major and responsible country, take an active part in reforming and developing the global governance system, and keep contributing Chinese wisdom and strength to global governance.

Xi used a vivid description of how the international community can use its combined efforts to tackle a range of problems.

The comments built upon Xi's keynote speech at the United Nations in Geneva in January, when he spoke of China's approach to solving problems.
The presidents current Afghanistan strategy has some valid points but also misses lessons of history. The justification that a lawless Afghanistan would create a haven for the likes of ISIS and other extremists makes sense. Sending more troops to train the Afghan military could be justified. Putting pressure on Pakistan is a step in the right direction also.

The problem is the complexity of the Afghan strategy as it is intertwined with our policy in the Middle East. The current strategy is to form a coalition with Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni majority countries like Egypt, presumably to counter the growing influence of Shiite Iran. Both the Saudis and Israelis feel the Iran threat is more serious than that of ISIS. To make matters worse, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being pressed by anxious extremists in his coalition to push for expansions in many directions; with Iran being the only post Iraq-Syria powers to impede on this expansionism.

I traveled to Russia earlier this month for a business conference. It was hard to tell the difference between the RT (Russian TV) and Fox News. The announcers speak English with an American accent; the guest experts are convincing and speak with confidence. In a span of three days watching Russian TV, the guest experts would convince any watcher capitalism is dead or on its death bed, that Russia did not interfere in the U.S. election, and with the West in chaos everyone is heading to Russia for support. It happened the king of Saudi Arabia had made an unusual first-ever official visit to Moscow. Several hotels including our conference venue were taken over by the kings entourage. The TV coverage gave the impression that while President Trump had to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with the king in order to come back with $110 billion in deals, the king made a trip to meet personally with Putin and sign deals that could change the future of the oil market for years to come.

Enlisting the help of the Saudis to counter the Iranian threat means emboldening the hardliners in Iran and pushing Iran even closer to Russia. In the short term a coalition comprising the Saudis and Israel would help to contain Iranian influence. But, there are elements of Saudi society and proxy countries including Pakistan and Egypt who are as anti-Iranian as they are anti-Israeli and anti-Western. Helping to strengthen them will continue the plague of ISIS and its likes for years to come.

An Afghanistan ruled by ISIS or al-Qaida is not only a threat to the U.S., it is also a threat to Iran, which shares a border with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and several Arab countries, mostly sectarian states. Putting pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban is a step in the right direction. But, regardless of what the government of Pakistan does to ensure U.S. funds continue to flow in, the problem remains that Pakistan has a large population of fundamentalist Muslims who genuinely believe the U.S. and Israel are not their friends. The government of Pakistan has little control over the individual believers in its military and intelligence organizations who consider us dubious infidels. This belief applies to many in Egypt, in Saudi Arabia and in other countries with large fundamentalist Wahhabi populations.

The criteria for selecting countries in our coalition should include the degree of adherence to human rights, to equality for women and for reliance on economic ties instead of sectarian strife. The current coalition, except for Israel, cannot meet such criteria.
Despite the endorsement of the president of the United States, a self-described constitutional conservative, Judge Roy Moore, easily defeated Sen. Luther Strange to secure the Republican nomination to fill out the U.S. Senate term of Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

The replacement of Sessions, who became attorney general in the Trump administration, has far more implications than just another vote in the U.S. Senate. The winds of a profound political conflict may have started blowing in the backwoods of Alabama.

Moore holds that the Constitution of the United States was adopted by Christians to secure a Christian nation. Therefore, he reasons only Christians should be entitled to the benefits and protections of that document.

He is widely expected to become the newest member of the U.S. Senate after the December election.

Before discussing the implications of Moores conclusion, it would be proper to first examine his premise. Is he correct that the foundation of the establishment of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was by Christians to create a Christian nation?

As the old ad says, Not exactly.

We must remember our history.

After the Revolutionary War, the Constitution did not come first. The 13 colonies formed a loose association to conduct the battle against King George and the British Empire. After the conflict, they simply codified their arrangement by adopting the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles were a disaster.

With all 13 colonies, now states, independent of each other, and with no central authority, the experiment proved unmanageable. Currency was of little value since no state would contribute adequately to fund a central government. Internationally, treaties with Spain, France and even Great Britain proved impossible to obtain. States often worked in conflict with each other.

Finally, Shays Rebellion, an attempt by farmers in Massachusetts to nullify the rulings of the local courts by force, showed the danger of impending national disunity.

With George Washingtons blessing, a new government was created.

The short answer is that no, it wasnt a group of Christian men gathering in a church, but our forefathers meeting to correct a mistake.

What proof we have of this is contained in the Preamble to the Constitution. Preambles guide what follows within a document and ours says, We the People of the United States. It does not say, We the few adopt this document only for our fellow Christians.

If Moores premise is wrong, the implications of applying his conclusion are even worse.

Just one example will suffice. Article I, Section 9 of our Constitution prohibits the adoption of ex post facto laws. This is a law that makes illegal and criminal an act that, when done, was legal. For example, last week cars could be sold on Sunday, but this week the law has changed and now it is illegal. Retroactively, the seller is now guilty and can be prosecuted.

Under Moores reasoning, anyone who isnt by his definition a Christian can be put in jail. Gone is the Bill of Rights for anyone who isnt seen in a proper church on Sunday.

The good news is that so far, the conflict of Moores view with prevailing public opinion is limited to within the Republican Party. However, if Moore and his principle backer, Stephen Bannon, win, their ideology could well become the voice of the GOP.

Of course, you should support your political party of choice. But if you are a Republican and the GOP calls for money, you might want to ask first where the money is going. If it is Alabama, take a pass.

But broader than Moores rebellion is a deeper concern. The public is angry, and anger many times leads to intemperate comment. We might all be better served, since we cant stop the strident of both parties from speaking, if we develop the capacity to examine more carefully phrases that sound good but fail to function in reality.

Otherwise, line up the cannons of political rhetoric, dig the trenches and prepare for battle. The nation will be back at the crossroads where farmer Shays first got angry.
Juon for Council

WATERLOO  I have known Sharon Juon for about 40 years. Throughout that time, she has consistently been one of the biggest advocates for Waterloo that I know. She has been involved in a broad range of community projects that have benefited the city, including My Waterloo Days and the Leadership program for Waterloo. While working at the Waterloo Chamber, she was encouraged by Leo Rooff to apply for the position of director of INRCOG, an organization that was faltering. She got the job and stayed for 23 years. In that time, she helped make the organization one of the best multi-governmental agencies in the country, and in so doing helped six counties and 54 cities in our area to maximize their resources and potential.
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Years of great internet in the village and now they are trying to tell us that this is the best they can do!

MegaFon has changed some policies and coverage. We seem to be in a no mans zone now for them. After more than a few years of wonderful service, they have refused to give a crap if we have internet or not in the Tiny Russian Village

Kind of makes you sad

We have 2G, but it is spotty at best. I keep having to restart the internet every minute of so and then it works okay for a few seconds, then dead. Our phones are on Beeline and we have always used MegaFon for internet. Hmm. Maybe time to look at Beeline?

Therefore, write post on notepad, transfer post to site and try to post this. If you are reading this? I succeeded And no images today

Bear sad again, but lots to do, so who needs internet? Not me and I will make this short and sweet

* * * * *

KIEV (Sputnik)  The former Odessa regions governor and president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, presented his Plan to Rescue Ukraine in 70 days, using the building of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, as a screen, Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene on Saturday.

And I had a hundred emails telling me I was a dumbsh#t for saying Sassy would be the next president of Ukraine

Sassy

I talked about this in 2015. Hey! Ukraine still has a ways to go to hit the bottom of the barrel. It is a deep barrel and the bottom is full of hungry scavengers. They are waiting Ukraine people and will eat your souls, if you let this mess of a country called Ukraine keep going the way it is

* * * * *

Pyotr Pavlensky the man famous for nailing his balls to the Red Square cobble stones. He was given asylum in France for being such a idiot in Russia and now he turned on France. France used him as a tool against Russia. Bad Russia and good Pyotr Pavlensky

Okay! He bad bad bad now

[contentcards url=http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article179064931.html]

Pavlensky, having received political asylum in France in May 2017, recently set ablaze the building of the Banque de France in Paris.

Hey western world! You want your Pyotr Pavlensky? You got him, he sick man. He should nail his balls to the Eiffel Tower! Hey Man!

* * * * *

Alibaba founder Jack Ma said the e-commerce giant wants to work with young Russian scientists and engineers, adding that every visit to the country makes him feel more and more confident in Russia. Yesterday I went to Moscow University, and I had a wonderful time with the young people. I see their anxiety, I see their creativity and the imagination young people from Russia have, he said speaking at the Valdai Club discussion panel in Sochi. The businessman said Russia is becoming more comfortable with the development of science and technology. We think Alibaba should join forces in developing Russia, Jack Ma said

He is correct

* * * * *

Well I have limped along this article as far as I can

Gotta go and gets lots of stuff done. We have to install a window in the village home and we need to take a trip to town or Big Village as I call it. Thanks again for donations and yes Sammy and Boza are doing good. Sammy running like a top and Boza is prancing all over. Boza has lots of medicine for his eyes, thanks to everyone who donates for that reason

WtR
 Flash

President of the Catalan regional government, Carles Puigdemont, said on Saturday he called on the Catalan parliament to meet and discuss the measures announced by the Spanish central government.

Puigdemont said the measures announced by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were "the worst attack" against Catalan institutions since the dictatorship Franco, who ruled Spain since 1939 to 1975.

Puigdemont called on the Catalan parliament to discuss the measures and decide the steps to follow as according to him, the representatives chosen by Catalan citizens are in the Catalan parliament.

"What the Catalans have decided on polling stations, the Spanish government is suspending it at the office," he said.

Puigdemont's statement follows the announcement made by Rajoy a few hours earlier on Saturday who explained the measures to apply under the article 155 of the Spanish constitution.

Rajoy said the regional government of Catalonia would be dissolved, and their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries. He could also dissolve the Catalan parliament and call for elections within six months.

All these measures have to be passed by the Spanish Senate to be fully implemented.

Rajoy said he applied the article 155 after Puigdemont failed to clarify whether he had declared the independence of the region or not. Catalonia held a referendum on self-determination on Oct. 1, which had been declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court.
Sebastiaan Faber at Public Books:

La gran ilusion is an original and penetrating take on the last decade of mounting tensions between Catalonia and Spain, tensions that have now culminated in Spains deepest political crisis since the late 1970s. Guillem Martinezs reporting leads him to a straightforward conclusion: Catalonia is real; the independence process, not so much.

For those of us who watch Spain from afar, few things are more baffling than the enormous distance separating Madrid from Barcelona. Even the laws of physics dont seem to apply in quite the same way in both places. A burden that in Barcelona weighs a ton might in Madrid feel light as a feather.

This helps explain the ease with which Catalan deputies Joan Tarda and Gabriel Rufian move around in Spains Parliament. In their frequent interventions on behalf of their party, the anti-monarchist, pro-independence Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC, Republican Left of Catalonia), they leap and pirouette over difficult topics like slaphappy astronauts on the moon. As outsiders with no investment in Spains national institutions, they are free from the taboos that weigh down the other deputies, limiting what is mentionable aloud. Tarda and Rufian can afford to tell the truthsomething seen so rarely in the Spanish Congress that it strikes everyone else as scandalous.

more here.
Santiago Zabala in Al Jazeera:

This is a difficult year for Spain. First, the prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, had to appear in courtbecause of corruption charges levelled against his party; then Barcelona suffered a bloody terrorist attack; and now a referendum for the independence of Catalonia has plunged the nation into a political crisis that led to Spanish police beating up voters and Madrid threatening to revoke Catalonia's autonomy.

Article 155, which enables the central government to do so, is rather vague. We still do not know whether applying it entails the dissolution of the Catalan government, taking control of the public security or calling for regional elections. But the imprisonment of two pro-Catalan independence leaders earlier this week indicates we are heading for serious trouble.

What is important to understand now is that there is more than just blind nationalism in the Catalan impasse, despite what Madrid and Brussels want us to believe. The Catalan call for independence should not be discredited; it is the rightful demand of millions of Catalans. But one must wonder why most articles about this crisis focus exclusively on the historical roots of Catalonian statehood, free citizens' democratic right to vote, and the inclusive character of Catalonia's nationalism, which is open to foreigners.

More here.
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner in The New Yorker:

On a six-hour drive from San Francisco to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival a few years ago, the playwright Lauren Gunderson raised a question: What does American theatre need? It was ridiculously presumptuous, Gunderson told me recently, over the phone, but its the conversation everyone is having. Gunderson was travelling with her friend Margot Melcon, a former literary manager, who reminded her that every theatre needs a holiday show: something clever, heartwarming, and family-friendly enough to entice an audience inured to A Christmas Carol. Gunderson recalled their idea: You know what people love? Jane Austen. You know what people really love? Christmas and Jane Austen. By the time they finished the drive, they had outlined a script on Starbucks napkins: a holiday reunion for the Bennet sisters, from Pride and Prejudice, with a courtship plot for Mary, the pedantic middle sister, who emerges as a surprising feminist heroine. (Mary and her beau spark over a copy of Lamarcks Zoological Philosophy; Gunderson calls Mary an emblem of geek chic.) Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is now a regional-theatre hit.

Increasingly, theatres are banking on Gunderson, who, at thirty-five, has already had more than twenty of her works produced: among them witty historical dramas about women in science (Emilie, Silent Sky, Ada and the Engine), giddy political comedies (Exit, Pursued by a Bear, The Taming, The Revolutionists), and wildly theatrical explorations of death and legacy (I and You, The Book of Will). According to American Theatre magazines annual survey, released last month, Gunderson will be the most produced playwright in the country for the 201718 season.

More here.


Shareholder Presentation - Copper Growth Strategy

Adelaide, Oct 23, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Havilah Resources Limited ( ASX:HAV ) (Havilah) is pleased to invite all shareholders, friends and interested investors to join us for a presentation by Managing Director, Dr Chris Giles on the Company's Copper Growth Strategy. He will explain how the funds from Havilah's capital raising, currently in the market via the 1:7 renounceable rights issue, will be utilised to progress this growth strategy. There will be an opportunity for shareholders to put questions to Havilah's board and management at the end of the presentation.



Highlight



- Shareholders and investors invited to a presentation by Dr. Chris Giles.



- Adelaide - Wednesday, 25 October 2017.



- Havilah's Copper Growth Strategy explained.



Invitation



When: 5:30 pm on Wednesday 25 October 2017 (registrations from 5:15pm)



Where: 'The Auditorium' at The Science Exchange (http://scienceexchange.com.au/)



Address: 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide SA 5000



RSVP: Claire Redman (claire.redman@havilah-resources.com.au or 0427 168 729) by COB Monday, 23 October 2017.



How to find the venue: The entrance to The Science Exchange is through the main doors located on the south side of the building, in McHenry Street, just off the corner of Exchange Place. The building is located directly behind the Telstra building on Pirie Street.



For those not able to attend, the presentation will be videoed and available via Havilah's website after the event.



To view figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/HU226726





About Havilah Resources Ltd





Havilah Resources Ltd (ASX:HAV) is a debt free South Australian gold producer having recently financed and developed its first gold mine at Portia in north-eastern South Australia. It plans to follow on with three copper-gold-cobalt mining developments at North Portia, Kalkaroo and Mutooroo, which are underpinned by a JORC resources mineral inventory of over 1.4 million tonnes of copper, 3.6 million ounces of gold, and 18,000 tonnes of cobalt.


McDonnell Dowell/Downer JV - Preferred Hydro EPC Contractor

Sydney, Oct 23, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Genex Power Limited ( ASX:GNX ) (Genex or Company) is pleased to provide an update in relation to the development of the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro (K2-Hydro) project at Kidston, North Queensland. The K2-Hydro project is part of the overall Kidston Stage 2 (K2) project, which includes a co-located 270MW solar PV project (K2-Solar).



HIGHLIGHTS



- McConnell Dowell / Downer JV Selected as Preferred EPC Contractor



- Early contractor involvement (ECI) process to accelerate project development and reduce cost



- Clear pathway to Financial Close in 2018



Following engagement with a number of leading EPC contractors, Genex has selected a Joint Venture between McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd (McConnell Dowell) and Downer EDI Limited (Downer) as Preferred EPC Contractor. Leading hydro and electrical consultants Norconsult and GHD Australia are technical advisers to the joint venture.



McConnell Dowell has an extensive global EPC track record in respect of hydro projects, especially those involving tunnelling and underground excavation, including the most recent major hydro power development in Australia and other remote hydro projects in the Asia Pacific region.



Downer has been selected jointly by Genex and McConnell Dowell as the JV partner, on the basis of its strong balance sheet and complementary strengths in mechanical/electrical/civil engineering and grid connection, and operations and maintenance capabilities.



Genex will now work with the Preferred EPC Contractor as part of the early contractor involvement (ECI) process (announced on 20 October 2017) to complete final design optimisation and the full EPC and O&M contracting process for the K2-Hydro project. This will include a competitive tender process to secure the electro-mechanical equipment package (including Francis reversible pump /generator turbine machines), which will be held in November 2017 with invitations extended to a number of Tier 1 hydro turbine suppliers.



Genex has determined that an ECI process is the most appropriate means to ensure the timely development of the K2 project while minimising costs associated with a full EPC tender process.



Genex Managing Director Michael Addison said:



"The McConnell Dowell / Downer JV is a very strong partner to deliver the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project. As a combined force, the JV has a complementary skill set and a long track record of delivering hydro projects around the world, a strong balance sheet and proven project delivery capabilities - factors which are likely to materially contribute to the bankability and successful implementation of the project."



The Federal Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has continued to support the K2-Hydro project. To date, Genex has drawn down a total of approximately $2.85 million of its $4.0 million ARENA funding facility in relation to the project.



About ARENA



ARENA was established by the Australian Government to make renewable energy technologies more affordable and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia. Through the provision of funding coupled with deep commercial and technical expertise, ARENA provides the support needed to accelerate the development of promising new solutions towards commercialisation. ARENA invests in renewable energy projects across the innovation chain and is committed to sharing knowledge and lessons learned from its portfolio of projects and information about renewable energy. ARENA always looks for at least matched funding from the projects it supports and to date has committed $1.1 billion in funding to more than 270 projects. For more information, visit www.arena.gov.au.



To view figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/3DJRJL0W





About Genex Power Ltd





Genex Power Limited (ASX:GNX) is focused on developing a portfolio of renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia. The Company's flagship Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located in north Queensland, will integrate large-scale solar generation with pumped storage hydro. The Kidston Clean Energy Hub is comprised of the operating 50MW stage 1 Solar Project (KS1) and the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) with potential for further multi-stage wind and solar projects. The 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP) is located in NSW and provides geographical diversification to the Genex Power Limited portfolio. JSP was energised in early December 2020 and commissioning is now underway. Genex is further developing its energy storage portfolio via the early stage development of a 50MW/75MWh standalone battery energy storage system at Bouldercombe in Queensland. With over 400MW of renewable energy and storage projects in development, Genex is well placed as Australia's leading renewable energy and storage company.
India still wants the UK to give the Kohinoor diamond back, but the Indian government has reversed its position on whether it wants the UK to return the diamond, saying it wants the gem returned in an amicable manner. The All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front went to the court for seeking Kohinoor and other famous antiques including the ring and sword of Tipu Sultan to be returned to India by the United Kingdom. During a Supreme Court hearing, the government said a 43-year-old law does not allow it to bring back antiques moved out of the country before Independence. Indian Government believes that our country should not try to reclaim the famous Kohinoor diamond as it was neither stolen nor forcibly taken. That stand, the Supreme Court has warned, could mean You will face a problem in the future for making any legitimate claim to the 105-carat diamond. Government told the court, that The Kohinoor, which means Mountain of Light, was acquired from an Afghan king by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century ruler of Punjab. He willed it to a temple in Odisha, but Dilip Singh, his successor, a minor, handed it over to the East India company in 1849. The diamonds was set in the crown of Queen Victoria and is on display in the Tower of London. For years, politicians and others, here and in the UK, have said the whopper of a diamond was seized after Punjab was annexed to British India and must be returned.

In 2013, during a trip to India, UK Prime Minister David Cameron ruled out sending the diamond back to India. If Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, eventually becomes queen consort, she will don the crown holding the diamond on official occasions. The Koh-i-Noors origins and early history have not been categorically established. By some accounts it was a royal treasure as far back as 3000 BC. It is widely believed to have come from the Kollur Mine in the Guntur District of present-day Andhra Pradesh, India, during the reign of the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th century. In the early 14th century, Alauddin Khilji, second ruler of the Turkic Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and his army began looting the kingdoms of southern India. Malik Kafur, Khiljis general, made a successful raid on Warangal in 1310, when he possibly acquired the diamond. It remained in the Khilji dynasty and later passed to the succeeding dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, until it came into the possession of Babur, a Turco-Mongol warlord, who invaded India and established the Mughal Empire in 1526. He called the stone the Diamond of Babur at the time, although it had been called by other names before it came into his possession. Both Babur and his son and successor, Humayun, mentioned the origins of this diamond in their memoirs, thought by many historians to be the earliest reliable reference to the Koh-i-Noor.

Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, had the stone placed into his ornate Peacock Throne. In 1658, his son and successor, Aurangazeb, confined the ailing emperor at nearby Agra Fort. While in the possession of Aurangazeb, it was cut by Hortenso Borgia, a Venetian lapidary, so clumsy that he reduced the weight of the stone from 793 carats (158.6 g) to 186 carats (37.2 g). For this carelessness, Borgia was reprimanded and fined 10,000 rupees.

Nader Shah during the sacking of Delhi in the aftermath of his victory at the Battle of Karnal, 1739, following the 1739 invasion of Delhi by Nader Shah, the Shah of Persia, and the treasury of the Mughal Empire was looted by his army in an organised and thorough acquisition of the Mughal nobilitys wealth. Along with a host of valuable items, including the Daria-i-Noor, as well as the Peacock Throne, the Shah also carried away the Koh-i-Noor. He allegedly exclaimed Koh-i-Noor! when he finally managed to obtain the famous stone, and that is how the stone got its name.

The first valuation of the Koh-i-Noor is given in the legend that one of Nader Shahs consorts apparently said, If a strong man were to throw four stones, one north, one south, one east, one west, and a fifth stone up into the air, and if the space between them were to be filled with gold, all would not equal the value of the Koh-i-Noor.

It is estimated that the total worth of the treasures plundered came to 700 million rupees. This was roughly equivalent to 87.5 million sterling at the time, or approximately 12.6 billion in 2015s money. The riches gained by the Persian Empire from the Indian campaign were so monumental that Nader Shah made a proclamation alleviating all subjects of the Empire from taxes for a total of three years.

(With inputs from various agencies)

(This is the first part of the edit and remaining portion will continue tomorrow)

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
North Indian hawkers protested at Azad Maidan against the forcible eviction of hawkers by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Satis bridge near Thane Railway Station. They urged the state government to provide designated places for hawkers to carry out their business. Vendors also want the government to implement The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. As per the provision of the act, vending licences should be issued to a number equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the citys population. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)) had appointed Town Vending Committee to conduct a survey of hawkers, collect identity proof and address proof documents from them but hawkers are yet to be offered a designated place to run their business. Thus the act remains on paper due to shoddy implementation. Various NGOs and social activists have been fighting for the cause of hawkers but they are yet to get justice. Even Congress and BJP only raise this issue ahead of election but dont take any concrete steps to resolve hawkers problems.

Political parties have criticised the manner in which MNS had taken action against hawkers. According to them the party should carry out peaceful agitation and not disrupt law and order in the city.
Spain took drastic measures on Saturday to stop Catalonia from breaking away, announcing plans to dismiss its separatist government and call fresh elections in a move the regions leader compared to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and his ministers  who sparked Spains worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum  will be stripped of their jobs and their ministries taken over under measures laid out by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

After hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded Barcelonas streets earlier on Saturday to show their anger at Madrid, Puigdemont said Rajoy was guilty of the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people since Franco, calling for the parliament of the semi-autonomous region to meet urgently.

Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist from 1939 to his death in 1975, and among other repressive measures took Catalonias powers away and banned the official use of Catalan language.

Cautious, though, Puigdemont did not once say the word independence as Spain and the rest of the European Union waits to see if he will carry out his threat to declare a breakaway state.

Barcelona police said 450,000 people joined a protest in the regional capital earlier, many chanting freedom and independence and waving Catalonias yellow, red and blue separatist flag.

Madrid could take direct control over Catalonias police force and replace its public media chiefs, with Rajoy saying he had no other choice, faced with a grave threat to Spains national unity.

Elections for the semi-autonomous region must be called within six months, he added.

The measures must now pass through the Senate  a process that will take about a week  but Rajoys conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority there and his efforts to prevent a break-up of Spain have the backing of other major parties.

The Catalonia crisis could cause a dangerous dislocation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Journal du Dimanche, adding that he hoped the elections would clarify the situation.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Light rain early. Then remaining cloudy. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Light rain early. Then remaining cloudy. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
October 20, 2017

A blue and green cake shaped like a globe with an edible plane flying over it is at the center of a room where a group of cheerful guests, adults and children, dance and hit a pinata. The party, whose theme is travel and multiculturalism, marks the fifth anniversary of Safarni, a project that aims to teach diversity to underprivileged children through intercultural and imaginary traveling workshops.

Created by Raphaelle Ayach and hosted by the civil society group Etijah, Safarni means take me traveling in Arabic. It aims to teach local children respect for Egypts and the worlds cultural diversity. Since its opening on Oct. 5, 2012, Safarni has organized hundreds of imaginary weeklong trips to foreign lands, using expats of the countries based in Cairo, food of the countries and decorations and knickknacks that belong to the country. Using nongovernmental organizations and refugees or expats who were only too glad to talk about their countries, Safarni has created the ambiance of many foreign lands.

The children, guided by a volunteer captain and welcomed by foreign friends, dive into the discovery of a new land for eight days. Often, that means meeting and talking to locals from that country, tasting the local food and experiencing the countrys folklore.

Traveling remains a luxury that only few Egyptians have access to, Ayach told Al-Monitor, referring not only to the economic difficulties but also stricter visa procedures toward Egyptians since the beginning of the 2011 upheavals. We're using our platform to transmit the benefits of travel  such as connecting with new friends of different cultures, trying different foods, dancing to new rhythms, learning about new social issues  while staying within the geographical confines of our own neighborhood.

Each workshop lasts a minimum of eight days for a group of 30 children ages 8-12. Most come from low-income Egyptian families who cannot afford to travel abroad. The goal of the workshops is to pick up from where local education has left in terms of teaching values of diversity and respect.

Theres a gap caused by what the children are taught by their families and schools, especially in the poor areas, where the quality of education is worse, Yahia Refaat, a volunteer captain who, wearing his Air Safarni hat, has guided trips since 2014, told Al-Monitor.

Being a refugee and studying in Egyptian schools, I felt the concept of diversity and embracing others is not taught explicitly in schools here, said Azza Osman, a Sudanese foreign friend at Safarni, always presenting her culture proudly wearing a toab, a Sudanese traditional dress. Growing up as a Sudanese in Egypt, I faced a lot of misconceptions about who I am and about my country, as well as stereotypical and racist comments about the color of my skin, she said. In fact, the assumptions or the comments were based on ignorance, not nastiness or ill will. They can so easily be prevented if we educate children when they are impressionable. This is the way to create a better and more tolerant generation.

Safarni enabled the Egyptian kids to brush aside existing prejudices  such as racism toward African immigrants, especially those who come as refugees from Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. Parents whose children attend Safarnis spaces agree that, since taking part in the activities, their children have started to think twice about xenophobic behavior, according to Dalia Magdy, a parent who got involved in the project and became its activities coordinator. The workshop also became an opportunity for entire families to reconsider common prejudices dictated by Egyptian society and learn from mistakes, said Magdy.

Through virtual reality technology, arts and crafts, and brain exercises, Egyptian children slowly learn how to overcome borders. We start our activities by discussing and setting some rules on how we will confront the differences we will face during our travels, Refaat said. We pledge respect for each other, the place and the materials we use. Once they commit to that, the children are guided through different stops, or stations, each of them intended to create empathy and self-awareness, rather than give bibliographical information about a place.

One of the most important parts of Safarnis methodology is discussing a social challenge that the visited country faces and then asking children to find a solution to that problem. Challenge Station is my favorite part of the day because it shows how clever these kids are, said Heba Babker, a captain and art director at Safarni since 2015. In November 2015, the children tackled Frances social challenge of how to integrate Arab immigrants and overcome racism in the country and the children brainstormed potential solutions and made a presentation about it.

At the end of the workshop, kids celebrate graduation day, where they receive a certificate as ambassadors of diversity and pledge to commit spreading values of tolerance and empathy toward foreigners.

Beyond discovering foreign cultures, Safarni children have had the chance to discover their own culture through imaginary trips to Egypts lesser-known regions, such as Nubia or Alexandrias Greek identity. Safarnis core idea is that Egyptian kids dont have to go that far to see and appreciate diversity. We have food from Sudan, clothes from China, architecture from Turkey and water from Ethiopia, their Facebook page reads. Encouraged by this newly acquired awareness, on Oct. 8, the youngsters took the lead and became captains of their own trips.

They collaborated to create the content of the day, and foreigners in Cairo were assigned groups of children who acted as tour guides, Ayach explained. This workshop was proposed because we felt that the activities were becoming too one-directional: Kids were learning about others, but where was the cultural exchange? We wanted them to have an opportunity to reflect and share their culture, she added.

Safarni wants to export their methodology to raise the conscious citizens of the world of tomorrow. Our next goal is to have workshops with mixed groups of Egyptian and migrant children to highlight the cultural diversity in Egypt, where objects or traditions originally brought by foreign communities have now become an integral part of Egyptian society, Ayach concluded.
October 20, 2017

Visiting Ramallah these days, one senses festivity among many over the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. A well-known Palestinian public opinion pollster told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that, despite Palestinian skepticism, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip both display a groundswell of support for the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo on Oct. 12. People are fed up with the political bickering between the two movements on account of the interest of the Palestinian people. Although there is not much love lost between the supporters of the movements, or even between West Bankers and Gazans, most of the public believes that greater unity is in their interest, he argued.

These public sentiments, the pollster estimates, were the main reason President Mahmoud Abbas went along with the Egyptian terms of the agreement. His standing in public opinion is far from glorious and there is an active discussion in Ramallah of an heir.

A senior PLO official close to Abbas named several reasons behind the reconciliation deal. The first is that the deal would enable both the West Bank and Gaza to be run by one government, subordinated to Abbas with the Palestinian Authority (PA) running the governmental offices in the Gaza Strip. Another element is that the Palestinian security services will be in charge of Gaza Strip passages into Israel and Egypt; this would prove helpful for the flow of goods. And then there is the relationship between Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi; Abbas accords these relations great importance, especially in view of Hamas growing dependence on Cairo.

The official added that the implementation and follow-up on the agreement will be gradual and difficult. The two sides will have to learn to work together. Furthermore, the three most important issues  namely the status of the Hamas military wing, the road to achieving Palestinian statehood and presidential and parliamentary elections  have all been left open for further deliberations.

Nevertheless, the official is confident that unlike two previous attempts, this effort will prove successful. He claims that this time the Egyptian intervention is more effective, and that both sides need Cairo.

According to the official, the deal has several advantages that should reinforce its sustainability. The deal should create a stronger PA government, despite major economic challenges. It establishes the necessary link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for future statehood. It offers better security on the passages, which would hopefully prevent a greater humanitarian disaster in Gaza. The possibility of another war in Gaza is now at least postponed. Finally, increasing Egyptian involvement in the Gaza Strip may weaken Iranian influence on Hamas.

As to a common position on Palestinian statehood, the PLO official was very hopeful. Hamas will let Abbas lead negotiations with the international community, including the Trump administration, which did not object to the reconciliation deal though it is obviously related to a two-state solution based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

The official acknowledged that the military wing of Hamas will not be dismantled and will be formally under the jurisdiction of the new government.

The official told Al-Monitor that the coming months will be dedicated to the implementation of the agreement and to further talks leading to Abbas visit to Gaza. Therefore, it is Abbas intention to launch a diplomatic initiative for the international community  including the United States  to recognize the new government. When that is achieved, probably in 2018, the Arab League will petition the United Nations to recognize the united Palestine. He claims that only successful diplomatic activity toward a two-state solution can prevent a cycle of violence from erupting from Gaza or the West Bank.

A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Israels low-profile response to the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation was generated by a request from Sisi, in coordination with the Trump administration. According to the official, Jerusalem is not dismayed with the developments.

In fact, a close relationship between Gaza and Egypt is in Israels interest. The source also claims that the new agreement offers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further ground to reject a two-state solution negotiation process. The Israeli government is concerned with a growing role for Hamas in the West Bank, involving an initiation of violence and terror from there. The official told Al-Monitor that on this issue  as on the Iran deal  Netanyahu is fully coordinated with US President Donald Trump.

It is too early to say if this reconciliation agreement will constitute a watershed moment in inter-Palestinian relations; what is clear for now is that there is greater mutual dependence between Fatah and Hamas, brought about by Egypt. The future of the reconciliation process is more dependent on Sisi than either Abbas or Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.
October 20, 2017

Despite numerous failures in the past, many Palestinians and officials involved in the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation seem optimistic about this attempt. They now are evaluating the potential economic effects of the national consensus agreement signed Oct. 12 that reunites Fatah, which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, which administers the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) met Oct. 3 in Gaza for the first time since 2014, and the consensus government said Oct. 20 it will rotate its weekly meetings between Gaza and the West Bank. PA ministers will visit Gaza this week.

Palestinians have raised a number of questions about the financial role the consensus government will play once it takes over its responsibilities in Gaza and how it is set to deal with issues such as public sector employees, tax collection and Gazas inclusion in the general budget.

Moin Rajab, an economics professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Reconciliation will help revive the Palestinian economy, as national consensus will generate large revenues for the budget, thus allowing the economy to overcome many problems plaguing the Gaza Strip, especially unemployment. Reconciliation could even lead to establishing a central bank either in Gaza or the West Bank and the issuance of a Palestinian pound.

He added, Now that reconciliation has been agreed upon, Palestinians must adopt a new approach to developing their domestic resources without dispensing with the foreign support coming from other countries.  The Palestinian government should not sever ties with any country in the region and should continue to attract investors."

The result should mean job opportunities for tens of thousands of unemployed people, Rajab noted.

When Jamal Nassar, the chairman of the Budget Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council, spoke with Al-Monitor recently, he seemed conditionally optimistic about whether the reconciliation agreement will hold, but had little doubt about the positive economic results it would produce. The economic dimension of reconciliation is exemplified by the collection of taxes that cover the salaries and expenses of public sector employees. Should the government take over its responsibilities, there will be no financial deficit in Gaza, because the value-added tax collected in Gaza, as well as the cigarette and diesel [tax] profits, amount to $150 million per month," he said.

"Should reconciliation materialize, a unified tax account will be established. As for the financial support of donor countries, no state should replace another. They should all play complementary roles, especially Qatar, the UAE [United Arab Emirates], Saudi Arabia and Egypt. We, as Palestinians, should open up to everyone.

The Palestinian budget has faced a 48% decline in foreign grants since 2013. The grants are expected to amount to $590 million this year, compared with $1.1 billion in 2013.

One of the vital financial issues currently being discussed is the fate of Gazas employees, who were appointed by Hamas in 2007. Concerns have been raised that many positions might be redundant, and indeed the government might invoke the early retirement law in some cases.

When Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced Oct. 3 that he can't afford an additional 50,000 employees, whose salaries total at least $50 million per month, reconciliation agreement officials decided to form a management committee and grant it four months to study the matter.

Mohammed Abu Jayyab, the editor-in-chief of Al-Iqtisadi newspaper, told Al-Monitor, The issue of Gazas employees is one of the obstacles hindering the completion of reconciliation. If the relevant committees succeed in achieving integration as far as the Gaza and West Bank employees are concerned, then the PA will have to deal with an additional financial burden, one that requires an international and Arab financial effort.

He added, Also, the PA is required to develop its financial and economic system to keep pace with reconciliation and ward off the specter of bankruptcy, while only temporarily relying on foreign countries to pay the salaries of employees. The PA seeks to control any funds entering Gaza, be they from Qatar or the UAE, and this is expected to be an obstacle to the PA's future work in Gaza, if foreign contributors prefer to maintain their current arrangements rather than work with the PA.

But there is a general feeling among Palestinian economic circles that the government will be able to accommodate many workers and could possibly need more.

A Ministry of Finance official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The consensus government can deal with the emerging financial and economic conditions in several ways  and it will decide on these options based on the Palestinian political decision. Its financial programs in Gaza will be implemented in line with the other steps agreed upon in Cairo between Fatah and Hamas.

If the PA does receive tax revenues from Gaza, that would not only generate revenues for its budget. It would also put an end to dual taxation and the customary fees that the private sector, companies and businessmen have suffered by paying both Hamas and the consensus government. The tax and customs systems would be unified between Gaza and the West Bank.

Omar Shaban, the head of PalThink for Strategic Studies in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, If reconciliation is fully implemented in the West Bank and Gaza and if the budget is consolidated, the reconciliation would bring revenues  not economic burden  for the PA. Once reconciliation is implemented, Gaza should get a big share of the budget as a means of compensation for the 10 years of suffering and attrition.

The economic cost of reconciliation goes beyond these issues, as it also includes the reconstruction of Gaza  restoring its infrastructure and power station and building seawater desalination plants and sewage plants.

Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, are in dire need of the economic profit that will result from reconciliation. They have seen a catastrophic decline in their living conditions. The Gaza Strip unemployment rate amounted to 44% in the second quarter of 2017. Some 80% of Gazan families rely on aid provided by the United Nations and other relief agencies. Israel restricts Palestinians' movement outside Gaza, and the sole crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been closed almost continuously for a decade. Drinking water services have declined and sewage treatment plants do not work properly.
October 20, 2017

Back in June 2007, Palestinian Ihab Abu Armanah, 18, was taking his national high school exams, the tawjihi, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip amid an exchange of fire between Hamas and Fatah gunmen.

On June 14, 2007, Hamas took over Gaza, and the geographical division turned into a deep political division that resulted in clashes.

Today, a decade later, the two Palestinian rival movements are exerting ambitious efforts to ensure the success of the reconciliation agreement reached on Oct. 12 in Cairo. But for Abu Armanah, the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, which aims at handing over control of Gaza back to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, is meaningless.

Like most of his generation in the Gaza Strip, Abu Armanah was unable to pursue his academic studies or achieve his future plans under a 10-year-long siege imposed by Israel and Egypt on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. He told Al-Monitor, I was worried and terrified. I made sure to finish all of my exams in just half an hour and to run back home.

Abu Armanah, now 28 years old, did not score good results in his tawjihi exam and was unable to achieve his dream of entering the department of English language, literature and simultaneous interpretation at Al-Azhar University. Today he is unemployed, single and living with his parents in a modest home in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

I feel I wasted years of my life. I am not the only one, as all people of my generation feel the same. We grew up in times of division and war, and we were denied joy and stability, he said.

According to statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) issued on Aug. 12, 2016, young people between the ages of 15 and 29 represent 30% of the total Palestinian population. This means that 30% of Palestines population grew up with the events of the division between the two movements, news of partisan rivalries and the sounds of war.

Just like Abu Armanah, all these young people hoped the division would end one day and believed they would be compensated for everything they had gone through. But the much-awaited reconciliation was long overdue.

On Oct. 4, Abu Armanah attended along with hundreds of young people a meeting with Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah at Mashtal Hotel. At the meeting, the prime minister was hammered by the youths questions.

On her Facebook page, young lawyer and rights activist Fatma Ashour had launched a campaign on Sept. 29 calling on the prime minister to meet with Palestinian youth and listen to their concerns. But it seems that many of those who attended the meeting did not come out with a positive impression.

Ashour told Al-Monitor, I asked him about the plan to promote the participation of young people in political life and improve their situation by fighting corruption and cronyism, but he did not answer my question.

Abu Armanahs outburst at the meeting was noteworthy. Video footage went viral, showing him screaming, demanding Hamdallah give back young Gazans their rights and rekindling the dreams they lost during the years of division. For 11 years we have been told to shut up. Shut up! Shut up! We want to talk, he shouted.

He, later on, told Al-Monitor there were attempts to prevent him from speaking during the meeting.

However, Abu Armanah seems optimistic, arguing that he believes in the prime minister's ability to change the situation of young people for the better. If anyone can do something, its him. He is the prime minister, he said.

Local news websites quoted Hamdallah at the meeting as saying, The youth in Palestine have proven themselves in all fields and accomplished exceptional achievements abroad. The prime minister also announced that a development bank will be established to extend soft loans without interest to help the youth.

The Ramallah government faces great challenges in the Gaza Strip. The unemployment rate in the besieged enclave has reached an astounding 41.7% during 2016, according to the PCBS.

For Gazan blogger Mohammed Sheikh Yusuf, the world has been frozen in time throughout the division years. He was 19 years old when it all started. In addition to the ensuing social, political, economic and national predicament, the 10-year split has also caused me personal life difficulties. I was arrested several times by Hamas security forces for taking part in protests calling to end the division, he said. Yusuf is now settled in Qatar, where he says he can plan his life for five years to come, while in Gaza he was unable to make even a five-hour plan.

He did not expect significant changes in the situation of the youths during the first two years. The focus will be on the political and security aspects, restructuring and centralization in Gaza. This will not include youth-related issues, he said

Yusuf added, The prime minister showed reservations in answering the questions of the youths at the meeting. His hands are tied, and he is unable to meet their high expectations.

The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007 and the aftermath of three wars have left their mark on the economic structure, have reduced production and employment opportunities, have caused the continuous closure of crossings and borders, have increased poverty, and have generated multiple crises.

Gazan youth activist Amer Balousha, 25, told Al-Monitor, I do not remember a day during which we had uninterrupted electrical power. I have never traveled, and my studies were very difficult.

Questioning the Ramallah governments ability to solve the problems of Gazas youth, he said, Our problems are not limited or linked to a specific person or decision. Solving all of our problems requires a collective will.

Abu Armanah had a dream  to study English  10 years ago. He now promised himself that when reconciliation takes effect and the situation improves, he would rush to apply to study English at Al-Azhar University.

While young Palestinians believe meetings with politicians will be the beginning of change in their lives, politicians see the meetings as mere platforms to declare positions, announce intentions and make promises.
October 22, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved quickly to adapt to the Iraqi federal governments retaking of Kirkuk and disputed territories through the use of Iraqi forces, all the while seeking to limit any fallout with Iran in Iraq and Syria.

Putin had been banking on the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government to expand Russias regional influence and energy assets. Rosneft, the Russian energy company, had made a roughly $4 billion investment in the regions energy sector. What Putin did not bank on was that Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani, despite warnings from all quarters, would proceed with a disastrous independence referendum that led to the Iraqi central government reclaiming Kirkuk and disputed territories in what Cengiz Candar has labeled the worst setback for Iraqi Kurds since 1975, when the Kurdistan Democratic Party lost the support of Iran and was crushed by Saddam Husseins forces.

This Week in Review column wrote Oct. 1, as the crisis over the Iraqi referendum was unfolding, that Putin was boxed in in Iraq, with much at risk, but was not without options. If he misplays his hand in northern Iraq by banking on a weakened Barzani, he may end up finding himself exposed and on defense in both Syria and Iraq, and at odds with Iran and Turkey  the worst of all worlds, we suggested. Or he can tactfully shift toward the Iran-Turkey alignment, which is gaining traction and strength, quietly distancing himself from dependence on Barzani while opening discussions with Baghdad to pursue Russias energy interests in northern Iraq.

And Russia has indeed pivoted to Baghdad, and the Iran-Turkey alignment, to keep pace with events. Iraq and Russia seem on the verge of an agreement that would expand bilateral economic and security ties, including possible arms sales, and that, from an energy perspective, Russia will seek to lessen its exposure in the north and make clear it is ready to do oil and gas deals with Baghdad. Iraq, signaling a new chapter in the Iraqi oil industry, has already invited BP to develop the reclaimed oil fields around Kirkuk. Chevron has suspended operations in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Putin has been careful to choreograph his Iraqi reset with an eye to not upsetting his ties with Iran. It was no surprise that as the Iraqi crisis was unfolding, the Kremlin announced that Putin will visit Tehran on Nov. 1 for a trilateral summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. But the talks that matter, we surmise, will focus on Iraq and Syria.

We wrote in August that the emerging Turkish-Iranian alignment would test the limits and extent of Moscows influence among the regional players, and that Putin, especially in the absence of an improvement in US-Russia ties, would seek to accommodate and work through this axis. In Iraq, where Russian influence until now has been thin, he has had no choice.

Putin is also leveraging his ties with both Israel and Iran to avoid a conflict in Syria. Maxim Suchkov writes that Iran was at the top of Russian Defense Minister Sergie Shoigus agenda during his meetings in Israel on Oct. 16-17. Shoigu provided some information on the way the four de-escalation zones in Syria will function. Israel opposes the idea of Iran being one of the intermediaries in the process, but Russia is set to maintain the current framework.

Ben Caspit reports that the Syrian firing of an anti-aircraft missile Oct. 16, the day Shoigu arrived in Israel, may be a catalyst for a redefinition of Israels rules of engagement in Syria. In the course of the talks with Shoigu, Caspit writes, the subject of growing Iranian influence in Syria also came up and was discussed in detail. According to sources, Liberman said that Israel will not accept an Iranian presence on its borders. That is a casus belli and a clear red line. Netanyahu said the same thing to the Russian general.

Russias support for Hezbollah has also been on the agenda for the two parties, Suchkov adds, with the Russians supposedly assuring the Israelis that their dealings with the group don't go beyond targeted planning of certain operations in Syria and that Moscow doesnt supply it with arms.  Given Israel's role in the region, its military power and its willingness to use it, it is critical for Putin to continue the current level of communication with Netanyahu to ensure Russias own presence is immune from any Israeli assaults."

Suchkov concludes, At the same time, Tehran is resolved to expand and solidify its presence. Moscow doesnt see that situation as its own fight and is working to dodge potential complications of ending up on either side. Israel has been rather loyal to Russias military presence  and realizes its own gains from it  and Iran has been crucial to Russia on the ground in Syria. But Russia's goals in Syria arent ultimately about either Israel or Iran. Moscow is, however, wary of each party trying to work Russias presence to the detriment of the other.

As Russia has been adapting to the shifting regional situation after Kirkuk, the Trump administration appears to be in reverse because of its zero-sum view of Iranian behavior.

US national security adviser Gen. H.R. McMasters vision of a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran, on Oct. 19, as reported by Laura Rozen, seems more aspiration than reality, and may prevent Washington from the cleared-eyed analysis and strategy needed to keep pace with Iran, and now Russia, in Iraq.

There was of course a time when Iraq was not aligned with Iran, but the United States ended that era by taking out Saddam Hussein in 2003. Then there were the Iraqi parliamentary elections of 2010, where a plurality was won by the bloc led by Ayad Alawi, a secular nationalist who opposed Iranian influence in Iraq. However, the Americans were outmaneuvered by Iran, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, who also made sure that the Iraqi parliament did not agree to a US status of forces agreement. The United States eventually asked Alawi to give up the political fight, and Nouri al-Maliki, a more sectarian politician who had made his peace with Iran, took over as prime minister.

When the Islamic State (IS) took large swaths of Iraqi territory in 2014, Iran, like the United States, was there to help, not just in Baghdad, but in Iraqi Kurdistan. The formidable Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)  some backed by Iran, with others aligned with Iraqi clerical and militia leaders  made their bones, along with Iraqi federal security forces, in the battle against IS since 2014. Some of the PMU agendas may be more sectarian than national but, as one might miss from the Iran hype in Washington these days, the PMU forces are Iraqis, not Iranians, who command considerable respect and influence.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, for his part, is an Iraqi nationalist who just scored a major win in the eyes of most Iraqi Arabs by retaking Kirkuk and most of the disputed territories without massive bloodshed. He is speaking the language of the Iraqi Constitution and reconciliation  not ethnic score settling.

Given the outcome, one might wonder if Abadi would agree that Irans intervention was subverting Iraq, as McMaster claims, or rather helping the Iraqi government in its effort to restore sovereignty. There is, or perhaps should be, some nuance to the US position, as Rozen writes. The United States, like Iran, opposed the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum for much the same reasons. The United States wanted to avoid a major military escalation in Kirkuk, which Abadi, with Iranian help, was able to pull off.

A little nuance and realism might better serve the US posture than the now well-worn administration talkers about how each and every Iranian action is a threat to regional and world peace (or so it seems these days). Abadi is no Iranian proxy, but his interests are in a constructive friendly relationship with an influential and powerful neighbor. That relationship paid off last week. Abadi also knows he needs the United States, including to counter Iranian overreach. US military support, more than Irans, was decisive in taking back his country from IS. Washington, rather than Tehran, will be essential in helping broker reconciliation with Iraqs still disenfranchised Sunni community. Iran has no credibility in this enterprise. US efforts to help reconcile Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as Rozen reports, are giant steps toward postwar stabilization.

But Abadi has no interest in making Iraq a battlefield between the United States and Iran, and Washington would be well-served to keep that in mind. A zero-sum approach to Iran in Iraq is a likely loser for both the United States and Iraq, and a windfall for Moscow and Tehran.
A man who burned a Nazi-Confederate flag at the Talladega Superspeedway last weekend is planning another similar protest at a NASCAR event this month.

Gene Stilp, a Pennsylvania attorney, says he is planning another demonstration at Martinsville Speedway near Ridgeway, Va., Oct. 29.

According to News10 WSLS, Stilp intends to burn the flags in the public area around the speedway.

Stilp brought his one-man protest to Talladega after staging a similar protest in Delaware. He said the demonstration was aimed at showing people who don't fly a Confederate flag, but see nothing wrong with it, that the values embodied in it are associated with "racism, slavery, death and white supremacy."

"I want to send a message and make people think," he said. "The people in the middle perhaps don't know what exactly the flag means."

Stilp's Talladega protest went off without any incident.

In 2015, NASCAR officials asked fans not to display the Confederate battle flag at races.

Stilp, in an explanation, said the protest "is a small First Amendment demonstration to graphically express the similarity of what both flags stand for."
By Wendy Reeves, for AL.com

Deborah Soule was small in stature but huge in heart.

As a powerful force of love and determination, she made a big impact on Huntsville and the surrounding communities as the executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free Community.

She died Oct. 12 at age 83.

Soule was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in New Jersey. Her parents were Russian Jews who came to the U.S. to escape persecution. After her first husband died unexpectedly, she found herself a young, single parent with three children, Maurice, Faith and Hope. She moved to Florida to start a new life. While there, she became a Judeo-Christian, a change of which her Jewish family did not approve.

Shortly after her spiritual awakening, a new job led Soule to Huntsville in the mid-1970s. While working at Christian radio station WNDA-95.1, she met and eventually married Edward Soule, who later became a Methodist minister. And Huntsville became home.

She wrote a children's book, "The Princess Without a Kingdom," and turned it into a ballet which was performed at the Von Braun Center.

Then while she was working with the Girl Scouts, Soule wrote and produced a play, "The Gift of Water," about the history of the Tennessee River in north Alabama.

In 1987, tragedy hit the family when Deborah's son Maurice was killed by a drunk driver in a car crash. Love and grief fueled a passion within her to never let another person go through the pain she felt.

It's been nearly 30 years since she accepted the challenge of setting up the nonprofit Partnership from scratch with a grant from the Junior League.

She would sometimes reminisce about her first days at Partnership when she walked into a tiny office with a folding chair and a single file folder. But she rarely talked about her personal experience. That pain was too deep, she said.

Soule started each day with hours of Bible study and prayers for her family, friends, community and its leaders. She never met a stranger. Her positive energy affected everyone who crossed paths with her.

Over the years, she built the Partnership into a strong organization responsible for drug, alcohol and tobacco awareness programs. There were many milestones along the way as she worked tirelessly with others to steer young people away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

She put together a staff which taught programs in schools and after school. She created law enforcement and clergy coalitions for collaborative efforts. She was instrumental in the passage of state legislation related to synthetic drugs.

The Partnership took the lead in helping local law enforcement set up the initial Prescription Pill Takeback events.

At its strongest point, the Partnership had programs in 18 counties across north Alabama and a staff of nine. In recent years, as funds dwindled for nonprofits, the group has struggled to keep going, but Soule refused to give up. She believed, she knew, it was too important. So it keeps going.

Soule and the Partnership team stayed on top of drug trends to keep its programs relevant. About six years ago when prescription pill abuse began to emerge as a large issue, Deborah developed a new program for teens: Today's Youth, Tomorrow's Leaders, or TYTL. Its goal is to educate high school student volunteers about the dangers of prescription pill abuse and to help them design outreach campaigns for their peer group.

A few weeks ago, when TYTL met to start its fifth year, Deborah told her staff, "This is going to be our best year yet!"

Last Thursday, she finalized plans with her staff for Partnership's Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Board meeting on Oct. 26. Always a stickler for details and planning ahead, she had everything in order when she left the Partnership office for the day. She died suddenly a few hours later.

Soule made a difference in many lives in Huntsville, Madison County and across the state. When she was on a mission, she never hesitated to pick up the phone, write a letter or email, call the media -- whatever it took to get the job done. It was hard to say no to her. Just ask any law enforcement leader, government official or board member, past or present, who met her.

A large, diverse crowd turned out for her visitation and funeral on Monday, a reflection of the lives she touched.
A rainy end to the weekend is in the forecast today, followed by a blast of colder air that will put fall into full effect.

An approaching cold front is bringing rain and storms to Alabama as of Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Some of those storms have been on the strong side in south Alabama.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has placed a marginal risk of severe weather over parts of south Alabama. That area was expanded later Sunday to include parts of central Alabama as well.

A marginal risk means isolated severe storms will be possible -- including a brief tornado or two. Several of those have been sighted as of Sunday afternoon.

The SPC said that as of Sunday afternoon that a watch wasn't anticipated for south Alabama, although some tornado warnings have already been issued for areas near the coast. SPC forecasters said a weak/brief tornado or two would be possible through the afternoon, but the chance of a tornado watch being issued was 20 percent.

Severe weather isn't expected farther north, but there could be a few strong storms, according to the weather service.

Cooler and drier air is expected to take hold once the front clears out.

It looks to be the coolest air of the fall so far.

Highs on Tuesday may not even reach 60 degrees in north and parts of central Alabama. On Wednesday south Alabama may only make it into the mid-60s as the cooler air travels southward.

Frost could be possible in north Alabama by Wednesday night.

Here's a look region by region of what to expect today:

SOUTH ALABAMA

Flood threat upgraded to elevated over the coastal zones. pic.twitter.com/GzE4KKXkae  NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 22, 2017

Parts of southwest Alabama were already seeing rain and storms as of Sunday afternoon.

A few of those storms have been severe, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile.

2PM Numerous supercell thunderstorms ongoing offshore and near the coast, roughly confined to areas south of I-10 pic.twitter.com/qyxqc51BPy  NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 22, 2017

The weather service said that the strongest storms could contain damaging wind gusts and possibly even a brief tornado.

Strong storms will be possible through the evening hours.

Heavy rain has fallen today in many areas in southwest Alabama, and the weather service estimated that more than 6 inches has fallen in parts of southern Mobile County. Several flood warnings have been issued today so far.

The rain is expected to move out of the area from west to east by midday Monday.

CENTRAL ALABAMA

Showers, maybe few storms, tonight as cold front moves into the state. Rain  from W to E on Monday w/ cooler temps. #alwx pic.twitter.com/XxhVK6ZVsY  NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) October 22, 2017

Expect rain to spread from west to east today, with the best chances for rain during the day for areas west of Interstate 65, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.

Forecasters said 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain will be possible in central Alabama, with parts of east Alabama potentially getting the most.

The weather service is not as worried about flooding, saying those rain totals should come over a window of 6-9 hours. However, low-lying areas could see some localized flooding.

A few strong storms will be possible, but widespread severe weather is not expected as of Sunday morning. The strongest storms could bring gusty winds.

The rain is expected to start to end before noon on Monday.

NORTH ALABAMA



[325p] Wet tonight-Mon w/ storms/showers expected w/ cold front. Some of the storms could be strong w/ gusty winds & heavy rainfall. #HUNwx pic.twitter.com/gV6gBWB1LU  NWS Huntsville (@NWSHuntsville) October 22, 2017

Look for rain and storms to increase in number by this evening, according to the National Weather Service in Huntsville.

The main impacts will be heavy rain and gusty winds. Localized flooding is possible in areas that get hit with stronger storms.

Even though it has been dry lately, the weather service said the threat for minor flooding is there, mainly because of the potential for training storms, especially in northeast Alabama.

The threat for heavy rain could linger into Monday morning, but the rain is expected to end from west to east during the day.
AUSTIN, Texas -- The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush gathered in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara, and George W. Bush's wife, Laura, were in the audience.

Grammy award winner Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at the concert that also featured country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The appeal backed by the ex-presidents has raised $31 million since it began on Sept. 7, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush.

President Donald Trump offered a video greeting that avoided his past criticism of the former presidents and called them "some of America's finest public servants."

"This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another," Trump said in the greeting, played during the concert.

Four of the five former presidents -- Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton -- made brief remarks that did not mention Trump. The elder Bush did not speak but smiled and waved to the crowd. They appealed for national unity to help those hurt by the hurricanes.

"The heart of America, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems," said Clinton.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bush's presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money."

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said ex-presidents are seen as less polarizing than the current president.

"They can't get away from the politics of the moment," he said of current White House occupants. "Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nation's grandfather."

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

--By Will Weissert
Dressed like a neo-Nazi straight out of central casting, the man came striding out of the performing arts center like an actor on a stage.

His head was shaved, of course.

His sideburn mutton chops were to script.

The man's white T-shirt was patterned with swastikas, and his beige combat boots and cargo shorts completed the uniform. He even was wearing those thick red suspenders that are the ultimate fashion statements for all skinheads.

The suspenders wouldn't stay on long. Anti-fascist protesters were about to rip them off.

The confrontation played out like orchestrated propaganda, the latest attempt by political extremists to create chaos at a public university in the South for video cameras and, of course, the modern-day vehicle of choice for mass hysteria, social media.

Preparation by law enforcement for Thursday's speech at the University of Florida by white nationalist leader Richard Spencer almost ensured the physical separation of Spencer's group of political extremists and those who would gather to oppose their presence. Blockades, barriers, and specialized units of state police known as the "Quick Reaction Force" secured the area well. This would not be another Charlottesville, where white nationalists, right-wing militias and anti-fascist protesters converged together in city streets.

In other words, if demonstrators wanted to pick a fight at UF, then they had to go out of their way to do it. If Spencer's people wanted violence to breakout on campus, then they had to work for it.

The man wearing the neo-Nazi outfit was about to put in the work.

A man dressed in neo-Nazi attire walked through the crowd of protesters on Thursday, Oct.19, 2017.

The parking lot directly in front of the Phillips Center on Thursday was closed off from people by temporary traffic barriers. Alongside the barriers, uniformed state troopers formed an additional deterrent against anyone who might want to rush the building.

In the days leading up to Spencer's speech, the University of Florida spent around $600,000 on security, according to university President Kent Fuchs. The governor of Florida, Rick Scott, declared a state of emergency to free up additional funds and law enforcement. It seemed like every state trooper in north and central Florida was in Gainesville on Thursday.

There were state troopers with binoculars on every rooftop. A helicopter monitored the area from above. Heavily armored SWAT teams patrolled the streets on elaborate all-terrain vehicles.

The buildup had transformed a portion of UF's campus into a visual representation of these tumultuous political times. With the surrounding streets blocked off from traffic, it felt very much like the set of a movie about martial law or the great Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s and 60s. For someone wanting to project out to the world a message of division in America, the stage was set.

Gathered behind the barriers, a few hundred protesters watched the lone neo-Nazi walk away from Spencer's speech inside the Phillips Center, and towards them. Reporters rushed into place to document the scene. Dozens of students held up their phones to record the theater. Chaos erupted, of course, when the man wearing swastikas on his shirt walked past the barriers and into the parking lot of protesters.

It was like punching a hole in a hornets nest, and then sticking around to see what happens next.

Screaming, spitting virulence swarmed the man dressed in neo-Nazi garb. It was ugly stuff -- pure emotional poison shot directly into the veins of America through all the usual needles, Twitter, Facebook Live, InstaGram, etc.

It happened at Auburn in April and then at the University of Virginia in August and now at the University of Florida in October. Under the guise of free speech protected by the First Amendment, political extremists are using public universities and state resources to manufacture and mass communicate scenes of racial hatred in America.

The buzz around UF in the days leading up to Spencer's appearance focused on a university united against hatred. One popular T-shirt disseminated by students summed up the week: "Gators not haters." Fraternities and sororities around campus displayed painted banners from their houses that read "Love not hate" and "#TogetherUF."

Local Gainesville church members printed shirts to voice their message.

"[Spencer] stands against everything that we believe in, that we stand for as a university," said Robert Portugues, a 22-year-old student at UF, who is originally from Tampa. "As a university, we stand for diversity."

Portugues and his friends attended Spencer's speech in an effort to drown out the speaker's ideas of white supremacy and racial separation. It worked. Spencer and his followers were met with strong resistance inside the auditorium of the Phillips Center. Students at UF viewed it as a great victory for their university, but from a national perspective it was another dark day for a fracturing country.

Friends Alberto Barcemas (left), Robert Portugues (middle) and Josue Romero attended the speech by Richard Spencer at UF to drown out his voice. Barcemas and Portugues are students at UF and Romero is an alumnus now working at the university.

After the event, a white nationalist supporter from Texas fired a gun into a group of anti-fascist protesters at a bus stop. No one was injured during the exchange, and the gunman and two of his accomplices were arrested 20 miles north of Gainesville and charged with attempted murder. The men traveled from Texas to Gainesville for Spencer's speech.

Spencer is the president of the National Policy Institute, which is located in Northern Virginia. The organization aligns itself with the so-called "alt-right" arm of the Republican Party. After President Donald Trump's victory last November, Spencer received publicity and notoriety for shouting "Heil Trump" during a speech.

Spencer was then one of the principal organizers of the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August. That rally included a torchlit march by white nationalists through the campus of the University of Virginia. It sparked a day of violence that included the deaths of an anti-racism protester and two Virginia state troopers.

For many who gathered at UF to protest Spencer's speech, ignoring the presence of white nationalists on campus was not an option. A teacher of AP statistics at a local high school, Shelton Wright said he felt a moral obligation to be counted among the protesters. Wright graduated from UF in 2002 with a degree in chemical engineering. After several years working in his field, he turned his focus to education.

"I wanted a career change and wanted to be hands on with the youth growing up," Wright said.

He is now working towards a doctorate in agricultural and biological engineering while teaching at Gainesville P.K. Yonge High School. His students knew he would be attending the protest at UF, and they told him to be safe. For Wright, another flashpoint of political extremism at a Southern college town, this time his alma mater, could not be dismissed as unimportant. Allowing it to go unchecked, he said, was something akin to acceptance.

"Definitely the attention that they're trying to bring here is a big motivation for why they're doing it," Wright said. "But at the same time, I think there is this undercurrent in culture across the United States that we tend to push into the corner and say it doesn't exist in our places and our neighborhood and we don't have people like that. And they're here. They are everywhere.

"And, so, to kind of pretend that they're just not there and marginalize them, I think is not helping."
President Donald Trump's advisory commission on election integrity has integrity questions of its own -- with some of its own members raising concerns about its openness.



This past week, two members fired off letters to commission staff complaining about a lack of information about the panel's agenda and demanding answers about its activities. That comes as Democratic U.S. senators are requesting a government investigation of the commission for ignoring formal requests from Congress.



The criticism from the commissioners was remarkable because it came from insiders -- the very people who are supposed to be privy to its internal discussions and plans.



In a letter sent Oct. 17, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said it was clear he was not being made aware of information pertaining to the commission. He requested copies of all correspondence between commission members since Trump signed the executive order creating it in May.



"I am in a position where I feel compelled to inquire after the work of the commission upon which I am sworn to serve, and am yet completely uninformed as to its activities," Dunlap wrote in his letter to Andrew Kossack, the commission's executive director.



He said he had received no information about the commission's research or activities since its last meeting, on Sept. 12. He also said he continued to receive media inquiries about commission developments "that I as a commissioner am blind to."



A commissioner from Alabama, Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan L. King, said he sent a similar letter late last week. He said the only information he has received since the commission's meeting more than a month ago was an email informing him of the death of a fellow commissioner, former Arkansas state lawmaker David Dunn.



"Here I am on this high-level government committee, and I don't know when the next meetings are or how many meetings there will be," he said in a telephone interview. "I am in the dark on what will happen from this point on, to tell you the truth."



King and Dunlap are two of four Democrats on the 11-member commission.





Requests for comment sent to Kossack, the commission's executive director, and the commission's vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, were not returned.



J. Christian Adams, a commission member who was a Justice Department attorney under former President George W. Bush, said in an email that all commissioners were receiving the same information.



"Once upon a time election integrity was bipartisan," Adams said in the email. "Apparently not all agree. That's a shame."



The commission has stirred controversy from the moment it was established last spring. Critics say Trump is using it to find support for his unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud that cost him the popular vote during the 2016 election. Democrat Hillary Clinton received 2.8 million more votes nationwide than Trump.



While there have been isolated cases of voter fraud in the U.S., there is no evidence of it being a widespread problem, as Trump suggests.



Critics argue the commission is stacked with people who favor voting restrictions, rather than those who want to expand access, and that the commission has a predetermined agenda that will result in recommendations making it more difficult for people to register to vote, stay registered and cast ballots.



Its first significant action was to request a wide range of information about all registered voters in every state, including partial Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and voting history. The commission scaled back its response after stinging criticism. A tally by Associated Press reporters nationwide shows that 15 states denied the request, raising questions about how useful the information will be.



In August, the AP filed a records request with the commission under the federal Freedom of Information Act. The law specifies that agencies -- including presidential commissions -- have 20 business days to respond or 10 calendar days if the request was filed on an expedited basis, as the AP's was. To date, the AP has received no response from the commission despite multiple attempts to get one.



The commission's secrecy prompted a lawsuit by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which alleges the commission is violating federal open meetings and disclosure laws.



The group's executive director, Kristen Clarke, said she was hard-pressed to think of another commission that had acted in such secrecy.



"We have found that, in every respect, this commission has been carrying out its activities in an almost covert fashion," she said.



The lack of openness even applies to members of Congress.



Democratic senators have filed at least five separate requests for information with the commission since June, and a Sept. 12 follow-up letter noted that none of those had received a response.



"The Commission has not responded to a single letter from Senators with oversight jurisdiction over the Commission and continues to be rebuked for its questionable activities," said the letter by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.



Last week, a group of three Democratic senators wrote the Government Accountability Office seeking an investigation into the commission because of its lack responsiveness and transparency. The letter signed by Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Klobuchar cited a lack of transparency on the commission and concern that its conclusions would diminish confidence in the democratic process.



"It is incredible that they are not responding to any of this stuff, and that's why it's appropriate for GAO to take a look," Bennet said in an interview.



By Christina A. Cassidy, Associated Press
For the second time this month, a city in Baldwin County could determine whether to move forward with an independent city school system.

This time, Daphne city leaders will decide whether it's prudent to continue with a process that has already cost its taxpayers $38,000.

The City Council, during a 6 p.m. meeting Oct. 30, will learn about the financial ramifications of an independent city system. The analysis will be unveiled by Birmingham-based Criterion Consulting LLC, which was hired earlier this summer to determine the costs of a split from the Baldwin County School System.

The council, after learning the results, could vote to spend another $35,000 for a second analysis, which will delve into more details on how to break away. The city initially budgeted $35,000 earlier this year on the project.

"We may or may not choose to go with the new phase," council President Ron Scott said, adding that he doesn't anticipate a vote on Oct. 30. "We haven't rushed, so far. I wouldn't want us to rush this process either."

'Positive, optimistic'

Daphne's meeting comes less than one month after the Gulf Shores City Council voted unanimously to form a city school board. Applications to be a member of the Gulf Shores board will be gathered up by the end of the month. The new school board will be announced after Thanksgiving.

"I'm excited that Gulf Shores is leading the way," Daphne City Councilman Robin LeJeune said. He's one of the key proponents in Daphne for a city school system. "I think their study came back very positive and ... I'm hoping we'll see some of the same results. I'm very positive and optimistic."

But the circumstances involving the two cities are very different. For one, Daphne began its public process of conducting a study in February and has spent more money doing so. Gulf Shores, on the other hand, hired the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) to conduct its study for $15,000, of which $12,000 was paid for by residents advocating for a breakaway.

The Gulf Shores process, at least publicly, took place relatively rapidly. The city began public talks about a breakaway in July.

Baldwin County schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler, in a statement, praised Daphne's approach.

"While I will reserve my opinions until Daphne's study has been presented, I can say that we have much more confidence in the quality of the study being done by Daphne than the one performed in Gulf Shores," said Tyler. "The multi-month process and vast amount of details Daphne's team has collected from us are a steep contrast to the one-month study Gulf Shores commissioned from a firm who has never performed a feasibility study."

Gulf Shores City Councilman Jason Dyken, chairman of the council's finance committee, commended Daphne for "exploring all possible options to enhance education" within their city.

"The groundswell of support our community demonstrated in July pushed us to do the same," Dyken said. "The due diligence we have completed has left no doubt that a city school system is the best option for Gulf Shores, but only the Daphne community can determine what is right for them. We wish them the best regardless of which path they choose."

Dyken and other Gulf Shores city officials have defended their PARCA study, saying they are very confident in the group's work. PARCA is a well-regarded think tank in Birmingham, and the group released a five-page summary showing that a new city school system was financially doable in Gulf Shores, with no tax increase required.

Said Scott about the Gulf Shores work: "They got a heck of a (deal) if their numbers are good."

But Scott defended Daphne's choice to go with Criterion, a company that specializes in educational consulting in Alabama.

He said only two companies offered bids to Daphne. The other was from consultant Ira Harvey, who was hired when the city previously considered breaking away in 2006. Harvey's study, at the time, came back with a $1.5 million price-tag needed to pay for the transition, prompting the city to abandon the effort.

Scott, himself, is initially hesitant about a split from the county. He believes that the city will pull back from a split because of the need to raise taxes. He also said that unlike the situation in Gulf Shores, there is not citizen-led initiative for a breakaway in Daphne.

"Nine out of 10 people who have commented to me, they do not think it's necessary and would not want to increase the tax base in order to have a separate school system," said Councilman Joe Davis.

Said Scott: "Because it's not driven by parents, but by council members, I don't think it will fly." He referred to school split supporters on the council, mainly Councilmen LeJeune and Doug Goodlin.

LeJeune said if there weren't any public support for the effort, "I wouldn't be putting myself at risk."

LeJeune said the biggest reason why Daphne' process has been slower than Gulf Shores' is because there are council members "who are hesitant about this."

He added, "They are open-minded about it, but they have reservations. So it's about being cautious and moving forward with as much information as we can get before we make a big decision. ... In Gulf Shores, they were just ready and there was full support all around."

Indeed, in Gulf Shores, the council voted unanimously to split and form a city school board during an Oct. 9 council meeting.

In Daphne, said LeJeune, the city leaders "just need some positive information to pull the trigger. We are the largest city in Baldwin County, so it's a bigger feat for us and not to mention how many kids it would affect. We have a lot of kids outside the city who go to Daphne schools and kids in Daphne who go to schools in Spanish Fort and Fairhope."

State's 20th-largest city

Daphne, like most of Baldwin County, is seeing its population soar. Daphne's population grew from 18,849 in 2006 to 25,913 in 2016, a 37 percent spike, according to Census estimates.

Daphne added 1,027 people from 2015 to 2016, a 4.13 percent rate, which was the fastest of any Alabama city of more than 10,000 residents. The city is now the 20th largest in Alabama, surpassing Homewood and Athens.

The speedy growth has led to more portable classrooms at city schools to accommodate the influx of students.

Gulf Shores has faced growth issues as well - going from 10,435 residents in 2010 to 11,689 in 2016, for a 12 percent increase. The beach city is also a major attraction in Alabama, driving much of the state's tourism activity.

The Gulf Shores breakaway came after upset with Baldwin school officials about the construction of new schools in other parts of the county. The county school system had planned to build additions to Gulf Shores Elementary, but scrapped the project while city officials discussed going their own way. Now, Orange Beach is slated to get a new $14.9 million school on Canal Road.

Gulf Shores school advocates have downplayed their disagreements with the Baldwin County system, though both sides have rarely talked in recent months. Gulf Shores officials believe the split will help bolster academics and extracurriculars, while providing an economic development boost.

Daphne city officials have also had disagreements with the county school system. In April, the two sides butted heads over the city's consideration of a proposed 900-home subdivision that would bring a wave of new students into the area. Both sides agreed that they were frustrated by what appeared to be insufficient communication about new developments and school projects.

Scott, though, said the overall relationship between the city and the county school system is "good." And Councilman Joe Davis said he doesn't view the current county school structure as "broken" and requiring a change.

The Daphne City Council approved in May the formation of an education advisory committee, which would focus on improving the schools within the city. But the committee's formation is on hold until talks about a city breakaway are over, or more forward.

"I'm open to it but right now I would need something to sway me," said Davis. "We ought to work on the school board we have now ... if we want to invest money to improve the school system we have now. We have not done that to a great extent."

He added, "I want the citizens to get the facts and do what the citizens want us to do."

Added Tyler, the Baldwin County superintendent: "While we don't know what they will recommend, nor what the council will adopt, we are fully committed to working with the city to focus on excellence in schools and if they so desire, a partnership to enhance education in the Daphne feeder pattern."
Barack Obama

Obama

(Julio Cortez)

How did Mississippi beat us?

We've always depended on our neighbor to the west to prevent us from being America's caboose--in everything.

In education. In healthcare. In poverty.

You name it.

Mississippi consistently keeps us from being dead last, the bottom of the barrel, the gum on the sole of the nation's shoe.

Thank God for Mississippi, we shout! (As pitiable as such pride may be.)

Except for this: Mississippi did something that makes so much sense it's almost laughable.

It allowed a local PTA and its community to rename schools named for a Confederate "heroes".

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees allowed parents of students in its district and residents living near the district's schools to rename Jefferson Davis (named for the president of the failed Confederacy), George (named for Confederate colonel and later U.S. Senator James Zachariah George) and Robert E Lee elementary schools, if they chose to do so.

This week, the PTA president informed the board that the community had voted to rename Davis IB Elementary School--which holds about 300 students, 97 percent of whom are African-American--as Barack Obama Magnet 1B Elementary School.



The re-branding won't be complete until the 2018-19 school year, allowing time for re-do signs, websites, stationary and other aspects of the transition.



But still, they beat us.

They beat us by doing the right thing.

They beat us because our big brothers and sisters in Montgomery--along with Auntie Kay--don't trust us (local citizens) to do what we think is best for us (local citizens).

Particularly when it comes to monuments to the Confederacy, including schools named for the men who went to war against America to preserve slavery.

Barack Obama Magnet 1B is the 16th school in the nation named for our 44th president, spread across 12 states.

My stance on Confederate monuments is no secret, but that's not the debate here.

It's a travesty that schools were lumped into the hideous Alabama Memorial Preservation Law, which Gov. Kay Ivey signed in late May, not long after taking office, making it illegal for local governments to move or alter historical monuments that sit on public property and have been in place for more than four decades.

It's a travesty because schools matter, even more so than the thousands of pounds of concrete that have been the source of angst, consternation and even tragedy in this nation for far too long.

Schools matter because, outside of the home, they are the most important institutions in young people's lives.

Because they are (or should be) a source of pride--a name emblazoned across a jersey, band uniform or T-shirt, a named recalled with fondness years later when someone asks, "Where'd you go?"

Because they are where young minds are nurtured, young hearts are strengthened and young lives are guided towards greatness.

Or they should be.

I attended Dunbar Elementary School in Tulsa, Okla., named for Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet.

I daresay I may not have learned about Dunbar and how he created art with words had the school been named for anyone else.

And I know that today my son's middle name would not be Laurence had I not gone there.

Some students in Huntsville launched a petition to change the name of Lee High School to honor former student Paulette Turner, who integrated the then-all-white school in 1964 and went on to become a successful IBM executive.

They've garnered more than 2,700 signatures supporting the change (including mine)--but Auntie Kay won't let them do it because, see, she knows better.

A number of parents in Montgomery are swelling with the desire to change the names of two high schools in that city--Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.

One game, two Confederate "heroes"



The student bodies of both schools, just like at Lee High School in Huntsville, are predominantly African-American. Maybe Davis or Lee could be named for our first African-American president.

Imagine the pride and inspiration it would engender in those students as they walked through doors each day bearing his name, or donned jerseys, band uniforms or T-shorts bearing "Obama" across their chest.

Administrators there, however, are "scared" to push for the name change, and unwilling "to make a difference," in the words of one parent. Perhaps because the Montgomery County School System has 12 failing schools, including Davis, and is under state intervention--and, well, you wouldn't want to anger Auntie Kay.

She, after all, knows better.

The beauty of what occurred in Jackson, Mississippi was in its process.

Their PTA solicited suggestions from parents, students and school staff. Each class made a presentation on the person they supported. Then on October 5, the community voted--using paper ballots.

PTA president Janelle Jefferson (oh, the irony) explained the community's choice: "They could relate to Barack Obama because of his achievements, because he looks like them."

Because they knew better.

Much better than us.

Roy S. Johnson's column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. He may be reached at rjohnson@al.com or twitter.com/roysj
A film and a real-life story highlight the very different reactions of the Kremlin to a Russian-Ukrainian love affair.

Two dramatic love stories, both featuring a Ukrainian and a Russian, have been making headlines in Moscow in recent weeks, albeit for different reasons. One of them enjoys the full sanction of the Russian authorities. About the other, they would rather not comment.

Permissible love

Alyona is a Ukrainian journalist from Kiev and a liberal; Sasha is a former marine from Sevastopol and a Russian patriot. They meet at the ruins of a medieval city in Crimea in the summer of 2013 and fall in love. As the anti-government protests in Kiev begin, Alyona joins them enthusiastically; Sasha does not approve.

The two lovers argue over the Maidan; he thinks the protesters are banderovtsi, that is, supporters of Stepan Bandera, leader of a radical nationalist Ukrainian movement during World War II; she thinks they are heroes.

When the Russian army, or the so-called polite people, rolls into Crimea, he is happy because he thinks they will prevent an impending war.

She is angry about it, and yet is unable to resist him and they spend a passionate night together. It then turns out that her Maidan friends are indeed banderovtsi who have been conspiring to start a war in Crimea.

They kidnap Sasha, but she alerts the polite people, who foil the plot heroically and save Crimea from a violent war. In the end, he goes to fight against her own people, most probably in the Donbas, but she still loves him.

This is, in short, the plot of the recently released Russian film Crimea. It is a Ukrainian love story with an official stamp of approval from the Russian defence ministry.

The film was created at the initiative of Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, and sponsored by the ministry which provided the military equipment and special forces for all its action-filled scenes.

The director of the film, Alexei Pimanov, says he was in Crimea in March 2014 and witnessed the events presented in his film. I consider Crimea not a governmental, but a national film, he told Russian media outlet MK.

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Despite its patriotic flavour, the film was not much of a success.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle, a Hollywood spy action film released just before Crimea, made double the profit and had double the viewership in Russia.

Crimeas premiere was held in the Kremlin in late September amid a scandal: tens of thousands of accounts at Kinopoisk, one of Russias main film websites, were found to have been hacked and used to boost its anticipation rating.

After Kinopoisk discovered the hack and removed the fake votes, the films rating fell from 60 to 21 percent.

Currently, Crimea has an overall film score of 2.5/10; by comparison, Kingsman got 7.2/10.

Forbidden love

Tatyana is a 17-year-old Russian high-school student from Sochi and a big fan of 20th century Ukrainian history; Pavel is a 19-year-old philosophy student in Kiev and a Ukrainian patriot.

Their love story starts in the Russian social network VKontakte in January 2017, where they discover they have a lot in common.

They both are enthralled by the eventful life of Stepan Bandera and both like to read about Ukrainian nationalism. They soon fall in love and they start making plans to be together in Ukraine, to train as volunteers in a military camp and then go to Donbas.

But when Tatyana applies for a passport, she gets a visit from the FSB. She is told that if she cooperates with them, meets Pavel and just asks him a couple of questions, she would be issued the passport.

Tatyana tells her beloved everything and he agrees to the meeting, to be held in Belarus, which Tatyana visit without a passport.

Under the supervision of Tatyanas mother, they meet in the Belarusian city of Gomel. The meeting is quick, they have enough time only to embrace each other and agree on future plans. It is the last time they see each other.

Shortly after they part, Pavel is kidnapped and then transferred to Russia, where he now faces charges of terrorism.

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This love story is not a plot of a film. It is what Ukrainian media outlet Hromadskoe and Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta were able to uncover investigating the mysterious disappearance of a Ukrainian citizen in Belarus and his reappearance in detention in the Russian city of Krasnodar.

The Belarusian authorities denied ever detaining Pavel but acknowledged that the Russians had put him on a wanted list.

On September 13, almost three weeks after his disappearance, the Russian authorities finally acknowledged that Pavel was under arrest in Russia.

The Russian government is yet to comment on Pavel and Tatyanas story. The Ukrainian government has handed an official protest note to Moscow and demanded that Pavel be released immediately, but to no avail.

On October 18, the Krasnodar court extended his arrest until January 2018. Pavel has been charged with planning a terrorist attack; according to Russian media. The prosecution accuses him of encouraging Tatyana to plant a bomb in her school.

Pavel is suffering from a life-threatening condition for which he was supposed to undergo surgery.

According to his lawyer, the Russian authorities have refused to give him the medicine he needs and, as a result, his condition is worsening.

Tatyana is also part of the court case: she told Novaya Gazeta that she has not received the passport she was promised.

Follow Mariya Petkova on Twitter: @mkpetkova
When the Syrian war began, the government of Abkhazia moved to bring ethnically Abkhaz-Syrians back to their homeland.

Sukhumi, Abkhazia  Omar Shakouj remembers the day his family arrived in Abkhazia, a Georgian-claimed breakaway territory on the Black Sea, as they fled the war in Syria.

It was supposed to be his ancestral homeland  Shakoujs forebears left the region in the 19th Century  and a warm homecoming in otherwise trying circumstances.

Yet, the 24-year-old has one abiding memory from July 5, 2013.

I was in shock, Shakouj recalls. I asked myself, what have I done?'

Since breaking away from Georgia in the early 1990s during a bloody conflict, Abkhazia has gained de facto statehood but not international recognition. Independence came at a high cost, with isolation and economic sanctions inhibiting reconstruction and leaving the picturesque territory dotted with war-damaged infrastructure. Recognised by Moscow in 2008 and a few unlikely allies thereafter, Abkhazia has grown increasingly reliant on Russian aid.

When protests in Syrias Damascus transformed into a country-wide conflagration, Abkhazia acted swiftly to bring ethnically Abkhaz Syrians to safety. While European governments dithered over a response to the crisis, Abkhazias foreign ministry flew approximately 500 refugees on two charter flights from Beirut, Lebanon, to a Russian airport near the Abkhazian border.

I thought it would be like Europe, says Shakouj.

Instead, surrounded by bullet-ridden buildings and isolated due to his inability to speak Abkhaz or Russian, he felt despair. In fleeing one warzone, Shakouj had ended up in another  a frozen conflict unresolved 25 years later.

A tumultuous past

The history of Abkhazia has long been one of turmoil. In the early 1800s, Tsar Alexander brought Ottoman-ruled territory on the northern shores of the Black Sea into the Russian Empire. Over the following decades, Muslim Abkhaz and related ethnic groups from across the region were forcibly exiled to the Middle East. The Circassian genocide, as it is labelled by some, is believed to have left almost one million dead.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, thousands of Abkhazians had to leave their motherland, Abkhazia President Raul Khajimba explains. Most settled in modern-day Turkey, Syria and Jordan, forming close-knit communities with the other displaced ethnicities.

Today, the descendants of those refugees have a constitutional right to return home, the leader adds.

READ MORE: Where are the Syrian refugees?

Russian control of Abkhazia gained a communist complexion in 1921, and within a decade the territory was subsumed into Soviet Georgia. With its snow-capped peaks, mountain lakes and azure waters, Abkhazia became a famous tourist destination  Stalin had five holiday houses in this Soviet Riviera.

But beneath the sun-drenched surface, a campaign of Georgianisation saw the titular group persecuted and reduced to a minority. By the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, just one in five Abkhazians were ethnic Abkhaz.

The August 1992 arrival of Georgian troops in response to a declaration of independence by Abkhazias parliament sparked a horrific conflict, and allegations of ethnic cleansing have been levelled against both sides.

By September 1993, Abkhazian militias had driven their Georgian opposition to the traditional Inguri river border  September 30 marked the 24th anniversary of what Abkhazians call Victory Day. In recent years the territory has swung towards Russias orbit of influence; the United States currently describes Abkhazia as a Russian occupied region.

The Arabic teacher

Munir Kudzhba was one of the first Syrians to arrive in Abkhazia. Standing in a sparse classroom at the state university, writing stylish Arabic script on the blackboard, Kudzhbas wrinkled face and balding scalp betray his 73 or 74 years (he cant remember his exact age).

The former communications technician hoped he would be enjoying retirement by now, split between homes in Damascus and the Syrian countryside. Instead, he teaches Arabic to a small collection of students at a campus on the outskirts of Abkhazias capital, Sukhumi.

Ethnically Abkhaz and proud of his heritage, Kudzhba had long harboured ambitions of moving to Abkhazia. But after a tumultuous early life  he fled the Golan Heights in his early 20s when Israel occupied the Syrian territory during the 1967 War  and a career with stints in Europe and Russia, Kudzhba believed his time had passed.

I thought I was too old for a new life, he tells Al Jazeera. Then the crisis started.

As the violence spiralled in 2012, Kudzhba purchased airfares for himself and four family members. They sold their car and flew to Russia  Sukhumis airport has been inactive since the war. Although Kudzhba arrived in Abkhazia prior to the official government programme, he still received financial and housing support. A job at the university followed, and the lecturer says he is pleased to be giving back to Abkhazian society.

Life is getting better, he says enthusiastically, although admits his pre-existing Russian language skills help. My wife is less happy, but this is the best we could do  we had to leave Syria.

Officially, Kudzhba and his compatriots are labelled by Abkhazian officials as repatriates rather than refugees.

Kudzhba does not see himself as an outsider.

I meet people on the streets and feel like they are my brothers, he says as he smiles, gazing out towards Abkhazias serene Black Sea shores.

While Kudzhba hopes to visit Syria in the future, he does not envisage ever living there again. This is my home now.

READ MORE: Turkeys Syrian refugees carve out their own opportunities

Integration woes

Sipping tea in the afternoon sunlight, Viacheslav Chirikba  a linguist by profession and Abkhazias foreign minister until 2016  recalls how he and his colleagues plotted to bring Abkhaz Syrians home.

We have had long-standing ties with the diaspora in Syria, Chirikba tells Al Jazeera. During the conflict here, some Syrian volunteers even came to fight. So when the war began in Syria, it was our problem too.

As the crisis escalated, Chirikba began negotiating with Russias embassy in Damascus and the Russian secret service to ensure the Syrians could pass through Sochi Airport en route to Abkhazia.

Without their support, the operation would not have happened, he says. Around 500 came in two waves  on a per capita basis, this is broadly equivalent to the number accepted annually by several large European states.

While Chirikba hails the programme a success story of which he is very proud  we rescued people from hardship, even possible death, it has not been without challenges. The Abkhazian government offered free courses in Russian and Abkhaz, but the language barrier proved insurmountable for some  and hampered job prospects in an already depressed economy.

Local resentment surfaced in certain quarters over the generous financial assistance provided to new arrivals. One Syrian told International Alert in 2014 that were strangers here, and were always reminded of it.

The religious divide also frustrates integration. Abkhazians are overwhelmingly Orthodox Christians, while most of the Syrians practise Islam.

IN PICTURES: Syrian refugees: A permanently temporary life

Since gaining de facto independence, Abkhazia has operated the State Committee for Repatriation to entice diaspora home. This has been a deliberate strategy to increase the proportion of ethnic Abkhaz in Abkhazian society, a fractious issue since Soviet-era Georgianisation and the ethnically-charged war.

It is not only Syrians, says Foreign Minister Kove, adding that the committee has been partially successful in attracting Abkhaz from Turkey.

The programme to repatriate Syrians was funded and coordinated by the committee.

Liana Kvarchelia, a prominent civil society activist, denies that Abkhazias rescue of the 500 Syrians was politically motivated.

While she admits that the number of ethnic Abkhaz in Abkhazia is source of concern, she says that at the time the war broke out, we had contact with Abkhaz Syrians and knew they were in a very dire situation.

She adds that no one was thinking about our demographic situation.

Grasping opportunities

A month after arriving in Abkhazia, Omar Shakouj was contemplating his options when an eccentric elderly local entered the lobby of his government-provided temporary accommodation, a hotel in Gudauta.

Addressing the small group of Syrian refugees present, the man explained that he had a work opportunity for one of them. Shakouj was the first out of his seat.

Jobs in fishing, wine-making, construction and hospitality followed. They might not be comparable to his pre-2013 role with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, but Shakouj has acquired Russian fluency and a taste for the local brandy, chacha.

Shakouj eventually moved to Sukhumi and was given a house by the Abkhazian authorities. He laughs as he explains that he has not paid rent in four years.

Sporting a short haircut and stubble on his face, the charismatic Shakouj holds courts over a meal at his favourite restaurant along Sukhumis charming seaside promenade. He misses his former life in Syria  before the war everything was great  and expresses mixed opinions about the ongoing conflict.

It is not just the government to blame, he says in a fast-talking, hand-waving manner.

I do not care whether the people are right or the government are right  war is bad. Shakouj left before it got really bad  before the rise of ISIL, and avoids reading news updates from his former home. I would not return, he says with certainty.

Not all of the refugees feel the same. Around 200 are reported to have already left, either back to Syria or joining the exodus to Europe. Shakoujs grandfather returned to Damascus for health reasons, believing that even in war-torn Syria the medical facilities were better than in Abkhazia.

Shakouj remains undecided about his future. He wants to pursue further study away from Sukhumi, but is hesitant to start over again. For now, such dilemmas can wait, he says.

Shakouj recently became engaged to a fellow Syrian, Lara Abdallah, who he met in Abkhazia. The two are now planning their wedding.

A crumbling, frozen conflict zone wedged between Russia and Georgia, Abkhazia is a world away from the cosmopolitan Europe of Shakoujs dreams. Nonetheless, whether he stays in his ancestral homeland or follows the well-worn path to Western Europe, Shakouj appreciates the generous hospitality of his new compatriots.

For a tiny nation with no resources to bring us here, give us citizenship and treat us as locals, not refugees, he reflects, I am incredibly grateful.
Fallujah, Iraq  Ibrahim recalls the anguished face of the patient who walked into his pharmacy, seeking anticoagulants to treat a blood clot that had formed in his brain.

[He] begged me for the medicine, but I didnt have it because the checkpoint was closed, said Ibrahim, who spoke to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym for fear of repercussions. It was so hard. I saw him crying as he left.

Access into and out of the Iraqi city of Fallujah through al-Suqoor checkpoint has been a major source of delays and frustration for local residents.

Al-Suqoor straddles the main highway between Fallujah and Baghdad. Vehicles wait on the long, dusty road in hopes that Iraqi forces will let them through  but these hopes are often in vain. Residents of the Sunni-majority city say that they are frequently discriminated against by forces working for Iraqs Shia government, in addition to the Shia militias aiding them.

Ibrahim, who has been a pharmacist for 16 years, said that the stringent screening at al-Suqoor checkpoint has become his primary obstacle in transporting medication from Baghdad to Fallujah. Swift access to the city is essential to keep costly medications from spoiling in the summer heat.

Some medicine needs to be transported in coolers, so its difficult to keep it cool [if the vehicles are waiting] at the checkpoint for one to three days, said Ibrahim, who says that he has lost some $5,000 worth of medicine due to the protracted security checks. Other business owners told Al Jazeera that they had also been held up for days by the security checks.

At the same time, there is an increase in demand for essential medicines, said Altaf Musani, the Iraq representative with the World Health Organization  partly because residents living under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) had limited access to medical facilities.

As theyve come out [of ISIL-held areas] and services have become available, people have been seeking medical care. There are also increased health conditions  Theres an overload, Musani told Al Jazeera.

Doctors and patients are not the only ones suffering: Butchers in Fallujahs main bazaar complain that they are unable to transport as many sheep from Baghdad to Fallujah as they have in the past, unless they bribe checkpoint security. A gold seller told Al Jazeera that he used to go to Baghdad twice a month to buy gold, but now he only goes once every two months.

Since Fallujah was retaken by the Iraqi army in June 2016, it has witnessed the steady return of some 300,000 people. But more than two years of ISIL occupation, coupled with structural damage by government shelling, has severely damaged its key infrastructure.

The United Nations has been working to rebuild the main hospital, but it is still only operating at around 30 percent of its capacity, with some floors inaccessible.

Its a big burden on the hospital, [because] facilities are growing slower than the amount of population coming back, said the hospitals director-general, Ahmed Abd Jubbar.

While Jubbar acknowledged that the hospital suffers from a shortage of medical tools and medications, he does not blame the government: The Ministry of Health supplies medicine. There is a shortage, but its getting better. [The Ministry] is trying to do its job, he told Al Jazeera.

But in a separate wing of the visibly damaged hospital, a 39-year-old surgeon, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that government security checks have contributed to a stark shortage of drugs. Doctors at private clinics cited similar concerns, raising doubts over the health ministrys claims of supply shortages and blaming checkpoint administrators for exacerbating the regions health crisis.







Asmaa Usama al-Ani, the head of the Anbar Provincial Councils health committee, said that her group has been in direct contact with the health ministry to enable a faster delivery of drugs to Fallujah and Anbar.

Its our biggest problem in the province, she said of the checkpoint. There are only two drivers with authorisation to go in and out of Anbar [with medications]. Yesterday, it took them seven hours to get to Fallujah. This has happened as a result of sectarian issues. Anbar is the biggest Sunni province and the government thinks its a source of terrorism; thats why they punish the province.

Al Jazeera was unable to reach an official with Iraqs defence ministry for comment by the time of publication.

For now, neither the liberation from ISIL nor an array of UN-funded projects  including the reconstruction of damaged buildings and the rehabilitation of water and electricity  has lessened the sense of claustrophobia in Fallujah.

Qassim Mohammads 70-year-old father suffers from kidney failure, a condition that can become fatal if left untreated. Mohammad says that he spends upwards of $1,000 a month on his father, including on transport from the neighbouring town of Khalidiya, medication and dialysis.

The local hospital has been unable to provide his father with state-subsidised medicine, Mohammad says, but travelling to Baghdad for the required care is not an option.

My father cant handle waiting for two hours at the checkpoint, he said, standing next to his ashen-faced father. Day after day, the checkpoints are getting harder to pass.
The idea of assassinating a public figure or a high profile enemy, so as to remove a problem, has a dangerously simplistic logic to it. It is believed that once a leader is eliminated, his or her followers, and problems that they cause, will also dissolve. But history abounds with examples of political assassinations that went really wrong.

Yet in the 21st century, the practice of assassination appears to be more popular than ever, with recent examples coming from North Korea with the deaths of Jang Song Thaek (uncle to Kim Jong-un) and Kim Jong-nam (the half-brother of the North Korean leader).

More surprisingly, there have been rumours and discussions about the assassination of Kim Jong-un in the West. Many in the United States have started to wonder, and are possibly preparing (or even having tried, if North Korean accounts are to be believed) to decapitate the North Korean leadership. After all, why not utilise a practice that Kim Jong-un currently appears to use against his enemies and remove one man in order to potentially avert a nuclear war and save millions?

But, as logical as it may seem to some warmongers, assassinating the North Korean leader is not a good idea.

A man hard to kill

The first reason why assassinating Kim Jong-un is not a good idea is that it would be a very difficult task to achieve and a failed attempt could have disastrous consequences. North Korea, at over 120,000 square kilometres, with mountains making up nearly 80 percent of its surface, is one of the most heavily fortified countries in the world. The country is also known for its tapestry of tunnels and between 6,000 to 8,000 subterranean facilities, all making it very easy for Kim to hide. In addition, intense secrecy, decoys, unpredictable schedules and what appears to be a very efficient security service, mean that the times that Kim Jong-un may appear in the cross-hairs are few and far between. If an attempt was made, and failed, the full nuclear anger of Kim Jong-un could be expected in response.

The second reason why assassinating the North Korean strongman is not a good idea for the US is that although attempting to assassinate foreign leaders in times of war is permissible, in times of peace this practice is illegal under US laws. Although the US has started down a slippery slope with its targeted killings in the so-called war on terror, President Gerald Fords 1976 Executive Order, (which came on the back of CIAs failed attempts on Cuban leader Fidel Castro) stating, no employee of the United States shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination is still in place. Of course President Donald Trump can nullify this executive order and prepare the legal ground for an assassination, but for now, any attempt on the North Korean leaders life would be against US law.

Not a guaranteed solution

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The third reason why assassination is not a good idea is that Kim Jong-uns death by no means guarantees solving the problem. The best case scenario is that after the death of Kim Jong-un, power would be quickly grabbed by a safer pair of hands. This is the Boris Yeltsin scenario, in which a more reasonable figure emerges and saves the day, steering the world away from nuclear war after the ousting of a problematic leader. But in the case of modern-day North Korea, there is no evidence to support this optimistic ending.

The more likely scenario is that, if Kim Jong-un is eliminated, power would pass directly to one of his children in accordance with a pre-agreed succession plan. Either his sister, Kim Yo-jong , or his wife, Ri Sol-ju will act as regent until his elected heir is old enough to take control of the communist de-facto monarchy.

Assuming there would not be a palace coup within the family, the success of this type of regency and succession would depend on support from the military. Of course, some military commanders may also try to topple the Kim dynasty and grab the leadership position for themselves. At the moment no one knows how any of these actors would act once they assume power or whether they would work towards bringing an end to North Koreas current confrontation with the US.

An alternate possibility is the country descending into absolute chaos after such an assassination. Recent examples of the deaths of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi show that the removal of such strongmen can bring dangerous fragmentation and enduring conflict that destabilise regions for decades ahead.

The final and most likely possibility is that the head of the snake keeps biting for a few minutes after it is decapitated. In this situation an armed response would unfold automatically in accordance with protocols prepared in anticipation of such an event, and/or the North Korean military and citizens get so angry at the US for killing their beloved leader that they start firing everything they have. In this very likely scenario, the assassination would spark a completely undesired outcome and trigger a war on the Korean Peninsula.

So, it is safe to say cutting the head of the snake is most definitely not a good idea in North Korea.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
For a man on the verge of losing his job and blamed for eroding the power of American diplomacy, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is still in the mood for making a jokes.

At a recent speech in Washington, DC, before his South Asia trip, Tillerson wished everyone Happy Diwali, a Hindu festival often marked by fireworks, and then quipped, I dont need any fireworks. Im getting too many fireworks around me already.

Everyone laughed, including Tillerson himself, and for a good reason. It is easy to find comedy in Tillersons predicament. He has been accused of calling President Donald Trump a moron  something he has not denied. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has accused Trump of castrating Tillerson, an allegation that prompted the secretary of state to declare on national TV, I checked. I am fully intact. For those keeping track, he is the second Trump appointee who has referenced male anatomy to defend his role in government.

However, peel back the spectacle on Tillersons short tenure and a picture emerges of a Trump administration that is gutting the Department of State, challenging its very reason for existing, pushing aside foreign policy experts in favour of CEOs, and redefining US approaches to diplomacy that will take years to undo, even if Tillerson is ousted.

Sources close to Tillerson said he will not survive past January 2018. Even if he leaves sooner, the damage is already done. In September, Tillerson announced plans to trim the State Departments budget by close to 30 percent and cut 1,300 jobs, most of which will come from the civil service. Tillerson wanted to slash more positions but he learned he could not fire government workers so easily.

Instead, he decided to keep some positions empty, such as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism  as well as half of all envoy positions. Other positions remain vacant, like that of the US Ambassador to South Korea  an odd thing, given that the US and North Korea might go to war.

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Today, offices within the State Department that write critical reports about human rights, religious freedom, gay rights, and war crimes are shadows of what they once were or shut down altogether, meaning that lawyers and human rights activists who rely on these bureaus will have a much harder time advocating on behalf of vulnerable communities abroad.

But Trump is not really interested in a State Department that functions or succeeds.

He wants a State Department whose culture is redefined and whose power is diminished so that he can enlarge his own importance  and that of his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Take, for example, the issue of institutional memory within the US diplomatic community.

The State Department runs on legacy  carryovers from past administrations of both parties who stick around to ensure US policies have continuity. However, Trumps team told his diplomatic staff not to have contact with Obamas team. That is like taking over a convenience store and covering your ears when the previous owner tries to offer you advice about keeping the place secure.

Its a curious thing: Trump has filled his cabinet with people who in many ways would like to see the very departments they head up eliminated. Tillerson is no different. He admitted he did not even want the job and in interviews brags about how much he dislikes Washington, DC. Madeline Albright, a former Democratic Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, recently said that what worries her about Tillerson is that he does not seem to be enjoying his job.

The result is a State Department that is at its weakest in years. During George W Bushs administration, the Department of State was sidelined in favour of the Department of Defense, which led diplomacy when the US waged war on Iraq. But Bush never undermined the State Department by tweeting or kept the State Department out of foreign policy meetings, as Trump is reported to have done with Tillersons team.

After all, Trump seems to question why he needs an expensive apparatus like the State Department when he can convey his thoughts to North Korea's 'Little Rocket Man' directly on Twitter. by

I worked for a State Department grantee in the early 2000s and while it was tense then between the State Department and the White House, I have never seen a mess like the one Trump created. Partly this is because of who is staffing Trumps government right now. The State Department has always had its share of political appointees from the business world. When I worked in the US Congress, I saw it there, too  this fantasy many business executives have, especially those in the Silicon Valley, that if the government were run like a start-up, it would operate smoother.

But working for the State Department requires stomaching a high amount of inefficiency, something many CEOs find unnerving and counterintuitive. Diplomacy is also slow and often involves a lot of setbacks, something both Trump and Tillerson are impatient of, given their mantra that American should always win. Most of all, working in government requires a degree of accountability that many in the private sector are unaccustomed to, including Tillerson. As the CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson was contemptuous of accountability and he has brought this same ethos to his role at the State Department.

Tillerson, I suspect, will argue that he was set up to fail by Trump. In some ways, he has a point. After all, Trump seems to question why he needs an expensive apparatus like the State Department when he can convey his thoughts to North Koreas Little Rocket Man directly on Twitter.

But Tillerson is not that different from Trump, even though he might suggest otherwise. Both assumed their position without really respecting the responsibilities, the confines, or the histories of their offices.

In interviews, Tillerson likes to play the role of the outsider, of someone who does not really understand Washington, DC. That might be true. He does not get Washington, DC. But did he ever try? And does Trump even want the next Secretary of State to try?

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
US Air Forces Central Command, or AFCENT, has its headquarters is just outside Doha.

US Air Forces Central Command, or AFCENT, has its headquarters is just outside Doha.

Lieutenant-General Jeffrey Harrigian said, There are no diplomatic issues that are impacting our ability to operate every day from here in our counter-ISIS missions, referring to the Gulf diplomatic crisis in which a Saudi-led coalition of countries has blockaded Qatar.

Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Alken reports from Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar.
Group brushes off talk of tension and praises Qatar for pioneering role in improving lives of Palestinians in Gaza.

Hamas has denied reports hinting that the Palestinian group is dissatisfied with the role of Qatar in the effort to reach reconciliation with Fatah.

Local news media reports on the issue surfaced after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar recently met youth groups in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Hamas has said allegations of the rift are completely not true and dismissed talk of any tension.

It is worth noting Qatars role in supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in general and our people in the Gaza Strip, especially in the shadow of the unjust siege, the statement read.

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Hamas praised Qatar as having a pioneering role in bettering the lives of Palestinians living in Gaza.

Qatar has carried out dozens of humanitarian projects, reconstruction projects and infrastructure, which was felt by our people and contributed significantly to prevent the collapse of the Gaza Strip during the years of siege.

The statement mentioned Qatars support for Palestinian national reconciliation, noting the Arab Gulf countrys blessings for every effort to heal the rift between Hamas and Fatah.

Earlier this month, Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement under the auspices of Egypt, after Hamas agreed to cede power to the Fatah-backed Palestinian Authority government led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

The agreement, which was signed by the two sides in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday, stipulates that legislative, presidential and national council elections should be conducted within one year of its signing.

However, details of the reconciliation deal have not yet been made public.
Former US President Jimmy Carter said he would be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help defuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website on Sunday.

I would go, yes, Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house in Plains, Georgia, whether it was time for another diplomatic mission and whether he would do so for President Trump.

Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981, said he had spoken to Trumps National Security Adviser Lieutenant General HR McMaster, who is a friend, but so far has gotten a negative response.

I told him that I was available if they ever need me, the Times quoted Carter as saying.

Told that some in Washington were made nervous by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns war of words, Carter said: Im afraid, too, of a situation.

They want to save their regime. And we greatly overestimate Chinas influence on North Korea. Particularly to Kim, who, Carter added, has never, so far as I know, been to China. And they have no relationship. Kim Jong-il did go to China and was very close to them.

Carter worried that if Kim thinks Trump will act against him, he could do something pre-emptive, the Times reported.

I think hes now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland, Carter said.

In the mid-1990s, Carter travelled to Pyongyang over the objections of President Bill Clinton, the Times report said, and struck a deal with Kim Il-sung, grandfather of the current leader.
Lombardy and Veneto vote in a non-binding referendums to gain more control over its financial affairs.

Two of the richest regions in northern Italy are heading to the polls to demand greater autonomy from the central government in Rome.

Around 11 million voters in Lombardy and Veneto, nearly a quarter of Italys population, are casting their ballots on Sunday in a non-binding referendum approved by the constitutional court.

Voters will decide whether they want their regional governments to claim more control from Rome over tax revenues, immigration and education systems.

A resounding yes vote will give the neighbouring regions political leverage in negotiations with Rome.

A turnout of more than 50 percent of the eligible voters is required in Veneto for the referendum to hold. There is no quorum for Lombardy voters.

The two regions account for 30 percent of Italys GDP, but many taxpayers in the north resent subsiding the relatively poor south of Italy.

Italys twin referendums come on the back of the vote on independence in Catalonia. Tensions have been high in neighbouring Spain after an overwhelming 90 percent voted in favour of secession.

Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Venetos capital, Venice, said: The Lombardy and Veneto referendums are yet another signal of European separatists movements picking up steam again.

An approval of the parliament will be required to allow regional autonomy.

Meanwhile, some are also in favour of independence.

Everyone has the right to decide its own administration, Franco Tonello, independence campaigner, told Al Jazeera.

Our culture has been forgotten. Our children are not taught the history of the Republic of Venice but a history that was never ours.
Roadside bomb attack kills 11 people, including women, days after more than 350 lost their lives in Somali city.

Mogadishu, Somalia  Little more than one week after a massacre in Somalia killed more than 350 people in the capital, an attack near Mogadishu on Sunday has claimed the lives of at least 11 people, witnesses told Al Jazeera.

Several women were among those killed in Sundays roadside explosion that hit a minibus carrying passengers some 36km southeast of the coastal city.

The victims are said to be farmers.

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Mohamed Hasan, who saw the blast, said he believed civilians were killed in error.

He saw a Somali military vehicle pass the scene of the explosion.

I saw charred bodies shortly after the blast. I think the target of the attack was the military soldiers, he told Al Jazeera.

The bus that was blown up had been heading to Balad town in Middle Shabelle region, according to Harun Osman, a local resident.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the explosion but al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in and around the capital in recent months.

According to an Al Jazeera tally, since the start of this year, more than 20 explosions have targeted Mogadishu, killing at least 500 people and injuring more than 630.

Sundays attack followed the October 14 blast in which at least 358 people died and more than 400 were injured.

The Somali government blamed the October 14 blast on al-Shabab, but no group has claimed the massacre.

With reporting by Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare in Mogadishu




More than 10 years after African Union peacekeepers were deployed, why is the coastal city still plagued by bombings?

Last week, the deadliest bomb blast to hit the Somali city of Mogadishu killed more than 350 people and injured around 400 others.

Questions are now been asked as to why, more than 10 years after African Union peacekeepers set foot in the capital and six years after the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab was pushed out, attacks still plague the coastal city.

The Somali government blamed the October 14 blast on al-Shabab.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the truck explosion which struck Zobe intersection  a busy junction lined by shops, offices and homes  had all the hallmarks of the group.

This is their fingerprints, this is what they have done, Farmajo said.

Since the start of this year, more than 20 explosions have targeted Mogadishu, killing at least 500 people and injuring more than 630.

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Most of the attacks were carried out by al-Shabab, which has lost control of most major towns and cities in the country.

More than 24,000 African troops have been sent to defeat the group. But the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) says they are not at fault for the blasts.

The security work has been divided. AMISOM is in charge of Villa Somalia [presidential palace] and the airport. Entry and exit points of the city is the work of the Somali security forces and the Mogadishu stabilisation force, said an AMISOM spokesman.

The Western-backed government, which is struggling to pay its soldiers, says it has done much to improve the security situation in the capital.

In the last five months, [we] formed the Mogadishu Stabilisation Force which consists of 500 police officers, 500 intelligence officers and 500 military officers. They have stopped many attacks and saved many lives, Abdirahman Omar Osman, Somalias information minister, told Al Jazeera.

We have defeated them militarily. The terrorists are very desperate and the only option left for them is suicide bombing which we are working hard to stop, Osman added.

They target Mogadishu because it is the capital and they want to show the world they are still active. It is an act of desperation, he added.

But analysts say more needs to be done not just to improve the security situation but bring about lasting peace.

The current security apparatus is designed to mainly keep the security cash cow intact by creating manageable insecurity. That security apparatus must be overhauled  period, Abukar Arman, a former Somalia envoy to the US, told Al Jazeera.

Abdullahi Boru, a Horn of Africa security analyst, said Somalia needs to find other solutions in addition to the military option.

Unpalatable as it is, political negotiations including with al-Shabab since they are at their weakest needs to be seriously considered, Boru said.
A US aircraft carrier completed a week of massive joint naval exercises with warships from South Korea.

A US aircraft carrier completed a week of massive joint naval exercises with warships from South Korea.

North Korea claimed the exercises were a rehearsal for war and threatened to sink the USS Ronald Reagan, the carrier leading the US naval task force.

The drills off the Korean Peninsula come before US President Donald Trump travels to Asia to meet allies in the region.

Al Jazeeras Craig Leeson has been on board in the port of Busan.
Hassan Showkans case highlights the plight of administrative detainees in Israeli prisons, his family says.

A Palestinian prisoners health is rapidly deteriorating as he enters the 12th day of his hunger strike, according to his father.

Hassan Showka, from the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, was arrested on September 29 without charges for a second consecutive time. He is being held in administrative detention at Israels Ofer prison.

He does not have family visitation rights, so we cant see him, but were in touch with his lawyer, who is able to see him every now and then, his father, 57-year-old Hassanein Showka, told Al Jazeera.

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Hassan, 29, has been denied the right to see his family members, including his toddler.

Administrative detention is a legal procedure that allows Israel to imprison Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip without charge or trial, for renewable periods of up to six months. Israeli authorities have been using this procedure for more than 50 years, based on secret evidence.

The lawyers who manage to see him [Hassan] depict to us his current state, but most times were unsure whether the picture depicted is 100 percent accurate  usually they want to spare us the pain, Hassanein said.

They dont want us to worry about him, but we know hes unwell.

Earlier this year, Hassan went on another hunger strike to protest his previous term of administrative detention, his father said. He was arrested again days later.

Today, there are some 600 administrative detainees in Israeli prisons, 16 of whom are children.

Administrative detention is a real problem. Weve been trying to understand why, whats the purpose behind his arrest, but were still left wondering and havent been provided with a valid explanation, Hassanein said. From the day they took him and until this very moment, were all confused  This is our son and hes precious to us.

Hunger strikes have traditionally been used as a way to pressure Israel into improving living conditions in prisons and to push for basic rights, including visitations.

Deprivation of rights

On Monday, Mousa Soufan, a prisoner diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, was planning to start an open-ended hunger strike to protest medical neglect in Israeli prisons, local media reported.

Under international law, Israel is obliged to maintain the wellbeing of the prisoners in its custody.

Amina al-Taweel, a spokesperson for the Hebron-based Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies, told Al Jazeera that those in administrative detention are treated the same as prisoners facing charges.

The rights theyre deprived of, including healthcare, visitation rights and their overall living conditions are identical to those prisoners who actually face charges, Taweel said. But those who are on hunger strike specifically face very dangerous consequences.

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Earlier this year, 1,500 Palestinian prisoners embarked on a 40-day hunger strike to achieve better conditions.

It was dubbed as the longest hunger strike in the history of the prisoners movement. They survived on salt and water, and eventually managed to gain more visitation rights and access to phone booths.

Addameer, a Ramallah-based prisoners rights group, told Al Jazeera that the conditions in Ofer prison  which mostly holds administrative detainees  are dire, with overcrowded cells that often hold up to six people at a time.

There are also insect and rat infestations, said Dawoud Yusef, Addameers advocacy coordinator.

Collective punishment is common, where the Israeli prison service imposes price surges at the canteen, strips prisoners of their bi-monthly visits, and withholds medical treatment, he said. Solitary confinement is common  They are locked within the cell for 23 hours a day, mostly without sunlight, and are often shackled during their one hour outside.

This year, the number of arrests surged for the first time in years. Throughout the summer months, more than 1,000 Palestinians were arrested in the aftermath of the al-Aqsa crisis in occupied East Jerusalem, which erupted in July after three Palestinian citizens of Israel killed two Israeli guards. The attackers were also shot dead.
Forensics experts conclude the Nobel laureate did not die from cancer, casting suspicion on the Pinochet regime.

Pablo Neruda, the poet who could write the saddest lines, has released a sombre verse from his grave.

International forensics experts concluded on Friday that the Nobel laureate did not die from prostate cancer, as his death certificate states.

They said that a new bacteria was found in Nerudas remains, and raised the possibility that a third party may have played a role in his death.

What is 100 percent certain is that his death certificate does not reflect the reality of his death, Spanish forensics expert Aurelio Luna told reporters gathered in Santiago.

He said that it cannot be confirmed that Augusto Pinochets regime injected Neruda with the bacteria golden staph, employed by Pinochet against dissidents.

There is testimony and declarations, but there are no clinical documents that allow us to confirm or dismiss the existence of an injection, Luna said, adding that new studies of the bacteria are under way in Canadian and Norwegian laboratories.

Injection theory

The announcement caps a six-year inquiry into Nerudas death. In 2011, a Chilean court opened an investigation into the poets final days after his former chauffeur and bodyguard, Manuel Araya, dropped a bombshell.

After 38 years of silence, Araya claimed that Neruda did not die from advanced prostate cancer in 1973  just 12 days after General Augusto Pinochet seized power in a coup on September 11  the official cause of death that is widely accepted in Chile. Neruda was murdered, Araya said.

On the day Neruda died, Araya told a Spanish newspaper, he was gathering the poets personal belongings in preparation for his life in exile.

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The following day, Neruda planned to fly to Mexico, where he would lead international opposition to the Pinochet regime. But when Araya returned to the Santa Maria clinic in Santiago two hours later, Neruda told him he had been injected with something. Neruda died that evening.

This announcement marks a decisive, fundamental step toward the recovery of Chiles historical truth, Eduardo Contreras, Arayas lawyer, told Al Jazeera. The discovery of this bacteria raises the strong possibility that Nerudas death was due to a third party.

Eerie similarities

In the years that followed the 1973 coup, Pinochets secret police orchestrated several assassinations of high-profile opponents.

They include the killing of Carlos Prats, Allendes army commander, in a car bombing in Buenos Aires in 1974. And Pinochet, according to US intelligence documents, ordered the assassination of Orlando Letelier, Allendes former defence minister.

Letelier and Ronni Moffitt were killed by a car bomb in 1976 as they rounded Sheridan Circle in Washington, DC.

But the 1982 assassination of former President Eduardo Frei Montalva at the Santa Maria clinic provides eerie similarities to Nerudas death.

Frei, who had become a leading opponent of the Pinochet dictatorship, was murdered, a Chilean judge ruled in August. He charged six people, including three doctors, with involvement in the death.

The same doctors, and the same nurse of the same clinic where Frei Montalva was assassinated in the 1980s, were the ones who examined Pablo Neruda in 1973, in a clinic occupied by the military, Contreras told Al Jazeera.

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Arayas declaration has caused a stir in Chile, especially among Nerudas family. Rodolfo Reyes, Nerudas nephew and the familys legal representative until 2013, firmly defends the theory that the poet was assassinated.

Chiles Communist Party, which called for a formal investigation into Nerudas death, also embraces that view.

But critics  among them, Bernardo Reyes, Nerudas grandnephew  have poked holes in the assassination hypothesis.

They question why Araya waited 38 years to tell his story (Araya claims that for decades he tried to tell his story to anyone willing to listen).

Bernardo Reyes, a Neruda biographer, has called Araya a mythomaniac desperate for media attention.

In her memoir, Mi Life with Pablo Neruda, the poets wife and muse Matilde Urrutia never mentioned Arayas claim.

But after the books publication, in an interview with a Spanish newspaper, she expressed doubts about the involvement of a third party in her husbands death, pointing out that Nerudas prostate cancer was under control.
Opposition leader rules out contesting the outcome of Thursdays vote in court, calling it a waste of time.

Nairobi, Kenya  Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga says he will not recognise a win by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursdays scheduled election rerun, as a political crisis gripping the East African country shows no sign of ending.

Odinga pulled out of the race earlier this month after claiming opposition demands to overhaul the countrys election body had not been met.

As far as we are concerned, this is not an election, Odinga told the Nation newspaper on Sunday.

He also ruled out contesting the outcome of the vote in court, in line with his partys position that the upcoming vote will not be credible.

It is not a legal matter, but a political one which must be dealt with as such, said Odinga, calling the prospect of challenging the result a waste of time.

Further obstacles

Kenya is holding the election re-run after the countrys Supreme Court annulled the results of an August 8 poll, following a challenge by Odinga, due to irregularities and illegalities in the electoral process.

Kenyatta had been declared the winner of that vote.

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John Githongo, the countrys former anti-corruption chief, said he was not surprised by Odingas stance.

It is expected, he told Al Jazeera.

All it does is complicate things further, and Thursdays election will not be credible and will only result in creating further obstacles, added Githongo.

Elections are meant to be about nation-building but this wont be. Unfortunately, the country will not move forward.

Ego dreams of one man

Hours earlier, Kenyatta, the son of the countrys founding father, had accused Odinga of keeping millions of Kenyans in suspense.

Kenya is not about satisfying the ego or dreams of one man (Odinga), he told a campaign rally in Kajiado county.

Kenyans are tired and will not allow to be put in a perpetual electioneering mode, Kenyatta added, dismissing opposition calls that Thursdays vote should be postponed.

The latest developments come less than a week after the resignation of a senior electoral official who fled to the United States and alleged that her staff had become the target of intimidation and threats.

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Speaking from New York, Roseyln Akombe  a former commissioner at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)  said on Tuesday that the body was partisan and part of the political crisis facing the country.

The commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017. I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity, said Akombe.

A day after Akombes resignation, IEBC chief Ezra Chiloba took three weeks of leave. The opposition had previously demanded Chiloba quit.

Kenya has witnessed weeks of streets protests leading to the deaths of several opposition supporters. Odinga on Tuesday called off the daily demonstrations following the killings of some of his followers.

At least four people were killed during demonstrations on Friday, according to police.
Navalny was arrested last month as he prepared to travel to the city of Nizhny Novgorod to lead a rally.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been freed from prison after serving a 20-day sentence for organising a rally without official permission from authorities.

He was taken into custody late last month as he prepared to travel to Nizhny Novgorod, Russias fifth-biggest city, to lead a rally.

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He was arrested for organising another rally in St Petersburg, President Vladimir Putins hometown, without authorisation, although the rally in Nizhny Novgorod had the proper permits.

After he was released from jail on Sunday, the opposition leader posted on social media that he planned to participate in an evening anti-government protest in the city of Astrakhan.

Navalny, 40, a staunch Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner, has long been the most visible opposition figure to Putins rule. He plans to run for the presidency against Putin in the March election.

Navalny rose to prominence in Russian politics in 2008, when he started blogging about alleged corruption at some of Russias large, state-controlled corporations.

Navalny used social media to reach out to predominantly young followers, mocking the establishment loyal to Putin. He rallied tens of thousands of people during widespread anti-Putin protests across the country.

He came second in the 2013 Moscow mayoral race after a grassroots campaign against the Kremlin-backed candidate. Navalny launched hundreds of lawsuits contesting the victory of his rival, Sergei Sobyanin.

Navalny has been in jail multiple times in relation to anti-government protests.
Analysts say the disappearance of the indigenous rights activist could sway Argentinas midterm elections on Sunday.

One persons shadow will loom large over Argentinas legislative elections on Sunday.

It isnt Cristina Fernandez de Kirchners, the former two-term president running for a senatorial seat that could either propel her into a third presidential bid or potentially end her life-long political career.

It isnt that of Education Minister Esteban Bullrich, Fernandezs main opponent.

Instead, the name that will be at the forefront of voters minds will be Santiago Maldonado, a 28-year-old tattoo artist and indigenous rights activist from Veinticinco de Mayo, whose body was found on Thursday, nearly 80 days after his disappearance in a case that has captivated the attention and political discussions of the entire country.

We were able to see the body, we recognised his tattoos, we are sure it is him, Sergio Maldonado, Santiagos brother, announced to the press gathered in front of the Buenos Aires judicial morgue on Friday.

The calvary that has affected our family since the day we found out that he had disappeared will not end until we obtain Justice, read a statement released by the Maldonado family later that day.

The judge who oversaw the autopsy confirmed the body was that of Maldonados, adding it had no evidence of injuries, and that more time was needed to determine a cause of death, local media reported.

Maldonados disappearance

Maldonado had last been seen in the southern province of Chubut, near the river of the same name, on August 1, during a confrontation between security forces and a group of indigenous rights activists protesting the Italian fashion company Benettons exploitation of the Mapuche tribes ancestral land.

His disappearance sent shockwaves through Argentine society and led to massive protests across the country, the latest of which took place on Thursday following the discovery of the body in the Chubut River.

Political parties brought their campaigns to a grinding halt and hundreds gathered in front of the Casa Rosada, the Argentine presidents office.

We are in the streets demanding memory, truth, and justice, said Enrique, a 39-year-old teacher and protester, who asked only to go by his first name.

It is not only about finding out what they did to Maldonado, but also to prevent something of the sort happening again, he added after a protest this week in Buenos Aires.

President Mauricio Macri has yet to publicly respond to the discovery of the body, but, according to La Nacion newspaper, he spoke privately to Maldonados mother for the first time on Friday.

The Argentine League for Human Rights has opened a legal case against Macri himself for enforced disappearance and for concealing evidence in the investigation in the case.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances have all demanded the Argentine government act swiftly to resolve the matter.

The UN committee reiterated its demand earlier this month saying that it was highly preoccupied by the lack of progress in the investigation, and calling for an immediate clarification of the security forces role in Maldonados disappearance.

Macris government has repeatedly assured that it was doing everything it could to find Santiago Maldonado and to clarify the circumstances of his disappearance. The government rejected allegations that security forces detained the missing activist, saying there was no such evidence to support the claims.

Effect on elections

However, many Argentines, including the countrys main opposition figures, have cast doubt on the governments response.

Throughout the campaign Fernandez was fiercely critical of the governments response to Maldonados disappearance, going as far as telling news website Infobae that she no longer believed there was rule of law in Argentina.

The government, in turn, accused its political opponents of instrumentalising Maldonados disappearance for political motives.

Unfortunately the politicisation of this case has been very high, which is not good, Justice Minister German Garavano told the TV channel Todo Noticias.

Enrique, who has been at every protest in Buenos Aires since Maldonado disappeared, said that when security forces are used by the state to repress internal protests, and these security forces disappear a citizen, it becomes a state crime so in a sense political instrumentalisation is inevitable.

Immediately after the body was found on Thursday the ruling party commissioned a survey to find out the impact of the discovery on Sundays elections.

The results, reported by the newspaper Clarin, were not positive for the government, with 73 percent of respondents saying they believed security forces were responsible for Maldonados death and 40 percent believed the discovery of the body would help the opposition.

It remains unclear whether this will be enough to swing the election in the oppositions favour.

What is clear, however, is that in recent years few stories have gripped Argentine society like Maldonados.

Memories of desparecidos during dictatorship

The story of someone, and a young social activist in particular, disappearing after a confrontation with the police is one that is all too fresh in the Argentine psyche.

There were up to 30,000 desaparecidos, politically motivated disappearances, during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. The term in Argentina is synonymous with the darkest chapter of the countrys modern history.

It is no coincidence that Thursdays protest for Maldonado was held in coordination with the Mothers of Plaza de Mayos weekly march to demand memory, truth and justice in the name of their children disappeared during the dictatorship.

Most Argentines thought the disappearances were a thing of the past and had no place following the countrys transition to democracy initiated in 1983.

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The idea of having someone disappear, and an election going on at the same time is an oxymoron, it is incompatible with the way it is understood democracy works in Argentina, Ernesto Seman, an Argentine historian and author who teaches at the University of Richmond, told Al Jazeera.

The link with the dictatorship comes at a time where Macris government has come under fire for minimising its dark legacy and revising its history.

When asked by a journalist from Argentine newspaper Perfil whether he thought that the number of disappeared during the dictatorship was 30,000, Macri responded: I have no idea. If there were 9,000 or 30,000  I think its a discussion that makes no sense.

According to Seman, the memory and rejection of the dictatorship is quasi-unanimous in Argentine society, regardless of political affiliations, but, he added that this government has been trying to erode this common ground.

[The government] can have authoritarian tendencies  but it understands the democratic logic, these guys want to win elections, contrary to the right-wing of the past, they are interested in winning elections, Seman said.

So they are trying to change the democratic logic, while at the same time taking it into account.

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While Seman does not believe the government sent the security forces to kill Maldonado, he said that there is evidence  that there were talks between the government and security forces in the south about getting tougher about giving them a lesson to show the limits of social protests.

Regarding the impact Maldonados case will have on Sundays election, Seman said it will surely become a key point in the history of this government, not only for the disappearance itself, but also because of the incredible way in which the government initially reacted, oscillating between indifference and concealment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reversed its decision to appoint Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread criticism.

In a statement on Sunday, Tedros Adhanom, WHO director, said: Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment  As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment.

I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised.

Mugabe, who is 93 years old, had been asked to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The decision led to confusion and anger among key WHO member states and opposition figures in Zimbabwe, who noted that the countrys healthcare system has suffered from challenges under Mugabes decades-long leadership.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those who had criticised the appointment, saying it was absolutely unacceptable and inconceivable.

Social media users celebrated the WHOs decision on Sunday.

Good news: Sanity restored, tweeted Andrew Stroehlein of Human Rights Watch.

Im relieved, said columnist Nicholas Kristof, writing on Twitter.

Mugabes appointment as a goodwill ambassador of WHO has been rescinded. Twitter again doing the Lords work, said Twitter user J Papiki.
Exit polls show prime minister set to become his countrys longest serving leader since the second world war.

Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, is headed for a big victory in snap elections, according to exit polls, after promising to toughen his stance on North Korea and revive the economy.

Abes ruling coalition is on course to win between 280 and 336 seats in Sundays vote, which easily surpasses a simple majority in the 465-seat lower house of parliament.

Abe looks set to become Japans longest-serving leader since the second world war, although he is hoping for a two-thirds super majority to push through his agenda, for which he needs at least 310 seats.

The victory marks a remarkable turnaround for the Japanese leader. Plagued by corruption scandals, Abe and his coalition party were on shaky ground just last month

But on election day, they were favourites to win re-election and an exit poll predicted the Liberal Democratic Party would secure a parliamentary majority.

Opposition prospects

Two newly formed political parties failed to loosen Abes grip on power. An exit poll says The Party of Hope, led by the popular governor of Tokyo, Yoriku Koike, will win up to 59 seats.

The Constitutional Democratic Party looks set to win even more, making it the biggest opposition party in Japans lower house. But it is still not enough to challenge Abes overwhelming majority.

The opposition itself doesnt share a unifying ideology, Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple Universitys Japan campus, told Al Jazeera.

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It doesnt really share a unifying policy platform and it didnt manage to develop a credible narrative of being a better alternative than the current government.

Voting in Japan is not compulsory; at the last election about 50 percent of eligible voters turned out.

With Typhoon Lan delivering wet conditions on Sunday, the public was encouraged to vote early and they did.

An estimated 15 percent cast their vote before the official election day, boosting expectations that this election would see a higher voter turnout.

By mid-afternoon, heavy rain set in, with flooding in some areas. Organisers had predicted this election to have the lowest voter turnout for the third consecutive lower house elections.

Japans constitution limits the military to being a self-defence force after its defeat in the second world war.

Abe says the law is a relic of the past and having a super majority will help him reform the pacifist constitution and allow Japans armed forces to play a more active role.
Top US diplomat offers little optimism as he visits Riyadh and Doha in new push to resolve Gulf diplomatic dispute.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Saudi Arabia for the start of his Middle East tour as part of a new push to end the Gulf crisis.

The top US diplomat landed in Riyadh on Saturday and met Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

On Sunday, Tillerson participated in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee, along with Saudi King Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The committee aims to improve ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia that have long been regional rivals.

PM Al-Abadi co-chairs the inaugural Iraq-Saudi Arabia Coordination Meeting, speaks of his aim to see economic development for mutual benefit pic.twitter.com/zMBC1X8udr  Haider Al-Abadi   (@HaiderAlAbadi) October 22, 2017

The secretary of state was also scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the ongoing diplomatic dispute with Qatar, now in its fourth month, according to the US state department.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on their Gulf neighbour, accusing it of financing terrorism and maintaining too close of ties to their regional rival, Iran. Doha denies the allegations.

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While in the kingdom, the inaugural Coordination Council meeting between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iraq will also be on Tillersons agenda.

After Riyadh, the secretary of state is due to travel to Qatars capital, Doha, on Sunday, where he will meet Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Tillerson offered little optimism about a solution to the Gulf crisis in advance of his Middle East tour, blaming the Saudi-led group of countries for the lack of progress.

I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon, he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg on Thursday.

There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage  Its up to the leadership of the quartet when they want to engage with Qatar because Qatar has been very clear  theyre ready to engage, added Tillerson.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said the Qatar crisis is becoming an embarrassing topic for Saudi Arabia and the UAE simply because Washington has already moved on.

Its no longer taking their arguments seriously and the whole bit about Qatar supporting terrorism and instability in the region is, of course, proving false, Bishara added.

Clearly, Tillerson has other bigger issues in mind, especially the containment of Iran, and reckons the Qatar crisis is simply a distraction and counterproductive of the overall policy that the US is seeking in the region.

Renewed hope

Tillerson last visited the Gulf states in July. Despite an intense round of shuttle diplomacy that also took him to Kuwait, which has led the mediation efforts, tensions have remained high between the Gulf neighbours.

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He tried before, he tried to be nice with everyone but this took him nowhere and produced no results so I think he has probably realised that the time has come to use some leverage, Ibrahim Fraihat, foreign policy expert at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, said.

Analysts say there is renewed hope the blockading countries might be more willing to engage this time around.

The president [Donald Trump], for example, has tried to put pressure on the Saudis and the UAE to be willing to meet to resolve some of the sanctions that they put on Qatar, Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress, told Al Jazeera.

Korb also cited Trumps recent push to decertify the Iran nuclear agreement as a factor that could make Saudi Arabia more willing to work with the US to deal with the situation with Qatar.

After the stops in the Middle East, Tillerson will go to Pakistan and India, and then to Switzerland on his way back to the US.
The major developing stories this week have been so scantily and poorly covered in the mainstream press that you may want an easy primer. To fully understand it you have to look at alternative media, because just as Harvey Weinstein counted on complicit enablers -- his colleagues, victims and the press -- Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller and a cast of characters, including a press determined to cover for them have hidden what occurred. Its taken some time, to be sure, but the evidence of their wrongdoing is becoming harder and harder to hide. Stalling and misdirection are their last redoubt.

WHO:

Here are some of the principal figures:

Robert Mueller. Former head of the FBI and now special counsel purportedly investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to win the election.

Andrew McCabe, appointed by former president Obama, was Assistant FBI Director in charge of investigating charges by the FBIs own underground informant to the effect that the Russians, engaged in bribery to obtain uranium supplies in the U.S. His wife received nearly half a million dollars from Hillary Clinton buddy Terry McAuliffe for her 2015 Virginia state senate campaign which he had not disclosed to the Department nor sought clearance for from its ethics office. Presently he is the deputy attorney director of the FBI and is himself under investigation by the Justice department inspector general respecting this contribution.

The unnamed FBI undercover informant, represented by criminal attorney Victoria Toensing, was witness to the scheming, kickbacks and corruption in the Russian effort to obtain 20% of U.S. uranium supplies held by Canadian-based Uranium One. He reported to his bosses at the FBI -- which is to say McCabe and Mueller -- prior to the October 2010 approval of the sale to Uranium One. He says Lynch has threatened him with criminal prosecution if he reveals what he knows to Congress. Senator Grassley has asked present Attorney General Jeff Sessions to waive the nondisclosure agreement -- which appears in any event to be untoward and unconstitutional -- so he can tell the Senate Judiciary Committee what he knows.

CFIUS (The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US) is the interagency organization which is supposed to review such transactions to be sure they did not jeopardize national security. If it determines such sales will harm national security, they are supposed to block them.

The U.S. Intelligence Community  through the Director of National Intelligence  serves as ex officio member and is required to provide an intelligence assessment to CFIUS for review. The Secretary of Labor was also added as an ex officio member. In total, CFIUS is comprised of nine agencies, two ex officio representatives and other members as appointed by the U.S. President representing major departments and agencies within the U.S. federal executive branch. In addition to Treasury, the U.S. Departments of Energy, Commerce, State, Homeland Security, Justice, Trade, Science and Technology Policy and Defense are represented.

Author Jim Rickards claims that James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, disbanded the CFIUS advisory for the intel community just before the Uranium One deal was approved.

The Chairman of Uranium One is on the Clinton Foundation Board and a close friend of the Clintons, and as the deal was being considered by approval by CFIUS, nine members of Uranium One contributed more than $145 million to the Clinton Foundation, long exposed as a Clinton family piggy bank. Yellow cake from these uranium mines has gone to some unknown destination since the sale was approved.

Loretta Lynch, Obamas Attorney General, reportedly threatened the informant that hed be subject to criminal prosecution if he revealed to Congress what hed find out.

Hillary Clinton, former first lady and most recently failed candidate for President, was Secretary of State when the Uranium Sale was approved by the CFIUS.

Mystery witness claims millions of dollars in Russian nuclear funds went to an entity assisting the Clinton Foundation.

Bill Clinton, former president and husband of Hillary Clinton and recipient of a $500,000 dollar speaking fee for a speech in Russia from Renaissance Capital (a Russian finance corporation) prior to the approval of the sale to Uranium One.

Rod Rosenstein, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, presently Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice overseeing the Mueller investigation into claims that the Russians colluded with the Trump campaign (2005-2017).

Andrew Weisman, presently a member of Muellers team, and former prosecutor of the Russian briber Vadim Mikerin and the American Trucking executive whom Vadim worked with and through. (the latter pleaded guilty June 2015, but the court record shows he has not yet been sentenced.)

He pursued those convictions under Rosensteins supervision.

Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining mogul, with whom the Clintons had a long relationship, sought and obtained uranium in Kazakhstan (UrAsia Energy). Uranium One bought his company, and the Russians were sniffing around about how Giustra had obtained the Kazakhstan deal.

Rosatom, a Russian government corporation, which bought into Uranium One, but needed U.S. approval to obtain Uranium One, because the latter held 20% of U.S. uranium supplies.

Ian Teifer, Chair of Uranium One (since 2007 when it merged with Ur Asia) and other individuals contributed millions to the Clinton Foundation from 2009-2013, which were not disclosed publicly as she had pledged to do.

There are actually three Russian Collusion Stories  two, involving Hillary and present and past FBI and DOJ officials, have merit. The third, the subject of Special Counsel Muellers investigation, is nonsensical.

1. Hillary and the Uranium One deal

What is Being Charged About the Clintons Role in the Uranium One Sale?

Daniel Greenfield explains:

The same year that Hillary brought over her Reset Button, the FBI was investigating a top Rosatom figure in America for racketeering, extortion, bribery and money laundering. The investigation was supervised by the controversial current Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe who has his own financial ties to the Clintons. The investigation dragged out for five years. Just enough time for the Rosatom deal to be approved. When the charges were brought in 14, the Russians had gotten it all Holders DOJ, like Hillarys State, signed off on the Rosatom-Uranium One deal despite the ongoing investigation. Holder and his associates at the DOJ kept the investigation under their hats. The trails leading to the Clintons were closed off Victim 1, the FBIs confidential witness in the case, was an American businessman who was making payments to a Rosatom figure. He knew firsthand about the Russian efforts to influence Bill and Hillary, and through them, the Obama administration, but wasnt allowed to talk about it. Instead Obamas DOJ threatened him with criminal charges if he revealed what he knew. And what he knew included comments by FBI agents about political pressure from the DOJ during the Uranium One-Rosatom approval process. Meanwhile, during the approval process, Bill Clinton was getting paid $500,000 by a Russian bank with Russian government ties, even as his wife had the power to block a deal by Rosatom. While Clinton and Obama cronies are scurrying around to tie Trump to Russia, their own bosses were giving a Russian state corporation whose branches included the nuclear weapons complex access to our nuclear materials. [snip] Not only did Obama and his people at the DOJ and FBI turn a blind eye to Russian nuclear malfeasance in America, but they covered up evidence tying that malfeasance to the Clintons, and then threatened an informant to protect that cover-up. Democracy really does die in darkness. Just ask the media.

The Hill takes up the narrative:

At the same time the Russians were paying Clinton half a million dollars to speak and topping up the Clinton Foundation coffers to the hilt, Bill Clinton sought permission in May 2010 to meet with Arkady Dvorovich, one of the highest-ranking members of the Russian government to sit on Rosatoms Board, and then when approval dragged on, he met directly with Vladimir Putin. [snip] Inside the Clintons' inner circle, there also was a debate in 2010. A close associate of Bill Clinton who was directly involved in the Moscow trip and spoke on condition of anonymity, described to The Hill the circumstances surrounding how Bill Clinton landed a $500,000 speaking gig in Russia and then came up with the list of Russians he wanted to meet. The friend said Hillary Clinton had just returned in late March 2010 from an official trip to Moscow where she met with both Putin and Medvedev. The presidents speakers bureau had just received an offer from Renaissance Capital to pay the former president $500,000 for a single speech in Russia. Documents show Bill Clintons personal lawyer on April 5, 2010, sent a conflict of interest review to the State Department asking for permission to give the speech in late June, and it was approved two days later. The Clinton friend said the former presidents office then began assembling a list of requests to meet with Russian business and government executives whom he could meet on the trip. One of the goals of the trip was to try to help a Clinton family relative grow investments in their business with Russian oligarchs and other businesses, the friend told The Hill. It was one of the untold stories of the Russia trip. People have focused on Uranium One and the speaking fees, but opening up a business spigot for the family business was one only us insiders knew about, the friend said.

But that is not the end of the story. Without revealing anything about the Rosatom-Uranium One background of bribery and corruption, Rosenstein-McCabe supervised the investigation and two people, including Russian Vadim Mikerin, were prosecuted.

Although the FBI and DOJ knew of the corruption involved in getting the Uranium One deal approved before the CFIUS approved the deal, no charges were brought until 2014, and neither the public, the intelligence community, nor the Congress were informed of the cases until after a plea was entered with little fanfare by the defendants.

Bringing down a major Russian nuclear corruption scheme that had both compromised a sensitive uranium transportation asset inside the U.S. and facilitated international money laundering would seem a major feather in any law enforcement agencys cap. But the Justice Department and FBI took little credit in 2014 when Mikerin, the Russian financier and the trucking firm executives were arrested and charged. The only public statement occurred a year later when the Justice Department put out a little-noticed press release in August 2015, just days before Labor Day. The release noted that the various defendants had reached plea deals. By that time, the criminal cases against Mikerin had been narrowed to a single charge of money laundering for a scheme that officials admitted stretched from 2004 to 2014. And though agents had evidence of criminal wrongdoing they collected since at least 2009, federal prosecutors only cited in the plea agreement a handful of transactions that occurred in 2011 and 2012, well after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United Statess approval. The final court case also made no mention of any connection to the influence peddling conversations the FBI undercover informant witnessed about the Russian nuclear officials trying to ingratiate themselves with the Clintons even though agents had gathered documents showing the transmission of millions of dollars from Russias nuclear industry to an American entity that had provided assistance to Bill Clintons foundation, sources confirmed to The Hill. The lack of fanfare left many key players in Washington with no inkling that a major Russian nuclear corruption scheme with serious national security implications had been uncovered.

The Second Hillary-Russian scandal (The Ghost Story)

So here are the key facts: the FBI found that Russian intelligence had targeted Hillary Clinton before and during her time as secretary of state. Clintons spokespersons denied that this was so. Clinton opposed the Magnitsky sanctions on officials tied to Putin. After her husband received his half-million dollars Clinton moved with unusual speed to whisk the ring of 10 Russian spies out of the country and back to Moscow. She had the lopsided swap take place over a long summer weekend, before the FBI was finished with the spies, and before the spies could stand trial. While the FBI was separately investigating Russians involved with buying Uranium One, she approved the sale of American uranium to Russias nuclear weapons agency. Principals in the sale then plowed $145 million into her family foundation and projects. Several questions come to mind. Precisely what did the FBI know about Russias spy service targeting Hillary Clinton and her inner circle? Why did Clinton deny through spokespersons that she had been a Russian target? Why did she work so feverishly to get the spies out of the United States and back to Russia? Why has the FBI leadership not been more vocal in touting one of its greatest counterintelligence successes ever? And why did nobody in the FBI leadership raise this issue during the 2016 Russian election meddling controversy?

Once again, the person who should have been and certainly was most knowledgeable about the details of this scandal is Robert Mueller, then head of the FBI and now special counsel pursuing the dead end assertion that Russia colluded with Trump.

Russia and Trump

The overwhelming evidence suggests that Hillary and Bill, consumed with greed, colluded with the Russians, handed them the right to one-fifth of U.S. uranium reserves in exchange for cash for themselves and their slush fund foundation. When she lost, she projected her conduct onto everyone else, including Trump. It is beyond doubt -- because it has been admitted by James Comey, the head of the FBI -- that he began his investigation into her charges based on the GPS-Fusion Dossier which even its author Christopher Steele asserts was raw intelligence, not verified and not verifiable.

This week Steele refused a Congressional demand that he testify as to who paid him and who were his sources.

Fusion is known as a ruthless firm that excels in smear jobs, but few have noticed the operation its conducting against the lawmakers investigating it. The false accusations against Mr. Nunes -- that hes acting unethically and extralegally, that hes sabotaging the Russia probe -- are classic. This is a firm that in 2012 was paid to dig through the divorce records of a Mitt Romney donor. Its a firm that human-rights activist Thor Halvorssen testified was hired to spread malicious rumors about him. Its a firm that financier Bill Browder testified worked to delegitimize his efforts to get justice for Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer beaten to death in a Russian prison. Its the firm behind the infamous dossier accusing Donald Trump of not just unbecoming behavior but also colluding with Russia. Republicans are investigating whether the Fusion dossier was influenced by Russians, and whether American law enforcement relied on that disinformation for its own probe. But Fusions secret weapon in its latest operation is the Democratic Party, whose most powerful members have made protecting Fusions secrets their highest priority.

As Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds) notes: The obvious inference is that Fusions secrets are their secrets, and theyre devastating. Underscoring Reynolds point,GPS is even trying an unlikely gambit -- seeking judicial blocking of Congressional access to its bank records.

Molly Hemingway eviscerates the journalists who claimed to be shocked about GPS-Fusion, itself a collection of former journalists. She quotes them and shreds them for their purported ignorance, and remarks, not without warrant,

I mentioned earlier the Washington Post and New York Times had anonymously sourced stories alleging that the FBI tried to pay one of the dossiers authors but ultimately did not. Well, CNN has anonymous sources that say the FBI did give him money for his work. FBI reimbursed some expenses of dossier author, CNN reported in March. To quote Jake Sherman: The FBI is in the U.S. government. So lets go back to that tweet. We have reports at CNN of the FBI paying expenses for the dossier, and trying to pay him even more, according to the Post and Times. We have Fusion GPS already claiming that Democratic supporters of Clinton paid for it. And we have New York Times and various other reports that Russians paid Fusion GPS for allegedly unrelated work, though no evidence that those funds were not used on the dossier. So who paid for it? Russia? The FBI? The Democrats? Or all? Gosh, wouldnt it be nice to know? If only we had some means of finding out the answers to these questions!

While the fever swamps of the left are still playing on the credulity of their readers, theres still no evidentiary basis for claiming any of the Russian propaganda efforts on Facebook, or Google, or You Tube influenced the election in Trumps favor. More likely a woke citizenry fed up with Hillarys greed, corruption, lies, and incompetence and able to communicate directly with each other through the internet did it all by themselves.

Correction: Andrew McCabe's current title is deputy director of the FBI, not deputy attorney general.